After Patrick left Christopher's office, Christopher returned to work. He found himself particularly distracted today.
Emilia signed the contract at around noon. It was done and dusted. In a few hours, she will move in with him. He was now married.
He expected to feel different, changed, but there was nothing.
He didn't want it to be anything. He was insistent on the fact that this marriage was solely for business purposes and it was never going to anything more.
He was now married to Dr Emilia Vincent. He was now married because even in death his father needed to have an upper hand.
He stopped writing and reached for Emilia's file again.
"Emilia Anna Vincent." He read out loud. "Emilia Anna Hayden." He corrected it. It didn't sound that bad. Actually, he quite liked the name.
At the back of the file was Emilia's CV. It was truly well written. Considering her age, she had an experience he expected of his senior management. Her educational streak was astonishing. She finished top of her class during her bachelors and went straight to do a PhD, which she managed to finish within three years - truly unheard of. During her PhD alone she published five papers. Straight after, she went to work for research company, becoming a research analyst, slowly shifting to lab work and becoming a researcher.
He picked up his phone and searched for her name on the web. Besides a very neat LinkedIn page and her publications, there was nothing. Her social media accounts were all private.
It was a perfectly professional clean slate with not a single scandal in sight.
He still wondered where Patrick found her as he checked her LinkedIn page. She had a very business like profile picture that hasn't shown the full potential of hypnotising smile.
He was snapped back when Patrick came into the office.
"I have send the copy of the contract to the inheritance lawyer. He wants to have a chat to ensure that you're aware of the terms fully. I've arranged for it tomorrow."
"That's good. Did he have any objections?"
"No. As long as marriage is legally binding you fulfil the requirements for inheritance."
"That's good." Christopher closed Emilia's file.
"Is everything alright, sir?"
"Yes."
"Are you worried about the candidate you chose for your wife?"
"Emilia?" Christopher looked at Patrick in surprise. "No. I do not have anything against her. I am opposing marriage as a whole." Christopher sighed.
"Understood." Patrick nodded. "I am afraid that you have a meeting soon."
"Oh, the joy. What is it?"
"The new service. It's a demo."
"What do I need to know?"
"You will be asked to pick a solution as the meeting outcome."
Christopher stood up and straightened his fully black suit, before walking to where Patrick told him to.
The meetings dragged for the rest of the day. Patrick left him alone in the afternoon as he went to help Emilia with her move to the manor.
Somehow this only made Christopher more distracted. He was thinking back to the woman that was now his wife and how unfair it might be for her to be stuck in such a 'sterile' relationship with him. Because it wasn't going to be anything more than a business partnership. She gets the financial stability, he gets his company. It seemed like a fair deal.
Patrick returned once again in the evening.
"How did it go?"
"Dr Vincent has settled in now. Considering your requirements previously, I have placed her in the West wing of the Manor House. Bernadette was instructed of her arrival too. I will pass the remainder of your requirements to Dr Vincent later today, including the house rules and her public responsibilities."
Christopher nodded going back to writing something eagerly. He was trying to finish the draft for a policy before going out for a business dinner with some key shareholders in the evening. It was a truly long day.
As expected, Christopher returned to the Manor House just after midnight. He went up the stairs and hesitated, looking down the empty and quiet corridor that led to the West Wing. It was a while since he lived with someone and with the size of the manor it was very unlikely to just bump into Emilia.
It was a while since anyone was in his home. It was a while since he knew of another being sleeping in one of the tenths of rooms. Breathing.
All of the staff retreated at 22:00 for the night. No one else was in between the stone walls beside him and Emilia. A woman with a beautiful smile.
A woman with a brain which was much more important for his reputation. Although, he wondered if her being too smart wasn't going to be an issue too.
Many men in his circles chose their partners based solely on their looks. They said that they were the ones bribing the brain to the relationship so it was a balance. Christopher always thought that it was because they were insecure. An intelligent woman can be threatening.
He felt threatened. What does an intelligent woman like Emilia have to do with someone like him? Why would she agree to their marriage without knowing anything about him?
Perhaps it was business for her too. Maybe.
Christopher went to his bedroom found in the East Wing.
After such a long day, he expected to sleep well but he ended up tossing in his bed until he decided that he couldn't put up with it and went to pour himself a glass of Scotch. It burnt his throat on the way down but soon it helped him relax a bit more.
The death of his father still troubled him greatly. He couldn't not reminisce on the past, good and bad. Mostly the latter. But yet, he was hurt.
There was something truly sorrowful in knowing that he was now an orphan and all alone in this world. There was no one left for him.
It was twilight when he finally managed to shut his eyes.