Ethan stumbled into his dimly lit apartment, the loud music and laughter from the bar was still ringing in his ears. His arm was draped around the woman he had brought back home, her giggles a hazy backdrop to his drunken thoughts. As he fumbled with the keys, he noticed the silhouette of his father standing in the living room. His eyes rolled automatically.
"Ethan," his father's voice was stern, a mix of disappointment and concern that cut through his alcohol-induced haze. "You're back late. As always."
Ethan's eyes turned to the figure beside his father, it was his father's friend's daughter, Lilith. She has the appearance of a beautiful elegant upper class woman, but Ethan was in no mood to enjoy her outer looks. She was one of his many stalkers, memories of countless failed attempts to catch his attention resurfaced, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
Ethan didn't want to spoil his mood any further, he tightened his grip on the woman next to him and started to walk past his father and Lilith, ignoring them. But his father's voice boomed again, sharper this time.
"Ethan Knight! Who is she?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, frustration bubbling up within him. There he goes again pretending to be a good father and concerned about him when he isn't one.
He turned to face his father, his words slurring but his eyes hidden in shadow were ice cold which nobody noticed. "Dad, relax. My business never concerned you and it shouldn't now as well. She's just someone I met at the bar."
Lilith's eyes which looked at the girl full of jealousy were now a bit at ease after hearing that. She smirked as if she knew something was in her favor that night.
His father's gaze flickered between Ethan and the bar girl. "This isn't who we raised you to be, Ethan."
Ethan burst into laughter, as if fate played its cruel sense of humor.
He met his father's furious gaze head-on, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, come on, Dad. Don't act all righteous now. You're the last person on earth who should be lecturing anyone about their choices and you definitely don't have the right to talk about my upbringing."
His father's consciousness was picked but he hurriedly composed himself,"Stop blaming me for your weak mind. All the lavishness you have been enjoying since birth weren't served free! So, that doesn't justify your behavior!"
Ethan's smirk widened, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, really? Let's see... the countless business trips where you disappeared for days, the late nights out, the lies and secrets. Yeah, you're a real role model."
His father's face contorted with a mix of anger and shame from being revealed in front of Lilith, an outsider yet who would soon become his daughter in-law. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Ethan."
Ethan laughed mockingly. "Oh, I think I do. So spare me the lecture, alright?"
The tension in the room was palpable as father and son locked eyes, a battle of wills and power played out before them.
"Umm…Ethan…. I have something to discuss with you.." Lilith said, trying to cut in between them to help Ethan's father, Mr. Knight.
Ethan's gaze darted to her, his annoyance growing.
Lilith took a deep breath, her fingers twisting nervously beside her skirt. She had to take the side of Ethan's father and only by pleasing him can she become his daughter in-law aka Ethan's wife.
Ethan's disdain was evident.
"Talk," he commanded. He wanted to get this finished as soon as possible.
But Lilith couldn't let out a single word. Ethan had a very terrifying presence from being in the business world from a young age. He wasn't just an average golden spoon second or third generation heir like the rest of their group. He had talent and a very sharp mind which made him the sole heir and the chairman of the billion dollar company as he denied taking a cent from his father's empire.
There was a thin layer of sweat over Lilith's heavy makeup which even the high power AC couldn't stop.
She looked toward Mr. Knight for help but Ethan's patience was already run out by then.
"If you have nothing to say, I'll get going then I have some business to finish!" He said impatiently. His eyes were on the girl in his arms and the girl also giggled coyly, hugging his neck.
But no father would tolerate this level of disrespect by his son. Especially when it always reminded him of the painful truth of how his own father trusts Ethan, his grandson, than him.
"Get out!" Mr. Knight screamed.
The words hung in the air like a storm cloud, heavy and charged. The woman beside Ethan blinked in confusion, her drunken haze unable to fully process the intensity of the situation.
Mr. Knight stood resolute, his eyes never leaving his son. The room pulsed with unspoken emotions.
"Leave." Ethan said to the girl before the girl pouted in disappointment but left as she didn't want to get dragged by the guards. She thought she would hit the jackpot today by sleeping with the dashing number one bachelor of the country but fate wasn't on her side.
"Speak!" Ethan commanded as they all sat in the living room.
His father's voice trembled with suppressed rage from the humiliation of being ordered by his own son but he had to obey. After all, his son holds the key to the vast business empire.
"Ethan, you have to know something. Your grandfather firmly stated that if you don't marry before turning 26, the whole business empire of billions of dollars will go to charity, along with the hard work you and I poured into it."
If it was any other time Ethan would have corrected his father that he didn't work hard for the business but was wasting that hard earned money. But he didn't have that leisure.
Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"And remind me if I'm wrong but you have only 1 month before turning 26." His father's voice brought him back from daze and let him quickly wear his calm expression.
"I see," he replied calmly, his fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair. His expression wasn't giving away the storm in his mind.
"There's a solution," his father continued with a bit of dissatisfaction, he wanted Ethan's reaction to be more valuable so that he could gain the upper hand.
"Marry Lilith. She's from a respectable family, and it would save you from losing everything."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, "I appreciate your concern, Father, but I can't agree to that. Never will."
His father's temper flared, his grip on the wine glass tightening. "You're testing my patience, Ethan. If you won't marry Lilith, then you won't get the inheritance either."
Ethan's gaze remained steady as he locked eyes with Lilith absentmindedly, his mind racing. He remembered Avery, his secretary, her warmth and intelligence.
Why did she suddenly pop to his mind?!
She was the first woman who made him smit with her at first sight and she probably doesn't even know that. She is different from all the upper class women. She is innocent.
A plan formed, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Actually, Father, you'll be pleased to know that I've already solved this grave problem."
"What?" Mr. Knight asked in confusion.
Ethan smiled brightly to his father, flashing his front teeths,
"I'm already married."
His father's confusion shifted to anger. "Married? To whom?"
"To Avery, my secretary," Ethan declared confidently, savoring the shock on his father's face with pleasure.