My Dearest Son

  I hope this letter finds you well as I've tried my best to contact you via other means. But alas it seems your studies must be keeping you busy. The very same studies that I will not keep you from as I'll keep this letter short and to the point. It has since come to my attention that a member of the Swan family attends the same school as you and I've had such the pleasure of meeting with them within the past few days. It is with that meeting that we've decided to mount a merger between my company and theirs and in exchange I would ensure that you would take Lena as your spouse…

  That was as far as Ethan Merit could stand to read. Yet again his father overstepped his bounds in his own company's pursuits. Using his family as pawns in a larger game to monopolize his industry. If it wasn't already obvious enough with Ethan's prior refusals from the other bachelorettes of Ethan's school, he wasn't looking for anyone to court. As far as Ethan was concerned, his own dormmates kept his social life busy enough and the fleeting hours between sleep were taken up by classes and studies. Throwing in an arranged marriage into the mix and Ethan may as well-set fire to his bed for as much sleep as he was going to get.

  Ethan tried to imagine what he might look like with the lack of sleep he'd get. His already untamable mane of curly blond hair would fray into an even bigger mess. His fare complexion would no doubt turn a ghastly white which would only make the dark circles appear even darker. Not to mention his normally amber hued eyes would no doubt darken to a near black as it looked like death threatened to overtake him.

  Even with college taking its toll on Ethan, the sleep deprived way his eyes sunk into his skull only looked to give him a certain tortured artist look about him. Couple this with the gentle tousle of curly blond hair that Ethan kept short along with the soft glow of his amber brown eyes and he wouldn't look out of place if he were superimposed into a photo right beside someone like Oscar Wilde.

  Checking his day planner, Ethan scanned his eyes along each page and looked for any amount of space between studies and class that he might have. Ethan was already bracing himself for any sort of publicity stunts he'd no doubt endure with his new found fiancé. Ethan wondered what kind of woman this Lena Swan would be anyway. Some heiress air head no doubt and probably one that was just as interested in this meeting as he was. That may very well be the only thing the two of them had in common.

  Pushing himself from his desk, Ethan thought to himself that he needed to calm down. He was gripping his planner tight enough that he threatened to shred the thing beneath his grip. Not to mention he had to think of this from Lena's experience as well. She was no doubt dragged into this by her family with little consent from her end. Even if they needed to stay together for the sake of their families, there was every chance that they could work things out amicably. Ethan decided that the best-case scenario he could hope for is that he could be Lena's husband in name alone. They could just as well leave one another alone when the prying eyes of the paparazzi were away or even just smile a few times at dinner parties before vanishing off to god knows where. Additionally, Ethan told himself that he was angry at his father and that's not something Lena deserved. Especially since he hardly had a face to put to the name.

  Reading through the letter his father sent, Ethan noted that he'd already set up a date for the two of them this weekend. So much for alphabetizing his notes for the test on Monday. Even entertaining the thought of shirking off the date for anything else wasn't much of an option. Sure, Ethan could just as well lie and say he never got the letter but then again it was hard to avoid a chauffeur waiting for him outside the dorms. Ethan's father wasn't a gambling man but when he needed to take risks, he made sure to bribe the dealer.

  Leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, Ethan wanted nothing more than to do something, anything to take his mind off the task. At the same time though, it would only mount a two-pronged distraction. Whatever task he tended to in order to take his mind off the blind date with his wife to be would only keep reminding him of the inevitable. Conversely, Ethen's already frayed nerves and roiling frustration forced him to do something. Anything at all to just keep himself busy and use this energy for something more productive than sitting here pouting.

  With a knock at the door, Ethan leaped from her chair with a start but found himself welcoming the distraction. Hell, even if his dormmate were to ask him out on a date here and now Ethan couldn't say yes fast enough. Perhaps that'd scare off Lena.

  When he opened the door however, Ethan felt a smile curl at his lips as his eyes brightened at the sight of an old portly friend. A rotund man in freshly pressed slacks and a dapper waist coat stood with his hands crossed behind his back with a warm smile to regard the Merit heir himself. The rotund man's soft brown eyes shining with delight while his set brow already offered an apology as to why he'd arrived here of all places.

  Adrian Miller was a man unfortunate enough to resemble a bowling pin with the way his shoulders tapered in and his waist and gut slung outward. The comparison only getting worse with the way his uniform was that of a pair of dress slacks with a matching waist coat and a white button down underneath. Couple that with the bald pate of a head with a crown of hair lining the sides and the comparison was almost uncanny. Though what he lacked in hair atop his head he more than made up for with the broom brush of a moustache he sported on his face. The whimsical swirls he'd normally waxed into his facial hair distinctly lacking in this moment now however, no doubt a sign of the severity of his visit.

  Ethan wanted nothing more than to leap forward to embrace Adrian regardless of the reason he knew he was here but inevitably decided against it. Adrian was less of a butler and more of a dear family friend and closer to an uncle to Ethan than that. Being there for most of Ethan's life, there were a scant few moments that Adrian wasn't by Ethan's side.

Clearing his throat, Ethan straightened himself and folded his hands behind his back and raised his chin enough that he regarded Adrian beyond the ridge of his nose.

  "To what do I owe this visit?" Ethan said, keeping his voice lilting with an air of regality and haughtiness expected of an heir such as himself. 

  "Oh piss off with that, you see anyone else 'round here that's gonna make fuss?" Adrian said with a raspy voice that matched his body language. Upon hearing Ethan giggle and his regal body language fall away with a charmed smile, Adrian released his own rough edges before closing the gap to embrace the young man before him. Ethan all to happy to sink into Adrian's arms as a little bit of home came back to him.  "It is so good to see you my dear boy."

  "I'm glad to see you as well, Adrian, I've missed you so much." Ethan said as he placed his hands at Adrian's shoulders and gripped them as tight. It was only a moment before he stripped away the last of his regal instincts as she closed the gap between him and the butler to embrace him with a hug once again.

  "There's my boy, wonderin' how long I'd take you to come on outta that shell a yours." Adrian said with his rasp as he held Ethan tight and pat his back. As Ethan pulled away, Adrian regarded Ethan with a soft gaze as he knotted his fingers in each hand. "Though I do wish I were here under better circumstances my dear lad but as I'm sure you're no doubt aware…" Adrian said, his face bunching up as he though he couldn't decide on an expression to choose for the situation. 

  Ethan paused for a moment and tried to recall the letter before producing his phone and seeing the date. With everything keeping him as busy as it was, the days slipped past faster than he might like and realized that his date with his wife to be was in fact going to be today.

  Blowing a stream of air between his lips, Ethan shook his head and palmed across his forehead. He was still in his school uniform and hardly ready to go anywhere or meet anyone looking the way he did.

  "How long do I have?" Ethan asked.

  "Not long at all lad," Adrian said as he reached down and hefted a suitcase up and smiled behind his bushy mustache. "But that's nothing we haven't handled before, right? I'd say after the incident with that Russian boar we could just as well make that sniveling little twit of a brother of yours look like you!" As Adrian said this Ethan giggled at the memory of the boar incident.

  If he was asked about it, Ethan claimed she had no idea how a wild animal of all things got into the kitchen. Or what happened to that boar after it mysteriously vanished after ransacking the kitchen. Or why Ethan was covered in tomato sauce staining his designer suit that was still on fire at the time. Everyone still wondered to this day just who was behind that fiasco and as it turns out two can keep a secret if they're both in on it.

  On the contrary, Ethan figured if he and Adrian could somehow manage to make a disaster into a designer trend, then a last-minute short notice lunch date with his fiancé would be a cake walk for the two of them. It was with that, the two set out to get Ethan ready for his date.

  A quick shower with an even faster shave along with an outfit picked out that gave off the right impression. Something classy but not fancy, something comfy without looking too relaxed. Something that would make Ethan look alluring but not demand attention.

  In the end he decided on a red long sleeve sweater with the sleeves rolled up and a powder blue button down underneath paired with navy blue khaki pants. Finally with a little bit of pomade to tame the lion's mane of hair and perhaps a little bit of foundation to cover any dark circles forming under his eyes, Ethan looked sharp as ever.