----Alexander's POV----
I was on my way home since Dad insisted on seeing me today. I had a good idea of what this was about, so I wasn't in any hurry to face that conversation.
The gates to our mansion opened as I drove in. I parked my car and stepped inside.
"Young master Alex, welcome home. Master James is waiting for you in his study," our butler greeted me as soon as I walked in.
"Thank you, Oliver. I'll head up and see him," I replied, walking toward Dad's office.
Sometimes, I hated how big our mansion was, but this was one of those rare moments I appreciated its size. The distance to his study gave me time to arrange my thoughts and think of reasons to turn down his request again.
Knock.
I softly knocked once and waited for his reply, which came a few seconds later.
"Come in," he said.
I entered the office and spotted Dad sitting behind his desk. Looking at us, no one would doubt we were related. We shared the same blue eyes and black hair, though he had a few gray strands—a sign of his age.
"Take a seat, Alex," he said, raising his head from the file he was reviewing to look at me.
I sat in a chair opposite him.
"How's the company?" he asked, surprising me. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush during discussions.
I ran a game development company, one I had built from scratch. It had grown into a billion-dollar enterprise, rivaling giants like UnActive-Vision and others.
Dad had never interfered with the company, even though he was one of its shareholders, so his sudden interest was unusual.
"The company's running smoothly. We're preparing for our next release," I replied, still wondering about his intentions.
"Good. I believe you know why I asked to see you," he said, his tone more of a statement than a question.
"I believe so," I confirmed. "But my answer remains the same, Dad."
His neutral expression quickly shifted to mock sadness.
"So, you'll deny me the joy of holding my grandkids?" His performance was so convincing that I'd have believed him if I didn't know him so well.
"I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm busy running the company," I replied, keeping my face neutral. "I don't have time for relationships right now, much less a child."
"Then why don't I help eliminate the problem?" he asked, confusing me.
"What do you mean?" I asked. The small smile on his face gave me a bad feeling.
"Since running the company keeps you so busy, why don't we just fire you?" he replied, his smile widening. "That way, you'll have plenty of time to give your mom and me a grandchild."
"You seem to forget something, Dad. Void Forge isn't one of your companies or a branch of any. It's solely mine, so I don't think you can fire me," I said as respectfully as I could.
As I mentioned before, I built the company from scratch. The only involvement my parents had was their investment, which gave them shares—
'Oh, shit.' My eyes widened as I realized why he said they could fire me, not just him.
"I see you've finally figured it out. I hold 20% of your mom's shares, and she holds 30%, giving us enough power to fire you," he said, his smile growing smug.
This old fart really checkmated me this time.
"So, what's it going to be?" he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. "Will you find a partner and settle down, or should we fire you from the company you've worked so hard for?"
"Does Mom know about this?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Yes, and she doesn't mind," he confirmed.
"Fine, but I'll choose my partner myself," I said, clinging to my only advantage.
"That's fine, but you've got one month at most," he said, leaning back in his chair.
Looking back, this was my fault, wasn't it? Instead of accepting the money they offered with no strings attached when I started my company, I had been a prideful idiot and given them shares in exchange—refusing their 'charity.'
Who knew that decision would bite me in the ass seven years later? But I'd been an 18-year-old brat back then.
"I'll take my leave now," I said, standing up to go.
"Why don't you stay the night?" he asked. "Your mom misses you."
"I wish I could, but we're in crunch time at the company, and as the CEO, I can't slack off," I replied. Knowing Mom, if I stayed, she wouldn't let me leave tomorrow, and I wouldn't be able to refuse her.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She went to visit her friend Victoria. She'll be back tonight," he said, turning back to his files.
I left the office and headed toward the kitchen, feeling the need for something sweet to clear my thoughts.
The only thing I found was a pack of gummy bears on the shelf, which I assumed belonged to Cassie. I took them.
What are my options now? Having good looks meant plenty of women fawned over me, but I couldn't just pick someone at random to introduce to my family.
Knowing Dad, he wouldn't accept anyone he didn't deem 'worthy.' Plus, I needed someone I could trust.
Ring. Ring.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was Cassandra, my twin sister, calling.
"Um, Alex, can you please come pick me up?" she asked as soon as I answered.
"Why?" I asked. She paused before answering.
"It's Liz. She's drunk, and I need help moving her," she said.
"No," I refused instantly. Elizabeth was not someone I wanted to deal with. That woman seemed specially trained to annoy me.
Before I could end the call, Cassandra spoke again.
"If you don't, I'll tell her that you're—"
"Where should I meet you?" I interrupted, refusing to let her finish that sentence.
She gave me the location, and I ended the call.
'Why the hell would she drink when she can't even handle alcohol?' That was my only thought as I drove to them.