CHAPTER 2.
Dylan.
She didn't know. What kind of father would marry his daughter off for a deal and not even have the courtesy of telling her beforehand?
I clenched my jaw as I took in her knuckles that were turning white from how hard she was gripping the arms of her chair. Her mouth was ajar and she stared at her father wide-eyed before she gulped down and replied, "No."
"What do you mean no?" Michael Keith's face was contorted in fury as he glared at his daughter.
"No means no, father. I will not marry a total stranger just so that your business will flourish." She fired back, the shock on her face giving way to anger.
I observed the scene like the outsider I am, watching them yell at each other. There was literally nothing I could do because I had to leave here with her signature on the document I brought with me.
Her father had already signed his part. All that stood between me and my inheritance was her signature, although no one knew except for me and my grandmother. Well, and Jared.
I tuned back into the conversation when I heard Sheila yell, "You disowned me, neglected me for eleven months without a care in the world. And now, you call me here ordering me to marry a total stranger so that your business wouldn't crumble? You didn't even apologize."
"Is it an apology you want, Sheila? Is that why you're acting like a brat?" Michael demanded.
Sheila burst into laughter and my first thought was that she had lost it. I'd lose it too if my father did something like this. Not like he would anyway, he was dead.
"How can you not see that I'm doing this for you and your brother?" Micheal was standing now, his hands flat on the table as he leaned over it.
She flinched but recovered immediately. Getting up from her seat also, she said, "I don't know what game you're playing at, father. But I won't be a pawn to you any longer. Never again."
She spoke with so much venom that even I was taken aback. Grabbing her purse, she stormed out of his office and slammed the door.
What did she mean by 'never again'?
My thoughts were interrupted by the angry growl that ripped through the air just before I heard the crash. I focused my gaze on Michael as he destroyed his office, throwing objects at the wall in rage.
He seemed to have forgotten I was in the office with him and his gaze snapped to me when I cleared my throat. I watched his rage simmer down as embarrassment took its place.
"Mr Knight, I'm so s-sorry you had to see that. She'll c-come around, I p-promise." He stumbled through his response.
My expression was hard as I stared at him quietly. It was a look I've seen grandmother use several times–on me and other people, a look that has now become my favorite when I wanted to intimidate people, which was all the time.
And sure enough, it took effect as he watched me nervously, his hands trembling slightly by his side. He started to speak but I held up my hands as I stood up and straightened my suit.
"Do whatever you have to do, I don't care. I need the papers signed and delivered before noon tomorrow. Any later than that and the deal is off," I said in a hard voice as I stared at him.
He broke eye contact and nodded, swallowing heavily. I didn't wait another minute before leaving his study.
Immediately I closed his study, I heard another crash but I ignored it and made my way to my car.
Just as I settled behind the wheels, my phone rang. I checked the caller ID as I answered but it was an unknown number.
"Dylan Knight speaking."
"Dylan Knight who? Come on, man. How are you doing? You know who's speaking." I smiled as I heard my best friend's voice.
"I don't know why you keep changing numbers all the time. It's hard to keep track nowadays," I replied. Jared loved traveling and almost every time I got a call from him, it was a different country code.
"I don't know why you don't have them all saved. I've called you with all my numbers before," he quipped. I sighed as I tossed my black hair away from my eyes.
If only he knew how hard it is for me to save numbers on my phone. I just never seem to remember to save them after ending the call, so it remains like that until the next time he calls.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask how your life is going. Has she signed it yet?" Jared knew everything going on in my life and just a few minutes before Sheila appeared for dinner, I had texted him that Micheal had signed the contract, remaining his daughter's signature and I would be a free man.
"No. She's more stubborn than I expected and it seems like she has some issues to hash out with her father. Let's just say it'll take a while before she comes around."
I could hear him sigh on the other end. "Oh man, this sucks. I thought you could get it done today, so you could join me here tomorrow. You need to see the ladies here man, they are just exquisite." His excitement was already getting to me before my mood soured.
This was exactly what got me in trouble with my grandmother. Women. I don't think I've ever seen my grandmother as pissed as she was when she saw the most recent news about my escapades.
"I don't know about that, Jared. I'm on a short leash right now with my grandmother. That's why I'm here, about to get married at 25. If she sees one more news about me in the press, I might not get any inheritance at all. She's capable of donating everything to charity, leaving me penniless just to teach me a lesson. I don't think I want that to happen."
"Yeah, I understand you brotha. Sucks to be you though," Jared replied with an accent. He always switched accents unexpectedly due to his many travels. I don't even think he does it on purpose. It's just something he's gotten used to.
"I'll let you know how it goes," I said and ended the call.
I started regretting a few things when the call ended. I should have traveled with Jared. He had always begged me to follow him on his travels but I always declined. One, I hate traveling. Two, I didn't want to leave my grandmother alone with the company. Not like she couldn't handle herself, but I just felt like it would be inconsiderate to her.
So I stayed in New York and because of that and my love for women, I was widely known as 'The Philandering Billionaire Heir'. There were other names but that one stuck. The one that annoyed me the most was when I was called 'King of Sluts'. That one bruised my ego a bit.
Taking a deep breath, I started my Lamborghini as I drove out of Keith's garage. As I made my way down the road, I saw Sheila standing by the roadside, her gaze fixed on her phone.
"Do you need a ride?" I asked as I slowed down when I got close enough to her.
"No." Her mouth was set in a stubborn line and I was almost tempted to get down and shove her into the car. But that will be considered kidnapping, right? Or is it abduction?
I protested that it was dark already and it wasn't safe for her to stand here alone, but a vehicle approached and stopped right in front of me.
"Thank you, Mr Knight but my Uber is here." Without another word, she sauntered off in her heels as she slid into the car.
I waited until the car moved before I pulled away from the sidewalk. Maybe getting married to her wouldn't be so bad, I smirked to myself as I pictured her curvy figure that was imprinted in my brain.
Sheila was still on my mind when I got to my grandmother's house. "My boy. Come in, come in."
She met me at the door and ushered me into the house.
"So…?" She asked excitedly.
"She didn't sign it, Nana."
I shifted nervously in my seat as she fixed me with a stare that made my blood run cold. Then suddenly, she started laughing. My mind went back to Sheila when she laughed in her father's office earlier. Has my Nana lost it too?
"Of course, I knew she wouldn't sign it. That girl is smart, just like I thought. That's why she's the perfect match for you."
"Woah, hold up. You knew she wouldn't sign it?" She nodded, her lips pulled into a satisfied smile.
"Then why make me go through dinner at their house if you knew she wasn't going to sign it in the first place?" I was confused. I knew my grandmother liked to play games and it was fun watching her pit people against each other in the corporate world but I never thought she would include me in her schemes too.
"Which would you have preferred? Sitting through dinner or losing your inheritance?" That shut me up real quick. I sighed as I rubbed my forehead.
"What now?"
"Now, we wait for her to reach out." She had this evil gleam in her eyes when she said that and as much as I was curious to know what she meant, I don't think I'll like whatever answer she would give me.