7.

“This was my favourite photo of you. You looked like a real angel, I knew I had to take a photo”

There was so much love and adoration in Dad’s eyes as we looked at a picture of me when I was seven. I had to admit that I was a real beauty as a child. It felt like I was staring at a human-sized Barbie doll.

I was wearing a cute pink gown, and my blonde hair had been put into a ponytail and my eyes were so blue as they sparkled with innocence and mischief.

“It had been a hassle to get you to stay still for that photo. You had way too much candy because your mother could never resist your puppy eyes, and you knew it. We had to bribe you with the promise of another candy if you stayed still to take that photo” He smiled and ran his fingers over the photo as if he was relieving that moment all over again.

“That was the best day. Mom had finally gotten that catering degree and made us a feast. I didn’t understand what that meant back then but I was happy because she was happy”

“I loved you, you know. It killed me when she was taken from us so quickly. I hate to say this to you, but I am happy that I can go to her now. She doesn’t have to be lonely anymore”

My heart ached with Dad’s words. I knew he never stopped missing Mom since he never got married or even had any relationships that I was aware of.

“I know, Dad. I know you loved Mom more than anything in the world” I said and lay my head on his shoulders, and I was careful not to put all my weight on him.

“I also love you more than anything in the world. I hate that I am leaving you alone, but you don’t have to be scared. You will be in good hands if all goes well”

He would not give me any information about who he was going to leave me with, and I had no idea who it could be. I had run my head over a thousand scenarios but couldn’t decide on what he was planning and just went as far as to tell you how unpredictable he was.

“Are you really not going to tell me what you are planning?” I asked again.

“You have to be patient, princess. You will find out in due time, maybe today as soon as Duke arrives from the errand I sent him”

“And when would that be?”

“I am certain he will be here in a bit”

I was about to convince him to tell me right now because my patience was wearing thin when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in” I said to whoever was on the other end of the door and Duke walked in before walking to my father’s side of the bed.

Duke said nothing but stared at my dad as they had a silent conversation. After some seconds of just staring at each other, Duke let out a curt nod before turning to look at me briefly.

There was a little bit of relief in his eyes and even Dad seemed relieved. This had something to do with Dad’s grand plan not to leave me alone.

“Tell me, what did you people do? You promised to tell me when Duke arrived, and he is here now so tell me” I demanded.

“You are so impatient, my darling” Dad chuckled weakly.

“Well, you aren’t helping matters either by delaying the conversation” I pointed out.

My Dad turned to look at Duke who gave another curt nod before walking out of the room. After Duke left, nobody said anything. It was as though Dad was thinking of the best way to deliver his statement and I patiently waited for him to put his thoughts and words together.

“Do you know who Atticus Hayland is?” He asked, surprising me.

“Of course, I do. I even saw him once in Paris the day I came back home”

Who didn’t know Atticus Hayland? That man was a force to be reckoned with in the business world. His name was always mentioned in business lecture halls as a mentor for all future business owners.

He took his father’s failing export company and turned it into a conglomerate whose subsidiaries were the top in their field. From real estate to semiconductors, Axis practically ruled the capitalist market.

“What do you think of him?” Dad asked and I narrowed my eyes.

“Why the questions? Why do you care what I think about him? It’s not like I personally know the guy” I was getting confused with his questions.

“Just answer the question, princess and don’t stress your old man. I can barely keep my eyes open since my body has been awake for too long and I need to sleep soon” Now he was making me feel guilty for asking questions.

“I don’t know him personally so all I know about him is solely on his business. I don’t have any opinions I could say about him as a person”

“I’m sorry for snapping at you. I am just anxious because I know that I don’t have a lot of time left. I have to do this as soon as I can”

“It’s fine. I understand but why are you asking me all these questions? We don’t have anything to do with him”

“We will soon”

“How is that going to happen?”

“You will be getting married to him”

I flew off the bed and stared at my father in shock “I am going to do what?” I practically yelled.

“That’s right” Dad replied, not minding the shock on my face.

“Dad, you can’t be serious. Wait, is this your grand plan of not leaving me alone? To marry me off to a stranger?” I was furious and my hands were shaking. Was I a commodity to be sold off easily at convenience?

“Calm down, princess”

“Calm down?” I yelled “Don’t tell me to calm down. You are going to marry me off to a stranger without my consent. That is never going to happen, Daddy. This isn’t the 18th century. I won’t be getting married to anyone”

My breath had become shaky. I tried to breathe properly but it was getting lodged in my throat and my restlessness was over the roof, so I began to pace the room.

“Please, Hazel. Calm down and listen to me” The mention of my name stopped me in my tracks.

Dad hardly called me by my name and even the workers in our home barely did as most referred to me as young mistress or young miss. Dad only called me by my name when he was angry and by the look on his face, he was.

“I don’t like this, Dad”

“I know but you cannot manage the company by yourself. I didn’t prepare you for that which was a failure on my part. I should have done a better job raising you for something like this”

I didn’t like the tone of his voice which made it look like he did a bad job raising me. I walked back to the bed and sat down once again. I let out a sigh and tried to calm myself down.

“I don’t like when you talk like that, Daddy,” I told him “Stop looking down on yourself. You did the best job raising me to be the woman I am today. Are you not proud of me?”

“Of course, I am. Every time I look at you, the amount of pride that wells in my chest can never be measured”

The look he had in his eyes was as though he was telling me I was crazy to think he would not be proud of him, and I gave him a look that told him that was exactly how I felt when he said he did a bad job raising me.

“That’s exactly how I feel, Daddy. I would never trade you for anything else in the world”

“You know I would always do what’s best for you, right? I would never do anything that would hurt you or make you sad”

“I know that, but this is different. Marriage is for life, Dad. How did you even get someone as powerful as Atticus to marry me?”

“Marriage isn’t always what you want it to be. You just have to make sure you make yours the way you want like a potter. He takes a plain clay and shapes it to whatever shape he wants”

“You still haven’t told me how you got a powerful man like Atticus to marry me. What kind of deal did you strike with him”

I knew there was no way Atticus would have agreed to marry me when he had no idea I existed if that didn’t make him a crazy offer he could not refuse.

“Thirty per cent shares from the company and management rights of the company”

“What!!!” I yelled and was on my feet again “Dad, are you crazy? Thirty per cent out of our seventy per cent? Are you selling off the company to him? And managing rights? That would practically make him CEO”

“That’s the plan”

“What do you mean by that’s the plan? That’s our hard work right there, Dad and you are just going to hand it over to someone else?”

“The company would still be yours”

“In name only. He would call all the shots”

I was on the brink of tears. I know that I may be incapable of managing the company at the moment, but I could learn. Did my father have such little faith in me?

“I can assure you that I’m not doing this because I think you are not capable”

“Then why?”

“You are delicate, princess and I don’t want to thrust you into the ruthless world of business, especially one as powerful and cruel as ours.”

“i’ll be fine”

“Atticus would be the perfect person to make sure the person stays at the top and also ensure that you get what rightfully belongs to you. I don’t want you to suffer or worry when I am gone. I have shielded you your whole life and I want to hand you to someone who would be able to do the same”

“I am not weak, Dad. I can handle it” I tried to reason with him, but his decision was final.

“I know you are not weak, but I don’t want to risk someone hurting you because they think you are not adequate enough to handle the company. If they sense even the slightest hint of weakness, they will attack you like sharks”

“I’ve always known that”

“The people around our company are vultures and I would not have you among people like that”

“How dangerous could it be? Why did I go to business school if you wouldn’t give the business to me to manage?” Had I wasted four years of my life studying something I didn’t like because I believed that I was going to take over the company someday?

“I wasn’t aware that was your reason for studying the course else I would have asked you to study something that you really wanted to. I am sorry for that”

“There isn’t any way I could change your mind?”

“No. I am sorry princess but I know you would thank me for doing this later”

“I don’t think I would”

He started coughing and I gave him the cup of water on the table beside the bed that had a straw in it. When he finished, I dropped the cup back in its place.

“Consider it your old man’s dying wish and do this for me. Please” He didn’t have to pull that card and now I could not deny it even though I didn’t want to.

“Fine. Just because you pulled the dying wish card”

“Thank you, princess”

I stood up and walked out of the room, not turning back even when he struggled to call out my name.

I was hurt.

Hurt that he guilt-tripped me into marrying a stranger and hurt that I was too angry at him to turn back and check on him and I felt ashamed, but it still didn’t make me turn back to check up on him.