First Betrayed, Then Cherished

Nathaniel POV.

Harrison always had a way of going against my orders. I had given him the job to find a lady to take up a marriage contract with me because I couldn't stand women.

I hated that the clause in my newest business deal with Mr Chang, a Chinese investor, stated that I should be married as it symbolized a sense of responsibility.

I still don't know how the fuck that relates but I can't afford to lose this contract so I opted for a marriage contract. Harrison was supposed to find the lady and send her details to me so I'd decide if she was fit for the job or not.

But this silly butler of mine brought some random lady to my home!

I scowled, my brows knitting together when I realized that Harrison wasn't making any efforts to follow my instructions.

“I said throw that lady out of my house this instant!” My thundering voice echoed through my living room.

Harrison stepped forward, his gaze lowered with clasped hands behind his back, “Sir, please hear me out.”

Irritation surged through me but I knew how Harrison was. If he wasn't carrying out an instruction, there was an explanation.

“Speak!” I pocketed my hands into my gray pants, while maintaining a glaring gaze at the slender frame behind Harrison. Her brown eyes reminded me of my mother, the woman I despised the most.

After my father's death, she suddenly disappeared with no traces of her whereabouts. Her promiscuous lifestyle made her abandon me at seven. My grandfather looked after me until I was old enough to manage my dad's business. He eventually passed away from old age sickness. Stella Wills is the reason for my hatred for women. If my mother could cheat on my father, then no woman could be trusted!

Harrison's words snapped me out of my thoughts, “Sir, I know I should have gone through the agreed process but I personally brought her here for you to consider her sir.”

Harrison's words only fueled my irritation as I wondered where he must have met the lady in question.

“Now that you brought her here, I won't be considering her at all. Get her out of here!” I retorted before swiveling my heels backwards.

“Sir, she got hit by my car. She's currently stranded and doesn't have where to go so I offered her the marriage contract. Please consider her sir,” Harrison implored.

I glanced over my shoulders with a cold expression as my mind drifted back to the contract I needed to sign. It needed to be signed in seventy two hours and I was forty eight hours gone.

Losing the contract is the last thing I'd want and I didn't have that much time to find someone else so I might as well just hire her.

I spun around with a straight face, “Give her the contract to sign and ensure she knows her way around. Unfortunately, she's hired.”

****************

Cassandra and I walked into the room, hand in hand but apart at heart. Crazy how it's been a month since I hired this lady and I was only signing the deal now.

The hall was glittering with blue, red and white lights. Mr Chang was engrossed in his conversation with a few men on the left and on the right were tables and chairs dressed in butter and gold clothing.

The center of the hall is an open space with a chandelier hanging at the center and the moment Cassandra and I got there, we parted ways on opposite sides.

She glared at me from her seat but I remained indifferent, I returned my gaze to the business men i was talking to. If Mr Chang's email invitation didn't state that I came along with my wife, I'd never have brought her with me. Plus, I needed her signature alongside mine to seal the seal according to Mr Chang.

Mr Chang was my biggest investor and I'd do anything to satisfy him, even if it meant getting my mother's look alike involved in my business.

“So Mr Wills, where is she?” Mr Chang asked excitedly.

“She's the lady putting on a red dress over there,” I pointed towards the area where the guests were seated.

Cassandra was sitting at the center of the table, it made her easy to spot.

“Wow, I must say she's a beautiful woman,” Mr Chang complimented.

I could only feign a smile in response because what I saw in Cassandra was far from beauty.

Cassandra was a subtle reminder of how I was abandoned when I was seven, she could only be ugly in my sight and nothing else.

My eyes darted towards her table and I suddenly couldn't find her there.

Where did she go? I scanned the right side of the room but I couldn't find her anywhere.

My heart missed a beat, ‘What if she ran away?’ I discarded the thought.

Cassandra was stranded and depended on me. She wouldn't run away.

I walked towards the right side of the room, my mind racing with so many thoughts as I approached the tables.

On getting there, I realized there was a bar on the inner side of the room which wasn't visible because it was dimly lit.

I soon spotted a lady in a red dress sitted at the bar, taking drinks with some strange man.

My fists clenched, what the hell was she doing? Her silly actions were going to ruin my deal!

The bar was quite a distance from where I stood. I hastened my steps towards the bar when I saw Cassandra falling into his arms.

Before I could get to her, Cassandra was dragged away by the man.

My breath caught in my throat, ‘Who was this man and where was he taking Cassandra?’