Chapter One
Natalia was in her room, studying with intense focus. She sat at her desk, strands of her blonde hair falling over her notebooks.
She was now on the verge of starting her third year at university, aiming to become a successful CEO like her father, whom she had long considered her role model and motivation.
But what she didn't know was that there was a marriage deal that would turn her life upside down.
She was completely absorbed in writing notes, with papers and books scattered everywhere on the desk, when she heard a light knock on the door. Her mother, Marilyn, opened the door and asked:
Marilyn: "Natalia, what are you doing here, my daughter? Are you studying even during the holidays?"
Natalia: "Mom, there are no holidays for me, and you know how intense my schedule is and that I take extra courses even during the summer."
Marilyn: "You are putting too much pressure on yourself, and I'm starting to worry that you'll become obsessed."
Natalia replied, still writing on her papers: "Mom, obsession with studying isn't scary."
Her mother furrowed her brows; her daughter's dismissal annoyed her, as it had become almost impossible to talk to her and consider her a normal person in the house.
Marilyn (in a firm voice): "Natalia, get up from that desk and change out of your pajamas. Stuart arrives today."
Finally, her mother's words caught Natalia's attention. She raised her head and said: "Stuart is coming? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Her mother knew how much Natalia loved Stuart, her father's close friend, whom she considered her second father. She replied: "Because you never sit with us. We only see you in this house at the dinner table, and you only stay for two minutes before you sneak away."
Natalia realized she couldn't blame her mother; the fault was hers. Nevertheless, she acted with a touch of childishness, standing up quickly from her desk and saying: "Oh my God! You should have warned me, Mom, that's no excuse!" Then she followed up: "When will he arrive?"
Her mother said: "He will be here in an hour."
Natalia rushed toward the bathroom, bathrobe in hand, shouting: "I will never forgive you for not warning me earlier, Mom!" She went in and closed the door.
Her mother then went to open her daughter's closet, pulled out a medium-length blue dress, placed it on the bed, and headed to the kitchen to check on the servants' preparations for dinner.
After finishing her shower, Natalia came out and saw the dress placed on her bed. She was very surprised because her mother had chosen her clothes—she only did that on specific occasions, not for a mere visit from Stuart.
Natalia stared at the dress in amazement, then headed to her hair dryer. She dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white shirt—and tied her hair in a ponytail and went down to the living room.
Marilyn was sitting on a black leather sofa, with her tall stature and long blonde hair, which Natalia had inherited from her.
Her father, Jonathan, was beside her. Jonathan was a tall man, blonde with blue eyes and short hair, with some gray strands starting to appear.
Natalia sat on the chair opposite them, facing her mother's silent disapproval.
Marilyn: "I was hoping you would wear something more... festive, Natalia. Stuart hasn't visited us in months."
Jonathan (smiling): "Leave her be, Marilyn. Natalia is elegant regardless of what she wears."
The sound of the doorbell cut through the tension. Natalia's eyes sparkled with genuine joy, and she rushed toward the door, passing her parents.
Stuart stood there, Jonathan's loyal friend: with his imposing presence, his short, slightly graying blonde hair, his broad shoulders, and blue eyes.
Natalia hugged him tightly.
Natalia: "Stuart! I missed you!"
Stuart: "And Little Natalia isn't little at all anymore." He looked at her with a warm smile, then nodded to the young man behind him. "Come and say hello to Cedric."
Natalia froze for a moment. Behind Stuart stood Cedric, a younger and broader-shouldered version. Tall, with short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
Natalia hadn't seen him in years, but she couldn't stop her inner voice from screaming in anger: "This fool came with his father to ruin my peace! How arrogant and condescending he is."
Natalia exchanged a quick look with Cedric, a look weighted with years of silent resentment. Cedric wasn't rude; he was polite and confident, but Natalia saw in that calm confidence clear evidence of arrogance, believing that he considered himself superior to her and everyone else.
She felt a lump in her throat. His mere presence represented a clear threat to her future in the company, as he was always seen by her father as a major talent and a primary competitor.
Natalia extended her hand toward Cedric, her fingertips trembling slightly before settling in the air; she painted a faint smile on her face that she had crafted with great effort and said in a voice she tried to make steady: "Welcome."
Cedric extended his massive hand and wrapped his long fingers around Natalia's small palm, but he didn't shake it gently; instead, he squeezed her fingers with a force that made her knuckles turn white, and she felt the bones almost overlapping.
He said in a cold tone shrouded in false solemnity: "Thank you."
Natalia instinctively tried to pull her hand back to escape his grip, which felt like an iron trap, but she failed completely; instead of releasing her, Cedric pulled her toward him with outward gentleness in front of everyone, until her body was forced to lean toward him. He bent slightly and whispered in a voice as low as a hiss near her ear: "The annoying little one... the thing I hate most in life."
Natalia's eyes widened in shock, her facial features froze, and she felt a sharp contraction in her stomach from the rudeness of his words.
She did not give in; instead, she regained her composure in a second and moved her head closer to him until her agitated breath brushed the side of his face, and she said in a sharp whisper just like him: "The feeling is mutual, you arrogant prick."
Their gazes met in a silent challenge, and Cedric's jaw muscles protruded as he clenched his teeth behind his fake smile.
This charged tension was interrupted by Stuart's voice, who placed his hand on his son's shoulder, saying in a cheerful tone: "Come on, Cedric... come say hello to Jonathan and his wife."
Cedric released Natalia's hand suddenly, and with a sudden movement that made her lose her balance for a moment, he then adjusted his jacket coldly and moved behind his father with confident steps, leaving Natalia standing with her body trembling with rage, as she rubbed her reddened fingers that bore the marks of his grip.
Stuart and Cedric entered the living room.
Stuart (smiling at Marilyn): "Hello Marilyn, you look stunning as usual." Then he shook hands with Jonathan: "Hello, my friend."
Cedric followed his father, and with confident and calm steps, offered polite and brief greetings to Jonathan and Natalia's mother. Everyone settled in the luxurious living room.
The two families exchanged news about Stuart and Marilyn's recent holidays in France, as Marilyn recounted in tedious detail the fine dinner she attended.
Jonathan and Stuart engaged in friendly discussions about European stock prices without delving into company affairs.
As for Natalia, she was watching Cedric, who was exchanging sharp looks with her as if she had killed his mother or father.
At dinner time, everyone moved to the luxurious dining room. A warm atmosphere prevailed at the table, despite its lack of Natalia's spontaneity, as she was torn between the pleasure of being with Stuart and watching Cedric warily.
After dinner, while Marilyn was laughing with Maria, the housekeeper, about a new recipe, Jonathan set down his napkin and looked at his friend and Cedric with sudden seriousness, causing Natalia to hold her breath.
Jonathan: "Stuart, Cedric. I apologize for interrupting this family evening. Can we go to the office to speak privately for a few minutes?"
Stuart and Cedric stood up immediately, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment. The scene seemed very formal and calculated. Stuart gave his friend a calm smile, while Cedric's gaze became attentive and expectant.
Natalia watched her father, wondering, because the matter seemed more formal than just a discussion about "stock prices." She felt the painful sting of exclusion.
It had happened again. This closed office is where secret conversations take place that they do not like to share with her, fueling her silent rage.
But Jonathan nodded his head to reassure her, then followed Stuart and Cedric across the hallway to his office, where he closed the door gently behind them, leaving Natalia and Marilyn alone to face the heavy silence.
Inside the office, Jonathan settled behind his massive ebony desk as if ascending an invisible throne.
He leaned his back against the leather chair and scanned the two men before him with a sharp gaze that had not lost its intensity despite the holiday atmosphere.
Stuart sat in the chair opposite him, while Cedric chose a side sofa, sitting in a posture indicative of alertness, placing his elbows on his knees and interlocking his fingers so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Jonathan cleared his throat and directed his gaze toward Cedric, who was watching an old pipe placed on the desk: "Are you alright, my boy? You look as though you are carrying the weight of the whole world on your shoulders."
Cedric raised his head slowly, maintaining a calm and controlled tone of voice despite the hidden turmoil in his eyes: "Yes, sir... I'm fine."
Jonathan leaned his body forward and rested his chin on his interlocked hands: "Did your father inform you of the reasons why I insisted on your presence today?"
Cedric did not answer with a word, but merely gave a short nod of his head. He knew perfectly well that this trip of his was not just a family visit, but was the first step in the "taming" plan that Jonathan had drawn up to bring him closer to Natalia, in preparation for a day when he would not have the choice to refuse.
Stuart shifted in his seat uncomfortably and toyed with his shirt collar as if the air in the room had become scarce: "Jonathan... we still have six whole years before that date. Why the rush? Why do you want Cedric to start getting close to her from now?"
Jonathan's gaze settled on his friend, a calm gaze that was sufficient to silence any objection: "The earlier we tighten the grip, the smoother the path will be, Stuart. Time is the only enemy we cannot buy."
Stuart bowed his head; Jonathan's authority was like gravity, impossible to escape from. Jonathan was the wall to lean on and the word that ended any discussion.
Cedric broke the silence, and his voice came out a bit husky as he looked toward the closed door: "Sir... do you really think Natalia will accept this 'idea'?" Cedric uttered the word "idea" with a mocking tone he couldn't suppress.
He had loathed Natalia since his early childhood; to him, she was nothing but a shackle imposed on him from the moment Jonathan told him he was "promised" to his daughter.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes and tapped his pen on the desk surface with regular taps: "Natalia must know nothing now.
My daughter tends toward drama, and if the news reaches her, she will turn the next six years into a hell of defiance and confrontations that we can do without."
Cedric relaxed his shoulders a bit and sank into a deep silence. He wished at that moment if the earth would open up and swallow him, or if Natalia would disappear from existence entirely; for perhaps only then would that golden shackle that tied his fate to the fate of that girl—whom he saw as an obstacle in the way of his freedom—be shattered.