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4. William

Jane was outside my office but I still couldn't concentrate. The very thought of her sitting out there scrambled my brain. Jane sitting at her desk, her short skirt riding up her lap, her hair pulled into a tight bun.

I blinked and pushed those thoughts away. I couldn't have thoughts like that. I didn't even know what exactly I was thinking but I knew it could never happen.

The screen before me dimmed and I remembered that I had work to do. This wasn't the time to be thinking about Jane. There wasn't a world where it was okay to think about her.

She needed to be as far away from my thoughts as humanly possible.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on my door and Jane walked in. The black skirt she wore shouldn't even be allowed on office grounds. It stopped midway to her knee but when she walked it turned into a mini skirt. She tugged at the edges until the skirt sat just above her knees. I wondered if she'd done that because she saw where my gaze was fixated. I couldn't blame her, I was staring at her legs like I was a starving man and they were drumsticks.

Get it together, William.

This wasn't like me at all. I ran a hand down my face and took a deep breath. When I looked at her again, I focused on her face. That didn't do me much good either. Jane was beautiful. It was a truth I'd avoided admitting on account of her being my best friend's sister. There was also the issue of her being painfully annoying.

Images of Barbie dolls flying at me filled my head. Jane had had a less than pleasant reaction when she found out that I broke Toby Blits' nose for breaking her heart. You would expect her to be grateful, but gratitude was a foreign concept to her.

The memory of that ordeal drenched whatever attraction I'd felt earlier in irritation. "Why are you here?" I asked.

Jane picked up on the acid in my tone. She cocked a brow but chose not to address it. If she wasn't my assistant, she would have ripped me a new one. I knew her well enough to know that. Instead, she acted like I hadn't spoken. She walked over to my shelf and started perusing it.

"Why are you here?" I asked again. This time in a more polite tone.

She offered me a small smile as if to say, That's better. "I'm looking for a folder."

"And here I thought you were searching for Bigfoot in my shelf." Sarcasm dripped from my voice, causing Jane to glare at me. I rolled my eyes. "What folder are you looking for?"

She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Then she returned her focus to the shelf. "I'm not quite sure but I think I'll know when I see it."

"How will you—

"Found it!" she declared as she positioned herself on her tiptoes, trying to reach the highest level of the shelf. Jane wasn't short but the shelf was several inches taller than her.

I watched as she struggled to reach the folder and shook my head. Then my eyes widened when I caught a glimpse of her skirt. Jane's short skirt had ridden all the way up her thighs. And the more she stretched, the more skin was exposed. I knew I shouldn't be looking at her but I couldn't take my gaze away.

Finally, I stood up and walked over, pausing when I was standing directly behind her. "Which one?" I asked. My voice sounded strangely hoarse.

Jane sunk back onto her feet. She didn't move, only her chest rose and fell as she breathed. "The one with the orange binder."

I looked up and I saw the binder she was talking about. I pulled it out and handed it to her. The second it was in her hands, she was out the door. She moved so fast that for a moment I just stood there in shock.

The movement caught me off guard. Everything about her caught me off guard. I sighed and returned to my seat, willing the images of long, smooth legs out of my head. They'd replaced the Barbie throwing images and these were far more dangerous.

I stared at the large old mansion that had been my home for most of my life. I'd moved out six years ago but the Aldaine manor would always be my home. I remembered playing in these gardens by myself while the maids supervised. My parents were usually too busy to play with me all day. But they always made time for me whenever they could. Even my dad—the man who lived with a burden on his shoulders until his last breath—made time in the evening so we could play board games together.

My father was the second in line to take over the family business. Sadly, his elder brother passed away when they were teenagers. He spent the rest of his life trying to fill his shoes and always feeling like he was inadequate. He'd never shared his struggles with me but I could see them. Even when he died, I could tell a part of him felt like he had failed. I saw it in his eyes when I sat with him at the hospital.

I also saw the pity he felt for me. A young man who was about to take over a company he wasn't fully ready for. It was history repeating itself. The only difference was that I didn't feel a need to fill my father's shoes. I was okay with being myself and creating my own legacy instead of trying to live up to someone else's.

I sighed as I pushed open the front door. Mary, my old nanny and the current maid, greeted me with a warm smile. She'd worked in this house for several years. She was the one who sat and watched as I played with dirt, grass, and anything I could get my hands on. Despite my unruly behavior, she'd always treated me with nothing but love.

I returned her smile. "You have to be careful, Mary," I said. She gave me a confused look. "One of these days you're going to blind someone with your beauty. It's like you get prettier with age."

Mary laughed and shook her head. "Your mouth's too sweet for your own good, dear."

"Can this sweet mouth hope to taste your apple pie today?"

"That depends on how long you're staying."

"I'll stay as long as I need to, Mary."

She laughed again. "Your grandfather is in his study."

I nodded. Of course, he was. Even if Bernard Aldaine was on his deathbed, he would still find some way to work. The man was obsessed.

I walked down the wooden hallway and up the windy stairs. A while later, the imposing brown doors of my grandfather"s home office stared back at me. I took a deep breath and knocked.

"Grandfather, it's me."

I heard a deep grunt which I took as my sign to walk in. On the other side of the door, my grandfather sat at his desk, reviewing a document. I cleared my throat softly and he lifted his head.

"William! What brings you here?" he asked as he gestured to the seat opposite him.

I sat down with a sigh. "You asked me to come here." It pained me to know that his memory would keep deteriorating the older he got. Right now it was just the small stuff but one day he wouldn't be able to remember me. The very thought crushed my heart.

"Hmm." He stroked his gray beard as he thought. "Oh! I remember now. Marriage!"

The minute the word left his mouth, I instantly regretted coming here. Deep down I knew that was what he wanted to discuss when he asked me to come here. I showed up anyway because I hadn't seen my grandfather in a while. I'd been avoiding this house and him because of that very topic. Still, I knew I couldn't avoid it forever. Bernard would show up in my office and demand my attention if he had to.

"Is this truly necessary?"

"Not just necessary, my boy. Obligatory," he said. "You need to get married and the sooner the better. You're not getting any younger and neither am I." My grandfather coughed to buttress his point. I didn't know if it was on purpose or if the cough had just come at the perfect time.

"Why do I need to get married?"

"Because it displays maturity. We've had this conversation many times. I've told you why this is important. All you need to do is pick a lovely young woman and marry her. If it's really too hard for you, then I'll pick her myself."

"No!" I shouted. The thought of getting married to some random woman my grandfather picked out for me sounded terrifying.

"Fine. Then do it yourself. If you fail to do so then I will step in."

I shook my head. "I'm not ready to get married, Grandfather."

"You've been saying that for months. When will you be ready?"

"Just give me a few years."

"I've already given you five!" he shouted as he slammed his wrinkled hand onto the table. I knew that must have hurt but he displayed no signs of being in pain. "We both know you were never supposed to inherit the CEO position as a single man."

I pushed back the temptation to roll my eyes at that archaic rule. No one was allowed to take up the position without being married. I'd been an exception to the rule. My father died suddenly and my grandfather was too old to keep going. I was the exception but I'd proven myself to be so much more than that. The company has thrived greatly in the five years since I became CEO. I had expanded it beyond what anyone thought possible.

But all that wasn't enough for my grandfather. He acknowledged my efforts but his old-fashioned beliefs were above his own ability to reason. I'd always known that. Still, his next statement shocked me to my core.

"If you don't get married soon, then you will have to forfeit your role as CEO."

I shot up from my seat, trepidation consuming me as I stared at my grandfather. I'd worked too damn hard these past five years to have it all taken away from me. I couldn't let that happen but at the end of the day, I was powerless. I may be the CEO but my grandfather was the chairman. He had the final say in these matters. The board had some power but most members preferred to stay on my grandfather's good side. They would choose him over me in an instant.

I knew that which was why I sank back into my seat. The only way to handle this was to reason with him. I wasn't going to achieve anything by arguing.

I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me but I couldn't tell what that something was. There was a reason he was insisting I get married. A reason other than his belief that marriage signified maturity.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. "And who would my role be given to?"

"Bolton."

I expected that but it still felt like a sucker punch to the face. Flynn Bolton was the COO of the company, my grandfather's old friend, and the biggest pain in my ass. The old man had made my life difficult since the day I became the CEO. I could handle him on a regular day but if he became CEO, I was screwed.

I took another deep breath. It didn't help. Getting angry would do me no good but fury raged within me. I couldn't believe that my grandfather would willingly give the company to an outsider just because I didn't want to get married yet. It was madness.

Heat flooded my ears, causing his next words to sound muffled and unclear.

"It's been five years, William," he said. "I gave you time to settle into your role but now you need to get married. As I said, it is obligatory."

A few minutes later, I sat alone at the dining table shoving Mary's apple pie into my mouth. The usually sweet dessert tasted like sandpaper in my mouth. My grandfather had given me an ultimatum. It was a threat that sounded like a choice.

I didn't know how but I knew I needed to find a way out of this. I was not ready to tie myself down and truly, I might never be.

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