A Credusal

"Young man you should learn how to knock. You are no longer a kid." Mr Lancaster sternly told him.

"I'm sorry dad, I just came to check up on you. You seem very worried today. I hope you are fine now." Shaw was the only son of Mr Lancaster who had the courage to talk to him on rare situations.

"That is none of your business. You can now go back to your brothers." Mr Lancaster hated nothing more than showing any form of weakness.

Shaw walked quietly away. He was thinking of what he heard when he entered his father's study. As the first son I should have her, He thought to himself. I will tell the others to keep off.

Shaw was well built just like his dad. He could be very daring sometimes. He had been entrusted with the running of some of the family business and it seem to help him build his confidence from time to time. He was an excellent businessman. Last year when the economy was in recession only the companies he was managing were doing well as compared to others.

He was also a member of the LA Masia De Casin but not with the knowledge of his father. He was still an amature player that was why he has never came across his father. He was still restricted to playing card games and poker. In terms of relationship he had never been in any. He had no time for the ladies but this time he was going to create time for Sharon.

He walked back to his brothers in the living room. Tobin was still in Sharon's room. He had been unable to leave her bedside because of his guilt.

"Dad is fine." He simply said when he met them. They had pushed him to go check up on their dad as he was the closest to him. They noticed he was in deep thought though.

"What happened up there? " Dane asked curiously.

Shaw looked up at them all wondering whether or not he should tell his brothers about what he had overheard. He decided to tell them. "Dad wants one of us to get married to Sharon."

"He told you that? " Hale asked visibly surprised.

"No, I overheard him speaking to someone on the phone."

This came as a rude shock to everyone.

Marriage had never crossed the minds of any of them since they thought they still had many years to enjoy their youth.

"Well I will like to marry her if it will make dad happy." Dane offered.

"Then you don't love her. You should marry because of love not because you want to please dad." Winston pointed out.

"Love will come after the marriage" was Dane's response.

"I will also like to marry her." Hale said "Of course its because I like her he said looking at Winston pointedly. Everyone knew Hale. He was a big time flirt. "I will make her fall in love with me."

Shaw and Winston said nothing as they watched their brothers. "What is on your mind Winston?" Shaw asked him.

"I don't know. I think I will like to marry her also." He didn't want her getting married to Hale. He knew how bad is brother could be with ladies.

"Well there is only one way to solve this." Shaw suggested.

"And what could that be?"

"A credusal." Shaw said with a mysterious smile.

"What is a credusal?" The others asked in a confused chorus.

A credusal is form of betting in LA Masai De Casin where multiple individuals bet on a natural situation. Shaw had read about it somewhere.

"In this case we will make a bet. Anyone who is able to win her heart will be the one to marry her. And he also get to keep the Lancaster mansion when dad is dead." Shaw announced. It sounded fair to everyone, so they all agreed.

"Now to the rules. She can never know a bet of such was placed on her. Tobin is not to know of the bet also. To win her heart will be by whatever means necessary apart from physical harm to anyone. To violate any of the rules is to pay a fine of $3million." Shaw said in a formal tone as he looked at each one of them with a stern expression. Again they all agreed to the rules.

"There it is then, gentlemen. Let the credusal begin."