1 The perfect couple

Tonight was yet again another big ball for the influential families of the city. Every reputable family in the city has to attend every month or else there would be talk around the town as to whether the family will be on the decline soon. How much was reputation worth to everyone attending that a different family is expected to host one of these blowouts each month? What was the purpose of these gatherings? To find out what the new gossip around is? To see who can put on a better act at being the perfect family? Of course, it is to give the trophy housewives something to do and become the stars for a night. A red carpet event to show off wealth and affection. The real goal was to make everyone at the party jealous of one another.

As guests started entering in one after another, the pleasant talks and compliments started to flow one after another. Were these people friends? Acquaintances? Rivals? One would never know behind the fake tales and fake smiles until it was too late? Should each of these people start applying to be actresses and actors?

The supposed "golden couple" has yet to arrive. Why were they called the golden couple? One - they both have no immediate family to tie them down with unreasonable requests and responsibilities to fulfill. Two - they were able to come as far as they could mostly by their own abilities. The golden boy had started his company from nothing. No noble background, no one to help pave his road to success. He earned everything from being able to predict the trend and carrying it out. The golden girl was from a reputable family but everything changed when her father passed away when she was 25 and she had to handle the family business that was on a decline by herself. She wasn't alone for long as shortly after news of their marriage became the talk of the town and the two companies merged as one - each helping one another and becoming even more formidable as time passes.

Everyone looks to the entrance as the golden couple arrives - always the picture of perfection. Although the golden girl was not breathtakingly beautiful, she possessed a beauty that was innocent and pure. The kind of look that makes a person want to protect from others taking advantage of. The golden boy was also not the typical handsome dashing boy you would expect. He has a look that grows on you the more you look at him - confident, smart, meticulous, and a little rough around the edges.

Ashley, the golden girl, walked into the venue wearing a simple off white mermaid cut dress that accentuated her curves and finishing off the look with a monogram stole from Louis Vuitton. The golden boy, Alan, also kept it simple with a black suit from Gucci. Although they weren't the best looker, they definitely had an aura too them that makes people look their way. Like that, they walked into the venue together with their arms linked. Spectators view their relationship as sweet, respectful and one to be admired for the ages. With Ashley putting on the smile she always did for these events, they started to go greet other guests that had already arrived prior. Naturally, they split up to cover more grounds so that they would be able to leave early if either of them wanted to leave.

Let the small talk begin. Ashley made her way to a group of girls around her age to start. Lucky for her, being a girl, her talks were easy. It was always gossip, never business so she didn't need to do anything.

"Ashley, you look so pretty tonight." Emily, the brunette hair lady, spoke. At 28, she was single and still looking for that prospective husband material that her family embedded into her head to find.

"Thank you. There is no way I can look prettier than any of you ladies tonight. All of you look ravishing."

"You always have such a sweet tongue. We do spend a lot of time and thought into these."

"Find any good catch, tonight?"

"Not yet but I heard through the grapevine that a very eligible bachelor will be attending tonight. He just came back from overseas to start inheriting his family business. Sole heir."

"No wonder everyone looks more alert and dressed up."

"Well, not everyone already has the catch of the year. You already snagged him up early on."

Ashley laughed playfully. "I did get a good one, didn't I? It isn't like he didn't catch a good one as well."

The group of girls giggled because what she said was true. All of them still had their parents around to worry and care for them so all they had to do every day was go around finding the trendiest eateries and scoop out the latest fashion. They didn't yet have to worry about what to do with their family business or who to marry in order to help them keep the family business well if they didn't have the capability. Ashley on the other hand goes to work at her family's company every day, sometimes even on weekends for four years now. None of them can deny that she has put hard work into both her business life and personal life. On weekends, Ashley personally would cook for Alan all the dishes that he loves and sets as the menu. For this, she spent two months learning from a chef. She spared no effort in making everything flawless.

Alan walked over to a group of men standing around drinking their preferred alcoholic drinks. He isn't able to just pick a group to talk to. He had to start out at the most successful of them all in order not to offend anyone. "Gentle-mans, how is everything?"

"Alan, my man, I heard you are thinking of expanding into another industry again. Aren't you being a little too diverse?" Mike, whose business has always been in media questioned.

"Diversity lowers risk and it gives me a sense of knowledge in different fields. Knowledge is power, they say." Alan joked.

"With your wife's business in technology and yours in social media, what are you two trying to get into now?" David wanted to know in case they would have to be rivals in work. His family business was in communications.

"All business is intertwined together. I have to go greet a couple more people, i will circle back to you guys in a bit." Alan like to make an effort to get away from the guys when they try to pry too much into his business. He didn't much like discussing business with anyone except his wife as she was always supportive and quick on her toes to provide him with stuff that he needs.

He started off with entrepreneurship right off college because he knew he would not like to work under anyone. He wanted people to give into him, not the other way around. He finished his MBA at 23 after nonstop schooling. After a few years of struggling to make up the capital to start his own start-up, he was able to do so at 25, with his business starting to flourish at 27 when social media took a huge turn upwards. At 28, he realized that his business had reached its peak for now and looked into ways to help improve it. That was how he met his wife. He needed a company that would be able to help come up with new technologies that would help his social media platform. With his wife business not faring too well at that time due to his father in law's declining health, he was able to come in and take advantage of the situation. A 24 year-old girl who just finished schooling and hasn't been introduced to the tough world of real life business would need all the help she could get to stabilize her family's business. And what better way to start a lifelong partnership then to have both parties giving a hand to one another.

He agreed to give capital that she needed to stabilize their company under the condition that the company would be acquired by his. Ashley, unfortunately, would not agree to that. She knew she could turn her company around so she did not agree. She countered that she would let his company acquire her family's business for now, allowing for the company to spend 35% of its resources to focus on improvements towards his platform, but after she was able to make enough to pay him back all that she owed him plus interest, then he would have to let her company become independent from his again. He calculated that it would take at least 6-8 years if she was talented enough to pay him back so he agreed because at that time, he would be able to come up with another alternative plan for his company. After going back and forth, the only way to make sure that she would get back her company was to get into a marriage contract with him in order to prevent him from taking the company and run. That way, even if they were to divorce, the company would have to be split along with his. At that time, because of her wits, he was infatuated and didn't mind this short marriage plan. After all, he wasn't a lady, there was nothing that he would lose from this, right?

Ashley saw from the corner of her eyes that Alan made a quick escape from the group he was in and immediately knew people were probing into things he didn't want to talk about. She excused herself from her group and walked over to him. If they went as a pair around the room, people hardly inquired much into business.

"How much longer do you want to stay?" Ashley asked her husband.

"Just for a little longer. I had a long week already, we just need to stay a little longer to be polite and then we can go home and relax."

"Emily said someone new in town is coming tonight. You might make a new friend."

Alan smiled, "You know i don't make friends."

"I heard he might give you a run for your money. Newest most eligible bachelor. You are old news. I won't be the envy around town anymore."

Now he laughed, "So you going to leave me for this new guy? Your faithful husband of four years?"

Ashley laughed softly, "who knows? I will have to get a good look at the new guy first."

It was at that time that the "new guy" decided to make his entrance. All eyes were on him as he walked slowly in with a smile but his eyes were searching the crowd for just one person. It has been five years since he left here and left her behind in the process. Even though it has been so long, he was able to find her quickly in the crowd just like before. She had her back to him as he started approaching in her direction.

Most of the people there were shocked to see who the newcomer was because he wasn't a newcomer. He left five years ago and no one has heard a word about or from him since. Josh was the word that came out from a few mouths but he just waved to people as he walked towards that one person...