Married to the Billionaire CEO

It has been a gloomy couple of days. The clouds hung heavily in the sky ready for another bout of rain.

The funeral has gone well, all things considered.

Christopher walked through the old mansion with something twisting inside of him. It has been years since he was in this old ruin of a building. It has been years since he spoke to his father.

He hardly regretted it. They barely had anything in common, and now he was the only one left to continue his family's legacy, the last Hayden.

"Sir, the executor of the estate is in the study." Patrick, Christopher's young but trusted assistant informed him. Christopher nodded and walked towards the room he detested probably the most. That was where he last time argued with his father over something so trivial.

He tried to remember why exactly they drifted so far apart. On the surface, it was simple. His father wanted him to marry and carry on the family's name whilst Christopher refused to comply. He was too young and too self-absorbed to care for marriage. That is at least what he told himself. The real reason for his refusal was much different, but he would never be this vulnerable in front of anyone to tell them.

His father was cold and disciplined man with strong values. He barely ever treated his only son with any warmth or parental love. Christopher grew up feeling hurt and unable to express any positive emotion. From the very young age he knew that he didn't want to be anything like his father. And hence, he decided to never have family of his own, promising himself that his family line will end with him.

As you can imagine, this didn't go down well with the senior who drove Christopher away, remaining without word for years.

And now he was dead, and his son was the sole person in the world that could inherit his enormous possessions, including a multi-billion company which he already run for his father long after his father's retirement. That is the only thing he wanted. He spend every waking hour over the past ten years working hard to build that company and he wanted to continue growing it.

Christopher entered the room, and Patrick followed him like a shadow. Inside was an elder man that Christopher knew well enough. He was his father's attorney. Old in age, with his bushy white eyebrows heavily resting on his forehead. He looked sour on the best of days, today didn't make it better.

"Good evening, Mr Hayden." He said as he pointed Christopher to sit on the chair on the other side of the desk.

"Good evening."

"My condolences."

"Thank you."

"I suspect that you're interested in finding out about your father's will?"

"All I care about is the company. I've build it for years. I don't want my efforts to go to waste."

"Understandable." The old lawyer nodded his head. "You will be pleased to know that you were named a sole beneficiary of your father's will."

"Yes?" Christopher had a feeling that there was more to it.

"But there is a clause you must fulfil within a month from today to fully inherit everything."

"A clause?" Christopher put his leg across another and leaned back in the chair, placing his fingertips together as he tried to remain calm and to collect his thoughts.

"Indeed. In retrospective, it is a simple matter."

"What is it?"

"Your father's wish is that you marry. Simple as. And as long as you marry within a month, all assets, including the company are yours."

Christopher gulped. After all this time, his father still had an upper hand.

"Does it matter who I marry?"

"No."

"What about a divorce?"

"As long as it is filed by another party, without explicitly being made aware of this agreement prior to the divorce, and without you driving the other party to do so. Then it would be acceptable."

"Explain."

"In the simplest terms, the other party must not be made aware that the divorce is solely possible by their will, and they must not marry you with the will to divorce you. Moreover, you must remain faithful and respectful as to not jeopardise the marriage."

Christopher went silent.

"Here are all the terms of the inheritance and marriage." The lawyer placed a file on the desk. "May you have a good evening, Mr Hayden, and I hope to see you in due course to resolve this matter further."

Christopher nodded and the lawyer left.

"You've heard him." Christopher spoke at last to Patrick without turning to face him.

"Indeed, sir."

"Find me a wife. You have two weeks."

"Excuse me?" Patrick asked in surprise.

"I don't care who you find. My requirements are that she has no prior scandals and will not cause any future scandals. I want someone somewhat well educated and with an ounce of intelligence. Someone who will do their thing and won't continuously bothering me. And who will not annoy the heck out of me throughout the marriage, and who will quite likely end up willingly divorcing me."

"May I clarify? You wish for me to find you a wife?" Patrick asked anxiously, quickly thinking about the momentous task he was given and the one that will certainly drive him to an early grave.

"Yes. Are you deaf?"

"No. Of course, sir. Do you have anyone in mind? Anyone from your circles?"

"No, and absolutely not. The less known she is, the better. I don't care about her social status. Just make sure that she is bearable. I will get the marriage contract derived for the two week mark. Carry out a proper selection process. And I want to be a part of the final interview."

"Yes, sir." Patrick agreed. He already knew how he was going to get fired. Christopher found everyone unbearable. There wasn't a chance in the world to find a woman that would get into this wicked marriage and be bearable in Christopher's eyes. It was a Sisyphean task at best.

Christopher stood up and left Patrick alone, retreating to some quiet room where he could either contemplate on some matter or work. Most likely the latter. His life was his work.