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I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. “Same time and day, next week.”
He nodded and sat down in his oversized chair. “Sit down, Michelle.”
I nodded and took a seat, thankful that his chastising was over.
“The expansion in Russia is a go, and I’m handing over the reins to you.”
Even though my father was against smiling in a place of business, I couldn’t help but grin. The Russian project was massive, and I wasn’t expecting to actually get it.
“Thank you,” I said.
My father leaned back in his chair and stared at me, almost like a Mafia boss. “I want to see how you handle it and how you do on your own.”
“You have no idea how excited I am to have this project, Daddy. I mean, we’ve been waiting on the Russia deal for so long now, and I know how much you want it to go through. I promise that everything will get done, and I won’t—”
He put his hands up, then turned around to face his computer. “Just don’t fuck this up and disappointment me, Michelle.”
“Of course not,” I said in a much quieter tone.
“Onto bigger and better things now.”
I watched him pull up a dating website exclusively for wealthy people, called Capitalist Courting.
“Why are you on that?”
My father hadn’t been in a serious relationship since my mother passed away, and to be honest, I don’t even think he wanted to be married to her. He only did it because that’s what his family expected of him.
“You need to find a husband in the industry,” he said while scrolling through pictures of guys on the screen.
My mouth fell open as I let out an audible gasp.
No way.
Absolutely no fucking way.
It took everything in me to keep my tone level. “With all due respect, Daddy, I’m not interested in getting married.”
He shrugged his shoulders while continuing to look at profiles of men.
“I never said it was for your interests,” he replied, causing me to tilt my head as he turned to face me. “Our empire needs more behind it than what we currently have, Michelle. Finding you a husband is a perfect solution.”
“Are you seriously viewing marriage as some sort of business deal?”
He nodded and went back to looking at profiles. “Every contract, be it in your personal or work life, should be treated as a business deal. Even though I eventually loved your mother very much, I chose her because she brought elegance and class to the company. When buyers saw me with her around my arms, it gave them a sense of confidence.”
I folded my hands in my lap, doing my best to keep it professional but still dripping with sarcasm. “So, how would a husband benefit the company?”
“Even though you’re one hell of a businesswoman,” he said, “the cold, hard truth is that you need a man if you plan on running this company one day.” He turned around and saw my icy stare. “Look, I knew you wouldn’t be that enthusiastic about it, so let’s put it on the back burner for now. I’ll give you some options once we finish the Russian project.”
There was no way in hell that I would ever be part of an arranged marriage, especially to some asshole who signed up for a dating site strictly for the elite. Marriage was the last thing on my mind, anyway. All I needed in life was money and sex.
“Can we discuss a personal project?”
Now it was he who folded his hands across his lap, giving me the go-ahead to speak.
“I’d like to have my own real estate company, but not just any real estate. I want to focus on private investments.”
My father tapped his finger on his chin, which drove me insane.
