Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

"Emma, my dear, I have news that may come as a surprise." 

Emma looked up from her desk with a frown as her father entered her office, his expression grave. Ever since the disastrous fallout with Mark and Amanda, she had thrown herself into her work with single-minded determination. The Montgomery Corporation was her sole priority now.

"What is it, Father?" she asked, setting aside the quarterly reports she had been poring over.

Donald moved to settle in the leather armchair across from her, steepling his fingers as he regarded her carefully. "You are well aware of the precarious situation facing the Reynolds family's business interests." 

It was not a question, but Emma nodded anyway. The Reynoldses' real estate empire had been plagued with controversies and financial woes for some time now.

"Indeed. I have received...an interesting proposition from Senator Reynolds." Her father extracted a thick manila envelope from his briefcase, sliding it across the desk toward her. "He is eager to broker a merger between our two companies."

Emma's perfectly arched brows lifted in surprise. A merger with the Reynoldses could be highly advantageous for Montgomery Corp - if navigated correctly. Still, her gut told her there was more to this move than met the eye. The senator was a notoriously cunning player on the political stage but there is more to this.

"I see. And I take it this 'proposition' comes with strings attached?"

Her father's gaze was inscrutable. "See for yourself. It is a good proposition," he chuckled.

Suppressing a frown, Emma tugged the dossier free, flipping through the documents with mounting incredulity. Her eyes finally snagged on a single damning line that made her heart plummet to her feet.

"Marriage contract! Between who and who," she asked.

"Are you seriously asking me that, I have only one daughter which is you?"

"You cannot be serious," she hissed through numb lips, anger and humiliation heating her fair cheeks. "After everything that snake Mark put me through, you want me to enter into another sham marriage merely for appearances' sake?"

"It's not just for appearances, Emma!" Her father's voice cracked like a whip, his bushy brows drawing together in a fierce scowl. "This is about legacy - ours and theirs. A joining of dynasties! Can you not see the advantages such a union would provide?"

Emma surged to her feet so violently her chair skidded back several inches. "Advantages? You're talking about pimping me out like a common whore so you can line your pockets, Father! I won't be party to such an archaic, objectifying practice."

"You will do as I say," he thundered, slamming a meaty palm on the desk hard enough to rattle her crystal photo frames. "I did not devote my life to building this empire from the ground up just so you could run it into the ground with your youthful rebelliousness! This merger will go forward, with or without your consent. But mark my words, girl - if you defy me, you'll be on the first jet to Barcelona with nothing but the clothes on your back and your degree to keep you warm at night. Are we clear?"

Emma's chest heaved with a potent mixture of fury and despair. The ruthless business mogul persona her father embodied was legendary in their social sphere. But to have the full force of his wrath leveled at her was...unsettling, to say the least.

"All you ever do with my money was to spend it on your useless boyfriend you made me give a job and this is the chance you have to show me if you are truly my daughter," he yelled.

"But this makes no sense at all, you can't make me a bait for the progress of your business, I gave my all to make this company remain what it is today…"

"Don't you get it, this is not about your all. This is about influence; Montgomery needs power and influence…"

Still, she refused to cower from the threat, lifting her chin in pale defiance. "If you think for one second I'll be a willing party in prostituting myself, you're very much mistaken."

Her father's eyes flashed dangerously. "We'll see about that."

Before Emma could respond, her father's phone buzzed shrilly in his breast pocket. Fishing it out, he checked the caller ID and huffed an irritated breath.

"This discussion isn't over," he growled, stabbing a thick finger at her as he rose. "In the meantime, I suggest you do some soul-searching about where your priorities lie - with your own selfish whims, or the good of this family."

He spun on his heel and stormed out, leaving Emma to slump back into her chair, utterly overwhelmed.

A week later, Emma found herself seated across from her formidable father in his study once more. Though she had steadfastly avoided the subject of the disastrous "merger," the matter seemed inescapable.

"You summoned me, Father," she stated, her tone measured as she took her seat opposite him looking at his face as she sat down.

"Indeed. We haven't a moment to spare. The wedding preparations must commence at once..."

"Which wedding are you referring to? Someone is getting married and I know about it,"

Emma's brow furrowed.

Her father's gaze hardened. "Do not interrupt me. I speak of your union with James Reynold."

 "Do I not have a say in whom I marry?" Emma's jaw clenched.

"You have no say." His voice brooked no argument. "The freedoms I've afforded you have led only to poor decisions. This arrangement is for your own good. And it must stand"

Fury rose within her like a tidal wave. "My own good?" She shot to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. "You're selling your only child for monetary gain, and you expect gratitude from me? I am your only daughter for crying out loud,"

"If you walk out that door, you'll have no father to return to." His tone was glacial. "All I've ever wanted was what's best for you. You'll do as I command. Mary will take you shopping for a gown suitable for tonight's dinner..."