Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Uncle William's Conditions

Ethan

Raven Stewart. Scratch that. Raven Henderson. My wife.

I remember the first day I met her clearly. She was only a child, three years younger than I was. Nevertheless, it was obvious how ill-suited we both were. She was pale, small and breakable. Vulnerable.

Me? I was something that should have been kept far away from the likes of her. Not only wasn't she my type, she was far from a girl I would set my gaze on twice. Not that she wasn't beautiful, in fact, it was entirely the opposite.

I remember her blonde locks had been held in a messy but rather stylish bun, her pink lips coated with a sheen of lip balm. Her eyes were large, blue and sparkly, so full of life. Her beauty was so fierce, I had struggled not to outright stare and so I had settled for long side glances.

However, her aura of innocence was so strong, something that had been sucked from me a long time ago. It irked me, knowing that she was so naïve. That's why I had kept my distance, completely forgot about her even after we were married. Someone like her was never meant for the likes of me.

That was until last night.

Everything I thought I knew about her was….I guess I was wrong. My wife isn't someone I thought she was. She was more. And I couldn't get her out of my head. Sure, that innocent aura still wavered over her, but something lurked deeper within her. Perhaps a fierceness that was awaiting to be woken.

I couldn't stop thinking about her. I couldn't get her beautiful body out of my head. The way she was so responsive to my touch, doing as I pleased, the feel of her skin on my fingers…

And when I had sheathed myself inside her. The pleasure that came with that had been so life changing, for the first time in a while, I had to fight my orgasm head on.

One thing puzzled me though. Why was she a virgin when she came to me?

I couldn't think of one good reason why she had given me something as precious as her purity. We both knew I didn't deserve it.

Why though?

The only one that could provide an answer was her, and I was determined to find out.

****

"James."

I looked up at the sound of Betty, my secretary. For the first time since this morning, I found myself smiling, somewhat relaxed.

"Betty. Come in." I said, rising from my seat and crossing the span of my office and meeting her half way. "What brings you here? You know you could have asked one of the girls to do your bidding."

"Everyone's on their lunch break. I can't bother them when they are having a break from the day's activities." Betty said, shuffling to my desk. In her hands, she held a lunch box, and I felt my stomach rumble from hunger. Betty's dishes always made my mouth water.

I watched as she arranged the food on my desk, the aroma filling the air. As she did so, I recalled something important. "What day is it today, Betty?"

"The 3rd of June. What about it?"

"Betty! You did not. Why are you a week early from your vacation?"

"Don't fret boy. Albert and I had a great time. Besides, who else would take care of you if I was away for such a long time?"

I fought down a groan. "I'm an adult, Betty."

"Really?" She arched an eyebrow. "The last I was away, the company was almost scammed."

"You can't use that against me all the time, Betty." I fought down a grimace. "I was much younger then."

"Whatever you say." She laughed, making her way to the door. "If you must know, your uncle is waiting in the lobby."

***

William Henderson was a man, with the will of iron and a formidable force of nature. His presence alone made people pause and look at him and at the same time, listen for he spoke with authority.

It was no surprise he was a successfully retired lawyer, one that had only lost two cases in his entire career.

Currently he sat before me, with that calm and confident aura, onyx cane in hand. He looked poised and relaxed, but I was no fool. I knew he took note of every detail in his surroundings. Uncle William treated everything like a game of chess.

Nevertheless, he was the only family I had left.

"I need to know when I can have my full inheritance. I'm eyeing a certain investment, and the deal can only go through with the rest of my inheritance in hand."

My uncle sighed. "I'm glad I came with these in hand. Somehow, I suspected this was what my presence was required for."

The urge to roll my eyes was present. "Oh come on Uncle. We both know that Betty gave you a call this morning."

"That may be true." He chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Back to the point though." He grabbed his briefcase, retrieved a file from it, and then he was handing it to me. "I believe you'll have to read through it."

I took it from him, flipped the file open and began to read. 10 minutes later, and I stared up at him, dumbfounded.

My uncle sat there unfazed, his cane in hand. That's when it came to me. He had always known the whole time and didn't bother letting me know.

"Is this a joke? I'm tired of your shenanigans and games."

"I'm afraid these are neither shenanigans nor games. They are after all, your parent's wishes. I'm only playing a part by fulfilling them."

I shook my head, studying the papers again, but nothing seemed to make sense. "This is ridiculous, Uncle. This isn't adding up."

Tilting his head to the side, he watched me. "I don't see what the matter is. You have been married three years and a family is not something that would be hard for you to start. And as soon as your wife gets pregnant, you'll get half of what's left. Once the baby comes, everything else will be transferred to you fully."

Talk about being married. Uncle had no idea that I had only been intimate with my wife for only a single night since we got married. Technically, last night. How was I going to convince her about getting pregnant without having never tried to even know her? Much less consider our marriage to be a marriage?

"Isn't there any other way?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not. If you don't trust me, you're free to ring up old Peter." Rising up on his feet, I watched as Uncle made his way out of my office. "And one more thing. Bill Houseburg will be hosting a charity event next month. Be there. Don't forget to bring little Raven along."

The door slammed shut behind him and I was left alone with my own thoughts. I looked at the papers once more and wondered what my next would be. If this was about getting anything in the world, it would be much easier.

But a freaking baby?