Chapter Nine

ANTHONY POV

I turned to my mom and saw how she smiled as Mr. Scott pointed to his daughter. Is he trying to make me marry his daughter?

I have to understand what is going on, it wasn't clear to me yet. I folded my arms and paid more attention to them as they spoke.

"Anthony, I was a good friend to your father. You know, I knew Victor when he and Lawrence were trying to strengthen the company. It was years ago before he got married to your mother. Your grandfather passed on when your father and your uncle were much younger, I don't know if he told you about that."

"Yeah, he did. Father was twenty and Uncle Lawrence was seventeen when grandpa died."

"Yeah. At that time, businesses all over the nation were facing hard times, it was almost as tough as the Great Depression. My family was the first investors that believed in your father and supported the project which was a huge success for Mart Group as of that time. After that project when Mart Group went public. So, like I said, I want to still maintain the relationship I had with this family, and I have already spoken with your mother. She told me you have more understanding of how things go around here."

"Okay, let me get you. You want me to marry your daughter?" I asked bluntly.

Mr. Scott turned to Cynthia her face was down. He turned to my mother and then turned to me with a smile on his face. "Want? I thought this was already agreed. I was only saying to see how ready you are?"

He turned back to Mother, and asked, "Audrey?"

"Oh, Mr. Scott. He never said he wasn't ready, he was only asking if you want him to marry your daughter. Isn't that a question you wanted to hear?" She asked wearing a smile. "Why won't my son not be ready to see such a beautiful, intelligent daughter that you've brought here?"

Mother gave me a stern look, and I knew that they had already made arrangements behind my back. I have not felt this used before in my life. I sat there at the dining table and made up my mind not to say a word.

They ate, laughed, and talked for more than an hour. Mr. and Mrs Scott were with Cynthia and I was left with Mom. She sat on the dining table smiling, but looking at my austere face she took off the smile.

"Anthony, what is it?" She asked without looking at my face.

I looked around, breathing lightly. I have thought of many words to open up my mind without sounding rude or harsh to my mother.

"Did you and the Scott family arrange marriage for me without my consent?"

"Yes, we did," she said firmly. "Is there any problem with that?" I was shocked by her audacity in affirming her actions. I had never believed I would come to a place where my life would controlled by anyone else.

I didn't say a word I sat still, my hands were on the table. My brows were furrowed and the rest of my face was rigid.

"Is that the reason why you had to embarrass me before my guests?"

I slammed the table hard and rose quickly. "To hell with your guest!" Mother shook and placed her hand on her chest, she sat there looking at me in awe.

"Have I told you or anyone that I wanted a spouse? The company and everything else is already a huge load that I had to deal with, and you are trying to match me up with someone I don't even know!"

"I am doing this for you, Tony!" Mother shouted back at me. "Everything I am doing right now is for you and us. It seems you think we still have everything..." She smirked, "You will see soon when that b*st*rd son your father brought into this family takes everything you have."

"Oh please! Jonathahasve nothing to do with this. Besides, I have already taken him out of the picture, so stop using him to drive to a lane I don't know."

Mother laughed, and stood up from her seat. "I knew what I did to keep this in your hand. Your father saw you as one of his children, I have to make you become his only child, not one of his children. Look at where we are, we need to go higher than this not lower, and that is possible by our association. Marriages and business partnerships are all that help us maintain what we have."

"Let me make you understand something. Before I met your father I was an associate lecturer, I just concluded my doctorate and I had someone I loved then. He was a lecturer at the same university where I worked. But I wanted a better life for my kids, for myself, I always knew love wasn't enough."

"So, you left the man you love for Dad because you don't want to live poor?"

"I wasn't poor, Tony. My father was a successful architect, and my mother was a surgeon. But I needed something great, your father was a visionary entrepreneur at that time and he was making wide success, but the man I love was just like every average man. I needed success for my future, I agreed I was ambitious, and that's why I am a mother to one of the most successful Billionaire youth in the nation. Our standards are high, you need to keep it high."

"Okay, I understand your story, but how does doing life with Cynthia Scott benefit me and this family?"

"Can't you see the family? Can't you see we need them? Mr. Scott stuck with your father and helped him stand his ground, their name is connection itself. If we get their name joined with ours there is nothing that can threaten this family."

She touched my shoulder, and said, "I know it might be a hard thing for you, but a man has to make tough decisions for the family. You are my only son, I have lost your father, you are now the man of the family, so the future of the Martins family is in your hands. So you will make this union work for us."

My eyes were down all the time she was talking. I didn't like any bit of this idea, Cynthia Scott was a stranger to me, and when I saw her, though she was beautiful, my heart was feeling anything out of the normal admiration.

I raised my face to my mother. "Get me to Scott's family, I would like to see them this weekend."