"What are his options here?" Jeremy asked standing to the left of my desk as we directed our questions to my legal team
They may be my legal team but they are certainly handing my ass to me on a silver platter
"He does not have any options here. Mr Hayes has 3 weeks left before he needs to be wed or he loses the company" Charlie said making me narrow my eyes further
"And what will become of the company?" I asked
When my father passed away, he left this company to me but in true Hayes fashion.. There was terms and conditions, ones I didn't expect to have to fill so soon
"If you do not marry by your 25th Birthday Mr Hayes, the company disbands and all assets liquidate and go to anyone and everyone without a Hayes name" Charlie added obviously being the stand point of this operation
"You don't need anything big or flashy for a wedding, we just need the documentation by your birthday" Aspen, the only female on the legal team, added
I turned to look at Jeremy who was looking at me trying to consider any loop holes we have
But I think we have exhausted them all
"We'll be in touch" I said dismissing them all
None of them hung around, I'm certain none of them dared to. But that lead Jeremy and I to our next topic of discussion, what the hell were we supposed to do?
"I can call around to see if there is any families looking" Jer said sitting in the chair this time
"Looking for what exactly?" I asked and he shrugged
"There are bound to be power hungry parents dying to marry off their daughters. It might not be a common thing to the naked eye, but it still happens" He warned me making me growl in response
"What other option do you have Aiden? Would you rather go to a club and pick up the first girl that falls into your lap, one that'll want a lot more then an arranged marriage. They'll want a relationship, they'll want love, they'll want you-" He continued to rant before I cut him off gladly
"Alright. Ask around but I want to meet them before I make a choice" I said before watching Jeremy nod walking out of the room pulling out his phone already
I looked down at the city below me after watching the door to the office close
One of the perks to this office and to my home is that I'm on the top floor
And I refuse to ever be lower
I want to be able to look down on everyone, I want to watch the world go by without them knowing I'm watching
But in reality I watch it all
After Dad handed this company over, I changed a lot. It went from being a company that held a few side projects to being the biggest company in New York City. It went from being a side company to being the main company of an empire. This company now has 5 umbrella companies. I refuse to let a stupid fucking clause rip that away from me
Even from his grave, my father is getting on my fucking last nerve
--
The rest of the day was anticlimactic. It was full of meetings, business proposals and endless contracts
As soon as I walked through my front door, I couldn't have been more thankful for the peace and quiet
That was until it was interrupted
"So I've narrowed it down to 5 girls for you" Jeremy said opening the front door letting himself in
"Remind me to change the code on my security system" I grumbled to myself sitting on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in my hand that Jeremy was quick to pour himself his own glass knowing full well if he touched mine he could easily lose a limb
"5 girls yet that pile is larger then your attention span" I said nodding to the files in his hands
"Oh no, these are all the files but I was reading over them in the car over here" He said before sectioning of the final 5
He handed me them one by one and I can't say I was too impressed
We have Tiana, A Brewer. Her family were the epitome of business, sure she would be a good fit for a deal but from knowing her father.. That deal would come with more terms and conditions
Then there was Natalie, I actually think I've met this one. She's a Kingston, her brother and I were in classes together. From what I remember Natalie tends to hand a fluid mouth, nothing remains a secret with her which in turn would be bad for the company
After her we have Emily. I don't know of her or her family but she seems rather black and white. From looking at her credentials, I'm pretty certain she'll spend more money then I actually make. Which says a lot
Imogen came next and she was similar to Emily but remains a little more courteous about it. The only problem with her would be that her father was exiled many years ago after a contract breach. I would not wish to fall into that path again
And then that leaves us with Amelia. She's the definition of the perfect daughter. Always runs at her fathers beckon which in turn means she couldn't be trusted. All it would take is her dad to say jump and she would ask how high.. Even if it meant throwing her husband under the bus
"I don't like any of them. Next" I warned him making Jeremy furrow his brows at me
"What are you talking about? I looking through these first and was certain that they would be your type on and off paper" He said making me roll my eyes
"considering 3 of those girls I wouldn't trust with my bank card let alone my company, next" I reminded him this time a little louder
With a big huff in his breath as he began to open up more of the folders taking a look into each one until I noticed one that looked like he had barely touched it compared to the state of the others
"What is this one?" I asked holding up the paper file
He used paper files which was his first mistake, from that you can see how often they were opened and closed from the depth of the crease
"Oh ignore that one" he said making me raise a brow, Jeremy and I have been close for years now, since we were kids really. He should know I don't ignore anything
"I'm serious Hayes, she wouldn't be a good fit" he said placing his hand on top of the file as if that was due to stop me from looking
"I'm marrying the girl, let me decide that Matthews" I warned him moving the file out of his reach
"That file is Erin Owens, She hasn't spoken a word since she was 8 years old and the only reason she is in this pile is because he Aunt was persistent on her having a shot" He explained
"From what she told me she just wants rid of her no matter where she ends up" Jeremy continued while I started to look through her file.
There was a photo attached to it just like all of the other ones, her brunette hair fell to just past her shoulder blades, she has a delicate white ribbon tied in her hair with a subtle but non-sincere smile on her face
"Owens. Why does that name sound familiar" I muttered to myself but of course Jer heard
"Remember growing up, there was the talk of the town about the family that were murdered in their own home?" He asked making me nod slowly
"That was her parents. Erin was the only survivor. From what I've heard she sat there and watched the entire thing happen" He said with a slight annoyance in his tone
"What else would you expect her to do? She was a little girl, don't act like you would have done anything" I reminded him
"I wouldn't be staying quiet about it. It's been 13 years and they haven't caught the guy because their only witness is not mute" He said making me furrow my brows looking down at Erin's picture again
"She'll be the one I'll marry. Set up a meeting with her tomorrow here at the penthouse" I said to him before finishing this whiskey in my glass
"What? Are you crazy?!" He said standing up as I headed back over to the alcohol
"No. The opposite really, set up the meeting Jeremy. I don't want to hear anything else on this matter" I warned him
"May I remind you Aiden, you run a company. One that holds lots of events, events that conversations tend to happen at!" He said now raising his voice slightly
"How on earth is your wife supposed to help you at a function if she can't say a single word?" Jeremy asked clearly frustrated by his lack of control
"Last time I checked Jer, I had been attending these events long before I knew of Erin. Therefor, her speech or lack of isn't really a factor" I reminded him
"Yeah? Well what about getting married? How will she say I do?" He continued to prowl
"You heard Aspen this morning. It doesn't need to be anything flashy, just the paperwork and last time I checked being Mute doesn't immobilise her hands" I added making Jeremy even more frustrated realising her had no more objections
"You're serious about this?" Jeremy asked and with a final nod from me he sighed nodding taking out his phone yet again
YOU ARE READING
Silent Whispers
RomanceERIN Trauma has it's effects on everyone. Erin was not exception to this but how trauma effected her in ways you wouldn't imagine At the age of 8, Erin was a witness to her parents Death. That alone shook her whole foundation making her mute for th...
