fate | CL fanfic

t w o

April 2nd:

Arthur nodded "Mother is here to see you, it's important, she's in the office." Charles nodded confused, his mother would have called if it was that important. It was a rarity to get her away from work and even more so to come and see her son.

Walking to the office was long, up several flights of stairs and Charles would admit that it was a bit much, a big house for only a few people. It was usually just Charles and his workers as well as his mates who stayed over most nights. He was a young man with too much money, what else has he to do with it?

When they eventually reached his office, he took a seat in the leather chair and leaned back. Charles' office was almost always dark, the stained, wooden walls and curtain that were always kept drawn to prevent light, if you were worthy enough to even be in his office to see it

"Maman, it's been a while, what brings you buy?" Charles picked up a pen and twiddled it between his fingers, a little distraction method. All of a sudden everything seemed too real, something was coming.

"I have news that concerns not only the business but you." Pascale was on the edge and Charles noticed instantly, he was good at reading people's emotions. "You know that eventually, you'd have to... marry someone." Pascale began "A girl" she watched the way his son tensed up, his face hardening and the fake smile he wore moments ago was gone.

"I remember," Charles paused "We got her family's business shares and we are a joined force, I'm marrying her."  Though Charles didn't want to remember it, in fact, the thought of marrying terrified him ever since he'd been told at only the age of seventeen, it infuriated him.

But he understood that without the deal he wouldn't have made it this far. His parents did what was best for the business even if that meant binding their son to a girl for the rest of his life, and the girls parents did the best for her also.

When he first found out he was livid. Charles practically flipped tables and argued with his parents for signing away his freedom. That was before he understood the gains he'd get over this arrangement. Though he didn't have to accept the fact that this was all done without his consent, still to this day he hated it, but he understood where the deal had put him.

Besides the girl had money.

Over the years he had done whatever he could to ignore the deal, sleeping around, messing up the clients, getting harsher as the date rolled closer. He hadn't even tried to look up the girl, not wanting to know what she looked like or even acknowledge that she existed. That would make the deal all too real. He didn't want this, but he did need it.

"It's her birthday today, she's twenty and that means that it's time." When Charles didn't reply,  Pascale spoke again, "Look, you know this was hard for us to do, you're my son and I wanted you to marry for love but it is what it's best for the business. All you have to do is keep the marriage certificate for proof, you don't have to be seen with her."

He rolled his eyes, standing up from the chair "When do I meet the girl?"

"You will meet Evangeline today, the ceremony won't be formal or anything, just a simple piece of paper for you both to sign. I don't even think she knows yet so I don't know what her father will do to get her to sign it, but it has to be done."

Evangeline, she doesn't sound pretentious.

Charles was currently trying to come up with any way he could get out of the arrangement, he'd gone years ignoring this girl, hoping his family would simply forget or that it would fall through, but now it was too real. "Can't we just rip the paper in half? We have our own money, our own shares, they can't exactly take them back."

Pascale sighed, "You know we can't do that, if word gets out it makes us look bad. We could lose future deals. Charles you're the youngest CEO in Monaco and also the strongest, we can't risk doing anything to mess that up."

She went on to say "She's a nice girl, innocent, won't try anything, we've been keeping tabs on her. You don't even need to speak to her, though since you're going to be bound together by law you might as well try and get along."

Charles sighed, sitting back down and kicking his feet up on the large desk. His life was about to change, despite all of his other responsibilities he'd now have a wife to watch over.

"When is she coming by then?"

___________

The last thing I expected to happen on my birthday, was to sit through a ten hour long car ride with nothing but silence and an indescribable tension. I swore I fell asleep at one point and maybe just zoned out for the most part, but that was all I remembered because the next thing I knew the car came to a sudden halt and my father had opened the passenger door for me to climb out.

Growing up I didn't travel much alongside my father, my parents were very secretive, if my father was in his office then the door would stay locked and if I so much as stepped foot into the room, there'd be trouble. There were locks on every one of his drawers and bottles of cheap beer stacked so high they loomed over my ten year old self. That's what I remembered from the one time I managed to sneak in anyway.

Was I going on a surprise holiday? A little family getaway? I doubted it but nonetheless I was excited.

"Why are we here? Where are we?" I was beyond confused, thinking this was some dumb birthday surprise but as people I'd never seen before started to unload multiple suitcases out of the trunk my fathers face hardened, my excitement was replaced instantly with nerves, he sighed "Don't ask anymore questions okay?.."

Twenty, the birthday before my father and mother-, before she passed, had been trying to push to the back of their minds but now it was here. They could run, but they wouldn't get far, they could try and break the contract, but the Leclercs didn't work that way.

It hurt them to sign that paper, it hurt more to keep it a secret from their daughter and it hurt just that bit more to bring her here. Ralph was knowing of the lack of contact he would get but he had convinced himself it was probably for the best. But when was giving your child up for a marriage they didn't want the best?

"What? But-, are we moving in?"

I had always been curious, my dad turned to my so suddenly, so sudden that I almost walked right into his chest. "You need to trust me, don't ask questions and just do as they say. This is for your own good."

I stopped walking, dead in my tracks, "What's happening? Papa? Why aren't you telling me anything? Is this a birthday surprise?"

The place was huge to say the least, it wasn't just a house but rather a mansion. A compound even, with large steel frames and probably the fanciest windows and doors I'd seen in my life. This place would have cost millions upon millions and I could only imagine who lived there.

I kind of hoped he would just turn around and explain that he'd bought it for me, my first house but I don't think my father has that kind of heart to just throw money around.

He gripped my upper arm, finding it harder and harder to tell me what I was only moments away from finding out, "We have to go inside, we're already late enough."

Huffing, I followed, wondering when he would finally stop treating me like a child. I walked to the door only to be greeted by men, much taller, scarier men that looked like they could snap my neck in seconds. "Mr Ashby?" One simply asked, my father simply nodded and lead me inside "Mr Leclerc has been waiting."

For some reason the 'Leclerc' made something click, but I wasn't sure what yet. The two of us followed the same man inside and up the stairs, but I couldn't help but marvel at the place, it was so scarily dark.

The man then knocked on a door at the very end of only one of many many hallways, it was a double door, neat and pristine. A small "come in" was muttered and my dad stepped in, I stayed behind him.

"Mr Ashby, you made it." A woman stood up and my dad stepped aside to shake her hand, suddenly I felt exposed in front of the two I had never met. "You must be Evangeline, lovely to meet my soon to be daughter in law."