His Daughter [Completed] Book 1/2

Prologue

I had admired him and in many ways I would have called him my idol. He was powerful and ruthless which had contributed to his wealth and success. I had been happy to live in his shadow learning everything I could from the man I admired and respected so much. I had been an apprentice learning from Britain's master of business and enterprise. He was hard nosed about everything but the one thing he loved more than anything was his daughter Georgiana. Her mother, his high school sweet heart and one time Miss Universe had died during child birth. Georgiana was his pride and joy and although I had never met her it was no secret that she was just as beautiful and mesmerising as her mother.

Some might say I worshipped the man. He'd treated me like a son and groomed me so that one day when the old bastard was ready to retire I'd step into his shoes. I thought that day might come in the next ten years or so. It had knocked the wind out of my sails when I heard the news of his passing. Not only had he been a fantastic boss and mentor he had been like family. The last thing I expected was for it to happen today. Heart attack on his yacht in the south of France. Poor bastard.

I stare blankly at the clock in the office. The mechanism making the faintest of sounds as the second hand races around the dial.

"Mr Karlsson. Did you hear me?" Mr Goldman sat at his desk surrounded by piles of wills and trusts. His curly hair piled in a wild mound on top of his head. His brow had been furrowed as he stared at me through thick glasses.
"Mr Karlsson!" Last nights polka game and too many whiskeys sends his words drumming into the side of my skull.
"Mr Cobalt left Cobalt Enterprises to you and half his shares within the company. But on one condition, you marry his daughter." The bastard even from his grave was dictating the terms of business. But why on earth would he want his beloved daughter to marry a man like me? He was fully aware of my less than perfect background. Raised by a single mother with a father who beat the shit out of us both. Countless nights in jail cells, brawls, arranged fights and illegal betting. He'd been watching me for several years before his chauffeur driven car pulled up outside Tony Malone's bar that I occasionally worked at. A kid with a hot temper and a taste for trouble I'd thought he'd put a price on my head. I was on the precipice of some serious illegal activity and beginning to get caught up with the wrong people. He'd watched me he told me at one of Tony's game nights, said I had an unusual gift for numbers. I just got lucky I told him as I sat on the plush polished leather back seat of his car.

"Kid I'm telling you. You got what it takes to be smart and successful but right now you're playing your life like a looser and an idiot. And I can guarantee you're gonna lose."
It took everything in me not to smack the man in the face but I knew better not to mess with some business tycoon and I didn't like the look of his driver who had at least a couple inches height and at least twenty pounds more weight to him than me. I knew who the businessman was. Everybody did especially after the crazy big mergers he'd been pulling off. No one thought he could do it. They called him the Maverick because of his unorthodox approach to business.

"I wanna help you. If you'll let me. At the end of the day kid it's your life and your choice." So I shut up and I listened. The following week I started at Cobalt Enterprises as a Junior Associate, ten years later I was the Director of Client Relations.  I owed him everything but I certainly didn't deserve her.

"And if I say no."
"Then you're fired."
"Is this even enforceable?" Mr Goldman shrugged.
"I'll admit it's unusual. He said you were the only person he trusted to take care of his daughter and his business. Said it would give him peace of mind."
"And does she know?" He nodded.
"And the other half of the shares go to her?"
"Correct. So she gets nothing of the business if she doesn't marry you." His voice resigned.
The son of a bitch, good old Mr Colbalt still deciding which path in life is better for me. But she could do so much better. He knew that surely?
I hooked up with women and due to my mothers Italian heritage and asshole of a fathers Swedish ancestry I was tall muscular tanned with blue eyes. Meeting women was easy staying interested was hard. I hadn't made the mistake to do anything with anyone at work. He'd made it clear without any misunderstanding I'd be out on the street if I dipped my pen in the company ink. With everything he had done for me I wasn't going to be an idiot, so I followed his rules by the book, besides no one took my fancy. He was the closest thing I'd ever had to a father. I didn't care about the shares or my job, I could get a good job somewhere else. Make good money. I'd set Ma up with her own little apartment and a nice retirement fund. I had more money than I knew what to do with. I was still the kid from the wrong side of town just better dressed.

"What has she said?" Surely she wouldn't agree to this? He would have told her about me, how I would be the last kind of man he wanted for his daughter.                                                            "Georgiana wants to meet with you."

"There must be some kind of clause, something that can get us out of this?"

"There is something, you have to be married and living together for a year before you can file for divorce. That's starting from now."

"What? Where would we live?" This was crazy, why was I even contemplating it. I didn't care if I lost the shares, but I felt bad for her. This was some sick twisted way of her father keeping control of her from the grave. Everyone knew he was over protective but this was extreme.

"Doesn't matter, at yours or hers, though I believe she wants to sell the family home. Too many memories ..." And his voice trailed off.

Was I even considering this? Sure Cobalt Enterprises had been good to me. I suppose I owed Mr Cobalt my life. As much as an asshole I could be I wasn't about to force some girl into marrying me. She could do better than me, any decent girl could. All I knew how to do was get my head down and work hard. It had kept me out of trouble. I didn't know how to do a relationship especially not with a girl of that class and background. What would she want with a runt like me?

Goldman hesitated before pushing a card across the table with Georgiana's contact details.

Hi Lovely Readers, thank you so much for taking the time to read this first chapter of my new story His Daughter.

I would really like your feedback and thoughts on the story so far so please let me know what you think! And please VOTE if you enjoyed it xxx

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