Chapter 386

“What else am I supposed to think? I don’t even understand what’s going on.” He pulled her towards the stools near the kitchen bench. “Come and sit down,” he said. “I will explain everything to you.” She hesitated for a moment and then went with him. More than anything, she just wanted to understand “Before I can explain what you heard the other night, I need to start at the beginning.” He waited for her nod before he continued. “You know who my family is and what their business is. When I wanted to strike out on my own, they were the only ones who would lend me the money I needed to buy my first hotel. All the other banks and financial institutions refused to deal with me for fear of offending my father.” He shook his head at the unfairness of it. “So I went to my father and applied for a loan. He finally agreed, but as one of the stipulations, there was a clause entered into the contract. I needed to marry a woman who was deemed appropriate by my mother or I would forfeit my company.