"Six months?" I repeat, unable to believe my ears.
The morning had started off on a calm note and I couldn't imagine I would be hit with such news in just a few hours into the day.
"It's your father's decision. He has the monopoly to make one and there is nothing anyone can do," one of the stakeholders said as if that's supposed to make me feel better in any way.
My father, the founder of Castor Group of Companies, is currently the richest man in the city and I, as the only heir to the wealth and properties, would be stepping in his shoes quite soon.
As much as I don't like to think about it, it's pretty inevitable and everyone knows this even though we don't talk about it.
Father's health has been deteriorating badly for the last year and even though we had contacted almost all the specialist doctors from all over the world, no one could find a solution.
They all said the same thing, that he has a terminal illness and we just have to improve his quality of life in his last days.
He had taken the news like a champ that he is but I haven't. I can't come to terms with the fact that the person I had always known to be strong and competent was soon going to leave me behind, leaving me to pick up from where he left off.
Where would I even start from?
All of these thoughts are still in my head when this news springs up on me out of the blues.
"You have an ultimatum of six months to choose a wife, get married and get her pregnant.
Your father would like to know that you have an heir that would one day inherit the company from you after his demise."
"Is this a joke?" I ask, laughing and looking around the room frantically, hoping it was just a prank someone decided to play on me that morning.
When no one speaks for a minute and nothing but awkward silence fills the room, I realize they are really not joking and my father must have really said so.
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, I pick up my keys and phone and storm out of the boardroom and head straight to my office with Greg, my personal assistant and one of the stakeholders on my heels.
"Okay, okay…I understand where he's coming from but in six months? That's too short a period of time, does he want me to pick a random girl from the street to father my child?"
Why didn't he tell me first? Why do I have to hear from a third-party?
"I think only your father can answer those questions, sir."
They excuse themselves from the office after that statement and I am left alone with my thoughts.
There is no possible way I would forfeit my father's company to outsiders who have neither the expertise or experience needed to run a company of this magnitude.
After an hour of not getting anything done due to my thoughts being all over the place, I decide to head home.
If I can not be productive at work, I would rather spend the day getting rest at home if my thoughts would allow.
Just as I am about to step into the elevator, I see a girl step out of it.
She is clad in the cleaner's uniform with her cleaning fabrics in her hand and she looks pretty lost, like she's not particularly sure of where she's headed.
My security detail springs into action immediately, accosting her with a barrage of questions as they approach menacingly.
"Are you blind? Did you not see it's the executive elevator?"
She stutters as she opens her mouth to reply and in her fear, she drops everything she's holding.
Seeing that the security detail is not going to help matters, I order him to step aside as I bend to the girl's level where she is crouching to pack up the fabrics.
"Hey," I say to her and she keeps her head bowed, still shaking in her boots.
"I'm speaking to you and when I do that, you look up," I say again in a menacingly soft voice and this time around she looks up.
Her blue eyes strike me first, the fear and innocence in them drawing me in.
"What's your name?"
"Ava," she says shakily and I couldn't help but smile at her tiny voice.
"Aright Ava, you see this elevator? It's not for general use, it's for the CEO only so you're wrong."
"I'm so sorry, it's my first d-day and no one told me a-anything," she answers and I'm confused as to why that is.
"Are you new here?"
Even though I'm pretty much familiar with the faces of most of my employees that work in the headquarters, her face doesn't ring a bell.
"It's m-my first d-day," she says. Now it makes sense that I couldn't place her face.
"Okay then. I'll let you go since it's your first day but never make such a grave mistake again, am I clear?"
My voice grows menacing and it shows in the way she shrinks even more, nodding incessantly.
I rise to my full height and step into the already opened elevator, thoughts of the young, timid girl in my head…not for long though as reality hits as soon as I get in the car.
My phone rings and I see it's my mother. I hope with everything in me that she isn't calling for the same reason I'm going home.
"Eric, it's your father," she says and I don't feel the regular heartache I feel whenever she tells me this, which was more frequent than I would have liked.
"What's wrong?"
"He's not responding and the doctor is on his way but I want you here as well, Eric."
"I'm on my way, mum. I'll be there in a few."
I drop the call and order the driver to put on some country music, something to keep my panic at bay.
I sing along quietly, staring outside the window as the car speeds past the beautiful array of trees that turn golden in the summer, standing with pride as they attract every pair of eyes in the vicinity.
In no time, I see the huge gates that serve as the entrance to the gigantic estate that serves as the home to the Castor family.
My heartbeat quickens and I intentionally take in deep breaths to calm myself.
I'm the heir to the empire. The only male child there is. I can not afford to show any sign of weakness or nervousness, I must be strong.
Everyone bows slightly as I get down from the car and in my characteristically long strides, I head inside.
The lobby is empty so instinctively, I climb up the flight of stairs that leads to the left wing of the house.
I take a deep breath before pushing open the door to my father's bedroom.
To my surprise, he's sitting upright with his back propped with a lot of pillows and my mother sitting right next to him.
She rushes to greet me immediately she sees it's me and envelops me in a tight hug.
"I was so scared, Eric…I thought he was gone."
I plant a kiss on her forehead before moving to greet my father. The doctor walks in just as I take his hand in mine and he acknowledges my presence with a greeting.
"So what happened here?" I ask the doctor and watch as he slowly clears his throat before answering the question. The faux sense of superiority he's trying to conjure does nothing except to irritate me more than I already am.
"Nothing went wrong actually, except for the terminal illness of course. There were no complications."
"So if there were no complications like you have said, why didn't he speak?" I ask, confused as to why the doctor would have me believe that all is well.
"He just refused to speak," the doctor says and I burst out laughing.
"Refused to speak? What's that even supposed to mean?" I ask through my laughter, pausing between each word to catch my breath.
"As odd as it seems, that's the case."
I turn to my father who's now facing away from us and focused on a painting on the wall, studying it intently.
I nudge him gently on the shoulder and he turns to me slowly but still refusing to keep eye contact.
"Tell me what he's saying is not true, dad. I mean why would you decide to not utter a word?"
"Uh- because I can?" His voice comes out pretty raspy but still incredibly audible and loud.
I ask the rest of the people in the room to excuse us and watch as they silently do so.
"Talk to me, dad…what's wrong?"
It takes a few minutes for him to respond and when he finally does, there is a tinge of anger in his voice.
"Are you aware of my present condition?" He asks slowly, his voice raspy.
"Yes, yes…I do."
At this point, I already have an idea of what he's about to say and I silently hope that I'm wrong.
"So you want me to leave this world with no assurance of you having an heir?" He pauses to take a brief look at me and I immediately look away, not liking where this is going at all.
"I know you, Eric…I know I have never seen you take a relationship with the opposite gender seriously."
That is definitely not true. I tried it once and it burnt me, never again.
"…which is why I'm forced to take this step. Six months, Eric…no more."
"Okay, okay…I hear you, dad but all these still doesn't explain why you have refused to speak."
"It got you down here, didn't it? When last have you set eyes on me?" The anger in his voice is now replaced with something more like pain.
Yes, I haven't been in here to see him for some time but that's simply because I couldn't bear to see him this way…dying.
"I'm sorry, dad." I say nothing else as I turn to leave the room, hurt weighing heavily on my heart.
"Six months," he repeats just as I open the door and my mother's face comes into view. She had been trying to eavesdrop all this while.
Her face falls immediately when she sees me and she hurries after me as I step around her and continue walking in the direction of my room.
"Eric, I need you to understand where he's coming from," she says just as I push open the door to my room.
"This is a lifelong decision, mum…I can't afford to rush into it just like that. Father needs to reconsider."
"I'll talk to him but I need you to take finding a wife seriously, it's time already."
My thoughts are all in disarray and I search in vain to find something to distract myself but nothing works…not even food.
Maybe it's time to get back to work.
I change into a casual fit as it's already afternoon and I'm not in the right state of mind to wear a suit, besides the hot weather isn't helping matters.
I make sure to avoid my mother as I slip out of the house quietly, not wanting to attract another barrage of questions.
We're almost at the company when I see a willowy figure trudging along the sidewalk, her gait unusually unsteady.
I order the driver to slow down and as soon as we pull up next to her, she turns her head in our direction and in the next second, she collapses, lying on the floor unconscious.
Can this day get any worse?