Chapter 5 You have to choose

There it was.

The ultimatum.

The price of power.

The cost of inheritance.

The chains disguised as responsibility.

Leo sank back into the chair, his hands rubbing his temples.

"You think this is easy for me," he muttered.

Richard didn't respond.

Leo continued, voice low and bitter.

"You think I don't understand the weight of the family name? I do. I have carried it my entire life. Every movement I make is a headline. Every mistake is a scandal. Every decision is judged by thousands of strangers."

He looked up, meeting his father's eyes.

"But you never cared about my life outside business. Not once."

Richard didn't deny it.

Leo continued.

"You pushed me into leadership before I even knew who I was. You drove me into maturity at an age when kids were playing outside. You trained me like a soldier, not a son."

Richard's jaw tightened. "I did what I had to do."

"No," Leo corrected. "You did what you wanted. For the company. For the Carter legacy."

Richard spoke through clenched teeth.

"And now you will do what you must do."

Leo fell silent.

After a long pause, Richard sat again. His voice was softer, almost hesitant-a tone Leo rarely heard from him.

"Leo... you're alone."

Leo froze.

Richard's gaze softened.

"Your mother was everything to me. When she died, I lost more than a wife. I lost the one person who made this house a home."

Leo swallowed hard.

He rarely spoke of her.

Richard almost never did.

"Son," Richard continued, "you work all day, travel all year, and come home to empty penthouses. You don't attend parties. You don't date. You don't trust people. You're drifting."

Leo's chest tightened.

He hated how accurate that was.

"You think marriage will fix that?" he muttered.

"Not instantly," Richard admitted. "But you need someone, Leo. Someone to share the weight. Someone who isn't afraid of your world."

Leo looked away.

"What if I never find that person?"

Richard paused.

"Then maybe you already have."

Leo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Richard raised an eyebrow.

"I saw the news. The incident yesterday. You stopped traffic to help a girl."

Leo stiffened.

"You investigated her?"

"Of course," Richard said simply. "It's my job to know who my son interacts with."

Leo's jaw clenched.

"Ruby is not someone for you to interfere with."

Richard studied him carefully.

"So you do care."

Leo froze.

He didn't expect the conversation to turn that fast.

"She was injured," Leo said quickly. "That's all. Anyone would have helped."

"Not anyone," Richard corrected. "Most people would have driven off, especially in your position."

Leo looked down, remembering Ruby's frightened eyes.

Richard continued, voice thoughtful.

"She looked... gentle."

Leo blinked. "You saw her?"

"A picture from the security footage."

Leo's hands curled into fists.

"Dad, stay out of this."

Richard sighed.

"I'm not saying she's the one. But she triggered something in you. You can't deny it."

Leo didn't answer.

Richard walked closer, placing a hand on the desk.

"Leo, you have two options."

Leo raised his eyes slowly.

"One," Richard said, "you find someone you can build a life with. Someone you choose."

Leo exhaled shakily.

"Or two," Richard continued calmly, "I choose for you."

Leo's heart dropped.

"I won't let you arrange my marriage," he said firmly.

"Then find someone," Richard insisted. "Before the end of the year."

Leo stepped back.

"That's-"

"Fair," Richard interrupted.

Leo stared, speechless.

Richard straightened his cuffs.

"The world is watching you. The board is watching you. And I am watching you most of all."

Leo swallowed hard.

"And if I refuse?"

Richard sighed, the sound heavy with finality.

"Then I will appoint your brother as the next CEO."

Silence.

The kind that broke something inside Leo.

His hands trembled slightly-anger, frustration, betrayal, fear.

Richard softened just a little.

"Leo... I want you to be happy. But I also need you to secure the future of this family."

Leo looked away, jaw tight.

He didn't have an answer.

*******

Later, after the meeting, Leo walked out of the mansion, his steps heavy. He got into his car but didn't start the engine.

He stared at the steering wheel, breathing slowly, fighting the storm inside him.

Marriage.

An ultimatum.

A threat.

A deadline.

He felt trapped.

Choked.

Cornered.

He leaned back and closed his eyes.

Ruby's face appeared behind his eyelids-soft, gentle, frightened, strong.

Her voice replayed:

"People like you don't talk to people like me."

Leo exhaled shakily.