Chapter 3 -

Liam's POV

It's been a few weeks since my dad mentioned that I had to get married to Emma Livingston.

I was honestly fine with the idea of getting married, it's not like it was going to stop me from doing the things I do on a regular. I just had to be more careful.

What I didn't understand was why my father thought it necessary to use this marriage as a debt collection method. It was crazy.

"Dad, this marriage is unnecessary. He owes us money. He should pay," I said to my father with my arms folded across my chest, sitting across from him in his home office.

"We don't need that money. You, on the other hand, need a wife. You're beginning to attract a lot of public attention and it's not positive. You know this and it needs to be fixed. I won't allow your terrible public image to become an actual threat to this business," he says pointedly.

One thing about my father is that he's always going to look out for the company first. It's how he's always been. He grew up poor and struggled to put himself through law school till now, becoming one of the biggest names in the legal industry. So, he sees this company as his first child and would always be willing to do anything to keep it alive.

"I understand," I said with a tightened jaw.

He rarely ceases to mention my negative run-ins with the press. In this case, however, it was a simple night out that took a bad turn, but because one dumb reporter captured the night on camera, he has been extra hard on me.

"All this aside, you are thirty years old, Liam," he continued with a tone seeping with disappointment now.

"You're always gallivanting from one woman to the other and that needs to end. You're too old for all this. Hopefully, this marriage will teach you a thing or two about life and what it's like to become a family man. God knows you need it," he ends, his face filled with displeasure.

I ran my hands down my face and let out a sigh of frustration.

"Alright, dad. You want me to get married? I'll get married," I said, and made my way out of the room.

I headed into the living room and texted my best friend, Ryan.

Me: 'Dude'

Surprisingly, he texts me back almost immediately.

Ryan: 'What's up?'

Me: 'I'm getting married'

Ryan: 'What do you mean you're getting married?'

Me: 'It's a whole thing man. I'll call to explain later'

Ryan: 'Alright. No problem'

I fling my phone across the couch and turn the television on when I hear my mum call-out my name.

"Liam, darling, where are you," she asked while making her way down the stairs.

"I'm in here," I shouted back, turning off the television.

"Judging by the look on your face, I assume you revisited the marriage conversation with your father?" she asks me as she leans on the door frame of the living room with her arms folded across her chest and a smile of amusement plastered across her face.

She enjoys this for some reason. She likes that I'm getting married. It amuses her.

"Yes," I responded with a subtle eye roll.

"Roll your eyes at me again. I dare you," she says as she walks over to sit next to me on the couch.

I guess the eye roll was not that subtle.

"Sorry," I muttered under my breath.

"Listen, Liam. I believe this marriage thing will help you. You need to get your priorities in order and this should help you do just that. I know this isn't the most conventional marriage, and neither is it the type of marriage you'd have expected to have, but just use this as an opportunity to prepare you for your real marriage later. And who knows? She could end up being the love of your life," she says, smiling and wiggling her brows.

"Why are you so excited about this?" I asked with furrowed brows.

"Because Emma is a pretty girl. Plus, if you guys fall in love for real, you'd have beautiful kids. I want that for me".

"For you?" I let out a little laugh.

"Yes, for me". She laughed. "You're my only child, and you're already thirty years old. I need grandkids. I'm not getting any younger, you know," she said.

"Wow. Okay mum," I said, shaking my head at her.

"Have you even spoken to Emma yet?" She asked.

I simply shook my head to signify no. It was at that point it dawned on me that not only had I not spoken to Emma before, not just about this whole wedding thing, but I'd also never met her before, and it's crazy considering how long our parents have been in business together.

"Well, I think you should give her a call. Introduce yourself. Let her speak to who she's about to get married to. She deserves that much".

"Okay, mum. I hear you".

She nods and leaves the room.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts looking for her number as though I had it. I saw her father's number and decided to place a call to him instead.

He picked up.

"Hello, Mr. Livingston," I said into the phone as soon as he picked up.

"Hello," he says in response, clearly unsure of who he's talking to.

"This is Liam Henderson. I'd like to speak with your daughter, Emma, please".

"It's for you," I heard him say to Emma in the background.

"Hello?" she asks with the most beautiful voice I've heard in my life.

"Hello, love," I said in response.

She goes silent for a while before responding.

We speak for a while, and it ends with us set to have a meeting by 10 am the next day.

Judging from her voice, I can already tell she's beautiful, so, to an extent, I'm looking forward to meeting her.

After ending the call with her, I call Ryan and give him a download of the events of the day. He, of course, lambasts me for not telling him of the marriage plans sooner, but it ends with him mocking me about it.

We talked for a while before I headed home and went to bed, thinking about who Emma Livingston is.