Find Me A Man

"I will not have a single woman take over my property."

The loud voice echoed all over the house, leaving Baker Celine dumbfounded with her eyes open and her mouth drawn backward.

It was as though she had received a slap directly on her face and there was no way she could have dodged that one.

"What did you just say, daddy?" Baker still mustered up the courage to ask and Mr. Lawson, having all that anger in him, turned his back for a second as if he was the one who had received such wicked words.

The maids were all in the kitchen as they were scared of the turmoil that was going on in the living room. Baker was having a very huge controversy with her father and it had been going on for several weeks.

She has been denying giving up to her father's demands for some time now and the old man was only getting tougher and tougher on her till that faithful evening when everything had exploded to her face.

"If you cannot reconsider your decision, then we have nothing more to talk about as far as this matter is concerned", Mr. Lawson raised his voice at his daughter.

" Papa, you cannot force me to do what I do not want, I am an adult, and I have always done everything you have ever asked of me," Baker cried out but her father was a strict man with very tough decisions on his daughter. To him, only his words were final in his house and the one of his daughter.

Not worrying about what she might feel as a result of his incessant pressure to find a man or better still present one to him, Baker had become a shadow of herself as all she ever yarned for is to make her father proud of her.

The argument only got worse as her attempts to get her father to reason with her fell on deaf ears. Wanting to say another word, Mr. Lawson's health got affected as he could be seen holding his chest with his wife's hand.

"Papa, what is wrong, help someone, nanny Lucy, I need help here," she screamed out imploring for help and the maids came out including her nanny as well. She could feel her father's pain and with tears that were running out of her eyes, she begged her father not to leave her but Mr. Lawson, looking at her with so much disgust in his eyes, he spoke out gently as though he was about to give up the ghost and unexpected to her, the words fell out like an atomic bomb that was released on the ground and the casualties were unaccountable.

" I cannot accept to pass down my legacy to an unattached woman, so if you do not present a man to me in the next couple of weeks, I will be forced to hand over my heritage to my only brother, your uncle."

Baker, lifted her head in the direction of her nanny, after listening to what her father had just said, and not being able to believe what her ears, had just said, she brought back her gaze to her father and without offering a word, she left his hand and turned to the seat to pick up her bag.

Baker looked like a trinket that had been disconnected and her steps became smaller as she walked out of the door looking like a ghost.

"Mr. Lawson, that was not a reasonable thing to have said to her, she might do something to herself," nanny Lucy spoke out but Baker's father seemed not to care about her as his sole priority was for her to do what he wanted her to do.

Her whole world looked like it had crumbled, and the tears in her eyes flowed from all the pain that she was feeling in her heart just at the thought of not being enough in her father's eyes.

The maids watched her leave the Fort and without being able to do much as Mr. Lawson was watching them all with a terrific look, they could not help but feel sorry for her.

Her hands had become heavy as though she was lighting a brick wall on them, but she still managed to open her door car door, making her way inside.

" Did my father just rub his patriarchal words on my face?" she asked herself while sitting on her steering wheel, but she could not get any answers. Thinking of a place to go which was not her home, she started her car and set out for the beach where her mother always took her to when she was still alive.

"Mr. Lawson, if I am permitted to say something, you were a little bit harsh on your daughter earlier," Nanny Lucy spoke out her mind while taking out his tablets and handing them to him to drink.

" I do not think I was, Baker is a stubborn girl with unrealistic foresight which will only end up hurting her someday," he muttered as he drank up his medicine.

Nanny Lucy did not want to push things further out of respect as she was aware of her boss's impulsive behavior.

Baker's(Celine) P.O.V

"What does he take me for? huh? He thinks he can just treat me like trash because I am not a make child?" Her hands were shaking on her steering wheel while her eyes let out the tears that she could not stomach anymore.

The speed of her car was at its peak but she did not care about a thing as her father's words kept on playing in her head. Her eyes were blurred from all the tears that she had been crying but with a mind full of sad words, Baker accelerated the pedal of her car even more.

Her heart kept raising every time that she thought about what had happened in her father's estate but she felt sadder at the thought of not being accepted because she was not a male child.

Watching a man crossing the road, Baker(Celine) had a teenager knock him down and with her eyes opened in shock while her mouth went downwards, she struggled with her car aiming to dodge him and turning the steering wheel to the opposite direction, she stopped immediately in front of an electric pole.

Her head had banged the wheel in her struggle to evade the kid that she had glimpsed in the middle of the road at the speed that she was in.

Taking up her head from her wheel, she had not yet realized where she was nor the neighborhood she was inning, n and out of ignorance and concern, Baker stepped out of her car to check out on the man that she had almost crushed.

Her car was the latest Jaguar sports car which attracted the gangsters in the neighborhood who came out in their numbers to catch sight of the beautiful young lady that had come into their area with such an interesting ride.

"I am so sorry little one, are you okay?", she asked while endeavoring to help him out but the whole neighborhood witnessing what had happened, looked on the ground and saw young Bronson lying there.

Bronson was still in a state of shock but Baker feeling sorry for him, helped him up while asking him where he was leading the way to but he could not answer her question as he was feeling so much pain.

" Where do you live dear?", she asked and Bronson explaining that he resides just down the road, left Baker confused as she had looked around and noticed that the place was unfamiliar to her.

Standing in anxiety as to the type of houses she could observe with designations on the wall, her attention was turned towards the group of guys that was coming her way. With the worried look and a deep breath, she asked where she was and Bronson answered,

"This is Newbell".

Baker's heart skipped a hundred times at the mention of the name. Her legs had suddenly become weak and the blood flowing from her forehead which as making her dizzy. She could not leave the young guy but she was surrounded and that made her feel more afraid.

" Who are they?", she asked frightened but Bronson knowing why those men were there, could not say anything. In the twinkle of an eye, one of the men walked closer to them and pulled Bronson away from her.

Baker filled with anger after seeing what had just happened, she tried to fight back as she thought that they wanted to hurt Bronson but Carter who had seen how guarding she was towards someone she did not know, stopped his boys from laying a finger on her.

He came out clearly and looked at Baker with a bleeding head. His eyes screen through her body and her beauty especially captivated her. Her sea-blue eyes were one of her assets but her lips look so red. Her oval-shaped face was well placed on her neck, and his eyes continued to glance down the rest of her body parts.

Baker was covered with fear as Carter stood in front of her like a demi-god. He's a tall and broad feature, made sweat run down her face and the tattoos on his torso, showed the kind of man he was. He looked fiercer and frightful but beneath that, she could catch a glimpse of his handsome that was very glaring.

"What do you want from me, I can give you money but please don't hurt me", Baker pleaded for her life but Carter had become soft all of a sudden which made his boys shout behind asking what they were to do with the pretty wealthy lady.

Bronson could feel the tension in her eyes, so he knew that he needed to the interval as Baker looked like a nice person. Holding his brother by the arm, he whispered into his ears, and Baker got scared thinking that he was explaining the scene to Carter not knowing that they are brothers even.

" No, no, I am so sorry for almost crushing one of you down. I was not in my right frame of mind and I can do give you anything you ask of me, I have credit cards and some cash in my car you can take everything but please let me go and I promise not to say anything that happened here today".

She spoke out with so much fear in her voice and just when she thought that she had succeeded in doing something good, the crowd laughed out loud and she could listen to someone from the crowd who screamed out,

"You are not leaving from here sweetie pie".

She could notice that Carter was not talking and his silence was more disturbing than those of his boys.

" Carter, give us the signal to take this girl inside", they raised their voices but just as the noise was adding, her head began to hurt more. Her balance was shaking while her vision became blurred.

Noticing the way she was looking like, Carter moved closer to her and seeing his face was the last thing that her blurred vision could grasp before she finally lost consciousness. Carter's reaction was sudden as he caught her from reaching the ground while her face was filled with concern.

Taking her into his arms, and feeling how soft her skin was, he walked across his lads, and without turning back, he instructed that "No one should touch anything that belongs to, and I mean nothing not even the wall of her car".

There was total unrest as everyone looked at Carter not recognizing him. He has behaved in a surprising manner that had shocked everyone.

" Do you think that she is okay?", Bronson asked they entered the house but Carter not being able to answer him, placed Baker on the couch and instructed that he goes and fetch their aunty as her help was needed urgently.

He could not explain the feeling he was having but just by seeing Baker, he felt the need to protect her. Her head was bleeding seriously, and he had to do something while waiting for aunt Betty to arrive. He rose to his paws and left for the kitchen where he came back with a bowl of water to clean her had.

"Where is she?", aunt Betty's voice could be given attention to at the entrance of the house and without any hesitation, she had joined him in the living room.

" Oh my goodness, what happens to her?", she asked in shock and wondering what Carter was doing with wet clothing in his hands, Bronson asked in awe,

"Are you wiping off her blood Carter?".

The question came out surprisingly, but aunt Betty was more concerned with the situation that Baker was in, she asked Carter to get a first aid kit and bring it to her faster.

" Bronson, you put some hot water in a bowl and get it here", she spoke out.

Everything that she needed was available for her so she cleaned Baker's wound on her head, and made sure that she was not going to suffer a bump when she finally backed up.

When she was done, she gave Bronson the washbasin of water to go throw outside the whole she asked Carter to take her inside so that she could read well. He nodded in agreement and without any delay, he carried her into his room and laid her on his bed.

Carter was not sure of what he was doing, but he could tell that there was a spark between them both from the moment that he had set his eyes on Baker. Branson was done claiming the water on the floor, so he told aunt Betty and Crater to excuse him as he needed to retire into his room.

"Okay you have a good night", aunt Betty mumbled and turning his gaze to his brother, he wished him a good night but the expression on his face was not a happy one and Carter could say the reason why he was like that.

They had both grown up with a father as he had passed away before they could even reach a certain age, and their mother was never known and all her aunty ever told them was that, she was separated from her kids when they were still young.

Growing up as a young man, he had to become fierce and strong for both himself and his little brother as their neighborhood was not a good one.

" Who is that young lady?", aunt Betty asked and her voice had interrupted his deliberation. Looking at her, Carter told his aunty that he did not know her and only saw her outside where she passed out on him.

Letting out a huge sigh, she asked her nephew what he was feeling for her but Carter not being the talkative type, let out a while asking his aunt the reason for such a question.

"I saw the way you were taking care of her, it looked like she was someone very special to you and that was the reason I asked as she looks like a lady from a wealthy home to me".

Carter could understand her Aunty's fears but there was nothing she needed to worry about as he did not plan on keeping her there. Rising to his feet and walking around the living room, his face was covered with so much concern, and telling his aunty that he was feeling something different, aunt Betty asked what that was.

" From the moment I saw her and the way she defended Bronson from the others, she seemed so innocent and different from all the arrogant rich people that I had ever come across", his phrases were well defined.

Not knowing what to tell him, she gave him a worried stare, and letting out a smile on her lips she murmured, asking her nephew whether he was not in love.

Carter felt as though his aunty was beginning to sound paranoid and holding his mouth from laughing out loud, he asked her whether she was conscious of what she was saying but before she could further say a word, a knock was given attention to on the door.

Carter was the commander in that area so he could receive anyone at any time. Telling his aunt to wait for him to go open the door, she felt scared thinking that it was Baker's parents that had traced her through her things but Carter smiling at her, replied to her saying that he was not afraid of anyone and he was not doing anything to her.

Unlocking his door, Courtney was standing outside with a furious face staring at him, and without waiting for him to ask her inside, she pushed him to one side and entered the house, asking where the husband snatcher was so that she could deal with her.

"Calm down Courtney, no one is trying to snatch your man from you", Betty growled but Courtney who was hot-headed did not look like someone that could be talked to.

" Calm down, are you seriously asking me to calm down aunt Betty? when there's a spot-rich brat in this house and everyone is talking about it outside. Carter could not take her attitude anymore as he had been trying his best to put up with it, but she was getting uncontrollable by the day.

"If you talk to my aunt again in that manner just one more time, you will not like what I will do to you", Carter spoke out as he advanced toward Courtney but aunt Betty knew where it was going to lead Courtney which was throbs, she instantly rose to her feet in an attempt to stop them.

" You both calm down and respect me who is standing here in front of you", she yelled out. Carter, who was already in a bad mood, turned to the door and with his gaze meeting those of Courtney's friends, he stepped outside to address the matter and he meet his best friend and also his childhood friend, Lucas.

"Hey bro, what's happening here today, everyone has been chattering about you keeping a rich brat inside your cabin", Lucas mumbled but Carter not being able to explain what was happening, told his friend not to bother as he was going to clarify the details to him very soon.

Carter called out on everyone and with a gentle voice as he always spoke with to them, he instructed that everyone goes back into their cottages and sleep for the night, and told them not to worry as the lady inside his house was still unconscious, he assured that she as not going to be a first to any one of them nor to their community.

He could see the satisfaction on some faces after his speech, but others were not satisfied with his words as they felt like he was being illogical.