Love Me Softly

Spring, 2015

The smell of cookies and wine filled the air as maids moved around, preparing the feast for the event of the night. George Scott leaned against a window in his bedroom as he stared at the clouds, taking in the beauty of the sunset as the night drew near.

Today was his twenty-first birthday. The day had finally come when he would take over from his father as the CEO of Imperial Hub Limited, a renowned skincare and beauty company. He was so nervous about his new role.

From this moment, all eyes would be on him. The board of directors, the investors, everybody! They would nitpick every action he takes just to find a reason why he shouldn't be the one filling that role. They all knew his father – Morris Scott preferred his stepbrother to him, and they would do anything to be his father's favorite business associate. The things people do for more power and money.

Turning around to get ready for the event, he came face to face with his mother – Patricia Anne Scott – as she walked into his bedroom with a warm smile on her face. She stretched her two hands wide for a hug.

"Mom" he greeted, stepping forward to receive her show of affection.

"My wonderful son..." She wrapped him in an embrace, rubbed his back gently before she stepped away to look at him."....your father is so proud of you"

"Yes mom" George answered dryly, not wanting this conversation to go on. His father was never satisfied, no matter what he did.

"It's almost time for the event, I'll leave you to get ready" Patricia smiled at him and made her way out of his room.

George got dressed and made his way to the grand hall in the same villa. His mother sat by his father's right side, patiently waiting for him to come over and fill up the empty seat by her side. His stepmother and stepbrother were also present. Judith Scott and her son – James Scott sat by his father's left side. George walked over to where they sat and greeted everyone before he moved to sit beside his mom.

After the main ceremony came to an end, the feast and party began. Tired of receiving countless congratulations from the board members on his new role as the CEO, George tiptoed away from the crowd and stood at a dark corner of the hall. His eyes swept over the crowd, seeking for someone. George spotted her in no time, watching her silently as her lovely smile lit up her beautiful face. Rachel Reeves. She was the daughter of his father's friend and business partner – Arthur Reeves – and George was in love with her. He desired to marry her, he just needed to gain her father's approval.

George stood at his corner, swooning over Rachel, unaware of her father, Arthur Reeves who stood a few steps away from him – watching him stare at his daughter with the eyes of a lover.

"A penny for your thoughts, George" Arthur Reeves whispered, after closing the gap between them.

George jumped in shock, not expecting anyone to notice him here. "Oh, Mr Arthur, it's good to see you sir." He turned a bright red wondering if he had been watching him ogle his daughter. "How...how long have you been standing there, sir ?"

Arthur Reeves laughed, he could see George was embarrassed that he had been caught. "Long enough to see my daughter's lover reveal himself" he replied casually, like he had no problem with what he just discovered.

At that moment, with nothing to hide anymore, George decided to reveal his feelings and gain her father's approval. "Mr Arthur, I um..i would really appreciate it if you give me a chance to win your daughter's heart" his palms were sweaty, his legs trembled, but he continued "I'll be kind to her and do my best to make her smile."

Arthur Reeves chuckled, he could see his sincere heart. "Go on. You have my approval"

George couldn't believe his ears, was he hearing correctly? His lips widened in a genuine smile "I promise I won't fail you, Mr Arthur – in growing this company and making your daughter happy"

"We'll see about that George, time will tell" Arthur replied calmly before he turned to leave.

Standing there with a happy smile on his face, George was sure his future looked very bright and he had everything under control.

~~~~*~~~~

George opened his eyes slowly and scanned around, trying to figure out where he was. Realizing he was lying on a bed, he made an attempt to sit up and let out a sharp cry of pain as he crashed down on the bed in defeat.

What was this place? What happened? He wondered, his tired brain trying hard to recollect his memories.

He raised his hands - wincing as an intense pain shot through his shoulders, only to discover he was covered in blood stained bandages from his head to feet. He began to panic, hot tears of confusion trickling down the sides of his face.

Dr Andrew – the personal doctor for George's family – walked in and moved to check his pulse. "You're finally awake, thank goodness" He smiled in relief.

The door to his medical room opened and his mother and personal assistant - Tony Williams rushed in. Patricia made her way to his bedside, her eyes welling with tears. She held his bandaged hands with her trembling hands as her tears of relief flowed.

"Mom, what's going on?" George whispered in panic, yearning for an answer.

"You've been unconscious for five days..." Patricia tapped his bandaged hand lightly as she spoke "...you were in a car accident five days ago, don't you remember anything about it?"

"Car accident? What are you talking about?" George still couldn't understand "Why...why am I all covered in bandages?"

"Your car caught fire on your way back home, you experienced serious burns as a result of it" Patricia replied, her voice muffled from her tears that wouldn't stop flowing.

"You experienced a second degree burn, people were fast enough to get you out of your car before you were completely burnt" Dr Andrew chipped in as he glanced at George with a pitiful smile. "I'm going to do my best as your doctor to reduce the impact of the burns on your skin, but keep in mind there is no guarantee you will look the same way you did before the accident"

George broke down in tears after Dr Andrew walked out to continue his work. He just became the CEO of Imperial Hub Limited two months ago, why did this have to happen? How would he maintain the public image of this company? Was he supposed to show up at business conferences and board meetings looking like this? What about the media publications...what would they say? He had a splitting headache just thinking about everything. Was he supposed to face Rachel looking like this? Wouldn't she be disgusted?

Exhausted from everything he had heard since the moment he opened his eyes, George decided to talk about something else. "How has everything been at the company these past five days? Is there something I'm supposed to know?"

Patricia and Tony gave each other a weird look like they were hiding something, and it did not go unnoticed to George.

"You can tell him whatever he wants to know later, let him rest for now" His mother replied firmly

"No, tell me now" George insisted, his desire to know getting stronger by the minute. The more they tried to hide it from him, the more he wanted to know.

After a long pause, Tony finally let it out "Arthur Reeves was arrested for drug trafficking five days ago, he is in jail now."

"Wait...what?" George muttered in disbelief, "Arthur Reeves? Drug trafficking?....there's no way!" He laughed, refusing to believe what he just heard.

"He's in jail right now and will remain there for the next ten years, it's really not a joke" Patricia chipped in, her eyes filled with a look of disbelief.

"Ten years?" George yelled in shock. Arthur Reeves would never hurt a fly, not to talk of ruining his reputation for a truckload of money, everybody knew that. "Taking him to jail means they found evidence, right?"

"Yes. The police said an anonymous source sent a digital file claiming it was the evidence of Mr Arthur receiving a huge amount of slush fund linked to a recent drug trafficking case" Tony answered, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion "Strangely, it showed Arthur Reeves name on the transaction receipt which doesn't even make sense. He would never do such a thing"

"Did they give anybody access to the file, to you know...make their own investigation?" George enquired, tears of despair trickling down the sides of his face. His life was falling apart. What was going on?

"Not at all. They just rushed into the villa and arrested him. Besides, it's the police, the bodyguards have to cooperate. If word gets out that the co-owner of Imperial Hub Limited is involved in a drug trafficking case and he refuses to be arrested, that would be a problem for the company."

George closed his eyes, completely overwhelmed. His mind drifted to Rachel Reeves and he wondered how she was doing, he was sure she had lost her beautiful smile by now with all that had happened.

"Everything he owned has been confiscated. They claimed that his wealth came from drug trafficking, Imperial Hub Limited was just a cover-up he used to deceive people – so they took everything away." Patricia, who had been quiet so far answered slowly, knowing this would break George's heart even more. "His wife and daughter have moved out of their villa."

It was truly a dark day for George. He couldn't help but wonder...Where did the anonymous source suddenly come from? Why was the police in a haste to take him to jail instead of carrying out further investigation? It could be a set-up, why were they so fast to sentence him to ten years in prison? Someone had to be behind this, right?

Dr Andrew walked in to monitor George's health, then whirled around to face Patricia and Tony "He is under a lot of emotional stress right now which is very bad for his health. If you can allow him to get some rest without any disturbance, that will be good. I'll do my best to watch over him"

Patricia glanced over at Tony, indicating to him that they had to leave. "We'll come over later to see you. Please be strong, you will get through this." She whispered to George before she turned to leave with Tony by her side.

Listening to her words, a little spark of determination grew inside of him and George made up his mind that he would survive this. He would get through this. Not just that, but he was going to find the person behind the downfall of Rachel's family and clear her father's name.

Even as he became drowsy – his body tired and needing rest, George was sure of one thing. He would never be the same and neither would Rachel.

Summer, 2020

Five years later

Twenty three years old Rachel Reeves moved slowly around the tiny kitchen in the small house where she and her mother had lived since her father was jailed. She could tell just by looking at the bright sky, that it was afternoon already. She had to hurry up if she wanted to see her father today, before the jail wardens stopped people from coming in. Rachel carefully packed two plates of delicious food, what she could make with the little money she had.

She sighed in exhaustion, replaying the day in her mind. It was just early afternoon, yet she had shuffled two jobs early this morning – rushed to the market to do some shopping for her father's food – now, she had to go spend some time with him and come back for a night shift at a local restaurant. She wasn't complaining about going over to see her father, she would never complain about that. She really missed him.

Bringing her hands to wipe away the tears that ran down her face, she couldn't help but think if this was how she would continue to live. This had been her life for the last five years, too many part-time jobs and very little rest. To make things worse, the stress from completing her degree had knocked the remaining life out of her. She felt like a different person and not in a good way.

The miserable part of everything was the fact that she had not been able to make any progress at all in her father's case. Not even a little progress in the last five years.

She felt like a useless daughter – one that couldn't give her beloved father the one thing he wanted – freedom. He always had a smile for her whenever she got a chance to see him in prison but she knew his heart was breaking. He felt defeated. She could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice whenever he spoke. Her cheerful father was gone, he was just a shadow of himself now.

Her father's friend – Morris Scott and his wife, Patricia had tried reaching out to her mother the first year after her father was put in jail. They wanted to get them a house, so they wouldn't be homeless, but her mother – Amanda Reeves had turned them down. She was still terrified and paranoid from everything that had happened, and didn't want to have anything to do with Imperial Hub Limited.

Even though her mother's decision had caused more hardship for them, she couldn't blame her really. Amanda shared the same train of thought with her – that the person behind her father's downfall had to be someone from Imperial Hub Limited. She believed it was best if they stayed away from everyone there.

After a while, Morris and his wife stopped reaching out. Rachel recalled hearing a rumor that some board members of Imperial Hub Limited had warned both of them to stay away from her family, because all eyes were on Morris and his family as suspects – due to the drug trafficking case. That was probably why they never reached out again, she wasn't really sure.

Rachel thought about how Mr Anderson was doing. He was the only board member from the company that reached out to them. Believing that Arthur Reeves was innocent, he was ready to help him get justice – but had to stop when he started getting death threats from an unknown number. He finally had to stay away from them in order to protect himself, but Rachel was still grateful for his help.

Her phone alarm beeped, reminding Rachel that it was time to visit her father. She hurriedly tidied the kitchen then picked the small bag containing her father's food and strolled out of the house. As Rachel made her way to board a cab, she made a decision.

She wouldn't continue her life this way and neither would she leave her father to rot in prison for another five years. She was going to find a way to get access to Imperial Hub Limited, no matter what – and she would find the monster behind all this and make them pay for their crime.

~~~~~•~~~~~

George stood in front of a huge mirror, his eyes studying his reflection. He focused on the burn marks that scarred his face and neck – the collar of his black shirt hiding them away from plain sight. The rest of the scars were scattered around his body from his shoulders to his toes.

As he fixed his tie, his mind drifted to how hard it had been for him these last five years – from the look of disdain on the faces of the maids to the endless whispers among most of the board members, clearly stating he was no longer fit enough to be the CEO of Imperial Hub Limited. At first, he had been so depressed by their words, by the way they treated him. But now, he didn't care at all. Maybe it was the effect of staying on his own and growing a 'tough skin' these last five years, but it was working for him. He was no longer that soft, smiling boy who would do anything his mother wanted, just to make his father happy. As time went by, he decided he was going to live his life for himself first – before anyone else.

The door to his bedroom opened and Tony Williams – his personal assistant turned friend, walked in with a worried expression on his face and a phone in his right hand. Just one look at Tony and George knew what the problem was.

"Did my picture go viral again?" George enquired, a nonchalant expression settling on his face.

"Yes, and the comments are worse than the last time" Tony muttered quietly. Turning on the phone, he read some of the comments from different people loud enough for George to hear.

"He used to be handsome but now he's so ugly, why would a billionaire CEO even look like that?"

"Does their scar removal cream really work? Why does he look like that even after five years? I won't be buying their products anymore. They're all fake."

"He looks so pitiful, like he needs a warm hug and some love. I hope he gets through this"

"If I was a woman, I wouldn't marry him either. I can understand why those elite ladies don't want him"

"Gosh, he's so unlucky. Two months after his golden era and his life turns to this. He has to win an award for the most unlucky billionaire to ever -"

"That's enough" George interrupted him coldly, his face void of expression. He turned to look at Tony "Are you having fun reading this?"

Tony's eyes widened in shock "No, not at all. I'm trying to show you how bad it has gotten. There are about a thousand comments claiming you're an ugly billionaire and no woman wants you"

"I'm just joking about that,'' George replied calmly, acting like he didn't hear the nasty comments Tony just read out. At least, there were still kind people in this world even though they were getting extinct, he concluded – his mind drifting over to that one comment that perfectly described him.

"Aren't you going to say anything else?" Tony asked, staring at him in confusion. "Are you not worried about how this is going to turn out? We still don't know the unknown person who keeps circulating these private pictures"

"I don't have anything to say" George was getting irritated by the minute with the whole thing. This was the third time someone had leaked the private pictures of him covered in his scars and burn marks – but this time around, the internet had really gone crazy over it which reduced the sales in the company. Some believed their products weren't that great if the CEO looked like he did.

Soon his father and the board members would have to tell him to either step down for a while in order to save the face of the company or try to force him to get married. If he gets married, they probably believed the rumors will go down and he would no longer be the ugly billionaire that no woman wants'.

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, your father wants you to meet him in his office right now" Tony affirmed the thoughts on George's mind.

"Okay. I'll head there now" George replied calmly.

As George walked into the massive office and came face to face with his father, he noticed his tense jaw and he was sure of one thing – his father was ready to do anything to save his 'precious company'. He would definitely tell him to get married.

"You sent for me," George said as he relaxed on a chair in front of his father.

"I believe you have heard the rumors and seen the news, so I don't have to talk about that" Morris paused and looked at George straight in the eye "You have to get married in order to save your reputation and this company. The investors are getting impatient with the declining sales, getting married is going to put you in a positive light and sales will skyrocket once again. That is the only way"

"You are obviously worried about your company's reputation, not my reputation. There's no need to pretend" George chuckled at the look of shock that crossed his father's face. "I have already thought about it, I will get married."

"Really?" His father's face brightened for a moment.

"Yes, but on one condition"

"What condition?" Morris Scott was ready to do anything.

"You have to promise you'll grant my wish to marry who I choose, regardless of who it is," George replied, a playful smile tugging at the sides of lips. He was probably going to lose his position as the CEO of this company as time went by, so he was going to make sure he got this one thing he wanted. His father was desperate and he was going to take advantage of that.

"I promise you and I will keep my word. I'll find a way to get the woman you want" Morris replied hastily.

George knew his father would turn red in the face out of anger and his mother would scream until her voice went out – but that didn't stop him from saying the only name that had lingered on his mind for the last five years.

"Rachel Reeves, daughter of Arthur Reeves" George whispered firmly, his eyes daring his father to break the promise he just made "She's the one I want. You must keep your promise."

Morris Scott fumed in anger, his eyes glazing "What do you mean by that!... Out of all the options you have, you choose her?" Still sitting on his chair, He trembled in rage as he realized George had played him and taken advantage of his desperation. "Why would you want the daughter of a drug trafficker? Have you forgotten we were warned to stay away from them?"

"She is not...!!" George yelled, his jaws clenching so hard from his growing irritation "I repeat, she is not the daughter of a drug trafficker!! That was five years ago. Besides, we all know Arthur was innocent."

Morris stared in shock, George had never raised his voice at him – not even once. "Did you just yell at me?"

"Yes I did, and I will do it again if I have to"

"How dare you!!" Morris jumped to his feet, still refusing to believe that George was talking back at him "How dare you open your petty mouth to –"

"Oh please..." George interrupted him, a look of disgust settling on his face. "...just stop it already! This is not what I came here for. We both know I would never come to see you for any reason – so now that I'm here, let's finish the main conversation so I can get out of your sight."

"There is no way...absolutely no way I'll allow her to marry into this family, after what her father did. It's bad for the image of this company and it's bad for your public image" Morris insisted, determined to have his way.

"Stop acting like you care about me or my image, it irritates me." George replied, shaking his head slightly in disapproval "Besides, you don't have to worry about the company's image. We'll have a small and private wedding. No visitors, no reporters. You can do that."

Morris stood in front of George – his large office table in between them – shaking in rage. He was dumbfounded by George's sudden boldness. In the past, it was never like this. Whenever he made a demand, George would agree whether he liked it or not. Back then, Morris knew that George was desperate to please him and he had taken advantage of that. But as he looked at George now – sitting across the table with an unremorseful and determined expression on his face – Morris realized that something had changed. George no longer cared whether he preferred his stepbrother to him. Right now, he wanted what he came here for and it was going to be hard to make him accept his demands this time.

"I refuse to tarnish the reputation of my family by becoming an in-law to the daughter of a drug trafficker" Morris stubbornly insisted, trying hard to annoy George – hoping he would walk out and this conversation would come to an end. He would have to find another way to fix the sales problem in the company.

"Almost everybody knows that Arthur Reeves was innocent back then. There's no need to continue spitting out what the police put in your head. You should know your own friend better than anybody" George didn't even move from his seat, he was determined to get what he wanted. "In that case, Rachel is not the daughter of a drug trafficker because her father was never a drug trafficker."

"I still refuse" Morris stated, his face clouded with worry that if he accepts George's offer, it might cause a problem in the future.

"Then you leave me no choice" George stood on his feet and hunched towards his father – his two hands resting on the table that separated both of them – with a mischievous smile on his lips. "I wonder how the internet will react if I upload some more pictures. I should probably post some close-up shots so they can see me properly. I wonder if your precious company will survive that."

Morris gritted his teeth, his shoulders tensing up "Are you...are you threatening me? Your father?" He never knew a day like this would come when the son he disregarded the most would somehow be in control.

"You've threatened me so many times in the past by using my mother to bend my will, so you could have your way," George retorted, stepping away from the table with a revengeful look on his face. "You should be able to receive a little of what you give, right? You'll have to bend to my will today. If not, I won't let you get what you want."

Reality dawned on Morris, and for the first time ever, he realized he wouldn't win this argument. George was a different person now. He had no choice but to accept his offer. Morris needed some time to think about the consequences of his decision. "Alright, we'll talk properly about this later..." he breathed out loud in despair, wondering what he was getting himself into. "...then, I'll send a letter of proposal to her. You'll get what you want. If she accepts your proposal, it will be a small private wedding."

"Fine!" George replied firmly, nodding in approval "You can take a picture of our back view during our wedding and use that to stop the rumors. That's the only way to keep her privacy and at the same time – fix the sales problem in the company."

And with that, George turned away and walked out of the office leaving his father in a daze of how the conversation ended. Morris still couldn't believe that George had his way.

He had to keep his promise, regardless.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Rachel wiped the tears that slid down her face, staring in disbelief and gratitude at the letter of proposal that lay on the table in front of her. She couldn't believe it, what she had been having sleepless nights over for years had finally been sorted out.

It felt like the heavens were working in her favor. If not, how would this happen so easily, without her even trying? She remembered the letter mentioning her husband to be was George Scott, the son of her father's friend. They would have a contract marriage of one year. If she decided to not continue with the marriage, she could break it off after one year.

"Thank goodness" Rachel exhaled in relief. She wouldn't want to be tied down to anyone from Imperial Hub Limited. Her plan was to leave the moment she got justice for her father.

Sophia Benson, Rachel's longtime friend – a private detective by occupation – strolled in with two plates of pasta and salad in her hands. Placing them on a table, she sat on a chair nearby and fixed her gaze on Rachel. Pointing at the proposal letter, she whispered "So, will you accept the proposal or not?"

Rachel sat up on the bed where she laid and moved closer to the table to grab a plate. "Is that supposed to be a question?... Of course, I will"

"Are you sure about this? There's no guarantee that you'll find an answer there. And not just that, they may not treat you well. Don't forget that you may not be safe there" Sophia poured cool water into two glass cups, worry spreading across her face. "We still don't know who your father's enemy is. I'm still investigating your father's case from five years ago. But, what if you become the next target?"

"The thing is... I'll never know if I don't try" Rachel explained. She had obviously made up her mind, a chance like this might never come again. "I really don't care about how they treat me. It's just for one year. If I could survive these last five years, then I can go through anything. Right?"

"Your mother isn't going to like this, I'm sure you know that"

Rachel let out a shaky breath. Her mother would conclude she was trying to kill her, if not, why would she openly walk into the lion's den? "I know, I know. I'll have to find a way to convince her."

"Convince me of what?!!" An angry middle-aged feminine voice thundered from behind the slightly open door, causing Sophia and Rachel to jump in shock.

Rachel's mother walked in with her two hands resting on her rounded waist – slowly taking one step after the other and breathing harshly – like she was trying to hold back herself from pouncing on her daughter. "I said, convince me of what?!!..." She spat in anger, her voice shaking as she spoke. "You want to get married to someone from that company? Are you out of your mind?"

"Mom..." Rachel whispered in fright, not expecting that her mother would overhear their conversation. Sophia excused herself and ran out to give them the privacy they needed. "...I can explain. It's not as bad as you think."

"Really? What is your father going to think about this?" Amanda Reeves quaked, her eyes welling with angry tears.

"He must not know about this. The marriage is to last for only one year" Rachel replied, her brown eyes pleading for understanding. "Please give me a chance to help my father. He is the one that made Imperial Hub Limited what it is. Are you really going to tell me to sit back and watch him waste away for another five years? Don't you miss him?"

Amanda Reeves stared silently at the empty wall behind her daughter. It was true, she missed her husband. She also knew Rachel would find a way to get what she wanted no matter what, and what she wanted was revenge. Dragging her gaze back to Rachel, her lips curved in a warm but sad smile and she whispered the words that Rachel wanted to hear.

"Go on. Do what you want. Get justice for your father."