She is Hidden Behind The Mask

"Sir, a representative from the Owens Corporation is here to see you," Natasha informed her Boss immediately after she entered the office.

"Owen corporation?" Mr. Eric William asked shakenly, he was already sweating even with the air conditioner inside his office. His thinning hair stood out, probably fallen after much thought.

"Are you alright Sir?" Natasha asked, instantly feeling worried about her Boss's reaction.

"Yes, yes. I am. Let him in." Mr. Eric replied, rubbing his hands together. He was extremely nervous, the sudden visit left him stunned, and his brain wrecked every corner in search of a reasonable excuse to give.

"It's a she, Sir." She told him, she was finding her boss's actions weird.

'Why was he acting like he was afraid? Isn't the Owens our business partner or is there anything fishy going on I am not aware of?' Natasha thought to herself.

"Just let whoever it is in." Mr. Eric instructed.

"Okay, sir," Natasha replied and left the office. In a few minutes, an elegant lady dressed in strictly corporate wear entered the office.

"Good day, Sir." She greeted, her face containing all elements of seriousness.

"Good day, please sit." Mr. Eric replied, gesturing to the seat across the table.

"Without wasting much time, you know what I'm here for." She said and placed some documents on the table, right in front of Mr. Eric.

'As usual, they are always strict.' Mr. Eric thought and winced in his head while trying to maintain maximum composure on the surface.

"You failed to fulfill your part of the deal, so you have to sign these documents and hand over the company completely to the Owen Corporation, alongside other collaterals you signed up with." She stated still standing like a messenger of doom.

Mr. Eric William managed a transport company he built right from scratch during his early stage in life and became rich and famous. His company boomed, and he started opening branches all over and across Florida.

Everything was going fine till he embarked on a quest to get richer and be among the top 10 richest men in the country. He fell for a scam and almost all his capital. Not willing to give up, he continued with the little he had and closed up some of the branches while selling out most of the cars, but then, he wasn't so lucky as his wife gave birth to his second child prematurely through a cesarean section.

The baby had to stay in the incubator for five months while his beloved wife went into a coma. Things weren't the same; he was on the verge of bankruptcy when he had the idea of going to Owens, one of the richest and most powerful families in Florida. Luckily, he made a deal with them, they bought his company over but still left him as the manager of the company.

Needing a huge amount of funds, they lent it to him while he used the remnants of his properties as collaterals. For the past 18 years, he had been working his *ss out while begging for more time to complete the loan, at the same time shouldering the household needs.

Looking at the stern lady in front of him, he knew his time was up; the Owens had none of his excuses anymore.

"Please let me talk to your boss, I'm sure he'll listen to me." He tried his luck already knowing it wouldn't work.

"You have to sign these papers Sir. I don't have much time to spare." She replied in a business-like manner.

"Just let me talk to your boss, please."

"The consequences of not signing these documents will be higher than the consequences of your signing it." She said, already preparing to gather the documents and leave his office.

"Wait! I - I will sign it." He stopped her, biting his lower lip nervously.

"Good." She said and pushed the papers over to him, just as he was about to open the cover of the pen, a call came into her phone.

"Hello, Boss." She said into the phone after picking up the call.

He hesitated after she addressed the caller as her Boss, his hand hovering around the paper.

"Okay, Boss." She answered, and the phone was put in hands-free mode.

"Mr. William." An authoritative voice called and Mr. Eric felt like peeing in his pants.

"Yes sir. Good afternoon Sir." Mr. Eric managed to answer after a little stutter.

"My second son dug into your family history, and what led to your plight; he went through your family photos and suddenly had a crush on your first daughter." Mr. Owen said, ignoring Mr. Eric's greetings.

"Re - really Sir?" "If you would get your daughter betrothed to my son, then everything would be back to normal, the company I bought from you will be given back to you." Mr. Hugo Owen concluded and there was silence for a minute.

Mr. Eric William was stunned by the sudden news that his brain took a little while to process the information, but after getting a little tap from the strong-faced lady before him, he broke out from his reverie.

"Thank you, Sir! Thank you so much, Sir." Mr. Eric thanked the man as he got to his knees, he didn't care if the man could see his actions or not.

"You should be grateful to my son. I wouldn't have considered that idea if he didn't give us the impression of being gay. Your daughter is the first girl he ever attempted to have a crush on, and it is a huge plus for me."

"I will talk to my daughter, Sir; I'm sure she'll be willing to be engaged to your son."

"Good."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Layla." Mr. Hugo Owen called the lady.

"Yes Boss." She answered.

"Get back the papers; if he doesn't convince his daughter within four months, then he can kiss his assets goodbye." He said and Mr. Eric stilled.

"Okay, Boss." She replied and the call ended.

"Seeing me again in this manner depends on you," Layla told Mr. Eric and left the office.

"Welcome home Honey." Mrs. Yvonne greeted her husband after a brief hug.

"Welcome home Dad." Sienna hugged her dad, pecking him on the cheeks

"Yeah, thank you."

"You look stressed out." Mrs. Yvonne commented after observing her husband's facial expression for some time.

"Welcome Sir." The head maid greeted and took his bag to his room.

"Mmm," He muttered a reply.

"Today was stressful." Mr. Eric started but paused noticing his first daughter didn't come out to welcome him. Where's Grace?" He asked.

"Hmm...you ought to know how that daughter of yours behaves." His wife replied already tired of talking about Grace.

"Wait! You mean she isn't back yet?"

"Yes, she isn't back."

"What kind of daughter is she? Can't she learn from her younger sister?" Mr. Eric suddenly shouted, startling everybody around.

"Is anything the problem? This is not the first time she's doing this unless something came up in the office and you're looking for who to vent on." Mrs. Yvonne stated, slightly frowning at her husband's outburst.

"Won't you let me have some rest first?" Mr. Eric replied, avoiding his wife's observant eyes.

"Forgive my manners, we have been waiting for you. Let's have dinner." She said, leading her husband and daughter to the dining. Halfway into the act of eating, Mr. Eric started becoming restless.

"Is anything bothering you Dad?" A low feminine voice asked.

"Uuuhm... No dearie, nothing is bothering Daddy. Sorry for keeping you waiting, eat so you can go to bed." Mr. Eric replied but he should have known that this shy, smart daughter of his won't give up easily.

"Okay, Dad, but whatever the problem is, just bear in mind that there is always a solution to every problem." Sienna encouraged.

"Aww! What a beautiful daughter I've got here." Mrs. Yvonne fawned.

"Thank you, Mum," Sienna smiled, lowering her head to the plate.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Anna." Mr. Eric said, patting her on the head.

He could not just give up the company he struggled to build up right from the start. It doesn't matter if he is a mere manager and the owner of the company just by name; he is sure that Sienna will turn everything around once she takes over the seat of the manager.

"Good night Dad."

"Good night Mum." Sienna said after she was full.

"Good night Dear." Mr. Eric replied.

"Good night, Baby; make sure to bathe before you sleep."

"Sure, Mum," She replied and climbed the stairs to her room. When Mrs. Yvonne saw that her daughter was gone, she turned to her husband and asked.

"Are you willing to tell me the problem now Mr. William?" Sighing, Mr. Eric massaged his forehead, running his hand over his thinning head. This wife of his would never let go.

"Let's finish eating, but where did you say Grace went to?" Mr. Eric asked.

"She went out and I don't know where. If she's not back today, then she'll be back tomorrow morning." Mr. Eric sighed again, this time, the fatigue was evident in his sigh before he continued shifting the food around his plate.

If only she could be a bit like her younger sister, things would be a little easier. After their food, the couple sat down in the sitting room and Mr. Eric narrated everything that happened in the office to his wife.

"You mean he - my God!" Mrs. Yvonne was over the moon. If Grace agrees to be betrothed to Mr. Hugo's son, then she, Yvonne, will be addressed as the in-law to-be of the Owen family.

"Why are you getting excited when we are not even sure if Grace will accept -"

"Don't say that! I know my daughter; she had always wanted to get into one of these super-rich families." Mrs. Yvonne interrupted her husband, making a face.

"With these attitudes of hers?" Mr. Eric asked his wife and they kept on going back and forth with their argument till finally, the reason for their argument entered the house.

"Wait, I think she's back." Mrs. Yvonne whispered and the couple went silent till a creaking sound from the door was heard as Grace slowly opened the door.

"God!" Grace screamed, her tiptoeing coming to a stop as she placed her hand on her chest to calm her racing heart.

"What a wonderful daughter you are." Mr. Eric commented sarcastically.

"Good evening Dad, Mum." Grace greeted and became nonchalant again.

"Sit Dear, we have something important to discuss with you." Mrs. Yvonne said slowly, trying not to let her husband get annoyed with their daughter's actions.

"What is it, mum?" Grace asked as she sat down. Mrs. Yvonne looked at her husband, signaling him to start the discussion but the man's mood had already turned sour.

"What is it, mum?" Grace asked again, a scowl settling on her face.

"Okay, the thing is, the Owens want you to get betrothed to one of their sons." Mr. Yvonne said, but her daughter looked at her as if she had suddenly developed two heads.

"Did you hear me?" Mrs. Yvonne asked Grace, waving her hands in front of Grace's face.

"Mum?" Grace called.

"Yes Dearie"

"Are you kidding?"

"Why would I? Ask your Dad." Mrs. Yvonne replied and before Grace could turn to look at her Father.

"Yes, it's true; Mr. Hugo Owen, the head of the Owen family, proposed that idea today." Mr. Eric said.

"Oh God!" Grace shouted, covering her mouth; she was speechless.

So at last, she would get an edge over her younger sister.

"Did you agree to their proposal?" She asked, her face beaming with excitement.

"No, I needed to hear from you." He replied, getting happy that the company would be saved but he didn't let his happiness reflect on his face.

"Why Dad? Why?"

"I will tell him about it tomorrow, and then we can plan on getting you guys to meet each other." Mr. Eric replied void of any emotion.

Grace was so excited that she stood up, walked around the sitting room, and sat back, smiling and muttering things to herself while her parents just sat down, watching her.

"Mum, is this real?"

"Yes, dear." Mrs. Yvonne replied with a smile brighter than the sun.

"We need to talk." Mr. Eric interrupted in a stiff voice, and Grace stiffened; she didn't like the sound of that.

"Where are you coming from?" He asked.

"You had better behave yourself and tell the truth because I can still tell Mr. Hugo you are not interested in his proposal." He quickly added when he saw the mischievousness in her eyes.

"From the club with my friends." She replied and Mr. Eric closed his eyes to contain the anger building up in his chest. He needed to try his utmost best not to lash out.

After some minutes of silence.

"How many times will I tell you not to do stuff like this? If your friends are leading you astray, why not cut them off?" Mr. Eric asked, trying so hard not to shout as he caught a faint whiff of alcohol coming from her.

"But Dad, there's nothing wrong with that." She replied, and Mrs. Yvonne interrupted before things got out of hand.

"You have to listen to your Dad, Gracie."

"But I'm 21 Mum."

"I know, even if you're 30, we are still your parents."

"I can make decisions on my own!" Grace retorted.

"I know, dearie, but we are here to lead you to the right path just in case you divert."

"Mum, I..."

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Eric shouted and the two ladies became quiet.

"Is this how you want to behave till the Owens notice? Do you think they would want their son to get engaged with a wayward, ill-mannered, and mischievous girl? Or do you think they won't dig up information about you?" Mr. Eric questioned, his butt edging close to the end of the couch.

"Why can't you learn from your sister?" He finally asked, hitting the sour spot in her heart.

Knowing her daughter would retort to the last question he asked and her husband would get angrier; Mrs. Yvonne just held her daughter's hand to calm her down while she spoke to her husband.

"Calm down, Darling; you already know that getting into a family like that has been her dream, so I'm sure she wouldn't want to mess up such an opportunity, especially not one with the Owens."

"You had better change and not be the reason why we are disgraced, I'll give you two weeks to decide and get back to me. After that, the engagement process will commerce."

"But Dad I -"

"Don't Dad me, this is not the first time you've promised to change. Think about it and get back to me." He said with the mindset that she was going to change, if not completely, but at least to a noticeable point.

While preparing himself to get up, he didn't know he had just given her the chance to withdraw from the arrangement. After he left, Grace turned to her mother.

"Mum." She called, feeling sad that she would lose this golden opportunity.

"Don't be sad, dear; Daddy is just helping you out, okay?"

"Okay," Grace replied, hoping to get hold of the opportunity presented to her.

She was going to do anything not to let this golden opportunity pass her by. She had been planning on how to seduce one of those extremely rich boys, but now it came this easy: she was never going to let it go.

"Good night Dear."

"Good night Mum," Rose responded and went straight to her room. Mrs. Yvonne sighed. At least, this would be the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

******

`````````` SEVEN YEARS AGO ``````````

"HUGO!" Mrs. Freya shouted again, she felt like her head was going to burst into a million pieces.

"Could you please stop shouting? Let's settle this in peace." Mr. Hugo replied rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"SETTLE THIS IN PEACE!?" She shrieked her question and Mr. Hugo had to close his eyes to condone the headache he was already having.

"Are you not going to say something?" She asked again after some minutes, she couldn't afford to shout again, her voice was a bit coarse.

"What do you want me to say when you won't give me a chance to say anything?" Mr. Hugo answered her question with his question.

"Is she telling the truth?" Mrs. Freya demanded, pointing to the beautiful woman with an adorable teenage son.

"What do you think?" He answered her with another question.

"How could you?" Mrs. Freya questioned as tears threatened to, fall from her eyes.

"How could you do this to me? To us?" She asked, holding the hand of her son who was speechless. His gaze on the strange woman and son was that of disgust and pure hatred.

"Freya, relax."

"Don't tell me to relax Hugo! You cheated on me with her." She retorted, pointing at the silent woman whose eyes were glued to the floor.

"How long? How long have you been doing this? Is there another woman after her?" After a few seconds of absolute silence, Mr. Hugo spoke up.

"Freya, we both know that I was in a relationship before the forced arranged marriage between us. You never loved me, we had to get married to seal the contract between our parents." Hugo started but seeing the disgust in Freya's face, he paused.

"I know you think I don't know you had been sneaking out to see your ex-boyfriend even after our marriage till he finally got tired and broke up with you," He said casually, and Freya's eyes widened.

"I broke her heart by quitting our relationship because of you." He said, pointing to the third party in the sitting room.

"But after that, it hurt me that you didn't deserve my sacrifice at all. I tried to follow my mum's advice by learning to love you, but what did you do? You went out sleeping with that riffraff!" Mr. Hugo raised his voice while the fear-stricken Freya tried to keep her husband's mouth shut by making signs, but he ignored it.

"You think I didn't know all this while? Do you think you got your tracks covered? I endured all that for the first year of our marriage, hoping you'd stop, but you didn't; you even treated me like trash. Freya, let's not dive deep into that." Hugo ended, taking a deep breath.

"How - how did -" Freya bumbled.

"How did I know right? You were naïve. If I hadn't secretly taken a paternity test on him." He said, pointing to his first son, Cillian.

"And he was proved to be my son, I would have dissolved this marriage years ago." He said and she gasped, feeling ashamed of herself.

"I understood your feelings because I felt the same too. That was why I gave you the freedom to continue with your infidelity, after all, we were forced into this." He said, looking at her unwaveringly to see all the emotions on her face.

"I went back to her, but it wasn't easy getting her over, but love conquers all. We continued with our relationship till I found out that she was pregnant. You don't expect me to tell her to abort my baby, do you?" He asked and Freya found herself shaking her head in response with tears in her eyes.

"I married her in secret, gave her a house to live in and a company under the Owen's corporation to manage. She gave birth to a boy and he has proven himself to be the real son of his father. He's intelligent, smart, and anything good you can say." Mr. Hugo said with a proud smile.

"So is he the reason you refused to let your son into the company as the next successor?" Mrs. Freya asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought but her hopes were shattered within seconds.

"Yes, he is. Take a good look at our son; he is proud, to begin with, lazy, dumb, womanizes even as a teenager, drinks, smokes, lavishes money without care of the world, does..."

"DAD!" Cillian yelled, standing abruptly, ready to run into his dad.