The Altruistic Bride of the CEO

The blaring of the alarm had caused her beautiful dream to come to a standstill where a handsome prince in a blue coat and on white horse was riding towards her in an enigmatic smile. Phoenix gave out a desperate sigh. After all they were only dreams that kept her alive pulling her away from the actual sinning world.

She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the remaining sleep and removed the torn blanket covering her bruised body. Her hands reached the bed side table and searched for her black rimmed glasses.Phoenix was a natural beauty. She had the most captivating dove eyes, petite alluring physique and red hair which were her unsnatchable assets gifted by God. Milana,her step sister,always felt jealous of Phoenix's beauty. Thus, for her beauty to remain concealed from the universe, Milana gave her big black rimmed glasses instead of contact lenses to cover her pulchritudinous orbs and a black wig where her long silky red hair stays hidden.

She put her legs on the floor and shivered with cold when a sharp pain shot from her legs reaching her middle. Phoenix has had a fever for the last two days. She felt frequently reeling because of weakness and almost went twice to the state of unconsciousness.

Last night Madonna, her step mother, who was equally wicked as her half sister had beaten her with a broom. Milana stole money from her mother's handbag and often booked Phoenix for her wrong doings before their parents. But did Phoenix have an option to defend herself? Even though she could speak, her lips were often sealed because the more she spoke the greater the abuse she had to suffer from Madonna.

Her father was indifferent towards the daily suffering she endured in her family. Sometimes Phoenix wondered if she was really his blood because he was so insensitive towards her. Her sister was equally wicked as her step mom.

The only person in the complete house who cared about Phoenix was her half brother Trevino, two years older than Milana. He looked at her pitifully when she was going badly whipped by his mother. During mid-night, when everybody fell asleep he tip-toed into her room with some food and two tablets of Aspirin with a glass of water.

Phoenix considered herself fortunate at least there was someone in the house who was bothered about her. Her father betrayed her mother. Though she knew everything, her mother had to keep quiet because she was sick for a long time and couldn't many times quench his bodily needs because of illness.

Gabriel slowly became a womanizer and started having an affair with her current stepmother, who gave birth to Trevino and Milana. After Rachel Phoenix's mother left the world due to cancer, Gabriel remarried and made Madonna the mother of Trevino and Milana as his legally wedded wife.

Phoenix became the maid and cook in the home while Madonna and Milana enjoyed life going out and partying, draining away the few assets that the family had.

Phoenix could manage only going to school. Afterwards she had to give up studies to become a full time maid in the house because the family couldn't afford the education of three children.

While Milana and Trevino went to school and college, Phoenix became the house-keeper and also worked as an assistant in a small flower shop to look after the house expenses.

"We had toast and eggs yesterday and you are repeating the same breakfast today too? Why didn't you make pancakes?" Milana scowled at Phoenix in question.

"Milana, we do not have strawberry syrup in the house to have with pancakes and the shopkeeper refused to give us a loan because we already owe him a huge amount." Phoenix replied meekly, already feeling the not so welcoming goosebumps hitting her.

"How dare you give a back answer to Milana..." Madonna raised her hand to slap Phoenix.

Phoenix shut her eyes and flinched to brace the slap about to strike her but Madonna's hand never reached her cheek.

Phoenix opened a single eye in fear to find out what happened when she would notice Trevino's hand stopping Madonna.

"Mom, shut the hell up! Phoenix had been suffering from fever for the last two days. Instead of giving her medical assistance, you people continue to exploit her even when she is sick." For a few moments there was a staring contest between the mother and son but none of them talked daring the other to speak.

"How disgusting!" Milana puffed out air before fluffing her cheeks and stared at her brother, mother before getting up and pushing back the dining chair she sat earlier which gave a shrieking sound.

Trevino ignored Milana's comment. "Phoenix, get ready. We are going to see the doctor today and you're going to rest the remaining day after coming home from the clinic."

Phoenix opened her lips about to speak but Trevino was on time to place his finger on her lips.

When Madonna was about to interject Trevino stopped her with a sentence which raised the hairs on her skin. "I am ashamed to call myself your son, mom because you do not possess the heart of a mother. For a girl who is like a daughter to you, who kept serving you night and day for the past eleven years without a holiday just in a crave for a loving glance from you, you are a sick and disgusting woman who couldn't speak to her even a few sweet words."

It was not only Madonna whose body froze in place, the whole room fell silent feeling shocked for the words that came out of Trevino.

While the other people continued to stay in the trance that he created, Trevino pulled the arm of Phoenix to reach the entrance.

Booking a taxi Trevino accompanied her to the nearby clinic like a responsible older brother.

The doctor examined Phoenix and diagnosed her with extreme anemia after a few blood tests. Her hemoglobin percentage was too low which caused her reeling with fatigue.

Phoenix ate very little. It was basically the leftover after the whole family had their meals. Sometimes when the food was insufficient, she had to adjust with only a glass of water and sleep the night with hunger. The result was chlorosis, another name for bloodlessness.

Asher Rodriguez is a reputed businessman and a billionaire who owns varieties of clubs and casinos in the city along with being a cotton textile mogul. He is the cold, unemotional and an insensitive boss who is a tyrant to his employees. He had no human values and he could go to any extent by even making them piss in their pants if the targets are not met.

"What's that commotion that I see in my CCTV?" Asher summoned for his secretary who was there before his desk in a minute.

"A woman sir. She wants to take a photo with you." The secretary replied with an attention position like a robot.

Asher rubbed his stubble jaw in irritation. "For heaven's sake why don't these people understand that I am not a damn celebrity but a business tycoon, a thirty year old guy who got a daughter two year old."

Mary was silent. After her experience of working six years with the CEO who was strict, cold and unemotional she knew when to keep her lips sealed.

Seven years ago when Asher newly took over his father's business and fell in love with a top notch model in one of the business meetings he attended.

He dated Frankie for three years and married her. The initial two years of their married life was a bliss. But then Frankie became pregnant with their first child. She wanted to abort the child because pregnancy would damage the beauty of her body.

Asher was against it. He insisted on his wife to keep the baby. Asher told her he was earning enough to keep his family happy and Frankie doesn't have to work. She can enjoy the riches of her new life and bring up the child being a devoted mother.

Frankie did not like the decision of Asher. She did not want to bid adieu to her modeling career just yet. However she couldn't deny Asher either. He was a billionaire, very powerful and who couldn't be messed with.

As a result, during the night when everybody was sleeping, she left the child on the bassinet of the hospital and fled from the place.

Asher turned the country upside down in search of her. Six months later his private investigator contacted him and sent him clips and proof that Frankie was living in Australia. However when he went to meet her, she was seen dead in one of the bathrooms of the executive suit she owned. It was a sensation and one of the most mysterious deaths which looked more like a planned murder than an attempt to suicide. The case went on for a few more months and shut down.

For a while Frankie's death was top news in all the newspapers but slowly gone with the wind. Frankie was an ended chapter in his life either way. So Asher did not probe anything more about the case. But with his wife's death, the one and only love of his life was lost along with the essence of living.

However Asher had a child to take care of. There was pressure from his family to re-marry not only for himself but for the child too but Asher was not interested in marriage anymore. He could not tell the truth to his parents that he cannot remove Frankie from his heart because his mother would be upset. She was already very anxious about him.

******

By the time he finished the work in his office on the day, it had passed seven. It was his mother's birthday and he had already received her calls twice. Generally he would have taken a chopper to avoid traffic but he wanted to make his mom happy for it was her special day.

He hurried his driver Joel to drive fast while he sent replies to urgent mails sitting in the back seat of the car. Emerald was in a cranky mood since it was her sleeping time but luckily there was not much traffic to waste his time.

On the way to his parents home he dropped by the usual bouquet shop where he would buy his mom's favorite flowers. Much to his surprise, instead of the old woman there was a young girl who was sitting at the counter. "Get me the bouquet?" He ordered while he got a call on his phone.

"Which one, sir?" The girl looked innocently at him and started petting Emerald who was placed on the counter by Asher. Much to the astonishment of Asher, all the irritable mood of Emerald was gone, replaced by a lot of fun while playing with Phoenix.

Asher found it strange but welcoming. Both of them were like mom and daughter with the best interaction. It seemed like Phoenix knew everything that Emerald wanted though the baby couldn't speak much but his erstwhile cheer was gone from the speaker on the other end. "Sir, I am sorry, Gabriel doesn't have anything to pay. He drank and played poker and owe us a debt of two millions. But he has an offer to make to us. He says he is ready to marry off his daughter in lieu of debt and she is a virgin."

"What the fuck! He wants to marry his daughter to me in place of the money he owes?" Asher felt pity for the girl. But he was running a business not a charity home and he needed to extract his dues one way or the other.

"Which bouquet do you want, sir?" Phoenix asked again when Asher did not reply and went busy on the phone.

He did not like incompetent individuals at any level of work either in his business or outside. First it was his casino manager. He allowed the scoundrel to drink like a cow and now the man doesn't have a penny with him to pay. The girl in front was grating his nerves. "The usual." Asher yelled.

The girl tested his wits and Phoenix hated Asher equally for his misbehavior towards a woman.

Phoenix still had no idea. "I am a regular customer here. Don't you know my usual order?" Asher shouted roughly, stamping his palms on the counter and sending the articles on it to fly in the air.

Phoenix slightly jumped on her feet at his unexpected action. But she was a woman with high self esteem. She gathered every ounce of bravery in her and spoke with her head held up. "Sir, I was earlier employed at the cash counter and I am looking at the front desk for the first time here."

The girl not only was under qualified for the job, she had the guts to give him back replies too. He was already running late to the party and the teenager was wasting more of his time.

"None of my concern. Bring me my flowers. I'm already running late" He spat the words with distaste at her before looking at his Rolex.

Phoenix gritted her teeth. Her anger was hardly in her control. The man seemed educated and rich but was with the least manners. What sort of a father was that guy who could sell his daughter to this heartless wolf in return for his debt. Phoenix pitied the girl who is used as a scapegoat in the dreadful deal. She had very good idea about people of such sort. They are very arrogant and bossy because of the pride of being wealthy.

"Where is your boss? I need to speak to her." She went to Mrs Patrick and informed her about the suit clad self conceited hunk standing at the counter.

Mrs Patrick looked through the small gap of wall and the door, her vision reaching Asher at the entrance. "Oh my God, did you say something to him?" She asked Phoenix anxiously.

"I did not tell him anything Ms Patrick. He was the one who shouted at me." Phoenix said with almost tears in her eyes.

Ms Patrick patted the back of Phoenix in order to calm her and walked to Asher plastering a smile who was glaring daggers at Phoenix.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. My assistant is new to the front desk. Since I had some urgent work to do on the backend computer, she took my place for the time being. Here is your bouquet." She handed Asher a beautiful bouquet of white roses in a sweet smile.

"Hmm." Asher looked satisfied seeing the roses in his hand. But his face marked to revulsion the moment he saw Phoenix. "I wish I do not see this girl, the next time I come here. She is not at all customer friendly."

Phoenix wanted to punch two holes in his head. The nerve of the man to talk so impolitely about her, in front of her. For pity's sake she was not a maid in his house and living at his mercy.

He seems to be very rich. She observed, the suit he was putting would itself cost a fortune. With the bulging biceps, thin and tall almost 6 feet 5 inches he was sinfully hot. As an icing on the cake he possessed those hypnotizing dark blue eyes, a pointed nose and a sharp jaw. She was sure girls would worship the soil he walked upon. But everything goes down the drain with the sharp mouth that he possessed. But Phoenix wished God she would never see the man again.

Ten minutes later Asher was welcomed to his parents home with a warm hug from his mother followed by a kiss on his cheek. "Mom, stop treating me like a kid. I am thirty years old." He made a complaining growl. But Aliza least cared. She continued to pamper him by combing his hair with her fingers while standing on her tippy toes.

Just then his father came and shook hands with him after a side hug. Asher preferred his father over his mother during social gatherings who goes all cozied up with him without minding the public. For heaven's sake, he is the CEO of a multinational company with a turnover of more than fifty millions in a month. What if somebody clicks a photo of him and paste it on the front page of the next daily? His mother was least bothered about those things.

He had finished his dinner with his parents and an hour later Emerald and Asher were back home.

The night before going to bed, he was changing the clothes of Emerald when he found one of the pair of ear rings stuck to the lace of her flannel frock. He took the silver coated earrings in his hand and observed them.

The girl at the flower shop.

Asher thought about her, she was incompetent at work but he has no idea why Emerald liked her.

The next day....

In quick commanding steps the CEO walked through the oak wood door. The secretary Mary walked behind him in a hurry. She placed a cup of black coffee on the table and took out the notepad from the folder to read the appointments for the day. "Sir, you have a meeting with Russian delegates regarding our new branch at 2 pm. Within an hour you have a conference call with branch heads and... Asher was hearing his secretary, took his pen to sign the documents waiting for his perusal when he felt something poking him in his pants pockets. He took it out. It was the earring of the girl from the flower shop.

"The girl from my usual flower shop lost her earring in Emerald's dress. Deliver it back to her.

"Yes sir." The secretary replied but wouldn't move. "Now what?" He yelled dropping the pen on the document in front of him and she slightly jumped on her feet from his response.

"Sir, the manager from one of the casinos is here." Mary completed her sentences too fast, ready to quit his office at the earliest.

"Send him in." Asher growled and took his eyes back to the document seated in front of him.