The Arranged Bride

Sophia's POV

I slightly groaned when I felt the bright sunlight fall on me. I twisted and turned in my bed for a few more minutes before I was finally up.

Bree , who was sitting just by the side of the bed started barking and wagging it's tail. I gently patted her hair.

Today I had a day off and was planning on lazing around . Maybe call my idiot bestfriends over and watch some movies with tubs of chocolate chip icecream.

With happy thoughts swimming in my mind , I went to do my morning routine before going downstairs for breakfast . It was my day off so I woke up late and Dad had already left for office.

"Good morning , Mom " I jogged off to my seat.

"Good morning sweetie" , my mom smiled and set down a plate of breakfast for me.

"I don't know if it's because I am too hungry or the pancakes are really so delicious but these taste amazing , mom." I stuffed my mouth with the pancakes after dipping it in chocolate sauce.

Shaking her head she just laughed.

We were talking about random things when Mom's phone rang and it was Dad.

" Yes David " My mom picked up the phone.

" ........ " Mom's eyebrows creased and she was impatiently tapping the table top.

"Umm okay , I will just see."

Hanging up Mom went upstairs. She came down after a few minutes with a file in her hand.

"Sophie , your Dad has forgotten an important file and today he has a meeting with his boss . He really needs it , can you take this file to him ? " Mom looked at me with hopeful eyes. I huffed.

So much for planning a fun day.

"Sure." Saying that I got up and went to get ready.

I changed into a oversized sweater and a black skirt. Putting on a bit of nude lipstick and winged liner , I left for his office with the file.

I got inside a cab .

"Where to , ma'am?" The driver looked at me face.

"Carter Enterprises , please. " My Dad worked at the Carter Enterprises. Nicholas Carter, the CEO of Carter Enterprises was one of top bussinesmen in the world. It is said that the company had reached heights after he took over. I had seen him twice in some magazines but can't say I haven't seen his face properly. He is too handsome to not take a proper glance. He is the perfect handsome billionaire but it can't be said if he is a playboy or not. His personal affairs haven't been the headlines often.

It was a twenty minutes ride from my home . I had put on my headphones to listen to some music.

"Ma'am we are here." I took off my headphones and looked out to see at the huge building.

After paying him and thanking him , I walked towards the buliding. Entering through the lavish entrance, I headed straight to the reception.

"Excuse me " the receptionist looked up with a greeting smile "How can I help you?"

"I am here to meet Mr. David Jones "

"Please take the elevator to the 21 st floor and on your left you will get to his office . "

"Thank you."

She smilingly nodded at me.

I walked into the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator stopped at the 8 th floor and a tall good looking guy walked in . I could feel him staring at me a few times before I turned to look at him. He smiled at me and introduced himself.

"Hi , I am Caleb " He put his hand forward.

"Sophia Jones " I shook his hand with a smile on my face.

"So .. to meet someone?" He asked. He seemed like a nice guy and didn't give me the creeps.

"Yes , I came to give this file to my Dad , uhm Mr. Jones , he left it back at home." I explained.

He nodded and then there was silence . Finally the elevator stopped and I stepped out.

"It was nice meeting you." He waved at me .

"Same here" I waved back and the door closed with a ding.

Just as I turned to my left , something small collided with my legs. I looked down to see a little boy with brown hair and an extremely cute face. He looked up and stared at me. I bent down to his height and observed his bright brown eyes.

"Hey little man , I am Sophia, what's your name?" I asked with a big comforting smile.

He looked at me for a few seconds debating on whether to reply or not. Finally deciding to reply , he smiled at me .

"Ethan " He still looked doubtful of me but I wasn't upset. I like the fact that this little boy was smart enough to not easily trust a stranger.

"That's a nice name and how old are you sweetheart ? "

"I am 5." he said with a proud smile. His expression showed that he believed himself to be a big boy.

"Aww , so why were you running sweetheart, you know you could have got hurt. " I gently spoke to him. Honestly I could never resist the urge to spend time with children. I mean who can?

"I - Dad scolded me s-so , I-I was going to grandpa." He looked down as if he was a bit guilty of running off like that.

"Oh , fine I will take you to him where is he ? " I offered because I didn't want this cute little kid to again run into someone and get hurt.

"Right behind you." A deep voice spoke from behind me.

I looked behind to see a man in somewhat late fifties . I stood up and faced him.

"Uhm hi , he was running uh so I thought I should ..." I trailed off guessing he had heard the last part of our conversation.

"Oh thank you sweetheart, not many people are this thoughtful these days." He said with a bright smile which was quite similar to that of Ethan.

"Welcome Mr... " I waited for him to fill in.

"Carter. Joseph Carter. "

My eyes widened at that and I immediately recognised him. He was the boss of my father or should I say ex-boss and I was instantly nervous. Well , he didn't have the cold closed of demeanour of a billionaire boss. What shocked me more was that the handsome billionaire had a kid.

"Umm I am extremely sorry, Sir, I should have known." I spoke embarassed but he looked rather amused at my nervousness.

"Not a big deal, and you are?" His voice was welcoming .

"Sophia Jones. " I spoke.

"So , by any chance do you work here?" Well , it's normal he didn't know all of his employees especially when the company is as big as this.

"No , I came to deliver a file to Mr. David Jones . He left it back at home." I explained the same thing for the second time in the day.

Recognition passed through his eyes before he spoke again .

"Mr. Jones, public relations head?" I guessed that he would have known my father .

"Yes , Sir." I politely replied

He nodded to himself and then looked up to speak .

"Well it was ni-"

" ETHAN " , I heard a very deep masculine voice behind me.

Turning around my eyes welcomed the sight of an extremely handsome man. Nicholas Carter! He was about 6'3" or 6'4" . He had broad shoulders and a muscular body, dressed in a properly fitting suit. He had tan skin and gelled brown hair. But what made his face absolutely gorgeous was the pair of warm brown eyes. Seeing him this close made me realise that the photos in the magazines haven't done justice to his looks. He was even more enticing in person.

This was the longest that I have looked at a stranger.

I averted my gaze on realising that I was staring a little too long, although not long enough for drooling .

"Why did you run off ? I have asked you to not go anywhere alone , haven't I? " He asked Ethan in a stern voice while the kid hid behind his grandfather and looked up at his father .

"Ethan, answer me." He raised his voice at which Ethan jumped a little and looked up at him . Tears rolled down his eyes while he stubbornly shook his head in a no. The guy was supposed to be a bit more soft on him. He was just a kid and scolding him like that won't be helpful. But I knew better than to lecture my father's boss on how he should behave with his child.

When his father was about to yell again I bent down in front of him . Taking his tiny hands in mine I pulled him closer. He looked at me through his tears .

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have run away like that. Your Dad was worried , right ? What if you had got hurt? And you should reply when you're spoken to baby ." I spoke softly .

At this, he brought his tiny hands around my neck and hugged me. I was little shocked at his sudden gesture but then I hugged him back, offering the comfort he was seeking. His small body was shaking.

"I- I am s-sorry .... Dad he ..he shouted at m-me ..a-and I was.. I was angry .... I ..I am sorry." He hicupped.

" Sssh , it's okay , don't cry , you won't do it again right ? " , I asked while rubbing his back .

"Y-Yes , I won't " , he said looking at me while shaking his head.

"Good boy." , I wiped his tears and stood up. Both the Carters were staring at me with a strange look. Not creepy at all ! I mentally shrugged it off .

"Uhm , I guess I will take your leave now ." I told in general.

"It was nice meeting you " , Mr. Carter said.

"Same here, Mr. Carter." I walked off to Dad's cabin after offering Ethan a large smile.

Nicholas's POV

" Christina , I was busy " , I sighed.

" Don't give me that shit , you were so busy that you couldn't call me for two days straight ? " She yelled.

"Yes I was and I still am". I was the CEO for fuck's sake.

Dad had handed me down the business when I was 28 and know he has retired but he is quite addicted to this place and thus has his own cabin. So he keeps coming atleast twice in a week and attends the important meetings .

" It has been so long we spent time together . Nick , you have to take me out on a date , yes baby ? " , She demanded.

I sighed .

" Uh okay I'll let you know "

"Bye baby , see you "

"Bye. "

Huffing , I put down my phone.

I have taken Christina on one or two dates in the past few months and now She thinks of herself as my girlfriend although I have never really asked her. She was a blonde with blue eyes and a tall , slender figure. She is beautiful and everything but I am not into commitments.

I don't really trust women other than my mom and sister . My first girlfriend cheated on me . Then again after a few years I was serious with Clara . Things were good but then one day she got pregnant with Ethan. Thereafter she started behaving weirdly . She used to pickup meaningless fights , was excessively demanding and started avoiding me even. Blaming it on her pregnancy hormones , I let everything slide until oneday I came home to a drunk Clara. I was furious at her for being this careless when she was pregnant but then what she said, had my heart in a twist. She slurred that she was disgusted at the thought of a baby and she did not at all accept the thought of being a mother. She kept on speaking on how she wanted to live her life freely and how much of a hindrance that bastard child of mine was in that path. I took her to bed and the very next day , I made her sign a contract stating that she wasn't allowed to show any kind of casualty towards her health during her pregnancy. After giving birth she was allowed to leave the child with me and get back her life along with one million dollars.

Being the perfect example of gold digger she was, she accepted the offer without hesitation and here I was being a single father to my 5 year old boy , Ethan , my ray of sunshine. He was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. I could never imagine what my life would have been without him.

So back to where we were. From then onwards I don't do commitments because all of them turn out to be the same and I very well know that Christina is not too much of an exception but then, I don't love her. Just mere attraction...

Now I was so pissed . Firstly I had so much on my plate and on top of that Christina and her stupid date .

Tired , I sat down when I saw Ethan enter my cabin with Amy, his nanny.

"Dad!" He widely smiled at me.

" Ethan come here." I took him from Amy .

"Mr. Carter , shall I go for my lunch ?" , Amy asked

"Yeah sure, I'll take care of him. "

Nodding , she walked off.

"Daddy. " He sang, passing one wide grin, the one he uses when he is about to demand something.

" Yes darling? " I gave him my complete attention.

" I want to go out for ice cream. " I mentally rolled my eyes. How I saw this coming. His overly sweet tone was indicative.

"Not now , Ethan. "

"Please Dad " he gave me those puppy eyes but I had to be stern . Too much sugar was not good for him .

"No "

"I WANT ICE CREAM." He started throwing a tantrum.

"I said no. " I raised my voice and he flinched before he jumped off my lap and ran out of the door.

Shit!

I ran after him but but when I came out of my cabin I lost him. I couldn't see him and started off to the most relevant place , Dad's office.

I was walking really fast. When it comes to Ethan, I really get worked up. But then I came to a halt when I saw Ethan holding on to some woman's hand , her back faced to me and she was speaking to Dad but I was just concentrated on Ethan.

"ETHAN." I shouted.

Three of them turned to look at me while I kept my stare at him.

"Why did you run off? I have asked you to not go anywhere, haven't I ? " I sternly asked him while he kept looking at the floor and hid behind my Dad.

"Ethan , answer me " , I raised my voice at which he jumped and looked up at me , tears rolled down his eyes but he being the stubborn kid shook his in a no.

I tried again but he refused to answer. I was getting pissed of , when I was going to again open my mouth , the woman who earlier had held his hand , turned him around. Pulling him by his hands in hers , she bent down in front of him.

Only then I noticed her face for the first time . She had brown wavy hair that fell down her shoulders in beautiful waves . Her eyes were a deep and mesmerizing shade of grey. She had an almost negligible bit of makeup on her face and her lips with the nude lipstick made her look so simple yet elegant.

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have run away like that and your Dad was worried about you. What if you had got hurt ? And you should reply when you're spoken to baby " , She spoke in such a soft voice with a faint smile yet seriousness that she even had my full attention.

Ethan stayed silent for a few seconds and then wrapped his arms around her neck , taking her in a hug. She looked taken aback but was quick to recover and brought her hands to hug him back. He cried on her shoulders.

" I-I am s-sorry .... Dad he ..he shouted at m-me ..a-and I was.. I was angry ...I ..I am sorry " He mumbled out the words and I was feeling a bit sorry for raising my voice at him. I can't let my stress come in the way. He is a child and is to be treated like one. I rubbed my temple in frustration.

"Sssh , don't cry , you won't do it again right? " She asked him while rubbing his back .

"Y-Yes, I won't. " he pulled away to look at her .

"Good " , she wiped his tears and stood up to look at us . Her eyes rested on me for a brief second before she looked at Dad.

I was quite shocked at what I saw for Ethan definitely wasn't the obedient kid to give in to someone easily but with her it was so smooth. I am sure Dad had the same expression before she spoke again.

"Uhm I guess I will take your leave now" she said in general.

I looked at her to take in her whole appearance and honestly she was beautiful.

"It was nice meeting you Sophia. " Dad said.

So her name was Sophia ..

"Same here Mr. Carter " , she replied and left without even acknowledging me.

Well I didn't introduce myself ..

"Dad I am sorry " , Ethan pulled at my hand with a cute pout.

"It's okay li'l man , just don't repeat this okay ? And Dad is sorry for shouting at you honey " , I cooed at him.

He smiled .

"Shall we go then ?"I asked taking his hand . He nooded and we walked off while I kept thinking about certain grey eyed beauty.

Joseph's POV

I was going to my son , Nick's cabin when I saw Ethan smiling and speaking to a young woman who had her back facing me.

Coming closer I heard the lady gently saying him how he would have got hurt for running like that . Then she offered to take him to his grandfather. I was touched at the random woman's concern for a kid whom she met right now.

She looked a bit embarassed to not know me . When she told me she had come to meet Mr. Jones , I recognised him. He was the public relations head and was quite efficient. I noticed that the girl looked quite similar to David and guessed her to be his daughter but refrained from asking anything.

When Nick made an appearance I saw her checking him out which was nothing new to me. But she was sophisticated in her ways and did not drool like the other ones I have seen.

I was indeed shocked when Ethan hugged her and she convinced him to realise his mistake and he even apologised which was not a regular scene . Ethan was never too comfortable with strangers. Nick's face mirrored the same expression.

From my peripheral vision I saw Nick taking in her appearance . He did not avert his eyes till she was out of vision.

Currently I was sitting in my cabin looking through the file containing every details of Sophia for which I had to make a call.

Sophia Jones, 27 years old, only daughter of David Jones and Amelia Jones. She had done MBA in marketing and was currently the marketing manager in Knight's Enterprises.

"Impressive" I thought.

I was always worried about Nick. Having been hurt repeatedly, he had lost trust in women . But unfortunately he was too naive to not see through their intentions. He says as I quote ' I don't do love ' . I am tired of his playboy ways and currently that Christina or whatever is always clinging onto him. Her face purely shows what a bitch she is but still he keeps her around, I don't know why.

Ethan too needs the care and love of a mother like every child. I have been looking for a decent , kind woman to marry my son off to.

"And looks like I found her " , I smiled to myself.

I called for David in my office. I was thinking of my plans when I heard a knock.

"Come in "

"Mr. Carter , you called. " David greeted.

" Mr. Jones , please take a seat."

As he settled down I spoke further.

" I don't like to beat around the bush . So ... Yesterday I saw your daughter Sophia in my office. She looked like a decent young lady and I wish to have her hand for my son's marriage."

He took a few seconds to absorb my words .

" I don't really know what to say ..uhm but I think it's her decision to make " , he said.

"I hope you would try to convince her." , I spoke in a serious tone.

He seemed to be debating on his next reply.

"I'll try , Mr. Carter"

Nodding I dismissed him.

Let's wait now..

Sophia's POV

I was currently in my room scrolling through my Instagram feed when Bree jumped up the bed and started licking my face.

" Breee , stop -stop it " , I squealed. I was quite ticklish.

He happily barked and wagged it's tail.

"Sophie come down , dinner's ready "

" Coming Mom " I sang as I made my way downstairs.

"Hey Dad " , I hugged my Dad as he was seated on the table

" Hey Princess " , I like it when he calls me princess. I feel like I was still my Dad's little girl.

It was half way through dinner when Dad spoke .

"Sophie , I got you tell you something"

"Yes Dad "

"Uhh today I was called to meet Mr Carter in his office. He asked for your hand in marriage to his son, Nicholas Carter, our current boss " .

I was silent.

"What do you think?" , He asked with hopeful eyes .

"Did you already agree to the proposal?" Dad frowned a little at my question.

"Of course I didn't. Do you think I would do that without asking you?"I looked at mom and she looked somewhat convinced by the proposal.

"I don't know umm I haven't properly meet him even."

"Sophie I would want you to give it a thought."

"Will my answer to the proposal affect your job in anyway?"

"You don't need to think about that. You're job is to decide what you want and that shouldn't depend on this." Dad said and mom nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Dad."

The rest of dinner was spent in a comfortable silence.

I went to my room. Slipping in, I was drowned in deep thought.

I was not sure of this sudden marriage thing. In no way was I resentful of marriage. Just that I had never fallen in love . I have surely dated a few but love.. nah. So I have never seriously thought of marraige.

My parents never forced me into anything and even today they have left it for me to decide. Mr. Carter surely seemed a nice man and Ethan ..that kid was too cute. But what did I know about Nicholas Carter except for that he was hot. I decided to keep those thoughts for another time and get some sleep.

...........................

"David?" I heard mom as I was descending down the stairs.

"Do you think what Sophie suggested can be a possibility?" Her words made me stop in my steps.

"About what?"

"Your job. Is this decision going to affect it? After all he is your boss." There was a long pause, as if he was looking for a suitable reply.

"I am not sure but there's nothing we can do about it. If anything like that happens, we will find a way." I could guess that Mom had only nodded to it since it was the end of the conversation.

I suddenly felt an invisible weight on my shoulder, some responsibility that I had to fulfill. If anything as such happens, what way will he find out of it?

"Good morning, sweetie." Mom smiled before setting my breakfast in front of me.

"Goof morning." The confused thoughts swirling around in my head didn't let me pass a proper smile.

While sipping on the juice I made up my mind about it.

"Dad, uhh I thought about it." I wanted to say it before my indecisiveness would leave me lost.

He looked on for me to continue.

"I am fine with the proposal." Both of my parents' face broke into big smiles.

"Oh sweetheart you made me so happy. " Mom said as she took me in a hug.

"Yes dear, you really made us happy." Dad patted my head.

I smiled at them. I was quite satisfied with my decision when I saw the happiness in their eyes .

We had our breakfast with occasional small talks and mostly how mom had always dreamt my wedding to be like.

I occasionally zoned them out to think over everything. I hoped that I didn't make a wrong decision.