#Chapter1
Prologue
"You are already thirty five, when are you planning to get married?" Desmond Baldwin yelled at his grandson.
"Grandpa, take it easy. Remember the doctor said you are not to get angry for the sake of your health" a handsome brunette with stoic face, chiseled jaw, light gray eyes said aloofly. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his fingers intertwined as he placed them on his knees, he was putting on a black suit with white shirt and a black pant, he stared at his grandparents indifferently.
Desmond looked at his grandson and noticed that him being angry was not going to do the trick, he looked at his wife who was sitting beside him and they communicated with their eyes before he turned to look at his grandson again "little Ray, we are your grandparents and we care about you. Remember we raised you after your parents abandoned you and went to Australia all in the name of some stupid contract. We only want the best for you" he said with a gentle voice.
Little Ray has been his nickname ever since he was a child, he had told his grandparents to stop calling him that but they refused, claiming he will always be their little boy and he could do nothing but put up with it as long as they don't call him that outside "grandpa, I know and I love you both for that, it is also the reason I'm doing everything I can to make you happy" Raymond replied in the same gentle voice.
Hana Baldwin sighed "but you are not making us happy. We want you to get married, to have a family of your own. Don't you get it? You are already thirty five years old, when is it going to be, until you are a hundred?"
"Grandma no, I will get married soon. I just want to stand our family" Raymond answered.
"Stand our family? What stand our family? You are already managing four companies. Your parents are managing two in Australia, I have one in Canada. Your grandmother gave you her inheritance from her parents which is in France. The Baldwin Empire will soon be handed over to you, which other stand our family are you talking about?" Desmond bellowed.
"It's not enough" Raymond answered aloofly.
"Not enough?" Desmond choked "what other wealth do you want? To take all the money in the whole world?"
Raymond looked thoughtful for a while and answered indifferently "if it is possible."
"What?" His grandparents shouted but he only smiled.
"Grandpa, grandma imagine how amazing that will be should our family own all the money in the world?" Raymond smiled sheepishly.
Hana and Desmond looked each other worriedly "I think we have no other option" she said to her husband.
Desmond nodded "you are right" he looked at his grandson "since it's like that, your grandmother and I have something to tell you. We have decided that the Baldwin Empire will belong solely to you only when you are married."
For the first time throughout the whole conversation, Raymond countenance changed "what are you saying grandfather?" He asked icily.
Desmond raised an eyebrow, oh, something can really affect him? He thought before a sly smile graced his lips "yes, it can only be handed to you after one year of your marriage. Even if I die tomorrow, I will put it like that in my will, so you can keep on waiting till I'm dead in order to inherit it but as far as I know the law, a will is surely read according to how it was written."
"You can't do that!" Raymond almost shouted.
"Yes I can and I just did. You may leave now" Desmond said aloofly and shooed him away.
Raymond looked at his grandmother but she avoided his gaze and acted aloofly just like her husband. He looked at them and knew they just want to make things difficult for him, he had always wanted to own that company ever since he was a child, no matter the number of companies he owned, he still wants to be the CEO of the Baldwin Empire and now they are telling him he cannot be that unless he is married?
Raymond stood up angrily and stormed out of the house, his grandparents looked at each other then and Hana looked worried but Desmond squeezed her hand "he will be fine, it's for his own good" he cooed.
***
A young girl jumped down the stairs in twos, she is average in height, slender and looked like a teenager but indeed she is twenty four years old, she has a long blonde hair that looks like a haystack, a baby face with emerald green eyes, a sexy pink lips and a dazzling smile. She ran into the kitchen barefooted and hugged the older woman in the kitchen from behind "good morning aunt."
"Oh my God, Felicity!" Katherine McCarthy gasped when her niece suddenly hugged her, she turned to face her and gasped yet again when she saw her hair "why didn't you brush your hair my darling?"
The young girl called Felicity looked at her hair as if noticing the disarray for the first time and pouted "then aunt should help me."
Katherine shook her head affectionately "what I'm I going to do with you?"
"Love me, care for me and never leave me" Felicity chanted like a six year old making Katherine to laugh heartily.
"Alright, alright, I will do just that. I have been doing it after all" she laughed "so now, why don't you go up and brush your teeth, take a shower, breakfast will be ready then so I will come up and comb your hair for you and while you eat, I will prepare for work, hmm?"
"You are going to work today?" Felicity pouted "but who is going to stay with me?"
"I will call Grace to come stay with you. She is your friend after all."
"Grace is too busy for me this days."
"Why?"
"She has a boyfriend" Felicity pouted.
"Oh, that's good" Katherine paused "then I will call nanny Mercy to stay with you, how about that?"
Felicity looked thoughtful "okay, just come back early."
"I will my darling, now shoo" she pushed her out of the kitchen and Felicity giggled before running up the stairs in twos again.
Raymond called for his assistant immediately he got to work, anybody who saw him knew that he was angry and so no one tried to get in his way. A knock on the door startled him before he composed himself "come in."
The door was pushed open and a young man entered, he has a sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes, he was carrying stack of documents and snappily walked to Raymond's desk and dropped them "you...you...you sent for me sir?" He asked nervously.
Raymond stared at him coldly "Morris, why did it take you five minutes to get here?"
"Em...sir, I was still on my way to the office when I received your call, so I hurried up to meet you. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."
"Kept me waiting? Which assistant stays at home until his boss arrives at the officer before him?" Raymond bellowed.
"I'm so sorry sir but the company resumes by eight hundred, it's still seven fifty five sir. I didn't know you will be here early" Morris tried to defend himself.
Raymond eyelashes lowered and he stared at Morris coldly "so now you tell me when my company resumes work?"
"No..no...no..no...sir, I was just" he paused and took a deep sigh "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."
After receiving his apology, Raymond looked away from him "a new uprising arose in my grandparents home this morning" he paused and pinched the bridge of his nose "they are giving me condition."
"What condition sir?" Morris asked.
"I am to be the sole owner of the Baldwin Empire only after one year of my marriage."
"What!" Morris exclaimed.
"Yes" Raymond stood up from his desk and walked to the floor to ceiling window, his hands in his pant pockets "now this is a really big problem. I don't see myself getting married soon and even I am to be, one year is way to long. I must be the CEO of the Baldwin, I must."
Morris was silent as his thoughts run wild "hmm, as far as I know old boss Desmond, he will do as he say."
"Exactly" Raymond turned to look at him "why do you think I'm worked up about this? He even said he will put it like that in his will" he walked to his desk, his hands on his chair with his brows creased, he was thinking really hard "something has to been done. I must own it before the anniversary next year because of that membership to the World Club, I can only be accepted if I own the Baldwin since they only accepts Legendary companies. I can't join with any of my own, it's not be long I set them up. The Baldwin has been around for a hundred years, I can only get Raymond Corp and the rest into the World with the Baldwin as their umbrella. So you see, I have to get married this year" he looked at Morris.
"So what are you going to now?" Morris asked before a new idea struck him "wait a minute, how about you fake a marriage?"
Raymond looked at him with confusion evident in his eyes "fake a marriage? Is that possible?"
"Of course. You just need to find a girl, tell her about your plans, offer her some money which she can't refuse and you get yourself a wife."
"Hmm" Raymond considered the idea until a sweet smile graced his lips "offer her money, ladies can't refuse money. I just need to hire a priest, fake the certificate and get a contract with the girl, once grandpa makes me the owner of the Baldwin, we will claim to have issue and request for a divorce. Grandpa and grandma will remain in the dark, I will pay the lady and she goes, life goes on for me" he laughed.
"This is why you are still by my side Morris, your brain is really why you are here" Raymond smiled and sat down on his chair.
Morris don't know whether to accept his comment as a compliment or an insult but he still said "thank you sir."
"Now, the problem now is to find a suitable bride" Raymond said.
"You have had a lot of flings sir, can't you choose one from your exes?" Morris suggested.
"No, no, all of them wants to marry me. None of them will agree to be Mrs. Baldwin for a year and let go, they might expose me to grandpa because they will like to remain my wife for good. I need to find a new girl, an innocent one who is only after money and not fame" Raymond looked thoughtful and a move at his office door knob caught his attention. He stood up and quietly walked to the door.
Morris stared at him confusingly "what..." He wanted to ask when Raymond placed a finger on his lips.
Raymond opened the door abruptly and an older woman fell into his arms. The woman stood uprightly immediately.
"I'm so sorry sir, it's... Its...it's not what you think" the woman apologized immediately.
Raymond stared at her "what brings you to my office Mrs. McCarthy?"
"Em...em, this letter arrived and I just wanted to pass it to you" she fumbled with her cloth and passed an envelope to him nervously.
Raymond took the envelope from her "okay."
"I will return to my desk now sir" Katherine turned to walk away.
Raymond stared at her leaving figure with his eyelashes lowered "I think she heard everything sir" he heard Morris whispered behind him and he nodded "I know" he replied.
"What should I do sir? Do you think she can keep her lips sealed?" Morris asked.
"I don't know. Even if she will, I don't trust her" Raymond answered "doesn't she has a niece?"
Morris thought about it "yes she does. The daughter of her late brother, she has been taking care of her since she was little."
"Hmm. I'm I not in need of a bride at the moment Morris?" He looked at him with a sly smile.
Getting his hidden meaning, Morris smiled "yes you are sir."
Raymond smiled "you can leave now, tell McCarthy to come to my office during her break period."
"Yes sir" Morris nodded and left the office while Raymond shut the door and walked back to his desk, a sly smile playing on his lips.
