Chapter 26: Chapter 26

“Which part of it don’t you understand, my dear?” He asked, a carefully blank expression on his face as the smile disappeared from it as though it had never been there.

“I thought you paid off my dad’s debt.” She began, color flooding her face at even having to broach such a topic. It was an embarrassing subject, to say the least. This man did not owe her dad or family anything, as they were solely responsible for their actions, but then, he was the one who had come to her family to offer his help.

“I did…to an extent. The remaining part depends on you and your ability to fulfill my demands. Since you’ve read the contract now, you know what it requires of you, and since we are on the subject, I would like to clarify some things. First of all, my nephew has not seen the contract, neither does he have any wish to see it, as he says he does not care what my dealings with your family are. He only knows what I’ve told him about it. He is quite nonchalant about the whole thing. In fact, the only thing that interested him about the whole thing was making sure that you signed a prenup, which I guess you’ve already signed.” It sounded like a question, so she answered him.

“Yes, I’ve signed it.”

“Good. I tried to talk him out of it, considering that I have already forked out so much money in settling your father’s debt, but he was adamant. So the other thing is that Sebastian is adamant about not wanting kids, but I know that having a kid is surely going to bring him out of this funk. I know the rough patch that my wife and I were going through before Sebastian came into our lives. Even though he was not ours directly, he brought so much joy into the lives of me and my wife, and today, we are still going strong.”

Carol listened to the man incredulously. That someone could be so elderly yet so stupid was beyond her. Who still thought in this manner for chrissakes? This was the twenty-first century for crying out loud.

“So, in essence, you think that what Sebastian needs to bring him out of this supposed funk that he is in is to have a child, even though he is really adamant about not wanting one?”

“I honestly do, and you are going to help me change his mind.”

“What?”

“I want you to help Sebastian see that he is better off without his ex-fiancée and that what he really needs right now is to settle down instead of chasing after a girl who does not want him and goes after anything that breathes and has money.” Mr. James said with utter distaste.

“Sebastian does not like me.  I don’t know how many times I would have to say this. In fact, right after the wedding, he told me that he is not in the least bit interested in me and that I am free to do as I wish, just as he is free to do as he wishes, so I’m not sure how on earth I am going to convince him to start a family with me, that is if I was even willing to try.”

“Alright. No problem. I just thought that it was worth a try to ask you to do that. So you are also waiting for the one year and six months, or rather five months to be over as soon as possible too?”

“Well… I…”

“I see. I’m beginning to think that I’ve made a very dreadful mistake, although it is still too early to conclude. There are many other girls who would give anything to be in your position right now and try to win a handsome billionaire’s heart, but no worries. I’ll see how everything goes. To answer your question about your father’s debt, I only paid off half of it and prevailed on the people holding your uncle to release him. If at end of the marriage…that is if the marriage is ending, I am not satisfied with what I see, then you all will be at their mercy. On the contrary, if I’m pleased with what I see, I will reward you immensely.” He looked at Carol to try and gauge what she was thinking, but she kept her face carefully blank and did not say a thing. Sometimes, she liked this man and at other times, she hated him with a dreadful passion.

“I know you think that I’m a horrible person and a meddler, but honestly, I’m only trying to do what is best for my boy. I do not expect you to understand it. Unfortunately, the contract is already signed, so there is nothing that can be done about it at this moment. I would suggest that if you feel you can’t do what I want, then you should urge your family to begin to look for the remaining five million that your father owes those people so that you will not face their wrath.”

“So, in essence, you want me to get Sebastian to fall in love with me and get him to agree to start a family.”

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

“So what if I succeed in doing all that and then we are happily in love, only for him to find out later that I connived with you to do all this?”

“He’ll already be in love and have his family. It would not matter to him. Trust me, he would even be grateful. Everyone deserves to be happy, and with the little I’ve seen of you, I believe that you will make my boy very happy.”

“It’s so funny how nobody cares how I feel in all of this. The focus is on making everybody happy except for me.” Carol said, feeling like an unwanted piece of property.

“Well, my dear. I know Sebastian and I know that any woman he loves will be an extremely lucky person. I know you may not want to agree, but even you will attest to the fact that he is a very nice and generous guy, even though he does not like you that much yet. He will soon come around. He is only angry that I forced him into this. When he is over it, you will see that I’m right and he is a very nice person.”

Carol doubted this very much, but she did not say anything.

“Anyway, it is very late. We should both get some rest. Do think about what we have discussed this night. It would be best if you tried your best to do what I have asked though.” Mr. James said.

“Good night, Mr. James.”

“Sleep well, Carol.”