The CEO's Contractual Wife

Chapter 5

Alexander

I parked my car in the circular driveway of my parent’s estate, taking a moment to prepare myself for the inevitable Carter family dynamics.

Sunday dinner at the Carter mansion, a tradition as old as the oak trees lining the property, was something I both dreaded and looked forward to.

The mansion stood like a monument to old money, with stone façades and manicured gardens that screamed, “We’ve had wealth for generations.”

My phone buzzed with an email from work, but I ignored it. Work could wait, but family obligations couldn’t, espe- cially when Grandfather Harold was involved.

I straightened my tie and headed inside, where Martha, our longtime housekeeper, greeted me with a warm smile.

“Mr. Alexander, everyone’s waiting in the drawing room. Your grandfather arrived early.”

That was never a good sign. Grandfather arriving early meant he had an agenda.

“Is Victoria here?” I asked, handing Martha my coat.

“Yes, sir. With her husband. They arrived about an hour ago.”

Perfect. My cousin Victoria and her investment banker husband Thomas, the power couple who never let anyone for- get how perfect their life was.

The drawing room buzzed with conversation that stopped when I entered. Mother rose from her seat, elegant as al- ways in her pearl necklace and tailored dress.

“Alexander, darling. We were beginning to worry.”

I kissed her cheek. “Traffic was terrible. Sorry, I’m late.”

Father nodded from his armchair, whiskey in hand. “Son.”

That was Father, a man of few words unless discussing business or golf.

Victoria sat perched on the antique sofa, her husband’s arm draped around her shoulder in that possessive way I found irritating. My sister Valentina was there, too, scrolling through her phone.

But it was Grandfather Harold who commanded the room from his wheelchair. At seventy-eight, he might have lost some mobility but none of his mental sharpness or business acumen.

“Alexander,” he barked. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

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16:41

I took a seat across from him. “Good to see you too, Grandfather”

me, boy. I’ve been

of us manage

her. “What’s this about? I

dismissively. “Dinner can wait. This is about the future

Enterprises

updating my

Father set down his

getting my affairs in order. And I’ve made some decisions about

in the company, but Grandfather’s controlling shares would even- tually determine

me. “You’ve done well as

quarter was our

He thumped his cane on the floor. “I’m talking about

coughed discreetly.

exactly are you saying,

saying that to inherit my controlling shares in Carter Enterprises, you need to be married

Father actually put down his drink. Valentina

at him.

“Carter Enterprises

committed to

to anything or anyone else.” Grandfather shook his head. “You’re thirty-three, Alexander. Your relationships last shorter than some of

Alexander getting married? He can’t even keep a girlfriend past the

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16:41

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Victoria,” I said, forcing a smile.

Victoria’s father, chuckled from the corner of the room. “The boy

his tumbler down with more force than necessary. “Last year, we selected a perfectly suitable woman for him. The engagement was announced in the Times,

my

it two weeks before the wedding,” Father continued, addressing the room like I wasn’t there. “The merg- er nearly fell apart because of

a lovely girl and from a good family.

for me,” I said

Said she reminded him of a corporate spreadsheet

sharing that, Val,” I

shrugged and went back to her phone.

cane again. “Enough! The terms are simple. Alexander marries within six

champagne in excitement. “Really,

Thomas straightened his posture, dollar

to watch it get dismantled by your husband’s investment firm,” Grandfa- ther snapped at Victoria. “But at

the future of our family business to whether