The Opposed Arrangement

Chapter Nine - Pressure

Callum's POV

"Dad I seriously think you need to reconsider this," I pleaded.

"Son, this is what is best for you. This is what is best for the company."

Of course, it is always about the company

"No dad, this is what is best for you. Me being married has no affect on the company."

"Callum, you can't still be a part of the player lifestyle while running my company. Do you know what kind of bad publicity that could cause? Then my company would be trashed because you can't get your life together."

"Who cares about my personal life? It is my life to live and my choices to make."

"Every news journalist alive will care. As soon as I name you my successor, and let me remind you that you will be one of the youngest CEO's ever, every news journalist will be at your front door following every footstep you make to share any mistake you make. I can't have this happen Callum."

"Then hold off on stepping down. That way Olivia isn't forced to marry me and I don't have to settle down so soon."

"I can't son, and you know why I can't. It needs to be soon. Getting you married is the first stepping stone that I have to cross before I can continue with this plan."

I deeply sighed, this argument is going in my favor.

"I understand, I just don't think it is fair to Olivia. To have someone out of the blue just walk up and declare that is to marry that person and it is going to be soon. She had no say in this what so ever."

"Look son, I don't have time to sit here and argue with you. Life sometimes just isn't fair and you have to deal with it. She needs to make some lemonade out of the lemons she was just served."

"Great going dad, cliché quotes on life. It doesn't help the situation."

I could hear him scoff in the background.

"Callum, I am stepping down next fall and I need you married by no later than the beginning of summer. So if you want to make this as fair as possible then I suggest you start swooning this girl and making her fall in love with you. That way she forgets all about the arrangement and actually wants to marry you."

Lovely, he wants me to do the exact opposite of what I have done my entire life. I don't swoon girls, I go to the club and I get a girl to come home with me and then she is gone by the morning. There is no romantic bone in my body, not even a cell of my body.

"Your mom and I are already paying for you to go to college so why don't you stop abusing the pool of girls it offers and start using it as what it was intended for, to get closer to Olivia," My dad said right before he hung up.

Always has to have the last word.

Little does he know, I haven't even thought about another girl since being here.

All I can think about is Olivia, I don't know what it is about her, but I just can't stop thinking about how this is affecting her.

I really didn't mean to force this upon her. It's just after my dad told me I was to be married she was the only girl that I could see myself one day marrying, one that has a plan for her life and one who actually cares about others.

*~*

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It's too early for this. I swing my arm to grab my phone to turn off my alarm but of course I drop it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Oh my goodness, I am getting up. Just shut up already.

I sit up trying to locate my phone in which I don't see it.