The Business Proposal

Chapter Seven

Ethan looked at the view from his office. It seemed ridiculous that it was located only streets away from where his future bride worked every day. It really was a small world.

He was ignoring the mounting paperwork on his desk as he thought over his proposal options for Ivy. Despite all the business proposals he'd given, it was this one he was agonising over. He wanted to make it special for her.

The woman was agreeing to a loveless marriage for a company that would no longer belong to her family. Surely the least he could do was make everything as easy for her as possible.

His brother interrupted his thoughts as he strolled in, a binder tucked under one arm and carrying two brown bags. The smell wafting from those bags had Ethan's stomach growling. A smirk crossed his brother's face when he heard it.

"What? Did you forget to eat lunch again, fratello?"

Ethan grumbled under his breath as his brother laughed at him. "You know I did. Now pass me that bag."

His brother's smirk didn't diminish as he handed over the bag and the two men walked over to the small coffee table with settees.

Kai dumped the file on the table and then kicked off his shoes, stretching comfortably across the settee, before ripping into his own takeaway box.

Ethan snapped his chopsticks apart and began tucking into his rice and chicken like a man who didn't know where his next meal was coming from. It was a few moments, where both brothers savoured their food, before Kai spoke.

"So why did you end up cancelling all your meetings? Especially since you obviously didn't go out to lunch?" Kai quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer.

Ethan chewed on his food, deliberately taking his time to give him a moment to think about his answer. It shouldn't surprise him that his brother had noticed his absence. They usually saw each other at least once every day.

Whilst Ethan had been the one to take over the position of CEO, his brother had chosen a different path within the family business. He was the head of their legal team and had his own office on the other side of the building.

"I went to see Ivy Thorn." He continued munching on his food whilst scrutinising his brother's reaction.

Kai swung his legs off the settee and rested his elbows against his knees as he picked at his food.

"You sure this is a good idea? The marriage I mean?" His brother's hazel eyes, so similar to their mother's, bored into his.

Other than his eyes, the two men were strikingly similar in appearance. Both had ebony hair and Mediterranean features from their mother but sharp chiseled faces from their father.

"It was your idea, fratellino." He smirked when his brother grimaced.

"It was a fucking joke, Ethan. I didn't think you'd actually do it." He watched Kai lean back against the settee, his food now forgotten in his hand.

Ethan had known Kai had been joking when he'd suggested the marriage to Ivy. They'd even shared a good laugh over it as their bottle of whiskey had been drained.

But still, after that night he'd continued to watch the slow demise of his rival's company. He'd found himself pondering over the possibility of an arranged marriage. The idea seemed to grow in proportion to Thorn Enterprise's continued descent, and Charles Thorn was more than happy to oblige his careful suggestion.

"I've signed the contract, it's a done deal. A contract that you'd already checked through for me and said was airtight." He reminded his brother.

Kai just nodded his head non-committedly. "And what are you going to tell Mom and Dad? They will not be happy if they find out."