CHAPTER 5

Don't dare talk about her.

He didn't look up immediately.

That was Richard's way of reminding Leo of his place-second to business, always.

Leo waited silently.

Finally, Richard lifted his gaze, sharp and calculating, the same gaze that intimidated boardrooms full of executives.

"You're late."

Leo didn't flinch. "Traffic."

Richard scoffed. "You own half the cars that create traffic."

Leo didn't entertain the remark. Instead, he sat down across from his father, maintaining the calm, professional composure he had mastered over the years.

Richard folded his hands. "You've been avoiding me."

"You haven't called."

Richard's eyes narrowed. "I shouldn't have to call. You know your responsibilities."

Leo leaned back. "I've been handling everything at the company."

"Business is not the issue." Richard's voice was firm. "You know what the issue is."

Leo's jaw tensed.

He knew the real reason he had been summoned.

Richard stood from his chair and walked toward the window overlooking the massive Carter estate. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"You're twenty six, Leo."

"And?"

"And it's time."

"For what?" Leo asked sharply, even though he knew.

Richard turned, giving him a knowing look.

"For you to get married."

Leo's muscles tightened. He had known this conversation would happen eventually, but he had hoped he still had time-time to breathe, time to live his own life, time to avoid the prison his father was building for him.

"Dad," Leo said slowly, "I'm not interested in an arranged marriage."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Who says it must be arranged? Find someone on your own, then. I don't care how it happens. What matters is that it happens soon."

Leo laughed under his breath, though nothing about this conversation was funny.

"I don't have time for a relationship."

"You make time," Richard snapped.

Leo clenched his fists. "Why are you pushing this so hard?"

Richard moved back to his desk, picked up a thick file, and tossed it in front of Leo.

Leo looked down, a company projection report, Shareholder conditions, public relations strategies.

Then he saw the highlighted line,

"Long term succession stability depends on their projection within five years."

Leo felt his stomach drop.

"You're joking," he said.

Richard shook his head. "I'm not. The board wants assurance. Investors want security. The media wants a story that stabilizes our stock. Everything is tied to legacy now."

"And you think marriage will solve that?" Leo demanded.

"It will solve many things," Richard replied. "A stable image, secured line of leadership, continuity."

Leo stared at him in disbelief.

"You want me to get married for a corporate image?"

Richard's voice was cold.

"I want you to protect what you will inherit."

Leo pushed the file away.

"I don't need a wife to run Carter Holdings."

"You do," Richard answered calmly. "If you want to keep your position."

Silence slammed into the room.

Leo felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

"Dad," he whispered, "are you threatening to take the company away from me?"

"Not threatening," Richard corrected.

"Warning."

Leo stood abruptly. His chair screeched against the floor.

"This is ridiculous."

Richard didn't look fazed. "Sit down."

Leo stood still.

Richard sighed, showing the first hint of emotion-a controlled frustration.

"Leo, listen," he began again, more softly this time. "Your mother wanted-"

"Don't," Leo snapped, his voice sharp as broken glass. "Don't bring her into this."

Richard fell silent.

Leo rarely raised his voice, but the moment his mother was mentioned, something inside him hardened.

Richard exhaled.

"She wanted you to be happy."

Leo's chest tightened painfully.

"My happiness is my decision."

Richard nodded slowly. "Then make a decision, soon. Before someone else makes it for you."

Leo felt like a storm had been building inside him.

He turned away, staring at the window-at the life he never really chose, at the empire built on expectations, demands, and sacrifices.

He spoke quietly but firmly.

"I won't marry for the company."

Richard leaned forward.

"Then marry for yourself."

Leo turned back, eyes cold.

"And what if I don't want marriage at all?"

Richard straightened, his expression turning to stone.

"Then you're not ready to lead Carter Holdings."

Leo inhaled sharply.

Leo sank back into the chair, his hands rubbing his temples.

"You think this is easy for me," he muttered.

Richard didn't respond.

Leo continued, voice low and bitter.

"You think I don't understand the weight of the family name? I do. I have carried it my entire life. Every movement I make is a headline. Every mistake is a scandal. Every decision is judged by thousands of strangers."

He looked up, meeting his father's eyes.

"But you never cared about my life outside business. Not once."

Richard didn't deny it.

Leo continued.

"You pushed me into leadership before I even knew who I was. You drove me into maturity at an age when kids were playing outside. You trained me like a soldier, not a son."

Richard's jaw tightened. "I did what I had to do."

"No," Leo corrected. "You did what you wanted for the company, for the Carter legacy."

Richard spoke through clenched teeth. "And now you will do what you must do."

Leo fell silent.

CHAPTER 6

You have to choose

After a long pause, Richard sat again. His voice was softer, almost hesitant-a tone Leo rarely heard from him.

"Leo... you're alone."

Leo froze.

Richard's gaze softened.

"Your mother was everything to me. When she died, I lost more than a wife. I lost the one person who made this house a home."

Leo swallowed hard.

He rarely spoke of her.

Richard almost never did.

"Son," Richard continued, "you work all day, travel all year, and come home to empty penthouses. You don't attend parties, date. Do you even trust people?

Look at you, you're drifting away."

Leo's chest tightened.

He hated how accurate that was.

"You think marriage will fix that?" he muttered.

"Not instantly," Richard admitted. "But you need someone, Leo. Someone to share the weight. A person who isn't afraid of your world."

Leo looked away.

"What if I never find that person?"

Richard paused.

"Then maybe you already have."

Leo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Richard raised an eyebrow.

"I saw the news. The incident yesterday. You stopped traffic to help a girl."

Leo stiffened.

"You investigated her?"

"Of course," Richard said simply. "It's my job to know who my son interacts with."

Leo's jaw clenched.

"Ruby is not someone for you to interfere with."

Richard studied him carefully.

"So you do care."

Leo froze.

He didn't expect the conversation to turn that fast.

"She was injured," Leo said quickly. "That's all. Anyone would have helped."

"Not anyone," Richard corrected. "Most people would have driven off, especially in your position."

Leo looked down, remembering Ruby's frightened eyes.

Richard continued, voice thoughtful.

"She looked... gentle."

Leo blinked. "You saw her?"

"A picture from the security footage."

Leo's hands curled into fists.

"Dad, stay out of this."

Richard sighed.

"I'm not saying she's the one. But she triggered something in you. You can't deny it."

Leo didn't answer.

Richard walked closer, placing a hand on the desk.

"Leo, you have two options."

Leo raised his eyes slowly.

"One," Richard said, "you find someone you can build a life with. Someone you choose."

Leo exhaled shakily.

"Or two," Richard continued calmly, "I choose for you."

Leo's heart dropped.

"I won't let you arrange my marriage," he said firmly.

"Then find someone," Richard insisted. "Before the end of the year."

Leo stepped back.

"That's-"

"Fair," Richard interrupted.

Leo stared, speechless.

Richard straightened his cuffs.

"The world is watching you. The board is watching you. And I am watching you most of all."

Leo swallowed hard.

"And if I refuse?"

Richard sighed, the sound heavy with finality.

"Then I will appoint your brother as the next CEO."

Silence.

The kind that broke something inside Leo.

His hands trembled slightly-anger, frustration, betrayal, fear.

Richard softened just a little.

"Leo... I want you to be happy. But I also need you to secure the future of this family."

Leo looked away, jaw tight.

He didn't have an answer.

*******

Later, after the meeting, Leo walked out of the mansion, his steps heavy. He got into his car but didn't start the engine.

He stared at the steering wheel, breathing slowly, fighting the storm inside him.

He leaned back and closed his eyes.

Ruby's face appeared behind his eyelids-soft, gentle, frightened, strong.

Her voice replayed:

"People like you don't talk to people like me."

Leo exhaled shakily.

Across the city, Leo pushed open the front doors of Saint Rowland Medical Center, the familiar scent of disinfectant and sterile air hitting him at once.

He hated hospitals. The bright white lights, the constant beeping of machines, the low murmurs of doctors and nurses-it all felt suffocating. But today, he needed to be here.

He needed to see Blake.

It had been years since they last saw each other, ever since Leo left for business school abroad and Blake dove headfirst into medical studies. Life has been busy. Complicated. Heavy. And now, with the weight of his father's latest decision pressing on him, Leo needed someone who wasn't afraid to tell the truth.

The receptionists looked up as he walked in. Recognizing him instantly, they whispered among themselves. Everyone knew the Carter's family-one of the wealthiest in the country. Leo was used to attention, but today, he ignored it.

He took the elevator to the fifth floor, where Blake often took breaks between surgeries. As he approached the resting lounge, he spotted a tall figure in a white coat leaning over a table, flipping through patient files.

Leo grinned.

"Dr. Blake Harrison," he called out dramatically. "Saving lives and breaking hearts, I see."

Blake froze, then slowly turned.

The moment he recognized Leo, his face broke into a wide smile.

"Leo?" he exclaimed. "Holy-get over here!"

They embraced tightly, the kind of hug that came with years of history-childhood fights, shared secrets, teenage stupidity, dreams whispered under star lit rooftops.

When they pulled apart, Blake shook his head in disbelief. "You look richer every time I see you," he teased.

"And you look sleep deprived," Leo shot back.

"Occupational hazard."

They sat down across from each other, the reunion warmth fading into something steadier, more serious.

"So," Blake started, leaning back. "What brings you here? You don't visit hospitals unless someone forces you or you break a bone."

Leo sighed. "My dad."

Blake nodded slowly. "Let me guess... another business move?"

"It's more than that," Leo replied. "He wants to merge Carter's Industries with an international conglomerate. He plans to step down eventually. Which means-"

"Which means everything will fall on you," Blake finished.

Leo rubbed his palms together anxiously. "Exactly."

He slumped back in his chair, eyes drifting to the window. "I'm not ready for it, Blake. I'm not even sure I want it. But my father... he's already decided."

Blake folded his arms, observing him quietly. "Has he discussed it with you properly? Or is this another 'expectation' he's dropping on your shoulders?"

Leo let out a bitter laugh. "You know my father."

"Yeah," Blake muttered. "I do."

They sat in silence for a moment, letting the weight of the situation settle.

"You know," Blake said softly, "you don't have to follow the path he chose."

Leo looked at him, eyes tired. "But if I don't... who will? My father trusts me. He built everything from scratch. He believes this merger will secure our legacy for decades. If I walk away, it'll crush him."

"Leo," Blake said firmly, "you're not responsible for carrying the dreams he created for himself."

Leo stared at him, absorbing the words.

"I wish it were that simple," he whispered.

Blake leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Maybe it's not simple. But you're allowed to want something different. You're allowed to breathe."

Leo laughed lightly. "And do what? Travel? Paint? Start a café?"

"If that's what makes you happy," Blake answered without hesitation.

Leo's laughter faded, replaced by a small, grateful smile.

Just then, a nurse poked her head into the room. "Dr. Harrison, they need you in Ward C."

Blake nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."