The Offer – Part l

"Mason! It's been a while, my friend." The man, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, approached him with wide arms and a bright smile.
"Gerbert!" (Jer-bare)
Gerbert ushered Mason towards the couch after they exchanged a pound hug.
"How is your health now?"
"Fit as a fiddle!" Mason proudly said and Gerbert chuckled.
"I had a last-minute meeting to attend, hence you had to wait. I apologize." As they sat down, Gerbert apologized.
"I understand, my friend. I appreciate you taking time out of your hectic schedule to see me."
"I owe you so much, Mason, how could I not when you needed my help?" Gerbert said sincerely, and Mason smiled gratefully at him.
"How about a cup of tea?" Gerbert asked pouring some freshly brewed tea in a cup and Mason nodded, "Thank you."
"Four spoons of sugar as always?" Mason panicked as Gerbert asked, picking up a spoonful of sugar.
"No! No sugar! Ophelia is going to murder me if she finds out I had so much sugar!" Gerbert chuckled as Mason exclaimed.
"I believe your little girl is all grown up now?"
"She is now 27 years old." Mason proudly said accepting the cup of tea from Gerbert.
"I last saw her when she was leaving for the Air Force. What is she doing nowadays? Still in the Air Force?" Gerbert exclaimed as he walked down memory lane, and Mason nodded.
"She was flying for Delta Airlines but now she's working with me. I believe your children's are all grown up too? How is little Trista?" Gerbert shook his head in response to Mason's question.
"Little Trista is all grown up now. She's leaving for college next year. When she leaves, the house will finally be peaceful." Mason laughed as Gerbert sighed.
"Why? Is she a troublemaker? When she was younger, she was such a sweet little princess!" Mason exclaimed.
"That little princess grew up to become a demon queen. She has all 5 of her brothers and me wrapped around her little fingers. Everyone yields to her commands. Except for her mother, of course. Only Cressida has the power to tame her." As he concluded his words, Mason and Gerbert cracked up laughing. As time passed, the two old friends talked about everything they had missed during the years they had been apart. They didn't even notice as time passed by blur.

"Mason, I am willing to invest in your company. I'll help your company in recovering to its formal glory. But I need to ask something from you before that." Gerbert began speaking earnestly, and Mason frowned.
"I'm listening," Mason said in a restrained tone and Gerbert sighed.
"My eldest son, Onyx, is currently in charge of our company. He expanded our empire and established his own businesses all over the world without my help, and I'll soon be retiring and giving over everything to him. Onyx will have to handle everything because none of my other offspring want to take over."
"I understand, but what can I do in this scenario?" Mason inquired, perplexed,
"Please let me finish first," Gerbert replied politely, and Mason nodded.
"He'll be 30 this year, and at his current rate, I'm concerned he will end up alone in the future."
"What exactly do you want from me, Gerbert?" Mason inquired again, his brow furrowed with scepticism. Gerbert sighed and paused.
"I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage for Onyx." Mason's eyes widen in disbelief as Gerbert hesitantly expresses his thoughts.
"What?" Mason exclaimed.
"Please don't get me wrong. I'm not asking for your daughter's hand in exchange for the investment. I had summoned you only to discuss the investment and our respective firms. But, to be honest, I've been looking for a bride for Onyx. I never saw him bring in a girlfriend, nor did I ever find him in a serious relationship. But he's getting old and I want him to settle down." Gerbert sighed and started speaking again,
"Your daughter is all grown up now, and I know she is an amazing young woman. After all, she is your daughter. I know she and Onyx will make an excellent couple based on how you mentioned her." Gerbert said with a warm smile, and Mason hesitantly answered, "What you are saying is correct, Onyx is a fine young man. But I can't just tell her to marry someone like that. She may have her choice, or she might like someone else. The same goes for Onyx."
"I'm aware of that, Mason. I'm just asking you for her hand, you go talk with Ophelia, I'll talk with Onyx and if they agree they can meet each other, get to know one another. And if they end up liking each other and agree for marriage, we can tie their knots. What do you say?" Gerbert cheerfully asked and Mason nodded.
"In that regard, you are correct. We can talk to them about it, and if they agree, they can start dating."
"And then we'll be in-laws!" Gerbert heartily laughed and they shook their hands hugged each other.

They spent the next few hours going over their work and making plans for Mason's company. The last few years were terribly challenging for Mason and Ophelia, as the company's stock sank precipitously and continued to fall until they lost investors and partners. Mason began investing his own money from his savings account and following the sale of private properties. Ophelia quit the Air Force and joined Delta Airlines, putting her whole earnings into the company. They were determined to keep them from going bankrupt at any cost. He couldn't bring the company back to its former grandeur from there. Later, when his board of directors attempted to force him out of his own company, which he had built from the ground up with his own sweat and blood, his heart couldn't handle it anymore and failed. He was in a coma for over three months while Ophelia took care of everything on her own. From giving financial support through her job to overseeing all work despite having little to no management knowledge. Nonetheless, she did not let the company fail while her father was in the hospital. Mason cannot express how proud he is of his little grill, nor can he express his gratitude to God for blessing him with such a wonderful daughter.

"I'm looking forward to hearing from you, my friend," Gerbert said shaking hands with Mason as they stood outside Gerbert's office building.