58. Ivan's Proposal.

[Claire]
"We connected one night and we started to spend some time together."
"So you mean to say that I'm a product of infidelity." I shook my head, at this point, Eve's story was looking better than theirs.
"I fell in love with Fiona." My father confessed and I gasped. "At first I tried to fight it but then one night Eve traveled to Paris with some friends without telling me about it and I just couldn't take it anymore, Fiona comforted me and we shared some bottles of wine, the next morning we woke up together in bed."
"Yes, your father was always a charming man and I realized that I had feelings for him two when I noticed how miserable Eve made him. The next morning, we were woken up by Eve. She was so upset she nearly beat me to death and threw me out of the house."
"I can't believe she would do that, she's such a sweet woman." I thought but I didn't say anything out loud.
"Fiona left the house and I didn't hear anything from her until three months later when she came to my office to tell me that she was pregnant."
"You didn't think to look for her or help her after Eve kicked her out?" I asked, holding back my tears from falling.
"I'm sorry but I couldn't, she threatened to tell my grandfather about everything and I couldn't let that happen."
"Okay, I know now that you would have done anything to be Ceo of the company." I sneered at him.
His head lowered in shame before he continued speaking.
"I wanted the company so badly because it was what my mother wanted, growing up she never felt like she had her father's love and she just really wanted me to have the company, I didn't want to let her down besides it became a competition for me and my cousin."
"When I found out about her pregnancy, I knew that I could never send her away, I took her back to the house that night and told Eve about the child, she was livid and she wanted her to abort the child but I wasn't having any of it, I agreed to pay her an amount of money to stay away from me and pretend that she was dead, she agreed on the condition that I never make Fiona my wife." He said.
"Then why did she send me those letters?" I asked because something about his story was not adding up.
"She did it to mess with me, she found out that everyone thought she died in childbirth a few months after Fiona gave birth to you and she was outraged, she wanted you to find the letters to cause problems in my home." He said, shaking his head.
"That woman is not who she seems, she's very dangerous and manipulative, that's why I was so scared when you went to look for her," Nana added.
"This, that doesn't make sense, none of what you have said justifies lying to me my whole life, why did you keep it a secret, why didn't you tell me you were my mother?" Tears poured down my face as I angrily left the table.
"Claire please come back, please." They kept calling me but I just ignored them and ran up to my room.
When I got there, Sophie was there waiting for me, she comforted me and stayed with me till late in the night before she went back to the guest room.
The next morning I woke up late and I skipped breakfast. When I went downstairs my father was still at home, he was sitting down on the sofa and reading a magazine.
"You're not going to work?" I asked him in surprise, I'd never known him to miss a day of work before, not even for my school events.
"I don't need to be there much, the merger is on the way." He spoke.
"I'm not getting married to Ivan," I said and he snapped the magazine close immediately.
"It's for your own good and the growth of the company."
"I'm going back to Copenhagen, I don't care about the company and I have a boyfriend." I continued like I didn't hear a word he said.
"Claire." He warned angrily.
"I don't care if you're mad at me right now but I am still your father and you will do as I say."
"Clark." Nana rushed in, scolding him.
"I don't need your help." I sneered at her and walked off, leaving them dumbstruck.
I went to find Sophie and then we got dressed. I did not want to spend all day inside like we'd done since we arrived and I didn't want to see my parents again.
The both of them seemed to have confessed but I couldn't help but think they were still keeping a huge secret from me.
I needed to unwind and I didn't want to think about them for now so I decided to go out with Sophie.
We went shopping because retail therapy always works and then we went down to the best club in all of Boston.
We ran into some paparazzi on the way but my driver was instrumental in getting them away from us.
The club was great and we didn't have to wait in line because the bouncer already knew me. I didn't really enjoy the nightlife in Boston before I moved to Copenhagen but this time I was willing to enjoy it.
We headed straight to the VIP lounge and we were served drinks, the treatment was so nice, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be treated like a VIP.
Before leaving the house, I made sure to collect my black card so that Sophie and I could try to max it out if we hadn't already.
"This club is amazing, Claire." Sophie was so excited and she was dancing wildly.
She was pretty hammered but I hadn't really taken a lot of alcohol, I had had one glass of champagne and it was okay to relax me, I didn't want to overdo it because it would end badly for me.
My father would be so upset if I returned home drunk and I didn't even know if I should do it just to piss him off or not.
"Hey, I did not think the day would come when I would find the innocent daughter of the Hamilton's in a place like this," Ivan said coming into the room and I frowned.
"Who are you, handsome?" Sophie asked, looking him up and down.
"This is Ivan, the man who wants to marry me," I told her and she moved away from him.
"Um… that's not a good look on you, Mr." She slurred.
"What do you want, Ivan?" I asked him without interest, I had left home to escape one set of headaches, I didn't want another here.
"I've come to talk to you." He replied and I rolled my eyes.
"Of course, about what?"
"You know what this is about, Claire, or should I say my sweetheart." He smirked.
"Don't call me that?" I frowned at him. "There's no need to waste your breath Ivan, the deal is off, I'm not getting married to you and I don't care about the company."
"Why don't you listen to what I have to say first before you dismiss me." He said.
"Well then, go ahead," I said, knowing he wouldn't leave without saying what he wanted to say.
"Your father wants the merger for only a few years, it's not a permanent merger, he doesn't trust you enough to run the company and since he doesn't have a son, he's hoping you have one in time to take back the company." He explained.
"So, I already told you that I don't care about the company."
"How about we pretend, we pretend to marry, and then once they sign the company over to us, we don't merge it at all and your father gets to watch you run the company." He smiled at his brilliant idea.
"Genius, just genius, Ivan," I said sarcastically. "But you've forgotten one major detail."
"And what is that?"
"I don't care about the company."
"Why?" He groaned and slapped his hand on his head in frustration. "Isn't that the ultimate rebellious act?"
"The ultimate act would be not caring at all and also not marrying you," I said.
"Well, can't you do it as a favor to me?" He asked and I furrowed my brows.
"Why the fuck would I ever do you a favor?" I wanted to ask but the look on his face stopped me.
"You shouldn't try so hard to gain your father's approval, you're okay just the way you are," I told him, remembering the story my father told me, he had done everything he did just for his mother's approval who in turn was doing everything for her father's approval, I did not want to continue my life like that.
"Fuck you, Claire, I'll make you regret rejecting me one day." He screamed in my face.
"Hey, don't you fucking talk to my friend like that." Sophie retorted, pointing her finger at his face.