Chapter 3

Edward was walking in a hurry when he heard the bell in his apartment ringing repeatedly. Still wearing his sleeping pajamas, he casually opened the door and found a man standing with an annoyed look. "Don't tell me you just woke up?" he inquired. 

"What time are we leaving? You asked all of us to attend," the man grumbled. Instead of feeling guilty, Edward laughed. 

"Gosh, Nick. Why do you like to get angry so much? I thought after marriage, and your grumpy nature could disappear. It turned out to be the same." Nicholas rolled his eyes in exasperation. His patience is running out.

"Don't talk too much. Take a shower! I'll be waiting for you right now in the lobby." Nicholas then just left without waiting for his friend to answer first. Edward and Nicholas were neighbors. They both chose One Hyde Park Penthouse as a place to live several years ago.

Edward did have his reasons for choosing this place. Despite its premium location, this Penthouse has fantastic facilities. He was equipped with bulletproof glass, secret rooms, and 24-hour security guards trained by British special forces, making this Penthouse the best choice for him, the son of a tycoon. 

For those who don't know who Sebastian Edwardo Martin is, he is a Scottish-blooded man who is 30 years old. Has a tall stature, brown eyes, and a firm jaw. His outgoing and humble personality made Edward very easy to attract the attention of many people. 

However, because he adheres to a free ideology and hates commitment, Edward has not had a serious relationship with any woman. It made it difficult for him to fulfill Alexander's request to marry immediately. Muddled thinking about his father's request, Edward invites his friends to meet to share ideas. And now, he is preparing to approach Nicholas in the apartment's lobby to go together to English Shooting International. Today they plan to spend time doing shooting sports. 

"I thought you would take Kimberly." Edward started the conversation as they were already going to the shooting range.

"Early in the morning, my mother picked up Natha and Elea to come with her. I was even told to come home late at night so that she would be satisfied spending time with her grandchildren and daughter-in-law."

While driving his car, Edward laughed. Imagine that his mother might do the same thing if he married and had children.

"Why don't you stay at your parent's house? Instead of bothering with the shuttle like today?" 

"Gosh, Ed. Why would I stay at My Mother's House? It's not like we're in the same city. We're not even that far apart." 

Edward then sneered. "You disobedient child. You should feel sorry for Uncle Rob and Auntie Cassandra. They both must be pleased in their old age as now more often visited by children, in-laws, and grandchildren. After all, it's rare for all of you to be together like now. " 

Hearing Edward's sarcasm, Nicholas immediately turned around and snorted. "We'd better stop at the supermarket over there." he points to the man.

"Is there anything you want to buy?" Edward slowed down the car. Prepared to pull over the vehicle, he was driving at one of the supermarkets they were about to pass.

"Of course." Nicholas nodded firmly. "I intend to buy you a mirror to look in the mirror. How can you send me home when you have never visited your parents." 

"Bastard!" Edward immediately cursed loudly. Nicholas answered his insinuations. While he snorted in annoyance, the man beside him laughed in satisfaction. "I'll get back to you, Nick," he mutters. 

Nicholas didn't care and kept laughing until they finally arrived at their destination. Jacob and Joshua were already busy choosing weapons to use in shooting sports. "Why is it taking so long? We've both been waiting for an hour," Joshua protested. "I've even finished two cups of coffee because I'm tired of waiting for you guys."

Jacob, who was standing beside Joshua, also chimed in. Hearing protests from his friends, of course, Nicholas immediately defended himself. She blatantly pointed her index finger at Edward. "He's the cause. So that you know, the guy wasn't even in the shower when I banged on his apartment door." 

As usual, Edward could only grin and laugh. Of the four of them, he is the one who is known to be late. "I'm sorry. Instead, I'll pay the field rent and treat you to lunch at the Chiltern Firehouse. How about that?"

Jacob nodded in agreement. "Alright, your mistake is forgiven this time. Quickly choose your weapon."

Edward and Nicholas headed straight for the weapons storage room. Choose one by one which firearms they will use for this training.

The four have loved shooting sports since college—especially Jacob and Joshua. The two men were most adept at using various firearms, from short to long barrels. Jacob, Edward, and Nicholas made the same choice on the Austrian-made Glock Meyer 22 pistol for this practice only. 

Meanwhile, Joshua chose the German H&K MP5 long-barreled weapon. They spent almost two hours having fun. Joshua and Edward looked the most excited to have a score exchange.

"I give up ...." Edward exclaimed as he raised his hands. Joshua turned and smiled in satisfaction.

While Edward approached Jacob and Nicholas, who had already sat in the waiting chair, Joshua chose to rinse himself full of sweat. "You two are crazy!" Jacob shook her head at the behavior of Edward and Joshua, who were so engrossed that they lost track of time.

"This is fun, Jack. I'm like fighting the mafia."

Edward smirked. "You should be Joshua's younger brother so that you can deal with the mafia head-on. Your behavior is the same." Nicholas, sitting right next to Jacob, joined in the voice. But what the man said was true. Edward is indeed more suitable to be Joshua's younger brother. They have the same personality, hobbies, and traits.

"Will not!" Joshua, who had just returned from the toilet, immediately interrupted Nicholas's words. "It would be crazy if I had a nagging little sister like her." Joshua pointed at Edward, casually sipping the cola in his hand.

"Josh, can't you get dressed first?"

Instead of responding to his friends' conversation, Edward even protested Joshua's shirtless appearance. The man casually walked from the toilet to all of them sitting.

"Oh, come on. I'm sweating. I'll wear my shirt if my body is dry," Joshua said defensively.

"Jesus, is that a body or a wall? Why are there so many scribbles in there?"

Edward shook his head at the row of tattoos drawn on Joshua's body. The man likes to wear tattoos.

"If I were Luna's aunt, I might have crossed your name off the family card, Josh. You look like a thug." Edward sneered again.

Joshua is right. He can be crazy if he has a brother who talks like Edward. Not wanting to waste too much time, Nicholas stopped the argument between Edward and Joshua. They then rushed to the car to have lunch at the Chiltern Firehouse, a famous restaurant favorite of all residents in the city of London. "So, what should we discuss here?" 

Joshua asked when they were already in the restaurant while waiting for the food to be served. "First, I want to apologize to Nicholas. I think I've been hit by karma." Edward's words suddenly made the others wince in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Feeling because his name was called, Nicholas immediately asked.

"In a month, Alexis has to announce a new CEO. My father is the Martin family's first child, and unfortunately, I'm also the first successor. That's why, like it or not, like it or not. I'm the one who will accept the CEO position." 

"What's the problem?" Joshua interrupted Edward's explanation. "Guys, listen to me first." 

"Okay, I'm sorry," said Joshua.

"The main requirement to become CEO of Alexis is a man who is already married. How can I become CEO if I don't have a potential wife? You know I'm a person who doesn't believe in a commitment. Unfortunately, my father only gave me a month's grace period. Had the same fate as Jacob, betrothed to the woman of my parents' choice," Edward explained at length.

"Why not just advertise on online media or television? Announce that Edward Martin is looking for a future wife. Problem solved," Joshua joked innocently. The man seemed not to care what Edward's problem was now. Edward looked at Joshua with annoyance. He might have kicked the guy out of the restaurant if it wasn't his best friend's brother. 

"Yeah, and after placing the ad, I embarrassed my whole family?" Edward said sarcastically.

"Don't be crazy, Joshua Grey. It's better if you die than giving useless advice like that."

"Don't you have a boyfriend at all?" Now Jacob's turn to ask. His initially relaxed expression turned severe now. 

Edward shook his head. "Nothing. You know. I wouldn't say I like hanging out with women for long. They're a pain in the ass. They're just wasting my money."

"Even a coveted woman, you don't have one?" Jacob asked the question again.

Edward didn't flinch. Recalling whether a woman was being targeted until soon, he nodded. "There is. I'm looking for the woman who managed to rape me." 

"What!" All three of Edward's friends shrieked in surprise. "Don't be crazy, Ed. Don't worry about finding a wife, and you're going crazy like you are now," protested Nicholas. 

Edward laughed to hear Nicholas's accusations against him. "Gosh, I'm telling the truth. Last week, after Marvin's bachelorette party in Liverpool, I met a beautiful woman named Chloe. It's a long story. She forced me to sleep with her. I tried to refuse, but she kept on teasing me. And you should know something ..." Edward paused his sentence. It makes his friends even more curious.

"Something what? Don't be half-hearted when you talk!" It was Joshua who looked the most impatient.

"The woman who fucked me is still a virgin. I'm confused. I should call this luck or bad luck." 

"Of course, it's luck, Ed!" Joshua said quickly. "Didn't you say she was beautiful? Then she forced you to enjoy her virginity. So where did the bad luck come from?"

Instead of being happy, Edward let out a frustrated sigh. "The problem is, after sleeping with me. That woman just left. I feel humiliated. After being satisfied with using my body, how can he just dump me." 

"Ha...ha..ha..." the three friends laughed. Especially, Joshua, the man's eyes were watering because he couldn't bear to laugh at Edward's fate. "You speak as if you're the victim here. You should be lucky if that woman doesn't hold you accountable." Joshua responded to Edward's story by laughing.

"You saw my face. Never even slept with a woman, but instead was told to be responsible for someone's pregnancy." 

Of course, everyone will pity Joshua. The man had never slept with a single woman in this world. But bad luck made him have to take responsibility for the pregnancy of Anne, the woman who claimed to have slept with him. Not to mention, Joshua must try to keep Anne from being attacked by the mafia, who want to kidnap the woman. It's a very complex problem. 

"So you've investigated who this woman you're talking about?" Jacob asked again.

"I already asked Hans to find out who Chloe is. I have to do some calculations with her," Edward replied vehemently. 

"You've chosen the right person to ask for help. I hope your problem is resolved quickly, and you can find a future wife soon." Jacob spoke sincerely. Meanwhile, Nicholas and Joshua also agreed with the slanted-eyed man's words.

***

Edward plopped his muscular body down on the sofa. A few minutes ago, he had arrived at the Penthouse after a long day of spending time with his friends. Just as he was about to close his eyes, the bell rang. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall was already ten o'clock. 

Think for a moment who visited last night. With unsteady steps, Edward brought his feet to the door. Peeking first from behind the intercom screen, he found Hans' face. Edward quickly opened the door and motioned for the man to come in.

"How? Have you got the information?" Edward looked impatient. They were both sitting in the living room chair now. Hans nodded, then took out a blue folder from his bag. He was handed a few sheets of paper for Edward to check.

"The woman's name is Chloe Hazel Arley. She is the only daughter of the Arley family."

"Wait a minute!" cut off Edward. "You mean he's Dylan Arley's son? The owner of the Arley hotel chain?"

Hans nodded. "That's right, she's Mr. Dylan Arley's daughter, and your father knows the family very well." 

"Good grief." Edward massaged his temples. "So I took the honor of the Arley family's only child? What should I do?" 

Hans just shrugged his shoulders. What can he do now?

"According to the records I got, that woman is famous for changing partners like you. Yes, let's say she is a Playgirl."

"But I took her virginity, Hans. Ah, no, it shouldn't be my fault." Edward immediately corrected his words. "She's the one who insisted on sleeping with me." 

"Wasn't she drunk yesterday? She could have done something crazy because she was under the influence of alcohol."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know she was drunk. The thing is, when we both came to our senses, I even offered to take responsibility. But the woman refused. What am I lacking?" 

This time Hans laughed. "Maybe you're not the criteria, Ed. Some people have a phobia of Nick men or handsome men. Who knows, he has one of them." 

"Impossible!"

"But, when I was looking for information, a source said Chloe had lived in an orphanage. I was surprised, but the source didn't give any further explanation." 

Edward's brow furrowed deeply. "Why can a Nick kid's child live in an orphanage? Is he the child, the Arley family, adopted?"

Once again, Hans shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I'll look into it for you if you want."

"Okay, do your best. I'll pay you more for this." 

After Hans said goodbye to go home, Edward went back to reading one by one the information sheets about Chloe. There is written personal data, address, cellphone number, background, to the slightest thing about the woman. From Edward's pages, the man could conclude that Chloe was no ordinary person and genuinely worthy of reckoning.