Chapter 5. Graveyard Omen

“Croft Incorporation is done for!" Lawerence Freeman blurts out, dropping the newspaper on the sheen mahogany table in the study. His only weakness is his inability to sugarcoat things. He is a sharp, straight-to-the-point man, thin in a way that is almost too elegant for a man. He moves lithely and with so much grace he could have been a ballet dancer or a prince in his past life. His otherwise handsome face is currently pulled in a fierce frown of frustration. This is not how he wants his dear old friend's legacy to end.

Rose is sitting on one of the upholstered chairs, her hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. She wears the same look as Freeman. No way in hell will she go back to the ratty lifestyle she left many years ago.

Meanwhile, Lara’s face disguises the turmoil happening in her head and heart. She could barely breathe, as she is scared that if the air stirred the wrong way, Rose would smell the offspring growing inside her, and she would be done for. Apparently, things had gone so much worse than before between the last time she checked the Wall Street news and her time in the oak garden. Croft is quickly drowning, and the vultures are already hovering around them, seeking to devour what is left.

“So what do we do now?” Rose asks. Everyone knew Croft Incorporation was already dying even before Richard kicked the bucket. They were at that point where they needed to find a way out before their stocks dropped to zero. But now…

“A merger.” Freeman’s voice echoes through the room, as he sits and crosses his legs, the wheels turning behind his eyes.

“Obviously,” Rose scoffs. “I mean who do we merge with? Surely we do not want anyone who would throw us out. We want equal partnership.”

“You're dreaming if you think anyone would want to give away fifty percent ownership to a dying company. Sixty to forty is even a reach, but it is doable.” He intones, scratching his beard.

“So...” Rose turns to Lara. “I don't need to tell you the nature of this merger, do I? After all, the only way you still have your roots in Croft is by blood.”

“I know,” Lara croaks, trying hard not to squirm under Roses’s scrutiny. Cold sweat forms at her temple, and she prays she gets through this meeting without being sniffed out by the hound.

“I shall host a ball this weekend and ensure that all the eligible bachelors of Grosthe City will be in attendance. I need you to put on all those charms you learned when finishing school. The ball must end with you snagging the most eligible of them all. We need to aim for the big guns, the billionaires, the zero point one percent of the rarest citizens. Oh, and I have a list of them.” For once, Roses’ escort experience proves profitable for the company.

“I have never doubted your worth, Roselyn. Your idea is quite sound.” Freeman chortles.

Rose reaches for the intercom next to her. “Carter, would you come in here please?” Her tiny voice sings into the mouthpiece, and before long, Carter walks in gracefully with a digital tab and three files in his hands.

“Now, with me, here is a list containing prospective husbands. I want you to look at them. I have compiled everything about them there, from their favorite food to colors, hobbies, even down to the last time they used the restroom. We are not taking any chances.”

The large screen on the wall of the study comes on, and the first slide shows a bald man, wearing pink shorts and a lemon shirt. With him is the ugliest dog Lara has ever seen. The man himself is no very different from his companion. She winces in disgust. Croft would crash and burn if they ever expected her to marry this man.

Rose notices her expression.

“Looks have nothing to do with whatever we are doing here. Throw that thought out of your head, sweetie. You will marry someone who has the best offer and it is not an option. This is your duty.”

Lara only grimaces in response. If she had not been pregnant, if she had not made that colossal mistake some nights ago, perhaps she would have had one or two things to say about this. But she is pregnant and all her preservative instinct is telling her to lie low for as long as she can. So she stays quiet and watches the screen as Carter moves from slide to slide, each option getting uglier at every swipe. She zones out of the meeting eventually. It didn't matter who they picked so long as it is not the first man.

What the hell is she going to do about the baby?

**

The ball is a cinematic spectacle. It leaves every attendee in awe at the wealth that was poured into it. Many marvel at the sight, wondering how Rose Croft managed to put all these together despite the depleting wealth of her late husband. Seated on a high stage is Lara, wearing a ball gown that looks like liquid metal. Her hair is twirled in a complicated chignon with loose curls falling over her oval face.

Her lashes sweep her face like delicate fans against skin so smooth like milk. Fair and gracefully, she glows like a golden flower, and like a restrained goddess, she sits still, observing the crowd below as they watched, as they would an art piece. There is no doubt. She is breathtakingly beautiful and every man in the room wants her for himself.

From her vantage in the hall, Rose smiles in triumph. Every single man on her list had approached her propositioning her for a match with Lara. At least, the Crofts have the advantage now. They have all the pieces. All that is left is to make a choice over the magnitude of their merger proposal. Now is the time to strike!