The Billionaire's Forced Alliance

Chapter Four

Ben had said yes to Sanjeev's proposal last night. It was obviously not an easy choice. He wasn't marriage material, and who in the living hell liked forced marriages? He wanted to kill himself for agreeing to something as outrageous as this. Alas, he had no other choice. It was his last chance to make Isabella Group a shining example in the government sector.

He had zero faith in Sanjeev. The Indian man could do anything, if he didn't say yes to this project, there wasn't any surety that he would agree to any upcoming government project. He owned twenty-eight percent share and his opinion mattered for the government officials to sanction the deal from their end.

Company rules had it. If the CEO had the most percentage of shares, his decision could be considered final. However, if he didn't, the entire amount of importance was given to a director who met the criterion. And Sanjeev did. Though the government worked in the veto system of functioning, Ben knew that the one with most shares was still considered quite important and impactful.

After Alex, Sanjeev was the one with most shares, and that's why he had to agree to this insanely chaotic thing to get his consent. He had already told Alex about the government project, and his friend had been so proud of him, so happy and satisfied at his decision of making him the CEO.

He couldn't possibly shatter his happiness, his pride, could he?

There were many reasons as to why he had agreed. Isabella Group would flourish, Alex would be happy and the main reason was that he had nothing to lose. It wasn't like this was gonna be a proper marriage. It was just a forced alliance, and a marriage for namesake.

Sanjeev's daughter was an asexual and she had no interest in this much more than he did. He didn't want a marriage, or a family. Being alone and free worked for him. He didn't want responsibilities of children and a wife, he liked things to be temporary and easy. He didn't need permanent commitment in his life.

The only commitment in his life that mattered was the commitment as a CEO to the Group and as a good friend to Alex.

Sanjeev had called him up today to meet his daughter and finalise everything. He was on his way to his house which was just a few kilometers away from the Group. Located at a posh neighborhood, he got down from his car, noticing the tall and lean mansion in front of him. The guards opened the door and he entered inside.

The lawn was huge, and the grass was perfectly mown. What shocked him was the presence of flowers, beautiful thatch of red, violet and pink. Sanjeev didn't exactly seem like a flower kind of a guy, he mused sardonically. He went further inside, the sweet smell of roses and hydrangeas filling his nose. He shrugged his shoulders, knocking on the polished door.

On his second knock, the housemaid opened the door with smiling eyes. She seemed to be American. "Are you Mr. Williams?"

Ben nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Master told me. Come on, in."

He didn't know why but the name 'master' made his stomach turn. Marie called the Hamilton brothers as masters too, but she did that with love as she had seen them grow up. But the way this woman was calling Sanjeev as 'master' seemed forced and coerced. The house was traditional from the inside. Ornate walls of orange and pink, ceiling lights, chandeliers, Indian styled vases and wall hangings. It seemed as if he had dropped inside a historical setting of India.

Though it was personal choice, Ben still felt weirdly uncomfortable. He wasn't that sensitive, yet the energy of the surroundings was suffocating. "Oh, oh, welcome to my humble abode, Mr. Williams."

It wasn't humble, he was sure of that. He looked around, noticing various antique pieces in the living room itself. They must've cost a lot, he thought with a sigh. "Thanks, Mr. Mehra."