Billion Dollar Bride

Natsume had grown bored. He swirled his glass of scotch taking note of the lack of any clinks. It was neat, refined, strong and unchilled. It fit his character, it is his character, based on what he had heard. The office he sat in was no longer a place of ambition and excitement; it held very little prestige and wasn't some grand destination to hope to rest in like it once was when he was a child.

He glanced at his watch. It is 7:37 AM and there was still no sign of his father, whom he had a growing distaste for.

'Impudent, adulterous and late.' He recited in his head, unsure if he would ever be rid of the hope that just for once his father would keep his word when money wasn't involved. Of course, if his father had been that kind of man, he'd still be married to his first wife, wouldn't he?

"Thank you for your patience," Kaijirou Hyuuga had a voice that… it had a gravelly sound that wasn't terrible but had in fact managed to draw you in, probably like the woman's perfume that appeared to have mixed in with his own cologne. Natsume pushed aside his retort about his own lack of patience and simply nodded at his father.

"I know your schedule is busy and no doubt you cursing me for taking your up time. I'll make my request brief: get married."

"Hm." Natsume pretended to contemplate the request, he placed on a mask of pondering as though there was any reason to believe that his father's request was reasonable or appealing. With raised brows and a slightly bobbing head, he weighed the options: what in the world was this man really after.

Kaijirou let out a quick breath of exasperation at Natsume's sarcasm,

"It's about time you settled down and had a family, no? You've had your fill of fun and I want a grandchild." His father continued; he steadily watched his son with a small smile. Perhaps the gentle family approach would finally appeal to his sensibilities, he should be approaching that age after all and his mother's blood runs through him.

"No."

"Natsume, you've done well within the empire, I'll give you that. However, an heir is needed for it to continue to grow. Delaying that process and expecting to go beyond your accomplishments, beyond my accomplishments is shortsighted. Such an idea is unsustainable. That said, as an incentive, I'm offering the equivalent of half a billion. Find a suitable bride and I'll double it."

"Money is inconsequential and easily renewed. I have no issue outliving your precious company. There's no reason to agree." Natsume replied. He swirled his glass again.

"Alright, I'll grant any wish as well. One wish. In exchange though… I'll be expecting a child within the first three years of your marriage."

"…" Natsume contemplated everything a bit further, recognizing from the look in his father's pale grayish eyes that any request was up for grabs.

"I'll give you a year to get married. Have a child out of wedlock and your wish is revoked. If you have any other questions, you'll find it detailed in the ink. Leave the signatures on the desk." His father waved in a servant with paperwork from the other side of the glass door. The fire in Natsume's eyes told him all he needed to know, a small smirk escaped.

Clearing his throat, "I have another meeting to attend to." And with that, the older Hyuuga had left.

Natsume mentally swore before taking a deep breath. As he reviewed the contract, he contemplated his options. Was there a woman who could resist him? He just needed a suitable one, and as per the contract, one he hasn't already slept with.

How fun. He took the shot in a single gulp and reached for his phone.

Hotaru Imai had a simple philosophy for life. It was a game and the way to win was through the acquisition of money. Imai industries had many accomplishments. They practically innovated the word 'innovation' and as such, specialized in inventions and advertisement. The Hyuuga conglomerate had been an important partner for some decades now. Hotaru was more acquainted with the founder, Kaijirou than she was with Natsume but that didn't matter right now.

A new deposit had come in, as did a new text message.

Kaijirou Hyuuga had called it, Natsume called her right on schedule and she had her best friend's bags packed. It was almost a shame though, Hotaru herself was already engaged. Her betrothed made quite a deals worth of money, and it probably helped that she enjoyed his companionship.

"I'll see what I can do." She replied before hanging up.

Well, no harm can come from this little experiment, right? All she needed to do now was decide just how much she was willing to tell Mikan…

Thus concludes the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review.