CREW ROYALE (French Riviera)
A man in his middle 20s sat behind a wide office desk, his tall frame relaxed but still carrying a quiet authority. His smooth brown complexion stood out under the soft office lighting, and his sharp, well-defined features gave him a naturally serious look.
He leaned slightly forward, focused on the documents in front of him. One hand held a pen, moving steadily across the paper as he signed and reviewed each file with care. His eyes were calm and observant, scanning every detail like nothing could escape his attention.
He wore a fitted black suit that sat perfectly on his body, paired with a clean white shirt and a dark tie. The sleeves of his suit were neat, his appearance polished without a single flaw. Everything about him looked controlled and intentional.
Then walked in his Personal Assistant, Advisor, and also best friend, Felix Gray. "It's your wedding today, Damien. Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Felix asked his best friend who was still deeply focused in the document he was holding. "Don't tell me you won't be attending your own wedding." Felix asked a bit surprised.
"This marriage is a business transaction between two families. Why hold a wedding for it." Damien replied dropping the document he was holding aside, and picking the next. "It is a marriage contract but since they held a wedding, you as the groom needs to be there." Felix added trying to persuade him. "I don't think that's necessary. It's a business and I intend to treat it that way." "How?" Felix asked. "As my assistant, your Job is to assist me with unimportant things. So, you'll be attending in my stead." He replied.
Felix was speechless for a few moments. It was his first time listening to something this ridiculous. "Have you thought about how the bride might feel? How embarrassing this might be for her family? And what about the guest who took time out of their busy schedule to attend the wedding?" "I don't think that's right, Damien" Felix advised. And for he first time since they started this conversation, Damien rose his head giving Felix a cold stare. "I never asked for advise Mr. Gray, this is an order from a boss to his Personal Assistant." "I'm your advisor Damien. You never listen do you?" Felix asked. Damien sighed, got up from his chair and walked towards Felix. He stood next to him. The room was silent for almost a minute, only the ticking sound of a clock could be heard.
"I've always listened and followed your advices. I just don't think they is a need for me to show my face to the world. All for an arranged marriage and a bride who I barely even know." "Plus, I have a meeting with the shareholders this afternoon and it can't be shifted. So please help me take care of the wedding." He patted Felix on the shoulder and walked back to his seat. Felix nodded, took a bow and left.
Damien Crew was the kind of man people spoke about in lowered voices.
A ruthless billionaire CEO in his mid-20s, he ruled his empire with a cold, steady mind. To him, emotions had no place in business, and business was all that mattered. Every second of his time was planned, used, and turned into profit. He didn't believe in wasting time especially not on things he considered meaningless.
Like love.
To Damien, love was nothing but a distraction. A weakness. Something that slowed people down and made them lose focus. He had seen what emotions could do, how they made people careless, how they ruined decisions. And he refused to let that happen to him.
Money, power, control. Those were the things he valued. His expression was always calm, almost unreadable, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that made people nervous. He didn't raise his voice to command respect. He didn't need to. His presence alone was enough to make people straighten up. He was strict, calculating, and always ten steps ahead.
In his world, there was no room for feelings. Only results.
Agreeing to the marriage between him and Lilibeth Hitler, arranged by the two family was because, Lilibeth was a famous Model known to go global soon and he plans on benefiting something from it. Marrying her would come in handy. He could use her fame to establish more grounds globally for his business. The Hitlers also own the largest publication and advertisment company more than two Countries too. Her family gets to handle all their advertisment contracts, and she gets to bare the title of Mrs. Crew.
To him it was a Win-Win situation.
********************
The board meeting took way longer than usual.
The air in the room had grown heavy, thick with tension as the shareholders sat around the long polished table. Quiet murmurs had long faded, replaced by a deep, uncomfortable silence. No one dared to speak unless necessary.
At the head of the table sat Damien Crew.
His posture was straight, his expression calm, but his eyes were sharp as they moved from one person to another. A file lay open in front of him, untouched for the past few minutes. One of the shareholders cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his seat. "Mr. Crew, with all due respect, the new investment..."
"Is failing," Damien cut in smoothly, his voice low but firm. The man immediately fell silent.
Damien leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingers tapping once against the table before going still again. "You've all had weeks to present something worthwhile," he continued, his gaze steady. "Instead, I'm looking at losses, excuses, and poor decisions."
No one moved. No one spoke. The tension tightened.
Another shareholder tried to speak, his voice careful. "We believed it was a safe direction..."
"You believed," Damien said, his tone colder now, "without proper analysis." The words landed hard. He leaned forward this time, resting his arms lightly on the table. "Let me make this clear," he said, his voice calm but carrying enough weight to silence the entire room. "I don't run this company on beliefs. I run it on results." A few heads lowered.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
Damien's eyes moved across the room one last time before he closed the file in front of him with a quiet but final sound. "This meeting," he said, standing up smoothly, "is not over until I see a solution." And just like that, no one dared to leave.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on his phone lighting the screen. It was a message Felix.
[MR. CREW, THERE'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM. YOUR BRIDE RAN AWAY WITH HER LOVER...]