Chapter 1 Prologue - TommáZ Walker

Tommáz Walker This meeting was the last thing I wanted to happen, but I couldn’t avoid it any longer, even with a close friendship with the Carters. I was feeling a bit pressured by Henrique, and especially by Laís, sitting in front of me at that moment. Amélie was quieter than usual, and I knew she’d eat the one kidney I had left as soon as she got the chance. "It’s the best we can do, Tom. Just visualize it!" Henrique said, trying to persuade me. "With the fortune you have, Ella and Leo are vulnerable to kidnappings." My wife held my hand as I looked at the mafia couple who had helped us when we needed support and assistance the most. I’m grateful to them, and to the Russian woman who, unfortunately, isn’t here with us today. I remember that summer vacation when she brought her children to visit Paris and meet mine! Faína and Hugo ended up becoming the couple no one ever imagined would happen. "Henrique, how can I accept this?" Amélie began. "How can a mother let her daughter get involved in all of this?" she whispered. My wife had never shown any fear toward our friends, but the thought of tying our little princess to Leon was enough to rob Amélie of peace for hours, even days. "Amélie, I know it’s scary, but I raised a good man, and I give you my word, he will never hurt Ella!" Laís said, trying to persuade my wife, who still seemed reluctant. Amélie shook her head and shifted beside me on the couch. Henrique looked uncomfortable too, he knew just how strongly my wife opposed this idea. But I was following the advice of my late grandmother, who saw in this union a strong and protected empire. And Laís, a woman who loves control and is always orchestrating things in her mind, was firmly set on this union. Unfortunately for them, Amélie was still fearful , especially after everything that happened in recent years, and the unnecessary suffering some of Laís’s family friends went through without any help from them. "Tell me the truth, Laís. What are you planning? Why my daughter? It could’ve been any other heiress!" Amélie finally asked the question that had bothered her for years. Laís stood from the chair in front of us and invited her to sit on a sofa in the back of the room. I watched as they talked more quietly and turned to look at Henrique. "The idea was always Laís’s. I just make my wife’s wishes come true. If she wants this marriage, I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen," he said with the same look I wear when I think about my masked one. I stood and called Henrique over to the bar near the glass wall, pouring us each a good scotch. "Will my daughter be safe with Leon?" I asked directly. My daughter is my princess. She and her mother have me wrapped around their fingers , and I love indulging the two queens of my house. "Leon is being trained to lead my empire and, by his mother, to know how to run a household. He’s bold in business and a wonderful son." What he told me didn’t give me peace of mind. "I’m still not very excited, Henrique. I’m sorry, but giving my daughter away like this, without love, is something I’m struggling to accept," I said. His hand came to my shoulder, and for a moment, his face turned somber, something completely different from the man I knew. "Marriage is a business deal in our world, Tommáz. But the four of us here know that those four like each other, don’t we?" He smiled in defeat. Because it was true. Ella, at nineteen, was already in college and about to start her internship at Miller. She truly was in love with our friends’ son. But Amélie had been holding the reins of that relationship. "Done. I convinced the one who actually runs all of this," Laís said behind me. I turned toward the woman who controls half the world and saw Amélie with a slightly calmer face, though still far from thrilled. "So, how do you want to do this?" she asked. I looked from one to the other. Laís walked slowly toward her husband, who wrapped an arm around her waist. With my free hand, I squeezed my wife’s shoulder, she seemed to relax a little more beside me. "Have her sign the marriage papers. Don’t even say anything. I believe she’s supposed to start her internship in about a year, right?" Laís asked. I looked at our friend’s wife, unable to believe she had just suggested the dumbest idea a businesswoman could make. "Laís, I’m a businessman. I’ve told them since they were little never to sign anything without reading it first," I said. Henrique started laughing and drank the rest of his drink. He set the glass on the small side table, still smiling , probably already thinking of a thousand ways to pull off this scheme. "I’m sure you’ll figure something out," he said, returning to the couch. "In a year, send her to Chicago. Tell her it’s to study or something like that. Leon will already be there, ready to win her over. Leave the rest to fate." I looked at my wife. Amélie was still tense, but we owed our lives to these two. I didn’t even have the courage to refuse them anything. And knowing only a part of Laís’s ideas, the ones she had shared with Amélie, we agreed to put the plan into motion so that our daughter would eventually join the company. As the days passed, I brought Ella to the company to sign a few documents regarding her university and a course we had talked about for her to take in Chicago. With the support of my parents, we managed to convince her to spend a season in Chicago. "Sweetheart, I need you to sign this quickly. I have to send it now, and your mother is waiting for us!" I saw my wife’s blue eyes reflected in my daughter. Ella had grown into a beautiful woman. She was the same height as Amélie, and her blonde hair made her a perfect copy of her mother. Only her brother had inherited some of my features. But my princess was stunning, and I was sure Leon would worship the ground she walked on , not just because of her beauty, but because we had given them time to fall in love. Letting them get to know each other from a young age had been one of our best decisions, even though, at first, Amélie had been more afraid than anything else. My daughter looked at me with trust, and I felt a tightness in my chest for deceiving her like this. I handed her the folder, watching as she signed the documents that made her Ella Walker-Miller Carter. Ella smiled, closed the folder, and handed me the pen. I smiled back and took a deep breath. Now, it was up to fate for my princess to grow into the queen our friends hoped for. And most of all, for her to accept Leon as her husband , though honestly, it would’ve been easier for him to come here and make the relationship official than go through with this whole setup. But that part was still a secret between me and my wife. Why couldn’t they just start dating like any normal teenager?