Selfish Dad!

Keenan immediately sat down in his swivel chair. He exhaled sharply as he thought about the fate of Sharlynn, who had been abused by the father who was supposed to protect her.

"You want to talk to me about something serious?" Richie's voice, which had just entered the office, broke Keenan's reverie.

He stared at the figure of a handsome man with a strong and dashing body in front of him. At first glance, he thought his niece was not wrong in choosing a replacement husband, considering Richie's skillful actions in protecting the Kaufman family.

"Seriously, sit down," Keenan said, pointing to the chair before him.

Richie complied, pulling up the chair before his master and throwing his buttocks back slightly with apprehension.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Richie cautiously. "Is there an out-of-town mission I have to go on today?"

Richie's barrage of questions distracted the subject he was trying to change. But Keenan was not concerned.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about," Keenan replied. "It's about Sharlynn. Without prolonging our discussion. I want you to take my niece up on her offer."

Richie's head was pounding. This was what he feared, Keenan's request that he could not possibly accept.

"Sir, I'm sorry in advance. But I have already..." Richie's sentence was cut off.

"Only a contract marriage," Keenan replied. "I want you to protect her while she returns what is rightfully hers. Once Sharlynn has everything she has, you can decide what path your contract marriage will take in the future."

"I'm sorry, sir. I cannot accept your offer this time. Marriage is no joke. We don't have feelings. Again, I'm sorry," Richie refused firmly.

Keenan gently massaged his head. Richie's refusal seemed to make him desperate. Only Richie could be counted on, and he couldn't find another man he didn't trust to offer Sharlynn.

"You're my only hope. If you refuse, I don't know which man to propose to my niece," Keenan whispered.

"You are a person of great business influence. I suggest you offer Miss Sharlynn to the son of your business partner," Richie suggested, making Keenan raise his head to look at him.

"You're right. Thanks for the suggestion; you can go now," Keenan said, half-shooing Richie out of his room.

Richie could breathe a sigh of relief to hear his master accept his proposal so easily. He got up and left the room immediately.

Keenan reluctantly searched his business partner's family for the right match. However, he was curious whether these men were the best for Sharlynn.

***

The Eisenhauer family villa.

Heinz, Odette, and Rolanda were already seated in their respective chairs in the dining room. That night, the two cunning women seemed happy not to see Sharlynn at the table.

"Where is Sharlynn? What happened to her? Did you call her to join us in the dining room?" Heinz asked the butler.

"I called for Miss Sharlynn, but she said she was feeling lazy and wanted her dinner delivered to her room-" The butler's sentence was cut short when someone called her name.

"I'm sorry, I changed my mind. It would be more comfortable to join us for dinner in the dining room," Sharlynn said as she pulled up a chair next to her father with a smile. As her uncle had told her, she could not be weak and had to keep an intense expression.

"I believe my daughter would never refuse her father's request," Heinz, her father, chuckled.

Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on the lips of Odette and Rolanda. I wondered what they were up to.

"Oh, Sharlynn, in three days, Julian and I are getting married. You should be there for our wedding." Odette's smile looked fake. Sharlynn's heart squeezed so hard that she involuntarily clenched her hands.

"Of course, I will be at your wedding. Didn't I tell you that you two are very compatible," Sharlynn replied with a forced smile.

"Of course, they are very compatible. That's why Julian decided to marry Odette," Rolanda said proudly.

Sharlynn continued to try to control her emotions. She could not afford to lose the battle over Julian's whereabouts.

"Yes, you're right, the two are very compatible. A traitor and a usurper. Both hypocrites and good on the outside but evil on the inside," Sharlynn quipped, silencing Odette and Rolanda.

"Sharlynn! Watch your mouth!" Heinz shouted, startling his daughter. "Daddy has decided to marry you off to Albert, the son of Daddy's business partner!"

Sharlynn wrinkled her forehead and shook her head vigorously. She was very familiar with the man her father had mentioned.

"Albert? No! I'm not marrying a man like that!" Sharlynn vehemently refused.

"Don't argue with me!" Heinz said, making Sharlynn hate her father even more.

The girl pursed her lips and wanted to hit Heinz, but she remembered he was her father. Meanwhile, a triumphant smile was printed on the faces of mother and daughter, who had a cunning nature.

"Tonight, you will go with Albert to prepare everything. Your father's wedding will join Julian and Odette's," Heinz continued. Sharlynn's tongue was hanging out; she couldn't argue with her father then.

"Daddy, why are we both getting married at the same time? I want my wedding to be truly holy!" Odette protested. Rolanda elbowed his daughter's arm to stop her from protesting. After all, the Eisenhauer family's money was used for the massive party.

Not long after, a man's voice entered the dining room. Heinz greeted him happily.

Albert, a tall man with blond hair and gray eyes, asked permission to take Sharlynn to dinner outside the mansion.

Sharlynn hated the way the man looked at her. But she couldn't argue with her father. At least she planned to escape to the middle of the road.

*

In the car. It was quiet. Sharlynn only said a little except to answer Albert's questions now and then. Out of the corner of her eye, the girl saw Albert's gaze, which was so wild and seemed to desire the body of the young woman of the Eisenhauer family.

"Where shall we eat?" Albert asked.

"I don't know either. It's not my wish. My father insisted," Sharlynn replied curtly.

Albert smiled wryly, not knowing what was going through his mind. It was as if using the girl next to him to answer was a great opportunity for him.

"Okay, don't blame me if I take you somewhere," Albert whispered, which Sharlynn could still hear. The girl began to sense that something was wrong.

The streets of Berlin were quiet at night, especially at specific points, and no other vehicles were passing by.

Sharlynn, beginning to feel that the atmosphere was not right, looked out the car's side window. Her nerves scanned every street they passed.

"This is the way to Checkpoint Charlie. Why are we going there?" asked Sharlynn worriedly. "Drop me off here! I'll take a taxi home!"

"You said whatever, so I'm taking you to a place where we can have fun," Albert replied with a mischievous grin.

"Albert, stop, I said!" forced Sharlynn, who the man ignored. At first glance, there was a car behind the one Albert was driving, staring suspiciously. Its direction of travel was zigzagging. The vehicle continued to follow Albert's car until it reached the end of Checkpoint Charlie.

The adrenaline in Sharlynn's body began to race. The girl stiffened and began to sweat. Albert's wild stare disgusted her.

She shifted her seat until her back was pressed against the glass window. His hands began to roam around, touching and ruffling the hem of Sharlynn's dress.

"Impertinent!" Sharlynn rebelled and continued to push away Albert's touch.

"If I don't touch you, I won't marry you, pretty lady," Albert grinned.

"Stop!" Sharlynn cried hysterically. But suddenly, she felt tight as her neck was strangled until she could hardly breathe.

Sharlynn resisted and closed her eyes as Albert tried to bring his lips together with Sharlynn's luscious lips.

The girl started to surrender, but as she remembered Keenan's message, the smell of nicotine and alcohol wafted around her face.

BRAK! BRAK! BRAK!

The banging sound coming from right next to Sharlynn made Albert step back. He saw the silhouette of someone behind the windshield.

Sharlynn straightened up, staring and pounding alternately on the side glass of the car.

"Help! Please get me out of this car!" Sharlynn begged, sobbing as she pounded on the windshield.