There's no way I'm marrying a woman who displayed an even higher level of stupidity than I did five years ago!
He made a short list and waited for the housekeeper to arrive.
Not long after, there was a polite knock at the door.
"May I come in, sir?"
"Come in."
The elderly man entered carefully and closed the door behind him. "I heard you sent for me, sir?"
Chibuzor gestured to the chair opposite him, then handed over a sheet of paper with several names neatly written on it.
"I need you to investigate these women one by one, check for good character, likability, and traits of a proper wife."
He leaned back slightly. "Someone the elderly would approve of. Most importantly, she must not believe in love or marriage. And don't tell anyone about this, not even the women involved."
The housekeeper blinked. "..."
At that last instruction, he nearly choked on air.
How am I supposed to find a young woman mature enough for marriage, who doesn't believe in love or marriage, and still trick her into meeting you?
He sighed inwardly. This job is getting more impossible by the day.
Completely unaware of the man's mental suffering, Chibuzor continued calmly, "I'll be freeing my schedule to sign the marriage certificate with the lady by this day next week. It should be ready by then, right?"
The housekeeper, suppressing every scream in his heart, nodded mechanically, his head bobbing like a puppet. I could just find one of those women from the households of the Arinze family enemies… they'd surely fit the 'no love' condition perfectly.
---
Seven days later…
Chibuzor stood before his wardrobe, selecting a grey shirt with careful precision. Every item in his closet was arranged by color and occasion. He slipped it on, straightened the collar, and stared into the mirror with a look that could freeze fire.
He was ready, or at least pretending to be.
Today was his blind date.
He loved being neat and well prepared, so he had already practiced the words he intended to say, and of course, had a written contract ready, just in case words failed.
I can't believe it's come to this. I'm actually going to marry a woman I'm meeting for the first time today. Mtchww.
He arrived at the restaurant's private room, the agreed meeting point, and waited for his potential bride.
Meanwhile, Olaedo was still fighting the aftermath of her scandal. She had been juggling calls, reviewing documents, and snacking behind the wheel. By the time she pulled up to the restaurant, she was thirty minutes late.
I just hope the investor hasn't left.
A waiter guided her to the private room. She rushed in, guilt splashed across her face, quickly sliding her phone into her purse.
"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting, sir!"
Chibuzor looked up from his phone to see what kind of 'responsible' woman had kept him waiting half an hour. To him, that was a major red flag.
Wait, red flags are for people in love, right?
Since they weren't in love, he decided to let this one slide. He studied the woman before him, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
Olaedo, too, looked up, and froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. CEO Arinze! The investor is actually CEO Arinze!
When an elderly man had called her a few days ago, claiming someone wanted to invest in her company, she had assumed it was a joke. But at this point in her life, any joke about money was worth chasing until proven fake.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, God!
Seven minutes passed. The two CEOs just stared at each other, one trying to place where he had seen her before, the other silently performing cartwheels at her unexpected luck.
Meanwhile, the waitress who had come in to take their orders simply stood there, waiting.
What's wrong with these two? Is this the new way of negotiating business deals?
She sighed internally. Gosh, I really need to upgrade my knowledge.
Finally, the waitress cleared her throat.
"Ahem…"
Both CEOs blinked out of their thoughts at once. Chibuzor was the first to stand. "Good evening. My name is Chibuzor. May I know you?"
Olaedo rose politely, her smile calm and professional. "I'm Olaedo. Good evening, sir. I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting. I have no excuse."
Chibuzor nodded approvingly. Good manners.
His lips curved into a faint smile, softening the sharpness of his usual expression. He gestured toward the seat across from him and turned to the waitress. "We're sorry for keeping you standing this long."
The waitress waved her hands quickly. "No problem at all, sir. May I take your order?"
Chibuzor picked up two menus and handed one to Olaedo. "Order whatever you like. Don't be shy, it's my treat."
No, no, Mr. Money Bags, Olaedo thought, keeping her expression composed. I actually like being shy while ordering.
There was no way she was going to splurge on expensive dishes and leave a bad impression on this walking money tree.
She scanned the menu with care, selecting dishes that weren't exactly cheap but not outrageous either, the kind of meal an average family might save for a special occasion.
Ordering too little would seem ungrateful; ordering too much would seem greedy. So she struck the perfect middle ground.
They chatted politely while waiting for the food, keeping to surface level topics, business trends, charity events, weather. But once the food arrived, the conversation faded into silence.
Olaedo wasn't used to this kind of meal. At home, dinner was always a chaotic sport, her brothers arguing over football while food practically flew across the table.
Now she had to remember to chew with her mouth closed, to take measured bites, and not to stare too long at the bread basket.
Across from her, Chibuzor ate in calm, deliberate silence, each motion precise. He looked every bit the man he was rumored to be, aristocratic, disciplined, almost painfully elegant.
She glanced at him, sighing inwardly. Of course he eats like this. He's the big boss of rules and regulations. The general overseer of self control.