The best candidate

Meanwhile, back at the Levetis  Hotel in Ruwan It is really lively in here 

The famous Abbey Family of Ruwan is receiving applications from men to find the very best man to marry Their granddaughter Abbey Jane and this attracted a lot of attention. Jane is seated in one of the function rooms, clenching her little pink fists, her eyes red and feeling utterly bullied. Her mother, Abbey Marie, is standing on one side, face redder from excessive anger.

Harry! She yelled, "this is absolutely not good for her, these men are surely up to no good! If you're still a man then stop them, go and reject this bullshit!".

She shrieked, " you mean you're just going to sit here and watch them destroy our daughter's happiness?" all in the name of trying to find the right man for her.

Cut the crap and the foolish talk of finding her a perfect husband, it's all bullshit can't you see?

Marie has never believed they were so kind.

The Abbey started off as a small shop, and within sixteen years, they had bloomed far and became an empire, a third tier wealthy family in Ruwan. The head of the Abbey family, Abbey Malcom became an example of a successful entrepreneur who started from nothing. Malcom had three sons; Abbey Smith, Abbey Lyon and Abbey Harry.

Abbey Smith had taken over most of the family businesses and has full control of them, Abbey Harry is in charge of expanding the family's business in different cities but Harry was involved in a ghastly motor accident and lost both legs and so he could only sit at home and is later looked upon by his brothers.

Smith and Lyon had persuaded their father to set up a search party to find a husband for Harry's daughter, and they even guaranteed to find an excellent man for Jane.

The whole idea turned out to be pointless. All the candidates found were nobodies or so they thought.

One of them was even older than Jane by fifteen years and had a bad history of drugs and mental illness.

This wasn't  a good plan, this is definitely not finding a good husband for Jane, this is a ploy to humiliate her and destroy her future.

Harry's face was all red and filled with furry. He was as angry as his wife but he didn't dare to go against his father's wishes. He knows Malcolm's temperament- he always made the final decision with no one daring to oppose. There was literally nobody in the family who could go against what he wanted to do.

" She's his granddaughter, so he won't do anything bad to her".He muttered this after taking a long while to process the situation in his mind.

He was embarrassed but couldn't do much to stop the decision.

Marie was bitter and angry at the man she called a husband. To her he is nothing but a weakling. pointing a finger at Harry crying and kicking as she shouted to his face.

" How did I ever marry a weakling like you?"

She is frustrated and so is her husband.

She knew very well that her husband is a very devoted and loyal son who is always obedient to his father. After becoming handicapped, he became even more vulnerable and gullible and dared not to go against his father's decisions at all.

But regardless of which man he chooses for Jane as a husband to marry into the family, this matter will still ruin her life forever.

The family was going to become a source of ridicule in the whole of Ruwan.

Marie sobbed miserably as she shouted at Harry, Jane cried quietly, while Harry could only grib his numb thighs showing how much he blamed himself and how helpless he was in this situation.

" Mum do not shout at Dad anymore" Jane finally squeezed a smile out but there were tears stains on her beautiful face.

" Perhaps grandpa might find me a really good man".

Of course she knows this was the plan of her uncle's. To marry her off just to anybody. They didn't care if he was a sycophant or a criminal.

After she graduated from the university ahe immediately began working for the Abbey group of companies, she had outstanding performance in her two years working with the company, overtaking their children easily. They are scared that she might fight for control over all the assets and businesses and so they instigate her grandfather to find some man who is willing to marry her out of the family. This way she would lose access to her eligibility to take over the business.

She knew this, her parents knew this too but none could fight back or even disregard the decision.

In the Abbey's family, nobody dares to go against grandpa Malcolm's decision. His orders were final.

 The Chime clock rang twice and Jane got up.

" Let's go,'' she said to her parents. ``If we keep grandpa waiting for too long, he would scold us again.''

Harry felt bitter and helpless when he saw Jane trembling slightly. He dared not look at his wife's begrudging face. 

He knew it was hard on them to stay in the family, but at least they didn't have to worry over their living expenses. If they were eventually chased out, what were they to do then?.

In the main hall of the hotel, the entire hall was brightly lit and all the guests had arrived.

Grandpa Malcom was seated gently in front, dressed in an exclusively made grey suit holding a walking stick and his face glowing.

"Congratulations Mr. Abbey"

Congratulations Mr Abbey, you've gained a son in law".  

All the guests were beginning to take turns in Congratulating Grandpa Malcom.

"Dad it's about time to make the announcement" said..Smith, in a cool whisper.

 Smith Abbey was standing next to him, his large and burly figure looked imposing.

He looked over at Lyon who was not seated too far away, and announced in a loud voice,

 " we have the results here and I have carefully selected the most outstanding and promising young man among the applicants ".

The most outstanding and promising man? he thought to himself. He knew in his heart that the wonderful son in-law that had just chosen was the worst and most horrible among all the other applicants.

" This one apparently had one hidden character issue and deep secrets".

 But as long as Jane is married to him, then she would definitely have nothing to do with the family business.

Grandpa would definitely never allow anything that belonged to the Abbey family to land in the hand of someone with a different surname.

"Everyone!"

Grandpa stood up. Everyone looked over the moment he spoke. 

"Tonight I would like to formally announce the man we have carefully chosen for my granddaughter, Jane Abbey".  

When she heard the voice Jane trembled a little, she looked up at her grandfather. He had never seemed concerned about her since she was born and even how she would get married to this unknown man doesn't bother him at all because she is a girl.

Now he was going to choose a husband for her and make decisions that would affect her for the rest of her life.

Jane took a deep breath , heavily, she was angry and frustrated and she almost opened her mouth to protest, but suddenly she saw Harry seated on his wheelchair shaking his head at her, begging her with his eyes.

So she didn't say anything. She just held her breath.

" Ladies and gentlemen, after a short selection process by our family, we have chosen among the ten wonderful applicants the best man suitable to take Jane as his wife. I hope everyone here will bless the new couple and wish them well" her father ended his speech.

With this there was a loud applause in the hall. To Jane, this applause was mocking her or even pitying her.

Her eyes were turning bloodshed red, and she struggled to keep her tears from rolling down. She kept her cool.

"Dad here is the man," she says…