hate to admit it but he isn't particularly harsh on the eyes, so things could be worse.
"What am I doing here, Aurora?" he asks.
I find myself on my back foot right from the beginning. Instead of answering him right away, I turn my attention to the coffee that I had allegedly invited him in for.
"Do you take cream or sugar?" I ask.
"Both," he says and plops down on the couch.
He spreads himself out, draping his arms over the back, with his legs open wide. He's not the type to take up as little space as possible. He wants me to know that he is feeling comfortable and relaxed.
I make myself a black coffee and serve his cup on a tray with cream and sugar. I take a seat in the chair next to the couch. The cup feels nice against my cold skin, warming me from the outside in.
I take another long pause before opening my mouth to speak.
"I wanted to talk to you about the parameters of the deal," I say slowly but with great assurance.
I may be trembling on the inside, but I am nothing but cool and collected on the outside.
"What deal?"
"It has come to my attention that you are interested in marrying me. Is that true?"
"Yes, I am," he says, looking straight into my eyes.
"And you are interested in buying Tate Media?"
"Yes, I am."
"Is there any way that you would consider making an offer on the company that doesn't include me?"
"No, not at this point."
"Why is that?"
Franklin adjusts himself slightly but doesn't take up any less room.
"I need a wife and I think you would make a good one," he says with a smile, bringing the cup to his mouth.
"Why is that?"
"I like you."
"You don't know anything about me."
"I know what I know. I see what I see."
He has been cryptic on purpose. He knows nothing about me. Right?
"So, what exactly are the parameters of this deal?" I come back to my initial question.
"I don't know what you mean," he says.
"Well, what will I have to do? How do you see all of this playing out?"
"How do I see all of this playing out?" he asks, putting his cup on the table and leaning closer to me.
"I made your father a very generous offer for Tate Media. He takes it and all of his troubles go away, with the investors, with the investigators."
"Are you going to pay them off?" I ask.
"In so many words, you could say that. I'm going to pay the investors everything that he owes them and then some and they will make the case against him go away."
"What do you want in return for all of this generosity?"
"You. I want you by my side."
I shake my head. He leans over to me and says, "You're smart, much smarter than your parents give you credit for. I need a strong woman to keep me in line, and to help me grow Tate Media into what we both know it can be."
"And what is that exactly?"
"With OMS ruling the online world and capturing 60% of the millennials and generation Z, and Tate media controlling the traditional television market, we would be unstoppable."
"I know what Tate can offer you," I say. "Credibility, being the number one thing. What I don't understand is why you can't just make an offer to my parents that doesn't include me?"
"I'm not really sure," Franklin says, leaning back again, bending his leg and placing his ankle on his knee. "But the more that you resist, and the more of these little interactions that we have, the more certain I am that this is the right decision for me. You know all the ins and outs of the company –"
"That's not true," I interrupt him. "I don't know anything about it. I've worked there as an intern for one summer and then couldn't get out of there fast enough."
"And why is that?" he asks.
"Because of my parents. They were controlling and micromanaging every single moment of my life."
"Yes, I've dealt with some of that myself at OMS, so I know what you mean."
He is trying to connect with me, become my friend.
For now, I let him in.
If I want to play this game, and if I want to win, I need to know as much about him as he knows about me.
"How can you be so certain that the prosecutor will drop the case against my father?" I ask.
"He won't have any more witnesses after we pay back all of their