The CEO Darkest Secret

Inside Dowins' Multimillion Dollar Mansion. "Son, I've spoken to Mr. Ben Douglas about the business proposal, and he has sealed it to establish our company in the state." "Okay, father," came the calm response of Ephraim, as he sat in the study room with his father, away from his stepmother and stepsiblings' view. Ephraim was a light-skinned man, very handsome and attractive, as he resembled his late mother so much. The Dowins mansion is a two-story multimillion dollar mansion, and his father, Mr. Anthony Dowins, was a 60-year-old man. "Son, that's aside. Next month, April is your birthday, and I want you to get married." "No, father. Marriage isn't on my list," Ephraim stood up abruptly. "Why, son?" Mr. Anthony asked in surprise. "Father..." Ephraim sighed, and he stared away. "I have to be somewhere now, father, as I already told you about this before. I have a business meeting to attend in France, a one-week business meeting actually, and I will be back before my birthday date arrives, since you want me to celebrate it here with you." Ephraim's brows knotted, and Mr. Anthony stood up from the executive black chair that he previously sat on. He placed a hand across Ephraim's shoulder and said, "I can understand you, son. But you should always put your family first. Sometimes I wish the incident that made you lose your mother never occurred, as she was everything to me. I married Anna all because I wanted you to have a mother, a complete family, and to have both parents, but I guess I was wrong. I shouldn't have, but should have kept to my vow to your mother." "Hmm... It's okay, father. All that is in the past now. I need to be on my way, as the flight would take off this afternoon." Ephraim said. "All right, son. Give me a call when you reach there and settle down. Let me at least know that you're alright." "Okay, father," Ephraim replied, and he walked to exit the study room door, while his father stood beside the study table where they had their private meeting as father and son. Mr. Anthony called, "Ephraim..." "Yes, father," Ephraim paused as he stared back at his father. "Ensure that you tell your mother that you're leaving the house before you exit the house." "Hmm..." Ephraim didn't speak a word, and he opened the door and walked out of his father's private office, which was also his father's study room. Stepping out into the passage on the second floor, as Ephraim's room was up above on the third floor, Ephraim collided with his stepbrother, Maxuel Dowins, as Maxuel was six years younger than Ephraim. "Watch where you're going too, brother!" Maxuel cussed, and Ephraim knew that Maxuel and his mother never liked him. Well, Ephraim couldn't say the same for Linda, and so he adjusted his white suit properly that Maxuel had touched from them colliding with each other. He walked away and made his way out through the corridor and went downstairs to the first floor, where his stepmom, Anna Dowins, stood. A woman of mischievous plots and twists, as Ephraim knew that Anna never liked him and only pretended whenever she saw his father around. Mrs. Anna Dowins was a 50-year-old woman, and she had married Ephraim's father barely one year after he lost his mother to an unforgettable incident. Ephraim wanted to walk past Mrs. Anna and pretend like he didn't see her, as she was dressed in a green long gown, and having her black wig packed behind her head, and her long eyelashes blinked at him as she stared at him scornfully. "Ephraim, how rude of you to wake up and just want to exit the house without saying hello to your own mother?" "Hmm," Ephraim paused and he met eyes with Linda too, who smiled at him and greeted him first, "Good morning, brother." "Morning, Linda. Good morning, madam," Ephraim immediately walked away and didn't wait for Mrs. Anna to respond, as he didn't like Mrs. Anna either. Mrs. Anna was fair like his late mother, and he had heard that she was also his mother's best friend too. But Ephraim wondered how a woman who claimed to be his late mother's best friend would jump so quickly to marry her late friend's husband. It was all his fault, and he knew it. Ephraim hardly trusted anyone, and because of that, he didn't have any bodyguards nor a personal driver, despite the fact he was a billionaire and yet he drove himself downtown by himself, not caring about his safety or being robbed or kidnapped. He was ruthless, a trained fighter, and he fought squarely with criminals and snatched their guns away to shoot them. He was dangerous, and even armed men feared him, as his golden eyes burned at his enemies. Ephraim was unique, and he knew this, as a lot of ladies drooled over him. They gushed at him whenever they saw him, but Ephraim hated that as he didn't like being admired. He was a ruthless beast and could crack his enemies' bones, but nonetheless, he was brilliant, a hard worker, and also very intelligent and worked smart. Ephraim strode to his Prado Jeep parked in their garage, and he inserted his hand into his trouser side pocket to search for his car keys. Realizing he had forgotten his car keys inside their mansion and in his bedroom above on the third floor, Ephraim sighed and stared back at the magnificent two-story building mansion that he hated the most. He wanted to park out before, but his father refused and always reminded him that family comes first, except he was married. Ephraim breathed out his anger and he walked back to the mansion, but arriving at the executive mansion frontage, Maxuel stepped out again and he smiled at Ephraim, as Maxuel walked towards his own car and dropped his briefcase in there. Maxuel was 24 years old, but one wouldn't know, as Maxuel resembled Ephraim too, even as Ephraim was older. Maxuel was light-skinned too, and all of them resembled their father a bit, and Ephraim hated that, as his late mom and father kind of resembled each other after years of living together as a couple. Ephraim didn't like the fact that their father also asked him to mentor Maxuel and teach him all he needed to know in building their company together. Dowins Multimillion Dollar Group, where they had a lot of foreign partners involved in the creation of digital gadgets like laptops, phones, and other electronic devices used by individuals in their country. Ephraim went back into the mansion, and his father was already downstairs in the living room with his stepmom and Linda, as it was still early in the morning. "Son... You're back!" asked Mr. Anthony Dowins. "Yes, father. I forgot my car keys upstairs and I have to go up and get it now," Ephraim said. "But Maxuel already left the house just now. Didn't you see him leaving? You could have followed Maxuel in his car." Mr. Anthony said. "No, father. My car key is upstairs. Let me go and get it first." Ephraim replied. "Alright, son," Mr. Anthony sighed, as Ephraim left. When Ephraim returned, Mr. Anthony spoke. "Ephraim..." "Yes, father..." Ephraim stopped and stared at his father again. "Have you eaten your breakfast this morning?" "No, father, I'm not hungry," Ephraim wanted to walk out, but Mr. Anthony called him back. "Son. Come join us for breakfast first, as there's still time and besides, I still have something to say to you that I forgot to remind you about..." "Hmm..." Ephraim sighed, and he walked back to the dining room and sat down. "That's alright, son. We can start eating now," Mr. Anthony spoke, and a maid approached Ephraim and served his tea to his front view in a small teacup with two slices of bread kept. And after breakfast, as Ephraim didn't waste much of his time, Mr. Anthony spoke, "Son, why not let Alex drive you to the airport since you are leaving? Or if you took the car along with you now... Who will bring it back?" "That's right, father. I wanted to head to the company first, but since Maxuel had gone there, then there's no need for that." Ephraim said. "Hmm. So about what I wanted to say..." Mr. Anthony started. "Father, that can wait," Ephraim spoke, as he didn't like for his stepmom to listen to any conversation about him. "No, son. It cannot. It's about the business proposal I spoke to you about earlier that has been sealed. You're to marry Mr. Ben's daughter," Mr. Anthony spoke.