Love is useless.

At least, to me, it's always been useless. What's the point in pouring your heart out to someone only to become strangers all over again? I've watched my friends, my parents and even my grandparents go through the heart-wrenching process of divorce, a break-up, lovers to strangers; the whole works.

I promised myself that I would never let myself go through the same pain. So I rejected every suitor that came my way, always using the same excuses.

"I'm sorry, I'm focusing on my studies/career right now."

"I'm not interested in dating right now."

"Sorry, you're not my type."

Over the past few years, they worked incredibly well. My friends and co-workers always told me I was giving up on something before I even gave it a chance. My family never cared about what I did with my life, so long as I kept sending them money.

The only one who had anything to say was my sister-in-law Kelsey. She's my older brother Gino's wife. She's always been under the impression that having a successful love life was the only way to be fulfilled.

She would drone on about it all the time, trying to score points with Grandma Rosie whenever she invited the entire family over for her monthly dinners.

I wasn't stupid either. She knew Grandma Rosie was big on family, so she made it her business to show off hers at every family gathering.

She would encourage my nephew, Aiden, to show off his family portraits, good grades and extracurricular activities. At first, it seemed innocent enough but when she started making pointed comments towards me was when I noticed something was wrong.

That brings us here, to this very moment. Grandma Rosie's lawyer, Mr. Hanks sat in the living room on her favourite chair. He was a gaunt looking man with pale, wrinkled skin, a receding hairline with thin, grey wisps of hair peppering his crown.

His thin frame was dressed in an official looking grey suit which accentuated the curve on his back.

I sat on a single chair, beside me on the love seat was Gino, Kelsey and Aiden. My parents declined to attend as Grandma Rosie made it clear to them that she would not leave them a dime, and they were excommunicated from the family years ago.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Hanks greeted.

"Good day, Mr. Hanks," Kelsey responded readily.

The gaunt man smiled politely before quickly opening Grandma Rosie's will.

"These documents are legally binding, signed by the deceased who was of sound mind at the time," he announced with a steady voice, "I have stated before that none of my estate is to be given to my ungrateful son Harold or his ex-wife Bianca. My daughter, Vivian as well as my other son George shall also not receive a dime as they abandoned me in the past few years.

To my Grandson Gino and his darling wife Kelsey I leave a trust of 5 million dollars. Use this to build yourselves and take care of my great-grandson Aiden.

As for my dear, Gia, I leave my estate and all properties required over my lifetime, as well as, my company and all the contents of my bank accounts which adds up to over 500 million. You are the most responsible of all my current living descendants, I trust you know what to do with this inheritance."

My eyes widened as Mr. Hanks stopped talking. An eery silence settled around the room as we all soaked in the information.

Kelsey's head turned sharply, sending daggers at me through her muddy brown eyes, "What did you do? There's no way Grandma Rosie would leave everything to you."

Gino just stared at me emotionlessly while little Aiden looked around with an adorable confused face. The accusation sat heavily in the air.

"I didn't do anything," I mumbled, pulling at the hem of my skirt.

Before Kelsey could say anything else Mr. Hanks said something that left us all stunned.

"There is a clause here, Gia, if at the time of this reading you still have not been married you will have 14 days to find a suitable match from suitors I've picked out for you. Failure to complete my last request will result in Gino taking over the company."

It was like my breath was suddenly knocked out of me. Kelsey smirked triumphantly, snickering under breath while I tried to process what I just heard.

Why would Grandma Rosie do this to me?

I looked up at the lawyer. He gave me a sympathetic smile and held out a folder. I looked at the label and sighed. In big red letters, it read:

SUITORS.

...****************...

Helen Peters, sat across from me. Her face was red as she tried to hold in her laughter. I would know, she's been my best friend since high school.

"So," she sang mischievously, "Grandma Rosie went boyfriend hunting for you before she died?"

I groaned and dropped my head on the table. The restaurant we met at was a high end one, boasting high columns, artistic stained-glass windows and wide arches. It had a rustic feel to it, like an old Spanish architecture. Cream walls added to its appeal.

It's a place we've been to many times on our transit to and from the University. It was usually our comfort place, but today it did little to calm the storm going on inside me.

I raised my head, peering directly at Helen's green eyes that were shining with mirth. She snickered, passing a hand through her brown, chin length hair.

"Come on, Gia, you have to see the funny side to this."

"There is no funny side, Helen," I snapped, "I just don't understand why Grandma Rosie felt the need to put me through this."

Helen shrugged, drawing out another groan from me. After the will was read, I immediately called her. I didn't even change out of my grey pencil skirt and white blouse. She was already here when I arrived and when I told her my predicament, she started laughing. And not the quiet, rich girl laugh I was accustomed to—oh no—but a loud, belly bursting witch cackle that I've only ever heard once when Kelsey had fallen from the second floor steps back in high school.

"Okay, not funny," she chuckled, "but did you even get a good look at these suitors?"

I slammed the folder onto the table. The noise cut through the peaceful atmosphere, attracting a few disapproving stares from the other patrons.

Helen's eyes scrolled over the big red letters before widening. Her previous amused expression dropped, and she slowly met my eyes. The severity of the situation finally kicked in.

"Damn, Gia. You really aren't kidding. Have you looked through them?"

Her question hung heavily in the air, adding weight to the daunting task ahead of me. I couldn't go through those pictures alone. Why did she think I called her? I shook my head in defeat.

Letting out a breath, my shaky hands finally ripped the seal. I let the big square photos glide onto the table. Helen immediately grabbed them, setting them out in two neat lines.

Six pairs of eyes peered up at us from the pictures. All six belonged to incredibly handsome men who looked like they came from distinguished families.

I could smell the money from here. Why would Grandma Rosie want me to marry from wealth when she's already left me a fortune.

A fortune that's at stake if you don't marry one of these men, Gia.

I sighed. Helen rolled her eyes. We looked at each other. A silent question went through her eyes before she gingerly picked up a portrait. Attached to it was a small, folded paper. Now that I think about it, all the portraits had that small, folded paper.

My best friend scanned over the man and his features before unfolding the paper. The soft sound of the edges passing against each other raised my anxiety.

"Alright, Gia. How about we get through this 1 man at a time. I presume you have to meet them, yes?"

I nodded mechanically, remembering the sealed letter that was given to me after the will reading. It had read:

My dear Gia,

If you are reading this, you have found my clause. I don't want you to just choose with just your eyes. I want you to meet those men, get to know them and choose one who you will be comfortable spending the rest of your life with. You may not understand why I'm doing this, but I assure you, it's for your own good.

Lots of luck dear,

Grandma Rosie.

Helen's eyes widened, an impressed look flashing through them, "This guy's name is Gregory Daniels. He's 26, 6 ft tall and the C.E.O of Hardin Enterprises. His hobbies are travelling the world with his yatch and throwing lavish parties."

She turned the portrait towards me and I took time to examine him. The first thing I noticed about him was his wide honey brown eyes that looked as if they'd once held hope, but now they were dull and lifeless.

He had a thin nose and thin pink lips. His hair was straight and wispy even though he'd tried to gel it back, away from his pale face. He had thick bushy eyebrows and the ears that weren't exactly big, but weren't exactly small either.

All in all he was a handsome young man, yet I couldn't help but notice none of his flaws were listed.

"So," Helen pushed, "What do you think?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, Hel. He seems so generic."

"Don't knock it till you try it, girly. Why don't I schedule a meet up for you two and let's see how it goes from there? I know this dating is new to you, but maybe Grandma Rosie's point was to get you out of your comfort zone."

I quite like my comfort zone, Helen. The words wanted to come out, but somehow they stayed stuck in my throat. Instead, I smiled and cautiously nodded.

What bad can one little date bring? I don't have to make a choice right away.

You have 14 days, Gia.

I groaned. The reminder bouncing around my head like a boomerang. It's better to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. I only need to get married to have my inheritance. Once everything is settled, I'll just get a divorce.

I squared my shoulders and gave my best friend a level stare, "Okay Helen, let's do this."

...****************...

Limelight Designs stood proudly in all her glory, almost touching the sky. I'd heard of grandma's company, but she never allowed me to visit. She always said that you never bring your home life to work and vice versa. She always believed in balance.

I stood in front of the company's entrance with my hands clutched together in front of me. The pristine white suit hugging my curvaceous frame suddenly felt improper. I looked down at my caramel coloured hands, lifting them to hastily pat my brown, curly hair which was slicked into a cute up do with a claw clip.

I sighed. What would they think of me? Do I actually look the part?

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I lifted my chin and confidently entered the company's wide glass doors to a huge light pink lobby. It was spacious, filled with luxury designer couches, a white fluffy carpet and pictures of my Grandma Rosie's designs.

I smiled. This was all mine now. I'd be damned if I let Gino's wife get her grubby little hands on it.

I walked up to the reception area, the curve desk shaped like a tilde catching my eye. So unique. The man at the reception looked up as soon as I was close enough.

He was fairly handsome with bright green eyes, a crooked nose and long locks slicked up into a man bun. He raised a singular, thick eyebrow at me.

"I'm Miss Jones," I smiled warmly, "The new C.E.O?"

The man scrunched his nose and gave me a once over, "You? I highly doubt that ma'am. Mrs Jones came in early this morning."

I chuckled nervously, reaching for my badge, "That's impossible. I'm here now."

The man rolled his eyes before trailing them back to his computer. He waved his hand at me as if to shoo me away, but I didn't. I held out my badge instead.

"This is my badge, sir. It clearly shows her that I am the C.E.O. Just—"

"Ma'am, that badge is clearly a fake. Mr. Jones and his wife are the only new C.E.Os I know about so unless you have the deceased Madam Rosie's signature stating you are the C.E.O, I will have to ask security to escort you out."

My jaw fell open. How did I not think that Kelsey would do something like this. I let out a ragged breath and turned my back to the man. He was so handsome now with that attitude. Why was he so rude?

I pulled out my phone, running through my contact list until I found the name I was looking for. Grandma Rosie had given me his number before she passed, insisting I'll know when to call him. I guess now is just that time.

Director Holmes' number rang only for a second before he answered.

"Gia Jones?" he asked stoically.

"Yes, Mr. Holmes. Grandma gave me your number."

"Ah, yes. Condolences to you and your family dear. I already know the situation at hand right now."

My eyes widened and my shoulders dropped slightly, a sort of relief washing over me.

"You do?" I whispered in amazement.

Director Holmes laughed bitterly, "Of course I do. Your brother and his mannerless wife are up here throwing a fit because they're not allowed in your office. You come right on up, my dear."

"But the receptionist—"

"Don't mind, Jordan. I'll deal with him. The elevator to the left leads to your office."

"Okay Mr. Holmes, thank you."

"No problem, little lady."

As the click of call ending rang in my ears, I swivelled on my heels and marched toward the elevator I'd been instructed to take. I caught Jordan glancing at me as I passed his desk, his face as white as a sheet ghost.

I guess Mr. Holmes' message got to him.

The elevator was just as fancy as the lobby. It was tall and wide enough to fit at least 10 people. Inside the walls were gold and pink and the floor was also carpetted.

It was a smooth ride upwards, and before I knew it the doors opened to the sight of Kelsey screaming at someone. The poor man looked like he was about to shit himself.

I marched toward the scene, pushing past my brother and his wife to stand beside the unknown man. He instantly cowered behind me as the shouting stopped. Kelsey shot me a murderous look. Gino, like always just started blankly.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, "We both know that you won't fulfill grandma's final wish. This company rightfully belongs to us!"

I blinked and smirked at her, "Kelsey, I should have known you'd pull a stunt like this."

She narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"Gia, please, just let Kelsey sit in, today," Gino begged.

I scoffed, "No, Gino. Grandma left the company to me."

I tuned to Kelsey, giving her a once over, "And as for you, I have a date later, so I'm at least one step closer to fulfilling grandma's request."

With that I entered my office and called security to escort my brother and his wife out.

...****************...