Chapter five

“Adam, you know I’m getting old… and so is your father,” she said, brushing back her neatly styled grey hair. “Just look at our silver strands! Time isn’t slowing down for anyone.”

Adam smirked, already sensing where this was headed.

“And you,” Nana said, pointing her finger at him. “You’re no longer the little boy who used to run through the halls barefoot, telling me about your school crushes. You’re thirty-two now. Thirty-two! And you’re still single.”

Adam groaned and leaned back in his chair. “Nana, not this talk again.”

“Yes,” she replied with a grin, “and again and again until you get the message.”

His father chuckled from behind his coffee mug. “We’re not getting any younger, son. It would be nice to have a grandchild or two before Nana moves to Florida permanently.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Can I at least finish my coffee before the matchmaking begins?”

Nana laughed. “Oh, you’re not escaping this time. I’m serious, Adam.”

She set her cup down and leaned in again, eyes locking on his. “A tall, successful, good-looking man like you? Still single? Are you still playing the field?”

Adam chuckled, brushing his hand through his hair. “No, Nana. I left that phase behind. I’m just… focused on work.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “You’ve been focused on work for ten years. What about life?”

He hesitated. Nana had always been his safe place. Her words, no matter how light-hearted, had a way of sinking deep into his bones.

Nana sighed. Her smile faded. “I didn’t just come here to tease you, Adam. I came because I’m tired. I might not have much time left. Before I go, I want to see you happy. Settled. I want to see your wedding.”

The weight of her words silenced him. His grin disappeared.

He looked down into his coffee, watching it swirl as if the answers were hidden there. “Nana…” he said softly.

She reached for his hand and squeezed gently. “You’re everything to me, Adam. You’ve done so well with the company. But that’s not all there is to life. You need someone. A partner. Love.”

He swallowed, feeling something tighten in his chest. It had been years since anyone told him something that real.

“I’ll think about it,” he said finally.

“Good,” Nana replied, giving his hand one more firm pat.

But just when he thought the conversation was over, she leaned back and said, “Actually, no. Thinking isn’t enough.”

Adam raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she said, straightening up, “you have one week. Seven days, Adam. Either you find a woman and bring her to me, or I will find one for you.”

He sat up straight. “You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious,” she replied. “If I pick her, you marry her. No excuses.”

His jaw dropped slightly. “Nana, it doesn’t work that way anymore.”

“It does when you’ve wasted ten years avoiding commitment,” she said. “You’re not a boy. You’re a man. A man who needs a wife.”

His father gave him a knowing look from across the room. “She’s not bluffing.”

Adam rubbed the back of his neck. For once, he felt trapped. Nana was lovely, but she didn’t throw empty threats. When she decided something, she meant it.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Seven days.”

Nana smiled, clearly satisfied. “That’s all I ask. But don’t think I don’t already have a list, just in case.”

At that moment, Miss Becky entered with a soft knock, pushing Nana’s wheelchair into the room. “Let’s get you back to your room, Mrs. Black,” she said kindly.

Nana nodded and allowed herself to be wheeled away, but not before shooting Adam one last knowing glance.

Adam leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the wall. A wife? In a week?

He exhaled slowly, eyes drifting to the garden outside the window. His thoughts spiraled. He had spent most of his adult life building his company, protecting his heart, keeping things simple. Casual relationships. No strings. No risks.

Love had always seemed messy. Dangerous. He’d seen it go wrong. Seen women pretend to love him just to get closer to his money, his name, his world. He learned to guard himself, shut people out, stay in control.

He poured himself another cup of coffee and walked outside onto the patio, hoping the fresh air would clear his mind. But the sun only warmed his skin; it didn’t ease the storm inside.

He thought about his childhood—how after his mom passed, everything changed. His dad became harder, colder. Nana had tried to fill the gap, but something inside him had closed off for good. Maybe that was why he never really let anyone in.

He ran his hand through his hair again and muttered, “A wife... in a week. What a joke.”

Later that evening, Adam sat in his home office, the house quiet around him. The day’s light had faded, and the silence felt louder than ever. He grabbed a sticky note and wrote two words in bold letters: Seven Days. He stuck it on the corner of his computer monitor.

The countdown had begun.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the note, his mind racing. Where would he even begin? Who could he trust? He hadn’t dated seriously in years. Most of his relationships had been casual, surface-level, nothing that ever lasted beyond a few months. Sometimes not even that long.

Women liked his money, his looks, his power. But none had looked at him and seen Adam—just Adam. The man behind the empire. Behind the walls.

His phone buzzed. A message from Alex: "Bro, drinks tomorrow? You sound tense."

Adam smiled faintly. He'd need to tell Alex. Maybe his best friend could help brainstorm. Or at least make him laugh.

He stood up, stretching. The stress of the day weighed on his shoulders, but the truth was sinking in. This wasn’t just about pleasing Nana. Deep down, he knew she was right. Something in his life was

missing.

He just didn’t know how to find it.

And he had seven days to figure it out.