Monday—November 23th, 2020

After leaving his delusional friend to his own devices, Anthony felt his mind reeling. He told himself he had done enough warning Simon about the pressure to find a girl, but he had also neglected to say that the pressure had gotten the best of him. Him! Anthony Bridgerton had finally cracked.

Anthony sighed. He just wanted to be over with the judgmental looks he received down the halls of BCorp every time he was caught flirting with his secretary. It was the type of look his father had never received in his lifetime. It was the type of look that made Anthony feel far away from living up to his father's expectations.

He was aware he didn't fit the image of a man who had 'settling down' on his mind. For all he knew, life was short and certainly meant to be enjoyed. But he had responsibilities too. He had to take care of his mother and siblings with the same diligence and affection his father had displayed. He had to make sure his brothers got into good schools and he had to stand a mind-numbing number of recitals given by his sisters, while at the same time running a multinational company and keeping a close and watchful eye on the family finances. It was his duty to make sure there was enough money to secure everyone's future.

And to secure BCorp's future, and everyone else's, ultimately he'd have to have a son.

What else could he do? He was the firstborn Bridgerton of a firstborn Bridgerton of a firstborn Bridgerton eight times over. He had a dynastic responsibility to be fruitful and multiply.

Anthony wasn't about to offer the position to just anyone though. He'd made a mental list of requirements. First of all, a pretty face wouldn't do the job, although that was certain a bonus he wasn't prepared to give up on. She needn't be a raving beauty, but she couldn't be horrible either. People looked up to him. And they would look up to her as well.

Second, she couldn't very well be stupid, which would probably be the most difficult of his requirements to fill. He was not universally impressed by the mental prowess of the women of Great Hamptons. And you know what they said: behind a great man was a great woman. She needed to have a mind of her own and ideas that would help improve BCorp like his mother had done and was still doing.

Third—and this was the most important—she couldn't be anyone with whom he might actually fall in love. Under no circumstances would this rule be broken. Anthony had no desire for his life to be visited by that particular miracle. It was bad enough he had seven siblings he loved and would always worry about, and a fantastic mother he would most likely lose someday, he didn't have to add someone else to that equation. He couldn't bear to love anyone else. It was too much responsibility and it hurt as hell at times.

Complicated, yes.

Which was why he didn't tell Simon, or anyone else, about his intentions. They wouldn't understand. No one could understand the depth of the bond he'd felt with his father. And no one could understand the way Anthony felt, how he aspired to be as great a man as his father, knowing that that was impossible, yet trying all the same. To achieve more than Edmund had—in any way—that was inconceivable.

The way he saw it, he had three options: Phoebe Featherington, Rosamund Gunningworth and Edwina Sheffield. Problem with Phoebe was that she was a close neighbor which sort of made her—almost—like family to him. And none of the Featheringtons were particularly good looking if he was being completely honest. They had more sense (and brains) than their crazy mother, but still it didn't feel right to him.

Rosamund, on the other hand, was in great shape. He had definitely, more than once, pictured how she'd look naked. In bed. With him. That was obviously something he should consider. He should also consider that (behind her back, of course) she was described as 'blonde and bitchy'. She was probably not a morning person...

Then there was Edwina. She was the youngest daughter of Mayor Sheffield which meant she was educated and always looked sharp. Which could work in his favor because he'd have to bring his girlfriend with him to countless upper-class events. The only con he could count on her disfavor was that Edwina had a whole bunch of men chasing after her already. Not that he thought they were any competition, but it did make matters complicated.

"This is your last warning!" The words were serious and blunt, coming from somewhere to Anthony's right. Coming out of his daydreams, he turned. He was in the main street, which cut across the entirety of Great Hamptons, and near the entrance to the park was a man standing on top of a yellow bulldozer. He was looking at something Anthony couldn't see, but his aim was obviously the Great Hamptons community center. "We got a permit to take down this building!"

And they did. If Anthony was not mistaken—and he hardly ever was—he had signed the papers to destroy the community center just the day before. BCorp was financing a project on Sand Avenue to build a large apartment complex that would create more room and bring more people to the tons. It was a very good project, one he had been quite proud of.

A woman's voice replied: "I have a permit that allows me to gather for the purpose of expressing my constitutionally protected right of free speech!"

"You want to get killed, lady?" The worker sounded exasperated, as if the situation was lasting longer than he could take.

"Sir," said the woman, from somewhere in front of the bulldozer, "according to city code—"

"Forget about your code!" He interrupted her.

But she wasn't done. "Section 245: if a landmark's committee—"

"Forget about the code, lady!"

"When a landmark's committee decision—"

"I don't want to hear it!"

She started again. "When a landmark's committee decision—"

"Miss, you're in violation here!"

"Have you ever read the Constitution?" she shouted.

"Watch this constitution." He waved his hand to his colleague who proceeded to raise a wrecking ball from one of his machines. That must've scared the woman because she flinched slightly to the right and Anthony was finally able to see who it was.

She had red hair. That's what struck him the most about her. She had large green eyes, her skin was pale, her lips pink, and she held herself with an air of confidence he could not help but find attractive, which was proven when, even with the worker's threats, she didn't back down. With her hands raised in front of her, she continued her speech: "This building has been here for 125 years. It deserves to remain for the community because it represents the ideals of that time! The tons deserve to have this as a landmark. It is something to—"

"You are getting on my nerves!" The man shouted at her. "You think you're going to get people to listen to you by causing a scene? Please, lady, I have a job to do!"

The redhead didn't even blink. "—and you are removing it from our children's children, depriving them of something amazing. This is a community theater, and everyone should benefit from this building!"

"Tom," the worker called out, "shut this down!" He ignited the bulldozer and that was when things got really intense.

The woman threw herself on the ground, lying between the community center and the bulldozer, and shouted: "We want justice! We will prevail!" Her protest shouts were getting more attention now and Anthony was no longer the only one watching the scene unfold. It was time to step in and stop that madness before the name of his company got dragged into the mix.

He headed toward the man in the bulldozer and told him to shut the thing off. The man complied immediately. "Mr. Bridgerton," he stammered, "it's this crazy lady... I'm trying to do my job, but she won't let me..."

"I understand," Anthony assured him. "I'm going to ask you to take the day off. We pick our fights, you know? Maybe your orders were a bit premature when it comes to the community center."

"I... You... I..." the man tried to find the right words. "You gave those orders, sir."

The girl sat upright. "You gave the orders?" she shouted. "What the hell? I thought BCorp celebrated the tons' history!"

Anthony looked between her and the worker. "Yes, we do," he told her. "Like I said, maybe the orders to destroy this building were a bit premature. Nobody on the board seemed to think the community center would be missed."

"Oh, it will," she said, nodding her head violently. "I'm missing it already. Don't you dare touch it or I will sue you!"

The empty threat made him smile. Was she really so frenzied to think she had that kind of power? Well, he was already too late for work to find out.

"Turn it down, guys," he ordered the workers.

The woman jumped up and shouted: "Yes! There is justice in the world! We prevailed!"

"What a lunatic," muttered the construction worker echoing Anthony's exact thoughts. He waved his hand around to no one in particular and rushed out of there before his day could get any weirder.  

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