“They’ll release me and probably make it mandatory for someone to check on me every two hours. And you know, it’s still my birthday, so can I choose how you do that?” I ask with my best puppy dog eyes, causing her to laugh.
It looks like it’ll be a great birthday after all.
“Can you repeat that, please?” I ask as calmly as possible, trying to keep my cool.
William, our family attorney, doesn’t hesitate. “To retain your shares of the company and the trust, you’ll need to be in a valid marriage by the time you turn thirty,” he says formally from behind his desk. We’ve been here for an hour reviewing assets, and only minutes ago, he dropped this bomb. The first time he said it, I thought I misunderstood something. Because what the actual fuck?
“Why the fuck wasn’t I made aware of this until now?” My temperature is rising, and staying calm is no longer an option. So much for my headache going away, even though Cici did her best to distract me from it last night. Too bad it isn’t my birthday every day.
My brother and I showed up this morning to what I thought was a routine review of our family trust. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Suddenly, I’m told I have a year to marry or lose all claim to my inheritance and company shares. Is this even legal?
“Your dad stipulated that neither of you be told until a marriage occurred or one year before your thirtieth birthday if no marriage was in place—whichever came first. With Sebastian’s wedding commencing only two months before your twenty-ninth birthday, I decided to tell you simultaneously.”
“Sebastian, we have to find a way out of this. Do something to stop this nonsense. Anything…,” I plead to my brother, who’s been reviewing this section of the will since it was handed to him minutes ago.
“It’s not contestable. The directive is as black and white as it gets. Somehow, I made the deadline without knowing it. And honestly, Eli.” He shrugs. “Maybe marriage would be good for you.”He actually fucking shrugged.
“Glad to know my brother has my back,” I scoff.
“Let’s not start on who has whose back. We still haven’t discussed your extracurricular activities. You sure as hell don’t have my back by risking your life on a weekly basis. You need to stop racing.”
“No. Bullshit. You don’t get to tell me what to do. The only person who apparently gets that privilege is already dead, so fuck off.”
William clears his throat. “Gentlemen, let’s get back on track, shall we? How about I go over the particulars? First, you must be married by your thirtieth birthday, so one year from yesterday. It cannot be a marriage of convenience, and to discourage that, he’s required a six-month engagement period. Your father wanted you both to be in a genuine union of love—his words specifically. Once the marriage is executed, you’ll have a two-year probationary period to validate the authenticity of the union. If the marriage dissolves wherein, additional requirements are mandated to retain the trust moving forward. However, upon your two-year anniversary, the stipulation is deemed satisfied, and no further action is required. Thus, the trust will proceed as usual. Any questions?”
Where do I fucking start?
“Did you find any loopholes?”
No pause before William replies, “No.”
“Why would he wait twelve months before the deadline to tell us? Had I known, I could have made different decisions or taken dating more seriously.”
Sebastian scoffs next to me, but I ignore him. I have more significant problems than my brother’s judgement.
William rests his elbows on the desk and steeples his fingers. “That’s precisely the reason for his directive. He didn’t want it hanging over your head the past few years. He wanted you free to find love in your own time without this influencing your feelings, possibly resulting in a forced-marriage situation.”
“Seriously?” I throw my hands up in the air. “Then why make it a stipulation in the first place? Because that’s exactly what this is.”
“Eli, it might be difficult to process, but try to remember your dad’s state of mind at the time. He was devastated at losing the love of his life and deeply wished for both of you to experience the same profound love in your lives. He felt six months would be adequate tofind someone who sparked that feeling enough to pursue a serious path toward marriage if you hadn’t already.”
“So I have six months to search for some woman I want to propose to, and then hope like hell she says yes, or I’m screwed?”
“Essentially, yes. I’d recommend considering anyone you’ve had a connection with as well as looking into some of the higher-end matchmaking services. They vet their clients well, and I’m sure the long-established ones have developed outstanding algorithms with high success rates.”
“Sounds romantic. Exactly what my dad was hoping for, huh?”
I sit in silence for a moment, mulling over the situation. Sebastian and William continue conversing, but I drown them out as my mind spins with possibilities. Start with anyone I’ve had a connection with? How about theonlyperson I’ve had a connection with? The woman I’d happily kneel for today. And probably the only one who would refuse. What the hell? How am I supposed to find someone else to marry when the only one I want is out of reach?
“Eli!” Sebastian shouts, interrupting my thoughts.
“What?” I snap back, sounding like a petulant child and feeling like one under current circumstances.
“You haven’t even been listening. Do you have any other questions before we leave?” Sebastian barks.
Yeah. How do I escape this? Or….
“What if I don’t? Who’s to say Sebastian doesn’t make me partner once I’m cut off and hand me half the trust anyway?”
