Chapter 10 – The Family Contract
LYNN
I stared at Ethan, my mind racing to piece together the cryptic words he had just said.
Ethan took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to say what he had been avoiding. “My parents,” he said, his voice low. “They‘ re the reason we got married.”
I frowned, my confusion only growing. “Your parents? What are you talking about?”
He looked at me, his jaw tightening, as if the words were difficult to say. “They drafted a contract,” he explained slowly, carefully. “It’s part of their deal for me to inherit the company.”
My heart skipped a beat. “A contract?” I repeated, feeling like I missed something important. “What does that have to do
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with us?”
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “If I don’t get married by my 35th birthday, the company goes to Javier.”
I blinked. It was a lot to take in, and my mind was scrambling to process everything. “So, you needed to marry me to keep the company?”
He nodded. “Yes. And it’s not just about the company–it’s about my future. I can’t let everything I’ve worked for go to someone else, especially not to Javier.”
I took a breath, trying to make sense of it all. “I’m in,” I said, before I even realized the words were coming out of my mouth. “Anything to make Javier miserable, I’m in.”
Ethan nodded, his relief obvious. “Thank
you.”
A few days later, we were on our way to meet Ethan’s parents, Barbara and Theodore. The drive was quiet, the air thick
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with unspoken thoughts. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew one thing: the meeting wasn’t going to be easy.
When we arrived at the estate, I was immediately struck by how grand it was- large, stately, with ivy crawling up the sides of the stone walls. It looked like something out of a movie, the kind of house that made me feel like I didn’t belong.
Ethan’s parents were waiting for us inside. His mother, Barbara, was a striking woman with sharp features and a cold gaze, while his father, Theodore, exuded an air of authority and control. They greeted me warmly, but there was something about the way they looked at me that made me
uneasy.
“Lynn,” Barbara said, her voice smooth, almost too sweet. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Thank you for having me,
for having me,” I replied,
forcing a smile. My heart was pounding in
my chest.
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Theodore shook my hand firmly, his grip strong. “Ethan has told us quite a bit about you,” he said, his tone polite but distant. “It’s good to see you two are doing well.”
Ethan stood beside me, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert. “I’m glad you‘ re getting along. I know this whole situation. is… unexpected.”
Barbara raised an eyebrow, studying me carefully. “Unexpected, yes,” she said. with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But we’re glad to welcome you into the family, Lynn. Now, tell us, how did you come to marry our son?”
I froze for a moment, caught off guard by the question. Ethan shot me a look, as if to reassure me. I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak.
“We… we fell in love at first glance,” I said, surprising even myself with the sincerity in my voice. “It was one of those things that just happened. There wasn’t
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really a choice in the matter.”
Barbara’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she masked it again, exchanging a brief look with Theodore. I noticed the slight tightening of his jaw.
“Is that so?” Barbara said slowly. “Interesting.”
Theodore spoke up then. “Lynn, we understand that the circumstances are unusual. But we’d like to be certain that this marriage is genuine. For the next few months, you’ll need to move into the family house with Ethan.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Move in?”
“Yes,” Theodore said firmly. “We want to make sure this marriage isn‘ t just a convenience, a temporary arrangement. You’ll stay with us for a few months, and we’ll observe how things progress. After that, we’ll decide if this marriage is legitimate.”
