The Inheritance Clause
Marry a stranger in thirty days. Stay married for one year. Inherit three billion dollars.
Refuse, and lose everything.
Elena Castellano is a broke art teacher in a dying Vermont mill town when a letter arrives that changes everything: she's the secret granddaughter of hotel empire matriarch Victoria Ashford. The grandmother she never knew has left her a fortune—with one impossible condition.
She must marry Victoria's ruthless CEO grandson, Dominic Ashford, within thirty days.
Dominic has spent fifteen years proving he deserves the Ashford legacy. He's built the empire into something even greater, sacrificed everything for the family name, and he's not about to lose it all to some small-town teacher who appeared out of nowhere. But Victoria's will is clear: marry Elena or lose everything.
He'll do whatever it takes to secure his inheritance. Even if it means threatening everything Elena loves.
Forced into a devil's bargain, Elena and Dominic enter a marriage that's pure warfare. She won't be bought. He won't be beaten. But as they're pulled deeper into the Ashford family's web of secrets and betrayals, the lines between enemy and ally begin to blur.
Because Victoria's will wasn't just about money. It was a test.
And someone in the family will do anything—including murder—to make sure they both fail.
A forced marriage. A billion-dollar inheritance. And one year to survive each other.
Read
Chapter: The BoardDominic showed up at eight-fifty the next morning, which meant he'd been in the lobby for at least ten minutes, too proud to be early.Elena answered the door in jeans and a sweater. The dress was hanging in the closet, untouched except for the thirty seconds she'd worn it before feeling like a traitor to herself."You didn't wear it," Dominic said, looking her over."Good morning to you too.""We have a meeting with the board at ten. That's not appropriate attire.""Then it's lucky I'm not coming to your meeting."Something flickered across his face. Annoyance, maybe. Or respect."We need to present a united front. Show them the marriage is legitimate.""We're not married.""Not yet."Elena leaned against the doorframe. "I read my father's letter.""And?""And I'm starting to understand why he left."Dominic's jaw tightened. "Marcus was weak. He couldn't handle the pressure.""He was human. There's a difference.""In this family? No, there isn't." He moved past her into the suite wit
Last Updated: 2026-01-24
Chapter: The Thirty-Day Window"Give me one letter," she said. "One letter, and I'll consider your offer.""Consider? I need a yes or no.""You need me to agree, which means you need to give me a reason beyond threats and money." She crossed her arms. "One letter. That's my counteroffer."Dominic studied her for a long moment. Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. Old. Yellowed. Her name was written across the front in handwriting she didn't recognize."He wrote this note on your eighteenth birthday," Dominic said. "It's the last one."Elena took it with shaking hands."Read it tonight," Dominic said. "I'll come by your hotel tomorrow at nine.""I don't have a hotel."He pulled out his phone, typed something, and showed her the screen. The screen displayed a confirmation number for the Ashford Grand Manhattan hotel. Junior suite."Yes, you do.""I can't afford—""It's a congratulations; you own the hotel." He headed for the door, then paused. "And Elena? Your mother's mortgage payment is due n
Last Updated: 2026-01-24
Chapter: The Devil's BargainElena had been in exactly one fight in her life, in sixth grade, when Brittany Morrison said her mother was probably a drug dealer because why else would she work nights? Elena had given Brittany a bloody nose and gotten suspended for three days.She felt that same hot surge of anger now, looking at Dominic Ashford."I'm not a secret," she said. "I'm a person.""A person who's trying to steal my inheritance.""Your inheritance? I didn't even know I had a grandmother until yesterday.""Convenient."Howard cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should review the terms—""I know the terms." Dominic didn't look at the lawyer. He kept his eyes on Elena like she was a puzzle he was solving, like a target he was acquiring. "Marry for a year or lose everything. Victoria's last game.""Game?""My grandmother didn't do anything without a reason. This is a test." He leaned back in his chair, and Elena noticed his hands. They were clenched on the armrests. White-knuckled. "She wants to see what we'll do
Last Updated: 2026-01-24
Chapter: The LetterThe letter arrived on a Tuesday, which Elena would later think was fitting. Tuesdays were the kind of day when your life could implode and nobody would notice because everyone wanted Friday to arrive.She found it wedged between a past-due electric bill and a credit card offer when she got home from Millbrook High, her canvas bag still heavy with ungraded still life paintings that her junior class had turned in. The bag contained twenty-seven paintings depicting fruit bowls. Twenty-seven different ways to make apples look depressing.The envelope was a light cream color. Heavy paper. The kind of paper that cost more than what she could buy with her weekly grocery money. *Ms. Elena Castellano* was written in real calligraphy on the front, not the kind that was printed to look like it was done by hand. Someone had paid a person to write her name. Elena put it on the kitchen counter of her flat, which was really just a bedroom over the hardware store, and went to change out of her pain
Last Updated: 2026-01-24
LOGIN
