Chapter Three

Isabella’s POV

“This is fraud,” my aunt snapped as she pointed toward Mr Hastings and then toward me as though we had conspired in secret for years.

“My father would never cut me out,” Daniel said as he planted both hands on the table and leaned forward. “He would not hand everything to a child when I have worked beside him my entire life.”

“You worked for him,” I said evenly and I did not raise my voice because I did not need to.

Daniel ignored me and looked at the lawyer. “I want documentation of his mental state when this was signed and I want witnesses and I want dates.”

“You will receive copies of everything,” Mr Hastings replied without flinching. “Your father reviewed this will several times over the past two years and he was fully competent during each signing.”

Voices overlapped again and I sat there listening to them speak about my grandfather as if he were a contract clause instead of a man who had just been buried a few hours ago.

Finally Mr Hastings raised his hand and spoke louder than he had before.

“There is one final condition attached to the controlling shares,” he said.

The room quieted slowly though tension still hung heavy between us.

“What condition?” Daniel demanded.

Mr Hastings looked down at the document and then back up at me.

“In order for Isabella Kingston to retain full and uncontested control of Kingston Group she must be legally married before her twenty-seventh birthday.”

For a moment I thought I had misheard him.

“Excuse me,” I said.

“If she fails to marry before that date,” he continued, “the eldest man in the Kingston family will be granted the authority to select a husband for her and she will be legally obligated to marry him in order to maintain control of the company.”

Silence fell across the room.

I felt every eye turn toward me again.

“You are joking,” I said.

“I am not,” Mr Hastings replied. “This clause was written and approved by your grandfather personally.”

“That is absurd,” I said and I stood from my chair because sitting suddenly felt like surrender.

Daniel slowly leaned back in his seat and something shifted in his expression. 

The anger that had consumed him moments earlier began to fade and in its place came something steadier.

He was already seeing an opportunity in this.

“You expect her to marry within a year,” my aunt said in disbelief.

“Before she turns twenty seven,” Mr Hastings repeated.

“And when is that,” Daniel asked though he already knew.

“In eleven months,” the lawyer replied.

Daniel’s lips curved slightly and he tried to hide it but he did not hide it well enough.

“This is unbelievable,” I said and I looked at Mr Hastings. “You are telling me that my grandfather tied my authority to my marital status.”

“He believed stability would strengthen your position,” the lawyer said carefully.

“Stability,” I repeated.

Daniel let out a low laugh. “Father always did value tradition.”

I turned to him. “Do not pretend you support this.”

“I support the will,” he said smoothly. “Every word of it.”

Of course he did.

The eldest man in the family would be him.

I would rather die than let him control any part of my future.

“If Isabella fails to marry,” Daniel continued, “then as the eldest male I will ensure that she is properly matched.”

His words made my stomach turn.

“And what exactly does that mean,” I asked.

“It means,” he said as he folded his hands together, “that we find a solution that keeps the company within this family and avoids unnecessary scandal.”

“You are not a child,” he continued. “Marriage is not a punishment. This will be good for the company.”

“For you,” I replied.

The room remained quiet and I could feel the shift as relatives who had been angry at me minutes ago now began considering how this condition could benefit them.

Daniel cleared his throat.

“There is an obvious solution,” he said.

I knew I would not like whatever came next.

“My son, Liam,” he continued. “He is the natural choice. He is a Kingston by blood and marriage between the two of you would consolidate everything cleanly.”

The words settled heavily over the table.

For a second no one spoke.

“You cannot be serious,” I said.

“It is logical,” Daniel replied. “The company remains under direct family control and there is no risk of an outsider gaining influence.”

I stared at him.

“You want me to marry Liam.”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

Liam who had not even attended his grandfather’s funeral.

The same Liam who was involved in a sexual assault scandal a month ago.

“That will not happen,” I said immediately. My voice came out sharper than I intended, though I did not regret it.

Daniel’s expression hardened slightly. “You should consider it before rejecting it.”

“There is nothing to consider.”

“You are running out of time,” he replied calmly. “Eleven months will pass quickly.”

“I would rather lose the company than let you decide who I marry.”

A murmur ran through the room.

Daniel leaned forward again. “Would you?” he asked quietly. “Would you truly surrender everything your grandfather built because of pride.”

“This is not pride,” I said.

“You speak as if marriage to my son is a death sentence,” he said.

“It might as well be,” then I pretended to think about it for a moment. “You know what, it's even worse.”

He smiled thinly. “You overestimate your options.”

I met his gaze and held it.

“You underestimate me.”

Mr Hastings shifted uncomfortably. “I would advise that this discussion remains civil.”

Daniel stood and straightened his jacket. “You have time to think,” he told me. “And I suggest you use it wisely.”

He began to walk toward the door and then paused.

“If you do not choose for yourself,” he added, “the will ensures that someone else will.”

Then he left the room.

My aunt looked at me with something close to triumph. “It may not be the worst arrangement,” she said with a smile.

I turned toward her slowly and she fell silent.

Fred stepped closer to my side. “We will review the clause thoroughly,” he said in a low voice.

“Is there any way to challenge it,” I asked.

“It was written clearly and with multiple witnesses,” he replied. “Your grandfather was very precise.”

I exhaled slowly.

He had done this intentionally.

He had known exactly what he was setting into motion.

Perhaps he believed marriage would protect me.

Perhaps he believed attaching my power to a husband would make the board take me more seriously.

Or perhaps he feared exactly this moment and thought he was giving me leverage.

Either way the result was the same.

I had eleven months.

If I did nothing, Daniel would choose for me.

And he had already made his choice clear.

Liam.

The thought alone made my jaw tighten.

The room began to empty slowly as relatives drifted out in small groups whispering to one another.

Fred looked at me carefully. “What will you do?”

I did not answer right away.

My grandfather had asked me to live.

Not to drown myself in work.

But marriage had never been in my plans.

And neither was giving up.

“I will get married,” I said finally.

Fred nodded once.

Outside the window the sun had begun to set and the estate grounds looked quiet and still.

Eleven months.

The clock had started ticking the moment the will was read.

And for the first time since I took control of the company, the greatest threat to my position was not a competitor or a hostile takeover.

It was a wedding.