Chapter 1 - The Contract

Savannah’s pov

Growing up on a ranch had lots of advantages, as well as disadvantages.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand as I rested against the wooden fence. Around me, the ranch was alive with the familiar sounds of a multimillion-dollar agricultural empire. Cattle grunted in the distance and tractors hummed on crop fields, making me smile.

I loved this place. I loved the soil, the tradition, and the legacy my family built out here in the heart of Washington State.

But as I reached for another fence staple, I was blocked by a figure.

“Let me get that hammer for you, Miss Savannah,” a man said.

I didn't need to look up to know it was Miller, one of the many workmen my father hired over the past year. He claimed they were extra hands for the cattle farming expansion, but they spent more time watching me than they did shoveling. If I walked to the river, two of them happened to be fixing a fence nearby, and if I drove into town, a truck miraculously appeared in my rearview mirror.

“I can hold a hammer just fine, Miller,” I said coldly. “Go check on the western irrigation lines because I'm pretty sure they need more attention than I do.”

Miller hesitated, shifting his weight, before nodding and stepping back. He didn't go far, though. He just retreated to the edge of the barn, arms crossed as his eyes tracked my every movement.

A wave of frustration rolled through me as the hot sun scorched my back. Unable to bear his annoying gaze anymore, I walked away with anger boiling inside of me. I was twenty-two years old, a college graduate, and yet, I was being guarded like a 5-year-old.

My mind flashed back to the day the out-of-state university application forms arrived in the mail. I was a minor then, full of dreams about moving across the country, living my life without being watched. But my father refused to sign the papers because he claimed the city was too dangerous, that his only daughter belonged right here where he could protect her. They financed my online courses instead, spending thousands of dollars to satisfy my desire for learning. It came with a heavy price though, I never got to leave and even here, on our property, I was always being watched which always pissed me off.

I marched toward the main house, kicking the dust off my boots before pushing the front door open and stepping inside.

“Savannah? Is that you, sweetheart?” my mother’s voice called out from the study.

I walked down the hallway and stopped by the door of the study to see both of my parents. They were sitting at the large table, surrounded by piles of land deeds, maps, and legal briefs.

My father, Marcus Willy, looked older than his fifty-five years with his face filled with stress that instantly made my anger soften. My mother sat beside him, looking nervous.

“What's going on?” I asked, looking between them as I noticed something was up. “Did the city developers outbid us on the northern plots again?”

My father let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. “It’s worse than that, Savannah. The Montgomery Group is pushing hard and they want to turn the mountain reserve into a commercial ski resort and an airport. If we allow them, it will completely ruin the natural water flow to our lower crops and destroy everything we stand for.”

“They can't just do that,” I snapped, my stubborn nature flaring up as I walked fully into the study. “We have the historical rights to that land.”

Over the years, we’ve had researchers and developers try to seize our lands and we always overcame them. But seeing how worried they looked now, I knew this was a lot more serious.

“They have the money, and they have the political backing in Seattle,” my mother said, her voice laced with desperation. She stood up, walking over to me and grabbing my hands. “But they have a vulnerability right now, Savannah. Their youngest son, Julian, is trying to launch his own independent firm and completely cut ties with their empire. He refused to take his place in their corporate line, and it is causing a massive internal family war.”

My brows furrowed with confusion as my father stood up too and picked up a thick document from the desk and then, he looked at me with a look of desperation I had never seen before.

“We negotiated a compromise, Savannah.”

“Good,” I said, feeling a bit of relief. “What has been agreed on?”

“An arranged marriage contract,”

“What?” I asked, startled.

“If you marry Julian Montgomery and live with him here on the ranch for one full year, the Montgomery Group will freeze their urban development bids on that mountain plot. It buys us the time we need to legally secure the land forever.”

I froze, pulling my hands back from my mother. “A marriage? To a city billionaire? You want to sell me off for a plot of dirt?”

“It’s not selling you off, Savannah, it’s protecting our legacy!” my father urged, stepping forward. “Please. We wouldn't ask if there was any other way. We need you to play the part for twelve months. Help us get our land back.”

I opened my mouth to shout, to refuse, to tell them that my life was not a bargaining chip and that I had my own life all planned out. But as my eyes dropped to the open contract on the desk, a specific clause caught my attention.

My gaze narrowed as I read the text printed in bold:

Upon the legal signing of this union, the bride, Savannah Willy, shall receive full, unrestricted access to her independent family trust fund, bypassing all parental consent requirements. Furthermore, during the one-year duration of the cohabitation on the ranch, the bride shall maintain absolute control over her personal security, nullifying all prior family-mandated details.

I realized this was the loophole I had been fighting for my entire life.

If I signed this piece of paper, my father’s workmen would be forced to leave me alone to live my life. I would have my own money and be completely free from my father's signature. I loved my parents, and I loved this ranch, but I desperately needed room to breathe. Julian Montgomery was actually handing me the keys to my long-awaited freedom.

I looked up at my parents, keeping a blank face so as not to give anything away.

“One year,” I stated in a steady voice, “the moment the contract is over, the trust fund remains mine and I apply to any university I want.”

My father blinked, clearly reluctant, but eventually gave in. “Done. Anything you want, Savannah. Just help us save the ranch.”

I looked out the window, watching Miller pace, still waiting for me to step out of the house. As I watched, a stubborn smile touched my lips. I was going to make Julian's life a living hell, and I was going to get my freedom in return.

“I will do it.”