Contingency Clause

Jade's P.O.V

I knew a day like this would come, but I wasn't expecting to be having this conversation for at least five years, not until I was thirty-two.

My dearest father had left a very unreasonable amount of stock shares in my name, with clauses that I couldn't inherit them until I was either married or had an heir.

The man had spent his entire life controlling everyone around him, and even from the grave, his cold, corporate ghost was still trying to dictate my personal life through legal fine print.

I detested him for it. I detested the way he valued his business over family, and I certainly didn't care about upholding his precious name.

I wasn't bothered about it all these years, because no one could take it from me unless I couldn't meet the requirements before I hit thirty-two.

It seems the board members were getting creative and bold in their greedy attempts to take over the company.

"How did I get into this little issue?" I asked, already knowing what the answer might be as I tapped my fingers against the crystal.

Uncle Meysner reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, tapped on it for a few seconds, then slid it across the marble bar toward me.

The screen glowed with columns of legal text and corporate signatures.

I picked it up, my eyes scanning the screen briefly before I placed it back down on the counter with a soft thud.

"The board called a vote," Uncle Meysner said, his voice tightening with a mixture of anger and exhaustion. "In sixty days, they're moving to freeze your father's shares. They're claiming you have no intention of fulfilling the succession duties."

My jaw clenched as I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, a fierce heat rising in my throat.

"I've made myself very clear in the past. I don't want that company. That's why I put it in your hands in the first place."

"I'm well aware of what you told me," Uncle Meysner replied, running a hand over his face. "But those vultures are planning to freeze the shares and gut the company before I can even fight them in court."

He sighed, the sound heavy and worn.

"The trust has a loophole, Jade. If you don't produce evidence of your intention to continue the family bloodline within the next sixty days, the board will activate the contingency clause, and you'll lose every single share your father left you."

He raised his glass of scotch, emptied it in one swallow, then set it back on the counter, the ice cubes rattling against the glass.

"My best advice to you right now is simple. Either get married as soon as possible or provide proof of a pregnancy. Whichever comes first doesn't matter. You just have to give them legal proof of intent before that vote, and they won't be able to touch the shares."

Two options, huh?

Marriage... or a child.

Which one could I possibly pull off first?

Just because I had no intention of running my father's company didn't mean I wanted to stand by and watch it fall into the hands of people who would tear it apart.

I hated the old man's memory, but I hated those corporate leeches even more.

And even if I was considering these ridiculous options, it wasn't because I wanted to preserve my father's legacy.

I would be doing it for Uncle Meysner. He was the only one who had actually looked out for me while my father was busy building his empire.

"So I really have no other choice?" I asked, my voice flat, stripped of all emotion. "I need to knock someone up within two months or lose everything my father built... and everything you've worked so hard to protect?"

Getting married was certainly out of this equation.

Nothing on this earth would make me jump into a forced contract marriage, just like the cold, miserable marriage my father had with my mother for fifteen years.

I refused to repeat his pathetic mistakes.

Uncle Meysner slowly nodded, his eyes locked onto mine.

"That's the only choice you have. The ball is in your court."

The ball was in my court. That sentence sounded simple, but carried a lot of responsibility, I wasn't sure I wanted to carry.

"I know a few reliable women who would be very willing to serve as a surrogate mother for your baby," Uncle Meysner said, already offering me clean solutions. "I will make a few calls tonight and arrange for you to meet some of them tomorrow at your office, or maybe here."

"I would prefer to meet them at the office," I replied, my voice completely level.

"Good, good," Uncle Meysner nodded, tapping a finger on the counter surface.

"I should call Brandon and tell him to make some adjustments to my schedule for tomorrow," I said. I turned on my heel, striding across the polished floor toward the direction of the stairs.

"Jade," Uncle Meysner called out, his voice sharp enough to make me pause.

I halted and glanced back down at him. He had a deep, thoughtful expression pinching his features.

"Why are you agreeing to this so easily?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. "I know you are not doing this because you actually care about those shares, or the money you can inherit from them. So tell me what your real reason is."

My uncle is a smart man, but sometimes he was really clueless about how my mind worked.

"For the pleasure of being a father," I replied with a casual shrug, a hollow lie sliding effortlessly off my tongue. "Who doesn't want to be called daddy."

I faced forward and immediately resumed my stride. I for one absolutely detested the idea of being a father.

Fatherhood. I scoffed at the concept as I made my way up the steps.

The word itself tasted bitter, a reminder of the cold man who had raised me. I was only doing this to protect Meysner's hard work, but as I reached the top landing, a strange tightness gripped my chest.

I was about to bring a child into this messed-up world, bound by a corporate contract, repeating the exact cycle I swore I would break.