Chapter 22: The Marriage Certificate

Side hall.

Diana sat beside her, eyes fixed on the bowl in Joy's hands.

"Drink up it's a slow-simmered broth, very nourishing."

Under Diana's expectant gaze, Joy reluctantly lifted the bowl and took a small sip.

Footsteps approached. Heavy. Fast. Carrying the weight of a coming storm.

Joy looked up on instinct.

Nathaniel had just come out of the tea room, tie loosened, collar wide open.

His face was ashen, eyes bloodshot the look of a man who'd just lost an argument and lost it badly.

Their eyes met.

That look cut across her face like a blade.

Her stomach heaved.

"ugh"

She gagged, hand flying to her mouth, tears rising instantly.

The sound flipped something in him.

He crossed the room in a few strides.

Smack.

A single swipe of his hand sent the porcelain bowl flying, shattering against the wall, broth splattering across the floor.

A second later, his hand closed around her throat.

Joy's head snapped back, hitting the chair, air cut off instantly.

His grip tightened, veins standing out along the back of his hand, his face inches from hers, voice grinding out through his teeth.

"What exactly did you tell my grandfather?"

She really went this far to marry into the family.

"ck" Joy squeezed her eyes shut, clawing weakly at his fingers, but they wouldn't budge an inch.

His eyes stayed bloodshot, his grip only tightening further.

Diana, standing nearby, went white with panic and threw herself at his back, pounding at him.

"Have you lost your mind?! Let her go!"

"Let go are you trying to strangle her?!"

He ignored her entirely, staring at Joy's whitening face, radiating pure murder.

"Let her go."

A cold voice cut through from the staircase.

Eleanor Cross stood on the steps, dressed simply and elegantly, watching the scene with total composure.

Nathaniel froze, turning to look at his mother.

A tense standoff held for two full seconds.

Then his jaw clenched, and he released his grip in disgust, stepping back.

"Grandfather wants me to marry her the woman who schemed her way into my bed!"

"Enough." Eleanor's voice left no room for argument.

"cough, cough" Joy clutched her throat, gasping, coughing violently.

A few hours later.

At the City Hall Registry Office, Joy sat with a pen in hand, staring at the signature line, her mind drifting back to the tea room.

Edward Cross had sat there turning a string of prayer beads over in his fingers, eyes sharp enough to see through every lie.

He'd already investigated her thoroughly.

He knew her grandfather needed urgent treatment. He knew the surgery and the follow-up care were far beyond her means.

So he'd made her an offer.

The Cross family would bring in the best medical team money could buy, cover every expense, and pay her an additional five thousand a month in living costs.

In exchange: she would carry the pregnancy to term, and the child a Cross by blood would be born openly, legitimately, into the family name.

Which meant she had to marry Nathaniel.

To give the child legal standing.

They'd divorce once the baby was weaned.

The child would stay with the Crosses. She'd take the money and disappear.

She had no other option.

Swallowing the bitterness rising in her throat, Joy signed her name Joy Bennett.

Nathaniel paused beside her, then drove the pen down in one hard, final stroke that tore straight through the paper.

Crack.

He tossed the pen aside without a glance. It rolled twice and clattered to the floor.

He turned away. "You got what you wanted."

Joy looked up.

Hands in his pockets, he walked out of the registry office, his back radiating cold, silent fury.

Joy understood. He hated this. Resented every second of it. Felt wronged down to his bones.

She felt the same. And yet, thinking of her grandfather surrounded by the best specialists money could buy, she felt something close to relief and hated herself a little for it.

A pair of hands reached past her and collected the two marriage certificates off the table.

Mr. Chapman, the family's longtime housekeeper.

"Ma'am, I'll help you collect your things. We'll be staying at Highgate Residences tonight."

Joy's fingers curled. "I need to see my grandfather at the hospital first. Could the move wait until tomorrow?"

"Ma'am, please don't make this difficult for me."

Her eyes hardened with resolve. "I have to see him."

Mr. Chapman checked his watch and relented. "Half an hour."

Outside Cross Medical.

Joy stepped out of the car and hurried toward the private care wing.

Pushing the door open, she was met with the low, steady hum of medical equipment.

The room was spacious, bright, climate-controlled, with a view stretching out over half the city.

Walter, propped against the headboard, lit up at the sight of her, straining to sit up straighter the IV line swinging with the motion.

"Joy what is this? This room"

He looked around, eyes wide with alarm. "How much is this costing a day? We can't afford this."

Joy hurried to his side.

"Grandpa, don't worry about it."

She adjusted the headboard, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it over.

"You know I work for Cross Enterprises. It's a huge company the benefits are incredible."

Walter didn't buy it, hand trembling around the glass. "Benefits cover a room like *this*? This looks like it costs a fortune."

"This hospital's actually owned by the company. When the chairman heard about our situation, he personally approved something called the 'Special Employee Care Fund.' Best specialists, best imported medication all covered."

Walter froze, water sloshing in the cup. "Completely free? All of it?"

"Yes the owner does a lot of charity work. Good karma and all that." Joy tucked the blanket snug around him.

Walter's eyes went glassy, lips trembling.

"That man's a saint... Joy, we owe him properly. You make sure to thank him."

"I will." Joy lowered her eyes, hiding the bitter twist behind them.

"But Grandpa with the company doing this much for us, I need to work even harder to earn it. I'll probably be traveling a lot for work, on call whenever they need me. I might not be able to visit as often."

Walter nodded fast, expression serious.

"Of course, of course. Your job comes first. Go do your work, don't slack off on my account."

"I've got a nurse and a doctor right here, don't you worry about me. Don't give the company any reason to think badly of us."

"Okay. Then just focus on getting better."

Joy stood, not lingering. "I should go."

Opening the door, she found Mr. Chapman waiting in the hall, eyes fixed on his watch.

"Ma'am. This way, please."

Joy stopped by Sunnyside Court, packed a few changes of clothes, and rode with Mr. Chapman to Highgate Residences.

He exchanged a few words with the staff, then left her there.

"Ma'am, I'm Lily. Let me show you around."

Joy looked up at the sprawling residence and shook her head. "Just tell me where I'm sleeping."

"The master bedroom, of course."

Lily picked up her bag and led the way, narrating each room as they passed until she noticed Joy wasn't listening, and fell quiet.

She didn't need the tour.

Joy already knew this house.

Back when she was still "Miss Bennett," she'd been here more times than she could count delivering urgent paperwork, or hauling a drunk, unconscious man home.