All or nothing (Love in chaos #1) - Missy Johnson Page 0,1

been competitive but surely things wouldn’t go that far, would they? Swallowing the lump in my throat, I keep reading the contract.

If, by the end of the above-mentioned period, the First Party fails to find a wife, he forfeits his entire company to the ownership of the Second Party.

My eyes widen. “No,” I groan.

If the First Party succeeds in finding a wife within seven days, the Second Party forfeits the ownership of his 2019 Maserati to the First Party.

And there, at the bottom, my signature, right next to Jake's.

This can’t be fucking happening.

“Hey. I forgot we left you here.”

Surprised, I look up as the lights flicker on and Jax waltzes into view. I cringe, my headache returning full force.

“You were passed out and sleeping like a baby, so it felt a shame to wake you.” Jax gives me a sideways glance as he rolls up the blinds. “You look like shit by the way.”

"Did you know about this?" I demand, waving the contract in the air.

He comes over and nods. “Sure. Are you having second thoughts? You seemed mighty sure of yourself last night.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “You practically bullied me into getting you the pen to sign the thing.”

“That’s bullshit,” I bark, my anger at boiling point. “This is… insane!”

“It was your idea.” He shrugs as he picks up an empty glass.

“What happened?” I ask him, tossing the contract back down on the table.

It floats over the edge and to the floor, but I don't retrieve it. Knowing Jake, he's already made copies and filed it with every lawyer in the county, because he's a petty asshole like that.

“Tell me everything,” I demand.

“Well, you showed up with Mason and me,” Jax recalls, “and Jake came last. We all hung out, drinking. You and Jake were your usual selves, trying to one-up each other. Then the women started showing up.”

I nod, frowning as I remembered that. Or, at least, vague impressions. Wide smiles and tight skirts, and a whole lotta cleavage. Thankfully, that’s usually exactly what I’m after.

“I remember those two girls. Blonde,” I add, which doesn't narrow it down. “I think they were twins.” Or maybe I was just so drunk I saw double.

Jax guffaws. “Yeah. They were swimsuit models. They were hanging off you all night like you were royalty, but you didn't seal the deal.” I swallow, wincing as he opens the register and then slams it shut. “So, the girls gave up and left with their friends. Jake said you were losing your game, then you said women only went after him because of his money and his hot wheels. So, then he said you couldn’t get a woman to stick around longer than a night without paying her to, so you said you’d prove him wrong.”

I stare down at the contract in horror.

Oh, God.

I put my head in my hands and groan.

“There's no way this is legally defensible,” I say, looking at the contract through my shaking fingers. Damn it, damn it.

Jax makes a small noise and walks away. I watch him go, my eyes shifting between him and the contract, wallowing in my own misery. He returns with a bottle of water, which I accept gratefully, twisting the cap off and chugging half down.

He leaves again, content to let me stew. I sit back down, feeling sick as I let it all sink in.

I wagered my company for a bet.

This is the worst thing I could ever have done. Anger wells up inside me, not only for my own stupidity while I was drunk, but that Jake would even agree. My company is my grandfather's legacy.

He knows that.

Pop had left it to me when he died, when I was barely out of college. Everyone thought I was too young to run a company, especially one as big as Tyler Enterprises. Only Mom had ever really trusted my business sense and acumen. I'm charming when I want to be, with women and businessmen alike, and I know how to play this kind of game.

My father… he was another story. He’d been out of our lives for fifteen years. It took Pop dying and leaving his company to me for my father to make any sort of contact with me. Even then, it was only to try and convince me I could not handle that kind of pressure at the age of twenty. I proved him wrong, juggling a business degree with running the company until I had the knowledge and drive to