Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,59
him a sideways glance. “Will that change anything?”
His lips tightened again. “I’m taking him to court. I’m going to fight for you, for us.”
“My mom set up a Will, Chase. I’m not the heiress. You’re going to lose.”
“No, I won’t,” he said firmly. “Your grandparents were the sole owners at the time your mom died. Your mom would have been their heir, followed by you. If that won’t win us the case, then her letters will.”
“In her will, she wanted Clint to have all her money,” I tried one more time. “There’s no way her letters will say otherwise.”
“How do know? Have you read them?” Chase asked, his tone challenging me.
His question rendered me silent for a moment. “No, but that’s not the point. What matters is that I’m not interested in the money.”
“This is crazy. You listen to your mom even though the law says you’re entitled to a huge estate. The estate has been in your family for a long time. Why do you want to give it away to someone who ruins other people’s lives?”
“Because my mom told me so.” I almost choked on my breath. He was right, of course, but—
“You said she loved you,” Chase continued. “Well, there’s no love deeper than a mother’s love for her child. I don’t believe she was in the right frame of mind when she made that decision, which is why I’ve applied for an order to get access to her medical records.”
I shook my head. “Stop talking as if you’re doing it for me,” I whispered. “You’re doing it for yourself. It’s all about you and Kade.”
He grew silent.
“I do care about you, Laurie.” He intertwined his fingers with mine. “I’m not lying. I really like you. But the thing with Clint, it needs to be done. For my family’s sake. I promised. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do this. But I sure I cannot let you go.”
I turned my head to him, marveling at the beautiful color of his eyes—the color of cloudy days and summer storms.
His words choked me up, brought tears to the back of my eyes.
“You’re really serious about destroying Clint,” I whispered, feeling weak as I took in his words. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I told you yesterday.”
“I thought I had time. Why didn’t you tell me before, so I could prepare myself?”
“It wouldn’t have served the purpose. Besides, I didn’t know you well. I couldn’t trust you.” His gaze darkened. “Twelve months, Laurie. That’s how long I need. After that, you can do what you want.”
“Please,” I whispered. “There’s always a choice. You don’t have to do it.”
He sighed. “It’s too late. I can’t go back on my word.”
In the silence of the room, I watched him stand and squeeze into his jacket. His broad shoulders looked amazing, just like every other inch of him.
“What do you mean?” I asked when his statement finally sank in. “We’ve been married for less than three days. How can it be too late?”
“Under the Inheritance Act, you’re entitled to make an application to the court for an order,” he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “As your husband, I have the same right as you, but as your lawyer I already applied for an order before we got married.”
I felt faint. “How?”
“While you were busy with your wedding gown, I flew ahead and pulled a few strings to get things moving. You can’t stop me, Laurie. I’m good at what I do, so don’t even try.”
I stared at him, stunned, my words failing me.
It made so much sense. Every single step had been a part of Chase’s plan.
“You will understand,” Chase said. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I want you to know that I’m doing it for us. I’m doing it for your mom, too, because in all honesty, I believe she wanted you to be happy. She wanted you to have everything.”
I kept staring at him. I couldn’t wrap my head around Chase’s words. My head was spinning. Everything was too much.
“What about us?” I asked weakly.
He took my hand in his. “We’ll come out stronger.”
I shook my head, both to deny his statement and to get rid of the tears stinging my eyes. “No.” In spite of the earth-shattering sadness inside me, I smiled. It took all my willpower to do so. “Chase, I get what you have to do.”
“I sense a but…”
I smiled again. “But I need to annul the marriage. There