Chapter 2
She stepped closer, and the pleasant scent of her perfume hit me.
"You don't get to say no," she said.
I smirked. "Is that so?
"Ten years behind bars taught me a lot, but I never learned to follow orders."
I reached for the door, about to shut it.
"Wait."
She said suddenly.
"My dad's name is Andy Stevens."
My hand froze on the doorknob.
That name.
It felt like a rusty blade twisting in my chest.
Ten years ago, in that car crash.
A man died there.
His name was Andy.
*****
I'd never forget about Andy.
He was the reason I ended up in prison.
Now, his daughter was standing right in front of me.
She was telling me she wanted to hand over his 30 billion dollars to me.
And she was even throwing herself in as part of the deal.
This was crazier than any scam message I'd ever gotten.
"What? Does it ring a bell?" Page Stevens asked.
She looked at me, a playful glint in her eyes.
I let go of the doorknob and stepped aside, letting her in.
Two bodyguards tried to follow, but I blocked their way.
"Let them wait outside," I said.
Page glanced back and nodded.
The door closed behind us.
Now it was the two of us in my tiny apartment.
She looked around, her frown getting even deeper.
"You really live here?" she asked.
"One hundred dollars a month. That's expensive for this dump," I replied, keeping my tone flat.
She walked over to the only chair in the place, wiped it down three times with a tissue, then sat down like she was afraid she'd catch something.
"So, are you ready to talk now?" she asked.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her.
"So, what are you after?" I asked.
"I made it clear. Sign the papers and everything my dad owned is yours," she said.
"Including you?" I asked.
"Yep, me too," she said, not even hesitating.
"Why me?" I asked.
"Because that's what my dad's will says, plain and simple," Page replied.
She pulled another document out of her bag.
It was a copy of the will.
It spelled out, clear as day, that after Andy's death, everything he owned would go to me.
The only catch was that I had to marry his daughter, Page.
If I said no, every last cent would go straight to charity.
She'd be left with nothing.
Staring at that will, the pieces finally fell into place for me.
This wasn't some generous offer.
This was a transaction.
It was payback.
"You hate me," I said flatly, stating the obvious.
She sneered, "Obviously.
"Should I thank you for killing my dad, doing ten years, and then walking out to take his money?"
"Then why are you here?" I asked.
"You think I want this?" she snapped.
Her voice got louder, and she was clearly upset.
"If it wasn't for this damn will, I wouldn't ever want to see you again!" she shouted.
"You don't have to play by the rules," I said.
"I told you, if I don't, I lose everything!" she shot back.
She glared at me. "The Stevens fortune is everything my dad poured his life into. I can't stand by and watch a bunch of outsiders gut it and donate it all to those so-called charity funds!"
So that was it.
She wasn't trying to give me the family fortune.
She wanted to hold onto the family fortune.
And I was her only tool to make that happen.
She said, "Marry me, and you get 30 billion dollars and a wife.
"I get to keep the Stevens fortune and stay the heiress of the family.
"We both get what we want. Sounds fair to me."
She said it so casually, like she was negotiating a regular deal.
I stayed silent.
30 billion dollars.
That number was meaningless to me.
All I knew was that it was a hell of a lot.
It was enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.
But I knew one thing.
That money was a ticking time bomb.
"Aren't you worried I'll take the money and kick you to the curb?" I asked.
"There are some extra clauses in the will," she said.
She looked like she'd been waiting for that question.
She said, "We have to stay married for at least ten years.
"If we get divorced, or you screw me over before then, the lawyers and the trust will get involved, and you'll end up with nothing."
"Your dad really thought of everything," I said.
"He was a control freak, even from the grave," she spat, bitterness in her voice.
I picked up the asset transfer agreement from the table.
I read it over again.
All I had to do was sign my name.
My whole life would change in an instant.
But I felt that it couldn't really be that simple.
I'd only met Andy once at the scene of that crash.
I wondered why he would set up a will like this.
I wondered if he was trying to get back at me.