Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Then there were fallback contingencies that shocked me at first, like if something happened to Fiona. The active board at the company would maintain control until I turned twenty-one, and then I could step in, whether it was to oversee daily operations or take my place at the head of the table.
There was also one more little contingency that stood out. By the time I turned twenty-one, I had to be pregnant or have already had a child. It was a week after my father died and I was only fifteen years old the first time I heard it. Even at that age, I knew not to ask what would happen if I wasn’t.
I truly don’t think my dad believed something might happen to both him and Fiona. Now her sons are chomping to get their mother’s inheritance, but that isn’t how it works. Cinder Financial was to go to either Fiona or me alone.
Now my stepbrothers are hoping that when I turn twenty-one I won’t have met the guidelines of the will. They are going to try and wiggle their way into taking control of the company under the guise that if it can’t be Fiona and me, then it should be passed to Fiona’s sons. Them. They already work for Cinder Financial, which gives them an advantage.
I’m three months away from my birthday, and there’s no way I’m getting pregnant before then. I know my father put that into the will because he often said that he and my mom should have had kids sooner and more than one. I’m guessing he didn’t want me to follow in their footsteps, but honestly, I’m nothing like them when it comes to work and family.
I love the idea of being married and having babies. What I don’t love is being forced into it, and that is what my stepbrothers are doing. We don’t fully know what will happen when my birthday passes and I haven’t done what the will dictates, but they’re prepared to take matters into their own hands and force a marriage between Jace and me.
Jace and Matthew have made it a mission to make sure no man gets near me. That was easy when I was in an all-girls high school, but after I graduated, they practically locked me inside the Cinder estate. Jace made it clear that the only way I’d meet the requirements was through him.
I’m supposed to marry him and have his child, but the thought makes me want to throw up the delicious strawberry that’s turning sour in my stomach.
Chapter Two
LEO
“I’m not going.” I push the paper invitation to the side and go back to typing. Who the hell sends paper invitations these days anyway?
“You have to. It’s the yearly Cinder Financial celebration,” my mother insists.
“Great, that means I can go to the next one.” I don’t look up, but I can almost hear her eyes rolling as she sighs. “You go. Take Zelly. It will be a good excuse for her to leave the house.”
“Your sister’s activities are none of your concern.”
When I finally glance up from my screen, I see the expression on my mother’s face that means she’s fully resigned to getting her way, and I don’t stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting out of this tonight.
“Why is it so important that I go?” I ask even though we both know she’s going to win this battle. She doesn’t ask for much, so in moments like this I know I have to give in and play the role I’m expected to.
“Because you are Leo Prince, CEO of Prince Enterprise and the head of this family. It’s your duty to attend the most important events, now more than ever. Your sister enters society soon, and you’ll need to name her husband.”
“Mom—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“No, you’ve ignored this long enough, and I won’t hear excuses now. Since your father died, it’s fallen to your shoulders to initiate the contracts of her betrothal. I have a list of eligible bachelors from the top five families, but you’ll need to meet with their heads of houses to negotiate.”
“Negotiate? Really, Mom, is this not archaic? Have we even asked Zelly how she feels about this?”
“She will do as she’s told to secure her financial future and legacy for this family.” My mother’s words are direct, but she’s not angry or mean as she says it.
The facts remain that Zelly comes from the kind of power and influence that could be used against her or us if she were to marry the wrong man. It’s in our best interest that we vet her future husband to ensure that she’s protected along with her children. My father was supposed to be the one to do this, but he died suddenly last year and left me to take over.