Chapter 7 - The Marriage ClauseThe one man Isa loved was now tied to the one secret she feared.
Nobody spoke.
Isa read the letter again.
Then again.
"No."
Declan took it back.
"It's a legal document."
"I don't care."
"It changes everything."
"It changes nothing."
His mother watched them from the doorway.
"There is more."
She pulled another document from the envelope.
A marriage agreement.
Prepared twenty-seven years ago.
Isa stared.
"That's impossible."
"It's not."
"Why would our families arrange this before I was even born?"
Her mother lowered her eyes.
"Because your father discovered the ledger."
Declan's voice hardened.
"What ledger?"
"The original."
Silence.
"He knew your grandfather was going to destroy it."
"And he hid it."
"Yes."
"Where?"
Her mother looked at Isa.
"Inside something you inherited."
Isa felt her pulse race.
"What?"
"You."
She stared.
"That doesn't make sense."
"The ledger isn't a book."
Declan's eyes narrowed.
"It's a code."
Her mother nodded.
"Your father's bloodline carries the key."
Isa frowned.
"Bloodline?"
"Your grandmother was from a family that owned a private bank before the Depression."
Declan froze.
He knew the name.
"The Burn family."
Her mother nodded.
"They built the encryption system my husband used to hide the ledger."
Isa sat down.
This was becoming absurd.
"You're telling me my family created the system that protects the Vale empire?"
"Yes."
"And the marriage clause?"
"It was designed to merge the two bloodlines."
Declan shook his head.
"My grandfather was obsessed with control."
"Yes."
"Then why didn't he force it?"
"Because your father refused."
Her mother's voice softened.
"He chose you."
Isa looked down.
Suddenly, the years she had spent believing her father was ordinary felt like a costume someone had put on her.
Nothing fit anymore.
The next morning, Declan's lawyers arrived.
They confirmed the clause.
But there was a catch.
"The inheritance can only transfer if the marriage occurs within thirty days."
Isa stared.
"And if it doesn't?"
"Control of the trust returns to the estate."
"Meaning?"
"Victor Hale."
Declan's jaw tightened.
Victor would control the ledger.
The company.
Everything.
Isa stood.
"So the entire company depends on us getting married?"
"Legally, yes."
She laughed.
"You've got to be kidding."
Declan looked at her.
"I won't ask you to do it."
"But you're going to lose everything."
"I can rebuild."
"And your employees?"
"We can protect them."
"Your family name?"
"I don't care."
She looked at him.
"You do."
He didn't answer.
Because he did.
Not for the money.
For the people who relied on him.
For the company he had spent years trying to clean.
For the chance to finish what his father started.
Isa walked to the window.
"You want me to marry you."
"I want you safe."
"That wasn't my question."
Declan's expression softened.
"Yes."
She closed her eyes.
The man she had slept with once.
The man she had tried not to love.
The man she had fallen for before knowing his name was enough to unlock a fortune.
Marriage.
Thirty days.
One enemy waiting in the shadows.
She turned.
"I'll do it."
Declan looked stunned.
"Isa..."
"But it's a contract."
His face tightened.
"Okay."
"No lies."
"Agreed."
"No controlling me."
"Agreed."
"No sleeping together because a document says so."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Agreed."
"And when this is over, we decide whether we want each other without anyone else's money involved."
He nodded.
"Agreed."
She extended her hand.
"Partners?"
He took it.
"Partners."
Their fingers intertwined.
Then his lawyer's phone rang.
The lawyer looked at Declan.
"I need to tell you something."
"What?"
"The marriage agreement contains a second clause."
Declan's face changed.
"What second clause?"
The lawyer swallowed.
"If Isa dies before the thirty days are over..."
He looked at her.
May you like
"The entire Vale estate transfers immediately."
THE BILLIONAIRE SHE SLEPT WITH
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