Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Gavin finally breaks the harsh silence by standing up. He steps back and clears his throat as he holds out his hand to Sheldon.
“I wish you good luck, Mr. Manswell. If there is anything else we can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call,” he says.
Sheldon rises and shakes Gavin’s hand, then he looks down at me, his expression looking awkward but kind, and he offers me a small, apologetic smile.
“I hope you find some way through this. And whatever you decide, Jo, good luck.”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Thanks, Sheldon.”
I go to stand up, hoping I can get a ride off Sheldon, but Gavin holds out his hand, stilling me.
“Actually, Miss Button, if I may have a moment more of your time?”
He phrases it like a question, but it’s clearly not really something I can say no to. I nod and settle back into the chair.
“Please excuse me for one moment while I show Mr. Manswell out,” Gavin says.
I nod again. I could certainly use a few minutes alone. As soon as Gavin leaves the conference room, I bend down and snatch my purse up from the ground beside my chair. I scramble through my stuff and snatch my cell phone out. With shaking fingers, I scroll to our group chat and start a call, hoping at least one of them is about to pick up. Jenny answers first. Then Serena. And Olivia half a second later. I guess they were all waiting for news,
“Jo, are you ok? How did it go?” Jenny asks, her voice shrill with concern.
I run a stunned hand over my face. “You won’t believe what’s happened … you have to hear this.”
I recount everything from the will reading as quickly as I can: the stipulation of staying here for a year, restoring the paintings, the pregnancy clause, and the fact that Axel and I both have to follow all of the rules for either of us to get anything. My voice trembles. Jenny exhales sharply.
“Oh, my God. Wow,” Serena gasps.
“Do you know anyone who could … you know … help with the pregnancy part? I mean I could ask around for you. A few of our friends have used donors,” Olivia says.
“Absolutely not,” I snap, more sharply than I mean to. “I am not having a child with some random donor or stranger. I’m not going to play some twisted game to satisfy my father’s ego or allow him to manipulate me for money. I won’t do it. I just won’t do it.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Olivia asks softly.
I stare out the window, at the skyline of downtown New York, at the sunlight glinting off the glass towers, at the impossibility of this life.
“I’m going to walk away. I’ll just come home, back to the UK, back to my life. My old life was fine. Comfortable. Safe. Real. Maybe my mum was right, maybe she was protecting me from a sadist. Who else would make people dance like puppets to get an inheritance?”
Jenny’s voice softens, but she can’t mask her curiosity. “But the money … the paintings… the whole thing. Aren’t you at least tempted?”
“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m tempted by the idea of restoring the priceless old master collection,” I say. “But it’s not enough to rush into getting pregnant. I want kids, but not before I fall in love and get married first.”
“So that’s it? You’ll walk away from billions of dollars just like that?” Serena asks, always one to get right to the point.
I blow out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know. I’m too confused to think right now. I just got the news. Plus, I kind of feel so sorry for Sheldon. Poor guy, he tried to put on a brave face, but he was crushed. It feels really unfair that he should be given so much less than Axel and me. If I got my inheritance, I could make sure he gets more. Even Axel looked utterly stunned… he didn’t expect these wacky stipulations either. None of us did. For me, it’s not that big a deal. I can walk back into my old life and not suffer any feeling of deprivation. But for Axel, running the Manswell empire is everything. His life. Unless he is willing to give it all up and start fresh somewhere else, he has no choice but to play the game.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“I guess I feel a little guilty, like I should at least try. Then again, having a baby just to fulfill a condition in a will feels instinctively dishonest and wrong.”
There’s a pause, then Jenny speaks up. “You’re right, of course. It’s the wrong reason to have a baby, but the baby would still be loved. Sometimes I think life throws opportunities at us, and instead of overthinking it, we should just be courageous and grateful and grab them with both hands. When are you ever going to get a chance like this again? Think of all the good you can do in the world with your inheritance…”