Page 17 of Graciously His

“Here we are together,” he says, an oily imitation of the usual marriage ceremony, “and all I need from you, Mrs Hadley, is a signature right here.”

Grace peers down at where his fat finger hovers. The papers are overlapped, their contents hidden, though the signature lines are clear. Now is the time I feel the strongest urge to use force, to make her sign the papers quickly—without reading them. Instead, I step right fucking back, tucking my hands into my pockets and biting the insides of my lips to keep my mouth shut. As with any serious negotiation, there comes a time when the only thing to do is let the hammer fall.

I hold my breath as Grace approaches the desk, reaching for the pen.

“Did—did Nick really leave everything to me, after all?” she asks, her voice tight with tears.

I take a breath, forcing myself to keep my distance. I know why she’s asking and I want my answer to make things as clear as possible, even as I maintain the most essential aspect of this deception.

“No, not originally. We both changed our wills a few months ago to comply with advice from the company’s lawyers, and I made it a condition of our continued business together that Nick put me rather than your mother as the executor of his will.”

She looks at me over her shoulder, her eyes red-rimmed with sorrow. I vow silently to make sure she never wears that expression again.

“You had to force Nick to…?”

I let the question hang between us, unanswered. Because the answer is yes. I had to force Nick to take care of his wife properly and cut his grasping mother-in-law from the will. What Grace doesn’t understand yet is that Nick actually left everything to me. As things stand, she gets nothing, but I made it clear to Nick that I would take care of her, should something happen. The dumb fuck thought that meant financially.

“Christ, who did I marry?” Grace whispers under her breath.

Then—I start breathing again—she slashes her signature first on the form renouncing her right to contest Nick’s will, then on the marriage contract. She throws the pen down and steps away, wiping at her eyes with her fingertips.

I want to kiss her—my wife.

“Excellent,” the celebrant says, interrupting my thoughts. As Grace turns to leave, the smarm-pot gives me a look I can only interpret as expectant. We both know that, victorious as I am, everything will fall apart if he opens his mouth.

Not everyone we buy stays bought…

Watson’s perpetual warning. He’s known my plans for months now, and I know he’ll be twisting with anxiety to have them changed with virtually no notice, all of his carefully-concocted legal chicanery discarded.

Holding up a forestalling finger, I gently steer Grace into the hallway, pissed off that I have to leave her for even a moment.

“I’ll just double-check a couple of things, love.” I lead her to a row of chairs. “Can you wait a few seconds for me?”

She nods, crying quietly as she sits down. I feel my jaw harden as I leave her there.

This had better be fucking good.

I shut the door to the celebrant’s office firmly, watching the man’s smug smile falter. I don’t bother with small talk. In fact, I say nothing as I stare the fucker down. If he’s got fraud on me, I’ve got corruption on him. The one thing he can do, however, is tell Grace what we’ve just done, and I can’t have that.

“Well, everything went smoothly,” he says, breaking the silence. I maintain my cold stare. “So smoothly, in fact, that I almost feel… maybe a bit strange about it.”

I inhale. Exhale.

“And,” he continues, discomfort mounting as he shuffles papers, “I’ll file this today, of course. The certificate is all set, precisely as agreed.”

I slip my hand into my pocket, then take out my money clip.

His eyes widen.

“N-no need, sir.” He holds up a shaking palm. “I’ll see to it exactly as we agreed—”

He shuts up when I start laying hundred-dollar notes down on the desk one by one, keeping my eyes on his. Two spots of colour blotch his cheeks. I count in my head until I’ve reached ten.

“We’re done here,” I say, not bothering to listen to his stuttered thanks as I exit.

In the hall, I collect my wife, wipe her eyes with the tips of my fingers, and kiss her cheek.

Then I take her home.