AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Robert sighs, inspecting the paperwork again. “And if you discover that you do have to marry Claudia? What then?”
“Then I watch my inheritance go down the drain.”
Robert blinks in surprise. “Really? Everything you’ve ever built? Gone in a second because your father chose a wife for you?”
I clench my fists. “I don’t want to marry that woman. There’s only one woman who can make me happy. And if I can’t have her, then I don’t want anything. If I have to choose between her and everything else, I’ll pick her every single time.”
Robert looks shocked. “I had no idea you had such strong feelings for someone. Do I know who this person is?”
“I’ve wanted her for a long time. I’ve been telling myself this whole time that I can’t have her, that she’s off-limits… well no more,” I growl. Just the thought of a life without Amelia makes me feel angry and frustrated. All I want is to go home so that I can be beside her. But Robert is making slow work of his efforts. He examines the papers again, murmuring the wording aloud to himself. He does so several more times, frowning.
“All I see here is that you must marry for love. That you mustn’t get a divorce, and that you must do so within thirty days of the delivery of the clause to you. You still have time, Mr. Harris. Is that what you wanted to hear? I know these things can’t be rushed, but were you hoping for more time?”
“Time isn’t what I need. I already know what I want,” I say with conviction. “All I need to know is that I’m not supposed to marry a certain individual...that so long as I’m marrying for love, I can marry whoever I want.”
“Who is the individual you plan to marry?” Robert questions.
I smile.
“Amelia. My maid.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Amelia. The most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
“Sir...are you sure about this? Isn’t your maid quite a bit younger than you? And not of a high social class…”
“I don’t care about any of that,” I growl. “She’s the only woman who has ever made me feel something. I’ve wanted her for a long time and I won’t wait any longer. She’s perfect for me. We might not be an obvious couple, but I need her and she needs me. If the clause states that I can marry anyone so long as it’s for love, then I know who my bride will be.”
“Mr. Harris, I suggest you take a little longer to think about this.”
“I don’t need more time,” I snarl. “I’ve never been more sure about what I want.”
I storm out of the office before Robert can say anything else. I know he thinks I’m crazy. I know he can’t understand that I’ve fallen for someone so different from me because he’s never seen me and Amelia together. But when we see one another, the connection is instantaneous and electric. From the moment she showed up on my doorstep looking for a job, I knew that I needed her in my life. I’d never give up on her, especially now that it’s so clear that we’re meant to be together. In the beginning, I thought I could never have her because of our age difference, who would want an older man like me when she is so young but now I know that that was never an issue for her.
I managed to reach my car in no time and begin the drive back home, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I need to get back to her as soon as possible. Now that I know I can have her and still keep my old life too, there’s no question about it. I’m going to make her mine for life. I’m going to put a ring on her finger and show her how committed I am to her. She already knows what’s at stake for me. She told me I had to dive in at the deep end, so that’s what I’m going to do. She’s going to be mine, til death do us part.
And the best thing is that I know she wants me for me. She doesn’t want me because I’m rich. She wants me because the connection we have is undeniable. She’s not a shameless golddigger like Claudia. When she marries me, it’ll be because she loves me. And when we kiss at the altar, the inheritance will become ours because there’s no denying that the love between us is real.
I speed through the city toward home. I need to be with her. I need to finish what we started last night. But first, I have to treat her like the lady she is. I have to show her exactly how much she means to me. That means a candlelit dinner together with all of her favorite foods, the most expensive wine money can buy, and a brand new dress for my perfect woman. It’s the least she deserves.
