He Needed a Wife to Claim His Inheritance—So He Paid a Poor Widow to Pretend
Chapter 1
Ethan Cole had seventy-two hours to get married.
Otherwise, his grandfather’s $18 million estate would go to someone else.
He stood inside the old study, staring at the lawyer across the desk.
“You’re telling me my grandfather put a marriage condition in his will?”
The lawyer adjusted his glasses.
“Not exactly.”
Ethan frowned.
“That sounds exactly like what you’re telling me.”
The lawyer slid a document across the desk.
“Your grandfather left you the majority of his estate.”
“I know.”
“But he added a condition.”
Ethan read the paragraph again.
The beneficiary must be legally married within thirty days of my death and remain married for no less than one year.
Ethan laughed.
“This is a joke.”
“I assure you, Mr. Cole, it’s legally binding.”
“Why would he do this?”
The lawyer sighed.
“Your grandfather was concerned about your lifestyle.”
“My lifestyle?”
“He believed you had become too focused on business.”
Ethan stared at the document.
His grandfather had always complained about his work.
But this was ridiculous.
He had built Cole Logistics from a small regional company into a national operation.
He worked eighteen-hour days.
He didn’t date.
He didn’t attend parties.
He certainly didn’t have time to find a wife.
And now he was being told that the only way to inherit the family fortune was to become a husband.
He looked at the lawyer.
“What happens if I don’t?”
“The estate goes to your cousin Nathan.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
Nathan had spent years trying to undermine him.
His grandfather knew it.
Everyone knew it.
“Can the condition be challenged?”
“We’ve explored that.”
“And?”
“The will is airtight.”
Ethan stood.
“This is insane.”
The lawyer gathered the papers.
“You have three days before the deadline.”
“Three days?”
“Yes.”
The door opened.
His assistant, Mark, stepped inside.
“Ethan.”
“What?”
“We have a situation.”
“Another one?”
Mark hesitated.
“Your grandfather’s board wants Nathan to take over if you lose the inheritance.”
Ethan looked toward the window.
Everything he had built could fall apart.
Not because he couldn’t run the company.
Because he wasn’t married.
Then Mark said something that changed everything.
“I may know someone.”
Ethan turned.
“Who?”
“A woman.”
“That narrows it down.”
“She’s a widow.”
Ethan stared.
“How is that useful?”
“She needs money.”
“That sounds like a terrible foundation for marriage.”
“It’s not a real marriage.”
Ethan went still.
Mark lowered his voice.
“A legal arrangement. You pay her. She pretends to be your wife for a year. You get the inheritance. She gets enough money to fix her situation.”
Ethan stared at him.
“That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
“Probably.”
“And yet?”
Mark smiled.
“You’re thinking about it.”
Ethan looked down at the will.
Eighteen million dollars.
Control of the company.
His grandfather’s final condition.
He hated the idea.
But he hated losing everything even more.
“Find her.”
