He Offered Him a Marriage Deal… After His Pregnant Daughter Was Abandoned
Chapter 10
A year passed.
The marriage contract officially expired.
Alexander placed the termination papers on the table.
Noah looked at them.
“That was fast.”
“We agreed on a year.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to leave today.”
Noah smiled.
“I know.”
Alexander looked at him.
“Do you want to?”
Noah hesitated.
Then shook his head.
“No.”
Alexander smiled.
“Neither do I.”
Noah laughed.
“We’re getting sentimental.”
“Apparently.”
Emily walked into the room.
“What are you two talking about?”
Alexander held up the papers.
“The contract.”
Emily looked at them.
“Are you getting divorced?”
Noah laughed.
“Technically, the marriage simply expires.”
Emily frowned.
“That sounds depressing.”
Alexander looked at Noah.
“It does.”
Emily smiled.
“Then don’t.”
Silence.
Noah looked at Alexander.
Alexander looked at Noah.
Emily shrugged.
“You’re already family.”
Noah smiled.
“That’s your solution?”
“Yes.”
Alexander laughed.
“Your daughter is more practical than both of us.”
The contract was never terminated.
They remained legally married.
Not because the company required it.
Because they wanted to.
The relationship continued to change.
Noah became a trusted adviser to Alexander.
He helped establish a foundation for abandoned spouses and single parents.
Emily became an advocate for young mothers.
Ryan slowly rebuilt his relationship with his son.
The Reed company changed too.
Alexander restructured its leadership.
He removed executives tied to Victor.
He created an independent ethics committee.
And he established a rule:
No family member could hold executive power without independent review.
The scandal became a lesson.
Not just for the company.
For the family.
One evening, Alexander sat with Noah on the porch.
“You know what I never expected?”
“What?”
“To have dinner with the man I married because of a contract.”
Noah laughed.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Alexander looked toward Emily and the baby.
“I thought money could protect people.”
Noah nodded.
“Sometimes.”
“But it can’t make them stay.”
“No.”
“Or forgive.”
“No.”
“Or love you.”
Noah smiled.
“You finally figured it out.”
Alexander laughed.
“Late.”
“Very.”
Then Emily called from inside.
“Dinner!”
They both stood.
Noah said:
“Come on, husband.”
Alexander smiled.
“That still sounds strange.”
“It’ll pass.”
They walked inside.
The family ate together.
For the first time, nobody thought about contracts.
Or inheritance.
Or billions.
They were simply people around a table.
And that was worth more than anything Alexander had ever owned.
