Chapter 1 The Clause

The only sound in the sleek library was the soft, deliberate ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. It was a sound Chloe Sterling had known all her life, a steady heartbeat in a house that now felt utterly heartless. She sat, back straight, in a high-backed leather chair, her hands folded neatly in her lap. To anyone else, she looked the picture of composure. The perfect, unflappable heiress.

Inside, she was like a shattered glass.

Across the desk, Mr. Albright, her father’s lawyer for forty years, cleared his throat. The sound was like a gunshot in the silence. He adjusted his spectacles, his eyes sharp as usual as he unfolded the crisp, legal document.

“This is the last will and testament of Arthur James Sterling,” he began, his voice a dry, reedy whisper. “Dated the fourteenth of June, last year.”

Chloe’s gaze drifted from Mr. Albright to the man sitting beside her. Her uncle, Julian. He offered her a small, sympathetic smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. They were the same shade of blue as her father’s, but where Arthur’s had sparkled with warmth and intelligence, Julian’s were cool, like chips of ice.

“To my brother, Julian Sterling,” Mr. Albright read, “I bequeath the sum of five million dollars, free of tax, and my minority shareholding in Sterling Technologies, amounting to fifteen percent of the company.”

Julian gave a slow, satisfied nod. It was expected. He was the interim CEO now, a role he had slid into with unnerving ease during her father’s brief, brutal illness.

Chloe tuned out the next few clauses bequests to long-serving staff, donations to charities. She stared at her father’s favorite armchair, empty by the fireplace. She could almost see him there, a book in his hand, looking over at her with that proud, gentle smile. A fist of grief tightened in her chest, so hard she could barely breathe.

“And now, to my daughter, Chloe Elizabeth Sterling,” Mr. Albright said, his tone shifting, becoming more solemn.

She forced her attention back to him.

“I bequeath the entirety of my remaining estate, including my primary residence, all personal assets, and my controlling shareholding in Sterling Technologies, fifty-one percent of the company.”

This was it. The burden and the birthright. Her stomach clenched. She was now the majority owner of a multi-billion dollar empire. The weight of it was terrifying.

“However,” Mr. Albright continued, and the single word hung in the air, heavy with implication. He looked directly at Chloe, his expression pained. “This bequest is contingent upon a specific condition.”

Julian leaned forward slightly, his interest sharpening.

“The condition is as follows,” Albright read, his voice gaining strength from the legal text. “Chloe Elizabeth Sterling must be lawfully married for a period of no less than one continuous year before her thirtieth birthday. Should she fail to meet this condition, the controlling interest in Sterling Technologies, along with the role of Chief Executive Officer, will be placed in a trust managed by the board of directors, with her uncle, Julian Sterling, acting as permanent CEO and trustee, until such a time as the condition is met.”

The silence that followed was absolute. The ticking of the clock seemed to stop. Chloe felt the blood drain from her face. It was as if the floor had vanished from beneath her.

“Married?” The word escaped her lips, a hollow whisper.

“I’m afraid so, my dear,” Mr. Albright said softly, removing his glasses. “It’s an… archaic clause, common in dynastic families of a previous era. Your grandfather’s influence, no doubt. Your father must have included it years ago and never updated it. He believed… well, he believed stability in one’s personal life was paramount to leading a company of this magnitude.”

“But… that’s…” Chloe struggled to form a sentence. Her life, her future, hinged on this? She was twenty-eight. Her twenty-ninth birthday was in eleven months. She had no boyfriend. No prospects. Her life had been her studies, then her work at the company. Love had always been a distant, abstract concept.

“It’s for your own good, Chloe,” Julian said, his voice smooth as silk. He placed a comforting hand on her arm. She fought the urge to flinch. “Arthur always worried you were too… focused. This ensures you’ll have a partner. A strong hand to help you guide the ship. It’s what he wanted.”

“It’s what you want,” she thought, the panic crystallizing into a cold, sharp point of understanding. This was his play. He couldn’t outright take the company from her, so her father’s old-fashioned sensibilities had handed him the perfect weapon.

“The will is quite specific,” Albright added, avoiding her gaze. “The marriage must be legally binding and attested. A business arrangement, a marriage of convenience… would not be looked upon favorably by the trustees if it were discovered.”

“Of course not,” Julian chimed in. “It must be a real union. A partnership.” He smiled again, that cold, calculated smile. “Don’t you worry, Chloe. We’ll find you someone suitable. I have a list of excellent candidates already. Fine young men from good families who understand the pressures of corporate life.”

The thought made her skin crawl. They would be “his” men. Puppets. She would be a figurehead, a married queen with a king pulling her strings from the shadows. Her father’s legacy—his vision for sustainable, ethical energy, would be dismantled within a year, sold off for parts to line Julian’s pockets and those of his cronies.

She stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “I need some air.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked out of the library, her steps echoing in the cavernous hallway. She pushed through the heavy front door and stepped out into the autumn afternoon. The family estate stretched out before her, manicured lawns rolling down to the iron gates. It was a gilded cage, and the bars had just been reinforced.

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.

That’s when she saw him.