The Inheritance Clause by Flora Ferrari

Chapter Nine

Leo

Turning down sex with Amelia is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And I mean that. I want her more than anything. But there were a lot of factors telling me it wouldn’t be right. I need to make sure this is what she really wants. After what happened with her and that scumbag Dan, I don’t want our first time to be on the same day as that. Secondly, before I take things further, there’s something I need to know.

I’ve accepted now that I might not get my inheritance, Amelia is more than worth it, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t check whether I’m still eligible. If I don’t have to throw it all away to be with the woman of my dreams then I’m not going to. In other words, I have to check whether marrying Amelia would count as fulfilling the clause.

That means I need to talk to my lawyer. I’ve looked over the will a million times and now, I feel like I can’t read it again. It’s unclear to me whether there is anything I’m missing, and so I have to make sure. Because if I can have the love of my life and still keep the rest of my life, give her the life she deserves, then that’s the perfect outcome.

Amelia is still asleep beside me when I wake up. She’s meant to be working this morning, but no matter what happens next, there’s no way she’s ever lifting a finger in this house again. I don’t want the woman of my dreams on her hands and knees unless it’s to pleasure me. I’ll hire someone else in her place to do all the cleaning, I’ll take care of her from here on out, no matter what happens.

I want to stay and indulge in time in bed with her, but I know it’s a bad idea for a number of reasons. I know I’ll give in and have her if I stay now, and I want the moment to be perfect for her when we eventually do make love. Besides, if I’m quick, I can talk to my lawyer and be back here much sooner.

I clamber out of bed and get dressed as quickly and quietly as I can, but I can’t help stopping to watch Amelia sleep. Her face is so peaceful right now, and it makes me happy knowing that I’m the reason. I hope she’ll understand when she wakes up and finds I’m not here. She must know after last night exactly how much she means to me. I’ll never leave her side again unless I really have to.

My cock is throbbing now, desperate to be inside her again. I can still remember how good it felt being inside her mouth, her tongue slick and wet on my cock. It makes me want to break all of my own rules again and take her right here and now. But it has to wait for later. The one thing keeping me going is knowing how worth the wait will be.

I leave the house before the sun has even made an appearance. Everything changed last night, and today, things will change for good or for bad again. But at least, whatever happens, I know that Amelia is mine now. Even if I have to leave my home behind the second I break the inheritance clause, she can be my new home. We can find an apartment somewhere and build our lives from the ground up. She’s so worth it. It might seem like a huge step back for some, going back to a life of nothing, but my life will be full so long as she is in it.

I make it to my lawyer’s office just as he’s getting out of his car for the day. He spots me and blinks in surprise.

“Hello, Mr. Harris. Are you here to see me?”

“Yes, Robert, I’m here to see you,” I say, stating the obvious. “I need to talk to you about this damn inheritance clause.”

“Yes, well, I suppose you’d better come inside.”

I follow him into his office building, feeling irritated. Every moment spent here is a moment spent away from Amelia. But I have to figure this out. I have to know for certain whether I can make things work with this clause in place.

“What exactly do you need to ask me about? Have you found someone you’d like to marry?” Robert asks as he sits at his desk. I don’t take a seat, pacing up and down the room.

“Yes. But I need to know whether there’s something I’m missing. I’ve read it a million times and I can’t tell whether I’m overlooking something.”

“What makes you feel that you are?” Robert asks, clasping his hands together inquisitively.

I sigh.

“My father set up a date for me before he died, last night.”

“Ah, yes. With Claudia.”

“Yes. You knew about it?”

“I was sworn to secrecy. He said that you wouldn’t go if you found out about it earlier than necessary.”

I growl in frustration. “That man...alright, well this is exactly my issue. He set up that meeting for a reason. I just don’t know what that reason is. It’s clear to me that she’s a ridiculous gold digger with no interest in me, but I have to check that this isn’t some basis for an arranged marriage. I’m concerned that the clause indicates that I have to marry someone in particular.”

Robert frowns, looking at the documents in front of him. “It says you have to marry for love...but there’s nothing about a specific person.”

“I need you to read the whole thing thoroughly. Over and over. I have to be sure. I have to know that I can choose my own wife and that it won’t affect anything.”

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.

There’s a lot to do before tonight. I wish I could just go home and fuck her senseless, but tonight will mark the first night of the rest of our lives together. I want her to remember it as a romantic night, like one where I treated her like a woman and not a fuck toy. We have the rest of our lives together to indulge in one another.

Tonight has to be something special, and that’s exactly what I have planned.