Ryan
"You have got to be kidding me."
Ryan Brooks stared at his father's lawyer like the man had just suggested burning down the company headquarters. Maybe that would make more sense than what he'd just heard.
"I'm afraid not Mr. Brooks." Richard Chen adjusted his glasses and looked back at the document. "The will is very clear and legally binding."
Ryan turned to his father lying in the hospital bed. Charles Brooks looked smaller than Ryan had ever seen him. Thinner. Weaker. The cancer was eating him alive and apparently it had destroyed his brain too.
"Dad, tell me this is a joke."
His father smiled. Actually smiled like this was funny.
"No joke son. It's the best decision I ever made."
"The best decision?" Ryan's voice rose and he didn't care. "You're giving away twelve billion dollars if I don't marry some random waitress? That's insane!"
"Grace isn't random." Charles's voice was weak but firm. "She's special. You'll understand when you meet her."
"I don't want to meet her! I want to know why you're destroying everything we built!"
Richard cleared his throat. "Perhaps I should explain the terms again. You have thirty days from today to marry Miss Grace Parker. The marriage must last one full year. If you divorce before the year ends or refuse to marry her at all, the entire estate passes to your cousin Derek Brooks."
Derek. The name made Ryan want to punch something.
His cousin was a gambling addict who'd blown through two trust funds already. Derek had nearly gotten Brooks Technologies sued three times with shady deals. He was a parasite who'd destroy the company their father built from nothing.
And now Dad was handing Derek the keys unless Ryan married a complete stranger.
"Who is she?" Ryan demanded. "This Grace Parker. What did she do to manipulate you?"
"She didn't manipulate anyone." Charles's breathing sounded rattled. The nurse had said he only had months left. Maybe weeks. "She was kind to me. That's all."
"Kind? You're changing your entire will because some waitress was nice to you?"
"She didn't know who I was Ryan. For two years I went to that diner and she treated me like a person, not a wallet. She told me about her dreams. Her struggles. She reminded me what matters."
Ryan felt like he was losing his mind. His father was dying and using his last months to play matchmaker with some gold digger who'd clearly worked him perfectly.
"I won't do it." Ryan crossed his arms. "Find another way."
"There is no other way." Richard tapped the will. "I drafted this myself per your father's instructions. It's airtight. Marry Grace Parker or Derek inherits everything."
"Then I'll fight it in court."
"You'll lose." Richard met his eyes. "Your father was of sound mind when he made these changes. I have medical documentation. Psychiatric evaluations. He knew exactly what he was doing."
Charles coughed and the sound was awful. When he spoke again his voice was barely a whisper. "I'm trying to save you son."
"From what?"
"From becoming a machine. You work yourself to death. You don't laugh. You don't have friends, just business contacts. You dated Victoria for two years and never loved her."
The mention of his ex made Ryan's jaw clench. "Victoria and I were fine."
"You were miserable. I watched you settle for someone who only cared about your money and status. Grace isn't like that."
"You don't know what she's like! She's a stranger who clearly saw a dying old man and played the long game!"
His father's eyes filled with tears. "She held my hand when I was scared. She brought me soup when I felt sick. She never asked for anything except to tell me about her bakery dreams. That girl has more heart than anyone I've ever met. Including you right now."
The words hit like a slap. Ryan stepped back, anger and hurt mixing into something he couldn't name.
"I have twenty-nine days to marry her or lose everything you built. Everything I've worked for my entire life." His voice cracked. "And you think this is helping me?"
"Yes." Charles reached out a shaking hand. "Trust me Ryan. Please. Just meet her. Talk to her. You'll see."
Ryan didn't take his father's hand. He couldn't. Not when fury was burning through his chest.
"I need air."
He walked out of the hospital room before he said something he'd regret. Richard followed him into the hallway.
"What are my real options?" Ryan asked.
"Marry her or let Derek have it all. Those are your options."
"There has to be a loophole."
"There isn't. I looked. Your father made sure of that."
Ryan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Twelve billion dollars. Brooks Technologies. Everything his father spent forty years building. All of it would go to Derek unless Ryan married a woman he'd never met and stayed married for a year.
It was blackmail. Emotional manipulation. Insane.
But it was also legally solid.
"Tell me about her," Ryan said quietly. "This Grace Parker."
Richard pulled out a folder. "Age twenty-six. Works at Rosie's Diner in the University District. No college degree. Grew up in foster care. Clean record except one arrest at nineteen for shoplifting, charges dropped."
"Of course she has an arrest record."
"The charges were dropped Ryan. She covered for another kid who was actually stealing. Grace took the blame."
"That's what she claims."
Richard sighed. "I had her investigated thoroughly per your father's request. She's not a con artist. She's just a young woman working two jobs and trying to survive."
"Who somehow convinced my dying father to put her in his will."
"Your father sought her out, not the other way around. He went to that diner specifically to see her."
Ryan opened his eyes. "Why?"
"You'd have to ask him. He wouldn't tell me."
This whole thing was a nightmare. In thirty days Ryan had to marry a stranger or watch his cousin destroy everything that mattered. Those were his choices.
Richard handed him a piece of paper. "Her address. In case you want to talk to her."
Ryan looked at the address. A apartment building in a bad part of town. Of course.
"Has she been notified about the will?" Ryan asked.
"No. Your father wanted you to tell her."
"Perfect. So I get to explain to this waitress that she just won the lottery by manipulating a sick old man."
"Or you could go in with an open mind."
"Not happening."
Ryan took the address and walked away. His assistant James was waiting by the elevator.
"How bad?" James asked.
"Worse than bad. I need you to find everything you can on Grace Parker. Employment history, relationships, debts, everything. I want to know who I'm dealing with."
"Already started sir. I'll have a full report by tonight."
The elevator doors opened and Ryan stepped in. Twenty-nine days. That's all he had to figure this out.
The doors were closing when he heard his father's voice calling from the hospital room. Weak and desperate.
"Ryan wait!"
He should have gone back. Should have talked to his dying father. Should have tried to understand.
Instead Ryan pressed the button and let the doors close.
He had a waitress to confront and a disaster to fix. Understanding could wait.
His phone buzzed. A text from Derek: Heard about Dad's will. Interesting choice. Let me know when you want to hand over the company. I'll take good care of it.
Ryan's hand tightened on his phone so hard the screen cracked.
Not happening. Whatever it took, Derek wasn't getting Brooks Technologies.
Even if it meant marrying a complete stranger who'd played his father perfectly.
Three hours later Ryan stood outside Grace Parker's apartment building. The place was falling apart. Broken windows, graffiti on the walls, the smell of garbage in the air.
This was who his father wanted him to marry. A waitress living in poverty who'd clearly seen an opportunity and taken it.
Ryan climbed the stairs and found her apartment. 3B. He raised his hand to knock.
Behind the door he heard movement. Footsteps. Then silence like she was looking through the peephole.
Ryan knocked harder.
"Grace Parker? I need to talk to you. It's about Charles Brooks."
More silence. Then the door opened a crack and he saw her for the first time.
Young. Pretty in a simple way. Dark hair pulled back. Wide eyes that looked terrified.
Nothing about her screamed gold digger but Ryan knew better than to trust appearances.
"You're Grace Parker?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"My name is Ryan Brooks. I'm Charles Brooks' son. And we need to talk about what you've done to my father."
Her face went pale. "What I've done? Is he okay? What happened?"
The concern looked real but Ryan wasn't falling for it.
"Don't play innocent. You know exactly what you did. My father is dying. And you manipulated him into changing his will."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Really? You just happened to be nice to a lonely old man for two years? Never wondered why he tipped so well? Never thought about what you could get from him?"
Hurt flashed across her face. "Your father was kind to me. That's it. I didn't ask him for anything!"
"Except you're in his will now. Convenient."
"I'm in his will?" She looked genuinely shocked. "Why would I be in his will?"
Ryan studied her face looking for the lie. He couldn't find it. She either didn't know or she was a better actress than he thought.
Time to see how good she really was.
"Because he's giving you twelve billion dollars," Ryan said. "If you marry me."
Grace's mouth fell open. No sound came out.
Ryan waited for the act to drop. For greed to show in her eyes. For her to pretend to be overwhelmed while secretly celebrating.
Instead she started laughing. Actual laughing like he'd told the world's best joke.
"That's insane," she gasped between laughs. "Marry you? I don't even know you!"
"That's what I said. But apparently my father disagrees. So here's what's going to happen."
Ryan pulled out the contract his lawyer had prepared. The backup plan if Grace turned out to be impossible to get rid of.
"You're going to marry me. We'll stay married for one year. At the end you get five million dollars and we never see each other again. Or you can refuse, I lose my inheritance, and I make sure every employer in this city knows you're a con artist who preys on dying old men."
The laughter died. Grace stared at him like he'd slapped her.
"Get out of my apartment."
"Think about it Grace. Five million dollars for one year of your life. That's more money than you'll make in a lifetime of waiting tables."
"I said get out!"
She tried to close the door but Ryan put his foot in the way.
"You have twenty-four hours to decide. After that the offer disappears and you get nothing. Here's my card."
He dropped his business card on her doorstep and walked away.
Behind him he heard her door slam so hard the whole hallway shook.
Ryan smiled for the first time all day.
Twenty-nine days to save his company. Twenty-four hours until Grace Parker called him back.
Because she would call. They always did when money was involved.
His phone rang. Unknown number. Ryan answered.
A woman's voice, cold and angry: "If you come near Grace again I'm calling the police. She wants nothing to do with you or your crazy family."
"Who is this?"
"Sophie. Grace's friend. And her lawyer if you keep harassing her. Stay away."
The line went dead.
Ryan stared at his phone in disbelief.
She'd actually said no.