Nine

Ever since Mason announced his marriage to Raven to his family, Margaret has not been happy about it. She didn't want to be on Lenora’s bad side, especially when she knew what Lenora was capable of. She knew there was no way she could convince Mason to divorce Raven.

Lenora had threatened to destroy everything she's worked so hard for all these years. Margaret entered Julie’s room with only one purpose in mind, and that was to ask her to convince Mason to divorce Raven. If there's anyone who can persuade Mason, then it's Julie.

She went into Julie's room, but as she looked around the neatly organized room, Julie was nowhere to be found. "Where's that silly girl when I need her?" She mumbled, her face masked with frustration. She was about to leave Julie’s room when her eyes landed on a stack of papers carelessly placed on the desk. Curiosity got the best of her, and she walked over, her fingers itching to uncover the contents of those papers.

She picked up the papers, her eyes scanning the contents. It was a contract between Mason and Raven. Margaret's lips curled up into a sly smile as she read the terms.

"A temporary marriage? So, this was the arrangement between the both of them." She thought to herself. The wheels in her mind began turning as she realized the potential of what she had just found. This was a really good opportunity for her, a chance to change everything.

Without wasting any time, Margaret pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the contract. Then, she gathered the papers and left the room, her steps brisk as she made her way to Charles's study. If she played her cards right, Mason’s little plan would be over before it even began.

~~~~

Charles was going over some documents when Margaret barged into his study, disrupting his peace.

"I strictly asked not to be disturbed, so why are you here Margaret?" Charles asked, his tone cold.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, sir. I just thought I should let you know about what I found; it's about Mason and his wife." Margaret said, her voice trembling slightly. Even though Charles agreed to marry her, he still treated her like his assistant whenever they were alone.

Charles gestured for her to proceed and she gave him the documents containing the contract.

When Margaret presented the contract to Charles, his reaction was immediate. His face turned red with anger as he read the agreement.

"How dare he try to deceive me?" Charles thundered, slamming the papers down on his desk. His eyes blazed with fury as he looked at Margaret.

"I thought you should know, sir," Margaret said, her voice dripping with false concern. "Mason needs to be put in his place. This marriage is nothing but a charade. He’s only using Raven to get what he wants."

Charles clenched his fists, trying to contain his rage. He had already had his suspicions about their marriage, but this confirmed everything. "This ends now," he said coldly. "Pass me my phone."

Margaret nodded, passing the phone to him. "I think the best solution would be to have him divorce Raven and marry Blair. She’s always been the better match for him."

"It's not your decision to make." He said finally. "I need to speak with Mason."

~~~~

A few hours later, Mason and Julie arrived home, the tension between them palpable. They had been on edge since the moment Charles sent for them. They both knew something was off, and neither of them could shake the feeling of dread that had settled in their stomachs.

As they entered the house, one of the maids informed them that their father was waiting for them in his study with Margaret. Julie exchanged a worried glance with Mason. "This can’t be good," she muttered under her breath.

"Relax, you're sweating." Mason tried to reassure her.

"Whenever mom's with him in his study, it means I'll get scolded," Julie said, her anxiety increasing. "Do you think they know about you and Raven?"

"I don't know, but we’re about to find out," Mason replied grimly as they made their way to the study.

When they entered, the atmosphere was tense. Charles sat behind his desk, his expression stern, while Margaret sat on one of the chairs. Julie's heart sank as she realized that whatever this was, it was serious.

"Dad, you wanted to see us?" Mason began, his voice steady.

Charles didn’t waste any time. "Sit down," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Julie exchanged glances with Mason before they took their seats. Although Mason seemed calm on the outside, his mind raced as he tried to figure out what this was about.

Charles glared at Mason, his eyes filled with disappointment. "I’ve always trusted you to do the right thing, Mason. But it seems I was mistaken. And you, Julie, you always support your brother in everything he does. You've always been his partner in crime."

Mason frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Margaret stepped forward, holding up the contract. "This," she said with a sneer. "I found this in Julie’s room. Care to explain, young lady?"

Julie’s blood ran cold as she saw the contract in her mother's hand. How could she be so careless? She looked at Mason who was also staring at her. She knew she messed up.

Charles didn’t wait for an answer. "I had my doubts about your so-called marriage from the moment you introduced her as your wife. But I decided to keep an eye on both of you. I can't believe you dragged that young girl into this."

Mason opened his mouth to protest, but Charles cut him off. "I’ve had someone keeping tabs on the both of you, and it seems you’ve been careless. I received a recording this morning of a conversation between you and Raven, where you both discussed how your fiance cheated on you and how it could affect your agreement. You're probably planning to divorce her as soon as you get the CEO position."

Mason felt the walls closing in around him. How could he have been so careless and forgotten how difficult it was to lie to his father? Everything was falling apart. "Dad, I can explain---"

"Enough!" Charles roared, his face red with anger. "What do you have to explain? This is a disgrace to our family, and I won’t allow it. I won't let it ruin that girl's image. I promised her father I was not going to let harm come to her."

Mason clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure. He had never seen his father this angry before. "What do you want me to do?"

"Good question," Charles leaned back in his chair, his expression cold and calculating. "To ensure you'll become CEO, Raven must be pregnant with your child. After the first trimester of her pregnancy, you can now take over as the CEO. That's the only way to convince me this marriage is real."

Mason's heart skipped a beat. "What? That’s insane!"

"You have no choice, Mason," Charles said firmly. "If you fail to do this, the position of CEO goes over to Justin."

"Dad, you're taking things too far." Julie tried to reason with her father.

Charles turned his attention to Julie. "Too far, you say. You've been given a lot of freedom, that's why you think you can do whatever you like. Starting tomorrow, you'll be enrolled in a business class."

"What? No!" Julie yelled. "I told you I don't want to work at the company."

Mason, who had been silent, finally spoke. "You can't be serious," he said, his voice shaking with anger. "This isn’t right."

At the mention of Justin’s name, Mason’s blood boiled. There was no way he was going to let that snake take over the company he worked hard for. But the thought of forcing Raven into this made him sick.

Margaret, who had been watching the exchange with interest, suddenly realized that her plan had backfired. She had wanted Mason to divorce Raven and then marry Blair, but now things were spiraling out of control. She needed to act fast before Raven got pregnant and ruined everything.

"It's the only way," Charles replied coldly. "If you fail to do that, then you lose everything."

Mason felt trapped, like a caged animal. He knew he couldn’t let Justin take over, but how was he supposed to tell Raven about this? How could he force her into something like this? It wasn't a part of their agreement.

"I've said all I had to say," Charles said, his tone final. "Now get out of my sight."

Mason stood up, his mind racing. He had to figure out a way to fix this, but he had no idea where to start. As he left the study, Julie followed him, a look of guilt on her face.

"Mason, wait," she called after him. "I'm sorry, I had no idea my mom would go into my room today."

He turned to face her, his expression softening. "I'm not mad at you Julie. I just need to fix this, I know the last thing Raven would want is for me to tell her we have to stay married."

"This is all my mom's fault." Julie hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I can try to convince Raven to wait a while longer, but I don't think I can tell her about the part where she has to get pregnant."

"It's fine, Julie, just leave everything to me." He gave her a pat on the back before walking away, his thoughts consumed by the impossible situation he found himself in.

~~~~

Meanwhile, back at the Prescott house, Margaret wasted no time in heading over to Lenora’s house. She needed to inform her of the new development and see if they could come up with a new plan.

When Lenora opened the door, she was surprised to see Margaret standing there, her face pale and anxious. "What are you doing here?" Lenora asked, stepping aside to let her in.

Margaret explained everything that had happened with Charles, Mason, and the contract. Lenora listened intently, her mind racing as she absorbed the information.

"So their marriage isn’t based on love?" Lenora asked, a smile creeping onto her face. "This means Blair still has a chance."

Margaret nodded. "But whatever you have in mind, you need to be fast about it. Charles has given Mason an ultimatum. Raven has to get pregnant, or Mason loses everything."

"I see," Lenora’s eyes narrowed as she considered their options. "What if Mason gets Blair pregnant? That way he wouldn't have a choice but to divorce Raven and make Blair his wife."

"That's a great idea," Margaret agreed. "Charles would also not object to a divorce if Blair’s pregnant with Mason's child. But we need to come up with something before it's too late."

Lenora smiled wickedly. "Turns out your daughter isn't useless after all. Don't worry, I'll make sure Blair gets what she wants."

~~~~

Back in France, Candice sat at her apartment, staring at the news article in disbelief. The headline read, "Charles Barrett’s Son Returns Home from France." Below it was a picture of Mason, the man she had been dating for 6 months now, and is currently engaged to. A man she thought she knew.

Her assistant, Mia, had shown her the article, and now Candice’s mind was spinning. Mason wasn’t just some ordinary guy, he was a billionaire, the heir to the Barrett fortune. How could he have kept this from her?

Candice’s mind suddenly flashed back to how she had been avoiding going to New York because she was too busy cheating on him. She planned to seduce Justin because she knew he was a Barrett as well, but all this time she never knew she was engaged to the one and only Mason Barrett. Candice couldn't afford to let such an opportunity pass her by.

Mia watched as Candice’s expression shifted from shock to determination. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

Candice set the article down, her eyes blazing with determination. "I'm going to New York. I’ve waited long enough to marry him."

Mia secretly rolled her eyes. She was aware of her boss's initial plan to call off the engagement, and now, because she discovered he was wealthy, she changed her mind. "When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Candice replied.

"What about Justin?" Mia asked.

"I'm not letting a silly mistake stand in my way."

~~~~

The next day, Raven returned from lectures, feeling exhausted but relieved that her day was finally over. She pushed the door open, expecting the house to be empty, as it usually was at this time of day. But as she stepped into the living room, she was surprised to find Julie sitting on the couch.

Raven's heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t seen Julie for a very long time, not since their last awkward encounter at that party. Raven had tried to speak to her after that but Julie just ignored her, so she decided to stop trying.

The air between them had become thick with unspoken tension, and Julie struggled to find the right words to say.

"Julie," Raven greeted her cautiously, her voice betraying the uncertainty she felt. "I didn't know you were here. Mason’s not back yet."

Julie looked up, her expression unreadable. "I know, I'm here to see you."

Raven nodded, trying to gauge Julie’s mood. "Is everything okay?"

Julie sighed, looking down at her hands for a moment before meeting Raven’s gaze. "Can we talk? Please.”