eal-still intact-shone faintly in the dim light of the diner as though mocking her disbelief. She had read the words over and over ag

on his death, a vast fortune was left to you, contingent upon the fulfillment of one

refused to accept it. She had grown up with nothing, raised in a small town by a mother who had done her best to make ends me

d the chatter of the late-night regulars-all seemed to fade away as her thoughts consumed her. How had she gone from being just

ard whispers about him over the years-the kind of whispers you overhear when you're cleaning tables in a diner, eavesdropping on bus

s supposed

t it. Her hands gripped the edge, and for a moment, she just stared at the e

d of. Wasn't it? No more late-night shifts. No more scraping by. No more wat

he price

aking rent, the missed chances, the feeling of being stuck. Her dreams of something better had always seemed so far out of rea

ger than anything she had ever encountered. She had to marry a stranger-a man who, from what she'd heard, was

orld she was about to enter. A world where n

ulars-Kate, her best friend-walking in. Kate was the one person who always seemed to have a clear head, the

eyebrow. "You look like you've

pron pocket, unfolding it and sliding it across t

watched her face for any sign of recognition, but al

s sounds... unbelievable. A secret inheritance, a marriage

ink. I mean, my father disappeared when I was just a kid. I never even knew what hap

ve wanted something more. But this doesn't seem right. You don't know anything about this guy, this Ale

dered that. She had only thought about the riches, the life she could never have.

ys wanted? A chance to escape this dead-end life? The offer was

esolve. "I can't make a decision based on this letter alone. I ne

ena, are you serious? Y

I need answers. And I can't let this sli

don't want you to get hurt. P

d promise that. This wasn't about being careful anymore. This was about

g with Alexander Blackwood. She had no idea what to expect, but sh