Chapter 2 The Inheritance Clause

Xavier's POV

The board members stared at me, waiting for any weakness. And I had absolutely no intention of granting them that satisfaction.

"Gentlemen and Lady," I gave a curt nod to Victoria who had a smile on her blood-red lips.

"The projections for the 3rd quarter have surpassed the projections by seventeen percent. The Westside development is ahead of schedule, and the Chelsea property portfolio acquisition has already appreciated twelve percent."

I stood at the head of a gleaming mahogany table, my hands atop its shiny surface. A perfect view of the Manhattan skyline clearly visible from the floor to ceiling windows in the Montgomery boardroom, a reminder to everyone of the empire my grandfather built and I expanded.

"In conclusion," I continued in a measured tone, "Montgomery Industries remains the market's clear leader in commercial real estate development throughout New York, and in addition, its market presence continues to grow in Chicago and Miami."

My stare skimmed the twelve board members spread around the table, lingering briefly at each face. Most were older men, previous long-standing acquaintances of my father or grandfather, attempting to look neutral, but I knew they were all dissecting the numbers in their heads. Two younger members-new additions -watched with obvious admiration.

Then there was Victoria.

Victoria Winters, with her flawless, blonde hair, cut in an angular bob that highlighted her sharp cheekbones and those unnerving green eyes. She looked perfectly clad in a stylish black dress that likely cost more than a month's wages for most. Her perfectly manicured fingers lightly tapped on the table, all the while watching me, like a predator assessing its prey.

"Impressive as always, Xavier," she said with those honey-smooth words. "But I'm curious about the decision to dive into the Chelsea acquisitions so... aggressively. Market indicators indicated a wait-and-see perspective may have yielded better terms.

And there it was-the subtle undermining, the suggestion that I had acted impulsively rather strategically.

"Market indicators you refer to, Victoria, were exactly why we acted when we did." I stated coolly. "Our analysts saw that we had a three-week window, before those properties attracted competitive bids. In the end, we acquired them at twelve percent below the market value."

Victoria's smile didn't change. "And the expedited financing fees?"

"It's four percent," I replied. "Which still gives us an eight percent lead. Full details on the calculations are in section three of your packets, if you would like to see them."

A few of the board members flipped through papers again, others only nodded in approval. My gaze went back to Victoria, I noticed the faintest narrowing of her gaze. A chink in the armor.

Charles Winston, a man in his mid-fifties with thick gray hair and Victoria's most steadfast ally on the board, cleared his throat. "What about the inheritance clause, Xavier? Your grandfather was quite clear about the timeline."

Although I kept my expression neutral, I could feel my jaw tighten.

My father, Marcus Montgomery, spoke from the far end of the table.

"The inheritance clause is a family matter, he boomed, a deep voice for a big man. "It has no bearing on company operations."

Charles didn't back down. "Respectfully, Marcus, if controlling interest is unstable, the board must act in the company's best interest."

I almost loosened my tie - the room seemed to be getting hotter.

I clenched my jaw, willing myself to remain composed. The clause. The damn clause that required I be married before thirty-five to retain my shares. A fossil of my grandfather's values-family first, even in business.

Unfortunately, Victoria had found out. Now it was another piece in the game she and Charles were playing.

"Whether I'm married or not has nothing to do with my ability to run this company," I said firmly. "The clause is only a matter of formality that will be taken care of before the deadline."

Victoria leaned forward slightly. "Six months really isn't a long time to find a bride, Xavier. Unless, of course, you already have someone in mind?"

The question lingered in the air, pregnant with meaning. Victoria and I had been engaged three years ago in a short-lived business deal that had not ended well, although she still had a sizeable portion of Montgomery Industries stock, passed down from her grandfather, who was my grandfather's old business partner, which ensured that I could not remove her from the board.

"I assure you everything is in hand," I replied, with a dismissive tone. "Now if we can return to an actual agenda-there's the Robertson deal that needs our attention."

For the next hour, I formally steered the meeting back to business; reports, plans, and decisions with such willfulness that by the time I ended the meeting, the brief mention of the inheritance clause was a distant echo.

"Thanks for your time," I said, folding up my papers and putting them in my briefcase. "James will send out the action items for the next month".

James Harrison, my friend since childhood and currently chief legal counsel for Montgomery Industries, nodded from his spot next to the door. Tall and athletic, with warm brown skin and intense brown eyes behind expensive eyeglasses, James was the one person I could count on in the building.

As the board trickled out, murmuring approval, Victoria stayed behind a moment longer.

She stepped close. Too close. Her perfume, a subtle, familiar scent, wrapped around me like a ghost.

"A word of advice," she said softly, almost kindly. "Don't wait too long to handle your... situation. Markets hate instability, and so do I."

"Is that a threat, Victoria?"

"Think of it as a gentle reminder of our common interests." Her beautiful smile did not reach her eyes. "After all, we both do not want to see Montgomery Industries' control fall into... uncertain hands."

And with that, she glided out of the room, leaving behind the familiar cold air that always came from her.

James rounded to approach me, raising an eyebrow. "That looked pleasant."

"As pleasant as a root canal," I muttered, finally removing my tie. "She is planning something."

"She's always planning something," James said. "And Charles bringing up the clause today? That wasn't a mistake."

"No. It wasn't." I grimaced, looking out at the view of the city below. At this height, people looked like ants, moving with little thought or consideration of where they were headed.

"Find out what she's up to," I said. "Every meeting, every contact, every backchannel conversation."

James nodded, tapping his tablet. "And the clause?"

"I'll handle it," I said tightly as I gathered my presentation materials and zipped them into my leather portfolio, "Let's focus on Victoria for now."

The last of the board left. Only my father remained, gazing out the glass at the skyline like he owned it. Tall, wide shouldered with sharp blue eyes and steel gray hair, Marcus Montgomery at sixty-five still cut a commanding figure.

"Walk with me." It wasn't a suggestion.

We moved down the executive floor of Montgomery Tower in silence as the employees bowed their heads in respect and turned away from my father's stare.

We stepped in the private elevator that would take us to our offices on the penthouse level.

The elevator doors closed, and Inside, sealed in private, the mask slipped.

"You're being reckless", he said flatly. "Victoria is picking up allies on the board and you are letting her."

"I am aware of Victoria's ambitions," I said, trying to maintain a cool tone.

"The company's numbers-"

"Don't matter if you lose control," he snapped. "The clause is real. The deadline is real. You have six months to marry, or the board-that board-where Victoria and Charles continue to gain ground takes control of your grandfather's legacy."

"It's an old-fashioned clause from a bygone era," I said, barely suppressing the bitterness in my voice.

"Old-fashioned or not, it's still a binding document." My father sharpened his gaze on me. "You have six months to find a wife, or you hand controlling interest of this company on a silver platter to the board. And we both know where Victoria will take things if that happens."

The elevator doors opened to the plush silence of the penthouse. My father stepped out and turned back to face me. The harsh lighting above us showing the deep lines around his eyes and mouth, evidence of hard-fought business battles and personal loss, which included the death of my mother when I was twelve.

He handed a file over to me. "You have six months, Xavier. Marry, or watch everything your grandfather built go to Victoria and her supporters. It's your choice."

I held the file, my fingers curling tightly around the edge. I knew that file would contain profiles of women my father deemed suitable marriage candidates, women from the right families and background and with the right connections and qualifications of a Montgomery bride. My father had been creating variations of this list since my engagement with Victoria ended, and each one was more desperate as my thirty-fifth birthday approached.

As the elevator doors began to close, my father added, "Don't make the same mistake twice. This time pick someone who has something to lose if they betray you. Pick someone you can control."

The doors closed and I was alone with the sound of my father's voice and the file of future wives. I loosened my tie completely and leaned against the wall of the elevator, suddenly feeling the weight of the Montgomery legacy on my shoulders, pressing down on me relentlessly.

Six months. To find and marry a woman I could trust-hardly an impossible task considering my experience in life, or lose everything I had worked for to Victoria.

I stared at the file in my hands. Surely, there was another option, a plan I hadn't thought of?

I needed someone without connections to Victoria or her accomplices. Someone with no dirty history to sift through, who would gain enough from a temporary marriage to make her compliant and cooperative.

I needed someone whom I could completely control.

By the time the elevator reached the private office floor, I was already putting together a plan. It would not be a love match-a luxury I couldn't afford and a risk I would never take again. But it would be an answer.

And Xavier Montgomery always had the answers.