She Rejected The Heir. I Married Him. Chapter 02
His eyes narrowed.
“And what exactly are you?”
His tone wasn’t loud, but the pressure behind it filled the room.
I didn’t take offense. I pulled a document from my bag and slid it across the table.
“The best possible partner for you.”
He glanced at it without touching it.
“Mr. Voss, you need to fulfill this marriage agreement before next week’s family trust vote if you want to keep the voting rights your grandfather left you.”
“You need a wife who won’t chase headlines, touch the trust, or pry into your private life.”
My voice stayed steady.
“Sienna Carlisle can’t be that woman. She has Adrian Ashford, and she’s spoiled.”
“I can.”
Something shifted in his eyes.
“What makes you think you can?”
I gave a humorless smile.
“I’ve spent eight years living at the Ashfords’ mercy. No one knows how to make herself invisible better than I do.”
Silence stretched between us for ten seconds.
Two of his long fingers tapped lightly against the table.
“Interesting.”
“My terms are simple, Mr. Voss.”
“I want the legal status of your wife and a clean reason to leave the Ashfords for good.”
“Your attorneys can draft the prenup. I only keep my income and my personal freedom.”
“Once we’re married, you keep playing the scandalous heir, and I’ll be the wife our agreement requires.”
“We stay out of each other’s way.”
He finally sat straighter, some of the lazy indifference leaving his face.
“Did Adrian Ashford send you?”
“He sent me to replace Sienna. He didn’t send me to negotiate.”
“Isn’t he afraid I’ll kill you?”
“He doesn’t care.”
Cassian watched me, then laughed.
“All right.”
He picked up the document and flipped straight to the final page, where my name was signed.
“Mira Sloan.”
“Yes.”
“Nine tomorrow morning. County clerk’s office.”
“I’ll be there.”
I stood.
“See you tomorrow, Mr. Voss.”
I reached the door before he spoke again.
“Mira Sloan.”
I stopped.
“If this is a partnership, start acting like a professional. Set boundaries.”
His voice hardened.
“Starting tomorrow, don’t accept another obligation the Ashfords dump on you.”
“Mrs. Voss may choose to be polite, but she bows to no one.”
I looked back and smiled. “Understood.”
Then I left.
At the end of the hall, my phone rang. It was Adrian.
“Did you meet him?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He agreed.”
Adrian chuckled.
“At least he knows his place. In his condition, he’s lucky anyone agreed to marry him.”
“Did he give you any trouble?”
“No.”
“Good. Once you sign the papers tomorrow, your job is done.”
I stared at my reflection in the hallway window.
“Adrian, once I sign those papers, I’ll be Mrs. Voss.”
He paused, then gave a scornful laugh.
“Mrs. Voss? It’s just a title.”
“Once the Voss family falls, that piece of paper will be worthless. Don’t get carried away.”
I didn’t argue.
“Nine tomorrow morning,” he said. “I’ll send a car.”
“No. I’ll get there myself.”
He went quiet for two seconds.
“You’ve been acting strange all day.”
“Have I?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m getting married.”
I hung up before he could answer.
Outside the hotel, my phone lit with a text from an unknown number.
“The car will be at the east gate of the Ashford estate at eight thirty tomorrow morning.”
“Black Bentley. Plate GHV 0717. Don’t let anyone take your place.”
There was no name, but I knew who had sent it.
I replied with one word.
Okay.
At eight the next morning, I left the Ashford estate carrying a plain black travel bag.
A black Bentley Flying Spur waited at the curb.
The driver stepped out and opened the rear door.
“Mrs. Voss.”
Cassian was already inside.
He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, nothing like the disheveled playboy from the night before.
“Is that everything?” He glanced at my bag.
“Everything I need.”
“The Ashfords didn’t stop you?”
“They couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
He asked nothing else.
The Bentley carried us smoothly to the county clerk’s office.
The process moved quickly. Our IDs were verified, we signed the marriage license, and a judge in the small civil courtroom next door performed the ceremony.
Half an hour later, the clerk handed us our marriage certificate, stamped with the county seal.
I stared at our photograph, overcome by a strange sense of unreality.
Just like that, I was married—to the man I’d loved in secret for two years. He just didn’t know it.
“Finished staring?”
He took the certificate from me and handed it to his assistant.
“Yes.”
“Where to now?”
“Back to the Ashfords’. I still have a few things there.”
“Do you need me to come?”
“No. I can handle it.”
He checked his watch.
“One hour. The driver will pick you up and take you to the Voss estate.”
“Okay.”
I ordered an Uber and went back for the rest of my belongings.
The moment I opened the front door, deafening music blasted from the living room.