Page 102 of King of Envy

Christ. Orla Ford was a force to be reckoned with, but that was extreme even for her.

“I’m her only grandchild. Her only heir. And she would rather end the Ford legacy than pass it on unless I did what she wanted. So I came up with a plan.” Jordan took a deep breath. “I asked Ayana if she would be open to a marriage of convenience. She plays the part of my wife for five years in exchange for ten million dollars. She said yes, and, well…” He gestured at himself. “Here we are.”

My head spun.

This entire time, their relationship had been fake. I thought they’d entered it with the best intentions and realized along the way that they didn’t have romantic feelings for each other, but this was beyond imagining.

“Why didn’t you find someone you actually wanted to marry? You had years,” I said.

“Because I’ll never find that person.” Jordan gave me a thin smile. “I’m not interested in romantic relationships. Never have been, never will be.”

It took a beat for me to understand what he was saying. Once I did, I expelled a sharp breath.

I should’ve known. It explained Jordan’s blasé attitude toward dating and sex and his unwillingness to enter a long-term relationship. He often seemed more invested in what he was having for dinner than courting a partner.

Now I knew why.

“Yeah,” he said when realization dawned on my face. “So you understand why a marriage to someone I like platonically was the best-case scenario for me. Ayana and I have been friends for years. She is…the least worst option.”

The least worst option.

My blood bubbled. She deserved to be thebestoption. In fact, there were no other options; there was only her.

Learning the reason behind their marriage didn’t dampen my determination; it only strengthened it.

This was about money, and I had money in spades.

“I’ll wire you the hundred twenty million.”

Jordan’s eyes snapped to mine. “What?”

“That’s how much your inheritance is worth.” My mind was already spinning with next steps. We needed to wrap this up quickly so we could call off the wedding. The guests would be baffled, but I was confident we could concoct a believable story for why Jordan and Ayana were no longer getting married. Couples got cold feet all the time. “One hundred and twenty million dollars. If you cancel the wedding, you’ll have the full amount in your account by tomorrow morning.”

My accountant would have my head, and I’d have to pull some strings to wire such a large sum overnight.

I didn’t care. I would pay triple the amount if I had to.

Ayana was worth it.

Instead of expressing relief, Jordan’s face darkened. “I’m not taking your money. Did you miss the part about the company? It’s about more than a hundred twenty mil. I amnotgoing to be the Ford who loses the family legacy.”

“I’m sure we can find a way to help you maintain ownership of the company.”

Hell, I’d buy the fucking thing and gift it to him. The shareholders would put up a fuss, but I’d give them a number they couldn’t refuse.

“Wearen’t doing anything,” Jordan snapped. “I’mgetting married, and that’s the end of it.”

Anger outpaced disbelief. Why was he being so difficult when my solution was clearly the best option for all parties involved? “You don’t even want to be married!”

“Maybe not, but I’m doing what I have to do.” His knuckles whitened. “I’m not a charity case, Vuk. You may have hundreds of millions to throw around, but I don’t need you to save the day like you’re fucking Superman.”

A new realization set in.

This wasn’t about the company. Not entirely. This was about pride and ego. He couldn’t stand to take money from someone else when he was supposed to be the golden kid.

I didn’t blame him. If I were in his situation, I’d chafe at my offer too. I hated pity.

But his pride was also the only thing standing between me and Ayana, and that was unacceptable.

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