Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

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.”