up.
Lena had laid off the worry, and she seemed to know that she wasn't going to get any further with arguing with Brittany, so the two of them talked about the wedding and everything except Logan.
Brittany picked up her keys and her purse and headed out of the door to go to Logan's house. When she arrived, Richard let her in and she thanked him as she had every time she had seen him. He seemed to be getting used to it, and he smiled and nodded at her.
“Thank you, Madam. They are in the library," he said, indicating the room down the hall.
She nodded and walked toward the library with a slight frown on her face. Richard had said “they.” She was positive that she was meeting Logan alone. She walked up to the door of the library and saw that it was open. Just as she reached for the handle to push the door, she heard her name spoken and she paused.
"You may have talked her into marrying you, but that isn't going to be enough, and you know it," came the voice of an old man.
She heard Logan's voice in response to the old man. "I know it isn't and I'm working on it as best I can. It's going to be taken care of. Aren't there any loopholes or anything? Isn't there some legal way around this that I don't know about yet?"
Brittany frowned slightly and leaned closer to the door to listen. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she knew they were talking about her and she wanted to know what they were saying.
The old man spoke. "Logan, your father's will is airtight. I wrote it myself. There's no way out of it. It is just as he decreed. You will both be married and have a child by your next birthday, or you will not inherit anything at all. It's that simple.
“Being married without the child is a breach of the will; it doesn't meet the requirements he set forth for you, and it means you lose it all. Every bit of it. Your only hope in keeping your home, and the money, and even the businesses, is to get married, as he demanded, and to have a child by then.
“You know he was adamant about carrying on a legacy and the family name and bloodline. It's just that simple. No baby, no inheritance."
There was a silence in the room; a deafening silence that wrapped its icy fingers around her heart and gripped her tightly and then she began to realize that everything she had heard from both of them just then was about her, and about much more than just she and Logan being in love and getting married.
She felt sick as the truth washed over her and froze her to the spot.
"Is your fiancé pregnant yet?" the old man asked.
There was another moment's silence and then Logan sighed. "I don't think so. I've certainly been trying to get her pregnant, but nothing has come up yet."
There was the sound of a chair moving against a wooden floor and the old man spoke. "Well, you're running out of time. Your birthday is eight months after your wedding date. If you don't have her pregnant now, you may very well lose it all. There has to be a live baby by your birthday. There's just no way around it,” the old man told him, and then she heard a briefcase close and snap shut.
"At least you got her to sign the prenuptial agreement. Getting her with child is really the last big hurdle. You've got to get it done, Logan, or you will lose everything you have."
She felt like she was going to throw up again. All the time she was with Logan, she had believed that he really loved her. She believed that he wanted her to be his wife because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Lena and Darren had been right. Their suspicions about his reasoning in marrying her were completely justified. She felt as if a ton of weights had been dropped on her and she was being crushed mercilessly beneath them.
Tears stung at her eyes and a deep anger rose up in her. She pushed the door open and walked into the room, looking at Logan first, and then at the older man who was
Lena had laid off the worry, and she seemed to know that she wasn't going to get any further with arguing with Brittany, so the two of them talked about the wedding and everything except Logan.
Brittany picked up her keys and her purse and headed out of the door to go to Logan's house. When she arrived, Richard let her in and she thanked him as she had every time she had seen him. He seemed to be getting used to it, and he smiled and nodded at her.
“Thank you, Madam. They are in the library," he said, indicating the room down the hall.
She nodded and walked toward the library with a slight frown on her face. Richard had said “they.” She was positive that she was meeting Logan alone. She walked up to the door of the library and saw that it was open. Just as she reached for the handle to push the door, she heard her name spoken and she paused.
"You may have talked her into marrying you, but that isn't going to be enough, and you know it," came the voice of an old man.
She heard Logan's voice in response to the old man. "I know it isn't and I'm working on it as best I can. It's going to be taken care of. Aren't there any loopholes or anything? Isn't there some legal way around this that I don't know about yet?"
Brittany frowned slightly and leaned closer to the door to listen. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she knew they were talking about her and she wanted to know what they were saying.
The old man spoke. "Logan, your father's will is airtight. I wrote it myself. There's no way out of it. It is just as he decreed. You will both be married and have a child by your next birthday, or you will not inherit anything at all. It's that simple.
“Being married without the child is a breach of the will; it doesn't meet the requirements he set forth for you, and it means you lose it all. Every bit of it. Your only hope in keeping your home, and the money, and even the businesses, is to get married, as he demanded, and to have a child by then.
“You know he was adamant about carrying on a legacy and the family name and bloodline. It's just that simple. No baby, no inheritance."
There was a silence in the room; a deafening silence that wrapped its icy fingers around her heart and gripped her tightly and then she began to realize that everything she had heard from both of them just then was about her, and about much more than just she and Logan being in love and getting married.
She felt sick as the truth washed over her and froze her to the spot.
"Is your fiancé pregnant yet?" the old man asked.
There was another moment's silence and then Logan sighed. "I don't think so. I've certainly been trying to get her pregnant, but nothing has come up yet."
There was the sound of a chair moving against a wooden floor and the old man spoke. "Well, you're running out of time. Your birthday is eight months after your wedding date. If you don't have her pregnant now, you may very well lose it all. There has to be a live baby by your birthday. There's just no way around it,” the old man told him, and then she heard a briefcase close and snap shut.
"At least you got her to sign the prenuptial agreement. Getting her with child is really the last big hurdle. You've got to get it done, Logan, or you will lose everything you have."
She felt like she was going to throw up again. All the time she was with Logan, she had believed that he really loved her. She believed that he wanted her to be his wife because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Lena and Darren had been right. Their suspicions about his reasoning in marrying her were completely justified. She felt as if a ton of weights had been dropped on her and she was being crushed mercilessly beneath them.
Tears stung at her eyes and a deep anger rose up in her. She pushed the door open and walked into the room, looking at Logan first, and then at the older man who was
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