Chapter 17: Chapter 17

"No, Samantha…" Morgan, whose restless mind had been buzzing with possibilities since the moment this mess had begun, cut Samantha off, finally rising to stand beside Charlie, pulling her out of her stepmother's reach. "Tell me, Mr. Carter..." He turned to the lawyer, pleased to see him shiver subtly under his icy gaze. "That law only applies to Charlie from the moment Mrs. Manson is the only person who could serve as her legal guardian, right, since she's part of her family, right?"

"I thought I made that more than clear, Mr. Sullivan." the lawyer muttered, disgusted "Maybe you don't understand much about it, since as far as I know, you never did it right, so Mr. Manson used to mention. But, just to satisfy your curiosity, this is exactly what it is: Miss Foster could only get a legal guardian to manage her assets through family ties..."

“Or marriage." Morgan completed, not as a question, but as a very concrete statement, as well as the plan that had been developed solidified in your mind.

"Exactly." Mr. Carter turned to disdain, staring at the papers on the table "Taking into account that we have already explored all these possibilities and seen that there is no other way out, I will prepare the initial documents to be signed by the ladies..."

"On the contrary. Due to my carelessness, we ended up leaving aside one of the most important pieces of information for this situation. But I'm going to fix that right now." Narrowing his eyes in Samantha's direction, Morgan challenged her, slowly "No need to worry, Ms. Manson. I myself will be responsible for managing Charlie's share of the estate until she turns 21."

"Well, Mr. Sullivan, I don't think you understand..." Samantha smiled, full of malice "The only way the law would allow you to do that would be to become part of the Manson family. And, as much as I know you're great friends...” she growled, her voice dripping with venom. “That doesn't make them related, unfortunately. So I think maybe you'd better stay away from it if you don't want to get in trouble with the law."

"On the contrary. I'll be fully backed by the law…” His voice firm and unflappable, he pulled Charlie close to him, wrapping one of her arms around her shoulders. “When I become Charlie's husband."

"What?!" everyone in the room asked at the same time, gaping.

“I proposed to Charlie last night, on her birthday, just before we learned of the tragedy that had befallen Anthony." Morgan explained, in a calmer voice than he thought he would be able to pretend "As you know, I was Anthony's partner and, therefore, I myself asked Charlie that we keep our relationship a secret, at least while she still lived with his father. But now it looks like we have no choice but to rush the ceremony. Not that this is a problem, as we had agreed to get married as soon as possible, as she is already over 18..."

“What do you think you're doing?!" Samantha interrupted him, full of hatred like he had never seen "Do you really want me to believe that?"

"You don't have to believe it if you don't want to, Mrs. Manson, but the truth is, Charlie and I are in love." to further emphasize those words, he kissed Charlie's temple, allowing himself for the first time to demonstrate what he truly felt for her in front of other people, including Charlie herself "If she agrees, I'm willing to fulfill the role of legally responsible for her share of the inheritance until the time comes for her to take over the money."

"Oh, but how noble, Mr. Sullivan... " Samantha snarled, between her teeth, with an angry smile "Too bad you didn't have that decency before getting involved with a minor under her family's roof, if what you're saying is true..."

"Don't you dare hurt Charlie's honor or mine in that way, Mrs. Manson. You know very well I never looked at Charlie that way or was disrespectful to her before she turned eighteen. As for our relationship, even if we had decided to make it public earlier, it would still be none of your business."

“It was an excellent joke, Morgan." Samantha's tense smile became even wider, almost desperate "But I think this is going too far. Think about it, it's not like you can bluff about it. If he really wanted to go through with this madness, he would really have to marry... her." she completed after a moment's hesitation, looking like she wanted to call Charlie something else.

"Bluffing? In no way. Mr. Carter…” Raising an eyebrow at the lawyer, Morgan asked him, “I think these documents will still need a few days to be recognized and enforced, no? How long would it be, exactly?"

"Well... I'd say about a week..." The old man swallowed hard, but Morgan didn't give him a chance to continue talking.

"Perfect. In three days I'm taking Charlie to Las Vegas to make our union official, and I'll make sure I bring the marriage certificate in time so there's no delay in the process of receiving the inheritance, especially Ms. Manson."

"You can not be serious!" Samantha exclaimed, losing her composure as she turned to the lawyers, yelling, "Do something!"

"Actually, indeed, Ms. Manson has the legal right to marry..." Mr. Carter explained nervously, while scratching the back of his neck "And, as you two are not related by blood, preference is given to the relative with whom she has matrimonial ties. Of course, if a week from now they still haven't gotten married, I can try..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Carter." Morgan cut him off, acid "I guarantee we won't have problems on that part. As for you, Mrs. Manson..." Crossing his eyes with Samantha's, he analyzed her, full of contempt "Could I ask why you are so interested in taking over Charlie's share of the inheritance? Even after she was the biggest beneficiary of an extremely unfair allocation? In fact, even for Anthony, I'm surprised he left you so much, considering how proud he was of being the sole owner of everything that belonged to the Mansons... Or rather, everything he owned. transferred from the Foster fortune to his own..."

"Are you implying something, Mr. Sullivan?" Samantha snarled, lifting her chin "May I know by what right?"

“With the same right as you just implied that what I feel for Charlie is a lie." he countered immediately "Now, if we're all in agreement, I think we can end this meeting here. Everything relevant has already been said."

"Hang on!" Mr. Carter called out, sounding out of breath, "I think we should hear the young lady's opinion on this. After all, it was her fate that was at stake." He pointed at Charlie, very poorly disguising the fact that she was his last hope of resolving this situation. "What do you say, Miss. Manson? Are you sure you'd like to have your inheritance deposited in the hands of an associate of your father's, a simple stranger, instead of the stepmother who has lovingly raised you in recent years?" the lawyer opened a weak smile, which Morgan thought he was trying to be persuasive "Keep in mind that you must choose well, as this decision cannot be undone..."

"You are kidding"? Charlie cut him off with an incredulous laugh. "I'd rather put my share of the inheritance in the hands of a skunk, as long as it doesn't end up with Samantha. But that doesn't matter, because Morgan is the person I trust the most on the face of the earth." She smiled at him, even though her wide eyes showed how shocked she was by everything he'd said. "I couldn't think of anyone better to be my legal representative…and my husband." she mumbled that last word, as if she could hardly believe what she had just said.

“I appreciate it, Charlie." enjoying a little more of the pleasure of being able to demonstrate his love for her without reservation, Morgan hugged her against his chest and kissed her forehead for a long time, very aware of Samantha's angry gaze on them "Well, gentlemen, I think we can finally give this finished reading. And don't bother contacting Charlie from now on. I myself will come to deliver our marriage certificate, as soon as possible. Now…” Turning his attentions to Charlie, he flashed a reassuring smile, “Why don't we go?"

"Yes... Yes... I just need to..." she stammered slightly, still disoriented, "Go to the bathroom and... compose myself a bit."

"Of course". he agreed, starting to guide her out of the huge office.

All the way out, he had his arm protectively around her, not only to maintain the image of the passionate fianceé he now had to maintain from now on, but also to protect her from the enraged and greedy gazes that burned his back. , especially Samantha's, who looked ready to explode at any moment.

There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Charlie, and even more he wanted to explain to her, but for the moment, he just braced his trembling body and gave himself a quick moment to reflect on what he had just done and went inside. panicked silently. His mind had been working faster than his morality had been able to keep up with it, and as soon as he remembered that the alternative of marriage could prevent Samantha from having Charlie in her hands for an entire year, he had just embraced that idea and acted before he could. measure the consequences. There were no regrets about helping Charlie, of course, but still... What was she supposed to be thinking about him? That he was a crazy man who was taking advantage of that moment to marry a poor defenseless girl? That he wanted to steal money from her? That it was all just a bluff, as Samantha herself had suggested?

Would Charlie continue to agree to the marriage, when the shock had worn off and she realized what it meant to be his wife, however falsely, for an entire year?

Would he be able to control her desire and hide what he felt for her while he pretended to be her husband for an entire year?

Groaning internally, he wanted to punch himself. Of course he would. He was doing this for her after all. And there was nothing in the world greater than her love for her, especially her forbidden desire to have her in her bed. They had spent the last three years being best friends and that's what they would continue to be, now, through the fake wedding and especially 365 days from now when they signed the annulation. Realistically, it was likely that she might not even want to be around him very much during that year. She was a young girl who yearned for freedom and finally had it. There was certainly no way she wanted an old-fashioned old man getting in her way as she explored the world and discovered new things.

With a sad sigh, Morgan let her run to the nearest bathroom as soon as they saw him, even though he knew he could have caught her and used that moment to explain exactly what he had planned. He owed her a moment to process everything that had happened up to that point, after all. Not just about that sudden marriage, but also about Anthony's death and that ridiculous will. Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly briefed his lawyers and assistants on the situation and ensured that two airline tickets and Las Vegas hotel reservations were made as quickly as possible. Or maybe he should think of somewhere else, something more special than a colorful chapel where a justice of the peace would marry them in 15 minutes...

Again, he felt like slapping himself. It wasn't a real wedding, so there was no point in thinking about romance or making it special. It was just part of a plan to make sure Samantha couldn't harm Charlie, as he had promised. It's just that. They weren't about to become a real couple, but a pair of friends keeping a secret that had a set date to end. He wasn't her lover, her love, much less her husband. He was just the hand she needed to hold for a while, until she was finally able to achieve her dreams on her own.

It's just that.

But he was capable of doing all that for Charlie, even though the simple idea of having her by her side, pretending to be her wife, but without actually being able to touch her or assume that he really loved her, was already an ordeal. And he would be able to for the simple reason that Charlie was so much more important than all that. Including his heart.