The CEO'S Forbidden Heiress

Nora stepped out of her black Maybach, wearing a limited-edition Chanel outfit. She glanced at the tall building in front of her, she had never expected her father’s company to be this huge and magnificent. Today, her father’s lawyer would be reading out the will, the lawyer had insisted that the will must be read in the presence of the company’s executives. Being the only family member her father had left, Nora went straight to the reception. She was welcomed by the receptionist, who directed her to the boardroom. She knocked on the door before entering, the executives turned their eyes toward her, staring at her with curiosity. The lawyer, Mr. Carter, was already seated and waiting for her. Once Nora entered, everyone took their seats. Mr. Carter picked up the document containing the will and prepared to read it aloud. “This cannot be happening, she shouldn’t be the one inheriting the company. She is only a girl child, she doesn’t even know anything about the company,” one of the executives said. Many of the executives agreed with the decision to make Nora a member of the shareholders, while others believed she was not capable and should forfeit the position. Voices collided as several executives rose from their seats, shouting at one another, while others whispered among themselves. Nora sat quietly at the end of the table, she looked around and noticed that most of the executives’ faces were familiar to her, but she had never spoken to any of them before. She had never been interested in business, she had spent years avoiding her father’s business meetings, her passion was to become a beauty model, not a businesswoman. Mr. Carter, who was Nora’s father’s lawyer, had anticipated this reaction from the executives. He was not surprised at all, he adjusted his glasses and waited for them to finish ranting. When the noise finally quieted down, Mr. Carter continued. “According to your father’s will, Miss Raymond will inherit 25% of Raymond Corporation’s shares, while the remaining 10% will go to the other executive.” “25%?” one of the executives shouted as he rose to his feet. “That means she will be the largest individual shareholder. This is ridiculous! He promised those shares to the board, why would he give his only child the shares when he knew she had no experience?” Questions flew across the room, but Nora remained quiet. She had never in her life imagined that her father’s ordinary business was actually a multibillion-dollar empire. She had never known that the company she was familiar with was merely a subsidiary and not the headquarters. Nora slowly rose from her seat, “even though I know nothing about business, I still choose to accept my father’s wish and inherit my shares.” “Why do you think you’re capable of inheriting them?” one of the executives asked. “Because my father left them to me,” Nora snapped back. “I may not know anything about the company, but I’m still my father’s only child, and I’m willing to learn.”The executive scoffed, “and what exactly are you going to do with that?” Nora opened her mouth to answer, but Mr. Carter interrupted her. “Mr. William, that is enough.” The executive glared at Nora before leaning back in his chair. Mr. Carter looked around the room, “the will is legally binding. Nora Raymond is the highest individual shareholder, those facts cannot be changed simply because some members of this board are unhappy about it.” The atmosphere became tense again, one by one, the executives began gathering their documents, chairs scraped against the floor as whispers filled the room. Nora watched them carefully, something about their reactions bothered her. They weren’t simply surprised, they looked afraid and suspicious. As the executives filed toward the door, one of them stopped beside her. He leaned closer. “You should be careful, Miss Raymond.” Nora looked at him. “Why?” His expression was unreadable, “because owning something and keeping it are two different things.” Before she could respond, he walked away, and he door slammed shut behind him. Nora turned toward Mr. Carter, “what did he mean, Mr. Carter?” Mr. Carter didn’t answer immediately, instead he led her out of the boardroom and into an inner office. Nora’s eyes widened, “why did you bring me here?” Mr. Carter sat down, looked up at her, and said, “because there are things we need to discuss privately.” Nora sat directly opposite him. “Is something wrong with the company?” “No. It’s not that.” Mr. Carter opened another folder. Nora’s heart sank. “This is the part of your father’s will that I was instructed to read only after the first portion had been read and the other shareholders had left.” Nora frowned. “Why?” “Because your father knew exactly how they would react.” Nora leaned forward. “What is it?” “Your father’s final instruction regarding your position as CEO.” Nora stared at him, confusion filling her eyes. “I thought I was the highest shareholder.” “Yes, you are, but…” Mr. Carter hesitated. “So I should become the CEO?” Nora asked. “Not exactly.” Nora’s confusion deepened. “What does that mean?” “The position of CEO comes with a condition.” “A condition? Why? What kind of condition?” Mr. Carter stared at her for several seconds before answering. “Yes, it comes with a condition.” Nora leaned back in her chair, “what condition?” Mr. Carter looked at her for several seconds before pushing the document across the table, Nora picked it up and opened it, her eyes immediately fell on her father’s signature at the bottom. She began reading, then her eyes stopped at a particular sentence, she read it again to make sure she hadn’t misunderstood. Her breathing changed. “No…” she whispered. “This can’t be true.” She looked up at Mr. Carter. “This has to be a mistake.” “No, it isn’t,” Mr. Carter replied calmly. “Are you telling me that my father left me a multibillion-dollar empire, made me the highest individual shareholder, and then put a condition on me becoming the CEO?” “Yes.” “What is the condition, Mr. Carter?” His expression remained serious and unchanged. “For you to inherit the position of CEO and take complete control of the company…” He paused, his eyes fixed on Nora. “You must marry Hillary Brown.” Nora froze. She knew the Brown family—the Raymond family’s greatest rival and one of the most powerful families in the city. “Why should I marry Hillary Brown?”