Married To My Rival

Chapter One: The Will

I had never imagined that a Tuesday morning could ruin my life so completely. I sat in the glass-walled study of my father’s mansion, and stared at the leather-bound document in my hands. The Moreno Corporation’s logo was embossed on the cover, regal and imposing, just like the man who had built it.

Even though my father was gone, his presence lingered everywhere.

I had expected clauses about stocks, properties, charitable trusts, maybe a few personal letters tucked into the folds. What I did not expect was the condition that made my blood run cold.

I had to marry Adrian Blackwell.

Adrian Blackwell.

The name alone made my stomach twist. He was everything I despised in a person: calm, composed, perfectly polished, and arrogant without even trying. Adrian was the CEO of Blackwell Enterprises, the company that had been nibbling at Moreno’s profits for years. In other words, he was my rival. He was also the man the board had chosen to marry if I wanted to inherit my father’s empire.

I read the words again. Slowly. Carefully.

Isabella Moreno will inherit 100 percent of Moreno Corporation contingent upon her marriage to Adrian Blackwell within six months of this will’s execution.

I slammed the document onto the desk, startling the secretary who had been standing quietly in the corner.

“This is insane,” I said, my voice sharp, brittle with disbelief. “Absolutely insane.”

The secretary, a woman with soft eyes and no-nonsense attitude, cleared her throat. “Ms. Moreno, the board will be meeting soon to discuss the formalities.”

I shook my head. “I don’t care what the board thinks. This… this is blackmail disguised as a will.” I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the marble floor. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I needed a moment to make sense of the impossible.

I stormed out of the office into the hallway where I was met by my assistant, Hazel.

“The board meeting is in thirty minutes. Adrian Blackwell will be attending.” She said softly as she could sense my anger.

I froze. Adrian. Blackwell. In the same room. With me.

I tried to focus, to remind myself of the principles I had lived by: independence, competence, self-respect. But a cold fury simmered beneath my calm exterior.

By the time I walked into the boardroom, the air was already tense. The executives, mostly men in dark suits and sharp ties, were seated in a rigid semicircle. Their eyes followed my every movement. I could almost feel their judgment pressing down on me. And at the head of the table… Adrian Blackwell.

He stood as I entered, tall and impeccably dressed, his dark hair perfectly styled, his blue eyes meeting mine with a polite but calculated calm. He did not smile. He did not acknowledge my struggle. He simply extended his hand in a gesture that was both formal and chillingly controlled.

“Miss Moreno,” he said, his voice even and smooth. “It seems we have… business to discuss.”

My hand hovered in the air for a split second, but I did not shake it. Instead, I sank into the chair across from him, my fingers clenched in my lap.

“You must be joking,” I said, loud enough for the entire room to hear. “Marrying you is not going to happen. Not now, not ever. My father must have been out of his mind when he wrote this.”

The chairman of the board, an older man with thinning hair and a sharp nose, cleared his throat. “Ms. Moreno, your father’s wishes are clear. The board has full authority to enforce the conditions of the will. You understand that refusal could mean forfeiture of your inheritance.”

My jaw tightened. “So I have no choice. I am to hand over my freedom for a contract written on paper?”

Adrian’s lips curved just slightly, but it was not a smile. “It seems the choice is already made for you. I am simply the partner the board has deemed suitable.”

I hated him immediately and completely. There was no warmth in him. No apology. No sign that he understood how much my entire life had just been turned upside down.

“I am not agreeing to anything,” I said, my voice rising. “I don’t even like you, and now I’m supposed to marry you just to get my inheritance?”

Adrian leaned back in his chair, his gaze calm and unflinching. “I do not expect you to like me. I expect you to follow the terms of the will, if you wish to claim your inheritance.”

The room fell silent. The air felt charged, like the calm before a storm. My fists clenched under the table. I wanted to stand, scream, demand, anything to assert myself, but I remained calm.

“You all must be out of your minds. This is my father’s company, it is mine by right! I do not need to marry any man to claim my right!” I asserted with a straight face.

“It is stated clearly in the will that you must marry Mr. Blackwell to claim your inheritance.” The chairman said dismissively.

“My father would never do such a thing. The will was altered and I know it.” I argued.

“Miss. Moreno, there is no need to waste your time. I am your father’s lawyer and I have recorded evidence of your father stating the terms of the will. It is in your best interest to accept this or you forfeit the right to your inheritance and the company will be sold to the Blackwell enterprise completely.” An eloquent man in his late 60s said.

“And if I refuse?” I whispered, though the words were barely audible.

“Then you lose everything. And you will have no one to blame but yourself.”

“I’ll sign it.” I muttered reluctantly.

“Excellent. Shall we get started with the paperwork now, Mr. Chairman. I would like to get it done quickly as I have other commitments for the rest of the day.” Adrian said.

“Of course.”

And before I knew it, I was handed a pen and a contract to sign my freedom away.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Moreno. I shall be back to plan living arrangements.” Adrian said as he stood up and walked out of the boardroom with his executive staff trailing behind him.

“I'm done here.” I whispered before storming off.

I walked out of the boardroom and into the hallway. There I was met with whispers from the staff. They thought I couldn’t hear them but I knew exactly what they had in their hearts.

They whispered amongst themselves, saying I am incapable of running the company alone. They all celebrated that the company would be in Adrian’s control and not mine. Of course that’s what it was. Signing that contract was me signing away my right over it.

Adrian now controls it all, my company and his. I’m just a pawn in the game.

As I walked down the hallway, tears almost left my eyes. I’ve worked in this company for 7 years and all through those years, I’ve always known that everyone thought I was an incapable nepo baby. But it hurts on a whole new level knowing my father thought the same thing.

He didn’t think I was capable of running the company on my own and that’s why he added the marriage clause, so Adrian would run the company but I’d still have my dignity.

I reached the elevator and pressed the button, when it opened there was someone already inside. It was Adrian.

My stomach dropped. I hesitated for a second but eventually walked in calmly.

“Hello Miss Moreno.” He calmly said.

“Or should I say Mrs. Blackwell?” He teased with a gentle smile as he attempted to ease the tension in the small elevator.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” I muttered.

“You should get used to it.” He said.

“I know you don’t want to do this.” Adrian added.

“Oh really? What gave it away?” I asked sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

“Believe it or not, I don’t want to do this either.” He expressed.

“Then why are you so bent on doing it?” I asked.

“When you’re born into power and wealth, you don’t have a say in anything. Your only purpose is to uplift the family name.” He continued.

“I don’t have a choice. I have to do what’s best for my family’s business. And this merger is just that.” He added.

“This sucks.” I said.

“I know.”

“What if I told you I knew a way we could get out of this?”

“Do you?”

“Yes, but it’s not so simple. It’s long and complicated but it just might work.”

“Let’s play by their rules completely. But only for a year.”

“Are you suggesting–“

“Yes,” Adrian said simply. “We will marry. We will satisfy the terms of the will. And then we will go our separate ways, one year from now.”

“It benefits the both of us” he continued.

“I’m in.”

“Good!”

“But no one can know about this.”

“Agreed.”

“Nice doing business with you Miss Moreno.” Adrian said with a smug smile as the elevator doors opened and I stepped out.

My mind raced. One year. One year of being forced to live with the man I despised. One year of smiling for the board, pretending, hiding my thoughts, hiding my anger, hiding myself. But it was the better option compared to an eternity with him.

I stepped out of the building and walked towards my car where my driver was waiting. As I sat in the back, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it at first, but the buzzing persisted. Finally, I glanced at the screen.

The message was from an unknown number.

*“Do not marry him. You are in danger.”*