The Forbidden Inheritance

Chapter 3

I told myself I would never step foot inside Lawson Holdings again. Yet here I was, being ushered out of a black car whose door Elias had opened with the same courtesy one might show a stranger, not a companion.

The building loomed above me like a monument to my late husband’s power and to my failures. Philip had breathed life into these walls, guarded them as though they were an extension of his soul. Walking in now felt like trespassing.

The lobby swallowed me in polished marble and cold stares. I could feel the eyes of the staff fixed on me, some whispering, and I was sure it was about me. I was used to this life. I didn’t care. Elias didn’t so much as glance at me. His stride was steady, his expression unreadable, and I had no choice but to follow just behind him.

He had already told me earlier that we would have a conference meeting this morning. I only hoped I wouldn’t have to speak, because I had nothing to say.

The boardroom was suffocating. Suits lined the table, their murmurs filling the air until the door closed behind us. Then silence. It wasn’t me they were waiting for. It was him. Elias moved to the head of the table without hesitation, claiming it as though it had been his all along.

They greeted him immediately. I sat on his right-hand side, my palms damp against the smooth surface of the chair.

His hand was steady on the back of the chair he didn’t sit in, his eyes surveying the room with a cool authority that seemed to quiet even the low whispers.

When he finally spoke, his voice cut like steel through silk.

“I’m Elias Lawson” he said. “For those who don’t know, I am Philip brother. In light of Philip’s passing, I will be assuming temporary control of the Lawson's corporation.”

The words landed heavily that there were no room for negotiation.

He let the silence hang a beat before continuing. “Beside me is Mara Lawson. My brother’s widow. She will serve as my… partner in name, though her role here is advisory at best.”

The phrase was a blade dressed in velvet. I felt the boardroom eyes shift to me—probing, assessing, some filled with open disdain. My palms pressed into the smooth fabric of my skirt, holding myself steady.

Elias’s gaze did not move from the board. “This company has suffered enough instability. From this day forward, there will be order. You will report to me directly. Decisions will be mine. And as for the Lawson's name…” His jaw tightened. “It will not be dragged any lower.”

Not a sound dared to challenge him. A few heads nodded. A few faces hardened.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. Partner in name only. That was what I had been reduced to in the company my husband once led.

The meeting moved on. Numbers, projections, formalities I couldn’t focus on. Every word Elias spoke carried weight, his confidence so absolute it silenced doubt before it could form. Philip had been charming, persuasive when he wished to be but Elias was something else entirely. Unyielding. Dangerous.

When the meeting ended, the air outside the boardroom was thick with murmurs as the executives dispersed. Elias walked beside me, his stride steady. I tried to match his pace, though my mind still churned with everything that had just been decided.

Then I saw her.

A woman in a fitted black dress approached—sleek hair, immaculate red lips, a perfume that reached me even across my direction. Her smile bloomed too brightly, her eyes locked not on me, but on Elias.

I knew that face.

The memory cut sharp and fresh: the woman I had caught kissing Philip days before his death. My heart thudded.

“Mr. Lawson,” she said smoothly, extending her hand. “Welcome. I’m with the HR. I look forward to working under your leadership.”

Elias’s handshake was brief, his voice clipped. “Good.”

Then her attention shifted. She turned that same bright smile on me, hand extended again, waiting.

I froze for a fraction of a second. My skin prickled, my stomach turned, because I knew her. Not by name, but by memory. By the sight of her lips pressed against my husband’s.

Still, I had no choice. To refuse her hand would be to raise suspicion. So I slipped my fingers into hers, a handshake that felt like swallowing poison.

“Mrs. Lawson,” she said pleasantly, her eyes lingering too long, as though daring me to flinch.

My lips curved into the smallest, most practiced smile. “Pleasure.”

Her smile didn’t waver. But something in her gaze told me she remembered me too.

At last, she withdrew her hand, nodding politely to Elias, before gliding away down the hall.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, fighting the bile rising in me. I didn’t even know her name but I would never forget her face.

Elias didn’t spare her another glance. He left and I followed immediately.

We walked the corridor in strained quiet, each step echoing against the glass walls until at last we stopped before his office. Elias pushed the door open without looking at me, the weight of his authority filling the space before I could even step inside.

he headed to the desk in the office prepared for him, pouring himself a drink and sipping it while I stood waiting for him to talk so I can leave. I didn't want to make myself comfortable by sitting.

And in that moment, We were alone. No board members. Just Elias Lawson—and me.

“This company is bleeding,” he said finally, his voice clipped, businesslike. “I don’t expect you to understand the details, but you’ll do as you’re told. Don’t meddle. Don’t interfere. And most importantly, don’t embarrass the Lawson's name.”

I stiffened. “You make it sound as though I’m incapable of anything but destruction.”

He looked up then, his eyes locking on mine with a glacial calm that rattled me more than anger ever could. “Aren’t you?”

The words hit harder than I wanted them to. My lips parted, but no defense came.

He stepped closer, until there was little space between us. “What happened between us that night,” he said, his voice dropping lower, “was a mistake, Mara Lawson. It will never happen again.”

Heat rose to my cheeks, shame mingling with something sharper. My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Why? Why such disdain for me when you barely know me?”

His nearness was suffocating, his breath brushing against my cheek when he leaned down just enough to make the air crackle. I tried so hard not to stare at his lips.

“Because my brother is dead,” he whispered, “and I don’t know what part you played in it.”

My chest seized. I swallowed hard, but the memory of the arsenic bottle under my bed burned hot in my thoughts.

“You’re wrong,” I forced out. “I loved Philip. I didn’t kill him.”

“Did you?” His eyes narrowed. “You had enough reasons to end his life. You must be happy you now own part of Lawson’s estate.”

“And like I said earlier, I do not want it. I just want my freedom.” I held his gaze, even though it nearly broke me to do so. For two unyielding minutes, I challenged him with my silence.

Then a sharp knock at the door made me flinch.

Elias straightened, his expression hardening. “Come in.” he said with his eyes not leaving mine.

An assistant entered quickly, placing an envelope in his hand. "This is for you, Mr. Lawson.”

Elias dismissed him with a nod

He opened it without hesitation, scanning the contents. Then his gaze lifted back to me, colder than ice.

“This came right on time,” he scoffed, turning the paper so I could see the content.

“Philip only married you because you were carrying his child back then,” he said, stepping closer. My steps faltered until my back hit the wall, his figure towering over me. My heart pounding violently.

“Tell me, Mara, why you lied that you had a miscarriage, when this says you filed for an abortion.”

The words rang in my ears. I never expected this to come to light. The rage in his voice stole my breath.

My eyes shifted to the paper in his hand, and I saw it. The abortion report. Tears welled in my eyes, my lips trembling as the past I had buried clawed its way to the surface.

“I need answers, Mara,” his voice cut through me, dragging me into those piercing blue eyes that always unraveled me in dangerous ways.