THE INHERITANCE CONTRACT

Girl therapy;

Lena's house had filled with the warm scent of coffee and chocolate, the atmosphere having turned into a complete girl to girl therapy session. Ivy had not forgotten Lena's favorite depression snack when she came, having bought plenty of dark chocolate chip cookies from the bakery. Now, sprawled in the middle of the spacious living room, they were discussing the absurdity of life over coffee and sweets.

Lena took a sip from her large coffee mug and grabbed a huge bite of cookie. She sighed with the sweet happiness of the chocolate melting in her mouth, but then suddenly paused. Noticing the chocolate smeared on her lips, she wrinkled her nose and quickly put down what she was holding.

"Girl, do not eat that stuff. I swear we are going to weigh 100 kilos. You are already a tiny little thing, but if I gain weight, I will turn straight into a mountain troll," she complained, shaking her hands.

Ivy casually twirled the cookie in the air, then took a big bite. "What can I do? My mind cannot handle the action in your life. This is the only way I can cope with everything, look. Are you really marrying the guy you slept with? And are we moving to Mardin?"

She finished the last sentence with a mocking laugh.

Lena rolled her eyes as she swallowed the last bite in her mouth. "I would say do not come, but I cannot stand being there without you like I have no one. I do not know what I would do alone. I cannot tell my mom and dad anyway. They would kill me, saying, 'Have you lost your mind?'"

Ivy placed her hands friendly on Lena's palms. Her eyes had become serious, but there was still a smile on her lips.

"Look, my dear," she said slowly. "You are the most ambitious, most successful woman I have ever seen in this world. You have won awards for years, always worked, strived. You are living in this residence now, driving your own car, but we both know how much struggle it took for you to achieve these. When I hear about the millions left to you, this comes to my mind. When could you ever earn that much money again?"

Lena frowned, trying to silence the greedy side inside her.

Ivy giggled, as if to lighten the mood. "Besides, look on the bright side. In the eastern regions, there is still that obsession with male grandchildren. What if they said you need to give us an heir? Thank God your father did not add a male child criteria. Just imagine, what if you had to wait until you had a son?"

This time, both of them burst into laughter. As the laughter echoed around the room, the sound of a message arriving on Lena's phone suddenly interrupted everything.

Lena glanced at the unfamiliar number on her screen and frowned. The message was short and clear.

"I have two days left in Istanbul. You need to make your decision tomorrow. Your passport is also needed for the marriage procedures."

Lena took a deep breath. She knew, of course, who the message was from. Blaze Kade.

But the passport issue.

"What does a passport have to do with it, man?" she murmured, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Ivy snatched the phone from her hand, read the message, and turned to Lena with wide eyes.

Lena was frowning as she looked at the phone screen. "Is this guy joking?" she complained.

Ivy immediately leaned over and tried to read the message. "Oh, a passport? And you have to decide by tomorrow. The man is literally making you a getaway plan, not a wedding!" she said, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Lena put the phone down on the table and threw her hair back. "It was clear I was going to Mardin, but I do not understand if this man is going to kidnap me abroad. I swear my life has turned into a Turkish drama."

Ivy took a sip of her coffee and giggled. "What else would it be? A mysterious, rich, dominant man, a forced marriage, a past full of secrets. Believe me, if you were in a TV show, you would break rating records."

Lena pursed her lips thoughtfully. Her life really had turned into complete chaos. But there was something else bothering her mind. Why did Blaze want a passport?

Ivy noticed Lena's silence and nudged her arm. "So, what are you going to do? Are you accepting this madness?"

Lena took a deep breath. "If I can get that publishing group, I will not have to start from scratch when I return to Istanbul. Maybe this is the opportunity that will change my life. But Blaze is hiding something from me, I can feel it. It is like Mardin is not waiting for me with just a mansion and a fake marriage life."

After Ivy left, Lena noticed the silence that had settled over the house. The room that had been filled with laughter just moments ago was now wrapped in the coolness of loneliness. As she kept turning her phone over in her hand, the restlessness inside her grew.

She sat on her bed, pulled her feet under her, and took a deep breath. Hesitation was eating away at her insides. What was she doing? Sharing the same house with a stranger for a whole year. And on top of that, a marriage contract. Where would this lead?

She stared at the phone screen for a long time. She shook her head and grumbled to herself. "No, no, think logically, Lena. Millions. You do not want to return to the slave system of publishing. It is just one year."

Finally, her fingers touched the screen. As she wrote the sentence, she felt her cheeks redden.

"Okay, I accept your offer."

The moment she sent the message, she realized her heart was racing. There would be no turning back now.

The phone vibrated. Blaze's reply came instantly.

"We will meet at the lawyer's tomorrow morning."

Was that it? No question, no comment. Not even a hint of emotion. The man's message was as cold and clear as a business agreement.

Lena rolled her eyes. "What a romantic man!" she muttered to herself, putting the phone face down on the nightstand and throwing herself onto the bed.

She stared at the empty space on the ceiling and thought.

Tomorrow would be the strangest day of her life....