For a few moments, I watched as the two conversed, mesmerized by the woman about to be my wife. In her robe, with her damp hair tied into a bun on top of her head, and no makeup, Julia was without a doubt the realest and most beautiful woman I’d known.
The old saying about beauty was never truer than with Julia.
Her splendor radiated from within. That wasn’t to say she lacked anything from a visual standpoint. It meant that her outward glory was the frosting on the delicacy she was on the inside.
Whether surrounded by the frozen tundra or in a room of people, Julia was a beacon of light. I worried I’d tarnish her, and yet deep down, I believed it was impossible. Her good outweighed my bad. It wasn’t up to her to change me, but because of her, I wanted to change.
Julia had no way of knowing what she’d done to me. She could never understand the darkness in the man who found her because from the moment I laid eyes on her, her light began to dissipate the dark.
Her presence, zest for life, and incredible heart restored existence to a barren heart. There were too many things about myself that I hadn’t shared. And much as the way she’d reacted to the prenuptial agreement with trust and acceptance, I had another unfamiliar emotion.
It was hope.
Hope that we’d survive.
Hope that our snow globe would never shatter.
Hope that my past sins were paid, and Julia’s goodness would carry us through.
As I sat down in my office, I scribbled my name at the bottom of the final page of the agreement, below Julia’s. It was no wonder my advisors weren’t happy. My determination to make Wade successful at all costs went against common sense.
I should take the offer from GreenSphere, sell all our shares and take a seat on their executive board.
That was their advice.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was being said or that I sought to lose money. I was bogged down by an unquenchable sense that things weren’t as they seemed.
My first question was why would the McGraths alter Herman Wade’s last will and testament?
To that end, I had my people digging for previously filed wills. It wasn’t uncommon for people to change their wills multiple times prior to their death. A man with the wealth of Herman Wade surely had other older drafts of his will.
How does the current will differ from the previous?
My question wasn’t only why Julia’s parents would alter the will. It was also curiosity on why the will was being contested now, ten years after Herman Wade’s death.
Without the prenuptial agreement, I could sell our Wade shares and wash our hands of the company. It would be the easy and profitable option.
Why?
Why was GreenSphere interested?
Why were they offering me a seat on the executive board?
There were too many questions to walk away.
I couldn’t guarantee Wade Pharmaceutical’s success. I could promise Julia that I wouldn’t turn my back without trying.
I sent Oscar Fields a message letting him know that both Julia and I had signed the agreement. His happiness wasn’t my concern. Julia’s was.
Checking my cell phone again, I made a call to Rob Landon. Something wasn’t sitting right with me. The first and second call went to his voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, I sent a text asking him to call me soon.
A pop-up on my computer screen told me I had a message from Leonard, the head of cybersecurity at Sherman and Madison. If I didn’t have his team working on items regarding Wade, I might decide to wait. After all, our wedding was in a few hours.
The doorbell chimed.
For the first time since upgrading our security, the house was a constant parade of comings and goings.
A quick look at the camera’s readout on my computer told me Margaret was here.