Chapter 18
I was the sole heir of my family. But I was a woman.}
Everyone said the three foster husbands my father chose for me are the true heirs. Yet none of them has ever even looked me in the eye. I’d tried countless times to get Melvin Butler’s attention–flirting, reaching out, anything–but all I ever got in return were cold, disdainful
stares.
At first, I thought he treated all women like this. Then I saw it with my own eyes.
He knelt before Addison Dolton, the chauffeur’s daughter, and promised, “I only agreed to marry Audrey to repay the Rodgers for raising me. Once I take control of the company, I’ll give you a grand wedding. If she doesn’t lay her hand on you, I’ll leave her a few million to live abroad comfortably. That’s how much I love you.”
The day before the board meeting, my father asked me who I had chosen.
I thought of those three men and the way they always avoided my gaze. Then I smiled and said, “I’m the heir of our family. Marriage should be about maximizing benefits. So, I’ll choose Luke Davidson from the Washington, D.C..”
My father frowned. “Luke’s been paralyzed since a car accident five years ago. He’s not just in a wheelchair, he can’t… function as a man. Are you sure?“}
Inodded and in a soft but steady voice I replied, “In our world, there’s no such thing as true love. If it’s all about power anyway, then I’ll pick the one who offers the most–Luke’s family.“}
My father’s expression turned grim. “I understand your reasoning, but out of the three foster sons I raised for you, none of them caught your eye?”
My father loved my mother deeply. But she died of a brain hemorrhage the same year I was born. He never remarried. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to hand over our entire company to a woman.”
So, on a friend’s advice, he adopted three boys from an orphanage–boys with no family, no ties. He even wrote a will early on, saying whichever of them I chose would co–lead the company with me and keep the other board members in check.
My father loved me, yes–but that didn’t mean he believed a woman alone could hold up our legacy.
I looked him in the eye and firmly said, “Luke might be physically disabled, but we can still have children through IVF. And he’s the sole heir of the Davidsons. Wouldn’t it make more sense to ally with a powerful family than gamble on orphans?“%
Finally, my father nodded. “If those three couldn’t win your heart, then they have no place at Rodgers Corp.“>
The truth is, it wasn’t just because Melvin didn’t love me. I just didn’t want to force anything.
If I had told my father just how Melvin treated me, he would’ve made him kneel in front of me and asked what right a foster son had to refuse his daughter.
i didn’t want to use years of gratitude as a weapon against him. I didn’t want to make him marry me out of obligation. And I definitely didn’t want to end up in a loveless marriage full of resentment.
Especially after hearing those sweet words he spoke to another woman, my heart had completely gone cold.
Letting him go without a fight was the kindest thing I could offer.
As I walked out of the office, my father gave Melvin a sideways glance.
After sending my father off like an obedient son, Melvin turned to me, scowling. “What did you tell him this time?“%
His eyes were filled with disgust, like I had committed some unforgivable crime.
Before I could even respond, Gerald Pearson sneered from the side. “What else could it be? Probably whining that the three of us ignore her and don’t spoil her enough.“%
Darren Richards, the third one, looked just as disdainful. “Come on, Miss Rodgers. We’re not in a kingdom. You think just because you’re rich, you’re some kind of princess? That everyone’s supposed to orbit around you?”
The three of them stood united, their words sharp and cutting.
I stared at them, completely baffled. “None of you want to marry me. So why has no one ever told my father?*
My father might have wanted to groom one of them as my husband, but he would never force anyone &
All they had to do was say no, and my father would’ve happily written them each a check and sent them off abroad to enjoy a carefree life &
10:47 AM
