6- Crazy Will

Jacob stood in the doorway of the messy lounge with a poised expression, his chiseled silhouette full of derision. "You're living like a pig!" He turned around again, taking a breath in disgust. "Unwashed—your home is dirty. I would get goosebumps if I entered that room. You need pest control."

Shocked, Mira fell into a rare silence, gasping at him as he avoided her and strode quickly back outside. "We'll stay here for some fresh air."

Mira, her cheeks burning with rage and humiliation, chased him again. "How dare you?"

"Keep quiet." Jacob looked at her coldly and menacingly. "Be quiet and listen carefully. Dim is one of nature's gentlemen but I'm not and I've figured out what your game is. I now understand why Dim wrote that new will. He drafted the document without legal advice, had it witnessed by a servant, and placed it on his desk the day he returned to Manila. He's worried he's going to have another heart attack and is very worried about your future—why?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "I—I—"

Cold, judgmental black eyes swept across her panicked face. "Before Dim started his journey to recovery, you told him you were pregnant. His child—isn't it?"

"Do not make jokes!" Mira gasped.

"Your purpose was to try to force him to divorce Clara. You put him under unbearable stress, but you're lying. You're not pregnant. If you were, you would have thrown the news in front of me with glee yesterday!"

Mira blinked at him, her eyelashes fluttering in confusion. Though his suspicions were dead wrong, she was shattered by the depth of his calculations for her.

Jacob looked at her with intense contempt. "I'm afraid Dim chose to dump the whole damn mess on my lap to solve a problem he couldn't!"

"I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't," Jacob asserted, his hard mouth curled up. "No doubt you thought he left you a fortune and all you had to do was sit back and wait for the money to pour in. But, sadly for you, your dirty little game plan backfired. Dim left nothing for you in his will!"

Mira frowned, trying to understand what he was telling her. "But you say Dim left me his estate, as he did in his original will."

"But in the new version, he added a condition for inheritance. I still inherit his wealth but only if I marry you!"

"You m—marry me?" Her tongue felt too big, her mouth was too dry, and her brown eyes were wide open with disbelief. "You…marry…me?"

"Apparently Dim believes you're pregnant!" Jacob turned away from her, letting out a harsh, pained laugh, his broad shoulders tensing violently under the delicate fabric of his jacket. "Dim panicked and scribbled out this new will without any reasonable forethought. Why did he do that? Because if something happened to him, he wanted his fictional child protected and legalized, and he couldn't face the thought of Clara finding out the truth."

"You're all wrong," Mira protested hastily, trembling. My relationship with Dim is totally platonic. I didn't tell any lies to him."

"What kind of a fool do you think I am?" Jacob interrupted with naked disdain. "You are having an affair. He lives in that house with you and he is obsessed with you!"

Mira's knees gave way, and she sank slowly onto the weather-beaten bench at the edge of the overgrown lawn.

Even in the face of Jacob's twisted interpretation of the truth, she now sees the full picture, and she finally understands. Dim, how could you treat me like this? She almost screamed but cringed inside. Even though her stepbrother was unable to freely and publicly acknowledge her as his stepsister, her stepbrother was still determined to keep her future safe.

In moments of madness, in moments of extreme anxiety about his health, Dim comes up with solutions that only a madman can see! No, not a lunatic, she immediately adjusted with a suppressed groan, just an old-fashioned man who sincerely thought all young women were poor fragile little animals, without the support and guidance of some big, strong domineering man, there will be nothing she can do. "It can't be legal—" she whispered nervously.

"It's perfectly legal, but it would be better if it never happened," admits Jacob grimly. "It could be challenged and likely to be overturned in court because Dim has made no provision for what happens to his estate if he does not marry. As a result, his business assets and accounts have now been frozen. But legal action is impossible without causing Clara enormous pain."

Mira found it difficult to think clearly. "Surely she already knew all this?"

"She didn't. Although she was familiar with the terms of the original will, she didn't doubt the existence of the later one. Dim's secretary only found out about it two days ago when he was cleaning out his desk."

"But what about her? I mean, for god's sake Dim must have done something for his widow."

"Clara herself was a very wealthy woman. Dim has no other living relatives. She wants me to be his heir as much as he does. Jacob's shrewd dark eyes flicked across her tense pale face, and her lips were tightened into a grim smile. It's not in your own best interest to invite public attention. Open your little trash mouth and I won't give you a dime!"

Mira's legs suddenly regained mobility. She stood up abruptly, raw hostility gleaming in her eyes. "I do not want anything!"

Jacob studied her with cold, thoughtful eyes. "If you think you can drive up the price, then you're making a major error of judgment. You're going to have a wedding ceremony and in return, you're going to get a big fat cash and a divorce as soon as I arrange it."

"Are you crazy?" Mira asked in disbelief. "Do you really think I'm going to marry just so you can greedily get Dim's fortune?"

***

A sliding window above them was slammed open.

"Mira? What did you do with these towels?" Sheldon uttered.

Jacob froze and took a step back so he could better see the half-naked young man leaning against the window.

Mira looked up too, absently admitting that from this angle, Sheldon looked a lot like a beast.

"Sorry—" Sheldon muttered, belatedly bringing the man closer, pulling his biceps and hairy chest out of view. "I didn't know you had companions."

"Who the hell is he?" Jacob looked at Mira pointedly, black blood rising, highlighting the wild lines on his cheekbones.

"Do you want me to come down and deal with this, Mira?" Sheldon asked.

"I'll be under six feet when I need you to fight for me!" Mira snapped back, furious at the offer.

Now that Jacob saw Sheldon, some dirty thoughts about Mira surely—