Episode 10
The tense, icy peace established in the mansion was shattered late one afternoon by Zavian. He walked into Ella's office without knocking, his imposing figure radiating cold fury. He slammed a heavy, legal document onto the polished wood.
"Explain this," he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
Ella slowly picked up the document. It was a formal petition filed in probate court. The language was cold, complex, and damning. The petitioner was challenging the validity of Lily's guardianship and Zavian's trusteeship of the Hayes/Lennox Trust. The claim: Zavian Lennox had orchestrated a fraudulent contract marriage to an unqualified individual—Ella Hayes—in violation of the trust's moral and stability clauses.
The name of the petitioner caused Ella's breath to seize: Mrs. Evelyn Thorne, Zavian's aunt and a long-standing member of the Lennox family trust oversight committee. The legal firm handling the petition was Thorne & Finch—the exact firm Ella had seen in the strange legal inquiry document days earlier.
"The claim is accurate," Ella stated, meeting his furious dark eyes. "The marriage is a contract. The arrangement is purely transactional."
"It's a necessary maneuver to secure Lily's future," Zavian corrected, leaning over the desk, his hands braced against the wood. "I put the stability clause in place to prevent this precise type of vulture from attacking. And your reckless secrecy has compromised the entire foundation."
"My secrecy?" Ella shot back, rising to face him. Her gray eyes flashed with defiance. "I noticed an irregular inquiry from Thorne & Finch days ago while managing the accounts, but you were too busy hiding in your work and maintaining your glacial boundary to share information! This is a failure of your secretive system, Zavian. Not mine."
His jaw tightened. He knew she was right—his failure to communicate was a consequence of their disastrous tension in the sickroom. "Regardless," he bit out, "if Evelyn Thorne wins this petition, the court will freeze the trust and seize trusteeship. Evelyn has the influence to take Lily. She is seeking to prove that both you and I are unfit."
The threat immediately shifted their focus from fighting each other to fighting the outsider.
"We have to fight her," Ella stated, her voice hardening with professional resolve. "Lily cannot go to that woman. Evelyn only cares about the social standing of the Lennox name, not the person."
"We will fight, but your role changes immediately," Zavian said, regaining control, treating the lawsuit like a corporate takeover. "We move from a non-intimate contract marriage to a fully committed, publicly affectionate one. We have to sell the court and society on a love story that began with immediate, intense passion."
Ella recoiled. "Passion? Zavian, we barely tolerate each other's presence! That is an impossible performance."
"No, it's a legal mandate," he insisted. "We have provided no public evidence of affection. Your defiance and my isolation look like proof of fraud to the courts. Starting now, your sharp mind and my resources must be focused on one goal: absolute cohesion. You will cease your outside professional work and prepare to be fully involved in the defense."
He grabbed his tablet and pulled up a detailed timeline. "We have a motion hearing in two weeks. Until then, we must be seen to be:**
* Affectionate: Public kissing, touching, and personal compliments.
* United: Always present together in family activities.
* Vulnerable: Sharing a personal, convincing narrative of how our 'love' began."
Ella felt a cold dread mix with the unwanted memory of his breath on her ear in the sickroom. The pretense of affection was terrifying because the physical attraction between them was already volatile.
"And what is the narrative?" Ella asked, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
"You, the brilliant, independent woman, were so captivated by my stability and passion for Lily that you threw caution to the wind," Zavian recited, sounding utterly absurd. "And I, the cold, powerful investor, was instantly broken down by your wit and fierce protection of your cousin."
The legal threat forced a new, uncomfortable intimacy. Zavian had always controlled the external rules; now, Ella had to control the emotional execution of those rules.
"I will play the role," Ella agreed, her voice steely. "But we need evidence. A love story requires documented, material proof. We need to create documented memories. And," she added, her Girl Power coming back in full force, "we need to manage Lily. If she senses our performance is fake, she will break."
Zavian regarded her with a flicker of genuine respect. She wasn't shrinking from the fight; she was analyzing the required steps for victory.
"You handle the emotional execution," Zavian conceded, his hazel eyes dark with reluctant partnership. "I'll handle the legal and financial defense."
He paused, the distance between them still charged, but now with a shared objective. "We start tonight. A romantic dinner, here. We will review the strategy and, more importantly, rehearse the appropriate level of physical contact."
Ella swallowed hard. "Rehearse? I require a clear plan for that."
Zavian stepped away, retrieving the petition. "There are no protocols for genuine chemistry, Ella. Only practice." He handed her the legal petition, sealing their alliance. "Welcome to the real fight, wife. Evelyn Thorne just guaranteed we will have to pretend to be in love."