Snapshot (Lessons in Love Book 2)

In the matter of Hessler Group Holdings, I nominate Dex Malcolm Hessler’s legal spouse to inherit my majority shares in full, which are then to be locked from transfer or distribution for a minimum of a twelve-month period.

Just like that. One simple sentence has changed the entire trajectory of my life.

At least twenty pairs of eyes are locked on my ghost-white face, but all I can do is focus on breathing. Stay calm. Stay in control.

Looking down at the small stack of papers in front of me, I tap the line that just threatened my entire future. I lift my eyes, glaring at the lawyer across from me who has the daunting task of explaining the troublesome matter at hand.

“What the fu—” I exhale. After taking in a few more deep breaths, I collect myself and start again. “Ms. Mendel, what does this mean?” I force out, trying to maintain manners.

The lawyer gulps as I address her directly. She’s young. I bet she’s barely out of the legal bullpen. Tori Mendel. I’ve never heard of her before today. She clarified upon her arrival that the will was revised under her guidance a couple months ago. Why would Grandma hire an executor that isn’t in-house? We pay a small fortune for a dedicated team of very experienced lawyers. Perhaps it’s because she was planning to pull the rug out from under all of us.

Tori clears her throat and speaks with confidence. “Mr. Hessler, it indicates that Hessler Group, being privately owned, has a policy that the majority shareholder of the company also assumes the role of CEO.”

“That part I understand. What’s confusing me is the part that says my legal spouse.”

Tori sucks in her lips. “Um, so that would indicate an individual that you are legally married to. We’d need to see a marriage certificate to validate the name⁠—”

“Ms. Mendel, I’m not married. I’ve never been married. I have no plans to marry,” I bark out.

The boardroom is silent except for the subtle sound of people shifting in their chairs. The spread that Denny arranged for has been served, but no one is touching the little white plates in front of them filled with lavish brunch appetizers.

Denny leans forward in her chair, her elbows hitting the table. “Clearly, this is a misunderstanding.” Her voice is honey-smooth and unwavering, a direct contradiction to my current fluster. But this is what she’s constantly trying to remind me of. A good leader maintains their composure, even in the face of disaster. “Dottie must’ve put this together when Dex was in a relationship. Perhaps she made some assumptions about Dex and Leah’s future plans, but that relationship has since ended. I’m assuming as there is no one to claim the title of his legal spouse, the company inheritance defaults to the Hessler’s next of kin.” Denny gestures to me. “Hence, her grandson. Problem solved.”

I see the first flicker of agitation on Tori’s face. She barely glances in Denny’s direction and locks her gaze back on me. Folding her hands, she calmly explains, “That’s not an option. Mrs. Hessler was extremely clear about her intentions. The company will either be claimed by your legal spouse, or you forfeit the shares to a trust. Hessler Group would be without an acting CEO. And if the trust is unclaimed, the state will likely get involved after a relatively short dormancy period.”

I bury my head in my hands as I groan. Grandma? What the hell were you thinking? She knew I was nowhere close to marriage. There’s not a damn woman on the planet I’d trust to be my wife right now. And especially not one I’d hand my family’s entire company over to.

From the moment I turned eighteen, I’ve been manipulated, tricked, and possessed by women, all in attempts to obtain my wealth. Briar was the icing on the cake. Never again. I dated Leah because, after her divorce, she swore she’d never marry again either. We were in similar boats—disinterested in trusting the opposite sex again. We were comfortable with the boundaries we set. Grandma knew all of this. How could she do this to me?

“How about this?” Hank Fowler, our most senior advisor, who has sat on the board for thirty years, speaks up. His voice is grisly, a side-effect from decades of chain-smoking cigars. “What if all the shareholders in this room refused to forfeit ownership to the state? Then we could collectively vote Dex back in as our CEO.”

Hank’s thick white eyebrows are furrowed, but when he catches my glance, he smiles. A brief rush of gratitude sobers my current horror.

“Thank you, Hank.”

He bows his head in a heavy nod. “The seat at the head of the table is yours, son. Harrison and Dorothea set this company up for you. We’re not going to let some senseless legal mumbo jumbo stand in the way.”

I look around the room and watch the ripple effect of nods and mumbles of support.

“A very nice sentiment,” Tori says with a look of reluctance on her face. “But unfortunately, you don’t have the power to do that. You’re an advisory board. Not a board of directors. Your minimal shares were gifted, and any and all of your input was implemented at Mrs. Hessler’s discretion.”

Peter Richmond chimes in next, a newer board member but a pioneer in eCommerce. He was brought on about five years ago as a lynchpin in our new merchandising endeavors. “I don’t mean to sound crass here, but all we need is a marriage certificate for the inheritance, right?”

Tori peers at him quizzically. “Yes. It has to be a legal marriage.”

“Then…uh, can we just hire a wife?” Peter turns his attention to me and widens his eyes. “Or, pardon me. I shouldn’t assume… Wife or husband?” he asks.

“Wife,” I reply.

“My niece is an aspiring actress. She’s twenty-two and a little ditzy, but I’m sure she could slip on a ring for the right price and pretend to be married to Dex for a year until she could relinquish the shares. She doesn’t have a lick of common sense, but she’ll sign the papers where we tell her to.”

Tori looks at me and lifts her eyebrows. She’s probably the youngest person in this room, yet suddenly seemingly the most level-headed and sensible. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear a ploy to fraudulently fulfill this will⁠—”

“It doesn’t have to be fraudulent,” Peter assures her.

Wonderful. Apparently, my board of advisors not only provides counsel for my company but can fetch me a wife at the drop of a hat. The epitome of resourcefulness.

“And anyway, it’s a dangerous game to play,” Tori advises. “There is no red tape here. Whoever claims the company as Dex’s spouse will be directly stepping into Mrs. Hessler’s business shoes, so to speak. But she’s not inheriting any wealth. Just whatever salary comes with being the CEO of Hessler Group.” Tori gestures to me with her palm toward the ceiling. “In an effort to access a mass fortune, she could sell Hessler Group off in pieces, absolve the company, fire you all, dismiss your pensions. She would have the power to drive this company straight into the ground and walk away with history’s biggest personal payout.”

“She’d never,” Peter says.

“Are you sure?” I ask as the sickening realization overcomes me. “What do you think a twenty-two-year-old would choose if billions of dollars were in reach? Sixty-hour work weeks in an office, or a life of luxury, jet-setting across the globe?”

Peter shudders. “Okay, good point. Plan C?”

“There is no Plan C,” Denny says as she points to the stack of papers in front of me. “We could continue to offer futile suggestions, but I assure you, knowing Dottie, she already thought of them all. There’s only one solution here.”

“Which is?” Hank asks, his voice full of snippy agitation. He’s always had a mild irritation with Denny, who has no problem inserting herself into business matters of Hessler Group. On more than one occasion, he told her to mind her place. But all she wanted was to protect Grandma and me, and she had no qualms going toe-to-toe with the powerful men in the room.

Denny doesn’t address him and instead tilts her head to the side, meeting my eyes with a pitying stare. “Dex, I think you should return to Las Vegas, take a couple days to rest, and get your affairs in order. You should have time to mourn Dottie in peace. I’ll take care of all of this for you. I’ll find you a wife who can run Hessler Group for a year, then hand it right back. Someone we can trust.”

A wife I can trust?

At this point, resurrecting Grandma seems like an easier feat.