Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law-Chapter 53: A Devoted Husband

Adam stepped out of the car and held out his hand to Melanie, who was dressed in a simple ivory sheath dress ignoring the presence of the man who was waiting a few feet away.

She placed her hand in his, and once outside, he sent her a smile and tucked her arm through his leading her toward the entrance. Just as they reached the doors, Adam came to a halt, his gaze landing on a familiar figure and he gave the man a surprised look as if he had not noticed him earlier. "Uncle Truman? What are you doing here?"

Attorney Truman sent the couple a complicated look before answering. "I heard that you and Miss Melanie were getting married."

Adam's lips curled into a smug smile and he nodded as he straightened his hand and curled his arm around her shoulder, "You heard right, Uncle Truman. We figured we'd tie the knot first and then let everyone else know. I already officially re- introduced her to the family though."

Truman gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable. "I see. But I think you might not be able to get married today."

Adam's smile vanished. His grip on Melanie's hand tightened slightly as he narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone edged with impatience and something else. It seemed the next scheme was about to be revealed.

Truman grimaced. Sometimes, he hated being a lawyer for the rich. People like the Collins' family had everything, yet nothing was ever enough. Greed was their true legacy.

Spencer's plan to marry Melanie had been unexpected, but not entirely shocking. These kinds of marriages weren't uncommon.

But Adam? That was surprising. Truman knew exactly what the boy had done with his trust fund, and even beyond that, he knew what Adam was capable of. He didn't need marriage to gain riches.

Now, seeing him go this far—tying himself to Melanie just to get his hands on the ABC empire—only proved that no amount of wealth could ever satisfy certain people. Even Adam Collins, whom he'd once thought was above all this, wasn't immune to the hunger for more, it seemed.

Still, Truman kept his expression neutral as he stared at the two and said, "Before you go through with this, there's something you need to know. Let's step into the restaurant next door for a few minutes." He glanced at his watch. "I took the liberty of postponing your appointment inside by a little while."

Without waiting for their response, he turned and walked away, leaving Adam and Melanie standing there with no choice but to follow.

Truman wasted no time. "Early this morning, someone filed an urgent petition with the judge, contesting the will."

Adam frowned, and this time, so did Melanie. "On what grounds?" she asked. "From what I understand, the will is ironclad."

"It is," Truman agreed. "The issue isn't with the will itself or its contents. What's being contested is something else entirely. In fact, it's unprecedented." He exhaled sharply before continuing. "But after careful consideration, the judge has decided to approve the challenge."

Adam's jaw tightened. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Truman said grimly, "this wedding might not happen today after all. Or if it does, then you need to understand the new conditions."

Truman nodded. "In a special appeal this morning, Sir Robert Collins appeared before the judge. He not only laid out the full contents of the will but also..." He hesitated, his gaze briefly flickering toward Melanie before continuing, "...the entire fiasco with Spencer."

Melanie stiffened beside Adam, while Truman pressed on. "He argued that marrying Miss Melanie solely to secure the shares goes against his wife's true intentions when drafting the will. In his view, such a move undermines both her wishes and the integrity of the inheritance itself."

Truman exhaled, clasping his hands together on the table. "Taking all of this into account, Sir Robert argued that they had two options. One, they could contest the will entirely, claiming it to be illegal. But that would trigger a long and messy legal battle—one that would not only drag on for years but also damage the company's standing and harm the interests of other shareholders."

Adam's jaw clenched. "And the other option?"

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Truman's lips pressed into a thin line. "He insisted that the court step in to ensure that your marriage—should it proceed—aligns with the original intent of the will."

Melanie's fingers tightened slightly as she questioned, "Meaning?"

"The judge agreed to his request. And now, if you choose to marry, you will be legally bound by certain court-mandated conditions."

Adam's expression darkened. "What conditions?"

Truman sighed, pulling out a folded document and placing it on the table. "First and foremost, your marriage must be proven to be genuine. That means no loopholes, no backdoor agreements and nothing else that might mean that you are doing this for anything other than the will to stay together." He let the words sink in before continuing. "You are required to stay married for a minimum of three years as per the will. Now, during that time, your relationship will be subject to periodic legal review to ensure it isn't a sham."

"Second," Truman went on, "you will have to reside together in the same household for the entire duration. Separate living arrangements will not be accepted. That means, even for work, you cannot be apart from each other for more than a month in a year."

Adam let out a short, humorless laugh. "You're joking."

Truman didn't even blink. "I assure you, I'm not."

He glanced between the two of them before delivering the final blow. "And third—if at any point the court finds sufficient evidence that this marriage was purely transactional or not in accordance to Lady Collins' wished, your claim to the inheritance will be permanently revoked, and the shares will be redistributed as per an alternate clause in the will which is two thirds will go to Spencer and one third to you, Mr Adam Collins."

Silence hung between them after this as Attorney Truman finished," So, in short, if you do marry Miss Melanie, you have to be a devoted husband..."