Episode 3

In the large main hall of the Norton company, a man sat comfortably on a swivel chair, staring at his computer screen.

The large office with glass windows, gray curtains, and light blue walls brought Derek a certain comfort in that environment.

Despite its size, the office didn't have much in it.

"Mr. Norton? Can we take a break for a few minutes? I need to use the restroom."

Derek Norton's icy stare made Adriano, his assistant, shudder in his chair.

But returning his attention to the computer, Derek sarcastically said.

"Go ahead! I don't want you soiling my office floor."

Adriano quickly left without looking back.

Derek remained silent at the computer; that was how he liked to work. He didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.

While Adriano was in the restroom, there was a knock on the office door.

And Derek ordered them to enter.

"Mr. Norton? A lawyer is at the reception and wants to speak with you. May I let him in?"

The petite, kind-looking woman spoke with her head down, afraid of being scolded by him.

"You should be at your workstation. I'm without a secretary because you wanted to do a job that doesn't belong to you?"

Derek, with an intimidating look, asked his question.

The woman, raising her eyebrows, responded stammering.

"Sir? I kno..ow that you're without a secretary, and since this man showed up here, I thought I could let you know!"

Derek narrowed his haughty eyes at the woman leaning against the door.

"Don't meddle where it's not your job. You may go now."

She left with long, hurried strides down the hallway, bumping into Adriano, who was returning from the restroom.

"What was that? What was Diana doing in your office? Doesn't she work for your brother?"

"Go to the reception and see what the lawyer wants with me. Savio must be curious to know what the lawyer is doing here, that's why he sent his secretary."

Derek gave the order, and Adriano left.

A few minutes later, Derek's cell phone rang.

"Mr. Norton? The lawyer said the matter is very important and that he will only speak to you personally. Will you see him?" Adriano said worriedly.

Derek remained silent for a moment, and rising from his chair, spoke arrogantly.

"I have no choice! Bring him to me."

In a few moments, the lawyer arrived at the office. Extending a hand, he greeted Derek.

"Good morning, Mr. Norton! I'm Alexandre Fonseca, the lawyer of your late grandfather, Mr. Luiz Sulivan..."

Derek narrowed his eyes to look at the man in front of him. He forced himself not to shake the lawyer's hand.

Observing that Derek wouldn't reciprocate in the way he expected, Alexandre withdrew his hand, embarrassed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Alexandre, but I don't like greetings with handshakes. I hope you're not offended."

Swallowing dryly and inexpressive, Alexandre pretended not to care about Derek's rudeness, and forcing a smile, said respectively.

"I understand, sir! Let's get to the point?"

Alexandre was in a hurry; he still had other clients to visit.

"Please, sit down!" Exclaimed Derek, his hand extended towards Alexandre, directing him to one of the chairs at the presidential desk.

"Tell me, Mr. Alexandre, what brings you here?" Derek's voice resonated enigmatically before the lawyer.

"Well, Mr. Norton! Mr. Sulivan, your grandfather, was a great pharmaceutical entrepreneur and had a very large chain of pharmacies in all regions of our country."

Derek remained silent, listening attentively to the man's words.

"Before Mr. Luiz Sulivan passed away, he left a will for his two grandsons. Specifically, for the grandson who meets his requirements, of course!"

Derek twisted his lips and raised his eyebrows, incredulous at what he had just heard.

"What do you mean, will? My grandfather was always stingy and rude to me and my brother. How did he leave the inheritance to us? That old man never even acknowledged us as his grandsons. To this day, no one knows he had a daughter and grandchildren."

Derek hated his grandfather for that reason. Mr. Luiz Sulivan had always been a businessman, and to society, he was just a widowed old man with no children.

In fact, he had doubts about his paternity of Marta, but since he didn't want to do a DNA test, he ended up dying without being sure about it.

Derek found it strange right off the bat.

"Sir, please... I will continue with the explanation." Alexandre tried to be as professional as possible, even though in his thoughts, he murmured against Derek. He was there to fulfill his role.

"Mr. Luiz Sulivan left a lot of money in the bank, as well as the pharmacy chain and the Sulivan mansion, to the grandson who civilly marries Miss Evelyn Aguiar for the period of one year."

Derek slammed his fist on the table, his face dark and his fists clenched.

"What's this story about marriage? What kind of madness is this? I knew that old man was no good; he would never give anything to anyone easily."

"Mr. Norton, I know it's difficult to accept your grandfather's demands, but if you don't want to, I'll talk to your brother, Savio Norton, and declare your grandfather's will!"

Derek got up from his chair and paced heavily around the office.

"How am I supposed to get married? I don't even know this woman. My grandfather always liked to irritate me, and even in death, he still seeks to torment me."

Alexandre took a sheet of paper from his briefcase and handed it to Derek.

"Here is Miss Evelyn Aguiar! All her data is on this paper, including address, age, and social status."

Derek stared at the sheet, focusing his attention on the woman's photo.

He found her very beautiful, but he didn't let himself be swayed by appearances. Looking at her social status, he grumbled.

"Humph! She could only be a gold digger! A beautiful, young, and poor woman certainly had some kind of relationship with my grandfather. What a mess! Does she know about all this?"

"What is it, sir?" asked the lawyer.

"Does she know about my grandfather's demand?"

"No, she doesn't know anything yet! I came to talk to you first and then I'll talk to her..."

"I doubt it! This little woman is an opportunist and certainly got into my grandfather's head. But I have an idea. I'll accept my grandfather's demand, but I don't want to see this woman, and I don't want to have any contact with her."

"Mr. Norton? Are you saying you won't personally meet your future wife?" Adriano inquired, looking seriously at his boss.

"Indeed, Mr. Norton, the only requirement from your grandfather is for you to marry and remain married for one year," said Alexandre professionally.

Derek smiled coldly. He was a cold, calculating, and very authoritarian man. He was certainly already devising a plan in his intellectual mind.

"Mr. Alexandre Fonseca, come see me at my apartment tomorrow. If you don't know the address, my assistant will get it for you. Please, don't say anything about this to my brother, or to this woman."

Adriano handed the lawyer a card with his phone number.

"Call me, and I'll find you," said Adriano.

Alexandre nodded at his words.

"Very well, Mr. Norton! We'll talk about this tomorrow. Please, make your decision as soon as possible."

Saying goodbye, the lawyer left, leaving a heavy atmosphere in the office.

"I want you to find out everything about this woman!" Derek ordered, looking darkly at his assistant.

Adriano left the office, and almost an hour later, he returned with some papers in hand.

"Here is the information you requested, Mr. Norton."

Adriano had been working with Derek for a few years. The young assistant was very efficient and quickly resolved the things his boss asked for.

Staring at the sheet, specifically at the information about Evelyn, Derek's eyes became even darker. His attention turned to an incident that happened at Evelyn's former job.

Soon, a discreet smile spread across his lips.

It was clear he would use this to force her to marry him, as it was the only way to get his grandfather's inheritance if Evelyn refused.

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