Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 28

Julius's expression darkened slightly. "Even if she is faking, it's because she loves me and is terrified for my future. I still need to put her mind at ease."

"That's a 'you' problem," Stella crossed her arms. "I made it very clear from day one: I am not Chloe Hawthorne. Our relationship is purely transactional. The deal was that I fix your legs, and you get my mother's ashes and belongings back. I've started fixing your legs, and you've done absolutely nothing. You haven't even tried to take back that wedding fund from Frederick. I think it's time I reevaluate our deal."

She didn't actually care about the money itself; she just refused to let Frederick enjoy a single cent of it.

"I always keep my promises," Julius sighed, frustrated. "But my legs are still paralyzed. I can't exactly march into the Hawthorne estate and demand your things right now."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You're the head of the Blackwood Group. You have infinite wealth and power. You really need to be walking to demand a refund? If you don't want to help, just say so. Deal's off. Good luck with your necrosis."

He took a deep breath, desperate to keep her from walking out the door. "If you agree to get this marriage license and appease my grandmother, we'll sign an ironclad pre-nup. Any money I make during our marriage goes straight to you. And you don't have to worry about intimacy. Since the accident, my lower half is completely out of commission, and that includes... everything. I won't touch you. In exactly one year, we divorce, and you walk away richer than ever. Deal?"

He had to throw everything at her at once. She was temperamental and fiercely independent. If she walked out that door, his legs—and his life—were gone. He could have used his bodyguards to detain her, but forcing a medical genius to perform life-saving treatments against her will was a fast track to getting intentionally paralyzed for life.