Chapter 3 3. The Marriage Nobody Expected

Jane told her plans to the only person her grandfather trusted-Ernest Hall, her grandfather's secretary.  His concern for Jane's situation also made him willing to agree when she pleaded with him to help her arrange the issuance of the new shares. With Ernest's help, Jane could also count on several executive directors who remained loyal to her grandfather to stand on her side. So she finally could form an alliance with them. Liam managed to acquire the shares only two days before the General Meeting of Shareholders to appoint the chairman was held. And a day after, Liam was standing beside Jane at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau to get their marriage license. There were no flowers, photographers, or relatives waiting outside. Only the two of them, with Ernest serving as their witness and taking an official photo to document the finalization of their marriage contract. Jane looked down at the paper after signing her name and felt an unfamiliar weight settle in her chest. She was married. Sadly, this was not the kind of marriage she had dreamed of all her life. It was only an alliance that could provide protection for her grandfather and herself. "You can go with my people to prepare for Mr. Myers's transfer. We'll follow you there after informing my parents about this marriage." Liam gave Ernest his instructions. "All right, Mr. Thundermond." Liam gathered their documents and turned to Jane. "Let's go. We'll go to my house first." After Jane climbed into Liam's car, they headed toward the Thundermond residence. She wondered how both their families would react after discovering what they had done. The moment the car stopped in front of the Thundermond residence, Jane was stunned. The house was enormous, surrounded by carefully trimmed gardens and tall iron gates, and everything about it looked designed to remind visitors that the family had possessed wealth for generations. She, herself, had been surrounded by luxury since birth, but the Thundermonds were truly on a different level. This was enough to explain why Brianna was so determined to marry Liam. Jane stepped inside beside Liam, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Both of Liam's parents were in the main living room. His father looked up first. The moment he saw Jane, his eyes narrowed as he wondered who his son had brought home. "Who is she?" Liam answered calmly. "Jane Myers. My wife." For several seconds, there was only silence in that enormous room. Then his mother stood and approached them. She stared at Jane as if she had just heard something impossible. "I must have heard wrong. Liam? You just said she's your-wi-wife?" "Yes, Mom." Liam's father suddenly stood as well. "What the hell is this? Don't go too far with your jokes!" "We just made our marriage official." Liam handed their marriage certificate to his father. His mother, who was shocked, immediately snatched the document from him and read it over and over again. "Tell me this isn't true, Liam..." Liam's mother frowned, looking confused, hurt, disappointed, and furious. "There's no way you would get married out of the blue without telling us! And... to someone we don't even know?!" "What kind of nonsense is this!" Liam's father rubbed his forehead in frustration. "You're Brianna's sister? What is your father planning by doing all of this, huh?!" His shout made Jane flinch. "I'm not Brianna's sister, sir. I'm Brianna's cousin, Uncle Frank's niece. And this has absolutely nothing to do with him." "What?!" Liam's father was even more shocked. He looked at her more carefully before asking sharply and angrily, "You're Frank's niece? Which niece? Whose daughter are you? Tony's?" Jane hesitated for only a moment. "I'm the daughter of the late James Myers." Liam's father stared at her, twice as shocked as he had been before. "You're James's daughter..." Jane didn't understand why those words sounded like an accusation. Before she could answer, he suddenly shouted. "She is James's daughter!" His voice echoed through the entire room. "This is even worse than marrying Brianna, that damn Frank's daughter! Liam, you're out of your mind!" Jane froze at Liam's father's hysterical reaction. Liam immediately stepped forward. "Dad. Please, stop." "What the hell were you thinking?" His father's face turned red with anger. "You have no idea what you've done!" "I know exactly what I've done." "You married James Myers's daughter!" The anger in his father's voice was so intense that Jane could only stand there in confusion. She looked at Liam, expecting an explanation. "We'll talk again later when you're both calm." Liam turned from his parents to Jane and took her hand. "Come with me." He led her upstairs before his parents could say anything else. Once they entered his bedroom, Liam closed the door behind them. Jane immediately turned toward him. "What was that?" Liam removed his jacket and placed it over a chair. "My father doesn't like your family." "That much is obvious. But why does your father hate my father? He's been dead for decades." Liam chose to remain silent. He couldn't answer Jane's question. "And why did he say marrying me was worse than marrying Brianna? He looked like he wanted to throw me out of the house!" He walked toward his desk and opened his laptop. "I don't know. How would I know? Maybe your family really does deserve to be hated? You can see Frank is a cunning man. What do you think his siblings are like?" "My father wasn't like that!" Jane snapped, feeling offended. Liam let out a breath, realizing he had spoken too harshly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'll explain it to you when I find out their reason." He looked serious as he typed something. "I added a few things to our marriage contract. Read it first, and if you agree, I'll finalize it." Liam wrote down every condition both parties wanted. And after he finished, Jane read each section carefully. "Don't forget to include the hospital arrangement and the best possible care for my grandfather. That's the most important thing," Jane reminded him. "I said I would." "And the voting rights." "I've already written it down." Jane continued reading until she reached the final page. "This is better than I expected. You even added extra boundaries. No interference in personal matters... Not controlling each other's daily lives... Not involving personal feelings... No physical contact unless necessary in public or to convince others..." Jane let out a low laugh. "I'm not that easy, Mr. Thundermond." "I'm just taking precautions." He leaned back in his chair. "Next, it's your turn to make the deal with Maison Auvé." "Alright." She took out her phone to call Esmée. And the call was answered shortly after. "Jane? Hey... How's your grandfather?" "He's still unconscious, but I think things are under control now. Um, Esmée, I'm calling because I need a favor from you." "Well, that usually means trouble." A chuckle came from the other end. Jane smiled. "I want you to meet someone." "Who?" "My husband. William Thundermond." "Your what?!" The girl sounded genuinely surprised. "You got married?! What kind of joke is this?!" "I'm not joking. I suddenly had to get married. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to tell you before..." "You made a huge mistake, girl! What am I to you? I feel like such a fool who knows nothing." "Things are really complicated here. I'll explain everything to you when we meet, okay?" "Of course you have to explain it to me!" Esmée sounded genuinely angry. "What favor do you want anyway? Is this for your husband?" Jane explained that Liam wanted to discuss the Maison Auvé deal and that she hoped Esmée could arrange an informal meeting between her parents and him. She deliberately avoided making it sound like a formal negotiation because she knew the Maison family disliked aggressive corporate approaches, especially when someone tried to pressure them into signing a deal. "Okay, I can help you. That's easy. You should come back to Paris first. I'll arrange the right time for you to meet Maman and Papa. I'm sure they'll scold you too for not telling them about your marriage." Jane laughed brightly. "I'm really sorry. All of this was out of my control." "What do you mean? Is this a forced marriage?!" Esmée's voice suddenly became concerned. "Not really." Jane glanced at Liam, who was quietly listening to their conversation. "By the way, when do you think we can meet you?" "As soon as possible, of course." "Okay. I'll let you know when we get there." After that, she and Esmée chatted a little about some trivial things before ending the call. Jane looked at Liam. "We're going to Paris." "Good. I'll arrange the flight after the board meeting tomorrow. I have to stop your uncle from taking over the company." Jane felt a little relieved that their plan was going quite well at the beginning. "Thanks."