Chapter 168 The Edwards family
"James, don't worry, I'm sure you'll handle this just fine!" Charles said with a reassuring smile.
"Easy for you to say! It's not your problem!" James snapped, irritated just looking at Charles. When they signed the contract, Charles never mentioned Laura had to genuinely be with him, just that James had to marry her.
Charles gave an awkward smile and said, "James, there's something important I need to tell you."
Seeing Charles's uneasy look, James quickly asked, "What is it?"
Charles hesitated, then softly said, "Someone wants to compete with you for the old chairman's inheritance."
"Compete with me for the inheritance?" James looked confused. "Didn't you say I was the only heir? Who's competing with me?"
Charles slowly replied, "I did say that, but I didn't know the old chairman had a distant nephew named Matthew Edwards."
"Matthew?" James was stunned, then frowned. "Is he from Lumina City?"
"No, he's from the Edwards family in Dreamscape City," Charles said. "The Edwards family is prestigious there. The old chairman and Nicholas Edwards, the current head, were cousins."
James thought for a moment. "So, Matthew is Nicholas' son, and Nicholas is my grandfather's cousin?"
"Exactly," Charles nodded.
"If my grandfather's cousin has other relatives, why would he want me to inherit the estate?" James asked, puzzled.
Charles sighed deeply and looked at James. "Originally, there were two heirs to the Edwards family in Dreamscape City: Nicholas and the late chairman. They were in fierce competition for the position. Nicholas, knowing he couldn't outmatch the chairman, resorted to unspeakable tactics. He hired assassins to kill the chairman. Forced to flee, the chairman left Dreamscape City and went abroad to start his own company."
"Is that true?" James was surprised. The scheming in wealthy families was beyond his imagination.
Charles sighed. "Yes, but thanks to Nicholas, the old chairman had a brilliant life. No one expected him to achieve such success after leaving home."
He continued, "Because Nicholas tried to kill him, the old chairman was heartbroken. That's why he wanted you to inherit the estate, to keep it out of the Edwards family's hands."
James couldn't help but smile, then sneered, "Matthew and Nicholas are shameless. They drove the old chairman out, and now they want his money?"
"There's no way around it. Nicholas and Matthew are close relatives of the old chairman and meet the conditions to inherit. They just didn't expect the old chairman to name you as the heir!" Charles said.
"If there's a will, what can Nicholas and the others do? Legally, I'm the heir. Can they still take it from me?" James asked angrily.
"James, you are the heir, but you haven't actually inherited the estate yet. It's temporary. If you don't marry Miss Hall within the time specified in the contract, you'll lose the right to inherit," Charles reminded him.
James was stunned. "The time specified in the contract?"
"The contract states that if you don't marry Miss Hall within two years, you'll lose the right to inherit," Charles explained.
James was speechless. Charles had mentioned Laura had to willingly marry him, which was already tough. Now, there was a time limit too!
"So, I have to make Laura willingly marry me within two years for the estate to be mine?" James asked.
"Yes," Charles nodded.
"What is this old man trying to do? If he wants me to inherit, just let me. Why make it like a game? If I don't complete it, won't the estate go to Matthew and the others?" James shouted.
"I think you can do it, James. I'll help you pursue Miss Hall," Charles said with a smile.
"Forget it, what can you do to help me?" James snapped.
Ian, sitting in the driver's seat, shuddered at James' words, thinking, 'James is probably the only person who dares to talk to Mr. Wilson like that.'
Charles forced a sheepish smile and continued, "James, right now, the Edwards family hasn't made any direct moves against you. Their plan is to wait and see. If you don't manage to marry Miss Laura within the next two years, you'll lose your claim to the inheritance, and the Edwards family will benefit."
"What if I do marry Laura?" James asked, squinting at Charles.
"If you marry Miss Hall," Charles said calmly as if this was just another day at the office, "they might decide to kill you. If you're out of the picture, the Edwards family will inherit the fortune."
James stared at Charles, feeling a bit scared. He hadn't expected the Edwards family would consider killing him. Despite inheriting the estate and becoming super-rich, he was still just a regular guy at heart. The prospect of facing such a threat was unsettling.
"James, don't be too nervous. To protect you, I have a gift for you," Charles said with a smile.
"A gift? What kind of gift?" James asked.
