Winning Her Heart Back

Chapter 922 Elias and Ashley's Side Story: Inheritance

Elias's POV:

Elias was the first

know when Ashley broke up with Beathan.

Hence, when Ashley turned down the Undvike family's marriage proposal, Elias was convinced it was because she still wasn't over Beathan. He furiously stormed around his house, pacing for hours.

He had to admit that first loves were hard to forget, that the feelings from his school days were engraved into his heart, and that a relationship of seven years wasn't easy to move on from.

However, the problem was Beathan was a scumbag, the ultimate scumbag.

He had cheated, and not just with anyone, but with his intern. What a total lowlife!

What was wrong with Ashley's judgment? How could she still be hung up on a scumbag like that? What did Elias lack compared to that jerk?

Elias was fuming as he stormed around his home for another few hours again the next day.

He called his mom. "Go and ask her again! Maybe she was just caught off guard yesterday and didn't have time to process it. After a night of thinking it over, she should have come to her senses. Go propose again!"

He just couldn't believe he'd lose to Beathan. Hence, Maya went again.

She was gone long enough for a full meal before coming back to tell Elias that Ashley had refused again.

Elias struggled to form a response and collapsed onto the sofa with one leg and one arm dangling lifelessly off the side. He laid there for a long time, looking like a zombie, exuding an air of tragic despair.

Then, suddenly, he sprang up and went straight to find Ashley. He needed to ask her face-to-face why she wouldn't marry him.

In her office, Ashley calmly flipped through a legal document and said, "You're too young for me."

Was that it?

Without warning, Elias marched over and scooped Ashley right out of her chair.

He acted so impulsively that Ashley hadn't even processed what was happening. Thus, she lost her balance.

As she dangled mid-air, her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, her eyes wide with shock. "What are you doing?"

Elias spun her around, hopping and half-jogging in circles.

"Are you crazy? Put me down!" Ashley snapped.

Elias pinned her against the wall, looking down at her. "I'm only younger in age. In every other way, I'm ten times better than the men your age. What else are you not satisfied with?"

Ashley coldly replied, "You. I'm not satisfied with you in your entirety."

That felt like a stab to Elias's heart, bringing with it a sharp and lingering pain. Even after Ashley eventually changed her mind and accepted the Undvike family's proposal, Elias couldn't get that sentence out of his head.

When his friends William and Jayden congratulated him on the upcoming wedding, he sulkily blurted out, "What's there to celebrate? I'm marrying an older woman."

The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

What he didn't expect was that, when he looked up, he saw Ashley with a client not too far away. Judging by her expression, she had definitely heard what he'd said.

Elias shot to his feet, wanting run after her and explain. However, the cold look on Ashley's face and the way she turned to leave made him realize there was no point. He had only made things worse.

As that wasn't what he meant at all, Elias smacked himself in the face. What was wrong with his big mouth? Later, he did find a chance to apologize to Ashley, saying that he hadn't meant it the way she thought. Ashley had never been the type to hold back her thoughts. She was blunt as ever and said flatly, "The reason I rejected marriage at first was that I don't like you. And to be clear, I still don't."

Elias didn't know what to say to that. It was the second stab to his poor heart.

She continued, "I agreed to the marriage now because it's mutually beneficial. I need you to help me protect my inheritance. Not that I can't handle it on my own, but I'm tired of dealing with the leeches constantly trying to get a piece of it. It's a waste of my time.

"Having a husband in name means I'll have kids to inherit everything. It also means that if my relatives ever push me too far, I'll have a husband's family to back me up. The Undvike family is big and powerful, which is a good deterrent.

"Also, having a new man in my life will help me move on from my last failed relationship and let me focus on work again."

That was the third stab to Elias's heart.

She still wasn't finished. "On top of that, your family needs me and my inheritance to raise your standing and improve your competitiveness. Otherwise, your family's assets will be swallowed up by your two half-brothers, and your mother will be pushed out by the mistresses involved in her marriage.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"Hence, it's a fair trade. We don't owe each other anything. However, if you think this marriage has wronged you, or you don't want it, I can always find someone else. It's no big deal."

Elias's heart had been stabbed so many times it felt like a sieve by now.

He could only console himself with the fact that at least she had seen something in him worth considering. If she hadn't, she would've just gone straight to someone else from the beginning.

He took a deep breath and said, "Of course I want this! You have no idea how much I've wanted to marry you. And besides, who wouldn't be envious of your massive inheritance?"

What he actually meant was that everyone would be eyeing her inheritance. Hence, she needed someone strong on her side to rely on.

However, he must've fumbled his words again because the way Ashley looked at him afterward made it clear that she thought he was only after her money.

Elias wanted to crawl into a hole and die. How could he be so articulate with everyone else, but turn into a stammering fool around her? Forget trying to be charming, he couldn't even manage a basic conversation without messing up.

Just like that, they entered into a marriage where neither of them was happy.

The only bright side was that Elias had finally fulfilled the dream that he had when he was 17. He had won over his Aunt Ash. They even consummated the marriage.

Ashley's POV:

Ashley's parents had passed away early, leaving behind a massive inheritance, one so large it sparked envy and madness.

Hence, those aunts and uncles who had once seemed so kind and loving suddenly changed overnight. It was as if they'd been infected, turning into monsters with hideous, greedy faces.

Ashley had once seen a post-apocalyptic movie where people, after being bitten by zombies, lost all their humanity and turned into mindless creatures that only knew how to hunt and consume. Her relatives were just like that.

They tried every possible trick, coming at her from all angles to claw even a single coin from her pockets. Unfortunately for them, Ashley was a lawyer. They wouldn't be able to win over her using their understanding of the law or their eloquent tongue.

It was especially so after she decided to marry into the Undvike family. Once they realized the wealth was no longer within their reach, they lost it, becoming frantic and enraged.

One relative said, "Do you really think marrying into the Undvike family was a good plan? Do you think Elias married you out of love? You're much older than him. He's only after your inheritance! I'll be waiting for your

downfall!"

After the relatives stormed out, Ashley leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.

As obnoxious as they were, they weren't entirely wrong. Her arrangement with Elias was purely transactional, but that didn't mean she'd let him touch her family's fortune.

Especially considering Elias's reckless tendencies, he was bound to cheat eventually, and their divorce would

follow.

There was no way she'd let a temporary marriage cost her a cent. That's why it was necessary agreement to protect her assets beforehand.

have a prenuptial

Ashley quickly drafted the agreement and called Elias back to their home.

They'd had so many conflicts since the wedding that they often stayed apart.

When Elias returned, he was in high spirits, grinning. "Did you call me back because you missed me?"

Ashley ignored his sweet talk and slid the agreement across the table. "Sign this."

Elias picked it up and skimmed it. In less than five minutes, he tossed it back. "I'm not signing this. No way."

He wasn't stupid. Signing it would mean her inheritance had nothing to do with him.

He said, "I want to help you manage this inheritance together. If I sign, you're left shouldering it alone again. What's the point of being married then?"

Ashley found that ridiculous. "What right do you have to manage my family's assets?"

Elias explained, "We're married! A married couple is supposed to be united. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Anyone who tries to come after your fortune will have to deal with me first. I can hold them off.

"Honestly, if I weren't worried about scaring you, I'd suggest you just transfer everything into my name. Let's see if they still dare to make a move!"

Ashley processed what he said, picking out the key point. He had quite a possessive attitude toward her money. In

fact, he was even more shameless than her greedy relatives.

Just like that, they parted on unhappy terms.