A Marriage Contract

Chapter 7

Vincent's POV-

I was sitting in my office reviewing the monthly sales report when my office door opened. Joe enetered, "Sir your legal team is here."

"My legal team? Did we have a meeting today?" I asked.  

"No sir. But Mr. Davis is saying it is were urgent and he needs to meet you right now." He said.

"Send them in." I closed the file. 

In about 2 minutes my office was acquainted with 4 men in business suits and very serious expressions. They looked they were attending somebody's funeral. I knew something was really wrong because Nigel Davis, my head lawyer, was never in a serious mood. He was always joking around. 

"What happened?" I asked. 

"Vincent today we received papers from the family court." Nigel started. 

"Family court?" I was getting really worried. Did my father do something?

"Mr. and Mrs. King have filed a case against you for negligence towards your kids." He said. 

"Celestine's parents?" I questioned. 

"Yes. They want the sole custody of the kids." He avoided eye contact. 

"WHAT?" I banged my hands on the desk. My temper shot up. Everybody in the room flinched. 

"Show me those damn papers." I ordered. 

Nigel handed me the papers. I read through them and I wanted to murder someone after that. 

"These shouldn't even be there. We signed an agreement which gave me the sole custody of the kids." I was flustered. 

"That was between you and Celestine. As the guardians of the kids, Mr. King has issued claims against you." Nigel said. 

"I don't care. I am not letting my kids go." I stated.

"Vincent, listen to me. Our side in this case is weaker than their. You are working for almost 12 hours everyday which they can use a statement against you for negligence. And usually the judge favors the mother's side." Nigel said. 

"But that's the thing. There is no mother in this equation. Celestine left the kids because she saw them as a burden in her life. She never loved them like a mother does." I told him.

"That can account for something in our case but the main issue here is the kids don't have a mother figure in their life. That is a big enough issue in itself." He was adamant on the mother part.

"Then what am I supposed to do? I am for sure not giving up my kids to those people." I made that clear. 

There was no way I was letting someone take my kids away from me. 

"I have thought of a way but I don't think you'll like it." Nigel said. 

"I don't care if I like it or not. At this point I want a way out of this. So tell me." I said.

"You'll have to marry." He said. 

"What the actual fuck did you just say?" I looked at him. 

"I don't mean that you have to have marital relations with  that woman. You need to marry someone who is actually good to the kids. Someone who'll be enough for us to prove that the kids have a mother figure. Do know someone like that?" He said.

The first person who came to my mind was Eliza, the kid's nanny. But she would never agree to this charade. 

"Is there any other way out of this mess?" I asked even though I had no hope.