"Sorry?" He flicked ash onto the floor. "The only thing I regret is not dumping you sooner." His eyes dragged over me with undisguised disgust. "Everything you own isn't worth two hundred bucks. You couldn't even afford to embarrass yourself in public. Paulette is young, beautiful, graduated from a top university, and most importantly, she can give me a son. And you? You've been taking up space without producing an heir, and now you've got a terminal illness on top of it. What am I supposed to do, wait around for you to die and then arrange the funeral?"
Mrs. Gilbert Sr. chimed right in. "Exactly! The Gilbert family line has been passed down for generations. It will NOT end because of you!"
Watching the two of them, mother and son, I felt strangely calm.
Late-stage pancreatic cancer. His reproductive function was already gone. What pregnancy was Paulette Fox carrying?
A man like Thaddeus Gilbert. Someone could sell him out and he'd count the cash for them.
"Fine. I'll sign."
I picked up the pen and held it above the paper.
A flash of wild elation crossed Thaddeus's eyes.
"But I have a condition."
His expression curdled instantly. "On what grounds?"