Page 43 of Convenient Rivals

“Yes, Daddy.” He stopped, looking all bashful, and sipped his cocktail.

They all looked at Jason, open-mouthed. What the fuck was happening?

Sebastian snorted, which snapped them all out of their shock. Patrick had to have a magic dick; there was no other explanation for Jason’s behaviour.

Gregory was hit with an overwhelming wave of sadness. Seeing all his friends, his loyal brothers, with partners made him long for something he’d never really wanted. He was too stuck in his ways, too weird to be someone’s other half. His thoughts wandered to Oscar, but he shook them away. There was too much history there, and just because they had insane sexual chemistry didn’t mean their compatibility would go beyond the bedroom. Oscar was into fitness, and Gregory was allergic to exercise and healthy food – he just had a fast metabolism, so he was what could be described as skinny fat. He didn’t like to take his clothes off in front of anyone, and his preference was to always fuck guys from behind so he could keep his shirt on. And he couldn’t look the guy in the eyes anyway; it was too intimate. Thankfully, anyone he fucked just wanted to be pounded hard, though, and he was happy to oblige. Then there was Oscar, who was... something.

“Old man Montgomery left Oscar a generous trust fund of ten million pounds, but there was an additional twenty million to be given on his thirtieth birthday on condition he was married,” said Patrick.

“Should you be sharing this?” asked Charlie.

“It’s not exactly a secret. The old man’s been dead for five years. It’s easy to find if you know where to look.”

“So, Oscar knows about it?”

“I assume so.”

Four pairs of eyes landed on Gregory. His head spun. Was that true? Did Oscar know? Was that why he’d wanted to get married? It was never about helping Gregory. Was that why he’d been so willing to hand over a million pounds to someone who had barely spoken to him for over a decade and rebuked all his attempts at an apology? His heart rate rose as he was overcome with rage. Thank fuck he hadn’t gone through with their plan tonight.

“Tell them about the conditions in the will,” said Jason.

“You need to keep your nose out of my office, boy,” grumbled Patrick.

Jason pouted again, causing them all to laugh.

“This part is not public record, so it goes no further. I haven’t seen a copy of the will, so I can only go on what I’ve been told by a reliable source. If he doesn’t get married, the money defaults to the primary heir – his mother.”

Gregory wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“The other stipulation, which is strange, is that the man he marries needs to not come from a privileged background. If he marries another trust-fund kid, she gets the money as well.”

“What the fuck?” said Gregory.

All eyes turned to him.

“Did I say that out loud?”

They all nodded.

“It’s just, Oscar said she was setting him up with men from blue-blood families and pushing him to get married to one of them. Are you sure he knows about the marriage condition of the will?”

“Only if his mother has told him. It’s in trust, so there’s no obligation to share the details until he’s thirty.”

Gregory wasn’t sure what to think. Why would Oscar want to marry Gregory if it meant he would lose twenty million pounds? Whether he liked it or not, he came from a privileged background.

“What are you thinking?” asked Charlie.

“I don’t think he knows about it.”

“How do you know?”

“Why would he offer to marry me? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Sorry to say this, Gregory, but it does. You would meet the stipulation of the will.”

“How? I was born into that life.”

“Yes, but you abandoned it. Well, they abandoned you. You’re not a trust-fund kid.”

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