The Nameless Man With A Thousand Legacies

002 The Blind Date

Jack looked Juliet over slowly, from the waves of her chocolate-brown hair to the curve of her hips, down to the slim ankles above her expensive heels.

What a classy, beautiful woman. He had hit the jackpot on the dating app.

Jack leaned back in his chair and gave away none of it.

"Juliet Forbes, huh?" he repeated. "Never heard of you. I was waiting for a nice, homely girl named Clara Ford who likes cooking and rom-coms."

Juliet clicked her tongue at him.

How has he never heard of the Forbes family? We are the wealthiest in Redmont City! Something must be wrong with him.

Her hazel eyes narrowed on the handsome, athletic man in front of her. His clothes carried no designer labels, and nothing about him said money or status.

Juliet had met plenty of meathead jocks like him. They spent all day in the gym, their bank accounts were empty, and not one of them had been in a real fight in his life.

"Are you a homeless man?" she asked. "That would explain why you haven't heard of the Forbes family."

Jack chuckled and shrugged without answering.

Her gorgeous looks had impressed him for about a minute. Now she was just another rich girl with an attitude.

"So you don't deny it," she said, shaking her head. "Fine, then let me introduce myself again. I am Juliet Forbes, CEO of Angel Skincare."

A cup went down hard two tables away. "That's actually her. The ice queen heiress of Redmont City."

"Who's the guy she's sitting with?"

"A veteran probably. She must be giving out alms."

"Angel Skincare is our conglomerate's beauty products company, worth billions," Juliet finished.

Jack looked bored, as if she had mentioned the weather. "What else? Do you make good spaghetti?"

"What kind of lame response is that?" she snapped.

Billions means nothing to this man? All he cares about is whether I can cook?

"Lame? No. It's a natural response. Lameness is bringing a SWAT team to a coffeehouse. Are you showing off your wealth to impress me?"

Juliet's jaw tightened. Men usually fell over themselves the second they heard the Forbes name, and her face alone had put billionaires on their knees.

This one hadn't even straightened in his chair.

"The guards are for my protection," she said through her teeth. "When you're as influential as I am, people try to hurt you. And I have no reason to show off my wealth to a commoner like you."

Jack whistled softly. "You're worth billions, and yet you joined a dating app under a fake name with somebody else's picture. That doesn't add up."

Juliet cocked her head. "That's exactly the point. It's a precaution against gold diggers who want a piece of the Forbes inheritance."

"I wanted to see whether anyone could meet my criteria without knowing who I was."

Jack's grin faded. "Your reason for joining a dating app sounds like bullshit."

The nearest guard took half a step forward and stopped, waiting on her.

Heat rose in Juliet's cheeks. Why is this man so sure of himself?

He showed no fear of her family's power, and he wasn't begging for her favor either.

Jack Hardy just sat there teasing her like she were any other girl. Juliet had never been treated this way in her life, and she couldn't decide what to do next.

"Most men would be on their knees by now," she grumbled. "You're being a nuisance."

Jack sipped his black coffee. "Kneeling isn't my style. But you're cute, I'll admit that."

"Cute?" Juliet's voice sharpened.

She was about to inherit the most powerful conglomerate in the city. The Mayor and the Commissioner both bowed to her grandfather.

Nobody has the spine to call Juliet Forbes cute.

Now she wanted to humble him.

"So, Jack. Tell me about yourself," she said. "Do you have a job? A decent family? Any ambition at all? Or do you live in a cardboard box?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't have a steady job right now. My family is complicated. As for ambition, I want to marry a modest woman and live a quiet life."

Juliet's eyebrow arched. This is it, then. He wants to drift through life doing nothing and collect a traditional wife on the way.

What a loser!

Jack had told her the truth, and she had heard a man declare himself a failure.

"You would need someone desperate or stupid to marry you," she scoffed.

Jack clutched his chest. "Ouch. But what about you? Why are you catfishing guys like me on a dating app? Don't lie to me again."

Juliet glared at him, then decided to tell him the truth.

"My grandfather gave me an ultimatum. I have to marry someone within three months or I will lose the Forbes inheritance. I've been interviewing candidates who suit my agenda."

"How many so far?"

"You're the fifteenth this month."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "You're interviewing men for marriage like it's a job opening. That's interesting."

Juliet nodded and looked him over again with a lopsided grin. It was time to deliver the crushing blow.

"And you, Jack Hardy, are the worst candidate yet. No money, no connections, and no future. You're broke, lazy, and dressed like you sleep at a bus stop."

"Pathetic." She said it at full volume, and the entire cafe heard it.

Somebody laughed into a napkin. The waitress stopped pouring at the next table and froze. The Forbes guards snickered under their breath.

"Fair enough," Jack said.

He pushed his chair back and stood up slowly, stretching like he had all the time in the world.

"I guess this date was a failure. It was nice meeting you, Juliet Forbes."

He dropped a few bills on the table and turned to go.

Juliet watched him walk toward the door, and something twisted in her chest.

Most men groveled at her ankles the moment they heard about the inheritance. Most men would kill for one dinner with someone beautiful like her.

This one wasn't asking for a second chance. He wasn't asking for anything at all.

"Wait," she called out, surprising herself.

The Forbes bodyguards moved at once to block Jack's path. He chuckled and shook his head. Do these men really believe they can stop me?

He closed his right hand lightly into a fist at his side.

The glass on the next table rattled against its saucer, and the water in it shivered. The guards exchanged glances, their instincts telling them that this man should not be messed with.

Jack relaxed his fist. The Forbes heiress's voice had hooked him. He stopped and turned around.

"What do you want?"

Juliet rose to her feet, and he took a few seconds to admire her figure and that flawless face.

Was this woman made in heaven? I can't find a single imperfection on her.

Juliet smoothed her coat and looked straight at him. "You're homeless and insane," she said through gritted teeth. "And your credentials make you completely unsuitable to be my partner."

"However, if you're that eager to get married, I have an offer for you."

Jack raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

"I have a pre-drafted marriage agreement. If you accept the rules and sign it, we'll be husband and wife strictly on paper."

"A contract marriage. You'll be paid monthly for your trouble. What do you say?"

The cafe went dead silent.

Juliet kept her eyes on Jack and waited for him to refuse so she could move on to the next candidate.

Anyone can make a better husband than this insane, cocky man. Absolutely anybody.

Jack didn't think about it for a second.

"Deal," he said with a shrug. "Let's get married."