DISCLAIMER: I have no idea how inheritance works at all. I made it all up to establish a scenario, so if any of you are uncomfortable reading a made up law in this fic, please do not proceed.
"You've been sighing since morning, Juvia-chan."
Juvia flinched when she heard her boss' voice. She looked up and saw him hovering over her desk, his face worried.
"Silver-sama," she acknowledged. "Juvia's sorry, I was just thinking about something..." she trailed off.
"You could tell me over a cup of coffee. Come on, you need a break."
Juvia agreed, albeit reluctantly, and followed him out of the office. They went to the nearest coffee shop which was only located at the ground floor of the building. Silver told her to find them a seat while he went to the counter to order their usual drinks.
She had been working for him for two years now, as his secretary. Ever since, the two of them were close. She thinks of him as her father figure while he thinks of her as a daughter. He once mentioned that he badly wanted one but his wife died before it could happen. When she heard that, she didn't know how to respond. He told the story in a funny way but she could see a tinge of pain that flashed through his eyes, which disappeared in seconds.
He must've really loved his wife, was what she thought.
"So, what has been bothering you? You can tell me everything, you know that." Silver stated a few moments after sipping on his drink.
Juvia stared at her own cup, holding it with both her hands while it rest on her lap.
"I have mentioned before that my parents left me a trust fund, right?"
He nodded. "Yes, and that you'll be able to use it in a month."
"Right. But there was a condition from my parents' will that my Uncle purposely hid from me. The condition says I can only inherit it if I have a husband."
Juvia could only blame herself. The will was read when she was just a kid so she didn't really understand much back then. Besides, she was suffering from the lost of her parents that she didn't pay attention to anything else. Then her family's lawyer died few years after, so she couldn't ask him about it. She could hire a lawyer but didn't because she believed her Uncle told her everything she has to know. She had no idea he was such a snake. If she didn't hire a lawyer days ago to explain everything regarding the will to her, she wouldn't know about it until the money was gone.
Silver paused, trying to processed what she said. "So I guess, you only found out recently. But, that will benefit him, because?"
"It also says that if I don't have a husband by the time comes, the money will be transferred to my guardian. Unfortunately, my Uncle was the only immediate family member that I have and he was long appointed by the court to be my guardian."
Honestly, Juvia thought it absurd. If she hadn't known beforehand that the lawyer was reliable, she would think it was just a joke. Why would her parents even left that kind of condition? She was only 24!
Understanding reflected on Silver's face. "I see, that's quite a problem. You can't just marry anyone in a month. That's risky. Men these days are, well...I'm not one to say, but kind of dangerous. You don't really know what might happen if you just marry blindly."
Juvia bit her lip. "That's exactly why I can't focus these days, Silver-sama. My time is running out but I still don't know what to do. He can't have my money.q It's mine and that's the only thing my parents have left for me," she sobbed, her eyes in tears. She couldn't hold it anymore. She had been so busy thinking of a solution, she didn't even have the luxury to cry. Now that she was in front of her boss, a close confidant, she finally wept.
Silver moved his chair beside Juvia and caressed her back. She was the daughter he never had and seeing her like this made him distress. He had someone in mind that could help her but he doubt that kid of his would be willing. His son would only think he was trying to match him with Juvia again. Not that it wasn't one of his intentions.
It wasn't one time that Silver had mention Juvia to Gray. He didn't explicitly told him to date her, but he mentioned her quite a lot of times, saying she was so sweet and thoughtful, that kind of stuff, so his droopy eyed kid would take an interest on her. But well, obviously, it was a failure. If he didn't know any better, Silver would think his son was a stone.
Back to Juvia, he didn't have any other idea on how to help her. Well, there was acually another one, and Juvia would understand but his son wouldn't. That might be a good thing but it could backfire. It was the best option they had though. As far as he knew, Juvia didn't have any male friends besides that long haired troublemaker. But that guy was, as we speak, abroad and wouldn't be able to come home in a month.
Silver pushed Juvia lightly to take a look at her. Look at his baby girl, cying her puffy eyes out. It seemed like this was the only way.
"Juvia-chan, why don't you marry me?" he asked, determined.
She stared at him for a while before her eyes widened in shock. "S-silver-sama, t-t-that's..."
"Preposterous?" He chuckled. "But that's the best option you have. Don't misunderstand, I love you like a daughter. We will only do this to ruin your Uncle's plans and of course, for you to have what's really yours. If you're thinking of hiring a random man to marry you, isn't it better for me to have that role?"
She dried her tears while appearing to be contemplating. She did have that kind of thought - to hire a pretend husband. But she didn't really have that much friends so she couldn't ask anyone. And her coworkers were afraid of her because of solemnity, hence, she had no one to talk to.
"Juvia-chan, I've been widowed for years. No one would really mind if you marry me. And I know your circumstances, I might be able to also help you deal with your Uncle," Silver added.
She pondered but it seemed like she didn't reject the idea.
"B-but you have a son, Silver-sama..." she stuttered, anxious.
He waved a hand. "I would tell him the details, don't worry," he said. Oh yes he would, maybe after it was over.
Silver patted her head when she didn't respond. "If you need more time to think, you can. But decide soon, you only have a few weeks left right? The sooner you tell me, the earlier I can arrange everything we need."
Juvia nodded, her mind in disarray.
It was two days later that Juvia had decided to accept her boss' proposal. Just like he said, it was the best option she had. Instead of grabbing a random man she didn't know, it would be better if it was someone she knew.
Juvia blushed when she thought of him as her husband. She didn't think of him other than a father, a boss and a friend but she was still embarrassed.
She also felt moved by his resolve to help her. No one have done anything like that for her. She was glad she had met him, really.
When Juvia told him of her decision that day, he smiled at her, ruffled her hair and told her "good job". She was so thankful that she cried and he had to hug her to soothe her. He said he would arrange everything and she only had to sign some papers. There would be no ceremony as per their agreement but after the signing, they would eat out somewhere to celebrate.
Juvia could finally relax. Her predicament wasn't totally resolved yet, but she was sure it would. She only had to wait for a few more days and she could finally breath in relief.
The thing she was worried about now was her friend, Gajeel. He was out of the country and if he found out she had married her boss when he was away, he would be furious. Well, he loved her so after a week or so, he would forgive her, especially if she told him about her Uncle Jose's bad deed. But that didn't make her less worried.
Another thing was Silver's son. She heard many things about him and she knew she was only older than him by a year. Guessing his personality, it would be difficult for him to accept her as his step mother, even if it wasn't under normal circumstances.
She trusted Silver that he would tell him about what happened, but that wouldn't really change the fact that she would be legally Silver's wife, albeit only for a short period of time. He told her not to tell anyone, in case her uncle found out about it, but they would only be married for a few months. He said he has a way to annul their marriage, so she has nothing to worry about.
Juvia laid down on her bed, feeling sleepy. This might be the first time in days that sleep find its way to her. She closed her eyes, hoping everything would go the way they planned.