Hired Wife

Competitors threaten to obtain an injunction against Stephen Dexter the next day, aiming to cripple his cement business. Stephen refuses to cooperate, risking bankruptcy rather than yield. Van Horn, his lawyer and longtime friend, proposes a drastic workaround: marry immediately and transfer assets to a new wife to shield them from the injunction.

Kendal Browning tries to steer events in a way that damages Stephen's chances with Phyllis. Her remarks plant doubt that Phyllis suspects a trap designed to expose her alleged greed. Phyllis ultimately rejects the idea of a hurried marriage to someone she does not fully trust.

With time running out, Stephen asks Kendal to marry him, and she accepts the proposal. They head to South Carolina to see a justice of the peace in hopes of making the marriage legally binding quickly. The plan moves forward despite the looming injunction against Stephen.

Kendal confesses to Stephen that she engineered Phyllis rejection to sabotage him, a revelation that infuriates her husband. To avoid suspicion that their marriage is a sham, they must live under the same roof. Van Horn becomes a reluctant chaperone, moving in to supervise the arrangement.

Van Horn's role tightens as the reluctant chaperone, bridging the line between friend and investigator. He rooms with Stephen to keep appearances and monitor the evolving situation. The domestic setup heightens the farce of the plan.

Stephen slips away to a nightclub to speak with Phyllis and clear the air. Kendal follows and encounters her friend Jose, who is curious about Stephen. The meeting lays the groundwork for Jose to be used as part of the deception.

Kendal devises a scheme in which Jose poses as a wealthy man to divert Phyllis away from Stephen. Jose agrees to the deception, drawn to Kendal and willing to play the part. The ruse tightens the tangle surrounding the couples.

As rivals drop their underhanded tactics, Stephen asks Kendal for a divorce. Kendal refuses to grant the divorce, keeping the marriage in place. The web of deception continues to entangle them as loyalties shift.

The justice of the peace who married them arrives at the office and reveals that his license had expired, making the marriage invalid. The revelation forces the characters to reevaluate their positions and relationships. This legal snag derails the original plan and creates new tension.

Phyllis and Jose converge on the office where the deception will be exposed. Jose is revealed as a fraud financed by Kendal to entangle Stephen and Phyllis. The exposure upends alliances and nudges the characters toward truth.

Kendal and Jose depart, while Stephen and Phyllis admit that they truly love Kendal and Jose respectively. The pairings shift from manipulation to genuine affection. The emotional turn sets the stage for happier unions.

In the final turn, the three couples are happily reunited: Stephen with Kendal, Phyllis with Jose, and Kendal with Jose. The film ends on a note of enduring commitment replacing the prior schemes. Love reconciles the tangled web of mistaken intentions.