Chapter 4: The Ruthless Heir's Proposal (Part 2)
1139 Words
Silence settled over the office.
Elara could still feel the weight of Sebastian Blackwood's piercing obsidian eyes on her. It was as though he could read every fear she had buried beneath her calm expression.
"I..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "What kind of choice are you talking about?"
Sebastian leaned back in his chair, his expression as cold and unreadable as polished marble.
Without a word, he picked up another black folder from his desk and slid it toward her.
"Open it."
Elara hesitated before reaching for the folder.
Her fingers trembled as she flipped it open.
The bold title on the first page made her heart skip.
MARRIAGE CONTRACT
She stared at the words, convinced she had misread them.
Slowly, she looked up.
"I'm sorry..."
"I don't think I understand."
"You do," Sebastian replied calmly.
"I need a wife."
The sentence echoed through the enormous office.
For several long seconds, Elara simply stared at him.
"...What?"
"A contract marriage."
His deep voice remained emotionless.
"One year."
"You will live with me as my legal wife."
"You will attend public events with me."
"You will perform the duties expected of Mrs. Blackwood."
"When the contract expires, we divorce."
Elara blinked repeatedly.
This couldn't be real.
She laughed softly in disbelief.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Sebastian didn't react.
"I don't joke."
Nathan, who had quietly returned to the office with two cups of coffee, placed them on the table before stepping back toward the door.
Even he remained expressionless, as though conversations like this happened every day.
Elara closed the folder.
"Mr. Blackwood..."
"I barely know you."
"And I know enough about you."
His answer was immediate.
"You need money."
"My reasons are irrelevant."
She frowned.
"Marriage isn't a business transaction."
"It is today."
His cold response made her chest tighten.
Sebastian folded his hands on the desk.
"Your mother's surgery costs four hundred and eighty thousand dollars."
Elara's eyes widened.
He even knew the exact amount.
"I will pay every hospital bill."
He continued before she could speak.
"I'll cover the surgery."
"The rehabilitation."
"Her medication."
"Any future medical expenses."
"If specialists are required overseas, they'll be flown in."
Her breathing became uneven.
"In addition..."
He slid a sleek black card across the desk.
"You'll receive a monthly allowance."
"A penthouse."
"A driver."
"Security."
"Everything you require."
Elara stared at him.
"Why me?"
For the first time since entering the office, Sebastian was silent.
His gaze lingered on her for a brief moment before he answered.
"Because you're suitable."
Suitable?
That couldn't possibly be the whole truth.
She searched his face for any hint of emotion.
There was none.
Only that terrifying calm.
She slowly pushed the contract back toward him.
"I'm sorry."
Sebastian didn't move.
"I can't."
Nathan looked surprised.
Very few people ever refused Sebastian Blackwood.
"I know my mother needs help," Elara continued, forcing herself to meet Sebastian's gaze.
"But marriage isn't something I can sell."
"I've dreamed of marrying someone who loves me."
"Someone I love."
Her voice softened.
"I can't throw that dream away."
The office became unbearably quiet.
Sebastian's expression remained unchanged.
"If that's your decision..."
He closed the folder.
"...then this meeting is over."
Nathan stepped forward.
"I'll escort Miss Quinn out."
Elara rose from her seat.
Part of her expected Sebastian to stop her.
He didn't.
Without looking back, she walked out of the office.
---
Outside Blackwood Tower, the afternoon breeze felt strangely cold.
She clutched her handbag tightly as she walked down the crowded sidewalk.
A contract marriage.
She still couldn't believe it.
It sounded like something out of a novel.
Yet Sebastian had spoken about it as casually as signing another business deal.
Her phone suddenly rang.
The caller ID made her heart race.
Dr. Daniel Hayes.
She answered immediately.
"Doctor?"
His voice was urgent.
"Miss Quinn, where are you?"
"I'm downtown."
"You need to come to the hospital immediately."
Her heart stopped.
"What happened?"
"Your mother collapsed."
Everything around her blurred.
"Is she...?"
"She's alive."
"But her condition has become unstable."
Elara could barely breathe.
"We're moving her into intensive care."
"The surgery can no longer wait."
Tears filled her eyes.
"How long do I have?"
There was a long pause.
Then Dr. Hayes answered quietly.
"Twenty-four hours."
The phone slipped slightly in her trembling hand.
Twenty-four hours.
Not seven days.
Not tomorrow.
Today.
She leaned against a nearby wall as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She had spent months searching for hope.
And when it had finally appeared...
She had walked away from it.
Her mother's weak smile flashed through her mind.
"You don't have to sacrifice your whole life for me."
Elara squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm sorry, Mom..."
"I'm so sorry."
She looked back toward the towering Blackwood building.
The glass skyscraper stood like an unshakable giant against the sky.
She had a choice.
Lose the future she had always dreamed of...
Or lose her mother forever.
For several seconds, she stood frozen.
Then she wiped away her tears.
Without another thought, she turned around and ran.
---
Nathan was organizing documents when the office doors burst open.
He looked up in surprise.
"Miss Quinn?"
Breathless, Elara stepped inside.
Sebastian hadn't moved from his chair.
It was almost as if he had known she would return.
She walked straight to the desk.
Her trembling hands reached for the contract.
Nathan silently handed her a fountain pen.
The room fell completely silent.
Without reading another word...
Elara signed her name.
Elara Quinn.
The scratch of the pen echoed through the office.
She carefully placed it back on the desk.
A single tear escaped despite her efforts to remain composed.
"I'll do it."
Her voice cracked.
"I'll marry you."
Sebastian lowered his gaze to the signature.
He closed the contract.
Then, with calm precision, he signed his own name beneath hers.
Sebastian Blackwood.
He stood, his towering frame making the already spacious office seem smaller.
Walking around the desk, he stopped directly in front of her.
For the first time, they stood only inches apart.
His expensive cologne carried a subtle scent of cedarwood and leather.
His piercing obsidian eyes settled on hers.
Unreadable.
Cold.
Powerful.
Then he spoke.
"From this moment forward..."
His deep voice echoed through the office.
"...you are Mrs. Sebastian Blackwood."
Nathan smiled faintly.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Blackwood."
Before Elara could process those words, Nathan added another sentence.
"The wedding has been arranged."
She frowned.
"So soon?"
Nathan checked his watch.
"Tomorrow morning."
Elara's eyes widened.
"What?"
Sebastian buttoned his suit jacket with effortless composure.
"I dislike unnecessary delays."
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, thunder rolled across the darkening sky.
Elara stared at the man she had just agreed to marry.
Less than an hour ago, he had been a complete stranger.
Tomorrow...
He would become her husband.
- Writer
