THE VAMPIRE CEO'S FORBIDDEN HEIRESS

The first time I saw Alexander Blackwood, I made two mistakes. The first was staring at him for too long. The second was falling in love with a man who would eventually turn my entire world upside down. But how could I have known? How could an ordinary girl like me have guessed that the most handsome man I had ever seen wasn't even human? My name is Isabella Hart, and this is the story of how I fell in love with a monster who became my greatest weakness, my greatest danger, and the father of the child someone would try to take from me. Everything began on a rainy Monday morning. "Isabella! You're going to be late!" My best friend, Sophie, shouted from the living room while I struggled to zip up my old black dress. "I'm coming!" I grabbed my handbag, rushed out of my tiny apartment, and nearly slipped on the wet staircase. Today was my first day working as a personal assistant at Blackwood Enterprises, one of the biggest companies in the country. The salary was more money than I had ever earned in my life. I needed the job desperately. My mother's medical bills had left me with debts I couldn't afford, and losing this opportunity wasn't an option. I had promised myself one thing. I would work hard, keep my head down, and never allow a handsome face to distract me. It was a very foolish promise. Because the moment I stepped into Blackwood Enterprises, I discovered that handsome faces were the least of my problems. The man waiting inside the executive elevator looked like he had been carved by an artist who had spent his entire life perfecting the human form. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, giving him an effortlessly attractive appearance. His jaw was sharp, his nose straight, and his lips were full enough to make me forget the sentence I had been rehearsing in my head. But it was his eyes that truly caught me. They were an unusual shade of icy blue, beautiful and strangely cold. He looked like the kind of man who could walk into a room and make everyone forget how to breathe. Unfortunately, he also looked like the kind of man who enjoyed making people miserable. I stood frozen in the elevator doorway. He glanced at me. "Are you getting in, or are you planning to stand there all morning?" His voice was deep, smooth, and annoyingly attractive. I immediately stepped inside. "I'm sorry, sir." He looked at the cheap watch on my wrist before returning his gaze to my face. "You're late." I blinked. "Excuse me?" "Your appointment was at eight. It's eight-oh-three." I glanced at my phone. He was right. But three minutes? I had barely started working for the man, and he was already acting as though I had personally destroyed his company. "The rain was terrible, and the traffic—" "Are those the excuses you're planning to give me every morning?" My mouth fell open. "No, sir." "Good. I don't pay people to explain why they can't do their jobs." The elevator doors opened. He walked out without another word, leaving me staring after him. What an arrogant, insufferable man! He was gorgeous, yes. Painfully gorgeous. But if I had known who he really was, I would have run in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky. When I reached the executive floor, a middle-aged woman approached me with a sympathetic smile. "You must be Isabella." "Yes. That's me." "I'm Margaret, the head of administration. Come with me. I'll introduce you to your new boss." I swallowed. "Does he always behave like that?" Margaret stopped walking. "Like what?" "Like he owns the entire planet." She stared at me for two seconds before bursting into laughter. "Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea." My stomach tightened. "What do you mean?" She leaned closer and whispered, "Alexander Blackwood doesn't tolerate mistakes. He has dismissed three assistants in the last two months." "Three?" "Four, actually. One resigned before the end of her first day." I nearly dropped my handbag. Wonderful. I had managed to find employment with a beautiful tyrant. Margaret led me toward a pair of enormous double doors. "Remember something, Isabella. Mr. Blackwood values discretion, punctuality, and obedience. Never touch his personal belongings without permission, never enter his private office after dark, and never ask him questions about his family." I frowned. "Why not?" Her smile disappeared. "Because some questions are better left unanswered." Before I could ask anything else, she knocked twice. "Come in," a deep voice answered. I entered the office. And there he was again. Alexander stood beside a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. Sunlight streamed through the glass, outlining his tall figure. His jacket was gone, his white shirt was fitted perfectly across his broad chest, and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal strong forearms and an expensive watch. He looked even more handsome without his jacket. I hated that I noticed. He turned toward us. "Margaret, I asked for my new assistant ten minutes ago." "She's here now, sir." His gaze settled on me. For one strange second, he didn't speak. His eyes moved across my face, studying me with an intensity that made my heart beat faster. Then his expression changed. It was subtle, but I noticed. His fingers tightened around the glass he was holding. Something flashed in his eyes. Hunger. Not the ordinary kind. It was gone almost immediately, replaced by the same cold expression he had worn in the elevator. "Leave us," he ordered. Margaret hesitated. "Sir?" "Now." She hurried out, closing the door behind her. Suddenly, I was alone with the most intimidating man I had ever met. Alexander placed his glass on the desk. "Your name?" "Isabella Hart." He repeated it quietly. "Isabella." The way he said my name sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. He moved closer. I forced myself not to step backward. "Do you know why I hired you?" "Because I'm qualified for the position?" One corner of his mouth lifted. It wasn't quite a smile, but it transformed his face. For a moment, he looked almost breathtaking. Then he said, "Confidence. Interesting." I raised my chin. "I worked hard to earn my qualifications, Mr. Blackwood." "And yet you arrived late." There went my admiration. He picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to me. "Your responsibilities are listed here. My schedule must be followed exactly. My private documents must remain private. You will answer my calls, organize my meetings, and ensure that I am never kept waiting." I accepted the folder. "Understood." "One more thing." I looked up. "Never lie to me." His icy blue eyes held mine. "Not even if you believe you're protecting someone." I didn't understand why those words sounded more like a warning than an instruction. But I nodded. "Yes, sir." "Good. You may begin." I turned toward the door. "Miss Hart." I stopped. "Yes?" He stared at me again, his expression unreadable. "Have we met before?" My eyebrows drew together. "No, sir. I don't think so." He studied my face for so long that I began to feel uncomfortable. "Interesting," he murmured. Then he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I left his office feeling confused. Why had he asked that question? And why had he looked at me as though I reminded him of something he desperately wanted to forget? I tried to put the encounter out of my mind and concentrated on my work. For the next several hours, Alexander proved that his reputation was entirely deserved. He rejected two reports because the margins were incorrect. He sent back his coffee because it was too hot. He demanded that I reschedule a meeting that had already been confirmed, then questioned why I had changed his calendar. By lunchtime, I was ready to throw my resignation letter at his perfect face. Unfortunately, I needed the money more than I needed peace. At exactly seven in the evening, most of the employees had gone home. I was still in the office, arranging documents Alexander had insisted he needed before morning. A sudden crash came from behind his closed office door. I froze. Then I heard a low, unfamiliar growl. My fingers tightened around the papers. "Mr. Blackwood?" Silence. I approached the door. "Sir, are you all right?" Something struck the other side of the door so violently that I stumbled backward. My heart began to race. Then came his voice. "Go home, Isabella." It sounded different. Rougher. Almost inhuman. "Are you sure you're okay?" "I said GO HOME!" I should have listened. I should have picked up my handbag and left that building without looking back. Instead, I heard something that made my blood run cold. A second voice came from inside the office. "Alexander, you cannot keep pretending you are one of them." Another pause. Then Alexander answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know what I am." My breath caught. Before I could move, the office door opened. Alexander stood in front of me. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his hair was disheveled, and his beautiful face looked dangerously pale. But it was his eyes that made me forget how to breathe. They were no longer icy blue. They were glowing red. I stared at him. He stared back. For one terrible moment, neither of us moved. Then his eyes returned to their ordinary color, and he stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. "What did you hear?" he asked. I shook my head. "Nothing." His expression hardened. "Don't lie to me." My hands trembled around the papers. "I heard someone speaking. That's all." He moved closer, and I instinctively backed against the wall. His gaze dropped to my neck. I watched his jaw tighten. "Isabella," he whispered, "you need to leave this building." "Why?" His eyes lifted to mine. For the first time since I had met him, the arrogance was gone. In its place was something that looked frighteningly like fear. "Because I am not the man you think I am." I swallowed. "What does that mean?" He leaned closer, and I caught a strange scent coming from him, something cold and unfamiliar. His voice dropped to a whisper. "It means that if you stay near me, your life will never be the same again." I should have been terrified. I was terrified. But even then, standing before a man whose eyes had changed color in front of me, I couldn't ignore the painful truth. Alexander Blackwood was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. And some foolish part of my heart already wanted to know everything about him. He stepped away. "Go home, Isabella. And forget what you saw tonight." I picked up my handbag and hurried toward the elevator. But just before the doors closed, I looked back. Alexander was still standing in the hallway, watching me. His expression was unreadable. Then he lifted one hand and pressed it against his chest, as though something inside him was hurting. The elevator doors shut.