TITLE: MARRIED TO MY ENEMY GENRE Billionaire

CHAPTER 1: THE DAY EVERYTHING FELL APART POV THIRD PERSON Ethan Blackwood sat alone in his office on the top floor of Blackwood Tower. Rain streaked down the glass walls behind him as he stared at the city below. His phone rested on the desk in front of him. Beside it lay a thin file labeled Carter. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and dialed Richard Carter's number. The call connected after the second ring. "Mr. Carter," Ethan said calmly. "I assume you've had time to review my proposal." Silence followed. Then Richard Carter's tired voice came through the line. "My daughter isn't part of this." Ethan's jaw tightened. "Your daughter is the reason I'm offering you a choice." Another long silence.Richard sounded exhausted when he finally spoke. "And if she refuses?" Ethan glanced at the file on his desk. "Then nothing changes." The answer was simple. Cold. Final. The call ended moments later. Ethan set the phone down and looked out at the rain-covered skyline once more. For years, he had waited for an opportunity to make the Carter family feel even a fraction of the pain his own family had endured. This was supposed to be revenge. Nothing more. Nothing less. Yet for the first time since setting his plan in motion, a small part of him wondered what kind of woman Ava Carter really was AVA CARTER'S POV Rain hammered against the windows as I sat at the dining table, staring at the unpaid bills scattered before me. The numbers blurred together. Mortgage overdue. Electricity overdue. Credit cards maxed out. Final notices. Warnings. Threats. A year ago, my father had been one of the most respected businessmen in the city. I shook my head and laughed without amusement.My breath caught.Heat crept up my neck,I pushed the bills away and rubbed my temples. The silence inside the house felt suffocating. Mom sat quietly in the corner with a cup of tea she hadn't touched. Sophia pretended to scroll through her phone, though I knew she wasn't reading anything. And Dad… Dad looked broken. That hurt the most. Richard Carter had always been the strongest person I knew. Nothing intimidated him. Nothing defeated him. At least, that was how it used to be. Ever since Carter Industries collapsed, something inside him had changed. The confident businessman who once commanded boardrooms had become a shadow of himself. The scandal had destroyed more than his company. The front door suddenly opened. Dad stepped inside carrying a large brown envelope. Rainwater dripped from his coat. His face looked pale. Tired. Defeated. The room immediately fell silent. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "Dad?" Sophia's voice was small, cautious. He didn't answer. Slowly, he removed his coat and sat down. The envelope remained clenched in his hands. My stomach twisted. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Dad exchanged a glance with Mom. A look passed between them. One that immediately made me suspicious. Mom knew something. And judging by the guilt in her eyes, she had known it for a while. My pulse quickened. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm not going to like whatever is in that envelope?" Dad sighed heavily. Then he placed the envelope on the table. "Ava." The seriousness in his voice made me sit up straighter. "I need you to read this." I frowned. "What is it?" "Read it first. Then we'll talk." Slowly, I reached for the envelope. For some reason, my hands felt shaky. The room was completely silent as I opened it. Inside was a formal letter. The company logo at the top instantly caught my attention. BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES. My stomach dropped. No. No way. I quickly scanned the page. And then I saw the name. Ethan Blackwood. The same Ethan Blackwood who had become one of the youngest billionaires in the country. The same Ethan Blackwood whose company had absorbed many of Carter Industries' former clients after our collapse. The same Ethan Blackwood the media loved to praise. A man I had spent the last year despising. My eyes continued moving across the page. Then I froze. My breath caught. Surely I was reading it wrong. I blinked and read it again. Then a third time. The words never changed. "What exactly am I looking at?" Nobody answered. Slowly, I looked up. Mom looked nervous. Sophia looked confused. Dad looked ashamed. My heart began pounding. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is." Dad lowered his gaze. "I wish it wasn't." I stared at him. Then back at the letter.Then back at him. A short, humorless laugh escaped me. The proposal remained right there in black and white. A contract marriage. Between Ethan Blackwood and me. In exchange, Blackwood Enterprises would clear our debts. Protect our remaining assets. Help rebuild the Carter name. And provide financial security for my entire family. I couldn't believe it. Of all people. Ethan Blackwood. "Someone actually expects me to agree to this?" Nobody laughed. Because nobody thought it was funny. "Of all the women in New York, why me?" Dad rubbed a hand across his face. "This wasn't a last-minute offer." My head snapped toward him. "How long?" "I needed time to think." "And every time I asked what was wrong..." Dad remained silent. That was answer enough. "I was trying to spare you from this conversation." A short laugh escaped me. "That's what we're calling it?" "Ava..." Dad's warning was quiet. "So everyone else got time to think about this except me?" "Ava." "No. Don't." I stood abruptly. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. "I don't need a week to think about this." The room grew still. Mom looked worried. Sophia looked curious. Dad looked heartbroken. I threw the proposal back onto the table. "If Ethan Blackwood thinks this piece of paper guarantees an answer, he's about to be disappointed." At that moment, I meant every word "So what happens if i say no?" The question hung in the air. Nobody wanted to answer it. Because everyone already knew. I looked around the room. At my exhausted, exhausted mother. Chapter 2: An Offer Too Dangerous to Refuse Ava Carter's POV "There is no way I'm marrying Ethan Blackwood." The words echoed through the room. For a moment, nobody spoke. Nobody moved. The only sound came from the rain tapping against the windows. I stood there breathing heavily, my eyes fixed on the proposal lying on the coffee table as though it had personally offended me. Maybe it had. The thought of Ethan Blackwood believing he could solve my family's problems with a contract and a signature made my blood boil. Did he really think I was that desperate? Did he think I could simply marry a stranger because he happened to be rich? "I said no." Dad sighed heavily. "Ava" "No, Dad." I shook my head. "I don't care how much money he has. I don't care how powerful he is. I'm not marrying him." Sophia looked between us. "But have you actually read everything?" I turned to her. "Whose side are you on?" She immediately raised both hands. "I'm not taking sides." "Then don't act like this is reasonable." Mom quietly picked up the proposal. Her hands trembled slightly as she looked down at the pages. "It isn't reasonable," she admitted. "But neither is losing our home." The room fell silent. I hated when she did that. When she reminded me of reality. Because reality had a way of destroying every argument I wanted to make. Mom placed the papers back on the table. "Ava, we need to think about this carefully." "I have." "No, you've reacted emotionally." I stared at her. My own mother was defending this insanity. Dad immediately stood. "Enough." His voice was firm. "Nobody is forcing Ava into anything." Relief washed through me. At least someone understood. But then he continued. "However, she deserves to know everything." My stomach tightened. Everything? What did that mean? Slowly, Dad sat back down. His expression looked older than usual. Tired. Defeated. "Ava, there's something I didn't tell you." I frowned. "What?" He rubbed his forehead. "When Ethan approached me three weeks ago, he didn't just make a proposal." The knot in my stomach tightened. "What else?" Dad looked away. "The bank had already begun foreclosure proceedings." I froze. The room suddenly felt colder. "What?" "We've been trying to delay it." My mother's eyes filled with tears. "The lawyers couldn't stop it." I stared at them. Unable to believe what I was hearing. "You told me we still had time." "We thought we did." "Dad" "The house isn't the only thing at risk." My heart pounded. "What are you talking about?" He pointed toward the documents. "If we lose this house, we lose everything." Nobody spoke. The weight of those words settled heavily over the room. Everything. Not just our home. Our savings. The remaining company assets. Any chance of rebuilding Carter Industries.? Everything. I slowly sank back into my chair. For the first time since reading the proposal, fear began replacing anger. Real fear. The kind that kept people awake at night. The kind that made impossible choices seem reasonable. Sophia broke the silence. "What exactly is Ethan offering?" Dad pushed the proposal toward me. I reluctantly opened it again. This time, I forced myself to read every page. Every word. Every condition. Every promise. And the more I read, the harder it became to breathe. Blackwood Enterprises would pay off all outstanding debts. The foreclosure would be canceled. Our remaining assets would be protected. Former investors would be encouraged to return. Carter Industries would receive the financial support necessary to rebuild. The media campaign against our family would quietly disappear. Within a year, our lives could return to normal. The price? One year of marriage. One year as Ethan Blackwood's wife.I hated how simple it looked on paper. As though a marriage were just another business transaction.As though people could sign feelings away with a pen. "What kind of man does this?" I whispered. Nobody answered. Because nobody knew. Or maybe they did. Maybe Ethan Blackwood was exactly the kind of man people said he was. Powerful. Ruthless. Calculating. The kind of man who always got what the wanted. My eyes drifted to his signature at the bottom of the page. Sharp. Confident. Almost arrogant. The signature of a man who never expected rejection. The signature of a man who believed the answer was already his. And somehow, that irritated me more than anything else. "He thinks I'll say yes." Dad's expression darkened. "I told him there was a good chance you'd refuse." A bitter laugh escaped me. "I definitely will." But the words lacked conviction this time. And I hated that. Mom noticed immediately. "So what happens if i say no?" The question hung in the air. Nobody wanted to answer it. Because everyone already knew. I looked around the room. At my exhausted father. Sophia, who still had two years of university left. Then I looked at the bills scattered across the table. For months, we'd been fighting. Praying. Hoping. And none of it had changed anything. Now one man was offering a solution. A dangerous one. A ridiculous one. But a solution nonetheless. The realization made me feel sick. Because for the first time, I understood why Dad had hidden the proposal. He wasn't afraid I would reject it. He was afraid I would consider it. And the worst part? I was. My gaze fell back to Ethan Blackwood's name. The man I blamed for everything wrong with my life. The man I never wanted to meet. The man I swore I would never marry. Yet somehow, my future was now sitting inside a brown envelope. Waiting for a decision. A decision that could save my family. Or destroy what remained of me. That night, long after everyone had gone to bed, I sat alone in the darkness staring at the proposal. Unable to stop thinking. Unable to stop wondering. What if marrying my enemy was the only way to save the people I loved? Chapter 3: The Devils BARGAIN Ava Carter's POV I didn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the proposal. Every time I turned over, Ethan Blackwood's name seemed to appear in my mind. By three in the morning, I gave up trying. I slipped out of bed and walked downstairs. The house was silent. Dark. Familiar. And for the first time, I found myself wondering how much longer it would still be ours. The thought hurt more than I expected. This house wasn't luxurious. It wasn't a mansion. But it was home. Every wall held a memory. Every room carried a piece of our family. I couldn't imagine losing it. I wandered into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. As I turned around, I nearly jumped. Dad was sitting at the dining table. Alone. A cup of cold coffee sat untouched in front of him. He looked exhausted. His eyes were fixed on nothing. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he sighed. Richard Carter had always been the strongest person I knew. The kind of man who walked into a room and immediately commanded attention. Problems never seemed to shake him. Obstacles never seemed to slow him down. At least, that was the man I remembered "Thought I was the only one awake." I shook my head. "Not tonight." A sad smile crossed his face. "Seems we're having the same problem." I sat down opposite him. The silence between us felt heavy. Not uncomfortable. Just full of things neither of us knew how to say. Finally, Dad looked at me. "Ava." His voice cracked. The sound immediately made my chest tighten. "This wasn't how I imagined things would turn out." I swallowed hard. "I never thought it was." "A father is supposed to protect his children from situations like this." I looked down at my hands. "You didn't create this situation." "Life had other plans." The pain in his voice nearly broke me. For months, I'd watched him carry the weight of our family's collapse. The guilt. The shame. The regret. And now he was carrying this too. "I wish I could have given you something better." I blinked. "Dad..." "Take your pick." His eyes filled with tears. "There was a time I thought I'd secured your future." My throat tightened. "Now look where we are." "Dad..." "I should've done better." "Don't do that." The word came out stronger than I intended. "We're still here, aren't we?" He looked away. As though he couldn't bear to hear it. But I meant every word. The man sitting in front of me wasn't a failure. He was a father trying desperately to protect the people he loved. And somehow that made this entire situation even more painful. Because there was no villain sitting at our table. No easy solution. Just impossible choices. The next morning, I woke up feeling worse. The proposal was still sitting on my desk. Waiting. Patient. Like it already knew I couldn't ignore it forever. I stared at it while getting dressed. Then stared at it while eating breakfast. Then glance at it again before leaving my room. I hated that piece of paper. By noon, my frustration reached its limit. I grabbed my phone. Without giving myself time to reconsider, I dialed the number listed at the bottom of the proposal. The line rang once. Twice. Then a woman answered. "Blackwood Enterprises." My heart immediately began racing. "Ava Carter speaking." A brief pause followed. As if she recognized the name. "Miss Carter." "I need to see Mr. Blackwood." The words tasted bitter. Another pause. "One moment, please." Soft music filled the line. I suddenly wondered whether this was a mistake. Maybe I should hang up. Maybe "Miss Carter?" The voice returned. "Mr. Blackwood can see you this afternoon." Of course he was. Almost as if he had been expecting my call. "What time?" "Three o'clock." I glanced at the clock. Two hours. Not enough time to panic. Unfortunately, I did anyway. At exactly three o'clock, I stood outside Blackwood Tower. The building looked even larger than it had in the newspaper photographs. Glass, Steel, Power, Everything about it screamed success. Everything my family had lost. I tightened my grip on my handbag. For a brief moment, I considered turning around. Leaving. Pretending none of this existed. But reality wouldn't disappear just because I wanted it to. Taking a deep breath, I walked inside. The receptionist immediately smiled. "Miss Carter." I froze. She knew who I was. "Mr. Blackwood asked to be notified when you arrived." A strange feeling settled in my stomach. As though I had stepped onto a path that could no longer be changed. Minutes later, the elevator doors opened. The top floor was quiet. Elegant. Intimidating. A woman guided me toward a set of large doors. Then she stopped. "You can go right in." Waiting. The word echoed in my mind. I swallowed hard. Then pushed the door open. And there he was. Ethan Blackwood. Standing beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. His back was turned. One hand tucked casually into his pocket. The other holding a glass of water. For a moment, he didn't move. Then slowly, he turned around. Those piercing blue eyes settled on me. Calm. Confidence. Almost as if he had known this moment would happen. As if my arrival had never been a question. Only a matter of time. My pulse quickened. Not because I was nervous. At least, that's what I told myself. But because for the first time, I was standing face to face with the man who might change my future forever. The man I blamed for my family's suffering. The man behind the proposal. The man I had every reason to hate. Yet somehow the first thing I noticed wasn't the arrogance everyone talked about. It wasn't the power. It wasn't even the wealth. It was how intensely he looked at me. Like he had been waiting a very long time for this meeting. "Miss Carter," he said quietly. A shiver ran down my spine. Then his gaze dropped briefly to the folder in my hands. And one corner of his mouth lifted. Not quite a smile. Not quite a challenge. Something in between. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd come” The confidence in his voice irritated me more than it should have. As if my decision had never really been a question. As if he had known exactly how this would end from the moment he sent the proposal. Chapter 4: TERMS AND CONDITIONS Ava Carter's POV "To what do I owe the pleasure?" The nerve of this man. I stood in the middle of his office, gripping the proposal tightly. His expression remained calm. Too calm. Like he already knew why I was there. Like he had expected me to walk through those doors eventually. I hated that confidence. I hated how certain he seemed. Most of all, I hated the fact that he might be right. "I came for answers." His eyebrow lifted slightly. "About the proposal?" "What else?" He motioned toward a chair. This time, I sat. Not because he told me to. Because my legs suddenly felt weak. Ethan walked behind his desk and lowered himself into the chair opposite me. The sunlight pouring through the windows framed him like something out of a magazine cover. Perfect. Controlled. Dangerous. Everything about him irritated me. "So," he said. "What would you like to know?" I laughed bitterly. "Let's start with why." His gaze didn't waver. "Why what?" "Why me?" The question had haunted me for days. Of all the women in the country, why was Ethan Blackwood interested in marrying me? He studied me for several seconds. Long enough to make me uncomfortable. Then he answered. "Because you're the solution to a problem." The words stung. A problem. Not a person. Not a woman. A solution. I folded my arms. "How romantic." A faint smile touched his lips. The first genuine smile I had seen from him. And somehow that annoyed me even more. "You weren't expecting romance, were you?" "No." "Good." His smile vanished. "Neither was I." The room fell silent. For the first time, I realized how serious he was. This wasn't some billionaire playing games. This wasn't a joke. This was business. Cold. Calculated. And frighteningly real. I slid the proposal across the desk. "What exactly do you want from me?" Ethan opened the folder. "You become my wife." "For one year." "Correct." "And after that?" "We divorce." Simple. Clean. Almost clinical. As if marriage was no different from signing a business contract. I shook my head. "You make it sound easy." "It isn't." His answer surprised me. Something flickered across his face. Gone before I could identify it. For the first time, he looked almost tired. Almost human. Then the moment disappeared. The billionaire mask returned. "If you agree," he continued, "your family's debts disappear immediately." I swallowed hard. "Our house?" "Safe." "The company?" "I'll help rebuild it." My pulse quickened. Everything sounded too good. Too perfect. And life had taught me that perfect offers usually came with hidden costs. "What aren't you telling me?" His jaw tightened. For the first time, I hit a nerve. "There are no hidden conditions." "That's not what I asked." Our eyes locked. The tension between us thickened. Something passed between us. A challenge. A warning. A battle neither of us intended to lose. Finally, Ethan stood. The meeting was over. "I'll give you forty-eight hours." My stomach dropped. "To decide?" He nodded. "And if I say no?" His expression became unreadable.Completely cold. "Then I wish you and your family the best." The words sounded polite. But underneath them lay a brutal truth. If I said no, we were on our own. I left Blackwood Tower with my emotions in chaos. Because for the first time, I wasn't sure what scared me more. Marrying Ethan Blackwood. Or refusing him. Chapter 5: The Choice Ava Carter's POV Forty-eight hours. That was all he gave me. Two days to decide the future of my family. Two days to decide my own future. Two days to decide whether I was willing to marry a man I barely knew. By the second night, I still hadn't found an answer. Sleep refused to come. Again. I sat on the edge of my bed staring at the city lights outside my window. Everything felt impossible. Every option led to pain. A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. The door opened. Sophia stepped inside. "You okay?" I laughed quietly. "No." She sat beside me. For several moments, neither of us spoke. Then she took my hand. "Ava..." Her voice sounded small. Scared. "We might lose everything." The honesty in those words broke my heart. Because she wasn't trying to pressure me. She was frightened. Just like the rest of us. "I know." She stared at the floor. "I don't want you to do something you'll regret." Neither did I. "But I don't want to lose our home either." Tears filled my eyes. For the first time since all of this began, I allowed myself to cry. Not because I was weak. Because I was exhausted. Tired of pretending everything would be okay. Tired of carrying everyone's hopes. Tired of impossible decisions. Sophia wrapped her arms around me. And together, we sat there in silence. Two sisters trying desperately not to fall apart. The next morning, I found Dad in the garden. He was trimming roses. Or at least pretending to. His mind was clearly elsewhere. When he saw me, he immediately set the clippers down. "I know that look." I managed a weak smile. "What look?" "The one that means you've already made your decision." My heart clenched. Because he was right. I had. Somewhere during the sleepless nights and endless worrying… I had. "I don't want you to do this for us," he said softly. I looked at my father. The man who had sacrificed everything for his family. The man carrying more guilt than anyone should. Then I looked at our home. The house where every important memory lived. The house we were about to lose. My eyes burned. "I'm doing it for all of us." Pain flashed across his face. Including mine. He knew that. So did I. That afternoon, I returned to Blackwood Tower. This time, there was no hesitation. No uncertainty. Only determination. The receptionist immediately escorted me upstairs. Minutes later, I stood outside Ethan's office. The door opened. And there he was. Waiting. Just like before. His gaze found mine instantly. Calm. Steady. As though he already knew why I had come. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he quietly asked, "Have you made your decision?" I took a deep breath. The biggest breath of my life. Because once these words left my mouth, there would be no taking them back. No undoing them. No escape. I met his eyes. And finally gave him my answer. "Yes." For the first time since I met him, Ethan Blackwood looked surprised. Only for a second. Then the expression vanished. But I saw it. And somehow, that frightened me more than anything. Because something told me this wasn't the victory he expected. It was only the beginning. CHAPTER 6: THE CONTRACT You were about to say you expected me to be happy to see this written in permanent ink on paper that cannot be erased." "Weren't you?" "I do not typically pat myself on the back for completing business transactions." The answer was too quick. Too easy. I scanned his face for any clue that he was lying. No luck. Just the same poised look he'd had since we first met. His hand hovered over his intercom button. He pressed it. "Ms. Bennett." "Yes, Mr. Blackwood. " "Request Mr. Lawson and his legal team to join us, please. " "Right away. " The room again fell completely silent. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Manhattan continued to roll on, as if our meeting hasn't disrupted anything. Inside, my future's going to crumple into a line of ink on paper. "You are not yet bound by this contract. " His voice cut the silence. I turned to him. "What?" "The contract hasn't been signed. " "I thought you mentioned you are absolutely sure I would accept. " "I said I felt you would. " " aren't that the same. " "They're not. " His answer surprised me. Before I could ask what he meant, there was a knock at the door. Three people walked in. The first was a woman with two big folders clutched to her chest. A middle-aged lawyer with silver hair and wire-rimmed glasses walked in behind her. The last man was a stranger to me. He appeared to be in his late fifties, wearing an impeccable charcoal suit. His smile was inviting, but it never reached his eyes. He looked at me for a split second longer than needed. "Ethan," he said. Ethan nodded. "Miss Carter, this is James Lawson, our legal counsel." The older lawyer shook my hand politely. "It's a joy. " I shook his hand in return, then nodded to the third man. "And this is Victor Hayes. " Victor walked over to me. "We have not met. " His handshake was soft. A bit too soft. . "I have had a great amount of education on your family. " Something about how he explained it made me stop. Not enough to doubt it. Just enough to remember it. "Please" , Ethan called out, pointing to the conference table. "Let's get started. " Everyone settled into a chair. The folders were placed in front of us. Mr. Lawson opened the first folder. "As discussed, this is a one-yearmarriage contract between Mr. Ethan Blackwood and Miss Ava Carter. " His tone was as measured as his words. "The agreement is in effect upon its immediate signature. " He slid a copy of the contract over to me. I turned the pages with a slow, deliberate eye. The clauses were exactly what Ethan had described it. Blackwood Enterprises would clear all of my family's outstanding debts. The foreclosure proceedings against my family's home would be dismissed. Funds would be released to restructure the Carter Industries business. Medical insurance.Security measures.Confidentiality. Everything was thought of. Every scenario imagined. Terrifying. "This wasn't written in a single night," I mumbled. "No" Ethan said. "It wasn't. " I looked up. "How long have you been contemplating this? " A moment of quiet fell over the room. Victor looked to Ethan. James Lawson dropped his gaze to the paper. Ethan made eye contact with me, no hesitancy. "Long enough. " His answer told me almost nothing. But somehow... It just felt like the truth. I stared at the contract. In the bottom right side of the final page, there were two signature lines. One for Ethan Blackwood. One for Ava Carter. A simple line of ink. A choice that would change my everything. I curled my fingers around the pen. For the first time all afternoon... My hand froze. I wrote my name. All the ink had barely dried when Ethan grabbed the contract and shut the folder. "Congratulations," said Mr. Lawson politely. "The agreement is now legally binding." The words weighed on me unexpectedly. Legally binding. It is over now. Mr. Lawson and everyone else collected their files. Victor Hayes was the final one to leave. He came to a door and turned his head. "Welcome to the Blackwood family, Mrs. Blackwood. " Something about his smile made me uncomfortable. The door clicked shut behind him. The office was quiet. I let out my breath and backed up. "I really ought to go home." "You have two hours to go home." I looked at Ethan. "For what?"