Married by deception

Elena Sterling knew something was wrong the moment her father's assistant called her into his office. Her father never summoned her during working hours unless the matter was important. Richard Sterling preferred scheduled meetings, carefully prepared reports, and conversations that had a clear beginning and end. This morning, however, there had been no appointment. "Mr. Sterling asked you to come in immediately," the assistant had said. Now Elena stood outside the enormous wooden doors of the Sterling Group's executive office, wondering what could possibly have happened. She took a breath and knocked. "Come in." Elena pushed the door open. Her father sat behind his large mahogany desk, his expression unusually serious. Her mother was sitting on one of the leather sofas beside the window. Elena stopped. Both of them were here. That alone was enough to make her suspicious. "What's going on?" she asked. Richard gestured toward the chair opposite him. "Sit down, Elena." She didn't move. "Dad, you're making this sound like I'm about to be arrested." Her mother gave a faint smile, but it disappeared almost immediately. "Please, sweetheart," Catherine said. "Just sit." Elena reluctantly crossed the room and sat down. She looked from her father to her mother. "Okay. I'm sitting. Now tell me." Richard folded his hands on the desk. "The Blackwoods have made a proposal." Elena's eyebrows lifted. "The Blackwoods?" She knew the name well. Everyone did. Blackwood Corporation wasn't simply another company competing with Sterling Group. It was an empire—one of the largest privately controlled business groups in the country. And at the center of that empire was Damian Blackwood. Twenty-nine years old. CEO. Ruthless. Arrogant. And notorious for turning difficult business deals into victories. Elena had never met him personally, but she had heard enough stories to know that Damian Blackwood wasn't someone she wanted to cross. "What kind of proposal?" she asked. Richard hesitated. That hesitation immediately made Elena nervous. "A family proposal," he said. Elena stared at him. "What does that even mean?" Catherine looked at her husband before answering. "The Blackwoods want to strengthen the alliance between our families." "We already have a business alliance." "Yes." "So why are we discussing it like this?" Richard's expression hardened. "Because they want the alliance to become permanent." Elena leaned back. "I still don't understand." Richard finally said it. "They want you to marry Damian Blackwood." For several seconds, Elena simply stared at him. Then she laughed. Not because it was funny. Because it was so ridiculous that her brain refused to process it. "Very funny." Neither of her parents laughed. Elena's smile disappeared. "You're serious." Her father nodded. "Completely." She stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor. "No." "Elena—" "No." She shook her head. "You cannot be serious." "We've already discussed the arrangement with the Blackwoods." "You discussed my marriage without me?" Her voice rose. Catherine stood. "Elena, listen to us." "No, Mom. You listen to me. I'm twenty-two, not twelve. You don't get to sit here and decide who I'm marrying." "We know that," Richard said calmly. "Then why am I hearing about this after you've already discussed it?" "Because there are circumstances you don't know about." Elena crossed her arms. "What circumstances could possibly make this acceptable?" Richard opened a folder on his desk. "The reason Damian needs to marry isn't simply because our families want it." He pulled out a copy of a legal document. "This concerns his grandfather's will." Elena frowned. "His grandfather?" "Victor Blackwood Senior left very specific conditions regarding control of the Blackwood empire." Richard pushed the document toward her. Elena glanced at it but didn't pick it up. "What does that have to do with me?" "Damian is the primary heir," her father explained. "But he cannot receive complete control of the company unless he remains legally married for one full year." Elena blinked. "You're joking." "I'm not." "So he needs a wife." "Yes." "And somehow that wife has to be me?" Richard nodded. Elena let out a disbelieving breath. "This is insane." "It is also an opportunity for both families." "An opportunity?" She laughed bitterly. "You're talking about my life like it's a business merger." Her mother stepped closer. "No one wants to force you into something that will make you unhappy." "Then tell them no." Silence. Elena looked at her father. "Tell them no." Richard's jaw tightened. "It's not that simple." "Why not?" "The Sterling Group is preparing for a major joint venture with Blackwood Corporation. If the alliance collapses, both companies will suffer." Elena stared at him. "So I'm the price?" "No." "It sounds like I am." "Elena." "I said no." She grabbed her handbag. "I'm leaving." Before she could reach the door, it opened. A man walked in. Elena stopped. She knew immediately who he was. Damian Blackwood. He was taller than she expected, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His expression was calm, almost indifferent, as though walking into a room where someone had just been told they were expected to marry him was nothing unusual. His eyes settled on Elena. For a brief moment, neither spoke. Then Damian looked at Richard. "I apologize for arriving late." His voice was low and controlled. Richard nodded. "It's fine." Damian's attention returned to Elena. "So this is Elena Sterling." Elena's eyebrows rose. "You say that like you've never seen me before." Something unreadable passed through his eyes. "I've seen you." She frowned. "Then why introduce yourself like you're meeting me for the first time?" Damian ignored the question. Instead, he walked toward the desk. Elena remained standing. "I assume you've heard about the arrangement." "Unfortunately." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "You don't seem pleased." "Would you be?" "If it secured my future, I wouldn't complain." Elena stared at him. "Of course you wouldn't." Damian's expression remained unchanged. "You don't know me well enough to judge me." "I know enough." "Do you?" His question irritated her. "You've walked into my father's office and apparently decided you're going to marry me. I'd say that's enough." Damian looked at her for a long moment. Then he said quietly, "I haven't decided anything." Elena's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" "The decision isn't mine alone." "Good. Because my answer is no." Richard sighed. "Elena—" "No." Damian remained strangely calm. "Then perhaps we should discuss what happens if you refuse." She looked at him. "What happens?" "The joint venture between our families will likely collapse." Elena's expression hardened. "Is that supposed to scare me?" "No." He stepped closer. "It's simply a fact." "You sound very comfortable with other people's lives being reduced to business decisions." Damian's eyes sharpened. "And you sound very comfortable ignoring consequences." Elena stepped toward him. "Don't tell me what I'm comfortable with." For the first time, something resembling amusement appeared in Damian's eyes. "You have quite a temper." "And you have quite an ego." "That isn't news." Elena almost laughed despite herself. Almost. Richard cleared his throat. "There is another option." Elena turned toward him. "What?" "You and Damian don't have to pretend this is a traditional marriage." She frowned. "What does that mean?" Damian answered. "We make an arrangement." Elena looked at him. "A contract?" "Essentially." He walked toward the window, his hands slipping into his pockets. "One year. We marry. We appear united publicly. We support the business alliance. At the end of the year, the condition in my grandfather's will is fulfilled." "And then?" "We go our separate ways." Elena studied him. It sounded almost too simple. One year. A fake marriage. Then freedom. She should have rejected it immediately. But her parents were watching her. The business alliance was clearly important to both families. And most importantly, she refused to allow anyone to think she was incapable of making her own decisions. She slowly folded her arms. "And what exactly do you expect from me during that year?" Damian turned toward her. "Respect." "Anything else?" "Appearances." "Meaning?" "We attend events together. We support each other publicly. We give the impression that our marriage is genuine." Elena scoffed. "So we pretend to be in love." "Exactly." She stared at him. "And privately?" "You're free to live your life." "Separate rooms?" "If that's what you want." "No interference with my career?" "Agreed." "No controlling where I go or who I see?" Damian paused. Then he nodded. "Agreed." Elena studied his face. He was too calm. Too certain. As though he already knew she would eventually say yes. That irritated her more than anything. "One year," she said. Damian's gaze remained fixed on hers. "One year." Elena extended her hand. "Then we have a deal." Damian looked at her hand. Instead of taking it immediately, he said, "You should think carefully before agreeing." "I already have." Something changed in his expression. It was subtle. So subtle that Elena almost missed it. Then he took her hand. His grip was firm and brief before he released it. "Then welcome to the Blackwood family, Elena." She pulled her hand back. "Don't get too comfortable. It's only for a year." Damian's eyes held hers. "Of course." But as Elena turned toward the door, she didn't see the look that crossed his face. She didn't see the faint smile disappear. She didn't see the way his eyes followed her until the door closed behind her. Because Elena believed she had just agreed to a temporary arrangement. A business deal. A marriage that would end after twelve months. What she didn't know was that Damian Blackwood had already known her name long before their families proposed the marriage. And for Damian, this wasn't the beginning of the arrangement. It was the beginning of something he'd been waiting for. Something Elena had no idea she had already stepped into.