Chapter 3: The Contract
355 Words
Ava stared at Ethan Blackwood in disbelief.
"Marry you?"
Ethan nodded once, his expression unreadable.
"For one year."
She let out a nervous laugh.
"This isn't funny."
"I'm not joking."
Silence filled the office.
Ava looked down at the thick contract on the polished desk. Every page carried the Blackwood Group logo.
"You don't even know me," she whispered.
"I know enough."
He pressed a button on his desk.
A large screen lit up.
Her university records.
Her employment history.
Her family's financial crisis.
Even her father's hospital bills.
Ava's face turned pale.
"You investigated me."
"I investigate everyone I do business with."
She swallowed hard.
"So why me?"
Ethan walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
"My grandfather's will requires me to marry before my thirtieth birthday."
"And?"
"If I don't, I lose control of Blackwood Group."
Ava frowned.
"So this is business."
"Exactly."
"No love?"
"No."
"No romance?"
"No."
"No feelings?"
"Those only complicate things."
He slid a gold pen toward her.
"In return, your father's medical bills will be paid in full. Your debts disappear. Your brother's education is covered."
Her heart pounded.
Everything she had been praying for...
...was sitting on the other side of that contract.
"There must be a catch."
"There are rules."
He handed her another page.
Rule One: The marriage remains secret except when required publicly.
Rule Two: No personal relationships outside the marriage.
Rule Three: Respect each other's privacy.
Rule Four: After one year, the marriage ends.
Ava looked up.
"And if I refuse?"
Ethan calmly closed the folder.
"You walk away."
He wasn't threatening her.
He was giving her a choice.
She thought about the eviction notice.
Her father's failing health.
Her brother's future.
Slowly, she reached for the pen.
Her hand trembled.
She signed.
Ethan signed immediately after.
The contract was complete.
He extended his hand.
"Welcome to the Blackwood family... Mrs. Blackwood."
Ava hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand.
Neither of them noticed the hidden camera outside the office.
Someone had just photographed the handshake.
And before sunset...
The entire city would believe Ethan Blackwood had found the woman he intended to marry.
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