Chapter 1:The Ultimatum
Adrian Blackwell was used to seeing his name in the headlines.
This morning, however, the glossy tabloids had outdone themselves.
“Billionaire Playboy Spotted with Mystery Heiress—Engagement Rumors or Just Another Fling?”
The bold headline glared back at him from the screen of his phone. Below it, a photo captured him leaving an upscale Manhattan hotel at dawn, jacket slung over his shoulder, a brunette clinging to his arm. The woman’s smile was mischievous. His own expression was careless, arrogant—just as the world expected from Adrian Blackwell.
He tossed the phone aside and poured himself a glass of whiskey, despite the hour. Another scandal, another whisper of impropriety. He’d built an empire on tech investments and calculated risks, but the press only ever wanted his chaos.
“Still drinking before breakfast?”
His mother’s voice cut through the silence like a knife.
Adrian stiffened. Victoria Blackwell did not believe in unannounced visits—unless she intended to make a point. Standing in the doorway of his penthouse living room, she looked every inch the queen she imagined herself to be. Perfectly tailored ivory suit, hair swept back in a chignon, pearls catching the morning light. Her eyes, sharp and cold, skimmed the discarded phone on the table before meeting his with disdain.
“You’ve made a spectacle of yourself again,” she said flatly.
Adrian smirked. “Good morning to you too, Mother.”
Victoria ignored the sarcasm and crossed the room. She never wasted time on pleasantries. “The board is restless. Investors are whispering. Your antics are no longer harmless entertainment, Adrian. They’re threatening everything your father built.”
Adrian leaned back, feigning indifference, though a flicker of irritation stirred beneath his calm exterior. “I’ve handled worse.”
“Not this time,” Victoria said, voice steely. She set a leather folder on the table in front of him. “Which is why you’re going to marry.”
Adrian blinked, then barked a laugh. “You’ve finally lost it.”
Her expression didn’t waver. “I’ve arranged a match. Her name is Elena Duvall. She comes from… modest beginnings. No scandals. No baggage. The kind of woman who will calm the storm around you. You’ll announce the engagement within the month.”
Adrian set his glass down slowly, studying his mother’s face. She wasn’t bluffing—Victoria Blackwell never bluffed. “And if I don’t?”
“Then you forfeit your inheritance. The controlling shares in Blackwell Enterprises revert to me. You’ll be left with nothing but the ruins of your reputation.”
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint hum of the city below.
“You’re insane,” Adrian muttered. “You’d burn your own son just to preserve appearances?”
Victoria’s eyes glittered. “I’d save the family name. That’s worth more than one reckless heir.”
Before Adrian could respond, the doorbell rang. Victoria didn’t flinch. “That will be her.”
Adrian’s head snapped toward the door. “You brought her here?”
The butler appeared, ushering in a young woman. She was nothing like the polished socialites Adrian was used to parading on his arm. Elena Duvall’s dress was simple, navy cotton that brushed her knees. Her dark hair was pulled into a neat braid, her makeup understated. But her eyes—clear, defiant—met Adrian’s with surprising steadiness.
“Elena,” Victoria said smoothly, “this is my son.”
Adrian arched a brow. “So you’re the sacrificial lamb.”
Elena’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. “And you’re the spoiled prince who thinks the world bends for him.”
For the first time all morning, Adrian was caught off guard. Something sharp and alive sparked between them, a collision neither expected.
Victoria clasped her hands, satisfied. “Good. You’ll have dinner together tonight. The engagement will be announced within weeks. Do try not to embarrass me further, Adrian.”
She swept from the room, leaving the two of them in taut silence.
Adrian studied Elena, looking for cracks, signs of nerves. But she stood straight, shoulders squared, meeting his gaze without flinching.
“You don’t want this any more than I do,” he said finally.
Her chin lifted. “Maybe not. But I have my reasons. And you—you don’t really have a choice, do you?”
Adrian clenched his jaw, fury and intrigue battling inside him. Whoever Elena Duvall was, she wasn’t simple. And somehow, he knew this deal his mother had forced on him was going to be far more dangerous than she realized.
