Sold to the Billionaire for £10 Million

"Twenty-one million eight hundred thousand pounds." The lawyer’s voice was flat, like reading a supermarket receipt. I sat in my father’s study, staring at a business card on the desk. It was off-white with smooth edges. On the front were a name and title: Alexander Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood Capital. On the back, in my father’s handwriting: Fix everything. "Ms. Ashford, you could file for personal bankruptcy." "The Ashfords do not go bankrupt." I stood up. The chair legs scraped briefly against the floor. "We just disappear." The lawyer fell silent for a few seconds. Then he pulled the card out of his briefcase and set it down in front of me. He said he’d found it tucked under a velvet cloth at the very bottom of the desk drawer, with no date marked on it. I picked up the thick card. My father’s ink had long since dried. "Ten tomorrow morning. Blackwood Tower?" I asked. The lawyer nodded. I walked out of the study, and the front door closed slowly behind me. London’s dusk dyed the entire estate deep blue. I stood on the porch and looked again at the card in my hand. Alexander Blackwood. I had no idea who he was. But I would find out tomorrow.