His enemy's daughter

Chapter 4

Serena callahan

The glow of my phone screen was the only thing illuminating my dim room as I lay in bed, mindlessly scrolling through videos and photos I’d seen a hundred times before. Memes. Outfit inspo. A puppy crying over spilled milk. Anything to make me forget I lived in a house where my stepmother hated me, my fiancé betrayed me, and my father was too sick to even know.

The ceiling fan hummed above me, spinning slow like my thoughts. It was too early to be awake, yet too late to fall back asleep. I hadn’t touched the blinds yet, but the soft blue of morning was already creeping under the curtains.

Ding.

I blinked. A new email notification appeared at the top of my screen.

From: Blackwood Enterprises

Subject: Invitation – Formal Discussion Regarding Callahan Industries

I opened it quickly. My chest tightened.

> Miss Serena Callahan,

We request your presence for a formal discussion regarding potential strategic partnership involving Callahan Industries.

Date: [09/07/2025]

Time: 10:00 AM

Venue: Blackwood Tower, Central Business District, 42nd Floor – Private Conference Room A

Regards,

Blackwood Enterprises

There was no mention of Lucian’s name. Just cold formality.

I stared at it for a while. Was this what desperation looked like? Being summoned like I was a chess piece instead of a human being?

I didn’t reply. But I knew I’d go.

—

The morning air smelled like rain that didn’t fall. The sky was overcast, and the streets were quieter than usual as I stepped out of the car in front of Blackwood Tower. My driver had offered to take me, but I’d refused. I wanted to walk the last stretch alone, even if my shoes pinched slightly.

“Good morning, Miss Callahan,” the security guard at the entrance said, his tone respectful but stiff. His eyes flickered to my name tag on the guest list and then back to me.

“Morning,” I mumbled with a weak smile before walking through the glass doors.

If wealth had a smell, it was whatever perfume lingered inside Blackwood Tower. The marble floors gleamed so perfectly I could see my reflection. Gold-accented elevators, walls dressed in neutral stone, and a sharp, sterile silence that reminded me I didn’t belong here. Not anymore.

People walked around in heels, suits, and confidence. I walked like I didn’t know how to breathe.

The receptionist pointed me toward the private conference floor. I rode the elevator in silence, my heart pounding in rhythm with the numbers blinking above the door.

42nd floor.

The doors slid open. The hallway was sleek, dimly lit, with art lining the walls—cold, abstract things that screamed "expensive and meaningless."

The door to Conference Room A was already open.

Lucian Blackwood sat at the far end of a long glass table, a tablet in his hand, looking like he’d been carved out of stone and ego. Dark suit. Slight stubble. Eyes as unreadable as always.

He didn’t look up immediately.

“Miss Callahan,” he finally said, setting the tablet down. “Right on time.”

I pulled my shoulders back. “I came to hear you out. That’s it.”

He stood slowly and gestured to the chair opposite him. “Then let’s not waste time.”

I sat down, my palms on my lap, legs crossed tightly.

He slid a folder toward me. “You need help. I have power. Let’s not pretend this arrangement wouldn’t benefit us both.”

“I don’t need your charity,” I replied instantly.

“This isn’t charity,” he said, leaning forward slightly. “It’s strategy. I make your father’s company untouchable. You become my public partner for the next year. We both win.”

I was stunned "Are you out of your mind" I asked in a harsh tone "you know I'm engaged"

"And I also know it's keeping you in chains, because of that damn contract" he said leaning forward "listen if you and your family think that dumbass marriage will save your father's pharma then you're dead wrong"

"so you're saying the only way I can save it is by being your public partner as in contract marriage?" I asked my voice barely audible

"yes" he replied

“And in private?” I asked, meeting his gaze.

He smirked faintly. “That’s negotiable.”

I pushed the folder back toward him.

“No.”

Lucian didn’t flinch. “You’ll change your mind.”

I stood up. “Don’t count on it.”

—

The ride back home was too quiet. My phone buzzed a few times in my bag, but I didn’t look. I stared out the window, watching grey clouds twist above the city like they were mocking me.

When I walked into the Callahan estate, the air felt heavier than usual. I was halfway to the staircase when I heard soft laughter coming from the hallway.

Two maids were whispering just loud enough to be heard.

“She thinks dressing up makes her relevant again,” one said.

“Maybe she thinks Mr. Caleb still wants her. Poor thing.”

My jaw clenched. I turned toward them, but before I could speak, Vivienne’s voice rang out behind me.

“Is there a problem here?”

“Yes,” I said calmly. “Your staff is trash-talking me in my own home.”

Vivienne waved a manicured hand. “Oh, Serena, don’t be so sensitive. They didn’t mean any harm. You really need to toughen up.”

I didn’t respond. I walked away before my voice cracked.

I reached the stairs—only to nearly bump into Caleb, standing there like the snake he was.

“Well, well,” he drawled, looking me over. “All dressed up. Did you miss me that much?”

My spine stiffened. “You’re not worth missing.”

He chuckled, leaning against the banister. “You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”

I walked past him without another word, my heart a burning stone in my chest.

—

Later that night, I sat curled up on my bed, phone in hand again. This time, I wasn’t trying to escape. I was trying to survive.

I dialed the only number that made sense.

“Kylie,” I said when she picked up. “Can you come over?”

“I’m already grabbing my keys,” she replied instantly. “What happened?”

“I need to talk. About Blackwood.”

—

Kylie arrived with a bottle of iced tea and her eyebrows already raised.

I sat her down and told her everything—Lucian’s proposal, the contract, the way he spoke to me like he already knew I’d break.

She didn’t speak at first. Just stared at me like she was weighing a thousand possibilities in her head.

“I hate to say it,” she finally murmured, “but... it might be the only way out.”

I swallowed. “So you think I should do it?”

“I think we should think before you do,” she corrected. “But Serena... if you don’t grab a lifeline soon, they’ll drown you.”

I nodded slowly, staring at the folder Lucian had left on my dresser.

She was right.

And it scared me.