Chapter 1: The Night Everything Changed
1118 Words
Rain hammered against the windows of Ava Carter's tiny apartment.
She sat at the kitchen table, staring at the white envelope in front of her.
She already knew what it contained.
She had been avoiding it for three days.
Slowly, she reached for it and opened it.
FINAL NOTICE.
Ava swallowed.
Twenty-four hours.
That was all the time she had to leave.
She looked around the apartment.
The peeling wallpaper. The old sofa her mother had bought years ago. The tiny bookshelf filled with novels they had collected together.
It wasn't much.
But it was home.
And now she was about to lose it.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
Ava grabbed it immediately.
For one hopeful second, she thought it might be one of the companies where she had applied for a job.
Instead, it was another bank notification.
Payment overdue.
She closed her eyes.
"Of course."
She dropped the phone onto the table.
Since her mother's death, everything had become harder.
The bills had continued coming.
The rent had increased.
Her savings had disappeared.
And every job application seemed to disappear into the same black hole.
Ava stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, the city was blurred behind the rain.
People hurried along the sidewalks beneath umbrellas, unaware that her entire life was falling apart inside the little apartment above them.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
"I'll figure something out."
She had said those words so many times that they had almost stopped meaning anything.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a call.
Ava stared at the unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
"Is this Ava Carter?"
"Yes."
"This is the recruitment department from Blackwood Holdings."
Ava's heart jumped.
She straightened immediately.
"Yes. That's me."
"We received your application for the executive assistant position."
Ava's fingers tightened around the phone.
"Yes. I applied for that position."
There was a pause.
"Unfortunately, the position has already been filled."
Her excitement disappeared.
"Oh."
"But your application caught the attention of one of our executives."
Ava frowned.
"One of your executives?"
"Yes. We'd like to invite you to an interview."
Ava stared at the eviction notice.
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
She almost laughed.
Tomorrow.
The same day she was supposed to leave her apartment.
"Where?"
The woman gave her an address.
Ava quickly wrote it down.
"Thank you. I'll be there."
When the call ended, she looked at the address again.
Blackwood Holdings.
One of the largest companies in the city.
She had heard the name before.
Everyone had.
Its owner was Ethan Blackwood.
A man whose name appeared regularly in business magazines.
A billionaire.
Private.
Powerful.
And, according to everything Ava had heard, extremely difficult to impress.
She looked down at her worn clothes.
Then at the eviction notice.
"I have to get this job."
There was no other choice.
The following afternoon, Ava left her apartment with a borrowed umbrella and a folder containing the last copies of her résumé.
She arrived at the Blackwood Holdings building ten minutes early.
The tower seemed to rise endlessly above her.
She stepped inside.
The lobby was enormous, with polished floors, glass walls, and employees moving quickly in every direction.
Ava suddenly became painfully aware of her inexpensive shoes.
She tightened her grip on the folder.
"Ms. Carter?"
She turned.
A sharply dressed woman stood behind her.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Blackwood is expecting you."
Ava's stomach tightened.
"Mr. Blackwood?"
The woman nodded.
"Follow me."
Ava followed her toward the elevators.
She had expected an ordinary interview.
She had not expected to meet the owner himself.
When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, the woman led her toward a large office.
She knocked.
A deep voice answered.
"Come in."
Ava stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was the enormous window overlooking the city.
The second was the man standing beside it.
Ethan Blackwood turned slowly.
He was dressed in a dark suit, his expression unreadable.
His gaze settled on Ava.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Ethan glanced at the folder in her hands.
"Ava Carter."
"Yes."
"You applied for an executive assistant position."
"I did."
"You have no experience working for a company of this size."
Ava straightened.
"No, sir."
"And yet you came here."
"I need the opportunity."
Something flickered across his expression.
"Everyone who comes through that door says the same thing."
Ava took a breath.
"Then maybe you should hire someone who actually means it."
Silence.
She immediately wondered if she had made a terrible mistake.
But Ethan didn't seem offended.
Instead, he studied her more carefully.
"You speak honestly."
"I try to."
"Even when it's dangerous?"
Ava didn't understand the question.
"I suppose that depends on the situation."
Ethan walked toward his desk.
"Sit."
She did.
He opened her résumé.
A few seconds passed.
Then his phone rang.
Ethan glanced at the screen.
His expression changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for Ava to notice.
He answered.
"What happened?"
He listened.
His jaw tightened.
"How many days?"
Ava looked away.
She didn't want to listen to a private conversation.
Ethan ended the call.
He remained silent for several seconds.
Then he looked directly at her.
"How desperate are you for this job, Ms. Carter?"
Ava's heart sank.
"Very."
"Why?"
She thought about lying.
Instead, she told the truth.
"I'm about to lose my apartment."
Ethan's expression didn't change.
"I see."
"I don't expect special treatment," she added quickly. "I just need a chance."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Perhaps I can give you one."
Ava looked at him.
"What kind of chance?"
Ethan opened a drawer and removed a black folder.
He placed it on the desk.
The folder was completely blank.
No company logo.
No name.
Nothing.
Ava frowned.
"What is that?"
"An offer."
"For the assistant position?"
"No."
Her confusion deepened.
"Then what is it?"
Ethan's eyes remained fixed on hers.
"Something that could solve every financial problem you have."
Ava stared at the folder.
She suddenly felt less relieved than she had a moment ago.
"What would I have to do?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he pushed the folder across the desk.
"Read it."
Ava slowly reached for it.
Her fingers touched the cover.
She opened it.
The first page contained only one sentence.
Her eyes widened.
She read it again.
Then once more.
Her face went pale.
Because beneath the carefully typed words was a proposal she had never imagined anyone would make to her.
And at the bottom of the page was Ethan Blackwood's signature.
Ava looked up.
"What exactly are you asking me to become?"
Ethan's expression remained calm.
But his answer changed everything.
"Not my employee."
He paused.
"My fiancée."
- Writer
