The Billionaire’s Heir

A New Beginning

The next morning, as the sun came up, Lana walked into Blackwood Tower with her head held high and her voice calm.

I'm ready, Lana said with cooled voice.

Damien didn’t smile. He move to the the drawer open it and slid a contract letter toward her.

Welcome to the Blackwood legacy

The black car stopped quietly in front of the Blackwood mansion. It was huge more like a palace than a house. Tall stone pillars stood at the front. The big silver gates were taller than any building Lana had seen before. Most of the walls were made of glass, shining in the sunlight. Lana held her breath. She had never been in a place like this before. Not in books. Not in movies. Not in real life.

The driver got out first and opened door for her. Lana waited a moment before came out onto the very nice and cool environment different from where she was coming from. Every step took her farther from the life she knew. The small hospital rooms where she and Chloe had spent so much time. The long hours at the diner. The world she had tried to hold on to was slipping away.

Now, she was in a new world. One that felt comfortable and a big very big place she was never dreamed of.

Near the front door stood a woman wearing a gray suit. Her high heels sound on the smooth floor, that every set eyes on her as she walked toward Lana with tablet in her hands operate through screen.The woman nodded once.

“Miss Brooks,” she said in a calm voice. “I’m Celeste. Mr. Blackwood’s assistant. (Introduce herself to Lana)I will help you get settled in.”

Lana forced a small smile but did not concentrate. The air smelled fresh and expensive—something she could not name. The floors were smooth white marble, and the ceiling was very high. A giant chandelier hung from above, sparkling like thousands of shiny lights looks like stars.

Celeste directed Lana through the steps. The steps were with stainless handrails curved gently like a ribbon.

Your room is on the top floor, Celeste said softly. “You will have your section of the house to stay in. Meals will be brought to you at set times. Each morning, you will get a schedule for your day.”

Lana’s shoe sound soft noises on the floor as she walked. She wish she removed the shoes and walked with her bare leg.

At the top of the stairs, two large doors opened to her new bedroom. It was much bigger than the small apartment she and Chloe had lived in. The walls were a soft cream color with gold decorations. The bed was covered in smooth silk sheets that looked cool to the touch. Through the tall windows, Lana could see the whole city below, shining with lights.

But Lana did not want to look outside. She dropped her bag on the bed, very clean and no one had touched it before.

This was not her home. Not really. She was still the girl who spent nights by her sister’s hospital bed so she felt uncomfortable that night. Still, the sister who made a hard choice to save Chloe.

Celeste comes in to inform her that. “Dinner is at eight o’clock. Mr. Blackwood will join you.”

Lana nodded but could not find words to say. When Celeste left, Lana finally took a deep breath.

Slowly, she walked to the mirror and looked at herself. The same brown eyes. The same tired face. But now she was different. A contract wife. A future mother. A stranger in her own life. And asked her different questions still replied in her mind.

Downstairs, Damien sat in his office. Nothing had changed about him. His desk was full of papers. Two phones sat side by side. A glass of whiskey waited, untouched.

“She’s here?” Damien asked without looking up.

“Yes, sir,” Celeste answered. “She is settling in.”

“Good,” Damien said shortly with cool voice. “Keep her away from the press. No pictures. No interviews. Not yet.”

Celeste nodded. “Understood.”

Damien looked out the window at the city. Lana Brooks was now under his roof. Carrying his name. Soon, she would carry his child. Everything was going just as he planned.

Lana changed into the dress placed on the chair. It was soft silk, smooth and light, but it did not feel like hers. Nothing here felt like Lana’s own

At exactly eight, she walked into the dining room. The long table can occupy twenty people at a time, but only two plates were set.

Damien sat at the edge of the table. Looking calm and serious.

She sat across from him, feeling the space between them more than just the distance of the table. It was the gap between two very different people.

“You will start going for a medical check up tomorrow,” Damien said as he began eating. “The doctor is already set.”

Lana blinked in surprise. “Already?”

“This is a contract, Miss Brooks, Damien said. We follow the plan.

She nodded slowly. This is becoming real. Her new life had begun.

Dinner was quiet. Lana barely tasted her food. Her mind was with Chloe her sister’s bright smile, her laugh was the reason Lana had agreed to this.

After the dinner end table were cleared, Damien stand. He took a small silver box from his coat pocket and move it across the table.

Inside the box there’s a thin diamond ring looks small but very expensive.

“Wear it to show that you’re now part of the Blackwood family,” he said.

Lana stared at the ring. Her hand shook as she put it on. It was beautiful. And heavy.

That night, Lana stood by the window in her new room. The city lights shine and below it look like tiny stars.

Lana felt sad and filled with water but she did not cry. Not yet.

Her fingers touched the ring again. The name Blackwood looked like a mark on her skin the price she had paid.

But was this a new beginning… or just the start of something else?

Her heart was full of questions she did not want to say out loud.

How does Chloe feel if she heard about the contract?

Would Lana belong to this new place?

Will love and attention Damien said he doesn’t want to grow here.

The city below looks endless. So was the journey ahead.