Chapter 5: Dinner With The Devil
1108 Words
Blackwood Manor looked like it belonged in a magazine.
Not a house. A mansion. Marble gates. A driveway that took 2 minutes to drive. Lights on in every window.
Amelia’s hands were sweating. Again.
“You don’t have to be scared of her,” Damian said as the car stopped. “My mother is... direct. That’s all.”
“Direct is one word for it,” Amelia muttered. She remembered: ‘I will make sure you regret it.’
A butler opened the door. “Mr. Blackwood. Mrs. Blackwood. Mrs. Eleanor is in the dining room.”
Mrs. Blackwood.
It still didn’t feel real.
The dining room was huge. A table that could seat 20. Only 3 places were set. Crystal. Silver. Candles.
Eleanor stood when they entered. Same pearls from this morning. Black dress. Perfect posture.
“Damian,” she said, kissing his cheek. Then she turned to Amelia. Her eyes swept her up and down. “Amelia.”
“Mrs. Blackwood,” Amelia said. “Thank you for having me.”
“Please. Call me Eleanor.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Sit.”
Dinner started in silence. The staff served soup. No one touched it.
“So,” Eleanor said finally. “The press was... interesting today.”
Damian cut his steak. “Victoria broke NDA. Legal is handling it.”
“Legal.” Eleanor scoffed. “You think a lawsuit stops gossip? You think the board cares about NDAs when our stock dropped 3% today?”
“It’ll recover,” Damian said.
“Will it?” Eleanor looked at Amelia. “Tell me, Amelia. How did you and my son meet?”
Here it was. The test.
Amelia put her spoon down. “At a bar. Three weeks ago.”
Eleanor raised a brow. “A bar?”
“I was covering a shift. He was... having a bad night.” Amelia didn’t say more. Contract said no details.
“And then you got pregnant?” Eleanor’s voice was sharp. “Just like that?”
“Eleanor,” Damian warned.
“What? I’m asking questions the board will ask,” Eleanor said. “I’m protecting this family.”
Amelia met her eyes. “Yes. I got pregnant. And yes, we signed a contract. But I’m not here to ruin your family. I’m here because my father is sick and I needed help. And because Damian offered me a way out.”
Honesty. That was all she had.
Eleanor studied her for a long moment. Then she took a sip of wine. “At least you’re not lying. I hate liars.”
The rest of dinner was questions. About Amelia’s job. Her education. Her dad.
Amelia answered everything. No lies. No pretending to be someone she wasn’t.
When dessert came, Eleanor leaned back.
“You’re not what I expected,” she said. “I expected someone... desperate. Clingy. But you have a spine.”
“Thank you?” Amelia wasn’t sure if it was a compliment.
“It is,” Eleanor said. “Because you’ll need it. Victoria won’t stop. The board won’t stop. And the press will get worse.” She looked at Damian. “You need to present a united front. Starting now.”
“What do you mean?” Damian asked.
“I mean you go to the charity gala on Saturday. Together. As husband and wife. Photos. Interviews. No separate cars. No cold shoulders.” Eleanor turned to Amelia. “Can you do that?”
Amelia’s heart raced. A gala. Cameras. Victoria would be there.
She looked at Damian. He gave her the smallest nod.
“Yes,” Amelia said. “I can.”
“Good girl,” Eleanor said. “Now, I have one more condition.”
Damian tensed. “What?”
“You will move into the main wing. Not the guest wing. You’re married. Act like it. Same floor. Same hallway. If the staff sees you living separately, they’ll talk.”
Amelia almost choked. “But the contract says—”
“The contract is between you two,” Eleanor cut her off. “My house, my rules. You can have separate rooms. But you’re sleeping on the same floor where people can see you coming and going together.”
Damian was quiet. Then he nodded once. “Fine.”
After dinner, a housekeeper showed Amelia to her new room.
It was across the hall from Damian’s. Still huge. Still empty.
Her phone buzzed. Dad again.
[New doctor came today. Said we’re approved for experimental treatment. Said someone already paid deposit. Baby, who is helping us?]
Amelia stared at the message. She knew who.
She typed back: [A friend. Don’t worry dad. Focus on getting better.]
She put the phone down and sat on the bed.
Same floor as Damian.
A knock.
“Come in,” she said.
Damian. He was in sweatpants again. Holding two mugs.
“Tea,” he said, handing her one. “Chamomile. For sleeping.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For tonight. With your mom.”
“She was easier on you than I thought,” Damian said. He sat in the chair by the window. Far. Respecting boundaries. “She likes you. She just won’t admit it.”
Amelia laughed softly. “That’s not what it felt like.”
Damian smiled. The first real one she’d seen. “Trust me. If she hated you, you’d know.”
Silence. Comfortable for once.
“Are you scared about Saturday?” Damian asked.
“Terrified,” Amelia admitted. “Victoria will be there.”
“She will,” Damian said. “But you won’t be alone. I’ll be with you. The whole time.”
Amelia nodded. “Okay.”
Damian stood to leave. At the door he paused. “Amelia. About the money. The 5 million. I’m sorry you had to find out like that.”
“I knew it was in the contract,” she said quietly. “I just didn’t expect the world to see it.”
“I know,” Damian said. “But the money is yours. No matter what happens in a year. No one can take it from you. Or your dad.”
He left. The door closed softly.
Amelia drank her tea and looked at the ring on her finger.
Tomorrow: gala dress fittings.
Saturday: face Victoria in front of 300 people.
She pulled out her phone and googled “how to walk in heels without falling.”
She was Mrs. Blackwood now.
Time to act like it.
“End of Chapter 5 — The Charity Gala. Dress fitting + Victoria’s first public attack.”
- Writer
