BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

THE BLACKWOOD MOTHER

Chapter 5: The Blackwood Mother

Amara woke up to someone screaming.

"WHAT IS THAT GIRL WEARING?!"

She jumped out of bed. A tall, elegant woman in her fifties was standing in the living room, pointing at Amara's old t-shirt. She had Ethan's grey eyes, but hers were filled with disgust.

"Madam, please," Sophia the stylist was trying to calm her. "Miss Amara just woke up."

"Miss Amara?" The woman laughed coldly. "It's Mrs. Blackwood now, though I have no idea why my son would marry a... a street girl without telling his own mother!"

Ethan walked out of the master bedroom, his face calm but his eyes hard.

"Mother. I told you not to come early."

"Not to come early? Ethan, you got married! To this?" She looked Amara up and down. "Vanessa told me everything. She said she is after your money. She is a poor nursing dropout!"

Amara's eyes filled with tears. She wanted to run back into the room.

Ethan walked to Amara. To her shock, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, even though she was only in her t-shirt.

"Mother, this is my wife, Amara Blackwood. The woman I love. Apologize to her."

Mrs. Blackwood gasped. "Love? Ethan, you don't know what love is!"

"I love her," Ethan said, his voice firm, looking straight into his mother's eyes. "And she is carrying my child."

The room went silent.

Amara froze. What was he saying?

Mrs. Blackwood's eyes went wide. She stared at Amara's stomach.

"Pregnant? You... you are pregnant?"

Ethan's hand moved to Amara's flat stomach, possessively.

"Two weeks. We wanted to wait to tell you. That's why we married so quickly."

Amara couldn't breathe. He was lying so smoothly.

But Mrs. Blackwood's entire face changed. Her coldness melted into excitement.

"A baby! Oh, Ethan! A Blackwood heir!" She rushed forward and this time hugged Amara tightly. "Oh, darling! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Why didn't you tell me? You need to eat! You need rest! No more cheap clothes!"

She turned to Sophia. "Get her the best maternity dresses! And call Dr. Miller! Now!"

Amara looked up at Ethan, confused and panicked.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his lips brushing her earlobe, making her shiver.

"Play along, wife. If my mother thinks you are pregnant, she will protect you from Vanessa and the whole world. She wanted a grandchild for ten years."

"But I'm not..."

"You will be," he whispered, his grey eyes dark with promise. "One day, you will be pregnant with my child. For real. But for now, let's give her a show."

He suddenly picked her up in his arms, bridal style, making her scream in surprise.

"Ethan! Put me down!"

"No," he said loudly for his mother to hear, carrying her toward the master bedroom. "My wife needs rest. No one will disturb her."

Mrs. Blackwood clapped her hands, tears of joy in her eyes. "Finally! My son is in love!"

As soon as the master bedroom door closed, Ethan set her down gently on the huge bed.

Amara was blushing furiously. "You are crazy! Pregnant? How will we... what will we do in nine months?"

Ethan locked the door. He walked slowly toward the bed, his eyes never leaving hers.

"We have nine months to make the lie true, Amara," he said in a low voice. "Nine months to make you really mine."

He leaned down over her on the bed, his arms trapping her.

"Are you scared of me, Mrs. Blackwood?"

Amara's heart was pounding. She was scared. But not of him hurting her. She was scared of how much she wanted him to stay like this, close to her.

"No," she whispered honestly.

His eyes darkened. He brushed his thumb over her lips.

"Good girl."

Downstairs, Mrs. Blackwood was already on the phone: "Margaret! Ethan is going to be a father! Yes! That poor girl... I mean, that sweet girl Amara!"

But in another part of the city, Vanessa was smiling at her phone.

"She is pretending to be pregnant? Perfect. Let's get a doctor to expose her. Tomorrow."