A WORLD AWAY
1032 Words
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the marble hallway of Blackwood Group.
Employees glanced nervously at the large clock hanging above the reception desk.
“He’ll be here in two minutes.”
“I heard he fired the finance director yesterday.”
“Not fired… he made him resign.”
“Please don’t let him ask me any questions today.”
The whispers ended the moment the elevator doors slid open.
Silence filled the entire floor.
Damian Blackwood stepped out wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. His expensive watch rested neatly against his wrist, while his polished black shoes echoed against the spotless floor.
Without saying a word, he walked past every employee.
Each person lowered their head respectfully.
“Good morning, Mr. Blackwood.”
He gave a slight nod but never slowed his pace.
At only twenty-nine years old, Damian had built one of the largest business empires in the country. Newspapers called him a genius. Business magazines called him ruthless. His competitors simply called him dangerous.
He preferred not to be called anything at all.
Inside the conference room, twelve executives were already waiting.
The atmosphere became tense as Damian took his seat at the head of the long table.
“Let’s begin.”
One by one, the department heads presented their reports.
Everything went smoothly until the marketing director stood to present a proposal for a billion-dollar partnership.
Halfway through the presentation, Damian closed the file in front of him.
The sharp sound echoed across the room.
The director froze.
“Mr. Blackwood… is something wrong?”
Damian looked directly at him.
“You’ve had three weeks to prepare this presentation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And this is the best you could produce?”
The man’s face turned pale.
“I… I can improve it.”
Damian leaned back in his chair.
“Good.”
“Because if this proposal reaches our investors in its current state, you won’t have a position to return to.”
No one dared to speak.
Damian stood.
“The meeting is over.”
The executives quickly gathered their documents and hurried out, relieved to have survived another meeting.
Only Damian and his assistant, Ethan, remained.
“You have lunch with the board at one o’clock,” Ethan reminded him.
Damian shook his head.
“Cancel it.”
Ethan blinked.
“Sir?”
“I’m going to the hospital.”
Without asking another question, Ethan nodded.
He knew better than to interfere whenever Damian mentioned the hospital.
An hour later, Damian walked through the quiet halls of St. Mary’s Hospital.
Unlike the noisy business world, everything here felt peaceful.
He stopped outside Room 510 before gently pushing the door open.
An elderly man looked up from the book he was reading.
“There you are.”
A genuine smile appeared on Damian’s face.
One that no employee had ever seen.
“Good afternoon, Grandpa.”
Richard Blackwood chuckled.
“I was beginning to think your company had adopted you.”
Damian pulled a chair closer to the bed.
“The company keeps me busy.”
“It always does.”
Richard studied his grandson for a long moment.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“I’ve been working.”
“That’s your answer to everything.”
For the next few minutes, they spoke about ordinary things.
Business.
The weather.
A football match they had both watched years ago.
For the first time all day, Damian looked relaxed.
Then Richard’s smile slowly faded.
“Damian.”
His grandson looked up.
“The doctors have been honest with me.”
Damian remained silent.
“I don’t know how much time I have left.”
“I don’t want to hear that.”
“You have to.”
The room became quiet.
“I’ve watched you build an empire.”
“You’ve achieved everything a man could dream of.”
“You have wealth.”
“You have respect.”
“You have power.”
Richard sighed.
“But every night…”
“You go home to an empty house.”
Damian lowered his eyes.
“I don’t need anyone.”
Richard smiled sadly.
“That’s what you’ve convinced yourself.”
The old man reached for his grandson’s hand.
“I only have one wish left.”
Damian already knew what it was.
“I want to see you married.”
A long silence followed.
Finally, Damian stood.
“You know how I feel about marriage.”
“Because of one woman?”
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“I’m not discussing this.”
Richard’s voice softened.
“Not every woman will betray you.”
Damian looked toward the window.
Years ago, he had trusted someone with his heart.
She had chosen his money instead.
Since then, he had buried every emotion beneath work.
Love had become a distraction.
Marriage…
An unnecessary contract.
“I have a meeting,” Damian said quietly.
“You just cancelled it.”
Damian paused.
His grandfather smiled knowingly.
“I know you better than you think.”
For the first time in years, Damian didn’t know what to say.
He simply walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, Richard called after him.
“I don’t want to leave this world worrying that you’ll spend the rest of your life alone.”
Damian stopped for only a second.
Without turning around, he replied,
“Get some rest, Grandpa.”
Then he walked out.
Outside the room, Ethan was waiting.
“So…”
“How is he?”
Damian looked down the hallway.
“He’ll be fine.”
But even he didn’t believe those words.
As they walked toward the exit, the family’s lawyer approached them.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Damian stopped.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“What is it?”
The lawyer adjusted his glasses.
“I couldn’t help overhearing your grandfather.”
Damian’s expression remained unreadable.
“If marriage is his final wish…”
The lawyer smiled slightly.
“…who says it has to be a marriage built on love?”
Damian frowned.
“What are you suggesting?”
The lawyer met his eyes.
“A contract marriage.”
For the first time that day…
Damian stopped walking.
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