Bound by Blackwood

Chapter 3

Elena

Chapter Three

I woke up with a plan.

It wasn’t clear, it wasn’t perfect, but it was better than lying in bed while the world collapsed around me. I would find my father, drag the truth out of him if I had to, and then decide what came next.

I pulled myself together as quickly as my stiff body allowed, brushing my hair into a knot and slipping into clean clothes. The house was quiet, too quiet for a morning after chaos. Just as I reached for my bag, Sophia’s voice carried down the hall.

“Carter, where are you going?”

I froze, caught. “To find my dad,” I said flatly.

“You don’t have to. He came back last night.” Sophia stepped closer, her tone softening. “He’s out in the guest house.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I hadn’t expected him to return. I almost wished he hadn’t.

When I stepped outside, I found him hunched on the porch steps of the guest house, shoulders slumped, hands twisted together like ropes. He looked smaller than I had ever seen him.

“I’ll fix it,” he whispered as soon as he saw me, as though the words themselves might stitch the broken pieces of their lives together. “I promise, baby. I’ll fix everything.”

My chest tightened. “How, Dad? How are you going to fix this?”

He shook his head, eyes darting. “I have a plan. I’ll figure it out.”

“No.” My voice cracked with something between fury and grief. “You don’t get to fix this anymore. You had your chance, and look where it’s left us. This time…I’ll fix it.”

His head dropped into his hands, but he told me anyway. About the loan. About the company. About the name I needed.

By the time I returned inside, Sophia was waiting. “Carter, think about this. Adrian Blackwood probably doesn’t even know your father exists. He’s the CEO of a billion-dollar empire. He runs Trident Group! That’s not just one company; it’s banks, tech firms, shipping lines, real estate… And your father? He got tangled up in one of their loan subsidiaries. Men like Blackwood have people to handle people like…your dad.”

“I don’t care,” I snapped. “Whether he knows or not doesn’t matter. He owns the company, and that makes him responsible. I’m going to him.”

Sophia hesitated. “Then I’m coming with you.”

I shook her head. “No. This is mine. My father got me into this, and I’m going to get us out. Alone.”

The name Andrian Blackwood lingered in her head like a warning bell. Everyone knew who he was. Ruthless. Untouchable. The kind of man whose shadow swallowed entire cities. But I didn’t care. If I had to beg the devil himself, then I would.

I walked back into the room I spent the night in as I shut the door softly behind me and sank onto the bed, the weight of everything pressing harder with each breath. My fingers curled around my phone on my nightstand, and with a shaky exhale, I opened the browser. Adrian Blackwood. Just typing his name felt heavier than I expected.

Search results flooded my screen: articles, interviews, and glossy magazine covers where he stood like a king in a dark suit, his eyes sharp as if they could cut through steel.

They called him the phantom billionaire, the empire builder, the man who turned Trident Group into a global beast swallowing up industries whole. Banking, shipping, tech, real estate—his reach was everywhere, his shadow stretching into places I had never even dreamt of.

The words in the headlines chilled me. Ruthless. Unyielding. Fearless. The headlines painted a man with a reputation carved in steel. They praised his sharp instincts, his impossible deals, and the way he had built Trident Group into a force no one could ignore. Adrian Blackwood wasn’t corrupt; no, that much was clear. He wasn’t the kind of man who clawed his way to the top by cheating the system or silencing innocents.

He was a businessman in the truest, rawest sense of the word. But the warnings were there too, woven between the praise: cross him, and you don’t walk away unscathed. He didn’t strike without reason, but if you dared to block his path, touch what belonged to him, or stand in his way, he would crush you without blinking. He was the kind of man who didn’t have to break the law; the law bent for him.

As I scrolled, my stomach twisted tighter. Could I really face someone like this? A man the world itself seemed to fear? Yet… If I didn’t, who would? My father had handed me a broken future, and here I was, staring at the face of the man who held the pieces in his hand.

I wanted to slam the phone shut, to pretend I hadn’t seen any of it, but instead, I kept reading, my pulse hammering in my ears. Adrian Blackwood was everything I had no business challenging: powerful, untouchable, and merciless. But he was also my only chance.

The creak of the door snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. Sophia slipped inside, closing it behind her with a gentleness that made me look up. She crossed the room without a word and sank onto the bed beside me, her warmth steady against my shoulder, as if she could feel the storm raging in my head.

Sophia’s silence stretched for a moment before she finally asked, “You’ve been reading about him, haven’t you?”

I nodded, locking my phone and setting it face down between us. “I have to go see him. Strike a deal or something. I have to get my house back. It’s the only chance I have got, Sophia.” My voice wavered, but I forced it steady. “If it means striking a deal, then I’ll strike a deal. Whatever it takes, I need to look him in the eye and make him listen.”

She sighed, pressing her palm lightly against my back. “Carter… It’s a bad idea. You know that. Men like Adrian Blackwood don’t sit down with people like us. They don’t even notice us.” She paused, softer now. “But if this is what you want… if this is the only thing you believe you can do… then I’ll support you. Even if I don’t like it.”

Her words caught me off guard, and I turned to her, searching her eyes. “You mean that?”

“Of course,” she whispered. “You’re my best friend. I’ll be here for you no matter what. But tell me, when are you going? Do you even have a plan?”

A hollow laugh slipped past my lips. “No… I don’t have a plan. I don’t even know what I’ll say to him. But I’ll figure it out when I get there. I have to. I’ll tell him something, anything, just enough to make him listen. I can’t sit here and do nothing, Sophia. Not anymore.”

Sophia leaned back against the headboard, her arms folding across her chest in that stubborn way of hers. The lamplight caught her eyes, making them sharper, almost accusing.

“You do realize,” she said slowly, “that Blackwood isn’t here. His office—the real one, the one he actually sits in—is in another state. The Trident Global headquarters. They call the city Empire Gate. G-Gate. And it’s not the kind of place people like us just wander into.”

Her words pressed on me like a weight. I drew my knees up to my chest, clutching the phone I’d been scrolling through minutes earlier. Rumors, interviews, and news articles—they’d painted a picture of a man both admired and feared. Adrian Blackwood. Ruthless, but brilliant. Cunning, but undeniably successful. The empire he had built, Trident Global, had its roots everywhere. Finance. Real estate. Shipping. Tech. Like vines wrapping around the world.

“Empire Gate?” I repeated, my voice small.

Sophia nodded, her mouth a thin line. “My mom tried once. She had this business idea and thought maybe if she pitched it straight to Blackwood, she’d have a chance. She dressed her best, printed out everything she needed. But she couldn’t even get past the lobby. No appointment, no meeting. Just glass doors, cold smiles, and security guards who acted like she didn’t exist. They turned her away before she could even breathe the same air as him.”

I swallowed, her words burning into me. That should have been enough to scare me off. To remind me how impossible this was. But instead, I felt a strange tightness in my chest, a reckless determination rising through it.

“Then I’ll find a way to get through,” I said.

Her head snapped toward me. “Carter…”

“No,” I cut in, my voice firmer than I expected. “This is the only chance I’ve got, Sophia. If I don’t try, my father loses everything. We lose everything. You know it.”

Sophia groaned and dragged a hand over her face. “You’re insane. Completely insane.”

Maybe I was. But insanity felt better than helplessness.

She pushed herself off the headboard, reached into her bedside drawer, and pulled out a slim envelope. My stomach sank before she even spoke.

“At least take money,” she said, holding it out. “Bus fare. Food. Maybe even a night there if things take too long.”

“No.” I shoved it back toward her immediately. “I’m not taking your money. You’ve already done enough…”

“Elena,” she snapped, her eyes flashing with that rare, fiery anger of hers. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare act proud right now when you have nothing. You need this, and I’m not letting you go empty-handed. So take it.”

Her hand pressed the envelope into mine, firm and unyielding. For a moment, I just stared at it, shame and gratitude warring inside me. My pride screamed to refuse, but reality, cold and merciless, reminded me that I had no other options.

Finally, I closed my fingers around it. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Sophia softened, her shoulders dropping. “You’re welcome. Just… don’t make me regret this, okay?”

I gave her a weak smile that didn’t reach my eyes.

The room went quiet for a moment, filled only by the faint hum of the air conditioner. I leaned back, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. My mind kept circling the same thoughts: the foreclosure notice on our house and the sneering faces of creditors who had no pity left to give.

And then there was him. Adrian Blackwood. The man whose shadow stretched far beyond any boardroom. Everything I’d read about him spoke of precision, of control. He wasn’t careless. He didn’t make reckless moves. He was a good businessman, maybe even a great one. Trident Global wasn’t built on corruption or intimidation; it was built on discipline, brilliance, and vision.

But if anyone dared to cross him, if anyone tried to touch what was his? Then mercy vanished. He crushed obstacles the way most people crushed ants, without pause, without regret.

What chance did I have?

I turned the envelope of money over in my hands, the weight of it pressing down heavier than gold.

“I don’t even know what I’ll say when I get there,” I admitted finally, my voice low.

Sophia gave me a look. “You’ll figure it out.”

“How? What am I supposed to do, just walk into his office and… what? Beg? Threaten? Bargain with what I don’t even have?”

Her lips twitched, not in amusement, but in sympathy. “You’ll find the words when you need them. You always do.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “That’s not much of a plan.”

“No,” she agreed, “but it’s something. And right now, something is better than nothing.”

******

The next morning came too fast. The sunlight spilled through the curtains like an accusation, sharp and golden, waking me before I was ready. My body was heavy, my head pounding with thoughts that had refused to quiet all night.

I slipped out of bed carefully and padded down the hallway toward the guest house. Something inside me tugged, an instinct, maybe, or the restless ache of unfinished business.

My father was there, sitting on the same porch steps where I’d found him last night. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes hollow with the kind of exhaustion that didn’t come from lack of sleep but from carrying too much guilt.

“Dad,” I said softly.

He looked up, startled, and then tried to give me a weak smile. “Princess, good morning.”

I folded my arms. “We need to talk.”

He sighed and rubbed at his temple like he already knew what was coming. “About yesterday?”

“About everything,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “You told me about the loan, about Blackwood, about the company. But you didn’t tell me the whole truth, did you?”

His gaze flickered away, toward the grass, toward anything that wasn’t my face.

I took a step closer. “Did you?”

There was a long pause before he finally spoke. “The house… it wasn’t enough. Not for the amount I borrowed.”

My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he said, his voice cracking, “the value of the house didn’t cover the loan. I… I signed additional papers. Collateral agreements. If I can’t pay it back, Elena, it’s not just about losing the house. I could face charges. Fraud. Default. Jail time.”

I froze. The words hung in the air, heavier than anything I’d expected.

“You knew this,” I whispered. “You knew this, and you didn’t tell me?”

He flinched. “I didn’t want you to carry that weight. I thought I could fix it before it got this far.”

“You thought wrong!” My voice broke, trembling with anger and hurt. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to find out everything is worse than I imagined? That I could lose you and the house? That… God, Dad, why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”

His shoulders slumped, his face collapsing into something raw and broken. “Because I’m ashamed. Because I’ve already ruined too much. And because I didn’t want to see that look in your eyes… the one you’re giving me right now.”

I pressed my fists to my sides, trying to steady myself. Inside, my chest felt like it was splintering. But underneath the pain, something else burned hotter: determination.

“I’m not going to let this happen,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “I won’t let them take everything. I’ll fix it, Dad. If you can’t, then I will.”

His head snapped up, alarm flashing across his face. “Elena, no. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t!” His voice cracked, desperation spilling out. “You don’t understand what kind of man Adrian Blackwood is. He’s not some loan officer you can bargain with. He’s… he’s dangerous. He doesn’t forgive, and he doesn’t bend. People who cross him don’t get second chances.”

I lifted my chin. “I’m not crossing him. I’m asking him. That’s different.”

His laugh was bitter and hollow. “To him, it won’t be. Elena, he doesn’t deal with people like us. He deals with sharks, with men who’d bleed each other dry for half a percent of profit. You walk into his office, and he’ll eat you alive.”

I felt the sting of fear, but I pushed through it. “Then I’ll take my chances. Because if I don’t, you’ll go to jail, and we’ll lose everything. I can’t just sit here and watch that happen.”

He reached for me, his hand trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for dragging you into this. If I could take it back… ”

“You can’t.” I pulled away, my throat tight. “But I can still do something.”

For a long moment, he just stared at me, his eyes shining with regret. Then he whispered, “I failed you, Elena. Don’t let me make you fail yourself.”

I turned away before my resolve could crack. “I’ll do what I have to.”

When I came back inside, Sophia was already awake, frying eggs in the pan like nothing in the world had shifted. But for me, everything had.

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Worse,” I muttered, dropping into the chair at the table.

Her brows drew together. “Your dad?”

I nodded, staring at my hands. “He didn’t tell me everything. If he defaults, it’s not just about the house. He could go to jail.”

Sophia froze, spatula halfway in the air. “Oh my God.”

“Yeah.” My throat tightened. “So I have no choice now.”

She turned, pressing her palms flat against the counter. “Carter…”

“I’m going today,” I said, cutting her off before she could argue. “Not tomorrow. Not later. Today. Before it’s too late.”

Her mouth opened and then shut again. For once, Sophia was speechless.

Finally, she exhaled, shaking her head. “Then you’d better eat something first. You’re going to need all the strength you can get.”

Sophia slid the plate of eggs across the table, the smell rising warm and comforting, though my stomach was too knotted to feel hungry.

“Eat,” she ordered, placing a fork in front of me.

I forced myself to take a bite. The eggs tasted bland and chalky on my tongue, but I chewed anyway. She watched me the whole time, arms crossed, until I swallowed.

“That’s better,” she said, softer this time. “You’re not facing this man on an empty stomach.”

I set the fork down, my hands trembling slightly. “Sophia, I don’t even know what I’m going to say to him. What if I freeze? What if he won’t even look at me?”

“Then you keep trying,” she said firmly. “You don’t take no for an answer. And if they kick you out, you go back the next day. And the next. You’re stubborn enough. Use it.”

I huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Stubborn. Great quality to get chewed up by a billionaire.”

She tilted her head, her lips twitching in a small smile. “It might surprise you. People like him aren’t used to stubborn girls showing up on their doorstep. That might be your only advantage.”

Her words settled in my chest like a spark of courage. Small, but steady.

When I finished eating, she grabbed my wrist and tugged me toward her bedroom. “Clothes. You can’t go looking like you just crawled out of a warzone.”

“I didn’t crawl out of a war zone,” I muttered.

She shot me a look. “Close enough.”

From her closet, she pulled out a crisp white blouse and a dark skirt that looked like it belonged in an office rather than a classroom. She tossed them at me. “Try these.”

I stared at the outfit, then at her. “Sophia…”

“No arguing. Change.”

I sighed but obeyed, slipping into her bathroom. The fabric was cool against my skin, unfamiliar, almost alien. When I stepped out, Sophia’s eyebrows shot up.

“Not bad,” she said, circling me like a stylist inspecting her client. “Now, hair.”

She grabbed a brush and tugged it through my tangled strands, ignoring my winces. “You need to look neat, not like you’ve been crying for three days.”

“I have been crying for three days.”

“Well, no one needs to know that.”

An hour later, I stood in front of her mirror, tugging nervously at the hem of the skirt. The blouse was crisp, the skirt snug but flattering. My hair was pulled back into a clean ponytail. I barely recognized myself.

I practiced under my breath.

“Mr. Blackwood, I’m here to…” No, too desperate.

“Mr. Blackwood, I believe we can…” Too arrogant.

“Mr. Blackwood, please…” Too weak.

Every version of my voice sounded wrong.

Sophia leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You sound like you’re auditioning for a bad drama. Just speak like yourself. He’s a man, not a god.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered.

She smiled faintly. “You’ll be fine.” Then her expression sobered. “But Carter… you need to be careful. He’s not a man who does charity. If he helps you, it’ll be because there’s something in it for him.”

I met her eyes in the mirror. “Then I’ll find what that is.”

She shook her head, muttering, “You’re insane.” But her gaze softened. “I’m proud of you, though.”

My throat tightened. “Thanks.”

By late morning, I was ready. The envelope of money sat heavy in my bag, along with my phone and a bottle of water. My stomach fluttered with nerves, but underneath it all was steel.

Sophia hovered by the door as I slipped on my shoes. She looked like she wanted to chain me to the wall and keep me safe, but she said nothing.

Instead, she pressed a folded piece of paper into my hand. “Directions. From the bus station to the Trident building. My mom wrote them down when she went. I kept them.”

I clutched it tightly, gratitude swelling in my chest. “Thank you.”

She pulled me into a hug, holding on tight. “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Promise me you’ll come back. No matter what happens, you’ll come back to me.”

I swallowed hard and whispered, “I promise.”

When I stepped outside, the sunlight seemed brighter than it had in days. My father’s words still echoed in my head—dangerous, unforgiving, and ruthless—but they only fueled the fire in my chest.

I tightened my grip on the bag strap, squared my shoulders, and whispered to myself, “Today, I face Adrian Blackwood.”

And I walked toward the unknown.