Chapter 2: The Contract of Chains
849 Words
I didn’t sleep that night.
The ticking wall clock above my mattress felt louder than usual, echoing the countdown to the most life-altering decision I’d ever have to make.
My small one-room apartment smelled faintly of disinfectant and instant noodles. Ethan stirred on the bed beside mine, his cough muffled by the thick blanket he always kicked off halfway through the night.
I stared at the ceiling, Liam Blackwood’s words replaying on loop:
> “I need a wife. Temporary. Six months. And you’ll disappear with more money than most people earn in five years.”
It sounded like a devil’s bargain.
But maybe that was exactly what I needed.
---
Morning came like a punch.
Ethan was already awake, flipping through his math textbook with a focus that warmed me. He didn’t know I’d skipped dinner to make sure he had something warm to eat. He didn’t know our rent had crossed into eviction territory.
And he definitely didn’t know I’d just agreed—in my head—to marry a billionaire stranger.
“Are you still going for that interview?” he asked without looking up.
“No,” I replied softly. “But... I might have gotten something better.”
He glanced up. “Really?”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “It’s… complicated. But yeah.”
---
By 3 p.m., I stood again at the foot of Blackwood Enterprises—except this time, I didn’t come with a resume.
I came to sign away my life.
Liam’s assistant greeted me with a knowing look. “He’s expecting you.”
She handed me a sleek folder titled Marriage Agreement – Confidential.
Inside were clauses, dates, lists of expectations, and a terrifying number of legal terms. I didn’t have a lawyer. I barely had lunch.
But I had a brother.
And his life was worth more than my pride.
I signed on the dotted line.
---
That evening, I was no longer Amelia Collins.
I was Amelia Blackwood—by contract, not by love.
---
The car that picked me up was all-black, sleek, and guarded.
The driver didn’t speak, only nodded and opened the door. I sat stiffly in the backseat, watching the city blur past.
We passed through high-security gates before pulling up in front of a penthouse that looked more like a luxury fortress. Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and a silence so deep it made my breath sound disrespectful.
I expected Liam to greet me.
He didn’t.
His assistant, Mia, showed me to a large guest room—though it looked like a five-star suite. There was even a wardrobe already stocked with designer dresses, shoes, and matching jewelry.
“You’ll be briefed on your public appearances, Mrs. Blackwood,” Mia said coolly.
I flinched at the name.
“Will I be seeing Mr. Blackwood tonight?” I asked.
She arched a brow. “He doesn't do dinners.”
And just like that, I was a ghost bride in a mansion of ice.
---
The next morning, I learned what I’d really signed up for.
At 8 a.m. sharp, I was seated beside Liam in a boardroom full of vultures.
Camera lights flashed.
Smiles were fake. The tension was thick.
Liam’s hand brushed mine under the table, surprising me.
“Smile,” he whispered.
I did. Like a robot.
The photographers clicked away as the CEO introduced his newlywed wife to the press, calling me “a private woman with no social media but a heart full of humility.”
I wanted to disappear into the floor.
---
As the cameras left and the board members clapped, a voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Well, well. This is sudden.”
We turned.
A tall woman in a red suit stood by the door, arms crossed. Her beauty was icy, but her stare burned holes into me.
“Veronica,” Liam muttered.
The woman walked in, confident and slow. She didn’t even look at Liam.
Her eyes were locked on me.
“So, this is the replacement,” she said flatly. “I can see why your board needed someone.”
I stood slowly, unsure if I was meant to shake her hand or duck for cover.
“Amelia, meet Veronica Blake,” Liam said. “She’s an executive director here.”
And—judging by her clenched jaw and venomous tone—something more.
---
Later that night, I asked him:
“Who is she to you?”
Liam didn’t even look up from his tablet. “Irrelevant.”
“Does she think the same?”
He finally looked at me then—his eyes unreadable.
“Your job isn’t to ask questions. Just play your role.”
I nodded slowly, but inside, a flicker of fire lit.
I may have sold myself into this arrangement...
But I wasn’t going to stay invisible forever.
---
That night, I couldn’t sleep again.
But this time, it wasn’t from fear.
It was the realization that I’d just stepped into a world full of secrets.
And I wasn’t the only player in this game.
- Writer
