The Contract
730 Words
Lia didn't sleep.
Not that she expected to.
The contract sat on her desk like a ticking bomb.
Every time she looked away, her eyes found it again.
The salary was still ridiculous.
Enough to solve problems she'd spent years trying to outrun.
Enough to pay next semester's tuition.
Enough to stop pretending everything was fine whenever her mother asked how she was doing.
Lia buried her face in her hands.
"There's no way this is real."
Yet the paper remained exactly where she'd left it.
Real.
Dangerously real.
The next morning, her phone rang at exactly seven o'clock.
Unknown number.
She stared at it.
Then ignored it.
A second later, it rang again.
Ignored.
A third time.
Lia groaned and answered.
"What?"
"Good morning."
Her entire body froze.
That voice.
Cold.
Calm.
Controlled.
Ethan Blackwood.
She nearly dropped the phone.
"How did you get my number?"
A pause.
"That's your first question?"
"Shouldn't it be?"
"Not particularly."
Lia closed her eyes.
Of course a billionaire would think obtaining a stranger's number overnight was normal.
"I haven't made my decision yet," she said.
"You have."
"I literally haven't."
"You accepted the moment you took the contract home."
The annoying part was that he sounded completely certain.
The even more annoying part was that he might be right.
Lia hated that.
"You're very arrogant."
"So I've been told."
"Repeatedly, I assume."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"Eight-thirty."
"What?"
"Your first day begins at eight-thirty."
Lia sat upright.
"Excuse me?"
The call ended.
For several seconds she stared at her phone.
Then she screamed into a pillow.
By eight-twenty-five, Lia stood in front of Blackwood Tower.
Again.
She hated that she was here.
She hated that she needed the money.
Most of all, she hated that Ethan had somehow known she'd show up.
The lobby looked just as intimidating as before.
Employees rushed through the building carrying laptops, documents, and enough confidence to make her feel underdressed.
A woman approached her.
Tall.
Elegant.
Perfect posture.
Perfect suit.
Perfect everything.
"You must be Lia."
Lia nodded cautiously.
The woman offered a hand.
"I'm Sophia. Mr. Blackwood's executive secretary."
Her smile was professional.
Not warm.
Not cold.
The kind of smile someone learned after years of corporate survival.
"Follow me."
The elevator ride was silent.
Sophia pressed the top floor.
Lia noticed.
"The top floor?"
"Yes."
"Does he own the entire floor?"
Sophia looked at her.
"...He owns the building."
Right.
Of course he did.
When the elevator doors opened, Lia found herself staring at an office larger than her apartment.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.
Sunlight poured through the glass.
Everything was clean.
Organized.
Perfect.
And sitting behind a desk was Ethan Blackwood.
Without looking up, he spoke.
"You're late."
Lia checked her phone.
"It's eight-thirty."
"Eight-twenty-nine is on time."
She blinked.
"What kind of logic is that?"
"The correct kind."
Sophia immediately left the room.
Traitor.
Ethan finally looked up from his documents.
His dark eyes settled on her.
Studying.
Evaluating.
Judging.
It was impossible to tell.
"Sit."
Lia sat.
This time without arguing.
Progress, apparently.
A contract rested on the desk between them.
The same contract.
Only now there was a pen waiting beside it.
The sight made her stomach tighten.
Ethan slid the document forward.
"If you're here, sign it."
Simple.
Direct.
No speech.
No persuasion.
Just certainty.
Like he already knew the outcome.
Lia stared at the pages.
Then at him.
"Do you always assume people will do exactly what you want?"
"Usually."
"I don't know whether that's confidence or a personality flaw."
"Both."
The worst part?
He wasn't joking.
Lia looked back down at the contract.
One signature.
That was all it would take.
One signature and her life would change completely.
One signature and she'd become part of Ethan Blackwood's world.
A world she wasn't sure she wanted to enter.
Slowly, she picked up the pen.
The room felt strangely quiet.
Almost expectant.
Then she signed.
The ink dried within seconds.
And somehow, that felt symbolic.
There was no taking it back now.
Ethan glanced at the signature.
For the first time since she'd met him, something shifted in his expression.
Not happiness.
Not satisfaction.
Something closer to victory.
"Welcome to Blackwood Enterprises, Miss Santos."
A chill ran down her spine.
Because she suddenly had the feeling she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.
- Writer
