THE CONTRACT
1234 Words
ALEXANDER BLACKWOOD POV
She went limp in my arms halfway down the hallway.
Guess the anesthesia finally kicked in. Lame.
Did she really think she could walk into a hospital, sign a paper, and get rid of my heir like it was nothing? Ridiculous.
I kept walking without slowing down, her weight resting against my shoulder like she was nothing more than a coat I'd thrown over myself. People stared as I strode past the nurses' station, whispers already starting, eyes following every step. Nosy beings.
I adjusted her slightly, making sure she wouldn't slip. She was lighter than I expected, almost weightless. I scoffed under my breath. For someone with this much trouble in her life, she sure didn't weigh much.
The glass doors opened automatically as I stepped outside, the cold air hitting my face. Greg was already standing beside the car, and the moment he saw me carrying her, his expression dropped. I said I was bringing her out, but I guess he didn't expect it quite like this. Honestly, neither did I.
Women irritate me.
Greg kept staring like his brain had stopped working, and I snickered. "Are you going to keep gawking," I said coldly, "or open the damn door?"
He snapped out of it immediately and bowed his head. "Sorry, sir." He rushed forward and pulled the back door open.
I lowered her into the seat carefully, making sure her head didn't hit the frame, then slid in after her, leaving space between us. Her neck bent slightly to the side, her hair falling over her face. My eyes stayed there a second longer than necessary.
That won't hurt the baby… right?
I frowned at my own thought and immediately looked away. Annoying. I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped my fingers slowly, like I needed to get rid of the feeling of her skin still on my hands.
"Where to, sir?" Greg asked from the front. "Should I drive home?"
I lifted my eyes and glared at him through the mirror. He chuckled quietly, already understanding. "Right… the rest house," he corrected, starting the engine.
That's Greg, always trying to get me to talk more than I want to.
I leaned back and finally looked at her again. Still unconscious. Her brows were slightly furrowed, like even in sleep she wasn't comfortable. A faint crease sat between her eyes, and her lips were pressed together as if she was arguing with someone in a dream. For a second, I almost reached out to move the hair away from her face.
Almost.
The thought alone made me turn my head away immediately.
I picked up the file Greg had dropped on the seat earlier… I hadn't had time to check it after he told me about her hospital appointment. Now I did. I opened it slowly.
Selena Gidotti. Twenty-six years old. Graduated from a local university.
My eyes narrowed as I flipped the page. No strong background, no powerful family name, no business ties. "Definitely a lowlife," I muttered under my breath.
I kept reading, and then something caught my attention.
Divorced. Recently.
Married to… Kelvin Hale.
The name sounded familiar, but not important enough to remember. Just another man trying to play rich. I smirked slightly. So she could keep secrets. Interesting, that made things easier.
The car slowed to a stop before I could read further. I closed the file and stepped out without waiting for Greg this time. "Get her in," I said, not looking back as I walked toward the entrance, hands in my pockets.
The rest house lights were already on, warm and quiet, far from the noise of the main residence. I rarely came here, but bringing a stranger home was out of the question. Not when that old man had eyes everywhere.
I went upstairs without stopping, loosening my tie as I walked into the bedroom. The room smelled clean and untouched, like it had been waiting for someone who never came.
My phone started ringing before I even sat down. I checked the screen and sighed. Speaking of the old man.
I answered. "Old man."
"The old man you want to end his lineage!" His voice exploded from the other side. I pulled the phone away from my ear and closed my eyes. Here we go again.I put it on speaker and dropped it on the bed while I started unbuttoning my shirt.
"Do you want to die a bachelor?!" he kept yelling. "I asked you to get married, but you keep ignoring me! Do you know how sick I am? I could join my ancestors any time, but you refuse to give me peace.."
"Grandfather," I cut in calmly, "I have work to do. We'll talk later."
"Don't you f*****g dare end this call.."
I ended it.
Silence filled the room instantly, and I exhaled slowly. No strength for his tantrums today.
I loosened my tie completely and walked straight into the bathroom, turning the shower on full cold. The water hit my head and I groaned immediately, pain shot through my skull the moment the cold touched my skin.
Voices. Clashing sounds. Broken pieces of something I couldn't see.
I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the edge of the sink, forcing the noise out of my head. It disappeared as suddenly as it came. Like always. I let the water run longer, breathing slowly until my head cleared, then finished, dried off, and threw on a pair of shorts and a white shirt before walking back into the room.
Greg had already left my laptop on the bed. Good. I opened it and buried myself in work without thinking twice, numbers, reports, emails. Anything was better than thinking. Time passed faster that way, and when I finally checked my watch, it was already evening.
She should be awake soon.
I stood up, took the document I'd prepared earlier from the drawer, and went downstairs.
She was lying on the couch exactly where Greg had placed her, still and quiet. I sat in the chair opposite her, crossing one leg over the other, the file resting in my hand, and let my eyes move over her slowly.
Something about her felt familiar. Not the coffee shop, not the hospital. Somewhere else.
Her lashes were long, resting softly against her cheeks, her lips slightly parted and pink even without anything on them. Even while sleeping, she looked like she was about to argue with someone.
Just like I expected, she stirred, fingers twitching first, then her brows, then her eyes opening slowly, unfocused at first before snapping sharp. She jerked upright.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice low and confused. Her gaze landed on me, and I smirked. Confusion turned into anger immediately.
"Hey! What am I doing here? What did you do to me?!" she snapped, her voice loud… too loud. It irritated me instantly.
"I don't have time for games," I said flatly, tossing the file toward her. "Here."
She caught it awkwardly, still glaring. "What's this?" she asked.
I didn't answer, just nodded toward the file. Read.
Her eyes moved across the page and her expression shifted slowly, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, face dropping, then freezing, then lifting again with eyes burning straight at me.
"What the f**k is this?" she demanded.
I leaned back, completely calm. "A marriage contract," I said.
- Writer
