Mrs. Blackwood
1405 Words
ELENA
The second the pen left the paper, silence filled the office.
Heavy silence.
The kind that changes everything.
I stared down at my signature while my heartbeat pounded loudly in my chest.
Elena Rivers.
Right beneath Lucien Blackwood’s name.
My stomach twisted immediately.
What had I just done?
Lucien picked up the contract calmly and glanced over the signature like this was another ordinary business agreement.
Maybe for him it was.
For me, it felt like stepping off the edge of a cliff without knowing what waited below.
“You don’t look relieved,” Lucien said quietly.
I laughed softly in disbelief.
“Should I be?”
“That depends on whether you regret it already.”
The terrifying part was that I honestly did not know.
Lucien closed the contract folder neatly before setting it aside.
Just like that.
Done.
Official.
My entire life had changed in less than ten seconds.
I suddenly stood from the chair.
“I think I’m going to panic.”
“You signed surprisingly fast for someone panicking.”
“I signed while panicking.”
That faint amusement flickered across his expression again.
It disappeared quickly, but I noticed it this time.
Interesting.
Lucien walked toward a shelf near the windows and poured himself another cup of coffee.
“You should sit down before you overthink everything.”
Too late.
I was already overthinking everything.
I sat anyway because my legs suddenly felt weak.
Lucien handed me another cup of tea without asking first this time.
The small action caught me off guard.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
He nodded once before sitting across from me again.
Calm.
Collected.
Completely unaffected.
Meanwhile my entire brain felt like chaos.
“So what now?” I asked quietly.
“Now we control the narrative before the Laurents do.”
Of course.
Business mode again.
Lucien picked up his phone and typed something quickly.
Within seconds the office doors opened and the assistant from earlier stepped inside.
“Yes sir?”
“Prepare a press announcement.”
The woman nodded immediately.
Lucien continued calmly.
“The engagement between Elena Rivers and Nathaniel Laurent ended due to personal differences. Miss Rivers is now engaged to me.”
My eyes widened instantly.
“Engaged?”
Lucien looked toward me.
“A marriage announcement immediately would create unnecessary suspicion.”
Right.
Because normal people definitely got engaged less than twenty four hours after public humiliation.
Still insane.
But somehow slightly less insane.
The assistant maintained a perfectly professional expression while typing notes into her tablet.
No reaction at all.
Either she was very good at her job or everyone in this building was trained not to look surprised by anything.
“Also,” Lucien added calmly, “prepare security for Miss Rivers.”
I blinked.
“Security?”
“The press will follow you after the announcement.”
Right.
I forgot about that part.
My stomach tightened again.
The assistant nodded once more before leaving the office quietly.
The second the door closed, I looked toward Lucien.
“You really move fast.”
“I told you already. I dislike disorder.”
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
“This still feels unreal.”
Lucien studied me carefully for a moment.
“Do you want to back out?”
The question surprised me.
“You’d let me?”
“Yes.”
Simple.
Direct.
No manipulation.
Again.
I stared at him quietly.
“You really would.”
Lucien leaned slightly back in his chair.
“I have no interest in forcing people to stay where they do not wish to be.”
The irony almost made me laugh considering I had willingly signed a contract to marry a man I barely understood.
I looked down at my hands.
“No,” I admitted softly. “I’m staying.”
Something unreadable flickered briefly across Lucien’s face.
Then his expression returned to calm neutrality again.
“Good.”
The word settled strangely in my chest.
Good.
Like he was relieved.
But that made no sense.
Lucien Blackwood did not seem like the type to feel relief over anything.
A vibration interrupted my thoughts.
My phone.
Again.
Camille.
I almost felt guilty answering.
“What did you do?” she demanded immediately.
I blinked.
“What?”
“Elena, your face is literally everywhere already.”
My heart dropped.
“What?”
“Social media is exploding right now.”
I shot up from my chair.
“What are you talking about?”
Camille sounded halfway between horrified and shocked.
“There are photos of you entering Blackwood Tower.”
Of course there were.
I closed my eyes briefly.
The press really never wasted time.
“And that’s not even the worst part,” Camille continued.
My stomach twisted painfully.
“There’s already speculation that Lucien Blackwood stole Nathaniel Laurent’s fiancée.”
I stared blankly ahead.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Lucien watched my reaction carefully from across the desk.
“What’s happening?” he asked calmly.
I looked toward him in disbelief.
“The internet thinks you stole me.”
A pause.
Then unexpectedly, Lucien looked almost amused.
Almost.
“That is technically inaccurate.”
I gaped at him.
“That’s your response?”
“You signed willingly.”
I honestly did not know whether to laugh or throw something at him.
Camille groaned loudly through the phone.
“Why does he sound calm?”
“Because he’s always calm.”
“That’s terrifying.”
I looked toward Lucien again.
Unfortunately, she was not wrong.
Camille lowered her voice slightly.
“Elena, please tell me you didn’t actually sign anything.”
Silence.
Then realization hit her immediately.
“Oh my God.”
I winced.
“Camille.”
“You signed it?”
I looked down at the contract folder sitting on Lucien’s desk.
“Yes.”
Camille actually screamed.
I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear.
“You married the devil billionaire after one meeting?”
“Technically we’re not married yet.”
“That is not helping!”
Lucien calmly sipped his coffee like this conversation had nothing to do with him.
Which honestly annoyed me.
Camille kept talking rapidly.
“Elena, are you insane?”
“Possibly.”
“This is not funny.”
“I know.”
My voice softened slightly.
“But I was tired of feeling helpless.”
That finally silenced her.
A long pause followed.
Then Camille sighed quietly.
“Are you sure about this?”
I looked toward Lucien again.
Tall.
Calm.
Unreadable.
Dangerous.
And somehow the only person who had stood beside me since the engagement disaster.
“No,” I admitted honestly.
Another pause.
Then Camille muttered softly,
“That somehow worries me more.”
After ending the call, silence filled the office once again.
I slowly sat back down.
“My best friend officially thinks I’ve lost my mind.”
Lucien looked unconcerned.
“That opinion appears common lately.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“Was that supposed to be comforting?”
“No.”
I sighed heavily.
Of course not.
Lucien’s phone suddenly rang next.
He glanced at the screen briefly before answering.
“Yes.”
His expression darkened slightly during the call.
“No interviews.”
A pause.
Then colder this time.
“I said no.”
Even through the phone, whoever was speaking immediately backed down.
Lucien ended the call and looked toward me.
“The media wants confirmation.”
My stomach tightened again.
“This is happening too fast.”
“It needs to.”
I stood slowly and walked toward the windows again.
The city looked different now somehow.
Like I no longer belonged to myself completely.
One signature.
That was all it took.
“You regret it already,” Lucien observed quietly behind me.
I stared down at the streets below.
“No.”
The answer surprised even me.
Because despite the fear and uncertainty twisting inside my chest, I did not regret signing the contract.
Not yet.
Lucien stepped beside me near the window.
Close enough for me to feel his presence again.
“You should prepare yourself,” he said quietly.
“For what?”
His dark eyes met mine calmly.
“The moment the announcement goes public, your life as Elena Rivers ends.”
A chill slid down my spine.
“And what happens then?”
Lucien’s gaze held mine steadily.
“Then you become Mrs. Blackwood.
- Writer
