THE BILLIONAIRE WHO MARRIED HIS ENEMY

Five years. That's how long it had been since I watched my father lose everything. Five years since our family name became a joke in every newspaper in New York. And five years since Adrian Blackwood destroyed our lives. Tonight, I was finally going to meet him. "You're staring again." I turned towards Sophia, who was struggling with the clasp of her silver bracelet. "I'm not staring." "Elena, you've been looking at that hotel like you're planning to burn it down." "Maybe I am." She stopped what she was doing. "Please tell me you're joking." I smiled, but neither of us laughed. Across the street, the Grand Meridian Hotel glittered beneath golden lights. Expensive cars lined the entrance, dropping off wealthy guests dressed in outfits worth more than my annual salary. Somewhere inside was the man I'd spent five years hating. Adrian Blackwood. Thirty-two. Billionaire CEO. The man whose family became richer while mine lost everything. "There's still time to leave," Sophia whispered. I adjusted my borrowed black dress. "You didn't spend three weeks helping me get an invitation just so I could turn around." "I helped because you promised not to do anything stupid." "I'm not going to." "That's exactly what worries me." I took her hand. "Trust me." She sighed, and together we entered the hotel. --- The ballroom was breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, waiters carried champagne on silver trays, and wealthy guests discussed business deals as casually as ordinary people discussed the weather. Then I saw him. Daniel Whitmore. My father's former business partner stood beside a marble pillar, laughing with several businessmen. The last time I'd seen him, he'd promised my mother everything would be fine. Two days later, he testified against my father. I looked away before he noticed me. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" A man stepped onto the stage. "Please welcome the chairman and CEO of Blackwood Enterprises, Mr Adrian Blackwood!" Applause filled the ballroom. My stomach tightened. And then he appeared. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Perfectly dressed in a black suit. I hated how handsome he was. Monsters weren't supposed to look like that. "Good evening, everyone," he began. "Five years ago, my family established this foundation because we believed success means nothing if we cannot change people's lives." Five years ago. The same year Carter Holdings collapsed. The same year Blackwood Enterprises acquired three of my father's properties for almost nothing. The same year I buried my father. I clenched my fists. Adrian continued talking about charity, education and helping struggling families. Everyone applauded. I wanted to scream. My father had helped people too. He paid school fees for children whose parents couldn't afford them. He supported struggling businesses and donated to charities. Yet when he lost everything, nobody came to help. Not even the people who called themselves his friends. "He's handsome," Sophia whispered. I turned sharply. "What?" "I'm just saying." "He's a thief." "A handsome thief." "Sophia!" "Sorry. Wrong timing." Despite everything, I almost laughed. Almost. --- Twenty minutes later, Adrian disappeared from the ballroom. I immediately headed towards the private corridor. "Elena!" Sophia hurried after me. "Where are you going?" "Restroom." "The restroom is behind us." "Then I'm looking for another one." She grabbed my wrist. "You don't have to do this tonight." I looked at her. For a moment, I wanted to tell her how exhausted I was. How revenge had consumed every part of my life. But I couldn't stop now. "I'll be fine." "You always say that." I gently removed her hand and walked away. The corridor was quiet. Through the enormous windows, Manhattan glittered beneath the night sky. Somewhere out there was the tiny apartment Sophia and I shared. Our rent was overdue, and my bank account contained exactly three hundred and forty-two dollars. Meanwhile, I was attending a charity gala where someone had probably spent more than that on a bottle of wine. Life was ridiculous. "Are you lost?" I froze. That voice. Deep. Calm. Familiar. I turned slowly. Adrian Blackwood stood a few feet away, one hand tucked into his pocket. For several seconds, every sentence I'd rehearsed disappeared from my head. "I was looking for the restroom," I managed. He glanced at the sign behind me. "You're heading towards the executive suites." "Then I suppose I'm lost." "Apparently." His eyes moved over my face. "Are you enjoying the evening?" "Very much." "That's surprising." "Why?" "You look like you'd rather be anywhere else." I forced a smile. "Perhaps that's just my face." Something resembling amusement crossed his expression. "Perhaps." He started walking away. Panic shot through me. "Mr Blackwood!" He stopped. "Yes?" "Your speech was interesting." "Interesting?" "About changing lives. Helping people." His expression remained unreadable. "Is there something you disagree with?" I should have smiled and introduced myself. Instead, five years of anger escaped my mouth. "I think it's easy to talk about changing lives when you've never had yours destroyed." Silence. Adrian studied me carefully. "That's quite an assumption, considering we've never met." My heart pounded. This wasn't how I'd planned our first conversation. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong." "Did it?" He stepped closer. "What did you say your name was?" I hesitated. "Elena." "Elena what?" There was no point hiding anymore. "Elena Carter." Something changed in his eyes. But he didn't look surprised. "Well," he said quietly. My stomach twisted. "You know who I am?" "Of course." "How?" "Your father had your photograph on his desk." My entire body went cold. "You knew my father?" "Yes." "Personally?" "Yes." "Then you must know what happened to him." His jaw tightened. "This isn't the place for that conversation." "Why not?" "Because certain people would be very interested to know you're asking questions." I stared at him. "What does that mean?" Instead of answering, he removed a black business card from his jacket. He held it towards me. "My private number." "Why would I need that?" "Because you're looking for answers, Miss Carter." I swallowed. "And you have them?" He glanced towards the security camera above us. Then he leaned closer. "Your father didn't steal that money." My breath caught. "What?" Before he could answer, footsteps echoed behind us. "Adrian!" A beautiful blonde woman appeared at the end of the corridor, wearing an emerald-green gown. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere." Her smile disappeared when she noticed me. "Who's this?" Adrian slipped the card into my hand. "Someone I need to speak with." The woman examined me from head to toe. "How interesting." She linked her arm through his. "Your father is asking for you." Adrian's expression darkened. "I'll be there shortly." He turned towards me. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Carter." Then he walked away. I stood motionless, staring at the card. There was no company logo or office address. Only a phone number. And beneath it, four handwritten words. Don't trust Daniel Whitmore. My fingers trembled. Why would Adrian warn me about my father's former business partner? And how did he know I was investigating him? I pulled out my phone and opened an old photograph I'd kept hidden for five years. It showed my father standing outside Carter Holdings, smiling beside three men. One was Daniel Whitmore. Another was Marcus Blackwood. And the third... I enlarged the photograph. My stomach dropped. Adrian Blackwood. He had been there all along. But that wasn't what frightened me most. At the bottom of the photograph, written in my father's handwriting, was a date. October 17. Three days before he died. And beneath it, a sentence I'd never paid attention to until tonight. If anything happens to me, find Adrian. I stared at those words. For five years, I'd believed Adrian Blackwood was the man who destroyed my family. Now I wasn't so sure. And somehow, that terrified me even more.