chapter 2: Rules of the Contract
849 Words
Chapter 2: Rules of the Contract
The first morning inside Blackwood Manor felt unreal.
Amara woke to the soft glow of sunlight filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows draped with ivory curtains. For a few blissful seconds, she forgot where she was. The bed beneath her was softer than any she'd ever slept in, and the room was larger than her entire apartment.
Then reality returned.
She was married.
Not because she had fallen in love.
Not because she wanted a family.
But because she had signed a contract with the most powerful CEO in the country.
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
"Mrs. Blackwood?" a woman's voice called politely. "May I come in?"
Before Amara could answer, the door opened slightly. A middle-aged woman dressed in a neat black-and-white uniform stepped inside.
"Good morning. I'm Mrs. Helen, the housekeeper. Mr. Blackwood asked me to prepare you for breakfast."
Amara forced a smile.
"You don't have to call me Mrs. Blackwood."
Helen smiled warmly.
"I'm afraid I do. The staff has been instructed to treat you as the lady of the house."
Lady of the house.
The words felt foreign.
Helen led her into an enormous walk-in closet already filled with designer dresses, shoes, handbags, and jewelry.
Amara stared in disbelief.
"There must be some mistake."
"There isn't."
"But none of this belongs to me."
"It does now."
She gently touched the sleeve of a cream-colored dress.
"I've never owned anything this expensive."
Helen smiled knowingly.
"Mr. Blackwood said you might say that."
Amara frowned.
"He thinks he knows everything."
Helen didn't respond.
Instead, she handed Amara a garment bag.
"This is the outfit he chose for today's board meeting."
"He chose my clothes?"
"Yes."
Amara sighed.
"This contract is already becoming exhausting."
Downstairs, breakfast was served in a dining room so large it could seat thirty people.
Damian sat alone at the far end of the table, reading financial reports while sipping black coffee.
Without looking up, he said,
"You're three minutes late."
Amara blinked.
"You timed me?"
"I value punctuality."
She pulled out a chair across from him.
"You could at least say good morning."
"I already have."
"No, you criticized me."
His lips twitched slightly.
"Good morning, Amara."
She smiled despite herself.
"Much better."
A servant placed pancakes, fruit, eggs, and fresh juice before her.
Damian barely touched his food.
Instead, he slid another folder across the table.
She looked at it suspiciously.
"Another contract?"
"Our marriage rules."
"I thought we'd already signed one."
"These are household rules."
Amara opened the folder.
Rule One: Always attend public events with me.
Rule Two: Never reveal our agreement.
Rule Three: Never enter my private office.
Rule Four: Never ask about my past.
Rule Five: Never fall in love.
She looked up.
"You actually wrote that?"
"I did."
"What happens if someone breaks a rule?"
"It depends which one."
"And if I fall in love?"
His expression became unreadable.
"You won't."
She folded the paper.
"You're very confident."
"I deal in facts."
She leaned back in her chair.
"I deal in possibilities."
For the first time, Damian looked directly at her.
"There is no possibility."
The atmosphere suddenly grew cold.
Amara decided not to argue.
Not yet.
Later that morning, Damian took her to Blackwood Global headquarters.
The moment they stepped from the limousine, camera flashes exploded around them.
"Mr. Blackwood!"
"Who is your wife?"
"Is she pregnant?"
"When did you get married?"
"Is this why you canceled your engagement?"
Microphones were thrust toward them from every direction.
Amara instinctively stepped back.
Damian calmly wrapped an arm around her waist.
The gesture surprised everyone—including her.
He leaned close enough that only she could hear.
"Smile."
"I'm terrified."
"So is everyone else."
She glanced at him.
"What?"
"They're afraid of me."
She almost laughed.
"You don't seem approachable."
"I've never tried to be."
He guided her through the crowd without answering another question.
Inside the building, the doors closed behind them.
The silence felt almost shocking after the chaos outside.
Amara exhaled.
"I think I hate reporters."
"You'll get used to them."
"I'd rather not."
Damian's assistant approached.
"Sir, the board members have arrived."
Damian nodded.
Then he turned to Amara.
"Stay close."
As the elevator doors opened on the executive floor, every employee immediately stood.
"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood."
He acknowledged them with a slight nod.
Whispers spread through the office as people stared at Amara.
"So that's his wife..."
"I thought he'd never marry."
"She's beautiful."
"I heard she's just an ordinary woman."
Amara pretended not to hear.
But every word stung.
She didn't belong here.
Or so she believed.
The board meeting began with applause for Damian's recent business acquisition.
But the mood changed the moment he introduced Amara.
"This is my wife."
The room fell silent.
Several older executives exchanged uneasy glances.
One elderly director finally spoke.
"So... the rumors are true."
"They are."
Another man smiled politely.
"Congratulations."
Yet beneath the smiles, Amara sensed hostility.
Someone didn't want her there.
She just didn't know who.
End of Chapter 2.
The tension is only beginning.
- Writer
