Contract to love

"I'd rather lose everything than marry a stranger." The words left Nora Carter's lips before she could stop them. Silence settled over the luxurious office. Across the polished mahogany desk, the man opposite her didn't flinch. He didn't argue nor did he blink. Instead, Ethan Blackwood leaned back in his leather chair, his long fingers resting lightly on the armrest as though he had expected her answer all along. The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, casting Manhattan's skyline in shades of gold. Every skyscraper below looked insignificant compared to Blackwood Tower—the tallest building in the financial district and the headquarters of the most powerful business empire in America. Nora had never imagined she would step inside this office. Yet here she was, desperate and exhausted. And one signature away from changing the rest of her life. Ethan's piercing blue eyes remained fixed on her. The kind of eyes that belonged to a man who never allowed emotions to interfere with business. Business magazines called him ruthless, his competitors called him untouchable, and the media called him America's youngest billionaire. To Nora... He looked like the devil dressed in an impeccably black suit. Without a word, he pushed a document across the table. It slid to a stop in front of her. Three bold words stared back at her. MARRIAGE CONTRACT Her face looked troubled. Slowly, she looked back up. "This isn't funny anymore." "It wasn't meant to be." His voice was smooth and deep, carrying the quiet confidence of a man used to being obeyed. "I don't joke about contracts." Nora let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "You invited me here to discuss Carter Heights." "I did." "And instead you expect me to..." She tapped the document. "...marry you?"she asked looking visibly annoyed. "A temporary arrangement." Her eyebrows shot upward. "So that makes it normal?" "For people in my position..." His expression remained cold. "...yes." Nora stared at him in disbelief. She had heard countless stories about Ethan Blackwood. How he had built Blackwood Holdings into a multibillion-dollar empire before turning thirty. How CEOs twice his age feared sitting across a negotiating table from him. How every acquisition ended the same way. Ethan always won. She had assumed the stories were exaggerated. Now she wasn't so sure. "You've lost your mind." "No." He folded his hands neatly on the desk. "I've simply calculated every possible outcome." His confidence irritated her. "You don't even know me." "I know enough about you. " He opened a slim black folder lying beside him. Inside were documents. Court filings, financial reports and bank statements. Every page carried the same heading. Carter Heights Corporation. Nora's heart raced up. She recognized every document. Some of them hadn't even reached the media. "How did you get these?" "They're not difficult to obtain." "You investigated me." "I investigate everyone I do business with." Her jaw clenched. "I didn't come here for this." "No." His gaze never left hers. "You came because your family is about to lose everything." The words landed like a slap. She hated that a complete stranger knew exactly how close she was to losing the building her parents had spent thirty years creating. "You know nothing about my family." "I know your parents built Carter Heights from a single office with three employees." He continued calmly. "I know your father refused to sell when developers offered him billions." "I know your mother insisted fresh lilies be placed in the lobby every Monday because she believed beautiful buildings deserved beautiful flowers." Nora froze. Her chest tightened. For the first time.. A flicker of guilt crossed Ethan's face. Gone before she could figure it out. "I make it my business to know everything." The answer didn't satisfy her. Something wasn't right. This felt personal. But why? She had never met Ethan Blackwood before today. Had she? No, she doesn't think so. She would have remembered a man like him. He reached for a crystal glass of water and took a slow sip. "You have less than twenty-four hours." Her throat tightened. "The foreclosure order becomes effective tomorrow morning." "I know." "The banks won't grant another extension and besides, they have already found buyers." She looked away. "I'm aware " Every sentence felt like another nail sealing the coffin of her family's legacy. The office fell silent. The only sound was the steady ticking of an antique clock mounted on the wall. Ethan finally broke the silence. "I can stop it." Nora looked up. He continued. "I can pay every outstanding debt." "I can cancel the foreclosure." "I can return full ownership of Carter Heights to you." Hope surged inside her before she could stop it. No. Hope was dangerous and it made people vulnerable. "There has to be a catch." "There is." She almost laughed. "I knew it." He slowly turned the contract toward her. "One year." She frowned. "What?" "You'll be my wife." Her mouth fell open. "No." "It will be a legal marriage." "No." "You'll continue running Carter Heights." Her eyes opened wide. "You'll have complete financial independence." She pushed back her chair so abruptly it scraped across the marble floor. "I'm leaving she grabbed her handbag and this conversation is over." Ethan didn't move, he didn't stop her. Instead... He simply looked at his watch. "You have exactly eighteen hours and thirty-seven minutes before Carter Heights belongs to someone else." She became sweaty on the door handle. His voice remained calm. "If you walk out now..." "...don't expect another offer." Nora slowly turned back toward him. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. "What kind of man offers marriage like a business deal?" "The kind who has no interest in pretending it's anything else." She stared at him. Trying to understand him and trying to find some trace of humor or anything but there was nothing. Only a man who looked completely convinced that she would eventually sign. That confidence infuriated her. "You think you've already won." "I don't think." He met her furious gaze without hesitation. "I know." Nora's fingers curled into fists. For the first time in her life... She wanted to slap him. Instead... She walked back to the desk. Not to sign but to prove him wrong. She picked up the contract, looked him straight in the eyes and ripped it cleanly down the middle. The tearing sound echoed through the silent office. She dropped the pieces onto his desk. "There." Her breathing was uneven. "There's your answer." Without another word... She turned and walked out. The office door closed behind her with a sharp click. Ethan remained seated. He looked down at the torn contract. Then, surprisingly... He smiled, not a warm smile or satisfied one smile but the smile of someone whose plan had unfolded exactly as expected. He pressed the intercom on his desk. "Send Daniel in." Within seconds, his assistant entered. Daniel looked at the shredded contract and frowned. "She refused?" Ethan rose from his chair and walked toward the window overlooking Manhattan. "Yes." "What now?" Ethan slipped one hand into his pocket. "Nothing." Daniel looked confused. "You spent weeks arranging this meeting." "I know." "And she just walked away." Ethan's eyes remained fixed on the city below. "She'll be back." Daniel hesitated. "How can you be so sure?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Because by sunset, she'll have no other choice." The elevator doors slid open. Nora stepped inside, pressing the button for the first floor with trembling fingers. The doors closed. Only then did she let herself breathe. "What the hell was that?" A marriage contract? From Ethan Blackwood? She let out a humorless laugh. That man is insane, cold, arrogant and controlling. Who does he think he was? The elevator chimed as it descended, but her mind wasn't inside the sleek glass box anymore. It was somewhere else... Three days earlier. The courtroom was silent. So silent Nora could hear her own heartbeat. She stood beside her attorney, Benjamin Harris, her fingers clasped so tightly they had gone numb. Across the room sat representatives from three banks, two investment firms, and a dozen creditors. Not one of them looked at her with sympathy. To them... Carter Heights wasn't a dream. It was an asset. Something to seize and sell. The judge adjusted his glasses before looking down at the documents. "After reviewing the evidence submitted to this court..." Nora held her breath. "...the application for an extension is denied." Everything inside her stopped. "No..." Her whisper barely reached her own ears. The judge continued. "The foreclosure process will proceed immediately." Benjamin placed a comforting hand on her arm. "I'm sorry." She couldn't hear him. The words echoed over and over inside her head. Foreclosure. Her father's dream. Gone. Her mother's legacy. Gone. Her childhood. Gone. She suddenly stood. "Your Honor." Every eye in the courtroom turned toward her. "My family didn't create these debts." "They were defrauded." "The investigation is still ongoing." "Please..." "Give us more time." The judge's expression softened. "I sympathize with your situation, Miss Carter." "But sympathy cannot erase financial obligations." His gavel struck the bench. "This court is adjourned." The sharp c***k echoed like a gunshot. Nora remained frozen. Benjamin gently picked up her handbag. "It's time to go." She couldn't move. It felt as if leaving the courtroom meant accepting reality. And she wasn't ready for that. The revolving doors opened. Chaos exploded. "Miss Carter!" "Did you bankrupt Carter Heights?" "Is it true investors have lost confidence in you?" "Are you selling the building?" "How much is left of the Carter fortune?" Camera flashes blinded her. Microphones surrounded her. Voices overlapped until they became unbearable. Benjamin tried to shield her. "No comments." But the reporters refused to back away. A young journalist shouted louder than everyone else. "People are saying you're too inexperienced to save the company your parents built." Nora stopped walking. The crowd fell strangely quiet. She turned toward the cameras. Her eyes glistened with tears. She refused to let fall. "My parents spent thirty years building Carter Heights." Her voice trembled... But every word carried conviction. "They taught me that integrity is worth more than money." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I will fight for that building with everything I have." "And I won't give up. Not ever." For a brief moment... No one asked another question. Then the flashes began again. Benjamin quickly opened the car door. "Get in." The moment the door shut... Nora broke. She covered her face with both hands. The tears came without warning, a silent one. Benjamin looked out the window, giving her the privacy to cry. After several minutes... He sighed. "There may be another option." She wiped her eyes. "I'm listening." "A private investor wants Carter Heights." Her expression hardened immediately. I'm not interested "Nora..." That's enough "He'll pay every debt." "I don't care about that" "You'll still own other properties." "I already said I don't want to hear of that." "You'll walk away with hundreds of millions." She turned sharply toward him. "Do you know what that building is?" Benjamin remained quiet. "It's my home." Benjamin closed his eyes. He had represented the Carter family for nearly twenty years. He understood. To everyone else... Carter Heights was worth billions. To Nora... It was priceless. The memory faded. The elevator doors opened. Nora stepped into the marble lobby of Blackwood Tower. People hurried around her in expensive suits. Phones rang. Executives rushed toward meetings. The world continued as though hers hadn't just fallen apart. She walked outside. Cold autumn air greeted her. Across the street, she could see Carter Heights rising proudly against the Manhattan skyline. Its glass walls reflected the afternoon sun. At least... It looked that way. Her phone vibrated. Benjamin Harris. She answered immediately. "Benjamin?" His voice sounded tense. "Nora..." Her stomach dropped. "What happened?" "The banks have frozen every remaining Carter Holdings account." Her world tilted. "What?" "They're accelerating the foreclosure." "They've also withdrawn tomorrow's negotiation meeting." She couldn't breathe. "That's impossible." "It gets worse." Her grip tightened around the phone. "A buyer has offered to purchase Carter Heights immediately." Her eyes widened. "No." "And board is considering accepting." "They can't." "They can if they believe it's the only way to protect the creditors." Nora looked across the street. At the building. The place her parents had loved more than anything. Her eyes blurred. "How long do I have?" Benjamin was silent for several seconds. Then... "Until sunset." She ended the call. Nora slowly lowered the phone. She stood motionless. People brushed past her without noticing her. Her gaze drifted upward... Toward the top floor of Blackwood Tower. Toward Ethan's office. The man she had just called a monster,the man whose contract she had ripped apart. "You'll be back." He had told her. A cold shiver ran down her spine. For the first time... She wondered if Ethan Blackwood hadn't been making an offer. Perhaps...he's behind her family misfortunes. Nora closed her eyes. When she opened them again... She turned around. And walked back toward the entrance of Blackwood Tower.