Chapter 2: A Signature of Chains
The contract sat between them like a loaded weapon.
Elara didn't move, her eyes fixed on the name at the bottom of the page—Lucien Alexander Blackwood—already signed in precise, angular strokes.
"Midnight," he reminded her, his voice calm, indifferent.
Elara stood abruptly, pushing back her chair. "You don't know me. You think because I'm broke, I'll crawl and say yes."
Lucien's gaze didn't waver. "You came here."
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. He was right. She'd walked into this room knowing it might change her life. Still, this—this was something else.
Her eyes darted back to the document.
It was all there. Black and white. Marriage, but only in name. One year. No strings. No affection. No future.
"Why do you need a wife so badly?" she asked finally.
His jaw tightened. "Family pressure. Corporate maneuvering. My board demands stability before they sign off on the international merger. A ring buys me peace."
"And I'm just convenient?"
"Exactly." His bluntness was a blade.
Elara flinched.
"And if I say no?"
Lucien didn't blink. "Nothing changes. You walk out. I find someone else."
Someone else.
Her throat dried. Her mother needed treatment—now, not later. The bills were piling. This offer... was insane. Unnatural. But real.
And she couldn't afford pride anymore.
Slowly, her fingers reached for the pen.
Lucien didn't move as she picked it up. Her hand shook. Just a few strokes of ink, and her life would belong to a stranger.
She stared at the blank line beside her name.
"Do I have your word you'll pay for her treatments? No games?"
"You'll have everything in writing. And results within 24 hours," he said.
Elara inhaled sharply. Then, in one decisive motion, she signed:
Elara June Grace.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Lucien stood. "Congratulations, Miss Grace. You're now Mrs. Blackwood."
Her stomach turned at the sound of it.
"I'll send someone to prepare you for the media. The ceremony is in five days."
"Five days?!"
"This needs to happen quickly. I don't waste time."
He walked to the bar, poured a drink—whiskey—and offered her nothing.
"Elara," he said, her name unfamiliar on his tongue. "You're smart. This is a transaction. Keep your emotions out of it, and you'll walk away richer than you ever dreamed."
She forced a nod, though her heart ached.
He didn't smile. Didn't congratulate. Only nodded toward the elevator.
"You may leave. My assistant will be in touch tomorrow."
The world spun as she turned, heading back into the dark hallway.
---
11:47 PM — Outside Blackwood Tower
The air bit at her skin, but Elara barely noticed. Her phone buzzed. A text from the hospital.
"We've received full payment. Your mother's treatment will begin first thing in the morning. Anonymous sponsor."
She stared at the screen, tears welling in her eyes.
Lucien Blackwood had already paid.
She'd just sold herself to a man with ice in his eyes and steel in his heart.
And her new life as his bride had begun.