BLOOD CONTRACT : WINTER'S VOW
Some debts can only be paid in blood... or marriage.
When Isabella Caldwell wakes to her father's anguished howl, she discovers her family's fortune has vanished overnight. But the truth is far worse than bankruptcy. Fifteen years ago, her father caused the deaths of Alexander Blackwood's parents, and now the bill has come due.
The terms are simple and non-negotiable: Isabella will marry Alexander, or her family loses everything,including her mother's critical medical care.
Alexander Blackwood has spent six years meticulously planning his revenge. Cold, calculated, and utterly ruthless, he's built an empire from the ashes of his family's destruction. Taking Winston Caldwell's daughter as his wife is the perfect punishment for the man who orphaned him at sixteen.
What he doesn't expect is Isabella herself, fierce, talented, and unflinching even as her world collapses around her. She agrees to the marriage but makes one thing clear: he may own her name, but he'll never possess her spirit.
As these two damaged souls begin their paper marriage, unexpected sparks ignite between them. But can passion overcome the weight of the past? Or will Alexander's need for vengeance consume them both?
BLOOD CONTRACT is a dark, emotional romance featuring a brooding anti-hero, a resilient artist determined to survive, and a marriage arrangement that's binding in more ways than one.
Baca
Chapter: CHAPTER 3ISABELLA"I killed his parents."My father's words hung in the air between us, awful and impossible."What are you talking about?" I whispered, my legs trembling as I sank back into the chair opposite his desk. The velvet ring box still sat where Blackwood had placed it, a silent harbinger of my future. "Tell me you're not serious."He wouldn't meet my eyes. "It's complicated, Izzy.""Then un-complicate it!" My voice rose sharply. The shock was wearing off, giving way to a fury I'd never felt before. "How exactly does one accidentally kill someone's parents?""I never said it was an accident." He drained his glass and set it down with a heavy thud. "But I never meant for it to happen.""That makes absolutely no sense." I ran shaking fingers through my hair, loosening strands from my messy bun. "Start from the beginning. Please."My father looked older than I'd ever seen him, the weight of secrets visibly crushing him. He stared at the empty glass for a long moment before speaking."Ja
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-28
Chapter: CHAPTER 2ALEXANDERI could still smell her on me.Paint and lilacs and fear,a heady combination that clung to my suit despite the short walk from the Caldwell mansion to my waiting car. I loosened my tie as James slid into the seat beside me, the leather portfolio containing Winston Caldwell's damnation tucked neatly under his arm."That went well," he remarked dryly, signaling to the driver.I didn't respond. My mind was still in that study, cataloging every detail of Isabella Caldwell's reaction. The flash of defiance in those wide amber eyes. The slight tremor in her full lower lip that she'd tried so hard to control. The way her fingers had curled into fists at her sides, paint-stained and delicate but somehow conveying a strength that surprised me.She was nothing like I'd expected.For six years, I'd studied her from a distance. Photos from gallery openings and charity events. Social media accounts that offered carefully curated glimpses into her life. Detailed reports from private inves
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-28
Chapter: CHAPTER 1ISABELLAThe Caldwell family fortune died on a Tuesday.I was standing in my studio, barefoot on the paint-splattered floorboards, when I heard my father's howl from two floors below. Not a shout or a yell,a howl. The kind of sound that cracks foundations and shatters family legacies.My paintbrush clattered to the floor, splattering crimson across the hem of my white linen dress. Fitting. Everything about this day would soon be stained with red.I didn't run downstairs. Not immediately. Instead, I stood frozen, watching the dark red paint creep through the fabric fibers of my dress, blooming like blood. The canvas before me,nearly finished after weeks of work,suddenly looked childish and trivial. A commission for a local gallery that had once seemed so important.The grandfather clock at the end of the hallway chimed three times, snapping me back to reality. Whatever had made my father sound like that couldn't be good. I tossed my palette onto the side table and hurried toward the st
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-28
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