A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

I stared at the bedroom door for a moment before walking towards it.

When I opened it, my father stood outside with an impatient expression. His expensive suit was perfectly arranged, but the irritation on his face suggested that he had already lost his patience.

“Come downstairs,” Richard Sinclair instructed. “Victoria and Sophia are waiting. We need to discuss the Blackwood arrangement.”

I stepped aside to let him see that I had heard him.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

He gave me a brief look before walking away.

I closed the door and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. After everything that had happened that morning, I was beginning to understand the kind of family I had transmigrated into. My father’s first concern was the failed business alliance, my stepmother was busy protecting her daughter, and Sophia had managed to steal my fiancé while presenting herself as the victim.

I changed out of my silk nightdress, put on a simple cream-coloured dress and headed downstairs.

My father was already seated in the dining room with Victoria and Sophia. Their expressions suggested that my arrival was the only thing delaying their discussion.

I pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Good morning to you too, Father.”

Richard’s expression hardened.

“This isn’t the time for your insolence. Do you understand what has happened? Alexander Sterling has withdrawn from your engagement, and his family is already discussing the consequences of this arrangement.”

I reached for the glass of water in front of me.

“Alexander doesn’t want to marry me anymore. What exactly do you expect me to do about that?”

“You should have found a way to prevent this embarrassment!”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Are you suggesting that I should force him to marry me?”

“Don’t twist my words. You know how important this marriage is to the company. We have invested considerable resources into maintaining our relationship with the Sterling family.”

I slowly turned towards Sophia.

She sat quietly with her head lowered, occasionally dabbing the corners of her eyes with a tissue.

“Perhaps you should discuss the marriage with your new daughter instead,” I suggested. “She seems to have found a way to make Alexander change his mind.”

Sophia immediately lifted her head.

“Isabella, I didn’t want to hurt you. Please don’t blame me for something Alexander decided himself.”

Victoria reached for her daughter’s hand.

“Your sister is already feeling terrible about what happened. You don’t need to make her feel worse.”

I turned towards my stepmother.

“Interesting. I thought I was the one who had been abandoned on her wedding day.”

Richard struck the table with his palm.

“Enough! Alexander has chosen Sophia, and there is nothing we can do about it. You need to accept the situation and stop embarrassing this family.”

For several seconds, I looked at him without responding. It was becoming increasingly clear that my father’s greatest concern was not my humiliation but the business consequences of losing the Sterling alliance.

“Fine. I accept his decision.”

My father appeared surprised.

“You do?”

“Yes. I have no intention of chasing a man who doesn’t want me.”

I reached for the engagement ring on my finger and removed it carefully. The diamond caught the light as I placed it on the dining table.

“Since Alexander has decided to marry Sophia, I wish them a happy marriage. I hope they get everything they want.”

Sophia’s expression changed. She had probably expected tears, accusations or another desperate attempt to contact Alexander. My calm response seemed to have disappointed her.

Richard cleared his throat before continuing.

“Even if you accept his decision, the Sinclair family still needs an alliance. We cannot afford to lose the opportunity this marriage was supposed to provide.”

I frowned.

“What are you suggesting?”

He reached for a document lying beside his plate and pushed it towards me.

“There is another arrangement that could save this family from the consequences of Alexander’s decision.”

I picked up the document and began reading. It was a marriage agreement, and the name of the proposed groom immediately caught my attention.

THE BLACKWOOD FAMILY.

My eyes moved to the details beneath the family name.

The Blackwoods were among the wealthiest and most influential families in the country. Their business empire stretched across real estate, banking, technology and several other industries.

Their eldest heir was particularly powerful, although he rarely appeared at public events or granted interviews.

His name was Damien Blackwood.

I remembered him from the novel. Damien was a secondary character whose name appeared several times in connection with the Blackwood family’s business affairs. Unlike Alexander Sterling, whose personal life was constantly discussed by the media, Damien maintained an unusually private lifestyle.

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked, looking up from the document.

My father folded his hands on the table.

“The Blackwood family has agreed to a marriage alliance with us. Their representative contacted me several months ago, and we have been discussing the arrangement since then.”

I looked down at the agreement again.

“You’re saying you want me to marry into the Blackwood family?”

“Exactly.”

“And you decided this without discussing it with me?”

Richard sighed impatiently.

“Isabella, this is an excellent opportunity. The Blackwood family is considerably more powerful than the Sterlings. Their financial resources could help stabilize our company and protect our investments.”

I carefully examined the document. It contained several conditions concerning the marriage, family interests and financial arrangements. However, the groom’s personal details were unusually limited.

There was a name, a position and a brief description of his family background, but no photograph.

“Why haven’t I met this man?” I asked.

“He is a very private individual,” my father explained. “His family prefers to keep personal matters away from the public. Besides, the marriage arrangement was initially discussed between our families.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced. My father expected me to consider marrying a man whose face I had never seen, but the situation also presented an opportunity I could not ignore.

The Blackwoods had considerable influence, and marrying into their family could give me the independence I needed. More importantly, I would no longer have to remain in a household where my worth seemed to depend on the business opportunities I could provide.

I placed the agreement on the table.

“I’ll marry him.”

Sophia’s head snapped towards me.

“You will?”

I glanced at her.

“Did you expect me to spend the rest of my life mourning Alexander?”

She pressed her lips together.

My father looked considerably relieved.

“Good. I’ll contact the Blackwood family and inform them of your decision. Their representative will arrange a meeting so that you can discuss the marriage with Damien before the necessary legal arrangements are completed.”

“One condition,” I said.

Richard’s expression immediately changed.

“What condition?”

“I want my marriage to be legally recognized, and I don’t want anyone interfering in my personal affairs after the wedding. Whatever arrangement you have made with the Blackwoods concerning the company is between you and them. I won’t be used as a bargaining tool.”

My father stared at me before giving a reluctant nod.

“We can discuss the details with their legal team.”

“I want those details settled before I sign anything.”

He looked displeased, but I did not withdraw my demand. If I was going to enter a marriage with a stranger, I needed to know exactly what I was agreeing to.

I picked up my handbag and stood.

As I walked away from the dining room, Sophia’s voice followed me.

“Isabella, are you really going to marry someone you don’t know?”

I turned slightly, meeting her questioning gaze.

“At least I won’t be marrying someone who is in love with my stepsister.”

Her face tightened, but I continued towards the staircase without waiting for her response.

I had escaped one disastrous marriage before it could ruin me. Now I was preparing to enter another, although I knew almost nothing about the man waiting at the other end of the arrangement.

His name was Damien Blackwood.

And I had a feeling that meeting him would change more than just my marital status.