The Blackwood Influence

Thea's eyes flickered open to the sunlight that streamed into the room. She had expected to feel awkward, brittle after the night before, but instead she found the room strangely calm.

She turned to her side, empty. Seth wasn't there but his spot was still very warm. He left not so long ago.

Thea pulled herself out of bed, took a shower and got dressed in a simple gown before heading downstairs.

The scent of coffee and warm bread drifted toward her as she slipped into a chair. Seth was already there, dressed down in a charcoal sweater and slacks, his phone face-down beside his plate.

“Good morning,” he said quietly.

She murmured a reply, eyes on the steam rising from her cup. She’d spent half the night in restless half-sleep, replaying what had happened between them, not sure how she felt about it all. Yet here he was, composed, almost gentle.

He slid a basket of croissants toward her. “Eat. You’ll need the energy.”

She blinked at him. “For what?”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “You’ve got a call in twenty minutes. Daisy, isn’t it?”

Her brows shot up. “You knew?”

“You left your notebook on the table in your room. I didn’t read it,” he added when she stiffened. “But I saw the name and time. Clara’s the partner you’ve been sketching diagrams with?”

“She’s… was my former assistant.” Thea hesitated. “We’re working on something. It’s not—”

“Not ready?” Seth cut in. “Still an idea?”

She nodded. “It’s an app. To connect small-scale makers and buyers. A direct bridge without middlemen. We’re calling it TheaLink for now. It’s nothing huge yet.”

He leaned his elbows on the table, eyes warming. “Tell me about it.”

“I…” she trailed off. Was he serious? “You’re Seth Blackwood. You build empires. You don’t want to hear about two girls playing start-up.”

He tilted his head. “Try me.”

Something in his tone disarmed her. She set down her coffee and began, at first haltingly, then with more confidence as she saw he was really listening. “It’s basically a curated platform. We’d vet sellers, guarantee authenticity, handle secure payment and logistics. The buyers get unique products, the sellers get reach without crushing fees. We want to launch in Zean first, then scale outward. We’ve been mapping the supply chains, identifying micro-markets…”

Her hands moved as she spoke, sketching the invisible network in the air. Seth listened, fingers steepled under his chin. Thea felt the old spark flare inside her as she spoke. Her idea, her dream…she almost forgot for a moment, who he was.

When she finally paused for breath he said, “You’ve done your homework.”

“It’s just a plan,” she said quickly. “We’re still working out the legal framework, the coding, the funding…”

“Funding,” he echoed, and leaned back. His gaze flicked to the tablet beside him. “You’ll need more than seed capital if you want to scale the way you’re describing. Logistics, security, marketing…”

“I know,” she admitted. “That’s why Daisy called. She’s found a few angel investors who might listen. And I have my eyes on a few studying in Zean business school..”

“Mm.” Seth tapped the table once, thoughtful. That explains why she wanted to attend Zean business school in the first place. He chuckled, that was really smart..

Then, to her surprise, he said, “I can do better.”

Thea blinked. “Better?”

“Than angel investors. Than patchwork funding.” He pushed his plate aside and reached for the tablet. “Blackwood Ventures invests in emerging platforms. Normally, I’d have someone on my acquisitions team review you first, but…” his eyes softened briefly “…I’d like to look at it myself.”

Her pulse jumped. “You…you’d invest?”

“I’m not promising yet,” he said, holding up a hand. “I want to see your full plan. Numbers, projections, beta design. But if it’s as viable as it sounds, we can structure a contract.”

She stared at him, stunned. Last week she had been dodging bullies in the hallway at Zean. Now Seth Blackwood was offering to read her pitch. “Why?” she whispered. “Why would you do that?”

His mouth curved, not quite a smile. “Because you’re smart. Because you’ve built something that actually excites you. Pick whichever reason makes you feel safest.”

Warmth and wariness tangled in her chest. “You’d own it,” she said slowly. “If Blackwood invests, you’d control everything.”

“Not necessarily,” Seth replied. “We could structure it so you and Daisy retain majority shares. Blackwood handles infrastructure, you handle vision. I don’t want to take it from you, Thea. I want to back you.”

He sounded sincere. He also looked…distracted. His eyes had begun to drift from her notes to her hands, to the way she bit her lip when she thought. She felt heat creep up her neck and forced herself to focus on her coffee.

“I can send you the deck,” she said finally. “It’s rough.”

“Send it,” he said. “And clear your afternoon. If it’s promising, we’ll call my legal team together and draft a preliminary agreement.”

****

After breakfast, she took Daisy’s call from the sunroom, nerves buzzing. “He wants to see the plan,” she hissed into the phone before Daisy even said hello.

“Who?” Daisy asked, rightfully confused.

“Seth.”

“What?” Daisy squealed. “Seth Blackwood?”

“The Seth Blackwood,” Thea confirmed. “He said he’d invest if it’s viable. He’s… being nice about it. I don’t know.”

“Nice how?” Daisy demanded. “Like, patronising nice, or ‘I actually believe in you’ nice? Or you're my wife and i want to support you’ nice?”

“I don’t know!” Thea pressed a hand to her forehead. “He listened, Daisy. He asked good questions. He’s giving me a meeting. I think he’s serious.”

On the other end Daisy was already launching into a checklist. “Okay. You need the market research polished, the beta wireframes, the cost model…”

“I’ll do it,” Thea said. “Just email me the latest version of the deck.”

When she hung up, Seth was standing in the doorway. He’d changed into a suit jacket but left it unbuttoned, a study in controlled ease. “Your friend sounds efficient,” he said.

“She’s the brains,” Thea muttered.

Daisy might not seem like the time but she was very much educated in business development. She'd started to take Thea's plan more seriously this past few weeks much to Thea’s surprise.

His eyes glinted. “I think you’re both brains. Send me the file when you’re ready.”

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He didn’t leave. Instead he crossed the room and stopped a few feet away, his presence a tangible weight. For a moment neither of them spoke.

Then he said quietly, “It suits you.”

“What does?” she asked, wary.

“That look.” He gestured vaguely at her. “The one you get when you talk about your work. It’s…” He broke off, a hint of colour at his throat. “…distracting.”

Her cheeks went hot. “You’re supposed to be professional,” she said, trying for lightness.

“I’m trying,” he admitted. “You’re making it difficult.”

Thea swallowed hard. This was new: Seth soft-voiced, teasing, almost self-deprecating. It unnerved her more than his usual dominance. “Then maybe you should keep your distance,” she said.

He smiled faintly. “Maybe I don’t want to.”

They stood there, silence stretching, full of things neither dared say. At last Seth straightened, slipping back into his CEO cadence. “Send me the deck by three,” he said. “We’ll go over it after dinner.”

She nodded mutely.

As he turned to leave, he added over his shoulder, “I meant what I said, Thea. I don’t want to take this from you. I want to help you build it. On your terms.”

Then he was gone, leaving her alone with her pounding heart.

****

That evening, they sat side by side in his study, the laptop balanced between them. Thea walked him through slides while he asked questions, sometimes interrupting to scribble figures or sketch a diagram on a legal pad. He was intense, but not harsh, leaning in, listening, occasionally glancing at her as though seeing her for the first time.

When she finished, he set the pen down. “You’ve got something,” he said simply. “With the right support, this could work.”

She let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. “Really?”

“Really,” he said. “I’ll have Legal draft a term sheet tomorrow. Majority ownership stays with you and Daisy. We provide capital, infrastructure, and mentorship. Agreed?”

She stared at him, moved. “You’d do that?”

“I told you,” he said softly. “I’m smitten.”

Her heart jumped at the word. He said it without irony, his eyes steady on hers. For a moment she forgot the slides, the contract, the whole world. She saw only the man beside her and the way he looked at her as though she was more than a convenience.

She looked away quickly, closing the laptop. “Then… thank you,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Thea fights back the urge to squeal in excitement, Daisy would be over the moon about this news!