Chapter Eleven: The Wedding Day (Part One)

The Billionaire's Contract Bride

The first rays of sunlight crept through the curtains of Blackwood Estate.

Today was the day.

Claire Jacobs stood before the mirror in complete silence.

The wedding gown hung beside her like a promise she wasn't sure she was ready to keep.

Margaret gently adjusted the veil.

"You barely slept."

Claire smiled faintly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"My dear..."

Margaret placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Every bride is afraid."

Claire looked at her reflection.

"I'm not afraid of getting married."

Margaret frowned.

"No?"

Claire's voice became quiet.

"I'm afraid of everything that comes after."

Across the estate...

Martin fastened the cufflinks on his black tuxedo.

Ethan entered carrying a tablet.

"Our security teams have swept the chapel three times."

"No explosives."

"No suspicious vehicles."

"No unidentified guests."

Martin nodded.

"And the staff?"

"We've replaced everyone hired within the last six months."

Martin looked toward the window.

"Good."

But something still bothered him.

His instincts refused to settle.

Years in the business world had taught him one lesson.

The most dangerous attacks came when everything looked perfect.

The estate chapel looked breathtaking.

Thousands of white roses lined the aisle.

Crystal candles glowed softly.

A string quartet played a gentle melody as guests began arriving.

Business leaders.

Judges.

Politicians.

International investors.

Even celebrities.

Every seat was filled.

Yet one seat remained empty.

Martin noticed it immediately.

Reserved for...

Isabella Moretti.

Claire saw the name too.

She frowned.

Who was Isabella?

Why would someone reserve a seat for a person who wasn't there?

Before she could ask...

The ceremony began.

Edward Blackwood stood and smiled proudly.

"I never thought I'd live long enough to witness this day."

His eyes glistened with emotion.

Martin gently squeezed his grandfather's shoulder.

Then...

The chapel doors opened.

Everyone turned.

Claire appeared.

The entire room seemed to stop breathing.

She walked slowly down the aisle.

Elegant.

Graceful.

Beautiful.

Martin had seen her in the dress before.

Yet somehow...

Today she looked even more breathtaking.

For the first time in years...

His heartbeat became impossible to ignore.

Claire finally reached him.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke.

The officiant smiled.

"We are gathered here today..."

The ceremony began.

Everything felt peaceful.

Almost too peaceful.

Hidden among the musicians...

One violinist wasn't really a musician.

Inside the violin case...

Wasn't a violin.

It was a high-powered rifle.

The disguised assassin quietly assembled the weapon while the music continued.

He looked through the scope.

His target...

Claire.

His finger rested on the trigger.

"One shot," he whispered.

"No mistakes."

At the same moment...

Hundreds of miles away...

The elderly man who had awakened from his coma struggled to sit upright.

Doctors tried to calm him.

He grabbed the nearest nurse.

"Call..."

He coughed violently.

"Call Martin Blackwood..."

The nurse hesitated.

"I don't know him."

The old man used the last of his strength.

"Tell him..."

"Don't let Claire..."

The heart monitor screamed.

Doctors rushed into the room.

The sentence remained unfinished.

Back at the chapel...

The officiant smiled warmly.

"Mr. Martin Blackwood..."

"Do you take Claire Jacobs to be your lawful wife?"

Martin looked into Claire's eyes.

"I do."

The officiant turned.

"Miss Claire Jacobs..."

"Do you take Martin Blackwood to be your lawful husband?"

Claire smiled softly.

"I..."

A sudden flash reflected from the stained-glass window.

Martin saw it.

A sniper's scope.

Time seemed to slow.

Without thinking...

Martin lunged toward Claire.

"DOWN!"

A deafening gunshot exploded through the chapel.

Guests screamed.

Glass shattered.

The bouquet flew from Claire's hands.

The white roses scattered across the aisle like falling snow.

Martin wrapped his arms around Claire as they crashed to the floor.

For one terrifying second...

Neither of them moved.

Claire slowly looked up.

"Martin..."

His face had gone pale.

A crimson stain began spreading across the shoulder of his white dress shirt.

He had taken the bullet.

The chapel erupted into chaos.

Ethan shouted,

"Seal every exit!"

Security guards raced toward the musician's platform.

But the assassin...

...had already disappeared.

Martin looked at Claire despite the pain.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"Are..."

"...you safe?"

Claire stared at the blood soaking through his shirt.

Tears filled her eyes.

For the first time...

The contract.

The rules.

The one-year agreement.

None of it mattered.

All she could think was—

He chose to be shot instead of letting me die.