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Chapter 2: The Rules
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2026-10-07 06:10:57I should have felt relieved.
Instead, I felt like I had just signed away my freedom. Adrian Blackwood took the contract from me and looked at my signature. He didn’t smile. He simply closed the folder. “Good.” “That’s it?” “What were you expecting?” “I don’t know. A congratulations?” “You’re not marrying me because you’re happy.” His words irritated me. “No. I’m marrying you because you offered me three million euros.” “And because you love your family.” I froze. “How do you know that?” His eyes met mine. “I did my research.” Of course he did. A man like Adrian Blackwood probably had people researching everyone around him before breakfast. I crossed my arms. “Then you should know I don’t like being controlled.” “I know.” “And I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not.” “I don’t want you to.” “And I won’t sleep with you just because we’re married.” Silence. For the first time, I saw something flicker in his eyes. Amusement. “You won’t be required to.” I felt my face heat. “Good.” “Anything else?” “Yes.” I leaned forward. “I keep my company.” “Of course.” “I remain involved in the business.” “Yes.” “I keep my own bank account.” “Yes.” “And I don’t want your money after the one year is over.” “You won’t need it.” I frowned. “What does that mean?” “It means the company will belong to you.” I studied his face. There was something strange about him. He was too calm. Too prepared. This wasn’t a spontaneous offer. He had planned this. “How long have you been thinking about this?” “Long enough.” The answer sent a chill through me. I looked away. “Where will I live?” “With me.” I immediately looked back at him. “No.” His eyebrow lifted. “You agreed to marry me.” “I agreed to marry you. I didn’t agree to live with you.” “The contract says otherwise.” My eyes dropped to the papers. He was right. There was a clause requiring us to maintain the appearance of a genuine marriage. “You’re unbelievable.” “So I’ve been told.” I picked up my bag. “When do we get married?” “Tomorrow.” My mouth fell open. “Tomorrow?” “The bank takes possession of your company tomorrow morning.” I stared at him. “You planned everything.” “I don’t waste time.” I hated that he was right. If I walked away, Reyes Maison would be gone. My mother’s company. Her legacy. Everything she had worked for. I closed my eyes for a second. “Fine.” “Fine?” “We get married tomorrow.” Adrian stood. The car suddenly felt much smaller. He was only a few steps away from me, but his presence filled the entire space. He opened the door. “Someone will collect your things tonight.” “I can pack my own things.” “I know.” “Then don’t send anyone.” He looked at me for a moment. “Very well.” I stepped out of the car. Before I could close the door, he spoke. “Elena.” I turned. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking this marriage gives you control over me.” My jaw tightened. “I wasn’t planning to.” “Good.” I closed the door. The car drove away. I stood on the pavement watching it disappear. I should have been terrified. Instead, I was angry. Because somewhere beneath all that money and power, I knew there was a reason Adrian Blackwood had chosen me. And I intended to find out what it was. ⸻ That evening, I returned to Reyes Maison. The showroom was quiet. My mother’s favorite chair still stood near the window. I ran my fingers over the polished wood. “Mum,” I whispered, “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know if I was making the right decision. But I knew I had run out of choices. My phone rang. An unknown number. I answered. “Hello?” A woman’s voice came through. “Stay away from Adrian Blackwood.” My heart stopped. “Who is this?” “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” “Who are you?” The line went dead. I stared at my phone. Then it rang again. This time, it was Adrian. I answered immediately. “Did you send someone to call me?” “No.” “Someone just warned me to stay away from you.” There was silence. Then Adrian’s voice changed. “Lock your doors.” My stomach tightened. “Why?” “Because if someone knows you’re marrying me tomorrow, you may already be in danger.” The call ended. I slowly looked toward the dark showroom windows. For the first time that night, I wondered if marrying Adrian Blackwood wasn’t just a terrible decision. Maybe it was the beginning of something much worse.
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THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BRIDE Chapter 12: Room 314
The words on the screen refused to leave my mind.ELENA, YOUR MOTHER DIDN’T DIE NATURALLY. AND ADRIAN KNOWS WHY.I stared at the message until the letters blurred. Somewhere behind me, Adrian was speaking to his security team, his voice low and controlled as he ordered them to secure the mansion.I barely heard him.My mother was dead. I had spent years accepting that fact, learning to live with the empty space she had left behind. Now, in a single night, everything I believed about her death had been dragged into question.I turned toward Adrian.“Take me to Room 314.”He ended the call. “We need to understand what we’re walking into first.”“No. You need to understand that I’m done waiting for you to decide what I can handle.”His jaw tightened.I placed the small brass key on the desk between us. “My mother hid this for me. Someone broke into her house looking for it. Someone used her name to access your archives. Whatever is behind that door, it belongs to my family as much as you
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BRIDE Chapter 11: The Wrong Man
AND ADRIAN KNOWS WHY.I read the message again.Then I looked at my husband.Adrian stood beside the desk, his face unreadable, but something in his eyes had changed.Fear.Not the kind that made a person run.The kind that made a person realize the past had finally caught up with him.“What happened three days before my mother died?”He didn’t answer immediately.Outside the study windows, rain began tapping against the glass.Finally, Adrian said, “Your mother came to see me.”My breath caught.“When?”“Three days before she died.”I stared at him.Fourteen months ago, I had sat beside my mother in a hospital room, holding her hand while the machines measured the last hours of her life.Three days earlier, she had apparently been standing in front of Adrian.And he had said nothing.“Why?”“She wanted to talk about you.”That hurt more than I expected.“About me?”“She knew what I was planning.”I understood immediately.The marriage.The contract.The revenge.My mother had known.
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BRIDE Chapter 10: Do Not Rush Him
I couldn’t stop staring at the words. Do not trust Adrian Blackwood. My mother’s handwriting. There was no mistaking it. I had seen it on birthday cards, grocery lists, company documents, notes she left on the kitchen table. That was her handwriting. That was her warning. I slowly looked up at Adrian. He hadn’t moved. His eyes remained fixed on the paper in my hands. For once, neither of us knew what to say. “You knew,” I whispered. His eyebrows drew together. “Knew what?” “My mother.” “I told you I barely knew her.” “You had her photograph.” “My father kept it.” “She knew your mother.” “Yes.” “She knew what happened fourteen years ago.” “Yes.” “And now she left a message telling me not to trust you.” His expression hardened. “I didn’t know about this.” “How am I supposed to believe that?” “You don’t have to.” His answer was so calm that it made me angrier. “You’re not even going to defend yourself?” “What would you like me to s
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My mother’s name hung in the air like a threat. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. For years, I had believed I knew my mother. She had been the strongest woman I had ever known. Even when the company struggled, she never complained. Even when people walked away, she kept going. And even when she became sick, she never let me see how afraid she was. She had never told me about Adrian’s family. She had never mentioned Victoria. She had never mentioned a murder. Yet Victoria was standing in front of me, telling me that my mother had witnessed the death of Adrian’s father. I looked at Adrian. His face was completely different. The controlled billionaire who could silence a room with one look was gone. He looked like a son who had just realized everything he knew about his family might have been a lie. “What exactly are you saying?” he asked. Victoria looked at him. “I’m saying your mother wasn’t the only person who knew the truth.” “My mother knew?”
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She was there too. I stared at the message until the words blurred. The photograph was still open on my phone. Adrian’s father stood beside my father. And behind them, half hidden near the entrance of the building, was Victoria Blackwood. Adrian’s aunt. My stomach tightened. “Adrian.” He turned toward me immediately. “What happened?” I held out my phone. His expression changed the moment he saw the photograph. He took the phone from my hand. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his jaw tightened. “Where did you get this?” “Someone sent it to me.” “When?” “Just now.” His eyes moved across the photograph. “Who?” “I don’t know.” “What did they say?” I pointed to the message. His face hardened. “She was there too.” “Yes.” He looked at the photograph again. I watched him carefully. “You knew.” His eyes snapped toward mine. “Knew what?” “That Victoria was there.” “I knew she was involved in the business. I didn’t know sh
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BRIDE Chapter 7: The Lie
Chapter 7: The Lie“ELENA, DON’T!”I froze.The envelope was still in my hand.Adrian’s voice echoed through the corridor.Then silence.I looked down at the envelope.My name was written across it in black ink.Whoever had left it knew exactly who I was.And Adrian clearly knew what was inside.“Don’t open it.”He appeared in the doorway.His breathing was heavy.His suit jacket was slightly torn near the shoulder.There was a small cut above his eyebrow.I stared at him.“What happened?”“Nothing.”“You’re bleeding.”“It’s not serious.”“Where is your mother?”“She’s safe.”“Where?”“I sent her somewhere secure.”I looked at the envelope.“Who left this?”“I don’t know.”“You’re lying.”His jaw tightened.“Give it to me.”“No.”“Elena.”“You don’t get to keep secrets from me anymore.”He stepped closer.“Give me the envelope.”I held it behind my back.“What is inside?”“I don’t know.”“You just shouted at me not to open it.”“Because I don’t know who left it.”“That doesn’t answer
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