Chapter {005}

CHRISTIAN'S POV

THREE DAYS EARLIER

"Grandfather is rewriting his will and plans to cut you out of his inheritance."

My jaw ticked as I stared at the phone in my hand, reading the text I'd just gotten from my sister over and over again. If I didn't know any better, I might have brushed this off as an expensive joke.

But it was real.

According to Ophelia, she overheard our grandfather talking about rewriting his will, and immediately, she'd decided to warn me. To solidify this claim, she'd managed to take a picture of the new will's draft.

That could only mean one thing: our grandfather was serious. With great difficulty, I pieced together the words on the image.

"My successor must have the following qualities: He must have a child and, in the absence of one, a wife to guarantee the continuity of the Blackwood Enterprise."

"Fuck!" I hissed, slamming my hand against the table and cursing under my breath.

The betraying, sly old man.

How could he do this to me? Was this how he planned to repay me? After all these years of toiling to keep Blackwood at the top, where it belonged? I had worked so hard since I was little, having the best interests of Blackwood enterprise at heart. How could he overlook all that effort?

I single-handedly front-lined Blackwood Hotel, Blackwood Air, and Blackwood Distribution in business. I was a major Blackwood Pillar, and after all that, was I just going to be cut out of the will?

It felt deliberate because he knew I wasn't married and didn't intend ever to get married.

And the only person who ticked off all the requirements was Michael, my stepbrother. He was married already. But I was sure the entire family knew what would happen if Michael became the successor.

Blackwood empire would burn under his watch.

Michael was fucking lazy...and he didn't have it in him to control Blackwood. He was weak, easily influenced and reckless. How could anyone even consider him as the successor?

That thought alone was sufficient to keep me up at night, worrying. I shook my head in disgust.

I was the perfect candidate. I had what it took to keep Blackwood at the top.

Now the old man was rewriting his goddamn...

No, I wouldn't sit back here and accept this.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket and started to dial my grandfather's number when the door to my office suddenly flew open.

I looked up to see my step-brother walk into my office, a smirk on his face.

The rude bastard.

Seeing him brought the new will to mind again, and a burst of anger rose within me.

"Can't you knock?" I asked coldly. "You can't just casually walk in here like you own the place."

Michael chuckled and plopped into my chair. "Well...I don't own the place right now, but I will soon. And if it belongs to me, why would I need to knock?"

I gritted my teeth, struggling to suppress the urge to punch that smirk off his face. I said nothing to him, refusing to put myself in a situation where I would exchange words with him. I watched as he searched my face for a few moments, and then a slow smile stretched his lips.

"You do know that the old man is rewriting his will, right?" he continued, searching my face. "Oh, you didn't hear about it?"

I wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement, but I didn't like the sound of it. Mocking. Belittling.

"His new will states that his successor must either have a child or be married—any of the two." He licked his lips. "And unfortunately for you, brother, I am married. So, I qualify. Whereas you don't."

I smiled. "It's amusing that you think our grandfather would casually ruin Blackwood Enterprise by making you the successor. He built this company from the ground up and knows what's best for it. And that is definitely not you." I leaned closer to him. "Have you ever contributed anything positive to the companies? The simplest, littlest form would do."

"I am in charge of Blackwood Foods, just in case you forgot," he shot back. "We have branches all over the globe, so you know how well it's doing. Don't you dare try to tell me I haven't contributed to the growth of the Enterprise!"

I smirked, amused by his words. "Even at that, Blackwood Foods still generates the least revenue compared to the companies I manage."

Michael leaned against my desk, unfazed. "That doesn't matter. You know why? No amount of money you make can buy love, and you obviously lack love in your life. Our grandfather knows that you will never be able to get married because of the kind of man you are, and that is why he decided to rewrite his will so that his favorite grandson—yours truly, of course—will become the successor."

I glared at him.

"So, stepbrother," he smiled. "Enjoy your last days here because soon, you will be kicked out of the family business."

I scoffed, cocking an eyebrow. "And who the hell is going to kick me out?"

"Why, that is the first thing I plan to do once I become the successor and take over. You are too full of yourself to be hanging around my line of sight. It's time for a change, brother."

And with that, he rose from the seat and walked out of my office with a smile.

Enraged, I tore my jacket away and flung it across the office, slamming my palms down on the desk.

The audacity Michael had to threaten me. He was bold and audacious because, as he said, he was the old man's favorite.

I was boiling as I paced around the office, deep in thought. Despite the anger brewing in my chest, I knew I had to make a move. And fast. My grandfather was a man of his word, so if he said I wouldn't be his successor unless I had a child, then I could bank on it that he meant every word.

I had to save my inheritance. I had worked too hard to just let it slip from my fingers and to Michael, of all people. I couldn't just hand over the result of my blood, sweat and tears to Micheal. And I certainly had no plans to back down or beg him to back off.

So, there was only one thing I had to do. I needed a wife or a surrogate within seven days.