Alexander Blackwood

I woke to my phone buzzing like an angry hornet trapped under my pillow, my mind still fogged with the unsettling comfort of Adrian's sheets.

Not a call. A hailstorm of notifications.

I fumbled for it, my mind still fogged with the strange, unsettling comfort of Adrian’s sheets. The screen glowed, illuminating the pre-dawn darkness of his bedroom. 7 New Messages from Mila. My stomach plummeted.

The top one was a link, followed by a string of panicked, all-caps texts.

MILA: ELARA. WHAT IS THIS??

MILA: LOOK AT THE LINK. LOOK AT IT NOW.

MILA: IS THAT YOU?! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU. IN XEN STORE? HOWW.

With a sinking feeling, I tapped the link. It led to a slick society gossip site. The headline screamed in bold, malicious font:

"BLACKWOOD’S BILLIONAIRE BACHELOR NO MORE? Reclusive CEO Adrian Blackwood Spotted in Intimate Moment with Mystery Woman at Exclusive Xen."

Below it was a photo an obviously long-lens shot of last night.

It was me, seated on the velvet stool in Xen, my head tilted back slightly. Adrian was kneeling before me, one of my bare feet cradled in his hand, his head bowed as he fastened the strap of a heel. The angle made it look devastatingly tender, possessive. The next photo was of him carrying me out, bridal-style, my face turned into his chest. The caption read: “Has the city’s most exclusive catch finally been landed? Sources say the woman is a ‘complete unknown,’ leaving society wondering: who is she?”

My blood ran cold, then hot. He set this up, I sat back, I had to met up with Milla, tell her everything.

The bathroom door opened, and Adrian emerged, a towel slung low on his hips, his V line sticking out infuriatingly as if to distract me from the bombshell he just dropped on me. He took in my stricken expression and the phone glowing in my hand. Not a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

“You set this up". I said waving my phone in his face. “You let them take those pictures.”

“I ensured they got the right ones,” he corrected, his tone infuriatingly calm as he pulled on black trousers. “Blurry, suggestive, telling a specific story. It’s cleaner than a press release.”

"I don't appreciate being national gossip, I didn't sign up for this!"

He turned, buttoning a crisp white shirt. “ You are my wife. The public needs to see it to believe it. Now they’ve seen it.” He nodded to my phone, "all of them"

I wanted to throw the phone at his perfectly composed head. Instead, I hugged my knees to my chest, feeling exposed and manipulated in a new, profound way. My private turmoil was now public gossip.

“Get dressed,” Adrian said, his voice leaving no room for my spiraling anger. “We’re having breakfast downstairs.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You will be,” he said, with that maddening certainty. “And we have a guest coming.”

---

By the time I made it downstairs, my feet were better, I would have to ask Margaret for that ointment later, but my emotions were a tangled knot of fury and anxiety. Adrian was already in the sunlit breakfast nook, reading the financial section of the paper as if the scandalous headlines about his own life were in a different universe. A second place was set beside him, not across.

He looked up as I entered. Without a word, he pushed his chair back and patted his thigh.

I froze in the doorway. “No.”

“Yes.” His gaze was unwavering. “Your leg is still tender Little Lamb.

"I'm a grown-"

Before I could answer, an unfamiliar, unwelcome voice echoed from the grand foyer, followed by the sound of the head butler, Lawrence, politely protesting.

Oh come on, Lawrence, I don’t need an announcement. We’re family!”

Adrian’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. His hand beckoned me, more insistent now. “Now, Elera.”

Defeated, and a little anxious, I walked over and let him guide me onto his lap. I sat stiffly, a living mannequin. His arm came around my waist, solid and warm, locking me in place just as "Alexander" Blackwood strolled into the breakfast room.

He was all calculated charm and designer, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes, a paler, colder blue than Adrian’s, landed on us and widened with theatrical delight.

“Adrian! And… company. I see the rumors are true.” His gaze swept over me, lingering with an appreciation that felt like being priced at an auction. I involuntarily stiffened, a hand was placed on my thigh- Adrians, probably trying to calm me down.

It did the opposite of what it was supposed to do.

I stiffed even more.

Adrian didn’t release me. His thumb began to trace idle circles on my hip, a silent message of ownership. “What do you want, Alex?."

There are so many luxury hotels in this city, Alex, You’re rich enough to lodge in any of them. Yet you decided to come here mhm?"

“Can’t a cousin miss his older brother?” Alex’s smile was all teeth. He pulled out a chair uninvited and sat, his eyes never leaving me. “After all, it’s not every day the great Adrian Blackwood gets caught on camera. I had to see the woman who managed it for myself.” He leaned forward, extending a hand across the table toward me. “Alexander Blackwood. But you, beautiful, can call me Alex.”

I smiled, he seemed quite friendly, I reached out my hand to grab his.

His hand hung in the air. Adrian’s free hand shot out faster than I could blink, his fingers closing not around Alex's hand, but around his wrist, stopping him cold. The air in the room dropped ten degrees.

“She’s recovering,” Adrian said, his voice a quiet blade. “She won’t be shaking hands.”

The threat was palpable. Alex's smile didn’t falter, but his eyes chilled. He slowly retracted his hand, rubbing his wrist slightly. I understand Cousin" else.” He leaned back, his gaze switching to Adrian. “The board is talking, you know.”

“My personal life is none of the board’s concern,” Adrian stated, picking up a strawberry from his plate and bringing it to my lips. “Eat.”

It was a command, a display, a blatant dismissal of Alex all in one. Feeling like a puppet, I took a small bite. Adrian’s eyes held mine for a heartbeat too long before he ate the rest of the berry himself, his gaze challenging Alex over my shoulder.

Alexander watched the exchange, his smirk turning thoughtful, sharper. “Isn’t it, though? When ‘personal life’ affects shareholder confidence-?”

"Elera"

I turned back, to look at him

"Go to the room and wait for me, Now" His voice low and almost primal.

It raised the tiny hairs up my neck.

He did not need to tell me twice

"Okay" I said, my voice soft, too soft.

He helped me down from his legs. As I transferred my weight to my own legs. "Nice to meet you Alex" I said, not wanting to be rude, I felt the air grow colder Adrians face darkened.

He didn't like that

I walked away quickly before I would become a product of Blackwood rage.

I shut the door behind me, drowning out the voices from the dinner table downstairs, the moment the door clicked shut, I practically ran to my phone, texting Milla,

"We have to talk- Tonight, send me a location, any bar."

I had to get away from all this, at least for one night, but no matter how I tried, I couldn't shake away that feeling that settled in my chest.

Alexander was trouble...