CHAPTER TWO

As soon as we got back in Harden’s suite, his phone rang. He looked at the screen before replying. “I need you to look into someone,” he said coldly.

“I want the whole story. Their history, their contacts, their business. Everything. And I want proof.' He broke the call without another word. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him. There was still something about Harden I didn’t get. He had pretended at the banquet that we were more than friends. Now he looked like a man with a secret too big for anyone else to see.

He disappeared into the bathroom, oom and a few minutes later I heard the shower running. I rested back against the headboard, trying to clear my head. That didn't do it. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he’d looked at me at the banquet. To the ownership in his voice. To the fact that he’d somehow managed to make my heart race without even trying. I shut my eyes. "Get a grip, Summer," I whispered.

The bathroom door swung open. I looked up at once. Harden emerged in a bathrobe, his hair still wet from the shower. Our eyes locked. For a moment neither of us spoke. He walked toward me. “You seem nervous. "I am not." “Liar. I scowled. “You think you know me that well?” “I knew you before Mattias”. His words stopped me dead. He sat in front of me, his eyes on my face. "When was the last time you were truly happy, Summer? The question took me aback. I turned away.

“I don't know. He reached for my chin and softly turned my face back to him. You've been married for years. "Three years. “And during those three years?” I swallowed hard. “Nothing to remember. Something dark gleamed in his eyes. Someone knocked on the door. “Mr. Harden. Harden was on his feet at once. “Come in,” Buckley came in and whispered to him. Harden's face changed. “I'll be there. He turned away.

Harden?” He turned, looked back. “What's the matter?” “Nothing for you to worry about.” And he was gone. I looked at the closed door. Something was going on, that was certain. Shortly afterward I was called to dinner. When I came into the dining-room I found Harden already seated at the table. Just us two. I was sitting across from him, and he looked up. Neither of us said a word. It was almost too much to bear the silence. Harden finally set his glass down on the table. “Follow me.”

“Where? “I’m going to show you something. He stood up, and I stood up after him. We walked through the house till we came to a beautiful garden behind the mansion. The moonlight illuminated the flowers, and the atmosphere was so quiet it was a far cry from the chaos of the banquet. Harden stopped beside a fountain.

“I freed you,” I said. I scowled. “What do you mean? “I know what happened to Mattias.” My heart jumped. “You saw right into me. “Nah.” He looked into my eyes. “I’ve known you longer than you might think.” I didn’t say anything. “I helped you get the divorce because I knew you had to leave.” “And now you want something in return.”

“Yup.” I crossed my arms. “What?” The Blackwood family has a problem. His face turned serious. “There is a business deal worth trillions of pounds on the table. If we lock this down, it will change the future of my family.” "And what has that to do with me? “Everything.” I looked at him. The Blackwood family has a rule. And the heir must be legally married by the deadline.” I blinked. "So? “I need a wife.” My mouth dropped open. “You want me to marry you?” “Yeah.” I laughed a little, nervously.

This is not a joke, Harden. "I'm not kidding." He came closer. “Three days. The laughter just left me. "Three days?" “The wedding is in three days.” I looked at him like he was crazy. "I just got divorced from my husband." “I know. “I've been trying to get out of a marriage that made me miserable for years, and now you want me to marry you?” "Yes." “A marriage of convenience? “Nope.” His answer was immediate. “Lawful marriage.” I glanced at him. “Why does it have to be legal? “Because a contract won’t satisfy the family’s lawyers or the board of directors.” He halted. “The heir must have a legally recognised wife before the deadline to be eligible to inherit control of the family business.” I turned away.

That was insane. I had walked away from Mattias just days ago. I was supposed to be rebuilding my life, taking back what was mine, exposing Nora for the fraud she was. Now Harden Blackwood wanted me to become his wife.

My thoughts raced. Harden and I had been friends years ago. Mattias first. Before I was married. Before it all went wrong. He'd been my high school crush – the boy I'd secretly admired before he left the country to study economics. I never thot years later, as a divorced woman, I’d be standing in his garden, and he’d ask me to marry him. “Is this another game?” I asked softly. Harden's face grew stern. “No.” “How do I know?”

"You don't." I stared at him. “Why me, then?” He faltered for the first time. That hesitation told me there was more to this arrangement than he was telling me. But maybe it didn't matter. I needed a way out. For years Mattias had thot me a weakling. Nora thot she had already won. The Lambert family thot they could take everything away from me. Maybe being Harden Blackwood's wife was the weapon they never knew was coming. I drew a deep breath. “Okay.” Harden narrowed his eyes. “You agree? “Yes. Why?” I smiled a little. "Because I've got nothing else to lose. That wasn't quite true. I still had a lot to lose. But I had something to gain also. Energy. Defence. And maybe the perfect chance to make Mattias regret ever underestimating me.

“My family will be setting up the wedding,” Harden said. “There will be no additional guests. “Only family, board directors, and witnesses.” "Three days? “Three days.” I nodded. "Then we get married. I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn't understand why Harden had picked me. And I certainly didn't know what secret was hiding behind those cold eyes. But I knew one thing: I was not marrying Harden Blackwood because I loved him. I married him because I needed a little payback. Three days later, I entered the Blackwood mansion as Summer lambert. I went out as— Mrs Blackwood.

It changed in an instant. I was surrounded by foreign businessmen. My family members welcomed me. One expensive gift after another. The Blackwood family looked as happy as I had ever seen them. They’d waited years for Harden to marry. And now somehow I was the woman standing by his side. I glanced at my new wedding ring. It felt oddly heavy on my finger. I had believed my divorce was the end of my old life. I was mistaken. This was just the start of something much larger. Because the moment I became Mrs. Blackwood, I didn’t realise I was stepping into a war that had nothing to do with love. Someone was already waiting for me to fail. Somewhere behind the walls of the Blackwood mansion.