Alle Kapitel von MARRIED TO MY MOTHER’S KILLER : Kapitel 131 – Kapitel 140

Eliam had spent years believing that running Blackwood International meant making sure nothing could ever take it away from him, but three days after their anniversary, he walked into his office with an entirely different purpose. He did not call another emergency board meeting, replace another executive, or spend the morning moving pieces around a corporate structure that had already been rebuilt more times than he cared to remember. Instead, he walked past the boardroom and entered the private strategy room with a single leather folder under his arm, followed by Marcus and the company’s chief financial officer, both of whom looked confused when Eliam told them to close their laptops and listen before asking questions. On the screen behind him appeared a list of companies, properties, investments, and projects owned by Blackwood International across the country, but instead of highlighting their value, Eliam began marking them according to what they actually gave back. Some created j

Eliam looked at the clock again, but this time the number felt different. Seventy-two hours was not enough time to change the minds of every shareholder, rewrite the inheritance documents, or create some perfect plan that guaranteed victory, and for the first time since he had taken control of Blackwood International, he understood that preparation alone could not save him. His lawyer explained that the emergency vote would decide whether the Blackwood Family Holding Trust could challenge his reforms immediately, and if enough shareholders supported the trust, the education fund and employee programs could be frozen while his new succession rules could be rejected. Worse, the family shareholders could use the result to weaken his authority as CEO. Eliam listened without interrupting, then closed the document. “Then we have seventy-two hours.” His lawyer studied him. “To fight them?” Eliam shook his head. “To show them why they should not be afraid of change.” He looked through the gla

The first sign that the past had returned was an old woman standing in the lobby of Blackwood International with a photograph of Elena Blackwood in her hands. Eliam was halfway through a meeting when his assistant appeared at the door. “Mr. Blackwood, there’s someone downstairs asking for you.” He looked up. “Who?” “Margaret Ellis. She says she knew your mother.” His pen stopped. “What does she want?” “She wouldn’t say. She only told security that she has something that belonged to Elena.” Eliam was silent for a moment before closing the file in front of him. “Bring her up.” A few minutes later, an elderly woman entered his office holding a small photograph. She looked at him for several seconds before speaking. “You look so much like her.” Eliam stared at the picture. Elena was smiling in it, younger than he remembered, standing outside Blackwood Manor. “Who are you?” The woman held out her hand. “Margaret Ellis. I worked for your mother for almost eight years.” Eliam shook her hand.

The baby’s arrival changed the rhythm of the house before the baby had even arrived. It started with Gabriella moving her drawings from the nursery shelves because she had decided the baby needed “more space,” followed by Eleanor arriving with boxes of tiny clothes that were far too small for anyone Eliam had ever imagined dressing. Avaline’s pregnancy had entered a stage where everyone could see the change, and even Eliam, who had spent months trying not to count every possible risk, had finally allowed himself to become excited. One Saturday morning, he stood in the nursery doorway holding a small white crib against his chest while Gabriella watched him with her hands on her hips. “Daddy, that’s not where it goes.” Eliam looked at the empty room. “Then where does it go?” She pointed to the opposite wall. “There.” “Why?” “Because the baby needs to see the window.” Eliam glanced at Avaline, who was standing behind their daughter with a smile. “Apparently I’ve been overruled.” Avaline

The first thing Avaline noticed the next morning was the smell of pancakes. The second was the sound of Gabriella arguing with someone downstairs. “Daddy, you put too much sugar.” “I did not.” “You did.” “How would you know?” “Because I watched you.” Avaline smiled before she even opened her eyes. She slowly sat up, one hand resting over her stomach, and listened to their voices drifting through the house. Months ago, she would have woken to silence and immediately wondered what had gone wrong. Now she woke to arguments about pancakes. Somehow, she preferred this kind of chaos. When she reached the kitchen, Gabriella was standing on a chair with her arms folded while Eliam attempted to flip a pancake in a pan. The pancake landed badly. Gabriella stared at it. “That one is broken.” Eliam looked at his creation. “It’s still food.” “It doesn’t look like food.” Avaline laughed. Both turned toward her. “Good morning,” Eliam said. “You were supposed to be asleep.” “I was. Your daughter woke