Northwood Blackboard Novels & Stories

“I didn’t know you were coming.” “The foundation funds two urban infrastructure programs with Blackwood Systems.” “Right.” Noelle tapped her forehead. “Technology fellowship.” “And the resiliency lab.” “You know I only read the part of the invitation that mentioned an open bar.” “It shows.” Noelle smiled, then her eyes moved from me to Rowan and back again. I recognized that expression immediately. “Sasha,” she said, way too casually. “How do you know Rowan Blackwood?” “Neighbor.” The answer came out before she even finished the question.

"I'm on bed rest. Dr. Evans would kill me." "We'll do a video call," Noah said. "I'll wear an earpiece. You'll be on the line. You listen. You tell me if he's lying." "Okay," Aria said. "I can do that." Noah typed the response. I'll be there. But I'm bringing counsel. He hit send. Almost immediately, a calendar invite popped up on his screen. Meeting: West / Blackwood. Time: Tomorrow, 2:00 PM. Location: NeXus Boardroom (Neutral Ground).

He pulled out the heavy leather chair, his shoes clicking softly against the concrete floor before he settled in. "Let's begin with the North Atlantic ledger, Mrs. Blackwood," Cole said, his voice a dry, level rasp that echoed off the cold plaster walls. He tapped his gold pen against the table in a slow, rhythmic staccato that sounded like a ticking clock in the silent room.

"The board meeting just received the Northcrest files, Scar. The meeting is in thirty minutes. Marcus is about to walk into an ambush he didn't see coming." I looked at the news feed. The stock ticker for Reed Global was already starting to dip. "Let it burn," I whispered.

Adrian Blackwood stood motionless in the center of his dimly lit study, the shattered remains of the whiskey glass still scattered across the floor like shards of his fracturing empire. The urgent report from his assistant hung in the air like smoke after an explosion. Northridge Development Project the crown jewel they had fought for over two years was gone. Signed over to Ethan Bright’s company in a swift, humiliating move. Three more major partners had followed within hours, citing “reputational risks” and “ethical alignment.” Stock prices for Blackwood Industries had plunged another 22% in after-hours trading. Billions evaporated in a single afternoon.

Dad grabbed the nurse, throwing her out of the room alongside himself. "Well-done, Emily, you have accomplished your mission." A sinister scent emerged, a wicked laugh echoing across the room. The once blue sky was now a mixture of black and white with the moon reflecting its radiant image. Wails filled the air as a ray of light fell from the sky, hitting a mountain on the other side of town. I groaned, wincing as my hand was scorched by the flaming book. The pages settled, words in red appearing on the pages. "Strigoi, Nosferatu, Jiangshi…"

I leaned in, and the name on the screen stopped my breath before he even said it out loud, seventeen years of building something out of nothing suddenly feeling as fragile as a single unauthorized login. "Blackwood," Noah said quietly. "It's Blackwood. Someone inside our own company has been on their payroll, and nobody caught it until a seventeen-year-old with a laptop and too much free time decided to go looking."

Elias whispered, pushing the glass doors open. We sprinted across the polished floor toward the central console. The room was cold, cooled by massive industrial air chillers to keep the processors from melting down under the immense load of the Blackbriar network. I reached the console, wiping a streak of dried blood from my forehead. The interface was active, showing a real-time progress bar of the Board's current deployment: [BLACKBRIAR GLOBAL INITIATION: 94% COMPLETE] [ESTIMATED BROADCAST LOCK: 04:12]

He turned pages for a long time. The notebook, I would find out later, contained everything. From the first week of our return to New York, Noah had been keeping a record. Observations. Diagrams. Timelines. Names connected by lines. Financial structures sketched from overheard conversations. Board meeting outcomes noted with their implications. Pages that looked like a journalist’s notebook and a lawyer’s brief and a child’s diary all at once, the three registers mixing on every page in Noah’s precise careful handwriting. He had documented the entire Blackwood crisis.

"You'll be reviewing the new products today with the production team and a meeting with the finance team." "Also, you'll join the board meeting in the evening." "Is that all?" "No, Uhm... I heard that the Blackwood's empire would be fully coming back to New York very soon." Lena was stunned for a moment, she has heard a lot about the Blackwood's empire and how great and untouchable they are. "Do more research and find out when and where." Lena instructed carefully. "Yes Ma'am." Arianna replied. NIGHT: LENA'S MANSION