"Watch where you're going!"
Hot coffee splashed across the marble floor of the Blackwood Tower lobby, narrowly missing an expensive pair of leather shoes. Elena Rivera gasped, clutching the empty paper cup, her cheeks burning red.
The man she had bumped into didn't move. His towering frame and sharp, cold eyes made her feel as though she'd walked straight into a block of ice.
"You…" Elena's voice faltered.
The man's gaze swept over her as if she were nothing more than dust. "Do you know how much this suit costs?" His voice was low, dangerous.
Elena straightened, stubbornness flashing in her eyes. "I'll pay you back. Somehow."
The corner of his lips curved, not in amusement, but in something darker. "You will." He leaned forward, his whisper sending a chill down her spine. "Starting tonight."
Before Elena could respond, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Mr. Blackwood, the board meeting is ready."
A woman in her mid-thirties, sleek hair tied in a bun, stepped forward. Grace, Adrian Blackwood's personal assistant, adjusted her glasses, eyes flicking between Elena and her boss.
Adrian Blackwood. Elena's chest tightened. Of course. She had spilled coffee on the city's most feared billionaire. The man who built empires, destroyed rivals, and whose name alone could silence a room.
Adrian brushed past her, but his words lingered. "Come to my office. Now."
---
Elena found herself inside the top floor of Blackwood Tower minutes later, surrounded by glass walls overlooking the city. The air was cold, the office immaculate, just like the man who sat behind the mahogany desk.
He didn't offer her a seat. He didn't even look up at first. Instead, he signed documents with practiced ease, the pen scratching against paper the only sound. Finally, his eyes lifted, sharp as blades.
"Name."
"E-Elena. Elena Rivera."
"Age?"
"Twenty-four."
"Parents?"
"My mother died years ago. My father…" Elena hesitated. "He's sick. Medical bills."
Adrian leaned back, studying her like a hunter examining prey. "Debts."
Her fists clenched. "That's none of your business."
A knock at the door interrupted. Grace entered again, followed by another man — tall, cocky, with a smirk that instantly irritated Elena.
"Brother," the newcomer drawled. "Who's this? A new toy?"
Elena bristled. "Excuse me?"
Adrian's voice was ice. "Leave, Marcus."
Marcus Blackwood chuckled, tossing Elena a wink before sauntering out. Grace closed the door quietly, but not before giving Elena a sympathetic glance.
Elena turned back, anger rising. "Look, I said I'd pay you back for the coffee. That doesn't mean you can drag me in here and—"
"You'll marry me."
The words dropped like thunder.
Elena blinked. "What?"
Adrian's expression didn't change. "You heard me. Marriage. To me."
Elena laughed nervously. "You're insane. I don't even know you!"
"You don't need to know me." His tone was flat, commanding. "You need to sign the contract."
"I'm not some desperate—"
"Your father's debt." Adrian slid a folder across the desk. Her breath caught when she saw hospital bills, bank notices, red stamps screaming FINAL WARNING.
Her blood ran cold. "How did you—"
"I own the bank. The hospital. Everything that touches your life." His eyes darkened. "And I can make it disappear with one signature. Yours."
Elena's voice trembled. "Why me? You could have anyone."
Adrian's jaw tightened. He stood, walking around the desk until he was inches away. His presence was overwhelming, his scent a mixture of expensive cologne and danger.
"Because you're the only woman in this city who doesn't love me."
Her lips parted in shock. "That's ridiculous—"
"You think so?" His eyes bored into hers. "Every woman who's loved me… has suffered. Betrayal. Ruin. Death."
Elena's heart skipped. "That's absurd. A curse?"
"You don't have to believe me," he said softly, almost bitterly. "But you will. If you stay close long enough."
At that moment, the chandelier above flickered. A lightbulb popped, glass shattering on the floor beside her. Elena gasped, stumbling back. Adrian caught her wrist before she fell.
His grip was firm, protective, yet unyielding. His eyes never left hers. "You see? The curse doesn't waste time."
Grace rushed in, alarmed. "Mr. Blackwood! Are you—"
"I'm fine," he cut her off, still holding Elena's wrist. "Prepare the marriage contract."
Elena yanked her hand free, voice shaking. "You're insane. I'm not marrying a stranger because of some superstition."
Adrian's smirk returned, dangerous and confident. "You'll marry me, Elena. Not because of the curse. Because you have no choice."
Her stomach twisted. "And if I refuse?"
Adrian leaned closer, his whisper deadly. "Then your father dies in debt tomorrow."
The room went silent. Only t
he storm outside rumbled, as if echoing the fate now hanging over her head.
Elena's breath hitched. Trapped. Caged. She looked into his cold eyes and knew one thing—
Her life would never be the same again.