A Marriage Under Contract

Samantha

One evening never seemed like it could have changed my entire life. Here I am, nevertheless, staring at a face in front of the mirror that seems more haunted than it has ever looked. Four years ago, everything was different. I was distinct. I was hopeful. Dreaming was something I did. My future did not involve always on edge waiting for the next catastrophe to occur.

That predates his arrival into my life.

I let out a strong exhale, running a hand over my son's messy hair as he runs his toy truck on the floor next to me. Ethan: Every time I utter his name, my pulse speeds. My one lighthouse in the gloom, he is the one decent thing that emerged from that evening.

I once more check my reflection and see my hands shaking. I cannot focus on anything else since the call I got this morning still haunts me.

Samantha, we know you.

I had hung up right away, panic knotting my stomach. How would they have located me? I had done all in my ability to get off the radar and bury the past sufficiently deep that nobody would ever find it. Until lately, I felt I had succeeded.

I'm pulled from my ideas as the phone rings suddenly. My pulse leaps from my neck. Looking forward to the worst, I grab it from the counter. Rather, but, I can't identify this number. Not the same one from the past but still foreign.

"Hey?," I asked . My speech was wobbly, showing the underlying terror.

"Samantha Dawson??" One asks in a deep, authoritative voice.

I am hesitant. "Who else is asking?"

Adrian Blackwood here is the name.

I think my heart stops for a moment. Adrian Blackwood. Every business journal, every headline, every piece on billionaires who possess more influence than most people could possibly grasp-the name I have seen on every one of them. the man wielding iron fists over New York's corporate scene. The man I never, in a million years, could have ever imagined talking to.

Why is he giving me calls?

Trying to keep my voice calm, I apologize, Mr. Blackwood. "What can I do for you?"

There's a stop, and I practically hear him measuring me over the phone. At last, his tone was quiet and deliberate, "I have a proposition for you." "One that would be good for us both."

I grimace, uncertainty whirling around the residual terror from the previous call. "I do not understand...."

"I need a wife, Ms. Dawson," Adrian says, his sentences short and direct. And you have to be protected.

My pulse freezes in my throat. How is he aware of that? How informed is he about my needs?

My mind racing, I add gently, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"I know about your son," he adds, his voice exact and devoid of feeling. "I understand you run a hazard. For a charge, I can assist you.

My blood is chilly. He refers to Ethan. He is aware of the risk. But really knowledge of him? And from what perspective is he discussing prices?

"I am not sure what you are-"

"Don't play games with me, Samantha," he says, his voice hardening. "I can bring all of this under control. The debt, the dangers, the folks after you... You must, however, agree to my terms.

My heart thumping in my chest, I chew hard. I want nothing to be engaged in whatsoever this is. What decision, though, do I have? On my own, I cannot shield Ethan. I have been trying for years; it is only getting more difficult.

" What are your terms?" I ask softly; the words hardly come out of my mouth.

"I need a wife," he says, his voice as sharp and frigid as steel. "For appearances," Businesswise. It's only a makeshift arrangement; nothing more.

A marriage under contract. I have heard of events like this occurring in his universe-rich people negotiating with relationships like chips. I never imagined, though, I would be involved in one.

And what in turn do I get? Though I already know the response, I ask.

"Your son's personal security. Your own personal safety. Enough money to settle all of your debt as well.

My emotions are flying, my head whirling. I have not trusted him. Not even a second. On the other hand, the alternative is worse. Even terrible.

I say, my voice almost above a whisper, "I need time to think about it".

His final tone, he says, "You don't have time." "I'll forward the contract by the end of the day. You will sign it; we will proceed. Alternatively you can decline and gamble with the folks attending your event.

My gut starts to tighten itself. He is giving me no option. Like I was four years ago, I am caught. This time only, not just me. Ethan as well. And I cannot afford to choose poorly.

"I will... I say, my voice quivering as the weight of the choice slams down on me.

"Good," he responds just as if he expected nothing less. "We'll meet tomorrow to finish everything."

And he hangs up, leaving me standing there staring at the phone in my palm while my heart thumps in my chest. What exactly did I agree to?

Adrian

My mind immediately turns to the next chore at hand as I toss my phone on the desk. Sam Dawson. I can feel her going to be a trouble. But I'm not free to deal with issues. I need this deal right now and will need it going forward. If I fail to confirm my stance, all my father created would be removed from me. His company is barely hanging.

Still, she has something about her. Something I find difficult to exactly identify. She agreed rather rapidly, which surprised me. Desperate people, then again, act in ways they never would have considered.

Still, her story goes beyond what first greets the eye. I can tell. Whichever it is, I'll find out. Nobody confides in me for very long.

Samantha

I got up the following morning with a stomach ache. Already here, mocking me on the kitchen table, the contract has arrived. As of yet, I haven opened it. The tiny print and the stipulations tying me to Adrian Blackwood for God knows how long bothers me.

I do not have any option, though.

Pulling the contract toward me, my hands shaking as I turn the pages, I sit down. And that's when I find it hidden in the legal jargon-a clause rendering my blood useless.

No secrets. None of them are lying. Ignoring any pertinent information may cause the contract to be immediately terminated under heavy financial penalties.

My heart is hammering, I fix my gaze on the words. He has no knowledge about Ethan. Not now. But should he learn...

That cannot be allowed to happen. I will mark the contract signed. I am going to wed Adrian Blackwood. I never let him discover the truth though.

Because if he does, everything I have worked so hard to defend will come toppled around me.

I knock at the door as I sign my name on the dotted line. My pulse sharpens and a sensation of gloom blankets me. I fix my gaze on the time. For Adrian, it is far too early. One could wonder who it could be.

My heart almost stops when I open the door.

One person I never would have dreamed I would see again is standing there grinning sinisterly.

"Hello, Samantha," he says with a poisoned tone.

And at that point I understand-my past is about to catch up with me in ways I never could have predicted.

CHAPTER 001

The Deal

Samantha's POV

I never dreamed my life would turn out-a marriage contract signed under pressure, bound me to a guy whose authority terrified me. Perched in Blackwood Tower's gleaming lobby, I hold the battered handbag strap as though it were the only solid object in my life. The hum of vital conversations around me feels alien, like a language I cannot know as the chilly air from outside sweeps through the rotating doors. These are folks that belong here. I fail to.

My eyes fly to the elegant, polished elevators at the end of the corridor; their metallic sheen simply causes my palms to perspire more. This place screams riches, power, dominance everywhere. Every instinct I have drives me to dash to grab Ethan and vanish. But there is nowhere left to go. There are less places to hide. First and foremost is my son's protection; this deal-this cold, lifeless transaction-is my only choice. Ethan specifically. Constant for Ethan.

I inhale deeply, the contraction in my thoughts like a distorted echo echoing back. Adrian used sharp, precisely unambiguous language. This is not a marriage in any sense, not one motivated by even convenience or affection. It's a bargain, a smart business move, and right now I'm simply a component of the puzzle in Adrian Blackwood's great plan.

"Samantha Dawson?" asked One voice piercing and exact breaks through my ideas.

I search and find a tall woman with a fitting black dress whose features match her tone. Mr. Blackwood is ready for you.

My voice won't cooperate, so I nod and my throat feels dry. Expecting me to follow, the woman turns without another word and I follow, feeling as though I am being guided toward my execution. The pit in my gut gets deeper as the elevator doors slide close with a gentle, mechanical hum. Men like Adrian Blackwood-ruthless, strong, untouchable-have avoided me for years. Now, though, I am going to become his wife in name only and am walking directly into his den.

The elevator rings gently, and I walk out into a floor to ceiling window corridor. The city extends broad and apathetic far beyond the window. It seems like the life I used to lead-something far off and unreachable. Life I will never be able to return.

We stop before a large pair of double doors. The woman knocks once, opens them without waiting for a reply. I walk in and my heart thumps in my chest.

Seeing Adrian Blackwood personally is worse than I could have imagined. He is standing behind a slick black desk. He is suffocating; towering, broad, his dark suit fits his shape exactly. His piercing, icy eyes evaluate me with a look that seems to peel away all my defenses. My skin crawls as I can sense the power emanating off him in waves.

"Ms. Dawson," he says, his voice lacking warmth yet silky. " Please, sit."

I make myself move, seated across from him, my fingers gripping the chair's edges as though they might stop my hands from shaking. His eyes again darted over me, evaluating, computing. I detest the way it makes me feel-that I am just a line item in a commercial agreement. a good or service to exchange.

"I assume you've read the contract," he adds, his voice indifferent, nearly bored.

I let out a nod. Absolutely.

"And you grasp what's expected of you?"

Though I find the words stuck in my throat, I can whisper, "Yes."

He sits silently for a lengthy, awkward period while fixated on me. I'm not sure whether he's just savoring his current control over me or whether he's waiting for me to crack. In either case, it is intolerable.

"Good," he replies at last, sitting down across from me and his face is unreadable. "Then we may go forward."

I try to pay attention and remind myself why I'm here. For Ethan specifically. I am acting for him in all I do. But it is difficult to breathe under the weight of this moment, of the future I am locking myself into.

"You'll move in immediately," Adrian says, his voice assuming a corporate precision. "In our arrangement, appearances are key, hence you should successfully play my wife. Public events, dinners, meetings-you will be at all of them at my side."

I nod once again, more like a puppet with every syllable.

He leans forward slightly and whispers, "I'm not asking for a real marriage," with eyes never leaving mine. Still, I do hope for fidelity. I cannot accept betrayal.

I push myself to nod even though I have a shiver down my back. "I understand."

"Good," said His eyes still stare directly at me, relentless. "We will notify you of the participation next week. You will remain invisible till then.

I nod once more even as my stomach turns around. Then after that?

"After that, Ms. Dawson, you're Mrs. Blackwood." His tone is decisive, therefore eliminating any possibility for debate.

The weight of the contract I signed covers me like a veil as I leave his office. There is no marriage here. One is in a cage. a prison. One I have deliberately entered; there is no escape.

One thing is certain, though: I will do everything to keep Ethan safe-even if it means selling my soul to a man like Adrian Blackwood.

I watched Ethan play later that evening on the floor of our small flat. His laughter fills the little room, naive and pure, totally ignorant of the storm building around us. Thinking about the transaction I just made, the life I have condemned us to, my chest contracts.

How ought I to explain this to him? How do I help him to see that all I have done-for him-has been? He is young enough not to know. Too naive to fully appreciate the costs I have paid to keep him safe.

I force myself to be strong while brushing a tear off my cheek. I picked this path. Not now is there going back.

But the thought bites me when I see him play-what if I have made a horrible mistake? More dangerous than I could possibly grasp is Adrian Blackwood. Walking into his world, I thought I could endure and that I could shield Ethan. But just how long before he discovers the truth? How long before he learns what I have been running from throughout all these years?

For everything I have done will fall apart if he does.

I cannot let that also happen.

A harsh knock resounds throughout the flat as I cuddle Ethan into bed. My pulse leaps into my throat. Nobody shows up here at this hour. I slowly, carefully go toward the door and look through the peephole.

My blood turns chilly.

On the other side of the door sits a man I believed I had left behind. An old man from my past.

And then the bargain I struck with Adrian Blackwood seems like the least of my concerns.

Chapter 002

Secrets in the Shadows

Samantha's POV

After the knock, I had hardly time to respond. Fearing the worst, my heart racing, I cautiously pushed open the door. However, the sight of the man's expressionless face gazing across the room made me gasp for air. It had been years since I last laid eyes on him.

"Jared," I said, my voice showing the shock and panic twisting within me. His keen green eyes locked with mine, the same ones that had once assured me of everything now icy and far-off. " What are you doing here?"

Without an invitation, Jared entered and his big form threw shadows across the poorly lighted apartment. Memories I had buried long ago, praying never to see him ever more flooded back. But here he was, in front of me, a phantom from a past I believed I had left behind.

His voice low, deliberate, "I told you I'd find you," he said. "You did not believe you could simply vanish?"

My heart accelerated as I turned to look at Ethan, still deeply asleep in the next room, totally oblivious of the threat now prowling at our door. Though my mind flew and I tried to keep calm, the fear shook my hands.

Trying to keep my voice calm, I continued, "I'm not sure what you think you're doing here." Still, Jared, I want no conflict. Just let go.

Jared laughed, stepped in front, his presence too strong. "Oh, Sam, I am not here for problems. I'm here to ensure you keep in mind your debt to me. Did you not assume I would overlook that small debt?

My gut turned over with anxiety. The loan. I had been running, trying to keep one step ahead of him, protecting my son from the life I used to know for years. I , however, let him once more rule me. I would not.

"Leave us alone," I snarled, my voice harsher this time, full of the wrath I had been stifling for years. I have nothing to owe you.

Not bothered by my disobedience, Jared grinned. "You were consistently stubborn. Still, I found you to be appealing. He moved back, hands in his pockets, still fixed on me. "Here's the deal, Sam. You are not positioned to be demanding. Not when I know precisely what you have been up to and who you have been attempting to keep quiet.

His eyes flicked to Ethan's chamber, a nasty sneer twisting on his lips, and I shivered down my spine.

"Ethan doesn't need to know about you," I spat, my fury growing as I battled to keep my voice quiet. You keep your distance from him. To you, he is not anything.

Jared ar eyebrows, laughter dancing in his eyes. Is that indeed? I am still his father.

My breath seized in my throat as the words struck me like a gut-reversing punch. Jared was not entitled to label himself as Ethan's father. He had not been there, had not shown concern when I had been terrified, alone, and pregnant. I had escaped for him, and he was the reason I had been compelled into a life I no longer knew.

This was not the time for argument, though. Ethan needed to be kept distant from the nasty world Jared lived in, hence shielding him. And now the stakes were higher than ever, Adrian Blackwood's contract hovering over me.

Desperate lacing my voice, "whatever you want, just leave him out of it." Though I detested my weak voice, I was unable to let pride control me. Not when Ethan's life hung precariously.

Jared's face softened, but only marginally. "That is dependent on you, Sam. You follow my advice, and I will remain away from your beautiful little life. Cross me, though... His smile grew broad, sinister and terrible. You know just how it goes.

My thoughts whirling with options, with ways out of this, I swallowed the lump in my throat. Still, there was no easy fix. Not with Jared here, not with Adrian waiting for me to perform my side of our twisted contract. Two devils were dragging me in different directions and I was caught between them.

Jared's phone buzzed, slicing across the tension like a dagger before I could reply. He yanked it out, smirking at the screen then turning back to look at me.

Stepping back toward the door, he added, "Looks like our little chat is over for now." But Sam, relax not too much. Real soon I will be seeing you once more.

And he disappeared like that, leaving me stunned and afraid in the middle of the room. I inhaled deeply and worked myself to cool off. Ethan wouldn't be able to watch me like this. He looked at me as powerful.

But my mind kept racing as I settled on the couch, unable to get rid of the terrible sense that my life was sliding out of control. Between Adrian and Jared, I had no idea how I was going to keep us safe, how I would shield my boy from the hazards approaching us from all directions.

I woke up the next morning feeling heavy. The talk with Jared stayed on repeat in my head, tormenting me even in sleep. I knew I had to face Adrian, uphold appearances and fulfill my side of the marriage contract, but Jared's return sent everything into anarchy.

My nerves were shot when I entered Blackwood Tower once more. Jared was supposed to show up, to stalk me like a shadow I could not shake. Rather, though, I was met by the polished woman with an ice grin that is Adrian's assistant.

She said, her voice business-like, "Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you," but her eyes betrayed something. A flutter of interest. or was it mistrust?

I made myself nod as I passed her and entered the lift. My chest got tight when the doors closed. I had no idea for how long I could maintain this front. I couldn't let Adrian know; he had no idea about Jared. Should he, everything may be destroyed.

Adrian was standing at the window in his office, back to me when I entered it. As always, his chilly, austere presence dominated the room. Although I detested his treatment of me as little, unimportant, I couldn't afford to rebel against him. Not just now.

Samantha, he said without turning around. You're late.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling the weight of his letdown. He had no need to know why I was late. He had no need to know Jared had arrived, endangering what I had worked so hard to guard.

At last he turned to face me, his eyes narrowing as he examined me as though he saw the turbulence I was trying so hard to suppress.

Sharper than usual, he questioned, "Is everything alright?"

Though it did not reach my eyes, I pushed a smile. "Everything's good."

Adrian only gazed at me, his eyes sharp, as though he could see straight through the falsehood. Then he nodded, refocusing on the city skyline seen beyond the window.

Good, he replied. "Because our work is much ahead of us."

I tried to concentrate on what Adrian was saying as the conference progressed, but my mind kept straying back to Jared. I had believed I could shed my history and shield Ethan from the life I knew. But everything was in danger now Jared was back in the picture.

And I realized Adrian would find out sooner or later as well.

What would he do when he did, one wondered?