Billionaire Contract Wife: Eight Months in His Cage

Eleanor Vance POV

I leaned my body down. My cold fingertips touched the glass bottles scattered all over the floor. The air smelled like rot and stale beer. These bottles were everywhere, lying right next to my father's body on the ground. He was drunk. Just like he has been every single day since the day I was born.

I sighed. My soul felt heavy. I had seen this same scene for too many years. He comes home drunk at dawn after spending the night in some dirty East End bar. He drinks and he plays his favorite game. He gambles. He bets with my hard earned money.

He comes home too weak to walk. The living room becomes his bed. He finishes his bottles and ends up passing out. His mind and body are just gone.

I did what I always do. I cleaned up his mess before going to work. I made sure to leave some cash for him. I had to. If I didn't, I would have to deal with the consequences. He would slap my face, or my little sister's face, or do something even worse.

I made breakfast for my sister Ivy. Then I stepped out of our humble house in the East End of London.

I caught a black cab. I told the driver the address of the company in Canary Wharf. He dropped me off after a while in the middle of the cold morning mist.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I sat at my desk. I was early. My work starts at nine, and it was only eight thirty. I took my things out of my bag and cleaned the mess on my desk. Papers were everywhere. Once I finished, I started working on my designs from last night.

The hours went by fast. I was so busy. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized my shift was over. I stood up and stretched. My body ached. I had spent so many hours sitting in that chair. I poured all my skills into those building designs on the paper in front of me. I also helped my coworkers here and there. Some of them even praised my new work.

I cleaned up my mess this time and left the office. While walking down the hall, my boss, Mrs. Adelaide, stopped me. She was smiling.

"Good evening, Miss Vance."

"Good evening, Mrs. Adelaide. How are you?"

I smiled back at her. She patted my shoulder.

"I am fine, Eleanor. Thank you for asking. Did you hear about the party tonight?"

I nodded. "Yes, I heard a moment ago. A coworker told me."

"Good! I will see you at the party in Mayfair. Don't be late!"

I promised her I would be there. I gave her a polite bow and went to the elevator. It was a long, tiring day. I didn't get enough sleep. I have been struggling with insomnia for a while now.

When I reached the ground floor, I walked outside. I looked for a taxi, but I couldn't find one. Cars are rare at this time. I had to walk quite a distance in the light rain. Finally, I reached the bus stop.

After a while, the bus came. I sat in a seat at the very back. I closed my eyes. It felt like heaven. Nothing feels better than resting after a hard day when all your energy is gone.

The moment I stepped into my neighborhood, I froze. A crowd of neighbors was standing in front of my door. They were shouting about something.

"What on earth is happening?"

I ran toward the house. I prayed to God that my father hadn't woken up. I prayed he wasn't hurting my sister while I was away. He does that a lot.

I rushed inside. My heart was pounding. I saw the scene and I was shocked. My sister Ivy was on the floor. Her right cheek was bright red from my father's hand. Her lip was bleeding. He was raising his hand again. He was going to hit her other cheek without any mercy.

I threw my bag away. I rushed to my sister and hugged her. I covered her body from him. I wanted to protect her. My eyes filled with tears. I was so scared of what would happen next.

"Move."

He spoke quietly. He looked at me with a mean smile. He waited for me to obey. I shook my head fast. I wiped my tears. I refused to get up and leave Ivy.

He growled. He tried to pull me away by force. I held onto Ivy. She was crying so hard in my arms. I held her tight because I didn't want her to fall into his violent hands.

He stepped back. He cursed at us. His eyes were full of anger and hate because I didn't listen. He gritted his teeth and hissed at me.

"Fine then. You take the hits instead."

As soon as he said that, he kicked me. He used his heavy boot on my back. I screamed in pain. My nails dug into my palms while I held Ivy. I was terrified. I was hurting.

He kicked me many times. He did it for a long time. He even stepped on my foot and crushed it! My left hand was hurt too. He took all his anger out on me. I could only cry. I rubbed Ivy's back while she screamed in terror. We were helpless. We couldn't fight this monster.

When he was done and tired, he stepped away. He was breathing fast. He looked around the room like a crazy man. He was looking for something. Then he saw it.

My bag.

He ran to it. He dumped everything on the floor. He didn't care about anything but my wallet. He grabbed it with a sick smile.

"He is truly insane!"

He looked down at us. He spat on the floor next to us. He hissed with hate before leaving.

"Whores."

The door slammed shut. Ivy collapsed. She cried loudly in my arms. She kept saying she was sorry. My eyes filled with tears again. I cried with her in silence. I rubbed her back and whispered that everything would be okay.

That lie only made her cry harder. I was always the one who got hit. I always tried to keep her safe from him. I tried to hide her or give him the money he loves so much.

But somehow, he always finds a way to get to her when I am not there. When I can't protect her.

I wiped my tears. I used a cloth to wipe Ivy's eyes. When she calmed down, I helped her stand up. We walked to our shared bedroom.

I told her to take a warm bath. I wanted her to relax. I wanted her to forget what just happened. I had to beg her. She didn't want to leave me. She kept crying and saying sorry.

Once she went into the bathroom, I laid down on the bed. I sighed loudly. My mind and heart were heavy. Every muscle in my body was throbbing with pain. I was just struggling to stay alive.

I looked up at the ceiling. Tears fell from my eyes. I hugged myself. I curled up into a ball. I wanted to find a place to hide from my thoughts and my miserable life. I let out quiet sobs. I had hidden them before because I didn't want Ivy to hear me.

I stayed like that for a long time. Finally, I fell asleep without even knowing it.

Eleanor Vance POV

I woke up a few hours later. It was evening. Luckily, I hadn't missed the party yet. The event was at nine. It was only seven-thirty. I still had an hour and a half to get ready.

I wish I could have said no. I usually say no to everything. But this was the biggest night for the Blackwood Group. It was a welcome home party for Julian Blackwood. He had been away from the company for a long time. He was a Major General in the army. A real high-ranking soldier.

While he was away, his sister Margot Blackwood ran things as the CEO. She had help from their father, Alistair Blackwood. I heard that Alistair gave the whole empire to his kids after his own father passed away.

No one knows why he stepped down. It is still a big secret.

A night like this had no excuses. I had to be there. Showing up was just as important as finishing my work.

I got out of bed. The pain in my body was crushing. I bit my lower lip hard. I had to fight the ache just to get to the bathroom. I needed a shower to wake up.

I lowered myself into the warm water. I let out a soft moan of pain. It hurt so much. I sighed. I moved quickly so I wouldn't have to feel the soreness for too long.

After I was done, I put lotion on my face and body. I tried not to look at the marks on my skin. The scars were all over my back, my feet, and my left hand. My face had not been spared either. My cheek was a little red. I saw a small cut near my chin. I touched it slowly and closed my eyes tight.

My father had painted a very ugly picture on my body. A picture of ruin and violence.

I stood in front of my closet. I moved my hands through my clothes. I didn't know what to wear. Everyone there would be rich. They would be high class. I couldn't look like a beggar from the streets.

I picked out a blue dress. It was made of soft silk. It felt like water on my skin. It had thin straps that tied at the shoulders. The skirt ended just above my knees.

I slipped it on. I walked to the mirror. I had a lot of makeup on the table. I put on some expensive products. I finished it with a velvet red lipstick.

I put on some silver jewelry. I looked at myself in the glass. I turned around to check every detail. I looked like a rich girl. I looked like I belonged in Mayfair.

I put on some blue heels. They matched the dress perfectly.

I took one last look at myself. Then I grabbed my phone and my long black coat. I headed downstairs.

Ivy was in the living room. She was eating dinner and watching TV. I walked toward her. She didn't see me coming. She was too focused on the screen.

I tapped her shoulder. She jumped. I laughed. I love scaring her.

"My God!! You scared me, Eleanor! I almost had a heart attack."

She gave me a funny look. Then she looked at my outfit. Her eyes went wide. She rarely sees me dressed up. I never go anywhere but work and home. I never wear makeup like this. She looked at me with so much curiosity.

"Where are you going, Eleanor?" she asked.

"There is a party for the real boss at The Savoy. I couldn't say no this time."

I bit my lip. My body was screaming. My muscles were crying. If it wasn't for this stupid party, I would be sleeping. I would be resting after what that coward did to me.

"Damn him. I hope he rots in hell!!"

And why do we even need a party for this Julian Blackwood guy? He should just come back to work and be quiet!

I sighed. I looked around for my bag. The one my father dumped out. I couldn't find it.

"Ivy, have you seen my bag?"

She pointed to a long shelf. "I was cleaning up the mess that jerk made. I put everything back inside for you."

I blew her a quick kiss. I started moving my things into a silver bag that matched my jewelry. Then I stopped. My heart stopped too. My father stole my wallet. My ID and all my personal papers were gone!!

I cursed him in my head. I used the worst words I knew. I ran back upstairs. I lifted my mattress. I had some cash hidden there.

"Thank God I kept some money away from him."

I felt better. I stuffed the cash into my bag. My work ID was still with me. I needed it to get into the party. I put it in the bag and went back down.

I kissed Ivy goodbye. She smiled and hugged me. I knew what she was thinking. She thought I was finally going to have fun. She thought I would forget our life for a little while.

I wanted to tell her that it never works.

"You look amazing, girl!! Have fun!"

Ivy shouted those words as she ran to the window to wave at me. Her words made me smile. I felt like I was actually pretty for a moment. I waved back and got into the taxi waiting outside.

I watched her through the window until the car pulled away. We were heading to the party in Mayfair.

Eleanor Vance POV

I kept my eyes on the road, lost in my own thoughts. The silence was broken by the ping of a notification on my phone.

I pulled it out of my bag and stared at it for a second. I was shocked when I saw the sender. It was my father. He was the last person I expected to message me. My hands shook a little as I opened the chat. I looked at the screen with dread.

"Send me money."

I let out a bitter laugh. I couldn't believe it. I rolled my eyes and dug my nails into the car seat. I was so angry. I wasn't going to keep this inside anymore. I typed back with fire in my heart.

"I won't. Forget about taking my money ever again, Father."

A few seconds passed. Then came his annoying reply. It made my blood boil.

"Really??"

I bit my lip. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I opened the window next to me to find some fresh air. He had a way of sucking the life out of me.

"Heaven's curse on him."

I ignored him, but he messaged again.

"Fine then."

My face twisted in pain. I shut off my phone and took a deep breath. That old man is going to be the death of me. I swear it. All I could think about was what I did to deserve a father like him.

What did I do wrong? Why do Ivy and I have to have someone like him in charge of our lives? There was no answer.

I had been standing in front of The Savoy for a few minutes. I was scared to go inside and talk to all those rich people. The bright lights and the loud music were already making my head hurt.

I played with my fingers and took a soft breath. Then I stepped inside. The place was beautiful. The room was huge with crystal chandeliers everywhere. The lights were so bright they took my breath away.

The first thing that hit me was the loud music. I closed my eyes for a second. The noise made my headache even worse.

"I really hate this noise!"

This kind of party was not for me. I found an empty table and sat down. I rested my body and just watched the people around me.

The air was full of fake smiles and polite talk. It smelled like lies. There were so many important people there. Then there were the employees. They were pretending to be happy to be at such a fancy party, but they looked exhausted. They were dying from tiredness.

As I was lost in my thoughts, a waiter put a glass of wine on my table. I think he noticed I didn't have a drink yet. I thanked him with a small smile and took a sip. Then I went back to watching the crowd.

Suddenly, the lights went out. My heart skipped a beat. I wondered what was happening. Then a bright white light hit a certain spot. It was Alistair and Catherine Blackwood. And standing between them was the eldest son. Julian.

He was wearing a dark black suit. He looked as cold as his eyes. He had a white shirt underneath. The first three buttons were open. I could see his hard, tanned chest. His black hair was pushed back in a perfect style.

"So that is Mr. Julian Blackwood!"

I whispered to myself. I stared at him just like everyone else. The room became very quiet when he stepped forward. He took the microphone. He tapped it twice to make sure it worked. Then he spoke. His voice was deep and full of power.

"Hello everyone. I am Julian Blackwood. CEO of the Blackwood Group and a Major General in the British Army."

Everyone cheered. They clapped and smiled. I clapped my hands too, just following the crowd. A few seconds later, he spoke again with a strong voice.

"I have been busy with the army, and I still am. But I am officially taking over the company. I will make sure we expand and grow."

I saw a proud smile on Alistair Blackwood's face. He clapped for his son. His mother, Catherine, had shining eyes. His sister, Margot, was smiling too.

Everyone was looking at Julian. They could feel his confidence. After he finished his speech, he gave a small, forced smile. He bowed a little. Then he started walking around the tables with his family. He was greeting the guests.

People knew Julian from politics. He was a man of great power and dominance in the military. He was famous for his control. He didn't smile much. His face stayed calm and serious.

As I watched them move from table to table, I saw Mrs. Adelaide coming toward me. She had a classy smile. I smiled back. When she reached me, I gave her a polite nod.

"How is the party?" she asked.

I stayed quiet for a moment. Then I answered her honestly.

"It's okay. To be honest, I don't really like these kinds of parties. They give me a headache. I wish they were more fun."

I stopped myself. I realized I shouldn't have said that to my boss. I looked at her quickly. Before I could say anything else, she laughed. She actually seemed to enjoy my honesty.

"It's okay, Eleanor. Just be yourself. I know these high-class parties are boring. To be honest with you... I hate them too."

She leaned in and whispered in my ear so no one else could hear. She acted like she was scared someone would catch her saying it. I laughed. I liked her even more. I took another sip of my wine. But before I could speak, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and groaned. It was my father.

I was so fed up with his calls. I decided to answer just to make him stop. I was so angry. I told Mrs. Adelaide I had to step out. I couldn't talk in the middle of all this noise.

I walked toward the back garden of the hotel. I took a deep breath. A cold wind hit my skin and made me shiver.

I was looking down at my phone as I walked. Suddenly, I slammed into something hard and strong. It felt like hitting a wall. I almost fell onto the floor. My things flew out of my hands. But then, a large hand grabbed my waist. He held me tight so I wouldn't fall.

I gasped. I was frozen. It happened so fast. I looked up at the man in front of me. I couldn't believe it.

It was Mr. Julian Blackwood!

"Mr. Blackwood?!"

His hot breath hit my skin. My whole body shook in his hands. I looked at how close we were. Why was he so close?!

He looked at me quietly for a moment. Then he let go of my waist. I quickly stepped back. I tried to hide how embarrassed I was. I felt his eyes on me. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, just watching me.

"I am sorry, Mr. Blackwood. I was looking at my phone and I wasn't watching where I was going."

I rubbed my hands together. This was our first time meeting, and I had crashed into him. He stayed silent. He was just as cold as I thought he would be. I sighed.

"I am sorry again, Mr. Blackwood. Excuse me."

I gave him a polite bow. I picked up my phone. It was still ringing. I grabbed my things from the floor and ran toward the hotel gate.

The Dark Side

"That bitch!!"

Arthur hissed with hate. He kicked the chair in front of him. He closed his eyes and imagined her dead. He looked through her wallet again. He was acting like a crazy man. He was looking for money, but there was nothing. He had already spent what little she had on the drink in his hand.

"So, Arthur Vance. Where is the money?"

The debt collector asked him. Arthur had borrowed a lot of money for a big bet. He had no way to pay it back. He had gambled everything on a win that never happened. He was blinded by greed. Now he had to pay up or he would be killed. These men don't show mercy. If you can't pay, they cut your throat.

Arthur stayed quiet. He was trying to find a way out. He had to find the money before they killed him.

"What are the ways to pay if I don't have cash?"

The other man laughed. He couldn't believe Arthur. "If you don't have the money, why did you start betting?"

Arthur got angry. "Just answer the damn question, Cleo!"

Cleo sighed. He was annoyed. "There are many ways. You can give up your property. You can sell anything expensive. You can sign checks. Or... you can bet the girls instead of the money."

Arthur stayed quiet for a few minutes. Then a sick smile grew on his face. He whispered to Cleo.

"Tell me that last one again, Cleo."