Shadows of the blackwood contract

Chapter 1

Judith's point of view

Damn!

I can't seem to wrap my head around this mess.

How can Dan - the man who broke my heart and abandoned me when I told him I was pregnant - turn out to be Ethan's brother?

I can't believe this!

The question screamed through my mind as I rushed out of the crowded living room of the Blackwood estate, my red dress swinging against my legs.

My heels clicked sharply on the marble hallway floor, the sound echoing louder than the laughter and clinking glasses fading behind me.

My chest heaved with every ragged breath.

I pressed my back against the cool wall, trying to steady myself, but the image wouldn't let me think straight.

Dan had just walked into the welcome-back party organised for him like he owned the night.

Of course he did - but I still couldn't believe he was the one we had all been expecting.

Same sharp jaw, same storm-gray eyes, same devastating smile that once made me believe in forever and fall too deeply in love.

He was identical to the man whose arm had been wrapped possessively around my waist only minutes earlier - Ethan Blackwood.

The ruthless billionaire I had agreed to marry in a desperate contract.

Four years ago, Dan had vanished right after I showed him the positive pregnancy test. I had blocked him everywhere in my anger and pain, vowing never to fall in love again while raising our secret daughter, Lily, alone.

Now he was back in London, and his twin brother had just offered me millions to become his wife for one year.

Footsteps approached.

Heavy.

Fast.

"Judith."

The voice stopped me cold.

Not Ethan's cold command - this one carried raw shock and desire.

I turned slowly.

Dan stood at the end of the hallway, breathing hard, as if he had pushed through the crowd just to chase me. His storm-gray eyes - so familiar yet so different from his brother's icy gaze - burned with desperate recognition.

"Judith... Oh God, it's really you."

He took a careful step closer, hands slightly raised.

"I've been searching for you for years.

After you told me about the pregnancy... I never meant to disappear like that." His voice was calm but laced with genuine sincerity.

"There were things - my father's business collapsing, threats from his enemies.

He forced me to leave the country that same night.

I tried to reach you, but you had blocked me everywhere.

I swear I didn't abandon you on purpose."

His voice cracked with real pain.

For a moment, the old memories flooded back - stolen nights, his laughter against my skin, the way he once made me feel safe.

I felt my anger waver as understanding began to dawn.

He hadn't willingly left me.

He had been torn away.

"I... I didn't know," I whispered, my voice softening.

"I thought you just didn't want us."

Dan's eyes filled with relief.

He moved closer, drawn by the years of painful separation.

"I never stopped thinking about you.

Or our child."

His hand gently reached for mine.

"Judith, please... tell me about the baby.

Is it a boy or a girl? Is my child doing fine?"

My heart squeezed tightly.

Before I could answer, he stepped even closer, his familiar scent wrapping around me like a warm memory.

His free hand rose to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing my skin with aching tenderness.

"I've missed you so much," he murmured, leaning in slowly, his lips just an inch from mine.

Just as his breath mingled with mine -

"Dan."

The voice cut through the hallway like ice.

Ethan appeared from the opposite end, tall and imposing in his tailored black suit.

His storm-gray eyes locked onto us with cold fury.

He closed the distance in three strides and stepped between us, his arm snaking possessively around my waist, pulling me flush against his side.

"Oh, good.

I see you've already met my fiancée," Ethan said, his tone smooth but laced with warning.

A dangerous smirk played on his lips as he looked at his twin.

"Judith, darling, you shouldn't have wandered off."

Dan's face paled and twisted with raw disbelief. "Fiancée? How is that possible?

Judith... tell me this isn't real."

Ethan's grip tightened on my waist, his fingers digging in just enough to remind me who held the power.

He pulled me closer, his body radiating dominance.

"She's very real, brother.

And she's mine."

A tense conversation followed - cold greetings masking deep, hidden resentment.

Ethan asked about Dan's time abroad.

Dan gave short, clipped answers, his eyes never leaving mine.

The air crackled with unspoken accusations and old rivalries between the twins.

After a few painful minutes, Dan's shoulders slumped.

Heartbroken, he looked at me one last time, pain and confusion swirling in his eyes.

Without another word about the child - without getting any answers - he turned and walked away, disappearing back into the crowd.

The moment Dan was gone, Ethan's expression darkened.

He spun me around to face him fully, his hand gripping my chin firmly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed, his voice low and aggressive. "Leaving the party to go chat with my brother instead of staying by my side like my wife-to-be should? The final papers are ready.

You will sign them tonight."

I swallowed hard, fear sliding up my spine. His possessiveness scared me more than ever.

Ethan didn't wait for a reply.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the hallway, away from the guests.

"We're leaving.

Now!"

Back at Ethan's luxurious penthouse, the city lights of London glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows like distant stars.

The moment the door closed behind us with a heavy click, Ethan shoved the folded contract and a sleek pen into my hands.

"Sign."

My fingers trembled as I scanned the final clause.

Mom's hospital bills.

Lily's future.

The crushing mountain of debt.

I had no choice.

I signed quickly, the ink sealing my fate for the next year.

Ethan took the papers back with a satisfied smirk.

"Good girl."

But instead of stepping away, he moved closer, backing me against the cool marble kitchen island.

His hands gripped my hips, lifting me slightly as he pressed his hard body against mine.

His lips brushed my neck, his voice husky with dark desire.

"Now that the contract is signed... I think

it's time we consummate this marriage properly."

I pushed against his chest, my heart racing with panic.

"That's not part of the contract! You said this was only for show - a business arrangement.

No intimacy."

Ethan pulled back just enough to look into my eyes.

A cruel, cold smile spread across his face.

"You really thought I married you out of pity?" He let out a low, mocking laugh.

"That night I found you crying in the corner of the club... I didn't feel sorry for you, Judith".

"I had been watching you for months.

Planning"

He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear as he delivered the devastating truth.