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 welcomeback 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 stormgray 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 stormgray 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 stormgray 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 wifetobe 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 floortoceiling 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.

Chapter 2

The shock in me went down my spine

His words slid into my ear like smoke, hot and suffocating.

His body pinned me harder against the cold marble of the kitchen island, the sharp edge digging into my lower back. The city lights of London blurred behind him, turning the penthouse into a shining cage.

My breath ceased.

"Watching me? What the hell do you mean by that?

A low, dangerous chuckle resonated from his chest.

His stormgray eyes the same shade as Dan's, yet so much colder darkened with raw hunger.

"That night in the club wasn't a chance, Judith. I orchestrated it. I knew exactly who you were... the woman my brother ruined and left behind. The mother of his hidden child."

Shock slammed into me like a wave.

I shoved at his chest again, but he didn't move.

His hands on my hips tightened, fingers pressing into the red fabric of my dress, pulling me close against the hard evidence of his arousal.

"You... you knew about Lily?"

My voice cracked, a mix of fury and fear forming inside me.

Lily my fouryearold secret, the only light in my broken world.

The thought of Ethan knowing about her all along made my stomach stir.

"Oh, I knew everything," he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.

His breath was warm, sending unwanted shivers racing down my spine.

"I made it my business to know.

While Dan was off playing the victim abroad, I kept tabs on you.

Your struggles.

Your mother's illness.

The debts swallowimg you whole.

You were desperate... perfect for my needs."

His hand slid up my side, slow and deliberate, tracing the curve of my waist through the thin silk.

The touch was possessive, almost reverent, but laced with control.

Heat bloomed under my skin despite the panic growing in my throat.

It had been so long since anyone touched me like this with such intense, unyielding desire.

"Ethan, stop," I whispered, but my body betrayed me.

My nipples tightened against the fabric as his thigh nudged between my legs, parting them slightly.

A soft gasp escaped me before I could swallow it.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

That cruel smirk deepened.

"You say stop, but your body remembers what it's like to be wanted, doesn't it? Dan may have had you first, but I'll have you completely.

Mind, body... and that fire you try so hard to hide."

Emotions crashed over me in a storm. Anger at his manipulation. Shame that part of me the lonely, starved part responded to the heat radiating from him.

And beneath it all, a deep, aching longing for the man who had once made me feel alive.

Dan's face flashed in my mind his tender eyes, the almostkiss in the hallway. But here was Ethan, his twin, claiming what wasn't his to take.

"I signed the contract for the money," I said, my voice trembling as his lips grazed my neck.

"Not for this.

Not for you to... to use me."

Ethan pulled back just enough to lock eyes with me.

His free hand cupped my jaw, thumb touching my lower lip with surprising gentleness.

For a split second, something vulnerable flickered in his gaze a shadow of pain, quickly buried under layers of ice.

"You think this is just about using you?" His voice dropped, husky and rough with emotion he clearly didn't want to show.

"I've wanted you since the first time I saw your photo in Dan's old things.

The way you smiled in those pictures... It haunted me.

While my brother ran from responsibility, I built an empire.

But none of it filled the emptiness.

Then I found you broken, fierce, raising his daughter alone.

You're not just a pawn, Judith.

You're the one thing that makes me feel something real."

His confession hit like a punch to the chest.

Tears formed in my eyes.

Was this the ruthless billionaire everyone feared, or a man twisted by years of rivalry with his twin? His body pressed closer, the hard length of him grinding slowly against my core through our clothes.

A moan slipped from my lips before I could stop it low, needy.

"God, that sound," he groaned, his control eroding.

He captured my mouth in an intense kiss, not gentle like Dan's almost touch, but demanding and devouring.

His tongue moved in, tasting me with raw passion.

One hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head for deeper access, while the other roamed lower, slipping under the hem of my dress to caress the bare skin of my thigh.

Heat covered in between my legs.

My hands, meant to push him away, instead fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer.

Emotions grew stronger betrayal, desire, confusion.

I hated how right it felt, how my body curved into his touch after years of loss of feelings.

His fingers inched higher, brushing the edge of my lace panties, teasing the sensitive flesh there.

"You're already wet for me," he whispered against my lips, voice thick with triumph and something softer longing.

"Let me show you what it's like to be claimed by a man who won't run.

A man who will burn the world for you and Lily." Tears slipped down my cheeks even as pleasure built. "Ethan... please. I can't. Dan" At the mention of his brother's name, Ethan stiffened. He broke the kiss, forehead resting against mine, breathing ragged. His eyes burned with jealousy and raw pain.

"Dan doesn't get to have you again," he growled, but his touch gentled, thumb wiping away my tears.

"He left you bleeding.

I'm here.

I'll protect you both... but you have to be mine. Fully."

The tension hung thick in the air, our bodies still pressed together, hearts pounding in harmony.

I felt exposed, vulnerable my dress hiked up, his arousal throbbing against me.

Part of me wanted to surrender, to let the fire consume the emptiness inside. Another part screamed that this was dangerous, a devil's bargain wrapped in passion. Before I could decide.

Ethan's phone vibrated sharply on the counter. He ignored it at first, leaning in for another kiss, but it buzzed again.

With a curse, he pulled back slightly and glanced at the screen. His face hardened instantly, all desire vanishing into cold fury. "It's Dan."

My heart staggered. Dan the man I once loved, the father of my child, the one whose touch had nearly shattered my resolve just hours ago.

Ethan answered on speaker, his arm still locked around my waist, keeping me trapped against him.

"What do you want, brother?" Ethan's voice was ready. Dan's reply came through, raw and urgent. "Ethan, we need to talk. About Judith.

About the baby. I deserve answers. Meet me at the estate in thirty minutes. Alone." Ethan's grip tightened possessively. "She's not your concern anymore." But Dan's next words froze us both. "I know the truth about Lily. And if you don't bring Judith, I'll tell everyone exactly what kind of monster you really are... including the secret you've been hiding from her."

The line went dead. Ethan's eyes met mine, filled with rage and a flicker of fear.

His body was still hot against mine, the intense promise of more lingering in the air, but now a new shadow loomed. "What secret?" I whispered, my voice barely audible, heart beating faster.

Chapter 3

"I need answers!"

"What secret?"

I whispered, my voice shaking. My heart beat so hard I thought Ethan could feel it against his chest.

Our bodies were still pressed together. Ethan's gray eyes, dark with need, showed a quick flash of fear.

He kept me pinned against the kitchen island, his hard body tight against mine. My dress was still pushed up high on my thighs.

His fingers played with the edge of my panties, which were already wet from how much I wanted him.

He didn't speak at first. Instead, his thumb slowly brushed my bottom lip. Hot tears still stung my eyes.

Even now, with Dan's angry words ringing in my head, my body ached for Ethan.

My nipples were hard against my dress, and heat pulsed between my legs. "Ethan," I breathed, my hands clutching his white shirt. "Tell me. What is Dan talking about?"

He pressed his forehead to mine.

"Not now, Judith. Not like this." His hand slid higher under my dress, fingers teasing the skin near my hip. The touch made me shake with need. I pressed against him without thinking.

"You're driving me crazy," he said, his voice rough.

His lips moved along my jaw and down to my neck, sucking lightly.

"Dan always ruins everything.

But he won't take you from me tonight."

Before I could push him away, he kissed me hard.

His tongue moved deep into my mouth.

One hand cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing my nipple until I moaned against his lips.

His other hand slipped inside my panties and found me wet and ready.

Two thick fingers slid between my folds and circled my swollen clit.

Pleasure hit me fast and strong.

"Ethan, ahh" My head fell back.

It had been so long since anyone touched me like this. Years of empty nights, and now his fingers were making me lose control.

"You're so wet for me," he groaned.

His fingers moved lower and pushed inside me.

"This tight pussy is begging for me, Judith. Tell me you want me. Tell me you need me to make you forget my brother."

I shook my head, but my legs opened wider. "We can't... Dan"

"Dan is nothing," he said, his voice low and rough.

He pushed a second finger inside me and moved them in a steady rhythm, his thumb still rubbing my clit.

The wet sounds filled the kitchen as I rocked against his hand.

"Ethan... please..."

He kissed me again, biting my lip softly.

"Please what? Please make you come on my fingers? Or please tell you the truth that might make you run away?"

His fingers moved faster, hitting the right spot inside me. I was so close. My body shook as pleasure built higher.

"I can't believe I can do this again with you. I've wanted this, but not with anyone. Just me."

"Again?"

I gasped, even as my body tightened around his fingers.

Ethan's eyes grew darker.

His thumb pressed harder on my clit.

"The secret isn't just mine or Dan's. It's ours.

That night six years agothe night you thought was only with him? We shared everything back then. Everything. Including you."

The words hit me like a slap.

Shared? Did they both sleep with me that night? My mind spun with shock and hurt.

Pain cut through my chest as the betrayal sank in.

How could they do this to me? I felt used, like a toy they passed between them

without caring how it would break me later. Anger rose fast, mixing with a deep disappointment that made my eyes sting with fresh tears.

Before I could pull away, his fingers moved faster.

The pleasure crashed over me.

I came hard, my body shaking against him, a loud cry tearing from my throat.

Waves of heat rolled through me again and again until I felt weak and breathless.

Even after I finished, his fingers kept moving slowly, drawing out every last tremble.

Finally, he pulled them out, eyes locked on mine. "Still so sweet," he murmured.

I sagged against him, legs still shaking.

The pleasure faded fast, replaced by cold anger.

"What do you mean we shared everything? Ethan, explain right now"

He kissed me again, letting me taste myself on his tongue.

When he pulled back, I felt tears burning my eyes.

My heart felt shattered into pieces.

The man I was starting to trust had just admitted he and his brother had tricked me years ago.

Disappointment flooded me, heavy and sharp.

How many lies had they built around me and our daughter? The thought made my chest ache with fresh pain.

The soft chime of the private elevator sounded.

Ethan quickly pulled my dress and stepped back.

I turned away from him, my heart shattered.

How could he hide something like that? How long had they been playing games with me?

Disappointment and fury burned in my chest.

I needed to leave.

I needed air.

My legs felt weak as I rushed toward the elevator, tears threatening to spill.

The betrayal felt too deep, like everything good between us was now poisoned.

I could barely breathe through the hurt. I reached the elevator just as the doors opened. A tall, elegant woman stepped out, almost bumping into me. She wore a sharp designer suit, her dark hair in a perfect bun.

She held a tablet and looked surprised to see me standing there flushed and upset.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice cool and smooth.

Her sharp blue eyes moved over my messy hair, swollen lips, and the marks on my neck. A small, knowing smile touched her lips. "You must be Judith."

I nodded, still trying to steady my breathing.

"I'm Elena Voss, Mr. Blackwood's personal assistant." She glanced past me toward the kitchen where Ethan stood. "I came for the Tokyo merger files. He wasn't answering his messages."

She looked back at me, her eyes cold and calculating.

"I've heard a lot about you over the years. It's nice to finally meet the woman who has Mr. Blackwood so distracted from me."

Her tone was polite, but the words carried a sting.

"Though I must say, relationships like this often complicate his very busy life. I've always made sure nothing gets in the way of his work.

Personal distractions can damage everything he's built."

My stomach twisted. The way she said it made me feel cheap, like I was just another problem she would soon remove.

Her words added to the pain already crushing my chest.

Was I really just a distraction?

But what does she mean by distracted from me?

The question made the hurt inside me grow even sharper.

Ethan's voice came from behind me, sharp.

"Elena, leave the files and go."

Elena placed the tablet on the nearest table but didn't move right away.

Her eyes stayed on me. "Of course, sir. But some secrets have a way of coming out at the worst times, don't they?"

She gave me one last look, full of quiet warning.

"Enjoy your evening, Judith." She turned and walked back to the elevator. The doors closed behind her with a soft click.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding.

Ethan's confession still rang in my ears.

They had shared me like a piece of cake.

How could you, Dan? How was that possible? Was I drugged? The pain cut deep.

This new start with Ethan felt just as broken.

Tears filled my eyes as the full weight of the betrayal settled in.

How could I ever trust him again? I turned to face him, anger and hurt mixing together.

"How could you" Before I could finish, Ethan's phone buzzed loudly on the counter.

He picked it up, and his face went pale.

It was Dan.

"I warned you, brother. Elena already knows too much. If you don't tell Judith everything tonight, I will. Starting with the photos from that night years ago".