Chapter two: perfect timing

Carlton’s POV

That woman had something drawing my attention. Most people crumbled when they looked into my cold eyes. But she just glared and told the what I was curious about to my face. No fake tears. No emotional drama. I watched her walk away, shoulders tight like the weight of the world sits the. Anna Vale. The name stuck in my head like a memory I couldn’t forget.

I headed deeper into the private wing. My mother had called me here again with another fake “episode.” I pushed open the door to her VIP suite. The room looked more like a luxury hotel than a hospital, fresh flowers on every surface, silk robes draped over the chair, and there she was. The dramatic queen. my mother,Veronica Blackwood sitting up in bed like a queen holding court.

“Carlton, darling. Finally,” she said. Her voice sounded weak, but her eyes were sharp as knives. Williams, her butler, hovered nearby with a silver tray of tea.

I crossed my arms. “You look perfectly healthy, Mother. Again.”

She waved a hand dramatically. “The doctors say stress is terrible for my heart. And what stresses me more than anything? My only son refusing to settle down. You’re thirty. The board are beginning to whispers behind your back. I keep taking down papers printing nonsense about you and that awful Kourtney woman.”

“Kourtney cheated with my rival,” I said flatly. “I’m done with that circus.”

She leaned forward. “Exactly why you need a proper wife. Someone suitable. But worry no more. I have a list of old family friends. Strong bloodlines. We can announce an engagement by fall. It will stabilize the company and quiet the rumors.”

I laughed once, cold. “I don’t need a list. I need peace.”

“Peace comes with heirs and a ring on someone’s finger,” she shot back. “Your father would have—”

“Don’t,” I cut her off sharply. “I run Blackwood Empire. Not a marriage market.”

Williams cleared his throat politely. “Shall I fetch more tea, madam?”

“No,” Mother said. “Carlton, listen to me. Go on one dinner with a girl from the list. Or I’ll stay in this hospital bed until you agree.”

I checked my watch. “Threaten all you want. But I have real work.”

I turned to leave but stopped at the door. Mother’s pressure had been building for months. The board wanted stability. The press wanted a story. A wife from her list would bring endless problems. spoiled socialites, hidden agendas, more drama. But a woman who needed something from me? That I could control.

Anna Vale flashed in my mind again. Desperate. Honest. No bullshit. Perfect.

My phone buzzed. I had made a quick call right after she walked away. I had found what she came to the hospital to do. I left Mother mid-protest and stepped into the hall. Davis waited near the elevators, tablet ready, suit crisp as always.

“Sir,” he said, falling into step. “Your three o’clock is pushed back. And Mrs. Veronica’s doctor confirms again. no real medical emergency.”

“Shocking,” I muttered. “Davis, new task. Anna Vale. Mid-twenties. Mother Helene Vale, patient here. Find everything. Bank accounts, jobs, criminal record if any. Fast.”

Davis didn’t blink. “On it. The usual depth?”

“Deeper. Family, friends, every debt. Especially the mother’s medical bills. I overheard the amount, two hundred and eighty thousand.”

We reached the private elevator. I punched the button. “And draft a marriage contract. Include asset protection, one-year minimum. Leave the compensation blank for now.”

Davis paused mid-note. “Marriage, sir? This is sudden.”

I thought of Anna’s chin lifting in defiance, the way she didn’t flinch or flirt. “Mother wants me married? Fine. I pick. But not one from her list. Instead Someone I can control. Someone who needs me more than I need her.”

“Understood.” Davis typed rapidly. “Background check should be delivered by tonight. Contract will be ready for review tomorrow morning.”

The elevator doors opened to the underground garage. My driver held the door of the black Bentley.

“Home, sir?” the old butler asked.

“Yes.” I slid into the back seat. Almost immediately My phone lit up with the first file from Davis. Good.

As we pulled out of the hospital parking spot, Davis spoke again from the front. “If I may, sir. A marriage contract this quick… most women run from that kind of directness.”

I stared out the tinted window at the city rushing past. “Yes but this one won’t run. She needs the money for her mother. I need a wife who won’t complicate my life. Simple transaction with benefits. She gets her surgery paid. I get Mother off my back and a wife who knows her place.”

But even as I said it, heat stirred low in my gut. The feel of her soft arms in my hands. The way her breath caught when I held on a second too long. Anna has barely known my agenda, she hasn't signed the contract but somewhere in my gut, I feel this contract will create a lot of challenge. And I never lose a challenge.

Back at the mansion, I poured a whiskey and opened the full file Davis had sent. Anna’s face filled the screen, hospital security photo, clear and stubborn. I read the document. Just as I had expected. Two low-paying jobs. Tiny apartment. Three thousand dollars in savings. Her mother’s bills stacking higher every week. John Smith listed as a friend.

I dialed Davis. “Add the full medical coverage clause for Helene Vale. Immediate wire transfer once signed.”

“Okay,” he replied. “Anything else?”

“Find out more about John Smith. Make sure he’s not a problem."

“Platonic friend from school records. Harmless so far.”

“Hmmm.”

I ended the call and leaned back in my chair. The whiskey burned smooth down my throat. Mother’s endless pressure and the said board’s whispers, Anna solved all of it in one move. A desperate woman. She would sign. She had no choice. I had gotten her number from the hospital and I had sent a text, By morning she should be coming for a job interview.

My phone buzzed. Mother again. I groaned and opened the message, another demand for dinner with one of her list girls. I ignored it.

But before I could set the phone down, another call came through on the private line. Marco Johnson’s flashed on the screen.

I answered, voice ice cold. “What do you want?”

His laugh slithered through the speaker like oil. “Heard you’re already sniffing around some girl at the hospital. And I wondered if I should also be interested. But Blackwood. Be Careful. I still know where all your skeletons are buried.”

My grip tightened on the glass. How the hell did he know already? “Stay out of my life, Marco. Or I’ll bury you so deep you’ll never crawl out.”

I hung up and stared at the dark liquid in my glass. Marco was a problem that wouldn’t go away easily. But Anna? She was the answer I needed right now. A wife on my terms. A shield against my Mother’s constant pressure.

I sent a quick text to Davis. “The contract should be on my desk first thing tomorrow as instructed. I want this done fast.”

Anna Vale had no idea what interview she was coming for, But by tomorrow, she would. And she would say yes. They always did when the price was right.

I finished the whiskey and stood. The mansion felt quieter tonight. Soon it would have a new mistress. Perfect.

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