The Blackwood legacy

he Manhattan skyline. The sprawling city below was a constant reminder of all that was at stake, the

hick with the weight of responsibility, a burden that had rested heavily on his shoulders since h

quarterly earnings report sat open on his desk, the numbers stark and unforgiving. Blackwood E

is family's legacy would crumble, taking

the door interru

ng in his chair as his executive assis

low projections you requested." She appro

nned the figures. "This is worse than I thought," he muttered,

so, sir. At this rate, the company w

wisting. He'd known the situation was dire, but hearing t

nsisted, closing the folder and setting it aside.

he strap of her leather portfolio. "Well, sir,

her had left him a sizable inheritance, but the funds were locked away, only accessib

cess the full amount." Olivia paused, her expression cautious. "It's a

med his fingers on the desk, mind racing. The trust fund was his last hope, but t

" Olivia said gently. "But desperate times

ink of collapse, he couldn't afford to be picky. He needed to ac

ing a list of potential candidates. I want to know every eligib

tebook from her portfolio. "Of course, Mr

the cityscape outside his window. The glittering towers and bust

, calculating precision. But this - this was uncharted territory. Finding a wife, on demand

s, facing that

tation or self-doubt. He needed to act, and act quickly. The clock w

ia would uncover. This would be a strictly business arrangement, nothing more. All that mattered was finding a w

need no

er East Side, Hope Emerson sat cross-legged on her bed, starin

r of her ever-deepening financial hole. The rent was two months past due, her utili

wrong? Just a few years ago, she had been on the cusp of breaking into the art wo

. Commissions dried up, galleries shuttered, and Hope found herself drow

f losing everything. Her tiny studio, her meager possession

pled eviction notice on her nightstand. She had to do something, anyt

s phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming

el

n?" a crisp, profess

this i

Derrick Blackwood, of Blackwood Enterprises. Mr. Blackwood w

Enterprises? The Derrick Blackwood? What on earth could the

otice. This could be her chance, her salvation. Whatever Derri

ice trembling sligh

o collect you in an hour. The

gh Olivia couldn't see

fe within her. She didn't know what Derrick Blackwood had in stor