Chains of Fortune: Beneath the Blackwood Name

very corner of Lucien Blackwood's penthouse office. Ivy Sinclair sat ramrod stra

But her father had begged-no, bartered-he

All cheekbones and cold blue eyes, his stillness made her

hands on the table. "You unders

't a qu

psing. I marry you. You get access to our pate

indow as if bored already. But Ivy

ot afraid

course I am. But fear d

e his gaze lingered. Piercing. Asse

smile. "Neither are you. I tho

eyes-amusement? Annoyance? She

The wedding is in three weeks. Y

r a response. The

heels echoing against polished st

rself to the colde

. Ivy stared out the tinted window, her thoughts spiraling through everything she was leaving

r father... he's desperate. And thi

ossess. The lines w

g about this building screamed Lucien. Cold. Clean. Immaculate. She was ushered in

ice that felt like the inside of a high-end wat

ing window, overlooking the city.

re ea

't give m

learning

tightrope. Ivy crossed the room slowly, he

s of heiresses who would gladly climb i

eadable. "Because you don't want it

. "You think not wanting y

angerous. And I don

, "You'll attend my mother's memorial next we

know she

ut the world t

. "You faked your

d thinly. "N

lence. Her father's name signed across a hundred documents. Her future spelled

love. Or happi

ng up in the modest brownstone where laughter used to echo through the halls. Before the

arrying Luci

m to save what was

her eyes, one th

g them meant

ning on the horizon. The driver barely acknowledged her as he loaded her bags into the

arches. Metal gates that groaned like warning bells. The butler, a man named C

ood is in t

urse

eflected her hesitation back at her. Ivy clutched her bag close

shadows. He stood when she entered, and for a moment, Ivy saw

're

ious

let's

lic appearances. A list of names and

that, we'll move fast. The wedding, the press, t

d y

at her. "I neve

d-but the fire cracked louder,

n with Ivy's eyes. Older. Wiser. Wearing a wedding

this?" s

He reached for the photo

the file by ac

it alon

she

oman who thought sh

om wen

ce dropped t

fai

h closure, but with a be

of a life that promised pow

Lu

or to his past... and d