Chapter 3 - The Morning Scandal
I stared at the thick legal contract resting on the leather seat of the limousine.
"You spent fifty thousand dollars without even asking me?" I demanded, my hands shaking violently.
Ryan leaned back against the plush seats, looking entirely too relaxed for the situation.
"I consider it an initial investment in a highly lucrative partnership," he replied smoothly.
"I am a waitress, Mr. Blackwood, not a corporate asset."
Ryan sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck in a rare moment of visible stress.
"My board of directors is aggressively trying to force me out of my own company."
"They claim my bachelor lifestyle makes me too volatile to manage a global empire."
He pointed a long, elegant finger at the legal document next to me.
"If I present them with a wholesome, grounded wife, they will drop the vote of no confidence."
"And in return, you get to keep your father's diner completely debt-free."
It was an impossible amount of money for a completely ridiculous charade.
But as I looked at the photograph of my father's faded diner sign, I knew I had no choice.
I grabbed the heavy gold pen from the console and signed my name on the dotted line.
Ryan smiled, a genuine expression that actually made my heart skip a sudden beat.
"Welcome to the family, Mrs. Blackwood."
I spent that night in the guest suite of his towering, glass-walled penthouse overlooking the city.
The massive bed felt incredibly empty, my mind racing with thoughts of my strange new reality.
When I finally woke up the next morning, sunlight was streaming brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I padded softly into the expansive kitchen, hoping to find a simple cup of coffee.
Instead, I found Ryan standing completely still in front of a massive flat-screen television.
He was wearing gray sweatpants and a tight black t-shirt, looking dangerously attractive in the morning light.
But his jaw was tightly clenched, a muscle ticking visibly in his cheek.
"Good morning," I mumbled awkwardly, pulling my oversized robe tighter around my waist.
Ryan didn't say a word, he just pointed the television remote at the screen and turned up the volume.
A blonde entertainment reporter was speaking excitedly to the camera with a massive graphic behind her.
"Breaking news this morning regarding billionaire playboy Ryan Blackwood's sudden secret marriage."
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"Anonymous sources close to the couple confirm the rushed wedding was due to an unexpected pregnancy."
The bold text at the bottom of the screen read: "Blackwood Heir On The Way!"
