Chapter 1 — The Marriage ProposalEmma Carter stared at the envelope lying on the kitchen table.She had read the letter three times, but the words still refused to make sense.Final Notice.Her family's house was going to be taken.Her father's business was drowning in debt, her mother's medical bills were piling up, and the bank had given them only thirty days to pay everything they owed.Emma closed her eyes.Thirty days.“How are we going to survive this?” she whispered.The front door opened.Her father walked into the kitchen slowly. His shoulders were bent, and for the first time Emma could see how tired he really was.“Emma,” he said quietly.She looked up. “Dad?”“There is something I need to tell you.”The seriousness in his voice frightened her.He placed a folder on the table.Emma opened it.Inside was a photograph of a man.He was tall, sharply dressed, and had an expression that could freeze a room.Alexander Blackwood.One of the youngest and most powerful CEOs in the country.Emma frowned.“What does he have to do with us?”Her father swallowed.“He has offered to pay our debts.”Emma stared at him.“Why?”Her father didn't answer immediately.Then he said the words that changed everything.“Because he wants to marry you.”Emma's heart stopped.“What?”Her father looked away.“Alexander Blackwood wants you to become his wife.”Emma pushed the photograph across the table.“I've never even met him!”“I know.”“Then why would he want to marry me?”Her father finally looked into her eyes.“I don't know.”Emma stood up, shaking her head.“No. Absolutely not.”But deep inside, she knew something was terribly wrong.Because men like Alexander Blackwood didn't make offers without a reason.And if he was willing to pay millions for her family's freedom...he must want something from her.