Chapter 1 THE MAIDEN WHO INHERITED A SECRET EMPIRE

THE MAIDEN WHO INHERITED A SECRET EMPIRE

Genre: Romance, Billionaire, Mystery, Family Secrets, Revenge, Drama

Chapter 1: The Daughter Nobody Wanted

Rain poured heavily over the city of Westbridge.

Inside a small hospital room, twenty-three-year-old Elena Williams sat beside her mother's hospital bed, holding her cold hands.

"Mom, please don't leave me," Elena whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

Her mother, Margaret, struggled to open her eyes.

"Elena..."

"I'm here, Mom. I'm right here."

Margaret reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a small golden key attached to a black ribbon.

"Take this."

Elena stared at it. "What is it?"

"Something your father left behind. Something that belongs to you."

Elena frowned.

Her father?

She had never known her father. Whenever she asked about him, her mother would change the subject.

"Mom, what are you talking about? Who was my father?"

Margaret's eyes filled with tears.

"Your father wasn't an ordinary man, Elena. He was one of the most powerful men in this country."

Elena shook her head.

"Why didn't he ever come looking for me?"

"He did... but there were people who wanted you dead."

Elena froze.

"What?"

Before Margaret could explain further, the hospital monitor began beeping rapidly.

"Mom!"

Margaret squeezed her daughter's fingers with the little strength she had left.

"Find Mr. Adrian Blackwood. Tell him... the first heir is alive."

"Who is Adrian Blackwood?"

But Margaret's eyes were already closing.

"Never trust the Blackwood family..."

Her hand slipped from Elena's.

"Mom?"

Elena stood up.

"Mom!"

The monitor produced one long, continuous sound.

A nurse rushed into the room, followed by a doctor.

"Miss Williams, please step outside."

"No! Please, save my mother!"

But the doctor gently pushed her towards the door.

Elena collapsed against the hospital wall.

Her mother was gone.

And she had just discovered that her entire life was built on a secret. THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Elena returned to the tiny apartment she shared with her mother.

She hadn't slept all night.

Her mother's final words kept repeating in her mind.

The first heir is alive.

Never trust the Blackwood family.

She placed the golden key on the kitchen table and examined it.

There was a tiny symbol engraved on it: an eagle holding a crown.

She had seen that symbol before.

It was printed on the business towers of Blackwood Global, one of the largest business empires in the world.

Elena grabbed her phone and searched for the company.

The results shocked her.

BLACKWOOD GLOBAL Founder: Alexander Blackwood. Current Chairman: Adrian Blackwood. Estimated family wealth: $86 billion.

Elena stared at the screen.

Was her father connected to this family?

Before she could continue searching, someone knocked on the door.

Three sharp knocks.

Elena wiped her tears and opened it.

A tall, elderly man in a black suit stood outside. Two security guards stood behind him.

"Miss Elena Williams?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"My name is Richard Hayes. I was your father's personal secretary."

Elena's heart began racing.

"My father?"

The elderly man nodded.

"I have been searching for you for twenty-three years."

He reached into his briefcase and removed a thick brown envelope.

"Your mother was supposed to give you this when you turned twenty-three. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented that."

Elena accepted the envelope with trembling hands.

"What is inside?"

"Your inheritance."

"My inheritance?"

Richard looked directly into her eyes.

"Miss Williams, your father was Alexander Blackwood. And according to his last will, you are the rightful owner of Blackwood Global."

Elena almost dropped the envelope.

"What?"

"The entire empire belongs to you."

She laughed nervously.

"That's impossible. The chairman is Adrian Blackwood. Everyone knows he's the heir."

Richard's expression darkened.

"Adrian Blackwood is your father's nephew. He has been controlling the company since your father disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

Richard took a deep breath.

"Your father didn't die naturally, Miss Williams. He was murdered."

Elena's knees nearly gave way.

"Who killed him?"

Richard glanced towards the staircase.

Then he lowered his voice.

"That's something you must never ask in public."

He handed her another document.

"Your father's will becomes legally enforceable today. But there is one condition."

Elena looked down at the paper.

"What condition?"

Richard hesitated.

"You must return to the Blackwood mansion and claim your position as the rightful heir before midnight."

Elena swallowed.

"And if I refuse?"

Richard's face became serious.

"Then Adrian Blackwood inherits everything permanently."

Elena looked at the golden key in her palm.

Her mother had spent twenty-three years protecting a secret.

Someone had murdered her father.

And now, the same family that had stolen her childhood might be waiting to steal her future.

She lifted her head.

"Take me to the mansion."

Richard nodded.

"Very well, Miss Blackwood."

Elena frowned.

"Don't call me that. My name is Elena Williams."

Richard gave her a mysterious smile.

"Not anymore. At least, not according to your father's will." END OF CHAPTER 1