A dozen years ago, when Sera was adopted by Reggie Blackwood-a wealthy ex-womanizer, she thought that was where her hard life would end. However, when Reggie reveals that he has four secret sons from different mothers, Sera knows it will lead to disaster. What's more, Reggie announces a will full of intrigue: whoever among the four men wins Sera's heart and marries her, will be the main heir to the Blackwood Group. Suddenly, Sera is caught up in an intoxicating game of love. Ace, the domineering ambitious lawyer; Beck, the romantic artist who sees her as a muse; Cal, the compassionate doctor who becomes her protector; and Damon, the mysterious man with a dark past. Tensions between them rise, blurring the line between true love and hidden ambitions. Amid rivalry, passion, and dark secrets, Sera must choose: give her heart to one of the Blackwood Brothers, or escape this dangerous game. But in a world where love and betrayal walk side by side, who can truly be trusted? *** "You're all acting like I'm a precious item that needs to be taken care of," I protested, glaring at the four of them who probably just took my annoyance as a joke. Ace raised one eyebrow. "Wrong. You're a fire that needs to be tamed." "Or to be played with," Damon interjected casually, his smile mocking. "Or to be celebrated." Beck's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Or to be kept lit," Cal finished, his voice low, without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. I hissed in annoyance. They were all incredibly frustrating.
Chapter 1 It's a matter of blood and legacy
SERA
"If I die tomorrow, will you cry for me?"
The question slipped from Reggie Blackwood's mouth, accompanied by a lopsided smile that did not reflect the weakness of his body. Even with a pale face and frequently interrupted breathing, the old man still carried an aura of power.
Sitting opposite him, I was transfixed. My hand holding the teacup suddenly felt too heavy, and silence crept into the room like fog.
"Of course I'll drink champagne with your corpse," I said after sipping the tea, trying to cover up my anxiety with a joke.
A crisp laugh escaped the 66-year-old's lips. "Good idea," he commented. "Who else are you going to drink with anyway?"
I finally let out a long sigh, feeling tired. "You're being overly dramatic, Reggie. Your health is already much better. The doctor said-"
"That pretentious man just wants me to survive longer."
"That's what a doctor does, isn't it?" I did not expect there to be a tremor in my voice, even though I wanted to sound cynical.
"Sera, I'm serious. I didn't call you in between your busy schedule to talk about my health."
I made no further comment, just looked at him silently. For some reason the turtleneck I was wearing began to feel so suffocating and itchy.
"Why didn't you ever ask me why I adopted you?" asked Reggie. The topic that we had not spoken about for years was suddenly brought up. And that meant, I knew that our conversation was really going to get serious. And this was about our relationship, not business or anything like that.
"Because I couldn't question your decision in the first place," I replied, not entirely lying.
"But do you ever wonder?"
Yes, often. On certain nights over the past 16 years, I would think about it. And more often than not, it was in the form of my gratitude. "I told myself that it was because I'm pretty and the smartest one in that place."
Reggie laughed. "Well, that's not wrong." He took a deep breath, then leaned forward. "But another reason is that it's as my penance. On the other hand, I know you are indeed suitable for the Blackwood family."
"Penance?" I never thought that would be the answer to my question from those few nights.
"There's so much I could forget but that four people."
"You killed four people?" I snapped, which made Reggie laugh again.
"No, silly. I mean, there are four men out there who have my blood running through their bodies. Four men who don't even know each other-and have never met me until the past few days. They are my sons, Sera. The sons of four different women."
"You're joking, right?"
"I don't even take million-dollar business decisions this seriously." Reggie leaned back in his chair, exhaustion evident on his face. "And they're coming here. I've called them all, and you'll meet them at dinner tonight."
There was a moment of silence. My mind was spinning wildly. Almost everyone in this town knew that Reggie in his younger days was an adventurer, a love adventurer to be more precise, a womanizer who captured the hearts of many women. But, four sons from four different mothers... I never imagined that. That's way too much!
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? This is too sudden." I emphasized my voice, before finally remembering something important. "Wait, do they know that I ...?"
"Of course." The old man smiled faintly, shrugging casually. "They know you're my adopted daughter. That you have an important role in Blackwood."
"You know I love you, but this is crazy, Reggie." I leaned closer, looking at him sharply. "They must think I'm just an appendage. Or worse, a hindrance!"
"Ah, they won't dare." He chuckled, but a cough followed, forcing him to stop.
"You can't be serious about this. It's a matter of blood and legacy. Money and power. They'll be battling each other before you have a chance to introduce them properly!"
"And that's where you come in," Reggie commented calmly.
The large window in Reggie's study suddenly caught my attention, as if calling me to jump out of there and leave this nonsense behind. "I'm not a martyr, Reggie. And what if I fail?"
"You won't, I believe in your abilities. You've been a Blackwood longer than any of them, and you know what that means."
I swallowed. My breathing was getting heavy. "So, what do you want from me tonight?"
"It's simple. Don't let them kill each other at the dinner table."
"That's madness."
"All great things start with madness, my dear. Now, prepare yourself. They'll be here in a few hours, and I don't want this first dinner to turn into a battlefield. You are my strength here."
I closed my eyes, trying to digest everything. When I opened my eyes again, Reggie was leaning back casually in his chair, with a small smile indicating that this conversation was over.
I had no idea where Reggie's plans would take me this time. However, one thing I was sure of was that after tonight, my life would never be the same again.
***
Dinner time had come. Grant, the majordomo of the Blackwood family said that the "guests" were waiting at the dining table.
I stepped up to the table, feeling the attention on me. The first man seated directly in front of me, with a firm jaw and a serious face, was dressed perfectly in a suit like a CEO. His dark blonde hair was neatly combed back, while his sharp blue eyes stared at me with slightly raised eyebrows, as if judging, but then he covered it with a faint smile.
To his left, the second man smiled in a softer, more open manner. Although his slightly glazed eyes revealed a hesitation that he could not hide, as if he was unsure of how to behave. He was wearing a slightly rumpled casual jeans jacket, with his blonde hair looking a little messy.
Shifting to the left again, the third man smiled in a warm way. His broody gray-brown eyes were full of serenity, as if he was a counterbalance in the midst of this tension. He was wearing a plain white shirt with the top two buttons undone. His eyes looked at me softly, as if he wanted to talk, but preferred to remain silent and respectful of my presence.
And finally, the fourth man sat in a more relaxed manner, but there was tension all around him. His smile was slightly lopsided, with a slightly more intense gaze than the others. There was a mixture of anxiety and tension that was hard to explain there, but I felt like there was a part of him that wanted to fight, while another part just wanted to give up. His black outfit, which seemed like a spontaneous choice, even gave me a slightly interesting impression.
After meeting the Blackwood Brothers-I decided to call them that from now on-there was one thing that immediately intrigued me. I was curious-curious to death-about Reggie's appearance when he was younger. Because, gosh, just look at his four sons: they're all incredibly handsome with their own distinctive features. I no longer doubted that Reggie was a lady-killer back in the day.
***
Chapter 1 It's a matter of blood and legacy
08/02/2025
Chapter 2 I will make him the main heir of Blackwood Group
08/02/2025
Chapter 3 I'm not interested in them
08/02/2025
Chapter 4 Why are you interested
08/02/2025
Chapter 5 I knew I could count on you
08/02/2025
Chapter 6 What about you
08/02/2025
Chapter 7 Messy
08/02/2025
Chapter 8 Want to talk inside
08/02/2025
Chapter 9 Don't go too far
08/02/2025
Chapter 10 First time
08/02/2025
Chapter 11 I'm not intense
08/02/2025
Chapter 12 Can I kiss you
22/02/2025
Chapter 13 Trust me
22/02/2025
Chapter 14 You saw me and Ace kiss
23/02/2025
Chapter 15 You're not allowed to kiss her
22/02/2025
Chapter 16 Go after her
24/02/2025
Chapter 17 I can take care of myself
24/02/2025
Chapter 18 Let me do this
25/02/2025
Chapter 19 I'm just curious about the chaos
25/02/2025
Chapter 20 I do care about them
07/04/2025
Chapter 21 You can kiss me whenever you want
08/04/2025
Chapter 22 Making sure everything is in my control
09/04/2025
Chapter 23 He's right, you're an asshole
10/04/2025
Chapter 24 Something on your mind, princess
11/04/2025
Chapter 25 Don't you want to ask why I kissed you
12/04/2025
Chapter 26 Starting tonight, she is mine
13/04/2025
Chapter 27 I can't stop
14/04/2025
Chapter 28 Did I hurt you
15/04/2025
Chapter 29 I'm happy to come with you
16/04/2025
Chapter 30 A lot can happen in one night
17/04/2025
Chapter 31 You're too kind
18/04/2025
Chapter 32 Missed you already
19/04/2025
Chapter 33 I heard someone missed me
20/04/2025
Chapter 34 May I
21/04/2025
Chapter 35 Go on, don't mind us
22/04/2025
Other books by Anne Joyce
More