VEIL OF OBSESSION

The storm outside battered against the high-rise buildings, the rain blurring the city lights like a dirty painting. Inside a dimly lit apartment, Olivia Hart hunched over her laptop, the glow from the screen casting shadows across her sharp features. The email she had been staring at for the past ten minutes seemed too strange to be real.

Miss. Hart,

"You are cordially invited to an exclusive evening at Blackwood Manor. A car will arrive at 7 PM. This invitation is non-negotiable".

By Mr. Nolan Blackwood

Her fingers trembled slightly as she re-read the name. Nolan Blackwood. The reclusive billionaire. The man whispered about in hushed tones at corporate gatherings and splashed across headlines in rumors laced with both admiration and fear. He had built his empire in shadows, his influence spreading like wildfire, and yet no one truly knew him.

Why was he reaching out to her?

Olivia was no one special, just a struggling journalist clawing her way through the unforgiving world of investigative reporting. She had spent years digging up truths about powerful men, but Nolan Blackwood had always been untouchable, a ghost lurking behind the richest corridors of society.

Until now, her gut twisted with unease, but her curiosity burned hotter. There was only one way to find out what he wanted.

The black luxury car rolled to a stop in front of her apartment at exactly 7 PM. The driver, a stone-faced man in a crisp black suit, wordlessly opened the door. Olivia hesitated for a moment before sliding in. The air inside smelled of leather and something faintly metallic.

No words were exchanged as the car sped through the city, heading toward the outskirts where Blackwood Manor loomed like a forgotten castle. As they approached, the estate came into view as an imposing mansion perched on a cliffside, its outline jagged against the stormy sky.

The iron gates groaned open, and the car glided through, stopping at the entrance. Olivia stepped out, her heels clicking against the wet stone. The grand double doors swung open before she could knock, revealing a butler with unreadable eyes.

"This way," he said.

She followed, her heart hammering. The interior was a haunting mix of elegance and mystery: dark marble floors, towering bookshelves, and candle-lit chandeliers that flickered like restless spirits.

Then she saw him.

Nolan Blackwood stood at the far end of the room, beside a roaring fireplace. His presence was magnetic, his sharp jawline half-shadowed by the dim light. He wore a tailored black suit, his tie loosened just enough to suggest controlled recklessness. But it was his eyes that unsettled her with an abyss of secrets colder than the storm outside.

"Miss. Hart," he murmured, his voice like silk laced with steel. "I see you accepted my invitation."

"I didn't realize it was optional," she shot back.

His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "You're smarter than most."

Olivia crossed her arms. "Why am I here, Mr. Blackwood?"

For a long moment, he simply studied her, as if peeling back layers she didn't know she had. Then he stepped closer, his presence consuming the space between them.

"Because," he said, his voice dipping into something darker, "I have a story for you. But once you hear it, there's no turning back."

A shiver crawled down her spine.

And then, just as she was about to demand answers, the lights flickered and the mansion plunged into darkness.

The sudden plunge into darkness sent a sharp jolt through Olivia's spine. The storm outside howled against the mansion's walls, and for a split second, she could hear nothing but the sound of her own breath.

Then footsteps, slowly measured, came closer.

She tensed every muscle in her body on high alert.

"Nolan?" she called, her voice steady despite the unease coiling inside her.

A flicker of light returned as the emergency sconces along the walls flickered to life, casting eerie golden hues. Nolan Blackwood stood exactly where he had been before, his expression unreadable. The storm raged outside, but inside, it was deathly still.

"Power outages aren't common here," he mused, his voice carrying a weight she couldn't decipher.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. Most people would react with mild annoyance or call their staff to fix it. But Nolan sounded...interested.

"This isn't normal?" she asked.

A smirk played at the corner of his lips. "Nothing about this house is normal."

Her pulse quickened. There was something in the way he said it as if the walls around them held secrets no one dared speak of.

"I didn't come here for ghost stories," Olivia said, forcing her voice to remain steady. "You said you had a story for me. Start talking."

Nolan's gaze darkened. He turned away, walking toward a side table where an intricate crystal decanter sat. He poured himself a glass of dark amber liquid and took a slow sip before speaking.

"I need you to investigate something," he finally said.

Olivia frowned. "You want me to investigate you?"

"You're one of the few journalists who isn't owned by someone." He swirled the liquid in his glass. "I need the truth. And I need it from someone who won't be bought."

Her heart pounded. She had spent years exposing the powerful, but none of them had ever sought her out like this.

"What truth?" she asked.

He exhaled as if weighing his words carefully. Then...

"My brother was murdered," Nolan said.

A chill spread through her veins.

The world knew that Victor Blackwood, Nolan's younger brother, had died in a tragic accident three years ago a car crash that had been ruled an unfortunate case of reckless driving.

"You don't believe it was an accident?" Olivia asked carefully.

Nolan's expression turned razor-sharp. "No. And I have a reason to believe the person responsible is closer than I'd like."

She studied him, searching for any cracks in his composed exterior. "And why come to me? Why not handle this yourself?"

His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Who says I haven't?"

A shiver crawled down her spine. Nolan Blackwood was powerful enough to make people disappear if he wanted. If he truly believed someone had murdered his brother...why was he asking for her help?

"What exactly are you expecting me to do?" she asked.

"Find what I can't," he said simply. "Or rather what they won't let me."

Before she could press for more details, a sound echoed through the halls a low, distant creak. Olivia tensed. It didn't sound like the storm outside.

Nolan set his drink down, his gaze snapping toward the hallway leading deeper into the mansion. He didn't move for a moment, listening. Then he turned back to her, his eyes shadowed.

"It seems," he murmured, "we have company."

The words had barely left his lips when.

BANG!.

The sound of shattering glass exploded from the other room.

Olivia's instincts kicked in. She turned, but Nolan was faster, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the shadows just as heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor.

"Stay quiet," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

The air crackled with tension. Someone or something was inside Blackwood Manor.

And Olivia had the sinking feeling that she had just stepped into something far more dangerous than she'd ever imagined.