Chapter 3 a meeting with the devil

The first thing Ursula noticed when she opened her eyes was the white ceiling.

The second was the beeping sound that echoed beside her bed.

The third was the man sitting across the room, his eyes locked on her with unsettling calm.

What? Ethan Blackwood.

The famous and powerful CEO.

She almost couldn't believe her eyes but that was the last of her concerns.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other, a navy suit draped perfectly across his tall frame as though he had stepped out of a glossy magazine.

His jaw was sharp, his expression unreadable, and yet his presence filled the sterile hospital room more than the oxygen did.

“You’re awake,” he said flatly, his voice deep and smooth, but with a razor edge.

“Finally.” Ursula’s throat felt raw, her chest still sore from the impact of… what?

She blinked rapidly, her mind trying to stitch back the fragments of memory.

Rain. Headlights. A car. Pain.

Then..nothing.

“How could you…” Her voice cracked.

“You hit me?”

Ethan leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. His lips curled, not into a smile but something colder.

“Technically, you hit me. My car, to be precise. You walked right into the road like a woman desperate to die.”

Her eyes widened. “I..”

“You almost got me in trouble,” he cut in, his tone sharp. “If you wanted to throw yourself in front of a car, you should’ve chosen another driver. Preferably one who isn’t me.”

The bluntness of his words stung.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back.

“I wasn’t trying to die,” she whispered. Ethan tilted his head, studying her.

His blue eyes flickered, as if he didn’t believe her. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Silence sat between them for a heavy moment, filled only by the beeping of the heart monitor.

Ursula swallowed hard, then tried to sit up. Her body screamed in protest, but she ignored it. Then, she remembered

“My mom!”

Ethan’s brow arched. “Your… mother?”

“Yes,” Ursula’s voice broke. “She’s in the hospital. She needs heart surgery. Twenty thousand dollars. I was trying to raise I've tried everything I even…” her words tumbled out in sobs. “But now I’ve lost the salon, the money, everything. She’s going to die.”

For the first time, Ethan’s gaze softened..not with pity, but with interest. He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers.

“So that’s the real story. Not suicide. Desperation.”

This is a perfect situation. It is just what I need.

Her breath hitched. “Please, can you help me? I …know you can. She's all I have left.”

“Twenty thousand.” He repeated the number slowly, as if tasting it. “A small amount, really. Pocket change.”

Ursula’s eyes snapped to his, hope flickering.

“You… you’ll help me?” Ethan’s lips twitched upward, a ghost of a smirk.

“Help?” He leaned forward again, his voice low. “Nothing in this world is free, Miss Ursula.”

Her stomach twisted. “W-what do you mean?”

He stood, towering over her bed. His shadow fell across her, making her feel smaller, weaker.

“I could pay for your mother’s surgery today. Right now. One phone call, and she’s on the operating table before sundown. You’d have exactly what you want.”

Her heart hammered against her ribs. “Then…please…”

“But,” Ethan interrupted, his tone sharp as glass.

“If I save her, then you belong to me.” Ursula froze.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

His voice was calm, calculated.

“You’ll marry me. Bear my child. And in exchange, your mother lives.”

Her mouth went dry.

She stared at him as if he had spoken another language.

“Marry you? Bear your… child?”

“Yes.” He said it like it was the simplest transaction in the world.

“Think of it as a contract. I provide money, security, and protection. You provide me with an heir.”

I was actually crazy to think anyone would ever help me without wanting something in return. Everyone is out here for themselves. That's how the world is. I guess. Give and take. Sometimes, they take more than they give. Your life.

The monitor beside her spiked with the rhythm of her pounding heart.

“You’re insane,” she choked out. “You can’t just..”

“Insane?” His smirk widened, though his eyes remained cold.

“No. Practical, actually. You need money. I need a wife who can give me a child without bringing scandal into my family. It’s simple math.”

Her hands trembled against the sheets.

“Why me?”

Ethan’s gaze roamed over her face, lingering on the desperation etched into her features.

“Because you’re desperate enough to agree.”

Her breath caught.

He was right.

She hated the fact that he was right.

Ursula shook her head violently.

“No. I won’t sell myself like that. I will somehow find another way, definitely.”

Ethan shrugged, already reaching for his phone by the side of her bed.

“Suit yourself. I’ll have the hospital transfer your bill to collections. They’ll discharge you within the hour. And your mother..” he glanced at his glistening Rolex watch.

“well, time is running out for her, isn’t it?”

“No!” Ursula’s voice cracked.

She tried to get up but collapsed back onto the bed, her body too weak and sore.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“No, you can’t do this!”

“You're such a dumb girl..of course, I can,” Ethan replied calmly.

He turned toward the door.

“And in fact, I will. Unless…”

He paused, glancing back at her.

“..unless you choose differently.”

Ursula’s heart pounded fast.

Every second felt like the ticking of a time bomb.

If she refused, her mother would die. If she agreed… her life would no longer be hers.

Her lips parted, but no words could come out.

Ethan stepped closer, his eyes boring deeply into hers.

“So what will it be, Ursula? Your mother’s life…”

He leaned down, his minty cold breath brushing her ear.

“…or your freedom?”

The monitor beeped wildly as her world spun.

What should I do? I need to save Mom but at the cost of my freedom?