The CEO's Secret Name

The sky was gray when Stella walked out of City Hall. A damp chill hung in the air. It promised rain but did not deliver.

She clutched the small red booklet in her hand. The paper felt too smooth. Too new. Everything felt unreal. She looked down at her own hand holding the booklet. The knuckles were white. Just half an hour ago, she had married a man. A man she had only met once.

A low male voice sounded by her ear. The sound was close.

"Serenity Orchards, nine Sandalwood Road."

Stella turned her head slow. The man stood there. He handed her a thin black card. It looked expensive. An address and a string of numbers were printed on it in stark white letters.

"That's the code for the apartment," he said. His tone was flat. "You can move in whenever you want."

Stella took the card. Her fingertips were cold. The plastic felt cold too. She stared at the card for a moment. She did not know what to say. So she said nothing.

She looked up at the man before her. He was tall. He was very tall. He wore a suit that fit him perfectly. It was dark gray and probably cost more than her old car. The suit made his shoulders look broad and his waist narrow. His features were deep. His eyes were like ancient wells. They were calm and very still. There was nothing moving in them. He had a natural sense of distance about him. A wall you could feel but not see. It made people hesitate to get too close.

How did all this happen?

The story was simple. It was also a little stupid.

Last night, she was heartbroken. She was also unemployed. She went to a bar and got very drunk. She drank until the room spun. She mistook this man for someone else. She thought he was the blind date her best friend, Piper, had arranged. Piper had shown her a blurry photo. The man in the photo was named Liam. Stella saw this man at the bar. She thought his eyes looked like the eyes in the blurry photo. So she just went for it.

She grabbed his sleeve. The fabric was smooth and fine. She refused to let go. She insisted he take responsibility for her.

She did not even know what he needed to be responsible for.

But he actually did it. He agreed.

They went to a hotel. She did not remember many details from the hotel. The memory was foggy. It was like a dream she was trying to hold on to. She only remembered his dominance. She remembered he was in control of everything. And she remembered the pleasant cedarwood scent on his body. It was a clean and sharp smell.

When morning came, they went to City Hall.

Now they were here.

Stella opened the little red booklet again. She wanted to see his name. She needed to see it. She only remembered his last name was Blackwood.

A long, slender hand reached out. It took the marriage certificate from her grasp. His fingers were cool when they brushed against hers.

"I need to take these to the company for records," the man said. His voice was void of emotion. It was just a statement of fact. "The Blackwood Group is preparing for its IPO. Shareholders' marital statuses need to be registered."

Stella did not object. Her mind was still in a fog. It was a thick fog. What could she say? He was right. It was a necessary step.

The man put both booklets into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. The action was precise. He told her he was going to Hong Kong on a business trip. He said he would be back in about a week.

Then he got into a black Bentley. The car was parked at the curb. It looked sleek and silent. He did not look back. He just got in and closed the door.

The car pulled away from the curb. It disappeared around the corner without a sound.

He was gone.

Stella stood alone in the cold wind. The wind picked up. It whipped a strand of her hair across her face. A sense of reality finally began to sink in. It was a slow, cold feeling.

She was married.

She had married a man named Ethan Blackwood. A man she knew nothing about. She did not know his favorite color. She did not know if he liked coffee or tea. She did not know anything.

Her phone rang. The sound made her jump.

It was Piper.

"Stella Reed, where the hell have you been?" Piper's yell came through the speaker the moment she answered the phone. The voice was loud. "My brother Liam waited for you at the bar all night! He was wearing a stupid mask! He looked like an idiot! He said he didn't even see your shadow!"

Stella flinched. She held the phone away from her ear for a second.

"I… I think I got the wrong person," she mumbled. Her voice was small.

"What?"

"Can you just come pick me up first? I'm outside City Hall," Stella said. She wanted to change the subject. She needed to change the subject. Her legs felt weak. They felt like jelly. She did not want to walk.

"Stay put!"

Piper hung up.

The line went dead. Stella waited. The street was busy. Cars passed. People walked by on the sidewalk. They all seemed to have a purpose. A place to be. She felt like a statue. Just standing there.

Ten minutes later, a huge black car pulled up in front of her. It was a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. It looked more like a tank than a car.

The tinted window rolled down. Piper’s face appeared. She was wearing big sunglasses that covered half her face.

"Get in."

Stella opened the heavy door and slid into the passenger seat. The leather was soft. The car was silent inside. "When did you get a new car?"

"This isn't my car," Piper said. She was looking straight ahead as she drove. "It belongs to my older brother. The devil himself. He just left on a business trip today, so I took it out for a joyride. You better not touch anything. He's a neat freak. A real one. He'll lose his mind if anyone but his future wife touches his car."

Stella nodded. She pulled her hands into her lap and sat very still. She did not want to cause any trouble. Not today.

She sat still.

Then she caught a familiar scent.

It was faint at first. Just a hint in the air. The car had a faint smell of cedarwood. Her mind tried to place it. It was clean. It was sharp. It was the exact same scent as the man from last night.

Stella did not think too much about it. She just assumed the cedarwood scent was some niche car air freshener.

Outside the car window was the crisp air of Veridian City. Spring was approaching. Green buds were already appearing on the tree branches.

Stella had just arrived in the city today.

She had just broken up with her ex-boyfriend and quit her job. Feeling lost, she had no choice but to seek refuge with her best friend.

She did not expect City Hall to be so close to Piper’s house. The car turned a corner and entered an upscale villa district. After another ten minutes, they stopped in front of the magnificent Blackwood Manor.

Piper led her upstairs.

"You'll stay in this room. I've already picked it out for you. The lighting is fantastic. My older brother's room is next door, but don't worry. He's a workaholic and is almost never home."

Stella noticed that her room's balcony was connected to the one next door.

On her side of the ba