Chapter four

[ The Empire coming down to it kneel ]

Killian Blackwood's POV:

I never thought I’d find myself in a place like this, caught between the weight of legacy and the suffocating grip of failure. Blackwood Empire was built on a foundation of blood, sweat, and ruthless ambition. A titan of industry. But now, that titan is on its knees, begging for mercy, and I’m the one who’s expected to pick up the pieces.

The weight of my father’s disapproval presses down on me more with each passing second. It’s a constant reminder that I’ve failed. Not just as a son, but as the man supposed to carry this empire into the future. The empire that’s crumbling around me.

As I sit in the grand, cold dining room, the silence is suffocating. Selena's eyes cut through me like a surgeon’s scalpel, dissecting my every move, every word. My father, Mathew, hides behind his newspaper, as usual, but I know better than to think he’s not paying attention. He’s always watching, even if it’s just through his silence. He doesn’t need to speak when his contempt is written all over his face.

The quarterly numbers are worse than I’d feared. Sixty percent drop. That’s not just bad; it’s catastrophic. The investors are jumping ship, the board is ready to turn on me, and my mother—my ever-demanding, ever-disappointed mother—is ready to bury me in her endless critiques.

“The empire wasn’t just built by Mathew,” she sneers, her voice as cold as the china in front of her. “It was a vision, Killian. A legacy. And you’ve let it rot.”

I close my eyes, the pressure mounting in my skull. I can already feel the headache coming, the sharp sting of her words sinking in, but I hold my ground. I have to.

“I’m handling it,” I mutter through clenched teeth.

“No, Killian. You’re failing. There’s a difference.”

I can’t bear it. I stand up, my chair scraping harshly against the polished marble. The sound feels like nails on a chalkboard, and I know it’s only going to make things worse.

“I have a meeting,” I say, trying to mask the tremor in my voice, the guilt clawing at my chest.

But Selena's voice stops me cold. It’s sharp, cutting through the air like glass breaking.

“With whom?” she demands, a predatory glint in her eye.

“The board,” I reply, not bothering to look back. I can feel her eyes burning into my back, her disappointment suffocating me.

I walk out without another word, my footsteps echoing down the hallway. Outside, the world feels like a blur. Every step I take is weighed down by failure. By regret. The once-mighty empire that my grandfather built, that my father bled for, is slipping through my fingers. And I have no one to blame but myself.

---

The boardroom is just as cold as the dining room, if not more so. The tension in the air is thick enough to suffocate anyone who dares to breathe. The seven executives sit like statues, their faces grim, their eyes hollow with the knowledge of what’s coming.

“Killiam…” Dixon Bradley, the CFO, starts, his voice low and full of dread. “We’re out of time.”

I swallow hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. The numbers, the reports—they’re all burned into my mind, and none of them are good.

“The banks are no longer nervous,” Dixon continues. “They’re hostile. We can barely cover loan payments. If we default, it’s straight to bankruptcy court.”

I feel the weight of those words like a death sentence.

“What are our options?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, but the cracks are there. They’re always there now.

“Capital injection, merger, acquisition—doesn’t matter which,” Dixon says, his tone blunt. “We need help, and we need it now.”

I grip the edge of the table so hard I think I might snap it in half. My head is spinning. My empire is crumbling, and I have no idea how to save it.

“I don’t know who would invest in a sinking ship,” Alexander Ford, the head of Legal, mutters under his breath.

I glare at him, my jaw clenched tight, but I can’t argue. The words sting, but they’re true. The company is on the brink. I’m on the brink.

Then Dixon slides a folder across the table. My eyes snap to it. The name on the cover sends a chill down my spine.

“Eagles Texiles,” I murmur, the recognition hitting me like a ton of bricks. “They’re the ones who… came out of nowhere.”

“Not nowhere,” Dixon corrects. “They’ve dominated every market they’ve touched. Zero debt, massive profits, expansion that’s almost… impossible. They’re the real deal. If we can secure a partnership or buyout, it could save everything.”

I skim through the folder, feeling my pulse quicken with every page I flip. The numbers are staggering. Eagles Tixiles is worth billions, and their rise is nothing short of meteoric. The possibility of securing a deal with them is a lifeline—if it’s real.

“Who runs them?” I ask, unable to shake the feeling that something’s off.

“That’s where things get complicated,” Dixon says, his eyes darting around the room like he’s afraid to say it aloud. “They go by the name C. Mart. No public appearances, no interviews. Their digital footprint is non-existent. It’s like they’re a ghost running an empire.”

I lean back in my chair, the weight of the situation settling into my bones. This is our only shot, but it feels like a trap. Whoever C. Mart is, they’re playing a game I don’t understand. And I don’t know if I’m ready to make another deal with the devil.

But I don’t have a choice. I have to try. For the empire. For my family. For everything I’ve worked for, and everything I’ve lost.

“Set up the meeting,” I say, my voice cold, like I’m already resigned to whatever happens next. “I want to look them in the eye.”

Dixon nods, but there’s something in his gaze—something that doesn’t sit right with me. He’s nervous. And if he’s nervous, that means I should be terrified.

The last time I felt like this was when I made a deal I couldn’t take back. A deal that cost me everything.

And now, I’m about to make another one. Only this time, the stakes are higher than ever.

I walk out of the boardroom, my mind spinning. The world is closing in on me, and I can’t see any way out.

But I’ll make it work. I have no other choice even if it meant dining with the devil himself.