Chapter 5 SoldII
As they stepped out of the civil affairs, Summer gasped, pointing ahead. “O.M.G! Is that a Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla?”
Her jaw dropped as she stared at the sleek black car waiting for her sister.
“Heaven, you are so lucky!” she squealed.
Lucky?
The word stabbed through Heaven like a cruel joke.
At the steps, her family stopped. She realized they weren’t following her anymore.
It hit her then, this was it. The end of the life she knew. The beginning of something she couldn’t escape.
Clutching the marriage certificate to her chest, Heaven walked toward the car waiting for her.
At the foot of the stairs, a man in a black suit stood beside the sleek black car, holding the door open. His expression was blank and professional.
She took one last look at her family, before stepping into the car.
The sleek Rolls-Royce glided away, its polished frame vanishing into the distance.
Heaven’s family stood in front of the civil affairs, watching it disappear, their faces a mix of relief and greed.
“I wish I was the one sitting in that car,” Summer whined before pouting, her envy as clear as the sun that had glinted off the car moments ago.
Meredith chuckled, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Don’t worry, baby. With this money, we’ll polish you up and get you a better catch. Not an impotent one, at least. I want to carry my grand children”
“Mother!” Summer gasped, her eyes widening. “I thought you said he wasn’t impotent?”
Meredith arched her brow, a sly smile curling her lips. “You think the Richards family would offer this much money for a wife if he were man enough? They are looking for a model wife who will lie to the press for them and cover up their flaws. The rich families hate stains in their image..I spent a lot of money to get the agent to pick her.”
Damien tore the bandage off his head and winced, revealing bruises. “Did those thugs really have to beat me that hard?”
“Sorry, darling,” Meredith cooed, her manicured fingers tracing his bruised cheek with tenderness. “We had to make it believable enough for her to give in.”
Summer burst out laughing. “Mother, you’re such a genius! How did you come up with that plan so fast?”
“Heaven’s softhearted,” Meredith replied, her smile sly . “She would do anything to keep us from being hurt. Her weakness became our advantage. I just promised the thugs a little extra cash.”
The family Heaven had sold her life to save had conspired against her.
Inside the car, Heaven sat silently in the back seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
She is a married woman now.
The silence pressed against her chest, heavy and suffocating, making each breath hard to take.
Through the tinted windows, the world blurred, her old life fading with every mile.
She wondered what awaited her in the Richard household.
Would her husband, Boyle, be kind or cruel?
Would he even care that she existed?
Or was she merely a transaction, a debt paid in flesh and vows?
Her throat tightened as she pictured her father’s relieved eyes, her mother’s greedy hands clutching the cheque.
Not one of them had asked if she was happy.
Maybe this was her purpose to fix her father’s failures, to bear the weight of his mistakes.
Maybe love was for others, not for girls sold to buy peace.
The car jerked slightly as it entered a pothole, Heaven swayed despite her effort to stay rigid. Instinct took over. She reached out to steady herself.
Her fingers brushed another hand.
It was warm, thick and
She froze
Maverick, who was seated beside her in the back, glanced down sharply. Her eyes met his dark and unreadable eyes, for the briefest second.
“Careful,” he said flatly, his voice deep, raspy.
She quickly withdrew her hand at once, as though his touch burned.
Heat crept up Heaven’s neck. “I… I’m sorry,” she murmured, pulling her hand back into her lap as though it no longer belonged to her.
She could feel his presence without looking at him: commanding, dense, unsettling. The air around him seemed to shift, making the car feel smaller than it was.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously, her hands clenched together.
“You were about to run away, why did you stop?”
His question shocked her. Had he seen her hesitating outside?
“I couldn't,” she muttered, her voice filled with so many emotions.
“Then don’t act like you're a hostage. Nobody dragged you here, you made your choice” Maverick said suddenly, his gaze flicking to her white knuckles.
His words struck her deep. She looked up just in time to see his eyes drop to her tightly clasped hands.
Realizing what he meant, she slowly loosened her grip, forcing her fingers apart.
“I…I’m sorry,” Heaven whispered again.
He said nothing but only wondered, briefly, if sorry was the only word she knew.
His mother had forced him to be present to be a witness to this union, since his brother was too busy to attend his mother's arrangement of a wedding.
He was sure his brother didnt want it to just the was she clearly didn’t want it. He had watched her from where he stood seeing her attempt to run but she didn’t have the courage. He could give a little push.
She was young, had hazel eyes, pale skin, brown hair.
“You know,” he continued, “if you wanted out, that was the best time to have eloped.”
Her throat tightened. “It’s impossible, now”
There was a faint pause.
“That’s an excuse.”
She swallowed. “It’s the truth.”
He studied her then, longer this time.
“Say it,” he said suddenly.
She blinked. “Say what?”
“That you don’t want this.”
Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
The car rolled forward, smooth now, inevitable.
She stared straight ahead. “I can’t.”
“Try,” he pressed.
She shook her head once. Barely.
“If you say it,” Maverick went on, voice dangerously calm, “I can have the car stopped. Right now and you can run away”
His words took her back, she wondered why he would make such an offer. it was a tempting.
Images flashed loan sharks, bloodied knuckles, her father on the floor, Summer screaming.
The cost was too high.
She closed her eyes.
“I can’t,there are consequences” she whispered
Thinking of consequences for people who sold her.
“Then that’s your answer,” Maverick said at last. “Don’t apologize to me again.”
The car slowed as it approached a towering black gate.
Heaven’s heart thudded painfully as iron doors creaked open on their own, revealing a long road lined with mangrove trees.
Their shadows stretched across the path, shielding the car from the sun.
As they neared the mansion, her breath caught.
It wasn’t just a home, it was an empire.
Ten times larger than her father’s house. Vast gardens stretched in brutal perfection.
A fountain stood framed at the center. Smaller houses dotted the compound, perfectly symmetrical and eerily quiet.
The car stopped before a grand staircase.
A plump woman in a crisp black dress stood waiting. Behind her, two maids bowed slightly, their heads lowered.
The door opened abruptly.
Maverick Richard stepped out first, his movements sharp and controlled, not sparing Heaven a glance, like their conversation never happened.
The maids bowed deeply as he passed, his silence heavier than words.
The driver opened the door for Heaven.
She stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the stone, her legs unsteady beneath the weight of her new reality.
“Welcome, Young Madam,” the plump woman said warmly, placing a bouquet of pale white roses into Heaven’s hands.
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
Heaven managed a faint smile her first of the day.
“I’m Butler Rose,” the woman continued.
“Please, follow me. The family is waiting.”
Heaven nodded and stepped inside, the bouquet heavy in her grip.
The moment she crossed the double doors, the air shifted.
A woman in her early fifties stood near the center of the room. From the way she was dressed, Heaven knew instantly that it was her mother-in-law.
One hand clutched a landline receiver, the other pressed to her chest. Her face had gone pale, eyes wide with shock.
Maverick who had stepped in before Heaven stiffened.
Then he moved.
He strode past Heaven, movements sharp and urgent, snatched the car keys from the driver, and rushed back out without a word his broad frame disappearing through the doors
.
The butler gasped as a servant whispered urgently into her ear, her expression tightening with fear.
Heaven stood frozen, the bouquet trembling in her hands, her heart pounding in confusion.
What was happening?
The weight of the unknown pressed down on her heavier than the vows she had just taken, heavier than the name she now carried
.