Chapter 80 The best day
Zita
Verena had to be the most heartless woman that I’d ever met. Cold. Stone-hearted. She was so impossible.
How could she return every gift box that I sent? All the other gift boxes that I sent to some important wedding guests were made by the maids. But, I had actually put my heart and money into everything that I sent to Verena only for her to dump it into the trash and send a picture of it.
Well, it wasn’t her fault. It was mine. If it weren’t for the fear Kian had instilled in me—about his uncle—Verena would be the last person that I would ever send a wedding invite to.
At first, I disregarded Kian’s warning—thinking that he was only being paranoid because of the fear of his uncle. Plus, no one knew that I was the one who tipped Mandy off.
That was what I thought until Mandy showed up at my doorstep claiming some men in clown masks kept stalking her. And that was when the fear started creeping into my heart because a biker with a clown mask also attacked me.
Then when I took my agnostic ass to church, just because I wanted to please Kian’s parents, a car nearly ran me over in the parking lot.
Those murderous dark eyes.
That clown masked man, sitting next to him.
I was on the brink of losing my sanity when I connected the dots. The cryptic text—where the sender mentioned that they have made me an enemy and would treat me like one now. The coordinated attacks on Mandy.
It all pointed to one person. Uncle Daxton.
So I came up with a plan. Make friends with Verena—worm my way into her heart and manipulate her to my will. Kian had once mentioned how gullible she was sometimes and I planned on using that.
I would rather do all of that than apologize to Verena or admit to what I had done behind the scenes.
Never.
If I made friends with her and became a shoulder she could lean on, Uncle Daxton would have no option but to leave me alone and only face Mandy. That was the plan.
But that witch, Verena, made things hard for me and now, I was a second away from ripping my hands through my hair.
Uncle Daxton wasn’t warning me. He wanted me dead! If Kian’s dad hadn’t cupped my elbow and pulled me back, I could have died.
No, I would be dead and buried six feet in the ground.
The seamstress pulled again, tightening the inch of my corset as I sucked in a sharp gasp. She peered behind me, locking gazes with me through the mirror. “Too tight?”
“A little. We don’t want to strangle the babies. I’m pregnant with twins—” I lied through my teeth, mind still reeling from the mistake I made with Kian and what it could have cost me.
I was just glad that I informed my dad about my slip-up. Although he lashed out at me, he spoke to Kian and told him that he would love for me to continue using the hospital I registered in.
Mum on the other hand had still not spoken a word to me since then.
I studied the white fabric that clung to my features. Beautiful. Exquisite and almost perfect. Yet, it didn’t feel right for me.
It wasn’t what I imagined anytime I daydreamed about my wedding with Kian during my university days.
“I think I will try another wedding dress. Please lose the ribbons,”
She peeked from behind me again, confusion in her eyes. “What? It suits your figure perfectly,”
I smiled at her. “I know but I want comfort and this dress doesn’t feel right for me. It doesn’t feel like mine,”
I could see the skepticism in her eyes before she gave a subtle nod—at the same time my phone vibrated in my grip.
Excitement almost pierced through my heart on thinking that it was Verena and maybe she had a change of heart only for it to die down instantly.
Dad.
‘Don’t be late for the charity event.’
I closed my eyes briefly—slowly looking forward to when all of this would end after the wedding. To redeem my image in the public, Dad forced me into volunteering at multiple charities, visiting animal shelters, and donating to NGOs.
Money that I could have used to get the Birkin, Kian, refused to get me.
Dad wanted everyone to see me in a different light—away from the onlyfans model and the home-wrecker people now saw me as.
Amy, the bridal consultant helped me down the small platform, the moment the seamstress was done with loosening my ribbons. “To the showroom now, right?”
“Yes. I will help you pick the perfect wedding dress,”
After minutes of going through wedding gowns, I finally found the perfect one and changed into it behind the curtain.
“This should work—“ I inhaled a deep breath, ready to go in for the fitting while still hoping that I didn’t hate this like the previous ones.
They all seemed perfect at first until they felt wrong later.
“I think I am ready—“ I yanked the curtains open only for the smile on my face to falter as my heart turned cold in my chest.
Fear grabbed me by the throat and almost choked me. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move or even speak.
All I did was stare at the man who sat on the couch across from me. His silver-speckled blue eyes locked with mine, a hint of darkness behind his Iris as he crossed a leg over the other, a Cuban cigar dangling from his mouth.
I was almost shaking like a leaf. Where were Amy and the seamstress, Laura?
Why would they leave me with Kian’s psychopathic uncle?
When did he even get here?
I swallowed hard, a smug smile pulling at his lips as his eyes took me in. “Your wedding dress is beautiful, Zita…”
I let out a shaky breath, fingers curling around my dress. “Yeah,”
“My woman said you were looking for a friend,” he murmured, voice low and dangerous, each word deliberate. “Someone to follow you to your fittings… to be at your side. Since she refuses, I thought… why not let me be that friend instead?”
My shoulders tensed, a shiver slithering down my spine as I mustered the courage to walk to him.
“Friend…”
“For a few minutes at least,”
My knees almost buckled, as I swept my eyes around the room for an escape, for a savior until—
“You are not allowed to smoke here, Uncle Daxton—“ I pointed to the fire hazard sign on the wall.
He followed the direction I pointed to, gave a curt nod—still not removing it from his mouth. “I know. But I don’t intend to smoke here. You know just toying with it before lighting it…”
Why did those words shake me to the core? He was only talking about the Cigar. Not me.
I didn’t feel good. His presence here didn’t feel good.
“How does it feel being pregnant?”
Was that a smirk? Does he know something because why would he ask me that question out of the blue?
My heart pumped hard in my chest. “Nice. It is the best feeling in the world,”
“Interesting, Zita. So is it one? Twins? Triplets? Or Quadruplets—” The laughter that rumbled out of his throat was deafening, scary, and deeply unsettling.
My lips wobbled. “Twins…”
He gasped. “I’m disappointed. I was willing to bet on Quadruplets…” He rose to his feet and my heart skipped a beat.
With every step he took towards me, every nerve screamed run but fear kept me rooted in the same place.
“Want to know something about me?
I shook my head. No. “I don’t know…”
He slipped his hand into his pocket. “It doesn’t matter if you want to know or not know. I am going to say it anyways. I’ve never met a quadruplet all my life. Isn't that interesting?”
I blinked hard, wondering what this had to do with me. “Yeah,”
He removed the lighter from his pocket, flicked it and the flame bloomed, as the tip of the cigar ignited. Before I could suck in a gasp, he stepped behind me, spine stiffening as his fingers brushed through the nape of my neck and—
Without warning, something hot pressed against my neck as he grabbed my wrists behind me—firmly.
Scalding hot pain shot through the back of my neck as he tortured me with the burning cigar. I gritted my teeth hard, tears forming in the back of my eyes yet, I couldn’t scream or even whimper.
It felt like if I did, he could just press a knife to my throat and slit it open.
“Trying to manipulate Verena by harassing her to be your friend won’t work and definitely won’t stop me from coming after you. Don’t piss me off…” His fingers pierced deep into my wrist, the lit part of the cigar burning harsher against my skin.
This time, my body jerked forward as tears cascaded down my cheeks.
“This is a warning, Zita. A warning. Harass Verena one more time and see what I do to you. Understood?” He whispered.
“Yes sir…”
Then he released my wrist and I sucked in a gasp but he wasn’t far from over. He put a necklace around my neck and clicked it.
I didn’t even dare touch it.
He moved from behind me, stepped in front of me, stared at the necklace, and nodded in satisfaction. I was still trembling, the smell of the Cigar irritating my nose as his eyes met mine.
“After pain comes joy. I hope you love your necklace?”
I bobbed my head. “Yes,”
“And I kept you great company?”
“Yes sir,”
“Good. My woman wouldn’t be able to come to your wedding but I will honor your invitation and I promise Zita, I will make that day memorable for you,”
“You won’t even see it coming. It will be the best day you have ever had.”