Ch 260 - Four Intruders and a Wedding

Shania was shocked as she looked around at her fallen guards, and she realized that the intruders' skills far surpassed her own. She fought down a wave of fear.

"Take us to see Charles!" Rufus demanded, staring at her. Everything was going the way he had planned, and it should be easy to kill Charles.

Shania was loyal to the Marvel family, but she knew she had no choice. She would have to let the man inside.

**

Alex and Debbie stood in front of the celebrant, with Charles, Lindsey, David, and the Moon maidens beside them, acting as witnesses.

The celebrant began to lead the ceremony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in matrimony," he said. "If anyone knows of any reason why this wedding should not take place, then speak now or forever hold your peace."

He paused for a moment, waiting for any objections.

Both Lindsey and David wanted to speak out, but they resisted the impulse.

The celebrant smiled. "Then we can continue." He looked at Alex and Debbie. "Before your family and friends, I will now ask you to affirm your willingness to enter into the covenant of marriage."

He turned to Alex. "Alex, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do?" alex said.

The celebrant looked at Debbie. "Debbie, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Debbie said softly.

The celebrant nodded. "Now it's time to exchange the rings," he said. "And then you can officially become husband and wife."

Celeste handed the rings to Alex and Debbie, who looked into each other's eyes, ready to continue. Alex held the ring over Debbie's finger.

[Bang!] The door flew open as Shania stumbled inside, falling to the floor.

Alex and Debbie gaped in shock. They had no idea what was going on, but they knew it wasn't likely to be good.

"Mr. Marvel!" Shania called out, looking horrified. "They broke in! And I couldn't stop them!"

Two young men walked in first, and Rufus and Paul followed behind them. Rufus was surprised to discover he had interrupted a wedding. He hadn't expected Debbie to be here.

Charles' legs buckled and Lindsey had to hold him up.

Rufus stared at Debbie. She was so beautiful, and she looked almost exactly like her mother, Cynthia. Rufus was shocked, almost convinced he was looking at his sister.

He looked at Debbie's wedding dress, and then he stared at Alex standing beside her. His chest felt tight, and he clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe.

"Mr. Clifton," Reginald called. "I didn't know you were in Washington, D.C.!" He smiled and walked forward to meet him.

He knew how powerful the Clifton family was in Baltimore, and he wanted to ingratiate himself. Hopefully, a good relationship with the Cliftons would help the Drake family in the future.

He knew nothing about the history between the Marvel and the Clifton families, and he had no idea why Rufus would be here now.

Rufus didn't bother to answer. He merely slapped Reginald's face.

Rufus assumed Charles must have told Reginald about Debbie's past. The Clifton family didn't want Debbie's identity to become public knowledge. If Reginald knew the truth, then it would be hard to keep everything quiet.

Reginald wiped his split lip and stared at Rufus. He couldn't understand why Rufus had slapped him.

David was stunned. He had never seen anyone dare to strike his father.

Debbie realized Rufus was from her mother's family, and she watched him, waiting to see what he would do.

"None of you will ever speak about what happened here," Rufus said, looking at each of them. "If you do, you'll regret it."

Rufus had already decided to kill Charles and Alex, but he would spare the others. After all, the Drake family were important in Washington, D.C., so killing them would cause too much trouble.

"Who the hell are you?" Celeste asked. "How dare you speak to us like that? Well, I'm not afraid of you at all."

Alex raised his arm slightly, motioning to Celeste that she should stop speaking. He had sized up the intruders, and believed that, other than Rufus Clifton, they were all martial arts experts.

"Then you will die with the others," Rufus said.

Everyone stared at him in shock.

Charles knew he would die today, and all he cared about was protecting his two daughters. He pushed Lindsey and Debbie behind him, keeping his eyes on Rufus. "If you get a chance, run!" he whispered. "Run quickly and don't look back."

Lindsey and Debbie clutched at him. How could they possibly leave their father?

"Do as I say," he urged them, his tone firm. "I need to know you'll be okay."

"Andy, Tim!" Rufus called. Charles was only a businessman and not a fighter, so it shouldn't take long to kill him.

Andy and Tim looked a little sullen. They had enjoyed the fight outside, and Charles didn't look like he would be much of a challenge. It was almost insulting.

Andy stepped forward, and Tim followed.

"Stay back!" Celeste called, and then the four Moon maidens surrounded Andy and Tim. Shania stepped forward, ready to assist the women.

The Moon maidens believed that Andy and Tim might harm Alex and Debbie, so it was their duty to deal with them.

Andy and Tim attacked the Moon maidens, but the women dodged and none of their hits landed.

The Moon maidens had trained together since childhood. They were not as strong as Andy and Tim, but they were fast and graceful, and their moves were coordinated.

Celeste flicked her hand, and a pink silk scarf flew out of her sleeve. Then red, white, and yellow scarves appeared from the sleeves of Selene, Callisto, and Luna.

The women moved quickly, whipping the colorful scarves at Andy and Tim. The two men had to dodge and weave, desperately trying not to get caught up in the strips of fabric.

Paul watched, surprised. He hadn't expected the four young women to be martial arts experts.

Alex stood to the side. He could see that the Moon girls didn't need his help. They had everything under control.

Celeste's pink scarf shot out, and Andy managed to evade it. But Selene grabbed the other end and tossed her red scarf to Celeste. The women danced around, still holding the scarves, twisting and turning until Andy found the material wrapped around him, binding him tightly.

Callisto and Luna tied up Tim in the same way.

"Don't move!" Celeste told the men.

The four women leaned back, drawing the scarves tighter, completely immobilizing the men. The scarves had wires sewn into them. If the men continued to struggle, the sharp wires would cut into them, causing a lot of damage.

Andy and Tim were stunned when they realized they had been beaten.

Celeste turned to ask Alex what he wanted done with the men. But Paul was charging toward them, determined to attack the four Moon maidens.

The women looked at Alex, and then turned back to look at Paul, mesmerized by him.

"Watch out!" Alex said, moving to intercept Paul.

He put out his hand to block Paul's strike and was surprised by the lack of force behind it. Even if Paul had made contact with one of the women, he wouldn't have done much damage.

Paul wasn't interested in destroying the women. He simply wanted to teach them a lesson.

From watching them fight Andy and Tim, he knew they were better fighters than the Flynn couple he had defeated the day before. With only a little extra effort, Paul could beat these women.

But he hadn't expected Alex to be so fast. Paul could already tell that Alex would be a much more skilled opponent than the four women.

Paul attacked again, striking out at Alex.

Alex batted him away easily, surprised at Paul's lack of strength.

But then Paul's next punch had much more power behind it, catching Alex off guard. Alex pushed the Moon Maidens away, trying to protect them. Paul's hand shot out at Alex's chest, and Alex knew that if it made contact, he would be seriously injured.

But then Paul withdrew his hand. He pulled out a knife and sliced through the silk scarves, freeing Tim and Andy, who rubbed at the shallow cuts the wires had made.

Paul made a show of grabbing a scarf and winding it around his hand, pulling it tight. A small trickle of blood appeared, but Paul seemed unaffected.

Alex and the Moon maidens were shocked.

Alex knew how dangerous that wire was. It could cut right through the palm of a hand. But Paul's hand had withstood it. Incredible!

There was only one explanation. Paul must be exceptionally powerful.