Chapter 4:

"Please, help me! In the name of God that you serve, Just get me out of here!" Erica pleaded with the stranger as she ran into him at the pool side, with her hands around his ankles and on a bent knee.

Erica Dantes, the second daughter of the Dantes family has always been miserable since from childhood because her parents treated her with contempt, claiming that she's the reason for the family's misfortune, because her father's business crashed at the time of her giving birth, taking her family back from Grace to Grass, until she found a man who showed her love and was set to marry her. They decided that she would celebrate her bridal shower like his bachelors night at the same hotel on their wedding eve. Erica was strolling around the hotel premises to locate her friend who had missed direction, when she saw the back view of a tall figure. Even without seeing the face, she could tell who the person was. It was Ramos, her fiance, who's going to be her lawfully wedded husband in less than twenty four hours. He was lost in between moments of excitement as he grabbed a lady's waist, gummed her to the wall and locked his tongue inside her mouth, kissing her like someone who has been starved for decades. Erica stood still as she watched the two making out on the balcony without any fear of them being seen by someone. With tears dripping from her blue eyes, her eyes turned red, she felt her jaws swollen.

"How could you do this to me Ramos? I swear with my last breath, you'll pay for this!" Erica mumbled as she cried in silence.

Before she could get a hold of herself, the lady had vanished from her sight, leaving only the man. She wept bitterly and was drowned in her tears when she heard her fiance making a call;

"Everything is set now. She will be conveyed into the church in a black SUV, so make sure you position your men well to kidnap her before she gets to the church. Don't forget that she must be raped so that my allegations on her will look real." On hearing this, Erica tiptoed and moved a small distance away before she took to her heels. She was running without direction because that was her first time being in that hotel. She was getting exhausted when she ran into Henry, a young, handsome man that his looks can attract even a blind person and pleaded with him profusely to save her life. Henry's heart had been hardened towards women, following the betrayal from Emily–his lover of two years whom he caught cheating on the night he was to engage her which was the reason he came to the hotel that night to cool off his head. His hardened heart towards women was melted by her genuine cry. He carried her and drove her off to his house. Erica had slept off while in the car, without them having a proper conversation about why she was running for her life.

"Congratulations my boy! I almost thought you're into men, but what a surprise! You planned your wedding without informing your father!" Mr Benson said as he watched Henry made her lie on the bed, dragged a duvet and covered her.

Henry tried to explain to his father that he has no woman in his life yet, but the old man wouldn't listen, in as much as he had seen his son walked in with a young, slender beautiful woman wearing a gown–not just a normal type of gown, but one worn on special occasions, with her cross belt of having the caption boldly written 'Bride of year!'. In excitement, His father threw the news all over the social media about his son's secret wedding, celebrating his new status of a father in-law and soon-to-be grandfather.

That same night, Henry's competitor, Darwin had paid bloggers to paint Henry black before his fans on social media, accusing him of being a ritualist and gay, which explains the reason for his success and even though handsome and rich, he had never been seen with a woman as his girlfriend.

"Bro, there's a serious problem! You won't believe what the blogs are carrying, this is gonna be a major setback in your appointment as the Managing director of Blue C company." Thandeka banged into the room early in the morning panicking, and handed over his phone to Henry.

"Why must it be today of all days? Why didn't they do it before now so that you can find a way out!" Thandeka added.

"Oh no! This can't be! I've gone too far for this to bring me down." Henry screamed, with tears dripping out of his eyes.

"I'll marry you. Let's sign a contract. That's the least I can do for you, for saving my life," Erica said as held his hands from behind. They both pen down their terms of contract, and Henry called his lawyer to immediately prepare their marriage certificate.

"Your blood is not a match sir. It will be good if you find her exact blood match with immediate effect because she's in a critical condition," Dr Hanson told Erica's father, who wanted to donate his blood to save his daughter's life on the sick bed.

After several investigations, Erica's father was shocked to find out that Erica wasn't his biological daughter.

"We also need a kidney donor for her" Dr. Hanson said.

"Doctor, I can do anything to save my wife's life. She and the baby she's carrying mean the world to me." Henry replied in panic.

"Where do we start from? I'm ever ready to donate my kidney to make her survive." He added.

Erica's mother became disturbed. How will she explain Erica's paternity? How will Erica react when she finds out that her real parents were once servants in her father's house who were accused wrongly by Erica's mother hence ceasing their child from them?

Characterization:

Henry

A young handsome thrillionaire in his early 40's who was betrayed by the woman he loves, and entered into a contract marriage with a strange woman only to secure his position as the Managing director of Blue C company, but came to realize that the bond they share is more than just a contract.

Erica: Slim, and fair-skinned lady with an alluring beauty. Betrayed by her to-be husband who was planning for her kidnap on their wedding day, she ran into the arms of a stranger pleading with him to save her life, unknown to her that her saviour is the youngest billionaire in the town– the only son of the most richest man in River city. She offered to sign a contract marriage with him to prevent him from losing his appointment.

Emilia: Gentle but dishonest Henry's ex- girlfriend who cheated on him with her boyfriend whom she always claims is her cousin.

Darwin: Short, dark but handsome man who was always envious of Henry's position at the company, and will go to any length to bring Henry down and assume his position.