FORCED MARRIAGE, TRUE LOVE
“Congratulations my son! I'm now a proud father in-law and soon-to-be grandfather!” Mr Benson exclaimed as he saw his son walk in, carrying a woman on his shoulders, wearing a dress which is only worn by women when they're about to marry. He wasted no time in posting on social media about his son's surprise wedding. Little did he know that Erica; the woman his son walked in with, was a total stranger Henry knows nothing about Erica was set to marry in less than twenty four hours when she caught her fiance making out with another woman– not just any woman but her junior sister! Still thinking if she should forgive him and go ahead with the wedding, she overheard her fiance communicating on phone, giving them some details about her that will aid in kidnapping her on their wedding day before she alights the church. Erica found a way to escape into thin air and she ran into Henry, who was just taking a walk by the poolside to ease the heartbreak he was facing. “Please, help me! In the name of God that you serve, just get me out of here.” Erica pleaded and her was granted. At the verge of losing his appointment at the peak of his career, Erica offered to sign a marriage contract of three years with Henry as an appreciation for saving her life. “Congratulations ma. You're two weeks gone!” The doctor told Erica when she regained consciousness after three hours of being unconscious. “Oh no! I'm in a big mess! Our contract is ending by next week and this was never part of our deal!” Erica lamented instead of rejoicing over the news of her pregnancy, wondering if to inform Henry or just terminate the pregnancy secretly. “Your blood is not a match sir. It will be good if you find her 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. 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?
Chapter 5:
"Cynthia! There's something you're not telling me! Where exactly were you going when you ended up being kidnapped? And how come your mother was with you?" Dave questioned Cynthia as she was applying balm to the bruises she sustained when in captivity.
"Can you please allow me to have some rest for myself? I just got out of the kidnappers' den, and instead of you feeling pity for me, you stand there questioning me like an investigator. I beg you, I have so much on my plate right now, so this family is the least of my problems." Cynthia rudely replied to her.
husband, walking out on him. She carried her bag and headed to her mother's house.
"Mummy, we need to get rid of Brian before it gets too late. My husband is beginning to be suspicious of me, and mummy, I can't risk losing my marriage because, as it is now, we've lost the company already! We seriously need to act fast." Cynthia told her mother with so much uneasiness in her.
"The ball is in your court now. So you need to dance according to the tone of the music!" Her mother replied to her with a tone of responsibility.
"I don't understand what you mean by such a statement, mummy. Are you counting yourself out of the problem?" Cynthia queries her mother to direct the solution to her determination.
"What I mean is simple. Brian was once your lover who could take a bullet for you, and I'm sure he hasn't gotten rid of all the feelings he had for you. Even though he's angry now, you can still use your power as a woman to bring him down. Use your head and think straight! Her mother began to withdraw herself from finding a solution to the problem caused by both of them.
Brian's phone rang; he checked and saw that it was Cynthia's call.
"Cynthia, my darling, I'm surprised to see you still have my number after a decade of betrayal," Brian told her on the other side of the phone.
"I need us to meet tomorrow by 6:00 a.m. to resolve every dispute between us. I'll send you the address," Cynthia said.
She texted him the location; meanwhile, she had made arrangements for him to be killed on the way.
"My dear Cynthia, I hope you're not planning to do anything stupid. Well, just know that you can never outsmart me!" Brian speaks to himself.
Brian ordered some of his men to go and survey the location, ensuring that Cynthia didn't do otherwise.
"Hello boss, We just saw two men fixing nails and thorns on the road we'll be driving tomorrow. I'm suspecting a planned murder by these people, sir. His men told him.
Cynthia planned to deflate his car tires while coming for the meeting, so her boys would fire his van from afar.
Cynthia called Brian when she alighted at the said location. She waited for an hour, but Brian was yet to be there.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard sporadic gunshots from different angles. Unknown to her, there was an exchange of gunshots between her team and Brian's.
Her team was defeated, and Brian's team succeeded in kidnapping her.
"Cynthia, the wise woman! So this is the cheap plan you and your evil mother could bring up, thinking you can get me, right? You must be so stupid to have thought that I'd fall for your cheap plots again." Brian whispered to her as he ordered her to be tied up, legs and hands.
"Brian, what do you want from us? Please, I'm sorry for what I did to you in the past. I'm now somebody's wife and a mother. For the sake of my family, please spare me!" Cynthia beseeched Brian with animosity.
"Good of you! You want to know what I want, right? I want to take back whatever you've stolen from me ten times and also make you walk through the path of death, just as you did to me. Now you will sit here and obey every word that comes out of my mouth! Brian replied to her.
He ordered that she unclad herself as he took pictures and made videos of her.
"As you pleaded for the sake of your family, I'm warning you for the last time, Cynthia: if you or your old, evil mother ever make any attempt on my life again, then be ready to bid farewell to your loved ones," Brian warned her as he released her to go home.
Two days later, she received a voicemail from Brian, demanding a sum of one million dollars.
"Hello, Brian, enough of your threats! You're not going to receive a dime from me! Do your worst!" Cynthia replied to his message.
In the late hours of that night, Cynthia's phone rang profusely. She was hesitant to pick up the call to avoid being interrogated by her husband. She tip-toed to the bathroom and answered the call.
"Hello, Cynthia, I hope you're ready to see your naked videos sent to your husband and also being watched all over the world on the internet." Brian sounded serious with his threat.
Cynthia had to embrace her dignity over money, so she started making unnecessary demands of money from her husband to settle Brian.
"Cynthia, I can't believe you still have the temerity to demand such an amount of money from me after all I've spent to save your lives from those kidnappers. Besides, you never told me anything about why you sold out your company." Dave was confounded by Cynthia's attitude, as he kept seeing changes in his wife's life, making her feel like a stranger to him.
"You either find a way to grant my request, or this marriage is over!" Cynthia yelled at Dave, threatening him with a divorce.
Dave's love for Cynthia can make him do anything for her.
"Cynthia, please, the only money I have now is in the company's account, and the company is a family property, and it is not proper for me to start taking money from there without informing my family." Dave pleaded with her for understanding.
"You have to make a choice now! It is either me or your family!" Cynthia shouted.