Wedding Bells Ring (II)

When the limousine pulled up in front of the wedding reception venue, the newlyweds climbed out. Sebastian took Natalia's hand and led her inside. Guests clapped politely as the two made their way to the raised long table at the front of the room. Once they had sat down, glasses of champagne were brought out.

Not too long after, Quentin Black stood and raised a toast. "My son, from now on, you are a married man. Don't always just focus on your work. You have a lovely wife to pay attention. I wish you both a happy and blissful marriage."

Sebastian nodded. "I won't forget your words, Father."

Quentin then glanced at his daughter-in-law. "Natalia, I welcome you to the Black family. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask."

"Thank you."

Finally, the patriarch of the Black family sat down. Maxwell stood and raised a toast to his son-in-law.

"Sebastian, I welcome you to the Montrose family. I'm glad we could come to an agreement between us. You're always welcome in S City."

"Thank you, sir."

Then, Maxwell sat without bothering to address his daughter. Natalia looked down and bit her lip. Sebastian reached out and clasped her left hand in his right. She turned her head to look at him. He squeezed her hand gently and leaned over towards her ear.

"I can't believe your father even has the gall to not acknowledge you in front of everyone here," he whispered.

She replied just as softly, "I'm just an illegitimate child. I'm not worthy of his attention. He never forgets to remind me of this fact."

 His gaze darkened. "I won't let you be bullied by them anymore."

A scoff escaped her lips. "You? What can you do about my family's affairs?"

He leaned in even closer, lips brushing her earlobe, tickling it. Ever so quietly, he promised, "Once I take over as the head of the family business, I will make it known to the world who my wife is and who the matriarch of the Black family is."

- - - - -

The wedding reception drew on for what seemed like eternity. When it was finally over, Natalia all but ran out of the venue. She stood outside in the nippy wind, waiting for her husband. A few minutes later, he exited the building with his father. They were talking frantically.

His gaze fell on his bride, and he apologized, "Natalia, I'm so sorry, but there's some business I have to discuss with Father. Mr. Parker will drive you to Z City."

She nodded and turned to climb into the limousine. Once she had pulled the door shut, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Mr. Parker pulled away from the curb and started for the highway.

Once they had gotten on the highway, the road noise rose. Using this welcome distraction, she opened her eyes and pulled out her phone. Dialing a number, she raised the device to her ear and waited. After a couple rings, the line clicked through.

"Ian."

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Do we have anyone already in E Country?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then send someone there. Don't scare her, but bring her back here to U Country. I want to meet the woman I should be calling 'Mother'. She guilt-tripped my father into taking custody of me and escaped her parental duties."

"I'll put Chloe on it. She's good with words."

"Very well. See that it's done."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Oh, and Ian?"

"Hmm?"

"Keep an eye on the Black family's stocks also. Should they piss me off or should I be forced to fake my death, I'm tanking their shares also."

"You've gotten quite vengeful over the past three years."

Her eyes narrowed. "This marriage is a way out for me. But if I face the same scrutiny in the Black family household... I won't be so lenient."

"Then, what do you want me to do about the Montrose's?"

"Give them a scare. Drop their stocks by ten percent."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Once that's done, I'll be awaiting the news reporter's coverage of it. This will be fun."

As she hung up the phone, a smirk spread across her lips. Maxwell Montrose, just you wait. I'll pay you, Adrianna, Mira, and Lulu back for all the suffering I experienced in your household.

- - - - -

When the limousine turned off the highway at the second off-ramp, it headed through Z City to the south side. Natalia looked out the tinted windows at the cityscape that rolled by. Soon, the skyscrapers and tall apartment buildings changed into housing neighborhoods. Mr. Parker took a turn and pulled up to an elaborately designed wrought iron gate. He rolled down the window and reached out, entering the code on the keypad. The gate slid open, and Mr. Parker drove on.

Inside the gated community called Elderplains, the limousine finally pulled into the half-circle driveway in front of an exquisite villa. Natalia's eyes widened, pleasantly surprised at the post-modern architecture. The vehicle's engine rumbled to a stop, and Mr. Parker got out, holding the door open for her.

"Young Madam, this way, please."

She nodded and followed him inside the house. He gave her a quick tour before showing her to a bedroom. When she looked inside, she was surprised again. Her expectation was that she'd move into her husband's bedroom. But this room had no masculine trace at all.

The walls were a pristine crème color. At the back of the room, closer to the left wall, the vanity had a gilded brush and a bespoke comb rested on the countertop. The mirror was freshly cleaned. To the right of the vanity, a five-level bookshelf was filled with texts. A soft and fluffy, white carpet laid in the center of the room.

Against the right wall, the intricately carved, rosewood, headboard of the queen-sized bed rose above five feet. On the bed, the blush pink bedsheets and multi-colored floral quilt were turned down. Two blush pink pillowcases were neatly arranged, propped up against the headboard. Two floral shams sat in front of them. Next to the bed, on both sides, were rosewood nightstands with luminescent lamps on top.

Off to the left, a sliding door, painted white, led to the marble-tiled bathroom. Inside, a white-tiled shower and a white marble bathtub were set across from crème colored bathroom cabinets that were underneath the Salinas white granite countertop. Bathroom accessories had already been acquired and were ready for use. Beyond the bathroom was the spacious walk-in closet. Her luggage had been delivered the day before, so the closet was a quarter full with familiar items.

After Natalia had explored her bedroom, Mr. Parker said, "If there's anything else you need or if this room isn't to your liking, do be sure to let Young Master Sebastian know. He'll help you."

"No, this is perfect. Give the Black family my thanks."

Mr. Parker nodded and excused himself. Now left alone for the rest of the night, Natalia undressed and took a shower. After having cleaned up, she dressed into some silky pajamas and crawled into bed. She checked reports and bank account balances for the Black Rose syndicate. Just as she was about to set her phone on the bedstand and go to bed, the device began to ring.

Her eyes flicked to the door. She swiveled out of bed and padded over, locking the door. When she had climbed under the covers again, she answered the phone.

"Ian, what is it?"

"Ma'am, do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Natalia frowned. "The good."

"We've successfully messed with Montrose Investment Group's stocks. A ten percent drop, just as you asked for."

"Well done. What's the bad news?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Ian revealed, "You have a step-father. And a younger half-brother."