Chapter 3

Charles stood, potential, lips agape, watching the beautiful devil standing before him; wishing he could just get rid of her, too. But that was beyond doubt. 

He had to play along to save the name of his family, to make Rachael understand everything, and to free himself from Vivian. It would take a very long time to do those things, but that was the only thing he could do— play along— in order to escape prison and public disgrace. 

"Can I talk to you in private?" He waited for her to respond, impatient. However, he didn't show it. 

Rachael thought it was necessary that he talk to her, privately. It was clear that she was overdoing what he paid her to do—act— and he didn't want to tell her in public, so she wouldn't perceive imperfection. Or she was missing the lines and he wanted to serve as a stage prompter. 

The first one is high on the agenda, though. 

Vivian shook her head. "You had all the time to talk to me in private, without a condition, but you blew your chances away. We don't have private talks anymore." 

Charles knew all this was going to happen. He wanted to avoid it. That was why he convinced Rachael to postpone the wedding.  More of lie to her. 

But the information still went out. It could have been anyone in the room who had told Vivian about the wedding. He expected that, because she showed up on the bachelor night, but she only talked more about the child; as usual, and, nothing about the wedding. 

He had thought she didn't know. 

"You know what?" Rachael said, annoyed. "I don't give a damn if you were paid to do this, but you have to leave, now!" She yelled out, turning her gaze to Charles. "Make her leave," she said to him, not yelling. 

Charles stared at Rachael then Vivian, and dropped his head. He threw a quick glance at Edward to help him, but Edward made him understand that he was powerless in the situation by looking away. 

"What are you waiting for?" Rachael asked him. "I don't want her in here. I don't want any of this drama, so make her leave."

"The only person who has the right to tell him what to do right now is I. So stop wasting your time because—" Vivian began saying. 

"Shut the fuck up!" It came out before Rachael could hold her tongue. She apologized to God silently after realizing she had said the word on a holy ground. "You better keep quiet when I'm talking to my husband, or you'll regret the second you stepped those bleaching legs of yours in here!"

Now, she was out of it— her shell. She knew it would have a bad outcome after this. Actually, outcomes. 

She had the best reputation any woman could have, she was always nice to people, and had kept her anger far away from the public. With all the cameras pointed at her now, she didn't know how she was going to keep that from the public, again. 

"You have some nerves to threaten me in front of all these people," Vivian spoke back, relaxed, knowing that she was doing a great job. "By the way, he's not your husband yet." 

The last statement was left to be disproved by Charles. If only he would put the ring on her finger. How could he when he was enjoying disgracing her in public?

"This isn't a prank like I thought previously," Rachael admitted slowly. There was more to this. 

Charles had never pranked her in public before. That wasn't a genuine reason, however. Whenever she got very angry he would stop the prank and apologize. 

But this. 

"Glad you have come to your senses, darling," Rachael said. 

"What's going on here, Charles?" Rachael asked him. He remained silent. "I don't want to know," she said when she realized he wasn't going to talk anytime soon, and they didn't have much time either. "Just make her leave, or I will make her do so." 

Rachael, too, wasn't making any of this easy for him. She was changing the situation from complex to compound-complex. 

"Security!" Rachael called out loud.

As if her voice was a bell that summoned people, two men wearing black suits and glasses and shoes, with white undershirt walked into the building like a duo. Their shoes went with the same rhythmic pattern against the floor. 

"Take this intruder out," she command when the men reached her. 

The men grabbed Vivian's arm together. They were doing everything together like they had practiced for the occasion. When they were about to pull her out, Vivian called out to Charles, not in a pleading tone, rather, it was a demanding one. 

Charles could just make her go. He could let them drag her out if she didn't have something that could ruin his live for eternity. Something that she would give out if he didn't play along. But she had it, right there, in her hands. And he wasn't ready to take chances; not with Vivian. 

"Leave her alone," he said, taking their hands off of her. "I said leave her alone!" He shouted when they hesitated. "I can handle this." 

Rachael was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe what just happened.

Not the Charles she is getting married to doing that. 

Steve, Rachael twin brother who had been sitting next to his mother said, "then handle it now, and stop all this drama," standing up. 

His mother had been holding him back since all of this started. Since they entered the church, because he never wanted to be there. Now, he couldn't just stand and watch this man who he didn't even want to marry his sister make a fool of her in front all those people. He had to do something. 

"Isn't it obvious that you have an affair with this woman?" He asked, glaring at Charles. "That's the only reason you're acting like this. Powerless," Steve snarled.