Chapter 9 - The Forced Vows
The armed guards stepped forward, raising their weapons and forcing Rosa and me back against the bookshelves.
Daniel jumped up from the desk, dropping the diary as he realized the true danger of the situation.
"Vanessa, what is going on here?" Daniel demanded, placing himself between the guns and me.
Vanessa smoothed down the fabric of her casual evening dress, acting as if this were a perfectly normal wedding ceremony.
"We are finalizing our commitment, darling," she said with a cold, terrifying smile.
"If we are legally married, the spousal privilege laws prevent you from testifying against me about the blackmail video."
She gestured to the trembling priest, who had clearly been brought here under extreme duress.
"Father Thomas is going to perform a quick, beautiful ceremony right here in the study," she announced.
Daniel shook his head in disgust, completely cured of the lies she had fed him earlier.
"I am not marrying you, Vanessa, I would rather go to prison for the bribery charge," Daniel spat fiercely.
Vanessa's smile faded, and she nodded to the guard standing closest to me.
The massive man grabbed me by the throat and slammed me hard against the wooden wall panel.
I gasped for air, the rough fabric of my housekeeper uniform scraping against my skin.
"You are going to say your vows, Daniel, or my man here is going to break your mother's neck," Vanessa threatened coldly.
Daniel’s eyes widened in sheer panic, his hands raised in surrender.
"Stop! Let her go, I will do whatever you want!" he cried out, completely broken.
The guard loosened his grip slightly, allowing me to draw in a ragged, painful breath.
Vanessa walked over to Daniel and violently grabbed his arm, pulling him to stand in front of the terrified priest.
"Start reading, Father, and skip to the important parts," Vanessa snapped impatiently.
The priest opened his small Bible with shaking hands and began to rapidly read the marriage rites.
I watched helplessly as my son was forced into a legal nightmare just to keep me alive.
Rosa was silently crying beside me, completely powerless against the armed thugs.
"Do you, Daniel, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest stammered, sweating profusely.
Daniel looked at me, a silent apology in his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"I do," he whispered in defeat.
Vanessa smiled triumphantly, her eyes gleaming with the promise of unimaginable wealth.
"And do you, Vanessa, take this man..." the priest began to ask.
"I do," she interrupted eagerly, not even letting him finish the sentence.
"Then by the power vested in me..." the priest continued.
May you like
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the massive glass windows of the study.
Thick white smoke instantly flooded the room, blinding everyone as heavily armed tactical units repelled through the broken glass.
