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Chapter 2

Ava, still reeling from the slap, faced Gale Edinburgh with unwavering defiance. The threat of being skinned and buried alive by her stepmother, Sheila, only fueled her determination to resist the forced marriage.

"If you play any funny games tomorrow, I will skin and bury you alive."

The words from Sheila echoed distantly in her head.

"Are you crazy!" Gale Edinburgh gave Ava a warning look.

"No I'm not, old man. I will never be yours! Over my dead body!" She shot back.

Slap!

"I've had enough of your family's nonsense. You will say yes right now or burn."

Ava's lips bled profusely from the slap and she could smell the metallic taste of despair in the blood. Unbelievable!

The ragged breath of her so-called father's friend whisked heavily on her face. His action took her by surprise.

"I'd rather burn than be yours!" She glared at him with a fierce look not ready to give in.

"Then you leave me no choice than to treat you like a bitch!"

Gale Edinburgh looked at her with a disdainful look. She had the same stubbornness as her father. He was lucky to have died in the plane crash, else he would have died by his hands.

He waved his hands and two of his lackeys in black suits that were standing guard stormed over. One of them carried her on his shoulders and took her out.

"NO! NO! Leave me alone you bastards!" Ava cried but there was no one to help. She felt alone and broken.

"I'm sorry everyone. It is my fault for going easy on her. I'll teach her a lesson myself." Gale bowed and left but Sheila ran after him, just as his vehicle was about to zoom off, screaming.

"WAIT!"

Gale Edinburgh rolled down the car's window and got irritated by the sight.

"What do you want?" He asked in a grumpy voice.

"I've kept my promise. When will I receive the balance?" She asked.

Gale leaned back, squinting his eyes. Although he was angry that things didn't go as planned, as a man of his word, he still needed to pay the remaining money.

"You'll get that before noon and listen!" His tone became more serious, "I don't want to see you ever again. We are done! Is that clear?"

Sheila trembled at his words that sent a chill down her spine. Watching as the vehicle roared to life, leaving her hanging, she scoffed.

"You're lucky I wasn't in my bad mood." She rolled her eyes inwardly.


In a corner in Gale Edinburgh's room, tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks. In her misery, she scanned the room and was amazed that someone as crooked as that would have such an expensive taste in things. Everything in the room is exquisite and neatly arranged. She wondered if she would accept him if he was a handsome young man but unfortunately, the reality was opposite.

Ava planned to escape as soon as possible but she realized how trifling and challenging it would be. While she was hurled upstairs on the shoulder of the lackey earlier, she saw how heavily guarded the mansion was. Moreover, she is two buildings high from the ground so escaping from here is literally impossible.

"I must think of a better way to leave here as soon as possible." She thought.

Right then, she heard the clicking of keys rattling at the door and threw her gaze to the direction. The door cracked open and she felt a breath she'd been nervously trying to hold whooshed out.

Her worst fear appeared and she swallowed hard, an usual habit of hers. Gale Edinburgh feeling satisfied, burst into laughter.

"Ah ah ah! You thought you could play your way out little princess?"

Terrified, Ava covered her ears and curled up in the shape of a ball. With the muffling sound of his shoes against the warm rug getting closer, her heart beat faster and all of a sudden, the room felt cold.

"Where are you darling? You want to play hide and seek? So be it!" His voice rang from the other end of the bed.

"Here you are!"

He pulled Ava by her hair, throwing her forcefully on the bed.

"Argh!"

Ava felt a crack in her left hand and cried out but Gale Edinburgh loved the sound. To him, it sounded like a moan that aroused him more.

"You are ready for me right?" He smiled lasciviously.

"Get away from me you freak!"

"You like to play rough, don't you?"

He drew her closer, pulling the wedding dress apart with sheer force and shredding it in the process.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm only trying to take care of my friend's beautiful daughter."

Ava struggled to escape from his tight grip but she was no match for him. Overpowered and running out of breath after struggling for a long time, her breath was becoming weak and Gale Edinburgh knew he was closer to achieving his goal. Soon enough, he'd get what he wanted in no time.

The door creaked silently, and a figure entered but Gale Edinburgh didn't hear because of the loud struggle with Ava.

"Daddy—" A beautiful girl around Ava's age exclaimed.

She was none other than Gale Edinburgh's daughter, Liz Ella who had been studying overseas for the past eight years. She planned to surprise her father by making a sudden visit after a long time but was awarded a surprise instead.

Shocked, Gale froze in an instant, covered in shame. He didn't expect that his daughter would appear anytime soon, especially not in this awkward situation.

"Liz, what are you doing here?" He asked, picking his jaw from the floor.

"I should be the one asking that question, Dad." Liz shot her father a cold look. "What are you doing standing on top of that woman!"

Fuming with anger, nine years ago, Liv's mother got caught up in the middle of a trouble he caused. She was killed in cold blood and she was the only survivor in the vehicle. It was a miracle that she was not killed by the bullets that were flying around.

The trauma held her that she refused to speak to her father for the whole year. In an attempt to reconcile with her, her father promised to never remarry, assuring her that it would be the two of them forever but now her first time in the city in eight years, she saw her father break that promise.

"It's not what it looks like, baby," he tried to explain.

"You better start explaining then!"

"Not like this. Let's leave here first." Gale Edinburg ran to her daughter and held her in an attempt to take her out but she snatched herself from his grip, insisting that they stayed.

"NO! Let's talk here!" She snapped. " Why is that bitch wearing a wedding dress?"

"Calm down, Liz. I can't explain, not like this."

"I won't leave until you give me an explanation!" She stood her ground and when Gale saw that she was not going to yield, he gave up and said in a low voice that if one wasn't close enough, they wouldn't hear a thing.

"She's my wife."

"What did you just say dad!"

"She's my newly wedded wife."

"WHAT THE H*LL."

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