Stolen Fate

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

“I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the priest says.

              Cheers erupt from the crowd, taking Laura back to reality like a slap on the face. She stares back grimly at Charles’s face. He gives her a dazzling smile, giving everybody the impression that he was in love with her, but Laura knows better. He loathes her as much as she loathes him. They are only doing this for Cliff, for the sake of Chapman Corporation, for the sake of the family name.

              “Smile, Laura. People are watching. I don’t want my bride to look like she’s been forced to this fate,” Charles whispers as he leans forward to kiss her cheek.

              Laura stares back at her new husband and gives him her brightest, fake smile. “Well, I am being forced to this fate. Have you forgotten?”

              “Of course not, my dear wife,” he hisses. “I know that if it were up to you, you would still have your bodyguard’s body on top of yours.”

              Laura’s eyes widen in shock.

              ‘How did Charles know that? And how much does he know about Lance?’ she wonders.

              But before she can open her mouth to ask, Charles squeezes her arm tightly and gives her a slight push, forcing her to look at the flashing cameras.

              “Smile, Laura,” he hisses again. “There is plenty of time to argue in private. But right now, people are expecting you to look happy. Do it, if not for my sake, then for your father’s sake. The shareholders are watching.”

              Laura remembers the reason why her father forced her to marry Charles in the first place. Cliff Chapman is in danger of losing his chairmanship on Chapman Corp. Having a strong, brilliant successor, like Charles, will restore the investors’ faith that he can ensure the company’s continuity. Somebody will always continue the Chapman legacies, and their investments are in good hands.

              Laura forces a smile on her face as she hooks her arm with Charles’s. She promised her father she will do this. She will not let him down by making it quite evident to the press that she could not even stand to breathe the same air that her husband breathes.

              “What about you, Charles?” Laura says under her breath as she continues to grip her husband’s arm and smile in front of the cameras. “Don’t you think I’m aware of the string of women you take to your bed?”

              “Of course, Laura. I’m a man. I have needs. It’s not unusual for a powerful man like me to have mistresses,” Charles replies, also keeping up with the pretenses. “But it’s a scandal for you and your father if the world finds out that you offered your body to your guard. Oops!” He gives her a mocking smile. Then pretending to kiss her cheek, he added, “You take the word ‘bodyguard’ quite literally, don’t you, you cheap slut?”

              Anger flares in Laura’s eyes, and her face turns the darkest shade of red.

              “Oh, how sweet! Our little darling is blushing,” one of her aunts said to her.

              “I bet these two lovebirds can’t wait to go to their honeymoon!” another quipped.

              Laura suddenly feels nauseated at the thought of being in the same bedroom as Charles. Not only does she love another man, she forcefully hates Charles.

              Ever since he came into their house as a thin, orphan thirteen-year-old, she hated him. It’s not because her father’s attention had been divided between them, but because she didn’t trust him from the beginning. Charles is brilliant, but he’s malicious and mischievous. He had gotten her into trouble before, while they were growing up. She found out at the tender age of fifteen that Charles can lie with a straight face, and will not hesitate to put others in danger, just to save himself.

              “May I remind you that with this marriage, I am making you rich?” Laura hisses at him.

              “I have money on my own now, dear. It may not be as huge as Cliff’s yet. But it can buy me a ticket to the high society. But you, on the other hand, the high society will not hesitate to kick you out the very minute they find out about your indiscretions. Very bad for a woman in your standing. Worse for a man in Cliff’s fragile situation. Chapman Corp. can no longer take another dent on its reputation.” Cliff flashes his shiny, white teeth to the cameras on the left. “So, it seems that I’m the one doing you and your father a favor here.”

              “Well, you’re lucky, I’m thinking about my father’s health. He’s old and will not be able to take the heartaches of a scandal. Otherwise, I’ll be doing all I can to make sure that you get kicked out of Chapman Corp.”

              “That will be the day, my dearest wife. And we both know, it will never come,” Charles says with an insulting smirk on his face. “Come, my dear, they are waiting for us to dance at our wedding reception.”

              He pulls her towards the exit, whisking her away from the flashing cameras and the curious crowd. Once they are safely in the car that will take them to the reception, Laura cannot help pushing Charles away from her.

              “You are a despicable man! I hate you!”

              “The feeling is mutual! And for your information, I think you’re a slut!”

              Anger blinds Laura’s vision, and she feels her palm landing on Charles’s cheek. “You call me a slut one more time, I swear to you!”

              She sees rage in Charle’s eyes as he reaches out to squeeze her chin between his fingers. “You hit me one more time, and I swear I will not hesitate to leave my mark on your face!” he growls. “It is true! I had you followed last night, and my informants told me every detail of your tryst with your bodyguard! Every moan, every single second that he pleasured himself on your body! You are no longer a virgin like your father promised! You are spoiled! And I cannot bear to touch you with my body, you filthy slut!”

              Laura pushes him away from her. “Well, it’s good that we are on the same page. Because the very thought of your body touching mine turns my stomach inside out!”

              Charles’s laughter booms inside the car. “Oh, no, my dear Laura. You misunderstand me. You are very beautiful, and I do admit that I lusted for you all these years.” He gives her a malicious stare. “I meant that I will not touch you only for a full month. I need to make sure that that wild night you wantonly gave yourself to your bodyguard didn’t bear any child!”

              Laura’s eyes widened in shock. She opens her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

              “I may not mind not having a virgin wife, but I certainly will not raise a child of another man!” he tells her in a low, grave voice. “And the moment you get your period after our wedding, I am going to pleasure myself tirelessly in your body, my dear! That’s what you are going to be for me. Your father will hand me his business empire. And you will surrender your body to me. Sounds like I got more than what I bargained for.”

              Blood drains from Laura’s face as she realizes the gravity of the situation her father has gotten her into.

              “f**k you! I knew my father shouldn’t have trusted you! You never really loved him! You’re just using him to get his empire.”

              “Oh, don’t be such a drama queen, Laura. I will keep my end of the bargain. I will be the perfect son-in-law. I will help him regain control of his empire. After all, it’s going to be mine soon. And you, my dear… you’re going to be the perfect wife, aren’t you? Especially in the bedroom.”

              “f**k you! I will die first before I sleep with you!”

              Charles smirks at her, and then he looks out the window. “Let’s see about that.”