You Have 24hrs To Marry Me

My voice didn’t shake. Not when the pastor asked. Not when Kelvin Carter slid the cold platinum ring on my finger. Because the man standing beside me wasn’t my groom. He was the reason my father died broke, alone, and broken. Three years ago, Kelvin’s company swallowed my father’s construction firm. One bad deal. One signature Kelvin forged. Everything gone in 48 hours. Dad had a heart attack the next week in an empty hospital bed because insurance refused to pay. Today, I’m marrying Kelvin to take it all back. His eyes met mine under the white veil. Dark brown. Cold. Like he could read my mind and was laughing at it. “Smile, wife,” he whispered, only for me to hear. “This marriage is a contract. 1 year. No love. No kids. No escape.” I smiled back. Sweet. Deadly. “Deal, husband. But contracts have loopholes. And I’m very good at finding them.” The cathedral was full of his people. Billionaires, senators, fake friends in designer suits. Nobody knew why I said yes. They whispered I was a gold-digger. Let them think that. Because in my white clutch was a USB drive. Evidence. Proof that Kelvin’s “perfect acquisition” 3 years ago was illegal. Inside were emails, bank transfers, his signature on fake documents. In 12 months, I’ll use it. I’ll destroy Kelvin Carter the way he destroyed us. My hands trembled under the lace gloves. Not from fear. From memory. I remembered the last time I saw Dad alive. Hospital room 4B. Machines beeping. He looked 20 years older than his 52 years. “Jenna,” he whispered, gripping my hand with paper-thin fingers. “Don’t trust Kelvin Carter. He… he set the fire in the warehouse. To make us look guilty. I have proof. On a drive.” Then the heart monitor went flat. Flatline. Gone. I never found Dad’s drive. Police said it was an accident. Insurance said “no evidence, no payout.” We lost the house. Mom started working 3 jobs. Michael… Michael disappeared 6 months later. Car crash, they said. Body never found. Until tonight. The USB in my clutch wasn’t Dad’s. It was mine. 3 years of hacking. Late nights. Bribing Kelvin’s old secretary. I finally had it. Proof that Kelvin ordered the fire. Proof he forged Dad’s signature. Proof he knew about Michael’s “accident.” 12 months. That’s all I needed. 12 months as Mrs. Kelvin Carter to get access to his private server. Then I’d expose him to the world. Make him lose everything. Just like he made us lose Dad. I should hate his hands. But when he took mine to say the vows, his palm was warm. Steady. Like he owned me already. Kelvin leaned closer. His cologne was expensive. Cedar and danger. “You’re shaking, Jenna. Nervous bride? Or guilty thief?” My blood turned to ice. Did he know about the USB? “Just cold,” I lied. “Your cathedral has bad AC.” He chuckled. Low. Dangerous. “I know everything that happens in my house, wife. Including what’s in that clutch.” My heart stopped. He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. We turned to kiss. It was supposed to be fake. Chaste. For the cameras and i********:. But Kelvin’s lips were warm. Soft. And for 1 second, my brain forgot the plan. Forgot revenge. Forgot my father’s grave… His other hand touched my waist. Not part of the script. A warning? A promise? I couldn’t tell. Then the cathedral doors exploded open. “STOP THE WEDDING!” Every head turned. Gasps. Phones came out. My blood froze. Standing in the doorway, soaked from the rain, was my brother. Michael. The brother everyone thought died in that car crash 2 years ago. He was holding a gun. Pointed straight at Kelvin. “Jenna, don’t do this,” he shouted, voice cracking. “He’ll kill you too. Just like Dad.” Kelvin’s hand tightened on my waist. His whisper was ice in my ear: “If you love your brother, tell him to drop the gun. Now. Or I can’t promise what happens next.” My heart stopped. 1 year contract. Or my brother dies today, in front of me. Kelvin knew Michael was alive. He set this up. But why? What do I choose?