ACCIDENTAL BRIDE (A Christmas Bride)

Scars Of The Past Never Heals

…...The Bleak Mansion, 2 am

……Christmas Day

……The Wedding Day

……The D-Day

A black car parked outside the Bleak Mansion and the back door opened, JB and Susan Bleak came out still not looking bright. Upon the wait at the airport and the long sit on the airplane, the time wasted was not enough for the gloom on their faces to disappear. Their suitcases were brought down and the car zoomed off. That was the airport Uber which brought them home. The Bleaks were blessed with cars and drivers at their disposal but JB dared not ask any of the drivers to come to pick them up from the airport by that time of the day.

He must be crazy to try such, his dad is calm and collected but he does not take nonsense.

JB would have asked and his father's response would be "what was he doing in London to return home with his wife by that time of day?

JB has limited assets because he has refused to do what's right, Senior Bleak almost stripped him of his inheritance.

Senior Bleak could tolerate Josh because he has seen the young man work his way to the top but he would never tolerate his own son. Sometimes, Senior Bleak wishes JB was never his son and that Josh will channel the same energy he put into Josh airlines co-operative into Bleak construction company but he can't force his grandson because his happiness matters to him as well.

The gate bell rang and Senior Bleak got an alarm in his room. He grunted and opened his eyes. He knew for sure that it was his nonsense son that would dare ring a bell in the middle of the night.

He stood up and checked the CCTV and he was right after all. He picked up the gate remote and unlocked the gate which ushered the two People waiting outside inside. They stepped inside the compound and the gate closed immediately.

They walked to the mansion's main door and it opened as they approached it.

JB knows he is in for some scolding later in the morning.

Both of them walked into their room and closed the door behind them.

Senior Bleak watched as they went inside their room and he sighed.

His son is home at least but it never excites him at all, it was as good as he never returns.

Senior Bleak had formed a habit of having all the mansion remote to himself before going to bed. It's not that he does not trust his employees but to be on the safer side.

He would never want history to repeat itself. After the incident that nearly destroyed him, he hated the word HAD I KNOW.

He has never been able to forgive himself because he believes it was his fault what happened, had happened.

Trust is something that when it's lost, is lost forever and that could be the same in the Senior Bleak case. He had trusted one of his employees back then and he had stabbed him in the back which nearly ended his life. Thank God for the grace that kept him alive up till now.

His assistant left a mark in his heart that has taken years to heal but as much as he has forgiven, he has not forgotten.

Scars of the past never heal.

It was this day, Christmas morning 40 years ago. His little family was in a festive mood and as the good father and husband he was, enough was provided for his kids and wife.

Due to his stage of business at that time, he hardly has time for the family so every holiday he makes it worthwhile to make up for the lost time. He had wished to become better to have quality time with his kids and wife.

Christmas Eve was well spent and the Bleak Family was in await for Christmas day. His kids JB and Jessica loved the Christmas period a lot because they get to spend a lot of time with their dad. They were rest assured that there would be too much fun. Christmas shopping and many more.

His wife, Mrs. Bleak is not left out in the excitement because she has a lot of time to spend with Senior Bleak. She understands the nature of his business, that it requires his full time and all that he has to give his company with the hope that a time will come when he would not have to be around only on holidays.

So that early Christmas morning, his assistant who lived with them had knocked on his door and told him that they were under attack. There was no tight security around him then as it is now, so his attacker had gained easy access into the main building and had him where it pained him the most. He had asked for his company's secret password or the life of Jessica. Senior Bleak knew that he could build another company with grace but he would never have a daughter like Jessica, she was the apple of his eye so he chose the life of his daughter over his wealth. He gave them the secret password but the ingrates were not satisfied, he had shot Jessica and leaves. Senior Bleak could not withstand the pain of losing a daughter and his company on this same day, he lost consciousness the same with his wife.

He woke up a few days later with his wife by his side. He had missed the burial of his five-year-old pumpkin but on the other side, the culprit was apprehended and he got to know that his assistant was the master planner and from there, his trust issue began. Senior Bleak hated Christmas, his wife tried to restore his love for Christmas over the years but failed woefully.

As he got wealthier over the years, he tightened his security and after he built the mansion, he had installed secret cameras all over the mansions and most of them his son and grandsons are not aware of, there will be a lot of screening over those he wants to employ and every gadget that pertains to his mansion stays with him every night including the Mansion's remote control.

Senior Bleak was getting old and his Son, JB should have relieved him of many things but he chose pleasure over wealth, and at times Like this, Senior Bleak misses his dead daughter dearly.

He did not want any other kids after his loss of fear that he would replace Jessica's space in his heart. Father and daughter bonds did not break even after a lot of years without her

So there had never been any Christmas celebrations in his home for years now even though he recovered his company, he had lost a part of him and because of that, Senior Bleak banned any sort of Christmas celebration in his home.

But the question is, why fix a wedding this Christmas, did something change or is there something new?

Senior Bleak was not born with a golden spoon and he had struggled throughout college to make a name for himself and after all odd, he made it out of college and then started a part job while he enrolled for his master's in a nearby tertiary institute and there, he met his wife and within few months, they were inseparable and afterwards, they got married and were blessed with two beautiful kids

He started his construction company from scratch and had no help from whosoever, it took him a lot of years for his company to stand because he had faced so many hurdles on the way.

Today the company did not just stand but has been a blessing to many around him, but that did not change the fact he banned Christmas celebrations in his family and has been so collected after the incident.

Senior Bleak sighed and went back to bed. He hopes his expectations are met this Christmas.

**********

The temperature in his room was getting so chilly despite the thick duvet he had used to cover himself up. It was Christmas and winter was here, why would he switch on his AC?

Josh grunted and switched off the AC and turned to go back to bed when he remembered the lady on the floor. He switched on the bed lamp to see her curled up on the floor. He was surprised that he that is covered and lying on the bed was freezing yet she that lies on the floor did not move an inch.

He hates her with passion and if she could freeze to death then so be it, it will liberate him from this wedding imposed on him by his grandfather. He switched off the lamp and went back to bed.

"You can freeze to death for all I care"

He said and dozed off to sleep.