The revival of the missing heiress

Chapter2

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE

Natasha showed up at the police station as she threatened but it wasn't to get me bailed as I had pleaded. Instead, she levelled various accusations against me, calling me a burglar, a blackmailer as well as a physical assaulter. She told these sordid lies with tears in her eyes to deceive the officials and when she decided to press charges against me, I was left in the police cell, weak, ailing and hungry.

By this time,my broken ankle had grown worse and my affected skin had begun to melt from the burns caused by the fire. But I wasn't thinking about myself and my deplorable condition. I was thinking about Mrs Reinsdale and how she would be faring in the hospital especially since I wouldn't be able to check on her. Mrs Reinsdale was the reason I was still alive. She was the only person who cared about me.

Even after I stopped schooling, she continued teaching me using simple science textbooks and old newspapers. Her condition bothered me because she had been in and out of the hospital for as long as I could remember, even when she was still my nanny. She went into a fit early this year and had been in the hospital for five months now. Her disease grew worse by the day and I couldn't help but worry for my life. I had already lost Devin, I couldn't afford to lose her too.

Three days after Natasha had me detained at the police station, my parents showed up. I was lying on the cold floor with my eyes slightly closed when the sharp scent of my mother's signature perfume suddenly invaded my nose. I hurriedly sat up and wiped my eyes with the back of my hands, and there she was. Tall and beautiful,her golden blonde hair was glittered, and the black three piece suit skirt she wore gave her the look of a noble. My mother undeniably aged backwards and the smooth luster of her skin proved this every time.

"Hello mother," I greeted, bowing respectfully

"Don't try to stand up" she said, raising her hand midway into the air and twisting the corners of her lips in disgust

"oh goodness, what is your problem Halle? Yes, we've come to ask you that, why must you always disgrace us?"

"It was Natasha's doing mom"

"And what did you do to Natasha"

there was fire her eyes and as she kept staring at me, I felt the heat from them scalding my skin. She would never believe me, she had never done and she would never love me.

"Natasha was having an affair with Devin," I muttered.

"Oh that!," She rolled eyes her derisively and leaned on the railings, "Devin is no longer yours Halle,he belongs to Natasha now and to avoid more ugly circumstances in the future I order you to stay away from the two of them. Do you hear me?"

"But Devin is my fiancé"

"Not anymore! Your sister wants him and so he belongs to her and It will do you good if you forgot about him. Mr Rogers phoned me two nights ago and told me how you destroyed his cooking machine and spilled a giant cauldron of chicken soup meant for his customers, tell me, was that also Natasha's doing?"

"No Mum," I answered slowly, "it was the..."

"Silence!" She screamed, "just shut your mouth up"

Tears gushed down in torrents from my blurry eyes but I didn't make an attempt to hold them back.

"I had to pay Mr Rogers hundreds of dollars for the damages you made."

Just then my father joined us in the scene, but when I greeted him,he grunted in response. My father rarely spoke two words to me,I always felt like there was an invisible gap between us and my words to him seemed like the buzzing of bees_to be ignored,to be scorned.

"Have you discussed the deal with her Delores," he asked my mother curtly

"No I haven't," my mother answered

"What deal are you talking about Dad," I asked vaguely, "what is going on?"

"You are going to marry Ivan Lancaster by this time next week!" He declared impassively, "the arrangements have already been made"

"What!"

"You heard me Halle," he said dryily, dipping his hand into his pocket and fishing out a white paper, "The wedding preparations have already begun,"

"Without my consent?"

"Your opinions don't matter Halle, and if you don't cooperate, you're going to spend the rest of your life in jail. You see, your sister already pressed charges against you and you will be tried for burglary and physical assault on Monday. You don't have a lawyer to defend you and with Devin as a witness amongst other evidences you will be sentenced to five years imprisonment"

I felt the blood drain from my veins at the sound of those words but my father wasn't finished.

"Here," he handed the paper in his hand to me and I took it with shaky fingers, "this is Annalise's test result. She's been diagnosed with stage five cervical cancer and she needs an urgent surgery. The surgery has to be done before this week runs out and it only costs two thousand dollars"

"Two thousand dollars?"

"Yes Halle," he answered with a devilish grin, "just two thousand dollars"

"But where would I get such a huge amount of money"

"It's quite easy," he replied with a shrug, "agree to the marriage arrangements and the money and freedom is all yours. What do you say? We already told the Lancaster family that you are available for their son"

"You told them what?"

"That you are available for Ivan to take to wife of course," my mother answered, "there is no way we're allowing our precious Natasha marry that disgrace of a son"

"But I can marry him?"

"Yes you can. In fact the two of you are very much compatible. He is a disgrace to his family as you are a disgrace to ours. He does nothing but brings ill luck to his family and that is the same thing you do. Devin was too good for you in the first place, you have finally gotten your type and you should be grateful"

My mother's words sliced through me like sharp knives and to think they hated me this much to blackmail me emotionally. I shouldn't have been born at all! Natasha had the nerve to press charges against me and my father wouldn't pay for Mrs Reinsdale surgery without a cost. The woman who used to be their best friend! Eventhough I was strengthless and defenceless against them, I trust them never to make empty threats. My father would indeed watch me go to jail and Mrs Reinsdale...

"I agree father" I muttered slowly," I will marry Ivan Lancaster"

"Good. The policeman will have you released now. We're meeting with the Lancasters tonight and I want you looking presentable in the least. Do something about your ankle"

And with that, my parents turned around and walked away,leaving me to fight with the echoing voices of doubts in my head, leaving me to fight with the darkness my world had become engulfed in. It all felt like a dream but after I reread Mrs Reinsdale's test result, I realized that it wasn't and that I had no choice but to marry a stranger.

After I got released from the police station,I went to the to the hospital Mrs Reinsdale was admitted in to treat my ankle and to check on her.

"She went into coma two days ago" the white haired doctor told me, "her chances of survival are very low"

"Even after the surgery?"

"The disease has eaten deep into her system but we'll try our best, we can't guarantee you anything Ma'am"

"I'll send the money to your account by tomorrow"

"Okay Ma'am," I grabbed my bag, stood from the chair and turned in the direction of the door when the doctor suddenly called out to me

"You are Miss Halle aren't you?"

"Yes I am, is something wrong?"

I asked as I returned to the seat I rose from

"Not really," he pulled out his drawer and fished out a bunch of keys,"Miss Reinsdale asked me to give you the keys to her apartment,she says there is something she would like you to see"

"When did she say that?" I asked

"Before she went into coma. She said she wants her valuables to be secured"

"Ohh,thank you sir"

I took the keys from him and walked out of the office