The revival of the missing heiress

Chapter3

MARRIAGE

Immediately after I left the hospital, I proceeded to Mrs Reinsdale apartment. But when I got there, I discovered that she gave me the keys to her bedroom, not the key to the whole apartment as I was expecting. Because I met Michael, her son, partying with his friends in the house.

"My mom is at the hospital b***h," he said, blocking the entrance with his huge body while the thick smell of alcohol and hard substances in the air pinched my nose.

"I think you should return to wherever you came from"

"No", I retorted,"you should return to hell the pit of hell you came truly belong"

"Yes have no right to..."

He didn't finish the statement before I pushed him away from the door and charged inside. I winced as the deafening noise hit my ears and covered my nose with my hand to blot out the horrid smells, as I waded through the wasted bodies on the floor and charged upstairs to Mrs Reinsdale's bedroom.

The instant I got there,I locked the door behind me and rested my back on it, panting breathlessly. Black and white photographs of Mrs Reinsdale when she was in her twenties adorned the wall of the spacious bedroom and I was starting to reminisce about the first day I saw her when my eyes suddenly landed on the a piece of paper and a huge box in the middle of the bed.

I stopped and blinked twice to clear my head and dropped my purse on the couch nearest to me. The doctor said Mrs Reinsdale had something for me. Could this be it by any chance? If so, what was it? What could it be? A will, perhaps. I took a deep breath as I advanced to the bed but the white paper turned out to be an envelope and when I opened it,I pulled out a piece of paper with writings which read thus;

"My dear Halle,"

I'm sorry for keeping the secret about my health from you all these while. Believe me, I did it to put your mind at rest, I didn't want you worrying about me. Actually Halle, there are many secrets I have been keeping fom you but now that I am no longer sure of my survival, it's best you know of them. I have been treating myself secretly but recently, my system has not been responding to medicines and so I have decided to let you in on secrets pertaining to your life. Before I proceed, I would like to let you know that these secrets are dangerous, so to avoid your life being put on the line,I would plead with you to keep your discoveries to yourself. My beautiful Halle, raising you as a nanny has given my life a purpose and I can boldly say that it was your love that has kept me alive all this while. In the suitcase beside this paper is a laptop,this device contains all the things you need to know. Keep this laptop a secret and make sure nothing happens to it. Your life is at war and I pray you find the strength to fight and be victorious.

I might live but if my enemy's clutches are too strong, then this is a goodbye my dear one. I will keep watching you from above and I would implore you to keep being good and never to trust anyone. Nothing is as it seems,there is a dark cloud of secrets looming over your head. Be vigilant*

A headache shot through the left side of my head as I kept staring at the letter in confusion and I sat down on the edge of the bed to gather my thoughts. What was Mrs Reinsdale talking about? What enemies? What secrets? What danger? First, I would be marrying a stranger, and now my life was suddenly built on secrets. Was I living in a dystopian universe or some lucid nightmare? The contents of Mrs Reinsdale's letter had just shattered my peace of mind and I didn't even know how to feel.

In my bid to find answers, I hurriedly opened the big box on the bed and started rummaging through it. There was a silver colored HP laptop in it according to the letter and there were also two photographs of a baby girl. On the back of these pictures were written, Rosalia Natasha McMinnville, June 16th 2002. There was also a silver necklace but when I pulled it out,a piece of paper followed it, 'no one must see this necklace Halle', the words on the paper read, 'guard it with your life'.

I tucked the necklace away and open the laptop and switched it on but it asked for a password. I quickly typed Mrs Reinsdale name, Analis, but it didn't work, the device didn't unlock. I typed in my own name but it said password incorrect, what then is the password? I asked out loud. How do I access the files in the laptop when I didn't know the password. I picked the handwritten note and reread it but there was nothing indicating a password. Why did Mrs Reinsdale give me laptop without a password? And as it is,it would be a bad idea to give the device to hackers to open. What is the secret surrounding my life. Curiosity was killing me but as I was about to input a hacking code I knew my phone rang.

"Where are you Halle?" My mother growled from the other end of the line, "the Lancasters are already around"

"Isn't the wedding next week?," I asked

"No, there's been change of plans, the wedding is to take place tomorrow morning"

"What, why don't I have a say in this and why are you trying to force me into marriage"

"You don't have a right to ask me that question. Besides, Ivan's parents want him married as early as possible, they're tired of his irresponsible behaviours, they want him settled in"

"I'm not happy about this mother"

"I reckon you would have been happy in the prison cell instead"

And with that, she hung up. What sort of life was this.

I packed the laptop and all the stuff into the bag and snuck out the house, careful not to get seen by Mrs Reinsdale's useless son and his wayward friends. When I arrived at our luxury mansion, I discovered that dinner had already been served and that the Lancasters would be joining us. So, I hurried upstairs, hid the box under my bed and changed into good clothes. I wore a long silver gown to cover my ankle and the burns on my body and tied my hair into a messy bun.

"You're going to marry a disowned son"

I looked up from the mirror where I was drawing my eyebrows and saw Natasha standing by the door, her lips twisted in mockery. "Yes, Reginald Lancaster disowned Ivan a long time ago, this is the end of your life Halle"

"Your insults don't matter now Tasha," I hooked a tiny sliver necklace around my neck and rose to my feet.

"mom and dad didn't leave me a choice and I'm doing this because I want to save Mrs Reinsdale's life"

"You're going to be poor and hungry for the rest of your days," she continued, moving closer to me, "Ivan is as poor as a church rat. He lives in a cockroach infested apartment in the slums of Connecticut"

"I can work for my own money Natasha, I'm not depending on a man's wealth. I have hands and a well functioning brain so I am not going to suffer"

Before Natasha could open her mouth to make another derogatory remark,I charged out of the room and slammed the door shut behind me. The dinner session had ended before I arrived but I met my parents having a discussion with Ivan's parents in our paradise like living room.

"Halle arrived late from work today," my mother said the instant she sighted me, "we apologize,"

Mrs Lancaster, a dark haired, plus size woman, scanned me up in one glance and I bowed in greeting

"She's lovely," she said eventually, turning to her husband,"I think she'll make a good match for Ivanovich"

"Indeed," the stern faced man muttered, "two hundred dollars upkeep per month should be enough for them until they start having children and I hope they both learn to be responsible. Maybe Ivan will keep a job this time," he twisted his nose in irritation and Mrs Lancaster turned to me with a small smile.

"Ivan is outside,I think you should meet with him and get to know him before your wedding tomorrow"

I bowed respectfully and walked out of the living room. The moment I stepped out of the house,I saw a tall figure standing by the swimming pool with his hands in his trousers pockets. His brown hair glistened under the moonlight and he had an aura that exuded solemnity. With each step I took closer to the blue swimming pool,I imagined how he would look and how he would receive me.

"You must be Halle"

I stopped, frozen in my tracks as the voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. He was still facing the water,he didn't turn to look at me.

"Yes," I stuttered, moving closer "I'm Halle and you're Ivan Lancaster"

"Yes, I'm the unwanted son of the family. The fool who gambled away his inheritance"

"It's okay" I muttered.

"It isn't"

"I understand that you are guilty..."

"No," he cut me off, "I understand that you are being forced to do this, Halle" He shrugged and slowly turned to face me. He was really handsome, long nose, chiseled chin, red lips. "I'm sorry this is happening to you"

"I'm sorry too"

"You don't have to be," he waved a dismissive hand but pain flashed through his eyes,he apparently was hurting from regrets. He seemed lonely, with no family on his side and maybe no friends too.

"You don't have to feel bad Ivan" I said softly, sitting beside him by the pool. "you didn't gamble the money away on purpose Ivan, you were trying to make more and that was what your mind construed to be appropriate at that time. You can still be well Ivan, your future is still very bright"

He removed his left leg from his shoe and dipped in into the water. The blue light illuminating the river reflected on his silky complexion and he smiled.

"I'm surprised you are not condemning me like the others. It's been quite rough you know, my dad barely looks at me when he speaks to me"

"I know how you feel. We all make mistakes Ivan, and I know you've learnt your lessons"

A moment of silence passed and when Ivan robotically turned to face the swimming pool again, I concluded that he was not interested in my words. But when I stood up and turned around to leave, he suddenly called out.

"Lady Halle!"

I stopped, he was still looking at the river and his hands were still in his pockets. The atmosphere was tense and I thought I heard his lonely thoughts whispering to me.

"Yes, Ivan" I answered

"Can you love me?"

"What!"

"You heard me Halle. Can you love me? Can you accept me,flaws, misdeeds and all?"

A million and one questions invaded my mind at that time but then something touched my heart, something fiery yet gentle, passionate, yet soft.

"Yes Ivan Lancaster," I shouted back, "I can love you. I have accepted you and your flaws, and I believe we can start all over together"

He thin lips parted into a big smile and his eyes began to sparkle with life. I took one last glance at him before turning around , butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, sparks were flying around.

I knew I would love the disowned son. I would bring beauty out of this ugliness and positivity out of this negativity.