chapter 3. My Wife
1182 Words
Victor wants my wife.
The words echoed in my mind like a nightmare.
I stared at James, convinced I had heard him wrong.
"What... did you just say?"
His expression remained unreadable.
"Victor doesn't care about the company anymore."
He slipped his gun back into its holster.
"He wants to destroy me."
I folded my arms across my chest, trying to steady my breathing.
"And k********g me will accomplish that?"
James looked into my eyes.
"You've become my greatest weakness."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"We've known each other for less than a day."
"That doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
His jaw tightened.
"It won't matter to Victor."
Silence filled the hidden passage.
The emergency lights cast long shadows across the concrete walls.
I suddenly felt trapped.
Not just inside the secret tunnel...
But inside James Sterling's life.
"I should never have gotten into that car."
My voice cracked.
"If I had stayed at the hospital, none of this would've happened."
James took a slow step toward me.
"No."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
His gray eyes held mine.
"Victor would've found another way to use you."
I looked away.
"I don't want to be part of this."
"I know."
"I only wanted to save my father."
"And you still will."
His confidence frustrated me.
"How can you keep making promises when everything is falling apart?"
For the first time...
James looked away.
"I've broken many things in my life."
His voice was quiet.
"But I don't break promises."
Before I could respond, the steel door at the end of the passage suddenly buzzed.
James immediately raised his hand, signaling me to stay behind him.
A hidden camera flickered on.
"It's me," Evelyn's voice came through the speaker.
"The attackers are gone."
James pressed a button.
The heavy door slowly opened.
Evelyn rushed inside, her face pale.
"Mr. Sterling."
"What happened?"
"The police have secured the building."
"And Victor?"
She shook her head.
"He disappeared before they arrived."
James wasn't surprised.
"He always does."
Evelyn hesitated before looking at me.
"The media is already outside."
I frowned.
"The media?"
She nodded.
"They're reporting that the CEO of Sterling Group was attacked."
James sighed.
"And?"
"They also know..."
She swallowed hard.
"...that you're getting married today."
My stomach dropped.
"How?"
"No one knows."
James rubbed his forehead.
"Victor leaked it."
Evelyn handed him a tablet.
"The story is everywhere."
James turned the screen toward me.
Every major news outlet carried the same headline.
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE JAMES STERLING SECRETLY MARRIES MYSTERY WOMAN.
Below the headline...
Was my photograph.
The picture had been taken outside the hospital only hours earlier.
Comments were already flooding the article.
"She's obviously after his money."
"Another gold digger."
"This marriage won't last a month."
My throat tightened.
"They don't even know me."
"They don't need to," James replied.
"They've already judged me."
His expression softened.
"Welcome to my world."
For the first time...
I understood what being Mrs. Sterling would truly cost.
Not just my freedom.
My privacy.
My reputation.
Everything.
Evelyn's phone suddenly rang.
She answered, listened for a few seconds, then looked up in alarm.
"Mr. Sterling..."
"What is it?"
"The chapel called."
James frowned.
"What about it?"
"The wedding officiant has arrived."
Silence.
Evelyn took a deep breath.
"He says if the ceremony doesn't begin within thirty minutes..."
She looked between us.
"...the marriage license will be canceled."
James slowly turned to me.
His gray eyes locked onto mine.
"We're running out of time."
I stared back at him, my heart pounding.
My father had been kidn*pped.
A dangerous man wanted me as bait.
Gunmen had just attacked the Sterling Tower.
And somehow...
I was still expected to become James Sterling's wife.
Outside, thunder shook the city.
Inside, James extended his hand toward me.
"Come with me, Rose."
His voice was calm.
"But understand this..."
He held my gaze without blinking.
"The moment you say 'I do,' there's no turning back."
stared at James's outstretched hand.
One step.
That was all it would take to change my life forever.
I slowly placed my trembling hand in his.
His fingers closed around mine, warm and firm.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Neither of us spoke as we walked through the private hallway. My mind was still racing.
My father had been kidn*pped.
Someone wanted me dead.
And in less than thirty minutes...
I would become Mrs. James Sterling.
When we reached the private chapel on the top floor of the Sterling Tower, I froze.
The chapel was breathtaking.
Rows of white roses lined the aisle. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, and soft candlelight filled the room with a warm glow.
It was everything a bride could dream of.
Yet I had never felt more alone.
The officiant smiled politely as we entered.
"Mr. Sterling, Miss Bennett. We're ready whenever you are."
James nodded.
"Thank you."
Evelyn stepped forward and gently adjusted my veil.
"You look beautiful, Rose."
I forced a faint smile.
"I wish today were different."
She squeezed my hand.
"Sometimes love begins in the most unexpected way."
I wasn't sure I believed that.
A soft melody began to play.
The officiant looked at us.
"Please stand before me."
James and I walked to the front of the chapel.
Our hands were still joined.
I could feel my heartbeat pounding against my chest.
The officiant opened the marriage register.
"We are gathered here today to witness the union of James Sterling and Rose Bennett."
His voice echoed through the silent chapel.
"Do you, James Sterling, take Rose Bennett to be your lawful wife?"
Without hesitation, James answered.
"I do."
His voice was calm and certain.
The officiant turned to me.
"And do you, Rose Bennett, take James Sterling to be your lawful husband?"
My throat tightened.
Every instinct told me to run.
But then I remembered my father lying helpless in that hospital bed.
I remembered his smile.
His sacrifices.
The tears burned in my eyes.
"I..."
Before I could finish—
The chapel doors burst open with a loud bang.
Everyone turned.
A frightened security guard rushed inside.
"Mr. Sterling!"
James frowned.
"What happened?"
The guard struggled to catch his breath.
"We found a bomb."
The room fell silent.
"A bomb?" Evelyn whispered.
The guard nodded.
"It was hidden beneath the altar."
My blood turned cold.
The officiant stumbled backward in horror.
James immediately pulled me behind him.
"When was it found?"
"Just now, sir."
"Has the bomb squad been called?"
"Yes."
The guard hesitated.
"But there's something else."
James's expression hardened.
"What?"
The guard handed him a black envelope.
"It was attached to the device."
James opened it slowly.
Inside was a single white card.
He read the message without saying a word.
"What does it say?" I asked.
He looked at me.
His gray eyes had turned frighteningly cold.
Then he handed me the card.
My hands shook as I read the words.
"Marry him... and you'll become a widow before sunrise."
My breath caught.
Someone out there wasn't just trying to stop the wedding anymore.
They were promising James's death.
- Writer
