chapter 16.The Wedding Promise
1419 Words
Victor escaped.
The words echoed through James's hospital room like a storm.
James's smile disappeared.
His hand instinctively tightened around mine.
"How?" he asked.
Evelyn shook her head.
"The prison transport was ambushed less than an hour ago."
"There were casualties."
"The attackers knew the exact route."
James frowned.
"An inside job."
Evelyn nodded.
"That's what the police believe."
Silence settled over the room.
I looked at James.
"You need to rest."
He smiled gently.
"I've rested enough."
"You were shot yesterday."
"And today I'm alive."
He reached for my hand again.
"I don't intend to waste another day."
The velvet ring box still rested on the hospital bed.
James picked it up.
He looked into my eyes.
"My question still stands."
"Will you marry me?"
"This time..."
"Not because of a contract."
"Not because of an inheritance."
"But because we choose each other."
Tears filled my eyes.
When we first met, I had feared this man.
The cold billionaire.
The ruthless CEO.
The man everyone called heartless.
Now...
He was simply James.
The man who had risked his life to save mine.
The man who loved me without asking for anything in return.
I smiled through my tears.
"Yes."
"I'll marry you."
His gray eyes softened.
"Really?"
I laughed.
"You'll have to buy me another wedding dress."
James chuckled.
"I'll buy you a hundred."
"I only need one."
He gently slipped the diamond ring onto my finger.
It fit perfectly.
Just then...
The hospital room erupted into applause.
I was surprised.
Richard.
Michael.
Evelyn.
Daniel.
Even several nurses stood smiling near the doorway.
Richard wiped away a tear.
"Welcome to the family..."
"Daughter."
I walked over and hugged him.
"I've already found my family."
"You."
"My dad."
"And James."
Richard embraced me warmly.
"I'll spend the rest of my life making up for the years we lost."
Michael smiled proudly.
"She's always been worth fighting for."
James watched us quietly.
For the first time in years...
Peace settled over his heart.
But it didn't last.
James's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
"What is it?" I asked.
Without answering, he handed me the phone.
A single photo filled the screen.
It showed Victor standing beside an unknown woman dressed in black.
Written beneath the photo were seven chilling words.
THE GAME HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.
My smile faded.
James wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"No matter who they are..."
"We'll face them together."
Outside the hospital window...
A black car sat parked across the street.
Inside...
The mysterious woman lowered a pair of binoculars.
She smiled.
"So..."
"They survived."
Victor folded his arms.
"For now."
The woman looked back at the hospital.
"Then let's begin Phase Two."
"The game has only just begun."
The words beneath the photograph sent a chill through my body.
James locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket.
"We're leaving the hospital."
The doctor immediately objected.
"Absolutely not, Mr. Sterling. You were shot less than forty-eight hours ago."
James stood slowly, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder.
"I don't have a choice."
"You do," the doctor insisted.
"If you leave now, your wound could reopen."
James smiled politely.
"I'll take that risk."
I grabbed his hand.
"James."
He looked at me.
"I just got you back."
"Please don't make me lose you again."
His expression softened.
He brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
"I'm not leaving because I want to."
"I'm leaving because if Victor knows where we are..."
"...you're no longer safe."
I lowered my eyes.
Deep down, I knew he was right.
---
An hour later...
James's convoy arrived at Sterling Manor.
The mansion was heavily guarded.
Security officers patrolled every entrance.
New surveillance cameras had been installed overnight.
Evelyn handed James a tablet.
"We've doubled the security."
"No one enters without your approval."
James nodded.
"Good."
As we stepped inside the mansion, I noticed something different.
The cold house no longer felt empty.
It felt like home.
James noticed me looking around.
"What are you thinking?"
I smiled.
"The first time I came here..."
"I couldn't wait to leave."
"And now?"
I looked into his eyes.
"Now I can't imagine living anywhere else."
A smile spread across his face.
"Then don't."
He slipped his fingers between mine.
"This is your home too."
My heart fluttered.
For a brief moment, the fear, the danger, and the secrets disappeared.
There were only us.
James leaned closer.
"I still owe you a honeymoon."
I laughed softly.
"You were supposed to be recovering."
"I recover faster when you're smiling."
Before I could reply—
Richard hurried into the living room, holding an old wooden box.
"James."
"You need to see this."
James frowned.
"What is it?"
"I found it in your father's private study."
He placed the dusty box on the coffee table.
It was locked.
But engraved on the lid was the same family crest as the pendant around my neck.
My pulse quickened.
"The key..."
I whispered.
The silver key Daniel had given me.
With trembling hands, I removed it from my pocket.
James covered my hand with his.
"Ready?"
I nodded.
Together...
We unlocked the box.
The lid creaked open.
Inside lay a stack of faded letters tied with a blue ribbon.
On top rested a single envelope.
Across the front, written in elegant handwriting, were six words.
"For Rose, when she finds home."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
I carefully reached for the letter.
Just as my fingers touched it—
The mansion's security alarm blared.
Evelyn's voice echoed through the speakers.
"Mr. Sterling!"
"We have an intruder!"
James instantly pulled me behind him.
"Where?"
Evelyn's reply sent silence through the room.
"They're already inside the house."
Evelyn's warning echoed through Sterling Manor.
James's expression turned cold.
He immediately stepped in front of me.
"Rose, stay behind me."
The mansion fell silent.
Even the security guards outside stopped moving.
Then—
Click... Click...
The sound of footsteps echoed from the second floor.
Everyone looked toward the grand staircase.
A tall figure dressed in black slowly descended.
His face was hidden beneath a hood.
He wasn't carrying a weapon.
Richard narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
The stranger stopped halfway down the stairs.
"I'm not your enemy."
James didn't lower his guard.
"Then tell me why you broke into my house."
Instead of answering, the man looked directly at me.
"Rose Sterling."
"I've been looking for you."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Who are you?"
The stranger slowly removed his hood.
He appeared to be in his fifties, with silver-streaked black hair and calm blue eyes.
"My name is Gabriel Lawson."
"I was your mother's lawyer."
Richard's face changed instantly.
"Gabriel..."
"I thought you disappeared."
Gabriel gave a tired smile.
"I had to."
"The people responsible for Rose's k********g hunted everyone connected to her family."
James frowned.
"What do you want now?"
Gabriel reached into his coat and carefully placed a sealed envelope on the table.
"I promised your mother that if Rose ever returned home..."
"I would give her this."
Rose looked at the envelope.
It was addressed in elegant handwriting.
To My Dearest Daughter.
Her hands trembled as she picked it up.
Tears filled her eyes.
"My mother wrote this?"
Gabriel nodded.
"The night before you disappeared."
Rose slowly broke the seal.
Inside was a single handwritten letter.
She unfolded it carefully.
Before she could read the first line—
BANG!
A gunshot shattered the silence.
The living room window exploded into thousands of pieces.
Gabriel's eyes widened.
He staggered backward.
A dark stain spread across his white shirt.
Rose screamed.
"Gabriel!"
He collapsed onto the floor.
James rushed toward the broken window.
"Sniper!"
The security team immediately surrounded the room.
Another bullet struck the wall just inches from Rose.
James threw himself over her, shielding her with his body.
"Stay down!"
Outside...
A black motorcycle sped away from the estate.
The sniper had vanished.
Inside the mansion, Gabriel struggled to breathe.
He reached out and pressed the letter into Rose's hand.
With his final strength, he whispered,
"Don't let... them... find... the second... letter..."
His hand fell limp.
Rose stared at him in horror.
"Gabriel..."
"No..."
Tears streamed down her face as she clutched the letter to her chest.
James looked at the blood-stained envelope.
His jaw tightened.
"They killed him..."
"To stop you from reading what's inside."
Rose slowly looked down at the letter from her mother.
With trembling fingers...
She unfolded the first page.
- Writer
