Chapter 2 The Front-page Bride
1078 Words
The camera flashes poured down like a torrential rain, and the blinding white light fragmented Elena's vision. She instinctively closed her eyes, but the sounds of the shutters still pierced her eardrums like bullets.
"Mr. Howard! Who is this lady?"
"What's your relationship with her?"
"There's news that you have a marriage contract with the Rothschild family. Is that true?"
The voices of the reporters mixed together, like a flock of hungry vultures. Elena could feel Lucas's arm tightly around her waist, the grip so strong that it almost hurt. His body temperature was still terrifyingly high, and there was a faint smell of blood in his breath.
"Quiet."
Lucas's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through all the noise like a blade. The whole room instantly fell into an eerie silence.
Elena opened her eyes and saw the man's sharply contoured profile under the camera flashes, which was like an ice sculpture. His gray-blue eyes swept over the crowd and finally settled on Sophia, who was standing in the front row—her stepsister was holding up her phone, and a victorious smile curved the corners of her bright red lips.
"You've all come at the right time." Lucas suddenly curled the corners of his lips, revealing a smile that held no warmth. He released his grip on Elena's waist and instead clasped the back of her neck, forcing her to look up at the camera. "This is Ms. Elena Watson, my newlywed wife."
The whole room erupted in an uproar.
Elena's pupils shrank suddenly. Newlywed wife? They had only met for the first time ten minutes ago!
But Lucas had already produced a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his suit like a magician. He unfolded it in front of the camera—it was a marriage certificate. The date was clearly marked as today, and there were even the signatures of the two of them and the embossed seal of the notary office on it.
"This can't be..." Elena whispered, but her voice was drowned out by the reporters' new round of frantic questions.
Lucas leaned down, and his thin lips almost touched her earlobe: "Article one of the agreement, cooperate with the act. Now, kiss me."
His voice was low and dangerous, carrying an order that couldn't be refused. Before Elena could react, the man's lips had already pressed down on hers.
There was no tenderness in this kiss. Lucas's teeth bit through her lower lip, and the smell of blood spread between their lips and teeth. Elena instinctively struggled, but the man held her even tighter. She could feel the thin calluses on his palm, could smell the mixture of gunpowder and cedar on his body, and even heard—
Click.
Sophia's phone clearly captured this scene.
"The wedding is scheduled for next month." When Lucas released her, Elena's lips were already swollen and red. He smiled at the camera, but his eyes were as cold as the permafrost in Siberia. "You're all welcome to attend then."
The reporters frantically recorded this explosive news, and Sophia's face had turned livid. She suddenly pushed through the crowd and rushed forward: "Mr. Howard, do you know who she is? Her father is a liar, and her mother was a madwoman—"
"Sophia." Elena finally spoke, her voice very soft, but it made her stepsister shut up instantly. "Give me back the medicine box."
The air froze for a second.
Sophia clenched the silver medicine box in her hand, and her bright red nails left several scratches on it. "What medicine box? Sister, are you having hallucinations again?" She turned to the reporters and put on a worried expression. "Ever since our mother passed away, her mental state has been unstable..."
The reporters' cameras immediately turned towards Elena, like a group of sharks that had smelled blood.
Just then, Lucas suddenly laughed.
He took something out of his pocket—it was exactly the medicine box that Sophia had hidden in her handbag. "Honey, you dropped this in the corridor." He said politely, but when he handed the medicine box over, he added in a voice that only the three of them could hear: "The dose of scopolamine in there is enough to sentence you to ten years in prison, Miss Sophia."
Sophia's face turned pale instantly.
Elena took the medicine box, and her fingertips touched the cold metal surface. She quickly opened it and took out a pre-filled syringe—the medicine inside was already half gone.
"You stole and used my inhibitor." She said calmly, pointing the needle at her carotid artery. "You know what this means."
Sophia took a step back, and a trace of fear flashed in her eyes.
The reporters, not understanding what was going on, took pictures of this scene, and the camera flashes lit up again. Lucas promptly put his arm around Elena's shoulders: "My wife has a bit of low blood sugar. If you don't mind..."
He made a gesture, and several bodyguards in black immediately stepped forward to clear the room. Sophia was "politely" ushered out. Before leaving, she turned back and gave Elena a look, and that gaze was as if it was poisoned.
As soon as the last reporter left, Elena immediately pushed Lucas away. "What on earth do you want?" She demanded, still holding the syringe in her hand.
Lucas**********，**********。"42% of the shares of Watson Pharmaceuticals," he said casually, "and your mother's research notes."
Elena's breath caught in her throat.
"Absolutely not."
"Don't be in a hurry to refuse." Lucas walked over to the desk in the suite and took out a document from the drawer. "Take a look at this."
The cover of the document had the words "Project Pandora" printed on it, and below was a string of codes—Elena immediately recognized that it was her mother's handwriting. She trembled as she opened the first page, and what came into view was a yellowed photo: her young mother stood in the laboratory, beside a blond boy who was wearing a numbered wristband...
And on the left wrist of that boy, there was a crescent-shaped scar.
Elena suddenly looked up and happened to meet Lucas's cold gray-blue eyes.
"Welcome to the game, Ms. Watson." He said softly, "Now, let's talk about how your father was poisoned."
- Writer
