Chapter 5 SoldII

Heaven walked out with them in silence as they stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau. The bright daylight stung her eyes. She felt hollow, like she was walking barefoot into a desert, her soul left somewhere behind those marble walls.

Then Summer gasped, pointing ahead. “O.M.G! Is that a Rolls-Royce Phantom Scintilla?” Her jaw dropped as she stared at the sleek black car waiting for her sister. “Heaven, you are so lucky!” she squealed.

Lucky?

The word stabbed through Heaven like a cruel joke.

At the steps, her family stopped. She realized they weren’t following her anymore.

It hit her then, this was it. The end of the life she knew. The beginning of something she couldn’t escape.

Clutching the marriage certificate to her chest, Heaven walked toward the car waiting for her.

At the foot of the stairs, a man in a black suit stood beside the sleek black car, holding the door open. His expression was blank and professional.

She took one last look at her family, before stepping into the car.

The sleek Rolls-Royce glided away, its polished frame vanishing into the distance.

Heaven’s family stood in front of the civil affairs, watching it disappear, their faces a mix of relief and greed.

“I wish I was the one sitting in that car,” Summer pouted, her envy as clear as the sun that had glinted off the car moments ago.

Meredith chuckled, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Don’t worry, baby. With this money, we’ll polish you up and get you a better catch. Not an impotent one, at least.”

“Mother!” Summer gasped, her eyes widening. “I thought you said he wasn’t impotent?”

Meredith arched her brow, a sly smile curling her lips. “You think the Richards family would offer this much money for a wife if he were man enough?”

Damien tore the bandage off his head and winced, revealing bruises. “Did those thugs really have to beat me that hard?”

“Sorry, darling,” Meredith cooed, her manicured fingers tracing his bruised cheek with tenderness. “We had to make it believable enough for her to give in.”

Summer burst out laughing. “Mother, you’re such a genius! How did you come up with that plan so fast?”

“Heaven’s softhearted,” Meredith replied, her smile turning sharp as a blade. “She’d do anything to keep us from being hurt. Her weakness became our advantage. I just promised the thugs a little extra cash.”

The family Heaven had sold her life to save had conspired against her.

Inside the car, Heaven sat silently in the back seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

She was married now to a man she had never met. The silence pressed against her chest, heavy and suffocating, making each breath hard to take.

Through the tinted windows, the world blurred, her old life fading with every mile.

She wondered what awaited her in the Richard household.

Would her husband, Boyle, be kind or cruel?

Would he even care that she existed?

Or was she merely a transaction, a debt paid in flesh and vows?

Her throat tightened as she pictured her father’s relieved eyes, her mother’s greedy hands clutching the cheque. Not one of them had asked if she was happy.

Maybe this was her purpose to fix her father’s failures, to bear the weight of his mistakes.

Maybe love was for others, not for girls sold to buy peace.

Heaven’s mind was too clouded to know how long the car had been moving . When it slowed before a towering black gate, Heaven’s heart thudded. The gate creaked open on its own, revealing a long road lined with mangrove trees, their shadows stretched across the road covering the car from the sun.

As they neared the mansion, her breath caught. It wasn’t just a home, it was an empire.

As they neared the mansion, her breath caught. It wasn’t a home,it was an empire, ten times larger than her father’s house. Vast gardens, framed marble fountain. Smaller houses dotted the compound, perfectly symmetrical and eerily quiet.

The car stopped before a grand staircase. A plump woman in a crisp black dress stood waiting, behind her were two maids with slightly bowed heads.

The door opened abruptly , startling Heaven, she realized she hadn’t been alone in the car.

Maverick Richard, her new brother-in-law, stepped out first, his presence commanding, not sparing her a glance.

The maids bowed deeply as he passed, his silence louder than words.

The driver opened the door for Heaven. She stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the stone, her legs unsteady from the weight of her new reality.

“Welcome, Young Madam,” the plump woman said warmly, handing her a bouquet of pale white roses. “Congratulations on your wedding.”

Heaven managed a faint smile, her first of the day.

“I’m Butler Rose,” the woman continued. “Please, follow me. The family is waiting.”

Heaven nodded and stepped inside, the bouquet heavy in her hands.

Immediately she crossed the double door, the air shifted.

A woman in her late fifties, the one way she was dressed Heaven figured out she must be her mother in law. She stood near the center, one hand clutching the landline receiver, the other pressed to her chest. Her face had gone pale, her eyes wide with shock.

Maverick who had just arrived stormed past Heaven, his movements sharp and urgent. He snatched the car keys from the driver and rushed out without a word, his broad frame disappearing through the doors.

The butler gasped as a servant whispered something in her ear, her face tightening with worry.

Heaven froze, her heart pounding in confusion.

She held onto the bouquet in her grip tightly.

What was happening?

The weight of the unknown pressed harder on her.