#THE_LAST_MINUTE_GROOM_S3
©Sir_Zach
EPISODE 60
Jeslyn grabbed the laptop from him and looked thoroughly at the picture. Indeed, he looked 100% like her husband. Her heart descended into a mess as she struggled to believe and not to believe the fact in front of her.
Teardrops slipped down her eyes as she started to shake her head in a state of denial.
“Impossible,” she mumbled, then yelled, “this is not true!!!” She bolted to her feet and slammed the laptop on the floor with all her strength, then looked at Reuben like a crazy woman.
“My husband is still alive! Maverick is alive! I know it. I do not and can never believe anything that comes from you. You are a deceitful and evil person. Hahaha…Reuben, Maverick will come for you and he will ki||–”
“Enough!!” He finally yelled with anger seducing his face.
“What’s so good about him? I met you before Maverick did! I was the third child on that sinking island. I saw you first and I liked you!” he yelled, then walled towards the glass wall with his back turned to Jeslyn, then said.
“I wanted to approach you, play with you, and request for you to be my friend, but that bastard stole my opportunity!” he turned to look at Jeslyn, wildly insane with his hands demonstrating and pointing in all directions as he tried to convey how angry he was.
“He told his father to send me and my father away, merely because I appeared instead of Damien! If not, I would have been in his place right now!”
“Hahaha… What a stupid ideology. So what if you were there? Who told you I would have liked you or wanted to be your friend? Huh?!! I don’t like you a single bit–”
“You lie, you do like me. You liked Rubenstein, you liked Frank, so you would have liked me too!”
“I don’t like Rubenstein but was only being nice to him because he looked pitiful!”
“And Frank?”
“Who is Frank?”
“You don’t even remember him?… The guy who saved you from falling into the pool at a party you attended?” he frowned.
That was when it dawned on her that the guy he was talking about was Ray’s best friend.
“Why should I like my ex–boyfriend’s best friend? Are you insane… Oh yes, you are!”
“Then let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I was nine years old when I saw the lady I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. However, before I could approach her, she was stolen from me and I never saw her again. Twelve years later, I whispered a plan to my twin brother to ruin the person he thought was his nemesis. Actually, I made them h@ťě each other but we aren’t going to be discussing that now.
“The plan to ruin Maverick was to grab a teenage virgin girl, make her out to be Rossa, the lady he had been dying to find, make him sleep with her, and get her pregnant. But if she couldn’t get pregnant from the first night, we could make Rex sleep with her… it was a backup plan I didn’t tell my twin brother.
“Fortunately, Maverick’s friends and brother took him to a hotel in Country G, prepared a girl for him and drvgged him. The drug they used wasn’t the best, so I ordered a waitress to switch it. I sent the girl who was paid to sleep with Maverick away, so I could replace her with Vera, but unfortunately, I received a call that the little girl Maverick and I had been looking for, for almost thirteen years, had been found.
“I left the hotel to look for her without knowing that you were at the hotel, celebrating your 18th birthday with your friends. Meanwhile, time was running out, so my good brother found out that no lady was in Maverick’s room yet, so he asked that any lady should be found as soon as possible.
“The men saw you when you were being escorted to your hotel room, looking drunk. They felt it was the best option, so they took you to him. By the time your pictures and information were sent to me, it was already too late. That monster had devoured you, my jewel!” he took a deep calming breath before he continued.
“I took you away from his bed and replaced you with Vera. It would be a mess if he woke up to find no hickey on Vera. It would also be bad if Vera wasn’t wet down there, so I made love to her right on the same bed Maverick was and left hickeys on her.
“When Maverick woke up, he couldn’t doubt what happened. From there on, I started stalking you and found out you were pregnant. I wanted to ki|| the child but I saw how happy you were, so I came up with another plan to steal the child from you and give it to Vera when you gave birth, so I whispered another plan to my brother.
“That was how we sent Vera into Maverick’s home and made her pretend to be pregnant until you gave birth. I knew when your due date would be, so we caused chaos so Maverick and his brother wouldn’t be there when Vera ‘gives birth’. As for the guards that were with her, Code 4, was one of my men whom I planted into the Lu faction. He made things easy for me until Maverick found out and ki||ed him.
“So after you gave birth, the children were swapped. At the same time, the Half heart came to claim you and the child, but your mothers fought with their lives.”
At that moment, Jeslyn frowned as images of a horrifying fighting scene flashed past her mind. It was blurry at first but soon started to clear out. She saw Alice’s dead body, while Alex continued to fight, then she passed out and woke up two years after.
Now it made sense. Teardrops slipped down her eyes.
“You were sent to your grandfather in Country A when you woke up. I waited for you to heal from the emotional trauma you were in, but by the time I returned from travel to take my place, you were already into Ray. I wanted to ki|| him but saw you liked him, so to be within your sight and slowly pave a way for myself in your heart, I ki||ed the real Frank and became him, then made friends with Ray…”
“He couldn’t refuse me because Frank’s family was wealthier than his. He thought we were friends but unfortunately, I was there for you. When they played you, I was aware but I wanted them to hurt you and make you h@ťě them, then I’ll be the only one you can rely on.
“I thought I’d take you out of Jail after two weeks but I was a step too late. Maverick sent Spid to get you. I thought he’d let you stay in Rose City for a day or two so I could come in but rather, he took you away.
“I was enraged. So I ki||ed Ray’s family, the whole of them. I didn’t want to ki|| Ray yet. I thought I could use him to bring you back to Rose City but he found out who I was and wanted to expose me to you, so I blew up his car and ki||ed him while he was still on a call with you.
“I knew you were with ATOM. Your oldest sister, Emilee and her father did that to you. The reason I wasn’t always by your side and travelled every time was to look for a cure for you. But since I couldn’t, I made a deal with the Dark Age to always do their bidding and in return, I got a suppressing pill. But unfortunately, your mother was always faster to get you a suppressing pill. All the ones I got were left rotting away in my room.
“When I hacked into your system, I discovered you applied to be Celestine’s student. I desperately wanted to be with you, so I found someone who would be taking lessons with you. One was a girl and the other was a nerd, Rubenstein Ye.
“I approached him and ki||ed him to take his place. Everything was going fine until your husband asked his people to investigate Rubenstein. At first, he didn’t find anything but he didn’t give up either.
“When he finally did, I escaped to the Dark Age but they were already discussing how to ki|| Maverick and you because you were from the Half heart. I objected and got into a fight with them, so for that, I was imprisoned.
“Now that I’m back and your husband is dead, it’s only right that I take back what’s rightfully mine!”
“You are insane! You have gone mad!” She yelled. This is just unbelievable. Such a thing can only be done by a madman! She thought.
“I’m not, I’m madly in love with you, Rossa. The earlier you accept me, the better it will be for everyone around you.”
Jeslyn’s heart dived to her stomach. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve placed a target on your loved ones’ back. I sent Rex to the Half Heart. You should have an idea of what will happen to him if he enters their den…They’ll rape him until he stops breathing.”
“No– no, no, no, no, you can’t do that! You can’t hurt him like that, please!”
“I’m not done,” he beamed.
“I sent Matt to a place riddled with new diseases… Actually, there’s no such disease, it’s a trap. I lured him away so I could carry out my plans. But whether he can get away from my people is all up to his strength.
“As for Fin, his life is hanging on a thread right now. The fight is tiring him out and he might fall before tonight.
“Your son, Sisters-in-law, your mother, and that one with Yellow hair. Including Lolita, I h@ťě that girl so much. She’ll be the first to die tonight.”
“Reuben, please, don’t! I beg you, leave them alone, they did nothing to you!”
“True, they did nothing, but you did something. I can’t hurt you, but I can vent on them. Look at my face, Rossa,” he raised her chin to look at his face which had two plasters. One on his cheek, another on his temple.
“You almost stabbed my neck with a shard of glass. You h@ťě me so much that you don’t mind ki||ing me any moment. Still, I can’t hurt you. Know this, with every disobedience you show me, with every resistance you put up, with every h@ťěful glare you give me, one person you love will go down, I promise you. We can start with someone you don’t love, nor h@ťě.”
“Reu– Reuben, wh–what do you want to do?” she panicked and immediately grabbed his hand, with a look of plea in her eyes.
“You should wait to find out.” He pulled out a small phone and called someone. “Where is Manager Kate right now?”
Jeslyn’s eyes widened and she immediately started to fight for the phone. “Please, don’t, I beg you! I promise I’ll be obedient, please, don’t touch her, please!!”
“Someone has to pay for the injury you inflicted on me, Rossa. I have never hurt you, yet you want to ki|| me.”
“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, please, I– I–” Jeslyn held her head with her trembling hands. “Ahh!” She screamed in agony and fell to her knees.
Reuben thought she was acting until she started to twitch on the floor.
His eyes widened and he immediately put his phone away, knelt down and started shaking her while calling her name repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Maverick jolted awake at the hospital. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the needles that were fixed on him. Without warning, he yanked them out and got down from the bed.
The ground shifted and he swayed and sat back on the bed. He rested for a little longer and then got up again. This time, he was more stable.
He opened the door and saw Code 2 and Code 10 standing at the entrance.
“Boss,” They bowed their heads.
“Where is she?” he asked.
“I’m sorry boss, we couldn’t find her anywhere in the Country.” Code 2 explained regrettably.
“Get my clothes,” he ordered.
The two guards raised their heads in bewilderment. Their boss wasn’t healed and he wants to leave?
“Do I have to repeat myself?! ” His aura changed, so did his tone.
“No, boss!” Code 10 immediately went to get his clothes.
A little while later, the man was dressed in his signature black shirt and black trousers and left the hospital with gauzes wrapped around his stomach and chest.
The first place he went to after leaving the hospital was Matt’s house.
When he arrived at the compound of the simple-looking villa, he didn’t get out of his car even when Lolita appeared.
Lolita stood with her head down as she waited with her heart in her throat.
“Where is Matt?” he asked.
“I– I have no idea where he went”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“He got an important call the night before the Party, four nights ago. And ever since, he hasn’t returned home,” She explained.
Just when Maverick was about to wound up his window, Lolita fell on her knees and started kowtowing to Maverick as tears ran down her cheeks.
“Please, forgive me, Mr. Lu, it was my fault! I caused it, please forgive me!”
Code 10 who was standing beside Lolita didn’t know how to react to the sudden change of atmosphere.
Maverick opened his door but didn’t step out. “What did you do to my wife?” He sounded almost uninterested but no one dared to think that way. Everyone around him had been walking on pins and trying very hard to go unnoticed ever since he found out his wife was missing.
Maverick wasn’t showing hostility to anyone but his suppressed aura and the way he sounds when he opens his mouth, though he isn’t yelling and tries to be calm, everyone around him knew it was a facade.
Lolita shuddered and beads of sweat slowly started to form on her forehead. “I– It– I was the one who– who–”
“Should I pry your jaw apart?” he asked in the same tone.
She whipped her head up and immediately shook her head, “No, no, I’ll speak.” She sniffed and continued, “I– Jeslyn told me she didn’t want to attend the party because she had an ominous feeling about Reuben attending it and doing something, but I forced her to attend… I– I’m so sorry, Mr. Lu!”
Her words piqued Maverick’s interest and he glanced at her.
“What did you two talk about? Tell me everything.”
“Sh–she — W– we talked about Ruben at a shopping mall. She told me he appeared to her, looking almost like you. She mistook him for you until she got close to him… at the gate of Fearless Entertainment.” Lolita was shaking from fear of getting ki||ed and the guilt of forcing Jeslyn to the party, so she couldn’t help herself from talking incoherently.
“My son mentioned her health. What did she tell you about her health?” Maverick believed that if his wife could let this lady in front of him know so much about what she was going through, she would have also told Lolita about her health which Valen spoke about three days ago.
Maverick hadn’t had the time to ask Pink and Yellow about Jeslyn’s health. After he left the party three days ago, he delegated tasks to his men and passed out. He just woke up today after the surgery.
“Her health, I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she was spacing out and acting strange–”
“Elaborate,” Maverick interrupted with a slight frown.
Lolita nodded and gathered herself to try and sound coherent. “E–ever since she returned from SIN CITY, She sometimes complained of light headaches that disappeared as they came. She would space out, feel dizzy, have nightmares and mood swings.”
“And she didn’t tell you why?”
“No, she said she had no idea, so I thought it was because she missed you.”
“Hm.”