The Bride✓

↦Chapter 18: Arrangements

Alex was busy grinding the handcuffs against the handle when he stopped as he heard footsteps approaching. He kept his gaze on the person who entered the room.

It was Becky.

She grabbed a chair and sat in front of Alex. She moved her dress and as her leg was exposed, she took out a packet of smoke hidden in her dress. She then covered her leg and stared at Alex who was doing the same.

"Where is Grace?" he asked.

"She is indisposed" replied Becky before placing a cigarette in her mouth.

"You didn't think I was just gonna let it happen, did you?" said Alex.

Becky lightened up her cigarette and smoked when she shook her head:

"With family, one hopes for the best" she said as she caressed her dark ponytail.

Alex stared at her and said nothing.

"The thing is..." went on Becky when her facial expression changed into sadness.

"I like her...I don't wanna do this.." she declared.

"But we have to protect the family" she then said.

Alex bit his lip when he sharply looked at her and said:

"If she dies...I'll kill you"

Bekcy chuckled.

"Well, then I suppose I'm dead either way" replied the mother.

"Yeah, and maybe it's a crock of shit and nothing will happen" said Alex.

"Oh please, if you believed that, you wouldn't have let her draw a card at all"

Alex sighed.

Becky smoked her cigarette when she asked:

"Why did you leave us, Alex?"

Alex sighed when he stared at her:

"Oh, I don't know, Mom. I don't know. Maybe one night when I was chanting and slicing the throat of a goat, it occured to me that it wasn't a completely normal thing to do"

Becky looked at him with regret and little tears in her eyes.

"But, and this is what scared me the most..." exclaimed Alex while Becky kept her gaze on him.

"That it felt normal" said Alex with watery eyes.

Becky remained silent.

"It did. And I realised that you'll do pretty much anything if your family says it's okay.." he let the tear fell from his burning eyes.

Alex clenched his cheekbones when he took a while and continue:

"And then I met Grace. She is the opposite of all of you. She is good. And she made me feel like I could be good too.."

Becky slowly shook her head in disbelief.

"So, if it comes down to you or her, i choose her" confessed Alex.

Becky shook her head and teared up when she said:

"I don't believe you"

Alex looked at her with his big eyes.

"And I don't think that you believe that a girl that you've known for a year and a half...knows you better than i do"

Alex looked down and as he blinked, the tears from his red eyes fell and flowed down his cheek.

•••

The luxurious estate of the Le Domas family was now silent, mysterious and it would often send shivers to your spine knowing how far the rich can sometimes go, just for the sake of luxury and power.

"Our family has a very special friend named Mr. Le Bail. Mr. Le Bail is the reason we have all the nice things that we have" explained Becky to the two little boy: Geogie and his brother who were both sitting on the bed and silently listening to their grandmother with Emilie next to them.

"But sometimes, Mr. Le Bail wants something from us in return"

•••

The weather started getting bad outside. The thunderstorms were back and as it rumbled it made it even more creepy and scary inside the mansion.

Helene was in the secret room, staring at the picture of Victor while playing with the "hide and seek" card in her hand. A smile escaped her lips as she realised that the moment she has desperately been waiting for, would finally arrived.

•••

"You got this, Fitch! You got this!" recited Fitch as he walked back and forth in his room with a glass of beer in his hand.

"Don't be a bitch, Fitch. Don't be a bitch, Fitch!" he encouraged himself by constantly slapping his face.

"You got this, bitch"

Meanwhile, Charity was busy putting on her makeup when she slowly placed the hood of the green coat over her head and stared at herself in the mirror. Everybody was getting dressed in the same way. Tonight was going to be a big day. She took out the gun hidden in her purse and she sighed as she stared at it.

She then placed it inside the hidden pocket of her coat. In case of emergency, she wouldn't hesitate to use it.

•••

"I know tonight didn't go as planned. But, I'll make it right, Mr. Le Bail" said Tony as he gently placed the green box in front of Mr Bail's empty royal seat.

•••

Daniel was silently sitting on the chair swallowing the guilt of being himself, a son in this family and the regret of his helplessness of saving Grace.

Meanwhile, Alex was busy trying to free himself from the handcuffs and hopefully, through hours, the bed handle was beginning to become thinner and thinner as Alex kept grinding it.