Chapter 12: A GRIM REAPING ENTRANCE

Dressed in an all black attire, with a black veil serving as the linchpin for the funeral look, Fay’s Aunt, Lynne Landers sashayed into the living room.

She walked past the gaping family members, and stood right in front of Fay. Before Ace could react, her cold fingers landed on Fay’s cheeks. A slap that echoed around the entire room.

"How dare you Fay Landon!" Her voice replaced the echoes of her slap.

Fay grabbed her cheeks, unable to move or speak.

"You better answer me right this minute Fay!" She raised her hand to slap her again, but stopped midair when Ace rose to his feet.

As usual, he towered above the average human, and the grim reaper dressed woman was no exception. He slid in-between them, using himself as a shield.

"I wouldn’t do that again if I were you," he warned in that deep but calm voice of his.

"And who are you to teach me how to discipline my daughter?" She asked, throwing caution to the wind.

Behind them, Fay couldn’t believe her ears. Daughter? She had never referred to her as that. Even when she was young, she was forbidden from calling her mother.

"I’m her husband, and I demand you respect her," he answered, still not losing his cool.

"Husband?" She scoffed. "Our Fay has never known a man in her entire life. All her life, she’s been a good girl who I thought to do things in the right way. If she has a fiancee, don’t you think her family would be aware? What did you do to my daughter?" She pointed an accusatory finger at him, her entire body vibrating from anger.

Fay wrapped her hand around her mouth to keep herself from crying out. No one would believe her if she countered her aunt’s lies. She knew about Gabriel and her. So much so, she had done a lot in the past to push Gabriel to one of her daughters.

How could she come all the way here just to twist everything? It was so overwhelming, she wanted nothing more than to roll on the ground, and cry her heart out.

"Can someone explain what is going on here?" A frail voice belonging to the old matriarch of the house, asked.

"I will," Lynne took a step back, and stopped at the center of the room, so everyone could see her. "Your son took my daughter against her will. Forced her to marry him in exchange for God knows what. I refuse to accept this marriage. We’re poor, but not desperate enough to be bought!" She stamped her foot to the ground in finality.

Ace took a deep breath, as he opened and closed his eyes. His gaze went straight to his aunt, who he knew had everything to do with this whole drama. True to his assumptions, she couldn’t control the smirk on her face. His hands tingle, wishing he could smack it off her. But he could never hit a woman. Not even one as vile as his Aunt.

"Is this true, Ace?" He heard his mum ask.

"Are we going to believe a stranger who has clearly lost it?" He counter asked.

"Oh don’t be rude to your mother-in-law Ace. It’s bad enough you kidnapped her child, now you’re calling her names too? That’s awful, even for you," Celine threw at him.

"These are strong allegations Celine. I don’t believe my grandson is a kidnapper," Grandma chided.

"Oh but he is. He kidnapped my daughter, and I demand he lets her return home with me right now!"

"That’s not going to be happening. Fay is my wife now. You have no authority over her."

"I thought you just said she’s a crazy woman? Can’t you all see how much of a manipulator the golden son is?" Celine stopped, and looked around the room. She was most pleased when she saw the displeasure in her mother’s eyes. She may be defending him now, but as soon as she was done talking, the evidence would be too great to ignore. "Since no one wants to say it, I will. In order for this traitor to gain access to the inheritance, he picked up a poor naive girl from the streets, and married her in a rushed wedding, which also happened to be the day my grandfather was buried. Tacky right?" She directed at Lynne.

"Extremely." She nodded in support.

"At least she has common sense," she smiled, before she continued. "What he didn’t bank on was the fact that I can never be easily deceived. Surely not by his likes. Your favorite grandchild is a scammer mum. And now that I think of it, I think his wife is involved in his games," she finished off with a victorious grin.

"I won’t be surprised if she is. Out of all my girls, Fay has always been the one most desperate for money. I did my best in raising them to be upright, virtuous women. How could you betray me this way, Fay? How could you?" Using the veil to cover her face, she burst into tears.

Ace’s hands twisted inside his pockets. He hadn’t known the woman long enough, but he could tell she was an excellent actress. He wondered how much his aunt had paid for such a magnificent job.

"Fay isn’t that kind of girl. There’s nothing you’ve just said that is slightly believable," he said dismissively.

"And who are you to question my own assessment of the child I raised with the hard work of my bare hands?" She stretched her hands forward.

"I have eyes. You’re a liar."

"Ace!" His grandmother struck her cane to the floor, silencing everyone. "Enough! Enough of this nonsense! All I wanted was to have dinner with my family, your wife included, but what is this disgraceful thing I hear?"

"Grandma, it’s all lies. I got married because I wanted to. Not because of some inheritance." His face clogged with disbelief.

The twins silently observing Fay in the whole debacle, whispered between themselves. "She’s crying," Claire said pitifully.

"I wish we could comfort her," Blaire added.

"Because you wanted to? Not because you love her?" Celine further poked.

"You’re enjoying this right?" He turned to face her. "To what end? You found the woman my wife lived with, big deal—"

"She did more than live with me. I raised her," Lynne interrupted.

"You’re trying to cast doubt about my character to my own family. Why?" He continued, ignoring Lynne.

"And you’re trying to deceive my family! I won’t take it. Not from you, and surely not from your mother! She should have done a better job in raising you!" She spat, fire dancing in her eyes.

Gabrielle stumbled back, and dropped to the chair.

"Mum!" The twins screamed at the same time, and ran towards her.

The noise pierced through the barricade of tears Fay had used as a shield to withdraw herself from the tension, and she rose to her feet.

"I’m fine," Gabrielle said. "I’m fine," she repeated with tears in her eyes, as her twins hugged her.

"Have you seen what you’ve done?" His grandma pointed her cane at him. "I trusted you, and this is how you repay me?"

"Grandma—"

"Don’t grandma me! I don’t know who to believe right now, but trust I’ll find out what the truth is," she said, and swiftly turned around. With one short disgusted look directed at Fay who had her head down, she walked out of the dining room.

His eyes left the retreating back of his grandmother, and strolled towards his aunt, who was waiting patiently for him. She threw him a wink, as her lip twitched in mischief.

Stifling a curse, he looked at his mother. "Are you okay Mum?" He asked.

"I would like to be, but not when there’s a possibility you’ve lied to us."

"Mum!" the twins called at the same time.

"It’s the truth. I can’t take his side because he’s my son, and your brother. When the investigations are over and done with, things can return to normal," she said, and threw her face away.

His sisters sent him a sympathetic look, as he seemed the face of his aunt once more. Taking purposeful strides forward, he stopped in front of her. She didn’t budge as he pushed his head to her ears. "You’ve won the battle, but get ready for war," he said, and straightened up.

Walking back to his wife, he grabbed her hands. "Let’s go."

"Not so fast. You’re not taking my daughter away. I forbid you!" Lynne protested.

"I think your daughter," he stressed sarcastically. "Is old enough to make her own decisions. Right darling?"

They all turned to her. She was the only one that hadn’t said a word yet. Too shocked to even debunk every nonsense her Aunt said, she settled with creating a healthy distance between them.

"Don’t you have a voice child? Are you going to go home with your mother, or the man using you for his own selfish gains?" Celine asked.

A single tear fell from her already dampened face, as her gaze darted between the both aunt’s. "I’ll go with my husband," she said, more confidently than she felt.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read