Chapter 76

Zayden

They were stupid enough to film the wedding and put it on TV. Cameras were everywhere, people were murmuring about how grand the wedding was.

I had some people set up cams in the chapel, I don't want to miss out on all the fun.

I sat with a bag of chips in my hand, watching through the cams how Sage was going to humiliate herself and our reputation on the television. The whole world was going to see it. I smiled, can't wait to see the look on her face when she realised what she put herself into.

The event started, but at a point, they couldn't move on without the groom.

My phone rang, and Dad was calling. He texted, threatening me that if I didn't show up, the consequences would be dire.

I only just watched the phone ring. I'm not letting that old man control me anymore. He won't be able to find me; I'm a hundred miles away from New Jersey. It's only temporary till I find a way to get out of this mess.

I miss Lillian. I miss her a lot. I still hoped she'd at least return my text, but right now, it was risky sending her texts. I could get tracked. I needed to get rid of this phone soon, I can't afford to mess up my plan.

Oliver had been helping. We could prove that the evidence of me killing kids in high school was fake, thanks to Noah.

The only major issue was my mother's death. I've been thinking a lot lately. Noah said I fell down the stairs and had a temporary memory loss or so he was told by my dad.

My memories of that day were fragments, if only I could remember what happened before and after the scene.

This whole thing was messed up. I still had those men Tyrell sent to deal with, and Lillian was my only witness.

Oliver's brother's death was already dealt with. We were able to stack up pieces of evidence. I did kill him, but it was an accident, and I was a teenager. So the blame wouldn't be on me completely.

My phone rang again, and this time, I decided to pick it up." Yeah?"

His voice roared." You bastard, you better tell me you are on your way here Zayden."

I chuckled." Yeah, I am; just give me a few minutes."

He paused on the other end." Don't play with me, son."

" Relax, I don't want to go to jail. I'll be there soon." I replied, a cocky smile on my face.

The call ended with him cursing and I smirked. Of course, there'll be a groom but just not the one they want.

I waited, and finally, it was time. The groom, a young man I had hired with precisely the same build as me and the same grey eyes walked into the chapel and stood in front of the altar with Oliver as the best man.

Sage walked in covered in a white veil filled with diamonds worth millions.

She wouldn't notice until she was close enough. The chapel has been in an uproar due to the groom's absence, and my dad freaked out because that would be a great blow to his all-so-precious reputation, which was already going down the drain since my absence from the office.

It wasn't until she was a few feet away from the altar that she noticed the man wasn't me. She paused, her eyes scanning the church and then turned to face her dad whose face was burning in anger.

The man took her hand and all she could do was stare in bewilderment. The priest began the ceremony, and from where I sat, I saw how she clenched her fist. She could end it there; she could stop the ceremony with just one word, but she couldn't.

And why is that? Because I had beaten them in their own game.

My father and Loren were aware that we were currently being broadcast all over the internet. The first son and CEO of Kent Tech was getting married again and to no other than their brand ambassador.

Canceling the wedding right there was impossible, well except he was willing to take the risks. Various clients and business partners were in attendance, and my dad cared a lot about reputation and popularity. That was why he tried so hard not to paint me badly and instead destroyed Lillian's social life.

If he were to cancel the wedding now, another scandal would flood the internet, and it wouldn't stop there; people would start to question his credibility.

He knows that, Loren knows and she knows it.

I watched how Sage and her father talked with their eyes. In the end, she gritted her teeth, her whole body shaking in rage.

She ended up exchanging vows with a man she barely knew, and so the wedding proceeded. I didn't care what they did afterwards, so I switched off the television.

The young man will disappear before tomorrow, he was just meant to fill in for me. That was another ruse to ruin sage globally. She started it after all.

I went into the study where I was investigating. I stared at the pictures on the wall, my eyes calculating.

Sage and Aiden had been meeting secretly, they had been fucking, and that got me thinking if that DNA test was legit. I wanted to do the test again and be sure but that would be impossible. I can't show myself in public so Oliver was working on it.

I went over to the desk and switched on my laptop, and then my phone rang.

It was Jade.

You can't imagine the speed I used in picking up.

My fingers were trembling slightly." Hey, jade."

" Where the hell are you? Why are you not at your house." She yelled.

I had to shift the phone away from my ear a little because of how loud she was.

" Uhh, I won't be staying there for a while."

She cursed." Have you, by any chance, called Lillian or something."

" She hasn't been answering my calls and you've refused to tell me where she lives." I retorted.

She snorted." That's because she doesn't want to see you and you deserve it."

My shoulders slumped, guilt weighing down on me again. My hand came up to where she punched me the other day she came to visit." Are you going to tell me where she lives? I have to try and win her back somehow."

I heard a sigh from her end." I'm calling because I couldn't reach her. Her phone has not been going through since last night and well, you're the first person I thought to call."

I creased my brows." Maybe her phone is down or something."

" You think so? Lillian barely misses my call."

" It's possible, try calling again later," I told her.

"No need, I'll be going over."

My eyes brightened, and I decided to try my luck again." Can I ...can I tag along? I swear I just want to know where she stays at least. I promise I won't pester her."

She sighed." Look, she's in a very sensitive phase right now. You hurt her pretty badly; having another woman pregnant for you is no joke, Zayden. Give her more time but have it at the back of your mind that there might be no possibility of you two getting back together. Personally, I wouldn't allow it."

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest." I understand."

Swallowing the heavy lump in my throat I ended the call.

I spent the rest of the day staring at the ceiling while ignoring calls from my dad and Loren.

I haven't gone to the office and I won't. I was serious about quitting. If I and Lillian were still together, I would have expanded the jewellery shop, but for now, I have to fix the mess I created.

Hours later, when it was near sundown Jade called back, but this time, there was panic in her voice.

" She's not in the house, Zay. I just got here and the door was unlocked." She said, her voice strained.

My blood thrummed." You sure she didn't go to the convenience store or something?"

There was a pause on the other end and then I heard a gasp." Oh god!"

My heart raced." Jade, talk to me. What's going on?"

" I...I don't know. I found her phone on the floor. It's broken." She whimpered." I don't feel good about this; Lillian doesn't leave the door open; she doesn't miss my calls, and even if she does, she'll text back."

My mind went haywire, I had to take breaths to calm myself." Hey, calm down. Are there cams in the house?"

" No, we haven't installed them yet."

I cursed." What bout outside? Are there any street cams or maybe a CCTV outside the balcony? There has to be at least a door cam."

There was silence at the other end for a moment and then I heard sobbing." I don't know. Even if there was, only the cops have access to it."

I grabbed a coat from my closet immediately. My mind was running over so many thoughts. I have people who want to hurt me and since I've gone into hiding, they'll go after the woman I love. I wouldn't be surprised if this was my dad's or Sage's doing. She did say she'll get back to us.

I swear, I'll commit murder if anything were to happen to her or our baby.

" Send me your location, now!" Grabbing my car keys. I left the house ignoring the risk I was taking.

I received the notification of the address a minute later and I cursed. She was just an hour's drive from my old house all this while.

I drove like a madman, and when I got to the house, there were a few people outside with Jade talking to them.

I rushed to her immediately, my eyes scanning the environment." Jade." I called.

She turned to face me, her face covered in tears and smudged makeup. She burst out crying the moment I got close to her.

" They said they saw a suspicious van parked a few blocks from here last night." She wailed.

I turned to face an old lady, probably in her sixties." Did you happen to see if she left the house around that time?"

She shook her head." I only heard a noise. I was coming back from church when I saw a couple of men dressed in black in a black van over there." She pointed at a couple of blocks from Lillian's house.

" I assumed they were maintenance people." She spoke her eyes gleaming with pity.

I cursed and let my anger get the best of me." And you didn't think to call the cops?"

She frowned." Don't yell at me, young man; I was just minding my business. A lot of people get killed for being nosy." She spat at me and then picked up her walking stick and trudged off.

My breathing was becoming heavy. I took Jade back into the house and managed to calm her down.

I had to call Oliver first. He wasn't picking up, he was probably still at the wedding. So I ended up calling the cops instead even though I hated their sloppy job.

They came over but, as usual, they were always late. We checked the street cams, and it was confirmed. She was taken into the van unconscious by a couple of masked men around 9 pm last night.

My whole body was coursing with bad energy. That unwavering taste for chaos thrummed through my veins. All I could see was red, I couldn't help but think about what nightmare she might be going through right now.

I swear whoever was behind this, I'll make them wish they were never born. I'll skin them alive and rip their souls out of their bodies till I am satisfied.