CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: THE TRUTH REVEALED.

Kendrick’s POV

Christy’s eyes made me feel extremely guilty and I did my best to avoid them as I exchanged the engagement rings with Celeste.

I just had to keep up the act for a few minutes more then I will put them all in their place.

The vibration of my phone made me anxious and I quickly walked out of the hall to receive the incoming call.

"Report" I said while trying my absolute best to remain hopeful and positive.

"Everything went according to the plan, we got Madam out successfully" Evans informed me excitedly and I finally let out the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding.

It was finally over!

I looked up at the sky and smiled for the first time in two weeks.

Now, I don’t need to pretend anymore and I am going to make every single one of them regret their actions.

I slowly took out a cigarette as the memories of everything that transpired filled my head.

Everything started on the day I finally summoned the courage to confess my feelings to Christy. I don’t know how Raymond and Sameen came to know about it.

FLASHBACK!

Ring Ring!

As soon as I left the hospital after confessing my feelings to Christy, my phone suddenly rang and I brought it out to see who was calling. I frowned as I saw Raymond flashing on the screen.

He is not worthy to be called a father, so I don’t bother with such a show of respect.

"Yes" I said without any pleasantries.

"Is that how you speak to your father?" he yelled angrily but I just kept mute, waiting for him to say what he needed.

"Come to the main house, there is something important we need to discuss," he said with an authoritative tone.

"I’m busy" I replied emotionlessly.

"Your grandfather seems to be recovering very well" he said with a threatening tone and I frowned.

"Don’t you dare have any thoughts about my grandpa" I warned him angrily and he laughed mockingly.

"Then you better be here in an hour," he said before hanging up.

I squeezed my phone angrily and decided to go see what he was up to.

The drive to the house took me less than an hour and as soon as I entered, I saw Raymond and his wife waiting in the sitting room.

"Oh, see who decided to come," Sameen said with a mocking smile.

I ignored her and sat on the chair opposite them.

"The Martinez family wants to know our stand. They have given us a week to decide if the marriage alliance will happen" Raymond informed me with a serious expression.

"And what does that have to do with me?" I asked him with a frown.

"What nonsense are you asking?" Sameen asked me angrily.

"If it was left to me, of course I would want my precious son to marry Celeste instead. I don’t know what she saw in you" She sneered.

I ignored her as usual, I don’t waste my strength talking to unimportant people.

"You and Celeste’s engagement will happen in three days’ time"Raymond said with a tone of finality.

I stared at his face with a slight smile, wondering what gave him the guts to order me.

"Don’t give me that look, you have no choice but to follow my arrangement" he said with an authoritative tone and I frowned.

I knew he was definitely up to something because he had never approached me with such an attitude.

"You better stay away from my grandfather"I warned him angrily as I couldn’t think of any other reason why he would be so certain that I would be obedient to him.

"I have no plans of hurting the old man, so you can relax" He said with a triumphant smile.

I couldn’t guess what he was up to and it was extremely frustrating.

"Do you remember what happened to your mother?" He asked me with a serious expression.

My blood immediately boiled as I remembered everything that happened back then.

"Don’t ever talk about her ever again" I warned him and got up to leave.

"She is alive" he suddenly said as I was about to walk out of the door and I froze.

I slowly turned to look at him in disgust.

"Did you just make that up? You really want me to believe such nonsense?"I asked him angrily.

" Her body was never found after she had that car accident" He reminded me.

I didn’t want to believe him but a part of me has always wished that I could find her someday.

"I received a call last week from someone claiming to be her. Of course, I didn’t believe her, so I set up a meeting with her to confirm her identity.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her, she is alive and in my hands" he informed me with a cunning smile.

"Am I supposed to just believe everything that comes out of your old lying mouth?" I asked him with a frown.

"You should show your father some respect" Sameen reprimanded me angrily but I just gave her a side eye and she immediately cowered in fear.

"I knew you would ask for evidence and I made sure to prepare one" Raymond said with a sly smile and handed the tablet on the table to me.

I collected and clicked play, so I could watch the content of the video.

The first face that I saw was the face that I have been longing to see for years. She smiled at the camera.

The woman was none other than my mother.

She was alive.

"How are my father and Kendrick doing?" Her voice came through, it was exactly how I remembered it, soft and soothing.

"They are fine," Raymond replied.

"I know you must be surprised to see me after all these years. I was rescued by a kind old couple after the accident and I suffered from amnesia.

I couldn’t even remember my name or where I came from..." She paused as tears rolled down her cheeks.

I squeezed the tablet and I couldn’t explain how I felt about it.

"You are back because you remember everything now?" Raymond asked her with a caring voice.

"Yes, I got my memories back last week, although I am still weak, but I couldn’t stop myself from coming to see you, my father and our son" she said with an emotional voice and Raymond pulled her into his arms for a hug.

His care was clearly faked and from what he has been saying since I got here, he was holding her hostage.

"Where is she?!" I asked him angrily but he just ignored me and kept sipping his wine.

"She is safe, all you have to do is follow my arrangement and marry Celeste" He said with a cunning grin.

"And if I don’t?" I asked him with a frown.

"Then I don’t know how long I can guarantee her safety" He threatened me.

I needed time to get my mother out of his clutches and to put his guard down as well.

"Okay" I said plainly and he immediately jumped off his seat excitedly.

Ding!

Our phones chimed at the same time and I brought it out to check.

"Perfect, just on time" Sameen exclaimed happily before I could even check the notification.

When I finally checked, I immediately understood why she was happy.

It seems they were very certain that I would agree to their plan, so they got the Black family official page to release the official announcement of mine and Celeste’s engagement.

END OF FLASHBACK!

It took me a while to finally find out the exact location where he was keeping my mother.

With Mason’s help, I was able to successfully rescue her.

By the time I snapped back from my memories, I noticed that I had spent almost an hour away from the party.

I rushed into the hall as I couldn’t control the urge to hug Christy and tell her everything but what I saw on entering the hall made my blood boil.

How dare they treat her like that?!

I immediately rushed to her and pulled her into my arms, she buried her head in my chest as u held her tightly.

"He is protecting her despite seeing the truth?"

"Did she cast a spell on him?"

I heard some of the guests as they spoke in hushed voices.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr Martinez asked me angrily as he comforted his crying daughter.

"Have you forgotten what we spoke about?" Raymond asked me with a threatening gaze.

"How come I don’t remember ever talking to you?" I replied to him nonchalantly.

"Mr Black, what is going on? We had a deal" Mr Martinez asked him angrily.

Seeing his precious daughter cry made him very upset and he kept glaring at me.

I took off my jacket and covered Christy with it, before bringing out my phone to call Mason.

But before the phone could ring, I saw him walking into the hall with two officers behind him.

"Mr Raymond Black, you are under arrest for forced imprisonment and detainment of Mrs Lauretta Black" Mason said and one of the officers immediately handcuffed Raymond.

"Did I just hear Lauretta or am I hearing things?"

"Is she really alive?"

The hall erupted in a noisy chaos as the guests discussed what they just heard.

"Stop!" Celeste suddenly screamed and the hall fell into a pin drop silence.