CHAPTER 31: THE AFTERMATH

Alpha Maxwell shakes his head. "I never heard her voice. Her voice is not familiar to me."

"OK." Naomi continues to think about the owner of the voice.

Then the woman’s speech was followed by a guy’s speech.

The guy said, "I wish the newlywed couple would stick to each other for as long as they can and fight for their love till the end. To Naomi and Alpha Maxwell, you make us believe in love and happy endings again. I’m happy for you guys. Keep the love alive. Congratulations on your wedding day! Enjoy the wedding party!"

Everyone clapped their hands, cheering for the two people who made those pre-recorded congratulatory messages.

The couple looked at each other. Awareness dawned on them that the owners of those mysterious voices were the masterminds behind their captivity.

"Did we just hear the voices of the mastermind of our abduction?" Alpha Maxwell expressed what he observed. His face suddenly hardened, scanning the room to find the source of the voices.

Naomi felt nervous because the man’s voice was that of the president. But who is this woman? She decided not to tell her groom about it. "Yeah, I think so. But you already promised me that you would not ruin this special occasion for me. You must behave in your good manners no matter what happens tonight!" she quickly reminded him in a pleading tone.

Alpha Maxwell’s face softened, remembering his promise to her. He smiled and kissed her lips. "Of course, I will remain calm and behave in my best manner, sweetie."

Naomi felt relieved. "Thank you for your cooperation and for making me happy today."

Alpha Maxwell grins. "I want you to have a beautiful memory of our wedding, so rest assured I will behave. Stop worrying about it okay? Let’s enjoy our wedding party."

"OK, thanks for the assurance. I can relax now," Naomi said, pleased with his reply.

The guests were enjoying themselves, eating and drinking, chatting with their friends and colleagues with their masks on. They kept to themselves afraid that if they got close to the newlyweds the couple might snatch the mask off their faces.

"Can you guess where Zero is among these people?" Naomi laughed softly.

Alpha Maxwell’s forehead creased. "He must be somewhere near us but it will be difficult to find him. It’s like finding a needle in the middle of a haystack," he quipped.

Naomi smiled, and then her eyes landed on the female staff in charge of taking care of her son. She motioned for her to come forward. Then she said, "Thank you so much for taking care of our son. I’ll hold him for a while. I’ll let you know if I need assistance. Go now, get something to eat and drink. Enjoy the party."

"Thank you, ma’am." The female staff went to the buffet table and filled her plate with delicious dishes.

When Baby Jacob starts crying, Naomi feeds him with milk from the feeding bottle she prepared earlier.

"Do you need anything to eat, sweetie?" Alpha Maxwell asked.

Naomi looked at the variety of mouth-watering dishes in front of them. "Later, after I finish feeding our son. You should start eating now so you can hold our son later."

"OK." Alpha Maxwell began to eat.

After Naomi finished feeding her son, she was starving. She handed baby Jacob to her husband and began eating with gusto. One of the staff came to their table and asked if they needed anything. The female staff informed them that she would be standing nearby to cater to their needs. She even offered to take care of baby Jacob for them.

"Wow, they have treated us like royalty. This is surreal and at the same time intriguing," Alpha Maxwell commented wryly.

Naomi whispered. "I think they feel guilty of kidnapping us and this is their way of paying us back for the emotional damage they caused us. What do you think?"

Alpha Maxwell’s jaw tightened. "Maybe? And I don’t care anymore. In 7 days we are about to regain our freedom back. I just want them to set us free and leave us alone."

Naomi nodded her head. "Yeah. Only after leaving this place can we finally breathe in relief. But we survived more than a year living in this facility. 7 days is nothing compared to what we have gone through in the windowless room."

"I’m looking forward to going home," Alpha Maxwell said, his eyes gleaming. He scanned the room studying the people around them. The guests are no longer paying attention to them. They are busy with their own affairs, enjoying the endless supply of food and drinks.

A few minutes later, the female staff returned and offered to take care of baby Jacob.

Naomi kissed her son’s cheek and handed him to the female staff.

"Now our hands are free, shall we drink wine now to celebrate our wedding, dear husband?" Naomi whispered giddily.

"Sure, wife." Alpha Maxwell grinned.

The couple poured wine into their glasses and drank to their hearts’ content.

They drank too much wine until they passed out on the table. The staff came to their aid and put the couple in the E-vehicle and brought them back to their room. They laid the couple comfortably on the bed still clad in their wedding attire.

After they finished their task, the staff left the room and returned to the venue to continue enjoying the party until the wee hours of the morning.

...

The following day, the couple woke up with a hangover.

"I can’t believe we passed out drinking too much wine," Alpha Maxwell said, his mouth twisting in dismay. "We didn’t even change our clothes. Look at us, we are still wearing our wedding attire," he said in displeasure.

Naomi laughed. Her laughter vibrated around the room. "We are a silly couple celebrating our very own wedding party. Nothing wrong, right? But I must admit, it is hilarious! You and I drank until we passed out. We need to thank staff for bringing us back to our room intact."

"Yeah." Alpha Maxwell left the bed chuckling in amusement. He walked toward the bathroom, wanting to wash his face and get rid of his crumpled tuxedo.

After laughter died from her lips, that’s when Naomi noticed that baby Jacob was not in the room with them. "Husband, where is our son?" she asked, terrified.

Alpha Maxwell spun around, his eyes widening in fear. "Where is Jacob?"

"Good morning guys! Please calm down. Don’t panic. Baby Jacob is fine." Zero’s voice filled the air. "You drank too much wine and passed out on the table. The staff brought you back into your room and decided to take care of baby Jacob the whole night because you were in a deep sleep. Take care of yourself first, then when you are ready, the staff will return baby Jacob to your room."

The couple breathed in relief.

"Thank you Zero for informing us early. I almost had a heart attack," Naomi said, calming the rapid breathing of her heart.

"Thanks dude!" Alpha Maxwell said.

"You’re welcome. I enjoyed the party though. While you were sleeping peacefully in your room, the rest of the staff partied until the wee hours of the morning. We had so much fun," Zero said cheerily.

"We are glad you enjoyed the party," Alpha Maxwell remarked and stepped into the bathroom.

Zero said, "Guys, a delicious breakfast with hot soup to cure your hangover is coming in twenty minutes. Chat with you later."

"Thanks!" Naomi beams.

"You’re welcome," Zero said and faded into silence.

When the food arrived the couple gobbled up their breakfast.

After breakfast, the door opened and the staff came in and delivered the smiling baby Jacob into his mother’s arms.

"Thank you for taking care of our son," Naomi said gratefully.

"You’re welcome, ma’am." The staff replied with a smile and left the room.

Naomi shower baby Jacob’s chubby face with kisses. "I miss you so much son. I love you so much baby. We are sorry we got drunk last night and forgot about you," she apologized earnestly.

Baby Jacob broke into a grin, making cute baby sounds. He managed to grab a few strands of his mother’s hair and bring them to his mouth.

"Aw, my son is hungry. Mommy will breastfeed you." Naomi sat on the bed and breastfed her son.

After breastfeeding was over, Alpha Maxwell spent time with his adorable son while Naomi entered the bathroom to take a shower.

The couple spent their day taking care of their son, packing their things and discussing their living arrangements once they left the facility.

Alpha Maxwell insists on one thing. "Sweetie, we have to cooperate with each other. We need to follow our plans from A to Z. It is the only way we can achieve our dream of becoming a family. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?"

Naomi nodded her head. "Yes, I understand."

"Good. You have to listen to me and wait for my order so that we can solve our family problems quickly. OK?" Alpha Maxwell said, rubbing her back gently.

"OK," Naomi responded with a nod.

...

The day has passed quickly.

On their last day in the windowless room, the couple felt restless.

"Zero, are you there?" Alpha Maxwell asked.

"Yes, I’m here!" Zero replied quickly.

"We already packed our things. So what will happen tomorrow? What time do we leave the facility?" Alpha Maxwell asked, eager to hear what management planned for their departure.

"You will leave the facility in the afternoon, one hour after lunch. So get ready for tomorrow’s journey," Zero replied.

"I hope this is final," Alpha Maxwell said.

Naomi was holding her breath, waiting for Zero’s response.

"Yes. Your departure tomorrow is final. Nothing and no one can change it," Zero said reassuringly.

The couple felt a great sense of relief. Their apprehension was gone.

"Good," Alpha Maxwell breathed in relief.

"Um, management suggested one thing though," Zero said.

"What is it?" Naomi asked apprehensively.

"You can leave baby Jacob behind. We will take care of him while you two are busy reconciling with your families. As I have said before, chaos will erupt once you return home. Rest assured, we will deliver your son to your doorstep once everything is settled on your end. So, what do you think of management’s suggestion?" Zero explained the best setup for the couple.

The room was enveloped in silence.

"Agree or disagree?"

The couple looked at each other, shaking their heads in utter defiance. "No way! We will never leave our son behind!" they said in chorus.

"Alright, management will respect your decision. Good luck tomorrow. Chat with you later, guys. I’ll be offline for a few hours," Zero said and faded into silence.