CHAPTER 53: NO WAY!

Alpha Maxwell was walking in the hallway heading for the staircase when he realized he needed that certificate to stop his family and Deborah from interfering in his life once and for all. He returned to the room. After retrieving the documents from the bed he proceeded downstairs to the living room.

His entire family was already sitting on the sofa, waiting for him. He was getting tired of this frequent meeting and wished it could end with a snap of his hand like a magician. And the only place he wants to be at this moment is beside Naomi, not here with his family. They are so annoying except Grandma.

He settled down on the sofa.

Alpha Nelson addressed him. "Son, we gathered here to discuss your wedding and it’s going to be final. As you can see, this is getting tiring so we have to put all this behind us. You already agreed to the wedding, you can no longer back out. What can you say?"

Alpha Maxwell looked at Deborah, his eyes gleaming. "Deb, I’m sorry to say this but this marriage certificate will not allow me to marry you anymore because I’m already married to Naomi and this is the proof." He removed the marriage certificate from the brown envelope and put it on the center table for everyone to see.

Becca grabbed the certificate and checked it thoroughly. "Oh, it’s indeed a marriage certificate. It looks real!"

Everyone gasped in shock, especially Deborah. She paled, tears shone in her eyes.

Alpha Nelson’s face darkened. "Give me that bogus marriage certificate!" He ordered.

Becca gave the certificate to her father.

They all went silent. Alpha Maxwell wore a smirk on his lips.

All members of his family read and scrutinized the document. The atmosphere in the living room dropped to negative zero. Deborah was shaking, she was about to have an emotional meltdown and Luna Adela was busy rubbing her back, comforting her.

The silence was deafening...

Until Becca said, "There is only one way to check the validity of the document. I’ll check the Marriage Record Bureau website if it was recorded there."

Zian returned the document to his sister. Becca typed rapidly on her phone.

After a few minutes of searching the database of public marriage records, Becca found what she was looking for. Her mouth twitched in dismay and disappointment. She looked up at her father. "Dad, my brother is indeed married to Naomi Greene, it’s recorded in the public record," she announced sadly.

Everyone gasped in shock. They looked at each other as if they were about to hold a funeral.

Zian eyed his brother with a penetrating gaze. "Why did it take you so long to produce this document? Why bring chaos to this peaceful family?" he asked suspiciously.

Alpha Maxwell sighed. "I don’t want to hurt Deb’s feelings. It would have been much better if she had just accepted the truth and left than to see the evidence of my marriage certificate with another woman, sparing her from the pain. But she was stubborn so I had no choice but to give you the evidence. I could not marry Deb anymore because I’m already married to someone else," he said, sporting a serious expression on his face.

Alpha Nelson dropped the document on the center table, shaking his head in anger.

Everyone felt uncomfortable, trying to deal with the reality that one member of their family had successfully married the daughter of their enemy. It came as a huge shock to everyone, as if a forbidden wall had been shattered and no one could repair it.

For the first time since he came home, Alpha Maxwell felt at peace with himself. Finally they will stop nagging him to marry Deborah. It was such a great feeling. He felt victorious.

He stood up. "Guys, this meeting is over," he announced calmly. Then he looked at his father. "Dad, just give up. The marriage between Deborah and I is no longer possible. I hope this will be the last time we talk about it. It’s now over. Let’s all move on with peace in our hearts," he said, about to leave the gathering.

Eyes blazing with anger, Deborah grabbed the document, crumpled the paper and threw it onto the floor. "Do you think it’s over? You are wrong! Watch me destroy your marriage!" she said disdainfully. Then she erupted in shrill laughter. Her laughter vibrated around the room.

Stunned, they all looked at Deborah anxiously, surprised by her actions. She was supposed to feel sad and mad. But why was she laughing? Has she gone mental again?

Alpha Maxwell sighed heavily. "Deb, even if you burn the document it doesn’t erase the truth that my wedding to Naomi was recorded in the public marriage record database. There is nothing you can do about it. Please just accept it," he begged.

"Never! Over my dead body!" Deborah yelled, her eyes blazing with fury.

Alpha Maxwell sighed and left the living room, moving towards the kitchen to make his coffee. He loved celebrating his victory today with a cup of coffee. He reminded himself to thank Zero later. It’s now time to use the phone Grandma gave him because his old one was destroyed by Deborah.

After he finished making his coffee, he left the kitchen and returned to the living room which was now empty. He picked up the crumpled marriage certificate from the floor and proceeded to climb the stairs, heading back to his room.

Once inside his room, he went to the window, sipping his coffee, wearing a bright smile on his face.

He can’t wait to see Naomi again soon. He was confident Zero had also given Naomi a copy of their marriage certificate to help her ease her worries.

He had just finished drinking his coffee when the door opened and Grandma entered the room, smiling brightly.

"Congrats my boy, the marriage certificate certainly shuts up your parents’ and siblings’ mouths. Since the certificate is legal they can’t force you to marry Deborah anymore. You win this round!" Grandma smiled joyously, happy for him.

"Thank you, Grams. I feel happy and triumphant right now," he said, flashing a victorious smile.

"So, why did you wait so long before you presented the document to us? Why?" she asked curiously.

Alpha Maxwell grinned and said, "I’ll tell you a secret, Grams. The certificate was sent to me by my kidnapper via drone, through the window in my room."

"Oh, I see..." Grandma said, surprised. "So are you still in contact with your kidnapper? Were they helping you behind the scenes?"

Alpha Maxwell shrugged. "Yeah, kind of."

She examined his face closely. "Strange. You seem to not hate your kidnapper anymore. Why is that?"

Alpha Maxwell shrugged off. "I don’t know. I was furious at them at first when they kidnapped me. But later on I just kind of let it slide because they never hurt me and now they helped solve my problem with Deborah. Now that my problem is gone, I feel great. My family can finally accept Naomi and baby Jacob, am I right, Grams?"

"Maybe, hopefully." Grandma’s eyes gleamed. She took a deep breath, silent for a moment. Then she said, "You are definitely experiencing Stockholm syndrome, my boy."

Alpha Maxwell raised a brow. "Maybe you are right, Grams. But does it matter anymore? I mean my kidnappers helped to solve my problem. What can I say?"

"Hmm, that is the weirdest thing about your kidnappers. They definitely changed the trajectory of your life. And you even liked the change. What are their intentions behind all this? I’m quite puzzled," Grandma said in astonishment.

"Ah, I remember now, they told us we would undergo an experiment called the Love Game. Their goal is to kidnap the children of two warring families and make them fall in love. Weird isn’t it?" he muses.

"Yeah, weird indeed. But who are the people behind this madness? How many young people were kidnapped to undergo such a bizarre kind of experiment?" Grandma wondered.

Alpha Maxwell shrugged. "I dunno... that facility is weird. We didn’t see the other couple though. They could be lying. But that is no longer my problem. I’m free now and that’s all that really matters to me," he said, his tone filled with gladness.

"They can’t kidnap you again because you are already home. We have so many guards guarding this house. No one can kidnap you anymore. You are safe here," she stated in a serious tone.

"You are right, Grams," he agreed.

Grandma suddenly remembered something about Deborah’s powerful relatives. She fell into deep silence, shaking her head as if she was worried about something.

Alpha Maxwell noticed her silence and the perturbed look on her face. "What’s wrong, Grams? Don’t you feel happy for me and Naomi? I’m problem free, this is the end of my trials and tribulations." He beams triumphantly.

A deep frown appeared on Grandma’s face.

"Um, by the way, where are Deb and my son?" he suddenly asked.

"They have left the house. Deborah took your son, and they are going back to her parents’ home," Grandma answered.

"For good? Did she take her clothes with her?" he eagerly asked.

"No, just baby Zed’s clothes. She told us she would return in a few days. She needed time to relax and find a solution to her problems, then she would return to be with you and resume the wedding discussion," Grandma explained.

"What? She still wants the wedding to continue despite everything? She is crazy!" he exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief.

Grandma takes a deep breath. "My boy, I need to tell you something important..."

"Please say it, Grams," he said, raising a brow.

Grandma dropped the bomb. "Debora’s uncle works for the government. He is the head of the Marriage Record Bureau, which means if she asked his uncle to delete the record of your marriage to Naomi from the database, he could easily do it. And we both know it’s very possible."

"Shiit! No way!" Alpha Maxwell groaned in dismay. He could still remember the sound of Deborah’s laughter echoing in the living room, mocking him.

Now he knew his victory was just temporary — he knew how capable Deborah’s family was.