3. Threats

“Shut up,” Eleanor exhaled harshly, her frustration evident. Her body was shaking in anger as she struggled to get control over the situation. She never felt so frustrated ever before and she had a feeling that it has just started. “I don’t know where you got this idea that I will be marrying you. Just drop that from your mind before it starts annoying me further.”

The smirk on Kayden Knight’s face disappeared. It was evident that she didn’t know anything about the marriage proposal, but he didn’t expect her to react so harshly either after knowing he is going to be her groom. Rejections and Kayden Knight never went well together.

“Our marriage is unavoidable," he barked. “Now we just need to see how you take the entire ritual. You want to spoil your family’s image by crying like a fragile, sensitive doll like Avery on our wedding day or embrace it as the best decision of your life.”

Eleanor gritted her teeth.

“Worst decision,” she snapped. “Only being the great Knight heirs is not enough to send marriage proposals. At least not to a woman like me who has a long list of traits jotted down in her mind for her prospective groom. And you seem to have none of those.”

He grabs her arm suddenly and pulls her close. The abruptness of his action startles Eleanor, her eyes widening as she finds herself in uncomfortably close proximity to Kayden.

He grins, a sinister edge to his expression that sends a shiver down Eleanor's spine. She feels blood gushing in her body with the way he is watching her, his gaze unnervingly intense.

“Why don’t you hold these thoughts till our wedding night? I am sure the next morning, I will be the only man who matches all the traits mentioned in your long lists.”

Eleanor, her frustration boiling over, fists her fingers, ready to retaliate. But before she can react, he grabs her other arm too and pins her to the pillar behind. The unexpected force leaves Eleanor momentarily stunned as she struggles against his grip.

“You are very violent, Eleanor Watson. And somehow two fiery people can never make a good match. But don’t worry, let the marriage happen. I will tame you.”

He waits for a second more, letting his words linger in the charged atmosphere, and then releases her arms.

“Now get yourself back in the car!” he shouts. His patience was wearing off. He has always been a man of less words and lesser temper. And this woman was definitely getting on his nerves.

Defiant, Eleanor doesn’t follow his orders.

“You have made a huge mistake. I am Eleanor Watson, not just the daughter of the Governor, but I am also a superstar. I have millions of fans and the power of using the media however I want. It won't take me long to expose the real face of the Knight heirs before the people here.”

She expects him to at least become annoyed, if not threatened, by her words. However, he smirks.

“You are underestimating the Knights then,” he replies, his confidence unshaken. “If we have the power to build people’s lives, we also have the strength to snatch them.”

Eleanor feels a momentary sense of intimidation. To what extent can they go to ensure their orders are obeyed?

“Take my advice,” he adds, his tone unwavering. “Get back home and let the marriage happen peacefully. If you even try to run away from it, I won't mind making you my wife that same instant. And if not much, you at least would know that once a Knight commits to something, he fulfills it by hook or crook.”

He gives her one last scorned look and steps down the church. Eleanor fears what has she landed into. Did her father really fix her wedding with the Knights? How can he do this without intimating her?

The air hangs heavy with the unspoken tension between them, each word exchanged adding to the complex web of circumstances that bound them together.

She finally remembers how she came to the temple in the first place.

Avery!!!

She turns around and finds Avery arguing with her newly wed husband, Max. She is crying but their fight is unlike what Eleanor had expected. Max wipes her tears and then cups her cheek, conveys Avery something at which her face glows and she gives him a tight hug. Now that’s what confuses Eleanor all the more. She strides to them.

“Will you explain to me what's going on here?” Eleanor asks her friend, her eyes searching for answers in Avery's expression.

Avery pulls back from the hug and faces Eleanor, her eyes gleaming with a mix of emotions.

“I thought you were disinterested in marrying this stranger,” Eleanor asks, trying to make sense of the unexpected turn of events.

“He is not a stranger, Eleanor. We love each other,” Avery answers with a heartfelt sincerity that catches Eleanor off guard. “Max is an orphan, and though he is well-educated and earns well too, my father was unwilling to give my hand to him. I broke up with Max for my family’s wish and agreed to marry the one chosen by my father. If Max hadn’t taken help from the Knights, I would have lost him forever.”

Eleanor, still processing the revelation, looks surprised by the depth of the love story unfolding before her. She had assumed Kayden Knight to be the real villain of today’s incident, but it seems like he played a crucial role in bringing two hearts together.

“Kayden Knight is my friend,” Max adds, his eyes reflecting gratitude. “I owe him my life for today.”

Eleanor, her initial judgment clouded by the newfound understanding, presses her eyes momentarily, attempting to process all this information.

“Well,” she opens her eyes again and looks at the couple in love, “congratulations to you both. Now go lead a happy family.”

“Thank you, Eleanor,” Avery says, pulling her into another hug.

“You are welcome. But what about your father now? He won't be happy to know you still got married to Max.” Eleanor asked with a frown on her beautiful face. She knew her friend's father, he was no less than her father, Adam. He is going to create problems for the newlyweds for sure.

“Leave that on the Knights,” Max interrupts confidently. “Since they have personally handled this situation, they will take care of the rest. No one dares to deny their orders here.”

Eleanor, now grappling with her own impending predicament, can't help but feel a hint of concern. The power dynamics of the Knights seem to be far-reaching and formidable.

“And, by the way,” Avery says, curiosity lacing her voice, “what was he saying? Your father fixed your marriage to him?”

“He seemed very sure of it, so yeah. Looks like I will have to speak to my father first,” Eleanor replies, her mind racing with thoughts of the impending conversation.

Avery pouts, offering a supportive tone, “Let me know if you need me.”

“Nah!” Eleanor chuckles, appreciating the offer. “I will handle this on my own. You both enjoy your marriage.”

As Eleanor watches the newlyweds leave, she realizes that the intricate web of connections and relationships in this town runs deeper than she could have ever imagined.

After seeing off the newly married couple, Eleanor gets inside the car belonging to the Knights. She couldn’t afford to deny using it to get back home. She won't find another ride here. Anger bubbles inside as she recalls how Kayden Knight behaved and making him her husband is the last thing on earth she wants.

____

WATSON HOUSE

“Eleanor, where were you? And where is Avery?” Rose rushed to her daughter as she entered the house.

“Avery is with her husband now. Safe.”

“Husband?” Rose was confused. “But the marriage didn’t happen. Your father got a call from Avery’s father that you both never returned to the venue from the salon. What happened?”

Eleanor, still grappling with the recent events, hesitated, but her mother's persistent gaze demanded an explanation. She took a deep breath and began recounting the tumultuous tale. Adam Watson hears it too while getting down the stairs.

“Avery is married now, Mom. Max, the man we met at the salon, forced her into a wedding ceremony against her will. Well, at first it seemed like that. But then I got to know that they loved each other.” She explained everything.

Adam Watson, having overheard the conversation while descending the stairs, interjected with anger evident in his voice, “Oh.. so she got married to THAT Max?”

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