Chapter 2: Sign

After 2 hours of driving the limo breaks screeched

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRREEEEEKKKK HISSSSSSSSS"

The limo came to a slow stop. The man in black looked out the window and grumbled, "We're here." Marigold covered her face as tears flooded the palms of her hands, overflowing out the sides. The man in black mocked, "You're ridiculous." She glared at him screaming, "The only one here that's ridiculous is you." She buried her face back into the palms of her hands and the man in black scoffed. He swung open the passenger's side door on his side and grumbled, "Get out of the car." He swung his feet out of the door, planting them into the gravel, stood up, poked his head back into the car, and shouted, "Get out of the car." She cried, "Take me home now!" Her tears started dripping down her arms and she began to shake. The man in black slammed the door on his side, walked over to her side door, and swung the door open. He shouted, "I don't have time to play foolish games with a foolish woman." She looked at him with tears rolling down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and shouted, "I hate you, I hate him, I hate you all. I'm not leaving this car." He grabbed her arm, dragged her out of the car as she tripped on the gravel, stood her to her feet, and shook her while shouting, "Where do you think you'll go huh? You belong to a powerful man! You act foolish, like you have choices and options. You will fall in line or I will put you in line myself." He dragged her across the gravel by her arm as she covered her face with her other hand, slapped her hand down from her face, grabbed her cheeks that were soaked in her tears, and turned her face to look at the 7 story beige brick and gray stone castle style mansion. He growled, "Look at this, look at what you have and you still dare to cry like a fool. If I had half of what you had do you know how happy I would be? You're the envy of every woman out there, to be the wife of a wealthy man is every girl's dream. To be taken care of, why do you have to be so stupid? Why do you have to act like this isn't what you want? This is what every girl wants." She pushed his hands away, breaking out of his grip, dropping to the ground. She stumbled to her feet while screaming, "This is not what I want. I didn't ask for any of this and I don't want it, I want to go home." He grabbed her arm as tight as he could, pulled her closer to him, and spinned her around showing her the sandy brown stone wall with a black metal gate door that sat 30 feet away from them but surrounded the entire mansion. He mocked in a joyful tune, "Where will you go, how will you escape? The only way out of here is through the gate which is guarded by security and has video cameras attached to it. Your own father doesn't even want you. You'll be on the streets, living like a beggar, and it'll be even easier to track you down and bring you back. There is no place for you to go where you won't be found, you belong to a Billionaire now! You are the wife of Mr.Bax." She pulled out of his grip and yelled, "You can't keep me here against my will!" She tried to run towards the gate but before she could take a step the man in black pulled her hair, yanking her down to the ground. He crouched down to her level, grabbed her arm, and stood her to her feet mocking in the same joyful tune, "You are ridiculous Marigold, just ridiculous. Such a shame… You are such a beautiful woman and yet you choose to be so foolish." He dragged her towards the house as she drug her feet. He snarled, "Come on, Mr.Bax is waiting," as he continued to drag her to the house while she tried to fight him off. He dragged her to the mansion's tall dark brown door, opened the door, and threw her by her arm inside. She stumbled in tripping down the two platform stairs onto the white marble floor face first. She looked up and round her to see two sets of off white marble stairs that had dark brown wood and rose gold railing and that wrapped around the room and led to the second floor hallway balcony, white doors on the second floor that led to different rooms and places, an open off white rectangular column doorway space that led to the living room on one side, another open doorway space that lead to a light beige hallway, a crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room, and lime white walls. The man in black slammed the door behind him.

BOOM, ERRRRRK, SLAM

The sounds of the slamming door shook the house. He walked down the steps and pulled Marigold off the ground by her arm. Tear soaked wet strands of hair covered her face, he brushed her hair back, and squished her cheeks with his scarred hand saying, "Look your best, you're about to meet a powerful man." He walked her up a flight of stairs as she stumbled behind him, down the second floor hallway, to a large gray colored wood door with a golden pull down handle. He opened the door and threw her to her knees inside the 4,000 Sq ft office. In the office sat Mr.Bax (Beau's dad) in a light gray work chair at a black desk that had drawers. Mr.Bax's office also had a gray bookshelf that had different books on it and covered the entire wall off to the left side of him, a light gray rug that sat on top of the polished light brown wood floor, circular lights that were built into the ceiling, a large wall to wall window that was on the wall behind him and had sheer light gray and white curtains, a dark gray couch that sat in front of the bookshelf, a light gray modern cushioned chair that sat in front of his desk, and a modern black two tier side table that sat next to the gray chair and had potted plants on it. 

She stumbled to her feet to see Mr.Bax sitting with his feet up on his desk and a smug smile on his face. She saw a gold metal name tag, a white laptop, and a stack of vanilla colored folders sitting on top of his desk. In his hands he held a folder the same color as the folders on his desk. He put his feet on the floor, opened the folder, and read out loud, "Marigold Kelp, age 19, height 5'4, weight 130 pounds, lives with her father in a two story home that was left to her by her mother who died of kidney failure when she was only 5 years of age, got her first job at Straw Cafe to support her father who wants to retire early but doesn't want to work for it. She's the only living kin of her father Arnold Kelp and her mother Alana Kelp also known as Alana Night. I also see Marigold that you're a hard worker graduated top of your class with a 4.0 GPA but never went to college despite all the scholarships. I wonder if it was because your mother died or because your own father is a deadbeat who needs you to take care of him." Marigold jumped in her skin and said, "How did you find all of that about me?" Mr.Bax chuckled saying, "Oh I have my ways, I'm a very powerful man. When I want information I get it, no questions asked." Marigold said, "What do you want from me? Why did you do all of this when you can have whoever you want? Why do you want a girl you've never met to marry you an elderly man? Is it because you're a sick man who wants a sugar baby because he's too desperate to live alone or is it because no one your own age will even give you a second glance because you're a foul, perverted, disgraceful old man." Mr.Bax smirked saying, "A foolish woman you are… Foolish, with a foul mouth yet as beautiful as a delicate flower. Unique like a beautiful snowflake, as fragile as a stained glass window yet hard headed like a rhino. You think I want to marry you, no… I wouldn't dare marry a poor girl, that is beneath me and you are not my kind." Marigold snickered, "Not your kind but you kidnapped me… are you not Mr.Bax?" Mr.Bax said, "I'm Mr.Bax but I'm Mr.Bax Sr. and you are going to wed Mr.Bax Jr. he is my son and his name is Beau Bax. He is one of the richest men in the world and most eligible bachelor in the country, everyone wants him and paparazzi can't keep their cameras off of him." Marigold scoffed, saying,"Funny never heard of him in my life, he must not be all that famous or all that wanted." Mr.Bax said, "Or maybe it's that you can't afford T.V. to watch him." Marigold snapped back saying, "Or maybe it's you're delusional and self centered and the only 'T.V.' he's on is the one in your head." Mr.Bax slammed his hand down on his desk and said, "I don't know what my son sees in you, but he wants you to be his wife." Marigold said, "Well your son is as delusional as you are. I won't be forced into marriage." Mr.Bax put his hands on his desk, slowly stood up, and said, "Marigold Kelp will you be such a stupid woman and reject my son? Do you realize you as the wife of a Billionaire will be set for the rest of your life. You'll never have to work a day in your life, you will have everything you could possibly desire… Butlers, maids, expensive clothes, hand bags, etc… Will you be foolish and turn this offer down?" Marigold said, "I'll have everything but my freedom… My freedom is important and being stuck in a loveless marriage for money is not how I want to spend the rest of my life." Mr.Bax said, "Who marries for love nowadays? You'll have money and that should be enough." Marigold said, "But I won't have my freedom and I won't have love. How could you possibly think that a marriage could ever last if the two don't even love each other. That's just a disaster waiting to happen, a complete dumpster fire of a marriage. Beau will never be happy with me, in a marriage if we're not in love. Money can't buy marriage, money can't buy love… I'm sorry Mr.Bax but you can't buy my love and you can't buy my freedom. Those things are priceless and I won't let you or anyone take them from me." Mr.Bax laughed and said, "Are you not the same Marigold Kelp that gave up everything including her entire promising future to support her father not because he has some sort of disability but because he was and is too lazy to work? The same father that sold you to me for 10 million dollars. You gave up your entire life, all of your dreams just to be sold like property. You talk about freedom, how you can't be bought but even you had a price Marigold which was the love you so desperately wanted but never got from your own flesh and blood, your own father who gave you away in a heartbeat and he didn’t even hesitate to do it… Hmph, I've been trying to make you feel more human because a blow like that would and could hurt anyone's pride, making them feel like less than a human but I guess there is no reasoning with you, so I will put it like this… I bought you, you are my property to do what I please and I want you to marry my son, so that is what you'll do and if you refuse, if you dare defy my orders well… It would be a shame if that 10 million dollar check was reported as stolen, a forgery and grand theft are felonies… Poor Marigold only wanted to see her father happy so she stole the check, forged my signature, and thought I wouldn't notice." Marigold scoffed, saying, "You and I both know that never happened, have fun trying to prove that in court, I'll just expose you as the pervert you are." Mr.Bax chuckled saying, "I do believe I have a witness to your desperation." The man in black chuckled while saying, "I first hand witnessed Marigold's desperation. Working a job for a measly 10 dollars an hour, Marigold was so tired she just couldn't help herself." Marigold looked at the man in black and Mr.Bax said, "Yes and I do have your files where you gave up everything to help your father. You see Marigold Kelp, the one thing you'll learn about me and about having real money is the power you hold with it. I'm a Billionaire and I can buy anything. Witnesses, judges, jury, etc… You won't believe the lies you can get people to believe when you have money. See I have all the cards in my hands and you have nothing. This is my world now that you're living in. She looked at Mr.Bax, tears filled her eyes as she said, "How will you be able to convince anyone that I had stolen the check? I don't have access to any checks that belong to you or your son." Mr.Bax chuckled, saying, "Money, persuasion, and oh you must not know the car you rode in today belongs to my son Beau and in a land where only money matters that'll be enough to get you convicted of a felony crime." Tears rolled down her face and she said, "You'll ruin my life." Mr.Bax said, "No, the only person who is going to ruin your life is you and your stupidity if you deny my order. So will you still be foolish and deny my son your hand or will you take his hand and live a wonderful life as an heiress?" She looked down as her tears dripped onto the floor and he smiled saying, "Looks like I have a deal." Mr.Bax looked through the folders on his desk, pulled out a marriage certificate and contract that had been signed by Beau, and walked over to Marigold saying, "Beau has already signed them so once you sign this everything will be finalized." She looked up at him, snatched the papers out of his hands, and said, "I won't sign anything until I get it in writing that the check is not forged… I want a receipt right now or no deal." Mr.Bax walked over to his desk, pulled out a piece of paper, wrote out a receipt, and signed it saying, "Not like you have any sort of power or leverage in this deal but I admire how smart you are so I'm willing to do it, I can tell why my son likes you so much." Mr.Bax held the receipt in his hand and said, "Well Marigold Kelp here is your receipt, signed just for you." She walked over to him, reaching for the receipt and he yanked it back saying, "You'll get this, as soon as you sign the contract and license." She slammed the license and contract onto the desk looking at Beau's signature already signed on them. Mr.Bax handed her the pen he had saying, "Once you sign this, all your dreams will come true. Think of it just this morning you were poor getting ready to start working for 10$ an hour to support your father and now you're an heiress and will never have to lift a finger to do anything ever again." Her body began to tremble as she signed both papers, her tears soaking both sheets. Mr.Bax smiled, snatching the sheets away from her, saying, "You are now Marigold Bax. This is a wonderful day and a dream come true just for you." She covered her mouth with her hand as her tears began soaking it. Mr.Bax scoffed, saying, "A woman like you should be happy to marry a man like Beau. This is your dream come true and your chance to have whatever you could possibly want without having to struggle. You should be happy, this is your Cinderella story." She covered her face with both her hands sobbing, unwilling to speak. Mr.Bax grabbed her arm and said, "Be happy, you now have everything you want and your life will be better." She mumbled, "But I won't be free…."