TAKEN BY FORCE, CONTRACT MARRIAGE  

CHAPTER 2: TAKEN BY FORCE, CONTRACT MARRIAGE

It didn’t take long. Half an hour, multiple unfamiliar cars screeched to a halt right outside the Mason’s mansion. The guards who were on duty looked baffled, they were dumbstruck especially, when men who were clad on expensive black suit marched as if they own the place.

“Who are you? Leave this instant or we’re calling the police!”

“You can’t just barge in here…!”

“What’s all with the commotion?” When Mathew Mason, Anna’s father heard that unknown men were marching into his mansion, he rushed out, but fear engulfs him when he took a peek.

They looks intimidating, that mad him scared shitless—but who the hell sent them?

“We wanted Anna Mason. Give her to us and nobody needs to be hurt.”

Mathew realizes something.

Who else would want that little wrench of a daughter he has anyway?

Of course it had to be that old man, who had paid for her the previous night! The fact that he fancy Anna made him disgusted at the same time relieved because he gain a lot by selling her, out of the house, out of their life.

“I have been waiting —She’s in the basement! Take her away, I don’t mind at all!”

The men was surprised, they didn’t know that the patriarch would gave away his daughter like that, but they didn’t ask further questions. It’s better to be resolve, than make Romano waiting and decapitated them himself if they failed to bring the girl.

The basement door was pushed opened, one of the men walked, stalked the crouched girl on the corner in a cold tone he asked, “Are you Anna Mason?”

But she surprised them. Anna was full of enthusiasm in spite of her brushing cheek. She was smiling, her eyes are bright as if she had been waiting for this momentm

“I am, you’ve come to kill me, haven’t you? Well, hurry up, we don’t have all the day!” She chuckled, leaving Romanov’s men bemused at her behavior.

One was looking at her as if she had her grown two heads, crazy in the head, because most initial reactions that they earned whenever they were ordered to picked someone was panic, fear as they fall on their knees and beg, and yet…Anna looks rather confident.

When they brought her to the car, Anna looked around. Frowning, she then asked, “Why am I alone?”

She was a little disappointed. Weren’t they are supposed to bring her family as a leverage? It doesn’t makes sense!

Did her plan failed? The thoughts piled her mood. This couldn’t be happening!

“Mr. Salvador wanted to meet you alone, don’t you worry, your family isn’t as safe as you think they are.”

Anna’s crestfallen look was replaced, her dispirited expression dissipate, “He’s really upset, isn’t he?”

He surely is, but then, didn’t he kisses her back even when the drug loosen its effects on him?

Weird.

“I was deluged with sleeping pills? Impossible!” Romanov frowns. His brow creased into a deep furrow.

How can she slipped it on his drink, while he was not looking? Surely, Anna was working for somebody. He thought angrily.

After all, he had regained most of his memories about what happened last night—Anna and their heated encounter, she, who lured him to bed.

“We have gotten her, Sir.” One of his men announced.

His expression hardened.

One or another, he’ll find out the truth from her lips. If she refused, it would be easy for Romanov to threatened Anna, kill her, made her suffer for long until she regret meeting Romanov Salvador.

Anna was shoved inside the room. She was pretty confident earlier, but seeing the feared man himself, Anna was left tongue-tied.

Hatred must have clouded her mind last night—she had ignored the palpable killing intent from Romanov as she provoke him for revenge.

But facing him, she realized how frightening the man is. Her legs felt weak against the intensity of his gaze, her throat was dry, and she wanted nothing, but to drop on her knees and beg to get spared.

When Romanov noticed her fear, his despite grew. He was disgusted to Anna.

Isn’t she confident last night, acting so brave…but now she was playing her innocent card. She was cunning and clever as he had imagined.

“So, you were the one who drugged me. Who sent you last night, Anna?” He demanded coldly, his voice sent shivers to her spine.

“I-I don’t know w—what you are talking about…” Anna stuttered. “I—I am not sent by somebody…I—I brought the pills from the nightclub, and…”

She fucking brought a pill from a nightclub?

The temperature drop. Romanov’s jaw clenched. She really have some motives to drug him! How filthy! In his mind, Anna was a gold digger.

When he sat down, Anna couldn’t help, but noticed his robust muscles underneath his shirt, knowing exactly that she felt and saw them last night

Oh god! Get a grip of yourself, Anna!

Her cheeks reddened at those thoughts. She immediately castigated herself.

Romanov noticed her stare, he glared at her, “You’d better not be thinking anything else, Anna Mason.” He glowered.

Anna flushed even redder—isn’t she being that obvious?

“I’m not…I’m not having any thoughts about you.”

Good gracious, she is!

Her defense fell into deaf ear, when one of his men stormed in, “Sir, the pill we recovered from her matched what you have taken last night…”

That made Anna flinched. She had come here to die, but now the same fear came back.

He chuckled icily, “You are really a scheming woman, Anna Mason. You beguiled me and now you are still alive.” Romanov face her, his eyes yielding to get back at Anna and make it even. “Now, leave us, and lock the door behind you, Henry.”

Henry threw a sympathetic eyes to Anna before he disappeared in sight.

Once the lounge was locked, the man strode and stalked Anna.

Her eyes widened. It isn’t death she feared, but pain. Ann tried to escape, but she had nowhere to run, and was cornered to the wall by Romanov.

He grab her chin as he stared down at her glaring as if Anna was below of the man himself, his killing intent fill the room as he breathed every word, “You are so confident, you really think that I will let you live afterwards, but it seems like, you knew about it.”

Anna’s throat became dry, but she wanted to provoke him more, “What’s with the talk? Why not kill me now?

That’s what she wanted, and so maybe he could buried her own family alongside with her.

“You have a smart mouth, I can give you that, but I am not just going to give you death so easily, Anna.” His grip tightened.

Redness appeared over her fair skin. The hair on her nape rises.

“W—what do you want from me?” Why can’t he just kill her already?

But her innocence and grief only seems to irritate him further, chuckling darkly he said, “I wanted you to suffer, Anna, not die quick.”

With that said, the door was pushed open again. Behind Romanov appeared his men…but they are not alone, they hold her family, who were all cursing Anna, begging to get spared.

“O—oh my god, we didn’t know, S—Sir.” Her prideful father was in his knees, while Mrs. Mason and Natasha cowered in fear.

Their helpless plea remain futile.

“Try to fool me again, and I’ll let you live so that you could watch every member of your family die, Anna.” Romanov’s voice is sinister.

Mrs. Mason and Natasha’s eyes widened. They looked so afraid, but when they stared her—it was full of hideous hate as they blamed Anna.

But this is what she wanted.

In a desperate precipice, Anna found her courage back. Gritting her teeth, she threw her arms around Romanov to pulled him closer, and stood on her toes to kiss him!

His body stiffened completely, and obviously—it is not what he expected.

GASP.

Everyone present at the room gasped loudly. Who knows what was going on inside Anna’s head. It was her own father who was quick to react.

“Y—you are a crazy wrench!” He was beguiled.

Mr. Mason felt like he is gong to faint. His wrench of a daughter just made the situation much worst!

But this is Anna’s plan. If she’s going downhill, then she’s not dying alone.

When she pulled apart and felt his glare staring daggers at her as if his eyes could slice Anna, she knew that she succeeded making the tyrant Billionaire angry, beyond furious. Her heart was beating against her chest as she remain closer to Romanov.

And at that moment, she meet his eyes, “Marry me….Marry me, Mr. Salvador.”

Anna thought that it would get her killer, but unknowingly it didn’t.

“O—oh my god! I don’t want to marry you!” Anan was alarmed that after the stunt she pulled, Romanov called for a priest and tied them both while facing each other.

“P—please remain still, Ms. Mason.” The old man cried, in fear while a gun was being pointed beside his head.

On her left, Romanov brooding figure stood there. He was unbothered, “Isn’t it what you wanted?” He was extremely cold, when he asked.

“N—no!” Anna firmly shook her head. She was glaring at him. “You can’t do this to me! I can’t marry you!”

She isn’t supposed to! When she kissed him, Anna offered herself to die not getting force to marry the great Romanov Salvador and be his wife!

“Silence!” He ordered.

Anna continue to struggles, “No—argg!”

Her hair was pulled, “If you don’t stop now, I’ll really put a bullet on your head, Anna.”

“It’s better than that….than becoming your wife!” She spat.

His grip tightened, but there is this amusement the flashed before his eyes when Anna cried.

She was really trying to act so naïve now, huh?

He met a lot of type of women similar with her. They will pretend that they were against it, but later on—she will enjoy the luxurious life, but he’s no fool, Romanov marries her to teach her a lesson.

“You scheming bitch.” On his belief, Anna is a gold digger. “You have no right to decide, but I have the last day. I’ll marry you, if I wanted to, and I can kill you… whenever I wanted, Anna Mason.”

Her tears rolled down on her cheeks. Why was fate so cruel to her?

She only wanted to get revenge, and get it over with. But it was her who suffer the cost, and the consequences.

Threatened to be killed if she says no. Romanov have the upper hand over her, and not Anna herself.

“D—do you take Romanov Salvador as a lawfully wedded husband, Anna Mason?” The priest trembled.

Anna closed her eyes, “I—I do, father.” A gun was clicked beside her head.

“Now, I have pronounced you husband and w—wife—”

BANG.

Followed suit by screams, and a lifeless body that fell on the ground…with a thud.

What have she done?

“This is all your fucking fault!” Mathew Mason roared in fury. They were on a cell, together with his family, while Anna cowered on the corner. But they neither dare touch her or lay a hand on her.

If they do, they knew what would happen.

“You brought this upon us!” His wife spat with hate.

Natasha flared on the corner, “If I had known about it, I should have delivered you myself to that old man.”

They wished her worst. Even at this moment, they remain wicked. Blinded by their contempt, but Anna was traumatize. The priest corpse was still clear o her head. His gaping mouth as he cried, while a bullet hole left enter his head.

He died before her, and the misery clings to Anna.

Soon, footsteps were heard, and the cell was unlocked from the inside.

“You can all go.” It was Henry.

Relief flashed before Mathew’s face, “T—thank you!”

“What about her?” Natasha do not like the thought that Anna was coming with them. Her disgust was clear.

“Mrs. Salvador would be left here.” Henry uttered lowly.

“Mrs. Salvador. How ironic, but oh well, we are out of here.” Mrs. Mason chuckled.

When they left, Anna hug her legs and buried her face on it.

She felt cheated.

This isn’t what she planned. She should be dead, her family should be dead by now, but it was here who was punished.

“W—why.” She sobs, her cries filled her cell.

When another set of footsteps echoed. She have no strength to see who it was, but the familiar voice urged her to.

“Now, you were bawling your eyes as if you didn’t want it to happen.” Romano mocked her.

She didn’t wanted it to happen.

When Anna lifted her head, she was shaking, “I—I didn’t!”

But who is going to believe her?

On Romanov’s eyes, she was desperate girl asking for it, and for Anna, he was monster who promised to ruined her life…made her suffer until she begs for her mercy.

The man chuckled darkly, “Just keep on your act, Anna. But trust, I will make sure to break you until then...”

What was it to break, when Anna…herself was already broken.

“I’m really glad that we are released!” When they arrived home, Mrs. Mason uttered. “And what makes me happy was the fact that we get rid of Anna, honey!”

“What was to be happy about?” Natasha pursed her lips. “I’m sure that she’ll enjoy those luxury, and I can’t let that happen, mommy!”

“Honey—”

“Don’t, that wrench still put us in trouble, as if I will just let her sleep with ease afterwards.” Her daughter sneered.

“I know, honey, but I’m sure Mr. Salvador would do that instead of you. By the looks of it, your ugly sister will be tormented on his hands, Natasha.”

“And I wanted to see that happen.” Natasha Mason held her head high.

There’s only one thing she wants, to see Anna…in agony, and suffering in so much pain she could endure.

Natasha snickered at that thought, but their happiness did not last long.

“Now, you finally showed up, when I was waiting here for hours.” A familiar sickening voice said.

Mathew felt his body stiffened. Both Natasha and Mrs. Mason was also surprised until their shock expression turned into fear. A horrifying fear, when their eyes catch a glimpse of Mr. Deogracia’s figure on the sofa. The old man whom they sold Anna.

“M—Mr. Deogracia!” Mathew stuttered. “Fancy seeing you here!”

They had almost forgotten about him!

“Hello, Mathew.” The old man blew a smoke from his tobacco.

Behind him, a few of his men stood menacingly.

“W—what are you doing here—”

“Oh, don’t make a fool out of me, Mathew.” Mr. Deogracia laugh slowly. “You know that Anna runaway last night and that made me wonder if she went here, but my men has been looking.”” His eyes narrowed. “Where is she, my boy?”

Mathew Mason gulps.

“Mr. Deogracia, you see—”

“Hush, I don’t need excuses, Mathew.” The old man flicked his finger.

One of his men strode and grab Natasha.

“D—daddy!” Natasha screamed.

“P—please, not my daughter!” Panic seize him, knowing what the old man is capable of.

“Don’t worry, I am not going to hurt her unless you tell me where is my beautiful, Anna.” Lorenzo Deogracia cooed.

Mathew felt lost.

How can he tell him that Anna was no longer here and now he was being squeeze in between of two dangerous people. One is a murderer, and the other was a tyrant, who immense more power and authority across the world.

He fell on his knees, helpless.

“S—she was taken.” He confessed.

“By who?” Lorenzo raised his eyebrows.

“B—by Romanov… Romanov Salvador takes Anna.” Mathew watched in sorrow hi daughter, Natasha who was struggling against Lorenzo’s men, a gun was pointed at her head. “A—and he married her by force, Sir.