44. TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME

Raymond stood at the altar with a blank expression, he had tried smiling but looked like a fool then he took to frowning and looked worse so he settled on a blank expression. He looked around at the people invited then to his family, Yvonne's mom, Ria, Samuel, and Clara.

Soft music started playing from the background meaning the bride was about to enter. He looked toward the entrance of the hall to see her, Susan locked eyes with him and smiled.

He tried forcing a smile but couldn't. Normally, forcing a smile would have been easy but at that moment, it felt like his lips were also sympathizing with him.

"Finally, we are getting married," Susan whispered to him as he held her hand. As soon as the pastor began to speak, all his thought went off, he thought of Yvonne, the memories they had created together which brought a smile to his face.

Suddenly, he felt a pinch on his hand. he blinked rapidly and looked around. The audience looked at him like they were waiting for his response on something, he turned to the pastor, "I'm sorry, Sir. I was lost in thought."

"It's okay. I guess the thoughts were good ones because of the smile it brought to your face." Raymond smiled. "Focus on this first before you continue thinking of your wife-to-be." Making Susan blush.

"Yes, Sir"

"Do you Raymond Russells take Susan Fabian to be your true and lawfully wedded wife, until death shall part you?"

"I do."

"Do you Susan Fabian take Raymond Russells to be your true and lawfully wedded husband, until death shall part you?"

She nodded, smiling widely at Raymond, "I do."

The pastor looked to the congregation, "If anyone can tell why this couple cannot be joined together in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold their peace." The audience looked at themselves then around, but no one stood. The pastor repeated himself again and again but still nothing.

He cleared his throat, "By the power bestowed on me, I now pronounce you husband and..." A lady ran into the hall, "Stop!!!" She shouted from the entrance.

Everyone turned to look at the intruder, then to the groom and bride. People talk in a hushed tone, "Who's she?"

"Who the hell are you?" The boss shouted at the lady.

The lady looked up at him, "I'm Naria by name." She looked at the pastor before locking her gaze with Raymond, "I'm against this union."

Raymond stammered, "Wh... What are you doing?"

"Justin stop acting like you don't know." She said, frowning.

Susan turned to Raymond, "Why is she calling you Justin?"

"Stop this madness, Naria, please." He pleaded.

She folded her arms, pouting, "That wasn't what you said when you kept thrusting into me the previous night."

Everyone gasped on hearing what she said, "He slept with her even after knowing the following day is his wedding."

"He's such a womanizer."

"What a disappointment."

"He's not to be blamed, he was forced to marry her."

"If he wants to cheat, it should have been with his assistant, Ms. Yvonne since he said he loves her." People murmured among themselves.

The boss turned back to Raymond, glaring, "You remember our agreement." Raymond nodded, "Then why didn't you take care of this."

"I'm sorry, Sir." He bowed slightly. "Naria, please leave this minute."

"I'm not going anywhere." She looked away from their pointed gaze.

He took out his phone to call, "Raymond, I have taken enough and you leave me no choice." As he placed his phone on his ear, "You calling someone." He heard a voice say from behind.

"What!!!" Susan exclaimed.

A man said from beside him, "Who's that and why does he look like Raymond?"

"Are they twins?" Another asked.

The boss turned, and behold, Right at the entrance stood another Raymond holding a girl's hand, "Why does she look familiar..." He gulped loudly. "No, It's not possible." The girl, he's holding is Yvonne. "How did he find her?" He thought.

"Hey, welcome bro." They turned to the voice of the groom at the altar, pulling off a face mask to reveal another face.

Raymond smiled at Justin before turning to The Boss, "You were about to call someone... Who? Jasper?" Smiling mischievously.

"How did you find her?"

"Someone didn't inherit your secretive trait." Susan couldn't meet her father's eyes because if looks could kill, she would have been buried six feet down by now.

"You bastard." Susan shook violently at the harshness of her father's voice.

"That's not the kind of word you use to address your daughter," Yvonne said from behind Raymond.

"Don't tell me how to address my daughter." He shouted. "When did she tell you?" He asked Raymond.

____(FLASHBACK)_____

A beep was heard from Raymond's phone, he tapped to check, it was a picture of Yvonne. The boss said he would roughen her up to make him agree to the wedding and he did.

He raised his head, looking at a distance, "Two can play this game." He called up The Boss, "I have agreed to marry her."

"Good. The wedding would be held the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow will be for preparations and invitations to people."

"Okay. In as much as I am being blackmailed, I believe I still have a say in this marriage."

The boss kept quiet for some time, "Speak up, what do you want?"

"I have only two requests and that's all."

"Go straight to the point. I don't have all day." He said with a raised voice.

"I want Yvonne released before the wedding starts," Raymond said in one breathe. Silence followed, Raymond checked to see if The Boss is still on the line, "Hello..."

"Is that all?"

"And secondly, I would love to see her too."

He roared with laughter, "Wow!!! I never knew you had this sense of humor in you."

"I'm dead serious."

"I'm not a fool, Raymond. What you have in mind to do can't work so when you have something reasonable to say, call me." He ended the call before Raymond could say anything else.

He looked to the people gathered around, "He's smarter than we think."

"So what do we do? My baby is all alone and scared, please." Mary sobbed.

Raymond sighed, "We would find her." Consoling her. "We have from now till tomorrow to prepare and put our plan into action."

"Excuse me but we haven't come up with any plans yet," Ria spoke up.

"I have been thinking since this morning on what to do so I came up with two plans. Plan A was to ask him to release Yvonne today which I thought he will fall for but he didn't so Plan B comes in."

"Which is?" Justin asked impatiently.

"Calm down, Justin," Samuel said mockingly, making everyone laugh.

"Justin will go in place of me to the wedding." Everyone looked at him like he had suddenly grown two heads.

"Are you listening to yourself at all? Justin would go in place of you, how?" His dad asked.

Raymond facepalmed himself, "Listen to what I have to say first before you add or subtract." He said, looking stressed. "It's the same girl I'm in love with we are talking about, do you think I will want to worsen things than the way they are."

"We're sorry."

"Here's the plan..." They gave him their full attention.

____(END OF FLASHBACK)____

"We got a face mask that looks exactly like my face for him so he would attend the wedding in place of me while I look for Yvonne." He pointed at Justin. "And it worked."

"You..." The Boss clenched his fist in anger.

"I also receive an anonymous mail which has the exact location of where she was held." The Boss looked around at his men, trying to grasp who the traitor could be. "All I had to do was to confirm if it's the right information."

____(FLASHBACK)____

"Finally, we are getting married," Susan whispered to him as he held her hand.

"You know I would never love you, right?"

"Yea, I know but..."

He interrupted her, "You know, why then did you accept this marriage? I'm in love with someone else."

"You're just blinded by the lust you have for her. We were also in love before she barged into our lives some months ago." She frowned but quickly regain her posture.

He eyed her wearily, "She disguised herself, Susan. You met her but you never told me instead I had to find out on my..." The pastor's high-pitched voice stopped their conversation. "..." Raymond wanted to talk.

"Raymond, it's okay. With time, you'll learn to love me as I have and besides she would be taken far away to where she won't be able to reach us."

He looked at her, confused, "What do you mean far away?"

"Do you think my dad would let her go just like that..." She laughed inaudibly.

He tried to control his emotions, "Where is she held at currently?" She looked at him then at the pastor ignoring his question. "Talk to me, Susan."

"Forget about her."

He smirked, "I'm fully yours, wifey and no one else. You are my future, Susan." He stared into her eyes, feigning sincerity.

She blushed at the intense look he had on, "I know but I'm just scared."

"And you don't have to be scared of anything, okay?" She nodded.

____(END OF FLASHBACK)____

"She told him the same place as written in the mail and all I had to do was to go look for her but... Are you that stupid to leave her alone without any of your men around?"

"What do you mean by that? I left my right-hand man with few other men." He frowned.

Raymond laughed, "No one was there so that made everything easier for me."

"You know it isn't as easy as you think. You should have thought of other things before stepping into the Lions' Den." One of his men who stood by the entrance, locked and stood in front to guard it. "Your focus is mainly on how to save the girl, Love is a weakness."

Raymond's dad stood from where he sat, "Fabian, stop all this madness."

"It isn't madness but achievement which this girl," Points at Yvonne. "Keeps ruining." Glaring at her.

"What achievements? You killed her Dad."

Fabian laughed, "The main reason I gave you and Derek (Yvonne's father) those proposals was to take over your companies."

"Take over? As in, we would give our company to you willingly? You must be joking."

"You both won't give it willingly so I chose to take it forcefully. I planned to kill you both then spread rumors about your companies but it didn't work as planned for Derek so I changed yours." He smiled evilly. "Yours is simple, I'll give you a marriage proposal for your son with my daughter then some months after their marriage, he dies and my daughter would inherit your property but she came into the picture and ruined it."

"What's the probability that I won't call the police on you?"

"Well... That's if any of you would be let out of here... Alive." He laughed uncontrollably.

"You are sick in the head, Fabian." Raymond's dad yelled.

"Shut the hell up." He pushed him, pointing a metallic object to his head. "Don't you dare yell at me." Everyone gasped on seeing the gun.

"Dad, stop," Susan said in tears.

"I said you shouldn't refer to me as that but as The Boss." He glared at her. "So who goes first? You?" Pointing the gun at Raymond.

"Put the gun down," Raymond said, trying to sound confident.

"Why should I? You did your part while I would do mine." He smiled. "Of course, you should go first." Pointing the gun at Yvonne.

"No..." She said, hiding in fear behind Raymond.

"Don't be afraid, you brought it upon... Ahh." He gripped his head like he was in pain laughing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, some men in black stood from the back with guns pointed at The Boss and his men, "Police... Guns down." The boss looked at them and

"Mr. Fabian put the gun down." The cop said, walking slowly toward him. He took advantage of his state to get close and collect the gun from him.

"Let go." He shouted at the cops as he was handcuffed and being led out. "Let me go, I haven't gotten what I wanted."

Someone shouted, followed by a gunshot, "No!!!"