Chapter Five

Ann’s pov…..

I was over the roof excited, the expression on her face was a picture I would hold on to forever in my mind.

Then I recalled Williams's words “ you have to tell me exactly what you plan in this one year of our marriage” and began to wonder if I was wrong.

I wasn't going to let my uncertainty get the best of me as I immediately made to call grandpa

He was the only one who made the least attempt to treat me like family, when immediately Mother and Belle barged into my room furiously.

Belle quickly rushed at my phone and grabbed it off my hand and walked back to stand behind mother.

“ How dare you!!” mother barked at me while belle stood behind her sulking silently.

“ Who do you think you are to make a move on Williams and disregard your sister in such manner” she was my sister when I had something she wanted, when she needed something I had.

My head was lowered in anger as she yelled at me, I was on the verge of losing my mind with her.

“I don't care,” I said

“What?!!” my mother uttered with surprise on her face.

“ I don't……”

And she gave me a slap on my face and I palmed my cheek in shock, looking up at her “how dare you talk to me like that?! have you forgotten your place in this house? Now you will call Williams and tell him you can't go on with this bulshit relationship y’all claim to be doing!!” she yelled at me in anger and walked out locking me in my room.

I guess she forgot Belle took my phone away and no one made an attempt to return it.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but to me letting them fall would be a sign of weakness and I couldn't give in to that.

I had been locked up for two days with no food and I was already wondering how I could meet up with Williams as we had agreed to meet earlier, I began to worry he would think I was a freak show for not showing up, walking to my window trying to see if I could catch anything foreign that could help outside.

Suddenly I heard a knock on my door and I went open it to find him standing in front of me with flowers and my mom and sister behind him with rage in their eyes.

He pulled me in and kissed me on the lips, this took me unawares but I tried to play along as the looks on their faces was priceless.

“How is the look on their faces” he mumbles after slightly breaking off from the kiss.

“Second to none,” I said giggling.

“C'mon let's go announce the wedding” he said out loud, dragging me out of the room as we both sat down opposite my parents he started by clearing his throat then looking at me for assurance which I nodded in accord before proceeding to break the news.

“Father, mother, I want to ask for your daughter Ann’s hand in marriage,” he said to my parents and Belle while grinning at me.

“ Jess he is really good at this, if not better than I thought,” I thought out loud in my mind which was literally also jumping with joy and excitement and relief.

“ this can't happen!!, I met you first” Belle declared in anger,

“ And I rejected you, remember you kept pushing” Williams

There was total silence for a while after Williams said that, my parents in shock and belle I think disbelief and embarrassment.

“ Oh okay son, but there will be an introduction with both parents before the wedding can go on,” my father said after readjusting himself on his seat.

“that won't be able problem sir, I'll go inform my parents immediately after now”

“Forbes, are you accepting this?” my stepmothersuddenly broke off her silence in half rage

“ First you make her compete with OUR daughter for the company and now this?!!”

“ she's our daughter too”

“No she's not! She's an outsider you made me pick up from the gutters!, she has never had a place in this family and never will” her words filled my small bubble with pain, hatred and embarrassment.

“She has a family now, I'm her family and be rest assured she is in good hands now” Williams said but it was more to reassure me.

“You can't do this to me, you won't get away with this!!!” Belle yelled and walked out to God knows where maybe….,to her room.

“And I would like to take Ann with me and properly introduce her to my parents” Williams said, everyone seemed shocked already from the outburst of events of the day, this was almost like an extra topping to the whole charade as though nature was on her side of operation-revenge, without waiting for another permission as my father already gave a nod.

We headed out together to what seemed to be Williams's apartment, he let me stay the night in his room as the next room hadn't been finished yet while he went to a hotel.

I was alone in this new environment and it felt different it didn't feel like my normal life and it felt good, I picked up my phone and tried calling my grandfather's number again.

He picked up on the third ring “ hello” he said with his old cranky voice which was sometimes hard to hear but relieving to me.

“Hello grandfather” I said back

“ Ann dear, is that you?” He had Alzheimers and I was almost the only one he recognized but not even all the time.

“ yes paa it's me, how are you doing?”

“Oh my dear I'm sorry, I'm so sorry” he mostly began the calls like that, it was almost like he was trying to tell me something.

Sometimes mother never allowed anyone to call or speak with him, he was fathers Dad and even dad couldn't speak with him, only I cared to sneak a call once in a while.

“ its okay paa I know, I only wish you could say more”

“ I'm getting married paa, a week from now” I said to him but he was already mumbling unrelated words and sometimes I just listened and cried.

“Paa”

but the line was dropped and I decided to go visit him the next day to announce my wedding and he immediately got pensive and agitated when I stepped into his room.

“ Forgive me Ann, please forgive me for what I did” he kept on pleading

“Paa what are you talking about?”

Then all I could hear were mumbles and mixed-up words and then he looked at me like he with surprise.

“ Ann I need to tell you something”

“what's that paa?” I asked curiously.

“ you ar… you, it's you Ann….. you are the real heiress of your father Ann and I'm so sorry I took that from you”

He said with a pleading voice.

It was a shocker, I was dumbfounded and felt chills down my spine, my eating where ringing so much that I couldn't hear what else he was saying and the mixed emotions were in a rush.

“ She knew, she knew and she forced me she knew what I did and she forced me”

“Who knew grandfather?” I asked sternly.

“ elvine knew” he said, elvine was my mother's name and grandfather mostly called her by her name when he was angry at her.

“Mother”? I asked in shock, my hatred for her immediately spiked more at that moment.

I knew she never liked me but I didn't make her to be so evil and at that very moment I knew I had to do more to make her pay.