Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 17: Gift

Chapter 17: Gift

Lucian’s words rang in my head, and a strange bout of calm came over me. The sudden release of tension almost made me slack, and I was thankful to be caught in his arms.

"Don’t you think so, too, Chairman?" Lucian asked. His face showed a polite smile, but his voice was laced with something potent.

He didn’t even bother going after the guppies and immediately went for the biggest fish instead.

And I’m married to this guy.

The Chairman’s face was inscrutable, like he’d been caught between a rock and a hard place. The other antagonists looked surprised to see the living, breathing Lucian.

Lucian didn’t wait for his reply and instead added. "Do you know what could be better than a loyal wife who can resist the temptations of power and riches? It’s a wife who can fight for her beliefs and rights."

Lucian pauses, resting his cheek against my head.

"So, isn’t my wife wonderful?"

I’m savoring their faces and this rare moment of silence. If anything, the only person who managed to retain the same facial expression from the beginning was that Bernard guy.

Not that his expression was any good; he looked too bemused as if he were excited about this spectacle.

Thank heavens, I got married last week. By the looks of this guy, he’s got kinks that I’d rather not know about.

"Why are you here?" Aunt Ingrid asked, still surprised at Lucian’s presence.

"My in-laws were gracious enough to invite me. I initially had reservations, but upon learning that Jasper has always had to go to these, I had to change my plans. After all, if a mere fiance could go, it would be disrespectful for a husband not to escort his wife. "

My eyes continuously shifted around, wanting to check on everyone’s reactions. There were too many of them and only two eyes. So, I didn’t bother to conceal my face when I looked at them.

"Didn’t you leave?" Alexa looked bewildered. It’s like she was sure that Lucian wouldn’t be here.

"Leave? Why would I do such a thing? Which idiot would leave a wife this sought after?" As if the idea was incredulous, he managed to make Jasper shudder.

"Ah, or were you talking about the factory fire this morning?" I’m unable to see Lucian directly, but through the reflections on the glass, I could see his murderous eyes.

"Factory fire?" My Dad managed to ask, worried about this sudden development.

"Yes, father, we received news earlier about a fire starting in one of our factories. It was initially reported as a freak accident but was later determined to be foul play."

"Did anyone get hurt?" I asked worriedly, almost tilting my head to face him.

"No one got hurt. They managed to handle the fire. It was a good thing, or it would’ve been a shame to miss out on escorting you." Lucian watched as Alexa resisted biting her nails in stress.

"Have you caught the culprit?" Asked Mom.

"Already in the process of interrogation, Mother. We’ll have the results soon, so there’s nothing to worry about."

Lucian is saying that, but I could feel his body tightening as if he were distributing his anger onto his muscles.

I thought that these people might have been scared shitless by Lucian’s arrival, but Jasper, who had been holding out since earlier, still managed to squeak his accusations.

"You keep calling her wife, but we all know that’s impossible. You didn’t ask for permission!"

"Permission? Did anyone get her permission to tie her to this gentleman here? And you? Did you get her permission to announce your arrangement to the world?"

None of these people bothered asking because there was no need to ask a commodity for permission.

I again felt heated at this realization. But this time, it was a subtle numbness instead of palpable anger—the kind that had accepted the course of events.

"This is still not right! This is blatant disrespect to our family!" Accused the older witch. Her giant earrings swayed violently as she moved her head.

"Right? Blatant disrespect?" feigning shock, I asked, "I had no idea that you’re still capable of mentioning such words. I thought you didn’t have them in your dictionary."

She’s turned so red that it wouldn’t surprise anyone if she suddenly exploded.

"I’m learning new things every day. Apparently, what’s right is to accept being sold off in exchange for paltry benefits. And that respect is to marry people with questionable characters dutifully."

Suddenly, Alexa, who had been quiet since earlier, was eager to speak. "You keep on accusing people. That in itself is a crime! We’re only letting you off because we’re related, so you had better stop lying!" Let it be known that she says I love you to her mother with that mouth.

How funny.

Her confidence stems from thinking that nothing could possibly tie her back to her stupidity. But did she really believe that my Dad would have no copy of the evidence? She begged me to delete them, and I did, but she never once asked my family to do the same.

"I’ve actually prepared a little gift for you to appease your concerns." I nodded to Oliver.

Honestly, I only planned on showing Jasper’s latest incident, but being called a liar after being cheated on? I might be canonized if I just let this slide.

There’s also the issue of perfectly timing it, but then Alexa just solved that problem.

The large projection flickered to the scene of a gathering. The video was shaky as it changed orientation as if the videographer was preparing for the actual footage.

"Eli, you better enjoy my birthday gift! This was a pain in the ass to set up!" Rina’s stifled laughter could be heard as she walked towards the familiar hallway and into a small maintenance room close to mine. The mixture of laughter and music drowned the sounds coming from the room, so Rina didn’t seem to find anything wrong with just entering.

The moment the video started playing, Alexa’s panicked squeals could be heard. She immediately charged towards Oliver, only to be stopped and held in place by the security guard. She continued screaming, which alarmed the others.

The others, except Jasper, did not know of the video’s contents. In fact, they didn’t even know it existed. When Alexa begged me to delete it, I felt that it was unnecessary to show people something that private and explicit.

But that was clearly my fault. Because I chose not to show the public solid proof, they managed to vilify me as an incompetent and frigid fiancee.

It took Alexa’s sudden movement to alert the others. But it didn’t matter anymore because her reaction alone indicated that something was very wrong.

"What is this? And why are you showing this?" Asked the puzzled Chairman.

"This is my gift." My truth.

The camera remained shaky as she was just about to secretly pick up the gift she had stored. Then, the camera’s view suddenly jerked as if the person holding it flinched hard.

The video suddenly stabilized and kept getting closer to the area behind a large shelf, close to the room’s back wall. As the footage got closer, the sounds were getting clearer and louder.

Heavy panting and moaning sounds could be heard, and a slew of "Jasper"s and "Alexa"s where thrown around carelessly.

By now, the people watching have started gossiping amongst themselves; after all, the banging, constant thumping, and shrill moans make it plainly obvious.

At this point in the video, Rina actually managed to ping me with her watch, our highest and most discreet alert, which called for immediate rescue. So, I’d soon be participating in this footage.

The projection showed the moment I entered the maintenance room, and my expression was weird because Rina silenced me.

Then, the view returned to the shelf. We hurriedly sneaked closer, and just as Alexa’s screams of "More, Jasper!" echoed around the hall, the footage went from being obscured by the shelf to having two people doing the deed while facing the wall.

The projection shook because Rina and I shook upon seeing those two in action six months ago.

The video ended with my voice shouting both of their names, and the look on both of their faces was something else. While Jasper looked surprised to be caught, Alexa looked positively happy—like someone who’d planned this for a long time.

She did change that look into something that fit the scenario, but I didn’t miss it, for I just looked at her the moment they became visible. I couldn’t care less about Jasper’s expression, for I have long known that he’s only capable of so much.

The people couldn’t really make out Alexa’s reaction because of her position, but I could clearly replay it in my head. It was actually at this point that I realized that it was never Jasper whom Alexa had been aiming for.

It had always been me.