"Mom I wanna make sure this wedding is the talk of town for the next years, generations to come even. " He threw his hands up.
Mrs. Mariah Roger laughed quietly, "Don't be too excited now dear son, she's yours and that's a fact so you don't have to worry yourself about anything." She patted his hand.
He sighed and smiled, "I can't wait to marry her."
"You will son, you will."
"Serves you right Christian. Let's see how great you are with women." He said more to himself than to his mother.
"What's that?" Mariah asked.
"Nothing mom, nothing at all."
"Oh. Okay. If you say so."
"I gotta go mom. Got Some things to attend to. He got up.
"Why sure, no problem." She smiled.
He stooped down and pecked her cheeks, "Love you mom."
He walked out of the room. He took out his phone and dialed Robert's phone number.
"Hello?"
"Hello Robert?"
"Yes Shawn. You almost never call me." He laughed nervously, "I hope all is well?"
"Yes all is well. I just wanted to tell you something." He cleared his throat.
"Oh okay. What is it?"
"Can the wedding be in a month's time? I really don't want to waste anytime here.''
"Oh but isn't a month's time too early Shawn?" He sounded surprised.
"No it isn't. Please Robert, I'd be happy if you would grant my request."
He sighed, "Well, if that's what you want, no problem then."
"Thank you so much Robert. I am eternally grateful." He smiled.
"Yeah sure. I hope Annie agrees."
"Oh that's a piece of cake, I'll convince her, don't worry."
"Hmm. Okay. If you say so." He shrugged.
"Bye."
"Bye."
He ended the call, "Come to daddy Annie, haha."
He smiled and walked down the hall.
******
"You know Christopher?" Charles asked wide eyed.
"Yes. I know him. He kidnapped my daughter, Christian tried saving her but in the process, killed himself and my daughter too." She palmed her face trying so hard not to let her tears fall.
Charles shook his head, Christopher was Clara's son. Like mother, like son.
"I'm so sorry Annie, I had no idea this happened."
Annie looked at the ceiling, her heart felt as if it would leave her chest and just melt away.
"Christian took away my source of joy from me, the only person I had left." She creased her face.
"Please Annie give me a chance to make it up to you."
"There's absolutely nothing you can do about it. I just needed my daughter and you can't bring her back." She bit her lips.
"Annie don't act like a child. Try to understand me."
A child? He thought she acted like a child?
"No offense Mr. Powers but you are way more older than I am. So... I'm definitely a child compared to you." She spread her hands.
Charles held his head frustrated, "Why won't you reason with me? I can't keep his property, I'll definitely die one day and what happens then?"
"I don't know sir." She cleaned her face and sniffed.
He sighed, "As hard as you're trying to ignore it, you're the mother of Christian's child, you once carried his child within you."
"And so?"
"You have a right to his property."
Annie frowned, "But I don't want it."
"But why?"
"I am perfectly fine without him and I don't want anything that's related to him."
"How about your daughter?" He asked arching his brow.
"She's now late." She looked away.
"And what if she was alive?"
She whipped her head in his direction, "What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is, what if by accident your daughter was found, not dead. She's related to Christian right? Wouldn't you need her?"
She looked confused.
"You shouldn't just blurt out you don't want anything related to Christian. There might be a time you will need him."
"Please stop it Mr. Powers." Her voice was choked.
"Annie, I only came to do what was right. You should think about it. I won't force you." He stood up.
"Thank you Mr. Powers."
He strode to the door and turned its knob, "Till we meet again." He opened the door and left.
Annie slumped on her couch and broke into a sob. How dare he come here and remind her of things she didn't want to remember? He thought he could come here and mess with her feelings? Her thoughts were filled with anger and sorrow.
Her phone rang, it was Robert.
"Hello Robert?" She sniffed.
There was silence for a while.
"Are you crying Annie?" He asked.
"No, no. I'm not crying. Something tickled my nose, I sneezed and sniffed just now." She lied.
"Uh... Okay. I have something to tell you."
"Sure. Go on."
"Shawn wants the wedding to be in a month's time. He says he wants to get married to you as soon as possible. Quite the eager one hey?" He laughed softly.
"But..."
"He's requesting Annie."
Annie wanted to refuse but suddenly remembered Charles saying she might need Christian one day.
Her head and hatred for Christian overpowered her heart, "No problem then. I'll marry him in a month's time."
"Oh, that's good."
She nodded.
"Bye. Let me inform him."
"Okay." She said more to convince herself she just accepted to marry Shawn in a month's time than to Robert.
He hung up.
Annie looked at the phone in her hand. She suddenly regretted saying yes. She felt it was too early and she wasn't ready for marriage yet.
She wanted to call Robert and tell him she had changed her mind but quickly waved it off her head.
'What has been done has been done.' She consoled herself.
Her phone rang again, this time, it was Shawn. She hesitated a little and then picked up the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey there babe."
Babe?
"Uh... Hey Shawn."
"Awe c'mon now sweetheart, we're getting married soon so there's no need to be so formal."
"Well..."
"Listen. We're getting married in a month's time. How do you see that?"
"Don't you think it's too early Shawn?"
"Oh no, no, definitely not. I want us to be married as soon as possible babe. I don't wanna lose you to someone else."
"Hehe. I don't think that is gonna happen."
"Now that's what I'm talking about." He laughed.
"Okay then."
"So do you agree?" He asked anticipated.
Annie thought for a while, she was already tired of getting haunted by Christine and Christian's deaths. She wanted to start afresh. Well starting a new family with Shawn wasn't such a bad idea.
"Yes Shawn. I will marry you in a month's time." She sighed.
"Yeah! Thanks baby. Thank you so much."
"Yeah... Sure." She smiled reluctantly.
"From now on, it's 'babe' or 'baby' to you got it?" He smiled mischievously.
"I don't get it."
"You ain't gonna call me 'Shawn' anymore.
"Oh okay."
"That's my girl." He laughed.
"I love you babe."
Annie blinked knowing fully well she didn't really 'love' this guy.
"Yeah. You too Shawn."