Anastasia's Pov
"You wild seed, how dare you disgrace the family like that?"Laura my stepmother said as I was poured a bucket of cold water.
"What is wrong with you?"I questioned her with clear rage in my tone.
"You still dare to ask me what you did wrong. You have a fiancé who loves you for goodness sake, and you went on to marry a stranger you met at the party," she said, hands resting on her hips, the left eye twitching. That was what she always did whenever she was angry at someone.
"Mom you are making so much noise. Do you want to tear this whole house down"Alice my stepsister walked in with disheveled hair, wearing her pink robe.
"Excuse me but what is happening here? And who got married?"I asked with furrowed brows. This was nearly driving me crazy.
"Oh, sister, don't tell me you have no memory of what happened yesterday at the party. You told me you had found your soulmate, and you quickly went to that man—I can't remember his name—the one who is getting people married in LA. Mr Moore, yes. Sister, don't tell me you forgot!" she said with a clear surprise written on her face.
"If I knew how could I possibly be asking you this? Think third brain think" I said whilst removing the wet sheets from the blanket.
"Well now listen one will have to know about your marriage, find the guy, and get a divorce as soon as possible," Laura said with a furious expression on her face.
I kept silent for a moment and Alice chipped in "Don't tell me you don't even know who you got married to. Now this is becoming interesting Mom" she said with a wide grin on her face. Her words made her mother more furious and she gave me a huge slap that created an echo in the room that lasted for a few seconds.
"Anastasia, what have you done? You of all people know how your father has worked hard to create a perfect relationship with the Blackwood family. Alice, where is your father?"She asked whilst her diaphragm heaving up and down heavily.
Alice remained quiet for a while maybe trying to find the perfect answer for her, "I think I saw Daddy going into his study when I was entering her"she slowly replied.
"He is home! Let me go check up on him, and I want you to quickly find that mysterious man and get that divorcee said whilst pointing towards me with her perfectly manicured nails. Laura stormed out of the room and left me with Alice.
"Well, well, well. Can I tell you a little secret, I was the one that arranged your secret marriage whispered in my ear with clear anger and hate glowing red in her eyes.
"What !, Alice how could you do this to me?Why?"I asked with a choked voice and tears threatening to pour out of my eyes.
Alice went to sit close to me and looked at me with a triumphant gaze, "well Ceasar was just collecting what belonged to his",she said again whispering and taking her time to pronounce each word so that I could hear her well.
"You see I was and is the only person that is fit to marry Caleb. You were standing in our way so now that you are married I can finally have him for myself she said with a victorious smile on her face.
"If you wanted him you could have just taken him. I never wanted him to begin with. Now who knows what father will do to me when he knows about this? Okay tell me who I got married to and where is the certificate so that I can track him down" I said whilst running my hands in my hair and plucking my eyebrows. That was my coping mechanism whenever I was stressed.
"That's the other thing, Dad is going to disown you and that will make it even better because his whole empire will only belong to me his real flesh and blood," she said.
"Don't talk like am not his real flesh and blood as well", I said and she began to laugh hysterical, "Don't tell me no one has told you yet about this. You are not my father's daughter. He met your mother when she was already pregnant for a random man.You thought you were his blood and flesh you wish", she said and what she said made me freeze on point.
What was going on? Was I dreaming, if I were now I want to wake up. Time froze and I was left with my thoughts alone wonder he always dotted on Alice more than me, it now explains why whenever the family went on their vacation I was left behind. But why didn't they tell me earlier?
"Ana!Ana!"Alice shook me and then I was drawn back to reality."mmmm" I said slowly showing that I was now listening to her.
"Father wants to see you in his study ASAP, and good luck", she said whilst smiling devilishly.
I stood up and walked to my closet and took a coat to cover my body. I exited my room and went to the second floor where everyone's bedroom was located except me.No wonder I was given clothes that Alice no longer wore or I strutted to eat alone in my bedroom. It was because I was not related to them. Then who is my family?
I walked on the stairs and with each step I took my heart would enviably tighten. I walked to my father's study and knocked on the door and it was remotely opened from the inside.
Whilst inside the room I was quickly engulfed by the smell of tobacco. It seemed he was smoking and it was never a good sign whenever he smoked. The room was a little dark with the most light coming from the window in which he stood there silently looking outside his back towards me. The scent of old books coupled with the mahogany desk in his study gave me a sense of oppression.
"Is this how you repay me for taking care of you all these years Ana? "Duncan Valentin my so-called alleged father said in his cruel baritone voice.
"Am sorry father "I said whilst looking on the floor and fidgeting with my nails. Even though he was not looking towards me I could feel the piercing cold gaze filled with rage piercing my soul.
"What is his name?" he asked and for a moment I was confused. "Who father?" I asked with confusion written on my face. This was the only moment I raised my face and the scene I saw would let me have nightmares for several days. His eyes were bloodshot and coupled with the cigar he was smoking he looked dangerous.
Upon hearing this question I asked he threw the glass of scotch he was sipping and it shattered near me and the glass fragments pierced my left arm.
"Do you think this is a joke, Ana? How dare you ask me such a stupid question? Do you know how much effort I have put into the cooperation with the Blackwood family for you to screw it up! You are useless just like your mother was...." he kept on cursing and talking about several stuff and any object that he found he threw it across the room. I had to dodge some of the books he was throwing my way.
"Am very sorry Father please forgive me. I swear I didn't mean for anything of this to happen. It was all Alice's fault. She is the one that set me up "I and trying to defend myself.
"Will you just shut up! "He said in a loud voice that I was deafened for a moment, "How dare you say that about my daughter when you don't even have evidence. Was she also the one who signed the marriage certificate for you huh, tell me! "He was totally angry. Laura then entered the room and she acted as if she was calming him down but I knew that she and her daughter were in cahoots and it meant that my end had come.
"Husband calm down you don't want to hype up your blood pressure will you." she softly said and for a moment the rage in my father's eyes dissipated when he looked at his wife.
"How can I be calm when she is blaming my daughter for her promiscuity....."Before he could even finish she stopped him, "What! How could you say that about Alice, Anastasia, Alice loves you like a sister and this is how you think of her. Is this your way of repaying me for loving you like a mother and giving you a roof over your head? You are not even related to anyone in this house for crying out loud and all I did was take you in cook for you send you to school buy you clothes and all you think about is causing division in this house" she said and sobbing. One thing I knew was that my father could not take to see his wife's tears and her little speech was very manipulative. She wanted to make him throw me out of the house.
"Aunty that is not what I meant...", I did not continue my sentence as Alice joined in the drama with her crocodile.
"Ana is it true what mom just said.."she was stopped by her father, "Honey get out"jw ordered.
"No Dad, she is blaming me for loving her like a sister. What I only did was invite her to that party and now it's my fault for inviting her. Many elite people would have killed to have the opportunity to enter that party but now she is blaming me for her mistakes. It's not fair Dad", she stormed out of the office with tears running on her face and I saw my stepmother look at me with ferocity before running after her daughter in tears as well.
"Ana, you are not my daughter and I have no obligation to you. Peacefully I want you to pack your stuff and leave my house at this moment...…