Chapter 10
Upon arriving at the airport, Francis took Rowena’s luggage from her and boarded the plane with her. Before takeoff, he handed her some identification proving she was a Figlian native.
“Welcome, Iris Newton. You shall be my final apprentice.”
Her photo was on the ID, but her name was written as Iris Newton. From this day onward, Rowena Shore would cease to exist. She would only be Iris.
The moment the plane took off, the Shores and Jordan felt their hearts ache simultaneously as they stood in Graystone Rose Garden.
They clutched their chests together, feeling like they’d lost something very important to them. What could it be? They looked around, unable to recall anything. Jasmine tugged on Jordan’s sleeve. “What’s wrong?”
He returned to his senses and shook his head with a smile. “It’s nothing. Let’s proceed.”
As the strains of the wedding march played, they walked toward Melinda, Philip, and Jordan’s parents, who waited at the end of the aisle.
“Now, let’s have the bride and groom exchange their rings.”
A pageboy and flower girl approached Jordan and Jasmine with the wedding bands and handed them the rings.
The two were just about to slip the rings on each other’s fingers when a delivery guy crashed the wedding.
“I’m looking for Jasmine Green, Jordan Pallet, and Roland Shore! I have parcels here for you–please sign for them.”
Silence descended upon the venue. One could even hear a pin drop. Everyone turned to look at the Shores, Jordan, and Jasmine.
Melinda stiffened and waved at the delivery guy. “We’re over here.”
He hurriedly held out three boxes of different colors. “This red one is for the Shore family, and this blue one is for Jordan Pallet. The pink one is for Jasmine Green, but the client has asked to have this played live. Is now a convenient time?”
Everyone looked rather upset at that.
Jasmine had a bad feeling about this. Forcing a smile, she asked, “Are these Ro’s gifts for us? Maybe we should look at them after the wedding is over. It won’t take long, anyway.” Melinda and Philip nodded, and Jordan looked like he agreed as well. They were about to take the gift boxes away when the delivery guy stepped back and started opening them. “Sorry, but I’ve been paid to do this. I can’t go back on my promise to my client.” He continued, “She said I could open these on your behalf if you didn’t open them on the spot.” The boxes were simply wrapped, so he made quick work of them. Then, he handed the parental termination agreement and engagement annulment letter to the Shores and Jordan, respectively.
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After extracting the USB from the box, lie looked around for a agonized cries of the young woman as the video played on the screen,
computer and projector.” Then, he plugged in the USB. Silence descended upon the venue, and all everyone heard were the
As the seasons changed, Rowena spent her time in a dark prison cell, going from being healthy and well–fed to just skin and bones. The number of wounds on her body increased, and the sound of her being battered made one’s teeth chatter.
She cried for her family and Jordan, calling for help. However, all it brought her was increased torture, Gradually, she stopped asking for help, and the hope in her eyes turned to numbness. Everyone couldn’t help tearing up at the sight of the emptiness in her gaze.
Endless darkness was all that was left at the end of the video. It was like Rowena’s heart–no light could ever enter it again.
Just as everyone thought the video had ended, they heard a rustling sound. Then, a young woman’s smug, menacing laughter echoed.
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Chapter 11
“How does it feel to be in jail, Rowena? This is what you deserve! Why did you have to wake up after ending up in a coma? Couldn’t you just have given Mom, Dad, Roland, and Jordan to me? “I’m an orphan, and I suffered for so many years. You’re an heiress–you had everything, so why couldn’t you give them to me? Why didn’t you die so I could completely replace you as the Shore family’s heiress?
