Chapter 5 The Unintended Bride

Vanessa Blackwood gasped.

"Oh, Sebastian, you got a new maid? Aww, such a cute, beautiful girl," she said dreamily, as she pulled Sebastian’s hand closer. "Isn't she just the loveliest thing you've ever seen?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

Here she went again.

His mother had always been hopelessly obsessed with beauty.

The moment she saw a pretty face, she completely forgot herself and finds it nearly impossible to look away.

He still remembered the day she spotted a stunning woman at the spa and kept staring so much that the poor woman eventually assumed Vanessa was interested in women.

That was just how she was.

And now she was doing it again, calling the girl he had found in that pathetic village beautiful.

Beautiful? It sounded weird even in his mind.

Because Sebastian didn't see beauty when he looked at her. Rather he saw guilt.

He saw fear and the silent terrible fear of the unknown. Nothing more.

That was all he could see, and he couldn't help it.

Just then the chief maid walked in, and Sebastian wasted no time as he turned to her.

“Claudia, help the young miss back to her room,” he said gently.

Claudia, a woman in her thirties, immediately approached Aisha and led her through the long passage.

Aisha, already uncomfortable under Vanessa's intense gaze, left without protest. Vanessa watched her hurry down the hall, uneven steps reflecting her distress. Her heart ached for her; the girl looked even more fragile from behind.

The moment Aisha disappeared, Vanessa turned back to Sebastian.

“Why didn’t you tell me you brought home a new maid? She looks so pitiful, like a lost little puppy. Why do I feel sorry for her just by looking at her? And she’s so pale. Could she be sick? Do you think she's sick”

“Mom.”

“And just now she looked so shy and nervous. Where did you find her? I really like her.”

“Mom.”

Vanessa continued as though she hadn’t heard him.

Sebastian sighed. “Her name is Aisha, and she isn’t my maid.”

“Oh, Aisha.” Vanessa’s eyes lit up. “Goodness gracious, I’ve always wanted a daughter. I had that name written in my diary for years. I loved it so much it became an obsession. Your father wouldn’t stop laughing at me after you were born because I had prayed for a baby girl.”

She smiled fondly.

“I used to talk to you while I was pregnant and call you Aisha. But God knew best and gave me you instead. I couldn’t be more grateful. Still, I’ve always loved that name. And the girl is beautiful, too. What’s there not to like about her?”

Then suddenly, the meaning of his words caught up with her.

Her brows pulled together.

"Wait... she's not a maid?"

Sebastian closed his eyes for a brief second, as if preparing himself.

"No, Mom."

Vanessa stared at him. He opened his eyes and said the words plainly.

"She is my wife."

Then silence.

The words hit Vanessa like a slap.

For a second, she only blinked at him, trying to process what she had heard.

Then she laughed, because surely that had to be a joke.

"You really do know how to joke, my son," she said between laughter.

"Just yesterday, you were in the countryside to propose to Victoria. You even bought a ring. How could you possibly be married?"

She laughed harder, so amused that tears gathered in her eyes.

Sebastian said nothing.

He only looked at her.

And somehow, deep within himself, after everything that had happened, the whole thing still felt unreal to him too. Like a strange dream he hadn't yet woken from.

He exhaled and dragged a hand down his face before meeting his mother's eyes with a grave expression.

"Mom," he said.

This time, Vanessa's laughter faded immediately.

Because she knew that look.

Something was wrong.

Her son’s expression was enough to tell her that whatever he was about to say was serious.

"Something happened yesterday."

The air in the room changed at once.

"After I left Vanessa's house yesterday, I was devastated. Completely heartbroken. All I remember is driving with that crushing disappointment sitting heavily on my chest. And somehow, Mom, I got into an accident."

Vanessa's eyes widened in horror. She rushed to him at once, her hands flying over him as she checked his neck, his arms, his palms, as if searching for hidden wounds.

"Accident? Where? How? Tell me, Sebastian, where are you hurt?" she asked in panic.

Sebastian caught her shaky hands and gently stopped her.

"Mom, I wasn't particularly hurt..."

"Oh, thank God," Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief.

But before she could settle, Sebastian's next words halt her blood.

"An old man died because of the accident."

Her eyes snapped back to his.

"It was an accident, Mom. I didn't even understand how it happened. I rushed them to the hospital. The man seemed fine at first, but then... he suddenly died."

"What?" Vanessa whispered, shock crashing over her. "Accident? Died?? Sebastian... what have you done? Oh God... oh God..."

She covered her mouth with both hands, already shaking.

"Sebastian, what have you done?" Her voice broke. "It's been just the two of us since your father died and left me a young widow. I turned down every man who came after me because I wanted to live for you alone. How could you do something like this? How could you disappoint me this way?"

She started sobbing, panic swallowing her whole.

"What do we do now, Sebastian? If word gets out, the Blackwood name, everything your father left us, will be dragged through the mud. His rivals will use this against us. They'll tear everything apart. You shouldn’t have been behind the wheel when you were that upset. What have you done?”

She began pacing, biting her thumb, her thoughts racing in every direction.

Sebastian watched her quietly for a moment, then reached for her hands and guided her back to her seat.

"Mom, calm down, okay?" he said softly.

"How can I calm down?" she cried. "What are we going to do? What if the man's family comes after you? Sebastian, you cannot go to prison. What happens to the conglomerate then? What happens to everything you're managing?"

Then suddenly, desperation lit up her eyes.

"Fine. This is what we'll do. You'll tell the world I was the one in the car. I'll say I caused the accident, not you. Not you, Sebastian, do you hear me. It was me, all me."

Her hands clung to him, trembling uncontrollably.

But Sebastian held them firmly, steadying her. This time, there was only tenderness in his orbs.

"Mom, before he died, the old man said he forgave me. He said he wouldn't hold me responsible. He admitted he hadn't checked the road properly before crossing, and that he was partly to blame. He said everything would be settled on one condition."

Vanessa went still.

"Condition?" she asked quickly, hope flickering through her fear. "Tell me. Whatever it is, Sebastian, we don't have a choice. We have to do it."

"He asked me to marry his daughter. His only child."

The words landed heavily between them.

Vanessa blinked at him, stunned. Money, properties, fame, even silence, she could have expected any of those. But not this.

"His daughter?" she repeated faintly.

"Mom, the man had no one else. No relatives. Just her," Sebastian said, his voice low.

"His daughter..." Vanessa swallowed hard. Then her eyes shifted toward the empty hallway. "That girl? The one from before? That's the girl?"

"Yes, Mom."

Vanessa frowned, biting her thumb again, still nervous, though no longer as frantic as before.

After a long pause, she asked, more calmly this time, "Where did this happen? And where is the man now?"

"In Victoria's village. The same place I went to propose." Sebastian exhaled. "As for the old man... the girl insisted he be buried there immediately. She said he had always told her that when he died, he wanted to return to the earth at once. He didn't want his body to decay before being laid back in the same soil he came from."

Vanessa stared at him.

"So I went with her," Sebastian continued. "A few men from the village helped, and we buried him last night."

"What?" Vanessa's frown deepened, confusion replacing panic. She let out a ragged breath before turning to him again.

"So all you had to do was marry his daughter?" she asked.

Sebastian looked at her.

"I already did."

Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.

"I don't understand."

"Mom, everything happened too fast," he said, dragging a hand over his face. "The old man said I had to marry his daughter before he'd let the doctors touch him. I agreed because I didn't want him dying on me. But the moment the document was signed... he died."

He forced a laugh, but the sound rang entirely fake.

"Even now, I still don't know what to make of it. Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I went from planning a future with Victoria, to going to that cursed village, to the accident, the marriage, the man's death, the burial... then the girl fainting on me."

He exhaled sharply, frustration thick in his voice.

"All I knew was that I couldn't leave her alone in that place. So I brought her here. And now... here we are."

Vanessa stared at him, absolutely dumbfounded

And then, silence was all that was left in the room.