Chapter 195: Love This Twist
While the ballroom roared with applause and congratulations, Benjamin’s hand clamped down on Nick’s arm. His voice was low, sharp, and unyielding.
"Let’s talk. Now."
Nick didn’t flinch. He met his father’s glare head-on and replied with equal firmness, "Alright. Let’s talk... with my fiancée."
The word fiancée carried through the air like a challenge.
He turned back to the guests, his arm sliding possessively around Georgia’s waist. His smile was charming, but the edge in his eyes didn’t fool anyone paying close attention.
"Everyone, thank you for your support. Please, enjoy the party. I’ll just be selfish for a while and steal her from you all—if you don’t mind. I just want to monopolize my fiancée now." His smirk drew a round of laughter, easing the crowd as they shouted playful remarks before letting the couple go.
But the levity died the moment Nick signaled Vicky. She immediately called Oliver and Liam. At the same time, Violet’s sharp voice summoned Reagan. Like soldiers assembling for battle, they all fell in line behind Benjamin.
Georgia felt the sudden shift immediately. Her pulse quickened as they were led away from the golden lights of the ballroom, down a quieter corridor, toward a private room reserved for the host of the evening.
Every step weighed heavier, as though she were being pulled into the very heart of the Knight family’s battlefield.
She leaned closer to Nick and whispered. "What’s happening? Why am I included? This feels like a family meeting..."
Nick smirked, masking the tension in his jaw, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. His whisper was firm, meant to calm her. "You are family. My family. Dad’s about to grill me, but all you need to do is trust me. Always."
Georgia nodded, but the sparkle of joy she’d carried after saying yes was already dimming. Nervousness seeped in, curling tight in her chest as the heavy doors of the private room loomed closer.
"Oh, wonderful. The whole circus is here." Benjamin’s voice dripped with venom as his gaze swept the room. His eyes narrowed when they landed on the man standing behind Nick. "You even brought your lawyer. How cunning."
Nick’s reply was calm, but there was steel underneath. "He’s not here for show, Father. He’s here to validate what I’m about to put on the table."
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, its edges already creased from his grip. With deliberate precision, Nick handed it to his father.
Benjamin’s brow furrowed as he scanned the document. Then his eyes widened—fury sparking like fire.
"You insolent, ungrateful son!" His roar echoed against the walls, the air itself vibrating from the force of his outrage.
Before Benjamin could tear the paper apart, Violet snatched it from his trembling hand. Her eyes darted across the words, and then she gasped—one hand flying to her mouth. Slowly, her wide, disbelieving gaze rose to meet Nick’s, as if the paper in her hand had just shattered everything she thought she knew.
"Let me see," Reagan said smoothly, plucking the document from his mother’s fingers. His lips curled upward as he read, but the smile was far from kind. It was sharp, mocking, dangerous.
In the middle of this storm, Georgia stood frozen, confusion swirling in her chest like a tightening knot. She leaned toward Vicky, her voice barely audible. "What’s that paper about?"
Vicky’s lips curved into a mysterious smile, her whisper a riddle that only heightened the tension. "Your future."
Benjamin’s voice thundered again, raw with disbelief. "Are you so determined to kill me with your defiance, Nicholas?!" His face turned crimson as his chest heaved, his hand clutching at his collar. With a groan, he collapsed onto the sofa, fumbling with his tie as if every breath was a battle.
"Benjamin!" Violet rushed to his side, snatching a bottle of water from the counter. She pressed it into his hand while fanning him frantically with the other. "This is absurd! Nicholas, how dare you do such a thing! Your father can’t even breathe!"
The room was spiraling into chaos, voices colliding, emotions boiling over.
Amid the storm, Vicky tugged Georgia firmly by the arm and guided her to the opposite sofa. "Sit," she whispered urgently. It was clear—she was shielding Georgia from the eye of the storm.
Nick’s voice sliced through the tension, dripping with sarcasm. "What do you mean, Father? Weren’t you eager to marry us off and collect your precious grandkids? Well—there you go. One task accomplished. The rest will follow soon enough. You’ll have your grandkids before you know it. Aren’t you happy?"
His mocking tone was like gasoline on a fire.
Reagan burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as if the whole scene was a comedy meant for his entertainment. "Oh, God. This is better than any family drama on TV."
Benjamin’s face contorted, veins bulging at his temple. He slammed his fist onto the armrest of the sofa, the sound echoing across the room. "Why must you always go against my will? Tell me, Nicholas!"
Nick’s jaw clenched, his words sharp and deliberate. "I don’t always go against your will, Father. I go against the cage you’ve built for me. I don’t want what you want for me.
You’ve meddled in every corner of our lives, dictating, controlling, suffocating. And I won’t allow it anymore. You and your wife should mind your own lives—and stay out of mine and my wife’s."
The word hung heavy in the air like a detonated bomb.
"W-Wife...?" Georgia’s voice broke through, louder than she intended. The single word silenced the room. Every head turned toward her.
Reagan’s laughter grew hysterical, echoing like a villain’s in a dark play. He thrust the paper toward Georgia. "You really don’t know? Here—read it. You’ll love this twist."
With trembling hands, Georgia unfolded the document. Her eyes widened as the words leapt off the page: Marriage Certificate. Her own name beside Nick’s. Both signatures there, undeniable. Her lips parted in shock, but she quickly pressed them together, forcing composure.
’He told me to trust him... There has to be a reason,’ she reminded herself, though her heart thundered against her ribs.
Violet’s voice sliced through the tension like ice. "So what is this? Another one of your tricks? Is that certificate even real? Where is the original? Because your so-called ’wife’ looks just as blindsided as the rest of us."
Georgia lifted her chin, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. "You’re wrong, Mrs. Knight. I’m not shocked about the marriage. I’m shocked he showed you this now."
"I thought he planned to reveal it later—after the ceremony. But I suppose the timing doesn’t matter anymore." Georgia added, pretending she knew about it.
Benjamin’s voice thundered through the room, his face turning crimson. "So you’ve been married all along—deceiving us like fools?!"
Before Nick could respond, Violet’s sharp tone cut in, trembling with fury. "When did this even happen? Is it even legal?!"
A smug silence fell until Oliver calmly stepped forward. He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it straight to Benjamin. "Perhaps this will answer your questions."
Benjamin’s hands shook as he tore the envelope open. Violet and Reagan crowded over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as the contents revealed themselves.
Oliver’s voice was steady, but carried the weight of a gavel. "Those are photographs from their wedding on the beach. A priest officiated it. Liam, Vicky, and I were all there as witnesses. And as for legality—" he leaned in, his gaze sharp, "their marriage is registered and binding. There’s no undoing it."
Violet’s jaw dropped, her face draining of color. Benjamin pressed a hand to his forehead. "I—I think I’m going to faint!" he rasped, collapsing onto the sofa’s backrest in shock.
Nick, unbothered, stepped forward with a smirk tugging at his lips. "From this day on, I don’t want to hear another word about Sarah—or any other woman. Georgia is my wife. And I suggest you start treating her with respect."
The room held its breath as his next words dropped like a grenade.
"She might already be carrying your grandchild, Father. So be kind to her, unless you want a cranky, depressed grandbaby."
Gasps rippled through the room. Violet clutched her pearls, Reagan burst into mocking laughter, and Benjamin’s hand slipped from his forehead to his chest, as though the revelation had knocked the air from his lungs.
Nick’s smirk only deepened. "Now, if we’re done here, I suggest we return to the party. The guests will start whispering if the entire family vanishes for too long."
Without waiting for permission, he guided Georgia toward the door, his defiance echoing in every step.
Liam and Vicky lingered behind after Nick, Georgia, and Oliver left, the air in the room still thick with Benjamin’s fury. Vicky, the favorite child, crossed the floor with light steps and perched herself on the armrest of her father’s chair. She patted his rigid shoulder gently, her tone soft, almost teasing.
"Dad, let it go," she coaxed, flashing him a disarming smile. "Nick’s happy, and Georgia’s not the villain you think she is. Honestly, I like her. Why can’t you just let them be? Who knows—maybe soon you’ll be holding a grandson... or a granddaughter who takes after her fabulous Aunt Vicky. Wouldn’t that be exciting?"
For a fleeting second, it seemed like her words might melt him. But Benjamin’s glare snapped up to her like a whip, his face hard as stone. His voice boomed, cutting through the tension like thunder.
"You!" he barked. "When are you getting married, huh? You don’t even have a boyfriend!"
The smile froze on Vicky’s face, her confidence evaporating in an instant. She forced out a weak laugh, shoulders stiff, clearly regretting every word she had spoken.
From across the room, Liam’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He knew that tone—knew the storm that followed it. Quietly, discreetly, he began edging toward the door, his every step measured like he was trying not to set off a landmine.
If Benjamin turned his gaze on him next, there would be no escape.
******
Thank you for the Golden Ticket!
Seana4