Rise of the stolen heir

4

Mason's eyes widened, and hope sprouted in his stomach. The offer was juicy, but how could he sign a contract to get married to a total stranger for a year.

“How much?” Mason asked.

“It's all in the contract. I give you the grace of taking it home and reading it,” Oliva said, tucking a stray strand of lush, black hair behind her ear.

“But how can I get married to a person I know nothing about?” Mason asked another nerve-racking question.

Olivia ticked, slamming her fist on the door handle.

“Have I been speaking a different language?!” Olivia cooked her brows, snapping at Mason.

“What's going on? Is everything fine back there?” Bryan inquired with alertness laced in his tone, glancing over his shoulder from the passenger's seat.

“Yes,” Olivia responded and with the lazy wave of her hand, she dismissed the guard, causing him to face the windscreen.

Mason swallowed deep breaths, wincing when it felt like he was breathing in shards of glass. It was a reminder of the brutal beating he had gotten a while back.

A lump grew in his throat, and he instinctively placed a finger in his mouth, nibbling on his nail.

“What are you doing?” She asked, trailing her eyes to his fingers.

Realizing the chewing of his nails had posed a weird act to her, he let his clammy hands down, gulping down the rest of his anxiety.

“Sorry, it's something I do when I'm nervous,” Mason apologised.

“I'll explain everything again, and when I'm done, you'll sign the papers right here. No more grace to take it home,” Olivia stated, gesturing with her hands.

“No, I totally understand everything, but–but I'm in shock. I'm trying to digest everything. I don't think I want to sign them,” Mason said with the shake of his head.

A sinister intent glinted in Olivia's eyes. “I'm giving you a chance to gain financial freedom. Accepting this ruse will earn you respect from all over the world. No more beatings, and after the contract is over, you'd be stinking rich.”

Mason chewed on his bottom lip, thinking it through, but Olivia didn't have the patience to wait for his response, so she dug her hand into her handbag and pulled out a pen. She handed it to Mason.

“That there is your ticket to becoming rich, and getting a better life for you and your sister,” Olivia said, trying to convince him to sign the papers.

“But I need time to read—”

“The time has already passed,” she stated, and then gripped Mason's thighs. “Sign it or answer to Bryan.”

Bryan turned, directing a gaze of sinister intent to Mason. Mason gulped.

After much thought, he signed the papers, and Olivia retrieved it, also signing her part of the contract.

“Done.” Olivia placed the papers in a file jacket. “I'll have your copy ready before I show you our home.” Olivia winked at Mason, and then pulled out a red lipstick from her bag.

“Bryan,” She called, applying the lipstick onto her lips.

“Yes, miss?” Bryan answered, glimpsing at her.

“Take him out of the car and instruct him on what to do,” Olivia ordered, her icy voice cutting through the air.

“Yes, miss.” Bryan nodded, striding out of the passenger's seat and going round the car to pull Mason's door open. “Out,” he instructed, jutting his chin. “Now.”

Bryan grabbed Mason's arm and yanked him out of the car. Mason held his breath each time pain burst like fireworks throughout his entire body.

Bryan jammed the door shut and his lips curled into what seemed like utmost disgust at Mason.

“What-” Mason was about to ask a question, but Bryan cut him short.

“Hey, stop asking too many questions,” Bryan started, turning to glare at Mason. “You should be lucky that Olivia decided to choose you, you pathetic worm.”

“But why did she pick me?” Mason managed to ask amidst the pain that rooted deep in his joints.

Bryan released his arm, raking his body from head to toe. “Do you think she really likes you?”

Mason parted his lips to speak, but nothing came out of them so he snapped them shut. Mason didn't think she liked him, but what if…

Bryan guffawed, taking his silence as a yes. “No, darling. Nobody would fall for a wretch like you. She just chose you because you're a coward she can easily manipulate and discard.”

Mason's chest tightened around his chest as I stared at Bryan, finding his manner of approach repulsive.

Bryan leaned forward, clasping Mason's arm and clenching his teeth as he said, “You are just Olivia's dog. I still don't know why the daughter of the second richest man picked you.”

Mason frowned, connecting the dots. “Were you hoping she would pick you?”

Bryan's face contorted, and an emotion flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

Ignoring Mason's question, Bryan snapped, “Report to the company on Monday to know more about your new role. And remember you're just a pawn in her little dirty game.”

Anger and humiliation coursed through Mason's veins as goosebumps devoured the entirety of his arms.

Bryan’s grip around Mason's arm tightened, a cruel smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Welcome to your new life, miss Olivia's play thing.”

With that, he released Mason's arm and hopped into the car. They zoomed off, while the car that had the other bodyguards tailed after them.

Thoughts whirled around Mason's head. He clenched his fists at Bryan's dirty attitude. His eyes hardened, but softened once he remembered he had a sister awaiting his arrival at home.

Trudging down the street, Mason's dignity reduced a notch each step he took. He felt like his life was a mess, and now he belonged to Olivia, the spoiled daughter of the second richest man in the world.

“I am doomed,” he said to himself as he approached his house and pushed the door open, glad to be back home.

“On the bright side, Ana and I would cease to be paupers,” he thought.

As he strode into the living room, his sister's ear-splitting screams greeted him.

Mason's relief was short-lived at the sight before him. His heart galloped and confusion wracked through his entire body.

“What is going on?” Mason asked the question he had asked more than a million times today.

A bunch of people were in their house, rummaging through their properties and tossing things around.

Mason's eyes flitted from one direction to the other and landed on his screaming sister, who was trying to stop them with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Get out of the way,” a hefty man, holding their television, said as he shoved Mason out of his way with his huge body.

“Hey, that's our television.” Mason pointed out, unable to comprehend the situation at hand.

“Not anymore,” the man responded, not sparing Mason a glance as he walked to a moving van.

Mason rushed to his sister's side, gently gripping her shoulders and saying, “Ana, what's going on?”

With puffy eyes, she gazed at him, lips trembling as she spoke, “it's Ellen,” she started, voice shaking.

That bastard. Mason thought.

He clenched teeth, arching my brows, and urging her to further explain herself.

“These-these are-are her men,” she sobbed, face shining a bright red from all the crying. “She sent them to throw us out of this house.”

“What?!” Mason exclaimed, chest heaving as anger seared through his veins. “But this house was given to mother by her late grandfather.”

Ana squeezed her eyes shut to wail.

Before Mr. Russell, Mason's late mother had worked for Ellen's grandfather, and he had given this house to her, which Mason and Ana inherited after she died, and now Mr. Russell was giving Ellen the power to take their only property from them.

“But this house belongs to us,” Mason started, rising to his feet.

“Not anymore, he's here to throw us out.” Ana opened her eyes, pointing at an ampled-stomach man with a box in his hands.

“No!” Ana yelled with widened eyes, springing to her feet.

“No, stop. That was given to me by my mother,” Ana said with a desperate cry.

“This house and everything in it belongs to me as stated in the contract signed by your boss, so get out of my way!” The man thundered, eyes flickering with disdain.

Mason's heart hammered. He thought of calling Mr. Russell to beg him, but he couldn't. Ellen would have fed him with lies, and must have been the idea behind throwing them out.

“No, please. You can't take our home from us. This is all we have,” Ana begged, clasping her hands together in mercy.

“Really? This house belongs to me now. He sold it to me. And we are not his men. I am Mike.” He explained, raking Ana's frame, eyes lingering on her bosom. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip and Mason recognised a twinkle of lust that soon blazed his eyes up. “You are one hell of a beautiful woman.”

Mason's skin crawled at Mike's disgusting words.

“I think I should have you too,” Mike slurred, grabbing Ana's arm.

Ana's eyes widened as she helplessly tried to pull herself out of his hold.

“What do you mean?” Her voice broke. “Let me go!”

“You're so soft,” he drawled, yanking her close to his body and sniffing her neck. “You smell so divine.”

“Stop!” Ana screamed as he tossed the box to one of the men and ripped her dress.

Bile rushed up Mason's throat as his heart painfully constricted in his chest. He clenched his fists and tightened his dental bone, staring daggers at Mike.

Anger erupted in Mason like a volcano and he lunged at Mike, swinging his fist to hit him, but Mason was stopped by a heft man who flew at him, driving his shoulder into his stomach and knocking him off his feet.

“Mason!” Ana screamed.

Pain shot up Mason's coccyx as he landed with a thud on the ground, hitting the back of his head which delivered bouts of pain.

Punches flew from every corner, making Mason's nose bleed again, trapping his body in a world of immense pains. Ellen failed when she sent Charlie and his boys to beat him to death. Now, she struck again, and this time she had successfully ruined their lives and rendered them homeless.

“How dare you raise your fingers at our boss, you gullible pauper?!” The man spat, and another joined him by kicking Mason's lower region.

Ana screamed for mercy, begging on Mason's behalf as they continued to deliver skull crushing punches.

“This is payment for all the debts your boss owes us,” Mike growled, and they picked Mason's weak body off the ground. “Now, get out of our property or we would kill you both and leave your bodies to be eaten by wild dogs!”

Their words echoed in Mason's head as he was callously tossed out of the house, his body crumpling to the ground. He fell on his knees, gie ears ringing and vision blurring.

The night had stolen the sun from the day, leaving Mason lost and disoriented. How long had he been at the mercy of Charles's cruelty and Olivia's condescending words that it was already dark?

Mason's heart raced like a ticking time bomb, horror seeping into his pores like a chilling mist. His body trembled, and his stomach churned with a sickening dread.

He remained on my knees, feeling helpless as Mike ravaged his house and Ana's anguished sobs filled the air. Tears streamed down Mason's face, and the world spun around him like a vortex.

Just as he thought all was lost, a dazzling light illuminated the darkness, forcing him to shield his eyes. The light halted, and he swallowed hard, gazing at a group of men in sleek suits emerging from the luxury car.

Were they another set of vicious people, coming to claim what was left of our shattered lives? Mason thought, bracing himself for the worst.

More sports cars arrived, disgorging a small army of men, their faces stern and unyielding. Mason rose to his feet, his mind racing with questions.

“Mason?" Ana called out, her voice shaking as she clutched her tattered dress together and made it to him.

A deafening roar filled the place and Mason looked up, sighting four helicopters patrolling in the sky.

Mason's head lowered back to the men in front of him as they strode towards him and his sister. Mason pressed his lips together, mustering the strength to stand strong, while gently shoving Ana behind him.

Three men halted just a few meters away from Mason and his scared sister.

The next action of the strange men threw Mason into a frenzied world. They bowed respectfully, saying, “Distinguished heir of the Lachlan family, we have finally found you.”