Chapter 39Celebrations bells rang loudly in the hearts of everyone present. But especially in Doctor Mason’s heart. Throughout the evening, he strolled around declaring Archer as a very sensible young man. The confidence in his tone killed the ominous air that followed the previous rumor in the room and soon, Archer was celebrated as hero again.The occasion went by in a blur, Tangie could now be called Mrs Tangie. She didn’t mind dropping her reputable surname for her husband’s name, but it was against her family’s tradition. Her name could have remained that way too but not after the evening they had.She suddenly wanted to belong to him in all ways. As soon as they stepped into the privacy of their room, Tangie announced, “I’m going to carry your last name.” “Really?” Archer asked, surprised by the confidence of her announcement.Tangie nodded surely, “I will be Tangie Sullivan-Williams.”“I like it,” Archer smiled softly, watching her admire her reflection in the mirror.Sudd
Archer's car pulled over at the restaurant area of the Hotel. He had placed an order to pick up a tray of breakfast for his wife.As he stepped into the restaurant, Archer sighted himself on the TV, he didn't know their wedding had gone viral. The concept of the wedding was much talked about. He slowed his pace just to take in the moments that were caught on camera. The general public was not wrong to hype up the wedding. Archer admitted to himself that they were gorgeous together. The moments as he relived it felt like the evening was made for just the two of them. His lips unconsciously lifted in a soft smile. The clip on TV zoomed on Tangie glowing with ethereal beauty and his heart fluttered.Right there, at that moment, he realized his feelings for Tangie.He didn't just care about her, he was beginning to love her. Abruptly, the angle shifted to his best man standing behind him with a proud smile on his face. He scoffed, "Celestine," the last time I heard from him was when he
Archer abruptly left the dining table, his attention shifted to the message received.He synced his phone to the laptop and the received message popped up on the screen as encrypted."Interesting..." Archer sighed."What about it?" Tangie asked, "it doesn't seem there's much there.""We can't just dismiss it until we know its content. This might just be the missing piece," Archer replied, dialing a number on his phone. The receiver's voice echoed in the background drawing Archer's attention to him."What do you know about encrypted messages, Celestine?" He asked urgently. Sensing the urgency in his tone, Celestine raised an eyebrow, "are you working on your honeymoon?"Archer grinned, "No working here, Mr Devant. Just enjoying breakfast with Tangie. Tell me what you know about encrypted messages."Celestine listened attentively before replying, "I don't know a lot. Just the basics...""I hope the basics you know will be enough to decode a message.""Why the sudden interest in such
Archer was just a normal man, married to Eva Austin before he went to prison. It was his time in prison that taught him martial arts. Even though Master Woods knew he was talented from the beginning, he didn’t go easy on him. He was relentless in his training, pushing him to his limits and beyond.Hence, Archer learnt Martial Arts from the very best in the field and in a very short period.Somehow, as Tangie watched him overpowering six armed men at once without sustaining any injury. Her trust in him began to waver. He was impressive but dangerous to be able to inflict that level of violence."Who are you?" Tangie wondered aloud, her voice trembling with fear. "Are you a thug? Where did you learn to fight like that?"All Archer had to do was explain his commitment to the lessons, and show her the many scars he sustained during his training.However, he decided to keep that part of his life away from people’s knowledge. "That is not important right now, Tangie. Let's get you to sa
Tangie paced the hallway with her heart racing uncontrollably, matching the rhythm of racing thoughts in her mind as she awaited Archer’s arrival.After Marcellus took her home, she found herself in a constant battle with her conscience. After several thoughts and careful consideration, her stomach churned with guilt as she replayed the scene in her mind’s eye, realizing that she had judged him to fast, without asking for explanations.“No!” She interjected, “I asked for explanations,” “Was it when you asked him, ‘who are you?’ Without waiting for an answer?” “I waited for an answer, his reply was ‘that is not important.’ It is important to me!” She murmured, “I just want him to open up to me. I’m his wife now…” she paused, the tip of her tongue itching to blurt out the main reason why she craved Archer’s transparency.Mariah dialed her brother’s number for the hundredth time, eager to inform him that Mrs Williams had been talking to herself all day, and she was worried.After seve
“Let’s get to it then!” The Badger announced excitedly, “I’ll go get my tools…” Celestine raised a concerned brow after the badger disappeared to the “staff-only” area of his bar.“Are you sure about this? Whatever is contained in that message might be top secret.” Archer pivoted towards him, his eyes narrowed with determination and silent resolve.“You called him your good friend before we came here, didn’t you?”“Uh…yes, but” Celestine replied reluctantly, “That’s all I need to know,” Archer replied, “he doesn’t seem trustworthy but I refuse to judge a book by its cover…”“Besides, ‘don’t judge!” Archer mimicked his friend, a half smile playing on his lips.Celestine nodded in understanding but he still had his doubts, he had only met the Badger about four months ago and even as they spoke, he had no idea what his real name was.After a while, the badger returned with a laptop that seemed quite mechanical. Its bulky design and clunky keys stirred a jeer in Celestine.“Is this the
Celestine waited in the car watching Archer stroll tiredly towards the green sensor by the gate of his house. The sensor beeped when once, showing green as the gate glided open. Celestine drove in, slowing down when he got closer to him.“I’ll take a walk instead, Celestine…” Archer replied.Having witnessed the content of the decoded message himself, he understood if Archer needed a minute to himself.As he drove away, Archer stood quietly, watching her taillights disappear into his drivewayArcher sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the evening rush back to him, weighing on his shoulders like a literal burden.With a bit of courage, Archer took his first step into the night, the breeze tugging on his face felt like a warm embrace reassuring him that everything would be fine at the end.Archer turned his back to his mansion, staring at the exit gate.Memories of his life flooded his mind, stirring up emotions that he thought he had moved past.For a minute there, he considered el
The first light of the dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow in the room.Tangie Sullivan, now Tangie Williams stood before her mirror, gazing at her features intently. Today was different.She took a step backward for a further look. Instead of looking out for her features, smile lines, and wrinkles. Being an outstanding granddaughter of a lord came with lots of attention.Today, she was scrutinizing her arms and her legs envisioning the strength and power in them.She flexed her muscles, engaging in a silent battle with the air.Archer stirred awake, his head heavy from the effect of the badger’s badger-drink.He blinked his open and the morning rays greeted him first. Archer squinted his eyes, scanning about the familiar surroundings. A figure stood by a corner of the large room, throwing weak punches in the air. His eyes widened with a mix of surprise and curiosity as he silently watching her. Unable to hold it in anymore, Archer broke the silence. “What…