Madness (Completed)

Newspaper

*16 Days Until The Wedding*

I wake up, still feeling exhausted from everything I had done yesterday. I stretch my arms and feel a lump in my bed, probably a pillow. I grab it and I soon realize that it is not a pillow. It stays in place and feels almost like human skin.
"Hey, what cha doing?" I hear Jack's voice chuckle at me when I release my grasp. I open my eyes to see him lying next to me on my bed.
"What happened?" I question, rubbing my head with the back of my hand.
"Heh, do you really not remember?" Jack questions me with a laugh. I lean on my arms in annoyance, just trying to remember the night before.
"Not really. I remember that we started dancing and then I threw up and... The rest is pretty blank to me." I explain, staring into Jack's ocean blue eyes.
"Well, you threw up and Mark helped you to your room. Then we heard you coughing and I ran in to help and when I got in you had thrown up all over your bed. I cleaned it up and asked if you needed anything else and you just kinda mumbled. I got closer and I asked you to repeat what you said and you just pointed to my ribbon and then your bed. I decided to just lay with you until you fell asleep, but I guess I fell asleep too." Jack explains with a comforting smile and I now feel his hand on my back. I smile back and lay my head on his chest lovingly.
"Well thank you for staying with me." I say in a hushed voice as I wrap my arm around his neck to pull him closer to me.
"Not a problem, I'm just glad you are okay now." Jack comments happily with his finger going over my ribbon in a caring way.
"When you're here, I'm always okay." I whisper to him.
"I'm glad." Jack responds, slowly moving his fingers over mine in a loving way. I let myself rest in this moment, just laying on Jack and him continuing to play with my fingers.
"Hey, you guys ready to-" there is a pause. "Sorry, I'll let you sleep more." Wade says sweetly as he closes the door quietly. I guess we could look like we're sleeping as my eyes are closed and everything is relaxed between us.
"We should provably get ready for the day, I think they have plans for us." Jack chuckles in my ear, but I love the sound so I don't complain.
"Yeah, we should." I agree before stretching my arms once more and sitting up in bed, leaning on my arms.

Once Jack and I are dressed we open the door inside my room and Jack holds it open for me. I walk out, giving Jack a sweet smile before I go into my living room. I see Mark sleepily drinking coffee with Bob sitting next to him with a mug as well.
"Morning." I call to them as I take a seat across from the couch they sit on.
"Morning." Bob responds politely, positioning his glasses like he so often does. I lean on my legs lazily, just resting for the moment.
"So, what plans do we have for today?" I question them curiously.
"Well, I think you might wanna see this." Bob says as he grabs a paper off the couch and hands it to me. It seems to be a type of newspaper, interesting. My eyes scan over the writings and I flip to the next page and then I see what Bob had been talking about. The headline reads 'Pregnant Mother Now Marrying Leader, Is It For Love or Money?' And pictures of me cover the page. I stare down at it, disgusted that any reporter wrote these lies about me.
'Violet, a new member of our community is now getting married to the leader of it. Could this be because she wants his cash to take care of her unborn child? She has admitted that Shane is not the father and has not come out to say who is. However, many sources say that it is one of the men she came with. A quote from Dr. Garret says "she has not told me either and yes, we do now know the sex of the child," but he refused to say anything else on the topic.' A passage says. My eyes dart to the top where I see the author written in almost proud letters- "Elena Scotch". A perfect name for a woman full of evil. I stare down at the name until Bob takes the paper slowly from my hands.
"I gotta go talk to someone real quick, I'll be back later." I say as I stand from my seat and start towards the front door. Jack and Wade laugh in the kitchen near the counter, but I pass them by without hesitation. That doesn't stop them from calling out for me.
"Hey, where you going?" Jack shouts as his footsteps run towards me and his hand on my shoulder turns me around.
"I have to talk to someone, I'll come back when I'm done." I say in a tone full of annoyance. I turn back towards the door and open it before walking outside. I almost jump down each step before I get down to the sidewalk. I stomp down towards the police office so that I can tell Shane about this reporter, Elena.

I arrive there with anger still pumping through my veins I walk up to the front desk and almost pound my fist down on the counter.
"I need to talk with Shane." I say, just trying to cool myself down a little more.
"Oh, yes. Right away Mrs. Lancaster." She answers me and the door is opened for me almost instantly. I walk inside and don't even knock to get inside Shane's office. He sits at his desk, staring down at papers in front of him, but glances up at me when I sit in front of him.
"Good morning Violet." He says casually, still looking down at his desk.
"Did you see the newspaper today?" I snap the question at him with anger still inside me. Shane grabs the morning paper off his desk and hands it to me.
"Yes." He answers simply as he grabs a mug from his desk and drinks from it.
"They wrote about me, saying that I was a whore that was marrying you for your money." I snap angrily.
"I know. I'll take care of it, don't worry too much about it. No one who truly knows you will believe it." Shane tells me casually, taking another sip from his mug before setting it down on his desk.
"Yeah, but that woman who wrote it... Elena Scotch, I need to talk to her and tell her the truth." I state, less anger this time.
"You can't, she'll just write more lies about you the more she knows. Just leave it to me Violet, I'll take care of it." Shane tells me in a more stern tone, glancing up to meet my eyes for a moment.
"Fine." I sigh the words back to him in response before I lean back in my chair, trying to cool myself down.
"I never did ask you, why did you go in for that meeting for me? You didn't have to do that, especially beacsue Harley was there." Shane says, finally turning his attention completely to me.
"I wanted to help and learn about your job. I mean, how am I supposed to help you through something if I don't understand it?" I question rhetorically.
"Did they say anything? Do anything to you? Especially Harley." Shane mumbles the last part when he questions me.
"Well, first they said that they needed you instead. Then, Harley started eyeing me, not even trying to hide it. He basically was telling me his inner thoughts just by looking at me, it was disgusting. Thanks for coming and basically rescuing me from that." I say sincerely, leaning my arm on his desk.
"As soon as I found out where Amelia, my assistant had taken you, I went over there to help. I apologize for anything they did, they are simply business people. And, when you spend that much time staring at documents, it makes you a little crazy when actually talking to people. Harley hasn't even spoken to a woman for more than ten minutes in probably a year or so. No woman has agreed to work with him in quite a while. The last female secretary he had, he ended up raping her in his office, and she ran out and told everyone who he really was. Because of that, it doesn't surprise me that he was eyeing you, just promise me that you won't be alone with him, ever. I dotn want anything to happen to you." Shane explains sincerely, staring into my eyes in a kind way.
"Okay, I won't be alone with him, I promise." I say. Just saying the words makes my hand go down my wrist and touch the promise ribbon I have. Shane nods and grabs his mug, taking another sip from it.
"You want any coffee or anything?" He question as he puts it down back on his desk.
"I'm good, but thanks for the offer." I say with a smile. Shane nods in response and grabs a small key sitting in his windowsill.
"This is yours, it is for my mansion." Shane says as he slides it across his desk for me. I pick it up and look it over carefully, examining everything about it.
"Thanks, did you see the box of stuff on your porch? I left it there yesterday to move in." I explain, the memory still in the back of my mind.
"I figured as much, I left it inside the doorway. You can grab it and move in to whichever room you wish." Shane tells me sweetly with a smile of approval on his face.
"Thank you so much for all this, I really appreciate it. Even if this is a fake marriage, I know that it's a big stretch for you to do this." I explain, being completely sincere with him.
"It isn't a big problem, it will help me too actually. It will make random women stop grabbing me when I'm in public. And like you said, I'll have some good company and someone to help me with stress. It's a win-win Violet, I want you to understand that." Shane states to me happily.
"I understand." I respond to him in a stern tone.
"Mr. Lancaster, there is a man outside asking for you. He says his name is Kyle and wants to see a prisoner and needs to see you first." Shane's assistant, Amelia, says.
"What prisoner does he want to see?" Shane questions her in return, a confused look om his face.
"He said that he wants to see a man named Ian that was captured a few days ago. Kyle says that he is his brother." Amelia states. I turn back to face Shane and he just stares at Amelia in a slight distress.
"Send him in, I need to speak with him." Shane says, turning his eyes to look into mine with the same worry I have.