Damien Vance turned his body away from the open iron gates.
Damien Vance walked up the long stone driveway with fast, angry steps.
Evelyn Ross followed Damien Vance closely.
Her small shoes made fast clicking sounds on the gravel stones.
Leo Chang and Lawyer Vance Jenkins walked right behind them.
They all entered the grand entrance hall of the mansion.
Damien Vance did not stop walking.
Damien Vance walked up the wide curved marble staircase.
Evelyn Ross followed Damien Vance up the marble stairs.
Her heart was beating very fast because of Julian Sterling’s terrifying phone call.
Damien Vance pushed open the heavy dark wooden door of the master bedroom.
Damien Vance walked straight toward the large wooden desk near the window.
Evelyn Ross entered the room and closed the heavy door behind her body.
Damien Vance reached into his suit pocket.
Damien Vance pulled out a small silver key.
Damien Vance placed the small silver key into the lock of the glass drawer.
Damien Vance turned the small silver key to the right side.
A sharp clicking sound echoed in the quiet bedroom.
Damien Vance pulled the glass drawer open.
Damien Vance reached his big hand inside and took out the silver necklace.
The blue sapphire star caught the morning light.
Damien Vance opened a lower drawer of his wooden desk.
Damien Vance pulled out a slim black electronic laser scanner.
Damien Vance pressed a small red button on the side of the scanner.
A bright blue laser light shot out from the front of the electronic device.
Damien Vance held the silver necklace in his left hand.
Damien Vance passed the bright blue laser light slowly over the blue sapphire star three times.
Suddenly, the black electronic scanner made a loud, piercing error sound.
Bip!
Bip!
Bip!
A bright red light began to flash on the small digital screen of the scanner.
Evelyn Ross stepped closer to the desk.
Evelyn Ross looked at the small digital screen.
The screen showed capital letters that read: “SYNTHETIC GLASS.
MATERIAL VALUE: ZERO DOLLARS.”
Damien Vance threw the silver necklace down onto the hard surface of the wooden desk with great force.
The fake blue sapphire star smashed against the wood and cracked completely in half.
Tiny pieces of blue glass fell across the desk.
Damien Vance’s handsome face became completely pale with an icy, dangerous rage.
Damien Vance clenched both of his big hands into tight fists.
Evelyn Ross looked at the broken blue glass on the desk.
Evelyn Ross felt a sudden, deep wave of total despair hit her chest.
Hot tears filled Evelyn Ross’s eyes once again.
Evelyn Ross said to Damien Vance, “Julian Sterling was telling the truth on the phone, Mr.
Vance.
The silver necklace is a total fake.
My biological mother’s real memories are completely gone.
The secret data is lost.”
Damien Vance walked over to the large bedroom window.
Damien Vance looked out at the long private road.
His eyes were cold and completely dark.
Damien Vance replied to Evelyn Ross, “Julian Sterling thinks he has won this battle, Miss Ross.
Julian Sterling thinks this fake piece of glass will stop me from taking the Ross family land.
He does not know who he is truly dealing with.”
Damien Vance raised his left arm.
Damien Vance looked at his gold wrist watch.
The gold hands of the watch pointed to exactly seven forty-five in the morning.
Damien Vance turned his body around to face Evelyn Ross.
Damien Vance said to Evelyn Ross, “We have exactly fifteen minutes left, Miss Ross.
We are leaving for City Hall right now.”
Evelyn Ross looked at Damien Vance with deep confusion and surprise.
Evelyn Ross said to Damien Vance, “Why are we still going to City Hall, Mr.
Vance?
The sapphire necklace is completely fake.
There is no secret microchip inside the glass.
Why do you still want to marry a poor girl like me?”
Damien Vance walked across the white marble floor.
Damien Vance stopped directly in front of Evelyn Ross.
Damien Vance said to Evelyn Ross, “Because a legal marriage changes the entire game, Miss Ross.
If you sign the marriage paper and become my legal wife, Julian Sterling cannot touch your body or your name.
If you become my legal wife, the Ross family land belongs to the Vance family by the supreme law of the city.
Julian Sterling cannot contest a legal marriage in a court of law.
I will use the entire multi-billion dollar power of Vance Enterprises to crush him into the ground.”
Evelyn Ross looked at Damien Vance’s determined face.
Evelyn Ross realized that this powerful billionaire was her only shield against her enemies.
Evelyn Ross said to Damien Vance, “Let us go to City Hall, Mr.
Vance.
I am ready to sign the marriage paper right now.”
Damien Vance nodded his head once.
Damien Vance and Evelyn Ross walked out of the master bedroom.
They walked down the wide marble stairs together.
Leo Chang was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.
Leo Chang held the front doors open for them.
The long black limousine was parked directly on the stone driveway.
The engine was already running quietly.
Leo Chang ran ahead and opened the heavy back door of the vehicle.
Damien Vance entered the limousine first.
Evelyn Ross entered the limousine right behind him.
Leo Chang closed the car door quickly.
Leo Chang jumped into the driver’s seat and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.
The long black limousine accelerated down the private driveway.
The vehicle drove through the open black iron gates and turned onto the main highway.
The fast drive to City Hall took exactly ten minutes.
Evelyn Ross looked out the dark glass window of the limousine.
Evelyn Ross saw tall concrete office buildings and busy morning traffic.
The long black limousine stopped smoothly in front of the giant white stone building of City Hall.
The grand building had massive stone pillars and a large clock on the roof.
The clock pointed to exactly eight o’clock in the morning.
Leo Chang stepped out of the car and opened the back door.
Damien Vance stepped out onto the grey pavement.
Damien Vance reached out his strong right hand to Evelyn Ross.
Evelyn Ross took his warm hand and stepped out of the vehicle.
They walked up the wide stone steps of City Hall.
They entered a quiet, private office room on the first floor.
A government official named Clerk Peterson sat behind a wide mahogany desk.
Clerk Peterson wore a neat dark suit and small wire glasses.
Clerk Peterson looked up at Damien Vance.
Clerk Peterson looked at Evelyn Ross.
Clerk Peterson said to Damien Vance, “Good morning, Mr.
Vance.
I have prepared the legal marriage documents exactly as you requested on the phone.”
Clerk Peterson placed a thick piece of white paper onto the center of the mahogany desk.
The top of the paper had bold black letters that read: “OFFICIAL MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE.”
Clerk Peterson picked up a heavy gold pen from his desk.
Clerk Peterson handed the gold pen directly to Evelyn Ross.
Clerk Peterson said to Evelyn Ross, “Please sign your full legal name on the left line, Miss Ross.”
Evelyn Ross took the heavy gold pen into her cold hand.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Evelyn Ross pressed the sharp gold tip of the pen against the white paper.
Evelyn Ross wrote her full name, Evelyn Ross, on the smooth line.
Evelyn Ross handed the heavy gold pen to Damien Vance.
Clerk Peterson said to Damien Vance, “Please sign your full legal name on the right line, Mr.
Vance.”
Damien Vance took the gold pen from her hand.
Damien Vance did not hesitate at all.
Damien Vance wrote his full name, Damien Vance, with fast, powerful movements of his wrist.
Clerk Peterson took a heavy metal stamp from a drawer.
Clerk Peterson pressed the heavy metal stamp hard onto the center of the white paper.
Thump!
A bright red ink seal appeared on the official certificate.
Clerk Peterson smiled and looked at Evelyn Ross.
Clerk Peterson said to Evelyn Ross, “Congratulations, Mrs.
Vance.
You are now legally married to Mr.
Damien Vance.”
Evelyn Ross felt a strange, massive sensation fill her heart.
She was now Evelyn Vance, the wife of the most powerful billionaire in the city.
Damien Vance reached into his black suit pocket.
Damien Vance pulled out a small black velvet box.
Damien Vance snapped the small velvet box open with his thumb.
Inside the box sat a massive platinum ring with a giant square diamond.
The giant square diamond sparkled brilliantly under the bright office lights.
Damien Vance took Evelyn Vance’s left hand.
Damien Vance slowly slid the heavy platinum ring onto her ring finger.
Damien Vance said to Evelyn Vance, “You are my wife now, Evelyn Vance.
No one can harm you anymore.”
Evelyn Vance looked at the heavy diamond ring on her finger.
Evelyn Vance said to Damien Vance, “Thank you, Damien.”
Damien Vance and Evelyn Vance walked out of the private office room.
They walked through the grand corridors of City Hall.
They stepped out onto the wide stone steps outside the main entrance.
The long black limousine was waiting at the bottom of the steps.
Leo Chang stood next to the open car door.
Suddenly, a strange courier dressed completely in black clothes walked out from behind a stone pillar.
The strange courier wore a heavy black leather jacket, thick black gloves, and a dark motorcycle helmet.
The strange courier hid his face completely behind a solid black glass helmet visor.
Leo Chang saw the strange courier approaching the new couple.
Leo Chang reacted instantly.
Leo Chang stepped forward to block the path.
Leo Chang placed his right hand inside his black jacket to grab his hidden weapon.
Leo Chang shouted to the strange courier, “Stop walking right now!
Do not come any closer to Mr.
Vance!”
The strange courier stopped moving on the stone steps.
The strange courier did not speak a single word.
The strange courier slowly raised his right hand.
The strange courier held out a small, old wooden box.
The old wooden box had charred, black edges from an old fire.
The strange courier dropped the old wooden box onto the hard stone step directly in front of Evelyn Vance’s shoes.
The strange courier turned his body around very quickly.
The strange courier ran down the steps toward a black motorcycle parked by the road.
The strange courier jumped onto the black motorcycle.
The loud engine made a roaring sound.
The strange courier sped away down the busy morning street and disappeared into the traffic.
Leo Chang looked down at the old wooden box on the stone step.
Leo Chang said to Damien Vance, “I will check the box for dangerous explosives, Mr.
Vance.
Please step back.”
Leo Chang knelt down on the stone step.
Leo Chang opened the small wooden box carefully with his gloved fingers.
There were no explosives inside the box.
Leo Chang looked inside and frowned.
Leo Chang said to Evelyn Vance, “There is no danger, Mrs.
Vance.
There is only an old piece of paper inside the wooden box.”
Evelyn Vance took a step forward.
Evelyn Vance reached her hand down into the old wooden box.
Evelyn Vance pulled out a single piece of yellow paper.
The piece of paper was very old and brittle.
The edges of the yellow page were completely burnt and black from a destructive fire.
Evelyn Vance looked at the elegant cursive handwriting on the page.
Evelyn Vance recognized the handwriting instantly.
It was the exact handwriting of her dead biological mother.
Evelyn Vance held the burnt page with both of her shaking hands.
Evelyn Vance read the written words on the burnt page out loud to Damien Vance.
Evelyn Vance read, “The blue sapphire star is safe.
My dear daughter, do not let the Vance family find it.
The Vance family caused the terrible house fire to steal our secrets.
If a man named Vance approaches you, run away immediately…”
Evelyn Vance finished reading the last written line.
Evelyn Vance felt her warm blood turn completely to freezing ice.
Evelyn Vance slowly turned her head to the side.
Evelyn Vance looked up at her brand-new husband, Damien Vance.
Evelyn Vance stared at his cold, handsome face with absolute terror in her wide eyes.