The Blackmail® [Complete]

Chapter Ten

"Breath Tania, breath. Just breath. I am here. I am with you. You are okay, its just the heat. You are fine." As if from a distance, I could hear Ovian's voice. It was reassuring and calm. And gradually, my heart steadied until finally I open my eyes. My gaze fall on Ovian who is smiling down at me. "Can you get up?" He asks.

"Yes." I croak. "Yes," I say more firmly. And he proceeds to help me sit up.

"Is she alright my Prince?" Someone was asking.

Ovian raises his brow at me, I smile at him. "I am fine Ovian. I just need some water."

He turns around and ask for water to be brought. Then I realize we are in an office of some sort. Portraits and art collections were piled up on one side of the room. Ovian then gives me some water.

"How are you feeling my lady?" Asked an elderly looking man, who had been introduced to me earlier as Lord Haddington, the convener of the event. 

"I am better, my Lord. Thank you. I am sorry I disrupted your ball."

"It is no trouble, my Lady." He says and leaves us alone. I look at Ovian who is sitting opposite me and watching me.

"When did you start having panic attacks?"

I grimace. "It began the first time my mum fell sick, I was about fifteen then. The doctors said it was psychological, that I may be afraid of losing my mother since we were very close. But for a long time now, I haven't had it."

"Does Taylor know?"

"Yes, she's helped me out of a few." He is still watching me curiously. "How did you know I was having a panic attack?"

"The woman you are impersonating had them too."

"Oh my! Did people at the ball see?" I exclaim.

He nods.

"That isn't good! How do we convince your father that I'm fine if this gets to him?"

He grimaces. "Leave that to me. Do you want to go back to the ball or go home?"

"Please, I would like to go home. Thank you."

He stands to take my hand, holding me steady before leading me carefully out of the room. While we navigated our way out of the big house towards a back exit, Ovian had called Percy to bring the car to the back. We take another way which led out into the back of the building. As if the reporters had been tipped off, they quickly began running down towards us and flashing their camera lights. Immediately, Ovian bundled me quickly into the car while Percy got behind the wheel and we raced out of there. Leaving the event behind, I sink back into the seat in relief. 

"Are you sure you are better? I could take you to the hospital." Ovian ventured.

I rolled my eyes, "I am better Ovian. Moreover, we are not on unfamiliar territory, so you don't need to pretend to care so much."

He pressed his lips together as if to stop himself from talking and look out the window. 

Soon, we arrive at the Manor and Jasper, as usual was waiting at the entrance. "My lady, my prince," he bows.

I nod at Jasper tiredly, and walk into the foyer. I can't wait to soak myself in a hot bath. I am about to climb up the stairs, when Ovian spoke up.

"Tania?"

What does he want now? I sighed and turned to find him already beside me. He reached down and raise my chin. He was standing very close, breath fanning my face. I watched as his eyes fell on my mouth. Then felt his thumb trace the bottom of my lips. Involuntarily, I licked my lips. Immediately I did that I regreted it because his gaze became glazed with lust. Heat had flowed into every pore in my body in anticipation of the feel of his kiss.

But it never came. Slowly, his hand fell away and his expression became blank. How he went from desire to that was beyond me. Then he breathed over my mouth. "Goodnight Tania. Sleep well.

I watched him walk out. What just happened? This wasn't good. I cannot, must not fall for Ovian. It mustn't happen, I thought as Taylor's words came back to me. Ovian is obviously a dangerous man. I don't have any idea about who he is except that he is the prince, who isn't the heir apparent. Did I think I could just blackmail him into marrying me just like that? Come to think of it, I had expected more resistance from him when I made that proposition but to my surprise, he had agreed easily and quickly. Like he wanted it to happen. The lady I'm impersonating had been his friend and possibly lover. He probably has his own agenda and here I am thinking I have won just because I have a few pictures that do not exist. Tania, open your eyes! Ovian is using you, not the other way around.

"My lady? Is everything all right?" Jasper asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I am fine Jasper. Thank you. And have a good night."

He bows and leave me at the bottom of the stairs. I had to talk to Taylor. Quickly, I went to Taylor's door and knocked. Almost immediately, her door opened and she ushered me inside.

"Why are you back so soon? I had thought you two were going to spend the entire night together. Did you fight again?"

"Quite the opposite." I say dropping into the chaise that was set under one of the narrow windows in her room.

"What happened?"

I took off my shoes and flexed my feet, "I had one of my episodes."

"What? Why? How come? What triggered it?"

I smiled, typical of Taylor to ask four questions all at once. "I don't know. One minute I was being introduced to some Lord or duke, the next minute, I was fighting for breath. Thank God Ovian was by my side and he had some experience with panic attacks. Guess who he had the experience with?"

"Charlotte?"

I nod.

"That isn't a good sign Tania." Taylor says as she rises from her bed and begin to pace the floor.

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know, but I have this feeling that your stepping into the shoes of that dead girl isn't a coincidence. Like we played right into that role."

"Hmmm." She was confirming what I had been thinking earlier. Quickly, she reaches for her phone and say, "What is the name of the dead girl?"

"Charlotte Meredith Hawthorne."

She taps on the screen of her phone and reads out loud. "The heir to the Hawthorne Estate and shipping company, has been diagnosed with the same disease that claimed her father's life a few months ago. Rumours have it that, the young woman of eighteen is currently being taken to a special health facility to be taken care of until she passes away like her father. Her bethroted, Prince Ovian Lancaster, made the statement yesterday that, his love for his friend and love will never die and that she would forever hold a special place in his heart." She finished. "The date of this news was four years ago." Here's another one, but more recent. "Spotted outside the Renaissance Hilltop, are the Princess of the Palm Islands, Princess Clarissa Dunes and Prince Ovian Lancaster. It is rumoured that the kings of both Kingdoms are forming a formidable alliance by joining both their children in marriage.' Did you know you and Charlotte have the same hair colour and shape of face?" Taylor asks, showing me the picture of a beautiful young girl who had a very close resemblance to me. No wonder I passed easily as an older Charlotte. 

A sudden chill sip into my heart. "What date is that news?" I ask.

"Its dated two weeks ago." Taylor said, her eyes wide.

I grimace. "For some reason, he doesn't want to marry the princess. And he is using me to stop all that from happening. If his bethroted didn't die as everyone thought, then there would be no need to marry the princess."

"No wonder he agreed to our proposal so quickly. We fell right into his hands."

"Yes." I breathed. And he has the nerve to accuse me of blackmailing him. His words, "Be careful what you wish for", came back to haunt my thoughts. I groaned.

"How come we didn't see this coming? I mean we didn't even find out who this Charlotte was!" I said angrily.

"That was your job, remember?" Taylor said. "Tania?" I raised my eyes to meet hers, "We need a plan."