The Brooke's Hired Bride

The Brooke's mansion

The soft clinging of glasses on the dining table followed by soft laughs and slight chuckles,the night is a lively one in the home of the Brookes , their daughter will be getting married to the powerful Reynolds Ryan of the New York City .

As the merriments continues , Mr Brookes sends Bessie to get Vanessa to the table .

" Bessie , get Vanessa to the table, she wouldn't want to keep us waiting besides this is the last time we would have such dinner again " Mr Brookes said in a cool buot commanding tone as Bessie dash for the spiral stairs within a split second, she breathe heavily as she knocked on the door gently . She knocked twice again without getting a response , " young miss , your father asked me to tell you to come down for dinner " Bessie said in a cool voice .

She waited no response , the door was slightly opened and she heard shuffling sounds , sighing,she pushed the door gently as it creaked .

"Miss Vanessa ? " Bessie called unsure , she didn't want to incur her wrath this blissful evening neither does she wants to be hit ,she stepped into the room gently , adjusting her black skirt appropriately ,she took another step , her shoes making the click sounds as she walked .

"Miss Vanessa ?" there wasn't any response ,she proceeded to the bathroom to lock the tap as the water flooded the room ,she moved closer to the door only for her to see a drop of blood on the door knob ,she let out a gasp withdrawing her hands from the door knob ,the door went wide-open , Miss Vanessa Brookes in the tub of blood ,she let out a ear piercing scream she swiftly ran all the way downstairs her eyes bulging out as she panted heavily .

"Where is Vanessa ? "Mr Brookes asked pointedly whole Bessie pointed her hands to the spiral staircase before passing out .

"What the hell ? " Mr Brookes muttered angrily as he proceeded to call his daughter himself while Violet and Hailey attended to Bessie who laid on the floor,her face was clothed in shock , leaving the both of them wondering what she has seen that made her pass out suddenly .

Within three minutes , Mr Brookes got upstairs , he walked inside , the door was left ajar .

" Vanessa , are you still sucking ? , I am doing it for your sake , for your mother's last wish to be honored ,I do care about you and I'm sure Ryan Reynolds is the right man for you " Mr Brookes softly , sighing dejectedly .

" Princess , let's just have din........." His Statement was cut short when he saw a drop of blood by the bed stand , looking underneath,he saw a kitchen knife , soaked with blood,his heart began to race faster as the followed the print of blood , on the floor which led to the bathroom which was wide open , he let out a loud gasp as his bulged out on seeing the sight ,he called her name in a loud voice " Vanessa " tears stung his eyes as the rest downstairs climbed upstairs to see the disheartening sight while Mr Brookes sank onto the floor weakly ,he was doomed .

No , he couldn't loose both Vanessa and the deal , he stood upright instantly and walked out of the room , while the rest trooped out visibly shaken by the sight seen as the evening continued in silence while the maids cleared the dining room and retired to their rooms .

★ Brooke's room ★

Mr Brookes paced round the room , sweating profusely while Mrs Brookes sat gracefully on the couch grinning like a Cheshire cat before speaking , "you have nothing to worry about Williams ,I mean your ......" Sloan barely completed her statement as Mr Brookes interrupted her ,

"What do you mean I have nothing to worry about Madame , I just lost my daughter and the only person who reminds so well of Emilia and you are saying I should not worry ? " He rasped as Sloan furrowed her brows , despite having her he hasn't completely gotten over his first and late love .

she felt a sudden rush of hatred surge through but hating on the dead amounts nothing .

Sighing softly she rose and walked up to her pacing husband placing her hands on his shoulder patting his back soothingly .

"Are you going to let go of the contract ? , You know this is a rare opportunity and if you don't accept it soon we would be going bankrupt , why don't you calm down so we can think through " Sloan suggested softly placing emphasis on each word she spoke .

" Sloan ,we had gained this contract with the hope of Ryan Reynolds and Vanessa getting married but we are going to loose it unfortunately because she is gone " Williams said as he sat on the floor wearily .

" you can not lose that contract just because she is gone we have to do something about it right away " Sloan rasped as Williams furrowed his brows .

" we are calling off the wedding ,the bride to be is no more and that also goes to the contract as well " he added as Sloan nodded her head negatively ,

" You can not make such a mistake ,I won't allow you making such mistake ,you are not calling off the wedding , Do you know how many billions of dollars we are talking about and you want to call off the contract ? " Sloan asked raising her voice .

" Then what do you want me to do ?" Mr Williams yelled in response as his wife folded her arms under her breast before replying .

" The press and no one except this household should be aware of Vanessa's death " Sloan stated as Mr Williams gave her a 'what do you mean look ? ' while she nodded her head affirmatively .

" You heard me right Williams ,the press shouldn't be informed and don't call off the wedding also " she added as Mr Brookes nodded his head fiercely ...

" Have you finally gone nuts Sloan ? Just hear yourself , how do you intend to keep the news away from the press when the wedding is tomorrow ? Besides where is the bride ? " Williams asked demonstrating dramatically .

"That's simple ,hire a Bride ! " Sloan said as raising her voice as Williams gave her a quizzed look .

" Call the surgeon to make a face mask exactly as Vanessa's ,we can't loose this contract and hire the bride " Sloan continued as Mr Williams shook his head in remorse

" you should be worried about who killed the bride or if she killed herself like she threatened and not the contract Sloan , don't you have a conscience ?" Williams asked looking at her with hurts in his eyes .

" I am just trying to help so you don't loose both sides ,you can always carry out a private investigation on who killed her " Sloan said rashly as she adjusted her blouse properly before returning to sit on the couch .

" How do we hire a Bride ?" Williams asked while Sloan smirked mischievously ,

" leave that to me " Sloan replied .

Chapter 2

Sloan picked up her cell phone and dialled the Doctor smith's contact and he picked up at the first ring .

"Hello Mrs Brookes , good evening ma'am " he said over the phone as Sloan hissed hatefully , how much she dislikes this doctor " Good evening Mr Smith , how do you do ? " She replied courteously

" I am fine thank you Mrs Brookes,I am very sure you can't wait to be a mother - in - law to the youngest billionaire in New York City , I hope he preparations are going smoothly ? "Mr Smith asked cheerfully while Mrs Brookes scoffed .

" My anticipation shouldn't be any of your concern Mr Smith ,besides your attention is needed right away " she replied curtly as Mr Smith swallowed hard , "I am sorry if I sounded poky Mrs Brookes ,I hope all is well ? " Mr Smith said in a cool tone while Sloan replied a hmmm ,

" I would be expecting you within thirty minutes ,come with your tools " she replied oddly as she hung up without waiting for his response , Mr Smith let out a breathe he never knew he held , " she's so full of herself " he thought as he grabbed his case , adjusted his tie , picked his glasses and walked out of the office wondering who took ill .

In less than an hour , Doctor Smith arrived the Brookes villa ,he got down from the car , putting on his gloves ,he grabbed his case and walked into the house as the gardener led him in .

" Good evening Mrs Brookes " Mr Smith greeted as he bowed slightly while Sloan nodded at him in response , she snapped her fingers and Violet came with a tray which contained two glasses of wine .

" Do you care for some ? " Mr Sloan asked mockingly as she picked a glass and sipped from it while Mr Smith objected " A little mineral water would do " he said to Violet who bowed before dashing out of the living room to get a glass of mineral water as requested.

" Let's get down to business Doctor Smith" Sloan said smirked mischievously as he finished the glass of mineral before replying. " Business it is " he said as he stood .

" Follow me "she instructed as she led the way upstairs ,her shoes making click sounds on each step she took .

She pushed the door and walked into Vanessa's room as Doctor Smith followed wondering if miss Vanessa was so sick that she couldn't leave her bed because he has been here before .

" I hope you can take in whatever,I mean no one should hear anything about it not even your wife " Sloan said furrowing her brows as Mr replied a yes , then she proceeded and open the door and a loud gasp escape from Mr smith's mouth as his eyes bulge out .

"Why did you let out such a loud squeal Mr ? Is this your first time seeing a dead body ? " Sloan asked looking at him angrily as he scoffed , " why shouldn't I squeal Mrs Brookes , I mean seeing a battered body , a f**king battered body Mrs " he fired back as Mrs Sloan got infuriated .

" Are you trying to me you haven't seen a dead body before ? Are you not a doctor Smith ? " Mrs Sloan questioned rudely as Mr Smith hissed furiously .

" You do not address me by my name Sloan , I am not in any way your mate besides being a doctor doesn't mean I deal with battered bodies Madam " Doctor Smith sneered as Mrs Sloan glared at him in fury .

" How dare you address me by name ? Do you know who you are speaking to ? I am the wife of Mr Brookes one of the leading companies in New York City so you have no right to question me,you are just a mere doctor " Sloan remarked rudely as Mr Smith eyes shot in fury as he furrowed his brows , " Did you just call me a mere doctor, do you know how many successful operations I have done, I think it's best to keep your mouth shut because if I'm mere like you called me , you shouldn't be requesting for my help " he fired back as they both glared hard at each other.

" You are crossing boundaries Mr Smith and I the wife of Mr Brookes won't tolerate that shit " Sloan warned pointing her finger angrily towards him .

" Of course Mrs Brookes ,you are also crossing the limits I suggest you back off , I won't tolerate your insults not to me but also to my profession" he replied as she hissed .

" Fine , I want you to make a face mask " she said in a cold tone to Mr Smith ,

" Whose face ? " Mr Smith asked

" Vanessa's ,I need it before the dawn of the morning " Sloan replied looking at the tub , while Mr Smith wiped off his sweat with his face towel before replying her .

" Then why didn't you just send me a picture and tell me what to do than allowing me see a bloodied body " Mr Smith remarked angrily as he scoffed getting all worked up .

" You would pay a hundred thousand dollars only " Mr Smith added as he started walking to the door.

" That amount is too much Mr Smith " Sloan commented as Mr Smith let out a smirk , " You are the wife of Mr Brookes , the CEO of one of the leading companies in New York City, that amount shouldn't be difficult for you to put up with it " Mr Smith said in a mocking tone as Mrs Brookes averted her gaze from his .

" Or are you going bankrupt Mrs ?" Mr Smith asked mockingly while she adjusted her blouse .

" That amount is not too much and we are not going bankrupt Mr Smith, send me your account number , I'll do a transfer right away "she replied while Mr Smith used a napkin to open the door before stepping out .

" Give me your word Mr Smith " Sloan said after closing the door after her , ". You have my word Mrs Sloan, no one would know about this " he replied gleefully before heading downstairs while Sloan watched him leave , she couldn't stand him insulting her of going bankrupt when in reality he was right , they were going down the drain.

" Sloan ,what's the update now ? What do we have to do ? " Mr Brookes asked while Mrs Sloan let out a smug smile , " I already spoke to the Doctor for a mask , now we have to look for a person with the same bodice like Vanessa's , we would only teach her to walk gracefully like Vanessa does and speak with the accent and boldness just like her " Sloan said while Mr Brookes nodded his head ,.

" Who do you think would fit in perfectly for Vanessa's role , we barely have 11 hours left " Mr Brookes rasped as he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead , despite the air conditioner in the already cozy room , he was all sweaty .

" why not leave that to me Honey " Sloan replied Mr Brookes who looked at her for some moments before leaving .

" I'll be back in two hours ,I have a meeting to attend" he mumbled to Sloan's hearing and left the room .

" Violet , a cup of coffee right away " Mrs Brookes said aloud as Violet rushed to the kitchen almost immediately .

She took the mug , poured from the brewing machine , taking a tea saucer ,she placed the tea cup on it and some cubes of sugar hurrying upstairs .

" Ma'am , your coffee is ready " Violet said from the door .

" come in " Sloan said tone less as Violet placed the tea saucer and turned to leave but was stopped , " raise your head "Sloan ordered , a command which Violet obeyed .

Inside of her, she fretted , wondering what offence she has committed while Sloan's eyes scanned her from head to toe , she has the actual and perfect body size and also same height as Vanessa .

" Violet ? " Sloan called

" Ma'am " Violet replied

" Well Violet , you are aware of what happened to our very own Vanessa and we can't afford to let this leak to the public , that's why I asked you not to go " Sloan said in a sober tone , which was very unusual of her .

" I'm very sorry for your loss ma'am " Violet said in a soft voice , head still bowed slightly while Sloan sipped from the coffee .

" I want you to do it for me ,we can't afford to loose both of it together " Sloan said whilst making Violet confused , " I do not understand what you mean ma'am " Violet said looking puzzled .

" I want you to be Vanessa " Sloan dropped the bomb shell while violet's eyes popped out .

" huh ? " She muttered looking in disbelief , " Vanessa is not me and I can not be her " Violet said slowly making Sloan chuckled before crossing her right leg over her left .

" You are Vanessa and she is you " Sloan said again while Violet nodded her head negatively .

" ma'am , young miss is dead and I can not be her " Violet said nodding her head while she spoke .

" Violet , you are our Vanessa now , you have no other choice " Sloan said authoritatively while Violet nodded her head negatively .

" I can not be your Vanessa , I mean she's dead , I am not her ,we are two different personalities and I do not fit her class and levels , we are two different people from different worlds , I can't just be her , I'm sorry for your loss ma'am " Violet spoke softly while Sloan chuckled before she stood up from the couch .

" Violet , I asking you to be Vanessa doesn't mean you are my step daughter or makes me your step mom , I'm just asking you to fill up the space she had left because of the contracts, you need not to worry because I expect a pauper like you accept the offer but here you are spilling nonsense , you have to do it or else you are the one who loses at the end " Sloan said scornfully while Violet swallowed hard , what on earth made her get into this mess with such an evil woman .

" Violet Myers , the wedding is on the morrow and you have barely 10 hours to prepare as Vanessa " Sloan said smirking mischievously .

" what ? " Violet blurted out , eyes bulging out ,

" I never agreed to do such " Violet retorted while Sloan laughed hysterically.

" Your agreement is not needed Violet , you are just a tool and a tool is always used by the master , I am your master and you are my tool " Sloan said authoritatively.

" I won't do it , how heartless have you suddenly become ,it's barely 3 hours you just found out your step daughter is dead and you want a replacement , is she a good ? " Violet asked looking at in disbelief .

" how dare you talk back at me you pauper ? Shouldn't you grab this opportunity with both hands , every lady in their right senses will jump at this rare opportunity but here you are proving the innocent and pure one ........ My relationship with my step daughter shouldn't be your concern you saucy idiot " Sloan fired back at her while Violet nodded her head negatively , " I don't need mean to sound rude Mrs Brookes but I can't do that I am not callous " Violet replied while Sloan laughed hysterically .

" So I am suddenly the callous one right ? How ungrateful are you ? " She snapped while she smirked " you will do it now or you want it the hard way madame ? ". She fired , grinning wickedly while Violet looked at her in shock while she chuckled .

" Violet , you not doing as I have said means a disaster ,I am sure you don't want your precious little sister dead or your mentally deranged and stinky sick mother killed in the hospital " Sloan added walking around the room as Violet's eyes widened in fear , exactly what she wanted fear , She love the look of fear in every tool's eyes.

" please don't , I beg of you , they are all I have" Violet said drooping on her knees weakly earning a chuckle from Sloan .

" I thought you would refuse but that's very good of you , now leave my room " Sloan ordered as Violet left the room a shaken leaf .