Chapter 1738 - 256: Do You Like Present?

The journalists adjusted their cameras so that they could get the best possible pictures. These were seasoned reporters, and when the slideshow began, even they were caught off guard. The images on the screen were pornographic. They were not expected or appropriate for a wedding.

The audience gasped in unison. Even though the private parts had been blurred, the photographs left nothing to the imagination. 

Nancy was dumbfounded. She was the woman in the pictures!

The slides kept changing, and each photograph was more incriminating than the last. Worst of all, the pictures had been carefully chosen to protect the identity of the man in them. The one thing that people could tell about the man, though, was that he was not Noah.

Nancy's mind went blank. She could not believe that Paul had humiliated her like this, and on her wedding day of all days. She looked in the direction of where Paul had been standing, but he was already gone. She was not surprised about that, though. After all, the sooner he left, the fewer questions he would have to answer.

Paul had not left the building, though. He watched the chaos from an inconspicuous corner, and he sneered like a demon. Luckily, I had a plan B - he thought - Do you like my present, Nancy Carter?

****

Nancy felt like her head was in a fog. She had taken all that she could from Paul and then some. She was unable to bear the humiliation he had caused her. She looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her. They were making ugly faces, and they were whispering amongst themselves. Suddenly, the walls felt like they were closing in on her, and she cried out for help as her body started to fall to the ground.

Luckily, Noah was there to catch her. "There, there," he said as he kissed her forehead, "Everything is going to be alright."

"It never will be," Nancy cried. "Why is Paul humiliating me? Does he want to kill me? Or is he trying to force me to commit suicide?" The flashes from the reporters' cameras were making her head hurt, and she thought - maybe I'll have a stroke - and the idea did not bother her as much as it should have - After all, things could not get any worse, could they?

Some of the reporters were taking pictures of Nancy and Noah, but most of the cameras were pointed at the screens. They were all talking at once, and the church was in chaos. Upfront, a priest was shouting for everyone to settle down, but no one was paying him any mind.

As Noah led Nancy to the lounge, Eric ordered his bodyguards to take control of the situation. The first thing that they did was cut the power, and all the screens went blank. As far as the big picture went, this was inconsequential. By then, the videos had gone viral, but not having to see them gave Nancy some peace of mind.

Eric frowned. He hadn't anticipated Paul ruining his wedding. He turned as one of his guards tapped on his shoulder. "What is it?" he asked.

"The building is surrounded by military tanks," the guard replied.

"Military Tanks?" Eric raised his eyebrows and said, "It looks like he has finally arrived."

"Where is Paul?" Crystal asked anxiously. "We need to find that bastard and make him pay."

Eric sighed and said, "I am afraid we have bigger fish to fry at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Nathan is here."

When Crystal heard that, she felt a cold chill run down her back, and her body broke out in gooseflesh. "He's here for me," she murmured. "Isn't he?"

Before Eric could say anything, another guard burst through the crowd. He was out of breath, and his face was red. "The first tank has entered the building," he gasped.

Suddenly, cannon blasts could be heard coming from the foyer, and black smoke: poured into the sanctuary.

"What is going on?!?!" the priest shouted. 

"Who dares to defile this house of God?!?!" A second tank smashed through the outer wall, and this one did not stop in the foyer. It pressed on, barging into the sanctuary and smashing the pews under its treads.

People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They were screaming and crying as they trampled one another. The smarter ones headed for the emergency exits, and when the doors opened, they set off alarms. When the dumber ones heard the sirens, they saw what the smarter ones were up to, and they followed them, and it was not long before the church was mostly empty.

The tank did not stop until it was inches away from Crystal.

The priest was holding his Bible in his hand and screaming as he ran towards the door. Eric stopped the priest with a word, and as he turned his head, all the color drained from his face.

"My wedding is not over yet," Eric said. "So, where are you going?"

The Priest muttered something unintelligible. His whole body was shaking. No doubt, he thought that this was the Armageddon that he had feared all his life. Suddenly, a platoon of bodyguards flooded into the sanctuary, and they stationed themselves between Eric and the tank. They were all carrying submachine guns, but the guns looked like kids' toys compared to the tank's cannon. Eric had Crystal, though, which meant that he still had the upper hand. She was in his arms, and Nathan would not do anything to jeopardize her life.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time," Eric shouted. "Unless you are a coward, come out."

A minute passed, and when Nathan did not come out, Eric motioned for the priest to carry on. The priest nodded and opened his Bible. Then, in a trembling voice, he said, "Mr. Bush, do you take Miss Smith to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, according to God's holy ordinance?"

Eric smiled. "Yes, I do."

The priest turned to Crystal and said, "Miss Smith, do you take Mr. Bush to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, according to God's holy ordinance?"

Crystal stared at the big tank. Her heart beat rhythmically in her chest, and it seemed to be getting louder and louder.

Suddenly, the top of the tank opened, and Nathan appeared. "There are fifty cannons outside the church," he said. "You must have some inkling of what will happen if she marries you."

Eric laughed contemptibly. "Fancy meeting you here.." He took Crystal's hand into his own and said, "I was starting to think that you weren't going to show up."