My Big Fat Low-Fat Wedding - By Katya Starkey Page 0,104
he knew about my secret, but he said that if I didn’t keep his stupid robot on at my bridal shop he’d reveal my secret and have me shut down for good.”
Everyone is listening intently to my best friend.
“Well, I don’t care anymore.” She looks sadly at me. “I’m so sorry, Em. I didn’t realise everyone else cancelled on you yesterday as well—”
“My visa is expired and I’ve been getting paid under the table!”
“Kirsten?” The girl has suddenly started shouting.
“He’s been blackmailing me too!” She points at Oliver.
“Jonty and I are swingers!” Paige has stepped into the aisle. She’s followed quickly by her husband.
At this bombshell, Tina jumps up from her chair. “I’m gay!”
Ben rises to his feet. “Nicola!” He exclaims. “I’m a stripper!”
“You are?” She replies. “Why haven’t you done a show for me?”
One by one, everyone at my wedding who owns an Oliver bot has suddenly decided to reveal their secrets. Eventually, Oliver has no one left to threaten any longer.
“This is all your fault.” He steps forward and grabs my arm.
“Take your hand off her.” Callum pushes Oliver’s shoulder.
“You bitch.” Oliver stumbles back into his massive robot. “You’ve been the cause of all my troubles from day one.”
There’s a collective gasp from the crowd in the room.
“Emily has caught you out.” Callum hisses. “You’re not getting any more funding for your robot projects from these people any more, Oliver.”
So that’s why all the secrecy. Oliver was using everyone’s secrets against them and they’ve all been paying him off so he’ll keep quiet. No wonder they’d all cancelled on me. They must have been under tremendous pressure from the git himself.
“You tried to kill me.”
“Emily?” Callum looks at me. Everyone is looking at me.
“Your robots weren’t just malfunctioning around me all those times. You programmed them to murder me.”
Oliver doesn’t even flinch at my accusations. I can’t believe I’ve said the words blackmail and murder out loud, two words I never thought I’d utter in my lifetime. This whole situation is crazy. I can’t quite believe this is happening, but it’s true. I know what I’m talking about. My life was actually threatened by this despicable man.
“You can’t prove anything.” Oliver looks like he’s about ready to snap. “Get her!” He orders his robot forward and when the thing thunders into the room I realise that I’ve made a terrible mistake.
“Why was I born?” I look up and up despondently at the massive bot. Glancing at Callum I shake my head. “This is all my fault.” I mouth to him as chaos erupts all around.
***
Screaming ensues. Lots and lots of screaming accompanied by whirling sounds of machinery.
Apparently Oliver had a surprise in store for us all. Behind his massive robot all of his little bots had been waiting. Now that the big bot has entered the room all the smaller robots have poured in behind it.
Chairs are knocked over not only by zooming, hovering bots, but by panicked wedding guests who are trying to escape the vicinity.
“Emily!” Callum screeches my name just as the giant robot latches two of its mechanical arms onto my own.
“Help! I scream as I’m lifted bodily off the floor. The skirts of my dress flip up over my head and I’m momentarily blinded by tulle and silk.
When I can see again my gaze drifts towards the open doorway. Men and women in uniform are running into the room. There are fire-fighters here too and they’re all headed straight for robots, trying to keep them away from my wedding guests.
“It’s him!” I shout at a passing officer below. “Oliver is controlling all of these robots.”
Before the police woman reaches Oliver, Callum does. From my perch high in the captive arms of a gigantic bot, I watch as my fiancé lets loose on the man who’s responsible for this madness. I’ve never seen him so heroic. I never thought I’d see the day when Callum would be punching the life out of another human being.
“Help me!” Oliver squeals. “Get him away from me.” Grunt. Callum hits home with a fist to the man’s gut and he goes down. My fiancé jumps on top of Oliver and a floor scuffle ensues.
“Look out!” Paige’s husband pushes her aside as a floating robot crashes down onto a toppled chair.
One by one all the hovering robots fall. The rolling bots have all stopped moving and suddenly I’m dropped onto my arse. I’m not hurt when I land due to all the padding this puffy dress provides.