Take Me Away

The pair stepped down the stage and were instantly greeted by a prolonged applause from the crowd and roaring praise.

"Isn't that girl Fiona? She is so beautiful!"

"You know, I actually heard that she and Ryan are quite close. They seem to be together!"

"I think they would certainly make a good match. They're both so talented and their chemistry is undeniable.

They look like the perfect pair."

Spencer was sitting among the crowd. He could feel his anger rising as he heard the audiences reactions towards Fiona and Ryan. He abruptly stood up and headed towards the backstage. Meanwhile, Ryan and Fiona were alone backstage. He was holding her hand tenderly.

"So, how did it feel being on stage?" Ryan asked, breathing shallowly.

"Not bad. You played your violin beautifully," she replied, smiling at him

"Thank you. You also played the piano really well tonight," Ryan said. "I'd love to hear you playing the piano more often."

"Hmm," she replied with shyness.

"Fiona, did you hear what the audience were shouting after our performance?" He was looking at her intently, and smiled mischievously.

"I..." Fiona was blushing. She felt nervous and her palms were sweaty. She looked down and realized that Ryan was still holding her hand. "Ryan, we're not on stage anymore but our hands..." Ryan held her hand tighter and said, "Fiona. I don't want to let you go anymore."

"What are you saying, Ryan?" Fiona was surprised. She looked at him with confusion, wondering what this all meant.

"I want to be with you, Fiona. Don't you see? Everyone wants us to be together." Ryan's expression softened. He looked at her gently and continued, "Fiona, I've never cared about anyone this much. I love you. Please get to know me. Please give me a chance." He gently took her into his arms in an embrace, and Fiona found herself in a daze.

She could feel his heart beat against hers, and they were in the same rhythm.

Fiona felt excited hearing the cheers from the crowd, and at the same time, she had never felt so calm than she did at that moment in his arms. She felt so relaxed in Ryan's company. He was considerate, gentle, and cultured.

She couldn't refuse the magnetic attraction she felt towards him. She buried her head in his arms. Her mind was clear, as she reciprocated his gentleness and wrapped her arms around his waist. Fiona's response filled Ryan's heart with so much joy.

"Fiona, I..." Ryan said to her softly.

Out of the blue, they heard someone clapping behind them.

Fiona felt her body tense up and she didn't want to leave the safety of Ryan's arms. She turned to see where the claps were coming from and saw Ella, looking elegant as ever.

Ella was walking towards them, smiling. "Congratulations, your performance was amazing. And now I find you both here, backstage, being so sweet. Please do come and join the public!" Fiona's face was bright red. Ryan, however, kept his calm and asked her, "Why are you here?"

"Well, I do have a reason, of course," Ella said. "There's someone looking for you, Ryan. Why not leave and have a look?"

Ryan nodded. He turned to Fiona and said, "You go ahead and get changed first. I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Fiona nodded and watched him leave.

"Good for you, Fiona," Ella said, giving her a pat on the back. "Go for it. I'm going to go on stage now."

"Well, good luck. I'm going to go and change now," Fiona replied.

"Don't worry, I don't need the extra luck. I can't be worse than you." Ella smirked, raised her eyebrows proudly, and walked out the door.

Fiona paused. Her heart was pounding. She turned to her mirror to remove her hair clip and makeup.

All of a sudden, she heard a click.

Someone opened the door of her fitting room. Fiona smiled, turned around, and asked, "What made you decide to come back?" When she saw who was standing at the door, her heart almost stopped. Her face froze, her body suddenly turned cold, and she felt anxiety down to her bones.

"Spencer..."

"Hi Fiona. Do I scare you?" he asked, as he took a step towards her. He had a slight smile, but it couldn't hide the gloom showing on his face. "Spencer...what are you doing here?" Fiona instinctively took a step back. She felt the edge of the dresser behind her. She looked at him fearfully.

He slowly walked up to her, looking completely out of sorts and depressed. "Why am I here? I've been here the whole time, Fiona. I was just under the stage. And..." He raised his right hand and pinched her chin firmly.

Fiona felt like her chin was about to be crushed. She wanted to turn her head away, but he was too strong and she couldn't move at all. She could feel his rage. He was so angry, it was as if he wanted to completely destroy her. It was more terrifying now than it had ever been before.

She was shaking. Grabbing his arm, she stuttered, "Spencer... let me go this instant!"

He looked down at Fiona in disgust and said, "I saw how you and Ryan were hugging just now."

Fiona's face turned white as a sheet. Her eyes were wide and she couldn't move.

"What you saw..." "So now you're feeling guilty?" Spencer was angry. Fiona could sense the danger from his voice. "You've been so smug lately. I told you to behave yourself, but you went against me. So do you like him, Fiona? Do you like Ryan?"

Fiona couldn't speak. She shut her eyes tightly.

"Aren't you going to give me an answer? You like him, don't you Fiona?" Spencer said, clearly trying to control his anger. "Well then. You can have a taste of what you want. But you can't get it!"

Fiona finally looked at him with her eyes wide open. She was angry and afraid. "What do you want, Spencer?"

"I know you like him. But you can't be with him. So now, guess what my next move is."

Fiona took a deep breath. Suddenly it hit her-she understood what he meant. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'll never marry you, Spencer!" she yelled.

She was sure that she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him. She was young and she had so much ahead of her.

Spencer laughed and said, "Oh, Fiona. You say you don't want to get married?" He was obviously mocking her as he was speaking. He tightened his grip on her chin, looked her straight in the eye, and said in a cold voice, "Well, that's not your decision to make, Fiona."

Fiona's mouth was trembling. She looked at him and said, "Tomorrow, I'll talk to Grandpa!"

"Well what a pity! Because it's too late!" Suddenly, Spencer put both this hands on her shoulders. Her eyes burst open, red with shock and fear. "Don't even try to struggle, Fiona! You are going to marry me, and you are going to marry me tonight. It's happening tonight."

"What?" Fiona was horrified. All she could do was look at him in terror.

He took a good look at her sad face, and he proceeded to grab her and carry her over his shoulders, walking towards the back door.

"Spencer! Please stop!" Fiona was screaming. She had never been so terrified. Struggling to get away, she screamed, "Put me down, now! Where are you taking me to? Spencer, put me down!"

"We're going to get married right now!" Spencer kicked open the back door, still carrying her. He was walking towards the desolated narrow path behind the auditorium.

The echoes of laughter in the hall faded away. No matter how hard Fiona struggled, her efforts were useless. "Spencer, I don't want to marry you. Put me down! Now!" Without saying a word, Spencer rushed to the parking lot.

Johnson saluted him. When he saw what was going on, he thought to himself, 'Is this why Spencer wanted me to come here in such a hurry? To take Fiona back? Why does he look like a robber?'¶¶¶¶¶¶¶☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐