Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 30

Girl talk

My heart started to race. A tickling sensation filled me, rushing down my stomach and making me squeeze my thighs. A flush that surfaced on my cheeks was impossible to miss, just as much as the uncontrollable smile that curled my lips,

“Oh, my!” Miranda snickered, playfully covering her mouth with her hand, “You are head over lieels for him, aren‘t you?”

A peal of hysteric laughter escaped my throat. “What are you talking about?! I‘m not in,”

“You cannot fooline, honey. I‘m aware that Aren might have rushed your engagement because of the condition his grandfather set for him, but the fact that you didn‘t refuse him means a lot...” She grinned, waggling her eyebrows. “L..... had my reasons,” I mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

This was getting truly awkward. I couldn‘t tell Aren‘s friend that I was forbidden to have any romantic feelings toward him. Explaining the reason why Aren and I were engaged was even more complicated.

Miranda sighed. “You signed the contract, didn‘t you?”

I gasped. My eyes widened in terror as the amounts in penalties from the contract I had signed flashed in my mind.

“I‘m not an idiot, you know? Don‘t worry. I would find out about it from Aren, one way or another. If you fear suffering from any consequences because I‘ve found out, then you don‘t have to. I wouldn‘t tell anyone anyway.” She winked at me.

I smiled nervously with my lips sealed. I was scared. I would never afford to pay any penalty for breaching the contract, and the one concerning confidentiality had the number of zeros that was making

my head spin.

“Cora, let‘s be real here, shall we?” Miranda chuckled. “Aren told me that he is interested in a girl and suddenly three weeks later announces that he‘s going to marry. Not to mention that he was just about to engage with some Nicole Saxon or whatever. Would anyone be able to change fiancée in one day if it wasn‘t about a contract?” She smirked.

I smiled wryly. “You are right. It does sound absurd.”

She locked her eyes on me as an evil grin formed on her lips. “Contract or not, I can see that you care for him, more than you are willing to admit.”

“As you mentioned, it is going to be a contract marriage, and Aren stated clearly that our relationship would never become more than a business deal.” The bitterness of those words twisted my tongue. She burst out laughing. “You cannot seriously believe that, can you?” I blushed as I recalled the way we kissed in Aren‘s office. Our mutual attraction had nothing to do with the contract terms, but it didn‘t change the fact that it wasn‘t a real relationship. I smiled bitterly, thinking about it, and then I looked at Miranda. She was the first woman that I

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could talk to about the contract, and even though we‘d just met, I had a feeling I could trust her.

“I… can‘t really separate physicality from emotions,” I admitted before laughing nervously.” Aren obviously doesn‘t have any problems with that... Even if he said that he wanted me… Well, let‘s just say that I‘m not planning to become his sex toy.” Miranda‘s lips twitched into a sympathetic grimace. “Oh, honey... You don‘t even know what you are missing. Many women would pay him to become his sex toys.” She teased.

My imagination worked just fine, and the mere thought of having sex with Aren was enough to make me humid. Still, I said confidently, “I‘m not one of them.”

“If you say so...” She snickered, and then her expression changed to a more serious one. “Even though I haven‘t known you for a long time, let me give you a piece of advice; you need to loosen up a bit. It‘s never simply black or white in Aren‘s life. You need to learn to see more. That idealistic image you put into your brain is restraining you from making your life easier. You need to become more flexible, otherwise, you will not survive in his world.”

Her words sent chills down my spine. I knew that she meant more than having issues with casual sex. I wasn‘t an idiot, and because she was Aren‘s friend, I somehow wanted her to know that I could cope even with learning that Aren was some mafia boss that had been eating human flesh every Sunday dinner... Of course, I hoped that was not the case.

“My ex–boyfriend... was… kind of abusive.” There, I finally said it out loud.

Miranda‘s face became paler. “I‘m sorry, I didn’t know... I didn‘t mean to–” “No, it‘s ok. It was three years ago,” I claimed, forcing a weak smile on my face.

“It‘s not ok. Your hands are shaking”

They truly were. I only noticed it when she said it. The truth was, my whole body was trembling as if I had touched something that could easily cause an avalanche of emotions. I had accidentally dug out a tip of something that I wanted to keep hidden, for eternity if possible. “I guess it‘s still a delicate subject.” I shrugged, praying that she wouldn‘t push me to say anything else.

Miranda put her hand on mine. “Just know that whatever dickhead Aren can be, he would never hurt a woman.”

A bitter smile formed on my lips as I tried to calm down. “Perhaps I should thank that asshole for dumping me. With all my intelligence, I couldn‘t see the obvious truth. My emotions blinded me, made me an idiot…”

“And you are afraid that it would be the same with Aren?” she asked, trying to end my thought.

“Yes... and no. I don‘t know. I guess I need time to find out,” I said, feeling lighter as my words came out.

“I will cheer for you… and Aren.” Miranda giggled.

I felt better after we talked. I knew that she wasn‘t THAT kind of doctor, but it was the closest

I‘d had to therapy, a girl–talk where I admitted something I couldn‘t confess, standing in front of the mirror. Was it the first step to making my old wound heal? I truly hoped so... I spent the rest of my day in a surprisingly good mood. I could focus on work and discover my new laptop‘s possibilities. I finally made crucial progress: my software was almost finished, and I was able to enter the beta–testing phase. I was beyond happy and felt like celebrating. I wanted to tell someone about it, someone who could share this excitement with me. I grabbed my phone and before I knew it, I was making a call.

“Hello, Cora.” Aren‘s sexy voice sounded through the phone‘s speaker. I almost dropped the phone. I was unaware when I picked up his number. I did it unconsciously. I swallowed. “Hello… Aren,” I said, trying to hide my nerves. “I just wanted to ask... At what time will you be home today?”

“Do you want me to come back early?” His deep, soaked in playfulness tone made me gasp. “I just... I finished the first phase of the project that I had been working on for a few years, and

14”

“Do you want to celebrate it with me?” he asked. “Yes.” My answer slipped out before I knew it. “I‘ll be home in half an hour,” he said and ended the call.

I stood and stared at the phone for another minute, wondering what the hell had just happened. It was a little after eight, and he was never back in the penthouse earlier than at midnight. Did he decide that there were no more urgent matters for him to handle today? Or did he leave work only because of me? That second possibility made my heart skip a beat. I grinned like an idiot, feeling even more rejoicing now that I knew Aren would celebrate my achievement with me. I also surprised myself while talking to him: I actually called his penthouse home...

„Aren walked into the hall exactly half an hour later, looking insanely delectable in his navy

three–piece suit. He smiled, seeing me in the salon, and instantly walked toward me, dropping his briefcase on the sofa on his way. He stopped right in front of me, his gaze sending an electric wave down my spine. “H–have you eaten?” I asked in a panic. “I can make you some—” He interrupted me by claiming my lips in a deep, passionate kiss. His hands slid around my waist, pulling me in against his firm body, as his tongue lushly caressed mine. Finally, he broke our kiss, allowing me to catch my breath. “Congratulations, my sexy wife–to–be.”