Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 10

The plan

I stared at Liam for a few seconds, partially glad that he didn’t want me to pretend his new girlfriend. Nonetheless, hacking into anything seemed like an even worse idea.

“Liam… I can imagine that you’re hurting, but don’t you think that messing up your ex’s engagement party seems a little low?” I gave him a dry smile.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You don’t understand, but don’t worry. You’ll change your mind once you know the whole story,” he said, gesturing to the waiter. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

A minute later, we were both holding glasses of scotch in our hands. It wasn’t my usual choice of alcohol, but Liam insisted that it was essential to drink something stronger before I’d hear what he was about to say. I didn’t get it, but the drinks were on him anyway. I shrugged and took a sip from the glass, letting the liquid bring the heat down my throat.

Once Liam confirmed that I had drank one-third of my glass, he started to speak, “Her name is Nicole Saxon, a beautiful brunette with the body of a goddess. I met her in the Hamptons in the summer two years ago. We became a couple a month after we met. I fell in love, Cora. For the first time in my life, I’ve been head over heels for someone. Hell, I’ve given up my playboy style for her!” A sour laugh escaped his throat.

Pain coated each of his words, making my heart ache for him. I knew exactly what a broken heart felt like, and looking into his eyes I could see his torment. I thought that he was a strong, down-to-earth guy whose heart had an iron cover, but now, he was seething with raw emotions, making me wonder how much loving someone changed him. I gave him a comforting smile, urging him to continue his story and let it out of his system. “I thought that she loved me too. I gave up on moving to London and bought an apartment on Park Avenue so that we could live together. It was perfect… She was perfect. Her father is quite a big player in the food industry, so I bet our families wouldn’t have any issues if we decided to get

married…” he paused before looking at me, teary-eyed. “I wanted to propose last week, but before I could, she dropped the bomb on me…” He tilted his glass and swallowed the rest of his whiskey.

Unknowingly, I decided to join him in that, finishing the liquid that began to gently hum inside my head. He continued the story as soon as our glasses were full again. “‘I booked us a table at one of those trendy restaurants and came with the diamond ring prepared. I was amazingly nervous, but the candles and wine created the perfect mood for me to pop the question…” The corners of his lips curled a bit, but his eyes remained sad before they flashed with pain and anger. “As I was about to gather my courage, she went first, saying that it was over between us. Just like that, without any warning signs.” My jaw dropped. Now that was harsh. There must have been something seriously wrong with that girl.

“Did she give you a reason?” I asked, finishing my second drink. “Like hell she did.” Liam chuckled coldly, summoning the waiter to get us another round.” She said that she is going to marry some rich guy. She said that it is going to be an arranged

marriage, but she met the guy and said that he was super-hot and wealthier than I am!” He burst out into tears.

The bitterness of his words was proof of how devastated he was. I reached into my purse and handed him a tissue.

“At first I thought that it was some kind of really bad joke, but she confirmed her previous words without even blinking an eye. She asked why she should limit herself if she could have the best that is on the market? And I looked into her eyes as if I was looking at a completely different person. That hurt like a bitch,” he said as he regained his composure after emptying another glass.

I had to admit that after hearing the story, I wanted to slap this Nicole myself. Liam certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was a decent guy. Besides, no one deserved to be treated that way.

“So… what do you want your revenge to look like?” I asked, fisting my hand, more than eager to get Liam some justice.

At my words, his lips formed a wicked grin. He leaned closer, locking his slightly drunken gaze on me. “I got it all figured out,” he announced with a fierce nod. “When she broke up with me, I wanted to know who that jerk is, but there’s no news about him. I’d only learned that the details would be announced at the last minute for security reasons. That means that whoever the guy is, he must be some mogul. I was angry, jealous, and depressed so… I hired a private investigator.” He straightened, putting a proud smile on his face.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at him. When poor people get dumped, they go get drunk, curse at the ex, burn their pictures, or cry for a week or two. None of them hires a detective! Yet… he had the means, and that was his way of coping. Who was I to judge?

I sighed, deciding that I needed another glass of scotch, and asked, “So what did this private investigator find?”

“Well…” He let out a nervous laugh. “He found nothing on the guy, as if he was a top-secret agent or something, but he found a lot of dirt on Nicole and her family.” His mischievous grin became wider as he shifted on the sofa, sitting closer to my ear… although speaking at the same volume. “Apparently, Nicole’s father betrayed his first business partner and stole his project to build his own company. And since betrayal runs in Saxon’s veins, Nicole is no different. She has been using men to climb the social ladder. She often dated two or three at the same time! It hurt like crazy to realize that I was merely one of her many steps to catching the really big fish, but it helped to know that I wasn’t the only one who got cheated, and now she is about to do it again! Who knows, this poor guy who is about to marry her might even end up dead after their sacramental vows! Who knows what she is capable of?!” All right, Liam got carried away, and the amount of alcohol, merrily buzzing in his veins, surely helped increase the scale of his assumptions. Suddenly, he hit the table with his fist. “We have to save him!” he claimed, frowning. “Save… who?” I blinked my eyes at him. “That poor guy! My replacement! The one she is about to

marry!” Liam exclaimed. I leaned back, trying to grasp the whole picture. I didn’t quite follow his mood swings, although I liked the agitated Liam far better than the sad and heartbroken Liam.

“That is why I’m not doing this only for myself! I’m doing this for every guy that was hurt by Nicole, and I’m going to prevent this poor mogul from marrying a mantis!” he stated, placing his hand on his chest.

I appreciated his enthusiasm but still saw no plan for revenge. “So, are you going to barge into her wedding shouting that you object, or something?”

“No.” The wickedness exploded in his eyes. “The ceremony might be private, and I want the whole world to know what a bitch she is. The engagement party of the rich is the event where the press is invited as well. And I know when and where it’s going to happen.”

“So… you’re going to crash her engagement party, shouting the truth?” I smiled awkwardly, picturing how bad something like that could end up for him.

“No!” He burst out laughing. “Of course not. I’m not an idiot…”

I seriously hoped that he was not, but I sighed in undeniable relief when he said it.

“I prepared a slide show, exposing every single relationship she was in and how it ended. And we’re going to play it on the big screen in the Blue Crystal Hotel’s ballroom, where the engagement part is going to be held,” he said, confidently.

I emptied another glass. “Are you crazy?!” “No,” he replied calmly. “This will work. I’ve seen it happen before.”

“Seen… where?” I frowned.

“In Korean dramas.” He grinned and crossed his hands over his chest.

“You watch Korean… never mind. You do understand the difference between the romance script and real life, don’t you?” I grimaced as I began to question his sanity. “Oh, come on!” He prodded my elbow. “When was the last time you did something exciting?” “I treasure my life more than the shot of adrenalin, and I’m not going to jail because you wanted to play a hero,” I grunted. “We won’t end up in jail. I’ve got everything we need: the hotel plans, the escape route… all I need is you and your talent. I need you to hack into their system and play the slide show at a

certain moment. I promise that I will get us out of there after everything is done,” he coaxed. I took a deep breath, calculating how many things could go south. “No,” my verdict sounded.

“Cora… please.” Liam grabbed both of my hands and stared at me with puppy eyes. “I know I’m asking for a lot… but you promised me that you would pay me back… I hate to use that card but…”

I clenched my teeth. “Liam… if I was only taking care of myself, I would agree to this insane idea of yours. But there’s my Grandma. Who is going to take care of her if something happens to me?”

Not to mention that preparations for his plan could take a few days, and I had to work and earn money. There was a lot on my mind, plus I needed to figure out how to raise a hundred thousand dollars…

“I’ll pay you!” he burst out suddenly.

I looked at him, trying to stabilize my vision, “What?” I asked faintly.

“I know your time is precious,” he said as if he read my mind, “If you help me, I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars. How does it sound?”

I laughed nervously, I was unable to tell if it was because he gave me an argument that I could use to justify my actions, claiming that I was doing it for my Grandma, or simply because I was seriously drunk at that time, I smirked with the alcoholic‘s charm and said, “Fine, I’ll do it.”