Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 18

Adjusting

A peal of hysteric laughter escaped my throat. I turned to my new chauffeur, praying that he would understand me and play along.

“Thank you for giving me a ride,” I said with an awkwardly wide smile, stopping Benjamin halfway before he sat down behind the wheel.

He stepped out of the car. His eyes shifted from me to Liam and back to me again.

“No problem, Miss.” His fingers slid through the rim of his hat.

“Thank you,” I repeated, bowing my head this time.

I could see a surprise flashing through his face, yet he kept his composed expression. He nodded his head, and a few seconds later, he was pulling away from the curb. I sighed in relief as I got rid of the first part of my problem. I stepped closer to Liam, grinning like an idiot.

“What happened to you? Did you win a million dollars overnight or something?” he muttered, widening his eyes as he could now examine my clothes up-close. “Of course not.” I waved off his assumptions with my hand. “I was working at the café today when some rich client spilled coffee all over my clothes… She was incredibly sorry, and she gave me this dress as an apology. Can you believe it?” I forced a laugh.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Did she give you her Gucci heels as well?” “Yes.” I nodded my head while keeping that stupid grin on my face. “This must be my luckiest day since I moved back to New York!” I exclaimed with a wide gesture, as if it could possibly make up for the fact that I was lying.

“What about the car and chauffeur?” he asked, with an unmistakable suspicion in his tone.

“She insisted to offer me a ride home. I ended up asking the chauffeur to take me to your place because I urgently need my laptop,” I said quickly and pulled him through the entrance of his building by the rim of his sleeve. I could feel his doubtful gaze on me, but I kept walking toward his apartment, pretending I didn’t notice. We walked into the elevator, and I saw him frowning.

“What?” I let out an irritated sigh.

“I don’t know,” he said, “It’s just that your story sounds quite unbelievable. That’s all.” He shrugged. I chuckled. “You are right. The truth is that I have recently become the contract fiancée of a very wealthy man. He was the one who gave me those clothes and assigned me a private chauffeur and a car.”

He burst into laughter hard enough to shed a tear. “That’s a really good one, Cora!” He kept laughing even when we left the elevator and then entered his apartment. I didn’t know whether or not to feel insulted that he chose to believe in the lie I made up in seconds over the fact that some crazy wealthy man found me attractive, but I couldn’t blame him because I

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After Liam stopped laughing, he no longer asked me any questions. He just handed me my computer, smiling beamingly. I thanked him and walked out, feeling as if I had dodged a bullet. I exited the building and began walking towards the subway when I noticed a black Bentley pulling over directly in front of me. Benjamin walked out of the car and bowed.

“I apologize, Ms. Bell. I didn’t mean to put you in a difficult situation,” he said.

“That’s OK.” I smiled. “He bought my lie, so it’s OK.”

I could see Benjamin sigh in relief as if he could lose his job if I didn’t handle the situation the way I wanted. As he opened the door to help me get into the car, I slightly patted his arm.

“Please, don’t worry about what happened. It was my fault for not telling you in advance.”

He nodded, giving me a faint smile, but I guess that he had relaxed a bit after my words. As he drove me back to the penthouse, he kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

I smirked. “If you want to say something, go ahead.” “I shouldn’t. It’s just a personal opinion,” he stated nervously.

I urged, “I don’t mind.”

Benjamin cleared his throat. “I just think that Ms. Bell is unlike any of Mr. Lan’s girlfriends…” he muttered.

I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, really? How am I different?”

I was unable to explain why mentioning Aren’s girlfriends annoyed me. My mind instantly thought of how many girlfriends he had… Was he going to date anyone despite our contract?

“You are… nice,” he replied hesitantly. “Not that I would judge Mr. Lan’s girlfriends… I’m sorry, I talk too much.”

His words made me even more curious. “Hey, I won’t tell on you, so you can just speak freely.”

He took a deep breath. “Ms. Bell, you are polite and humble, and”

“I’m not rich,” I explained, letting out a breathless snort. “I don’t think that I am peculiarly polite or humble. I was just nervous, and I am still nervous. I ride the subway trains and buses, not limousines…”

I could see Benjamin’s bright smile in the mirror’s reflection. “I think that makes you special… and you are special to Mr. Lan as well.”

“You have no idea…” I muttered under my breath.

Of course, I was special. I had little more than a zero on my account and he threatened me to sign a marriage contract. Benjamin’s comment wasn’t truly a compliment, even though I knew that he didn’t mean it in a bad way. I was about to let it out of my mind, but he continued…

“You know... you are the first to move into his penthouse. Mr. Lan cherishes his private space deeply. I have never seen him even invite a woman to his apartment.”

“Never?” I gasped while the corners of my lips curled up uncontrollably.

“Never.” Benjamin confirmed. “Even when he intended to meet with Ms. Saxon, they only met in his hotel and restaurants.”

For some reason, those words made me feel a little satisfied… before I remembered Neil’s words that it was easier to keep me safe in Aren’s territory. I needed to prevent myself from looking at my situation as if it was something private. This was nothing but a business transaction… It was merely an unusual and complicated one.

When I was walking back to the building on Park Avenue, the concierge surprised me by greeting me by my name. As I walked toward the elevators, a few more people respectfully nodded their heads. I responded in the same manner. It felt awkward. I would be stupid not to assume that Aren Lan not only owned the penthouse in this building, but he owned the whole building. I also bet that everyone had already been informed that I was Aren Lan’s newest fiancée, and since it was Aren Lan’s kingdom, I was now receiving royal treatment…

I didn’t enjoy it, but I also knew that I had to get used to it and stop behaving like an imposter or lunatic. I wasn’t going to change into somebody I was not, but Aren Lan needed a representable wife, and I would have to improve my act by far to make people believe that he would choose me as his partner without accusing him of suffering from temporary insanity. As I entered the penthouse, I got a message from Neil. He informed me that my clothes and documents from my apartment had already been brought to

the penthouse and placed in my bedroom. He also texted that he had ordered me a dinner that would be delivered in half an hour. He must have been reading my mind, or he and my stomach must have been communicating since it just started growling. A few minutes later, I got another message from him.

“Mr. Lan won’t come back until late tonight. Feel free to open any wine from the wine fridge in the kitchen and enjoy.”

I chuckled. His messages sounded like music to my ears. I thought that there were some parts of this weird contract that I might actually like…

The rest of the day passed, making me feel surreal. I had a delicious steak for dinner, then I sat on the roof patio by the pool and worked on my laptop. Afterwards, I called Benjamin and asked him to take me to the clinic. I had to tell Grandma that I had solved most of our problems. If she heard me or sensed my emotions, I needed her to know that I was all right and that I was going to get her the best treatment possible. After spending some time by Grandma’s bed, I felt more motivated. I was ready to become the best contracted girlfriend

and fiancée a rich guy could ever find.

When I came back to my new home, I used Neil’s advice and went to the kitchen to find a good -looking bottle and a wine glass. I ended up drinking the best Pinot Noir I’d ever tasted, and I used it as a liquid inspiration to work on the security software I’d been developing for the past few months.

It was a little after midnight when I started to feel sleepy. I went back to the kitchen to get some water and realized that I was still alone. I had never felt lonely in my small apartment, but staying here at the two-thousand-square-foot penthouse made me crave company. I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for a long time before finally losing consciousness. Strangely, I woke up at 5:30 AM, feeling absolutely refreshed. Dressed in

nothing aside from a long, white T-shirt I used as a sleeping gown, I went down to the kitchen and realized everything looked exactly how I left it before going to bed, including the dirty wine glass I put by the sink. Did Aren even come back? Or did he stay up working all night in his office? Well, there was no chance in hell that I would knock on his bedroom door to check

If he didn’t try to contact me, then I wouldn’t seek contact with him either. I washed the wine glass, and then made myself a cup of coffee. I had already planned to work with Alan and Norton in our computer workshop, and I might as well go there a few hours earlier. As I went back to my bedroom, I saw a magnificent sunrise. Drawn by the breathtaking view, I walked out through the glass door and observed the gentle sun rays reflecting on the smooth surface of the roof pool water. I stood there in awe while finishing my coffee when suddenly I heard the sound of a closing door. The sound came from Aren’s bedroom. Driven by foolish curiosity, I took a few steps across the patio and suddenly found myself standing in front of Aren’s bedroom glass door. I froze. Aren Lan was standing by his bed with nothing but a small towel covering his hips and fine ass. Drops of water drew lines down his perfectly chiseled shoulders, chest, and abdominal muscles. The view was completely mouthwatering. At one moment, he raised his hands and ran his long fingers through his damp black hair. I swallowed, getting uncontrollably aroused as I watched him. As he slightly turned towards the glass door, our eyes met… I gasped and instantly felt like a pervert. I had no explanation for peeping on him. “… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” I mumbled, taking a step back away from his door.

He snorted and walked out to the roof patio, making my embarrassment even worse. The sunlight emphasized his firm, bulging abdominals going down in the ideal V, thoroughly marked by his low-placed towel. God, I couldn’t even force myself to look away! I took

another step back as he moved closer, a smug grin painting his face. I stepped back again and found myself on the edge of the pool.

“Shit,” I cursed as I lost my balance. A second later, my body landed deep under the surface of the water…