Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 31

About his plan

About his plan

His stare at me was an unmistakable order to submit to him. It sent my heart into a wild race. I wanted him so badly that my whole body inwardly whimpered, begging him to let me feel his lips on my skin again. Surprisingly, he didn’t push any further. He just held me in his embrace with his eyes locked on me.

“T-thank you…” I mumbled, placing my trembling hands on Aren’s chest and trying to push him away.

He smirked and stepped back, releasing me before I would lose the last ounce of control I had. I exhaled in relief when he walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

“Hope you’re hungry. I ordered steaks and a salad from Coeur de Romarin. As I remembered, you enjoyed it last time,” he said, shrugging out his suit jacket.

“Um… yes… I’ll gladly eat it again…” I muttered, still a bit dazed from his kiss.

He chuckled and took a few steps toward me. “I’m going to change. I’ll be back before the food gets here. Pick a wine from the fringe, OK?” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before stepping up the stairs. I nodded, painting a superficial mask of serenity even though I was in the middle of panic mode inside. It annoyed me that Aren was the one in control while I wasn’t. He acted of his own will and did whatever he wanted, and I simply surrendered like some brainless doll. This was beyond frustrating! Perhaps I should be grateful that he didn’t try to push it too far. He was well aware of the way my body reacted to him. Was he trying to be considerate toward me, taking one step at a time so I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable? I had to admit that, aside from being a calculative bastard, he had his kind and warm side, and that one could mess me up the most.

I took a few deep breaths and went to pick the wine. I chose a nice-looking bottle of Zinfandel, then set the table for two. Somehow, preparing to dine with him alone didn’t feel strange. I found myself more comfortable in his presence… that is, if he wasn’t too close. As soon as I put the wine glasses on the table, he walked down to join me. He was wearing casual jeans and a black, fitted V-neckline T-shirt, and he made it look as incredibly hot as when he wore a suit. His T-shirt perfectly embraced his fine-built curves of muscles, making them visible even through the fabric. He must have done it on purpose, knowing that I couldn’t resist the urge to admire his chest.

“Excellent,” he commented, as he glanced at the bottle I’d chosen for our dinner.

A second later, the delivery man brought our food. Aren insisted that I sit down and let him serve dinner. It surely was an offer I couldn’t reject. I observed Aren’s movements while he placed the perfectly prepared plates on our table, mesmerized. He knew how to pamper a woman. He opened the wine with the professional sommelier’s elegance and poured a little wine into my glass so I could taste it. He stood close to me, too close. His perfume wildly attacked my nostrils, and I couldn’t focus on anything but him. I chuckled nervously, raising the glass to my mouth as he waited for me to approve the wine. I took a sip, trying to avoid his seductive gaze, and nodded hurriedly in acceptance before my tastebuds could even feel what Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

About his plan

I’d drunk. He snorted, but then mercifully filled our glasses and took his seat in front of me. “I hope that Miranda didn’t bother you too much. I apologize if she did,” he said, suddenly. “No… it was fine.” I laughed softly, surprised that he cared. “She was very… straightforward, which startled me at first, but then we ate lunch and she even told me a bit about you…”

He smirked. “She told you good things or bad things about me?”

I took a big gulp of wine and looked straight into his eyes. “She told me that you immediately cut off women you slept with and that she was the only exception since you and she are friends.”

His lips formed a mischievous grin. “That is so like Miranda. But you don’t need to worry about what she said… it won’t apply to you.”

An instant wave of heat covered my cheeks, yet I couldn’t let him win that easily. “I know it won’t. First, I’m not planning to sleep with you, and second, it would be hard to cut me off while I live in your penthouse for two years.” I smirked.

He chuckled and stared at me, more intense than before. “Your stubbornness turns me on. It makes me want to work harder to break your resistance.”

I swallowed and squeezed my thighs. My body throbbed violently just because of the way he said it. I prayed that he didn’t see through me and realize that the resistance he mentioned had become nothing but a weak façade. I finished the wine to cool off.

“I also have something to celebrate,” he said, refilling my glass. “The articles from our date caused the response I was hoping for.” “Oh?” I gave him a curious stare. “And what kind of response was that?” He leaned forward on the table. “I caught the old Winton’s attention.”

“Your… grandfather?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yes. The fucker celebrates his eightieth birthday tomorrow and wants to invite us.”

Chills ran down my spine. I knew that I would have to meet his family at some point, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. I barely started to handle Aren alone, and now I was going to meet his family?! Not to mention that I was told that they weren’t exactly the nicest kinds of people… “I get that he invited you, but why me?” I smiled nervously. “Meeting you is the sole reason for his invitation,” Aren smirked coldly and leaned back on his chair. “He knows that if I marry, I will get the Lan Wang Corporation’s shares, and he is getting restless. He knows that with Lans’ support, I will be able to crush him and all the Wintons.”

I gulped. “So… he wants to test me and see whether our relationship is real and estimate your chances of getting the inheritance?” “Precisely.” “But… you want us to go to his party… Why?” My confusion rose as I tried to comprehend the situation.

About his plan

“I need us to pretend that we are willing to play nice. If we do, Augustus Winton will surely invite us to stay at the Wintons’ mansion, and that is what I am counting on,” Aren explained.

“So… you want me to suck up to him and ask for his blessing?” I asked, forcing a thin, soaked in annoyance smile.

Aren shook his head. “I would never allow you to belittle yourself in front of him. You are going to walk into that party as a future Mrs. Lan, someone far more powerful than he would ever be. Besides, if he tries to do anything that would insult you or make you feel uncomfortable, you will have me take care of it. Remember that.” I felt warmth filling my body from the inside. I wanted to smile and cry at the same time. The man sitting in front of me wanted to build my confidence. As pathetic as it might sound, no one except Grandma did that for me. It caught me off guard. Even if Aren was merely talking about my role in our fake relationship, I felt grateful. Nonetheless, if I were to play my part well, I needed to comprehend the aspects of his that didn’t seem to make sense to me. “Let me get this straight… You want me to walk there beside you and prove to everyone that we love each other. Then you want me to keep my confidence on the verge of arrogance while meeting your grandfather, just to make him curious enough to invite us to the mansion where you grew up in?” I gazed at him in disbelief. He smiled wryly. “Saying that my relationship with my father and stepmother is bad is like calling a hurricane a light summer breeze. I need a reasonable excuse to get back there, and you are going to be my excuse.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why is it so important for you to go back there?”

He chuckled and leaned forward, dangerously locking his eyes on me. “It’s a secret.”

His words felt like a cold shower. “You still don’t trust me…” I muttered.

He grabbed my hand and lowered his head, placing a soft kiss on the back of my palm. Then he raised his head and looked at me with a faint smile. “I don’t want to put pressure on you. I will tell you once the old man invites us.”

I looked back at him but couldn’t hide the fact that it hurt me.

“Trust me,” he said, as his expression became serious and confident. “Please, Cora, just trust me.”

I didn’t know why, but I felt that he must have a reason to keep this from me. Maybe he thought that I would be more confident without knowing everything? I wasn’t comfortable with it, and yet I sighed, surrendering. “Fine. Let’s go to that birthday party.”