Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 26

Thanking him It took more than an hour for Alan and Norton to stop drooling over my newest toy. I had to admit that the equipment that Aren gave me was beyond amazing. The number of new possibilities this stuff could create for me was astonishing. I couldn‘t even begin to imagine how much this computer cost... Of course, it was a little bit like giving a full tank of gasoline and matches to an arsonist, but I would never release my evil powers upon someone who didn‘t deserve it.

Pressured by the boys‘ excitement, the thought of thanking Aren for granting me this extraordinary gift engraved deeply in my head. For certain, I couldn‘t present him with anything that had a similar value, and since my freak friends had already seen this computer, there was no way that they would let me reject it. If I were to thank him, I needed to be either creative or practical, or better yet, both.

There was also another issue that stayed on my mind: when did he order this laptop? Aren was an influential man, so I could imagine that he might have gotten equipment like the one he had given me way faster than the rest of the mortals would‘ve needed to wait. Still, an order like that should take at least a few days to prepare. I signed a contract with him a few days ago ... Did he order this computer then? If he did, then wouldn‘t it prove that he wasn‘t as indifferent as he wanted me to think he was? Of course, giving gifts could have been something he usually did. Nonetheless, I couldn‘t help but wonder if this was special.

I needed to process it all quietly and alone. I bought myself a sandwich, sat on a bench in a nearby park, and called Neil, asking him if he knew anything about the roses or the laptop.

“Um...” he paused for a moment, sounding surprised. “I confirm that I‘m the one who usually fulfills Mr. Lan‘s requests concerning buying gifts or flowers, but... I wasn‘t the one who ordered it. It must have been Mr. Lan himself.”

I gasped. A wave of a strange, electrifying sensation rushed through me, and the heat followed. My lips uncontrollably curled into a dumb grin.

“Neil...could you tell me... how is Mr. Lan today?” I asked, trying to restrain the smile in my voice.

“Not good,” he replied almost immediately. My smile instantly gave way to a concerned frown. “Why? Did something happen?”

JI

“There‘s a serious crisis in the company. We have all been trying to deal with it since yesterday. Mr. Lan worked all night in his office to solve the recent problems. I don‘t think he‘s even eaten the food I brought him yesterday.” He sighed heavily.

My stomach knotted. I suddenly felt guilty that I inwardly cursed at Aren for not showing up like he promised last night. While I‘d been sleeping and whining, he was putting his all into the work, most likely trying to handle the problems by himself. He didn‘t sleep, he didn‘t eat, and must have been deadly tired. As I pictured him glued to the desk in his office, a thought came to my mind.

“Neil... Is Mr. Lan allergic to something, or maybe there is some kind of food he doesn‘t like?”

Thanking him

I asked hesitantly He thought for a moment before replying, “Not that I am aware of.” “And is there something he enjoys eating?” I couldn‘t believe that I asked about it. “He enjoys seafood, but he doesn’t have one type of food that he likes,” Neil answered, and quickly added, “I’m sure he‘ll eat anything Ms. Bell cooks.”

I blushed. “H-how did you know that I was going to cook for him?”

Neil laughed. “I didn‘t know, but I was hoping you would, Ms. Bell. Mr. Lan tends to overestimate his ability to run on fumes. If you show up, you will give him a reasonable excuse to take a break.”

My face only became redder. I wanted to argue with him. I couldn‘t see how my presence would possibly get this workaholic‘s mind off work. Nonetheless, if I wanted to find a good way to thank Aren, then this was a perfect moment to use my cooking skills.

Since I had already finished all my tasks at the workshop, I asked Benjamin to take me to buy a few things from the supermarket. Thankfully, I had always had a good taste in cooking, and with a few of my Grandma‘s recipes, I felt quite confident in the kitchen. I decided on dishes that could strengthen his immune system and wouldn‘t be too hard to digest. I made a carrot and ginger cream soup and shrimp with rice and mango salad. It was almost lunchtime when I finished. I packed it all into thermal lunchboxes, dressed in a decent light blue flared dress and heels to resemble a woman, and went to the Lan Diamond Tower.

As soon as I walked into the building, carrying lunchboxes with me, I noticed new faces at the reception desk. I knew that the rude lady had been fired, yet I wondered if I got the same kind of treatment from the other receptionists... I took a few steps forward, and my eyes met one of the receptionists‘ eyes. I could hear her audibly gasp as she saw me. A second later, all three ladies were standing and bowing to me. I stopped, bemused.

“Hello, Mrs. Lan,” one of the receptionists with short blond hair greeted me.

I smiled nervously, stepping towards their desk. “My name is Cora Bell. I’m not–”

“We apologize. Mr. Lan informed us that you are his fiancée, so we assumed that Mrs. Lan...” the lady with shoulder–long brown hair muttered anxiously.

All three of them looked amazingly stressed. Were they afraid that they would lose their jobs if they didn‘t greet me properly? I started to wonder what Aren or Neil had done to those poor women…

“Please... Our engagement is yet to be announced publicly... Call me by my name,” I suggested, awkwardness sounding clearly in the tone of my voice.

“Of course,” the brown–haired receptionist replied, relieved. “Shall I inform Mr. Lan that you are here, Ms. Bell?”

“Yes, please.” As soon as I said it, I started to feel restless.

What if he told me that he was too busy to see me? Perhaps I had made a mistake and I should just hand over those lunchboxes to Neil. I watched the brown–haired receptionist notify the CEO‘s office, feeling more nervous by the second. I was just about to tell the receptionist that I

had changed my mind, but then she put down the phone and grinned at me. “Mr. Lan awaits you in his office. Do you want me to lead you there?” she asked politely. “No,” I said breathlessly, “I know the way.” I dashed to the elevators as soon as she buzzed me through the security pass. My hands were shaking, and my heart thundered as I was on my way to the top floor. I kept wiping my sweaty palms against my dress, afraid that I would drop the lunchboxes on the way. As I walked through the final floor‘s corridor, everyone, from the few people that passed me, bowed down to me as if i had officially become their queen. It only multiplied my stress. Finally, I stopped in front of Aren‘s office. The windows were translucent. Aren sat by his desk and talked on the phone. As he saw me, he smirked, lifted his hand, and bent his fingers, gesturing at me to enter. I nodded and walked through the door. Once I did, he reached for the remote, turning the smart glass surrounding his office opaque. I swallowed and slowly walked to his desk, waiting for him to finish his call. He put down the phone less than a minute later.

“I heard that you didn‘t eat. I‘ve brought you lunch.” I hurriedly put the boxes on the side of his desk.

“Were you worried about me?” he asked, his slightly hoarse voice filled with amusement.

I took a deep breath and looked into his tired eyes. “Yes… and I also wanted to thank you... for the gift... and the roses.” “Oh?” He raised his eyebrows, his lips curling into a wicked grin. “Did you like it?”

“Yes.” I smiled. “The roses were beautiful, and the computer... it will be an incredible help. Thank you.”

His grin widened. “Did you cook the food yourself?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

He chuckled and pushed his office chair a bit away from his desk. “Come here.” He pointed at the spot by his chair. ‘I hesitated, but still obeyed, and walked to his side of the desk, stopping right beside him.

“Will you show me what you‘ve brought?” he asked softly, pushing away his laptop to make room for the dishes.

My lips twitched into a nervous smile. Being so close to him only made my heart pound more. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

It took a lot of effort to prevent my hand from shivering while I opened the boxes and presented them in front of him.

I cleared my throat and pointed at the flask. “This is carrot soup with ginger, coconut milk, and coriander. I also prepared shrimp with rice—”

“Feed me,” he said as a teasing grin popped on his face.

I snorted. “You‘re kidding, right? What are you five?” His arms inertly dropped on the armrests of his office chair. “I‘m too exhausted to hold the damn spoon. You may as well prove your sincerity and feed me.” His unreasonable demand made my temple vein throb. I clenched my teeth, but then forced a

thin smile on my face.

“Fine.” I took a spoon and scooped some soup onto it. He smirked as I blew at it to cool it down before bringing the spoon closer to his mouth. He kept his eyes locked on me while tasting it. My heart raced as he gazed at me playfully, devouring me instead of food. He licked his lips and said huskily, “More.” This game was embarrassing, and he seemed to enjoy it more as my perplexity rose. I looked at him in disbelief and sighed. Nonetheless, I spooned the soup again. This time he leaned forward, his mouth

hungrily reaching for the spoon in my hand, deliberately playing with it. I jerked my hand away, almost dropping the spoon in the process. “This is ridiculous. You can eat it yourself,” I grunted, putting away the spoon and crossing my arms over my chest.

He chuckled. “I‘m sorry. I guess I teased you a little too much.”

“You think?” I hissed.

He sighed and put on a mischievous smile. “There is one other way you can help me regain my energy.”

“And that is?” I arched one brow, feeling more and more annoyed. A second later, he pushed against his heels to bring the chair towards me, his arms scooping me right below my buttocks and sitting me astride on his lap, facing him. I gasped, barely registering his arms closing around my back, clutching me as he leaned close, breathing out a seductive command, “Kiss me.”