Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 9

An old friend A week has passed since I solved our workshop problem. Alan and Norton called my achievement a victory, but that didn’t mean that everything in our lives went back to so-called normal. We didn’t have to move out of our basement, but it didn’t change much in Golden Estate Investments’ plans. The renovation work that was supposed to turn the old tenement into a hotel began two days after I had signed our rental agreement. In a flash, the whole area became a construction site. They might have skipped the basement for now, but even so, they turned our quiet place of work into a freaking madhouse… It took the greatest toll on Norton, whose antisocial nature had been challenged like never before. Fortunately, soundproofing headphones saved us from going insane… or committing mass murder.

Certainly, my work at the coffee shop stayed as it was. There were days when Monique, Marco, and I had some fun, but mainly it was energy-draining. Thankfully, the tips made up for the stress, yet it lacked a few zeros to fit the amount of money I needed for Grandma’s operation. The truth was, I wasn’t making any progress with raising that hundred thousand dollars. I didn’t even know where to start. Should I advertise our computer workshop somewhere? No. I couldn’t afford an efficient marketing campaign, and I couldn’t see how handing out cheap, hand-made leaflets could get us some wealthy clients…

It was nearly six. I handed out three coffees and took a short break. I went outside through the backdoor and stretched my back. I could swear this work was making me age twice as fast as I normally should. With a sigh, I checked my phone and noticed a missed call from someone I hadn’t heard from in two years… Surprised and excited, I called him back.

“Liam?” I said hesitantly when my call was answered.

“Cora… I’m so glad you called back…” His voice was unusually emotional, as if he could burst out crying any second. “Are you in New York?”

“Yes. Are you?” I asked since the last time we talked, he was about to move to London.

, “Yes!” he exclaimed, sounding sincerely rejoiced. “Can we meet tonight? I’ve got a lot to tell

you. We’ve got a lot to catch up on. So many things have happened, and… and… I seriously need a drink. Please don’t say no.” His words were feverish, making me feel like I was talking to a different person. I even glanced at the caller ID on my screen to confirm to whom I was talking “OK, fine!” I laughed. “I’m going to visit Grandma after work, so I can meet you at nine, preferably near the Crawford’s Clinic.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

He went silent for a while. “I’m sorry… I should have asked… How’s your grandma doing?”

I smiled bitterly, then took a deep breath. “Her aneurysm ruptured half a year ago, and she’s in a coma… But she’s been taken care of by Doctor Crawford, that’s why I don’t lose hope.”

“Wow... I don’t know what to say…” he breathed out. “I’m so sorry, Cora… I—”. “Don’t. Grandma got to that clinic thanks to you, and I will be forever grateful for that,” I said, feeling a faint squeeze in my chest.

The truth was that Liam Halford was one of my fellow students in Oxford. We weren’t

no coltiind

especially close, but, unexpectedly, he was the one who helped me a lot when my Grandma got ill. What do they say about a friend in need? Well, that was exactly the case. The sad fact was that he was the only one willing to help me. My mind was an absolute mess, and he told me what to do. He even pulled some strings and found a way for my Grandma to get into the Crawford Neurological Clinic on preferential terms. I told him once that I owed him a favor, hoping that someday I would be able to repay him for his kindness. Now, I could hear that he was the one in need of help…

Liam cleared his throat. “So… there’s a bar near the clinic called Feu Vert. Can you meet me there at nine?” he asked faintly.

“I’ll be there.” I smiled.

When our call ended, I suddenly felt restless. We had never been the kind of friends who leisurely chit- chat over a beer. Why now? Furthermore, we were living in different worlds. He was a boy from a wealthy family, studying economics and ready to take over the family business. He was handsome, intelligent, and cocky at times. He loved to party at nightclubs, always bringing a girl back home. We had nothing in common except for the intelligence… and maybe the fact that I wouldn’t call myself ugly as well. Nonetheless, he was probably the only rich guy I could stand, and the fact that he had never liked my ex-boyfriend was a huge plus.

The next few hours passed in a rush. Once I ended my shift at Café Dorado, I went to the clinic. I guess I should be happy that at least my Grandmother’s condition was stable. I told her about my day and my plans for the evening. I think she would like Liam. He had that easiness in him

and was intelligent enough to laugh at Grandma’s sarcastic remarks.

Nine o’clock came quickly. I said good night to my Grandma and left the clinic to look for Feu Vert. Fortunately, the place was only a block away. I walked inside and stopped, admiring the view. It was like industrial rawness met the magical garden. The bricks and steel elements mixed with green leaves and remarkable flowers. The walls were subtly entwined with grapevine, as if the bar had been taken over by Mother Nature herself. As I stepped deeper inside, I found Liam sitting in a bar lounge on a green velvet crescent sofa. He had a glass of scotch in his hand, and judging by the blush on his cheeks, it wasn’t his first glass. He looked – kind of miserable, even though he stood out, and I meant it in a positive way. He had brown, thick, slightly ruffled hair and bright amber eyes. He was wearing a V-neck cashmere sweater, sexily underlining his broad shoulders, while a pair of blue jeans made him approachable. I would be surprised if there weren’t any women who tried to take his number… or him home before I walked in. “Hey, old friend.” I waved my hand as I walked towards him.

He got up, put his glass on the table by the sofa, and rushed my way. I smiled awkwardly, and before I could realize what was going on, Liam pulled me into a tight hug, leaning his forehead against the crook of my neck. I stiffened. Letting a nervous chuckle escape my throat, I patted his back

“I missed you too,” I said, struggling to understand his reaction, but then I heard his weak sob.

Was he crying?! That shocked me even more than his call. He was a playboy type, although he had never aimed to be a heartbreaker. Nonetheless, emotional had never been the word i’d call him.

old friend

“I need your help, Cora,” he mumbled.

“OK…” I said blindly, “I’ll help you, but you need to tell me, what happened first.”

He leaned back and looked at me with the saddest expression I had ever seen on his face. He sniffed and nodded. Then he took my hand and led me to the lounge. I observed him, trying to guess what got him into this state. He took a few deep breaths to regain his composure, then he grabbed his whisky and finished it in one gulp.

Suddenly, he grabbed my hands and locked his eyes on me, giving me a pleading stare. “You are my only hope, Cora.” “Hope?” I couldn’t help but laugh a bit hysterically at that one. “I’m heartbroken!” he exclaimed, loud enough for half of the bar to hear. “Hush,” I tried to calm him down by stroking his cashmere-wrapped arms. “I get that you’re hurting… but can we talk quietly about it?” I coaxed. “You are the best, Cora…” he muttered, lowering his head. “I should have known that from the beginning.” I leaned back. I already knew that some chick broke his heart, but he wasn’t thinking of me as his rebound, was he? I glanced at him cautiously. I knew I owed him, but there were some limits to what I was willing to do for him. I mean, he was attractive, and I hadn’t had sex for a long time, but I would never agree to become someone’s replacement! “So… What do you want me to do?” I asked, shifting back to the sofa and mentally preparing to refuse.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and frowned. “I want you to help me get my revenge.” I smiled wryly, fearfully imagining myself acting as his girlfriend just to piss off his ex. “Listen …” I sighed. “I’m not sure

that I can—”

“I need you to hack a computer during her engagement party,” he stated decisively. I blinked my eyes, processing his words. “You want me to… what?!”