Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ novel Chapter 30

Girl talk 

My heart started to race. A tickling sensation filled me, rushing down my stomach and making me squeeze my thighs. A flush that surfaced on my cheeks was impossible to miss, just as much as the uncontrollable smile that curled my lips, 

“Oh, my!” Miranda snickered, playfully covering her mouth with her hand, “You are head over lieels for him, aren‘t you?” 

A peal of hysteric laughter escaped my throat. “What are you talking about?! I‘m not in,” 

“You cannot fooline, honey. I‘m aware that Aren might have rushed your engagement because of the condition his grandfather set for him, but the fact that you didn‘t refuse him means a lot...” She grinned, waggling her eyebrows. “L..... had my reasons,” I mumbled, avoiding her gaze. 

This was getting truly awkward. I couldn‘t tell Aren‘s friend that I was forbidden to have any romantic feelings toward him. Explaining the reason why Aren and I were engaged was even more complicated. 

Miranda sighed. “You signed the contract, didn‘t you?” 

I gasped. My eyes widened in terror as the amounts in penalties from the contract I had signed flashed in my mind. 

“I‘m not an idiot, you know? Don‘t worry. I would find out about it from Aren, one way or another. If you fear suffering from any consequences because I‘ve found out, then you don‘t have to. I wouldn‘t tell anyone anyway.” She winked at me. 

I smiled nervously with my lips sealed. I was scared. I would never afford to pay any penalty for breaching the contract, and the one concerning confidentiality had the number of zeros that was making my head spin. 

“Cora, let‘s be real here, shall we?” Miranda chuckled. “Aren told me that he is interested in a girl and suddenly three weeks later announces that he‘s going to marry. Not to mention that he was just about to engage with some Nicole Saxon or whatever. Would anyone be able to change fiancée in one day if it wasn‘t about a contract?” She smirked. 

I smiled wryly. “You are right. It does sound absurd.” 

She locked her eyes on me as an evil grin formed on her lips. “Contract or not, I can see that you care for him, more than you are willing to admit.” 

“As you mentioned, it is going to be a contract marriage, and Aren stated clearly that our relationship would never become more than a business deal.” The bitterness of those words twisted my tongue. She burst out laughing. “You cannot seriously believe that, can you?” I blushed as I recalled the way we kissed in Aren‘s office. Our mutual attraction had nothing to do with the contract terms, but it didn‘t change the fact that it wasn‘t a real relationship. I smiled bitterly, thinking about it, and then I looked at Miranda. She was the first woman that I 

Gurl talk 

could talk to about the contract, and even though we‘d just met, I had a feeling I could trust her. 

“I… can‘t really separate physicality from emotions,” I admitted before laughing nervously.” Aren obviously doesn‘t have any problems with that... Even if he said that he wanted me… Well, let‘s just say that I‘m not planning to become his sex toy.” Miranda‘s lips twitched into a sympathetic grimace. “Oh, honey... You don‘t even know what you are missing. Many women would pay him to become his sex toys.” She teased. 

My imagination worked just fine, and the mere thought of having sex with Aren was enough to make me humid. Still, I said confidently, “I‘m not one of them.” 

“If you say so...” She snickered, and then her expression changed to a more serious one. “Even though I haven‘t known you for a long time, let me give you a piece of advice; you need to loosen up a bit. It‘s never simply black or white in Aren‘s life. You need to learn to see more. That idealistic image you put into your brain is restraining you from making your life easier. You need to become more flexible, otherwise, you will not survive in his world.” 

Her words sent chills down my spine. I knew that she meant more than having issues with casual sex. I wasn‘t an idiot, and because she was Aren‘s friend, I somehow wanted her to know that I could cope even with learning that Aren was some mafia boss that had been eating human flesh every Sunday dinner... Of course, I hoped that was not the case. 

A bitter smile formed on my lips as I tried to calm down. “Perhaps I should thank that asshole for dumping me. With all my intelligence, I couldn‘t see the obvious truth. My emotions blinded me, made me an idiot…” 

“Yes... and no. I don‘t know. I guess I need time to find out,” I said, feeling lighter as my words came out. 

“I will cheer for you… and Aren.” Miranda giggled.