Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ
Chapter 101

Prayer

Prayer As I stormed into Aren's room, I found Miranda there, leaning over him and checking his pupils' reaction to the light. When she turned around, I mouthed hello to her and gave her a warm smile as I rushed to sit on Aren's bed. "His reactions seem fine, but he hasn't moved since that one episode that the nurse witnessed." Miranda's lips curved into a crooked smile.

I sighed. "I guess we will have to wait."

Miranda gave me a comforting pat on the back before leaving me alone with my husband. I grabbed his hand and stared at him, hoping for any sign that would tell me that he was waking up, but nothing like that happened for another hour... It was past seven, and I kept sitting by Aren's bed, talking to him, touching his arm, and caressing his cheeks. "I'm scared, Aren. The shareholders' meeting starts at ten o'clock. I don't want to disappoint you.... I was trying real hard, but now I'm just tired. I'm afraid that those people will do something bad, and I won't be able to stop them." My voice trembled, but I forced myself not to cry.

I called Neil, telling him where I was and asking if he could bring me the clothes I prepared for myself to wear at the meeting. I silently prayed for a miracle. If Aren opened his eyes, even for a bit before the meeting, I could tell that news at the meeting, and ask the shareholders to give my husband a few more days to recover before making any hush decisions. "Aren.... I just wanted to tell you that our marriage was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you... I want to spend the rest of my life with you... But it would help if you just woke up already..." I smiled even though I kept widening my eyes, and I hardly restrained my tears from falling. Suddenly, I felt a gentle squeeze, as if Aren's fingers had curled around my hand. I gasped and stroked his hand. "Aren, if you hear me, then know that you have been sleeping long enough already. Come back to me..." I whispered.

His shoulders flinched in reaction to my words. "Miranda!" I yelled, jumping up from Aren's bed and rushing to yank them open. "Mira-"I paused, surprised to see Neil right outside the door. His pale face and thin sort-of-smile instantly put me on high alert. "What now?" He chuckled nervously, walking into the room and putting my suit and a bag of cosmetics on the table. "They called for a press conference at 8:30," he choked out. "Who did?" I hissed.

"The executives. They want to expose Mr. Lan's state, knowing that even if you send the news you found to the press, the shareholders' meeting will be over, and their choice final," he explained. I looked at the clock; it was nearly eight. I glanced at Aren, but he no longer showed any signs of waking up. My heart ached that I was forced to choose between staying with my husband or saving his company, but I also knew that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't do everything in my power to help him keep the CEO's position at his own company. I put makeup on, got dressed, and instructed Neil to observe Aren closely and let me know if he started to wake up. I rushed to the company without having a specific plan. I prayed for a miracle... and the stupidity of others. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be far worse than I thought...

"There she is!" I heard Mr. Hill's venomous voice shouting through the microphone as I entered through the revolving door of the Lan Diamond Tower.

It turned out that the press conference was held there as well as if they wanted to trap me. Mr. Hill stood on the podium on the opposite side of the entrance hall. The rest of the executives sat around the long table, resembling the grand jury ready to judge me... or rather crucify me. The crowd of reporters standing in vast rows from the entrance to the podium spread like the Red Sea, allowing me to walk through while hectically taking pictures. Fury boiled in my veins. I kept my eyes locked on Mr. Hill, an evil smirk crossing my lips as his eyes met mine. "Mrs. Cora Lan... who most likely forced her husband to marry, knowing that he was terminally ill, had been constantly endangering the company from the moment Mr. Lan fell into a state of coma. She hasn't graduated from any university and has no experience of even working in a big consortium such as Lan Diamond Corporation. Therefore, we called for a shareholders' meeting to remove this pest from the highest position in the company and save Lan Diamond Corporation's workers from losing their jobs." As Mr. Hill's last tone spread across the hall, the executives and the crowd of workers gathered to enhance the effect burst into an enthusiastic ovation.

I took a deep breath, painted a sorrowful expression on my face, and slowly walked to the podium, surrounded by boos and cursing. As I was one step away from my enemies, I faked my inability to climb up in high heels. I took the shoes off and stepped onto the podium barefoot. Mr. Hill and the rest stared at me with frowns while the reporters enjoyed taking pictures of something that looked like a weak woman being bullied by a bunch of greedy old men.

Prayer

I gave the row of executives all a slight bow before taking the microphone from Mr. Hill. "May I?" I asked innocently after it was already in my hands. Once he nodded, I faced the press. "What Mr. Hill said is partially true... I don't have a degree, although I studied at Oxford. I have never run a company, and I have never even worked at a company the size of Lan Diamond Corporation. But I have been managing it for less than twenty days, and I am willing to give the CEO's position back to Mr. Aren Lan, my husband, as soon as he recovers from the accident." My words caused a wide wave of commotion to spread through the hall. The executives turned silent, smirks flashing in their expressions as if they were hoping that my words would harm me and Aren even more than theirs. But I would never let that happen.

"But Mr. Hill also lied because he has no evidence that I caused any harm to the company. Furthermore, according to my calculations, the decisions I made are going to increase the company's profit by nearly five percent." I paused and glanced at the annoyed COO before shifting my eyes back to the press. "So you may ask, why all this fuss? The reason is simple: greed. Those people sitting at this expensive- looking table in their high-end suits used the fact that my husband fell into a coma. They used my misery to get rid of my husband from the company he built with his own blood, sweat, and tears. My husband had the right to appoint someone he trusted to replace himn temporarily while he was fighting for his life. I cannot blame him for putting this responsibility on my shoulders since the executives just trusted that they aren't trustworthy..." I ended my sad speech by lowering my head.

While I gained the reporters' pity, the executives' anger reached beyond the limit. Mr. Dawson jerked the microphone off my hands and yelled. "Don't believe this bitch and her sad performance! Aren Lan will never wake up, and we cannot leave this company in the hands of someone without any knowledge or education! Who knows, Aren Lan might be already dead!"

"Actually, he is very much alive!" I heard Neil shouting from the end of the entrance hall,

The reporters turned around towards him, and a wave of gasps and murmurs followed. They spread, creating a long row that quickly reached the place where he stood, but I couldn't see him clearly. I could only recognize him because I remembered what kind of suit he was wearing. Someone who stood beside Neil stepped forward. The man walked fast, striding energetically in his navy suit until he reached the podium. My hand clamped over my mouth as I looked at his face, smiling at me.

"Good morning, sunshine," my husband said, winking at me. "Did you miss me?"