Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ
Chapter 106

No longer a nobody

I could never replace the right words to express how amazing it felt to wake up in Aren's embrace. It was sensual and hot beyond limits. I was on edge the entire night, and so was he. The skin of our bodies was hyper-sensitive, making the slightest touch a turn-on. The only reason why we fell asleep was most likely due to overpowering our senses. Putting restraints on our mutual desires was an insanely difficult thing to do...

I didn't want to hurt Aren's pride, so I would never say it aloud, but I knew what it meant to have sex with him and how energy-consuming it was. As insane as it sounded, I knew that he was willing to sacrifice his health just to satisfy me, as if he had been neglecting his husband's duty while in a coma, and he wanted to make it up for me. I knew that inwardly he was aware that he hadn't fully regained his strength yet, but he would never have admitted it. He forced me to make it more my problem than his, but I was willing to since I was doing it for him.

Unfortunately, he kept challenging my determination... We were lying like two spoons, with my back tightly pressed against Aren's firm chest. He held one hand under my neck, curling his fingers to caress my shoulder while his other hand lay on my waist.

"You lost weight," he murmured, his fingers blindly roaming across the skin of my stomach.

I sealed my lips as the sensation of his touch enticed my arousal, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I took a deep breath, ignoring how he made me feel. "Well... I was busy while you were sleeping." "I made you worry," he whispered, kissing the back of my head.

"You made me miss you like crazy," I said, placing my hand on top of his.

"So you were spending your days either worrying about me or working because of me." He brushed my hair away and kissed the nape of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

I could barely concentrate on talking, yet I wasn't going to surrender. "I was also training with Chris and Jack," I said, "Chris was teaching me how to fight, and Jack showed me how to shoot.

He tensed up. A heartbeat later, I was on my back, and he was over me, pinning my hands down to the bed. "Chris was teaching you how to fight?" he asked, his tone sharp and dangerous "Well, yes," I replied with a frown. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course, it is!" he exclaimed.

I raised my eyebrows, feeling slightly amused by his sudden agitation. "I also practiced shooting with Jack, and yet you mentioned only Chris. Mind explaining to me why is it a problem that I'm trying to learn how to fight, but you don't seem to be worried that I'm learning how to shoot someone?"

"You don't need physical contact when you learn how to shoot," he said coldly.

I burst out into laughter. "You are jealous!"

"I don't want other men touching you, and if it's some handsome guy, that makes the case even worse," he grunted.

I playfully licked my lips. "I like you when you're jealous, but you don't need to. You are the

only man I can think about."

My words painted a hint of a smile on his face. He leaned down and kiss me,

***

I wished that our blissful morning might have lasted longer, but it was time to start solving our problems. I decided to delay telling Aren about Lanfen and that night at Crawford's clinic. He already had a lot on his mind from the second he woke up.

We entered the chaos as soon as we drove over the entrance of the Lan Diamond Tower. Over thirty reporters stood there, waiting for us to arrive. Aren grabbed my hand. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. We can go in through the underground parking lot."

I sighed, gazing out through the window. "No... We have nothing to hide. Let's do this," I said, trying to sound confident.

Marcus stopped our car in front of the entrance. A second later, a group of bodyguards gathered around the car, securing our way to the door. Aren smirked and got out first, causing an immediate burst of commotion. Then he turned toward me, offering his hand so I could leave the car gracefully. I held my breath, stepping out. I knew that I was nervous enough to lose my balance and turn myself into a laughing stock, but I quickly realized that Aren would never allow that to happen. His arm created a steady frame I could lean on as I took the first step out of the car in my high heels. As soon as we turned around to face reporters, the

ons started. All I could hear were single, meaningless words as they all shouted at once. I glanced at Aren, but he seemed to ignore all of them, taking his time as he smiled at me, brushed my hair off my face, and gently kissed my cheek. He acted as if the commotion around us didn't exist, making me turn my entire focus solely onto him. Suddenly, the uproar softened, and the questions became easier to understand.

One of the reporters called out, "Mr. Lan, are you planning on hiring your wife permanently as one of your executives?"

Aren glanced at me with a smirk before turning to the reporter. "No, I would never do that to mysell."

"Why not?" he asked, surprised.

Aren put his arms around my waist and pulled me close. "I would never allow her to overwork herself, and I'm positive that would have happened if I let her become a member of the board."

I looked at him with a frown on my face. He sounded as if I couldn't handle working in one of the highest positions in the company in the long run. That seriously pissed me off "Don't you think it's a little chauvinistic to say?" another reporter inquired.

Aren shrugged and chuckled. "What can I say? i'm a possessive man. I know my wife gives her all in everything she does. She is smart and remarkable, and she would be an amazing executive in my company, but I want her to myself. I want her to see her after work and spend time together, and I am certain that it wouldn't be possible if she became my executive."

My anger slightly decreased, but the feministic side of me still had a few issues, and it felt as if a few female reporters were reading my mind...

"So, do you want to turn Mrs. Lan into a housewife?"

Aren leaned over to me and kissed my forehead. "Not at all. I want her to do what she wants.

She is an amazing computer programmer and a true genius, and I will support her in everything... as long as we'll still replace time for each other."

My lips uncontrollably curled up into a smile that came with a blush on my cheeks. I loved my possessive husband. He was the only arrogant, rich man that I could forgive almost anything.

The next question was for me. "Mrs. Lan, what are your plans now, after stepping down from the temporary CEO position?"

I smirked, glancing at Aren. "I don't know. Maybe I will start my own company and sell security software."

"Mr. Lan, would you support your wife's company?"

Aren grinned devilishly. "I would definitely become one of the major shareholders," he said, and pulled my hand, leading me to the entrance.

Thousands of flashes surrounded us on our way into the building, surrounded by a group of bodyguards. Aren held a firm grip on my hand even when we were inside. He only let my hand go after we got inside his private elevator.

"Are you OK?" he asked, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. I chuckled and prodded his elbow. "Why wouldn't I be? I had you by my side, didn't I?"

He smiled warmly and hugged me close. Only then did I realize that he was genuinely concerned about me. That made me love him even more.

As we got in front of Aren's office, it turned out that we had guests. It was Master Gerard Auclair and two of his artisans who came personally to deliver the necklace with Tian Kong diamond. My special piece of jewelry was inside a titanium, password-protected briefcase that was carried by one of the two bodyguards accompanying the artisans. I became nervous just by looking at the protection it needed. As we walked inside, Master Auclair opened the briefcase, presenting the final effect of his work.

"Wow..." I couldn't help but gasp as I saw the Tian Kong diamond placed as the sun in a platinum frame, surrounded by dozens of tiny crystal gems, releasing an astonishing glow.

"I hope you like it," Master said timidly.

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" I exclaimed in awe.

Aren chuckled, taking the jewelry out of the briefcase. "It is certainly worthy of your beautiful neck," he said before putting it on me.

I stepped to the mirror that hung in the corner of Aren's office and touched the diamond on my neck. It was mesmerizing, and wearing it made me feel powerful like never before.

"It suits you," Aren whispered, leaning down and kissing the nape of my neck right at the necklace clasp. "Now, it's time that you show yourself wearing it." He went to his desk and grabbed a pile of envelopes with invitations he kept receiving every day while he was in a coma. He went through them briefly, until he stopped at one and smirked. "Looks like we are lucky, sunshine. We've just got invited to a party where all the market's biggest players are going to be. It's time to show them my amazing wife."