Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ
Chapter 80

Too sincere Aren wasn't fond of the idea even after an hour of convincing by Jack, but eventually, he gave up as he realized that it truly might have been our only chance. Of course, I suggested that I could also try to hack his email account or his phone, but then I heard a loud and firm "no" coming from Aren and Jack simultaneously.

"Even if we are doing it for the right reasons, we are still committing a crime here. We are going to plant a bug in a federal agent's office, and if something goes wrong, we are all going to prison for it," Jack warned.

I knew that Aren was prepared to risk his own future for the sake of getting his revenge, but he was also unwilling to risk mine. But I chose to join his war willingly, and if there was a tiny chance that I could help then I was going to do it. Our entire conversation ended up in planning how to put a tap in Lester Packton's office. We merely mentioned the recording that I had found in the Wintons' mansion, indicating that Aren's father had planned to murder his mother, Lan Liling. We knew that Jack would have gladly taken the case... if he hadn't been suspended. Unfortunately, taking care of former Police Chef Richardson and James Winton would have to wait until Jack had become clear of all charges... "I'm going to teach you self-defense starting tomorrow. Take some comfortable clothes with you to the office; we will practice after work," Aren grunted as we walked out of the coffee shop. "Aye, aye, Sir." I saluted with a teasing grin on my face.

Aren glared at me. I guess he was still pissed at me for not having things the way he wanted. On the other hand, I was proud of myself that I was courageous enough to put myself out there for another mission even though I was shaking inwardly as I thought of what I would have to do...

I slept soundly that night without Aren and woke up refreshed. I rushed to the kitchen and prepared breakfast while cheerfully humming. Unlike me, Aren looked as if he hadn't slept at all that night. He was pale and grumpy. When I looked into his haggard eyes, I saw concern and... fear. I tried to ignore it, but once it didn't disappear after another few minutes of our breakfast, his nerves had become infectious. "Would you like some more coffee?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Why are you doing this, Cora?" Frustration surfaced in Aren's words. I chuckled nervously. "Why what? Why am I asking if you want more coffee?" He frowned. "Why do you want to help me? This isn't your fight. I don't want you to risk so much for me...”

Now, I was becoming pissed. I glared at Aren, crossing my arms. "First of all, it is my fight. I was the one kidnapped and hit by this guy that we are after. Furthermore, I was the one who

testified and found evidence against Callan, and I am partially responsible for his death. And that makes me partially responsible for Jack's suspension as well. As you can see, I'm not doing this entirely for you, so don't flatter yourself too much." "I'm sorry..." Aren muttered, lowering his head. I glanced at him, confused. "What are you sorry for?"

He suddenly grabbed my hand, sending a wave of shivering across my body. "I was aware of the danger that involved being with me, and I thought that I could protect you, but I couldn't. "He looked at me with eyes filled with guilt. I swallowed hard as all kinds of emotions rushed through me. "Do you regret marrying me?" I asked softly.

He smiled and kissed the back of my palm. "I don't deserve to have such a wife." I gasped as his soft lips tasted the skin on my hand. I had to give it to him-he was a pro at this game, while I wasn't even a beginner. For now, I kept losing to his subtle attempts to remind me how good it felt to be with him. But I wasn't going to surrender like that. "No, you don't deserve me. So at least you should give me more respect," I yanked my hand away from him, nonchalantly raising my chin. "Do you think that kissing a hand is disrespectful?" he questioned. I smirked and leaned closer to him. "No, but you disrespect my intelligence if you think that I don't know what you are doing. Stop playing me already.' He chuckled. "But you like what I do, and you cannot deny that you enjoyed all the things I did to you."

I raised my eyebrows at him, wondering if he was that calculated or if his emotional intelligence was that low. "It is my body reacting to yours. Don't tease me anymore," I hissed. His amusement stayed unchanged. "I think you like it when I tease you."

The blood in my veins boiled, filling my heart with fury and pain. I stood up, hitting my flat palms against the table. "You can either stay the fuck away from me or take responsibility for making me fall for you!" I thundered, loud enough to be heard a block away, before storming out of the kitchen.

I darted into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. "Oh my God... Why the hell did I say that out loud?" I muttered to myself, collapsing onto my bed. I didn't want to see his reaction to my words, but I knew that mentioning feelings at all must have rang in his brain like an alarm. Was he going to think that I was already in love with him? And if so, would he distance himself from me, or pretend that my words had never reached his ears? It would be good if he controlled the way he acted around me, especially when we were alone... But what if the distance he would put between us became unbearable? "Cora, you need to think of him as your employer and partner in the crime you are about to commit, nothing else," I told myself. "Who cares about the distance?! He is not an object of your emotions!" The transformation I needed to perform inside my mind was hard but necessary. I had to

protect myself from being emotionally damaged. I decided that it would be best to avoid Aren for the rest of the day, and my plan became a complete success. I sneaked out of the penthouse, Benjamin drove me to work, and I did my best to stay inside the office throughout the day. I focused on making sure that it was safe to give away Callan's phone, and then worked on improving algorithms and updating my security program installed on Lan Diamond Corporation's computers. I was doing fine... or so I thought.

Alan and Norton had already left the office, and I was getting ready to leave as well when I got a text from Aren. "Wear something comfortable, come up to my floor, and go straight to the end of the corridor. My private gym is on the right.",

Shit. I had completely forgotten about the self-defense training. I texted back, saying that I would be there in five minutes. Suddenly, I became nervous. Taking a deep breath, I opened the bag where I had packed a fitted black sports top, leggings, and a pair of sneakers. Using the fact that I was alone, I changed inside the office and then walked out to the empty corridor. Once I was in the elevator, I looked at my reflection in the mirror; I had to say that I looked sexy. The black leggings perfectly wrapped my hips and buttocks, while the short top showed off my breasts. I smirked, hoping to give Aren a hard time concentrating on anything else aside from

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I walked out of the elevator and confidently strode to the end of the corridor, realizing that I had never been to that part of the floor. I opened the door cautiously and entered a spacious hall divided into two areas with different types of flooring. There were mats on the first half of the floor and tatami on the other half. The first half was full of gym equipment, with boxing bags hanging in the specially separated area and a row of boxing gloves lying on the low-hanging shelf. The tatami half had a traditional Japanese design with only a row of sword and bokken stands and a few hangs for kendo uniforms. My mouth opened wide in awe as I took in the sight of it all, but I quickly realized that the hall wasn't nearly as breathtaking as my husband in his practice uniform. "You're here," he said, walking over to me, a smirk curving his seductive lips. My eyes slowly scanned him as he strode my way. He was wearing black fitted pants with his sizeable manhood notably underlined by their cut, and a black fitted shirt, making his chiseled muscles almost shine right through it. His hair was slightly damp, as he clearly had been working out before I got to the gym, and combed up to emphasize the whole beauty of his impeccable features. Jesus fucking Christ! The sight of him was enough for my hormones to fry my brain! If he was my attacker, I would probably die in less than two seconds. He chuckled, standing only inches away from me. "Ready to roll on the mattresses?" I responded in nervous laughter. This was going to be a hell of a training...