Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ

Two hours had passed since I sat on the sofa in the reception hall of Golden Estate Investments. The

red-head sitting by her desk kept flashing me displeased glances. She must have found my presence

uniquely bothersome, to say the least. I didn’t care. I was on my mission, and I wasn’t going to back

off… although I was tired, and my growling stomach reminded me that my last meal was twelve hours

ago, and that meal was coffee.

I quickly decided to temporarily fill my stomach with water. I grabbed one of the bottles prepared for the

guests, standing on the table, even though the receptionist didn’t bother to ask if I wanted something to

drink. I clicked my tongue, looking at her before taking a sip of water. I could see her jaw clench. I knew

that she found me annoying, but I couldn’t understand why she looked so nervous. As I began to

observe her more closely, I registered her glimpsing at the door at the end of the corridor, and realized

something else… Every corridor was empty, as if there was either no one inside the company or they

were all hiding inside their offices. I must admit that it looked peculiar. Could it be that every single

employee was out of the office? No, the mean red-head wouldn’t look so anxious if that was the case.

After a few more minutes, I noticed her restlessly shifting in her seat. I chuckled inwardly as I

understood why. Human physiology could truly be a bitch. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and looked

at me.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right back,” she tossed, rushing from her desk to the lady’s room around

the corner.

I smirked when she passed me by with her thighs glued together. Well, she deserved decent diarrhea

for her unprofessional behavior. With her slam shutting the toilet door, my curiosity started to itch. I

glanced at the security cameras stupidly pointed at the area where I sat. A wicked grin formed on my

lips as I realized that ninety percent of the space behind the reception desk had been made a blind

spot. As much as I knew that it was wrong… and illegal, I was bored to death, and I was dying to take

an eensy-weensy glance at the redhead’s computer. Besides, there was a tiny chance I could get an

advantage in the negotiations if I found a useful piece of information.

I sneaked my way behind her desk, and, a second later, I was staring at her screen. I wasn’t going to

dig deep. If I was lucky, I would find out how they wanted to renovate our building. I rolled my eyes,

realizing that the computer wasn’t even password protected. I went through some documents, but I

couldn’t see anything related to our case. I was going to walk away from the computer when I suddenly

saw a barely noticeable icon on the taskbar. I recognized this pesky worm right away…

I leaned back, letting a mischievous chuckle escape my throat. I had dealt with this little one before. It

was a form of extremely specialized spyware. I was sincerely shocked that their security was weak

enough to let it mess with their system. Nonetheless, the problem wasn’t mine to solve, and as I heard

the sound of a flushing toilet, I knew it was time to get back to my seat on the sofa and act innocent.

Should I tell someone that their company’s sensitive information might have been stolen? Perhaps I

should. The problem was, how was I going to explain how I knew that?! Claiming that I “accidentally”

checked the receptionist’s screen and taskbar didn’t sound convincing…

The redhead came back with relief painted on her entire face. She glanced at me suspiciously and then

sighed as she got back behind her desk. Did she think I would steal something while she was absent?

Like what? That sofa? If she wasn’t that hostile, waiting for someone I could talk to would have been so

much easier.

All of a sudden, the door at the end of the corridor opened, and a crowd of people started walking out.

There must have been a meeting going on inside that room, an important meeting judging by the

stiffness of those walking into the corridor as if they were still holding their breaths. All those employees

wore elegant suits, making me the only weirdo wearing a shite top shirt and a pair of jeans. The only

plus was that the top nicely underlined my curves. I stood up, preparing to attack the one whom I

assumed was the boss. It was a slightly balding man in his fifties. He was the most relaxed person

coming out of the room. I stepped toward him before the red-haired receptionist thought of stopping

me. I was halfway through the corridor when I noticed that the balding man wasn’t the last to walk out

of there…

“Oh, shit…” I cursed uncontrollably, pushing my heels down to a violent halt.

Aren Lan stepped out of the room surrounded by three other guys who were desperate to read his

emotionless face. This time, it was a black suit embracing his magnificent body. His stride was

confident and elegant. He seemed to be paying utmost attention to those who tried to impress him.

Nonetheless, his expression stayed unmoved. Unknowingly, I stepped aside and leaned against the

wall to let them pass me by, strangely overwhelmed by Lan’s presence. Well, he wouldn’t pay any

attention to me anyway… right? Wrong!