Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 44

Changing

The date was set in two days, I was about to meet Callan again. I wished I could have had more time to prepare for meeting him, but I was also aware that it was going to happen soon.

“I‘ll be by your side, and I will make sure nothing bad is going to happen,” Aren assured.

I smiled, trying to fake my composure, but the truth was, I was terrified. Perhaps I should feel more comfortable having to hold Aren‘s hand while facing my dreadful ex. Aren was definitely hotter and wealthier than Callan, and I was nearly certain that he was a better man in every aspect. Still, my anxieties were there, slowly consuming my rationality. Nonetheless, it was Monday, and I had other things to focus on. We had to set a trap for a hacker.

Mr. Clark, Neil, Aren, and I sat together in the office and worked up a plan to provoke the one who invaded the system into another attack.

“We have to keep Davies in hiding for some time, whether he likes it or not. Officially, he will be on vacation while we prevent him from contacting anyone from outside. Those fuckers cannot know that we have found out they entered our system and who was their mole,” Mr. Clark said.

“He‘s been handed over to the police. Can we get him back just like that?” I asked, my eyes shifting from him to Aren and back to him.

Mr. Clark smirked. “I have my way. Besides, the case has been handled quietly by the NYPD from the beginning. There‘s no need to worry.”

I nodded in acknowledgment. It looked like it was merely one of many crime–like situations in that company that he had to deal with over the years. As my eyes turned to Aren, I saw him calmly registering Mr. Clark‘s words while nodding in approval. He had to trust him and his judgment a lot. That made me curious if there was any particular story behind their acquaintance.

“I prepared a list of potential products that would attract the thief‘s attention.” Neil gave us all a copy of the results of his research. “I would say that the sequel to the game “Golden Dragon City” should do the trick.”

Aren quickly read the document and put it down on the table. “I agree. The game was supposed to be released by the end of next year. If we spread the rumors that the launch would be a whole year earlier, the hacker will certainly try to steal it or corrupt our files.”

I remembered that the first part of the game was a big hit, and the players anticipated the sequel for a few years, but Moon World, the company that originally created the game, hadn‘t been so lucky with their other products. Two years ago, they were on the verge of bankruptcy. That was when Aren bought them out, making them a part of the Lan Diamond Corporation. I heard big money was invested to put the Golden Dragon City‘s team back on their feet. If the hacker‘s goal was to threaten Aren‘s business, then he certainly wouldn‘t miss the chance to damage the long–awaited game, making all the money invested go to waste. “Cora, please explain. What do you think that hacker would do?” Aren gestured at me to speak. I straightened in my seat and cleared my throat. “The Moon World operates in its own

network, which creates similar circumstances to those that were in Lan Diamond Corporation‘s planning department. With Davies gone on vacation, they would need someone to access the Moon World‘s computer, another mole, only this time we would be ready,“| claimed with a confident smirking, “I’m going to install the software I designed on every Lan Diamond Corporation computer. My security program works as an artificial immune system Since I saved a part of the spyware, I will use it to create a form of vaccine that will mark the worm as soon as it appears. I can set my software to send a silent alarm that could notify us of the bug in the system without deleting it. Then all we‘ll need to do is wait.”

“Perfect.” Aren grinned at me, clapping his hands. “Do you need anything to make this work?”

“Um...” I smiled nervously. “I would like Norton and Alan to help me... I‘ve already used their programs to find the mole, so I think that they would be a great he—”

“Where do they work?” Aren asked, his voice firm and commanding.

“We work together at the workshop. We fix computers and sometimes work for minor companies,” I answered. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“I want to hire them exclusively.” “W–what?” Hearing Aren‘s words made my mind go blank. “You‘ve already said that you need your colleague‘s permission to use his software with your program. I‘ll pay them to settle all the legal issues and copyrights. In return, they would have to sign a full clause of confidentiality, but I‘ll make sure their payment would be worth it.”

His words sounded surreal. Every one of us dreamed of earning decent money for the work that we loved, but we also got used to our independency.

“That‘s very generous of you, but I don‘t think that my friends would agree to work like cogs in a corporate machine…”

Aren leaned closer, his eyes locked on me. “I will create a department for the three of you only. You will be in charge of Lan Diamond Corporation‘s IT security. You will have the authority to check on every other department and you will answer to no one but me.”

My lips formed a nervous smile. I didn‘t think that anyone in my place could refuse such an offer. It would be highly unreasonable to refuse such an offer... The problem was that” reasonable” would have been the last name I‘d use when calling Norton or Alan. Norton had once refused to take an assignment from a company because he claimed that it had too many R letters in the name...

“I‘I... try to convince them,” I said, turning my gaze away from Aren‘s irresistible irises.

“Good girl.” He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead.

The level of my flusteredness went sky–high as I realized that Neil and Mr. Clark were still very present in the room, observing every detail of the discussion between their CEO and me. I couldn‘t possibly miss

the mischievous grins popping on their faces. Neil had that grin glued to his mouth even when he was walking me downstairs so I could go on to meet with Alan and Norton.

“What?!” I grunted at him, a red flare still visible on my cheeks.

“He‘s changing, you know?” he said, smiling,

“Aren?” I asked as if he could be talking about anyone else.

He nodded, “You are the cause of that change.”

The fading blush returned two–fold. “What are you talking about?!” I laughed nervously.

“I have known him for ten years, and I‘ve never seen him affectionate toward a woman. Kisses, holding hands... that‘s not what he used to do. I think that you intrigue him in more than one aspect, and that makes him do things he has never done. It‘s fun to watch.” He giggled. “Perhaps... but would it make our relationship real?” I lowered my head and didn‘t realize that I said it out loud.

Neil pulled my hand to stop. “Wait... have you... for my boss...?” I stared at him in panic before bursting out in awkward laughter. “N–no! I‘m just kidding!”

Neil stretched his lips into a thin smile. His eyes narrowed. “Ms. Bell... I believe that you are a good and emotional person. That is why I wouldn‘t want to see you hurt. Although I think that my boss can be a good person as well, he is a deadly calculative son–of-a–bitch ninety percent of the time. What I‘m saying is that some people are just never meant to be in an emotional relationship, and Aren Lan is the best example of one of them.”

I forced myself to smile, ignoring the odd squeeze in my chest, before patting Neil‘s arm.” Don‘t worry. I‘m not planning to fall in love with your boss. I mean... he is sexy... and he can drive my nuts, but he

would have to work very hard before I let him into my heart.” My voice sounded quite confident. I only hoped that I could keep that confidence for the long run.

I couldn‘t say how many deep breaths I took before I got rid of Neil‘s words from my head. I needed to focus before I talked to Alan and Norton. While Benjamin drove me to the workshop, I kept making mental notes and improving my sales pitch. When I entered, my geek friends were already waiting for me, sitting by the table as if they were the board of examiners. “What‘s so urgent?” Alan frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. Norton mirrored Alan‘s expression. “Yeah... What is so urgent? And more importantly, did my program work?” I chuckled. “Yes, Norton. Your program helped a lot. Thank you.” I blew him a kiss that instantly painted a sweet blush on his cheeks.

“So?” Alan impatiently tapped his fingers on his crossed arm. I smiled nervously and sat in front of them. “Well... As you know, I have a boyfriend...” I started.

“A rich and generous boyfriend,” Alan added, narrowing his gaze at me. My lips curled even more awkwardly than before. “He actually owns a huge company... When I asked for your help on Saturday, it was to deal with the crisis in that company...”

“And?” Alan urged.

I took a deep breath. “I‘m aware that you both treasure your independence, but he wants to hire you and offered to create a special department with only the three of us in it, taking orders from no one except for him alone. He promised to treat you fairly, with good pay and –

“What is the name of the company?” Norton asked, his expression more severe than ever before.

I choked out, “Lan Diamond Corporation.”

They both looked at each other before shifting their eyes to me, saying simultaneously,” Where do we sign?”