Standing still behind the casement windows of his office - the eyes intently riveted on the long and straight shadow that swayed elegantly to the golden gate, Cole kept meditating all day long on the way to back his unyielding maid into the corner but none of the schemes or the set of reasons he came up with seemed persuasive enough for her. He was thoroughly aware she was not as easy to manipulate as the other women he went out with. Unlike them, Bexley was maybe quiet but she had an indubitable strong temper. Yet despite this fact, never did he expect her to be so unequivocal about her decision. He thought that at least money or a hint of sentimentalism would successfully corrupt her but in the end, neither his thousands of arguments nor his appealing money offers made her hesitate to his request even for a second, all of which ultimately forced him to play his trump card ; Blackmail. He really tried to avoid the use of his ace for the respect and regard he secretly held for her, but her rugged determination left him no option. Cole finally closed the curtains when she disappeared behind the walls framing his property. He switched on the desk lamp, slumped into his armchair and sighed heavily. He went to his phone book scrolling the short list of names before his eyes until he caught the name he was looking for ; Henry Temples. He clicked on it and waited for his friend to answer. When a hoarse sleepy voice thickened with a strong Scottish accent greeted him with a swear, Cole smiled.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgcxl9y1uK
“I hope for you you have a good reason for waking me up so late,” he groaned.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQXbDzpKFq
“I need your help,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr0p4sZile
“What? Now?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNl0jSdlm9
“No, not right now but as soon as possible,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6M2CDGOPP
“What is it about?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQ0rc9s5XH
“I need you to find some information about a woman but only comprising ones,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUgixZG2ml
“What have you got yourself mixed up in this time?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dR55WJwK3
“Can you do it or not?” Cole turned a deaf ear to his friend’s question.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdm8O4uP9B0
“Of course I can, you know it. What’s her name?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGRvZ4yHjr
“Bexley Hamilton,”
***
“Ally, I’m home,” the young woman shouted, dropping her keys on the console table and hung her bucket bag as well as her cardigan on the wall coat rack rail. 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0yIJdGAZJ
“You lied to me,” Alyssa, who just appeared in the small vestibule stated with a frown and crossed arms. Bexley didn’t need any further detail to understand what her sister was talking about. Before starting her defence, she took her shoes off and pressed her sore feet against the wooden floor releasing whimpers of pain as she felt her toe bones cracking under the pressure. All she wanted to do at right that instant was to remove her hideous uniform, take a warm lasting shower to relax the tensed muscles of her aching back and eat something good without thinking or chatting about her employer who kept harassing her with his fatuous idea of wedding her.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFvJfthwbH
“Please, just let me take a shower first, okay?” she begged.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYjRsHsjEV
“No, I want an explanation now. First you sleep at your boss house without telling and then you lie to me about Maggie coming home. I want to know what’s going on,” 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxhPDDjlz9
“Ally, please. Just let me clean myself up and I promise, I’ll tell you everything you want,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHn28ydBQwW
Alyssa stared at her without a sound, the glower still printed on her face as she considered her words, then opening her mouth, she said, “I want you downstairs in fifteen minutes and no lies. Now go, you smell like shit,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD45nzALQgR
After twenty minutes of self-care, Bexley finally showed up in the front room in her favourite satin pyjamas. She slouched down on the comfortable Lawson-style sofa and turned the television on when her elder came in with a tray on which were two plates of chicken fajitas and glasses of ice tea. Alyssa disposed the tray on the coffee-table and sat by her sister looking at her expectantly, but Bexley who was in a teasing mood, noticed it from the corner of her eyes and ignored her by taking a tortilla and greedily bite at it, her eyes focused on the TV.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Pz1i5uFC5
“So?” Alyssa asked impatiently.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj576NV016w
“What?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaojGN1EfB
“Becks, don’t mess around with me. I’m really upset at you,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxncTHiTgje
Bexley smirked.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINh3hPbcAD
“I’m not joking, seriously,” Alyssa pinched her arm.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyczB527D1a
“Ouch! No need to be so brutal,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiPmKoDSwn
“Tell me. Now,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXE0QKU1kJB
Bexley sighed and said quite nonchalantly, “My boss proposed to me,” 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO16ce56Ik
“Not funny,” Alyssa scowled.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpC3eAevfm
Bexley kept eating her tortilla quietly until her sister realised at her silence that she was not lying. Alyssa turned the volume down and looked at her benjamine with astonishment.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH5SvhqqlC
“Oh my!” 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfMZAIor41
“Yeah, oh my,” Bexley scoffed.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy7AyZMrRM
“Why did he...I mean, that doesn’t make sense,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX9ZxjJxlR
Bexley gave her the details of the previous event that occurred in the morning, explaining how the man proposed to her and why she lied. Alyssa remained silent for a long moment, evidently assessing the situation with the solemnity of a priest while Bexley ate her diner with appetite.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdYozKfC7o
“How much money did he offer you again?” Alyssa questioned at the end of her contemplation.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwY2w3xfqem
“Five million,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyXyqcBObd
Alyssa paused again and said, “I think you should reconsider his proposition,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tPovU84WY
“You’re kidding, right?” Bexley retorted as she threw a piece of sweet pepper in her mouth filled with smashed food.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyOg8CF3k4
“Look, I think it’s a very good opportunity for you,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5y2tE5v4u
“How? How marrying this man could possibly be a good opportunity for me?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QWsgliRZI
“Can’t you see? He’s offering to pay all your tuition fees and five million dollars. You won’t have to worry about earning your scholarship again or to work to provide for us. You’re finally getting the chance to make all your dreams come true,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyb4qvnXGXa
“I don’t need to marry this man to fulfil my dreams, moreover fighting for what I want bring up more excitement to my life than anything else,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPi9QxYnGv
“You’re not serious”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWi98kgc6f
“I deadly am,” Bexley answered back.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexm742uoN3
“Bexley, please. Don’t rush in making a decision. You can’t waste this opportunity like that,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjT8I7F9tW
“So what are you saying? That I should sell my body, pride and dignity to this man so I could live more comfortably? I’m indeed struggling a bit for a living but I’m not a beggar. We are not beggars,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2WWqtwaUl
“Stop being so dramatic, this is not what I said. And I will never allow you to sell your body, you know it. I’d rather die than let you or force you to do such thing,” Alyssa said now looking straight into her eyes, but Bexley averted her eyes as a memory surfaced in her mind, “But look, all you have to do here it’s to pretend to be his wife in front of his family, that doesn’t mean you have to sleep with him or anything,” 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2QDOODzvN
“Then what about you, huh?” Bexley answered back putting her plate down on the table, “What if we get caught? We’re talking about a sham marriage here. It’s illegal! What if the police goes after you because of me? I cannot take this risk,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vdK1V6iyQ
Alyssa closed her eyes and let a breath out, hiding her face in her hands. She understood her sister’s fear, nonetheless she couldn’t simply neglect the fact that this proposal was like the helping hand that could snatch them from their financial issues.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgFED49heI
“Is that why you turned down his offer, Bexley? Because of me?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXsrEyUC4B
“I turned down his offer ‘cause I hate deceiving people. I turned down his offer ‘cause I don’t like him. And I turned and always will turn his offer ‘cause I can’t jeopardise you,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKv14zj234a
“Bexley-”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFr8cUlA2y
“You know what? I don’t want to talk about this any more. I won’t change my mind and this conversation is officially over,” she said leaving for her bedroom before she lost her temper.
***
Bexley looked blankly at the opened book in front of her, the hundred of words aligned on the pages suddenly losing their meaning. She attempted to focus on her last revising session but ended up failing. The entire morning, her sister’s voice and the echo of Cole’s offer kept haunting her restlessly, leading to a stormy trial in her mind, where two parties were confronting each other in fierce indictment and speech defence in which they dressed the drawbacks and advantages for her to marry Cole Ramsden. Bexley was usually not indecisive, her “yes” was “yes” and her “no” always remained a “no”, never she got back on her decision once she made one but here, for the first time, she was uncertain as she thought about her sister. She knew the thirty-five year-old woman had a point ; they needed that money, but Bexley wasn’t ready to make such a costly sacrifice. Frustrated to not be able to concentrate her attention on her work, she gathered her things and decided to leave the library where she spent the morning. She was walking along the corridor when her phone buzzed in her satchel bag. She paused on her way, took the device out and checked the screen.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vv4qDTfA2
“Hi, babe. Look, I’m sorry for what I told you yesterday, I didn’t mean to bug you, I was just trying to help. Although I still judge the proposal as a great deal, I won’t force you to do anything against your will. Just want you to know I respect your decision. Love you, Ally,” Bexley read the text. She smiled and continued to step towards the exit door of the huge building as she was texting back.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv3sGOUo2q
"Becks, wait!” 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvgFhC1sK2
Immediately recognising the owner of the pleasant baritone voice that called her name far behind her, Bexley pivoted on her heels to see a very tall man with long and natural dark blonde hair styled in a bun, bright indigo eyes that shone through the glasses of his spectacles and a short but neat luxuriant duck-tail beard; Ezra Simmons her high-school first crush and long-standing friend. A grin brightened her face as she watched him covering the few metres between them at a run then halted in front of her, panting. Bexley laughed slightly putting her hand above his shoulder.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFzXMdGXJX
“You’re not going to faint here, aren’t you?” she teased him.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6JoQ8w18N
“Don’t make fun of me or I'll fight back later,” the charming medical student jested back resettling his eyeglasses on his nose with a push of the finger.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetJ71IlYGr
“I would like to see that,” she defied him smiling devilishly.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgyLjFczL1
“Are you provoking me, Bexley?” he asked amusingly now that he regained his breath as they walked side by side in the deserted corridor.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkPnUTlSh4
“I don’t know,” she replied innocently, batting eyes dramatically which caused the man to laugh.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkul8kGfIM
“So, how’s going your revising?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVZRiHRY1Q
“Good, I’m worn out but I think I’m ready for the exams,” she shrugged, “You?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLykDX4qQwc
“Hard, but I’m handling it quite well too. You know what?” he said after a moment, “Since we’re good with our revising, how about we take a break?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT0iYpzYN2
“Do you have something in mind?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsL093M3S0c
“I’ve got two tickets for the Weeknd. Interested?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rMKba1GE0
“No way!”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGOX9Nksrq
He laughed, “Way,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOKm7WZnKo
“And you’re inviting me? What about Rachel?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8aw75d9YG
“What about her?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxurf8mh3xB
“Aren’t you into her? You should ask her instead,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKvYcvpCK3
“I’m not into Rachel,” he replied looking straight into her eyes then darted a glance at her lips.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqOR2U4ZJj
“Oh,” she whispered looking away as she tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear, starting to feel uneasy.770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWqNkufff9
“So, are you in?”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI6AFvfS21
She beamed at him, “Sure,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bsyKQklfx
“Cool, I’ll pick you up Saturday at 9 so we could go eat something first,”770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8NRk78IA9
“Sounds great," 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeTaW4AUzP
“See you on Saturday then,”
∭∭
Hello, Hello, dearies! 770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoyRH9gifl
I know it's been quite a while since the last update but I had a writer's block (not exactly, actually. I had all my ideas, events, everything in my mind but I needed time to put them together). Anyway, here we are. I know you're expecting to see Bexley and Cole together but let's just say that our heroine is not easy to deal with. On Thursday I'm going to publish the sixth chapter as an apology for my lateness.
770Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEdxnW942f
By the way, THANK YOU to my sweet and dear BRIAN aka WEIRDGUY96 for your advice, it helped a lot to write this chapter, Love You Mate!
On this note, see you on Thursday ;)
L.S
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