Chapter 9

“Is anybody out there”

“Can you lead me to the light”

“Is anybody out there”

“Tell me it’ll all be alright”

William slowly opens his eyes. Is that music? He cannot believe someone would play music this early. He stares up at the roof while he processes the nightmare. He was doing good with the nightmares until last night.

The early morning sun shines through the window onto the bed. He stretches his arms above his head and yawns.

“I’ve been here the whole time”

“Singing you a song”

“I will carry you”

He shoots up, and his eyes dart around the room. A beautiful voice echoes in his ears. He turns his head to the sofa where he sees a movement.

His hands lift to his ears, feeling the earphones. He realizes that the music comes from the earphones.

Why does he have Lianna’s earphones? He glances at Lianna’s side of the bed. She must have moved to the sofa after he fell asleep on the bed. He throws his legs off the bed and unlocks his phone.

It is already 07:46. He should get dressed and head down for breakfast. He removes the other earphone and pauses the song. Her battery is below 10 percent. He plugs her phone in before he walks to the sofa.

Lianna is spread out on the sofa, her mouth slightly open. He touches her shoulder to wake her, but she does not stir.

“Lianna, wake up. We have to get downstairs for breakfast,” he says as he shakes her awake. Lianna groans loudly and turns away from him. “Lianna?”

“Just five more minutes,” she mumbles. William shakes her again. “Five minutes,” she says louder this time. He tries to hide his laughter at her state. He bursts out in laughter when she looks up at him. She huffs and pulls the blanket over her head.

“No wonder you sleep on the couch. You have a real bad bedhead,” he laughs and tugs at the blanket. Lianna rolls away from him.

“I’m glad you are feeling better,” she says with an irritated tone. William stops laughing and frowns.

“Feeling better?” Lianna lifts the blanket and looks at him. She sits up while keeping her gaze on William. Is he aware that he had a nightmare? By the looks of it, he seems to be well-rested. “Why are you sleeping on the sofa? And why do I have your earphones?” he asks and sits down on the sofa. Lianna takes a while to respond, her brain hurting from the lack of sleep.

“Haish, I got less than four hours of sleep.” She pulls the blanket out from beneath William, and he almost falls off the couch. “Do you remember anything from this morning?” His head snaps to her.

Does she know about his nightmare? William starts to panic as he wonders whether he said something. Lianna can never find out about what happened.

“No. What happened?” William asks calmly, hiding his fear. He reads her facial expressions to figure out what she knows. Lianna rubs her eyes. 

“You had a fever when I woke up next to you. I played music because I thought it will help you sleep better. I thought you might be coming on with something and I didn’t want to take a chance, so I decided to sleep on the sofa.” It is not completely a lie.

“Oh, I’m feeling fine. I’m sorry I kept you up. How are you feeling?” Lianna yawns, letting out a loud noise. He chuckles. “I guess that serves as an answer,” he jokes. She nods her head and lay back down.

“No, get up. We have to go down for breakfast.” He takes her arms and pulls her back up. She groans in protest and he chuckles. He cannot get over her hair. He burst out laughing again at her funky bed hair. It looks horrifying. She looks like she has been electrocuted.

William stands up and walks to his open suitcase. He pulls a shirt over his head and walks into the bathroom. While he brushes his teeth, he watches Lianna in the mirror.

She stares at the ceiling, her eyes fluttering shut. That sofa is not the most comfortable sofa to spend a night on.

“What are we doing today?” Lianna asks, rolling off the sofa. She forces herself up from the floor with a heavy sigh. She walks to the bathroom and stretches her neck. 

“I haven't checked my messages yet.” He rinses his mouth out with mouthwash and splashes water on his face. Lianna leans against the doorframe, waiting for him to finish. Don't look at her hair, don't look at her hair.

“Do we go like this downstairs?” William shakes his head frantically as he walks past her to the nightstand.

"Do something with that," he says, pointing to her hair. She lets out a huff and he hears the tap running. Lianna starts brushing her teeth. He unlocks his phone and opens his unread message. Well, that is fantastic.

“The men are going to play golf for the day,” he says with a defeated sigh. Lianna’s head pops out from the bathroom, toothbrush still in her mouth.

“No,” she whines with a half-open mouth.

“The women have a spa day.”

“I don’t have money,” she says with a mouthful of toothpaste. William laughs at her, and she disappears for a moment.

“I will give you my card,” he says with a smile. Lianna steps out of the bathroom with a messy braid, but it does not look too bad. Her eyes are still puffy from the low quality of sleep she got.

William puts his phone in his pocket and moves to the door. He takes Lianna’s hand on the way and leads her out of the room.

They walk down the hall to the stairs. Lianna tries to blink the sleep from her eyes while they walk down the stairs. Soft murmurs escape from the kitchen.

William walks into the kitchen with Lianna short on his heels. When she sees the other women’s pajamas, she bites the inside of her cheek. She is going to kill William.

“Morning, everyone,” Evelyn says in a singsong voice when she enters the kitchen just behind them. William walks to the counter to get away from her. He notices the smoothies on the counter and lifts one to his nose. He gags at the smell. There is no way he is going to drink that.

Lianna says good morning to everyone she passes. She stops next to William, taking the glass he holds out for her.

“Thanks,” she whispers. It is a smoothie. She was hoping for some eggs and bacon or at least cereal. She is starving and this green stuff smells funny.

William turns around and rests his arms on the counter. They both stare at Evelyn talking to his mother. Lianna looks at William; his eyes are darker than usual as he stares at Evelyn.

“I am going to kill you,” Lianna says and nudges William with her elbow. He turns his head to her with an arched brow. “Look at the other women’s pajamas, and then look at mine. I look like a homeless twelve-year-old boy,” she says, slapping his shoulder with the back of her hand. William chuckles and watches Lianna force the smoothie down.

“I like your style more,” he jokes, and Lianna scoffs. William smiles at her. She takes another gulp of the smoothie and shudders.

“Morning. Looks like you had a tussle with your pillow. How did you sleep, Lianna?” Evelyn asks next to Lianna. Lianna jumps to the side, away from Evelyn, and bumps into William. Where did she come from?

“Yeah, the pillow fight was rough," Lianna jokes. Evelyn does not respond. "But I slept fine, thanks. And you?” Lianna scans Evelyn and sees the nightgown she wears. It is a very seductive black gown that shows all the right curves. Evelyn fakes a smile, taking a glass smoothie from between Lianna and William.

“Oh, I slept like a baby. Will you be joining us today?” Evelyn takes a sip and keeps her eyes on William. His eyes move from Evelyn to Lianna, focusing on Lianna.

Lianna nods and places her glass next to the other empty glasses. Evelyn tilts her head to talk to William, but he takes Lianna’s hand and leads her out of the kitchen. He does not have the strength to deal with her this early in the morning.

Evelyn puts a hand on her side and smiles at the sight. William will come crawling back to her. This is merely a temporary problem.

Lianna sits on the bed and watches William choose between different outfits. He lifts two white shirts, turning to her.

“Which one?” he asks. Lianna shrugs after inspecting the shirts.

“They’re the same,” Lianna says with a yawn, barely keeping her eyes open. William turns back to his suitcase and takes another shirt from the suitcase, paired with jeans. This should be informal enough.

He pulls his shirt over his head and Lianna clicks her tongue. He looks over his shoulder at her. She lies on the bed with an arm draped over her face. He grins and removes his pants, checking to see whether she is sneaking a look. Her eyes are still sealed shut; He gets dressed and moves to the bathroom to finish his morning routine.

Lianna’s phone rings on William’s nightstand. She reaches over to his side and takes the phone from the nightstand, checking to see who it is. She sees it is Maeve. She does not want to inform Maeve about everything that has happened so far. She will talk to her when she sees her at school again.

She puts her phone on silent and stands up. She has no idea what to wear. She did not pack a lot of outfits for the weekend, so she has to mix and match the few she did pack. She manages to put together an outfit and waits for William to finish.

William exits the bathroom, fully clothed and Lianna enters the bathroom.

When Lianna walks out of the bathroom, William is searching through his laundry. She packs her things away. William holds his wallet in the air after he found it in his bag. He opens his wallet and pulls out a card, holding it out to her. She walks to him and her eyes move from the wallet to his eyes.

“You can use my card to pay for the things you want,” he says while he takes her hand to place the card into her hand. She raises her brows.

“No, I am not going to use your money. Then you have proof that I did indeed marry you for your money,” she laughs and holds the card out to him. William pushes her hand away and shakes his head.

“Just take it. It’s backup for when you run out of money. I’m assuming you don’t have a lot of money left.” Lianna clicks her tongue and pulls a face.

“I’m assuming you don’t have a lot of money left,” she mocks him.

“Wha-“ He throws his hands up. Where did that come from? She is worse than a two-year-old. Lianna puts the card and her phone in her small bag. It is covered in turtles, almost like her sheet at the apartment.

She throws the bag over her shoulder and gets into her black sneakers next to the sofa.

“Let’s go,” she says and heads to the door. Her hand goes to open the door, but a knock on the door interrupts her. She looks back at William before she opens the door.

Evelyn stands in the hall in front of the open door. William steps behind Lianna, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“Evelyn, what are you doing here?” Lianna asks. Evelyn takes her arm and pulls her away from William.

“I want to spend some time with you. We have the whole day,” Evelyn says with a small smile. Lianna turns hesitantly to William and waves to him.

“Remember, you can use my card,” he says and motions to her bag. She gives him a thumbs up and Evelyn drags her down the hall.

He has a bad feeling about this. Evelyn is up to something. He follows them to the front door where a few people are already waiting.

He keeps his gaze on Lianna while she talks to Jasmine and Laura. She glances over her shoulder, making eye contact with William. She flashes a smile before she returns to the other women. She will be fine. From what he has learned from her is that she is a tough nut.

“William, I heard you opened another hotel in London. I take it the hotel business is going well then?” his uncle asks. He takes a deep breath to prepare for this day. He has no idea how he is going to survive a whole day with his family.

Lianna sits in the back of the minibus next to another woman. She cannot remember if she was at the house yesterday, but she introduced herself as Henry’s wife. Gina smiles at her when she catches Lianna staring at her. Lianna smiles back.

This has been an experience since the moment she arrived. She wonders where Bianca is. She was excited to spend the day with her, but now Evelyn has wormed herself into the picture.

Lianna does not know what Evelyn is planning, but Evelyn makes her uncomfortable. Why the sudden interest?

The minibus comes to a stop at the entrance of a large building. This must be the spa. She and Gina proceed to get out last.

They enter through the revolving door, and Evelyn and Rose walk to reception. Jasmine waits next to Lianna. The place has a relaxing atmosphere. 

“Do you know where Bianca is?”

“I heard she had some stomach bug. I hope she is fine,” Jasmine says, linking her arm with Lianna’s. Lianna sighs and nods her head in agreement. She wanted Bianca here today.

Evelyn and Rose walk back to the group of women and lead them to a door made of bamboo. They enter a large room with green and white tiles for walls. Plants hang from the ceiling and the whole room has a “rich spa” aura. Jasmine lets go of Lianna’s arm and looks around the room.

A woman appears in front of the group. She introduces herself and explains the process while handing out white bathrobes to all the ladies. She divides the group into two smaller groups. Lianna happens to be in the same group as Rose and Evelyn.

Their group is going to the herbal sauna first, followed by a full body massage. The other group gets to do a mud bath. Evelyn blabbers about a spa day she did in Paris while they walk to the saunas.

Lianna trails behind them, trying to keep her eyes open and stay alert. She cannot wait to get back to bed. She is going to take a nap before lunch.

They all undress and put the bathrobe on. They place their clothes in designated lockers. Lianna walks into the sauna and Evelyn calls her over. She forces a smile and sits down next to Evelyn.

“This is so much fun. I wanted to ask, how did you and Will meet?” Lianna watches Evelyn lean her head back.

“His parents invited us for dinner to discuss the arranged marriage.” Evelyn’s long and tanned legs stretch out in front of her. Evelyn lets out a sigh of contentment.

Rose is sitting down next to Evelyn, her gaze on Lianna. She has not talked to Lianna once today. Every time Lianna tries to talk to Rose, she ignores Lianna and goes to Evelyn. They have this weird and twisted relationship.

“So, you are only marrying Will because of a contract? Do you need the money?” Evelyn opens one eye to look at Lianna.

“Uhm, yeah. But I don’t need his money. It’s beneficial for both of us.” Lianna watches Rose’s reaction. She jerks her head to Lianna and Lianna averts her gaze. Rose has such cold, almost lifeless eyes.

“You want to know how Will and I met?” Evelyn sits up. She does not give Lianna a chance to answer, asking it more as a rhetorical question. “We met in college when we both were 18. We were good friends but lost contact due to Will graduating earlier than us. I bumped into him at the law firm. We reconnected and feelings developed. We were so in love. Not long after, he asked me to marry him. It was so cute,” she says with another sigh.

“I remember. We went on a hike, and he proposed to you just as the sunset. I still have the pictures,” Rose says, placing her hand on Evelyn’s arm.

“The wedding was so beautiful. Are you going to have a wedding or are you just signing the certificate?” Lianna’s head tips forward and she jolts up. She shakes her head to wake herself. Evelyn tilts her head, waiting for an answer.

“I, uh, don’t know. We haven’t talked about it,” she answers honestly. Lianna sees Rose scowling at her. Evelyn adjusts herself and she has a sly smile. The door opens as their sign to get out. Lianna gets up first and heads to the massage beds.

As Lianna lies down on her stomach, she notices someone from her peripheral. She turns her head to her side. Evelyn is getting onto the bed next to her. Great.

A group of masseuses walks in and one masseuse stands next to a bed. Lianna has already taken off her bra and placed the towel on her back. The girl moves the towel to access her back.

Lianna shudders when she feels the cold massaging oil on her back. She closes her eyes and relaxes while the knots in her back are massaged.

“I don’t want to be that girl, but you know Will still loves me.” Evelyn’s voice booms in Lianna’s ears. She wants some peace and quiet. Is that too hard to understand? Lianna hums to let Evelyn know she heard her. “And I still love him. We are meant to be together. Are you just going to stand between us for a silly contract?” Lianna groans when a knot in her neck pops lightly. That is the spot. Lianna turns to look at Evelyn.

“Evelyn, I honestly don’t care. If he still loves you, you have to sort that out with him. Talk to him and hear what he has to say. I won’t be mad if he cancels, but that is between you two.” Lianna turns her head away from Evelyn and relaxes again.

“Why did you guys divorce if you still love each other so much?” Lianna cannot hide the sarcasm in her voice. She hears Evelyn scoffing next to her.

“It was a misunderstanding, that’s all.” Lianna hums, thinking about what that could mean.

“Did you cheat on him?” Lianna asks bluntly.

“I see you have already talked to him about me.” Lianna rolls her eyes, letting out a yawn.

“Did you cheat on him?” Lianna repeats the question.

“Yes, but-“

“I just wanted to know why you got divorced.” Lianna turns around when the masseuse instructs her to, and she covers her chest. She should do this more often. She can only imagine how much this is going to cost. Perhaps she is going to use William’s card.

Her eyes close and she can feel herself drifting off to sleep. A nap sounds good right now.

William walks next to Isaac as they head to the next hole. He wanted to get some fresh air and the walking is doing him good. Isaac complained about not getting a golf cart, but it seems like he is also starting to enjoy the walk.

“What did Lianna have to say about Evelyn?” Isaac asks and looks around at the course. William lifts one of his clubs over his head and rests it on his shoulders.

“Nothing. She told her father about Evelyn but did not say anything bad about her. She, in fact, complimented Evelyn,” William says and stretches his back. He groans when the pain shoots through his back, starting in his lower back.

“She is full of surprises. Oh, by the way, B is sick. We think it might be light food poisoning. She was upset that she will miss the spa day because of this thing.” Isaac stops when they reach the starting point.

“Wait, Bianca didn’t go with them to the spa day? Shit, that means Lianna is alone with Mother and Evelyn.” William gets his phone from his pocket and sends Lianna a message. He hopes she is fine. Who knows what Evelyn will do to her?

Lianna sleeps on one of the chairs in the relaxation rooms. There is a soothing atmosphere with soft music in the background and fresh air from the garden of the spa. Rose sits across the room, staring at Lianna.

She is starting to hate her more and more. Why is she holding onto this contract with William? Rose thought she was a selfless woman who goes out of her way for others, or so she has been told. When Evelyn told her to cancel the contract with William, she refused to.

Evelyn is the woman of William’s dream. She has the right image that fits in with William’s lifestyle whereas Lianna has nothing that resembles anything in William’s life. If the press knew where William was and took pictures of them, Lianna’s pink hair would be all over the tabloids Monday.

“What are you thinking about?” Evelyn asks as she sits down across from Rose. Rose points to Lianna.

“She is going to mess up our plans. My son is only doing this to get back at you. And Lianna is in on the plan. They will not budge easily.” Evelyn’s eyes dart to Lianna sleeping in the chair.

“I think she thinks William likes her. We need to break the trust between them,” Evelyn says with a quiet voice. Rose smiles and nods her head.

Evelyn has the right head on her shoulders. Lianna does not have the same energy and perseverance to survive their world.

The rest of the ladies walk into the room. The other group joins them and the woman from earlier follows them into the room. That means it is the end of their spa day.

The woman says her goodbyes and informs the women where they can dispose of their bathrobes and that they can get dressed in this room. Rose stands up and walks to the woman. She wants to know where they can pay.

Jasmine sits next to Lianna. Lianna is still asleep. Jasmine smiles at her innocence and shakes her slightly to wake up. Lianna stirs and groans, opening her eyes.

“Jas? What are you doing here?” Lianna asks with a thick voice. She rubs her face and looks around.

“You should get dressed,” Jasmine says. She stands up and holds her hand out to help Lianna up. Lianna takes her hand and stands up from the chair.

“Thanks. You’re too kind,” Lianna says and stretches her arms. Jas walks in front of Lianna. While Lianna gets dressed, she sees Rose and Evelyn whispering to one another while they are getting dressed. Lianna ignores it and they all walk to reception.

“I will pay for everyone,” Evelyn announces loudly with a wide smile.

“We can pay for ourselves,” Rose chimes in, but Lianna can tell this was planned. It is a power move on Evelyn’s part. They are going to get back to the house, and all they are going to hear is how Evelyn was so sweet to pay for everyone. Lianna does not care as long as she does not have to swipe William’s card.

“Come on, Rose. It is my treat,” she says while she hands the receptionist her card. Jas scoffs next to Lianna. Lianna turns her head to Jas.

“Now we will never hear the end of it,” Jas says with an unamused stare. Lianna chuckles and nods. Evelyn pays for everyone, and they all walk back to the minibus. Lianna moves to the back and Jasmine sits down next to her. She is thankful to know Evelyn will not be sitting next to her.

“Are we heading back?” she asks Jas, resting her head on her hand.

“We are going shopping. It’s a girls’ day, and what would a girls’ day be without some shopping,” Jas says with a wink. Lianna groans and closes her eyes.

“Will you please wake me when we arrive?” Lianna asks. Jas nods and takes out her phone. Lianna should probably check her phone, but she is so comfortable now. She will check it when they arrive.

William laughs when Isaac misses the ball. Isaac is horrible when it comes to any sport. The other men also laugh and Isaac swings again. He hits the ball this time, but it is not a good shot. They are on their last hole and William is in the lead. He has done no more than five shots on a hole. His father is short on his heels.

“Will, seriously. What is your secret?” Isaac asks as he steps next to William. William chuckles and shrugs.

“I’m just a natural. I can’t tell you even if I wanted to.” He laughs and pats Isaac’s shoulder, taking out his phone. He checks to see whether Lianna has answered. He hopes she is all right.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about Lianna?”

“Yes, I don’t know why she hasn’t answered yet. I hope she is okay,” he says. He lets out a sigh.

“What are you talking about?” Todd asks when William and Isaac pass him. He falls into step next to William.

“Lianna,” he answers.

“She seems chill. How did you two meet?” William remembers the night when he first saw her. He remembers how she seemed off. She was pretending, but not in the way he thought. She was hiding her wild side from his parents.

He smiles at the memory where she laughs at him while he waited for her to find him. The blue highlights and bubbly personality. She differs completely from Evelyn. They are on the far ends of the spectrum.

“Ooh, Will. I know that look,” Isaac says, and whistles. William scoffs.

“Our parents agreed to an arranged marriage. We have spent this past week getting to know one another. There is nothing like that,” he says and shakes his head at Isaac’s comment.

“I like the crazy vibes on her. She gives off some chaotic neutral feelings,” Todd says with a laugh.

“I thought you said she seemed chill?” William frowns at Todd.

“She is chill, but she can be crazy. You get me?” William chuckles and nods. They are near the green, which means they are almost done.

Lianna strolls through the aisles of clothes inside a designer’s store. She checked the price of the shirt and it was $400. That is ridiculous. Some clothes are not too bad, but most are not to her liking.

Jas had already bought something like $1200 worth of clothes, and they have only been in two stores. Evelyn is more careful with her money. She only buys when she adores something.

Lianna knows she cannot afford these types of clothes, and there is no way she is going to use William’s money. She might be poor, but she still has her pride.

“Find something you like?” Evelyn asks. Lianna shakes her head.

“These are not really my type,” she says with a smile before she continues to look through the clothes. Evelyn walks next to her. Lianna slows her pace and Evelyn disappears around the corner.

What is her problem? Lianna sighs and walks to the counter where Jas is paying for clothes.

Next to the counter is a beautiful dress on display. It is a black chiffon dress with the prettiest sleeves. It is an A-line dress. It is stunning.

Lianna looks at the price tag and gasps audibly. What even?

“Everything okay?” Jas asks next to her.

“It’s $2500. What is it made of?” Lianna touches the chiffon and looks at Jasmine. Jasmine nods knowingly. Lianna stares at the dress.

It is beautiful, but she will not pay for it using William’s card. Evelyn stands next to Lianna and calls the lady working behind the counter. She walks to them and Evelyn points to the dress.

“Can she try this on?” Evelyn asks. The lady nods and gently removes the dress from the mannequin. She hands it to Lianna and Lianna takes it carefully.

She smiles at Evelyn and Evelyn ushers her into the fitting rooms. Lianna undresses and slowly pulls the dress up. It fits her. She cannot believe that it fits her. Wow.

“Come on, we want to see,” Jasmine shouts from outside. Lianna opens the curtains and turns for them. Jasmine claps her hands at the dress.

“That looks so good on you,” Evelyn says, and Lianna curtsies slightly. She contemplates whether she should use William’s card. He wants her to use his card, but she does not want to owe him. What to do?

“You are going to buy that, right? You’ll be silly not to buy it,” Jas says with excitement. Lianna rubs the back of her neck. William said to use his card.

“Yeah, I’ll buy it,” Lianna says with excitement. She walks back into the fitting room.

“Give me the dress so the lady can box it for you,” Evelyn says from behind the curtain. Lianna hands her the dress over the curtain.

Evelyn walks to the counter, and Jasmine walks out of the store to where the other ladies are waiting. Lianna throws her clothes on and walks to the counter.

There, the lady is putting the dress into a large box. Lianna rushes closer and smiles at the lady.

“Thank you,” Lianna says and goes to take the dress, but the lady frowns. Evelyn steps in front of her and takes the box from the lady. The lady bows her head to Evelyn.

“Thanks,” she says with a proud smile. Lianna arches a brow.

“Uhm, I’m sorry. What-“

“I bought it.” This bitch. Lianna turns to the lady behind the counter with a small smile.

“Do you have another dress?” The lady looks back at Evelyn and then at Lianna. She shakes her head.

“I apologize, miss. That is the last dress we have,” she says and bows her head. Lianna clicks her tongue as she shakes her head. She lets her guard down for a second and Evelyn does something so childish.

“It’s fine. Thank you. Enjoy your day,” Lianna says with a wave before she turns to the exit. She starts to walk, but Evelyn catches up to her.

“I’m sorry, but it was too precious for someone like you to have it. And you were going to buy it with Will’s money. I mean, I can afford this dress with my own money. It is too expensive for you. Plus, where are you going to wear it? I will do this dress justice,” she says and walks away, leaving Lianna alone.

Lianna purses her lips together as she shakes her head in disbelief. Wow, some women don't change. That was like a high school move, only richer. Ugh, she does not even have the strength to be upset.