The morning rain drizzled on the roof creating a soothing symphony.
This time, Lorraine's natural body alarm got her up at precisely 7 a.m. She walked into the kitchen and made herself breakfast; coffee and toasts were her favorites on a rainy day. Sitting down and eating her homemade sandwich, she remembered everything that happened the previous day. It still felt like an episode of a terrible nightmare or a bizarre dream.She dialled her best friend Maia to tell her about the mysterious man she met at the gallery, and even more strange, about her decision to marry him"Do you think it's wise to get married to a man you barely know?" Maia's voice sounded over the phone,"I know you're a romantic, but this is a crazy idea, Lorraine" "What if he's a psycho? I mean, who asks a stranger to marry them?""He's not a psycho", Lorraine interrupted Maia,"He gave me a cheque of five hundred thousand dollars and said it's mine if I married him", Lorraine replied"Five hundred what?!" Maia's shock could be heard over the phone"Maia, I can save Jordan" "the doctors say he hasn't been doing so well lately, and this new edge treatment could save him" "Trust me, if there were any other places I could get five hundred thousand dollars from, I wouldn't be doing this", Lorraine reasoned her voice almost breaking"Who knows, maybe this could be my happily ever after", she added, trying to reassure her friend, but her vote of confidence was more for her than for Maia; she needed all the motivation she could garner to go along with this plan.Maia's voice softened, filled with understanding. "If it's for Jordan and you, I'll support you" "I can't believe you're getting married!" She squealedLorraine hurriedly dressed and took a cab to the city hall. She was not sure whether the man would show up. What if this was all a huge prank, and the cheque wasn't real? These thoughts occupied her mind until the car stopped outside the city hall. She stepped out and saw Clay, his right hand casually tucked in his pocket as he checked his wristwatch. It was a few minutes past ten when she arrived, and she feared he might have left"Sorry I'm late" "Traffic", she said, rushing towards him"You actually came", her voice was filled with relief and surprise.Clay did not respond, his countenance had changed this morning, almost as if he did not want the marriage.He snapped his fingers, motioning for his assistant to bring the car around in a few minutes, and they walked into the registry's office,"We'll take a couple of pictures, sign the document and then we're done","Just like that?" Lorraine asked"Just like that", Clay replied. He had a thousand experiences signing deals and contracts, it was part of his life, and to him, this was just another deal to close off, or so it seemed.A few minutes later, they got their marriage license. Lorraine stared at it, still finding it hard to believe it was real. Just yesterday, she was crying over her failed engagement, and today she was married. She had often imagined getting a grand wedding with a beautifully decorated venue, jealous girls who'd wish to be her, her parents in the front pew seats smiling harder than she would, and her brother miraculously cured of cancer. But now, instead of warmth and happiness, a sudden sadness engulfed her. However, she found relief that at least her new husband was a treat for the eyes."Here's my contact number. I have a business meeting to attend. If you need to reach me, you can text me" "Also, that reminds me, we'll be having dinner with my grandmother this weekend" "Be a happy wife", Clay said, jotting down his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to her"I'll order you an Uber to get you home," he said and walked off. Lorraine couldn't believe his arrogance; he seemed charismatic and thoughtful when they first met but quickly turned icy and distant since she had arrived to get their marriage license signed. She sighed, utterly repulsed by her choice in men but knew she had to make this work, she didn't fully comprehend the terms of their agreement yet, but she knew a divorce would nullify her arrangements with Clay."Wait!" She called, hurrying after him,"Now that we're married, should we live together?" She asked, seeing an opportunity to fix her living situation. Clay stopped and turned towards her. Reluctantly, he reached inside his trench pocket and brought out a bunch of keys, removed one and handed it to her. Whether he wanted to or not, he knew it would sell a better image for him and his marriage if they lived together"I have a home in Edensville" "You can move in there, but the master bedroom in the east wing is off-limits", he stated sternly and walked away without further explanation.Elated that she wouldn't have to return to her parent's home, Lorraine got into the Uber and returned to her apartment. When she walked in, she found Maia sitting thoughtfully on her couch as if waiting for her return."Did you do it?" she asked. Lorraine brought out the marriage license and shook it before her friend. There was no effort to fake happiness; she knew she couldn't conceal her expressions from her best friend, and neither could Maia, as Lorraine quickly took notice of her friend's grave look."What's wrong, Maia?" Lorraine asked, pulling a chair next to her. Maia covered her face with her palms, took a deep breath and then looked into Lorraine's eyes"Okay, I don't know how else to tell you this, so I'll just come out with it" "Shawn is dating again" "Lorraine, he's dating the girl he cheated on you with," Maia said briskly and exhaled feeling unburdened with the heartbreaking information"I'm so sorry, Lorraine".Lorraine remained quiet for a few minutes, mustered a smile and shook her head. She lifted her gaze and stared at her best friend. Placing a hand on Maia's thigh, she spoke calmly"It's okay" "I'm married now anyway," Lorraine said, jerking up from her seat; she walked over to her closet, pulled out her suitcase and started packing her clothes without saying another word. Maia hesitated for some time, then followed her friend into the room, finding it hard to believe her little act. She knew Lorraine had a knack for acting strong when it came to dealing with her pain,"How can you be okay?!" She hastened towards her, gripped her hand and turned her around. Lorraine snapped and shook off Maia's firm grip, with tears forming in her eyes"I said I'm fine, Maia!" She bellowed"Now, can you help me pack?" She said, placing her clothes into the box. Maia wrapped her arms around Lorraine's waist and hugged her, she knew what Lorraine needed, and if she chose to deal with this by ignoring it, she would allow her just that."Yes, sure" "Where are we going?" She asked"I'm moving out," Lorraine said "He has a house in Edensville. I could stay there for as long as I want since we're now legally married" As Lorraine uttered those words, Maia gave her a confused look. She still couldn't believe she had gotten married to a stranger,"Edensville?" she asked"Yes," Lorraine replied absentmindedly, piling her clothes in the suitcase. Maia had heard about Edensville but had never entered it before. Although being in the same city, Edensville was nothing like The Bay; it was a neighbourhood reserved for the Upper society. The gap in the socioeconomic classes was wide, and the gated neighborhood was kept from the public eye. The only things people knew of it were tales and rumours about it and its residents. Maia was comforted that at least her friend had married a successful man.Meanwhile, during the board meeting, Clay's phone buzzed incessantly, and he finally decided to pick it up, seeing that it was his grandmother. Excusing himself from the board meeting, he went into the lobby,"Grandma, I'm in a meeting","Oh hush, child", Grandma Edith voiced her impatience. The old woman was brisk and fond of her grandson but believed he worked too hard"Do you remember our dinner this weekend Pookie?""Yes, Grandma", Clay's husky voice came through"Alright" "Will you be bringing Celeste?" The old lady enquired"The family is excited to see her" "The Newmans will be a good fit and merger for this family and our business" "I heard they are starting a new fabric company East of Wellshire", Edith veered off topic."Grandma, I was in a meeting, remember?"Clay reminded her. He knew that once she started talking about something else, she could go on for minutes on end"Okay, back to your meeting" "but don't miss the dinner this weekend", Edith instructed"I won't miss it, Grandma" "I have a surprise you'll all hate," Clay said and hung up.The drive to Edensville was exciting and scary. Getting married to a stranger was one thing; living with him was another. Clay had sent his assistant, Mark, to drive Lorraine to his house in Edensville. The gated neighborhood had remained secluded because of its policies. No public vehicle could have access, and neither could anyone who didn't have the permission of a resident living in the neighborhood. Mark parked the car in front of Lorraine's apartment in The Bay and immediately detested the neighborhood. Although belonging to the middle class, he had grown to fancy the life of the top one percent in the city and often wished to belong to the exclusive society. Shortly, Lorraine arrived, and they drove to the ultra-rich neighborhood, a mere twenty minutes drive from The Bay. Lorraine was dropped off, and when she descended the vehicle, she stared at the massive estate which would be her new home. She had anticipated her new husband was rich, but as she stared at the massive con
The next day, Clay made his way to his kitchen for his usual morning cereal before his early morning run. On approaching the kitchen, he perceived the enticing aroma of chickpea curry in the air and walked in on Lorraine making breakfast. He was surprised to see she was an early riser; he fathomed she'd sleep in till late in the morning, giving him enough time to go for his run and sneak out before she ever woke up. Lorraine turned with a spatula in her hand, flipping pancakes and caught his gaze; for a brief moment, she felt admiration from him. Thinking she had impressed him, she called him over for breakfast "No, thank you" "I have an early meeting and can't make time" Lorraine felt awkward, realizing he was trying to avoid their brief moment last night "Is that why you're in your joggers?" she asked, catching him in his lie "They look cute, by the way", she teased and smiled, and Clay felt embarrassed, "Are you sure you don't want these delicate pastries?" "I promise they don'
Lorraine was lost in a train of thoughts, confused about her husband's actions. She had believed their relationship was supposed to be strictly contractual, but when he kissed her, she felt those damn butterflies, but it felt different this time. She had never felt desire like this before or been so wholly vulnerable and lost all self-control around someone. Those thoughts exhumed her, and she shook her head, hoping they would go away. But when she stared at his delicate chiselled face, she realized she might already be failing the dare from the billionaire.His kiss was swift and sensual, although it felt like an eternity of longing before his lips met hers. She remembered the passionate sparkle in his eyes. It was one that you only had for a deep love or a lost one; she could understand those looks. It was the same kind she once shared with Shawn, and as she studied Clay's features more closely, she wondered which category she fell into - was she a deep love or a lost one? She belie
Maia's surprise visits were as exciting as holidays were to Lorraine. Since their days in college, the duo had always fantasized about exploring the real world together, getting jobs, apartments, exchanging keys, matching tattoos and whatever it was that best friends did. Their small circle of friendship quickly expanded when Donna and Alex joined the duo in their second year, and their friendship quickly blossomed from then on.As Lorraine rushed down the stairs, her feet flopping excitedly at the arrival of her best friend, she was met with shock when she opened up the massive front door, and Maia had come bearing surprises. Holding a tiara and a box of chocolates to the left was Donna, and on her right was Alex, looking like she was fresh out of comic con. Maia squealed with delight when she saw Lorraine and Donna placed the tiara on her head. Lorraine looked puzzled and uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how Clay would feel about her best friends inviting themselves to his place with
"No?" Maia resounded, finding a hard time believing her best friend. She had feared that Lorraine still harbored feelings for Shawn, and that was why she did not want her to do a piece on him.Maia was an editor for The Times newspaper and often worked the field. She had once offered Lorraine to do an investigative piece on Shawn when there were still together, but Lorraine warned her not to, despite Maia having seen the signs of his infidelity, her best friend did not want to hear about it.She pulled Lorraine aside and spoke with concern, "Lo' I'm worried about you" "Shawn just cost you your job, and yet you don't want to do anything about it? I hope you're not still waiting for him to return to you" "You do know that's not going to happen, right?"Lorraine understood her best friend's concerns. She had a difficult time finding faults in Shawn or taking action about it, she was blinded by love when it came to his imperfections, and even when the truth was sometimes clear to her, she
Lorraine and her friends headed off to the party at Summerville Hotel. Located a few blocks off the Edensville, Summerville Hotel was another place Lorraine and her friends had never dreamt they'd get into. It was the finest Hotel in the city, and it had received a five-star certification on Forbes review but it was clear that it was worth more than. The dinner night was scheduled to start by 8p.m but Lorraine and her friends had arrived a little early with time to spare.Outside the event stood Alex's cousin Sloan, she was the one who gave Alex the invite. To Alex, her cousin was her model, having been lucky enough to marry into the Dubois family, Sloan had quickly adjusted to the upper-crust society and Alex wished for a life just like her cousin. When Sloan saw them, she waved over curling her lips into a smile"Alex..." "You came" she called excitedly and then spotted the rest of the girls"And you brought friends" she added with a withdrawn smile"Hope it won't be a problem, it
The cab stopped at the gates of Edensville. Lorraine got out and, after having her face verified by the security, the guards opened the gate. She hurriedly walked through, holding back her anger, tears, and frustrations until she reached the front entrance of her home.Her hands trembled as she fiddled with the locks, overwhelmed by the sudden realization that she just had which had made her unsettled. She couldn't understand why it affected her so much or why it caused her such anxiety. Struggling with the keys, they slipped from her grasp, and she slammed the door in frustration."Damn it!" she exclaimed, forcing a pained smile. She found the idea almost amusing, and then chuckled. All this time, she had been married to a billionaire, not just any billionaire, but the heir of the Winston Fortune. If only her mother could see her now, she thought.Bending down to carry the keys, Lorraine finally managed to unlock the door. She walked inside, locked it behind her, and headed straight
Clay walked towards the hotel's exit, feeling a sudden change in his mood. The air around him became still, filled with silence as he couldn't help but think about Lorraine. He wondered how she was doing and what she might be feeling. Whenever people discovered who he really was, it always took them by surprise. They would often be speechless for a few moments, while others would immediately start asking for favors and financial help. It was because of this that Clay had made the decision to keep his true identity a secret.Thinking back to his high school days, Clay remembered a family trip to a beautiful botanical garden in Korea. At the time, his best friend Joanne had wanted to come along, but it was strictly a family-only trip. Clay had explained to Joanne that there was nothing he could do to change the plans, but little did he know what would unfold next. When he returned to school the following week, he was shocked to discover a widespread rumor that the first son of the Wilso