Chapter 5: Yes; No; Maybe

Lia stood in the hotel room Ryan had rented for her, and looked around, eyes wide. The room was bigger than the little apartment she called home.

She knew he had put her in this room, to make sure she didn’t try to run away. Bobby had been allowed to go home, after she had convinced them he had nothing to do with the hacking.

Lia walked over to the bathroom. She needed a splash of cold water on her flushed face. Ryan would soon arrive with the contract he wanted her to sign.

The bathroom matched the room in grandeur. She walked up to the sink but could not find the knob for turning the tap on. She fiddled and tapped on the base of the tap, but no water came out.

She waved her hand under the nozzle, and suddenly water started gushing out.

“Umm, you are one of those learned ones,” she said out loud as she cupped her hands, took some water, and washed her face.

She put her hands under the water stream again, but this time jumped back yelling in pain.

“Hot! Hot! Hot! You burnt me!” she screamed at the tap. She waved frantically, trying to find the motion sensor to turn the tap off, but hot water kept flowing out.

“Off!” She bent down, speaking into the tap as if it were a microphone.

“Off now!” The water kept coming out, getting hotter, as a steady cloud of steam began to fill the bathroom.

“Off…please?” Nothing changed as the water continued to spurt out.

She jumped around, waving her hands frantically. Suddenly, the water’s temperature changed to cold, but the pressure seemed to increase.

“No! No! No!” Lia cried as she put her hands to the tap nozzle, trying to stop the water flow with her palm. This only caused the water to splash into her face, making her wet. She yelped, as she spat out some water that had gotten into her mouth.

She heard someone laugh loudly, and turned to see Ryan standing in the doorway. Muscular body leaning on the frame, arms crossed, and looking like a chocolate god.

How long had he been standing there, watching her act like a fool?

“How is a tech-savvy girl, such as yourself, being defeated by a tap?” Again, a deep growl of laughter escaped him.

Lia felt her face get hot with embarrassment. “Are you just going to stand there?”

“I am enjoying the show!” Ryan remarked and smiled at Lia, who had water dripping down her face. Her wet curly hair stuck to her forehead, as she tried unsuccessfully to get it out of her eyes and mouth.

She looked at Ryan, and moaned.

“Help…” Lia squeaked.

With a laugh, Ryan took long strides towards her. And whilst staring into her eyes, pressed a small button located discreetly under the tap. Suddenly, the water flow stopped.

“Simpler than how you hacked my system and eluded top IT specialists for months,” he stated.

“This is some kind of sorcery. I am a technology specialist, not a witchcraft expert!” Lia argued as she tried to wring the water out of her t-shirt, trying her best to ignore the feelings she was getting from being close to him.

He smelled like a pine forest, in the morning dew. He was so close; she could feel his breath kissing her wet skin. She bit her lip, trying to concentrate more on the painful sensation of her bite, rather than the knee-weakening emotions building up inside her.

He cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. Everything seemed to disappear around them. The sound of their breaths, the only theme song enveloping them.

Was he going to kiss her? Ryan inched his face closer to hers. Lia closed her eyes in anticipation. Instead, lips inches from her own, he whispered, “Dry yourself up, I bought you something to wear. You will find it on the bed. Meet me on the hotel rooftop when you are done.”

With that, he let her go and walked away. Lia let out a shaky breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

Why were her emotions betraying her? Ryan was the same jerk who had walked away from her years ago. He had left her life chaotic. Ryan the same idiot, who did not even recognize Lia. He would rather have a contractual marriage, to feed his ego and business orientated ambitions. Rather than fall in love, and have a meaningful relationship with anyone.

“This is just a business deal. Get a grip!” she cautioned herself.

She got dressed in the short cocktail dress, and perfectly sized wedges she found in a box on the bed. Lia piled her curly hair on top of her head, into a messy bun, leaving a few loose curls framing her face.

She left the room and walked down the corridor, towards the stairs to the roof.

It was an odd place for them to meet, just to sign the marriage contract.

Lia swung open the door leading to the roof, and gasped.

The roof was lit with peach lanterns. Her favorite color. A red carpet, sprinkled with iridescent rose petals, led from the door to a picturesque dinner table. Decorated and set up for two.

The whole scene, was the true portrait of whimsical.

Lia walked on wobbly legs towards the table. Feeling like she had just walked into a fairytale. Ryan stepped into her line of vision. Clutching a single, blushing and blossoming peach rose.

“Hey!” he uttered, as he handed her the rose.

“Hie!” Lia retorted, choking up. “This is beautiful.”

“Tried to create the perfect scene, to match your beauty,” Ryan responded.

“Is this all in a bid to convince the paparazzi, that our relationship and upcoming nuptials are real? It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” She inquired.

“Except for, Randy, my chef and our server for tonight; no one knows we are here,” he responded. He took her hand, and led her to the table. Ryan pulled out a chair for her.

“So why all this?” Lia looked around, as she twisted the stem of the rose between her fingers. “We could have signed the contract in the hotel room over some croissants and black coffee.”

Ryan cleared his throat. “I know I said the contract is for just a year, but…I would like to change the terms. The contract is now a four-year-long deal. My lawyer said, if for any reason we are to divorce, before the three-year mark, they will retract the transfer of the company to me. The company will be handed over to my cousin.”

Ryan searched her eyes, as he licked his lips.

“So you put this together, in a bid to sweet talk me into agreeing to the change of time frame of this sham marriage? Wow!” Lia was hurt. She should have known that everything Ryan did was for his own selfish end game.

“Three more years is still nothing. Compared to a ten-year prison sentence. Just give me the stupid contract, and I will sign it. You didn’t have to do all this, just to butter me up like a child.” Lia felt a wave of raw, angry emotions tighten her chest.

She needed to vent, somehow. She squeezed the rose Ryan had handed her. The feel of the petals smashing in her palm, was a bit satisfying. Suddenly, she felt something hard in her palm. Lia peered inside her hand. Amongst the messy array of damaged petals, was a gleaming, diamond-encrusted ring. Were those real diamonds? she wondered.

As she looked up at Ryan, she was stunned to find him on one knee in front of her.

“Will you marry me?”