Chapter Seven

ARI'S POV:

Whoever said money wasn't good was either a liar or some bitter person who never had enough to know better.

I was told to tie up whatever loose ends I had left untied, and that's what I was doing. Except I didn't expect to be doing it in the back of a Bentley. A real Bentley, the kind a person like me could only dream about. The leather was so soft underneath me that I had to stop myself from running my hands all over it like some kind of weirdo.

If Martin wasn't sitting in the car with me, I would have laid all the way down and taken a nap. The seats were warm too, like they had some kind of magic heating built into them. I couldn't help myself. Every few minutes I shifted, just to feel the smooth leather against my legs.

Each time I moved, Martin's eyes would find me in the center mirror, and my face would go hot. I'd look away quickly and stare down at my purse.

The inside of this car was something else. Dark wood panels along the doors, little lights tucked into the ceiling that glowed soft and warm, and a divider between us and the driver that I could probably make private if I figured out how to work it. The floor was so plush that my worn-out shoes looked really bad stepping on it.

"Who is Nathan?"

My head snapped up to see that Martin was looking at me expecting the answer.

I was starting to hate this whole marriage thing. Not that I liked it before, but this part? The digging through my past like I was some kind of case file? They wanted me to tie up loose ends, cut contact with my family, build a whole fake life, and now they wanted to know every detail about who I used to be in case it came back to bite them later.

"He's my boyfriend," I said quietly. Then I corrected myself. "Ex-boyfriend."

Martin made a small noise in his throat. I leaned forward, my stomach knotting up.

"Is that going to be a problem?" My voice came out higher than I wanted. "Because if it is, I can explain. We're not together anymore. He's not going to cause any trouble. I swear."

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he asked, "What led to the breakup?"

This is just business, I reminded myself because I was getting angry at this probing. He needed to know for the files, for the background check, but knowing that didn't make it easier. The wounds still sat heavy in my chest.

"I was just tired of it," I said. "It wasn't working anymore."

Martin's mouth pressed into a thin line. "I need the truth, Mrs. Thorne."

I looked down at my fingers, twisting together in my lap. "He cheated on me." My voice was barely there. "With my best friend."

I immediately braced myself for the pity or sympathy, in his case a mocking expression, however when I looked up, his face was still blank. . He nodded once and wrote something down in the little notebook on his lap, he has been doing that since this interrogation started.

"Are you meeting with them again?"

"No." The word came out fast, probably too fast, but I couldn't help it. "No, I'm not. I have nothing to do with them anymore. Not after what they did."

The car rolled to a stop at a red light. And I took that opportunity to explain more, "Look." I turned toward him, leaning forward so he could hear me better. "I need you to understand something. No one from my past is going to come looking for me. Nathan doesn't care enough to try, and Mary definitely doesn't want to see my face ever again. There's no drama waiting to happen, no ex showing up out of nowhere. I just need you to know that I'm not going to mess this up for you guys. I swear."

"Mrs. Thorne, you need to understand something yourself. You are no longer Ari Johnson from the diner and the café. You are the wife of Elias Thorne, one of the most powerful men in this city. You do not beg. You do not plead. You do not look weak in front of anyone. Ever."

I blinked at his words.

"If we thought you were going to cause problems, you wouldn't be in this car right now."

I leaned back into the seat quietly for a minute, letting his words sink in. The light turned green and the car started moving again. I watched as buildings slid past the tinted windows, stores and restaurants, and people going about their day like nothing had changed. And I guess for them, nothing had happened. For me though? Everything was different.

A thought popped into my head. A stupid thought. I was so curious that I could not keep shut "Can I ask you something?"

Martin didn't answer, but he also didn't say no, so I took that as permission.

"Why is Mr. Thorne doing this? The whole wife thing, I mean. There are plenty of women out there who would actually want to marry him. Like, actually marry him for real. Women with money and connections and pretty families who wouldn't need a contract to say yes. So why go through all this trouble with someone like me?"

The air in the car changed.

Martin's eyes met mine and I swear they went colder than normal. That kinda told me I really should know who I was talking about.

"One of the rules of this arrangement," he said slowly, each word measured and careful, "is no questions asked. You do what you are told. That is all."

I bit my lip and turned to look out the window. I got so lost watching everything go by that I didn't notice when the car stopped moving. Martin had to reach over and tap my arm to get my attention.

I jumped. "What? Sorry, I didn't"

He pulled his hand back quickly, like touching me was against the rules. "My apologies for touching you. But you need to stay alert, Mrs. Thorne."

I felt my face heat up as I tucked my hair behind my ears. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

I looked out the window. We were parked behind some building, nothing fancy, just a plain back entrance with a dumpster off to the side. This wasn't exactly where I expected to be.

My heart started pounding. I licked my lips as my mouth suddenly went dry.

"Where are we?" My voice came out smaller than I wanted. "I mean, why are we here? Is this....where did you bring me?"

"This is the back entrance of the hospital your mother is currently in. We're here for you to see her and sign the transfer papers to move her to Mr. Thorne's facility."

I blinked at him. "But he said he was going to schedule a visit, after she got moved. That's what he told me in the office."

"Plans change. Mr. Thorne thought you would want to see her before the transfer happens. So here we are."

"Oh."

I kicked myself mentally. Of course, this was fine. They weren't doing anything shady or trying to trick me. I was sitting here freaking out like an idiot, heart racing over nothing, when they were literally giving me exactly what I wanted.

Today was way too much. My brain was fried and my nerves were shot and I was acting like a complete fool every five minutes.

But honestly? I was going to blame the day for that. Anyone who went through what I went through in the past few hours had the right to be a little stupid.

"Here," Martin said, and he handed me a nose mask and a cap.

I took them slowly, staring at the items in my hands as if they might explain themselves.

"Until the transfer happens, no one is supposed to know you have a mother in this hospital," he said. "Your identity needs to remain hidden. Put them on before you get out."

I immediately did as I was told before stepping out of the car, and for the first time all day, I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay.

But has the universe ever answered my prayers?!