Chapter 6: The engagement

"Bro stop it!" Larry doesn't want his brother to show his rudeness here. 

"Why? I just asked a question, it's not a big deal right?" Mandy looked at him. 

"My mom doesn't..."

"Sharon!" Edward yelled her name making her keep quiet, the girl was twenty-three, the same age as Larry but very stupid, she lacked manners and reasoning ability, and her IQ was very low 

"Your mom doesn't want..."

"It's simple, I don't like pictures." Mandy's words were strange, making Lauren not ask further questions, how would her picture be there, when Susan didn't want any of her stuff near hers, she hadn't even had any picture that her and Susan appeared, for years, she had a sadist until she met Noor. 

"Are..."

"Yes, why are you here? You would..."

"Have you too met?" Sharon asked, she is always fast to observe things but Mandy is smarter than her. 

"Nope, I just felt Dad must have given him, my number." 

"Oh, I didn't, you could give him now," Edward said, Mandy looked at Lauren, which meant she wanted him to say what he wanted. 

"I want to go out with you." Mandy looks at him. "As In... Yes... No..." He shakes his head, and Larry pushes his lips to Lauren's ear. 

"You are shy." 

"Stop!" He said it out loud, Mandy looked at him, and he just fell his face, Lisa understood that Larry would never help Lauren. 

"Ahem!" Lisa cleared her throat, making Mandy's gaze move to her. "We want to get your wedding ring but we don't know your size, so I thought we could..." Sharon burst into laughter. 

"What's funny?" Larry was forced to ask her. "Sorry handsome, I was just overwhelmed, I go upstairs." Sharon just kept laughing, Mandy closed her eyes to avoid tears from falling from her eyes, every day was like hell for her. 

"When do you want to go for it?" Mandy finally asked. 

"Tonight." Lauren doesn't have that time, he doesn't freak care if anyone gets hurt, he is here for business and that business he will accomplish

"Fine, let's go." Mandy stands, she is heading to the door, and so is Lisa. "We go on now sir." 

Larry said as he darted behind Lauren, he couldn't believe what was going on with the girl, so many rings were in front of her, and all were expensive so Lauren picked one. "You should use this as engagement." She didn't say a word when she got the ring, she wiped her tears that were falling already, she had dreamed of a romantic engagement, like her man kneeling before her and asking her to marry him, it's simple but that is what she wanted not this, that she is just going to wear it all by herself, he didn't even ask if she will or not. 

"I so much love this," Lisa said as they finally picked the wedding ring as well, as they were leaving, she held her head. 

"Are you alright?" Larry asked her, but she didn't reply before she collapsed, Lauren was fast enough to catch her, she was right on the hospital bed, Edward was there but as usual neither Susan nor Sharon was there. 

"Doctor, what is..."

"She is fine, she hasn't been eating well, that is the reason..."

"Is your family also starving her?" Lauren's voice isn't friendly, Larry touches him. "Lauren, can you Stop?" 

"You keep asking me to stop when I didn't start anything, is your family..." Edward ignores him, after the doctor's conversation, Edward is first to enter the ward, Mandy is still sleeping, and the man caresses his princess's head. 

"I am sorry, I know I hurt you but..." That moment Leah rushed into the hospital; she kissed Lauren right on his lips deeply. 

"Can you stop it?" Larry is getting irritated, he never liked Leah, he just felt that Leah was just after their family wealth, a golddigger but Lauren is blind to it.  

"Why?" 

"It's simple, he is..."

"Larry stop it." 

"Fine, I will back off but you should be careful, so her dad doesn't see this act and it's irritating watching you two do that in front of others." Larry's words are sensitive. 

"Come on big bro, let's see how she is doing." ****

They are right inside the room when Noor rushes in, mercy had told him that Mandy passed out at the shopping mall, so he wants to check if she is okay. 

"Babe!" Noor called and hugged her, she too hugged him. "Are you alright? You look worn out, have you been eating?" Noor asked her, caressing her face. "You haven't, you should eat, I prepare it specially for you and I know you like it." Lauren's face darkened, he couldn't believe someone else was feeding his wife. Edward noticed it. 

"Young man, let go of my daughter." 

"Dad stop it, just let him..."

"Are you this shameless? Do you want to bring disgrace to my family? Security throws him out. 

In a blink, the security pulled him from the floor." 

"Stop it, he will get hurt." Mandy's tears drop. "Dad, I beg you don't let them hurt him. 

"No way, you should teach him the lesson of..."

"No, let him go." Lauren's voice was commanding; the security just dropped him, and Noor ran from there, for some reason, he didn't want to see this girl sad, Lisa ran to her and hugged her, that is what she needed now. 

"Dad, I am sorry." She is the one hurt, yet the one apologizing, Edward walked away, and he went out to cry, he is the cause of his daughter's pain but was too greedy to let her off the hook, she raised her head, she saw Lauren eyes burning in anger 

"Sorry sir for..."

"Call me Lauren." Leah looked at him when he said that, inside her was boiling, he would not let anyone come between her and Lauren not even this brat that they wanted to force into his life, for some reason, she felt Lauren had a soft spot for the girl. 

"Alright, I am sorry for the embarrassment, you will not see him again." Mandy pack her stuff as she wants to go home. 

"What are you..."

"I want to go home." Mandy walked passed them, Lauren asked his security to drop her off, the four were riding home. 

"I feel sorry for her, I wonder how she will cope without her boyfriend?" Lisa's words keep echoing in Lauren's head. 

"It's her family's greed that is putting her in that and she too is greedy." Leah's annoying voice came up. 

"Stop it, you should put yourself in her shoes." Larry stopped her from blabbing.

"What if I call off the Marriage?" Lauren spoke after a long time. 

"Do you know what that means?" Larry asked him as they walked into his condominium. 

"Yes, I lost my inheritance, I live in nothing but she is hurting." Leah slapped him, she was already mad at that single kindness he had shown her, the slap was a result of not being able to hold the anger in again, no woman had ever raised her hand on him.

"Are you falling for the girl?" Lauren burst into laughter, taking off his mask. "What is funny?" 

"You are, the young woman in question is in pain, it's only right for..."

"Lauren, since when do you have a heart?" Leah opened the door and left, he doesn't have a heart, but he kept feeling the pain of this girl, his heartbreak when she was sad 

"Bro!" 

"I need to be left alone." 

"But..." Larry used the door. He yelled, the man's mood could change anytime, and this happened to be one of his mood switches, so Larry had to leave with Lisa, he wanted to work on his system but his brain was shattered, too shattered to think straight. 

"I hope she is fine." He picked up his phone and then sighed badly. 

"I wish I had her number." he dumped the phone and headed out, Mandy was frustrated, knowing that the next day was her wedding, she was crying in her room, watching all the pictures and videos of her and Noor, her room is like a gallery of she and Noor. As she watched her first prom dance with Noor, then they were just friends,  her eighteen birthday, were Noor told her, his feelings, she flashback. 

*****Flashback*****

"Noor, it's a good thing, you are my escort, it would just be me without a boyfriend at eighteen, what will I pay you with?" Mandy asked as she took off her shoes. 

"Your heart." 

"I don't understand." He pecked her and ran away, Mandy smiled, and she ran after him. "I catch you, so you want me to be your girlfriend?" Noor eyes open wide when she pecks him too. That is how they start dating

****End of Flashback****

She smiled after she finished her flashback, she remembers how she always struggled with her zipper but with Noor, everything seemed perfect, she would wear her bag to cover her back when she got to school, and he would zip it for her.

Those times, she got hurt, Noor was always there for her, she cried out her eyes, and Edward pushed the door.

"Princess!" He called, she just pretended to be sleeping, and she didn't want to hear his words.