The Second Marriage Chance

Sarah

When I entered the hospital ward, Jane was leaning against the upright bed, quietly sobbing.

“Jane!” I called out, my voice tinged with worry.

“S-Sarah…” She looked up and saw me, a glimmer of relief in her eyes. I approached the side of her bed so she could hug me properly. She clung to me tightly, crying softly like a child.

“Why did you do that, Jane? Why did you try to cut your wrist?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She answered in a frail voice with only the two of us in the room. “It’s a ploy, Sarah… I made sure I wouldn’t die.”

“What?” Confusion furrowed my brow as I studied the bandage on her hand, noticing the cut was far from her wrist. “What the hell, Jane! What you did was incredibly dangerous!”

She continued weeping as she told her story. “I know! But what can I do? I can no longer take it! I have to ensure I won’t marry Mr. Olsen!”

“Does anyone know?”

Shaking her head, she replied, “If you’re wondering if Brother Philip knows, I only told you… Oh Sarah, if you could have seen how terrified I was when Dad arrived earlier! He wanted to beat me, but Brother Philip shielded me from his rage…” Her tears streaked down her pale cheeks.

It was good that Philip could protect her, even as my heart clenched just at the mere thought of him.

“But why are you still crying?”

Jane went on, “I never imagined that the Olsens and my family had already made a contract behind my back. The Olsens are major financial backers of Philip’s SciFi project, and they threatened to withdraw a huge amount of money if I didn’t marry into the Olsen family.”

My eyes widened in horror as she continued her explanation.

“I pleaded with Brother Philip last night not to give me to the Olsens. Earlier, after he realized how far I was willing to go to escape the marriage, he agreed to shoulder the damages Madam Olsen demanded… It’s millions of dollars, Sarah, and my brother agreed to bankrupt himself to ensure that my marriage to them wouldn’t go through.”

Finally, Philip did what he had to do!

“But that’s not the end of it, Sarah… My dad decided to remove me from the project entirely! He’s also cutting off my allowance and revoking all my cards. That’s my punishment for what I did. I-it’s fine. That’s why I’m jobless right now and penniless…” she sobbed.

I felt at a loss, unsure what to say. Chairman Cornell’s punishment was reasonable, given Jane’s rash actions. Suddenly, Remembering a potential lifeline, I realized I needed LoveLogic’s assistance.

“That’s right! You’ve got a job, Jane. You’re familiar with my ties to BM Technologies. Jakob, a friend and collaborator-he’s looking for people to help us design a non-player character. Basically, an AI that can serve as a technically ‘imaginary boyfriend’ for the user.”

I proceeded to explain the concept of LoveLogic to her, the virtual romance companion that could provide emotional support and intimacy tailored to the individual. As I spoke, I could see Jane’s tentative spark of interest.

Little did I know, this would soon become a pressing issue in our friendship…

***

I had a couple of business meetings scheduled at Aspire Financial Group, a prominent financial services company headquartered in Highland Hills. Therefore, I had to remain in town while Amir returned to his job, and he kindly arranged for an assistant for me.

While Jane and I waited for Bronn at the hotel restaurant, I sent Jakob a message: I have a task for you.

Jakob’s response came swiftly, laden with sarcasm: Oh, God! I thought I was done being your slave. What is it this time?Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

This brute!

I chuckled at his dramatics before typing: Come on! Please investigate Emily Carter for me. She’s the assistant working at Aspire Financial Group.

I wanted to ensure that the assistant Amir gave me wasn’t as difficult as some of the women around me. I’m not looking for another Madam Cornell, Megan, or Jessica Woods… Please, not again!

Jakob immediately replied: Are you sure about the name?

I confirmed: That’s the name Amir gave me.

With no immediate follow-up from Jakob, I decided to let the matter be for the moment. Just in time, Bronn arrived.

“Sarah!” Bronn greeted as he approached.

“Oh, hi! Thank you!” I stood and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek, accepting the bouquet he offered. “By the way, this is Jane Cornell. She’s now part of Jakob’s team. They haven’t crossed paths since Jakob was still busy in Henderson, though they’ve had brief interactions in the past since we all came from Crestwood.”

Jane’s cheeks visibly reddened a bit as she made eye contact with the tall, handsome Bronn.

“Jane will be the one designing your non-player character for the LoveLogic, which is why I arranged this meeting today,” I explained.

“I see…” Bronn seemed distracted, prompting my inquiry.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, concerned.

“Nothing! I’m sorry, some other matters weighing on my mind,” he reassured me, though his distraction was palpable.

From how he seemed, I figured he was probably dealing with some tough business stuff. But I didn’t ask more since giving business advice wasn’t my thing.

While they chatted about design ideas, Jane snapped pictures of Bronn with her camera. I politely left to use the restroom while they were busy.

As I washed my hands, the restroom door suddenly swung open, revealing Philip standing there, his eyes holding an intensity I couldn’t ignore. Before I could react, he swiftly locked the door behind him and closed the distance between us. In one fluid motion, he pulled me into a forceful embrace, holding me tightly against him as his lips crashed onto mine in a passionate, longing kiss.

I was stunned, unable to move, though part of me wanted to push him away. There was an aching desire mixed with undeniable pain etched across his expression.

“Please…” Philip uttered in a hurtful tone after breaking the kiss. “I can’t, Sarah…”

‘What does that even mean?’

Before I could process his words, he had already turned and hastily exited the ladies’ room, vanishing from sight as quickly as he had appeared… like the bogeyman in a dream.

My mouth hung open in shock. In those fleeting seconds, I was utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

***

Bronn

Just like all the other powerful men in this ruthless fucking business world, I did whatever was necessary to further my interests and ambitions, carrying the empire initially built by my grandfather.

My encounter with Sarah dates back to when she was just sixteen. At that time, I saw her as too young for any romantic involvement. It was then that I met Emily Carter, who became my secret mistress for two years. Our relationship was completely hidden from others-Emily was like an intangible dream, unreal and ever-elusive.

The moment I was on the brink of marrying Sarah four years ago, Emily vanished into the shadows, evaporating like a wisp of smoke in the night. However, Sarah herself tied the knot with Philip Cornell simultaneously.

I had no clue of Emily’s whereabouts after her disappearance, and I convinced myself that letting her go was ultimately for the best.

During my recent encounter with Sarah, she proposed an embrace of honesty between us. We agreed to give our relationship a chance, a decision I deemed the most sensible. Yet, just before meeting Sarah at a hotel in Highland Hills, a message from Jakob interrupted.

Jakob: Brother, I found Emily! But now things are tricky. Emily Carter works at Aspire Financial Group, and she’s assigned as Sarah’s personal assistant.

The news sent shivers down my spine. After four years without so much as a whisper about this woman, Emily resurfaced under Sarah’s wing. Another message arrived from Jakob.

Jakob: Sarah tasked me with investigating Emily’s background. What am I supposed to tell her?

I felt utterly lost and confused. What should I tell Sarah first? Should I confess my family connection to Jakob, which explains how I know her whereabouts? Or should I come clean about the deeply personal secret of my past passionate affair with her future assistant, Emily?

Emily was a relationship I had desperately tried to convince myself was firmly in the past, or so I had thought…