Eight

Mason's POV

I woke up with my head pounding, feeling like it was going to split in two. The light streaming through the curtains only made it worse, and I groaned, rubbing my temples to try to alleviate the pain. As I tried to sit up, I noticed something strange. Someone was lying on the floor beside my bed.

I squinted, my vision still blurry from sleep and the remnants of last night's alcohol. It was Raven; she was curled up on the hard floor with her arms tucked under her head. She looked like a child lying in that position. What the hell was she doing here, and why was she on the floor?

Suddenly, the memories of last night came rushing back in fragments. From seeing those damn photos, drinking more than I should have, having sex with a random girl at the club, and worst of all, breaking down in front of Raven. My stomach churned with regret. I couldn’t believe I’d let her see me like that, so vulnerable. She probably thinks I’m weak, a complete mess.

I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on her instead. She looked peaceful, her face softened in sleep. It's like I was seeing a different side to her. But the floor couldn’t have been comfortable. I frowned, worried she might catch a cold or wake up with a sore back. I leaned over to scoop her up, deciding to carry her to the bed.

As I slipped my arms beneath her, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, she looked disoriented for a moment before she realized where she was.

"Mason?" She murmured, blinking up at me.

"Yeah, it’s me," I replied softly, trying not to startle her. "You fell asleep on the floor, and I tried not to wake you."

She pushed herself up, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to---"

"It's fine," I cut her off, setting her gently on the edge of the bed. "But why were you sleeping there in the first place? I instructed someone to show you your room." I gestured to the door.

She looked down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her dress. "I know, I was just worried you would need something last night. You weren’t yourself when you came in." She added softly, avoiding my gaze. I noticed the red mark on her arm, and I suddenly remembered how roughly I treated her.

Her words made my chest tighten. She had stayed up waiting for me, and she stayed by my side out of concern, even after the way I’d treated her. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. For some reason I felt guilty knowing I had sex with someone else last night, knowing I was married. It's not like we're in love or something, the both of us know this marriage isn’t going to last.

"Well, I'm fine now," I said, trying to keep my tone light. "Why don't you freshen up? We can have breakfast downstairs."

Her eyes widened suddenly, and she jumped up. "Oh no! I’m late!" She exclaimed, panic seeping into her voice. "I forgot about lectures today, and my finals are around the corner!"

I tried to hide my amusement at her sudden change in demeanor. "You still have time," I  assured her. "Go get ready, and I’ll have one of the maids pack you some breakfast to take with you."

"Thanks," she said hurriedly, rushing out of the room toward the bathroom. Cute.

I watched her go, then ran a hand through my hair, still feeling the lingering effects of my hangover. Last night had been a disaster, and now, I needed to figure out how to deal with everything, especially with Raven. I didn't want to drag her into my mess.

~~~~

After she was ready, Raven dashed down the stairs. I already instructed someone to pack breakfast for her. When the maid returned with the packed meal, I handed it over to Raven.

"Here, take this with you. I’ll drop you off at your college." I said, watching as she fumbled with her things.

"No need," She declined. "Thank you," she said, this time with a bit more calmness before heading off to college.

As I watched her leave, I couldn’t help but chuckle at her behavior. She reminds me of Julie but I don't think she's as annoying as Julie.

~~~~

That evening, after a long day at the office, I returned home to find Raven waiting for me. We had dinner together, though the meal was mostly quiet. I could tell she had something to say, and I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to force conversation.

After dinner, she finally spoke up, her voice tinged with hesitation. "Mason, can we talk?"

I put down my laptop, meeting her gaze. "Of course. What’s on your mind?"

She bit her lip, clearly choosing her words carefully. "I wanted to ask about... us. You know, with everything that’s happened with Candice, I’m worried it might affect our arrangement. We both know this marriage isn’t going to last so..." She trailed off, looking away.

I leaned back in my chair, considering her words. She had a point. The situation with Candice had thrown everything off balance, and it was only natural for her to be concerned.

"You don't need to worry about that. Our agreement stands. All you have to do is keep playing your part until I can figure out how to fix things. But for now, nothing changes." I explained.

She nodded, even though she didn’t seem entirely reassured. "Okay. I just don't want this to go on for too long."

"It won't," I said firmly. "You have nothing to worry about. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing." For some reason, the thought of her being in a hurry to end this unsettled me.

She didn't look convinced but nodded anyway. "All right. I’ll keep that in mind." She paused briefly, before excusing herself. It seemed as though she wanted to ask something but was scared to speak up.

~~~~

The next day at the office, I was going over some paperwork when Julie came in. She looked gloomy, her usual calm demeanor was replaced with a tense expression.

"Julie, where have you been?" I was surprised by her sudden appearance. "And why didn't you take any of my calls."

She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "I've been busy," she said curtly.

I raised an eyebrow, sensing there was something wrong. "What's wrong, Julie?" I asked but got no response. "Talk to me, is it Kyle? Did you guys break up? I swear if he---"

"Mason, why did you marry Raven?" Her question caught me off guard. I had expected her to be the one person who would understand the necessity of the arrangement, knowing this was her idea. Why did she seem upset?

Her question caught me off guard. I had expected her to be the one person who would understand the necessity of the arrangement, but now she seemed upset.

"What do you mean by that? I thought you'd be happy about it," I  said, trying to gauge her reaction. "You suggested I find a substitute bride, remember?"

"Well you should have found someone else, okay?" She scoffed

"Why are you upset, don't tell me you don't like her as well?" Sometimes Julie makes it hard for me to understand her.

She shook her head, looking frustrated. "It's not that I don't like her, Mason. Who wouldn't like Raven?"

"So what's the problem, Julie?" I frowned, not understanding where she was coming from. It was my turn to be frustrated.

Julie's expression softened slightly, but she still seemed troubled. "Mason, Raven, and I used to be friends. But I... I did something and because of that, we haven't spoken to each other in a long time."

I studied her for a moment, trying to figure out what was bothering her, but she didn't offer any reasonable information. "What did you do, Julie?"

"I can't tell you, just don't ask me any more questions, please." She pleaded.

"Fine," I said finally. "Come over to the penthouse later, let's have dinner. Then the both of you can sort things out."

"No," Julie yelled. "Look, I came to tell you the contract is ready; I'll ask someone to deliver it tomorrow."

"Invite your lawyer and bring the contract. We’ll go over it again, and make a few changes."

"What changes?"

"Candice and I will no longer be getting married," I informed her.

"Wait, what? Why?" She exclaimed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about that but why the sudden change?"

I took out my phone and showed her pictures of Candice and Justin together.

"Oh my God, that's Justin. Mason, I'm so sorry." She said; she looked genuinely concerned, but that's the last thing I need: pity.

"I'm fine. All I want is for you to be at my penthouse tomorrow, with your lawyer. I can't just divorce Raven now and risk losing the company to Justin."

"That means you and Raven are gonna stay married for a while longer?" Julie asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yes, so Julie, whatever differences the both of you have, put it aside for now," I said firmly.

Julie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But only because you got your heart broken. Even though you don't admit it, I know you're hurt. Just don't be reckless this time."

I nodded thoughtfully. I may be 7 years older than Julie, but sometimes I tend to forget our age difference.

"So you're not gonna tell me what happened between you two?" I asked, unable to ignore it any longer.

She avoided my gaze, picking up her nails. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"It's obvious that whatever it is you did is eating you up. I can't just ignore it." I said honestly.

"Fine," she let out a long sigh. "But promise you won't judge me."

"You know I would never do that."

"I used to be best friends with Raven, her only friend to be precise. But I also had a crush on her, and my feelings for her kept growing. So one day, I acted on them, and the look on her face was heartbreaking. So I just stayed away from her, and we haven't spoken to each other since then." She explained, nervously.

I wasn't expecting that from her at all. "What do you mean by, you acted on them?" I pressed, leaning forward.

"We were at a party one night, and I kissed her." She said, staring at the floor.

"I think the both of you need to talk about what happened. Maybe she was just shocked and you misunderstood." I tried to reason with her, but a part of me was scared of the outcome. What if Raven likes Julie as well? Is that why she's in such a hurry to end things with me? I brushed off these stupid thoughts.

Julie finally looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of worry and something else. Fear, maybe? But before she could say anything, my phone buzzed. I picked it up and saw my father’s name flashing on the screen.

"Come home now, you have a lot of explaining to do, young man!" My father’s voice boomed over the phone. He hung up before I could respond.

I turned my attention back to Julie, who was watching me closely.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, her voice soft.

"I have no idea. Dad wants me to go over now." I said, confusion etched my face.

"That's strange, he just sent me a text as well." She muttered, showing me her phone.

I have a feeling something’s wrong.