That's what Friends are for

Crystal Hayes

Two days ago, when I came back to Texas, my life was back to how it had been.

The same mess. 

I took up the responsibility of organizing a big event and with the advance that I was paid, I gave Philip a little more money so that he could stay out of my sight for a few days. But I very well knew he wouldn’t let me be peacefully. He called me every single day to remind me if I don’t pay the rest of the money soon, my soul will be sent to heaven. 

I was in the office when I was called by the receptionist saying that I had a visitor. Wondering who it could be, I went to the waiting room to see a young man I had never seen before.

“Hello.” I greeted him. 

“Hello Mam. You are Ms. Crystal Hayes, right?” He asked and when I nodded, he sighed in relief. 

He introduced himself as Ryan and said he had something very important to discuss. I led him to my desk hoping for a new project that had come to me. 

“Ms. Hayes, I am the secretary of Mr. Raymond Russell. The owner of ‘Russell Hotels’. He said and my breath hitched. 

I had gotten too familiar with that last name. 

“Mr. Raymond Russell himself, had asked me and his personal investigators to find out about you. And here I am.” He explained. 

“Okay. Not creepy at all.” I said, feeling a little uncomfortable. 

“We’re sorry, Ms. Hayes. But meeting you was very important. I’m sure that you are aware about the scandalous rumour about Mr. Adrien Russell. The heir of-”

“Yes. I am aware.” I cut him off. 

“So, regarding that, Mr. Russell has requested your involvement in handling the issue.” He said, making me frown. 

“What can I do?” I asked. 

“I am not sure about that, but sir has asked me to escort you to his office as he wants to discuss it with you by himself.” 

“Well, Mr. Ryan, I am sorry but I cannot do that. How can I trust you on this? How do I know you aren’t lying?” I questioned. 

“I understand, Ms. Hayes. But will you believe me if Mr. Raymond Russell talks to you?” He asked and my eyes widened. 

For real?

He dialed someone and addressed the person as ‘sir’ as the call was answered. He handed the phone to me and I sceptically spoke.

“Hello?” 

“Hello, Ms Hayes. I am Raymond Russell.” He told me the same things Mr. Ryan had and when I asked about what I could do for him, he said he would say that when we met in person. I told him that I had just returned to my job after a leave and I couldn’t apply for another, he said he would take care of it. 

And guess what? He actually did. 

I was given a leave for two more days without any loss of pay. Looks like going back to Manhattan was now compulsory. 

As I was told, I was brought to Russell’s head office in Manhattan. Mr. Ryan led me to a room on the top most floor of the building. As we entered the room, I stood there face to face with Mr. Raymond Russell. He welcomed me warmly but I was nervous about the meeting. 

What did he have to talk about? 

We sat on the couch in his cabin, opposite to each other and he asked me if I would like to drink something to which I very politely declined. Right after, someone knocked on the door and a second later, the only man who had been on my mind for a few days now, entered. 

Adrien Russell. 

He stood frozen by the door and his eyes widened on seeing me. Guess he wasn’t told about this. He slowly came forward with his blue eyes still on me. 

“Ms. Crystal Hayes?” 

“Hello, Mr. Adrien Russell.” I mumbled slowly. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked gently while sitting down next to me, but before I could answer, Mr. Sr. Russell did. 

“I called her here.” He leaned back on his seat and started to come to the point. He confronted me about the difficult time he and his son were going through and I couldn’t help but feel responsible for it. 

Mr. Senior Russell said he had a plan to deal with the mess but they needed my help for it. I was ready to do anything in my hands to help them but what Mr. Russell wanted was beyond my expectations. 

“Marry Him.” 

 I almost laughed at that, thinking it was a joke. But when I saw the seriousness on his face, I freaked out. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Dad!?” 

We both yelled at the same time and Mr. Russell simply repeated what he said without a second thought. 

Mr. Jr. Russell tried to argue with his father but he shut him down by scolding him. When I tried to put forward my concerns, I was surprised by the fact that he had a solution for each one of them. 

When I still wasn’t convinced, he threw his ‘ace of spade’ at me. He offered to pay for all my debts that could get me killed. I didn’t want to make any wrong move so I thought it was safe to leave the place for now. 

I waited impatiently for the elevator that took forever to come. When the doors of the empty elevator finally opened, I walked in and before they could close, Adrien Russell stepped in. He looked really annoyed but when his eyes fell on me, the creases on his forehead disappeared. 

We stood at different corners of the elevator as it took us to the ground floor. The tension in the air made it difficult for me to breathe. 

“Look, we don’t have to be awkward.” Said the very familiar deep voice. I looked up at him but said nothing. He sighed deeply and stepped a little closer to me. 

“Dad is being ridiculous. We have to find a way to change his mind.” He said. 

“Is there nothing you can do?” I asked him hopefully and he shrugged leaning back. 

“He can be really stubborn at times, especially when it comes to the business.” He rubbed his forehead in frustration. The doors of the elevator opened and we walked out. All eyes present there turned to us making me feel conscious while Mr. Russell looked unbothered. As we walked out of the office, he turned to me. 

“Can I have your number?” He asked and I raised my eyebrows at him. “We need to be in contact to discuss all of this. We have two days, remember?” He said and I nodded. We exchanged our numbers and parted ways. 

Sitting in a taxi, I threw a hundred mental curses at the old man who pushed us deep into the already made mess. And above all, he had the audacity to bribe me with money. Did I wear a tag with ‘Bride for Sale’ on me? No way in hell I was being the ‘Purchased wife’ of anyone. 

Hannah was out for her honeymoon so I called Megan and asked if I could stay at their place for a night and she was happy to invite me in. But before going to their place, I wanted to have some time by myself so I stopped by a cafe to relax. 

I ordered myself a coffee and leaned on the table while waiting. I was starting to have a headache. Was the mess in my life wasn’t already enough that I have to deal with this now?

Why God!?

“Crystal?” I sighed and raised my head up to see who called my name and when I did, a small smile automatically graced my lips. 

“Evan. Hi!” I cheered. 

“Hey! I didn’t know you were back in Manhattan. Can I sit here, if you don’t mind?” He said. 

“Yeah, of course. I just came here for some important work.” I replied to him and asked him to order something for himself too. 

“Are you okay? You look worried.” He asked with concern written on his handsome face. 

“Yes, I’m fine. I am just a little tired.” I said, my voice was filled with exhaustion. 

“Alright. But if you want to talk to someone, I am here for you.” Evan said genuinely and I felt warmth in my heart. 

“Thanks.” I smiled at him. 

Honestly, I did need someone to talk to. I needed someone to give me advice and show me a way to get out of this mess. Evan seemed like a genuine person and a trustworthy friend. I could actually consider sharing a bit of my problem with him, right. 

“Um.. Evan?” I started. 

“Yup?”  

“I- Actually, I have a problem. It’s kind of supposed to be a secret, but I really need to share it with somebody… or it might drive me crazy.” I fiddled with my fingers on the table. 

“Hey. It’s okay. I’ll take your secret to my grave.” He held my hand and winked, making me chuckle. “You can trust me on this.” He smiled. 

“Okay. So.. the thing is, I am being forced to get married to someone I barely know. It’s more like a deal. This marriage will help us both in some or the other way, but none of us actually want to marry each other.” I explained it to him. 

I didn’t share any details as this could be a serious controversy. 

“I kept forward all my valid concerns, like my job and home, for them to change their mind, but it was of no use. They had a solution for everything.” I added further while Evan kept listening carefully. “I need to find a way to get out of this situation.” 

“Okay. So, maybe what all you said was something they could handle with a snap of fingers. You should come up with something they cannot deal with.” He said and I nodded while in thoughts.

“What about your parents? Do they want the same thing?” He asked after a few minutes. 

“Um..No. Actually they are dead.” I mumbled slowly but he heard it. 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” He said as our coffee was kept on the table by the waiter. 

“Do you have a boyfriend?” He asked and I burned my tongue with the hot coffee. Putting the cup back on the table, I looked at him. 

“Careful. I mean.. If you have one and you are serious about each other, maybe that may change their mind. I am sure they won’t try to break you apart from your loved one.” He explained, drinking his own coffee.

‘Well, unfortunately, I do not have one.” I shrugged. 

“Then maybe someone who could play your fake boyfriend?” 

“What?” I shrieked at him and he raised his eyebrow. “No. I do not have anyone like that. And besides, this idea is absurd.” 

“Hey! Tell me if you have a better idea.” Evan rolled his eyes, getting offended and I chuckled. “How about I play your fake boyfriend.” He asked casually and I looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Why would you want to do that?” I asked. I wanted to be clear about his intentions. 

“Come on, Crystal. I want to help you. I already think of you as a friend and so should you. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve done something fun.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes playfully. 

I thought about it for a minute. It isn’t really a bad idea. Maybe this will actually make him rethink his decision and come up with something else. Also, Evan could be trusted. 

“Alright then. Thanks for helping.” I smiled widely at him. 

“My pleasure. So, when do we have to initiate this act?” Evan asked. 

“First, I would like to discuss this with the guy I am supposed to marry. Does tomorrow work for you?” I asked and he agreed. 

We shared our numbers for further discussion and Evan insisted on dropping me off to which I agreed.