Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ

Into the Lion’s den

I spent the entire fifteen-hour flight to Shanghai being restless. Even as I lay in Aren’s arms in the bedroom of his luxurious private jet, I couldn’t sleep. Unlike me, Aren slept like a baby, but I guess his level of exhaustion finally forced his system to rest. From the moment he had come back to New York, he didn’t leave my side, working from my room in the clinic in between taking care of me. Even when Miranda had finally agreed to release me from observation, Aren didn’t go to his office to pamper me as if I was a child. He didn’t let me do anything by myself, and he would have carried me around the penthouse so I wouldn’t tire my feet if I didn’t firmly protest against it. It felt awkward at times, but I couldn’t help but feel my heart melting as I saw his concern filled with yet-unnamed emotions scratching their way out. Now, he was lying peacefully beside me, and I tried to soothe my nerves by stroking his thick black hair. Looking at his beautiful sleeping face was the only thing that could dissolve my anxieties while we were in the air, and I could only imagine how nervous I’d become once the plane landed.

“Don’t worry, sunshine. Everyone is going to love you.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze once we got off at Shanghai Pudong Airport.

I nodded and smiled nervously, although I seriously doubted that I would be treated kindly by the Lan family, who barely considered my husband as their own. Aren assured me of the Lans’ progressive mind set, but I was aware that I shouldn’t underestimate the fact that the rules of Confucianism were still very present in the old Chinese families, and the Lan family was certainly one of them. Confucius’s rules had always set a clear hierarchic order within the families, with the oldest member as the head of the family and the younger generations having to submit to him. The obvious fact was that male members were constantly prioritized, and a lot of conservative families used to say that it was a curse to have a daughter and a blessing when they had a son. For that reason, Lan Jing’s decision to appoint the daughter as an heir caused outrage among the conservatives. Unfortunately, this fact didn’t exactly make things easier for Liling’s son, Aren. First of all, his mother had gone against the head of the family, stealing the money for Winton’s company, and then marrying James Winton. Moreover, even though he was a man, he was the son of a daughter, and because of that fact, even the Chinese language itself put him at a disadvantage. While the other Lan Jing’s grandchildren called their grandfather “yeye”, Aren would address him as “waigong,” with “wai” meaning “outside,” to underline the fact that as soon as the daughter married, she became an outsider, a more distant family member… I bet that the way grandchildren called their grandparents didn’t matter that much in other Chinese families, but it was a whole different story when those grandchildren were fighting for the position of an heir, and unimaginable power and money.

The Lans mansion was in the Pudong district, which was one of the places where all the richest people in Shanghai had their homes. The Lans owned the entire hill with vast parks and gardens and the castle-like mansion at the heart of that area. Certainly, the place was guarded by a high fence and surveillance and security at the intelligence agency level. As soon as we arrived at the place, we were greeted by several servants lined up at the entrance. The second after we got out of the limousine that drove us from the airport, our suitcases were taken out of the trunk and carried into the mansion. At the same time, the English-speaking chamberlain welcomed us into the residence and led us inside to show us our rooms. I was surprised to see the whole wing of the mansion reserved solely for our comfort, with one living room

and master bedroom, a private office room with a small library, and a beautiful orangery.

“Master Lan will receive you at five o’clock. The dinner will be served at six,” said the grey-haired chamberlain.

Gao,” Aren replied, giving the chamberlain a

down and left our room, closing the door behind him. I had to admit that I loved the modern-oriental interior design the mansion had. It was quite ascetic,

the family of five to sleep comfortably. The dark wooden bed frame had artistic carvings from every side and the canopy was covered with the most delicate silk. I could easily picture one of

whispered to my ear

blushed. “I’m merely appreciating

it. “I cannot

glad that at least one of us is in a good mood. There’s a hard knot in my stomach which is more than enough to make me not think about

bed. He sat beside me and smiled mischievously. “I can help you relax,”

pulling me close enough to hear his heartbeat. He looked at me with his hypnotic irises, and I couldn’t help but submit to my desires. His tongue quickly found its way into my mouth, slowly enticing my arousal. I put my hands around his neck before I realized it, urging him to deepen the kiss. He chuckled against my lips as his hands reached under my shirt. I gasped, feeling his fingertips exploring my skin inch by inch. I barely noticed when I lost both, my shirt and my bra, and he began to tease the oversensitive skin on my nipples. Suddenly, he broke our kiss and pinned me down on the

his devouring gaze. “Should I stop now,

he grinned wickedly before thrusting his fingers inside me. “Oh, God…” I breathed as he increased his pace, building my climax. Then he lowered himself between my legs to tease me with his tongue. I

but he seemed to ignore the knocking, “Aren?” I repeated, finally

kissed my lips.