"I'm sorry," Alura said wiping off her messy face. "I didn't mean to impose. I can go."
"It's okay, sit." The old woman insisted gently. "Have tea first, then we'll talk."
The woman had led Alura into the temple's tea room.
Alura sat down with hesitation, she suddenly became aware of how disheveled she must look. Thoroughly soaked, with her mascara probably running, and shivering like a drowned rat. She wrapped her arms around herself.
The woman prepared two cups of tea and placed a cup in front of Alura, "Drink it dear. It'll warm you up."
Alura wrapped her hands around the cup and the heat seeped into her frozen fingers.
"Thank you," she whispered.
The woman sipped her own tea, studying Alura through the cup with sharp eyes.
"I'm Mabel," she said finally. "Though most people call me Grandma Mabel, you know due to old age. And you are?"
"I'm Alura Wayne."
"Alura Wayne. It's a pretty name. Would you like to tell me why you're praying for miracles in the rain?"
Alura panicked, her first instinct was to lie, to make up something that didn't sound so pathetic.
But looking into Grandma Mabel's warm eyes, she realized that she couldn't.
So she told her everything.
About the gambling, the debts, her father's latest catastrophe. And the marriage contract with Percy Miller.
Grandma Mabel listened without interrupting, her expression never changed from that calm look. When Alura finished, her throat felt raw with another batch of tears.
"That's quite a burden for someone so young," Grandma Mabel said quietly.
"I don't know what to do." Alura's voice cracked. "If I refuse, they'll kill my father. But if I agree..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
Grandma Mabel suddenly reached out to her across the table. Her hand was soft, wrinkled and warm, She touched Alura's cheek with tenderness.
"You're far too beautiful to belong to that monster, my dear."
Alura's throat tightened.
"Your face reminds me of lilies in spring," Grandma Mabel continued. "Pure, delicate, but resilient. Yes, I'll call you Lily."
Tears pricked in Alura's eyes. "Why are you being so kind to me? You don't even know me."
Grandma Mabel smiled sadly. "Because I see myself in you, child. A long time ago, I was also desperate. Also trapped. Also willing to do anything to escape, but things turned out well afterall."
Grandma Mabel stared at Alura for a while as if she was contemplating on her next words.
"You know I come to this temple every week," she said finally. "To pray for my grandson."
Alura listened.
"He's really brilliant, the youngest CEO in his company's history. He even schooled abroad. But..." Grandma Mabel's expression softened with something like grief. "He's completely alone. That silly boy is married to his work. No life outside the office. And now the board of directors is demanding he marry and produce an heir, or they'll vote him out."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Alura said, not sure why Grandma Mabel was telling her this.
"He once had a fiancée. They were engaged for two years. Then she betrayed him by selling the company secrets to competitors, and ran off with the money." Grandma Mabel's fingers tightened around her cup. "It broke something in him. Now he refuses to even consider marriage. I'm afraid he'll never trust anyone again."
Alura felt a pang of sympathy for this stranger.
Grandma Mabel suddenly looked up, "What if I told you there's a way to save you from Percy Miller AND at the same time help my grandson?"
Alura's heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
"A marriage contract." Grandma Mabel leaned forward. "You'll become his wife in name. We pay off your father's debts entirely, and my grandson satisfies the board's demands. Everyone gets what they need."
The words didn't make sense to Alura, she shook her head. "You want me to marry your grandson?....But I don't even know him."
"Neither does he know you. But it doesn't matter." Grandma Mabel's voice was calm but convincing. "The marriage would be completely secret and Registered through a court marriage. He gets the board off his back. You get your freedom. You're both helping each other in that way."
Alura's mind raced. "But would he agree to this? Marrying a complete stranger?"
"He trusts me." Grandma Mabel smiled sadly. "I'm the only person in the world he still trusts. And because he wants a wife in name only, someone who won't expect his heart, who won't try to change him or control him. Someone who would understand."
Grandma Mabel tilted her head. "Isn't it better than being forced to marry a loan shark? At least this way, you would be safe, protected and free to live your own life."
Alura's hands trembled.
"But how would this even work?"
"It's simple, if you agree. We would prepare a contract. The marriage is registered quietly in court. You'll attend a few family events in a year to maintain appearances as his wife. That's all. In exchange, we will help you clear your father's debts and provide you with a monthly living allowance so you never have to depend on anyone again."
"Ok. But What's the condition?" Alura asked, because it all sounded too good to be true. Which meant it probably was.
Grandma Mabel's expression didn't change. "My dear Lily, my grandson doesn't believe in love anymore. So this marriage would be cold, distant and lonely in its own way. You would be bound to a man who would never give you affection or warmth. Just... emptiness. So will you willingly accept this arrangement, to escape Percy Miller?"
Alura didn't answer, she was completely lost in thought.
Grandma Mabel studied her for a long moment. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a simple business card with a phone number written in black.
She slid it across the table.
"You have forty eight hours to decide," Grandma Mabel said quietly. "Call that number if you agree. We'll arrange everything. But Lily, once you make this choice, there's no going back. Marriage is marriage, even a loveless one. Do you understand?"
Alura picked up the card. The paper felt expensive even though it looked simple.
"Uhm, What's your grandson's name?" she asked in a whisper.
Grandma Mabel smiled. "Lou. We call him Lou. It's his childhood name."
"Lou," Alura repeated. She tried to imagine what he would look like. A young brilliant CEO, cold, broken by betrayal. But she couldn't form a clear picture of him in her mind.
"Forty eight hours dear Lily," Grandma Mabel said again. "After that, I'll assume you choose to become Mrs Miller."
