Hellbound With You (WN)

My plan?" Kelly looked at her best friend. Her eyes lit by a glint of mischief, not the playfulness of an innocent child, but something crazy and… dangerously alarming.

Abi waited patiently. Knowing that Kelly wasn't the type who just sit there and accept everything, Abi was intrigued at what she was planning to do next.

"Running away." Kelly grinned, but Abi couldn't see the determination she was expecting in Kelly's eyes. The stubbornness and wildness Kelly usually possessed were gone.

"But I can't run away," she added. "My family… all they have is me. I understand why my father is doing this. Since I was young, I was raised to accept my fate. That one day, I will get married, not for the sake of love but the sake of my family and the company. And I knew I couldn't escape this… and that's why I asked for a year of complete independence. They gave it to me. I promised them I would abide by whatever they want after that. If I ran away… I will betray them, and without me, their one and only heir, my family… the company will eventually...." Kelly leaned back and rubbed her face with her hands. "My mother is ill and my father… I could already foresee what would happen if I run away… he'll go mad and might have a heart attack. The company is everything to him. He'll do everything to find me, and even if he would fail to find me, I don't want to be the cause of the family's fall."

"How about plan B?" Abi asked softly after a long while of silence. She knew how serious and complicated Kelly's situation. Before Kelly met Kai, Abi knew that Kelly was never really serious about finding the love of her life. It was because of this. Had she not meet Kai, Kelly might be sitting there now, with her legs folded as she drinks her wine elegantly, like a savage queen, completely unfazed. She might even willingly marry Tristan, but of course, with meticulous plans and conditions that would never make her emerged victorious in the end. Kelly had been a little too callous to men back then. But now, meeting Kai changed her.

There was a long pause before Kelly responded. "The plan B is…" she forced a grin again. "I need to find a man in the next four days to wed."

"Oh," Abi's lips formed a small 'o'. "Alex and I can help Kelly. Alex can call Kai –"

"No, Abi." Kelly cut her off. "Not Kai." She shook her head as she flashed a bitter smile.

"But Kelly –"

"Any man can do as long as it's not Kai and not Tristan."

Abi creased her brows with worry. Kelly's voice had gone cold and unfeeling.

"All I have to do is find a man who does not like me and will abide by my conditions. Of course, he needs to be a big fish, so my family approves of him."

"W-what conditions?"

"That we're going to get married just in papers and get a divorce later… that we shall not live together…" Kelly paused while Abi's lips hang open.

Seeing Abi's dumbfounded reaction made Kelly smile. This time not forced. "Don't worry, Abi. A marriage of convenience like that is no longer uncommon." She explained as she shrugged. But then, her eyes sharpened, and she gritted her teeth. "Tristan, that bastard will never agree with my condition. He would want me to become his baby-making machine. Over my dead body," she hissed.

Abi was speechless. She didn't know what to say. Kelly had been such a strong-willed woman that she never once seek for Abi's advice. Since they became friends, Kelly rarely vented out her frustrations and problems but never sought advice. Kelly always decided for herself. And the look of her now, Abi knew that whatever she would say would be useless because it seemed Kelly had already made up her mind, and she's going for her plan B.

"I already have a list of prospects. And I'm going to start hunting them tomorrow. One of the men on my list is Chris, haha." She laughed, shaking her head a little in disbelief. "He's quite a wealthy superstar, and the company he just started is very promising. My parents wouldn't mind as long the man is wealthy enough. Though I can already imagine the look on that guy's face upon hearing my proposal. But there's a possibility that he'll agree."

"Why would you think that he'll agree?"

"Because he's heartbroken, like me." Kelly grinned and then waved her hand. "Kidding. I heard a piece of interesting news about him. Unfortunately, the poor guy is like me, Abi. He also has an inheritance he couldn't claim unless he gets married. Hopefully, he's not too scared of me, haha. My next prospect is…"

As Kelly continued talking about the men on her list, Abi could only listen to her. But after a long while, Abi finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Kelly…" Abi reached out and held her dear friend's hand, pressing it gently, as if to convey her support to her. Abi still didn't want to give up. The thought that Kelly will marry a man she didn't love was breaking her heart. Kelly deserved to be happy. "Are you…" Abi was careful and her voice filled with concern and hesitation, "are you really sure… I mean… Kai –"

"Kai will refuse even if I fall to my knees and propose to him, Abi." Kelly bit her lower lip. "He thinks he will be the death of me… He had given up on us, Abi." Abi could hear the ache and struggle in Kelly's voice. She was trying so hard to bury the emotions within her. "And I understand why… if I were the one in his shoes…" she paused and smiled bitterly. "I'd rather send my love away than stay with him and constantly being on guard… and afraid that I'll kill him with my own hands."

The room fell silent again. Abi fought the tears that threatening to cloud her eyes. This was too much. She could see the overwhelming emotions in Kelly's eyes. She was breaking within, but there were no tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Abi. I will be alright." Kelly still managed to smile. "I can handle this. I've been preparing myself for this for many years, you know. And Kai… he's way too beautiful, way too otherworldly to suffer for the likes of worldly woman like me. He deserves a woman that will not make him tremble in fear and horror every time he makes love with her." She looked up, and a wishful glimmer covered the pain in her eyes, "I am letting him go…"