The Unwanted Attraction (#1) (Preview)

Chapter 6

"I need help," Ornelia told Emily when she opened the door.

"Okay. Come inside first and tell me what's going on." Emily pulled her inside the apartment. As usual Jake was already there.

"How is he always here? Don't you have a home?" Ornelia pointed at Jake, who just pulled her down to sit with him.

"That's a question for another time. Let's focus on you for now." He patted her head.

She had called Emily in the morning and told her that she was in deep shit and needed help. Emily had asked her to tell her the problem over the phone, but Ornelia wanted to get out of the house and spend some time with her friends. Her mom was damn near driving her crazy. Ornelia had zero interest in shopping for the wedding day, but her mother wouldn't stop talking about it. Staying home was getting more suffocating for her.

"What is going on?" Emily asked. "You've had me worried since morning. You never called me that early."

Ornelia explained everything that had happened—how she was supposed to marry Maximus King and how she was bound by a dumb deal with him.

Emily's and Jake's jaws dropped as soon as she finished telling the news.

"That is some bullshit," Emily said.

At the same time Jake yelled, "Oh my God. You're getting married." This got him a smack from Emily.

"Shut up, dumb*ss. It's not a good thing." Emily scowled.

"It's a wedding, Emily. No one hates weddings." Jake's excitement was annoying both of them.

"Well, I am not enjoying a single thing about this wedding," Ornelia snapped at him.

"Exactly. This is not like usual weddings. Who still has an arranged marriage? All of this is so medieval."

Emily came in support for her. "What do you want to do about this, Nella?"

"I wish I knew . . . I feel like my life is over. I would want to do so many things, Em." Her lips quivered.

Emily hugged her tightly and pinched Jake's arm.

"Hey, what was that for?" Jake rubbed his arm to relieve the pain.

"Join in. God, how can you be so stupid! It just amazes me every time." She rolled her eyes, her grip on Ornelia tightening with each word.

Ornelia could feel Emily's annoyance increasing. Jake hugged her equally tightly in a moment.

"Guys, I can't breathe. I think I have felt enough of your love." She squirmed out of their hug.

"Let's run away. All three of us," Jake blurted out.

"What?" Ornelia and Emily exclaimed together.

"Yeah, I can manage to hide both of you guys for a while. You know my parents are mostly out. No one is home most of the time. And no one knows where I live," he explained.

It was true. Emily and Ornelia had no idea where Jake lived throughout the years they had known him. He was almost always at Emily's, and she never came around to ask where he lived either. She just thought he wouldn't be comfortable to talk about it.

"Jake, that is crazy. Nella, we are not running away." Emily became frantic when she sensed that Ornelia was considering the idea. "There has to be another way to deal with this. We can maybe speak to a lawyer and find a loophole in the will. Running away would only cause a lot of unwanted problems." Emily tried to talk some sense into both of her friends.