BOUND BY THE LAW: THE CEO’s PRETEND WIFE

Annabelle's pov. Coming out of college with a magna c*m laude, I never expected to still be roaming the streets of Los Angeles in search of a job. It has been a year already, and my search has only gotten more and more fruitless. I thought I would own a company by now. Who am I kidding? Life isn't that easy. As I stood in front of the hospital that afternoon, I hoped that nothing bad had happened. According to the nurse on the phone, my sister, Esther, was admitted a couple of minutes ago. She didn't look sick when I left her this morning, so the call came as a shock. My feet seemed to be rooted to the floor, not wanting to walk into the hospital building. What if it's bad news? What if I have to make a huge deposit? I can't handle either of that, especially when I can't even afford a decent meal. Finally, after what seemed like ages, I finally summoned the courage to walk into the hospital lobby, my wobbly feet making their way to the reception desk. “I'm here to see Esther Torres.” Was the first thing that came out of my mouth, almost uncontrollably. The receptionist glanced at me before typing into the computer in front of her. She lifted her head again and nodded. “The doctor is waiting for you, first office by your right. Third floor.” She directed, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. I thanked her and walked towards the elevator, my heart pounding in my chest. I finally got to the doctor's office, greeted by the scent of medicine and sterile equipment that lingered in the air. He smiled at me, offering me a seat in front of him. “You must be Esther's sister.” He pointed out and I nodded. “How is she?” I questioned, instantly regretted why I asked that. I couldn't bear the news of anything being wrong with her. How was I going to cope? “She.. she isn't fine.” My heart almost flew out of my mouth at his response, my eyes already brimming with tears. Esther has never appeared sick to me, so where is all of this coming from? “W… what is wrong with her?” I sniffed and he let out a sigh, wiping his eyes. “She has cancer.” My ears rang, my head throbbed and my heart clenched. I must not have heard right, this is some sort of joke. I stared at the doctor with wide eyes, waiting for him to tell me that he was just kidding. “No.. that's not possible.” I muttered, tears dropping from my eyes immediately. “Esther has bone cancer and it is at stage four already.” He continued. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, my whole world seemed to have come to a halt at that moment. How could she have been so sick and I knew nothing about it? Stage four bone cancer? No! This can't be happening! I had no idea that I had started to cry, and the doctor tried his best to console me. “Is there.. is there anything that can be done? Can she be saved?” I sniffed, gazing into his eyes and searching for hope. What he said next, threw me into darkness. “I'm afraid not. As it stands right now, she has barely a year to live.” ~~~~ “What are you going to do now?” Heather, my friend asked, her palm resting under her jaw. “I don't know.. I'm so confused right now.” I sighed, falling back onto the couch. “Why would my sister hide such a thing from me? She let the disease eat through her and she didn't even think about letting me know!” I was upset, but I was even more bothered about the fact that I had only one year to spend with her. Just one year! “I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Anna.” Heather sighed. We sat in silence for a while before she let out a gasp that startled me a little. “What?” “Malcolm industries.” She smiled broadly. “What's that?” “They're one of the biggest pharmaceutical industries in the world! My brother works there, and he mentioned that they're testing a new formula that's likely to get rid of cancer.” She explained and my eyes widened. I became interested in what she was saying, wanting to know more. “What? Really?” “Yes! Perhaps, your sister could be one of the beneficiaries of the project.” “How do I contact them? Can you help me talk to your brother? Do I have to meet him myself?” I rushed my words, ecstatic that there could be hope for my sister. “This is their card,” she pulled out a card from her purse and handed it to me. “Maybe call them and see if they'll let you come in and meet the CEO. He's the one you should talk to concerning this.” “I definitely will.” I wiped my tears and gave her a hug. An hour later, Heather left and I went to check on Esther. She was still sleeping so I decided to give Malcolm industries a call. I had no time to waste. “Alexia from Malcom inc.. how may I help you?” The lovely female voice from the other end asked and I cleared my throat before speaking. “Good evening. I'm sorry for calling so late. But I was hoping that I could get an appointment with the CEO.” I answered, a little bit nervous. If I get turned down, my only hope would be dashed against the rock and left shattered. I needed this consultation, my sister's life depended on it. “Are you calling in respect of the ad, online? Because those are the only requests we are attending to.” She sounded stern. I don't know of any ads, but if I don't say yes, I might never get to meet with the CEO and tell him about my problem. It seems I have no other choice. “Yes, I'm calling because of the ad.” I responded. “Alright. Your name please?” I gave her all the information she needed, and I was given time to see the CEO the next day. I can't wait, but at the same time, I'm terrified. What if I have to pay for the service? Where on earth am I going to get the money? I just hope that the CEO is nice and understanding.