Sworn to Secrecy

"I got married." 

"To Xavier Westwood." 

"It happened recently." 

As Myra babbled on, Gracie and Sarah just looked dumbfounded. 

Gracie blinked. "Come again?" 

"I got married." Myra repeated. 

Gracie inched closer to Sarah while staring at Myra and asked, "Has it finally happened? Has she lost her damn mind?" 

Sarah nodded stupidly and repeated what Myra said, "To Xavier Westwood. Of the Westwood Empire. THE WESTWOOD." 

Myra looked at both of them, not knowing what to say or how to say it to convince these folks. "It's true, guys." 

Sarah and Gracie kept blankly looking at Myra and after a hot minute or so, burst out laughing. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA. Married." Gracie wheezed through her laughter. 

"Yeah... HAHAHAHAHAH.... to Xavier Westwood." Sarah added while snorting through her own hysterical laughter. 

"The most eligible bachelor in town. His face said to be made from God's hand. HAHAHAHAHAHA", Sarah added while clutching her stomach. 

Myra just looked at them dumbfounded as well. If she were in their shoes, she would honestly be laughing her head off too. 

Gracie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still chuckling. "Oh Myra, that was a good one. Honestly, you almost had me there." 

Sarah exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Right? Imagine, our Myra - married to Xavier Westwood. Just when I thought the stress of life hadn't full broken you, here you are me proving me wrong." 

Myra crossed her arms, now feeling exasperated at not getting through her two best friends. Her lips pressed together in a firm line. She didn't say anything more. Just watched them. 

The laughter started to fade. 

Sarah's smile twitched, faltering slightly as she leaned forward. "Wait... You are joking, right?" 

Myra continued to just stay mum and watch them. 

Gracie's expression froze mid-smile, her laughter dying in her throat. "Oh hell no." She placed her hands on Myra's shoulders, giving her a slight shake. "Wait. Did you really get married. Like get married to Xavier Westwood. Of the Westwood Family?" 

Myra hesitated. She had expected this reaction, but it didn't make explaining it any easier. She knew had to tread carefully. "It was a beneficial decision for me." 

"At least at the time.", Myra admitted, her voice quieter now. 

The room turned so quiet and the dead silent felt so long that Sarah opened her mouth, then closed, and then opened again like a fish gasping for air. 

Finally the words stumbled out of Sarah's mouth, "No, I don't believe you. There's no way that you would have gotten married and not told us. We are your best friends." 

"I'm sorry but it happened so fast." Myra admitted, somehow looking for some sort of acknowledgement from her two besties. 

"Fast? FAST?" Gracie looked like she was on the verge of throwing up. "You don't just accidentally marry a billionaire, Myra. This isn't some drunk Vegas wedding!" 

Myra exhaled. "I know. And it wasn't." 

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath. "Okay, okay, I need more information. When, how, and why, in the name of all that is holy did you end up marrying Xavier freaking Westwood? I didn't even know you knew him?" 

Myra started, "I don't know him. At least not personally. Of course, I've heard about him. But he was the one who proposed the marriage." 

Gracie was shell-shocked, "Wait he proposed, like get down on one knee and asked you to marry him." 

Myra was starting to get annoyed, "Of course not. He proposed a contractual marriage. There is no love involved. Like I said, I don't even know the man. But he said he would help with my father's defunct company and help out with the debt and the condition being, I marry him till he says it's over." 

Sarah and Gracie just stared at her, with their mouth opened. 

Sarah finally spoke up, when she saw that Myra was on the verge of tears. 

"I'm so sorry Myra that you have to go through this. Not that we don't think you are good enough for Xavier Westwood or the Westwood family, but rather I think you deserve so much more." 

Sarah pulled Myra into a hug, and Gracie joined in. "I'm so sorry too, that you are going through just a difficult time. You are way prettier than that pretty good looking Greek God, who's face was carved by the God, and his body was molded by all the best looking muscles in the world and the money to buy the whole damn planet." 

"Haha, gee thanks Gracie for your kind one nice thing about me but a million nice things about that guy.", Myra said with a smile in her face. Her besties were the best, they always knew and said things to help and support her. She had been feeling so down and alone lately, she hadn't really had time to process the grief of her father passing away, and also the loss of former life and lifestyle. 

Coming here was a right decision, Myra thought as she hugged them tighter. 

 Sara's face leaked of curiosity and asked, "If Xavier offered you a contract marriage, then what did he want in return?" 

Gracie also perked up, "Yeah. Not that you're not a catch." She quickly added. 

"I honestly have no idea. He didn't say. All he said was he will collect when the time is ready." Myra replied also bewildered by Xavier demeanor and answer too. 

"Perhaps he fell in love with you at first sight." Sarah quipped. And Gracie nodded enthusiastically. 

"No that can't be. Trust me guys, this isn't one of those fairy tales, trash girl to riches stories. He wants something from me." Myra muttered deep in her own thoughts. 

Gracie flicked her fingers at Myra's forehead, shocking her. 

"Oww, what was that for. That hurt." Myra fired back annoyed, while rubbing her forehead. 

"Please do not call yourself trash girl. You are so much more than that." Gracie replied with a stern voice, clearly warning Myra not to downcast herself so much. 

Sarah agreed while also reprimanding Myra. "I know you are having a tough time, but we got your back. We always have and always will." 

"Thanks Guys." Myra was so touched by their words, she went and hugged them again. 

"I have a feeling he knows something or he wants something from my father's company." Myra's expression was now serious and solemn, thinking about what it could be. 

"Why do you say that? Didn't the auditors go through everything and found nothing?" Sarah and Gracie were now perplexed by Myra's words. 

"I mean think about it guys, this is Xavier Westwood. The Westwood family, the top One percent. Even when my father had his company and his business was doing well, we were wealthy but we were nouveau riche. The amount of money my father had when his company was in its heyday, is like loose change to a guy like Xavier, a drop in the ocean." 

"I definitely don't think he married me for love." Myra continued on. 

"Not that I care. I don't care for him at all. Besides he came to me with a contract marriage. Which means if not me, there's something in my father's company that he wants. And I need to figure it out, pay him off and get out of this arrangement." Myra finished her sentence, almost breathless at this point. 

"Hmm. I see your point and why you would think that. But what could your father's business have that Xavier Westwood wanted? Besides Xavier Westwood could have just bought it with his money, couldn't he?" Gracie wasn't so sure about Myra's conclusion. To Gracie, Myra was one of those, one in a million kind of person. She was so very kind, very pretty, and her habits were too adorable, and best of it all, Myra was rather down to earth and saw and treated everyone equally with kindness. Gracie truly admired and adored Myra and was lucky to call her a friend. Gracie was silently cursing out Xavier, for stealing a pretty thing like Myra and marrying her in heartbeat. 

"I honestly don't know." Myra shook her head. 

"I need you both to do something for me.", Myra asked as she chewed her lip nervously. 

Sarah leaned back, "What?" 

Myra swallowed hard. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not yet. No matter what." 

Gracie and Sarah exchanged a glance then looked back at Myra. 

"You're seriously asking us to keep this a secret?" 

"Yes. Please." Myra pleaded. 

Sarah crossed her arms. "How long?" 

"Forever. Hopefully." Myra concluded looking at both with a nervous expression. 

Sarah and Gracie looked at each other and let out a disbelieving laugh. 

"What?! Forever? Myra, this isn't some tiny secret - this is a bombshell" Gracie answered. 

"The tabloids would kill for this information." Sarah said in disbelief. 

"Besides, won't the Westwood make some announcement themselves. They do know? Don't they?" Sarah asked with even more confusion staring at Myra. 

"They do know but I don't think they will make an announcement yet. Xavier also seemed to have dropped the marriage news to his folks recently and they were just as shocked." Myra replied with some hope, that they won't say anything for now. 

Gracie nudged Myra and asked, "What do you mean, by pay him off and get out of this arrangement." 

"I only agreed to the marriage because the loansharks were circling me and I needed some sort of refuge. I need to first figure out what he wants with my father's company, pay off my debt to him, and get the hell out of this contractual arrangement." Myra started telling them her plans. 

Sarah was bewildered by her words. "You know that's quite a tall order of things to do?" 

"And how are you going to pay him back, wasn't the debt worth 5 million or something?" Gracie questioned. 

"Um. Yeah. 5 million dollar." Myra's face shrunk as the reality finally sunk in. There was no way she could pay him back, not unless she sold her kidneys or something. 

"Maybe your new husband can give you half of his multi-billion fortune when you guys divorce." Gracie said half-jokingly. 

"Ugh. Don't call him that. He's not my anything. He's just someone why paid my bills once and I will pay him back. " 

"I will think of a way to pay him back. Besides ultra rich people are cheap. There's not going to be no alimony. I said I signed a contract." Myra said with conviction, hopefully to fool herself. 

"You both are now sworn to secrecy." Myra said with a smile. 

"Now can I get some food please." Myra asked and Sarah and Gracie let out a small laugh saying, "That's our girl."