Chapter 7
"So, what do you want me to look like in front of your family?" This was what Harmony said to him.
Drake didn"t expect the woman to ask this. He was expecting her to refuse and be hard-headed just like what she did during their first encounter. He couldn"t help but wonder what exactly happened to her and why she seemed to be kind this time.
"Well, can you look sophisticated in front of them? Someone that is conversationalist," he said.
Her eyebrows were drawn together while she was looking at him. It was obvious that the woman was confused and she couldn"t get what he wanted to happen.
"Elegant," he continued. "Be graceful and stylish in appearance and manner," he added.
She raised one of her eyebrows and looked at him.
Harmony nodded her head as if she was already getting what he was trying to say.
"Do I need to fake my identity as well?" She asked straight to the point at him.
This woman was smart. She knew what she was doing and what she was talking about. He was starting to like her. It seemed that the negotiation that happened between the two of them wouldn"t be in vain.
"No, there"s no need to do that," he answered. "You should know my family and think ahead of them. They might be nice in front of you but I know that they would make their own investigation about your life so just be true. There"s no need to lie. Tell them who are your parents and what they do in life," he said.
Harmony just nodded at him while looking at him intently.
He took a deep sigh while he met her gaze.
"Spill it," he said. In her face, he knew that she wanted to tell him something and there was just something that was trying to hold her back from opening her mouth.
"Why do you need to hire me? Yes, I used the word hire me because you will be paying me for doing this. And, again for the nth time, I know that you need me more than I needed you," she said in a serious tone. He couldn"t sense the sarcasm in her voice.
He was surprised by her question but he recovered fast. He knew that he didn"t have to answer her question and he was thankful to himself that he was ready for this kind of thing.
This agreement came in white paper. So, they have rules to follow and one of the rules was for them to mind their own business.
"Rule number 1. No questions allowed," he said.
Harmony just shrugged her shoulders and didn"t start insisting on him to answer her question. He was a bit intrigued because of how this woman behaved at the moment. She was very different from the woman that was left by her boyfriend a couple of days ago.
He admitted that he was thankful because of that. It seemed that she already knew the boundary between the two of them. He knew that they wouldn"t be having any problem until his grandmother transferred all the inheritance he had in his name.
Suddenly, he felt excited when he remembered about it. He was not after the money but he was after the change that he could make on the company which he knew that he was the only one happy. His father, he couldn't figure out what was his take on it but his Aunty was transparent on how she felt about him. Aside from that, she wanted his sons to take over instead of her but sorry to her, they were not Villarama. No matter what she would do, it would be him that would be the heir of the empire that was left by their grandfather. No matter how much they hate his idea, soon, they would all be under him.
Drake was the only son of his father and he was the only one who carried the last name of his grandfather so the continuity of their generation was actually in his hands so the rule for him to get his inheritance was for him to be in a relationship.
He couldn"t believe that his grandmother would give such a condition. He was still young and he wanted to make the most out of his life. He didn"t have any plans of getting married or even in the near future.
He had a lot of dreams he wanted to do and he believed that women were just a distraction of what he was trying to achieve. They would make you fall in love and then they would just leave you behind. So, he was not into a serious relationship.
He preferred to be a single who was ready to mingle. That"s it and nothing else. He could see lots of difficulties being in a relationship and he felt that he was not emotionally stable for that. He was still a kid at heart and he wanted to enjoy everything that he had right now.
Drake saw his friends tied up in a relationship. Either they couldn"t attend their weekly clubbing or sometimes, they would feel sad and upset because of the non-stop fight they were having with their girlfriends and that was something that he didn"t want to happen.
He love the freedom that he had right now and he didn"t have any plans of losing that yet, not now. That"s why he couldn"t understand why everyone else around him wanted him to get married as soon as possible.
God! He hasn't even finished college yet. Why were they all excited?
Drake was thankful that Harmony understood that and there was nothing that he could ask for. It seemed that the woman was obviously not interested in him at all.
He knew that if it wasn"t for the money and for her desire to get back to her boyfriend, she wouldn"t be agreeing in this kind of setup.
He was lucky that Harmony was not like other girls who would be chasing him and almost say that they wanted to get pregnant with his child. Harmony was actually the other way around. He could see the hate in her eyes every time they met but for some reason, she just agreed with the deal that he offered.
Probably, she needed the money. That"s the only thing that came inside his mind and nothing else. But, she was insisting though that he needed her more than she needed him.
Though he didn"t agree with that, he let her be. All he wanted was for the inheritance to be transferred in his name and then after that, it would be over between the two of them.
They would be parting ways like they never met. That"s part of their deal. They would be separating like it never happened. Even if they would bump each other, they would act as if they were strangers to each other.
They were very clear that this was purely business. No strings attached.
"Okay, don"t worry. I should know how to handle this," she said and smiled at him. Harmony had a perfect set of white teeth and her nose was perfectly pointed. So, he couldn"t understand why her boyfriend left her.
She was beautiful compared to the other woman that he had encountered in the place where she had found her.
Her eyes were captivating and her pouted lips were really what made the woman attractive.
Harmony"s style in the clothes that she wore was also good so she was just a perfect choice for the plan that he had right now. She"s beautiful and yet not into him. That was the kind of person he needed for this mission.
"Thank you and here"s the initial payment like what I promised but make sure to look elegant on Saturday night. I already added the money that you can use to buy clothes. Just remember that you will be in front of the Villarama Family so better to buy branded clothes, okay?" He said to her. He was not trying to insult her. He was just being real. He knew his family, especially his Aunty and he didn"t want the woman to feel insulted and low with herself once she was already in front of them. He didn"t want Harmony to lose confidence over herself after talking to them.
"There"s no need to remind me, Drake. Just watch what I will do on Saturday. I think you also better warn the person who makes you worry like that," she said and then she took the cheque from his hand.
"Okay, just don"t do anything stupid, Harmony," he said in a threatening voice.
She smiled at him. "Consider it done, boss," she said and then took a sip of her orange juice.
"Is there anything that you need?" Drake asked her.
She shook her head.
"No, I should be good. I will be going out with my friends so you can leave if you want," she said and then took out her phone from her bag.
She was checking her phone and didn"t even bother to lift her head and look at him.
"Okay, Harmony. Please even if I am not around, make sure you know what you are doing. I am pretty sure that an investigation will be conducted after I have introduced you to my family. They are rich people so you have to watch every action you are taking. Don"t put the two of us in trouble," he said to her before he stood up.
"So, am I not allowed to be with my friends?" She said and rolled her eyes. "That"s not even in the contract," she mumbled in a low voice.
He could sense the irritation that she was feeling at the moment but he didn"t care. He didn"t want anyone to see her doing anything stupid or her being reckless because that might be a hole for his Aunty.
"I know it"s not written there but don"t do anything stupid, that"s it. I am counting on you with this one, Harmony. I already explained to you that this isn"t just about the money," he said as he stopped from leaving. "I don"t want our plan to be ruined. I know that you will understand me once you meet my Aunty and the rest of the family"
"I know I am sorry. I will do my best not to do anything stupid though I am not really stupid," she said and smiled sarcastically at him.
"Okay, I better get going. Send me an email if you have questions or you need anything," Drake said and then turned around and left her.
"Goodbye," Harmony said to him.
Harmony followed Drake using her eyes. She couldn"t believe that she was having a transaction with the man.
She was trying to be kind because she was not really a person who would be rude to someone but Drake had this attitude that was pushing her to say unpleasant words towards him and she couldn't understand.
Why couldn"t he answer her question why he needed to hire her? He was handsome and rich. It was just impossible for him not to have a girlfriend.
So, she couldn"t help but feel something weird towards the man. Why would such a Drake Villarama hire a girlfriend and not get a real one? What with this person that was holding him back to be in a real relationship and he preferred to pay her to be his girlfriend? These were just some of the questions that were running inside her mind about the man.
No matter how she tried to hold herself from thinking, she couldn"t especially when she saw the amount of money that was written on the cheque that he just gave her. It seemed that the man was ready to spend money on her just for her to do her job properly.
Her eyes widened when an idea came inside her mind.