Jacky was orphaned at a very young age. She fought against the many challenges of being in and out of the foster family system. She worked hard to get to where she was now. Many of the people she knew who grew in the system were not so lucky, but she managed to survive it.
Landing a job at their previous employment was a tough break for Jacky. Meeting her friend, Dani, was the greatest thing that ever happened to her. In her opinion, that was fate giving her a lucky break.
She would do anything for Dani because she was not just her boss, her friend, but a sister she never had. Dani was her only family. Trust was not easy for her, but she trusted Dani with her life and she was willing to give hers for Dani if the need arose.
“Ok. Fine. But make sure that it will never happen again.” Jacky hugged her back and let go of her immediately. “I still have a lot of things to do, and you have tons too.” She pulled herself away from her friend before she started crying.
Jacky might be a jolly person, but she could easily tear up too when she became emotional like this. Jacky quickly went back to her table to get some work done, while Dani was left thinking of what happened last night.
She turned around and gazed at the beautiful view of the skyscrapers outside. Compared to her old office, this was a great improvement. But her thoughts were nowhere near the scenery in front of her.
She went back to the point where she introduced Alex to her mother. She could still imagine the initial shock on her face. But her mother was able to easily masked her surprise with a friendly smile.
“Mom, I want you to meet Alex, my boyfriend.” She held on tighter to Alex’s arm so that her mother would not suspect anything unusual about them.
When her mom quickly recovered from the astonishing news, she quickly responded by greeting Alex back and extending her hand for a graceful handshake.
“How long have you known each other?” Her mother prodded, wanting to know more about this sudden change in her relationship status.
Her mother knew her from the inside and out, so to learn that she was keeping something this big from her was hard for her mom. She could see the slight hurt in her eyes, but she was good at hiding it behind the fa?ade of a smile.
She was still thinking of what was the appropriate time frame for their relationship when Alex beat her to it. “We’ve known each other for more than a year, but just recently reconnected.” He replied with so much confidence that it was almost believable.
“Oh! That’s wonderful. But my daughter seemed to forget mentioning anything about you.” Her mother looked at her, with those inquisitive eyes.
She could feel the guilt building in her guts as her mother started probing into their relationship. She had to act fast before she suspected anything amiss with their story.
Luckily, Alex was also quick in making up stories to satisfy her mother’s curiosity. All she could do was support Alex since she could not come up with a lie in front of her mother. She just wondered if they managed to fool her mom about their fake relationship.
Back to the present, she stared at the flowers in front of her. She knew that Jacky was still dismayed at her when she found the note still untouched. Written on the note was a message for her.
DANI
LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR DINNER TONIGHT.
I’LL PICK YOU UP AT 6 PM AT YOUR PLACE.
ALEX
She placed the card back in its case and shoved the flowers at the side of her table. She was still not sure if she could agree to the contract that was still locked in her drawer. Last night, if she would think about it was a success despite their lack of preparation.
However, did she need to do this? Why would she help him in the first place? Was all of those benefits he kept pointing out, worth it? She carefully assessed the available information she had at the moment.
She knew that there were several good reasons why it was beneficial for her to accept this. But there were also several consequences if his plans failed and their deceit discovered.
The question now remained. Should she sign the contract? Because once she agreed to this, she would be an accomplice to his plans to deceive their families. Once she said yes tonight, there would be no turning back.
She had tried four dresses for tonight and she was still not satisfied. She did not want to look like she was dress to impress, but she had to admit it, she had no idea what she was searching for. Her mind was still processing what she would answer him tonight.
The opening of her bedroom door was a welcome relief. Jacky stepped inside her room and strode towards her bed. It would mean that she was back to her old self, and most importantly, she had forgiven her.
“No, you’re not wearing that,” Jacky shouted out as she studied her in the mirror. Jacky dragged her back in front of her cabinet, searching for a new dress.
“What’s wrong with this one?” She looked at the dress that she was already wearing. It was elegant and respectable. This would do well since this was not a date. It was more of a business meeting where they were deciding on a contract, whether she would sign or not.
“You look like you’re going to a funeral in that dress.” Jacky criticized the vibe that she was conveying with that dress.
She started rummaging into her closet for what she thought would be the appropriate dress to wear for her date tonight. She picked up one dress after another until she pulled the last one at the very back. A black strapless dress. It was in between something sophisticated and a little bit slutty.
She did not even remember buying that dress. Because she never did, it was Jacky’s gift on her last birthday. She had forgotten about it since she never needed it.
“I’m not wearing that tonight.” She vehemently refused to even consider wearing it. Not that she had anything against sexy dresses, actually she loved them. It just that tonight was not the night for such a dress. She was not going out to seduce him.
“Don’t you like my gift? I never saw you even wear it once before.” Jacky acted hurt as if she was about to cry.
“Of course, I love them. I just feel like it is not appropriate for tonight.” She tried to explain but the look on Jacky’s face was enough to guilt her into submission. “Ok. Fine. Let me have it.”
She knew Jacky was up to no good, but she could not do anything about it now. She was still trying to make up to her. If this was the only way to make it even with her, then she had no choice but to wear the slutty dress.
She quickly changed into the other black dress that Jacky chose and began to apply her makeup and fixed her hair. In a few more minutes, she was ready for judgment as Jacky scrutinized her final appearance.
“You look stunning. Alex will surely drool over you.” Jacky commented as she fixed a hair that escaped the clip on her hair.
“I better get this over with. I’ll see you tonight.” She said to her friend as she placed her stilettos on her feet.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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