EMILY

My eyes fluttered open at the rays of sunlight casting down on them. I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I sat up on the floor.

I looked around me, surprised at first to see that I was not lying on my soft, comfortable bed, only to remember that I had moved back to Boston.

I groaned and lay back on the floor, only to groan and curse louder when my head hit the floor.

I stood up and made my way into the bathroom.

How did I even manage to get home so drunk last night?

My head still hurts from having to drink so much. Why did I even listen to Charlie? I had always been a lightweight, but Charlie, on the other hand, barely got drunk.

I groaned and grabbed my toothbrush and the paste.

“I really need some hangover soup.”

Once I had dressed up, there had been a knock on the door. I wondered who it was—my next-door neighbor, perhaps? But luckily for me, it had been Jay, and thankfully he brought breakfast for me, which was awesome because I had not much money left after buying myself a couch, bed, and some other necessities online. And I couldn't call Charlie because she was at work.

After he left, I ate and worked on my ongoing project before deciding to take a short break.

I walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of water, when my phone rang.

I drank half the contents of the glass and carefully placed it on the floor since I had no table yet, then grabbed my phone, which was beside my laptop.

Once I saw the number, I didn't need anybody to tell me it was Alex, even though I didn't have his number saved yet.

“So? Have you made your decision?“ He asked immediately, and I answered the call.

My brows curled into a frown.

Not even a 'good day' or something polite. Well, what was I expecting from someone who blindly judged me from the first day we met?

I decided not to soothe his pride. "Well, your offer does sound fun.”

More like, the money sounds fun.

I heard a snicker from him. “I thought so too.”

“Send me your address. I'll have my driver pick you up for the dinner. It's by 9”

“We will talk about the basic things you should know on the way to dinner.”

“Also, wear a more classy dress. My grandmother tends to be a little judgmental.

I snorted. A little judgmental, you say. What a nice way to put it. I can already tell where he got his attitude from.

“Do you understand?“ He asked afterwards.

I nodded, and when I realized he couldn't see me, I muttered, “I do.”

He hung up almost immediately, almost cutting me off with my words.

What the heck was wrong with this man? His manners needed to be studied.

I clicked on his profile and then the message icon. I started to type in the address of the building but stopped halfway.

If he was the one picking me up, I don't want to find out that this was just an apartment building for company staff. That'll surely let him know that I was not who I claimed to be. Who knows what he'll accuse me of doing? He'll probably sue me for fraud or something, lol. People like him can be ridiculously funny.

I deleted all that I had typed in and sent Charlie's address instead.

I could just say she was a friend, and I'd be staying with her for my visit. It's only one dinner with his family, and we will be out of each other's lives soon. I could finally be free from my 'I am rich too' lie.

I sent a text to Charlie informing her of the arrangement and my lack of 'classy dress' according to Alex. She replied immediately that she'd help me.

I knew I could always rely on her.

The doorbell rang, and I hurried to open the door.

“Ms. Emily Raven?“ The man at the door called. I nodded with a smile.

“Your couch.” He gestured towards the two men coming out of the elevator carrying the couch.

And like that, I spent the rest of the afternoon receiving the orders I had placed and setting my house in place. Once it was 6 p.m., I had received all my orders. I took my bath and headed to Charlie's apartment.

Charlie held my hand as she brought me to stand in front of the full-length mirror in her room.

“So, what do you think?“ She asked, glancing between my reflection in the mirror and my face.

Charlie had done quite the job.

She had curled my hair, parting it in the middle with curls of hair framing my face, and the rest of my hair was pulled back gently, secured with a fancy hair clip.

She wanted to go all in with my makeup, but I had always preferred something simple, so she went for soft eye makeup and soft pink lipstick.

I had opted for a pink, cropped, long-sleeved tweed jacket, adorned with white accents along the collar and pockets, with a matching high-waisted pleated skirt.

Well, it was Charlie's, and according to her, it was my early birthday gift. It was not like I could show up to dinner wearing my casual wide-leg pants and shirts after Alex told me what kind of person his grandmother could be.

“I love it. And I love the outfit too.”

She giggled, playfully gliding towards the bed.

“You know who else will love it?“

I shook my head, lines of confusion on my head, as she handed me a small, white, quilted handbag with a chain strap.

I grabbed my phone from the table as it began to ring.

“Who?“

She wagged her brows, and I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me who she was talking about. I rolled my eyes.

I bet he would think I was in the worst outfit ever.

“I'm waiting outside.” His cold voice rang through the speaker.

"Oh, I'll be out now.”

I hung up and placed my phone in the bag.

Charlie followed me to the door, and before I stepped out, I turned to her.

"Goodnight, and thanks for helping me. I'll call you tomorrow.”

She smiled and patted my shoulder. “You got this.“

I smiled one more time and turned around, walking out of the house.

I made my way out of the little gate, locking it. I sighted Alex's car, since it was parked beside the fence.

I pulled the back seat door open and got in beside him.

Immediately, the driver started the car and drove off.

There was an awkward silence in the car, and I didn't know what to say.

“That is your friend's house?“ He finally broke the silence. His first word had an unnecessary emphasis.

I turned to him immediately, my brows creasing.

I wonder how he was able to keep a blank face while his voice drips with such disdain.

“What is that supposed to mean?“

He didn't reply; instead, his cold gray eyes dropped to my outfit, and then he looked back at me. I knew from the way he dragged his eyes over my body that he wasn't satisfied with my outfit.

“You seem to have a problem with my outfit,” I said through gritted teeth, not taking my eyes off him.

He subtly raised a brow. “I do”

I huffed and turned away from him. “You are so insufferable, no wonder you can't get yourself an actual girlfriend.”

“You are one to talk.”

I turned sharply to look at him.

“Excuse me?“

He just rolled his eyes and took out his phone. I watched keenly as he tapped quickly on his phone. My phone beeped, and I took it out of my bag.

I saw that it was a new text from him.

“Those are a few things my grandmother would expect you to know in case she suspects we are faking it.” He started just as I opened the text.

“Also, our supposed love story and how we met. We still have about an hour before we get there; you can use that time to look at it.”

True to his words, he had sent a few pieces of information about himself.

This jerk, couldn't he have sent it earlier? I suck at memorizing at late minutes. Now that I think of it, why do I suddenly feel nervous? I wasn't when I left the house, but now I am.

What if grandmother really is as bad as grandson? What if she catches on to our lie?

That's why I wanted to do my research on his family, but the jerk wouldn't even tell me his last name. I have never seen someone gatekeep a last name like he's done. Is his family as wealthy as that? Or his family is just a famous mafia clan, and he doesn't want me to know that.

Whatever, I still kind of preferred it that way. As long as he does not ask my last name. I might have to lie about that.

I don't want him to find out what kind of person Emily Raven is. People like him are the ones who run background checks on everyone they meet.

I turned to stare out of the window. The sun had set, and the sky had taken on a beautiful golden hue.

I let myself admire the beauty of the evening sky and took a deep breath to calm my sudden anxiety.

As I picked up my phone again to go through the texts, I reminded myself one more time that it was just a simple dinner and I should see this as an adventure.

After this night, we'd be out of each other's lives for good this time.

Hopefully.