Tessa looked around as the car pulled up to a building. Tessa had changed her appearance into a woman from the upper class. where a black satin dress with a diamond necklace so big it seemed, made her feel burdened with such an expensive price just for a necklace attached to her neck.

Tessa didn't realize that James had come downstairs. The man opened the door at her side, one thing that took Tessa by surprise as the man reached out his hand. And inevitably Tessa's hand, which was wearing a velvet glove, reached for James' hand.

Tessa stood next to James. The man was also dressed to the nines tonight, hair neatly coiffed. A black suit with a bow tie marched with his appearance tonight. James' face still wore its cold expression.

Tessa let out her breath. She moved her hand to hug James' arm, just as James had said earlier that they should look like a loving husband and wife. And one more thing tonight her name was no longer Tessa but Natasha Skywalker.

"You're ready."

Tessa gave a small nod when James asked her again. I don't know what Tessa was going through in there but she was going to play her role as best she could, by being James Skywalker's wife tonight.

A grand door welcomed them. As Tessa and James' feet stepped inside, Tessa's eyes could already guess why James had asked her to wear the outfit he had chosen for her. Because it seemed that the guests who came to this event did look very classy, and this was not the first time Tessa had come to a party with her client.

"Look, Mr. James Skywalker also came to this event."

A man who was probably in his 60s approached them. Tessa was silent and put on a straight face as she waited for James to open up.

"Of course, honorable Mr. Smirt, can't a Skywalker come to your wedding anniversary?"

"Of course, I can. But, I forgot that I never invited you."

Tessa just watched as these two people seemed to dislike each other. The tone of intonation and every word said seemed to have a hidden meaning.

"It's true but I think I need to make you realize, Mr. Smirt, that the woman you married. Is the woman who gave birth to me." James gave his stepfather Smirt a fierce look.

"You consider Dona your mother? That's something I've only heard once. Look who that beautiful woman you brought is, is she one of your bitches?"

The old man's hand wanted to touch Tessa. However, it was quickly brushed away by James himself.

"Don't touch my wife." James grabbed Smirt's hand and released it roughly.

"Can't I get to know my daughter-in-law...when did you get married? Is she Natasha the poor woman you married."

Tessa growled as she heard the old man seemingly demeaning the woman married to James. Tessa did not know who James' wife Natasha was before but, it was not too much to discuss wealth here.

"That's right, meet Natasha Skywalker, welcome! Daddy? Daddy? What should I call you Mr. Smith?" Tessa welcomed Mr. Smith's handshake she didn't care if James would be angry at her impudence but, Tessa couldn't stop herself from returning the old man's arrogance in front of her.

"No, I don't think my husband would agree to that nickname. So call you an old man instead!" Tessa squeezed Smirt's hand tightly before throwing it away when she saw the change in Smith's face.

"Honey come on..." James tugged on Tessa's hand again, and Tessa soon realized that she was following in his footsteps.

James stopped in front of a woman in a wheelchair. The old woman looked beautiful in her simple make-up.

"Mommy James is back." James let go of Tessa's hand and now touched the hand of the woman who looked at James with tears in her eyes.

"James hiks... Hiks where have you been son." The woman pulled at James making him lower his body slightly and hug the body.

Tessa just watched the two people in front of her. Tessa was not a melancholic person who would easily cry just looking at all this because for Tessa her life was much sadder.

"What happened Mommy why did you get like this." James let go of her hug and asked his mother again. Before James left his mother because she didn't approve of his mother marrying Smith the woman still seemed fine. Then why after seven James returned he saw something unfortunate like this.

"Mommy is fine, son. Who did you bring with you?" Dona looked at Tessa who had been watching Dona without opening her voice.

"Natasha. She's my wife Natasha." James turned to look at Tessa's face.

"Natasha, I'm sorry to greet you with such a sight."

Dona suddenly touched Tessa's hand, making Tessa surprised when she received the touch for the first time.

"No, I'm not. Don't apologize, I should be the one apologizing to Mommy...because James and I had to come late to see you." Tessa lowered her body and lightly rubbed the shoulder of the woman whose name she still did not know.

"Mommy wronged James... Natasha, please take care of him for mommy." Tessa was silent as James' mother whispered in her ear.

"Baby come on." James pulled her by the hand, making her have to let go of his embrace. Tessa wanted to be angry but when she saw Smith's face approaching them, Tessa immediately changed her expression.

"You're not provoking your mother Dona to follow your dark endeavors." Smith gripped James' hand and whispered.

"Of course not...but, I won't stand by if you hurt my mother because I know you just want to get your hands on her treasure."

Tessa was getting confused by all this. What kind of shady business is Smith up to and what does this have to do with Tessa being James' hired wife?

They walked back and James invited Tessa to sit at one of the tables with numbers on them. They were at table number eight. Tessa didn't know what each table was numbered for. James stood back up and left Tessa sitting still, the waiter placed the champagne in a glass on Tessa's table.

Tessa was still waiting for James who was nowhere to be seen. And to be honest, Tessa was annoyed at being looked at strangely by the people around there until one eye met hers. Those eyes, the eyes of the man who stole her kiss at the club bar.

"What's he here for?" Tessa turned her attention in the other direction.

Finally, James returned to sit at the same table as her. Tessa looked at James' face which had turned cold again.

"Where have you been?" Tessa ventured to ask James.

"No need to know."

Tessa just snorted when James answered her curtly. However, Tessa caught James' hand bleeding from the knuckles that he had hidden under the table.

"Your hand is bleeding!!!" Tessa whispered in James' ear.

She couldn't possibly show an overreaction and as she whispered James turned his face away until now their faces were staring at each other. James' breath touched the surface of her face the distance between them was so close it was almost like kissing if seen from the front side. However, none of that was true at all as they just threw glances at each other before Tessa finally moved her face away first and opened her bag trying to find her handkerchief.

Tessa took one hand in hers. She removed both velvet handkerchiefs and touched James' hand that was under the table. Moving the hand over her thigh. Tessa bandaged the wound on James' knuckle with her handkerchief, Tessa didn't care about what she was doing right now because Tessa still had a conscience to help others.

"Already." Tessa threw a smile at James who just remained expressionless.

Tessa nervously tried to drink the champagne on her table. But when her hand wanted to lift the glass it was stopped by James' hand.

"Don't drink this." James pulled the champagne from Tessa's hand and handed it back to the waiter.

"Why?"

Tessa felt strange when James told her not to. If James was afraid she'd get drunk, too bad. That couldn't happen because Tessa was used to drinking alcoholic beverages.

"Don't you see that your glass is slightly different from the other guests'?"

James's words made Tessa turn her head and look around, and it was true what James said. That her champagne glass had a pattern and was slightly different from the other glasses. Why Tessa only just realized that she was about to act carelessly?

"Be careful around us, many don't like me," James whispered in Tessa's ear as he stood up and took the still-sealed mineral water and gave it to Tessa.

James was trying to hold himself together after the incident when he tried to get arrested by someone he didn't recognize. James almost fainted because of the anesthetic that almost covered his nose, but it didn't happen because of James' sensitivity to his surroundings.

If those people were after his life, it didn't matter. Because James had gotten used to it since he went down in the underground business. But unfortunately that person also almost harmed an innocent person who only joined him at tonight's party.

"Good evening to all the guests who have come this evening."

Mc's voice brought all eyes to the stage where tonight was also a fundraiser.

"As usual we have a fundraiser by Mr. Smirt who was kind enough to sell his valuables and the funds raised from the fundraiser will be donated to a poverty-stricken island."

"Ckckck he's just playing tricks." James couldn't get over how Smith's seductive language made him look generous to the guests.

"Alright, we will be issuing a jewelry necklace that has a red gem called 'dragon eyes'. The first price to be offered is 1000 USD dollars."

"Okay, table number 11 makes the first bid!"

Tessa watched as the table behind her bid for the first time. Tessa was silent she also did not know what to do, Tessa was interested when she saw the jewelry but she could not say to have it, because it was impossible.

"Okey 1200 usd dollars at table 4!!! Does anyone else have the highest bid?"

Tessa watched as the jerk made his offer. Tessa just snorted as she chose to stare at the tiles rather than meet those eyes.

"You like it?"

Tessa was startled when James whispered in her ear making her look back at James with one eyebrow raised. "Huh? What do you mean."

"It's pretty, isn't it?" James looked into Tessa's eyes. Tessa was so beautiful to James that, time and again, James almost tried to kiss her on the lips.

"Beautiful. I think Natasha would like it." Tessa thought that Natasha, James's wife, must be very beautiful to wear the necklace.

James remained silent and played with his cell phone after dialing his message. Soon a man in a black suit approached the MC and whispered.

"Sorry, once again the necklace sold for double 4000 USD dollars to a buyer whose name is kept secret!". Mc hit the hammer and sold the necklace to the buyer who bought it through a text message.

"Oh my god the necklace is gone!!!" Tessa clutched her hand just as she suggested James buy it.

After all the auction items were sold. All the guests were asked to take to the dance floor and suddenly the lights were turned off and replaced with spotlights.

The strains of Rachel Portman's 'We Had Today' accompanied everyone who danced. But that wasn't the case for Tessa and James, who remained motionless.

"To table number eight, let's dance." The MC's voice and the spotlight suddenly switched to Tessa and James who were looking at each other.

James couldn't help but move and kneel to extend his hand like a prince to a princess.

"Can you dance?" James asked Tessa to see if she could dance.

"Hmm, I can...want me to show you? Let's make tonight a fun night." Tessa blinked one eye and placed both of James' hands on her waist, James looked hesitant at first but Tessa reassured James with one of Tessa's hands she placed on James' shoulder, and the other hand gently rubbed James' cheek. Before, finally, Tessa's hands were around James' neck.

Tessa's footsteps began to move a little back and forth to the tempo of the piano's rhythm, which was increasingly, softly flowing once - once Tessa noticed her footsteps. And once she interacted by making eye contact with James who seemed to be enjoying their dance tonight.

It was a satisfaction for Tessa to succeed in making Klein who hired her services, feel no regrets. James the man did look cold but it seemed in James' eyes that if Tessa probed deeper there were many wounds that James might be hiding.

"Thank you, Tessa." James was still following Tessa's footsteps he pulled her by the waist and held her still dancing.

The spotlight was now right above their heads. All eyes were on the two people who were dancing so romantically.

"Enjoy the party, James. I was so happy when you said thank you." Tessa let go of his embrace and looked into James' eyes, the eagle eyes now staring back at her sadly. What was going through James' mind right now? Tessa almost wanted to delve deeper only to forget that the contract between them would expire in two hours.

They would be strangers who never knew each other again. James had Natasha and Tessa would be living her life again. Remember that this is just his job and he can't put his heart into his client which will only ruin everything.

The party was over and now they were out of the building. James still hadn't removed his hand from Tessa's fingers which were no longer wearing velvet gloves. The surface of their skin was touching.

Tessa's car was at James' mansion and inevitably Tessa had to go home with James still in the same car.