Julian was flabbergasted. 'Just came out of prison? What the -----?!?' He racked his brain for a possible explanation while staring at the girl before him. She was staring back with one eyebrow raised and a faint smile on her face. He couldn't believe that she's a criminal... and besides she seems too relaxed... like what she just said is not a big deal at all. Perhaps it's really not a big deal? Well, he's a bit confused but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Really? Tell me more." he said and casually sat down on a seat in front of her. She didn't stop him. "By the way, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Julian Dela Rama and I'm a businessman and this gentleman beside me is Matthew Lim. He's my bestfriend."
She nodded politely and responded in kind, "No worries. I'm Lara, currently homeless and unemployed." She shook their hands while she tried to recall if she has any info about them. Nothing came to mind. She was a bit surprised that they didn't walk away yet. Perhaps they're thinking that she's just saying it to get rid of them? It's not her intention. She just wanted to be somewhat honest and give him a chance to retract his offer. She's not desperate but this might just be what she needed at the moment so she replied. "You're not qualified to know. Suffice it to say that if I agree, I can assure you that you won't encounter any danger from me"
Julian looked at her and decided to go with his gut feeling. "Fair enough. My situation is actually simple. My grandfather will be coming here to visit from the US and he'll be staying here for a month. He's been after me for quite some time now to marry someone and he's been threatening that if I don't, he'll arrange my marriage with his best friend's grand daughter. He was the one who raised me and I'm really close to him so I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'm not interested with marriage yet and definitely not interested with that girl. I told him a few months back that I already have a fiancee. I know that he's just worried about me so I've decided to do this to make him happy while he's here." He laid down his cards. Now it's up to her.
"So why me? You don't know me. I find it unrealistic that you don't have any female friends or employees who could help. " She asked as she really found it weird.
Julian glanced at Matthew who just shrugged his shoulder at him. "Precisely! Not knowing you is the reason why you're suitable. I only have a few female acquaintances and my family knows them all. Same reason with my female employees. It will be easy for them to find out the truth. There were other females that we've considered but they are all the gold-digger type who would just cause me trouble in the end. "
She stared at him with an unfathomable expression. "Oh? You just offered me a million as compensation. How do you know that I'm not a gold-digger who would cling to you aferwards?"
Julian smiled at her. His honest expression was a breath of fresh air, a far cry from the calculative or stoic look that she's used to seeing in her line of work. "You turned down a lot of guys earlier. Most of them have the looks and are willing to spend a lot of money to get you but you just ignored them. With these in mind, I have decided to take the chance. "
The girl sighed and thought for a moment. She has always been decisive and this was really a good deal for her but she needed more info. "Is that it? No hidden danger, plot regarding inheritance, or crazy old flame? I have to know what I'm getting into. "
Julian went stiff for a moment and was unsure on how to proceed. He finished his wine and poured some more before he replied, "There are some issues but don't worry, I'll deal with it. You won't get involved and it's only for a month anyway. As for crazy old flame, I haven't had any girlfriend yet..." Seeing her disbelieving look, he added some more "...I had lot of things to do and just didn't have the time or patience to have one. How about you? "
"Never had a boyfriend. The environment I grew up in didn't allow me to have one. I have no friends, no home, no family. Consider me a blank slate. This deal is more risky for you. Are you sure you still want to proceed?"
"Yes," He responded without any hesitation. There's just something about this girl that made him trust her.
"All right. I have a few conditions. If you agree then we have a deal. You don't have to pay me. I just need free board and lodging for that month. I don't want to live in a hotel. If you have a secure place with an extra room, it would be acceptable. It's not a big deal. I'm used to it. If there's any occasion where I would need to dress up, then you should naturally shoulder the expenses for the get up. I would return them to you afterwards. As your fiancee, I understand that we would need to show some PDA but nothing excessive. We also need to get to know each other a bit so we can create a believable back story."
Both Julian and Matthew were surpised. Those were all reasonable requests but not taking the money? Why not?
Lara noticed their reactions. "I'm not comfortable taking the money for this kind of arrangement. Although I don't have a job now, it doesn't mean that I'm useless. I will use that month to get myself back on track. Let's treat this as an exchange of favors." She didn't want to owe people.
Julian was becoming more curious about this girl. Her manner of speaking was straight-forward but it has a lace of wisdom and experience that was unexpected. "I understand. I agree with your requests except for the things that you'll wear. No need to return them. I'll have no use for them. "
"Okay. It's getting late. Let's go. We can discuss the details tomorrow." She asked as she motioned for the waiter to give the bill. She noticed some hostile stares from other tables. It would be better for them to leave before trouble for comes. The two guys in front of her didn't seem to notice though. 'Tsk. What to do...what to do.'