"What do you mean by finishing the wedding?" Cassandra said with her forehead creased, thinking that they might not be on the same page.
On the other hand, Greyson Avery could feel that the woman in front of her had a good heart. She was kind and hardworking, so it would be possible for her to help him since they both needed each other. He was thinking of making a deal with Cassandra Harper that would surely make her grab the opportunity.
Greyson took a step back and began to look at the woman with confidence. "People don't know the identity of my fiancee. Her face, her name, everything. They don't have the slightest idea of who she is because our relationship has always been private." He said in a very serious tone of voice.
Meanwhile, she just stood there and listened to every word that would come out of his mouth. Cassandra seemed like she already knew what he wanted, but everything wasn't as clear as day. "Can you just please tell me what you want? We're running in circles, Mr. Avery. I am a very busy person, just so you know."
"And so am I. I'm the busiest person alive. I have a company to run and important people to talk to, but I had to be in the same room as you to have a deal." He quickly replied without shifting his gaze away from her.
Cassandra scoffed softly as she couldn't believe what she heard from the man. "We barely know each other, I didn't even know your name until now, but you're talking to me like you know my entire being, mister." She looked up at the man's face and glared at him. "If that's how you would say it, then I'll just leave. I don't want to hear from you anymore. You can't even ask someone nicely for a favor. I'm just wasting my time here being with a very rotten man like you." She said with gritted teeth and her eyes were as sharp as a knife. Each word that would come out of her mouth had an emphasis.
"I'm out of here," Cassandra said as she started walking out of the room. However, before she could twist the doorknob, a warm hand came to arrest her grip on the handle.
Greyson Avery was too close to her that she could even hear him breathing. The unmistakable fragrance from the previous night was still so enticing that she felt as though she was being drawn to him without doing anything. Cassandra and Greyson both unknowingly gazed at one other.
Her eyes shifted to his luscious pair of red lips and she was being lured even more to him. She gulped at the thought that she had already seen his entire body naked.
"I need your help, Cassandra. Let's talk without walking out of the room, shall we?" Greyson said with his neutral tone of voice, but there was also a hint of begging. He looked at her straight in her eyes and he felt like it hit him differently in his chest. There was a sudden throbbing and he had no idea where it came from.
Cassandra gulped her saliva once again as she turned her gaze on their hands that were stuck with each other. "I see that you look pretty serious about that, Mr. Avery, but c-could you please take your hands off me? You're too close, put some distance between us, please." She told him in a low tone of voice, then she looked at him with a fierce facial expression.
Greyson took a step back from her in an instant and gave her a faint smile. "Pardon me for being too hasty. I know we're still strangers to each other although we already shared the same–"
"Oh, come on! Please, let's stop bringing that up." She butted in to cut off his line because she already knew where it would lead them. Cassandra glared at Greyson and scowled. "That night was a mistake as I have told you. We should not keep on telling that to people, right? It's awkward, geez." She said, lowering down the tone of her voice as she talked.
"I know, I know. I'm just kidding, okay? Let's just forget about that, then if that's what you want. You have a point anyway." Greyson said, surrendering to Cassandra's squinting pair of eyes. She looked like a tigress ready to devour her prey.
Greyson Avery was not good at telling his feelings to other people. He tended to be off most of the time, he couldn't say what he really felt, and maybe because he was afraid that a serious person like him would be laughed at if he would let them take a peek at what was behind the barrier he put up against other people.
"How about a cup of tea while we talk? I'm sure this offer I will give you won't let you say no." His professionalism came back as he stood there with poise.
In the back of her mind, Cassandra became too curious about the offer, so although she was a little hesitant to go back, she still intended to know about the offer. She gradually nodded her head and said, "Okay, but this has to be quick, Mr. Avery. We've both got no time to waste."
He agreed and also nodded his head right away, gesturing his hand for Cassandra to sit down on the couch. "I promise this is going to be abrupt."
Cassandra sat down on one of the couches while he sat down on the couch opposite to her. He immediately dialed a number from his phone and talked to someone. "Veron, bring me and my guest a delicious cup of tea. Yes, it's important. Okay, faster." Greyson continuously said, then he dropped the call right away.
She had already guessed that the person he talked to was his secretary or someone who was assisting him. And just after a few more minutes, someone knocked on the door.
"The door's open, come in," Greyson answered in a slightly raised voice.
The door opened and it welcomed a very young lady who was pushing a food tray with a complete set of amenities for an afternoon tea. She looked so optimistic and lively with her eyes twinkling together just by looking at Cassandra and Greyson. She began to walk forward until she got in their direction.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Avery, and to our lovely guest." The woman greeted them with a full smile as she bowed her head gently. "Here is your tea. This is Mr. Avery's favorite, the Yellow Gold Tea Buds from China." She cheerfully uttered while serving them the tea.
"Thank you, Veron. You're as quick as ever. You never failed to amaze me." Greyson said with a smirk on his lips, waiting for her to finish serving up the tea together with a Strawberry Sparkle Cake. It was a cake topped with strawberries and fresh whipped cream which was also Greyson's favorite combination together with the tea.
The very relaxing and soothing aroma of the tea lurked around the atmosphere which gave a pleasing feeling to Cassandra's body. She felt as if all of her stress had faded away, what more if she would have a taste of the tea?
'It must have been really expensive. Is it really okay for me to taste it?' She thought to herself as soon as the woman placed a teacup in front of Cassandra.
"Go on, miss. You should try it." Veron said after she also served them a slice of cake.
Cassandra came back to her senses when Veron suddenly talked to her. "Oh, right. T-Thank you." She uttered in a low tone and began to smell the tea. It had a distinctive smell of chestnut flavor which she craved. She began to sip the tea and what refreshment she felt after that.
She let out a sigh of relief and a smile was written all over her face.
"So? What does it taste like, Cassandra?" She heard Greyson ask with a smile flashing on his lips.
Cassandra looked at Greyson with a soothing aura surrounding her. "Hm, it's smooth, it has a biscuity sweetness with a grassy freshness and citrus notes. I don't know, it tastes different, but in a good way." She said with continuous nodding of her head.
"You have a very keen observation, Ms. Cassandra!" Veron butted in with a slightly raised voice. Cassandra was a bit startled by her sudden speech that she even flinched a little. "Oh, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry." She said, lowering her voice.
Cassandra just smiled at her and nodded, then she said, "No, it's fine. I was just caught off guard."
Veron stepped back and the usual happy look on her face came back. "That tea is very luxurious and rare, the yellow gold tea buds are harvested only once a year using gold shears and then they are sun-dried. The tea leaves are then sprayed with edible 24-karat gold flakes. Its price is around $7,800 for one kilogram of tea leaves, can you imagine that?" She gladly informed Cassandra as if her mind was being blown away.
Cassandra was even more surprised that the drink she just gulped was that expensive. She knew that it was expensive, but that one cup she was drinking must have been more expensive than her daily rate.
"This is the tea of the emperors in China. Quite elegant and tasty." Greyson commented upfront. "During his leisure time, the Yellow Gold Tea Buds and the strawberry cake were his favorite comforting drink and food. Nothing beats this combination." He added.
She looked at the man in front of her in disbelief. She still couldn't grasp the fact that Greyson Avery was a real billionaire.
"Who are you?" She asked with her eyes wide open.
He just scoffed and gestured his hand for Veron to exit the room in an instant. She bowed her head to the both of them before she completely left.
Greyson then put down the cup on the table and looked remarkably happy. "I am the CEO and Managing Director of the GA Technologies." He thriftily answered which shocked Cassandra the most.
"What? THE GA TECHNOLOGIES? Are you insane?" She asked in disbelief.
It was a $15.79 billion worldwide technology firm, and the founder, which was Greyson, was one of the richest men alive because he invented the fastest WiFi people were currently using. He had previously held many roles in technology business and operational leadership positions at GA and he was a very respectable man.
She already knew that the man she was talking to was a billionaire, but she didn't know that he was the CEO of the company she idolized a lot.
"May I ask why are you saving money?" He suddenly asked out of the blue.
She didn't know if she would answer him or not, but she just unconsciously looked weak. "I-I need to continue studying. The money I'm earning is for my university tuition." She answered in a stammering tone of voice.
Greyson just nodded at her. "$200,000, just help me finish the wedding and that amount of money will be yours to keep. I think that is more than enough to cover your university tuition, right?" He said so casually.
Cassandra's eyes were left wide open as her gaze turned to look at the man. "What?! $200,000?" She asked once again to confirm if she had just become deaf.
"You heard it right. All you have to do is to come to the wedding. Pretend that you are my fiancee that everyone was waiting for. I think that is a fair decision, right?" Greyson asked as they both stared at each other.
She shook her head left and right, thinking if this was a dream. "No, no. That is not nearly fair. The amount you offered is surely more than enough, but are you sure?"Cassandra asked.
"I've never been this sure in my entire life, Cassandra. After the wedding, I promise you that we won't have any communication with each other anymore. I won't bother you ever." Greyson Avery let go of those words with the slightest sadness in his voice. He wasn't sure what he was thinking, but what mattered at the moment was for her to say yes.
Cassandra thought of it for a little more and then a few more seconds, she finally said, "Yes, I will help you finish the wedding."
"That's a deal."
"Deal." Cassandra Harper and Greyson Avery both shook hands together and then she finally signed a contract for the agreement.