Together, they walked through the Green Island Garden's residential area.
There were neat rows of Mediterranean-looking villas. In front of each, there were all kinds of plants and trees, such as money trees, almonds in full bloom, and citrus trees. It was a very colourful and pretty scene. On both sides of the road, there were pine trees with birds chirping. The surrounding air was cool and fresh, with a faint fragrance of flowers.
Alex had spent a lot of time there, so it was nothing new for him, but the two girls were amazed by the beauty of their surroundings. They took lots of panoramic photos on their cell phones, exclaiming that Green Island Garden was indeed worthy of being one of the top two residential areas in New York.
Soon, they arrived at the artificial lake. In the middle of the lake was a small island, and on the island was a villa, which looked even more luxurious than the other properties. It looked like a European castle.
"So beautiful," the two girls exclaimed, as they looked longingly at the villa on the island and felt a gentle breeze from the lake brushing their faces.
Kelly commented, "That villa is worth over forty million dollars. I heard that it was bought by a young student in his twenties. Can you believe he's got so much money at that age?" The breeze rustled her dress. Standing by the lake, she looked very beautiful.
Sharon replied, "Who knows? I've heard from a friend who works here that he bought this villa over a month ago and hasn't lived in it at all. Maybe he has even better houses than this one." She imagined the young man and said longingly, "If I ever meet him, I want to hug him and kiss him."
Hearing her words, Alex, who was standing nearby, started coughing. Sharon looked at him impatiently.
"I'm sorry, I choked," he quickly apologized.
But Sharon didn't even notice how appalled he was with the way she was talking. She looked at him with disdain and said, "Disgusting loser. Go on, cough yourself to death. Didn't you say you lived here? Tell me, which villa is yours? Is there something you want to tell us?"
"Err—" Alex subconsciously glanced at the mansion on the artificial island.
"Why are you looking at that villa? You couldn't afford that if you lived another eight lifetimes." Sharon huffed as she spoke. She pulled Kelly's hand and said, "Let's go. Ignore this liar."
Sharon pulled Kelly, and they walked away from Alex, who shook his head in despair and followed behind them.
Soon, they could hear the sounds of people chatting and laughing, and a few minutes later they arrived at a villa on the southern side of the residential area.
There were two marquees in the garden, each containing long white tables filled with fruits, beverages, and wine. Thirty or so well-dressed young men were milling around, holding glasses, and chatting in groups of twos and threes.
Kelly, Sharon, and Alex walked into the garden.
One of the young men saw them and called out, "Sharon, Kelly, you're here."
"We were all hoping you were coming," said another.
Another said, "Kelly, we haven't seen each other for a few months, but you look prettier than ever."
Everyone rushed over to greet the girls. Mostly young men, but there were also a few girls. Other girls stayed back, watching Kelly with a trace of jealousy in their eyes.
The young men surrounding Kelly were all chatting happily. Then one of them noticed the young man standing beside her, wearing scruffy clothes and looking as if he didn't belong.
"Who's this?" asked one of the men. "Look at what he's wearing. It looks like he bought his clothes from the flea market."
Another said, "He doesn't even have a decent haircut. Or a watch, or a chain. What's he doing here?"
"I can't believe that Simon would invite someone like him," agreed the first man.
The others started to discuss Alex right in front of him as if he wasn't there.
"Hey, you must've walked down the wrong path. Look around you. You don't belong here," a man said to Alex as he glanced around at the other guests. All of them looked smartly dressed in expensive designer outfits. He shot a disdainful look at Alex and clicked his tongue. "You think you're one of us? I think you should leave."
As he spoke, the young man gestured to the way out.
But Sharon interrupted. "Hey, what are you doing? He's here with me and Kelly," she said with a smile.
"He came with you?" The others were shocked. This boy was much poorer than them. Why would Kelly bring him? And she and Sharon were the most beautiful girls there. They could have any man they wanted, and usually, they rejected them all.
Seeing the men's confused expressions, Sharon smiled smugly. Her eyes swept over Alex's body, and then she looked at the others.
"His name is Alex, and don't underestimate him. He's not just anyone," she said with a mysterious smile.
"Oh?" Hearing her words, the others looked at Alex again. Could it be that this guy, who looks like a pauper, is whey wondered?
Sharon cleared her throat. "A month ago, Alex ordered an exclusive Ferrari worth over twenty million. This car is currently being manufactured in Italy from the world's best parts."
Hearing this, the others were shocked. Alex and Kelly frowned. They knew that Sharon was not going to praise him, so what was she up to?
She continued, "Alex didn't want to wait too long for the car to be manufactured so he paid an extra one hundred thousand dollars to have it made more quickly. The team at Ferrari has to deliver it to him within ten days." She was enjoying herself.
Originally, the others almost believed that Alex could be from a middle-class family, but as they watched Sharon, a coy smile appeared on her face, and they realized that she was joking with them.
"Did you know that when we arrived earlier, Alex actually pretended that he lives here?" she continued. The others gasped in mock horror and looked at him with sneering smiles.
"And do you know which villa he lives in?" The more Sharon spoke, the more animated she became. Looking at the others laughing at Alex, she was enjoying her joke. "I'll tell you guys in secret, it's the one on the artificial island."
"Ha ha." The others replied at the same time. Their laughter was filled with ridicule.
One man said, "So he's not just wealthy, he must be super-rich."
Another joined in, "It just shows, you can't judge a book by its cover. If it wasn't for Sharon, I would have thought he had just been picking up trash on the streets."
"Since you own the most expensive villa on the artificial lake, why are we still here? This doesn't compare to your house here. Let's go to your place." The guy who had tried to get Alex to leave pushed him as he spoke.
"What are you doing?" Kelly demanded as she pushed the man away. She stood in front of Alex and looked at the others angrily. "What's wrong with you guys? What are you laughing at? Do you want to have a go at me now? Go on then."
The man replied, "Kelly, you know what we're saying. It's just that this guy doesn't fit in at this party and he's making everybody here uncomfortable."
"Why doesn't he fit in? Well, he's my boyfriend. Do you still think he's not worthy?" Kelly glared at the others as she spoke.
When they heard this, everyone was stunned. This loser is Kelly's boyfriend? That just can't be right.
Sharon was also shocked when she heard her friend telling everyone that Alex, a loser who only knew how to brag, was her boyfriend. She couldn't believe it.
Alex was bewildered for a moment, but Kelly had told him before that he had to pretend to be her boyfriend at the party.
One of the guests laughed and said, "Kelly, stop joking with us. We know you wouldn't date someone like him. You've had loads of rich guys chasing you, and you turned them all down."
Her friends agreed. "Definitely," one shouted.
Another said, "I know what's happening. Hasn't Kelly been annoyed by Henry Moore pestering her recently? I bet she's found a fake boyfriend to scare him off."
"Yes, that's right, that must be it," agreed another.
The others nodded, imagining all sorts of reasons for their friend to be dating this loser.
Kelly was like a goddess to them. They really couldn't accept that she would date someone like Alex.
The first man smiled and said to her, "We're right, aren't we? Kelly. Actually, if you need someone to pretend to be your boyfriend, I'd be happy to help."
"And me," said his friend.
"I can do it too. It should at least be someone better than this dirtbag, right?"
Looking at these people who thought they were being clever, Kelly chuckled softly.
"Who told you he was pretending to be my boyfriend?" she asked with a small smile.
The others looked at her in confusion. Why did she need to ask? Kelly came from such a good family, why would she settle for someone like Alex?
Kelly turned and looked at Alex.
He was taken aback by how pretty she looked peeking out from beneath her sun hat. He looked into her bright eyes, and couldn't help but feel touched by her gaze.
Kelly stared into his eyes, then stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the mouth.
Alex was stunned.
As Kelly kissed him, Alex didn't respond at all. He could feel that her lips were tender and thin, and a little cold, and he could feel her nose rubbing against his.
He opened his eyes wide to see Kelly's face right in front of him. He could see her curved eyelashes, her delicate eyelids, and the fine lines at the corner of her eyes. He could feel her moist breath on his nose, filling his nostrils with a delicate fragrance.
Even though Alex's mind was in turmoil, his body felt light, as if he was lying on soft clouds.
Then he felt a small tongue trying to push between his lips, and he suddenly felt a jolt. He quickly pushed Kelly away.
He looked at her in shock. His mind was all over the place. What have I done?
Alex thought about Debbie and felt guilty. He felt that kissing other women behind her back was disgusting, heartless, and cruel.