While to Kim, the picture captured an odd event that needed further investigation, to Sharon and Linda, the picture portrayed an act of betrayal.
The moment the car reached the mansion, Sharon rushed for a bottle of wine and poured a glass to gulp it down. Her frustration and anger were boiling over, "Linda, that busted is working with your uncle!!", Sharon poured a second one.
In her shock state, Linda read Jackie's text which seemed to calm her down, "Oh, so that's why."
Sharon rushed over seeing her friend letting out a sigh of relief, "Tell me, what is it?"
Linda summarised Jackie's text to her, "When I first took over the company, there was a big tech company that was competing with Global Tech, uhm, I think its name was Inter-Tech",
Linda sat down on the couch and Sharon snuggled next to her while hugging a glass of wine, and Linda continued, "When Global Tech introduced the cloud storage solution, I think Inter-Tech was one of the companies that lost a lot of revenue and they had to declare bankruptcy. The then CEO couldn't admit that they lost due to their incompetency, and so he accused me of stealing their idea, I think my uncle was involved in that scandal. It was around the time I first met Jackie, she always said I saved her when really, she was the one who saved me by proving my innocence. She was just a 16-year-old with mad computer skills".
Hearing that, Sharon grew more angry, "So you want to tell me that, there is a high possibility that Jeremy blames you for that?!"
"With Uncle whispering in his ear, he probably believes I am the worst person in the world", Linda explained.
Sharon was not having it, She reached for the phone, "He is a grown man, why doesn't he conduct his own investigation? Let's kick him out, let's call him now and let him know he is out!",
Linda took the phone from Sharon's hand, "I anticipated this from my uncle, although I felt blindsided to discover that Jeremy is the puppet, but I did expect him to pull this move. We will deal with Jeremy tomorrow", Linda said assuring Sharon to calm her down.
The following morning, Linda summoned the five shortlisted men to the boardroom. Sharon tried to hide her contempt for Jeremy as Linda requested, "It is important to act natural, my uncle is like a hound, once he smells that we are onto him, he will change his whole game plan", Sharon recalled. Linda was as natural as she was yesterday but her announcement made Sharon gasp in astonishment:
"Thank you all for coming and showing such commitment, you are all competent to be honest, but unfortunately, I only need one husband. Jeremy Tang, congratulations on becoming my fiance. All of you can leave, please remember you signed an NDA, whatever happened here yesterday and today must be kept in secret, or be prepared to pay a heavy price. Jeremy, you can remain here, Sharon will come to get you". With that, Linda walked out and Sharon followed her shortly.
Linda didn't want the news about her husband seeking-interviews to spread, so she told Freddy to tell anyone curious about the queue of handsome men that they were simply interviewing for a new bodyguard.
Sharon was taken aback by Linda's announcement, "Linda, didn't we agree that Jeremy is out? Why keep him clos'--, oh wait....you have a plan don't you?!",
Linda gave Sharon a sinister smile and nonchalantly said, "Yep. Jeremy is going to help me destroy my uncle."
Sharon was confused, "How?"
Linda sat down on her office throne, "I cannot tell you the details of the plan, but, let's just say, Jeremy is about to wake up from his long dream. Oooh! I am so excited!".
Sharon could see that Linda had thought this through, and knowing her friend, she already had initiated the plan, so she was content to see her on top of the situation, "Hmm, Linda, I might not get it, but I like it! I am going to call him in to sign his contract!"
Sharon came back with Jeremy following not that far behind holding a cup of coffee and smiling for Linda. Linda showed Jeremy the seat across from her while Sharon stood guard behind her. She gave him a marriage contract to sign, among the conditions was that Jeremy must move in with her after the wedding at a new two-bedroom apartment.
Jeremy was confused because Linda already had a house, he didn't understand the need for a new apartment, "Linda, if you don't mind me asking why do we have to move into a new place, why not stay where you are staying now, isn't it a waste of money to buy a new place?"
Linda sternly looked at Jeremy, "The current house is my mother's house, I don't feel comfortable bringing my fake husband there, especially someone I don't know very well. Also, even when we are married, I expect us to have our own separate lives and be discreet about it. The only time we act married is when we are around people, especially my grandparents. The contract expires in 3 years. "
Jeremy was surprised by Linda's stern behaviour, he knew she liked him and he thought she might have chosen him for that reason.
'How am I supposed to make her fall in love with me, uncle promised to give me my freedom if I could achieve this one thing for Mr King', Jeremy thought. He browsed through the contract and was happy with the terms, he then sealed it with a signature and passed it to Sharon to sign as a witness.
"Uhm, okay understood, so what now?", Jeremy asked
Linda took the contract, "Okay, we are going to have lunch with my grandparents so I can formally introduce you as my fiance. The engagement will be officially announced at the family charity gala, then we have the wedding a week after. Use these two weeks to wrap up any business you may have that will negatively affect the wedding and our marriage. Oh, and let me know if you have any special requests for the new apartment."
"Can we get a three-bedroom instead? You see, I am a sculptor and I need a room to work from, I also do pottery as a hobby, "
Linda was surprised but pleased to hear that, especially since art is something close to her heart, so she wanted to make sure that Jeremy had everything he needed, "Oh, okay, make a list of everything you will n-"
"Don't worry I have everything, just the room, and I would like to contribute towards monthly expenses, I make a decent income, with my art combined with my restaurant",
Having interacted with Jeremy a couple of times before, Linda believed that he was an earnest person who had just been listening to the wrong noises, and hearing him say that, proved her point, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you marrying me?", She knew very well he won't tell her the exact reason.
"I have my reasons and I cannot disclose them as of now,", Jeremy said
'Well, atleast you didn't lie to me, there is still hope for you', Linda thought
"Alright, we will be meeting my grandparents for lunch this Friday. Give Jackson your address and we will pick you up", Linda said
"Don't worry about me, I-"
"This is not about you....remember, we need to put on a good show in front of my grandparents. I don't think us showing up in different cars scream, 'United'".
Just like that, the meeting ended and Jeremy left, Sharon gave Linda an approving look, "You are right, that man is not bad, he just got caught up with evil people, please save him for us!", Shirley begged with a teasing smile.
On his way to his restaurant, Jeremy called John to update him on his meeting with Linda and asked him for tips to win her grandparents. John was overjoyed to hear the news and invited him for a celebratory drink. Jeremy was unaware of the history of the King family, as far as he knows, Linda destroyed John's life and caused his divorce, and their loss was what brought them together and she is the common cause.
Meanwhile, Linda was now in her office alone silently tapping her table in amusement, "Initiating Phase 1! Jeremy, you have been asleep for far too long, and I am honored to be the princess charming who will wake you up from your slumber".