Nicolas drank his coffee slowly while Alejandra looked at him confusingly. She was still perplexed with what he had said.
"What do you mean get married? Why would I want to marry someone like you?" Alejandra scoffed.
"I'm not asking you to get married to me. I need you to pretend as if we are a couple and engaged to each other." Nicolas said confidently.
"And why would I want to do that? Do I look like an actress to you?" She sneered.
"Maybe, you should practice being one. Besides," He said and glanced at the cup he had kept on the saucer and focused his gaze on her,
"It will benefit both of us. All I need is for you to put on an act in front of everyone and get them off my tail."
"Why use me? Can't you hire an actress yourself? After all, you are a billionaire. I'm sure any actress would love to play your fiancée." She said.
"Hiring an actress will make it too obvious. She could spill at the cost of a price. She won't help me achieve my aim. Rather, she will make it worse." Nicolas said.
"Then hire someone else. Find someone who will be willing to play the role of fiancée for you." Alejandra said.
"Look, Alejandra," Nicolas said flatly.
"First he addresses me by my first name!" Alejandra said inwardly in a sarcastic tone.
"I didn't leave my work just for you to advise me on who I should or shouldn't hire. I'm making you an offer that will change your life for good and help with your expenses. We both know that the bank didn't approve the loan you applied for nor were you able to collect your father's compensation from his employer." He continued,
"You desperately need money for your mother's heart surgery and I'm only trying to help you."
"I don't want to be indebted to you." She muttered.
"And who said you were working for free? This is a job offer and not a charity fund raising. You'll be paid a monthly allowance, I'll take care of your mother's surgery and your sister's tution as well as other expenses. Only if you agree to play along." He said sternly,
"The ball is in your court."
"How long will I have to be your fake fiancée?" Alejandra asked doubtfully.
"For two years!" Nicolas replied airily as he brought his wallet.
"And what if I eventually agree to play fiancée,will you keep your end of the bargain?" She asked curiously.
"When it comes to business, I keep my word. It's up to you to decide." He said firmly and glanced at her.
Nicolas kept the payment for his coffee under the saucer and stood up from his chair.
"In case you change your mind or agree to my proposal,give me a call. " He said and placed his card on the table,
"Here is my business card. Whenever you're ready, let me know. Have a nice day, Miss Ortega!"
Alejandra glanced at the card in front of her menu and looked at Nicolas. He had left the table and walked out of the café. She saw his car as it reversed from the car park and drove away.
<
Camilo paced up and down in Mady's office. He was waiting for Nicolas to arrive and constantly looked through the glass walls to know if he had arrived. Nicolas' office was a bit closer to Mady's.
"Camilo, is there a problem? You have been pacing since you came in. Do you mind taking a seat and tell me what the problem is?" Mady asked curiously.
Camilo sighed and pulled up a chair in front of her desk and sat down.
"Did Nicolas tell you where was going?" He asked.
"No! All he told me was to cancel the appointments he had this morning and reschedule them." She said.
"Did he tell you why?" He asked.
"No, why? Is something wrong?" She asked, this time, a bit concerned.
"I don't know what goes on in his mind. He thinks about the company and barely has time to work on himself. He needs help but wouldn't let anyone help him. It's like he is trying his best to keep everyone away from him." Camilo blurted.
"Is Mr Nicolas crazy?" Mady asked doubtfully.
"No! Not at all,Mady! He is just self-centered, that's all." Camilo said.
Camilo looked at the walls again and saw Nicolas walking past her office.
"Ah! He is here!" He said and stood up from the chair.
Nicolas dropped his briefcase on his desk and took his jacket. He hung it on his swivel chair and sat down. He was turning on his system when Camilo came in.
"Where have you been?" Camilo asked sternly.
"At a café! I had coffee with a client." Nicolas replied coolly.
"What happened to you last night?" Camilo asked further.
"Nothing happened last night. I simply went home,took a bath and slept." Nicolas replied airily.
"And by that, you got a cut on your arm and clearly have your face bruised. You got into a fight, didn't you?" Camilo said ironically.
"You've been listening to my mother again, haven't you?" Nicolas asked coldly,not surprised on how he knew about last night,
"Well, for your information, I wasn't beaten up. I had a minor cut on my arm and hit the door of my bedroom on my way out. Mum exaggerates a lot."
He looked at his computer and saw that the booting was complete and the homescreen had appeared. He used his mouse to click on an icon and security appeared. It demanded his password before he could get into the website he wanted.
"When will you realize that you need help? You try to hide it but you simply can't. How long will you punish yourself for what happened." Camilo said,
"C'mon Nick,it's been three years now! You should learn to forget the past and move on with your life. You're only hurting yourself. Your attitude is drifting everyone away from you."
"Well,I can't! I simply can't, Camilo!" Nicolas snapped,
"It's my fault my son is without a mother. I'm the reason for her death. If I had paid more attention to her like she asked me to, maybe, maybe she would still be alive. She would've been at home taking care of Ivan and waiting for me to come home from work."
"But no! She is six feet below the ground and she is never coming back. Isn't that enough reason why I should suffer for my mistakes? It's my fault and will forever be." Nicolas said vehemently.
"That doesn't mean you should push everyone who cares about you far away. I mean, think about your son. Do you think Ivan is happy seeing you this way?" Camilo asked but got no response.
Nicolas ignored him and keyed in his password.
"I think you should reconsider your decision and visit your psychiatrist." Camilo suggested.
"I've told you, I don't need a psychiatrist. I'm perfectly fine and doing okay. I'm taking my medications regularly and I'm certainly not crazy." Nicole replied coolly, without making eye contact.
"The medication only won't help you solve your problems. You need help. Take my advice or leave it. I'm only looking out for my friend, someone whom I consider my brother. Even though we aren't blood related. I hope one day you'll realize what you're doing to yourself." Camilo said calmly.
"If you have nothing else to say Mr Guerrero,you can leave my office." Nicolas said flatly, this time, looking at him.
"I'll leave but that doesn't mean I won't help you out. Even if it takes me a lifetime,I'll make sure you get over this." Camilo said.
Camilo turned and headed for the door. He turned to his side and looked at Nicolas, who had his gaze on his screen, and shook his head disappointingly. He got hold of the door handle and opened the door and walked through it.
<
Nicolas spent most of his time in the office and worked late. Everyone had gone home, including Mady. She overheard him yelling at Camilo and knew best not to come close to Nicolas when he is in a bad mood. She went to the bar close to the office with some of her colleagues.
The bar was filled with people. The dimmed lights and music made the place lively. Mady and her friends sat down on one of the empty tables. Mady took off her blazer and hung it on her forearm.
"Ah! I'm finally free from the office!" Beatrice said, pulling up one of the chairs round the table.
"Yeah, but we still have a day before it's the weekend." Mady reminded and sat down.
"Tomorrow can worry about itself. Right now, I need a break from all that paperwork." Beatrice said as she kept her handbag on the table.
"Waiter!" Sue signalled as she saw one walk pass their table.
The waiter came to their table with a tray which had empty glasses on it.
"Three glasses of Tequila, please!" Sue ordered.
"Mine is vodka!" Beatrice blurted.
"Okay! One vodka and two tequilas. That's if someone has something she wants differently." Sue said, waiting for either of them to conclude with what she had ordered.
"No, the tequila will be fine!" Mady said.
"Okay, then! One vodka and two tequilas!" Sue said, confirming the order.
The waiter nodded and left their table. Beatrice looked at the man sitting opposite of them. His table wasn't far from theirs. Mady was on her phone. So was Sue. The man noticed she was looking at him and waved at her with a warm smile on his face. Beatrice reciprocated with a wave and Mady noticed.
"Who are you waving at?" Mady asked.
"No one!" Beatrice denied.
She spotted the waiter coming with their order and quickly changed the subject.
"The drinks are here!"
"No one, huh? You are making a pass at that guy over there, aren't you?" Mady said.
"No, I'm not!" Beatrice said.
The waiter arrived at their table and placed three tumblers in front of each.
"Thank you!" Sue said as she picked up her glass and took a sip.
The waiter left and returned to the counter. Beatrice took a sip of her drink and Mady was still on her phone. She was watching a reel on Instagram. A man walked over to their table and had a smile on his face.
"Hey, ladies!" The man said friendly.
"Hi!" Beatrice replied happily.
"Hey!" Mady and Sue said plainly.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" The man asked.
"No,not all!" Beatrice said excitedly and Mady rolled her eyes.
The man pulled up a chair next to Beatrice and sat down. He had a glass with the liquid content in it almost gone. He drank the remaining liquid and signalled a waiter.
"Another glass, would you?" The man replied and the waiter nodded, collecting the empty glass from him.
"I couldn't stop admiring from over there. You look beautiful." The man complimented and Beatrice blushed.
"Um, thanks!" Beatrice replied shyly.
"I'm Jayden!" He introduced.
"I'm Beatrice!" She replied.
He took her hand which was on the table and kissed the back of her palm. Beatrice giggled and looked at him with a smile on her face.
"Please,excuse me!" Mady said plainly and left the table.
She was annoyed by their lovey-dovey stunt and sat on one of the stools at the counter. She had her tumbler in her hand and faced the shelves with wine bottles in them. She drank her tequila and kept the empty glass on the table.
"Refill!" Mady said plainly.
The barman kept the glass he was cleaning aside and collected the glass.
"What kind?" He asked.
"Tequila!" She replied.
He went to the shelves behind and brought out a bottle of tequila. He poured some in her glass.
"Here you are, Miss!" He said and gave her back her glass.
"Thank you!" Mady replied and got hold of the glass.
She held the glass in her hand and had her eyes on the wooden counter.
"There you are!" Sue said behind her,
"I was sitting at the table and realized you had left. Why did you leave?" Sue asked.
"Nothing! Just felt like being alone for a while!" Mady muttered.
"Or you are jealous of Bee and her new friend?" Sue assumed with a smile.
"No, I'm not! In fact, I'm happy for her." Mady said and drank her tequila.
"Okay! If you say so!" Sue shrugged,
"Speaking of couples, I've been meaning to ask you..."
"Ask me what?" Mady asked and took another sip.
"Are you and Mr Nicolas dating? Do you like him?" Sue asked curiously.
Hearing her last sentence made Mady spat out her drink in her mouth and began coughing.
"What's wrong Mady? Are you okay?" Sue asked, concerned about her sudden cough.
She rubbed her back and called the barman.
"A bottle of water, please!"
The barman handed her a bottle of water and she quickly unscrewed it.
"Here, drink this!" Sue said and gave the water to drink.
Mady drank a little and returned the bottle to her.
"Are you okay?" Sue asked, screwing back the top and kept it on the counter.
"Yes, I'm fine!" Mady replied.
"You almost scared me,you know." Sue said.
Mady left her glass on the counter and stood up from the stool.
"Where are you going?" Sue asked.
"Home! I just remembered I had some work I brought with me from the office." Mady lied.
"Um-."
"Bye!" Mady cut her off and left the counter.
"She is definitely hiding something. I wonder what it is!" Sue said inwardly.