Nicolas pulled over at a block of flats. It was a six storey building which had over fourteen flats in it. He switched it from drive to park and turned off the ignition. Judy wasn't familiar with the place and curious on why he had driven them there. Alejandra too, was curious and had her doubts about the surprise he had planned.
"Why did we stop? Are you waiting for someone?" Alejandra asked curiously with her brow furrowed.
"No! It's our stop!" Nicolas replied and unstrapped himself.
He opened the door and got out of the car first.
"I don't feel too good about the surprise." Judy said,
"Do you have an idea of what he could be he up to?"
"I have no clue either. Whatever the surprise is, we just have to prepare for it." Alejandra said, looking at Nicolas through the windscreen.
He was shaking hands with a woman.
"Is everything ready?" Nicolas asked as he glanced at the building beside him.
"Yes, Mr Gonzalez! The flat has a good structure and the interior is welcoming. Shall we go and see it?" The estate agent said.
The estate agent had a red blazer which was worn over a white gown. She was holding a flie in her hand. Nicolas looked at Alejandra and Judy as they got out of the car.
"Yes!" Nicolas said flatly, less excited as the agent was.
He walked into the lobby with the agent while Alejandra and Judy followed them. They walked in slow pace and were a bit far from Nicolas and the estate agent.
"Where could they be taking us?" Judy asked.
"I don't know, Judy. I guess this place either leads to our doom or happiness." Alejandra said and looked at the lobby as walked in.
Nicolas had walked to the lift and saw the, 'Out of Order', stuck on the doors.
"It seems like the lift is broken. Not to worry, we'll take the stairs. The flat isn't that far up." The estate agent said jovially, keeping Nicolas entertained.
They went up the stairs and arrived at the third floor of the building. The woman brought out a key from her pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. She unlocked the door. The flat seemed bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. It was furnished and had an exquisite design.
"W-Wow!" Judy exclaimed, fascinated by the interior of the flat as she walked in.
The living room had two armchairs, both beside each other, a sofa opposite the one of the armchairs and a circular table in the middle. The chairs were made of leather and the circular top of the table was made of glass. There was a ceiling fan and theromstat.
"The flat has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open kitchen and a fire escape behind one of the rooms." The estate agent said gladly.
"It looks nice. I don't really like the carpal in the living room." Nicolas said plainly.
"It can be removed. There are hardwood under the carpet." The estate agent said professionally but in a calm manner.
"Look at the kitchen." Judy said excitedly as she walked to the kitchen.
The kitchen and the living room were in the same room. The room was spacious. The kitchen island served as a demarcator for the two rooms. The top of the island was made of quartz.
"It's big." Judy said,
"It can contain five people altogether. It's bigger than the one in our previous flat."
"The person who lives here is really lucky. Just look at how spacious everywhere is. It's just like that suite we stayed at last night." Alejandra said.
"Actually," Nicolas said flatly,
"The flat is for you."
"For us?" Alejandra asked.
"Yes! I figured you both need a place to stay since you were evicted from your flat." He said and picked up a plastic orange in a bowl on the dining table.
"Um, would you like to see the rest of the flat?" The estate agent asked.
"Yes, please!" Judy said excitedly and followed her to the corridor.
They left Alejandra and Nicolas alone in the living room.
"What is the meaning of this, Mr Gonzalez?" Alejandra asked, looking at Nicolas.
"Meaning of what?" Nicolas replied and kept the plastic back in the bowl.
"Stop acting dumb with me. You know exactly what I mean." She said vehemently.
"No! I don't know what you mean." He said frankly,.
He didn't understand where she was heading.
"Since you've chosen to act dumb, I'll tell you. First, you offer me a job which I do appreciate. Then you took us to a hotel where we spent the night. You paid for a suite, which really surprised me. Ordered dinner and breakfast and somehow had something to do with the taxi drivers ignoring us earlier. And now this. Isn't this a little too much?" Alejandra said, revealing her thoughts,
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
"You should be grateful I'm helping you out. Otherwise, you would have slept on the street last night and probably been robbed again." Nicolas scoffed,
"I'm only doing this to save my own skin. You can see this as the advance you asked for."
"I wonder why you would do so much for a hired bride?" Alejandra asked coolly.
"Fiancée not bride. Don't get the two twisted. Instead of complaining and playing detective, you should be working on your acting skills and preparing for the show you're about to put on." Nicolas said plainly, looking at her with a straight face.
His hands were hidden in the pockets of his trousers.
Alejandra gritted her teeth and tried her best not to be rude to get a sudden benefactor.
"Quitting at this point isn't an option and advisable. We have started this game and we'll as well finish it. I don't like starting something and leaving it halfway done. There's no retreat in my rule book. So if I were you, you should have your dancing shoes ready. You'll have a lot of dancing to do." He said further.
"I made a mistake by choosing this job. I blame my situation for robbing me of peace. I shouldn't have agreed to be your fiancée from the start. I never knew I'll have to stay with a dictator for two years." Alejandra replied angrily, pissed off his attitude.
Judy came back to the living room and overheard the two arguing. She didn't hear most of their conversation except for the fiancée part Alejandra said. The smile on her face quickly disappeared and so did her excitement. The two had no idea of her presence until she spoke up,
"Fiancée?"
"You're getting married to him?"
Her words made Alejandra nervous. They both diverted their gaze to her. Nicolas didn't seem threatened by her words.
"This will be the best time to tell her the truth." He said airily.
"What truth is he talking about, Ale?" Judy asked, demanding answers.
"I-I-I-." Alejandra stuttered.
"You?" Judy said eagerly.
"Your sister and I are engaged and will be getting married soon." Nicolas revealed plainly.
"Yes, we are engaged!" Alejandra said nervously and put on a fake smile.
"You're getting married to him?" Judy asked doubtfully and furrowed her brow at them.
Alejandra nodded and Nicolas hung his arm on her shoulders. Alejandra glanced at his arm on her shoulders, then him and Judy, who was still in shock with the news.
"You're seriously getting married to him?" Judy asked, wanting to confirm what she heard.
"Yes, I am!" Alejandra said with a fake smile and removed Nicolas' hand from her shoulders.
"That explains a lot." Judy said,
"But why would you want to marry a guy like him? Is it because of his money?"
Alejandra couldn't tell her sister the reason behind her fake engagement.
"No, it's not! Nicolas and I really love-love each other." Alejandra said cowardly, hoping Just would believe her lie.
"If you're really engaged, where is your ring? I don't see any on your finger." Judy said, using her detective skills.
"Ring?" Alejandra said nervously, seeing some truth in her words.
"I guess Mr Dictator forgot about that part."
Alejandra said inwardly and looked at him from her side view.
"Ring? Um, the ring..."
"The ring isn't available yet. I didn't like the one's saw at the jewellery shop and had one special made for her. It will be ready soon." Nicolas said boldly, cutting her off.
"And Maurice? Have you told him you're engaged? He really likes you, you know." Judy blurted out.
"Huh?" Alejandra said confusingly.
"Um, I wasn't supposed to say that." Judy said, realizing she almost let the cat of the bag,
"Forget all I said a minute ago. You prefer to marry a boring man like him?"
"Boring?" Nicolas said inwardly.
"Don't get me wrong tho'. Your fiancé doesn't seem like the fun and happy type. He is more like the working type. A workaholic, if I'm correct? He will make your marriage boring and rub off some of his boring genes on you." Judy continued.
"Well, I..." Alejandra said and paused.
The estate agent's presence changed the subject.
"Do you like the flat?" The estate agent asked.
"Yes, I do! It's nice." Judy said cheerfully.
"I like it. Especially the open kitchen concept." Alejandra said convincingly.
"I'm glad you like it." The agent said with a smile,
"I was on the phone with the landlord and he said he has received the payment for the flat."
"Good!" Nicolas said flatly.
He shook hands with the estate agent for the completion of sales and she left the flat.
"I've got to say, my brother-in-law has a good taste in choosing things. I can call you that, right?" Judy said with a grin.
As usual, he remained silent and sighed.
"Come on, Judy! We still have to go to the hospital." Alejandra reminded.
"True!" Judy said.
"I'll drop you off." Nicolas offered.
Judy nodded happily while Alejandra didn't show any excitement. They left the flat and went to the lobby. Nicolas was ahead of them and was the first to walk out of the main entrance.
"Are you sure being engaged to Nicolas is a good idea? Are you really going to be happy with him? Marriage is a serious commitment." Judy said as they walked towards the main entrance.
"I think so. He is a kind-hearted man, if you ask me." Alejandra said.
"Do you really love each other?" Judy asked, a bit worried about their sudden engagement.
"Yes, we do!" Alejandra said sheepishly.
"I don't seem like it." Judy doubted.
"It doesn't have to be known. Sometimes people choose to keep their relationship a secret from others. They may act like strangers in front of the world while inside, they are one." Alejandra said convincingly.
She hoped Judy would believe her.
"Why all these questions, Detective?"
"It's just that," Judy expressed her thoughts,
"I read about this woman whose name was Jo Walter. She got married to a billionaire so that she could pay her family debt. In the marriage, Jo went through hell in her husband's hands. He almost killed her with the constant beatings, starved of food. Her husband was so cruel that he even got married to her best friend as his second wife."
"Hm! Sounds like a familiar storyline." Alejandra said, noticing a similarity to a series they had both watched together.
"Um, no, it's not! It's a new romance novel I bought." Judy denied.
"Well, Mr Nicolas isn't like that. He might be harsh, a control freak, the point is, he wouldn't do that. And if he does, I know how to defend myself. So don't fill your head with all that nonsense you read or watch on TV." Alejandra assured her.
Alejandra felt her phone vibrate in her handbag. She unzipped it and took it out. It was a message from Nicolas. He had sent the address of the building. Alejandra's eyes left her screen and saw Nicolas leaning against his car. He was waiting for them. Alejandra pressed the power button once and activated the screen time-out. They opened the door. Alejandra walked out first and Judy, last and got into the car.