When they landed in ASCS City it was already past four in the afternoon, the two of them hailed a taxi and headed straight to the neighborhood where Gina Lopez lived.
After getting out of the car, Gina Lopez turned to look at James Brown, saying, "Now you must remember, you're my boyfriend, not a security guard anymore."
James Brown stood ramrod straight and answered loudly, "Yes, I will definitely do so."
Gina Lopez's brow furrowed instantly, "Is that how a boyfriend should talk?"
"Oh... right, I am your boyfriend, not your employee, I am your boyfriend, not your employee," James Brown muttered a few times quietly, and then straightened up, picking up the suitcase, "Let's go, my dear."
Gina Lopez's face darkened; no man had ever talked to her like that before. James Brown quickly said, "You see, as soon as I say it that way, you immediately get upset."
Gina Lopez's mouth twitched, "I'm not getting upset; it's just that I'm not used to it yet, I'll get used to it in no time; just remember to get into character."
"Really? My... dear?" James Brown called out again, cautiously and tentatively.
"Hmm," Gina Lopez actually revealed a trace of a smile on her face, and it was so natural that James Brown couldn't see any reluctance at all. Being able to reach this point in her career, her social skills definitely wouldn't be weak; Gina Lopez adjusted her mindset, and with that, such matters became easier.
"Phew... now I can rest a little easier," James Brown sighed with relief.
Gina Lopez lived in a high-rise, on the sixteenth floor. The two entered the elevator, standing opposite each other. James Brown smiled at Gina Lopez, his gaze fixed directly on her stunningly beautiful face — perhaps only Emily Smith, whom he had protected during that mission, might be a little more beautiful.
In the company, there was never a man who dared to look at her like that. A sharp glance from Gina Lopez was enough to make the male subordinates back off in a hurry, especially when she wasn't wearing those large black-framed glasses, her stunning beauty was even more dazzling.
Gina Lopez looked at James Brown, speaking in an even tone, "When we get home, you can't look at me with that kind of gaze. If I can bring you to my home, it means we have been together for a while, and that our relationship is already very close. If you still look at me like that, then it suggests that our relationship hasn't reached that level."
"So it needs to be more natural, like... I am already very familiar with your body, right?"
This comment made Gina Lopez very uncomfortable, but she still nodded, "That's the idea."
"Oh, but that's actually quite difficult, I'll do my best."
Feeling James Brown's gaze becoming a bit more natural, Gina Lopez nodded in approval and then said, "I think my parents are fairly easy to fool, but my sister is clever, you have to be careful. Try not to interact with her too much, or she will easily see through us; and she has always been in cahoots with my mother, she will definitely snitch."
"Oh, that might be a bit troublesome, it seems like tension between a sister-in-law and brother-in-law is quite normal, isn't there an old saying about a sister-in-law being entitled to half the brother-in-law's attention?"
"Hmm?" Gina Lopez's face immediately darkened, and she said coldly, "I'm telling you, you better not harbor any ideas about my sister."
James Brown gave a wry smile, "You know, Gina, we are a couple now; you get upset over a joke, it doesn't really look good. If you botch this act, you can't blame me. And you can't dock my bonus then."
"There's a limit to joking. Joking about others is one thing, but joking about my sister is off-limits."
"So, should I just ignore her then? Don't want to give her the cold shoulder, do I?"
"Just do your best to not engage with her."
"Alright, since you're the boss, I'll do as you say." James Brown shrugged his shoulders and didn't say anything more. In the documents, he had also seen the information on Gina Lopez's sister, Sandra Lopez. Surprisingly, she was Gina's twin but with a completely different personality. Gina was rather cold, while Sandra was lively and active, a dance school teacher, also without a boyfriend. Yet their parents didn't seem worried about her marital prospects.
At that moment, the elevator arrived, and they stepped out. Gina went ahead to knock on the door.
The door opened quickly, and a woman in her fifties, still charming and graceful, appeared before James Brown.
"Gina, you're back! Oh, who is this..." The woman, after an initial exclamation of surprise upon seeing Gina, then noticed James Brown.
"Hello, Aunt, I'm James Brown." James Brown immediately offered the woman a polite greeting.
"Oh! Good, good! Come in, come in," the woman said, evidently unprepared, as she welcomed them in and began to chide Gina.
Gina linked her arm through the woman's and gently shook it, playing cute, "We just decided this recently. James is usually too busy with work and had no time, but after my persistent requests, he finally took some time off to come with me. You guys pressured me into this; otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to bring him home so soon."
James Brown's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Was this still the Gina Lopez he knew? The same "Ice Lady" from the office? Even if he described Gina's current behavior to his colleagues, likely no one would believe him. The contrast was just too great, almost unbelievably so.
Feeling a pinch on his arm, James Brown snapped back to reality and spoke politely, "Aunt, I am so sorry for not visiting you all this time. I hope you won't find it presumptuous of me to come now."
Her mom still hadn't fully understood who James Brown was until Gina explained, and then she realized he was Gina's boyfriend. Her gaze immediately focused on James Brown as she laughed and said, "Not at all, not at all. You two kids, why didn't you tell us beforehand? Old man, hurry up, Gina has brought her boyfriend home." Clearly, she was very satisfied with her first impression of James Brown.
"I'm in the middle of something. You old lady always disturbing my peace," complained a man in his fifties as he emerged from a bedroom, but when he saw James Brown and Gina, he immediately laughed, saying, "I always said there was no need to rush. Look, Gina has brought someone back herself."
James Brown quickly took a step forward, clicked his heels together, and saluted in military fashion, "Hello Uncle Lopez, Gina has told me a lot about you being a military man. Seeing you today, I can tell you have the presence of a soldier. Master James Brown reporting for duty, sir."
This flattery had Gina's parents laughing heartily. "Good lad, your ability to sweet-talk is truly commendable; you hit right where it counts. I'm pleased with your stature. I was worried Gina would bring home a 'Pretty Boy.' A man needs to have the fortitude and mettle of a man, not those slick, pretty types - I dislike them the most."
"Ha ha, Uncle Lopez, then I don't need to put on an act in front of you. I'm quite a rough fellow, really. If there's anything you don't like, just tell me straight, treat me like one of your soldiers, and I'm a green one at that."
"Good, good! Come, sit down, let's have a good chat, just the two of us."
With that, Gina's father pulled James Brown down onto the sofa to sit.
While Gina was all smiles on the surface, inside, she was incredibly astounded. Usually, mothers are more involved in their daughters' affairs, but in her family, it was her father whose word was final. Being an ex-military officer, not many could catch his eye, but here was James Brown, getting along with her father like old pals right from the get-go. This was simply unbelievable.
And being a general manager herself, Gina quickly thought of many things. With James Brown showing such savvy, keeping him as a mere security guard was indeed a waste. She'd observe him for a couple more days, and if he indeed proved to be talented, she'd definitely consider promoting him.