C8 I Can't Believe This

A high neck shift dress in white with a tie on her shoulders paired with flats was what Alice decided to wear. She could still remember what Kendrick Villarama said to her. He wanted her to look elegant and sophisticated. She chose this because she wanted to look simple and yet classy, feminine and elegant. She didn't want to look overdressed, as if she was trying too hard to impress his family. This was just a deal anyway. Whether his family liked it or not, she would be Kendrick's girlfriend.

"Where are you going, sweetie?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, I am just going out with friends, mom. Don't worry. I won't come home late," she lied and then she put back her eyes in the mirror just in front of her. Not too much makeup. Just powder and blush on. That's all she put, plus applying slight pink lipstick on her lips so she wouldn't look pale.

"Alright. Keep your phone open so I can call you whenever I like to," her mother reminded her.

"Okay, mom. Don't worry," she said as she was looking at her final look. She just let her hair down—her shiny curly black hair, which was envied by everyone whenever they saw it for the first time. She liked it. No, she loved it because it didn't give her a hard time to think what style of hair she should be doing whenever she needed to go to a party or any event, just like now.

"You look beautiful, sweetie. I like this look better. You look simple and yet classy," her mother uttered when she stood up and she saw her standing from her behind.

"Thank you, mom," she said and smiled.

"It seems you are going out with someone special," she uttered while following her with her eyes. She went to her wardrobe and looked for a bag that would perfectly fit her look.

"No, mom. I am just helping a friend. That's it," she said. She didn't want to tell her mom about the deal that she made with Kendrick. She knew that for others it would sound crazy and desperate, but for some reason, she accepted it as it sent some kind of excitement to her. It seemed to be an adventure. A new experience she wanted to get involved in. She didn't want her mom to know that her daughter made an unbelievable deal with a man. She knew that they would all be surprised once they learned that she was going out with a very rich man, and she didn't want to give them something to think of. She accepted the deal, but she was still a decent woman. According to the contract, this was just purely pretending to be Kendrick's girlfriend, but there would be no physical contact between the two of them. Alice had been very clear with the man about that, and it seemed that Kendrick was a man that she could trust.

"Here," her mom said, whom she didn't notice had left her room. "Use this instead; it would perfectly fit your look for the night."

She handed her a black quilted purse that could be a small crossbody bag with a chain strap.

"Wow," she uttered. It was made of authentic leather, and she could tell by the look and texture of it that it was pricey. "But are you sure?" She asked her mother.

She nodded at her, which made her smile ear to ear.

"Thank you, mom. I promise that I will take care of it and will return it to you with no scratch," she said as she put her stuff inside the bag.

"No, keep it. It is yours," her mother said, which surprised her.

"But, this looks expensive, Mom, and you haven't used it yet," she said.

"Accept it as my gift, honey. I know that I have missed a lot of milestones in your life, and I thank you for accepting me when I came back. I don't know how to make up for those times that I lost, but I want to be a mother to you, and thank you for making me one," she said in teary eyes.

"Oh, mom. I don't want to cry and the tears mess up my look, but don't you think that anything. I know why you needed to leave and why I needed to grow without you by my side. You are my mother and you will always be. The distance will never change that fact, and I may not say it to you, but I am really thankful that you came back home. I am happy that we are all together again in our home. I love that we eat together," she said, and then she hugged her mom.

"Thank you, Alice. I don't know what else to say because God has blessed me with such a wonderful daughter like you. Your dad is able to raise you well even if he is alone, and I couldn't be prouder to both of you," she said as she distanced herself from her.

She smiled at her as she tried to hold back her tears. Her mother was away from them for a couple of years and just recently came back. She worked hard abroad so that she could provide for their family. She came from a middle-class family thanks to her mother's hard work and her dad for being wise when it comes to handling their finances.

"Go and your friends might already be waiting for you. Just let me know once you get there. Take care of yourself," her mother said to her.

Kendrick was waiting for Alice in front of the coffee shop where they first met. It was Friday evening, and this was the day that they both were waiting for. He would be introducing her as his girlfriend to his family, and he was hoping for the best for the two of them. He knew that Alice was a smart woman, and she wouldn't do anything stupid that would put both of them into trouble.

He looked at his wristwatch. It was a limited-time edition of an expensive brand. He loved its mechanism, and not to add that the kind of watch was only thirty, so it would be very difficult to find the same watch like his. It's one of the privileges of being a Villarama. He even thought that he could buy the whole country with their wealth, but he knew how his family tried their best to hide that fact. One rule of his grandfather before his last breath, no one in the family will show off their wealth. They would live in simple things and keep their feet on the ground, but some were just so stubborn. Well, he sometimes included because he loved to collect limited-edition things just like his watch and his cars.

It was already seven in the evening, and yet he hadn't even seen the shadow of Alice in the shop. He couldn't help the questions that started to pop up inside his head. What if the woman decided to back out after he gave her the cheque? He shook his head. There's no way that Alice would be doing that. She knew the woman. She was full of pride, and she wouldn't let her image be ruined just because of money.

He let out a deep sigh as he tried to calm himself down. Deep inside him, he could feel his heart pounding so fast as the hands of the clock ticked. He was starting to panic because he couldn't mess this night. He was so confident in front of his Aunt and his father the last time he spoke to them.

He took the last sip ofhis coffee that was already cold because he had been sitting there on the same spot where they sat the first time they met for already forty-five minutes.

Kendrick was silently praying that Alice was just late and she wouldn't be doing anything stupid. His family was all waiting for them for dinner, and he didn't want to be in a shameful situation. He didn't want to receive mockery from his Aunt and her sons. He couldn't imagine what he could do to Alice if she would leave him hanging at the last minute after he had given her the money that they had agreed as payment for pretending to be his girlfriend.

To be honest, he was handsome, and he was rich, so it was easy for him to get a girlfriend and take them to their mansion, but he found women to be very clingy, and he hated it. He hated them when they assumed so much and they would almost tie his neck demanding a wedding. He was just there to play and nothing else. Women were just like clothes for him that he could easily change whenever he wanted to.

And Alice was a perfect choice because the woman was not attracted to him. He couldn't explain, but he could see it in her eyes that she was not interested in him. And, that made him curious. That's why even if he didn't like how she demanded their deal, he let her be. She was the first woman who saw him not as a gift of God to women but as a pest, like what she was always telling him.

Kendrick's eyebrows were drawn together as his eyes darted at the entrance of the shop. He felt like his heart skipped beating because of the woman that was about to enter the establishment. He couldn't explain, but she was like a goddess that came down from above, and he couldn't help but hold his breath as she walked towards his direction.

It was Alice. She was wearing a simple yet classy dress, and she just let her curly hair down. He knew the woman was beautiful, but he never thought that she could be enchanting.

He was back to his senses when he heard a finger snap together in front of his face.

"Did I pass your standard?" The woman said, and she even turned around in front of him.

He cleared his throat as it suddenly dried, and he couldn't understand why his heart was abnormally beating.

"Why are you late?" He asked instead as his eyebrows were knitted together.

Alice just raised one of her eyebrows, and the woman seemed not to be affected at all by the tone of his voice.

"I am sorry, my dear boyfriend. I needed to prepare myself for this grand dinner that we are going to, and based on your expression, I could say that you are pleased with the way I look," she said sarcastically to him.

He shook his head. What a woman! No one ever answered him with that kind of tone. Only Alice. A woman he knew for a couple of days, but still, she had the courage to answer him back. She didn't care if he would get mad. Alice didn't simply care about him, which was a good thing. She was one of those one percent of women who didn't appreciate his handsome and beautiful physique and, of course, the wealth that came with his name.

This would create less complication for their mission. No strings attached, and they would be together just because of pure business and nothing personal. All in favor for the two of them.

"Well, it's okay," he said, and then he walked out of the coffee shop without any other word.

"I can't believe this. You would just leave me like that?" Alice said in a bit loud voice but not enough to catch people's attention. One of her best, she knew how to keep her posture. She knew how to keep calm despite being pissed off with him.

"You are wearing flats, so it wouldn't be hard for you to keep up.”