Chapter 5

Inside a restaurant, Lisa and Williams are sitting opposite each other.

"You really don't need to repay me; I already told you," Williams said.

Lisa nodded. Anyway, she wasn't too confident that she can repay him, although deep inside she really wants to.

"Anytime you need my help, do not hesitate to call me," she said, although she knew fully well that someone of Williams' caliber would barely need her help.

He nodded. "Sure, I will."

"But you really caught me off guard. I always believed that you are not rich, perhaps a pauper. You can't blame me; after all, you couldn't pay for your food the first time we met."

Williams was ashamed when he heard her. He cursed his luck that day, but on second thought, it's not that bad; he wouldn't have known somebody as special as Lisa if not for that incident. Yes, deep in his heart, Lisa was like a special existence.

"But why couldn't you pay for your meal that day?" she queried.

"Long story..." He briefly explained what happened that day. Lisa nodded in understanding. She strengthened her resolve to always help people, no matter how worthless they are or seem to be.

"I will be going to the airport now; I have a late-night flight," he announced.

Lisa was reluctant to part with him, but life became normal for her after the whole event.

She goes to work early and comes back late every day.

One day, Lisa was busy serving the customers.

"Lisa Oliver wants to meet you outside," a guy came in and said haughtily.

Lisa was annoyed; she recognized the guy as one of Oliver's lackeys. Oliver was the son of the restaurant owner; he had always coveted her, but she didn't give him a chance. Even when she reported it to the restaurant management, they all ignored her.

Oliver was the only son of the restaurant owner, and he doted on him too much. They didn't want to get into any trouble. A few days ago, Oliver threatened that if she refused to be his girlfriend the next time he comes, she should forget about continuing work in the restaurant.

Even though she didn't think about it seriously, she still submitted applications for jobs online since she couldn't continue bearing the harassment. Unfortunately, none of the jobs she applied for had called her.

She went outside and saw Oliver standing there with a smirk.

"So, have you made up your mind?" he asked.

"Oliver, it can't work between us. It's better you forget about it," she replied.

"Pack up your things; I don't want you to continue working here. You are an eyesore the more I see you." He turned around and started walking away. He also called the restaurant manager and told her of his wish.

Soon Lisa received a call from the restaurant manager telling her that she was fired.

Oliver was expecting to see Lisa running towards him and begging him while crying. Instead, he was disappointed when he saw her standing and looking blankly at the air.

Lisa was holding her tears because she didn't want Oliver to feel like he won.

"Lisa,"

She turned and was surprised to see Williams behind her. She quickly suppressed the tears that were about to break out from her eyes. She didn't want to show her weak side to Williams.

Williams brought her closer and hugged her tightly. He knew she was hurting right now; the only thing he could do for now was to provide a shoulder for her to cry on.

After crying for a while, she sobered up a little. He led her to his car and drove to another restaurant nearby.

"I'm sorry about the scene before," she said.

"Why are you saying sorry? We are friends after all. I saw what happened. Actually, you don't have to look for work anymore."

Lisa thought he wanted to use his connections to find a job for her, so she immediately rejected.

"No, I already owe you a favor. I can't allow you to do more for me, or I might actually be ashamed to ever look up to you," she rejected immediately.

"No, you don't owe me a thing. I haven't forgiven myself about what happened the last time. Take it as just my repayment for what I did to you."

"What happened the last time was mutual; it wasn't anybody's fault. So how can I blame you? Just forget that anything happened between us," she insisted.

Williams thought to himself that it wasn't that easy; he couldn't get the thought of her out of his head ever since that night.

"Okay, then. Can you please do me a favor? Yes, this thing I want you to do for me is actually a favor."

Lisa's eyes lit up. "I will do anything in my capability for you, Williams." She was really eager to repay him for his favor.

"It's like this: my parents want me to get married, but the thing is, I'm not ready for marriage, and besides, I don't like the girls they are introducing to me. I want us to get a fake marriage certificate; I want you to pretend to be my wife for one year. I will give you one million upfront and another one million after the one year is over," he proposed.

Lisa slowly let his words sink in. She blushed at the idea of pretending to be Williams' wife and had an impulse to reject it immediately. But on second thought, she couldn't. After all, what he did for her was such a huge thing for her, and she's ready to repay even with her life.

She bit her lips while trying to come up with a decision. Williams patiently waited for her. After a while, she sighed.

"Okay, I agree, but the money is unnecessary; take it as my way of repaying you."

"No!" he said angrily. "I already told you there's no repayment between us." He brought out a check and kept it in front of her. "This is the check for one million. If you don't accept it, then I will believe that you didn't appreciate what I did for you, deal or no deal?"

Lisa felt like she was being blackmailed, but she had no other choice.

"It's a deal then."