Chapter 15

"Excuse me first. I'll just order something for us to eat." Robin said to Abby and Stephen, then he left.

"There is ketchup here, do you want it?" Aldrin said to Bea and handed her the ketchup to dip her french fries in.

Stephen was silently looking at the two, Abby was the same with a smile drawn on her lips as she watched him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you two are a good match?" he said suddenly which surprised both of them and looked at each other.

"Isn't it, Stephen?" he said as he turned to the gentleman who was looking at Bea. The girl glanced at him for a moment, but she just avoided him and nodded her head.

"See? even he agrees. It's no joke, you two are really perfect for each other. You know you'll be the ones who end up staying together in the end." He continued to say that the two just bowed, but there was a smile on Aldrin's lips.

"Honestly, Tita. I really like her and I told her that for a hundred times but she always rejected me." The young man smiled and said to the lady, which made her happy.

"Really? You're weak Aldrin." He said jokingly and Bea forced a smile and suddenly she drank the juice.

"Maybe it's because she already has a boyfriend. Does she really have one?" he asked the girl who immediately turned to him.

"Yes?" he responded in surprise as he looked at Stephen who was also looking at him.

"Silent means yes. I'm sorry Aldrin." The lady was still joking and the young man forced a smile as he looked back and forth at Bea and Stephen, who were staring at each other.

"By the way, you two." He turned his attention to Leo and Ara, who had been sitting quietly for a while.

"I'm pretty sure you two will be a couple." He pointed out that the two turned around.

"Ahh.. yes." Leo smiled at him. After a while, Robin came back with a sandwich and drinks.

"There's a long line there so I just bought it." He said openly as he placed it on the table and sat next to Abby.

"The truth is that Ara and I will soon be married." Just as Robin sat down, Leo suddenly spoke and walked on his fiancé's shoulder. They were all silent for a moment and looked in Ara's direction, but she didn't even glance at him.

"Well, congratulations!" Abby just said as she held the gentleman's hand tightly. Ara noticed that but she didn't show that she was affected. Instead, he turned his attention to Leo, who had been uneasy about his feelings, especially for the man in his past.

"You should invite us." The word suddenly broke the silence of all of them. Surprised, Abby turned to Robin who was bending down and removing the sandwich wrap.

"Don't you remember? I also invited you to my birthday." He added while biting into the sandwich he was holding.

Leo just grinned and looked at Ara.

"Of course. You are all invited to our wedding. Right now we are still preparing what we will need and maybe, by next week I will also send you a wedding invitation." Ara suddenly responded to him and boldly faced the gentleman. Leo could hardly believe that he would answer this and invite them to their wedding.

"Great. Congratulations." Robin just said and tried to calm himself down. He just took another bite of the sandwich as if nothing had happened or as if the girl's words did not concern him.

Ara did the same, suppressing her emotions and just drank the juice.

"By the way, Stephen is coming now." Abby said to the gentleman and Robin turned to her for a moment.

"Who?" it's curious.

"My close friend who set me up on his blind date. I also thought that Stephen was single so I told him, why not meet up now? and that's why I also told him about there, isn't it Stephen?" he said to the gentleman but he just looked at Bea who didn't seem to care about his blind date.

"Single?" Ara suddenly said with a look of surprise on her face.

"It's a long story, iha. But he's really single now." Abby replied to the girl.

Bea seemed to think deeply about what she heard for a moment and just bowed her head.

Single? does that mean he and Sofia have broken up? but why? what is the reason and why did they break up? he was sailing in his mind.

"Oh, she's here!" Abby said as she waved at the girl she was referring to as Stephen's blind date.

They all turned around, except for Bea who pretended not to be interested in the gentleman.

"Wait! aren't you the one-" Aldrin didn't continue what he was saying and turned to Bea for a moment. The girl also glanced at him and seemed to wonder why he suddenly looked at her.

"You're right. I didn't think you'd still recognize me despite my strange appearance now." The woman said to the young man that Bea was surprised when she uttered that voice. He quickly turned around and his eyes almost widened when he realized that Perla was the girl that Abby was referring to as Stephen's blind date.

"Per-la?" he said in shock, he just stood up.

"You two know each other?" Abby was curious about the two.

"Well, it's a long story sis. But I can say that Bea is my bestfriend from now on." Perla replied with a smile as she looked at the girl. Aldrin, Ara and Leo were also surprised when they saw it in front of them. They even looked at it from head to toe and back. It's almost a far cry from the Perla who only sells vegetables in the market compared to the Perla in front of them now who almost surpasses a beauty queen with her very elegant look and her attractive body shape.

"So, you just fooled us all? Your real name isn't really Perla?" Leo asked him when he sat next to Stephen. Bea just followed her gaze and sat down in her seat again.

"Pearl?" Abby raised her eyebrows as she glanced at her friend.

"Actually, my name is Pearl." He still smiled in response to the young man.

"Since I seem to have shocked all of you especially Bea, I'm gonna introduce myself again to all of you guys. My real name is Pearl kristina luisha Ferrer, 32 years old. Single and ready to mingle." He said at the same time he turned to Stephen next to him.

"Besides pretending to be a vendor at the market, what else are you faking?" Ara promised him with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, it's not really fake that I sell vegetables in the market. I've been dreaming for a long time to just have my own lifestyle. If you think that what I'm doing is pretending, for me that's my big achievements in life. " He replied. Suddenly, Leo pats Ara's arm and shows the article he read about Perla's true personality.

"A multi-billionaire and the only heiress of Ferrer family or most known as Pkl company, who owns the largest buildings around the world. Isn't she the one in the picture?" Leo said as he told Perla his picture in the article.

"You read it right. He is indeed the sole heir of the Pkl company and it is because of him that their company got its name since it was first built." Abby explained to them.

Billionaire? rich? heir? she could almost be considered a princess. No wonder why Stephen agreed to go on a blind date with her. What else would he dislike in someone like Perla who has a perfect character? after all, maybe even I will agree to date him especially since he is the only heir. Bea was sailing in her mind as she simply glanced at Perla. Stephen seemed to have noticed that he was constantly glancing at the girl next to him, so it occurred to him that she might now be thinking that he also has a desire for Perla, that's how they found out her true personality.

So he simply moved away from the girl next to him and turned his gaze in another direction. Bea looked at Stephen for a moment. He noticed that he seemed to be avoiding Perla, so he looked back and forth between the two.

"Actually you two are a good match." Aldrin suddenly said that they were all surprised, except for Perla who smiled widely at what he heard.

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After they ate, they went to the parking lot at the same time.

"By the way, everything is new. I would like to invite you on Friday." Pearl suddenly said to them that surprised Abby.

"Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! It's your birthday on Friday!" he said to his friend.

"Well, happy birthday in advance, but we're not sure if we can attend your birthday." Ara said to him.

"Come on, guys! Don't you kj!" Abby promised the four.

"Actually, Abby is really my only friend and you have also become close to me. I know it sounds weird but I really feel at ease with all of you. Ever since I was a child, everyone always stayed away from me because of name I have. So if only for a moment, if only for one day, I would like to feel like this again with someone I can be with and can call my friends." Pearl said with her head down and seemed to stop herself from getting emotional.

"I'll go, if Bea goes too." Aldrin suddenly said that they all turned to the girl. Bea was just surprised and pointed at herself.

"Alright, we'll go too if Bea comes too." Ara said the same to him. Pearl quickly approached Bea and held her in both hands.

"Of course, he will go! won't he, Bea?" the girl smiled at him.

"Huh? but.." he seemed to be confused as to whether he would go to his birthday or not, because he would definitely see Stephen there again.

"Don't be like that, Bea. We're best friends, aren't we? That's why you should be there on my special day." This promise to the girl persisted.

to be honest, I really want to go because somehow we both have something in common. But, what if I just see him there again? it floated in his mind and for a moment he glanced at Stephen who was also looking at him.

How can I forget him immediately if I only see him all the time? and that's why, he might just like me if I go with them. He added in his mind.

"Bea, please?" Pearl insisted to him again and again. The girl glanced at her friends for a moment and they were only waiting for her decision.

"Alright." He said at the same time Pearl hugged her happily and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Bea! I'll be expecting you all there, right?" he promised and suddenly he got into his car.

"But, how do we know the location of where we are going on Friday?" asked Leo.

"Don't worry because we'll pick you up." Robin replied to him.

"In that case, we will be ahead of you." Aldrin said and then they got into his car. The two gentlemen followed the two young ladies. But without looking back, he entered the car and left the three.

"So I'm done being an actress here, right?" Abby suddenly turned to Robin.

"By the way, Abby. I thought you were going to stay in another country?" Stephen asked him curiously.

"Well there is someone there who offered me a big opportunity. Which is that he will give me my own bussiness if I pretend to be his girlfriend." He would listen to Robin scratching his head.

"Seriously, Robin?" Stephen turned to him.

"Why why why? Didn't you benefit earlier too?" Robin said to her friend and Abby just smirked at what she said.

"Actually, we were also accomplices with Pearl earlier." The girl promised him more and after a few moments the car that Pearl was riding in returned.

"So, what's up? Have you explained everything to him yet?" Pearl asked, as soon as she got out of the car. Stephen seemed to frown and there was a trace of surprise on his face.

"Wait, I'm confused. Does that mean everything was just a show earlier? including his identity?" Stephen asked curiously as he pointed at Pearl.

"The act earlier, yes, it was just a show. But the thing about him is really true." Abby responded to him and the girl just nodded her head in agreement with what he said.

"The truth is that I already have a fiancé and he also knows about this set-up. He is in Europe right now so you have nothing to worry about." Pearl said to him.

"Okay, I understand now. But who came up with this nonsense?" when he said that, the two girls turned to Robin at the same time.

"What now?" he said with dead malice.

"So this is the plan you're telling me about, right?" Stephen said to the young man.

"Come on, bro! I know you also benefited earlier. Didn't you see the expression on Bea's face earlier when Pearl approached you and she found out that Abby had set you up for a blind date? " he said as he put his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"He's right. I knew how Bea was feeling earlier and she was almost constantly glancing at the two of us. I knew it, because that's how I feel when my fiancé is next to another woman." Pearl smiled knowingly at the three of them.

"Well, maybe all girls look at their boyfriends like that when they're jealous, don't they?" Abby said as she shook hands with the girl.

"Or did you suddenly become quiet?" Robin asked Stephen, when he noticed that he wasn't contradicting them and still seemed to be blushing.

"Look, you caught him earlier too, didn't you?" the young man said laughingly to him. But he just turned around and got into his car.

"Oh okay, I'll see you again on Friday, huh?" Robin said and suddenly he also got into Stephen's car.

After that, Abby and Pearl also left. While the two gentlemen were still on the way home.

"So, what exactly are you up to?" Stephen asked his friend who was sitting next to him.

"I don't know. I'm also not sure if this plan I thought of will work."

"What do you really want to happen?"

"I want to show in front of Ara that I'm okay without him. I want him to feel that I'm happy with someone else."

"I thought you wanted to make him jealous?"

"That's if he's really jealous? But, I don't want him to hesitate. I don't want him to be confused about his feelings and I also don't want to get to the point where the two of them can't get married just because of me."

"So, how about me? Why am I also involved in your nonsense?"

"What else? It's so that you and Bea can get back together!"

"How sure are you that she will even come back to me and that she still has some love left for me? Didn't you see the look on her face with Aldrin earlier? She is happy now with that man."

"I can't believe it's really you who's jealous! And he's not the only one, he's just a boy! Maybe you're forgetting, my blood flows through his blood."

"That's why I don't trust him! Because he's your son."

"Okay, fine. But are you just going to give up? What? Are you going to lose to.." he stopped speaking for a moment and glanced at the young man.

"For what? You have the courage to advise me but you can't call him your son." He said.

"Okay, you win." He just said as he looked outside. Stephen grinned and shook his head.

The two of them were silent for a moment while Stephen was serious about driving. After a few moments,

Robin turned around and pressed the audio speaker.

"Oh..always!" Robin shouted suddenly as he sang along to the song they were listening to. While Stephen could only smirk at him and looked at his friend who could feel the lyrics of the song.

They just listened to music while traveling. He just leaned against the window and watched the rain fall outside.