Chapter 3

KATE’s mouth suddenly became watery as she stared at the food on the table. She never thought she would have the chance again to taste such delicious cuisines. All thanks to Jan, who ordered food after hearing her stomach rumbled.

“Dig in,” Jan told her and left the table with his phone on his ear again.

He was such a busy man, Kate mused. Jan kept receiving and making calls. Some were work-related, but most calls were from reporters. She did not expect that the video scandal would be that big in just a few hours.

She heaved a sigh and picked up the utensils. There was nothing she could do about the scandal. What she was worried about was her Aunt Bernice. Now that she had a scandal with Jan, who happened to be the son of a well-known family, it was obvious that it would also affect her. But unlike Jan, she knew that the damage on her part would not be as big as his.

Kate sliced a generous size of the steak and popped it into her mouth. Then she took a mouthful of spaghetti Aglio e olio. She could not help but close her eyes as the savory taste spread inside, making her taste buds work. Jan turned his gaze in her direction when a loud slurping sound escaped from her mouth. She immediately felt her cheeks burn out of embarrassment, making her head turn in the opposite direction. Kate silently cussed and reminded herself to act as refined as she could.

“I’ll call you again,” Jan said as he sauntered towards the table.

She grabbed the table napkin and wiped her mouth.

“You barely touch your food.” He sat on the chair he left a while ago and poured wine into their glasses. “I’m sorry if I didn’t order the food according to your liking—”

“I like them all.” She bit her lip when she realized that she just cut him off. “I’m sorry. I should have let you finish…”

“Katherine, I know we just met. We have this strange deal out of this scandalous situation. But I’d like you to know that you don’t have to be pretentious when I’m around.” Jan brought the wine glass to his mouth and took a sip.

Kate’s mouth formed an O. She wondered how come he knew she was pretentious in front of him. Well, since he already said that she could be herself, then she will.

“Fine.” She picked her wine glass but only held it near her mouth. “Since you want me to be me, may I make some demands?”

He arched a brow. “Demands?”

“Yes.” Jan caressed his chin as he stared at her. “I have lots of them.”

“Well… I think it’s better to talk about it now. Go on, tell me what you want.”

“My parents died in a plane crash two years ago. They left a bunch of assets that my aunt sold without giving me a single penny. She said she used the money to save my family’s business from bankruptcy. Can you help me get those assets and the company back?”

His brows furrowed. “How come your aunt was able to sell your inheritance?”

“Sadly, I was young and naïve, plus I was grieving back then. When Aunt Bernice offered me her help… I thought she was genuine because she was my father’s sister. But then, it turned out she has a motive.” Kate heaved a deep sigh. Now she realized, the more she thinks about it, the more it stresses her out.

“I won’t promise you anything, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” she muttered.

“You shouldn’t thank me, Katherine. I’m not doing this for free…” Jan sipped his wine without breaking eye contact. “Remember, we had a deal.”

“So, we’re business partners, huh?” Kate put her glass down.

Jan smiled lopsidedly. “Sort of.”

And then, there was silence.

Kate hated it. The silence between them was starting to make her feel awkward. She wanted to break it, but then, she did not know what to say anymore. It was like the cat got her tongue. But thanks to the doorbell, the silence did not last long.

“That must be Rose,” Jan said as he rose from his seat to open the door.

She stood up too and followed him.

“Sir,” a sophisticated woman greeted Jan when the door opened.

“Rose, this is my fiancée, Katherine,” Jan said and gestured in her direction. “Katherine, meet my assistant, Rose.”

Kate felt her bile went up straight to her chest when she heard him addressed her as his fiancée. Her mind still could not process that she now has a fiancé. She just hoped that she would not regret saying yes to that deal.

“H-hi…” She stretched her hand to Rose for a handshake that the latter accepted.

“Come in, Rose.” Jan opened the door wider.

His assistant came in, followed by an entourage of males and females dressed in a fine suit carrying not less than five paper bags each. Kate could only gape as she watched them put the paper bags on the floor one by one.

“I brought everything that you asked for, Sir,” Rose said with a smile plastered on her face, then turned in her direction. “Bags, shoes, clothes, makeups, accessories, jewelry, toiletries are all here.”

She looked at Jan and the paper bags back and forth.

“T-this is too much, isn’t it?” Kate blurted out when she turned her gaze to Rose.

“Hmm… not really.” Rose picked a paper bag with the logo of a famous clothing line. She then fished two dresses with the same color and design. “I was not sure if the small size would fit her, so I bought small and medium-size clothes. I picked the designs according to the latest trends and likings of most women nowadays. But if the madam doesn’t like them, we can change—”

“It looks great, Rose. It’s… perfect,” Kate said, though the dress was way too sophisticated for her. But then, she did not want to cause the woman more trouble.

Rose’s face lightened. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Is that her dress for tomorrow’s banquet?” Jan chimed in.

“Yes, Sir.” Rose turned in his direction. “And speaking of the banquet, I already arranged everything. That will be at lunchtime tomorrow in this hotel, for your convenience.”

Kate cupped her forehead and plopped down on the couch when she suddenly felt dizzy. Everything was overwhelming.

“Are you okay, Madam?” Rose immediately got a glass of water and handed it to her.

“Thanks, Rose… I’m fine.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to rest, Katherine,” Jan said and gave Rose a nod.

Rose beckoned the others to leave.

“I’ll call you tomorrow to give you an update regarding the matters,” Rose told her boss before she left the suite.

“Why don’t you change to sleepwear first so you can sleep comfortably?” Jan started to put the paper bags to the side. “You can sleep on the bed.”

“H-how about you?”

“Bed.”

“Wait, what?” Her eyes widened. She was hoping that he would sleep on the couch or get another suite.

“What?” He straightened his back. “It’s a king-sized bed. It’s too big for both of us. And besides, you should get used to it. Soon you will be my wife. Don’t expect that we’ll sleep in separate rooms.”

“I-isn’t it a marriage just by the contract?”

“Did I tell you that I don’t like hassles?” He ran his fingers through his hair.

“No, you don’t.”

“Well, now you know.” He sauntered to the bathroom. “If you’re not going to bathe, I’ll go first.”

KATE felt like she was about to lose her breath. If only she would not look dumb, she would ask Jan to get her an oxygen tank and bring it to the banquet. No matter how many times she swallowed hard, she could not get that lump out of her throat.

            “W-who are the guests?” she asked nervously as they walked to the hallway going to the banquet hall. Jan, who was walking ahead of her, turned to face her. Kate did not expect it, so she immediately bumped into him. “I-I’m sorry…”

She raised her head to look at him.

“Don’t be nervous. This will be quick.” He fished something from his pocket. It was a small purple velvet box. There was no need to ask what was inside. “Wear this ring.”

Jan opened the velvet box. But even before he could pull the ring out of it, Kate grabbed the ring and put it on her finger. When she turned at him again, he just looked at her with an arched brow. She just hoped what she did was not too much to infuriate him. After all, he was the one who said not to be pretentious. Well, it was the real Katherine.

“Shall we?” he said afterwards and gestured to the door in front of them.

“Hm…”

He caught her hand and entwined their fingers. Kate did not complain, for they needed to convince everyone that they were engaged in a romantic relationship.

She took a deep breath when the doors opened. Camera flashes and whispers echoing the banquet hall greeted them. Such exposure made Kate anxious even more. Since she was young, she used to be a wallflower in every event, always watching from the sidelines. And now, she got the spotlight overnight. How lucky she would be if only it was a fairytale story.

Jan ushered her to the front, and they climbed up to the makeshift stage. Cameras kept flashing as they stood next to each other at the center of the stage.

“Try to smile,” he whispered to her ear.

But Kate failed to fake a smile when she felt his palm touching the bare skin of her back.

“Are you two dating?” one reporter asked.

“Is she the same girl you are with in the viral video?” another one followed.

“Is she a fling, or you have plans to—”

Jan beckoned the reporters to stop asking questions. And just like that, a silence ensued, as if he did magic.

Kate looked up at him. She wondered what kind of man Jan was when it comes to women for the reporters to throw him such questions. It was kinda rude, she thought. She believed that someone must keep such matters private. Not because you are someone who was of the public’s interest, you owe them.

“With regards to the viral video incident, we are still investigating the matter. I won’t stop until we find who’s behind it. As for Katherine and I…” Jan paused and looked at her. “We’re taken aback that the incident happened in the middle of celebrating our engagement.”

“If she is really your fiancée, then why did you hide your relationship—”

“When it comes to the matters of the heart, I prefer to keep it private.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

A middle-aged woman from the front row table stood up.

“What on earth is the meaning of this, Jan?”

“Mom, you’re here.”

She felt his hand tightened on her side.

“You’re marrying that woman without even consulting me? Seriously?”

Jan looked to the left side of the banquet hall and briskly nodded at someone. When Kate turned her gaze in the same direction, she saw his assistant Rose, who immediately moved and instructed the security to usher the reporters and guests out of the hall, leaving four people behind—Jan, his mother, a man who seemed to be his brother, and her.

“You cannot marry that girl,” his mother said authoritatively. “I don’t know who she is and where the hell she came from. How dare you decline those fine ladies I know just to marry someone like her!”

“My fiancée has a name. It’s Katherine,” Jan said in a firm tone that surprised her.