"Alright. Thanks," Fiona said to the realtor. Her mood improved after spending a bit of money, and she took a cab home after. As she passed by the bar that seemed completely nondescript in daylight, her eyes glittered for a moment.For some reason, she thought of Wilson again.They hadn't exchanged any new messages since their conversation last night. When she was looking through her social media today, she inadvertently found out that he was a promoter at the bar. Promoters usually earned their commission by convincing customers to book tables and order copious amounts of alcohol.Had the care and gentleness he exhibited last night all been for the sake of getting her to spend money?For some reason, Fiona didn't mind that. No matter how much Wilson wanted to make a killing through her, what did that compare to the fortune she now had?In any case, she had also received adequate compensation in the form of emotional value. She didn't mind using her money in exchange for another's
The applause was rather thunderous, mostly because of Michael's good looks. He nodded politely at everyone before his gaze rested on Fiona."It's nice to meet you all. From now on, let's work together as colleagues," he said gently.…It seemed to be a special day, for the bar wasn't blasting the loud music it was previously.While Eunice flitted from table to table at the bar, Fiona sat in silence. She whirled the glass she was holding with an impassive expression, the ice cubes clinking as she did.She felt the couch dip beside her before the heat of Wilson's leg seemed to transfer through his jeans which pressed against her bare knee. The huskiness of his voice was amplified by the sensuous surroundings, making it sound as rich as chocolate."Is something on your mind?" Wilson asked.Fiona sighed before eyeing Eunice. She was starting to envy Eunice's carefree attitude."Someone I dislike has become my direct superior. It's such a pain, really," Fiona replied.She couldn't
Not quite hearing what Wilson said, Fiona asked, "What?"But Wilson didn't repeat his words.This time, Fiona could sense that she'd had a bit too much to drink. She rested her forehead against her hands, taking some time to feel better. Wilson poured her a glass of cold water to help with the alcohol.Exhaling shallowly, Fiona said, "Let's get Eunice and call it a night. It's very late."It was already past 1:00 am, and Fiona had a meeting with the designer the next day. After getting off work each day, she would spend her evenings contemplating her preferred style of interior design. There were a lot of specific details that could only be communicated clearly if she met with the designer in person, so she needed to hurry up and get enough rest before the meeting.Yet, perhaps due to the impending weekend or for some other reason, they didn't manage to book a cab while they were waiting inside the bar, so Wilson ended up helping Fiona out of the bar to hail one outside instead.
Well, Wilson wasn't wrong. The alcohol Fiona had paid for at the bar that night were all expensive bottles that were hard to move, so what was a mere cab fare compared to that?Thus, Fiona didn't try to pay Wilson back. Instead, she asked with a smile, "Can you help me take her back to the house?""Sure."Wilson was a little taken aback when he saw where she lived. He clearly didn't expect her to live in a place like this when she spent tens of thousands at the bar without even batting an eyelash.Finally clearing up all the misunderstandings, Fiona laughed and explained, "I was just pulling your leg back then. I've already graduated from college. I'm working right now, and this is the housing my company provided."She wasn't sure if Wilson believed her. Her mind was a little foggy. After unlocking the door with her key, she continued, "Thanks for everything you did today. Shall I get you a cab to take you back?""It's fine. I could use a walk," Wilson replied. The light out in t
"You thought what?" Wilson asked Fiona.Well, Fiona thought she could use her money to get to him, but she didn't say that out loud, of course. Shaking her head, she replied, "It's nothing."It soon became clear that Wilson excelled in anything he put his mind to. He had already prepared a basic plan for Fiona's place, and following their discussion, he was quickly able to come up with a suitable design proposal.The desserts he selected suited Fiona's palate to perfection as well, and she unwittingly ended up eating her fill. Satisfied with the preliminary plans for her house, she readily took her phone out and asked, "What's the total cost?"Wilson gave a number that even someone who didn't dabble in the field could recognize as being absurdly low. Fiona gasped. "That doesn't sound right. Did you include your design fee in this figure?""Should I be charging my friend when I'm helping her with her house?" Wilson asked as he fixed his captivating eyes on her. "Or are you saying w
"Thanks," Fiona said while transferring some lunch money to Eunice, giving more than what lunch would've cost at the cafeteria."Whoa! If you're going to give such a huge tip, I'll be happy to get your lunch for you every day!" Eunice declared with a squeal."Oh, hush!"Fiona's mood improved a little. She believed that following her warning, Michael would no longer do anything unusual. After all, he wanted to keep her here.Truth be told, she couldn't figure out what was going on in his mind, and that included his actions in the previous world. Why would someone who could give his heart to two people come all the way here and pretend to be so devoted to her?Fiona's world now consisted of nothing but good, simple joy. There was no reason for her to put herself through the pain and struggle of such love again. It was pointless.During her first week as a permanent employee at the company, Fiona was extremely busy. Now and then, she would talk to Wilson on the phone to discuss the
After talking to Geraldine, Fiona found out that the entire company had received that email, and it couldn't be traced back to its sender. Thus, the company management had no choice but to quickly try and resolve the matter instead.Geraldine had been the one who confirmed Fiona's permanent position with the company, so she knew there was little veracity to the claims in that email. Nevertheless, she had to ask, "Those things said in the email are all untrue, right?"Exhaling softly, Fiona said glumly, "Not all. I did go drinking at the bar."She did buy a house too, but she chose not to bring that up. At the end of the day, she believed in not flaunting one's wealth.Geraldine looked a little helpless. "That's your personal life. The company has no say in that. All that matters is the rest are all untrue. You can go back to work now. This isn't a big deal. We'll do our best to get to the bottom of things."Fiona nodded and went back to her desk. She figured the sender of the emai
No matter how cool a motorbike was, there was a limit to its speed. Wilson and Fiona were on the road for half an hour before they arrived at their destination.Fiona was rather stunned by the location they were in.Wilson had taken her to the edge of the city. It was possible that having lived the first two decades of her life in severe hardship led to her never realizing that a concrete city could still be home to a forest.The leaves rustled as the evening breeze caressed the trees. The moonlight lit up the ground, basking everything in a glow of faint light.Wilson looked to the side, his gaze falling on Fiona's gaping mouth. Smiling, he asked, "Do you like it here?"Fiona couldn't speak. All she could do was nod earnestly."There's even more fun to come," he said before taking her hand.While it was beautiful out here, it was still in the middle of nowhere. Fiona fidgeted nervously, to which Wilson responded by tightening his grip on her hand and asking softly, "Do you know
"I'm at Ebony Beach right now," Fiona said as she buried her face behind the high collar of her windbreaker. Her voice was glum as she continued, "When are you coming?"Wilson checked his flight ticket before replying with a smile, "Well, it can't be helped. I need to focus on the renovation work for your house, you know. I don't want to be paid for doing nothing. I might only be able to join you when you move to the next country. Don't be too reliant on me. Enjoy yourself—"Fiona ended the call in a huff.She and Wilson had traveled to about four or five countries together before a problem came up with her house. Wilson had no choice but to fly back, making two transfers before he finally got back to the country.Meanwhile, apart from hiding the plane ticket he already got from Fiona, Wilson was also hiding a ring in his pocket. He had only bought one because he was going to propose to Fiona, and he would be fine no matter what her response was. Either way, this ring was for him.
"After saying that, he said a lot of other things I didn't understand," Fiona said exasperatedly. "It'll be good if he never shows up in front of me again."She had finally freed herself from all those messy things. She didn't want to have to be reminded of them anymore.Wilson knew that Michael was going to die, but he selfishly didn't want to tell Fiona that.His mission wasn't to marry Fiona or anything. There was only one goal he had to complete, and that was to make her happy.Happiness could be achieved in many ways. In the beginning, Wilson wanted to get Fiona to accept his love so that he could shower her with care and affection to keep her happy. But over time, he slowly realized just how wonderful she was. It was from then that he couldn't bear to trick her into feeling happy because of his pretense. He didn't want it to just be a part of a mission.Therefore, he didn't want to force Fiona into anything. He genuinely wanted to treat her well."Now that you've resigned,
Looking rather conflicted, Wilson opened his mouth to speak, but at the very next second, he trembled violently and fell to the floor. He winced in pain as his body kept spasming.Alarmed, Fiona reached out to help him up, but he swiftly rolled away from her. Gasping as if he had been through a great deal of pain, he said with a rueful smile, "Don't touch me. You'll get electrocuted."Instantly, Fiona figured out what was happening, and she was filled with remorse.The system wouldn't allow its operative to mention anything related to its programming. It would electrocute the operative to stop it from happening. Fiona had nearly blurted something out in the past, only to end up getting zapped with electricity. The pain had been unbearable.It took some time before Wilson finally recovered. Once he felt better, he sat on the floor and looked up at Fiona, saying, "I'm sorry."He was sorry he couldn't tell her and for lying to her at the start. Although he couldn't say that aloud, hi
Fiona's mind was all fuzzy and jumbled up. She knew it was possible for someone to fall in love with their mission target. She had done it herself after all, so why couldn't she believe Wilson?Perhaps Michael was to blame for that.Still, Wilson looked serious. He confessed his love for her as solemnly as if he were proposing to her or declaring his marriage vows to her."Fiona," Wilson said before pressing his cool lips against the back of her hand. "Don't reject me."Cheeks flushed, Fiona looked away and pulled her hand back, saying, "Give me some time to think. Don't force me."Wilson obligingly stood up, his tall figure looking meek and obedient. He had brought medicine for her and even gave her candy to bribe her with, as if she were a child.Once Fiona took the medication, her head didn't seem to hurt as much. She looked at Wilson and asked, "How did you know I was sick?"Wilson knew where she was staying because he had dropped her off on the motorbike the other night, bu
The rational side of Fiona was telling her that Michael was capable of coming up with any kind of story he wanted, but the emotional side of her couldn't help but recall all the details of her every encounter with Wilson.Had all those coincidental meetings and sweet moments been created on purpose, just like she had once done?Still, regardless of what Wilson was, Fiona wouldn't forgive Michael anyway. She pushed his hands off her and shook her head, saying, "I don't know if you're telling the truth. I'll ask him about it myself. But even so, why should I leave with you? Am I supposed to give you another chance to hurt me, Michael?""Fi, I've really learned from my mistakes," Michael hastily declared. "You're still so young. Just give me another chance, please? I really miss you so much.""What does my youth have to do with you?" Fiona shot back, feeling rather mystified by his behavior. "Was I not young enough back in the world where I met you? Didn't I end up wasting all of my t
No matter how great the weekend was, Fiona still had to head to work and deal with the mess at the office. She knew that she might be subjected to her housemates' inquisitive looks if she went back to the house, so she stayed at a hotel instead.She could hazard a guess as to who had sent that email, but without any evidence to back her up, she had to set her suspicions aside for now.Fiona headed to the office as usual. When she arrived, her colleagues all fell silent mid-conversation. Several probing gazes landed on her, and Eunice quickly ran over, asking, "Where have you been staying the last two days, Fi?""I got myself a hotel room," Fiona replied with a pleasant smile. "Is that answer to your satisfaction?""Why would you say that?" Eunice asked awkwardly.Fiona didn't reply. She wasn't the kind of person who would stir up drama for no reason, but that didn't mean she would take things lying down either. If the matter couldn't be settled properly, she would just see it to t
Fiona was taken aback.The fire was reflected in Wilson's eyes, making them flicker with light. After a while, he chuckled and said, "The experts say there might be a meteor shower tonight, but it's not a guarantee. Will you be mad if it doesn't happen after all?"Fiona shook her head. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled her heart. Wilson was acting like a child who wanted to share everything of interest he could find with her. It made her feel important to him.Wilson didn't need money, so it wasn't as though the sales she brought in for the bar were much of a motivator for him. Why was he treating her so well then?The answer that seemed the most obvious made Fiona's heart pound. She recalled the terrible blunder she had made with her last relationship. There was still a mess at the office that she needed to deal with, but as if eloping, she came running out to the middle of nowhere to see a meteor shower that may not even happen.It was ludicrous yet exciting all the same.Fiona's ph
No matter how cool a motorbike was, there was a limit to its speed. Wilson and Fiona were on the road for half an hour before they arrived at their destination.Fiona was rather stunned by the location they were in.Wilson had taken her to the edge of the city. It was possible that having lived the first two decades of her life in severe hardship led to her never realizing that a concrete city could still be home to a forest.The leaves rustled as the evening breeze caressed the trees. The moonlight lit up the ground, basking everything in a glow of faint light.Wilson looked to the side, his gaze falling on Fiona's gaping mouth. Smiling, he asked, "Do you like it here?"Fiona couldn't speak. All she could do was nod earnestly."There's even more fun to come," he said before taking her hand.While it was beautiful out here, it was still in the middle of nowhere. Fiona fidgeted nervously, to which Wilson responded by tightening his grip on her hand and asking softly, "Do you know
After talking to Geraldine, Fiona found out that the entire company had received that email, and it couldn't be traced back to its sender. Thus, the company management had no choice but to quickly try and resolve the matter instead.Geraldine had been the one who confirmed Fiona's permanent position with the company, so she knew there was little veracity to the claims in that email. Nevertheless, she had to ask, "Those things said in the email are all untrue, right?"Exhaling softly, Fiona said glumly, "Not all. I did go drinking at the bar."She did buy a house too, but she chose not to bring that up. At the end of the day, she believed in not flaunting one's wealth.Geraldine looked a little helpless. "That's your personal life. The company has no say in that. All that matters is the rest are all untrue. You can go back to work now. This isn't a big deal. We'll do our best to get to the bottom of things."Fiona nodded and went back to her desk. She figured the sender of the emai