Chapter 7 - Pure Intentions vs. Hidden Agendas

Jonathan bent his head to the side, making a loud cracking sound as he casually walked to the living room of his unit, a newspaper on his hand and a newly brewed coffee on the other.

Jonathan's condo unit wasn't very luxurious-looking. In fact, it only contained the things he considered essential and necessary. There wasn't a single useless object to be found and everything was in place in accordance with his needs in an everyday calculation. The whole area was a modernized style of a black and white palette mixture - covering all the appliances and furniture from cabinets to blinds, from the granite counter to the white stools on the bar area. There were items like books or towels in each cabinet and drawer. Other types of furniture were neatly arranged like they weren't being touched at all. It was indeed spotless considering Jonathan was a very well-organized type of person and had a tight observation regarding cleanliness.

The 24-year-old man quietly took a seat on the black sofa, crossed his legs, and took a sip from his drink as he flip-opened the newspaper for a good ten-minute routine. He then dropped the newspaper and coffee on the table and closed his eyes as he rested his head on the couch.

He had been working from morning to midnight, arranging and checking papers until he was worn out. Jonathan didn't really have the time to rest properly considering they have another launching by the end of the month.

For Jonathan Gonzalez, work was his life. In order to excel in it, one had to give his best all the time and never waste any second without doing something to improve and do more. Life had been exactly like that for Jonathan Gonzalez for the past years. His everyday living, from the clothes he would wear, foods he would eat, liquids he would drink for the day, to the time he would consume inside his office - everything was calculated and planned. Everything was well-organized. That was what his everyday life was like.

However, everything changed when he discovered the marriage his boss proposed with his precious only child, the ever-hating and sassy teenager, Stefani.

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Jonathan glanced at the table and grabbed his phone.

Speak of the devil, Jonathan thought as he read the name of the caller. Jonathan massaged his temple and sighed before accepting the call. He asked immediately, "Why?"

"'Why'? Is this how you answer calls? Is this what you've learned the past twenty-four years of your existence?" Stefani attacked first things first.

Jonathan sighed before he responded, "Stefani, you called me at 4 o'clock in the morning. I'm resting right now, so you better have a sensible thing to say or..."

"Let's do a morning run," Stefani suddenly said.

Jonathan's eyebrow raised. "Together?"

"Y-Yes. W-Well it's not like I wanted to be with you or anything. I-I just don't have a choice since my butler Pacholo is on leave!" Stefani uttered quickly and defensively, the kind of breathing she produced afterward made Jonathan's heart skip a beat.

Was she this nervous to talk about this? Jonathan wondered, a smile forming on his face as he now shifted to a better sitting position on the sofa. In a minute, he was standing up on his feet and walking to his bedroom then in front of his wardrobe.

"Alright, I'll just get changed."

Like what Jonathan said, everything changed when he met Stefani, the person he would marry sooner or later.

The long table was arranged and filled with different dishes as three men sat, Mr. Hernandez at the end, Jonathan and Stefani on either side facing each other. There was a smile on Mr. Hernandez's face as he watched the two people eat in comfortable silence.

However, that was only from Mr. Hernandez's perspective. Because Stefani and Jonathan were nowhere near the term comfortable whenever they saw each other. It was a miracle they could be in the same car for the past weeks and even went for a morning run this morning. For Mr. Hernandez, that was a big progress in their relationship. Little did he know, something was just about to unfold.

Jonathan glanced at Stefani and noticed how the younger was being less talkative tonight. Rather than feeling relieved, he felt like something wrong was about to happen upon observing Stefani's strange behavior.

Stefani looked hesitant at first but then dropped her spoon to the side of the plate and opened her pretty mouth.

"Dad," she called out to her father.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Mr. Hernandez gave his daughter a fond smile.

"About the thing I was telling you yesterday..."

So the brat needed something, so that was the reason why she had not thrown even a single glare at Jonathan since he arrived, she was trying to please his father by being such a "good child", Jonathan thought all of these while watching Stefani who was now starting to frown. Jonathan stared at Stefani, amazed by the great performance this sassy teenager just pulled on him.

"Stefani. We already talked about this," Mr. Hernandez's smile vanished only to be replaced by a strict face and a fatherly-authoritative tone of voice.

"But you said-"

"Stefani," Mr. Hernandez gave her a warning look and Stefani's eyebrows started to connect.

"I'll do what you want me to do! I'll go to that engagement party or whatever crap-"

"Stefani!"

"Dad! Please? Please?"

Now she was begging too. Jonathan began to wonder what it was all about that was making the little devil Stefani beg like this because it was such a sight.

Mr. Hernandez sighed as he then looked at Stefani, then to clueless Jonathan who never showed it but deep inside was curious as hell, then deeply sighed again before speaking.

"Have you been good to your husband? Did you treat him well the past weeks?" Mr. Hernandez asked Stefani.

"He's not my husband yet, Dad! And I've been good the whole week! I don't escape anymore, I don't call him names anymore, and I even went to a morning run with him! I did all those things even if I hate him!" Stefani defensively countered.

What Stefani didn't know was that Mr. Hernandez was just purely asking. Only Stefani's hatred towards Jonathan was big enough to make her say the truths behind her acting herself.

"You can't go. End of discussion," Mr. Hernandez said after a long heavy sigh of disappointment, and Stefani's mouth gaped in disbelief. How could her father do this to her?

Jonathan watched as Stefani peeled off her sweet mask and stood up, eyes now glaring at Mr. Hernandez and of course, at innocent Jonathan.

"I've been good to this monkey the past two weeks! I haven't told him how much I hate him even if I'm dying to do so! Now, I silently ate breakfast with the person I hate so much, isn't that enough torture for me? Can't you see my suffering, Dad?! And yet... you still won't allow me... How could you... How could you do this to me?!" Stefani dramatically yelled with a pained expression and quickly turned around and ran upstairs to her bedroom. All while Jonathan could only stare at the younger's angry form who looked like an angry dejected and betrayed puppy as she fled the dining hall.

Mr. Hernandez exasperatedly sighed and took a glass of water which the maid immediately replaced with another new one. He was so enraged by the rude attitude of his daughter he nearly had a heart attack.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," the old man told Jonathan, deeply sighing. "She badly wants to go to her school's field trip tomorrow and I didn't allow her to. I don't think she can go alone just yet, it's dangerous out there, but she didn't get what I mean..." Mr. Hernandez explained and sighed once more.

Well, talk about being overprotective, Jonathan thought. But Stefani was his only remaining family member, so anyone would be this protective over their only child. It was clear that he just wanted for his child to be safe and happy all the time. However, Jonathan couldn't see any harm in a school's field trip. In addition, it could also be a good thing for Stefani to experience new things. Stefani must enjoy her youth too.

"I'll talk to her," Jonathan suddenly said before he could even think. The words just slipped out of his mouth.

Mr. Hernandez looked surprised with that so he just nodded his head to Jonathan and watched as Jonathan stood up, bowed his head respectfully, and then headed to the staircase.

"Ahh, aren't they getting closer? So cute, they are so cute, aren't they?" Mr. Hernandez smiled to his personal butler standing by his side who returned the smile, though it was a forced one. Clearly, the butler could see "how close" Jonathan and Stefani were.

Jonathan knocked at the younger's door twice but didn't get a response.

"Stefani, it's me," Jonathan called and knocked again but still didn't get a reply. A frown was threatening to form on his face but he held it in. Instead, he sighed, opened the door, and headed inside.

He looked around Stefani's bedroom and almost had a heart attack when he saw the window open, the blinds fluttering because of the wind. Did Stefani just-