Stopping the car in front of the silver gate, Alana glanced at the GPS to ensure she was at the right place. She turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, following Ryan's instructions. He had already informed the resident of her arrival.
The gates opened almost immediately, and she swiftly drove the car into the compound. After finding a suitable spot to park, she reached for the envelope that Ryan had entrusted her with, the one meant for the owner of the residence, and stepped out of the car.
A man, whom she assumed to be the mansion's butler, was already waiting for her a short distance away from where she had parked.
"You must be Miss Gates. Mr. Gate informed us of your arrival. Right this way, Miss," the butler said, gesturing for her to follow him.
As they made their way towards the house, she couldn't help but notice that the workers kept staring at her weirdly.
'Strange,' Alana thought to herself. 'Do I look like someone they've seen on TV before?'
But the thing was, she had never been on television before. The public didn't even know of her existence. Her life had been completely private this whole time.
She shook her head, ignoring their weird stares even as she and the butler entered the house.
"Please wait here," the butler gestured for her to sit. "I'll inform the master of your arrival," he said.
Alana gave a small nod before he left.
Alana took that moment to observe the opulent interior of the mansion. She was more interested in the arts. Intricately carved woodwork adorned the walls, displaying the wealth and exquisite taste of the owner.
Her eyes widened when they landed on a particular landscape painting.
Filled with intrigue, she moved closer to the painting. The last time she had seen it was at an art auction.
It was a painting she had made when she was thirteen, during a family vacation to the Philippines. She had spent two weeks diligently working on this painting, pouring her heart and soul into it. However, much to her dismay, after the vacation, her mother had sold it at an art auction.
Alana ran her fingers gently over the canvas, a bittersweet smile forming on her lips as she noticed her tiny signature nestled in the lower corner.
"I see you couldn't resist touching it for even two minutes," a voice teased from behind.
Startled by the sudden voice, Alana spun around, her heart racing. Her face paled as she locked eyes with Roman, who stood just inches away.
"You," Alana blurted out, her voice trembling.
"Wow, I'm surprised you remembered the stupid blind man," Roman said calmly, though a hint of something else flickered in his eyes. "I see you came to make up for your mistake."
A wave of confusion washed over Alana.
'What was he doing here? And what did he mean?'
Realization struck her, causing her eyes to widen further.
Was this why Ryan sent her? Was it a setup? Even though Ryan was her cousin, that didn't mean she knew him well enough to trust him. Her head started racing with negative thoughts and various possibilities.
Roman took a step forward, causing Alana to stumble backward in response. Her back hit the wall, trapping her in place.
With one more stride, Roman stood right in front of Alana, causing her heart rate to skyrocket. Her gaze remained fixed on his chest, and she dared not meet his intimidating eyes.
She anticipated that he was about to take some action, but to her surprise, he simply reached for the envelope she tightly clutched in her hand. He gently pulled it from her grasp before stepping back and taking a seat.
Alana exhaled with relief as soon as he moved away from her.
"Sit," Roman said, tearing open the envelope to reveal a brown paper.
"I can't. I should be on my way," Alana replied, attempting to leave.
"I insist that you sit… for your own good, at least," Roman said coldly, causing her to pause.
Alana glanced at the wall clock, realizing she still had some time. She decided to stay and listen to whatever he had to say.
Roman finally set aside the file, his full attention fixed on her. "You must have seen the disaster you caused, right?" he asked.
"What disaster did I cause?" Alana asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"When was the last time you checked social media?" Roman asked.
"A month ago," Alana replied, wondering where this conversation was heading.
"Someone exaggerated what happened at the cafe the other day on social media, saying I assaulted you," Roman said.
"Oh," Alana responded, realization dawning on her.
She had completely forgotten about that incident since it happened a week ago.
Now she finally understood why everyone had been staring at her in school and even here.
"But I still don't see how this is my fault. I wasn't the one yelling like an insane person," Alana said, the last part spoken in a lowered tone, though Roman still heard her.
"I'm not putting the blame entirely on you," Roman replied calmly.
"If I recall correctly, you said I caused this disaster," Alana retorted.
"Can you shut up for five seconds?" Roman frowned, his patience wearing thin.
He sighed, calming himself.
"I didn't ask Ryan to send you here so we could pick up where we left off last time."
"You were the one who asked Ryan to..."
"Yes," Roman cut her short with his answer, already knowing what she was going to ask.
Alana frowned. She was definitely going to have a word with Ryan about this.
"So why am I here?" Alana asked, her impatience evident. She wanted to get this over with.
"I have a proposal to make," Roman paused, a slight frown appearing between his brows as if he didn't particularly like what he was about to say next. "Be my girlfriend for thirty-one days."
The room fell silent for a few seconds, before Alana burst into laughter. She couldn't help but find the proposal absurd. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but it escaped in bursts.
"Are you serious?" she managed to say between giggles.
Roman's serious expression only made it more comical to her.
"You're really good at making hilarious jokes," Alana chuckled.
"If my intentions were to joke, I wouldn't be sitting here with you," Roman said with a serious face.
"Well, Mr…," Alana paused, not feeling inclined to address him by his name. "Ryan's friend, I am not interested."
"I will give you anything you ask for if you agree to this," Roman said, his voice sounding desperate.
Alana's attention was caught by what he said. The offer he was making was quite intriguing. She wasn't interested in his money, though. But there was something else she was interested in.
"Anything I ask for?" she repeated, emphasizing the words.
"Anything," Roman replied. Alana's lips immediately stretched into a wide smile.
"Then I accept your proposal," she said, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Roman stared at her, trying to ascertain if her answer was serious or just a joke, as she smiled like a five-year-old.
"I'm being serious here, Mr. I accept your proposal," Alana repeated.
"What made you change your mind?" Roman asked, still somewhat taken aback.
Alana pointed towards the landscape painting hanging on the wall.
"That painting. You said I could ask for anything, so I want that painting by the time our agreement ends."
"You drive a hard bargain, but deal. You'll have the painting," Roman agreed.
Little did Alana know that the painting held sentimental value to him, making her request more than just a mere item of interest.
"I'll get the paperwork done today," Roman said as he stood up, holding the document in his hand. "Come back tomorrow."
In that moment, Alana noticed the natural black mole on his jaw. She wondered how she had missed it before, as it was nearly impossible not to notice the dot, which only accentuated his already handsome face.
"Paperwork?" Alana asked, her eyes still admiring the mole.
"Yes," Roman replied. "You'll need to sign a contract to make it official."
…
Throughout the entire day, Alana found it difficult to focus on anything, even during her classes. Her mind kept drifting back to the events of that morning. She couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that she might be making a big mistake by agreeing to Roman's proposal.
However, the thought of reclaiming the painting overshadowed her doubts. That painting held immense sentimental value to her, as it was a cherished memento of her late father.
After her classes were over, Alana didn't head back home immediately. Instead, she drove to a quiet spot she had discovered earlier to clear her head.
The view of the setting sun was incredibly soothing, and Alana sighed, realizing that all she had to do was become a great actress in the public eye and tolerate Roman's attitude for just thirty-one days. How hard could that be?
When Alana finally arrived home, it was already dark everywhere. She spotted her aunt's driver speaking with Mr. Brandon on the side, which indicated that her aunt was home.
She was heading straight for the dining room but abruptly halted in her tracks upon hearing her name being mentioned by her aunt.
"She's been through a lot this year. I can't just help but worry about her." Alana heard her aunt say, her concern evident in her voice.
"She looks fine to me, mom." Alana heard Ryan reply.
"If she was fine, she wouldn't have tried to kill herself in the first place," Alana heard her aunt say with certainty in her voice. "I know her mother asked me not to talk about it with her, but still, I can't relax on this issue. I'm afraid that she might try to hurt herself again."
Alana had heard enough, so she went straight to her room. She no longer had an appetite to eat. She opened the door and slammed it shut after entering.
She threw her bag to the ground and scoffed bitterly.
"You painted the story so well, Mom," Alana muttered as she stripped off her clothes. "I bet he told you to say that."
Alana snickered mockingly before entering the bathroom and turning on the shower. The cold water cascaded down her body like calming waves, but it still wasn't enough to ease her anger towards her mother.
…
The next morning, Alana woke up feeling dull, as she had barely gotten any sleep the night before.
Since it was a Saturday, she didn't have any classes. She got out of bed and started getting ready to head to Roman's place.
She put on a tank top and tight jean trousers, then wore a brown leather jacket long enough to cover her wrists. She picked up Ryan's car keys before heading out.
On her way out, she ran into Rosalind, who was on the phone with someone. Alana mouthed a 'good morning' to her and was about to continue on, but Rosalind gestured for her to wait.
Rosalind pulled the phone away for a moment.
"Your mom wants to speak with you," she said, handing the phone over to Alana.
Alana's face instantly turned to a frown, as her gaze settled on the phone.