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Chapter Three

When she left that folder, Ivy didn't expect that she will not wait for long before she will hear from the guy.

"Miss Veneracion?"

"Yes." She answered the question from the other line through her cellphone.

"This is Jeff."

A miracle. It's already in first name basis. No longer Mr. Domingo. "I know." She replied.

"I have a proposal to you. Can we meet in an hour?"

She glances at her watch; it's already past ten pm. "Do you know it's already very late at night?"

"I thought you said if there's another way to get the house, you will do that?"

Of couse, she remembered saying that. She breathed deeply. "Where do we meet?"

"At UCC in Tomas Morato." (TL note: Somewhere in the Philippines again)

After hanging up the phone, she immediately wore decent clothes to go to the said place. He arrived there before her and he stood up when he saw her coming. He pulled a chair for her.

Although this guy is mean, he's a gentleman.

He didn't immediately left behind her and instead waited for her to take her seat first. It's the first time she felt so close to him. She could almost feel the heat emanating from him despite the air-conditioning system of the place. And she had the strangest sensation of wanting to move a little bit closer to him.

Weird.

She sat quickly. "Thank you." She said.

"May I call you Genevieve?" he asked, maybe he read her  full name from one of those paper she left him the last time they met.

"Call me 'Ivy' please." She answered.

"Ivy," he repeated. "I just want to tell that there's something you can do to make me agreed in lending you my house."

"Your house? Isn't it your family's?"

He shook his head. "No. That house is mine. It is the only property given to me through the last will and testament of my grandfather. Maybe because among his grandsons I was the only one who always stroll there when he was still alive."

Ivy thought of what he's implying. It means he is the sole person to decide. The stake for this issue becomes bigger.

"I see. So what do you propose?"

He stared at her before opening his mouth. She tried hard not to appear conscious of this. Why did he even like staring at her as if he's reading the deepest part of her?

"Our Domingo family will hold a reunion next month. It seems the old house will be the venue," in the end he stated.

"We can wait until after the reunion," she interjected. "It appears that there's three more months before we will prepare for the opening of that cafe. Three of us are still busy with jobs and there's a need for -"

"That isn't my concern, Ivy."

She blushed. "Okay, so what is it?"

"I need a fiancée."

Her mouth was left hanging for five seconds before her brain started functioning again, for her to speak again. "Well, you can propose marriage to your girlfriend. Normally, that's how you do it to have a fiancée, right?

Dummy! What am I saying?

For the very first time, a playful smile appeared on Jeff's lips. The effect of that is not good to the maiden’s heartbeat.

"That would be good if I have one, right? But I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh." This was only what she said.

"Come again?!" said Lexie who arrived late to the place. She was followed by the eyes of the entire male population of Heaven and Eggs, a restaurant at Tomas Morato where they meet each other the next day. Ivy called them here for an emergency meeting.

Issa was the one who relayed to Lexie the issue they were talking about. "Fiancée. Jeffrey need a fiancée."

"How old is he already?"

"Late twenties or early thirties, I think," Ivy answered. "Anyway, old enough to be married and have children."

"Eh, why did he think of you to play the role of his fiancée?" Mylie inquired.

That's also her question when Jeff said his proposition. She drank the very cold water. Her head had already ached since last evening when she and that man part ways.

"Maybe because I need something from him so I am the convenient choice. No personal strings attached. Only a contract."

She was tapped by Issa on the shoulder. "Tell them also what Jeff had said when you asked him why he did think of you."

"Because you are beautiful," Jeff replied when she raised the question about her role playing as his fiancée, "And also…" The 'and also' part was what she told her friends.

"He said my looks is believable enough to convince his cousins who came from US. Also, because of my photographic memory I won't have any difficulty remembering the things that should be known by someone who was already a long-term girlfriend. Short of saying, I'm a quick study."

"Ah, but that makes a lot of sense," Lexie replied.

Issa pouted, "You didn't tell them about Jeff's other answer, about 'because you are beautiful'. That could have been the cheesy part of your story."

"Oh, my G.o.d!" their model friend clicked her tongue. "He said you are beautiful? How sweet."

"Fine, he really did. Well, in a very Jeff-ish kinda way," she replied.

Mylie laughed, "What?"

"Jeffrey-ish, sn.o.bbish. He's so annoying. So arrogant. Maybe that's why he doesn't have any girlfriend to parade on their reunion."

"Wait a minute, this Jeffrey's looks is what? Is he so ugly that he needed a deal from a girl?" Lexie is in the beauty business that's why her question was not surprising.

"On the contrary, he was really handsome," she informed them.

Lexie has her hands on her chin before bringing her face near to Ivy. "Hmm… eh, why did you match it with I-can't-meet-your-eyes-guys look when you told us that he was really handsome?" she mouthed with a taunting face.

"So what?"

Lexie was now joined by her two other friends in their taunting spree.

"Wait! So why does he need a fiancée? Mylie insisted.

Ivy forked a piece of pancake on her plate. "I feel that he just no longer wants to answer other people's question on why he's still not married."

"What did you tell him?"

Three pairs of eyes awaited Ivy's reply. Aside from the fact that they have been long throwing snide remarks about her love life's status, their investments are also at stake.

These people already checked that old house in New Manila and all of them agreed that the place is perfect for Dreams Cafe.

"Of course, I consented. The deal is too good to deny. We no longer have to pay the rent as long as we're not yet opening. And all I have to do is to role play for a single weekend. After that, the ancestral house in New Manila is ours, our Dreams Cafe… at least, for the next five years."