Chapter 2. Have I Caught Your Attention?

Crystal froze, “How… how did you know?!” she stammered and backed up a few steps. Her face was as pale as a piece of white paper.

Carlos had known about her plan, but she had never imagined that he would tell anyone her secret or use it against her. Now that she thought about it, though – Hadn’t the whole thing been Carlos’ idea all along?

“You could climb onto Nathan’s bed,” Carlos had suggested. “Make it look like you’ve had sex. Once the evidence is clear, the Guardianship Order will no longer be legal, and the case regarding your inheritance will be reopened.

“Crystal,” he pleaded, “This is the only option. You have to pretend to have sex with him. I know that you’re not a frivolous girl, but you have to do this!”

She had always trusted Carlos, so she had done as she was told.

Crystal forced herself to recover from the shock. She clenched her teeth and said, word for word, “Mr. Foster, that’s so kind of you. Should I say ‘thank you?”

“You don’t have to,” Carlos replied cheerily. “After all…” he looked at Joyce. “… we’re practically family!”

This was the third time that Carlos had attempted to break up with Crystal, so it shouldn’t have shocked her to discover that he was cheating on her. After all, she truly had been haunting (Joyce’s word) Carlos’ life, hadn’t she?

Carlos had tried to break up with her the first time when the Foster Group had been about to go bankrupt, and then again right before the SAT exams. Each time, Crystal had convinced him to stay with her and that she could change – for him.

Crystal began to tremble slightly, but she took a deep breath and clenched her fists hard for fear of being noticed, and her pointed nails sank into the palms of her hand. “I can’t STAND you!” she hissed as she turned away from him and walked back to the Mercedes.

What are we going to do? – she thought as she approached the wreck – this will never happen…

Suddenly, a brand-new limited-edition silver-gray Maybach stopped by the Mercedes. A driver in a formal suit came down from the Maybach and respectfully handed a key ring to Nathan.

On seeing the Maybach, Joyce shouted at Crystal, “Tut, tut, tut. My dear sister, your mother, was so generous. Her lover drives a Maybach and wears private-customized clothes. I can see why she left everything to him!”

“Hey, stop it,” Carlos shouted.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Joyce laughed. “Look at that Maybach. It is worth tens of millions of dollars, and his suit, I bet it’s more expensive than the car. Do you believe that?”

Crystal refused to acknowledge that. She opened the door to the Maybach and got in quickly. By then, Nathan had taken his seat behind the wheel. He turned to her with a curious expression on his face, “Boyfriend?”

Crystal denied it coldly, adding, “He’s just a rat, a breeding pig!”

“He has terrible taste in women,” Nathan exclaimed. “That girl was nothing but a dirty slut.”

“You’ll get no argument from me on that,” Crystal agreed, “Not only does he have bad taste in women, but he also has poor business sense.”

“What does that mean?” Nathan asked casually.

“If you want to do well in business, you need to know how to present yourself,” Crystal explained. “Look at you, for example. The vehicle you drive, the clothes you wear, the way you cut your hair, the way you talk and hold yourself: that is all a part of the package that you need to sell to a potential client before they even look at whatever it is that your selling. In the case of Carlos, he doesn’t look the part, so he can never be a successful businessman – but I am sure none of this is new to you, Mr. Davis! Obviously, you have been successful, likely in business and with women. Am I right?”

“Well, you aren’t wrong,” Nathan replied, and then he laughed out loud. “What about you, have I caught your attention?”

“What does it matter?” Crystal replied. “I’m just a poor orphan. You can get nothing from me.” Crystal paused and sneered. “Mr. Davis, don’t waste your time on unprofitable people.”

“Is that really how you see yourself?” Nathan asked, “Crystal Smith, don’t underestimate yourself!”

Crystal observed Nathan’s expression and found he didn’t tease her, she said, “I don’t get it. Millions of other girls are better looking than I am, smarter, and with more money to their name. Surely you see that!”

Nathan laughed, and then he said, “You are so young, no wonder you don’t see your own potential. “

Impatiently, Crystal cut short his words, “Save it. Just tell me what you want from me.”

Nathan raised his lips, “Marry me.” Crystal was so caught off guard by his words that she began to cough, and her cough began to choke her so severely that her face turned beet red. She could barely breathe. Tears streamed down her face, and when she bent over at the waist, her forehead hit the dashboard.

Nathan pulled over as soon as he was able, and he turned to her with a concerned expression. As he rubbed her back, he said, “There, there. Take it easy. Are you okay?”

Crystal pushed Nathan’s hand away and glared at him. “What did you just say?”

“You aren’t happy with the Guardianship Order,” Nathan explained. “That is obvious. So, why not marry me? Then we can turn this passive “father/daughter” relationship that is typically between a guardian and his charge and have an equal husband-and-wife relationship instead? Don’t you think that if we did that, it would be both preferable and profitable? If we did that, then you could also have an equal share of my property, which you could use to slap your ex-boyfriend and half-sister in the face. Who would turn down such a deal!”

“I would,” Crystal blurted out. “I would!”

I can forget Carlos – she thought – but how would I know if Nathan’s property is clean enough for my tastes? Or if he is an honest person…

Crystal hadn’t known Nathan for long, nor did she know much about the relationship that he’d had with her mother. His offer seemed sincere, but her gut was telling her that he was playing some tricks. And if that was true, then the only reason her mother had left everything to him was that he must have somehow pulled the wool over her eyes. And if that is true, how many other women have been deceived by this exceedingly handsome face?

“Well…” Nathan opened the car door. “Be that way if you must.” He jumped out of the car, walked around to where Crystal was sitting, and ordered her out of the vehicle.

“Why?” Crystal asked. She looked over his shoulder and saw that they’d stopped in front of the university where she attended. “I’m not going! I don’t feel good!” she shouted. “I’m on my period!”