Chapter 3

Axton took a deep breath. It wasn’t long before the man spoke again.

“Why did you choose? Because you are the one who fits the criteria. For Mrs. Arabella’s business, there is no need to be afraid. She has never met the real future wife of Mr. Samuel. So, she will not suspect that you are just a pretend couple.”

Ariana nodded in understanding. So this is why he came to the big boss’s room early in the morning. He was afraid of being fired because he dared to be late.

“Oh, I see now,” she said.

“So you’re ready, right?” Axton once again confirmed.

Ariana smiled faintly. In his heart and mind, already dancing images when she wore an expensive dress, then was picked up by Samuel Walters, who everyone recognized for her good looks. Attend a lavish party. Meet with many important people. She was introduced as a future wife. Ariana is already like Cinderella in fairy tales, if this isn’t pretending.

“Thank you very much, sir. Because you consider me to be a suitable woman for you to attend Arabella’s mother’s birthday party. But I’m sorry to be born and inner heart, I can’t comply with your request.”

Samuel, who had been sitting casually, straightened up in surprise. Of course, he didn’t think his employee would dare refuse his request.

“Why?” asked Samuel curiously. “I don’t want to lie to my parents,” said Ariana confidently. “Later, what I have is I will be cursed and cursed to be a stone.”

“You are too much,” joked Samuel.

“But still, I’m not ready, sir. I don’t like lying to my parents.”

Samuel chuckled. He was feeling irritated by Ariana’s naive answer. If many out there are queuing and even trying to approach Samuel, his secretary refuses the offer.

“Don’t be afraid. I ask for your help, not free.”

Ariana’s eyebrows knit together. She was wondering what the boss’s words meant.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand?”

Samuel nodded. “I’ll pay you 100 million for accompanying me to the birthday party. And I think that amount is well worth the time you give.”

“100 million?” repeated Ariana once more. “Yes.” This time it was Samuel who answered confidently. “Or is that nominal not enough for you? Ariana gulped. This is Samuel talking about money like a person who doesn’t have the burden of living. It’s so easy to give it to others for free. When he just lost 50 thousand, the feeling of tightness can reach the marrow.

“Thank you, sir,” said Ariana. “But then again, I can’t. Please find someone else.”

“If you refuse, I can fire you,” Samuel threatened. As the owner of the Pacific Palace, of course, he could do anything, including throwing Ariana out of the company.

“No problem, sir. I can find work elsewhere. Incidentally, I have quite a lot of skills and experience. So it’s not difficult to apply for a job anywhere,” Ariana answered cheerfully. The woman then got up from her seat. She was prepared to leave Samuel’s room.

“I think our conversation ends here. I pray you can find the right woman to invite to your birthday party.” Ariana then turned around. She was stepping lightly towards the door of the room. But before the woman’s shadow was completely out of sight, Axton ran slightly to block Ariana’s steps. In his pants pocket, the man took out a business card to give to the beautiful woman.

“I’m sure you’ll change your mind. And if that happens, feel free to call me anytime.”

Ariana smiled. Politely grabbed the paper Axton handed her. Meanwhile, Samuel was in his seat, looking irritated and thinking hard about his next steps.

“How about this, Axton. The woman you’re nominating isn’t even the slightest bit interested in my offer. Besides, why did you suddenly choose her?” asked Samuel curiously. He also didn’t know why his assistant handed over Ariana yesterday instead of the other employees.

“In the Pacific Palace, there are many beautiful women, sir. But there are not many smart, polite, and well-behaved ones. And Ariana falls into that category. That’s why I nominate her.”

“The thing is, she’s flatly rejected my offer, Axton. Not even the slightest bit afraid when I threatened to get fired.” Axton smiled. He understood that his boss was feeling pressed. That’s why he tried to calm him down.

“We’ll have to wait 24 hours. If there’s no news, I’ll suggest another candidate.”

***

Ariana had just arrived at the house. When she was about to enter the room, a young girl seemed to run from behind and immediately approached her as if she had something important to say.

“Sis Ariana,” she called. “You have to see this,” the girl said as she handed Ariana several white envelopes to examine. Ariana accepted the envelope that was given to her. I opened one pen, then took out a sheet of paper from inside and read it carefully. “Is this a warning letter from the bank?”

The girl in front of Ariana immediately nodded.

“Yes, if Chloe reads, we are given a grace period of one week for loan. If it fails, this orphanage will be evicted by the bank.”

Ariana’s throat immediately choked. She, who is an orphan, has been spending time living with other children at an orphanage. Previously, the manager of the orphanage, Martha, deliberately applied for a loan from the bank intending to renovate the orphanage building, which was about to collapse. She believed that he could pay the monthly instalments from the funds given by donors, which at that time was indeed busy.

However, over time, the reality did not match expectations. One by one, the donors began to disappear. Even now, only part of it is left. Ariana even dedicates her entire salary to cover the orphanage’s needs.

“Mrs. Martha knows about this?” Ariana asked later.

“Not yet, Sis. I had purposely hidden all of this from Mom. I fears Mom’s condition will worsen because she thinks about the orphanage that will be evicted if she doesn’t pay the arrears immediately.”

Ariana took a deep breath. What Chloe did was right. Martha’s mother has been sick recently. She doesn’t want to increase the burden on women. the middle-aged man, by conveying this bad news.

However, keeping a burden of this magnitude alone is not easy for Ariana to live. Once again, Ariana paid attention to the details of the arrears that the orphanage had to pay—reached 200 million. Where should she find that kind of money in one week? Also, her salary is not even half the bill.

Closing her eyes, Ariana immediately remembered Samuel’s offer this morning while in his study. Now, she believes that only that man can help her escape the tangled problem.

“If I pretend to be a future wife, then accompany Mr. Samuel to a birthday party, I can easily get hundreds of millions of money,” Ariana muttered.

“This is the only way to save the orphanage. Ariana nodded. Convinced of the decision she would make soon.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the business card that Axton had given her earlier. Ariana slowly pressed the number written on the paper on the keypad of his cell phone. I waited patiently until a man’s voice on the other end answered the call.

“Hello, good evening.”

“Evening, Mr. Axton. It’s me, Ariana.”

“Yes, what’s wrong?” Axton said briefly. He seemed to understand what made the woman finally call. “About Mr. Samuel’s offer this morning…” Ariana paused for a moment. Once again, She took a deep breath and said firmly, “I’m willing to do it.”