Noah Cooper's jaw dropped open while he stared at his assistant who still had a trace of a smile on her face.
“Do you even know what that means, Mrs. Antonio?” Noah questioned, his brows rising.
“I'm a single father with no girlfriend at all. Even if I do have a girlfriend, how do I marry her within this short period of time? When is the party?”
“In two days, Mr. Cooper” Mrs. Antonio answered with a half-smile. Her tablet was held up in her chest all this time.
Damn!
Noah plopped onto his seat, positioned his elbows on the desk, and buried his head into his palms.
Noticing his bad mood, Mrs. Antonio began, “It's quite simple, Mr. Cooper, you can just pretend to be engaged with a lady at the event. In a way that the chairman wouldn't notice a thing”
Noah looked over at his assistant face immediately with a smile crawling on his face. He pondered it for a moment and exclaimed cheerfully in the end, “This is a brilliant idea, Mrs. Antonio”
Mrs. Antonio sneered relentlessly in her heart, knowing too well that this great opportunity would only bring her daughter and Noah together.
“I'll take care of it, Mrs. Antonio. Thank you,” Noah appreciated with a beam. “And how is Danica doing?” he added.
Mrs. Antonio felt damn glad Noah was now asking after her daughter which only means that Danica had crept into his mind immediately after her suggestion.
Smiling, “She's fine, sir. She sent her regards,”
Noah only stared at her face and nodded slowly, “Okay, you may leave now”
Mrs. Antonio nodded with a grin and then sauntered out of the office.
***
Mrs. Antonio entered her apartment and scampered into Danica's room at once. She knocked over on the got and let herself in. As usual, she met her daughter sleeping in a funny position this time. Her eyes were half-closed while her lips were slightly apart.

Quickly, she bent and removed her black shoes from her legs then hurried to the bed, “Danica, wake up!” she half yelled, touching every part of her body.
Instead of waking up, Danica turned her body and rolled the quilt away, leaving her entire body almost completely naked.
Mrs. Antonio clenched her fist and teeth in frustration, “Get up now, you fool” she roared like a furious lion, pulling one of her ears.
Instantly feeling the sharp pain from her sleep, “Ouch!” Danica yelped and then flung her eyes open, beholding her angry mother.
“Do you really have to do that?” she whined, sitting right and bringing the quilt up to cover her naked body.
“You're coming with Mr. Cooper to a business party in two days, Danica” Mrs. Antonio grinned widely while sitting on the bed beside her daughter.
“So you'll have to go visit him tonight. Look, I've bought a dress for you,”
All this time, Danica was just gazing at her mother and the shopping bag in her hand, but she couldn't comprehend a thing from all she had just said.
Itching her hair and squeezing her face in annoyance, “What are you trying to say, mom?” she grumbled.
Mrs. Antonio's lips thinned into a tight frown, it didn't occur to her at first that her daughter could be utterly brainless. She angrily removed the scarf around her neck and also pushed aside the bag in her hand.
“Our company had just won the biggest contract in years, and the chairman of the versatile group had organized a party for the deal. However, all the invitees must be there with their spouses”
“And we both know that Mr. Cooper is a single father with no companion. So, I suggested that he should bring a lady along and pretend to be engaged with her,”
After this whole explanation, everything now seemed to make sense in Danica's eyes. “Okay. Since he doesn't have a girl currently, he would call on me, right?” she blurted out her thought and her mother grinned widely, “Exactly, Danica. You're a genius,” she praised, moving closer and ruffled her.
“But we don't have to wait for his call, Danica. That's why I've got this,” as she spoke, she grabbed the shopping bag and poured the content onto the bed.
Danica looked from her mother's face to the red dress lying on the bed in front of her.
“You're wearing this dress to his mansion tonight, Danica, and make sure you pass the night with him. Do you understand?”
Mrs. Antonio said impatiently, and Danica could barely nod her head.
In the night.
Jasmine sat on her bed with her legs crumpled as she conversed merrily with Paisley over the phone.
“Oh my. I'm envious of you, Jasmine,” Paisley said with a pout into the phone, causing Jasmine's smile to grow wider.
“So you mean he kissed you in Xavier's presence?” she asked again, little did she know that Jasmine's ears were now covered with heat.
Ignoring the prickling sensation in her chest, “Yes, Paisley,” she responded, and could feel Paisley squealing at the other end of the line already.
“You both should fall in love already, get married and then give birth to a cute baby boy, I really can't wait” Hearing her friend's words, Jasmine couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes and scoff.
“I doubt that will ever happen, Paisley. It's obvious that I and love and don't get along, I would rather not fall in love again and regret it in the end. Moreover, now that I've obtained the reaction I wanted from Xavier, it would be best I call off the decoy relationship with him”
Jasmine poured out her mind but felt a stab of dissatisfaction in her heart as she said these words.
An awkward silence stretched between them. It was not as if Paisley were at a loss for words, it was just that, she knew this was not the right time to advise her friend.
Thus, she asserted, “I'll call you tomorrow, Jasmine, I need to resume my duty now”
Jasmine nodded in understanding, “Alright, dear. Take care of yourself”
Jasmine tossed her cell on the bed and stared into the void. Absentmindedly, she wrapped her arms around her legs and curled up into a ball.
How would she tell him that she wants them to break the relationship and go on their separate ways?
She shut her eyes, hating the fact that she was able to effortlessly ask for the favor but now, it felt like her soul and spirit were against the idea of breaking the relationship. However, they were both aware of the fact that she would never fall in love again.
*Buzz*
Jasmine opened her eyes upon hearing her phone ring. However, upon seeing the caller ID, 'Mr. Cooper,' it was as if a current shot through her body. She slowly reached for the phone and answered it.
“Did I wake you up?” hearing his soft yet husky voice sent a thrill rush down her spine.
“No, Mr. Cooper. I was about to call you myself,” she lied, toying with the hem of her night yellow-ducky gown.
“Oh. Is there something you want to tell me?” asked Noah, a hint of concern that could be traced in his voice.
Smiling awkwardly and itching her forehead, “Of course not, sir, only wanted to ask after your cut lips” her last words were dropped to an extremely low voice.
“I told you it's fine, Jasmine” his voice was calm and could inexplicably soothe one's mind.
Jasmine put her bottom lip into her mouth for a second, “How's Aurora?” she asked. “I'm here, Jasmine” the girl's little voice shouted into the phone, and she laughed.
Noah looked over at his daughter's face with a deep frown etched on his forehead while Aurora beamed in turn.
“I thought you were already asleep, Aurora,” Noah had thought his daughter was asleep. What he had in mind was that, after he finished speaking with Jasmine then he would carry his daughter to her room.
“Yes, daddy. In my sleep, I saw you and Jasmine speaking with each other, and it is really happening in reality,” Aurora narrated with a beam and reached forward to grab the phone from Noah afterward before he could even pronounce a word.
“How are you, Jasmine? When next am I seeing you again? I missed you,” she rushed her words in a breath, with a gleam flashing across her face.
They spoke for a very long time. In the end, Noah snatched the phone from his daughter and disconnected the call.
“It's late now, sweetheart. Go to bed” Noah said sharply, feeling bad inwardly that he couldn't tell Jasmine the reason he had called her.
“That was not fair, daddy. You would have at least allowed me to say goodnight,” Aurora groaned while she crept out of her father's bed.
“I'm sorry, baby, have a good…”
he was saying, but the ringing tone of his phone interrupted his unfinished words.
Aurora jumped back to the bed gleefully, “It's Jasmine calling back, isn't it?”
Noah shook his head, still staring at his ringing phone in his hand, “It's Danica” he responded.
Hearing this, the smile on Aurora's face faded away at once as she shrank back to the bed.
Noah picked up the call and pressed it over his ear, “Good evening, Mr. Cooper. I'm outside your house, sir”