Chapter 4 4

"Find me a boyfriend," she told Candy.

Candy blinked, looking puzzled as she glanced at her boss.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You heard me. I need a boyfriend ASAP."

"But how do I even do that?"

"I don't know, hire someone. Tall, good-looking, looks wealthy, educated, obedient. Just find me the perfect boyfriend to show off. I can't afford to be embarrassed at the school reunion or in front of my family."

Candy raised an eyebrow, clearly unsure how to navigate this situation.

"Miss Vee, are we going to post a discreet advertisement on the internet? In newspapers, or on TV?"

"Yes," she replied. "Conduct interviews. You handle it. We have to find someone as soon as possible. The contract should be very private, good for three months strictly, and then we'll break up. End of the story."

Candy could only nod at the absurdity of it all.

---

Vee entered a mall to buy some personal items. She left her car, opting to take a taxi for the day. Before she even got inside the mall, someone snatched her bag. She was startled by how quickly the thief ran off with her bag.

Despite being in heels, she attempted to chase after him. Her phone was in her bag, and there might be an important client trying to reach her. However, before the thief could get too far, a man blocked his path. The thief ended up falling to the ground.

"You scoundrel. You could have been a sprinter; you could have joined the Olympics. You'd have a future there. Instead, you chose snatching!" the man scolded, his foot firmly on the thief's back. The thief couldn't move. "Tsk.tsk.tsk." The man shook his head before taking the bag.

The thief managed to get up once he was released, then the man grabbed his collar. "Thank your lucky stars I'm busy. I'll let you go this time, but if I see you running around here again, you'll be in trouble. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," the frightened thief stammered before running off.

Once the thief was gone, she approached the man. Now, up close, she could see him clearly. He was tall, athletic, with tousled hair, and his face... his face was regal... divine.

Her heart suddenly raced. Were there really men this handsome? Was God serious when he created this man? He had a face that could stop traffic, for heaven's sake! He was wearing a simple black shirt, faded jeans, and high-top Converse shoes. Seriously? How could he look so regal in such a casual outfit?

Smiling seemed to come effortlessly for his divine face, his eyes twinkling when he smiled.

"Miss."

She was annoyed by his snapping fingers in front of her face.

"What's that for?"

"Geez! I was just waking you up; you looked like you saw a descending angel. I've been talking to you for a while now, and you didn't respond."

Descending angel? Yes, an angel.

"I don't care. Why did you send that thief away? Shouldn't you have turned him in to the police?"

"Why would I do that? Am I a cop?"

Oh. This guy was a philosopher. Earlier, he was an angel; turns out he's a devil in disguise.

"Regardless. If you were responsible, you would have handed him over."

"Turn him over? The precinct is far from here. Do you expect me to commute all the way there? No way."

Her jaw dropped. He was seriously worried about the fare?

"Forget it. Give me my bag back," she grumbled.

"Oppss, oopss. Not so fast, lady. It's painful to kneel like this. Plus, I wasted 20 minutes here, and now I'm late for work. Should I just hand it to you for free?"

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at him. This guy had a strong impact on her.

"Hey, Mr. Fresh, Antipathetic, Judas, I don't see any laws in the Philippines saying I have to ransom my own stolen bag!"

He pursed his lips.

"Hey, Miss. First of all, my name is Black, not Judas. I don't care about Duterte's laws because I'm the one talking to you. If you don't want to pay me, I'll just keep this bag of yours. End of story."

"Are you crazy? Why two hundred? That's expensive. You didn't even do anything. You might even be an accomplice. You're just trying to make money!"

"You're intense. If I were an accomplice, I could have just taken your bag and run. This bag seems more valuable than the 500 I'm asking for. You're clueless."

Her ears rang at his last words. What did he say? Clueless? This guy had some nerve! He was acting so high and mighty; you'd think he owned the entire place. One more word from him and he'd get it.

"Five hundred," she said to end it.

He sniffed and licked his lower lip. She frowned slightly, finding the gesture unexpectedly sexy.

"Hey, I could've asked for 1500. But because you're pretty, I'll settle for 500. But it seems like you're not interested," he remarked.

Pretty? Wait, was he flirting? With a guy who was undeniably handsome but incredibly audacious?

"So, are you just heading home then?" he asked.

"You're really irritating. Give me my bag, my money is in there," she snapped at him.

"I'll get it. We're splitting it. I'm worried you might just give me ten pesos," he retorted.

"What? What kind of language is that?"

Once again, he moistened his lower lip with his tongue. "There's your bag. If you try to run, I'll give you a kiss!"

Her cheeks flushed. She yanked the bag from him and shoved the money into his chest.

"Money-hungry," she muttered before turning away.

"Hey, now I understand why people stare at me wherever I go. It's because apparently, I look like money," he said, laughing heartily.

She shot him a glare and he looked back at her with a smirk. Then he winked. Her heart raced again. She forced herself to roll her eyes and hurriedly walked away from him. She just couldn't make sense of what she was feeling.