Chapter 3 Mistaken Identity

Three hours later, Lisa had found herself drowning in the chaotic world of her date with Roland Emmerich at a high-profile art gallery.

The unexpected appearance of Roland's wife added an unpleasant twist to the evening, leaving Lisa to fix the problem even as the woman kept pouring alcohol on her dress.

That was the only dress she owned. Saved by the owner of the restaurant, Lisa retreated to her car, blinking furiously to hide the tears in her eyes. Sebastian, her driver, could only watch her from the rear mirror. When he opened the door, Lisa raised her head up like she hadn't been crying.

But her eyes were so puffy...

"How many are remaining?" Lisa demanded. She just wanted to crawl inside a hole and never come out.

"One more," Stephanie replied with guilt.

If it was just a client, Lisa didn't want anything to do with them.

"Cancel it. Sebastian, take me home," Lisa announced. Her bed called to her.

"No!" Stephanie suddenly screeched, causing Sebastian to slow down. "I don't think so."

Lisa turned her angry eyes on Stephanie. "What's going on?"

"There's a lot of zeros."

That explanation was tempting enough for Lisa to change her mind. A lot of zeros could spare her humiliation for the next three months. Maybe enough to buy her freedom.

"I don't care." she said instead. The humiliation tonight was enough.

"Please, boss will be unhappy. We may lose our jobs." Stephanie pleaded, but Lisa's dismissal was swift.

To her, today's drama was enough.

However, before she could ask Sebastian to continue the ride, her phone rang. Seeing Jeremy's ID number, she reluctantly picked it.

His angry voice startled her. She shifted the phone away from her ears, her displeasure obvious, as Jeremy rambled on about the importance of keeping the promises made to clients.

"But, sir... I can't afford to take on any more clients. It's 9 already," Lisa protested. She just wanted to go home and never try this again.

Jeremy's response was uncompromising. "No." He then hung up, leaving her with no room for further arguments.

Lisa sighed in defeat. "Tell me the details of the last client,"

"It was scheduled this morning. But the time for the date was 8:30 p.m. You are thirty minutes late. This is why I was unsure, because it was approved by the boss." Stephanie said in one breath. "He must be someone young and important."

Someone young and important? All her clients were important, but old. Yet Jeremy was extremely cautious with this client.

That made Lisa curious about the man behind the profile.

"And he isn't married yet? Just how many girls have hired their services from our company?" Lisa asked out loud.

She was amused. How desperate was this man for her services?

Stephanie gasped. "None. You are the first."

*

Lisa stood before the restroom mirror, preparing to assume her second character as Lee. She had a feeling this night would change everything she knew. After all, it was her first time meeting a young contractor... It felt scary.

Yet, she wore her mask with confidence and stepped out of the female restroom. She scanned the room for a certain white t-shirt and gray flannel trousers. His choice of clothing was as weird as it was expensive.

At the bar, she saw him sitting alone, his gaze fixed on a clear liquid swirling in his glass.

When she approached, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him-tall and undeniably attractive, even in his casual clothes. It showed how very uninterested he was in meeting her.

Well, Lisa herself wasn't pleased to meet him. A man dressed like this didn't appeal to her. She could bet he was the pompous type, waiting for women to fall at his feet.

She vowed never to be such a woman.

***

An hour before their meeting, Arthur Brook paced the lobby of a hotel with restlessness. His thoughts were consumed by the scheduled meeting. He has never had to wait for a woman before, and she was supposed to be here before him. He glanced at the black clock hung on the wall for the fifth time. She was running late! He muttered anxiously to himself.

"I need a drink." He decided, heading towards the bar. It wouldn't be nice anyway if she met him this eagerly.

Just then, Arthur turned to see a figure approaching him, he was taken aback by her presence. With each step, she radiated grace and confidence that exceeded his expectations. Who was this woman? Her soft features, gentle green eyes, and warm smile captivated him, filling him with admiration for her poise and elegance. All his anger flew out of the window of his mind.

"My name is Lee," she introduced herself, pointing to a picture on her phone. "Are you Andrew?"

Arthur blinked, momentarily lost in her gaze, before turning to the bartender. "Yeah, that's me. Get her juice," he instructed, impressed by her introduction.

Lisa raised an eyebrow, amused by his assumption. "What makes you think I would want juice?" she countered, snapping her fingers for whiskey instead. "Whiskey, neat."

"I take it you've had a long day?" Arthur remarked as the whiskey was delivered to Lisa's side of the table.

Lisa nodded. "Yes. Now, let's get to business," she replied, her focus on retrieving the documents from her bag.

As she rummaged through her bag, Arthur's attention was drawn to her lips, the sight igniting a spark of desire within him.

"I want you." he blurted out suddenly, surprising both himself and Lisa.