“D-DON’T tell me you agreed to your grandfather wishes?” Meredith asked when she realized what Randall had said.

Meredith knew Randall could afford that large sum, but at his age, he didn’t, for now, especially since his inheritance would only be given if he agreed to what his grandfather wanted. 
Randall looked her in the eyes. “Well, that’s the only way I can think of to solve your problems. We will both benefit if we agree to Grandpa’s dying wish.”
He pointed a finger on her. “You, you can pay your debt instantly.” Then pointed to himself. “And me? I will get my inheritance.”
When he got no response from her, he continued. “I also realized that during the time I was happy-go-lucky, he never interfered with everything I wanted to do. He gives me everything I want so maybe it’s time for me to follow him, especially now that he’s getting weaker and weaker. Consider how this agreement will benefit both of us. All we have to do is to pretend in front of Grandpa to make him believe us. Problem solved! What do you think?”
She paused for a moment. He makes an excellent point, but why is this happening to her? She never imagined that she would get married so soon. They still had a lot of goals they wanted to achieve.
“May I discuss your offer with my mother first?”
He gave a nod. “Alright! Just let me know, okay?” he asked and bid his goodbye after she nodded.
She looked at her mother and the way her mother looked at her seemed to be looking for an explanation. 
“Mom, let’s talk about this inside,” she said then pulled her into their house.
“That man you were with earlier, is he your boyfriend?” Editha, her mother asked as they entered their home.
“No, Mom.”
“Suitor?”
She shook her head. “That was my classmate. He just saw me walking alone on the road earlier and offered to take me home. And because it was difficult to hail a cab at this hour, I agreed.”
“He was just your classmate? Then why did he just promise Mr. Hakim that he will pay our debt if you two are not even dating?”
She scratched the back of her neck before telling her about Don Warrick’s desires and their future plans.
He frowned. “Who’s Don Warrick? What exactly is his full name?”
She remembered Randall’s last name for a moment. “Dacles! Don Warrick Dacles. I believe that’s her full name.”
“Never accept his or anyone else’s offer if it would cost you your freedom. Do you understand? I will find another way for us to pay.”
She was about to answer when her mother received a message. After reading the message, her mother suddenly turned pale and went back and forth in front of her. 
Until her mother suddenly grabbed both of her arms. “Forget what I said earlier and accept Don Warrick’s offer.”
Meredith frowned. “W-why? You knew that I’m too young to enter into a fixed marriage? You’re the one who told me before that I need to finish my studies first before I can have a relationship, right?”
Tears formed in her eyes. “A-are you giving me away?”
“Of course not! Your classmate said that you just have to pretend, right?  So accept his offer so we won’t have any more issues with Mr. Hakim.”
“Didn’t we look like gold diggers in what you want to happen?”
“Darling, you know we are not that kind of people. We will pay them of course. And I don’t think they’re hard to please. I'm begging you, Mer. It’s better if you marry your classmate than marry someone else.”
Meredith froze when she heard her mother’s last sentence. It seems that her mother is not in the right mind. “W-what exactly do you mean?”
Editha averted her gaze. She had a strong hunch that she was hiding something from her.
“Mom, are you okay?” she asked.
“Y-yes. It’s past midnight. Let’s discuss about the arranged marriage tomorrow.”
She knew she was just trying to avoid being questioned again. In the end, she didn’t ask her.

“SO, HOW did it go? Have you spoken with your Mom?” Randall asked Meredith when they met in the BSBA college building’s pathway.
She nodded. “And I don’t even understand her. She had previously advised me to complete my studies before entering into a relationship, but last night, after receiving a message, she was pressuring me to accept Don Warrick’s offer. She even told me that I should accept your proposal rather than marry someone else.”
Randall frowned. “That’s strage!”
“I know right!”
“Or maybe, you were destined to be reconciled to someone else and then your mom didn’t want that person to marry you so she came up with you marrying me so that when that person chases you, he won’t be able to do anything because you are already married to me,” Randall added.
She laughed at his imagination. “Are you for real? Fixed marriage is not popular among us poor people.”
“It’s just my opinion.”
“I actually asked my mother about it earlier, but she didn’t say anything. And she believes you’re not difficult to please if we pay you our debt on a monthly basis.”
“Your mother was right. It doesn’t matter how many years you pay for. The important thing is that when we get married, all of my inheritance is transferred to me, and we can easily annul our marriage in no time.”
She didn’t say anything. What if within their pretense he falls for him?
She shrugged then they started to walk to their classroom.
“So, you’re taking my offer now? ”
“I will. But how are we going to tell Don Warrick that you need one million pesos?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it,” he said.
She wanted to ask what excuse he would give to his Abuelo, but she couldn’t when they arrived at their room.

“Hey, GRANPA! Can we talk?” Randall said when Don Warrick’s private nurse opened the door for them. Today is Saturday. He and Meredith pay a visit the old man.
They came to see him early to discuss the agreement he wanted between them.
“Of course! Take a seat!” then nodded to his private nurse to convey that he wanted to have a private conversation with the three of them.
“What do you want us to talk about?” Mr. Warrick asked when his private nurse finally left.
“It’s about the arranged marriage you offered us,” Randall began.
The old man looked at them. “And?”
“We concur with what you want to happen.”
The old man’s eyes lit up upon hearing it. “Really?! Isn’t my hearing playing a trick on me?”
Randall sat next to his Abuelo. “What you heard was true, Granpa.”
“But I only have two conditions,” he added.
The old man laughed a little. “You’ve definitely inherited my manners, grandchild. You don’t give in easily without expecting something in return. So, what’s your condition?”
“If we get married three months from now, we don’t want the public to know about it.”
“You can count on me, kid. What is your second condition?”
“I need one million pesos,” he said emphatically.
“A million pesos?!” he asked in shock.
“Yup! And I need it right now.”
“Right now? And for what reason?” he asked, which surprised him even further.
“Just a token of my appreciation for sticking by your side since then.”
When he was five years old, his father and grandfather were constantly fighting over someone he had never met. When he asks his grandfather, he always says he will find out in due time.
He has also looked after him since he was born. Because his mother died shortly after giving birth to him. His Abuelo suffered a heart attack when his father decided to leave the country with him, so his father decided to leave him in the care of his grandfather and pick him up when he went to college. But because he was looking for someone, he stayed by her side even though his father was taking him away.
The old man nodded and then turned to face Manolo. “Could you please hand over my checkbook.”
His right hand immediately moved. After he got the check, he immediately wrote on it and signed it, then handed it to him.
“Thanks Granpa!” he said then winked at Meredith secretly making her face flush. Cute.