“WHAT’S the real score between you and Randall? You even came in together and we saw with our two eyes that you were holding hands while walking,” Marylex asked curiously as she approached Meredith, while Shanaia waited for her response.

She pulled them to the side of their room before telling them the truth.
“Oh my goodness! For real?” Marylex said in shock after hearing the story.
Shanaia folded her arms. “Looks like someone is in trouble because of what you entered.”
She and Marylex looked at her in awe.
“What do you mean, Shan?” she asked.
She didn’t say anything, but Shanaia pointed to her heart which she immediately understood. 
“But you can prevent that from happening,” Shanaia added.
“H-how?”
“If you can make him fall in love with you.”
“Right!” Marylex agreed.
She didn’t know if she could do that. For her, their pretensions are difficult. What else could make him fall in love with her? Besides, she has no idea if she possesses the qualities he seeks in a woman.
She shook her head. What on earth was she thinking?
“Girls, falling in love with him was not part of the plan, okay? And I’m assure you that I’m not gonna fall for him.”
Shanaia raised her left eyebrow, not believing her. “Why? Did he have a condition that you are not allowed to fall in love with him?”
That silenced her.
“As of now you’re not, but I’m sure after a while you will.”
Marylex encircled her arms around her. “Don’t worry, Mer, we got your back!”

“MER! Someone is here to fetch you!” Meredith heard her co-worker Saling when she came from outside because she was in charge of throwing the garbage.
She frowned. “Who was it?”
“I do not know! All I know is that he looks great in his hoodie!”
Her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered Randall, that’s why she quickly arranged her things and changed her clothes.
“Randall? What’s brings you here?” she asked in surprise when she saw him sitting on the hood of his car.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to pick you up,” he replied.
“B-but I didn’t ask you to pick me up.”
He approached her to get her things. “This is also part of our pretentiousness, remember?”
“Even at work?” she said in disbelief.
He put his arm around her. “Don’t you want it? Aside from you don’t have to pay for the fare, you got home safely too.”
However, he does have a point. Since the robbery incident, she begged her boss not to work overtime.
He opened the car door for her. “It’s better this way so you can get used to it.”
“How come it’s so easy for you to pretend?” she asked when she got into the car.
“Because it’s necessary,” he said then started the engine.
He looked at her. “Do you have any regrets about agreeing to this agreement?”
“All I’m concerned about is Don Warrick.” What if he realizes we’re just fooling him?” Meredith asked in return.
“That’s why we have to act naturally so he doesn’t become suspicious,” he said.
She sighed deeply and didn,’t ask any more questions
“Aside from baking and cooking, what else do you enjoy doing?” he asked out of the blue.
So, he wanted to continue their getting to know each other.
“Well, I enjoy reading pocketbooks and mangas,” she answered.
Randall smiled. “As for me, aside from swimming and playing instrument, I also enjoy playing basketball.”
Meredith continued. “Yellow is my favorite color.”
“Mine is black.”
She laughed at what he said. “Yeah! It’s pretty obvious!”
“Aside from Filipino food, I also like Korean food,” she added.
“I’m sure you enjoy watching K-dramas as well, right?”
She quickly nodded. “Chinese and Thailand drama too.”
He smirked. “As for me, I prefer action and thriller films.”
“And. . .  I hate people who are selfish, phony, and dishonest,” he added.
“So, what do you call in our current setup?” she asked.
He grimaced. “Of course, it depends on the circumstances. When it is absolutely necessary and if we don’t have a choice.”
Meredith simply indicated her approval with her thumb. “I also dislike people who are only concerned with their own well-being. And  those people who think more about what others will say.”
“Absolutely!” he reacted.
“I don’t eat fish and vegetables either,” he continued as she was speechless.
She looked at him in shock. “Seriously?! Now that’s explains why you look so pale. Don’t you know that vegetables and fish are both delicious and high in protein?”
“What can I do? Dad despises fish as well, because a fish bone stucked in his throat when he was a child, that almost lead him to death. Maids have never cooked or served fish since then.”
“Is that so? What about the veggies?”
“Bitter gourd was the first vegetable I ate when I was a child, so since then I’ve assumed that all vegetables have the same bitter taste.”
She laughed and shook her head. She started to enjoy their conversation. And she was getting used to being around him. 
“How about you?”
“I love eating vegetables.”
“That’s good!” Randall stopped for a moment consider other facts he could share with her. “Oh! I’m afraid of cockroaches too! Well, apart from birds and butterflies, I’m afraid of everything that flies.”
Meredith also think of other facts about her. “I‘m terrified of snakes and frogs.”
“Yeah! It makes me shiver as well.”
Silence enveloped them for a while until Meredith said something she didn’t expect. 
“What is your ideal woman?” Meredith suddenly bit her bottom lip. She had no idea why it came out of her mouth so suddenly during their journey.
She wanted to hurt herself.
“Well, I like those who are caring, have a sense of humor, and family oriented. A woman who can make my family happy in her little ways,” he answered without breaking his eye contact with her throughout the red light.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, not expecting him to answer her question seriously.
“How about you? What is your ideal man?”
She swallowed again for the second time. What exactly is her ideal man like?
“Ahm. . .I don’t care what his status is in life.  What matters is that he can fight for me, care for me and love me wholeheartedly.”
“How about the appearance?” Randall added.
“When it comes to appearance? Well, I’m not a picky person. It doesn’t matter what he looks like. It’s just a bonus if he’s handsome and has a good status in life. How about you?”
“Me? Well, I prefer girls who are a bit chubby. They are the ones who are nice to hug especially at night.”
Meredith secretly took a close look at her body. She’s quite slim for his ideal girl. Her friends were wrong. He really won’t like her.

“GOOD EVENING, Mrs. Ebelte,” Randall greeted Meredith’s mother as he dropped her off at their house. Her mother was also eager to speak with him.
“Good evening. Please, come on in.”
When they entered the living room, Meredith went straight to the kitchen to get the cake and drinks for him.
“I sincerely apologized for not being able to properly introduce myself the last time I came here,” Randall said. 
“I’m Randall, Meredith’s classmate.” Then he took the lady’s left hand and put it on her forehead as a sign of respect.
“Nice to meet you as well, Randall. Just call me Aunt Edith.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aunt Edith.”
She nodded. “We are the ones who should ask you for your forgiveness because you witnessed such an  unpleasant scene that night. And thank you for your help also. We will be greatly indebted to you for helping us. And we promise that we will not fail for paying you in installments.”
“It’s a small thing. And the most important thing is that we will all benefit from it,” he said.
“Actually, I just don’t want my daughter to end up with the wrong person.”
He and Meredith exchanged glances.
“Mom, what is the real reason for your sudden acceptance of the arranged marriage?”
Mrs. Ebelte shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore because you will get married soon.”
They didn’t say any words. Perhaps she is not ready to tell them the truth yet. Meredith would ask her mother again if she had the opportunity.”
“My daughter also mentioned about the agreement between the two of you. Won’t your separation plan harm your grandfather when you get your inheritance?”
Randall shook his head. “The only important thing for grandpa is to fulfill his dying wish. That’s all! We can annul  our marriage without him knowing it.”
“What about on your part? Aren’t you run into anyone when you entered a pretentious relationship?” He and Meredith looked at each other when Mrs. Ebelte asked that.
Before proceeding, Randall drank the prepared drink on the table. “Probably nothing because Meredith and I are both single so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Good then. My only piece of advice is to avoid becoming overly attached. You should know your limits.”
“Mom! Of course, were not going that far,” Meredith retorted.
Suddenly she felt ashamed of Randall. Her mom didn’t know how to filter her words sometimes.
“Don’t worry, your daughter is safe with me. I will not force her to do something against her will.”
“That’s good to hear. Meredith is my only child. And i’m glad we’re getting along. I don’t want her to get hurt as much as possible, so I’m entrusting her to you.”
“Mom!” Meredith retorted once more.
“You can rely on me, Aunt Editha,” he said, winking at her.