I stared at Joaquin, my mouth hanging open as the weight of his words settled in. “You’re the son of Joseph Bryan Greyson? The Joseph Bryan Greyson?”
Joaquin chuckled, clearly amused by my shock. “Yes, that’s me. Surprised?”
I scoffed, settling my coffee down once more after I drank it all in one gulp. “I didn’t think that you’d really be connected to THE Joseph Bryan Greyson since there are a lot of Greysons in the world… but it now made sense that you resemble him.”
He grinned, cocking his head to the side to make fun of me. “I don’t know if you’re just hungover… or really dumb.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Remember… you’re asking for me help.”
He didn’t say anything. I let out a sigh and blinked my eyes, trying to process everything. “But… why would the son of the richest man in the country really need to fake an engagement? Can’t you just do anything you want?”
Joaquin sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But I already told you. My father is… complicated. He has certain expectations, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. This is the only way I can get him off my back and pursue my writing without interference. Stop making me repeat what I just told you.”
I furrowed my brows. I felt my headache worsening from all the thinking I’m doing right this moment when I just woke up. “You don’t want to take over the company? You’re rich. You could do a lot of things you want!”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I pursued my dreams to be a writer. I don’t want to take over what he had started; I want to build my own empire, just focus on writing—so I plan to build my own publishing company.”
I can’t believe what I just heard. From what I read and watched, children of rich people would want to inherit the company and they can do whatever they want!
But it’s a different case for Joaquin.
“May I…” I hesitated, thinking if it’s alright to ask. “…ask you something personal?”
Joaquin shrugged. “Shoot. We are already in this situation, so anything you want to know, whatever it is that I feel sharing and is beneficial to our situation, I’ll answer.”
“Alright.” My lips turned into a tight line when I stared straight into his eyes. He’s unfazed whenever I look at him. Is he that used to talking to a lot of people? “Why do you not want to take your father’s business?”
Joaquin didn’t answer immediately. His face turned serious compared to his playful expression a moment ago. I waited as three seconds ticked by, and he just sighed.
“Well, since we’re already here, fine. I’ll tell you.”
I crossed my legs as I sat and leaned forward, indicating that I’m all ears. He stood up from his chair and sat at the end of the bed, ready to answer the question.
“I’m his eldest son. I was never close with my father and my mother died right after she gave birth to me,” he started, making me nod as I continued listening to him. “I love reading… and I rarely go out to play with friends as he doesn’t want me to go out so often. And so, to escape from this dreadful reality, I began writing since I was a child.”
I gave him a small smile. Who would have thought that the famous author started this way. It was a sad situation, writing stories to escape reality and to get the fun he desires… but I guess it is what shaped him to become a great writer.
“That’s why I don’t want to give writing up,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Despite having a degree and master’s in business, I couldn’t bring my pen—rather laptop, down. I wrote and I wrote… published countless of books behind his back, until he found out. It never stopped me even though we fought on and on.”
“I admire your dedication to your dream,” I commented, genuinely inspired by his drive to continue what he loves doing despite his family against him. “I guess that’s why you understood how stubborn I am.”
He let out a chuckle at that statement. “You caught on well. Despite my constant rejections when you visited before the party, despite me ignoring your emails… I guess you meeting me at the time was something that we both need.”
I playfully rolled my eyes at him, going back to the conversation. “But… that doesn’t make me understand why you don’t want to get married,” I said, making him sigh as he told his reasons.
“Marriage… love… it’s a distraction,” he answered, me widening my eyes in surprise at what he said.
“Oh? You aren’t the type to like… date-to-marry?” I asked, Joaquin shrugging.
“Don’t get me wrong… I tried dating. You could see that in the books I write, why I narrate love so well, but… I’m holding back for a reason.”
“Holding back?” I arched a brow at him, what he said completely piquing my interest. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“I…” he started, but just proceeded to not answer my question. “Enough of this. Just… I don’t want to get married and let love distract me. I want to focus on my dream.”
I’m not letting this go. I straightened my back and crossed my arms in front of my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. “If you want me to help you, then you better tell me about this!”
The corner of his lips tugged into a smirk. “Just like what I told you a while ago, I’ll only answer questions that is beneficial to our situation. Whether I’m waiting for someone or not is none of your concern.”
I pouted. I wanted to get a gossip from him, but it seems that I have to get closer to him so he could tell me all about it!
“Anyway, that’s it,” he added, letting out a sigh. “And why do you want to write?”
“Oh!”
I didn’t expect that the top, famous author would like to ask why I want to write. Weird… often I have answers to questions thrown at me, but his question stumped me.
He looked at me, waiting for an answer. As I contemplated for a while, I smiled, then gave him an unexpected an answer.
“It’s because of a promise I made with someone, I guess.”
I smiled at Joaquin’s curiosity, enjoying the shift in our dynamic. It was nice to have a bit of leverage, even if it was just a teasing secret. "A promise I made with someone, I guess," I said, my tone light yet evasive.Joaquin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what exactly was this promise?"I chuckled, mimicking his earlier nonchalance. "Just like you said, I'll only answer questions that are beneficial to our situation. Whether I made a promise to someone or not is none of your concern."He laughed, appreciating my cheeky response. "Fair enough. We'll leave it at that for now. But don’t think I won’t try to find out.""We’ll see," I replied, still grinning.With the way he said “we’ll see”, it made me think that he does have ways to find out who the person is. With his status, he can find out just about anything.Now that explains why he knows who I am… and even said my name when I approached him without me even introducing myself.The question is: up to what extent does he
Before we left for our first "date," I took a moment to freshen up. I applied a bit of makeup, just enough to enhance my features. When I returned, I noticed Joaquin’s eyes lighting up with approval.“You look great,” he said, his tone genuine. “See, a little effort goes a long way. You’re even prettier when you put some effort into it.”I rolled my eyes at him, feeling a mix of irritation and amusement. “You don’t have to point out how ordinary I usually look. It’s not like I have a wardrobe full of designer clothes and a makeup artist on standby.”He shook his head, his expression softening. “That’s not what I meant, Haven. You need to have more confidence in yourself. You’re beautiful as you are. Just believe it.”His words caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I simply nodded, feeling a strange warmth spread through me.As we walked out of the mansion, the morning sun casting a golden glow over everything, I couldn’t help but notice the way
“Haven,” he said, looking up at me with a serious expression, “will you do me the honor of being my fiancée?”For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The reality of the situation faded, and all I could see was the handsome man in front of me, asking me to marry him. Even though I knew it was all part of our plan, I couldn’t help but feel a flutter of emotion.“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. “Yes, I will.”Joaquin smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile, and gently slipped the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been made for me. I felt a strange thrill as I looked down at the ring, sparkling on my hand.He stood up, and for a moment, we were both silent, just looking at each other. I couldn’t deny the chemistry between us, the way my heart skipped a beat when he looked at me with those intense eyes.“This may be fake,&rdq
“Haven,” Joaquin began as we settled into the lounge, “I think it’s best if you pack your things and move in as soon as possible. Don’t worry about the house—I’ll make sure it won’t be bought. I’ll just put it under my name temporarily and move it back to you once the contract ends.”I nodded, still processing everything. “Alright, then. I’ll need to go home and get my stuff.”“I’ll accompany you,” he said, standing up. “It will be quicker if I help.”Surprised, I looked at him. “Are you sure? It’s not exactly a quick trip.”“I’m sure. Let’s get you settled in,” he replied, already heading toward the door.With a sigh of resignation, I followed him, giving him my address as we left the mansion. The drive was quiet, filled with the hum of the car engine and my racing thoughts. When we finally pulled up in front of my home, I felt a pang of emotion.My small, one-story house in the peaceful neighborhood stood in stark contrast to the grandeur of Joaquin’s mansion.We walked up to the fr
Joaquin was slightly taken aback by my words. He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “What did you just say?”I shrugged, feeling a bit self-conscious. “I said, I’m going home to you from now on. Is that a problem?”He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. “No, it’s just... unexpected.”I smirked, deciding to tease him a bit. “Well, I just did the subtle thing of what you did last night.”“What do you mean?” he asked, his brow furrowing.“You know, flirting,” I said with a wink. Joaquin blushed slightly, a rare sight that made me grin. “Why are you acting like a teenager? You were the one who flirted so well with me last night.”“Whatever,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “What did you mean by saying you have me?” I took a deep breath, deciding to be honest.“I literally have no one waiting for me and no one I’d take care of. Now that I’m temporarily with you at your home, I’ll be looking forward to being with someone. It’s been lonely, you know? But now, I have compa
The following morning, I woke up in a surprisingly good mood. The events of the previous day played through my mind as I lay in bed, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation.After a few moments, I decided to get up and start my day. I took a long, hot shower, allowing the water to wash away any lingering doubts or anxieties.Once I was dressed, I stepped out of my room, only to be greeted by a maid. “Good morning, Miss Haven. Mr. Joaquin is waiting for you with breakfast in the lobby,” she informed me with a polite smile.“Thank you,” I replied, following her as she led me through the grand halls of the mansion. When we arrived at the lobby, I was taken aback by the sight that greeted me.‘Wh-what the—!’Joaquin stood there, shirtless, with a shirt casually draped over his shoulder. His skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, indicating he had just finished his morning jog.“Good morning, Haven,” he said, a playful smile on his lips as he noticed my reaction.I couldn’t help b
That evening, I met Jessy at our favorite bar. She was already there, sitting at a corner table with two drinks in front of her, waving enthusiastically as I walked in.“There she is!” Jessy called out, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Come on over, Haven. We have a lot to talk about!”I couldn’t help but smile at her infectious energy. Jessy was the kind of friend who could turn any situation into a fun adventure. As I joined her at the table, she pushed one of the drinks towards me.“How are you feeling, Jessy? You were sick, and now here you are, drinking alcohol,” I said, raising an eyebrow in concern.Jessy waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine, totally fine. It was just a little bug. Besides, I need to enjoy tonight before heading back to a dreadful Monday—especially now that you’re no longer there to keep me sane.”I chuckled, feeling a pang of guilt. “Yeah, about that… It’s been a whirlwind.”“So, what happened?” she asked, leaning forward with eager curiosity. “Was it Joaquin
Jessy approached us, her eyes wide with surprise. "Joaquin? What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing between us.Joaquin gave a subtle nod to his secretary, who had suddenly appeared beside him. I blinked in confusion, not having noticed the man before.‘His secretary is here now? When? How?’The bouncer soon led us to a private room in the club, giving us some privacy. My head started pounding. I was just having some fun a while ago and now this?A lot of things happened in just an hour… everything’s so spontaneous with this man!As soon as we were inside, Jessy turned to Joaquin, her eyebrows raised. "Did I hear that right? You just called Haven your fiancée? How? When?"Joaquin ignored her, instead guiding me to the couch and kneeling in front of me, checking if I was alright. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now."I'm fine," I mumbled, still reeling from the events. Joaquin sighed in relief, then his expression turn