Chapter Nine: June

"Have you lost your mind? Get lost!" she yelled at the person, who was laughing at her reaction. Harper was trying to keep Mia calm, but I walked over to them and asked Harper what had happened.

"The person laughing just walked up and asked Mia to be his date for tonight," Harper explained. I glanced at the person, then noticed Mr. Watson talking to him. I walked over to Mia and asked, "Are you okay?" She nodded, looking frustrated.

"I think not only my blood pressure is high, but someone too," she pointed at the person, who laughed again. "I think she’s funny, don’t you?" he asked Mr. Watson.

"Stop it, Luke," Mr. Watson replied, "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy handling business." He looked at me and said, "I just wanted to meet my sister-in-law. I heard the news a while back but couldn’t meet her until now. As I was driving home, I saw you two walking into the café, so I figured I’d come here. The reason I asked Miss Angry Bird out is because I need a date for tonight’s event."

I was taken aback by that. Before anyone could speak, Mia stepped in front of me. "Both of you are crazy! There’s no one here you need to meet, so just leave." she said, dead serious.

"Well… Well… Miss Angry Bird," Luke said, "I know my approach was rude, but I did want to meet my sister-in-law." He extended his hand. I looked to Mr. Watson, who was still staring. I shook Luke’s hand, and to my surprise, he pulled me into a hug. "This is how you meet family, sister-in-law. I’ve been waiting forever to meet you." He hugged me tightly, and I gasped.

Mr. Watson pulled me out of the hug and stared Luke down. "Know your limit, Luke." Luke pouted. "Look, sister-in-law, he’s bossing me around." I found it funny, so I laughed. I heard Harper laughing too, and I looked at Mr. Watson.

"I’ll go now and I have the address. I’ll meet you there directly. And as for you, I’m no longer your sister-in-law, but it was nice meeting you, brother-in-law." He gave me a confused look, then turned to Mr. Watson. I found Luke kind of cute, so I giggled lightly and grabbed Mia’s hand, walking away before they could say anything more.

Mia and Harper exchanged confused glances. "I’ll explain later, but I need a party dress from you, Mia," I said as we reached "Mia’s Store." Mia had named it using her father’s initials followed by her name, which I always found cute.

"Girls, it’s time to play dress-up!" Mia yelled as we walked inside the store. Harper asked as we walked behind me, "Why is it closed, Mia?" She replied, "Oh, the place was booked for the whole day because of an important party tonight, so all my workers got the day off."

"Wow, so the whole store is for us?" Harper spun around, asking excitedly, to which Mia nodded.

Mia walked towards a section with closed curtains, opened them, revealing a beautiful dress. Harper and I both exclaimed in unison, "Wow, it’s breathtaking!" Mia smiled, then pulled out the dress and walked toward us. "I was planning to give you this as a birthday gift, which is coming up in a few days," she said.

"I can’t believe I’m turning 27 soon." I had forgotten my birthday, but she reminded me of the date I was born and the date I lost my biological father. I gasped and hugged her tightly.

Harper pushed me into the changing room. "Get dressed, I want to see you," she said. I stepped inside, and as I was putting on the dress, Mia asked, "So, what’s the deal with that weirdo we just met?" I stopped midway. "Do you want the whole story, or just the highlights?" They both yelled, "The whole thing!" It’s surprising to see the introvert of the group speaking up like that, but that’s Harper for us. I sighed and started to get dressed as I continued my story.

"One day, while on a business trip, I met Mr. Watson—Cam Watson. He was one of the members we were meeting. The trip lasted six days, and my visa was going to expire in four days just after the meeting started.

I couldn’t just fly back, so when I was talking to Cat on the phone, I heard Mr. Watson yelling at someone on the phone. We shared the hotel, so it was easy to bump into each other outside of business.

I think he heard me talking because he walked over and asked if I could be his wife—on a contract basis. He had a lover, but his mother wouldn’t accept her, so he needed someone to pretend to be his wife.

Of course, he promised me a resident license, so I agreed, and we got married there. We created a story about how we "fell in love" the day we met at the meeting. The contract was for one year: no touching, no sleeping in the same bed, no interfering in each other’s private lives.

It was useful, plus he promised to pay me after the divorce. I denied his initial offer, and luckily, our contract ended two days ago. So yeah, we’re strangers now."

I used the makeup that Mia kept in the room to cover my bruises before coming out. When I stepped out, both Harper and Mia awed at the dress and hugged me tightly.

"Are you an idiot?" Harper asked, hitting me lightly on the shoulder. "Why didn’t you say anything to us? We made a pact in university: no matter what situation we face, we face it together." I just nodded, and they hugged me even tighter. "You’re our best friend, and we’ve got your back. Trust us when you don’t know what to do in the future."

They pulled away, and Harper asked, "Does Cat know all along?" I nodded. "I bet it’s her idea," Mia added, pulling the strings tight around my dress as I looked at the big mirror on the wall. I gasped—"Tan bonito!" It’s my first time wearing something so beautiful. The dress was dark navy, backless, barely hanging on the shoulder with a string attached to the back, hugging my body perfectly. It was cut halfway down, showing my side leg.

"Okay, ladies," I said as I put my hair in a messy bun with a hairpin and booked a cab on my phone. "I have a party to attend, so I’ll take my leave." They took a photo and said they’d send it to Cat—yeah, we share everything exciting. "I’m feeling so embarrassed," Harper whispered in a low voice as she looked at me in the mirror.

I turned around and found her in a beautiful dress. "Wow, you look stunning, Har. Hey, Mia, did you make these dresses for us?" I asked as I walked toward them.

"Yeah," Mia said, "I know it’s out of the box. You wear only office outfits, and this girl"—she pointed to Harper—"Only wears baggy clothes to hide her beauty and her body." Harper shook her head. "I have a job that provides comfort, so why should I dress up?" she protested. Before we could say anything, we heard a loud noise.

When we turned, we found Luke picking up his phone from the ground. "What are you doing here?" Mia yelled, to which he just walked towards us, his gaze fixed on Harper. It made her uncomfortable, so she hid beside me. I put my hand out in a protective gesture.

"I asked what you are doing here?" Mia walked towards him before he could get any closer and said, "The shop is closed—can’t you read the sign?" She tried to push him, but he didn’t budge. "I saw the lights on, and I booked a tuxedo for the event. I didn’t know it’s your shop." Mia looked at him in disbelief, but when he showed his booking confirmation, she went to look for his tux.

He kept his gaze on Harper the whole time, making her more uncomfortable. "You look stunning," he broke the silence first. Harper nodded, trying her best to avoid him, hiding even more behind me. "You also look beautiful in the dress, sister-in-law." I looked at him. "I already told you, I’m not your sister-in-law anymore, and thanks for the compliment." He shook his head, then Mia came out with his tux and handed it over to him.

"Get out," she ordered. "Can i change here? I’m going directly to the party, so I have nowhere else to change." He offered to pay double. Mia hesitated for a moment, then agreed and showed him to the changing room.

"I’m sorry, guys," Mia apologized as she came back to us. We both patted her back and said, "It’s not your fault." As Harper was about to change back, someone asked her to stop. "Miss, can you please not change?" Luke came out of the room, fully dressed, and looked at Harper and me. "Sister-in-law, please tell your friend to do me a favor this once."

I looked at him, then at Harper. I knew the event required a couple—hence why he asked Mia first—but before I could say anything, Mia spoke up.

"No one’s doing you any favor." Luke looked at me with puppy eyes and pouted. Man, I knew he was a famous movie actor and looked cute when he made the puppy eyes. "I can do you a favor, but it still depends on the person you want to go with." I stepped away and revealed Harper.

She gave me a "Dude, you’re betraying me" look, to which I just smiled sweetly and pulled Mia away. He walked toward her and went down on one knee. "Miss, will you go out for a party with me? Will you do me this favor?" Mia was about to respond, but I put my hand over her mouth to stop her.

I whispered in her ear, "Dude, do you want this chance to go to waste? Look at her—it’s rare. We don’t get to see her all dressed up like this, and if she goes to this party, she’ll get more sponsors or ideas for her books, right?" She nodded in agreement, so I pulled my hand away. Harper was having a hard time writing her new book, so I thought it might help.

We both looked at Harper. I could tell she was having a panic attack, but she had to go. We nodded as she looked at us for advice. "Okay, fine, I’ll do the favor," Harper said. Luke hugged her, and I could see her flinch slightly. I laughed a little after the hug. He looked at me. "Come with me. I’m also going to the same party." I looked at Mia and said, "I’ll meet you tomorrow." We hugged and left for the party.

Harper and I talked until we reached the hotel where the party was held. I knew she was doing that to ignore Luke, but she had to overcome her introverted personality one day. She couldn’t shut off every time she met a new person. I wondered how she managed her two jobs.

As we walked inside, I saw all the gazes fixed on us. I was walking behind them on purpose, but I could still feel the gazes on me. I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find Mr. Watson. Someone came up to me and interrupted my search.

"Wow, you look so stunning—are you with someone?" he slurred, clearly drunk. The party had just started, and his gaze was telling me to stay away, but he was one of the members of the biggest company, so I had to talk it out.

"Hello, Mr. Charles, how are you doing?" I asked, trying to keep my composure. He laughed. "Oh, Miss Luper, is this you? You look so… so different."

"I never imagined you liked these types of parties. If I had, I would have invited you from the start."

"Oh, no," I replied, "I don’t go to parties like this; this is an exception. My husband asked me to come, so here I am."

"Oh, you’re married," he almost choked on his champagne. "Yes, I am," I answered.

I trailed his eyes to my fingers, which were bare—no wedding band. "But I don’t see a wedding band." he shamelessly pointed out. What do I say? I lost it in an accident. He would think I was lying. Just when you need your husband to be around, they’re not there, and you can’t even get angry at them. I had to fake a laugh. "Um, it’s because I’m keeping it safely."

Just as the person kept trying to stick to me like glue, I glanced around the room, searching for Harper. My eyes finally landed on her standing beside Luke. She looked uneasy, her nervousness showing in the way she fidgeted with her hands. I felt a strong urge to go to her, to pull her out of whatever conversation she was trapped in and help her feel at ease.

“Please excuse me. I have to check on my friend,” I said politely to Mr. Charles, turning to leave. But he stepped in my path, his posture swaying slightly, a drink still in his hand.

“Oh, come now, Miss Luper. Your friend is not a child anymore; she’ll manage just fine. Stay here with me—I have so much to talk about,” he slurred, his voice dripping with false charm as he leaned closer.

I sighed internally, biting back the annoyance rising in my chest. I hated dealing with drunk old men like him. They had no sense of boundaries, no self-awareness. “Please, Mr. Charles—” I started again, keeping my tone firm but polite, hoping he’d take the hint.

Before I could finish my sentence, he moved toward me, his expression shifting into something even more unpleasant. I stiffened, instinctively taking a small step back, when suddenly, two pairs of hands came from behind me and wrapped me in a hug. My body tensed but soon his scent wash over me and I let my body loose.