6

"I'll have my secretary send you the guest list and the name of the venue in a while," he said.

"Why don't you do it yourself?" I asked.

"I'll be in a very important meeting, and I don't think I'll have time. But I'll be there at four, as we agreed. My schedule will change now that you're in my life. I have a slight premonition about that," he explained.

"Okay," I replied.

Oliver parked the car in front of my house.

"See you later," I said as I got out of the car, carrying the bag with the dress. Oliver drove off, disappearing down the road. I felt something strange when he left, as if I didn't want him to go. I shook my head and dismissed those absurd thoughts. I hate Oliver, and that won't change. I turned towards my house, knowing I had to tell my mother that Oliver was my boyfriend, but not only that, we were going to get married.

"I arrived home but immediately stopped as I forgot something super mega important.

Mom's car!

I took out my phone and dialed Oliver's number right away.

"Aileen?" he answered.

"Oliver, I forgot my mom's car at the office."

"I'll send someone to get it."

"I have the keys."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"Hmm, forget it. I'll get it later," I quickly hung up. I didn't know why I had called him as my first option.

"Aileen?" My mother's voice made me jump in fright as I was halfway up the stairs. "Where's the car? I'm going out with my friends."

"Hmm... the car, I took it to the repair shop. Yes, it seems like one of the tires exploded. They'll bring it back in the afternoon."

"Really?"

"Yes, that's why I brought... a friend," I said, crossing my arms. My mother was ready for her tennis class with her friends. However, I had to tell her about Oliver right away. I sighed deeply and made up my mind to do it. Besides, I wasn't a little girl for her to tell me who I could and couldn't date.

"Mom, I have something very important to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I have a boyfriend, and it's Oliver Price," I said, then quickly climbed the stairs to my room.

"Aileen!" Seconds later, my mother was standing at my door. "What did you just tell me? Can you repeat it because I didn't hear well? You said something about Oliver Price. What happened with that guy?"

"He's my boyfriend," I took out the beautiful dress and put it on my bed.

"What?!"

"We fell in love, and now we can't be apart," I sounded like a robot repeating senseless things.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes. And that dress? It looks expensive but beautiful. Can I borrow it one day?"

"Mom," I sighed deeply. It was time to switch to my sentimental mode so she could believe me, otherwise, she wouldn't. She knew me and knew that if I told her without emotions, she would know something else was going on. "Come, sit down," we sat on the edge of the bed. "A few months ago, I met a guy. We started going out, getting to know each other, and we realized we have a lot in common. I also realized that he's a much better person than I thought he was. He makes me laugh, he also makes me angry a lot, but we get along very well. We have our differences, but we've managed to handle them very well. I love him, and now I know I want to be with him."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Oliver Price."

My mom stayed silent for a moment but then burst into laughter.

"Don't joke around, tell me who it really is."

I looked at her with a bored expression.

"You're not joking?"

"Do you see me laughing?" I rolled my eyes.

"Is it really Oliver Price? The one who appears in magazines? The owner of Price Company? The billionaire? The most eligible bachelor in the country?"

I nodded.

Well, looking at it that way, I wouldn't believe it either.

"He'll come at four to ask for your hand."

Mom still didn't understand.

"I-I... alright. If that's what you want, I'll wait," she stood up a bit awkwardly, it seems like my tennis class is canceled," she took out her phone from her skirt, "I'll be in the kitchen, honey, call me if you need me," she left my room. I followed her, opening the door.

I was walking down the hallway, and it seemed like my mom was calling someone.

"Hey, Tuti? Yeah, it's Aileen. I think she's delusional. Can you imagine she told me Oliver Price will ask for her hand?" She laughed. "Yeah, this girl keeps getting worse."

I closed the door and completely ignored her. Apparently, no one believed that I could conquer a guy, let alone someone like Oliver Price... Who am I kidding? I could never do it. I took off my clothes and tried on the dress. It fit me perfectly. I was slim, had a flat abdomen, and a good figure. The problem was that I didn't have the money to make the most of my attributes. I searched for a pair of black heels I had for a long time and put them on. Yes, I think they would do. I took off the clothes again to avoid damaging them and applied face masks. I sat in front of the mirror and started straightening my hair. And I haven't even told my mother that Oliver wants me to move in with him. Well, it's part of the deal. Besides, I haven't even told the girls yet.

I took my phone and wrote in the group:

Aileen: Hey, hey. Guess what? You're invited to my engagement party.

Send.

Seconds later, I received many messages in response:

Vane: WHAT?! When did all this happen? AILEEN, ANSWER!

Trisha: Why didn't we know anything? Who is your boyfriend? Do we know him? How long have you been together? Why didn't you tell us? :(

Aileen: It was unexpected, like love at first sight <3 I didn't tell you anything because I wanted to be sure, but after a few months of secretly dating, we realized we were meant for each other.

Vane: Interesting *insert pensive emoji*

Trisha: When is the party?

Aileen: I'll send you the invitations in a while. Don't judge me!

I put my phone aside and continued straightening my hair. Deep down, I felt nervous. Knowing that I was deceiving everyone, even my mother, made me feel a little guilty. But then I remembered a quote I read somewhere that says: "Sometimes in life, you have to make decisions, and sometimes those decisions make you." Although I wasn't sure if that was really the case.

It doesn't matter.

I finished.

I put away my things, checking the clock from time to time. It was 2 PM; I still had time. The girls wouldn't come because they were at university and would leave around five or six in the evening. Soon I would be there too. I opened my laptop and started messaging my ex-professors. They congratulated me when they saw my name among the students again. I asked them for the assignments from the past few months, the topics, the research, and more. There was a lot to do, a ton of work ahead. But since I liked to improvise, I made a list of all the topics covered; I would summarize them. Then I made a list of all the assignments; I would also research and summarize them as best as possible. I made a list of the research projects too; I would summarize them as well. I had everything; now I just needed material to start it all. Since I had some folders lying around, I took advantage of the free time and started researching the first topic. It was a bit lengthy; I read through the entire topic, thought and pondered, and took notes.

"Aileen!" My mom's shout brought me out of my thoughts. I had a slight headache.