Five
Charles
I've seen dumb people in my life before.
Trust me, I'm surrounded by heaps of them.
But I've never seen one as dumb as the girl who came to this date pretending to be Katy Johnson. Or Katy Johnson herself.
They're both clearly not the sharpest knives in the drawer.
At least, if you don't want to attend a blind date your father has set up for you, you could always ditch or come up with some plausible excuse instead of sending someone else to pretend to be you when there are thousands of your photos flying all over the Internet.
I never wanted to come to this date in the first place. I was forced against my will by my father and his wife… and son.
Well, it's not like this is the first blind date I've attended.
My family… if I can call them that… wants to marry me off as though I'm such a liability to them.
Their intentions have always been clear. They want me out of the way so their favourite son can inherit all of father's fortune.
That, I have no problem with.
Inheriting my father's fortune has been the least of my concerns.
What I have a problem with is that they've been forcing me to come to these blind dates with suitable daughters of the high-class families in the country.
Normally, sabotaging the dates has been my job.
I make sure that they, as much as these ladies would like to see my good-looking face again, they wouldn't request to have a second date with me… and so far, my plan has been going perfectly.
But today, this girl surprised me with her quirkiness, boldness and vulgarity.
Who is she?
Before coming to these dates, I normally do my research about the girls I'll be sitting opposite. And I did the same with Katy Johnson.
I've seen pictures of her, and know exactly what she looks like… a pretty, tall lady with long blonde hair and blue eyes. So imagine my surprise when a brunette-haired girl with big brown eyes, pointed chin, and full lips appeared, claiming that she was Katy Johnson, when there were thousands of her pictures on the Internet.
The least Katy Johnson's imposter could've done is to wear a blonde wig and apply some contact lenses!
Clearly, they didn't think of that.
Now she has… intrigued me.
No one has intrigued me this much in a long, long while… and I want to see her again.
I watched as Lopez left where he had been standing and watching the whole thing and walked down to my table.
“Dude! What just happened?” He asked in curiosity and confusion when he reached the table. “That’s clearly not Katy Johnson, is it? Hold up, is that really her? But I thought she had like a blonde hair or something, or were we mistaken?”
Lopez is one of the heaps of dumb people I'm surrounded by.
“No, dumbass!” I snapped at him, rising to my feet. “She's clearly not Katy Johnson.”
“Oh, right!” He chuckled nervously, and I sighed, shook my head and began to walk towards the exit, while he trailed behind. “If she's not Katy Johnson, who is she then?”
“That's for you to find out,” I answered shortly.
“I'll go get the car.” He said, before darting toward the parking lot.
I stood by the exit and waited.
Just then, a dark, sleek car, which I knew all too well, pulled up in front of me, and Finn got out. He was cursing under his breath while holding his face, which looked like it had just bled. From where I stood, I could perceive the slight whiff of alcohol exuding from him.
What could he be so sad about to drink in the middle of a business day when his life is a little too perfect?
My eyes darted into his car and found two pairs of women's heels in the back seat.
Interesting. It doesn't take a genius to guess that, in his slight state of drunkness, he has assaulted some woman in some kind of way, resulting in her throwing those heels at him.
Serves him right.
“Hello, brother,” I said with a smile, tilting my head to the side as he slammed the car door. “What brings you here?”
His assistant, Sean, drove the car to the parking lot.
“Why are you talking to me?” He groaned with a frown. “I didn't realize that we are on speaking terms now.”
“Don't you think it's time to bury the hatchet and call it bygones… brother.” I smiled at him again.
“Don't call me that.” He growled in a husky voice while he continued rubbing his face. “You know I hate it when you call me that. You're not my brother and never will be… you product of adultery! And besides, you think I'll just forget how you humiliated me in front of everyone?”
“Brother,” I called him again, and he sucked his teeth. “It’s been more than five years now if I'm not mistaken…”
“Six, actually.”
“Yes, six. And it's been a long time ago. We can't keep going on like this, can we? I mean, of course, we're brothers and brothers have to stick together, don't you think? Besides, like I've always said, you were the one who kept trying to control my life like an evil puppeteer, and I couldn't just let you be. What's that saying? An eye for an eye, right?”
The inhumane hatred emanating from his eyes was chilling and terrifying.
Finn has always hated me ever since I began existing in the Herman family.
I don't blame him, actually; I only blame his mother, who poisoned his mind and groomed him into the man he has become.
Poor little thing.
Lopez came over with the car.
“See you at home, brother,” I stated as I patted his shoulder. “And for your own good, stop day drinking when things don't normally go your way. If you keep it up, you could lose that inheritance you and your mother have been lusting for for a long time now. See you at home, brother.”
Sidestepping him, I entered the car and Lopez took to the road.
“Well, that seemed pretty intense,” Lopez commented after a slight moment of silence.
“Yes. Yes, it was.” I replied, rolling down the window, letting the fresh air in. “My dear brother still thinks me a foe, and I honestly do not blame him.”
“Well, that's his business.” He said, then handed me a tablet. “That's your girl.”
I stared at the picture of the Katy Johnson imposter.
“She's twenty-three and her name is Eve. Eve Dawson.”
“Eve, huh? Not bad.” A smile slipped my lips as I stared at the intriguing info displayed on the table. “Herman College?”
“Yes, apparently, she goes to your family's college in town,” Lopez replied. “And coincidentally, it's the same branch your father has made preparations for you to start teaching in.”
My smile grew wider.
“That's… interesting.”