Three days went by in a flash.They had completed creating fake life for “Alexia Rosy Hill” and fortified all the security measures around their respective houses and hotel while installing several secret surveillance cameras everywhere.Albert had flown to Apex City and settled in William’s house without contacting anyone, including William.Chandler was already in Apex City, and he was communicating with William via encrypted messages.Rosaline has gotten a new hairdo with the bottom two inches of her hair dyed Blue. Finally, it was time to lower the bait and wait for the fish to catch it. William dressed neatly and drove his BMW straight to the LTR shopping complex. The car was his 16th birthday gift from his family. He had not used it all that much since he did not stay in the city.After parking his car, he quickly rushed to entrance D, where he had decided to meet Rosaline. It was to be their first official fake date. William stooped in his tracks when he saw Rosaline in a on
William asked with a stunned expression.“Why doesn’t it sound like a compliment?”“It was.”“Really?”“Why would you think otherwise?”“Just a feeling, I guess.”“Isn’t having a strong intuition a woman's strong suit?”“Are men not allowed to have it?”“I did not say that.”“Not in so many words.”“Forget it if you don’t believe it.” Rosaline rolled her eyes. “Where are we going after this?”“Let’s stay here for some time. We will watch a movie later and go to a pub.”“...”“I googled what people do on a date.”“Hahahahaha”“It’s not funny.”“I think it is.”“How about you set the itinerary?”“Wouldn’t want to waste that time and effort you have already spent on google search.”“You are still laughing at me.”“I guess I just did not expect you to google it.”“I have never been on a date unless the time we spent together counts.”“It does not.”“Thought so.”(Smiles)“What was your last date like?” William asked curiously.“Why would you ask that?”“Curiosity!”“Really?”“Fine! I just
Rosaline stared at William’s speechlessness and mumbled quietly.“You asked.”“How do you like it?”“Don’t mean to blow my trumpets, but in a way, it has helped me understand what the designers wanted the buildings to look like, so I try to incorporate that while doing interiors based on my gut feeling. However, most of the time, I’m completely off base.”“That’s nice!”“What about you?”“I like creating things. It started with software and games when I was in school. Then one time, I lost a bet with Evan and was tasked to build a dog house for him.”Rosaline intently listened as he explained.“As in designing it and building it all by myself from scratch. I surprisingly enjoyed it quite a lot. So, I started to note the designs and would draft something in my leisure time.”“When it came to choosing a major, I chose both since I was already interested in both.”Rosaline could not believe how he expressed his geniuses that simply.“You have been designing software since you were in sch
Talking about their likes and hobbies, college, and work, they did not even realize how late it had been.Skipping the movies and the pub, William brought Rosaline to a nearby trailer park.They chatted as they took a long walk.“Are you still mad?” William enquired Rosaline, who had been silent since they came out.“Why would I be mad?” she snapped.“I thought we had already agreed that I’d pay for food, drinks, and transport.”“I know. I just don’t like people paying my bills. I’m an adult already.” Rosaline sighed. “I did not think it like that.” William clarified.“I’m working, while you just graduated. I’m the reason for this mess. I just thought I should foot the bill. No treating you like a kid.”“hmm”“If that bugs you so much, let’s split the bill next time.”“Okay”“Besides, you already know how much the probability of you being underage has bugged me. I would never treat you as a kid.”“...” Rosaline was speechless.“...”William changed the topic. “Forget it. Do you want
William brought brunch and waited for Rosaline to open the door.After ten minutes, she opened the door in her half-asleep state.An hour later, all three of them were well fed, and William snuck Rosaline from the secret door to avoid the stalkers and brought her to his house. “This is not a house.”“Excuse me?”“This is a Villa or maybe a Mansion, not a house.” “OH”“...” “I still think this is a house. It is, in fact, a home. Just head inside, and you’ll know what I mean.”Rosaline squinted at him as he led her to the living room.The “house” was a three-story Mansion with an outhouse, huge lawn, a big garden, and a garage.It had a separate garden on the back with neatly arranged trees - primarily several kinds of fruits and medicinal plants.The gate and entire boundary looked like they had been refitted and reconstructed with better security.With just a glance, you could see it was nigh impossible to trespass inside.Moreover, Rosaline knew hidden cameras covered every inch o
William took Rosaline on the house tour.He explained all the security details and what he planned with the house - the renovations and the things they needed to fix. The garage housed a ‘1967 Chevrolet Camaro’ that had Rosaline wide-eyed. “Is this..?”“Yes. It came with the house.”“Wow” “I’m so jealous.”“I’ll lend it to you after I fix it.”“You know how to fix cars?”“Not really. But I’m learning. Besides, I have time.” William shrugged. “This must have cost you a fortune.”“I told you I got a steal deal.”William explained since she seemed curious.“The old man’s only granddaughter was born and raised overseas. As she settled abroad, she simply wanted to get rid of this house.”“So, she sold it cheap - and by cheap, I mean much lower than the lowest market price. I think some bad memories are attached to her parents.”“Did you notice there’s no picture of the kid and grandkid after the woman's passing?”Rosaline nodded but wasn’t convinced.“Hmm. Even with that, it must have b
William continued as Rosaline listened with rapt attention.“While registering, I said Albert and I should be co-founders and equal partners. But his parents made it a 70-30 split as it was primarily my idea, and I had done all the preliminary work.”“I still don’t think it’s fair, but they never budged. Aunty also added a rule that we can’t withdraw the funds from the company until we both reach legal age.”“In the next 6-7 years that followed, we developed three different games and five software. We had also incorporated ads for two products we genuinely liked into the game, which turned out to be quite profitable.”“Uncle Gray handled all the legal proceedings. He negotiated that we get a profit share rather than the 1-time sale of the copyright. That way, if our products become popular, we get more. Conversely, we don’t get much if they don’t work.”“Because we still have the copyright, we still keep on making some money when some related merchandise becomes popular. Keeping the c
William smiled.‘That’s what she picked up.’‘She doesn't care about money.’He replied with complete honesty.“I do! She is the most resilient woman I have ever met. She is the perfect blend of all the good attributes a person can have, in my opinion.”“She is resilient, hard-working, conscientious, and retains a positive outlook on life. I kind of feel ashamed of myself every time I meet her. I don’t know how to explain it, but I guarantee you’ll understand when you meet her.”“Huh?”“Just saying.” “Anyway, Miss Lexi, are you satisfied with my explanation?”“Hahahaha”“I’ll take that as a yes.”“You are so arrogant.”“What do you think? Tell me all your ideas, not just related to interior design but overall. We’ll collate and plan it properly.”“I think it’s excellent. We should arrange these pictures exactly as they are now. It would be a pity to put them away, though I think we should get the granddaughter’s consent first.”“My thoughts exactly. I already have the consent, as long