1 year earlier
Stefani angrily stomped and stormed inside the Chief Executive's Office, walking past some employees wearing horrified faces.
"DAD!!!" she shouted as soon as she entered and noticed the questioning looks of at least ten people inside the room. They all gave a bow as a greeting to Stefani then to the CEO, which was Stefani's father, then quickly headed out as words were not needed to be spoken anymore.
"Stefani, what happened?" Her father asked though he had already somewhat predicted this happening.
"How could you decide things like that by yourself? I'm 18 years old! I'm still young for that!!" Stefani gritted her teeth as she glared at her father, eyes widening in anger, her long black hair waving like a storm. When one saw this scene, they would think that there was a weird drama shooting happening in the area. They would even conclude that the drama was all about a faceoff between wolves. Only, because of her small height and adorable face, Stefani looked like a small puppy glaring at the leader of the pack.
The door suddenly opened, letting in a handsome guy in a suit, his hair fixed in the most presentable way Stefani couldn't guess how many hours the guy had spent on it. The navy blue suit paired with a striped dark magenta tie was absolutely perfect too. His black leather shoes shone brightly on the ground that even the sun would feel ashamed for rising above. The man just practically screamed one word - perfection.
And Stefani hated it. Stefani hated it very, very much.
"To add more, with this guy of all people, Dad! Why did you choose this monkey?!" Stefani's finger started pointing at Jonathan Gonzalez, the 24-year-old most trusted employee of Mr. Hernandez.
Mr. Hernandez sighed then opened his mouth. "Stefani, it's just an engage-"
"No!! I'm not going to be engaged with this monkey! I'm not going to marry him!! I hate you so much, Dad!! I hate you!!" Stefani blared out her fangs and puffed out raging breaths as she turned around and began heading outside, but of course, did not forget to give a death glare at Jonathan before completely doing so.
However, Jonathan just uninterestedly stared at her as if she was nothing but air, which only annoyed Stefani more.
She repeatedly shouted a series of curses before she finally exited the office.
"Ah, that brat really," Stefani's father shook his head in a rather unusual way. Yes, he was already used to his daughter's behavior, with all the sudden barging inside his office, shouting and glaring, and everything in between. For most people in this building, this was actually a common occurrence.
The truth was, Mr. Hernandez only wanted Stefani to be happy. After all, she was his only child, his only family, his precious. Jonathan has been good, obedient, always ready to help, and his performances in the company were unsurprisingly excellent. He was also good-looking and had a kind heart. Mr. Hernandez knew Jonathan was the right person for Stefani. Even though Stefani probably didn't deserve Jonathan, Mr. Hernandez still believed Jonathan could, in a way, influence Stefani to be a better person.
"It's okay, Sir. I'm used to it anyway," Jonathan said with a smile. Of course, Jonathan was also used to the treatment Stefani was giving him every time she saw him. It was as if Stefani hated him so much that even just staying in the same room irritates the younger. Well, Jonathan had already gotten used to it. Stefani could really be a brat sometimes... or always.
"By the way, about the engagement..." Jonathan started though was lost for the next word for a moment. Ever since Mr. Hernandez offered the idea of engagement with Stefani to him, Jonathan couldn't think straight. He was always calm and was good at organizing his thoughts no matter the situation, but he could not deny the fact that this current issue was making his head ache a lot the past few days.
"Jonathan, I know you're thinking Stefani is such a brat and that your life would probably be hell if you become her husband."
Jonathan couldn't help but cringe at the word 'husband'. Just imagining being with the little brat in the same room - bedroom - made Jonathan want to bang his head on the wall. It gave an uncomfortable feeling just trying to think he'd be in the same house with the younger for a week.. or even years. After all, all he had ever received from that sassy teenager were death glares and verbal insults. Could he really take that person, especially her extraordinary attitude, to him and his peaceful life?
"But can you at least give it a try? Stefani is still young, yes. She is naive, immature, and has a sharp tongue. But I don't think I could entrust her to anyone just yet. For now, you're the perfect guy I know I could trust about my daughter."
Jonathan was touched by the words the President just uttered. He trusted Jonathan this much. Jonathan felt really grateful. Mr. Hernandez was the one who helped him and his sister when their parents died in a car accident when they were still kids. Although Mr. Hernandez didn't adopt them as his children, he was the one who sent them to school, gave them shelter, food, education, and everything the two pitiful orphans needed. For Jonathan, Mr. Hernandez was like his second father. He was family.
But was getting engaged with his second father's bratty daughter be the way to repay the kindness he gave him and his sister?
"I understand, Sir," he responded after thinking for a while.
Maybe it was. Although Jonathan still hated the idea of having to deal with the little devil Stefani, he still had lots of respect, gratitude, and concern toward Mr. Hernandez.
Sighing silently, Jonathan therefore concluded, he would agree to be engaged and marry Stefani.
"I can't believe it either! I hate them so much!" Stefani cried to her group of friends, Christina, Dianne, Bridget, and Ivy. It was a lively Sunday morning and Stefani woke up in a bad mood, all due to the sudden call from her dad stating what he proposed to be "good news". Despite being pampered by her father, Stefani wasn't someone who could easily say the words "I hate you" to anyone. The only exception was that guy named Jonathan Gonzalez. Every time Stefani would come across this person, she couldn't help but hate him more and more. So for whatever reason her father suddenly announced this engagement, Stefani was fuming with anger upon hearing it the first time. She couldn't understand why her father chose the person she hated so much to the core, out of all people. The four girls sighed all at the sa
"What are you doing here?!" Stefani angrily asked in a low voice so that no one near them would hear her. Only then she realized it was Jonathan who was being swarmed by these stupid ants of her schoolmates. She couldn't help but curse under her breath, just what was this person trying to do by coming here of all places? "I came to pick you up," Jonathan said simply and uninterestedly, then grabbed Stefani's hand and dragged her to and inside the passenger's seat of the car. "Get in," Jonathan ordered and Stefani's mouth gaped. How dare this guy do this to her? "I don't want to!" She exclaimed, angrily looking at Jonathan. Jonathan sighed, "Get in." "I said I don't-"
"Are you sure?" Jonathan asked again, his eyebrows meeting at some point. The caller, one of Stefani's bodyguards, answered the same response making Jonathan heavily sighed out. Stefani was missing. The kid clearly didn't like the idea of Jonathan picking her up at school every day. Jonathan already knew that but he still didn't expect Stefani to actually run away from him like Jonathan was a bad person. It was just the second day of fetching the younger and she already ran away. Why was this kid so hard to tame? Jonathan shoved his phone back into his pocket as he drove slowly down the street. He was checking the street carefully where he hoped he can find Stefani walking on it. As much as he hated Stefani's bad behavior, he didn't want Stefani to be in danger. After all, Stefani's father entrusted her to him. If something bad happened to Stef
Several Weeks Later Stefani woke up late today. It was Saturday anyway so she could just lie down on her bed all day if she could. But then there was a knock on her door and at first, she just ignored it. When it kept knocking, Stefani removed her covers, got up, and pulled the door open. She was then greeted by a maid whom she was a bit close to, compared to the other staff inside the mansion. "Good morning, Young Miss." "What is it, Rose? Can I sleep more? I want to go back to sleep~," Stefani tries to act cutely at the 25-year-old maid. The maid chuckled but soon became serious and worried. "But Miss, Sir Jonathan is downstairs with the designer for your engagement party," Rose explained. Stefa
Jonathan bent his head to the side, making a loud cracking sound as he casually walked to the living room of his unit, a newspaper on his hand and a newly brewed coffee on the other.Jonathan's condo unit wasn't very luxurious-looking. In fact, it only contained the things he considered essential and necessary. There wasn't a single useless object to be found and everything was in place in accordance with his needs in an everyday calculation. The whole area was a modernized style of a black and white palette mixture - covering all the appliances and furniture from cabinets to blinds, from the granite counter to the white stools on the bar area. There were items like books or towels in each cabinet and drawer. Other types of furniture were neatly arranged like they weren't being touched at all. It was indeed spotless considering Jonathan was a very well-organized type of person and had a tight observation regarding cleanliness.The 24-year-old man quietly took a seat on
Before Jonathan could curse out loud, he immediately ran to the window and went to call for Stefani. "Stefani!" He then realized there was actually a balcony and a ladder outside. Not feeling relieved enough, Jonathan climbed down and followed after Stefani, whose form soon became visible to Jonathan. It was only all thanks to Jonathan's long legs that he caught up really fast. "Stefani! Come back here!" Jonathan called, running after the brat who kept going as if she was being followed by a dog. "Don't follow me!" Stefani shouted back, voice in pain and anger as she ran even faster, her dress dancing swiftly against the wind. Jonathan's breathing became more ragged and his chest pained along with the throbbing in his head. Why was Stefani making things so hard f
Stefani's eyebrows were furrowed as she sat at the edge of her bed; her hair a mess, her dark circles were darker than usual, and she was wearing a white sleeping dress, if anyone saw her they would probably think she was a ghost or a mental patient. "Young Miss, I've arranged the things you'll be needing for your trip tomorrow. You should go to bed, it's past ten," Rose called out but the younger didn't respond. Her mind was too preoccupied; she couldn't get what Rose was talking about. Rose sighed then turned to head out but was stopped abruptly by Stefani. "Wait! U-Um... Is Dad- Is Dad still awake?" "Yes, Young Miss. Why?" Rose was half smiling as she turned to look at the little kid. Whenever Stefani was sitting at the edge of her bed, staring at the floor with eyebrows furrowed, it only meant one thing: she was having a serious debate inside her mind. Stefani looked hesitant but then stood up and balled her fists. Without a word, she head
It was already lunchtime when Jonathan woke up. He forced himself to stand and change his clothes. He could've asked Stefani for some help but then, just that idea made his whole body heat up and his heart beating abnormally. It might be because of the fever, Jonathan thought. So in the end, for his and Stefani's safety, he decided to do the task alone.After struggling to go back to his bed, the door then opened and let in a blushing Stefani carrying a tray of food. "I-I made something. But if you don't want it I can buy-""I'll eat it," Jonathan cut the stammering young lady off and gave her a smile. Stefani blushed, immediately looked away, and hesitated for a few seconds before she sighed and placed the tray in front of Jonathan."You made this?" Jonathan asked curiously as he stared at the... the stuff Stefani brought. For the first time in his life, Jonathan wasn't sure what kind of thing his eyes were looking at."Y-Yes. But don't misunderstand!! I