Chapter 15 - Darling (1/2)

Yera was in the middle of preparing her dinner when she heard the doorbell. She checked her new video intercom and sighed when she saw it was, again, Mr. Persistent, Xander Yang, who was wearing his customary charming smile.

Yera complained inwardly, but she must admit that the video intercom that he had installed in her place the other day was pretty cool. And without his pertinacity, she would have not gotten to enjoy all the benefits of having it inside her house.

She opened the door, showing her typical blank expression, and asked in her usual deadpan voice, ”Yes?”

'What a great smile,' she couldn't help but praise his smile when she was directly confronted with it. Xander was truly blessed with a genuine and attractive smile as well as conviviality.

Prior to knowing him personally, Yera had never understood why she often lost a business deal to him. She had frequently heard about how charming the man was but had never been able to comprehend how appealing a person could be to be able to win over a lot of potential business partners when her offers had always been more lucrative than his.

But now, she finally understood. A warm and sociable personality like Xander's would always win over a cold and austere one like hers. In fact, she believed that if he were to enter a beauty pageant, he would definitely win the crown for Mr. Congeniality.

She could also see why he was labeled as a womanizer. A lot of women must have flocked to him because of that smile. It could undeniably and effortlessly captivate any of them. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, that smile had been distracting her and made her feel uneasy.

Xander was waving the document he was holding in his hand while he was speaking casually to her as if they were already the closest friends, ”It's the revised contract. Let's grab dinner together while you check it.”

Yera's eyebrow twitched. 'He is too comfortable with me!' she protested inwardly.

”No, it's okay. You can just hand it to me, and I'll call you if there's something that needs change,” Yera countered as she grabbed the contract from Xander's grip. But the document wouldn't budge. Yera looked down at it and saw Xander's hand was still holding it in its grasp. So she furrowed her brow and looked back up at him with questioning eyes.

”Uhm, I'm sorry about this, and I can't stress this enough, but I really hate to eat alone. So please accompany me for dinner?” Xander pled.

Yera rolled her eyes but conceded defeat because she knew resistance was futile. There was no way she could shoo this persistent man away, and she was too lazy to waste her energy to even try.

”Alright, come inside… I'm already cooking, and I think it will be enough for both of us,” she answered.

Besides, they would soon be working together, so it would be in her best interest to have a harmonious business relationship with him. So, as Xander had previously suggested, she must accustom herself to him and all of his antics.

”Great! Thanks...” Xander smiled as he followed Yera inside and sauntered toward the kitchen as though it was his own place.

”What are you making?” asked Xander as he sat down at the dining table while he watched Yera cook.

”I only cook simple recipes. This is a caramelized chicken and rice noodle dish. If you want something else, I can just call for delivery,” Yera answered as she turned off the electric stove.

”Nah, I'm not a picky eater, and besides, you cook well. Didn't you notice how much I ate last time? I ate a lot,” Xander praised her with a genuine smile. Yera could not help but feel flattered by that simple compliment. She acknowledged it with a plain, ”Thanks.”

'Does she feel the same about me?' Xander wondered. He was curious to know what kind of feeling Yera would have whenever he was around. Did she feel the same sort of inexplicable tension that he would feel whenever she was near him? But he doubted it was mutual since she was still acting cold toward him.

He looked at Yera and sighed. He disliked her blank expression. 'Too cold,' he lamented inwardly.

”What should I call you? Yera or Deyna?” Xander asked as Yera was preparing the food on the table.

Yera paused at his question. She would, of course, prefer to be called by her real name. But she must conceal her real identity and remain as Deyna Song for the sake of her revenge.