Capítulo 19: Ch 19 - Zara's Unexpected Cousin
Alex was wandering around the school when Zara called.
"Zara," he answered the phone. "Do you need my help with something?"
He had little to do with Zara, so why else would she call?
"No, of course not. Holy shit, I don't think anyone else overthinks things as much as you do." Zara's tone was full of disdain. "I called because I need you to come to the Coffee Palace just off campus."
With that, Zara abruptly ended the call.
Alex was puzzled. What does Zara want with me? he wondered.
He left the university and made his way to the Coffee Palace, a high-end coffee shop that the wealthier students visited.
He entered the coffee shop and spotted Zara's colourful hair. She was dressed in jeans and flat shoes, and she wore light makeup.
"Hey, Zara. Are you here alone?" he asked, looking around in surprise.
"Yes. Obviously," she snapped. "Do you see anyone else here?"
A waiter walked over and asked, "Sir, what would you like?"
"Don't bother asking him. He's never been here before and wouldn't know what to order," Zara said to the waiter. "Just give him a cappuccino."
She sipped her coffee as she sized him up, trying to decide if he was suitable for her plan.
Alex felt uncomfortable when she stared at him like that. What on earth did she want from him?
Zara smiled, apparently satisfied with him in some way.
"I'll just come right out and say it," she said, watching him. "I need a favour. I want you to date, my cousin."
"What?" Alex gaped at her. "Zara, don't be silly." He knew she thought he was a loser, so she couldn't possibly want him to be her cousin's boyfriend. He must have misunderstood.
"I'm serious." She glared at him. "My cousin doesn't have many requirements for a boyfriend. As long as you're honest and well-behaved, she'll accept you. I think you can meet those standards."
"But…" Alex was filled with suspicion.
"But what? What's wrong with dating my cousin?" She scowled. "Don't argue. Just treat her well." She nodded as if he'd agreed. "Okay. Good. Sit right here, and my cousin will arrive soon. Don't screw this up." With that, she walked out of the shop, pulled out her cellphone and called her cousin.
"Hey, Cousin, are you nearly here?"
"Almost. I'm only a few miles away," her cousin replied. "Did you find someone?"
"Yes, I found someone. He's sitting in the Coffee Palace right now," she said. "I promise that this guy is a loser. There's no one better suited. If you met him on the street, you'd never know he was a student; you'd think he was a construction worker."
"Ah, that's perfect." Her cousin seemed happy. "Then I'm sure I'll be able to use him to attract Robert."
"I don't understand. Why do you need a loser to pretend to be your boyfriend? Can't you get Robert some other way?" Zara had no idea what her cousin was trying to do.
"You don't know what it's like," her cousin said. "Robert is a manager who brings in millions of dollars, and he's my superior. He likes me, but at the end of the day, he has all the power. To turn things around, I need to make him jealous, so he'll ask me out."
"But why do you have to date a loser?" Zara still couldn't wrap her head around it.
"It's obvious. If I pick a loser over Robert to be my boyfriend, it says that Robert can't even compete with a nobody. It will throw him off balance. Then he'll realize how much he likes me, and that will speed up matters."
"Oh... That's so smart!" Zara finally got it.
Less than a minute after she ended the call, she spotted a black Buick pulling to a stop in front of the Coffee Palace. A slim, long-haired woman wearing a pair of black stockings stepped out of the car.
Right away, she attracted the attention of several men, who stared at her as if she were a model.
"Cousin!" Zara called out, quickly walking toward her.
"Come on," her cousin said. "He's waiting inside, right? Let's go in." She paused. "You didn't tell him that we're using him, did you? Don't tell him. It'll be more realistic this way, and it'll be more likely to fool Robert."
"I'm not stupid!" Zara laughed. "It's just that when I think of you dating someone so far below you… Well, I wonder if it's worth it."
"Don't worry. It's just for show." Her cousin was perfectly calm. "I'll just use him for a few days, and once I've landed Robert, I won't need the loser anymore, and I'll dump him." She looked at Zara. "Please tell me you didn't pick someone ugly. After all, I have to look at him over the next few days."
"He looks pretty good," Zara assured her. "We'd better go in." They walked into the coffee shop.
"Alex, my cousin is here," Zara shouted over to him. "Don't just sit there. Come and meet her."
Alex heard her and quickly stood and turned around.
When he saw Zara's cousin, he was stunned. It was Karen! The assistant manager at Metro Sky Bank had caused him so much trouble.
When Karen first saw Alex, she was sure that her cousin had found a real loser. But when she saw his face, she recognized him as the guy she'd tried to throw out of Metro Sky Bank. What a shock!
After the incident, she had heard Robert say that the Supreme Card did belong to Alex. And that meant his assets were worth at least thirty million dollars!
Curious, she had asked Robert how much money Alex had. Although he hadn't given her a specific figure, it was clear from his answer that Alex's wealth was vast.
So, the person now standing in front of her was seriously rich, and she didn't know what to do.
"Hello, how are you?" Karen made the effort to be polite now that she knew who he was.
"Hurry up and pull out a chair for my cousin. Where are your manners?" Zara snapped, glaring at Alex.
"No need. I can do it." Karen tried to use her eyes to signal her cousin to be nicer, and then she pulled out the chair and sat down.
Zara felt a little confused. What's wrong with Karen? she wondered. Is Alex too much of a loser? What was wrong? This was what Karen had asked for, so why didn't she seem happy?
Maybe Karen just wants me to be nicer to Alex to help reel him in, she thought. Then, he'll be easier to control.
"Karen, this is Alex," she said. "He's a student at the university, and he's nice enough. I think you'll get along well." She smirked at her cousin.
Alex seemed unaware of what was happening. This loser has no idea we're using him, Zara thought. Does he think my cousin likes him? I can't wait to see how he reacts when she dumps him.
She introduced Karen and then decided to order some cake to go along with their coffee. But the shop was busy, and she couldn't get the waiter's attention.
"Alex, why are you just sitting there, not saying anything? Why don't you go and find the waiter?" Zara drummed her fingers on the table as she glared at Alex.
"You stay. I'll go," Karen said hastily, standing up. She wasn't going to send a rich man to chase after the waiter.
Zara pulled her back down. "Sit down, Cousin. He's the gentleman." She turned to Alex. "Are you going to make one of us go?" She scowled at him. "Well? Do you have no shame?"
Alex was used to her attitude, so he didn't bother arguing, but simply stood and walked over to the counter.
After speaking to the waiter, he went to the bathroom. When he walked back out, Karen was waiting for him with a fawning smile on her face.
"Mr Ambrose, I'm so sorry for Zara's behaviour. She shouldn't have spoken to you like that," she said, panicking.
"It's fine. Zara has always treated me like that. It doesn't matter." He smiled lightly and met her eyes. "You know who I am now, don't you?"
The last time they'd met, she hadn't believed he was really rich.
She nodded. Even though she wasn't sure of his exact identity, she knew he had unimaginable wealth.
"I don't understand," he said, puzzled. "You're attractive, and you have a good job, so why are you insisting on having a poor loser as a boyfriend?"
"Ah… Well…" She didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't tell him she was only using him to make someone else jealous.
Alex was so much richer than Robert, she realized. This might be a good opportunity. If she managed to hook Alex, then she could become seriously rich. Yes. This was the perfect chance to charm him.
"When I misjudged you at the bank, I felt terrible," she said, hoping he'd believe her. "And I realized I should be with an ordinary person to help me understand life better. Of course, if I find someone I get along with, it could develop into something serious, maybe even marry one day."
If she seemed humble enough, maybe she could win his favour.
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