"Really? That's rare’’ Katherine said with her eyebrows raised.
"Well, it kind of became my habit"' Anthony replied, smiling genuinely.
This was Katherine's first time to meet a man who wasn't fond of drinking.
Because of that, she couldn't help but smile at Anthony in amusement.
"And that isn't a bad thing.’ The two of them were too hungry that they didn't converse much.
After eating and drinking, Katherine wiped the oil from her mouth and took a sip of green tea.
Then, she looked at Anthony with a pair of keen eyes and said, "I'm guessing that you didn't come over
just to have someone to accompany you for dinner.I'm pretty confident that there's something else, so
what is it, Anthony? Do you need help with anything?"
"You're too smart" he praised, unable to stop himself from laughing because of Katherine's cleverness.
"But kidding aside, I have a request for you"
"Go ahead.I'm all ears” Katherine directly said.
However, in the face of her generosity, Anthony couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as he said,
"As much as I didn't want to bother you, this is what happened.I received a call before I went out
tonight.’
Katherine nodded and didn't bother to interrupt him, curious about what happened.
"It was a phone call from my mother's best friend.She's also my godmother.Although my family has
been abroad for many years, I have stayed in touch with my godmother's family.They were nice, so I
had a good relationship with them.I even consider my godmother as my second mother’’ Anthony
explained.
After that, he paused for a second, trying to read Katherine's expression.
"But you know...elders have a lot of beliefs and norms in life, including the one where they want young
people like us to start a family early.My mother didn't care about that at first.She had never pressured
me about it, but she became anxious when she saw that I had never had a girlfriend for the past two
years.Because of that, my godmother started introducing me to various girls as soon as I returned to
the US” Anthony's gaze automatically fell on the floor as he added, "I honestly don't like elders to
interfere with any of my personal affairs, especially about love.Also, I already like someone, so I
declined every blind date that my godmother arranged for me and told her that I have a girlfriend."
Even though Katherine hadn't heard the entire story yet, she already knew where it was heading to.
"So, you thought that telling your godmother that you have a girlfriend would put an end to those blind
dates.But then, you were wrong, and now, your godmother wanted to see your girlfriend.Did I get it
right?"
Katherine stated, finishing Anthony's story herself.
Embarrassed, Anthony pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "Yeah.Isn't it too dramatic?"
Katherine then put down the teacup and replied, "Not really"
She paused for a moment before saying, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but...based on what you said, are
you asking me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"
"Yes” Anthony replied frankly.
He thought he no longer needed to beat around the bush since Katherine had already guessed his
intentions correctly.
Hearing his response, Katherine looked down at the teacup in front of her and said, "I hate lying.”
Anthony could only nod when he heard what she said.He even smiled when he replied, "It's okay,
Katherine.No pressure.I shouldn't be asking you a request like this."
"But you're an exception this time.Besides, I also have something to ask you for help” Katherine
seriously said.
Anthony did not expect the tables to turn around.
"What about it? What's your problem?" he asked.
"You're my neighbor, so you should know about my divorce, right? Well, it didn't turn out well.My ex-
husband keeps on pestering me even after we divorced, and I wanted him to know that we are officially
over."
Anthony frowned before asking, "Is he pestering you?"
"Well, it's not as grave you think it is, but I just want to save myself from all the trouble.Since you need
my help, and I need yours, we can both get what we want from each other"’ Katherine reasoned.
Anthony looked at Katherine closely.
The smile and expression on her face did not change at all, but her temperament was way different
than it was earlier.
Everything happened so fast.
Katherine and Anthony were just talking casually over dinner earlier, and now...they sealed a deal.
It was an agreement where each could benefit with the help of the other.
Suddenly, Anthony's thoughts ran wild.
His gaze remained locked on Katherine, thinking she had an incomparable charm.
His heartbeat raced, refraining from understanding what Katherine was saying for a moment.
Once Anthony finally composed himself, he extended his hand and said, "Is that a deal then? I'm
hoping for smooth teamwork."
"Likewise, Anthony"’ Katherine replied.
She smiled genuinely and reached for Anthony's hand.
Katherine's house was quiet and cozy, making the latter want to stay a bit longer.
However, Anthony knew that he would only disturb her if he stayed.
"It's getting late, so I think I should go now” he said.
As he spoke, Katherine intuitively looked down on her watch to check the time.
When she realized it was indeed late, she nodded and said, "Alright."
Anthony was about to get up and leave when he suddenly thought of something.
"By the way, it's Christmas, so we'll have a family gathering later.My godmother wants me to bring my
girlfriend to their house for a meal.Are you by any chance available at night?" he asked.
Katherine was not a person to be trifled with.
Since they already had an agreement, she didn't refuse Anthony's invitation and replied, "Of course.’
"Really? Great! It's dinner, so you don't have to get up early"
Anthony happily said.
Upon hearing that, Katherine chuckled before saying, "Well, if it's lunch, I might really decline.I'm not a
morning person, you know?"
A few seconds later, Katherine walked Anthony to the door with the trash in his hands.
As she did that, she couldn't help but yawn.
A lot of things happened today, making her utterly exhausted.
She was sleepy as hell, so as soon as she arrived in her room, she settled in her bed and slept.
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