The Pretender's Game

The Pretender's pretend life

As we stood there, laughing together, I felt a sense of ease with Alex that I hadn't expected. But then, his eyes lit up like he had just thought of something exciting.

"Are you free tomorrow?" he asked, his voice filled with enthusiasm.

I was taken aback by the question. Why was he suddenly asking me? We had just met, and I didn't know much about him.

"I...I don't know," I stammered, trying to play it cool.

Alex's grin grew wider. "Good," he said. "I have an idea. Want to hear it?"

I nodded, curiosity getting the better of me. What could he possibly have planned?

"I want to pretend to be someone else tomorrow," Alex said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "And I want you to come with me."

I felt a surge of surprise. "What do you mean?" I asked, my mind racing with possibilities.

Alex leaned in, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I mean, I want to leave all this behind," he said, gesturing to the luxurious surroundings. "I want to be someone else, just for a day. No fancy cars, no designer clothes. Just...normal."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what makes you think I'd be interested in this...adventure?" I asked.

Alex smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I think you're looking for a distraction from your life, and I'm happy to provide one," he said.

I felt a pang of surprise at his words. I wasn't looking for a distraction - I was trying to navigate a complicated situation with Regi. But I was good at pretending, and I decided to play along.

"You're right," I said, smiling sweetly. "I could use a distraction."

Alex's eyes lit up with excitement. "Great," he said. "And what's in it for you?"

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I guess I'm just curious about what you have planned," I said.

Alex grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You'll just have to wait and see," he said.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't quite right. How could Alex be so trusting of me? We had just met, and I was just a random stranger in the store. Did he always invite strangers into his life like this?

And then there was the fact that he had a girlfriend. Jillian, the beautiful and perfect-looking woman who was always by his side. How could he just randomly invite another girl to spend the day with him? It didn't add up.

I felt a pang of unease as I realized that I didn't really know Alex at all. He seemed charming and friendly, but what was he really like? Was he always so reckless and impulsive?

I pushed the thoughts aside, telling myself that I was just being paranoid. But as I looked at Alex, I couldn't help but wonder what his true motives were. Was he really just looking for a friend, or was there something more to it?

I looked at Alex, my eyes narrowing slightly. "How could you just randomly ask me?" I asked, my voice tinged with curiosity. "I'm a stranger. Do you trust people that easily?"

Alex chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I guess you're not a stranger to me," he said, his voice low and smooth.

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Alex leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We're schoolmates," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I felt a jolt of surprise. "How did you know that?" I asked, my mind racing.

Alex shrugged, his smile growing wider. "Only students from our school can shop here," he said. "It's a perk, I guess."

I nodded, feeling a little impressed. "I didn't know that," I said.

Alex chuckled again. "Yeah, well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I felt a flutter in my chest at his words, but I tried to play it cool. "I suppose that's true," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Alex nodded, his expression serious for a moment. "And don't worry, I'm not taking any risks by asking you to spend the day with me," he said. "I have...protection, let's say."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of protection?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Alex leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I have a secret bodyguard," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I felt a surge of surprise at his words, but I tried to play it cool. "A secret bodyguard?" I repeated, trying to sound nonchalant.

Alex nodded, his smile growing wider. "Yeah, well, it's a long story," he said. "But let's just say that I'm safe, no matter what."

"And I also know that someone's protecting you. We all need that." He said casually.

No, Alex. I don't have protection. I don't have bodyguards. It's just Regi, outside and I also need a protection from him.

I know I can't say that so I just nodded.

I stood there, feeling a little dazed, as Alex asked for my phone. "I'll give you my number, and I'll contact you tomorrow about our plan," he said, his fingers brushing against mine as he took my phone.

I felt a shiver run down my spine at the touch, but I tried to play it cool. I watched as he typed his number into my phone, his fingers flying across the screen with ease.

"Don't worry about school," he said, handing my phone back to me. "I'll ask my assistant to ask your teacher to email you everything that you might miss."

I took my phone back, feeling a little stunned. Was this really happening? Was I really going to spend the day with Alex tomorrow?

As he turned to leave, I felt a pang of surprise. It was all happening so fast. One minute, I was trying on necklaces, and the next, I was making plans with him.

If he only know about my plan.

I watched as he walked away, feeling a twinge of guilt. I knew that I was about to ruin his relationship with Jillian. I knew that I was about to hurt him, and possibly her too.

But what choice did I have? Regi had made it clear that I had to do this, or else. I couldn't risk losing everything I had worked for. I couldn't risk Regi's wrath.

I took a deep breath and pushed the guilt aside. I would do what I had to do, no matter how hard it was. I would break Alex and Jillian up.

I turned to leave, but my eyes landed on a familiar figure leaning against the door. Regi was smiling at me, a self-satisfied look on his face. I felt a surge of irritation at him. This was all his plan, wasn't it? He had manipulated me into this situation, and now I was stuck.

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my anger in check. I couldn't let Regi see how I really felt. I had to play it cool, at least for now.

I forced a smile onto my face and walked over to Regi. "Thanks for the help," I said, trying to sound sincere.

Regi chuckled and pushed off from the door. "Anytime, Jasmine," he said. "I'll be watching tomorrow. Make sure you don't mess it up."

I nodded, feeling a shiver run down my spine. I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day.