strangers to lovers

CHAPTER-THREE:

I asked Donna if, when she thinks of the restaurant in the days following the unfortunate incident at the restaurant earlier this week, Connor comes up as a name that comes to mind when she thinks

about it because she had heard about it earlier in the week. She said she does. One of the closest friends I have is Donna. She is one of the most significant people in my life. She was very influential in my life as I did not have any other friends. She worked with me for most of the week, which enabled her to fill that role quite nicely. I had the pleasure of getting to know her and I appreciate the opportunity. There was something adorable and friendly about her. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head in the middle of the day, and she asked, "I need someone like that in my life." In her pointed question, she asked, "Would you be able to fishtail my hair for me?" It was now time for Donna to sit down at the counter and look up at the clock on the wall. As she sat down, she looked up at the clock on the wall, and then walked along the counter. After working hard all day, she was already tired, and her mind was telling her all sorts of things like, "Don't worry, you're fine; just lay back." By the time she spoke to herself in her own head, she was already telling herself "Don't worry." The way she described it to herself was "You're fine," as she whispered to herself in her own thoughts. There was plenty of time for me to fix her hair since it was pretty empty in the coffee shop, as it usually is in the afternoon. The name of the company I am worried about does not seem familiar to you, even though I live under a rock the majority of the time. My attempt to pull her hair as hard as I could was unnecessary, and my tugging at it made no sense at all. His looks make it seem as though he is an actor, but the truth is that he is not one. I believe that what I just mentioned to her indicates that she was surprised by what I had to explain to her. This is regardless of whether the things I said could be considered true or not, or regardless of whether or not what I stated would actually be true. As I mentioned, it is amazing how you would think I would be shocked by what I said. The fact that I let go of her hair did not deter me from not pulling it despite the fact that I let go of it. It wasn't long before she asked, "Did you see him?" as she looked at him intently. I know what you are saying about your friend

from Michelangelo's. He is the guy I told you about the other night. What is he like?" she asked, looking forward again. "Keep his name in mind for a moment," she mumbled, looking forward. She gestured to me to finish braiding the hair, so I did. The hair tie I wore, which was supposed to keep the braid in place, was something that I glanced at with pursed lips as I attempted to secure it. I can't remember what I did on my twenty-first birthday due to my memory being faulty. In response to his question, I questioned him. "Do you remember?" I asked him. "Why do you ask me that?" As he asked the question, he appeared to be expressing a sense of amazement. Compared to the restaurants at the Connor hotels, Michelangelo's restaurants were much larger and more elaborate. There is no doubt that Luke may have owned a few of Michelangelo's, but what was the point of eating there in the first place? It is certain that he had free meals in his own restaurants, as he surely had free meals there during his stay. Upon giving her the receipt, I told her that I would search for him in the hope that I would find him. Despite the fact that locating him will be a challenge, there is no doubt that it will not be easy. This is because it wasn't long after the receipt was taken out of my wallet that I realized it was empty. Due to Luke's heavy drinking when he wrote the letter, it wasn't a wise idea to give the money to him. My bank account sat untouched for a long time, with just a few dollars left over. It was something I wanted to return to. As Donna saw the amount of the tip, her jaw dropped

to the ground. In addition to the forty-three cents on the table, he had left a note marked for you with a forty-three cent note, which had to have been something special about you. That means he wants you? It's funny that you didn't mention flirty-flirty when you spoke. In that instance, what exactly happened? The fact that you should contact him is without a doubt something you should do. With a sigh of relief, I rolled my eyes. "Oh, no way." That's not something I would like to do. I wouldn't be interested in working for you. An individual like you would not be able to work for that company. What does that mean?" "You'd be eaten alive." "What does that mean?" I replied, and she leaned forward to assist me. "Your

cuteness was the downfall of you." "I'm returning the money." She pointed to the receipt again. Having that kind of help would be a very positive thing for you, but that is not right." "But he was so drunk

that he wasn't even aware of the 10 grand that had been lost." "I don't think someone like him would even notice it had been lost." "I don't know what to think about that." Having even thought about it, I can already feel my stomach churning. Poking at the braided end, she advised me to keep it. It is also indicated on the note that it is an advance that has been made. I won't be keeping this one as it won't be of any use to me. It feels weird. My understanding of what an advance was for was not clear to me. However, since it would have to be repaid, I decided not to use it since it would not be of any use to me. As Donna turned to face me, her brown eyes turned serious as she locked eyes with me. The fact of the matter is that you should keep some money for an emergency regardless of how honest your heart may be. What would you do if someone were to harm you or your brother in some way? What would you do in such a situation? Would you know what to do? How much of your own money have you saved so far, and how much of that has come from your own earnings? The thought of taking money from drunk people makes me feel the same way as if I were taking candy from a baby. In the midst of the situation, there was something that I could not shake that seemed off. A tad crumpled, she slowly sighed, resigned herself to the realization that there was no way she could keep her money forever. Her instinct led her to give it back, and I would be disgusted if I did. I would feel disgusted if I acted otherwise. "I'm giving it back." She sighed lightly. I would probably do the same. None the less, it is somewhat disappointing. Compared to the wealthy, ten grand is a very small amount of money. There is nothing more significant to us than our family." "Yes, it is significant to us, isn't it?" She said. In her words, she said. I replied to the guy, "We appreciate every dollar we receive more than they do," and he replied in the same way. In order to catch her breath, she blinked and stared out the window before trailing off. When she saw me, her face lit up with a smile. "Connor, look at me!" she said excitedly. While I was waiting for the door to jingle, his arrival would be triggered by the ring of the telephone signaling the arrival of a customer. The tidily greased up hair and proud gait that she displayed from a distance were the first things that attracted my attention from a mile away. I remained rooted to my spot at the counter while standing before it. He asked me to ask him what he was doing here. Is there anything I can do to help him? In spite of not knowing whether to be more surprised by his presence or by the fact that he remembered my name, he greeted me with a smile as he addressed me as "Ella." Not knowing whether to be more surprised or not, I wondered what to make of the whole thing. During his visit to the restaurant earlier in the week, Luke had been with the same young man he'd come in with this time. It is difficult for me to recall his name at the moment. My first thought when I saw the light-haired man was of James or Jordan, and I immediately called him out. Luke quickly changed his expression from one of confusion when he heard Luke's laughter. He quickly covered his mouth with a hand as Luke laughed. The moment Luke began to laugh, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand in order to hide his laughter. Upon realizing what I had just said, I noticed my face warming up. It was a smile on Dylan's face that indicated that he was fine. I am fine, I am fine, I am fine, I am fine. The Little Mermaid was the first thing that came to mind, he corrected himself. Honestly, I am delighted you remember my name, and I would like to thank you for that. What do you think about the name? Does it seem strange to you? Most likely. Similar to Luke, I was beginning to become strange in the same way as he was. It is because I have never met Dylan before that I hadn't recognized him, mainly because I have never been in his presence. Taking a step towards the camera, Luke smirked as he turned his back to the camera. As he started asking questions, my response was, "Most likely," as the smugness in my voice began to rise as I replied, "Have you ever met someone named Luke?". Immediately, he dropped the object in front of his chest, his arms crossed over his chest. As he glanced around the shop a few seconds later, he was interested in what was going on. As my eyes followed him as he walked towards the painted mural, the wooden table, and finally the marble counter, I couldn't help but watch him step in front of each of these three structures. I couldn't help but stare at this man as he walked towards each of these three. There was Donna standing on the other side of the register, a few feet behind it, but she was not too far away. She stared at me with a look of bewilderment on her face as she shook her head in confusion as she stared at me. In the midst of brushing out her bangs, she smiled hesitantly and shook her head. Do you have any special requests, Mr. Connor? As she asked, my eyes narrowed in response. I politely asked her if there was anything you would like from me. If we had given him our number, wouldn't it have been a lot better for us to have gotten in touch with him? Donna's face turned red, and I couldn't help but laugh at the moment as the hooded man took a deep breath and said fluidly, "What is your phone number?" The hooded man's face turned red, and I couldn't help but laugh at his wisdom. As he approached, he stopped about five inches away. The proximity between us made me catch my breath for a moment. He was wearing cologne and his scent drifted in the air between us. There was a pleasant scent in the air. I smelled something very woodsy. He replied simply, "I have not received a call from you." The dark gaze of his eyes caused me to swallow nervously as I looked into

them. Almost overbearing was his presence. I stepped back, clearing my throat. My note, which I left you, was a strange one. "You don't remember that?" I asked, pulling the note from my pocket. "I left you a note." "Was I supposed to?" he asked. "Yeah, an odd one." Perhaps you were too drunk to understand? It was my expectation that she would react to the tip amount as soon as I told her the amount. Then I realized that there was a 43 cent difference between what I left and what I left. He explained that it was because I had given a tip. My curiosity couldn't be contained, so I was forced to ask him, "Why is there a 43 cent difference between the two?" I would like a flat dollar amount deducted from my bank account. Okay, that makes sense. The fact that he didn't seem shocked at the total of the bill was something I couldn't understand. There is no doubt that the money is there. It was a promise I made to him that I would hand it over to him. Asked if he had spent any money, he replied, "No, I have not." Taking the time to look at what I had to say was somewhat of a waste of time." I replied. In an effort to provide me with some direction, I returned it to him, carrying along his checkbook and attempting to take advantage of it. "I don't want it," he interrupted, pushing the receipt back at me. "Do as I suggested and accept it as an advance." I stared at him in confusion, like he was crazy. I am going to be the one who is about to become your girlfriend, since she is going to be my girlfriend. Could you please clarify what you mean? I am wondering what you mean by an advance for?" 'Of course, I'm talking about my girlfriend.' What? He's serious, right? There was more to it than just a joke, wasn't there? Does he have a drunken stupor as part of the reason for that? A dark-haired man approached Donna and inquired about her apologies. "I've got your coffee, Mr. Connor," Donna replied, gaining his attention. While he turned his attention toward me, he smiled handsomely across the width of his mouth. Thank you for getting in touch with me through email." "I look forward to receiving an answer from you." "Wow, wait a second." I turned to Dylan, sitting at a wooden table in the lounge. Dylan looks amused as he rests his head against the wall, hands folded over his lap, watching us with amusement. "Is your friend crazy?" I ask Dylan." I asked him. There was a small chuckle in his

voice and a shrug of his shoulders. There could be a possibility." Luke said as he sipped a cup of coffee, "I'm not crazy at all." He seemed to be gritting his teeth as I watched him. It could be argued that I was

just being sensible when I said, when I give you ten thousand dollars and ask you to be my girlfriend." I asked. I noticed that he was very uncomfortable immediately following my response to Luke. He once remarked that this would be a typical response from a girl asking someone out whom she did not know. He pressed his lips into a flat line and tsked. This was thought to be a typical response from a girl when asked out by someone they do not know. Honestly, I thought this was going to be so much different from what I expected. I was tempted to begin shouting at him and telling him he was out of his mind, but I resisted. Despite the fact that I was asking him for time, he kept his eyes fixed on me until we reached a compromise. "I will not leave until we have a deal," he said, stepping over to the table where Dylan was sitting and taking the seat opposite him. Luke nodded when Donna pointed to herself. "Excuse me, Miss?" Luke asked. When Luke asked whether there was cheesecake available, he replied, "Yes, there is." Her response was immediate, "Yes, we do." Just as she turned to Dylan with a smile on her face, she smiled as well. "I will bring you two slices. How about anything else?" she asked. Despite my desire to tell Donna not to send any gifts to these clients, due to the fact that they were paying customers, I was not able to do so due to the fact that they had become paying customers. Suddenly I was tempted to tell her not to get anything for them, but I couldn't do it. I was asking for a cup of hot coffee, regular cream with extra sugar, but I couldn't. There was something unnerving about the situation that seemed to be applicable only to me. My sigh was accompanied by a light sigh as I took a step behind the counter to pick up a few pastries before leaving the store. I was close enough to Donna that she whispered to me: "What's going on?" as soon as I approached her. As I said, I had no idea what she was talking about. The excitement in her eyes could be seen all the way down her spine. I wanted to say something that would make him think that I was just asking him out for some fun. I wanted to say that there was no way he was just being cool about it. If he liked me, I would faint. It wasn't just a random act of kindness. It had a purpose. Earlier, he had left an odd note saying that if we were able to work together we would be able to help each other out. The two young men were waiting outside the dining room when I plated two slices of cheesecake with strawberry jam on it and placed the dishes before them. Once I had dragged the chair from another table over to the table where I was sitting, I took a seat. As soon as I heard that you worked at this company, I asked you how you found out. There is a simple answer to that question. It is because I haven't been able to contact you back, so I called your other job, which led me to find you here. A small slice of cheesecake was cut with a fork. He looked at it for awhile before putting a little bit into his mouth. He inspected it for as long as he could before eating it. He made a face when he said, "It was frozen," making an expression that seemed like disgust. Having been somewhat irritated by his reaction, I told him that we were not a pastry shop, but rather a coffee shop. Because he had not been raised in a culture where anything below twenty dollars apiece was considered a bargain, it is probable that he was unused to anything under twenty dollars. As soon as I entered Michelangelo's, I knew right away that I would need to meet with their staff. I knew this from the moment I stepped inside. The information on an employee was supposed to be kept confidential, but they had given it to Luke, who had a different job title. There was a moment when Dylan was so upset that Luke had pulled the cheesecake away from his plate. He tried to take it away, but Luke grabbed it from him out of reach. Ella, why didn't you call me when you could?" "Well, I've already eaten it, but I would have preferred not to waste food." "Why would I?" He looked at me as if to ask, "Who wouldn't?" I've been telling you for ten minutes now how we can help each other out." "I agree, but I'd like to know how you mean?" I asked. The thought of doing something for a man who had everything and didn't need anything seemed absurd to me. It was clear from his tone of voice that he did not want to lose me. He expressed his desire to have a girlfriend. He pointed his

fork at me, and said, "I thought we'd make good business partners." I stared at him. Neither myself nor my reputation can be sold to you for a sum of money, so please, I cannot do that. In terms of your background, or how you grew up, I have no idea who you are. I glanced at Luke and he said, "I'm not here to try to sell you anything." He didn't seem particularly interested in what I was proposing. He seemed a little detached from the whole thing. "I'm more than happy to offer my services to you as a service provider if you are interested in using them." "Like having your own p********e?" "So, like having your own p********e?" "Do you really want that?" No, I exclaimed, wide-eyed and as if he didn't realize what he was asking for, his face was awash with frowning. Was he serious? Could he not see that what he was asking was totally inappropriate? In order to be a part of this project, you just need to accompany me to a few parties, get a few shots and act the part. In spite of the fact that I had seen him some time earlier, I could not believe it. "There is no need for any s****l favors." He stared back at me with his eyes unblinking. His expression was serious. I couldn't believe it either. "Why?" After a few moments of straightening up in his seat, he smoothed out his shirt, sitting a bit straighter. My aversion to marrying someone other than my mom comes from a number of reasons, but the main reason is so I do not have to marry a stranger of her choice." "So you're going to pretend like you have a girlfriend?" to pretend like you have a girlfriend?" "What's the point?" Also, I thought you couldn't force someone to marry anyone else, but I didn't say anything. In the Connor family, there were many things going on that no one knew about. "My mother has given me a six-month deadline to find someone I am interested in. If he found someone he could date, claimed he was in love with them, and then they broke up with him, he knew he could claim he was heartbroken. He could also claim he couldn't move on. He explained that without pausing for breath, he knew that he could say he was too heartbroken to move on. It was evident from the curve of his lips that he was a little proud of what he had planned and that he was pleased. Astonished by Dylan's reaction, I once again looked at him in an attempt to gauge how he would react. This was the first time he had seen anything like it in a long time, and his eyes were filled with joy. Clearly, he was aware and was appalled at how insane and strange his friend was behaving, but he was not saying anything to stop him. After I thought about it for a while, I finally replied, "Er... okay." There was no escaping Luke's gaze and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying. In order to keep you from getting married, would it be okay for me to pretend that I was your girlfriend? " There was a smile on his face and a nod from him. As he fiddled with the dial on my phone, he asked, "Why me?" Mr. Roberts gave me a hopeful smile as he tried to answer. I must admit that your plight caught my eye and I felt slightly guilty about taking you out of your job. The memory made me grimace as my tongue ran along the side of my cheeks. I realized I should not have told you to punch Blake in the face. "No, you did it right there," I confirmed as I grimaced. Luke leaned toward me. "Allow me to make it up to you. Let me compensate you for the month of suspension that you received." Still, the month of suspension was complete bullshit. I was lucky I had a second job to try and make ends meet. I would like you to be my girlfriend. The contract is only meant to last for six months. It was rather weird to hear that I was expecting to get paid just to date somebody. Although I couldn't bear the thought of being paid just to date someone, I was fascinated to find out just how much money would be involved. I did not have a lot of time to spend at the coffee shop. I could barely get by if I was to use my savings alone, let alone make it through the month. Let's assume that I will do what you ask. "Perfect!". Let's just leave it at that! As a matter of fact, let's get serious now about the details," he began, rummaging through his pockets and pulling out his mobile phone. Putting my hands up, I responded, "Wait, I didn't say I agreed yet," I explained, pulling my hands towards my chest. As he glanced at me in an expressionless way, he said, "I think there's a lot to consider." The guy was looking very comfortable in his own skin. He had a very good figure, he was successful, he was wealthy. What else could you want?" He certainly had the confidence to look good. good figure, he was successful, he was wealthy. What else could you want?" He certainly had the confidence to look good. In the midst of the conversation, he turned around in my direction, piercing into my eyes and offering me a serious look. "Don't worry, Ella, it's only gonna last six months," he stated purposefully. The two of you might as well think of it as two friends helping each other out. "But... " I was on the verge of agreeing, but I couldn't lower my feet any lower. I couldn't lower myself that low. I had to uphold some semblance of dignity. "I'll pay you ten thousand per month." I replied shrugging. "Huh?" He smiled cheekily and asked, "That's not bad at all, is it?" What is the monthly average for ten thousand dollars? It was a blink of the eye that sent me into shock. That's not bad at all, is it?" "Huh?" Not bad at all, is it? "A cheeky cry came from him. "How about ten thousand dollars a month? Is it possible that the number of sixty thousand will be the same after six months? I would have been able to earn that in four years if I had tried! He seemed to be taking it very seriously, wasn't he? Are you kidding me? What was I thinking? Clearly, he was serious about what he was saying. It would probably be a waste for him to spend that much money. Even so, the most significant thing to me despite all of this is... Taking a deep breath, I bid farewell to my pride in a quiet manner, as if saying goodbye to whatever worth I thought I had in terms of pride. "Let me know what the terms are," Luke said as he glanced at my proposal, grinning broadly as he said, "Let me know what they are." I asked as we discussed the terms, "Let's talk about it, shall we?"