Chapter 5

Casey doesn't want to pretend as his girlfriend in front of his parents and friends, but she had no choice. She needs to agree with him. If she didn't agree with him, she'll suffer for more living in the streets. She found someone who could help her. Niccolo wants to help her. It's her only chance to get out from the suffering she had experienced when she arrived in Manila from the province where she was born. Casey closed her eyes and took a very deep breath before she opens her mouth and answers him.

"I'll agree with you," she said. "I'll pretend as your girlfriend, but you need to help me." There's a wide smile appears on his face when he hears her agreeing with him to pretend as his girlfriend.

"Thank you so much for agreeing with me, Casey. I promise you, I'll help you," he said. Casey nods quickly. "Thank you, Niccolo."

After they'd talked inside the restaurant, Niccolo brought her to the mall. Niccolo bought her new clothes and fixed her looks in the salon. She needs to look more elegant and presentable to his parents because she'll be introduced as his girlfriend as soon as possible. Casey looked at the mirror. She's so pretty.

"Do you like your new look?" Niccolo asked her. She shook her head and said, "Yes. But I think you don't need to do it for me."

Niccolo gasped. "You know it's part of pretending as my girlfriend, Casey. You should fix yourself. You should dress properly. My parents would become disappointed if they'd seen you like a beggar. You need to look pretty and attractive to them. You are poor, but don't show it to them," he said, reminding her.

Casey nodded. "Okay. I got it. What's next?"

"Follow me," Niccolo said. They left the salon immediately. Niccolo brought him to his condominium where he lives. He decided to live in the condominium alone without his parents. Casey couldn't believe when she saw his condominium and it looks like you're in a five star hotel. She hasn't experienced being in the condominium and she experienced it already because of him who promised to help her, but she needs to pretend as his girlfriend.

"This is my condominium," Niccolo announces. Casey was still amazed seeing his condominium. "Is it your first time to enter a condominium, huh?" He asked her.

Casey shook her head quickly. "Yes. This is my first time. I never thought you would have a condominium. Well, it wasn't surprising since you're a billionaire and you have plenty of money in your back account," she said. Niccolo can't control himself not to laugh. He laughed.

"I know. But you don't have to say it to me, Casey. I know it from the start. I don't want to show off to everyone," he said.

"Where's your house?" Casey asked.

"W-what? This is my house, Casey," he corrected her. She grimaced as she heard his answer, but that's not what she really means to hear from him.

"No, I mean..." She grumbled.

"What?"

"You consider this condominium as your house, but I just want to hear from you if you have a house which is not a condominium. You're a billionaire. You have plenty of money and you can buy everything you want. But do you have a mansion? Wealthy people like you live in the mansion, right?" Casey answered.

He bit his lower lip before he speaks to him. "Well, I have a mansion. My parents are living there. I decided to live in a condominium to experience living alone without my parents. Since I was young I lived with my parents. I want to experience living alone without them, so I left and bought my own condominium. I moved here last year and I enjoyed living alone. I learned how to be independent, Casey. Is it clear to you now?" Niccolo explained to her. She nodded immediately.

"Okay. It's clear to me. Thank you for answering my questions. You're so lucky," Casey said. He smiled at her.

"What did you say? I'm lucky?" Niccolo said.

"Yes. Can't you see that you're a lucky person, huh? You have everything, right? You have money, power, fame, and everything. You're a lucky person. You didn't experience the sufferings of the poor people," she said. His face looks serious as she said it to him. "You couldn't ask for more. You can have everything you want easily."

"You were wrong, Casey. I can't have everything I want. For you, I have everything in life, but you're wrong because I can't have it. Don't say it, please," Niccolo corrected her.

Casey frowns. "What do you mean you can't have everything, huh? Is it because of the woman you love who's not yet saying yes to you? Is she the reason why you told me like that, huh?" Niccolo breathes heavily.

"My life isn't perfect. I couldn't have everything in life, Casey. No one can have everything in life. Only God can have it all and not us. Do you understand me?" Niccolo answered. He didn't answer her questions directly. It seems like he's avoiding it. Casey shut her mouth and didn't talk about it to him. She doesn't want to annoy him because of those questions she asked.

His parents are pressuring him to introduce to them his girlfriend, but he wasn't ready because the woman he loves hasn't yet agreeing to be his girlfriend. Kira Ramirez is the woman he courted for almost three years, but she didn't say yes until now. He felt irritated to his parents. They keep on pressuring him about it day and night. Luckily, he met Casey who needs his help, so he took the chances to make his parents stop pressuring him. His parents will stop if he introduces his girlfriend to them. He'll introduce Casey as his girlfriend to his parents.

"I'll introduce you to my parents and you need to be ready. This is the only thing I can do just to stop them from pressuring me, Casey," he said, reminding her again.

"I agreed with you already and I can't change it, so I must go on and face the consequences soon. You promised to help me and you did it starting today," Casey said.

"Yes, of course. I'm starting to help you this day," he said. "You don't have to feel worried at all." Niccolo reassured her. Niccolo wanted her to stay in his condominium, but she insisted to go back to the park where her friend Cora is waiting for her. It's already dark.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't accept it because my friend needs me. I'm sure she's waiting for me at this hour. I don't want my friend to wait for me. I need to go back into the park and see her, please. Allow me to go back to the park where my friend is waiting for me," Casey said, begging for him to let her go back to her friend Cora.

He shook his head and said, "Okay, fine. I'll let you go back to your friend, but it'll be the last for you to sleep in the park. Starting tomorrow, you'll sleep here in my condominium. Since you agreed with me to pretend as my girlfriend, you must stay here in my condominium. You can no longer say anything about it. You should stay here in my condominium whether you like it or not," Niccolo said.

"I don't know why you want me to stay here in your condominium, but because you're the one I need this time, I would follow you," Casey said.

"But if you don't need me, you're not going to follow me, isn't? Is that what you mean, huh?" Niccolo asked her with a frown. Casey chuckled. "No. I mean, I respect you so I'll follow you. I have no choice, right?"

"It's still the same, Casey. Don't make it more complicated. You won't like it for sure," he said. Casey grimaced. "Anyway, I'll drive you to the park," he insisted.

Her eyes got bigger as she heard it from him. "No! No! Don't do it, please. I can go there alone. You're just wasting your time. You can have your time to relax now. You should rest, please," she refused.

"It's too early for me to rest, Casey. I'll drive you to the park," he insisted again. "Don't refuse, please."

"Okay. I'll let you drive me to the park if that's what you really want," she said.

"There's no problem driving you to the park. I want to make sure you're safe," he said. Casey smiled silently as she heard it. He's concerned for her.