The first meeting

Phina inhaled deeply as soon as the cab pulled inside the Patrick property. He texted his mother this morning while she was already inside. She was also anxious. She detested pretending to be someone she wasn't and lying to an innocent woman she had never met before. 

She wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for poverty and an unfair life.

She couldn't turn back now, yet she had no option. She pulled out a mirror from her purse, one of the items Patrick had purchased; the idea made her wince. She saw her makeup were applied when she looked in the mirror.

Her friends arrived this morning to assist her with makeup application. Additionally, Avery worked as a makeup artist. Thus, everything was ideal. She had spent the entire evening considering what to dress. The dress Avery had helped her choose that evening didn't appeal to her. Seeing the mother of your boyfriend didn't look good. She needed to choose a yellow flare gown that matched her complexion tone well. It was straightforward but timeless. Likewise, as the proverb goes, "First Impressions Last Longer." She wants to make an excellent first impression of his mother. 

She was pleased with how she looked and hoped that this time, Patrick would approve of her appearance. Because he never found her to be satisfactory. 

Sara and another woman, whom she had never seen, came out to greet her. Sara even puts up a beautiful front. She was grinning the entire time. Still, she was indifferent to it. They assisted her with her possessions. They then entered. 

As soon as she entered the now-familiar home, she noticed Patrick, dressed in his usual corporate attire, descend the spiral staircase accompanied by another woman. She was gorgeous in her pricey lace and shorter than he was. She's a designer, so she can recognize one when she sees one. She couldn't help but ponder how much the tailor who sews the clothing may have received. 

She wouldn't be here if she had four of her as customers. 

"Phina, wow. This is where you are. I apologize for arriving late. Patrick announced his resignation right away. His face was plastered with a big smile. 

Is the man performing? She questioned herself quietly. He didn't even have to smile from the heart to be so genuine. 

And it's all a ruse to trick his mom. She feels a little sorry for the stunning woman. She now knows the source of the jerk's gaze. 

It's alright. You're here right now." She pretended to be concerned as she spoke, so she was taken aback when he embraced her. Before he withdrew, she noticed his mother grinning at them and tensed up in his arm. 

"Mom. "Good morning, mother." She bowed and gave a polite greeting. 

The woman grinned, looking surprised. "Oh please, get up. What's up with you? How did your travels go?" 

"It went well. I'm grateful. It's nice to meet you at last, Mom." I call her Heartie." Patrick said. 

And Phina arched a brow in admiration. What on earth does he mean when he says that? Is he attempting to enrage her? She does not go by "Heartie." His mom repeated it. 

She gave the woman a brief correction while grinning. 

"Ma, don't mind, Ricky." Even though she feels his hand tense next to her, she keeps going. "That's Seraphina. My mother, Seraphina. My name is Seraphina, mom. All Patrick wants to call me is Heartie." 

"All right, sweetheart. Seraphina. I like the name. 

"Thank you, ma." 

"Come and sit, my dear." Mrs. Betty, Patrick's mom, told her to go to the recliner. They then sat down. His mother sat across from them, and Patrick sat next to her. "The dinner is almost ready. I have a wonderful surprise in store for you." 

"Ma, you don't have to do that. It's alright. I'm not that bad. 

"I won't permit that, no. You and I will meet for the first time when you come to my son's residence." With her trademark smile, she said. "And you've been on a long journey." 

She nodded, wondering what the jerk Patrick had told his mother. She glanced at him, but he did not return the glance. He was searching in other places. 

They ate breakfast together at the table later. For breakfast, Mrs. Betty cooked and Phina gives her cooking some praise. 

"Thank you, my dear." She smiled, appreciating it. She turned to face her son. Phina could see that she was proud of him—or perhaps her decision to become his girlfriend. 

If only she were aware. Bitterly, she considered. 

"So, Phina, do you work as a businesswoman?" 

She gave Patrick a look. He was smiling and staring at her, but there was more going on in his eyes than just a smile. She notices the 'you better play along' expression on his face. 

"Madam, not a businesswoman. Fashion design is what I do." Says she. It was accurate. There's no more lying to this woman from her. "I'm still developing professionally. Patrick also wishes to assist me." 

She heard Patrick give a slight cough. 

"Sorry." said his mother. And Phina's eyes rolled uncontrollably. "That's fantastic, Phina. I won't have to carry my clothes anywhere else after that." 

"Yes, ma." With eagerness, she spoke. 

"That's excellent. I will remember that. Thus, you always travel out of the country." 

"Not really, mom. My fashion company is limited to The Bahamas and the Cuba. I go to The Bahamas more frequently." She told a lie. She can't claim to be anything more than that, even though that isn't what Patrick had told her. Since her mother is from The Bahamas and her grandparents lived there until they passed away, she traveled there at least until she was eighteen. 

"Okay." The woman doesn't seem the least irritated and seems to believe her. That's pleasant. Please excuse my constant queries. I want to learn more about you. Patrick rarely discusses you. I only found out about you last week. Could you imagine?" Taking a peek at Patrick, she asked. 

She's amused, not furious. Her devotion to her son was admirable. 

"Patrick rarely talks about emotion or personal feelings." Now, she felt Patrick's gaze upon her. Most of the time, I had to persuade him to tell me about himself. My mother and I are still getting used to it. 

"You will be surprised that even I, his mother, haven't gotten used to it," stated Mrs. Betty. Phina grinned as well. 

They had a conversation for about an hour after breakfast. It pleased Phina that the woman wasn't one of the typical wealthy men's mothers. She was pleasant to talk to, uncomplicated, and laid back. Phina told her about her fashion business plans, and she told her about her bag and shoe business. 

Patrick sat silently and listened to the women's conversation the entire time. As he sipped his wine, Phina could see he was bored. 

Mrs. Betty eventually left to allow the pair some alone time. They escorted her to her car, where her security and driver were waiting. 

"Follow me." When he stepped into the living room behind her, Patrick let out a moan. 

They had witnessed the departure of his mother's jeep from the premises. She turned to leave the home when she saw Patrick was silent, and his eyes were fixed on the walkway. His footsteps trailed behind her, and she heard his voice reverberate through the magnificent living room. She gave him a glance at his back as he ascended the steps, then silently followed her instructions. 

After leading her up the stairs to a brief hallway, he unlocked the door leading to a room. He tossed the key onto the table next to the entrance. And he essentially pulled her into the space. 

"What the hell was that Phina?" With anger, he said. "Is that what I suggested you say, too? You can't claim to be foolish for not seeing the communication in those eyes. The rules are with you. So you're making me appear foolish to my mum?" He gave her a growl. 

"Do you have to push me?" Ignoring the remainder of his words, she inquired aggressively. She was more concerned about the fact that he had hauled her roughly into the room than with that at the moment. Instead of shouting at him, she was holding back. How could he be such a jerk after acting so lovely just a moment ago? 

Is that what you're asking for? As I reminded you, Taylor told you. I hope you've succeeded in portraying me as a deceitful son who doesn't even know his girlfriend." His expression was enraged as he growled. 

"Hey, wait, first and foremost, don't you dare yell at me!" He was stunned by what she had said. "You are not being asked to lie to your mother by me. What she thinks of you after today's events is not my concern. Deal with the decision you made. You wanted to lie about who I am and what I do for a living, and it was already too much that we had to tell her that I am your girlfriend. I should have asked you what I wanted in addition. Most of the work is being done by me. I'm not a performer. 

"You should have known that before you accepted the deal." Patrick spit out. 

With a sigh, she spoke. "I take no offense at all. Still, she seems to believe me, doesn't she? Furthermore, nothing happened. What's up with the attitude, then? You should have hired an actress if you weren't uncomfortable with it or needed someone who followed the script. Additionally, please never touch me. That's what the contract specifies. Right?" Exasperated, she questioned. 

He was dumbfounded. He gave her a look as if she had developed two horns. 

"What do you just say?" He scoffed as he asked. 

As in what you hear, literally. Patrick, please don't aggravate me, and we can get along. You can now leave if this is my room. I wish to get dressed differently." With that, she turned angrily away. 

He gave her a long, hard look. 

"We are not done." She rolled her eyes at what he said and looked away. She heard the door forcefully close. 

She wiped her eyes off the tears that had fallen. She detested being yelled at. She also detested being treated like trash. Because of this, she tried to avoid interacting with people who weren't her type. 

She moved over to the bed and took a seat. And for the first time, she turned to face the room. It was spacious and well-kept. In actuality, it was larger than both her and her brother's rooms put together. It had blue wallpaper all over it, and it looked adorable and relaxed. There's a blue comforter on the bed as well. The floor was tiled as well. 

There were two doors, she saw. She got to her feet and opened the door leading to the restroom. It was almost all white, and it had racks and a shower. Everything appeared fresh and orderly. 

She exited the en suite restroom and proceeded to the adjacent door. It appears to be a closet. There were spaces for bags to be placed and an empty shoe rack. A tiny pink bed is also located in the middle. She assumes that the three long rolls of cupboards at one end are where she will store her clothes. Her suitcases were positioned near the mirror and dressing table. 

Everything in the room was in its place. She pondered whether he had done this specifically for their ex-girlfriend. 

She spent the rest of the day in the room. She is not interested in seeing Patrick. She was aware that she had gone too far. That wasn't the right way for her to speak to him. She had no idea what he might do to her. Nor did she regret it, though. He also needed to respect her if they were going to share a residence for thirty days. 

She will respect and keep her distance from him, but he must also do that. He also needed to show her respect. Even if he was paying her, she still deserves that. They needed one another. Therefore, they should take care of business as usual and return to what needs to be done. If not, he will be responsible for handling the repercussions. She had not been raised to be a coward. When she feels like it, she can be forthright. 

However, she hopes his rage will subside when she meets him again. 

************

She gave her father a call later that day. 

"Hello, sweetheart. How's the place? I hope you managed to avoid upsetting Mr. Patrick." Her dad enquired. 

"Not me, dad. Don't you trust me? She asked, her lips pursed. 

"I do, of course. I only have to confirm. Both of you and him don't know him very well. Thus, how are you doing?" Worried, he asked her. 

"Everything is good thus far. I'm in the space he assigned me. It has nice furnishings. A girl's fantasy room, indeed. The majority of the items are stunning and pricey. And rather pleasant. "I wish you were here." As she surveyed the space, she made a statement. After Patrick left the room, she inspected every item of furniture in the house for hours on end. She picks up how to operate the equipment in the main bathroom. Some gadgets made her appear foolish, and others she just had to accept since she didn't know how to manage them and didn't want to get into trouble by breaking something in the house. 

"Phina, don't grow used to it; I wouldn't say you shouldn't enjoy it while you're there. You understand how to get there and why. It is just momentary. Keep it from bothering you. Additionally, never lose sight of your inner child." Calmly, her father answered her. 

"Daddy, I won't. I swear." 

"I'm grateful, my sweet Seraphina. How did your encounter with his mom go? Mrs. Betty. 

"She's pleasant. Her son is not as amiable as she is. I like her. The fact that I must tell her I am dating her son hurts." With sadness, she said. 

That's one of the fallout from the choices you made, sweetie. You will need to handle it. However, I'm happy that she thinks well of you. Mrs. Betty was a kind woman from the beginning. She is kinder than her son, Mr. Patrick." He spoke in favor of it. 

Oh, yes, Daddy. But why do you refer to him as Mr. Patrick's dad? His name is Patrick. His given name." Curious, she asked. 

"I see you are calling him Patrick." He observed. 

She let out a groan. "If I am his girlfriend, I cannot address him as Mr. It will sound strange. Furthermore, he didn't object when I addressed him by his first name." 

"All right. If you say so. You're right, too. He goes by Patrick by name. However, he detests being referred to by his last name. The majority of people call him Patrick. Few people are aware of his last name." He responded to his daughter. 

"Daddy, do you know his surname?" She enquired. 

"I do, indeed. I asked one of his friends once. MacDowell is here. 

"MacDowell. It's a stylish name. Why does he object to being addressed by name? 

"You have an inquisitive nature. Seraphina, I don't have the answer, but watch what you ask for. Please, I beg of you. Phina, try not to let your curiosity overwhelm you." 

"You've started, Daddy. Give up being so theatrical. You have been heard. I refuse to put myself in danger. Do you suppose I'll sit down and ask Patrick—oh, Mr. Patrick—all of this?" She pouted as she spoke. His gaze alone is sufficient to silence her. Inside, she was finished. 

"Alright, I've heard you." He stated. 

"How are the twins doing? Already, I'm missing them. I'll give them another call after they get back from school." 

"All right. Be careful, my love." He stated. 

"You too, Dad." She finished her sentence with a kiss before hanging up. 

She will genuinely miss her family.