INTRICATE PUZZLE

"What's going on here?" Dahlia asked, her voice stern and serious. 

 Violet nudged Gael, urging him to speak up, Dahlia could be intimidating when she wore that expression, even though her face always seemed to be set in a perpetual frown. 

 "We, uh... we made a list." Gael stuttered, glancing nervously at Violet. "A list of all the guys you've had a fling with."

 Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "And so?" She asked, her tone not giving away what she was thinking. 

 "There must be a few of them who would be interested in something more serious, like the heir to Go's Motors or that bartender who kept pestering you in your DMs." Gael said, trying to sound convincing. "So I set up a meeting with a few of them."

 Dahlia stared at him, speechless. She couldn't believe that they had done such a thing. Was he really so desperate to get her married off? 

 "Why would you do that?" She finally managed to say. "Do you really think I'd want to have anything serious to do with those losers?" Dahlia scoffed, rolling her eyes. She sighed heavily, clearly unimpressed by their plan. 

 "Let's look on the bright side, if one of them agrees to marry you, you could get your citizenship certificate in as little as two weeks." Violet interjected, trying to stay optimistic. "I know you don't want to marry any of those guys." She added, her voice sympathetic. "But we don't have much of a choice. We can just think of it as using them to get what we want - the citizenship certificate. And once we have that, we can cut them off." She demonstrated with a sharp gesture, as if she was cutting a piece of paper in half. 

 They knew they had to do something to help her, but they weren't sure what it was. She looked so calm and collected, despite the fact that she was facing the loss of her company in just two weeks. She was impossible to read, and they couldn't even predict her next move. It was as if she were an intricate puzzle, with pieces that they couldn't quite fit together. No matter how hard they tried to figure her out, she remained a mystery. What they knew was that Dahlia needed help, and they were determined to give it to her. 

 Dahlia's expression began to soften after she heard Violet's words, the tension in her shoulders relaxed. "What's the plan?" She asked, her voice calmer than it had been before. 

 "Well," Gael began, his voice growing more confident as he spoke. "We set up a meeting with each of the guys and the first one is at 2pm." He glanced at his watch. "Oh, shoot, it's 1pm already! You have just an hour to get ready!"

 Dahlia's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't realized how quickly time had flown by. 

 "I'm only doing this because you suggested it, and because of the company." Dahlia said, her voice firm. "But I want you to know that I'm not happy with it."

 Gael smiled, trying to hide his excitement. "Yes, I know." He said, his voice sincere. "I know this isn't easy for you, but I appreciate your willingness to try."

 Dahlia just shrugged and sat on the chair, resting her head. "Let's just get this over with." She said, sounding more resigned than enthusiastic. 

 *********

 [At The Sinclair's Mansion ]

 "What did you say you did again?" Margaret asked, still laughing. 

 "I contacted the guys she once had a fling with." Miranda repeated, her tone dry. "And made them a nice offer in return for standing Dahlia up."

 June smirked, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "How did you even know she would be contacting her flings?" She asked. "It's seems like a bit of a stretch."

 "I have my ways." Miranda said, her expression undecipherable. 

 June shook her head. "It won't be that easy." She frowned, creasing her brow. "Dahlia is too smart to fall for something like that. She'll see through it in an instant." No matter how much she hated that bitch, she shouldn't be underestimated. 

 "You underestimate my cunning." Miranda replied, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I have few tricks up my sleeve."

 "Do tell." Margaret leaned forward in anticipation. 

 "That would spoil the surprise." Miranda said, wagging a finger in her mother's direction. "You'll just have to wait and see."

 Emily tutted as she shook her head. "I feel pity for poor Dahlia."

 "Pity?" Margaret echoed, her voice incredulous. "Do you know what that woman did to us? She disrespected our family. I wonder what she did to Anthony to make him leave the company to her." She wondered just what her late husband was thinking when he willed the company to a stranger. 

 "Whether you like it or not, that's not enough to take her down." Aidan finally spoke, breaking his silence. "Dahlia is too smart to fall for that." He took a sip of his wine, his gaze thoughtful. "What if I seduced her and married her instead? I could get control of the company that way."

 The women all turned to look at him, their expressions a max of disbelief and disgust. 

 "You think Dahlia would marry a fool like you?" June scoffed. "Even I wouldn't marry you." She scornfully said. 

 "I'll take care of Dahlia, you stay out of it." Miranda told Aidan, standing up and grabbing her purse. "I'm off to the company."

 Margaret smiled. "Ok, goodbye."

 As soon as Miranda left, Emily sighed. "Lucky her, at least she has a position in the company, we have nothing."

 "What do you mean we have nothing?" June shot back, her brow furrowed. "The company also belongs to us, it's our Father's blood, sweat and tears, and we won't let a stranger take it away from us."

 "Don't worry." Mrs Sinclair said, a sly smile playing on her lips. "After two weeks, the company will be ours and no one else's. We are the rightful owners." She was sure there was no way Dahlia could get a citizen certificate within two weeks, she would have no other choice but to leave the company to them. Just the thought of it made her heart pound in excitement, she could now sleep in peace.