9 Faking It

The next morning, after leaving early morning and a few hours of travel, Clara finally reached a hotel in a city hundreds of miles away from home.

She paused in front of a door, raising her hand to knock softly. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal a tall, burly man with blonde hair. His handsome face broke into a wide smile as he caught sight of her.

"Clara, we were waiting for you," John greeted warmly, stepping aside to let her in. "Everyone's already here."

Clara gave John a small smile, stepping inside the hotel room to greet the others. She spotted Julia and Trevor, both standing and engaged in a discussion that paused as she entered the room. "Sorry if I kept you all waiting," Clara apologized, her tone slightly melancholic. "It wasn't easy parting with Alex this time."

John placed a reassuring hand on Clara's shoulder, his grin unwavering. "Don't worry about it, Clara. We've all been there," he said, his light silver eyes glinting with understanding.

Julia, her jet-black hair cascading down her petite frame, stepped forward. Her eyes held a concerned look as she addressed Clara, "I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you, breaking the news to him."

The room fell into a sympathetic silence until it was broken by a dry chuckle from Trevor.

The 60-year-old man, his iron-grey hair and short beard neatly trimmed, leaned against the wall, a playful smirk playing on his lips. His wisdom-laden eyes gleamed with a subtle charm as he scoffed, "Let's not act as though we're parting forever. Time will fly before we even know it."

Despite the tense atmosphere, Clara couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Trevor's jest.

Once everyone had settled, Clara's countenance hardened, her eyes alight with determination, "We're in Len Luren's city now, the puppet master of Lumen City. We should get down to business," she announced.

Her gaze turned towards Trevor, the man known for devising their strategies, "Trevor, do we have a plan for me to infiltrate Leon's organization? Through his real estate business as Director Paula suggested?"

Trevor's face took on a grave expression as he picked up a file from the table, "About that…" he began, his voice slightly strained, "We've been waiting to tell you, and it seems like there's a small problem."

Clara furrowed her brow as she took the file from him, her eyes darting over the pages. As she flipped through the documents, her eyebrows knitted together even more tightly.

Sensing her confusion and concern, Julia let out a sigh, her black hair shimmering under the room's artificial lighting. She shook her head and said, "We've already gone through Trevor's report. Apparently, Leon's new gated community is only accepting couples to buy his villas."

Clara's gaze shifted from the file to her team members, her brows raised in incredulity. "This can't be…How exactly am I supposed to infiltrate if Leon is only allowing couples to purchase his new villas?"

Her voice carried a note of exasperation, "I can't believe Director Paula would assign us such a high-stakes operation without considering this."

Julia's dark eyes met Clara's, a rueful smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She clicked her tongue, "Actually, Director Paula was already aware of the situation," she revealed, her tone droll.

Clara's eyebrows shot up even further in surprise.

Julia continued, her fingers absently tapping on the tabletop, "Trevor had a discussion with her when he discovered this detail. Paula's solution was pretty straightforward—Clara, you need a fake husband. And then just pose as a couple and buy a villa."

The room fell into a stunned silence as Clara's eyes widened. The words seemed to echo in the silence, bouncing off the hotel room walls.

"A fake husband?" Clara's voice was barely above a whisper, her mind spinning at the absurdity of the proposal, "Is she really serious?"

Trevor nodded, his eyes firmly locked onto Clara's. "Paula is indeed serious," he confirmed, "She's already set up everything to ensure this goes as smoothly as possible."

"Set up everything? What do you mean?" Clara's brow furrowed, confusion painting her features.

At this, John let out an awkward laugh. The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at him, waiting for him to speak. He shrugged, "Well," he began, a silly smile on his face, "Director Paula selected me to be your fake husband. We'll be posing as a couple to buy the villa. I know…I felt the same shock as you are feeling now. At this point, I am wondering if I entered the wrong career, haha."

"This is..." Clara stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. Her gaze shifted to Julia, looking for confirmation.

Julia nodded, her lips curved into a reassuring smile. "At least you don't have to pair up with someone you don't know," she pointed out, "And even though Johnny here can be a goof, he knows how to put on a good act."

Trevor chimed in with a thumbs-up, "Paula has prepared a solid backstory for both of you. You're supposed to be newlyweds and nouveau riche personalities, looking for a top-tier villa as your first home together."

Collecting her thoughts, Clara took a deep breath and nodded. Turning to Julia, she said with a brief smile. "You're right," she conceded, "This... this doesn't change anything. It feels like the old days when Johnny and I used to work together in the field."

"Damn right. Sigh, I miss those days…the thrill and excitement was something I have always wanted to feel again and seems like my wish has finally come true," John said with an excited smile as Clara shook her head with a helpless smile.

Clara then asked, "So, what's our next move? How do we initiate the plan?"