Dave felt a bit awkward, too. He thought Bianca was still sleeping, so he didn’t bother to get dressed after his shower. But when she unexpectedly appeared, he realized his mistake.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to ease the tension. They had slept under the same roof, so seeing him half-naked shouldn’t be a big deal.
“Sorry about that. I just finished showering. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Then Dave went back to his room.
Bianca felt relieved when Dave retreated to his room. But her heart was still racing from the unexpected encounter. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but notice Dave’s toned physique his broad shoulders, defined abs, and chest.
Immediately realizing her inappropriate thoughts, Bianca shook her head vigorously, trying to push the idea away. She scolded herself for such naughty thinking and tried to focus on other things.
When Dave emerged from his room, fully dressed, he noticed the simple breakfast Bianca had prepared. It wasn’t what he was used to, but he appreciated the gesture. Despite his initial hesitation, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the meal she had bought for him.
After eating, they caught the bus, just like Bianca suggested. They were trying to save money, after all.
Riding the bus, Dave couldn’t help but feel like he was living a more ordinary, down-to-earth life.
As they wandered through the wholesale market, Bianca took charge, negotiating with the merchants while Dave handled the bags. He was amazed at how skilled she was at bargaining, managing to lower prices by half.
Dave had never bothered with prices before; he simply bought what he wanted. Seeing Bianca’s tactics, he realized how valuable it was to negotiate for better deals.
Watching the vendors’ faces fall when Bianca paid less than they expected made Dave chuckle.
“Have you been here before? You seem like you know what you’re doing,” he asked curiously.
Bianca leaned in and whispered, “Actually, it’s my first time here. But a friend told me that paying more than half the price isn’t worth it. I don’t like being cheated!”
Dave looked at her in surprise as though he had learned something shocking.
After finishing their shopping, Bianca and Dave struggled with their heavy bags. Since it was hard to carry everything on the bus, they opted for a taxi instead.
Back home, Bianca wasted no time in decorating the apartment.
Dave wanted to pitch in, but he wasn’t sure what to do.
“Could you hand me that painting, Mr. Evans?” Bianca asked. She was on a chair, ready to hang the painting they bought on the living room wall.
Dave promptly handed her the painting she wanted.
Bianca tried to prop the painting against the wall but struggled to reach. She ended up losing her balance and falling backward with the painting!
Thankfully, Dave was right behind her. He caught her in his arms, preventing her from hitting the ground. After helping her up, he instructed, “Step down from there. I’ll take care of it.”
Bianca, visibly shaken, complied and stepped off the chair, allowing Dave to take over.
Dave, being tall, easily hung the painting on the wall without any trouble.
“True, a house needs someone to make it a home,” Bianca sighed with a hint of longing.
Dave grinned and joked, “And a house needs a hostess too, or else I wouldn’t have gotten such good deals on all these beautiful things!”
As they worked side by side, Bianca couldn’t help but feel a strange flutter in her heart. It almost felt like they were a married couple!
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on the task at hand. Together, they spent the next few hours decorating the apartment.
By the time they finished, it was already late afternoon. Bianca looked around the apartment, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.
“Now, this place finally feels like home!”
As Dave admired their newly decorated home, memories from his childhood flooded back. He remembered how his mother used to create a warm and inviting atmosphere with her decorations, just like Bianca had done today. His father never intervened with his mother’s hobby, allowing her to express herself freely.
Back then, Dave used to get annoyed when his mother decorated his room without asking him first.
But now, he found himself missing those times dearly. He realized that no one had decorated space for him since then, and he hadn’t experienced that sense of warmth in a long time.
“Mr. Evans, what’s on your mind?” Bianca asked, noticing him lost in thought.
Dave snapped out of it and smiled. “Oh, nothing. Did we forget anything?”
Bianca scanned the room and noticed the empty balcony.
“You know what would make it perfect? Some fresh flowers on the balcony…”
Looking at Bianca’s beautiful side profile, Dave asked in a soft voice, “What kind of flowers do you like? I’ll go out and buy some when I have the time.”
“Any colorful ones will do,” Bianca replied kindly. “You seem tired. We can talk about it later.”
Dave agreed and hurried to change before heading out for his meeting.
Once in the car, he called Franklin Selleck, the butler of Evans Manor.
“Franklin, please bring some colorful flower pots from the greenhouse to my apartment at Waterfront Apartments. Come tomorrow during the day and arrange them on the balcony.”
“Got it, Mr. Evans.”
Franklin couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised by Dave’s request. After all, Dave had never shown any interest in flowers before…
‘Could it be that he has a girlfriend?’
****
On Monday, Bianca graduated and officially joined Phoenix Entertainment’s agency department. Jessica, her supervisor, handed her a stack of documents.
“Take a couple of days to go through these. They’re all about our new artists,” Jessica instructed. She pulled out one document and placed it on the top of the stack. “This is our latest sensation. The company has high hopes for her, so focus on learning about her.”
When Bianca saw the photo on the top document, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
‘How could it be, Ashley?’
“Jessica, why is the company so interested in promoting Jasmine?” Bianca asked, puzzled.
Jessica gave her a strange look and replied, “Isn’t it obvious? If you don’t know, maybe you shouldn’t be here.”
With that, she left, leaving Bianca to ponder her words. But before leaving, she added, “I know you and Jasmine had a disagreement at the airport, but work is work. We can’t change the company’s decision.”
Feeling burdened, Bianca sighed deeply. Why did fate have to make her work in the same company as Ashley?