Chapter 7

"What do you think, Al?" Cassandra asked Al once again; the woman seemed impatient to hear Al Vino's decision.

Al was still silent, as if he were considering the offer given by Cassandra.

After thinking for a while, Al nodded in agreement. "Alright!" said Al.

Cassandra smiled with satisfaction. "Good. Now come with me to the mansion; there are some things we need to discuss before we go to the party," Cassandra said.

Once again, Al just nodded obediently to Cassandra's orders. Al thought that maybe this was a great opportunity for him.

Al confidently continued to follow Cassandra's steps toward her parked car.

Arriving at the mansion, Cassandra immediately took Al to her study.

Al could only stare in awe at the design of this room.

"Sit down, Al!" Cassandra ordered. 

Hesitant, Al sat down on the soft sofa. He looked very tense. 

"Al, I've been looking into you for a month now," Cassandra said in a serious tone. "In fact, I know everything, including your past and your family. I even know about Angela and Crish. One more thing: the diamond necklace left by your late mother," Cassandra added. 

Al was wide-eyed after hearing that Cassandra had been finding out about his identity. 

"What did you find out about me for, Miss Cassie?" Al asked curiously. "Now I'm just a poor, useless man. I have nothing left but my pride," Al added with a lopsided smile. 

Cassandra shook her head. "No, Al. Don't look down on yourself; it's not nice. I found out about you because I felt sure you could help me," Cassandra said. "You know what? Up until now, Jerry has been a nuisance. I need someone I can rely on, and I believe you're the one."

A feeling of emotion rose in Al's heart, but he tried to hide it.

"So, where's the diamond necklace? I want to see it. Is it really mine?" 

"Of course, the diamond necklace is yours. I paid more than ten times as much for it," Cassandra said. 

Then, Cassandra called Joe, her assistant. The man Al had seen with Cassandra came in carrying a small box and documents. 

"Wait... wait!" said Al then. 

"Why, Al?" asked Cassandra. 

"So he's your assistant, Miss Cassie?" asked Al, thinking that the man was the one Cassandra had paid to be her husband. 

"Yes, Joe is my assistant. Why?" Cassandra's brow furrowed. 

"Oh, no, no!" Al didn't want to talk about it. 

So Joe handed Cassandra the small box and the documents. 

Cassandra opened the small box. "Take a good look, Al. Is this your diamond necklace?" Cassandra said, taking the necklace from the box and placing it in front of Al.

Al took the diamond necklace, and sure enough, the necklace was really his.

"If you have any doubts, I'll show you this." Cassandra showed him a photo on her phone of the woman who bought the necklace a month ago. "Do you remember this woman, Al Vino Chandra?" she asked.

"Yes, I know her. And this necklace is mine," Al replied, not expecting the diamond necklace to be back in his possession.

"And here is the contract. You read and study it," Cassandra said later.

Hesitant, Al picked up the document. With trembling hands, he opened the document and began to read it carefully. As he read, curiosity and confusion were clearly depicted on his face. The contents of the contract were really shocking and nerve-wracking at the same time.

The contents of the contract were:

Al Vino Chandra must be willing to be Alessandria Cassandra Lee's husband, until Cassandra became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Cassandra only wanted a son to continue her business in the future, to inherit all her wealth.

If Al Vino Chandra agreed, then he would get the diamond necklace, and would even become a leader in one of Cassandra's companies. A mysterious company, no one even knows who owns it, so Al can easily claim it as his own. 

And Al Vino Chandra had the right to touch Cassandra Lee even at Cassandra's request. And Al may not touch Cassandra without permission. If Al violated or tried to escape for personal gain, Cassandra would take Al to court, even to the point of threatening to kill him. 

Al swallowed hard, trying to control his emotions and process all the information he had just received. 

"So this is the deal she's talking about," Al muttered to himself, feeling that every decision he made now would determine his future. "This... this is horrible, but the benefits are also incredible. However, can I really trust this woman? What is the real purpose hiding behind this offer?" Al continued to wonder to himself. 

"How about it, are you willing, Al?" asked Cassandra.

"But, if you give birth to a girl, what then?" asked Al.

"Yes, try again, Al! We'll try again until I have a male offspring," Cassandra replied. She smiled at Al, "I know this may be very difficult for you. But believe me, every man who comes near me just wants to control my wealth. I need someone I can trust completely, and I see that potential in you. So, what do you say, Al? Are you willing to take this contract? For a better future, or are you going to let this opportunity pass you by?" Cassandra asked as if putting pressure on Al. 

Al was silent for a moment, thinking about all the things that had happened to him. He looked at Cassandra, a woman who looked so beautiful and even very smart and intelligent. Finally, he picked up the pen and signed the contract.

"I agree," Al said firmly.

Cassandra smiled with satisfaction and said, "Good. Now we are a couple," Cassandra said, and she and Al shook hands.

Since Angela and Crish's engagement party was tonight. So Cassandra had to change Al's appearance first. 

"Joe!" called Cassandra.

"Yes, Miss Cassie.

"You get all of Al's things ready for tonight. I don't want to see Al looking rough at the party!" Cassandra ordered.

Joe nodded.

After Joe left, Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief. She was relieved now that she had found the man who would help her secure all her wealth. 

"Miss Cassie," Al said suddenly. 

Cassandra immediately turned to Al, "Yes, what's wrong?" she asked. 

"I have serious doubts! Will they believe that I'm the owner of the company?" Al asked, he was really very doubtful. 

"You just relax, Al! It can be arranged," Cassandra replied casually. Maybe she had prepared everything so that she was so confident in her words. 

Not long after, Joe came with a stylist who was ready to change Al Vino's appearance. 

And Al felt uncomfortable when the man introduced as Marco began to shave off his thin mustache and beard.

"You seriously have to shave everything?" Al complained, feeling uncomfortable. But beneath the anxiety, he was also curious about how he would look after this. 

Marco smiled. "Trust me, you will look more attractive and handsome after this."

Al's hair was also trimmed and styled in a modern style that made Al look completely different.

When Marco had finished changing Al's appearance. Suddenly, Al almost didn't recognize himself in the mirror.

 "Gosh, is this really my face?" Al thought. The face reflected in the mirror was far from his image of himself.

As Cassandra entered the room, she was stunned to see the final result of Al's appearance. "Wow, Young Master Al Vino Chandra, you are really handsome! Are you ready to prove that you are not a useless trash man?"

Al smiled confidently, "I'm ready!" he replied firmly. "I hope I can carry out this role well."

Cassandra smiled at Al's enthusiasm. 

Al took Cassandra's hand in an affectionate manner. 

They both stepped out to Angela and Crish's engagement party.

***

"Al, are you ready?" asked Cassandra once again. 

Al and Cassandra had just arrived at Angela and Crish's engagement party. The two had just arrived at the front of the building. 

Al caught his breath first, "I'm ready, Miss Cassie!" replied Al, he was getting nervous. 

"You have to get used to calling me Cassie, not Miss Cassie, do you understand?" 

"Oh yeah, now we're a couple. Okay, I understand, Cassie," Al replied with a sweet smile. 

With confident steps, Al and Cassandra walked hand in hand lovingly forward into the building. 

The party atmosphere that was originally lively was suddenly silent. All eyes were on Al and Cassandra, who looked so good together.

Angela who was holding a glass, dropped it when she saw Al so handsome holding a beautiful woman who turned out to be a CEO. She couldn't hide her surprise. "Al? No way! I must have seen it wrong! It can't be Al!" Angela whispered. 

One of the waiters at the party quickly cleaned up the broken glass. 

It wasn't just Angela who was surprised, so was Crish.

He knew Cassandra well. The beautiful CEO was once his client. In fact, Crish was one of Cassandra's former lovers. 

Crish and Angela looked at each other. Then, both of them immediately approached, "Miss Cassie, aren't you mistaken? You're holding hands with a poor man who's just a construction worker?" 

Cassandra smiled sarcastically. "Watch your language, Mr. Crish Edric. Who says this Al Vino is a construction worker? You don't know who he is, Mr. Crish?" Cassandra took Al's arm more intimately in front of Angela and Crish. 

"He is my boyfriend, he is the owner of CAPTIVE COMPANY, he is YOUNG AL VINO CHANDRASEKHAR SMITH."

Crish leaned closer, his gaze full of mockery. "What? That's impossible! Haha... no way, Miss Cassie. He... this poor guy must have tricked you!" said Crish while shaking his head. "You must be joking, right? A famous CEO like you hooking up with... him?"

Angela added in a mocking tone, "How sad! Miss Alessandria Cassandra Lee, an educated woman could be fooled by this poor man! Just look at his appearance, even though he's been groomed, that poor, construction worker aura is still visible."

Another guest who overheard the conversation joined in the laughter. "That's really funny! A trashy guy like him claiming to be the owner of a big company? Has the world gone mad?"

Haha haha.... 

A female guest also joined in the mockery. "Miss Cassie, be careful. Who knows he's just looking to profit from your fortune and big name."

The laughter and ridicule grew louder, creating an increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. Al, who had been silent, clasped his hands firmly, holding back the anger boiling inside him. He almost stepped forward to confront Crish, but Cassandra gently restrained his hand.

"Let them insult and laugh at you, Al! They'll see for themselves who you really are!" Cassandra shouted calmly but firmly, her eyes fixed on Al with a serious look.