The Billionaire's Contracted Wife [English]

Unknown to Dr. Garcia, Ashley and Tanaga were onto him. They were curious why he kept looking at Ann, trying to erase their thoughts about whether or not he was perverted. But Dr. Garcia was trying to see if his own theory was right himself. He decided to check out his theory to make sure he was right.

"Miss Wen, if you don’t mind me asking, are you by chance from the Philippines?"

"Yes, I am, but I wasn’t born there. My mother and grandmother were both born in the Philippines, but the same can’t be said for me. I was born in Las Vegas. I have never been to the Philippines," Ann answered truthfully, a sweet smile on her lips.

When Dr. Garcia heard that, he felt relieved. This meant she wasn’t the person he was thinking of. Anyways, she looks a couple of years older than the person he was thinking of in the first place.

"I see! I’m so sorry for asking. It’s just that you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. You looked similar enough to be her daughter," Dr. Garcia explained calmly.

"Oh?" Ann managed. She almost wanted to ask who he thought was her mother. See, she had been abandoned since birth, so she hadn’t met her mother in person. She only grew up seeing her mother’s pictures when she was around her age and from the news or social media...

However, she decided against it since she had just met him, and she was unsure what kind of relationship he had with the person he was previously talking about.

Ashley, Tanaga, and Mrs. Garcia were listening to their conversation.

Mrs. Garcia seemed interested by the look on her face. For some odd reason, she felt kin with Ann, and oddly enough, while she looked at her in person, she had a gut feeling that they were somehow related.

Although Ashley and Tanaga were only listening, both of them had all kinds of thoughts, mainly about how Dr. Garcia seemed suspicious, especially since he questioned Ann about where she was from. Many ideas were running in their mind. Dr. Garcia looks so suspicious with his way of questioning Ann.

’Could it be that Ann is Mrs. Garcia’s daughter?’ Ashley thought to herself.

"What secret lies behind that fake facade of yours, Dr. Garcia?" Tanaga muttered under his breath.

Suddenly the whole parlor turned eerie silent. Everyone sipped on their drinks once in a while, occasionally glancing at each other without saying a single word.

Dr. Garcia decided to leave them since he felt quite uncomfortable. Everyone’s eyes were on him, making him feel quite out of sorts.

"I just remember I still have some things to do in the laboratory," he said as he excused himself, getting up and leaving.

Tanaga also decided to leave the women to chat.

"I’m still tired, so it’s best if I go and rest," he said as he gave his wife a peck on her lips and quickly left.

Once all the men left, the women were finally able to breathe.

A moment later, they were all chatting happily together, seeming like they were long time friends and family.

Tanaga and Dr. Garcia could hear their laughter from a mile away. They seemed to be having such a good time.

===

Although Ann was new to the field of modeling, she was trained by a professional. Thanks to her unknown benefactor and her training, she was a professional when it came to the catwalk on the stage.

On the other hand, Ashley was so nervous she kept making mistakes, especially when she had to turn on the runway.

Mrs. Garcia only shook her head and laughed. She was already satisfied; Ashley agreed to model and do the finale with Ann. She simply couldn’t ask for more. But, when Mrs. Garcia saw how hard Ashley was trying, the only thing she could do was shake her head and smile.

"Alright! Let’s take a break for about ten minutes or so. I’ll help discuss what Ashley’s doing wrong so she can correct it during our next practice!" Mrs. Garcia yelled to the other girl who was also practicing on the runway.

When Ashley heard what Mrs. Garcia had said, she quickly made her way off the stage, approaching Mrs. Garcia, who had been watching her and the other model practice.

"Mrs. Garcia, I’m so sorry, I doubt I’m the right person for the job. No matter how hard I try, I keep falling out of balance, especially when I’m supposed to turn," she said nervously, still panting from the walking she had done.

"No, you’re the only person that can do this. Don’t fret, child. Sato created that gown for you and you only. He knows you’ll rock the runway, and I do too. Just keep practicing today, and tomorrow, you’ll be more than ready to do that finale,"

Mrs. Garcia assured as she squeezed Ashley’s shoulder before suggesting her to change from her high heels to more comfortable shoes.

Ann came over after changing into much more comfortable shoes, sitting down on the sofa where Lea was busy chatting with someone on the phone. Mrs. Garcia grabbed a folder from the tabletop of a nearby desk and sat next to the two ladies.

When Ann saw Mrs. Garcia coming, she smiled sweetly.

"Mrs. Garcia, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I didn’t realize that I’d be doing the finale for the fashion show. It’s an honor," she said gratefully before getting up and hugging the older lady.

At this, Mrs. Garcia felt an overwhelming ache in her heart. The part of her that felt missing seemed to feel complete when Ann hugged her finally. She wondered what it could be as they hugged.

Ashley watched as the two embraced, a big smile on her face as they did. For some odd reason, her gut told her that the two were related somehow. If not, mother and daughter, maybe aunt and niece. She made a mental note, later reminding herself to check on this.

"Oh, I’m so tired! And I’m also starving! Can we go and have some snacks before returning to practice?" Ashley asked as she slumped down against the soda’s cushions, next to Lea.

Ann separated from the hug, going to sit next to Ashley. Mrs. Garcia looked at a nearby clock, noticing it was around 3 in the afternoon. It was the perfect time to get a snack.

"Alright, Ashley, you win! Let’s go and get a very light snack so you’ll be recharged. Mind you, don’t overeat. You wouldn’t want to gain weight tomorrow. Or you might not fit into your gown," Mrs. Garcia teased as she guided the two girls to the cafeteria down the lobby.

Ann, Ashley, and Lea followed suit, happily chatting with each other as they went.

===

The night of the fashion show was overwhelming. Only the most elite people were there, and that overwhelmed poor Ashley, and she peeked at the audience from behind the curtain.

Tanaga, Dr. Garcia, and Dr. Green were seated right in front of the audience, next to the royals.

Except for the three of them, everyone was royalty, specifically from the kingdoms of Stonasia and the Spaniard Kingdom.

Sadly, the King and Queen didn’t attend the fashion show, but Crown Prince Alexander represented his kingdom.

At the same time, Crown Prince Romano and Princess Angelica were present, and Lady Lucy Le Grand and her son Ramon Le Grand represented their kingdom.

When Sato heard that so many royals were in attendance, he was over the moon. Once he saw Chef Sander enter the dressing room, he didn’t care what others thought, instead choosing to run over to him like a lovesick puppy.

Chef Sander had his two arms wide open, waiting for Sato to come and embrace him.

"Oh, my God! I’m so blessed! First, I met you, who showed me what love truly is, and now my creation would be viewed by royals. I’m so happy right now," he whispered into Chef Sander’s ear.

Chef Sander was tempted to show affection, but there were too many people around. He did his best to stop himself before he completely embarrassed himself.

"Is there anything I could help you with? Although I’m only a Chef, I know a thing or two about fashion. I’ve been with Mrs. Garcia for a while now, and I’ve been to many of her other fashion shows," bragged Chef Sander playfully while nudging Sato’s shoulder.

Sato looked at him lovingly.

"You being here to support me is enough. Just relax and watch the show. If you stick around here, I might not be able to concentrate and help Mrs. Garcia," he said as he pushed him away.

"I’ll look for you once this is all over, now go!" exclaimed Sato as he waved him away.

Sato didn’t know that Ashley and Ann had watched everything and immediately teased him when he returned. He was embarrassed, and his face reddened, but he didn’t deny he was in love.