CLAUDIA

After the weekend party I attended with Alfonso I never heard from him again.

The week passed by in a blink of an eye.

And before I knew it's already Sunday and time for our 'date'. I have to admit that I am kind of nervous while waiting for the time he will pick me up because I never see him throughout the week.

Maybe he's busy with his actress, that's why.

I noticed the scowl on my face while looking at myself at the dresser mirror in my room. I didn't have any business whatsoever however that man spends his free time. This is a fake courtship, after all.

"Ahem!" Anna sounded from the doorway, she was peeking at me with a mischievous grin on her face. "Someone is excited about her date with the handsome Alfonso Orsini."

I threw a disapproving look in her direction past my shoulder. "I'm not!"

My best friend eyed me from head to toe, moving further inside my room. She crossed her arms in the middle of her chest studying me. "You are all dressed up way before the time you agree, Claudia. Tell me you are not excited to spend some time with your suitor."

"You are mistaken. It just so happened that I have nothing else to do that's why I dress early." I informed her dryly, glancing back to my dresser mirror fixing my full skirt making sure that it didn't have any crease on it.

"I see." Anna nodded in agreement but there's still deviltry in her eyes that I don't like. "That's why you pick your best outfit for this outing."

"I did not do such a thing, Anna."

The annoying woman merely raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh, yeah? Then why are you wearing your most expensive shoes for this trip? Need I remind you that you're going on a picnic with Alfonso, dear?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop scrutinizing my outfit, will you? These shoes are my favorite that's why I am wearing them today and nothing more."

"Is that so?" The maddening woman asked with undisguised sarcasm in her voice.

"Yes!"

She nodded in agreement. "Very well. I will leave you alone so you can continue making yourself more beautiful in Alfonso Orsini's eyes." Before I had the chance to reply she was about to leave my room with a parting grin. "Just call me if you need anything. I will be in the kitchen."

I let go of Anna's jesting and just focused on applying makeup t my face. I am not dressing up for Alfonso just like Anna accused. This is how I normally dress when going out.

I am a woman of fashion and I always dress to impress.

Once I was done with my makeup, I put things in my handbag such as my sunglasses to protect my pretty eyes from the harsh rays of sunlight, perfume to keep me smelling good throughout the day, a satin handkerchief with my embroiled initial of my name, some of my makeup essentials and of course my wallet.

Hmm...What else did I forget to put in my handbag? A mirthless smile fitted my lips when I happened to gaze at my bookshelves.

I plucked a certain book from my collection and also placed it inside my bag.

I looked at myself one last time in my dressing mirror to see that I was ready for my picnic date with the arrogant Orsini heir.

I glanced at my wristwatch. It's almost time he should be here anytime now. I decide to wait for him in the living room.

When I went out of my room I placed my handbag on the sofa and searched for Anna in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a frown.

My best friend looked at the stack of sandwiches she was making. She grinned at me mischievously. "I am making your snacks for your picnic, Signorina."

"You don't have to do that." My heart warmed. She's thoughtful. She's the best.

She continued to put spread and cold cuts of meat on the loaf of bread. "Of course, I do. Knowing that you barely know how to butter your toast. I am here to help you to impress Signore Orsini."

I grimaced at my friend. "I don't have to impress that man."

"Of course, you do." Anna contradicted gently. "Are you forgetting your goal in making him fall in love with you? There's even a saying that goes like this: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

I chuckled at the thought while looking further inside the kitchen to survey her work. "Then, Alfonso will fall in love with you since you're the one who prepared our food."

Anna looked at me flatly. "No, thanks. He's not my type of guy."

"Oh?" I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in her direction. The devil Orsini is not her type? I must admit that despite his sarcastic mouth the man is quite handsome. "What is your type of guy, then?"

She pretended to think for a moment and then a slow smile fitted her lips and her eyes were somehow twinkling. "A titled gentleman sounds good to me."

It took me a moment before her words registered in my brain. A gasp escaped me. "D-Don't tell me you're referring to..."

I trailed off my words when a knock sounded on our apartment door. My heartbeat was wildly in my chest.

"Oh, that must be your beau." She wiped her hands in the apron she wore. "Cool down your expression while I answer the door. You are being too obvious that you're excited to see him, Claudia."

"Certainly, not!"

Anna grinned. "Not from what I see."

When my friend went out of the kitchen to answer the door. I took several deep breaths. Anna was highly mistaken I am not excited to see this man, after all, he's not really my suitor and we're just pretending with this whole courtship thing and we both have a respective person that we love.

That's right. There's no way this is excitement. After all, my purpose is to make him fall in love with me and then cast him aside.

"Claudia!" My friend called from the living room. "Mr. Orsini is here to pick you up for your picnic date."

My silly heart skipped a beat. Why does my heart behave like this? It doesn't make sense at all. Take several measured deep breaths. I have never been nervous on a date before. There's no way I am now with my fake date with Alfonso Orsini.

I took my time before coming out of the kitchen with a serene smile on my face.

Don't be absurd, Claudia.

Once I was in the living room, I saw him standing tall in our small apartment chatting merrily with Anna. My eyes narrowed instantly in their direction. Since when they did become so friendly with one another? If I remember correctly they only met once or twice so why...

My trail of thoughts was interrupted when Anna got a glimpse of me. She smiled brightly in my direction, the way her eyes twinkled also. "There you are, Claudia."

The moment my best friend had said that Alfonso turned his head to look in my direction. And just like that my poor lungs were deprived of oxygen when I stared at his intensive dark eyes. Since when did he have this kind of effect on me?

And why did he need to look so good in casual clothes? No wonder he was quite a ladies' man he exactly knows how to present himself well and make himself look so good. He was a danger to a woman's unguarded heart.

I knew that I hadn't seen him in a whole week but why was I reacting like this toward him? This is not like me.

"...Claudia?"

I blinked when I realized that I was not paying attention and he must have said something from the look on his face and the way the corner of his lips twitched with a small grin. He must have guessed that my mind was afloat.

Drat, it.

"Shall we?" I asked, hiding my embarrassment. I will not let him know how much his presence bothers me lately. I need to get a grip on things here and start to make him fall in love with me and then cast him aside like my original plan that would be my ultimate revenge for insulting me when we first met—not the other way around!

I picked up my handbag on the sofa and was about to leave when Anna called me up again holding the picnic basket in her hand. "You forgot your snacks, dear."

Alfonso raised an eyebrow in my direction upon seeing the basket in Anna's hand. From the look on his face, it seems that he somehow found it hilarious that I prepared something for this picnic trip. Is that hard to believe?

Before I had the chance to say a word he took the basket from Anna with a smile. "Let me hold that one." He looked down at me with gleaming eyes. "Ready?"

I only managed to nod and silently followed him at the door.

"Have fun! Make beautiful memories together, will you?" Anna chirped behind us. As I closed the door behind me I threw a parting glare in my friend's direction who only chuckled in return.

I walked side by side with Alfonso in the hallway silently. From other people's point of view, we were a picture of a perfect couple who was about to go on an outing but our reality is far from that. We were just pretending to be courting for our reasons.

I glanced at him discreetly as we were about to exit the apartment building. He was a handsome fellow too bad once he opened his mouth your impression of him instantly changed when he unleashed that sarcastic humor of his.

"What?" He drawled beside me without even looking in my direction in a mocking tone. "Don't tell me my charm now works perfectly fine with you, Signorina?"

See, what I mean about his sarcastic tongue? Don't be fooled by his face. There was even a saying that goes like looks could be deceiving, right? Whoever thought of that saying must probably have thought of Alfonso Orsini when he came up with that phrase.

I scoffed in an insulting way. "You think so highly of yourself, are you? Do you think when people stare at you it automatically means that they were charmed by you? Can't it just be with the fact that they hated your profile?"

If I thought that he was going to be insulted by that I was sorely mistaken. Alfonso who probably has thick skin laughs at me. "You hate me so much that you kept on staring at me that I have already mistaken it to be some sort of liking?"

I glared at him evenly. "I am not staring at you that long, you know!"

"Ah," he nodded in agreement but I could feel that he was still mocking me. "I see. Sorry, my bad, Signorina. I thought I was making my way to your heart. I even gave you your favorite bouquet the other day." He looked down at me with a devilish grin. "Admit it, you like the gesture. You even like the person who gave you those flowers. And that man is me."

I felt my teeth start to grind. I will not let him ruin my day. I will not...however obnoxious he is. He's not worth the early starts of the wrinkles on my face. I might just kill him with my favorite golf club if I suddenly got my first wrinkles in my early twenties because of him.

Once we were outside, he placed our picnic basket in the trunk of his sleek sports car. I peeked inside his hoodless sports car and saw that he didn't even bring flowers for me. I shook my head in resignation. This man was hopeless. He has a long way to go before he can be a perfect gentleman like Dante.

"What?" He asked curiously when he probably saw the disappointment in my face.

"No flowers, I see."

His thick eyebrows creased together. "Why? Do you want one again?"

I rolled my eyes in his direction. "That's what a suitor should do when meeting the woman he's courting. He's supposed to give her flowers or something, you know."

Disagreement was visible on his face. "Don't you think that's a bit too much?"

"Is this how you court your Violetta Ricci?" I queried casually. "I pity her if this is the case."

Alfonso sighed deeply with an exasperating look on his face. "My relationship with Violet is my business. I will handle it the way I want. For now, let's play the happy couple, shall we?"

I gave him a sweet smile. "If you say you, Signore Orsini." I pointedly looked at the passenger's door of his two-seater car. "Door, please."

He gave me an annoying look before opening the car door for me.

"Thank you," I said sweetly before gracefully sliding inside. I slightly winced when he slammed the car's door too harshly in my opinion.

I glared at him as I silently watched him move to the other side of his car.

Rude.

As I waited for him to come to the driver's side. I fished out my silk scarf inside my bag and folded it diagonally before placing it above my head tying it around under my chin. I don't trust this brute man not to ruin my perfectly styled hair. In addition, I also placed my cat-eye sunglasses to protect my eyes from the harsh sunlight early this morning.

"Shall we, Your Serene Highness?"

I turned my side to his side and smiled pleasantly. "Of course, please drive carefully."

If he likes to be satirical, I can also. I can also play this game, you know. Annoying your companion he's not the only can who can do that.

I thought he was going to retort but he just took a deep breath started the engine of his car and drove away in the streets of Rome.

I sincerely hope this fake date will end well.