Grace stared longingly at Cody's departure. It was like her hope and resolution had gone along with it. She turned her body around and walked stiffly to stop lamenting Cody's departure again. Furious, annoyed, angry, and desperate, he felt his feelings mixed up. Her head felt almost broken, and her feelings were in ruins.

Leading her steps to the place where she would complain and ask for help. Grace arrived with a bottle of wine in her hand, smiling at Jesse, who seemed to have been waiting for her for quite some time.

"What's that you brought?" asked Jesse, peering at the large glass bottle Grace held.

"Tada!" she exclaimed, holding up the bottle proudly. "I brought the red wine you like."

Jesse took over the bottle Grace handed him as if realizing its existence was another reason for his being there. "Unusual," Jesse said, placing the bottle on the table, then he moved to pick up the food he'd put on a plate. "What made you plan to drink today? When I asked you yesterday, you refused because you had work. I have to get up early; my brain needs to be in a healthy state to think." he imitated Grace's way of speaking.

Jesse smiled, pouring the wine Grace had brought into his and her glasses. Like a true sommelier, Jesse eyed his glass. Twisting the stem gracefully, she inhaled the aroma and began to taste it with a gentle sip from the rim. Then she smiled with satisfaction.

Grace did the same, but with eyes that watched Jesse closely. And seeing Jesse enjoying the wine so much was quite comforting to her. "You like it so much?" asked Grace, clinking her wine glass with Jesse's.

Jesse smiled a simple smile. "Nothing tastes sweeter and more comforting than a long-stored wine," she said, taking another graceful sip from the glass.

"Next time, I'll give you something better than this," Grace said, intrigued by Jesse's love of wine that always intoxicated her through the aroma she smelled as she sipped.

Jesse returned her gratitude with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "Then what brings you here?"

Grace was silent for a moment. She sipped her wine in a way different from how Jesse drank it. Unlike Jesse, who was enjoying himself, Grace looked ready to get drunk and forget her emotions. "My parents asked me to get married."

"My parents, too. I guess all parents want their children to get married." Jesse replied in a crazy tone.

"But for me, it's an order. Mr. Lawrence is insisting. He'll probably use threats if I don't comply," Grace said, handing Jesse her glass so the girl could pour the thick red liquid back into her glass.

Jesse looked at her. "What else will Mr. Lawrence do?"

"I don't know." Grace relaxed her shoulders. "Maybe with my mom or with his wealth. He used to threaten me with those two things, and I wouldn't say I liked his threats. So, instead of waiting for him to threaten me, I complied. Besides, I needed to get married in the end for Mrs. Emery to feel at ease. They at least need to leave me with someone they can trust."

"More than they trust you?"

"Eng." Grace laughed, her lips pressed tightly together while her eyelids almost closed in a crescent shape. "They probably never trusted me in the first place. It seems like I've always been a worrying figure for them."

"Then what did you do?"

This time, Grace laughed out loud. She approached Jesse with a look that was beginning to resemble that of a little child. "You know what?"

Jesse laughed, rolling his eyeballs and looking the other way. He could confidently tell Grace was drunk at the moment because the girl's behavior was getting weird. "What do I know? How could I have known if you hadn't told me."

"Ah! Right. Listen, you might be surprised."

"What else could surprise me about your attitude?"

"I proposed to Cody for marrying me."

"What?" Jesse spat the drink from his mouth, even though she felt so much affection for the wine that she drank it slowly.

Grace nodded enthusiastically. "But he turned me down," she said disappointedly.

"I thought you couldn't get any crazier than you already are, but I was wrong." she gasped.

"He turned me down. The one person I thought would lighten the load of this marriage turned me down as soon as I proposed to him."

Jesse shook his head, at a loss for words. "If I were him, I'd do the same thing. I'd run and save myself from someone like you!"

Grace gave him a disappointed look. "Hey! Must you say it like that? Why do you have to make it clear!"Grace, annoyed, put down her glass rudely.

The glass that had slammed on the table was immediately caught by Jesse, who saw it in panic. "Hey! Don't slam it. It's my favorite glass. I'll keep drinking wine from it for the rest of my life. You have no idea how hard I worked to get this glass," she spouted at Grace.

She was ignoring the babble. Grace began to bury her face in the folds of her hands on the table. "What should I do? How do I get him to agree to marry me?" she asked Jesse, though Jesse was more concerned with the glass.

"Tell him you're pregnant with his child," Jesse said.

"You're even crazier than me!" snapped Grace, raising her face.

"If you're confused. You can use that method," she said without guilt.

Grace looked annoyed. She thought he had been wrong to come there and tell her. How could Jesse, without thinking about it, speak so easily, giving her ridiculous ideas that she couldn't even imagine? "You freak!" Grace smacked Jesse's head with her fist.

"Argh!" Jesse gave her a fierce look. "You ask, I answer."

"But it doesn't make sense!"

"What doesn't make sense is you can get pregnant with him. Why does it not make sense?"

"Because I never slept with him!"

Jesse paused. "You're right. You have to at least sleep with him before you can admit that you're pregnant with his child."

"Now you know what the problem is."

"Force him to sleep with you."

Grace regained her senses because of Jesse's nonsense, which made her think logically. "You're drunk."

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. With this," he pointed to Grace's bottle of wine. "Make him unconscious and then sleep with him. Make him believe you did something that night."

Grace laughed bitterly. "You made me look like a slut in front of him."

Jesse narrowed his eyes. "Now you're affected by what people think of you? Ms. Lawrence, the thing you need to remember is your goal. You're not planning to sleep with him because you want his wealth or anything else. Your goal was just to put your parents at ease. And he happens to be your choice," Jesse explained, dismissing Grace's thoughts about herself.

"But does it have to be that low?"

"You know you have high grades. Your grades won't drop just because you use sneaky measures, and he won't lose anything anyway. He's a man, and his position is always an advantage." Jesse added.

Grace exchanged glances with him. "Then you should do me a favour."

Grace Lawrence pondered the idea she had gotten from Jesse. The idea did sound crazy, and her pride also came into play with it, but she had no other way. Her mind could not find a way to persuade Cody, who insisted on rejecting her. She was sure nothing could persuade Cody to fence himself off as high as the Berlin Wall to separate himself from her.

Just the thought of that man being so wary of her made her extremely upset, and her pride droop at Cody's attitude towards her. The man had put her out of her mind. In the end, Grace decides to use Jesse's idea as a way out. If she had to regret Jesse's idea later, let it be her right to regret it, but now she was going to do it.

Grace drove her car to the building where Jesse's agency was located. Today, she learned of Cody's schedule from Jesse, who checked the man's schedule for her. As if he really wanted to help her, Jesse prepared many things that he could do.

"You're coming?" greeted Jesse, looking at her once the door in the room opened.

Grace quirked a faint smile that appeared to be a laugh at herself. "What else can I do but this?"

Jesse smiled so cheerfully. "Are you asking for small talk, or do you not know?"

Grace sat where she was, watching the models through the one-way glass connected to Jesse's room. She observed every talent Jesse had there, but her eyes couldn't move from Cody, who even stood out among the other professional models.

"You can choose anyone, though. That's if you want," Jesse said, getting up from his seat and taking the same notice as Grace. "Did any of them catch your eye? I can help you get closer to them if you want."

Grace turned her body toward Jesse. "I've made my choice since yesterday. I proposed to him yesterday and have no intention of proposing to anyone else. Don't make my feelings worse by having to propose to more than one guy."

Jesse laughed with satisfaction. She didn't mean to have fun on top of Grace's pain and confusion. But for the first time, she could see Grace dizzy with something else she wasn't interested in, and the situation was quite amusing. "So you're sticking to your choice. Stay with Cody?"

Grace nodded. "I guess it would be even weirder if it wasn't Cody. I mean, I'm dating him-"

"It's fake. Of course," Jesse interjected before Grace could finish her sentence. The girl walked over to the table where she had been sitting. She sat down casually watching Grace with her eyes.

"Yeah. Thank you for making that clear," Grace replied sarcastically.

"I'm happy to remind you."

Grace looked at Jesse quizzically. "Oh my God," she said, hoping Jesse would find another time to play a trick on her.

"So here it is." Jesse pulled out a medicine from the back of his drawer. He placed it on the table, drawing Grace's attention, who immediately went to it. "Just what you need, no need to thank me. I emphasize again, I'm happy to help."

Grace stared with narrowed eyes. She hated the way Jesse spoke, but she ignored that by taking the medicine Jesse took out and observing it. "What's this?"

"Stimulant," she said cheerfully and smiled mischievously.

Grace widened her eyes with her mouth open. "Are you crazy?"

"What do you want me to give him? Candy, chocolate, or cake. He's not a kid who can be persuaded with that," Jesse said, annoyed that Grace did not appreciate his efforts.

Grace shook her head. Although she thought she had met the wrong friend, she remembered that a person is a reflection of who they meet. But Grace was an exaggerated reflection for her. "But this is out of line. This is a crime!" Grace tried to stay within the bounds of reason.

She tried to retain her humanity. At least she wouldn't manipulate others to that extent.

Stimulant? Oh, my God.

Grace backed away, putting the drug back on the table. Holding it made her afraid of herself.

"Setting him up was a crime from the start." Jesse gave her a stern look. "Don't make me look like a criminal mastermind alone when I only tried to help."

Grace shook her head. "This isn't the kind of help I meant!" she quickly retorted.

"So what kind?"

"You could do something else, a little pushy for example? Using weakness as a threat. You know money can do a lot these days," Grace argued.

Jesse squinted at Grace, his eyes moving up and down, assessing the girl and then looking disgusted. "That method is more disgusting than making him lose consciousness. If you use your method, take advantage of his weakness. And then making her helpless, that's more inhumane and torturous," she objected.

Grace didn't understand what the difference was with using the drug. In the end, Cody would still be helpless because he had to take responsibility.

Seeing the look on Grace's face that she didn't understand her words. Jesse put the medicine back on the table where he first put it. "At least he still has the choice to take responsibility or run away when he does something he doesn't realize. But if you threaten her with her weakness, you don't give her any choice but to accept and agree to whatever you want."

"So you think this is better?" Grace still felt it was a bad choice.

"It's sleeping pills. It's not what you think. I'm kidding." Jesse got up from her seat, but her mood had changed. "I'll make her a drink here. You wait at the hotel I booked. Let me take him there."

Grace sat down on the sofa, momentarily relieved. But she also felt disappointed in what she'd said. Jesse's words that her way was more disgusting rang in her mind. Thinking back, she also realized that her thoughts were disgusting, as Jesse had told her.

The worst act is forcing someone to make them helpless and accept what they are told. It was like she was oppressing a weak person, and her actions didn't give any justification for her attitude.

After pondering Jesse's words for a long time, Grace was awakened by her phone ringing. Jesse's name appeared on her phone screen, indicating that Jesse was calling her.

"Where are you? Cody's almost here, but the room's still empty." Jesse's voice sounded on the other end.

Grace stood up and quickly walked out of Jesse's office. "I'll be there in a minute," she muttered, turning off the call between them.

Starting the car, Grace headed towards the hotel Jesse was referring to. Strangely, she didn't understand why Jesse had decided on that hotel as the place for them to carry out their plan. Of all the hotels, why did it have to be the Grand Diamond Hotel? Grace couldn't guess her friend's thoughts.

Even if she had the time, she still couldn't solve her confusion at how Jesse's sometimes overly simple yet troublesome brain worked.

"I got here first," Grace said to Jesse, who was waiting by sitting back and staring at the view through the room's glass wall.

Jesse turned her body by pushing back the chair she was sitting in, facing Grace. "Take off your clothes," she commanded.

Grace was frozen in place, staring at Jesse stiffly. Suddenly, being asked for her rights seemed to surprise her greatly. A part of her felt like she was in a very low position. She questioned what she was doing there and whether she even had to go that far.

"You want me to take off my clothes?"

"You can't lie beside him with your clothes on, right? Who would believe it."

"Do I have to go this far?"

"Use your underwear, I don't know if that will be enough or not. What we need is for him to believe that you've slept together. So you should at least take off your clothes, except for your underwear."

Grace stayed where she was, watching the place. Staring at the space that would be the site of her lies and guilt.

"I chose this place because here I can make sure that no news about you will get out. Since this place belongs to Mr. Lawrence, who would dare to spread the news out of his own house. Even his workers wouldn't dare to do so, so you can rest easy."

Grace finally understood the reason and the explanation Jesse gave her. "Worst of all, Mr. Lawrence will be the first to know what I did."

"That's the most awkward thing. The workers here probably wouldn't do it if they knew you were his daughter." Jesse checked his cell phone. "They've arrived. I'll have them undress him immediately and lay him on the bed. You go and take your clothes off."

"They'll probably think you're the one sleeping with Cody," Grace said with a small smile.

"They're used to seeing me with men. That's why they must know that Cody is not my taste," she said confidently.

Grace didn't understand. She admitted that Cody's appearance was not a simple thing that could be overlooked. "Cody's not bad."

"He is." Jesse nodded. "He's just not my type. I like guys with oriental faces, and he looks European."

"You're right." As Grace walked out of the room, she took off her clothes one by one, leaving only her underwear on.

Before leaving, Grace stood in front of the mirror, which clearly showed her reflection. She watched the mirror silently, then walked out wearing the bathrobe she had gotten there.

"You ready?" asked Jesse who was still there.

Grace smiled. "I'm not going to do it," Grace said, looking at Cody lying on the bed asleep.

"Maybe you'll do it when he wakes up. Like you said, Cody's not bad." Jesse returned Grace's words.

Grace laughed as she climbed the bed slowly. Then, she took off the robe she was wearing before sharing the blanket with Cody, who had also stripped off his clothes.

Jesse, who was watching the two of them intimately lying next to each other on the bed, smiled meaningfully. Then her eyes moved to sweep the floor around the bed. "Something missing?"

"What?" asked Grace, who rested her head on Cody's chest.

"Where are your clothes?" she asked, spreading Cody's clothes on the floor.

"I left them in the toilet," she said, settling Jesse in confusion.

Then, I immediately walked to the center Grace mentioned and returned with the clothes. And he did the same with Grace's clothes. "Okay, now it looks more real. I'll go first. Let me know when the show is over."

Grace smiled as Jesse left the place. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Grace lost consciousness because the embrace on her body felt so comfortable or because she was so tired of her thoughts. But as if not allowed to enjoy her sleep, Grace was made to wake up from the shock she felt.

Her head, which had been resting on Cody's firm chest, was pushed away by the man and fell on the pillow. Even so, Cody's quick tug made her startle and wake up.

"What am I doing here?" she asked Grace.

Grace looked at him, the blanket covering her body down to her waist, exposing her upper body, which was only wearing a bra, seemingly sticking out due to her slanted sleeping position. Away from her consciousness that was forced awake, Grace, who did not realize her clothes, looked at Cody.

"What do you mean?" she asked, simply remembering that she was pretending.

"Why are you here with me?"

Grace got up from her lying position, then sat up and brought herself closer to Cody. "Did you forget?" she asked, still in the role. "We spent the night together-"

"You're lying!" Cody cut him off and started putting on his clothes, which were on the floor.

"What do you mean I lied? You can see where we are right now!" Grace said emotionally, making her appearance easier to believe.

Before she could make Cody believe her, the door to the hotel room opened, revealing Nash Lawrence standing there with a worker who opened the door but did not enter the room. "What are you doing Grace!" Nash Lawrence's voice boomed through the room, leaving Cody stunned.

"Dad, I can explain." Grace tried to get out of bed by wrapping her arms around herself.

But Lawrence moved in another direction. He was pointing at Cody in a different corner. "You have to take responsibility. You have to marry her!" Nash said to Cody.

Cody stood in panic for a moment. But afterward, he managed to control himself. "Nothing happened with your daughter and me. I'm sure of it. You can ask her directly if you don't believe me-"

Cody was about to walk out, but his steps stopped. He was startled by the loud sound of a loud slap echoing. The man suddenly turned around and stared in surprise.

Grace landed on the bed because of the hard blow from Nash's palm that pushed and made her body sway. "I asked you to get married because I didn't want something like this to happen and spread out. But you just did! What do you think you're doing, Grace?!" he snapped at her loudly.

Grace was frozen there. She didn't move as the slap on her cheek heated up, and her jaw hardened. It wasn't just her cheek that was hurting; her feelings and ego, too, were hurt.

Nash stared at her sharply at the mess with an inexplicable annoyance. "You should clean things up before any news about this gets out and is picked up by the reporters. I've had enough of your attitude so far." After saying that, Nash moved out past Cody with a sharp glance.