Chapter 13

Kiara and I spent the night getting to know each other more by talking. I learnt things such as her favourite colour (which is red) and if she studied at university (the answer was yes). Kiara went to the University of Pretoria, aka Tukkies. She studied business management and told me stories of how she went to tons of parties.

Kiara messed around on a pole at a club one night, then decided to join pole dancing classes. After that, she perfected the art and now can move in ways I've never seen before. She told me how her Dad always called her his angel, which is why she acts as the perfect daughter for his sake. I asked her if she ever wished her Dad could know the real her, but Kiara said she prefers to keep her life separate. She feels freer that way.

I just sat there and listened when Kiara spoke. I could listen to her for days upon end. Her voice was beautiful, and she sounded so happy when she spoke about her Dad. They were really close, and she loved him with all her heart. Kiara just wanted her Dad to be happy as well.

"So, about the luncheon... what do I even wear?" I asked as we cuddled. We had both gotten dressed due to the cold, and it was about 3 am the next morning. Time had flown by so quickly.

"Something formal like a casual suit." Kiara shrugged.

"I don't own a suit." I laughed, which made her mouth fly open.

"Isn't that like a necessary item to own?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Okay. Well, maybe like khaki pants and a white button-up shirt."

"I don't even own that. Don't worry, I'll make a plan." I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Shouldn't I get you home? We have to be up and ready for the luncheon in 6 hours."

"Yeah, you're right. I need my beauty sleep to cope with the day tomorrow." Kiara laughed and sat up. "Since we drove my car, shouldn't I technically be taking you back to the club? So you can get your vehicle and head home."

"You're right." I smiled and stood up with a yawn.

The drive back to the club was relaxing. I closed the roof, turned on the heater and listened to soft music with Kiara next to me. I drove us back, and she placed her hand on my leg for the entire drive. It made me happy just being near her, even if we weren't talking. It felt like I could be next to her, never say a word and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation. She made me feel like my heart was glowing and spread warmth throughout my body.

Kiara jumped into the driver's seat as I climbed out.

"I guess I'll see you in a few hours." I smiled and leaned into the window to say goodbye to Kiara.

"Don't miss me too much." She winked and moved closer to place a kiss on my lips. She waved goodbye as she drove off, and I could almost instantly feel the distance between us. I walked back over to my vehicle, which thankfully hadn't been broken into.

Now, where on earth was I going to get a suit in time? JB had his suit from when he got married, but it would look too big on me. I didn't really know anyone else to ask. I quickly stopped by the tailors and the working hours said they only opened at 9. The time the luncheon was supposed to start.

I checked the time, and it was a little after 4 am.

"Shit." I cursed and looked around at the empty streets. I grabbed a metal pipe from my vehicle and smashed the lock on the door. I quickly ducked in and grabbed a black suit which I hoped would be my size, and the first red tie I saw.

I quickly phoned Lulu and placed my phone on the loudspeaker as I drove home.

"Jason, the sun isn't even out yet! Why are you calling me so early?" Lulu hissed angrily and sounded like she had just woken up.

"I need your help. Firstly, do you know how to use a tie? Secondly, you need to teach me table manners." I replied.

"Uhm, yes. Wait, why are you asking?"

"Good. I'm outside your place," I stated as the vehicle stopped outside JB's house. I watched as the curtain in Lulu's room opened as she stared at me with her phone pressed against her ear.

"Give me five minutes. I'll be out soon." She replied, and the call ended. I chuckled as her curtain closed again, and exactly 6 minutes 35 seconds later, Lulu walked out the front door. She wore a soft blue pair of tights and a large white hoodie with white bunny slippers and fluffy pink socks.

"That was more than five minutes," I remarked as she climbed into the vehicle.

"Oh, shut up. I'm here, ain't I?" Lulu growled and rolled her eyes. "Now tell me what's going on."

I told her the story as I drove back to my place.

"So, you want to impress Kiara and fit in with the wealthy citizens?" Lulu laughed, and I nodded. "I ain't judging. You must really like her, huh?"

"I do. So, will you help me?"

"Yeah, I'll help, but you first need to make me some coffee. 3 sugars and black. I'm missing my sleep for this."

"Thanks, Lulu. You're the best." I beamed.

"I know." She smiled back at me.

As 8:30 rolled around the corner, I was ready to act like a proper gentleman. The suit was a perfect size. It was plain black, with a white silk shirt underneath and a red tie.

"How do I look?" I asked as I walked out of the room and showed Kiara the outfit.

"You look good, dude." Lulu laughed and perfected a few creases. "There. Oh, and take this." She stated and shoved a red rose towards me.

"Where did you get this?" I questioned and sniffed the rose, which had a lovely sweet smell.

"The garden down the road." Lulu shrugged and pushed me towards the door. "You better get going. It's always better to be early than late."

I nodded and took a deep inhale before walking out. My neighbours stared at me as I walked toward my vehicle. I looked very different from how they usually saw me. Plus, even my hair was neatly gelled down.

I parked my vehicle, which by the way, is a Citroën Nemo. It's white and kind of looks like a pretty delivery van. It has enough space at the back for the crew, is great on the roads and goes really high speeds. The van is very common, and its colour changes every time we get into a car chase with the police. I always give the van a bumper sticker to make her seem personalised.

Right now, she's white with an "I hate tomato sauce" sticker. Very strange, indeed. I honestly love tomato sauce, but when I saw the bumper sticker, it made me laugh, which is why I bought it. Yes, I actually did buy it and like, spent money on it.

I was parked just on the corner of a church, which is probably one of the fanciest churches I've ever seen. The walls were white and had these pillars in the front that were decorated with orange-tinted glass. There was a cross on more glass in the middle that stood out boldly. There were even steps leading up to the front door of the church. The front garden area was decorated and well taken care of like a wedding could take place outside.

I quickly scanned over my appearance in the reflection of the tinted glass of my van and then followed after the well-dressed people that knew the way. A priest greeted me as I walked in and shook my hand.

"Welcome, my son. May you be blessed." He smiled and then told me to walk down the passage into a grand hall. I just followed after the other guests and nodded at the gentlemen in respect as they stared my way. I was not part of their wealthy citizen's group, and they probably were trying to figure out who I was.

I did believe in the Christian God. Like I didn't pray, read the bible or go to church. But, I respected the man upstairs and carried him in my heart.

Chapter 14

An old lady was slowly walking in front of me and trying to hold onto the wall for support.

"Ma'am, please allow me," I stated next to her with a smile and held out my arm for her to take. The old lady looked at me and smiled. Her hair was pure white, and her face was full of wrinkles.

"Thank you, young man. I see your mother raised you well." She stated and held onto my arm. Her comment about my mom slightly made my stomach ache, but I moved past it. "I haven't seen you at a Van Kline function before. Did your family recently join our society?" The old woman asked.

"No, madam. I was invited by Miss Kiara. I am her plus one."

"Oh, wonderful! She is truly a wonderful woman. I'm glad to see she has finally found a partner."

"Oh, no. Kiara and I are just friends." I stated and shook my head.

"That's what we all say until you look at each other one day, and it's so much more than just friends. That's exactly how I met my Danny. Bless his soul." The old lady said with a sad smile as we walked into the hall. Everyone stared as we entered, and the women seemed to almost slightly curtsy when they saw the old woman.

"Look at all these people, just flashing around their wealth. Most of them just inherited their fortune while I had to work my way up." The old lady mumbled next to me. "What is your name, young man?"

"Jason, madam."

"Well, Jason, I can tell that you are a proper young man. I'm going to give you some advice that you should carry for the rest of your life. Money might seem like it's everything. It gives you power and certainty and allows you to attend even the fanciest places. But love will make you happy, and it will be all you need." The old lady remarked.

"I will remember that, madam." I smiled, and she nodded.

"Good, now. You must stay by my side until I find someone who doesn't irritate me like the rest of these guests." She questioned and looked around the room. I walked with her over to a table and then left her side as she started talking to other people.

I looked around the room for Kiara and couldn't spot her. I awkwardly stood near the snack table and plopped a grape or two into my mouth. An elderly gentleman walked over and tipped his hat to greet me.

"Uh, you must be Mrs Porter's grandson. I'm Mr Leuw, your grandmother's trusted financial advisor." He stated, and miss took me for the old lady's grandson.

"Jason, sir. But, you have me mistaken...." I was about to correct him when he interrupted.

"Of course. My apologies, Mr Porter. We are at a lovely luncheon, and it is no place to discuss business."

"I, eh..."

"You must let your grandmother know that the dress she had on was splendid. Even in her old age, she still knows how to wow the crowds. Don't you say?" He asked. There was no point in correcting him, so I just gave up.

"Yes, indeed, Mr Luew. As they do say, all things are better once they age." 

"Right, so. I have an excellent bottle of scotch that has been aged since 1994. You should join the men and me afterwards to have a glass." Mr Leuw offered.

"That is very kind of you, sir. But..."

"Excellent!" He interrupted again. "Excuse me, Mr Porter. I see my wife has wandered off. I must find her before she finds a bottle of wine." Mr Leuw stated, then tipped his hat before walking off.

I shrugged and scanned the room again. My eyes lay upon Kiara as she walked in, next to who I assume was her father. Her gorgeous silver hair was neatly braided up into a bun and decorated with diamond hairpins. I noticed she had taken out her nose piercing and looked beautiful with a soft pink lipstick. My eyes went down to her neck, which had a sparkling diamond heart necklace. Her dress was a simple red satin dress that formed a U in the front. Her cleavage shyly peeked through the dress but wasn't revealing at all. The dress was also tight around her waist, then dropped into a larger skirt that went down to the floor. I couldn't even see her shoes.

Kiara turned with her back to me and kissed her father on his cheek. The back of the dress dropped down into a low V, which added a bit of sexy. Kiara then walked away from her father and headed toward me. Her eyes met mine through the crowds, and I felt my breath stop in my throat as she smiled at me.

Kiara greeted a few people while on her way to me, and I watched as the stunning woman walked gracefully past the guests. I swear, many people turned to stare at her as she walked past. How couldn't they? She was so fucking stunning.

"Oh, my gosh. I can't believe you actually came." Kiara beamed as she was closer to me.

"Wow, Kiara. You look utterly gorgeous." I complimented her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I would kiss you, but everyone is staring," I whispered in her ear, then stepped back. "This is for you, miss Van Kline."  I smiled and bent slightly forward as I held up the rose for her.

"Thank you, Jason. But a friend wouldn't give me a rose." She laughed but gladly accepted it. "I see you found a suit. You look very... elegant."

"Does the fact that I stole it drop my elegance?" I chuckled softly just for her to hear. Kiara gasped and tapped my chest with the rose.

"Naughty, naughty." She smiled and then turned towards the table. "I'm starving. Someone kept me out last night and didn't even feed me." She sarcastically added.

"Now I know for next time. Will there be coffee as something like this? I hadn't had any sleep, but caffeine is helping to keep me awake. I don't want to pass out and smash my face into my plate while we are all eating."

Kiara burst out laughing, and a few people turned to look at us, confused. Her hand quickly flew to cover her mouth as she tried to contain her laughs.

"I think that will be the most entertaining thing to happen at this luncheon." Kiara giggled. "Don't worry, there will be coffee. Very strong, exotic coffee imported from Brazil, but it's still coffee. Also, just so you know, this dress is very uncomfortable. It's way too long for my liking and covered up way too much. I feel like I'm trapped by cloth."

"Just a few more hours, then you can leave," I reassured her. Kiara quickly rolled her eyes and held my hand to pull me along as she introduced me to people. It was her responsibility to make small talk with all of the guests. I was introduced as simply 'Jason' while the others greeted me with their full titles. I recognised some of the surnames as they were rich businessmen or women. So, when they spoke about their companies, I knew how to engage in the conversation.

Kiara and I made our way over to a table, where her Dad and Mr Luew stood deep in conversation.

"Daddy, I would like to introduce you to my plus one. Jason..." Kiara started to say as her Dad looked at me.

"Uh, yes. Jason Porter. The infamous grandson. Mr Leuw has told me so much about how your grandmother highly praises you. I'm glad to finally meet you." Mr Van Kline stated.

Fuck.

Chapter 15

I offered him a small smile while I shook his hand. Mr Van Kline had dark brown hair that was riddled with grey strands. He had a neatly trimmed grey beard and stern eyes that shouted 'business'.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Van Kline." I gulped and could feel Kiara staring into my skull.

"I heard whispers that your grandmother will leave her company in your name. Is it true that she is thinking of finally retiring?" Mr Van Kline asked.

"We all know how stubborn my grandmother can be." I awkwardly chuckled and hoped I was right. Mr Van Kline nodded with a small smile. "I know it's time that she retires, but I think she'll work for as long as possible," I added. It was scary how easily lying came to me.

"Uh, yes, that is true. I hope to see you around more often. It appears my daughter has kept you hidden." He stated and looked at Kiara.

"Sorry, Daddy. Mr Porter here claimed to not enjoy such functions," Kiara replied and looked to stare at me. I felt a drop of sweat on my forehead and gulped.

"They can get tedious sometimes, but I hope this luncheon makes you realise it's not too bad." Her Dad shrugged. "Excuse me, I must go mingle with the rest of the guests." He remarked, then walked away with Mr Leuw following after him.

Kiara gripped my arm and pulled me into a chair by the table.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kiara harshly whispered and tried to not show that she was angry.

"I, uh, I... Mr Leuw..." I stuttered as my brain hit a blank.

"Do you even know who Mrs Porter is?" Kiara questioned, and I shook my head. "She is the wealthiest woman in Joburg! Her status and reputation are known across the country. No one messes with her because she can destroy you in seconds. Now, you're going around claiming to be her grandson! You have no idea how badly this will be when she finds out you are impersonating her family name."

"Mr Luew assumed I was her grandson when I helped her walk in. I tried to correct him, but he just kept on interrupting me." I stated and quickly whipped my forehead.

"Okay, stop stressing. Perhaps he won't tell anyone else. Why didn't you tell my father the truth? That's a great first impression, Jason. Fucking lying to my father the first time you meet him."

"I panicked, okay? I'm sorry." I apologised, and she placed her hand on my leg underneath the table to try to calm me down. Kiara could probably sense I was freaking out.

"We'll sort this mess out together. Let's just always change the topic when my father asks about you." She whispered, and I agreed. "I'll tell him the truth eventually, but not today. I'm too tired for that drama."

A waiter walked over with drinks, and I quickly downed one. Kiara asked him to bring over two cups of coffee as we discussed how I was going to answer questions as Mrs Porter's grandson. I had to keep up the façade until the luncheon came to an end.

Breakfast came around, and we were served a plate full of food. Mr Van Kline returned to the table, and we tried to direct the questions off topics of Mrs Porter or me as much as we could. I asked him more questions about his company and how he started off, which he gladly shared with me. Kiara and I had kept him talking even through dessert.

"Jason actually has a love for cars," Kiara added, which seemed to spark an interest in Mr Van Kline's eyes.

"Oh, really? I have a vast collection of automobiles ranging from a 1950 Aston Martin to an Aventador Rev Lamborgini. You should come over, and I'll show you the collection." He remarked.

"I would love that. Thank you, Mr Van Kline." I smiled.

"Please, call me Gregory. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. My daughter seems quite fond of you, Mr Porter."

"Daddy!" Kiara gasped, and her cheeks shot red.

"I'm fond of her as well," I remarked, and Gregory smiled at me for the first time. He nodded, then sipped on his whiskey.

Music started playing, and couples made their way to the middle of the room to dance. I looked over at Kiara and held out my hand.

"Can I have this dance, Miss Kiara?" I asked, and she looked at her Dad.

"Go ahead, angel. I'll be fine here," Gregory stated.

Kiara looked back at me and smiled. "I would love to." She said and placed her soft hand in mine.

We walked over to the dance floor hand in hand. Couples danced around us, and I held Kiara's hand while my arm slipped around her waist. We were closer than other couples and didn't look like the friends Kiara wanted to act as.

"Do you even know how to dance?" Kiara questioned and stared into my eyes.

"I had to learn how to slow dance for my brother's wedding, so I know a bit," I replied with a smile and started moving to the music. The Van Klines had hired a pianist and singer that started to play 'Let me love you'  by Justin Bieber. They changed something fast and upbeat into a beautiful slow song that let the lyrics fill your mind.

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