Chapter 01
Aline laid flat in her living room floor and stared up to the ceiling, stressing. She needed money or else her parents’ would have to end up selling their home. Her home in Thailand, the place where she grew up. Being a part time photographer, the wage wasn’t going to cut it either.
“Aline, are you home?” Becky, her roommate, called out after walking through the door with some grocery bags.
“I’m right here.”
Becky walked towards the living room after seeing Aline’s hand raised up in the air. “What are you doing laying there?”
“I need a man.”
Becky took the grocery bags over to the kitchen and placed them on the counter, “Now you want to date? Why the change of heart?”
Aline sighed and got up and walked over to the kitchen, “I need a rich man, like fast. My mom called the other night and said we’re gonna lose the house by the end of the month if my dad doesn’t pay back the loan he took.”
“Why did you dad took out a loan?”
“To pay for my college tuition here. So all those five years I thought the money he’s been sending was from his job, it was actually loans he borrowed from his boss. If I had known sooner that it wasn’t his money but someone else’s, I wouldn’t have gone to college.”
“So you want to marry a rich man so he can pay for your dad’s debt?”
Aline nodded, “Not technically marry the guy but I need some money. My job isn’t gonna help much either. Know any guy with cash? God I sound like a gold digger.”
Becky took a sip of her red wine, “I’m actually gonna go out to have a few drinks with some of my co-workers later. Wanna come?”
“No thanks”, Aline said getting up from the chair, “I have to finish packing. I’m leaving for Thailand tomorrow evening.”
“Thailand? I thought you swore you were never going back?”
“I did but I have to go negotiate this whole loan thing with my dad’s boss. Maybe she’ll postpone the deadline until another month or so.”
Becky nodded slowly, “Hey, are Thai guys hot like those actors in those soap operas you’ve been watching on the internet?”
“I don’t know.”
“What about that one guy, forgot his name, you had a crush on him in junior high.”
Aline tensed up. She knew who Becky was referring to.
Becky threw her hands in the air, “My bad. Didn’t think you still have a grudge over him. Just out of curiosity though, ever since that day, have you seen him since? Like you know, try looking him up on Facebook and stuff?”
Aline kept silence and looked sideways, rubbing the back of her neck. Becky’s eyes beamed. She knew her friend too well to encode those nonverbal communication of rubbing the neck and staying silent.
“You did look him up didn’t you?!”
“Nooooo…”
Aline avoided her friend’s stare and walked towards her bedroom. Becky followed close behind.
“You’re lying, you did look him up. Why would you look him up anyways if you claim to hate him so much for breaking your heart and embarrassing you in front of the school?”
Aline paused and turned to look at her friend, “Okay, in my defense I only looked him up to see if he was still that jerk I knew back in middle school.”
“So is he?”
Aline crossed her arms and sat on the edge of her bed, “He’s a successful business man now, who’s soon to take over his family’s mega corporation after his dad retires.”
“So he’s rich?”
Aline nodded and looked at her friend. Becky had on a mischievous smile.
“Oh no. I know that smile and I know what you’re thinking Becky.”
“What? He’s rich and you need money. You know what you should do when you go back to Thailand? Look for him, seduce him, and get him to fall for you. Marry him, divorce his ass later but make sure you get a prenup. Then reveal who you really are. Oh sweet revenge!"
“Becky you’re being ridiculous! Maybe I’m showing you too much of Thai lakorns. First of all, I was only joking about finding a rich man. And second, if I were to actually seduce him, it wouldn’t work. He didn’t like me then, he wouldn’t like me now.”
“You don’t know that. You’re not the same person you were ten years ago.”
Aline ignored her friend and began packing. Seduce Shane? Aline couldn’t possibly picture her doing that to Shane or any guy for that matter. When it comes to relationship and being intimate, Aline would be the last in line. As she was folding her clothes, she remembers her last date she had with a guy from college. They just go back from a date and he was leaning towards her to give her a kiss but she stumbled and fell on her butt. He felt like such an idiot after that.
“Okay maybe you don’t have to seduce him but didn’t you say your parents knew his family? I mean you were friends with his sister right?”
Aline stopped to open her laptop and went on Facebook and looked through her list of friends.
“What are you doing?” Becky asked.
“You just gave me an idea.”
“So you’re gonna ask him for help?
Aline shook her head as she clicked on the name Amina Boonyarath to message. “Nope but I know who might.”
