The Inauthentic Billionaire Princess

Chapter 10

The annoyance in his eyes was gone and I only looked at him as he gave a stunning smile to my parents. Then his eyes fell on Olivia. He looked at her for a moment, slightly frowning until his fluttering eyes met my wide eyes.

And then in a split second, her charming smile fell and her lips stuck in one straight line. His eyes hardened and openly glared at me, making me slightly retreat in fear. No gaze, or rather the gaze of the eyes ever intimidated me. He looked really scary when he glared at me like that. It seemed like he was trying hard to make me fall six feet down with his gaze.

Maybe feel some tension at the table, ma'am. Jenson. "Well, this is getting awkward." He murmured in his heart.

"Let's start dinner" said Olivia, grumbling quietly.

"Yes," I said, looking away from Ethan Evans' deadly gaze.

Soon, four servants came out of the kitchen. They began to put plates, forks, and spoons. I quietly watched them do their job, stealing glances at the man sitting across from my best friend who may have been planning a massive murder for trivial reasons such as pushing him into the pool, by accident. He didn't see, or rather glared at me again, and I was grateful. But he had a deep frown on his face which showed that he was annoyed.

When the waiters served steaks with mashed potato side dishes for our dinner, along with some side dishes I didn't know his name because I had never tasted them, Ethan started a conversation with dad about business.

"It looks like I have to travel tomorrow to France to check out Slice Of Life. There have been many complaints from customers about poor food quality, irregular service and hotel staff behavior that have seen us experience a drastic decline in the number of customers over the past few months. Our profits are gradually decreasing. We have to fire some employees, train the remaining employees, ensure better quality and quantity, make the price affordable for everyone. I think we'll be able to increase the pace of growth and the rate of profit increase in about three months' time" he finished with a poker face.

Mr. Jenson nodded slowly. "So I guess you'll be back from Marseille around Wednesday night, right?"

"Yes, Sir. I think I'll be back by then."

"Good, because I want you to keep an eye on my Encore Casino starting the next day after you return. I will trust his decisions for the next two months. But I'll take the final decision."

"Okay sir, thank you."

Mr. Jenson's eyes wrinkled at the end with a smile. "You're working fine, Ethan. I'm sure after two months or so, you'll be able to handle your own family business well. Peter would be so proud of you" he said, before sipping water from his glass. "I don't know why Peter thinks that I can train you better than him. After all, he was top of Forbes' list of most influential businessmen."

"Yes right, but he thinks you're more experienced."

"I don't know. I don't agree."

"And he also says you're the most humble person" Ethan gave a small smile to Mr. Jenson.

Mr. Jenson chuckled and shook his head.

"Can't talk about work at the dinner table" said Ms. Jenson stared at Ethan and Mr. Jenson.

"Of course, honey," said Mr. Jenson.

Then he glanced at me and shock was on his handsome face and I almost had a heart attack imagining he finally realized I wasn't Juliet.

"Juliet! Ii'm sorry. I know I've been a bad father to you."

"Oh no, Mr. Jen-Father!" I almost screamed. "I don't mean dad, you're really amazing."

He smiled regretfully at me. "I wish I could fix our relationship."

Ethan cleared his throat before putting a piece of steak into his mouth. My father glanced at him.

"Oh! I'm not sure if you guys remember each other," he said, glancing at her expectantly. "I hope you remember it. Or did two years apart make you two forget each other?" She laughs.

"How can I forget it? I didn't forget it" she said sweetly.

My dad's staring at me. "I don't think Juliet knows much about what's going on here. Juliet, Ethan will stay with us for a few months so he can learn from me. He recently graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business with an MBA. He's 23 years old. He'll take over Peter's business in a few months. And I think he deserves it and can handle it very well."

The Stanford Graduate School of Business? It was like the most prestigious business institution in the entire world.

"Cool," I said flat, and I saw Ethan's eyebrows slightly raised.

"And this is Olivia, Juliet's friend," my father said, pointing at Olivia.

Olivia gives Ethan a faint smile before refocusing on his food, which he graciously puts down his throat.

We continued the rest of the dinner in silence. I don't feel like I'm having dinner with the richest man in the world. If anything, I just feel like I'm having dinner with my family, or almost like family because I'm the one who took his daughter's place. I think having dinner with rich people would be an awkward event and I would embarrass myself, one way or another because sometimes they are too intimidating. And even worse, there must be Ethan who occasionally throws sharp glances at me. I tried my best to ignore him, but it was hard, because he was sitting right across from my best friend.

The silence did not make me awkward and I was very careful while eating, making sure that I did not do anything stupid or make annoying noises with the dishes and spoons. Thank goodness my mother taught me eating manners and dinner etiquette when I was a kid, it's very useful now. If I ate like I did in my normal life, I would be considered worse than a cavewoman.

"It's so delicious, Mrs Jenson," I heard Olivia say. I looked at him and saw him stuff a big piece of cheese cake into his mouth. Olivia has a very serious relationship with food. More than a girlfriend, she cares a lot about food. Besides, she doesn't have a boyfriend. So for the sake of his own safety, it was very important that no one should touch his food. He takes it as a very serious offense to him and the least he will do is hit you to the ground.

"I wish I could make food like that. The last time I tried it, I almost burned the kitchen and the food was pitch-black" Ms. Jenson smiled shyly.

"Don't worry, Mrs Jenson. If I were in your position, I would probably burn down the entire house. Good thing Juliet knows how to cook or I'll starve to death." Olivia said and I stepped on her foot. He let out a groan. We don't know if Juliet knows how to cook or not!

The woman frowned. "Juliet knows how to cook?" He asked us in disbelief. She looked so shocked as if Olivia had just told her that I was a virgin who was pregnant.

Olivia, who realized her mistake, gave a bright smile to cover it up. "Y-yes, he can. I've taught him."

My face held my palms in my heart. He taught me? He taught me?! And what did he say a moment ago about burning down the entire house if he tried to cook?!

"But you said you weren't good at cooking," said my mother with puzzled furrowed brows.

"Y-yeah. I didn't, but I did. I mean, I used to know .. how to cook but when I taught her, I forgot how." That doesn't make any sense at all.

"Um .. okay. But Juliet knows how to cook it, wow. Juliet never goes into the kitchen, unless she wants to tell the chefs to cook right away. So this is a big surprise for me" he said.

We are not sitting still.

"So what can you cook, Julie?" He asked and my eyes widened when I realized that he was calling me Julie. I looked at her, gulped nervously while waiting for her to speak and told her how pitiful we were for trying to act like Juliet.

"J-Julie?" I stammered when he said nothing more.

"Yes. You once told me when you were a kid that you didn't like your name at all and wished your name was Julie."

He's nodding. "Something is better than nothing. I'm afraid you don't even know how to cut tomatoes."

Dinner was over and everyone went back to their own business. My mother was probably in her room after giving me a good-night kiss on my forehead. It feels awkward but I don't mind. Ethan and Dad are invisible. After dinner, the two of them immediately left the dining room and I assumed that they had gone to work.

It was eleven in the evening and Olivia and I were lying on the couch in the large living room watching a Supernatural replay on a large flat screen. I was still far from sleepy and there was no one around us, even though the servants were definitely around here.

While we were in one of the episodes of the second season, I glanced at Olivia, only to see her eyes closed and a soft snoring that barely sounded out of her mouth. I looked towards the old clock hanging just above the large flat-screen TV and sighed as I read the time showing almost one thirty. I never slept this late. But ever since I was kidnapped, my sleep and wake schedule has been disrupted, but right now, it doesn't really matter to me.

I got up from the sofa and walked towards the flat screen to turn it off. Everything seemed too quiet after that. I wonder if anyone is awake this late. With no signs of fatigue or sleepiness, I decided to look around the house. Nothing's gonna stop me. In their eyes, I was the daughter of a very powerful and wealthy person who possessed all of this.

I came out of the living room, leaving Olivia asleep on the sofa. I think I'll wake him up later. I entered the luxurious kitchen. I felt a little hungry and decided to go for food. Walking around the kitchen island, I walked towards an oversized refrigerator. I opened the door and as I expected, the fridge was fully loaded. The fridge was heaven for me with all the ice cream and popsicles filled with frozen vegetables.

I randomly picked up a popsicle from a popsicle bag in the freezer, which turned out to be a banana popsicle. I opened the lid and wrapped it around the popsicle stick before putting it in the mouth, enjoying the sweetness.

I looked around, checking the kitchen. The kitchen was huge and I was amazed by how their chefs prepared everything. They make tongue-shaking meals and I take notes in my heart to compliment their skills whenever I catch them in the kitchen.

As soon as I finished, I threw the wrapper into the kitchen bin and washed my hands before walking out to see Olivia who was still asleep.

It was a bit cold for a summer night and the place seemed too open. I looked around to see if anyone was there. Not finding anyone, I turned towards the hall next to the kitchen. It was dark and there were several rooms lined up along the hallway. I wonder if there are a lot of people living in this mansion because until now, at least I have seen half a dozen bedrooms and I have not even seen the entire house.

I stepped out the door at the end of the hallway and the pool was the first thing that caught my attention. Beyond that there is a large and beautiful garden that stretches up to a large fence around the house. I can see the beach from here. The beach was a bit far from home, but I could faintly see the waves hitting each other.

I kept walking until I stood by the pool. Suddenly I wanted to go to the beach. The last time I went to the beach was five or six years ago on a family vacation with my father and biological mother.

I just stared at the ocean in front of me for a while. Sleep has not yet picked me up and my tiredness from earlier is gone. The cool beach breeze made me shiver and I stared at the full moon in the clear night sky, dotted with twinkling stars.

After a while, I heard gentle footsteps approaching me from behind. I turned around with my heels, thinking it was Olivia. But I was wrong. That's not Olivia. That's someone much worse.

Ethan Evans's.

I turned around, my back facing her as I realized her gaze, or rather her gaze piercing my back. After a few seconds, I heard him take a few steps closer until he stood beside me.

"Have not seen each other in a long time, Juliet. Where have you been?" He asked after a while. I jerked my head to the left to look at him, but he didn't look at me. She stared at the ocean like I did a moment ago, a small grin adorning her lips as if she was plotting a big evil plan.

"Mr..." I was silent, unsure how to answer. "Place."

"Hmmm..." He hummed, "I wish you were back where you came from. I've enjoyed my stay here enough until you show up."

I'm staying quiet. I don't care if he has a bad history with Juliet and I certainly don't want to make more trouble for myself.

"My love. I'm really not happy to see you again." She said, putting her hands on her chest by pretending to be in pain, as if I was the cause of her pain. The crazy guy overrated.

Don't say anything. Don't say anything. I screamed at myself. But my control was cut off at the next words.

"Dad said you ran away. At first, I couldn't believe it when I found out that the only thing you liked was playing Barbie dolls. And you ran away from all that? Impossible. So where have you been running away for the past year? Singapore? Hong Kong's? A paris? Or is the world too small for you now? I'm not surprised to learn that you haven't changed. Still remains the woman****** who is irresponsible, uncaring, selfish, and pathetic who eats her father's money." Oho! He didn't just mention me ******! "You should have stayed there. When are you going?"

I turned towards him to give my best death-eye look. "Well, I have to ask you the same thing because this is my house that you've lived in for over two months." I held out my two fingers. "When are you going?" I asked, pointing a finger at him.

"This is not your home" he said firmly and I stared at him, my eyes wide open as I slapped my mouth. He looked at me strangely. "This is not your house. This is your father's house. You don't get money from your father. You didn't buy this house. It's not yours. This belongs to Mr. Jensen." Jensen." He finished and I lowered my hand from my mouth while breathing a sigh of relief. He almost got me a heart attack. I think she knows that I'm not Mr. Jenson's daughter.

"Well, of course he has all this," I snapped. "What I mean is that he lives here. And you don't, you moron."

He shook his head at me. "It's still the same bad girl with that annoying Barbie Botox face. Do you know anything other than partying and spending all your father's money on useless things and traveling. I'm sure you haven't learned anything in two years. You are completely useless." She said. "When are you useless?" He muttered in the end.

My blood flowed coldly upon hearing his harsh words. I felt a sudden urge to defend Juliet and I took a step very close to her. He looked surprised at my steps but remained standing glued to the spot.

"You don't know me the way you think, so you have no right to talk nonsense about me. I know exactly who I am and I don't need to know it from you. So close the hole in your face" I said in a very low voice. I stepped back and I saw him take a deep breath through his mouth. "And if you become an inconsiderate jerk just because I threw you into the pool, then let me tell you that it was an accident. I don't see you standing by the pool and I'm in a hurry. So I'm sorry" I said in a tone hinting that I had no regrets at all. He narrowed his eyes at me before his lips moved upwards in an evil grin.

"You know you're standing by the same pool."

It took me a second to realize what he really meant, but when I realized, it was too late.

He's already given a little push towards the pool, making me lose my balance. I fell into the pool. I gasped for breath as I fell deep into the cold water and struggled to resurface. I move my hand and swim upwards, breathing air through my mouth as my teeth flutter due to the cold temperature of the water.

Behind me, I heard Ethan laughing like a madman while holding his stomach and laughing again towards me.

"Shut up!" I snap. He woke up from his laughter and looked at me with a blank face.

"You're wet" he said, his poker face still on.

"No way, Goddamn it," I glared at him.

She ignored me as a small grin spread on her pink lips. "Did I make you wet?" He asked before once again laughing hysterically.

I glared at him before splashing water at him, which he intelligently saw and quickly rushed aside.

He gave me one last grin. "Have a good time, loser" he said before turning to leave.

I groaned and looked up at the sky. My stay won't be fun.

Ethan Evans is a jerk. I haven't known him for a long time, but I can safely say that he is a childish and disgusting man.

He disappeared into a very large house. The water was so cold, I could not feel my hands and feet. I went out soon after and met Olivia who took me to her room and gave me clothes to change, which Mrs Jenson gave her.

After that, I went back to my room, half hoping I could catch Ethan hiding somewhere so I could stick a pole down his throat. It was our first meeting and it certainly didn't go well. I just hope our next meetings won't go the same way. I would be very happy if I didn't meet him.

I curled up in a large, warm and comfortable bed, pulled the blanket over my head and curled up into a ball. I shivered a little because I was still a little cold due to the cold water in the pool. My hair is a little wet. And I fell asleep with a plan for how to get back at Ethan Evans. But I know that I am not willing to do that.