Pippa bit back a sigh. Fine. She had a feeling she'd regret this, but if Fleur truly wanted Philippe DeRose as her husband, then she would do her best to support her friend.
A live orchestra began to play as Paradijs' staff streamed inside the ballroom to serve the first of an eight-course meal. Since Pippa wasn't too fond of tomatoes dipped in wasabi, she turned to Fleur, asking, "Do you want—-" She stopped speaking when Fleur not-so-subtly kicked the leg of her chair, and Pippa's brows shot up. What?
Fleur cleared her throat. "I'm not so hungry myself."
Pippa blinked. "You're always—-"
Fleur kicked the leg of her chair again.
"But—-"
Fleur gave her friend a sweet smile. "I'm always a light eater, duh."
Pippa nearly snorted. Fleur eating light was like saying her husband hated sex, and—-
Oh!
Pippa belatedly noticed the unopened text message on her phone's screen.
Fleur: stop ruining op yuletide! philippe likes women who eat DAINTILY, and so that's exactly how i'll be acting.
Pippa: You're seriously starting to worry me.
Fleur: i can change his mind later. but 4 now, i can't give anyone any reason 2 tell him i'm far from his ideal woman.
Pippa: Bet you $5 you won't make it to the last course.
Fleur: DEAL
And of course, the one who won was...Pippa.
Fleur knew it was time to go when the potted plant centerpiece on their table started looking like food to her. Was it just her or did those ornamental leaves look like spinach? And were those really fake mistletoes and berries?
Pippa nearly burst out laughing when she saw her friend slowly reach for the centerpiece mistletoes like they were actually real and mouthwateringly edible. "What do you think you're doing?"
Pippa's light slap on her wrist made Fleur snap back into reality. Oh my God. Fleur was beyond horrified. She had almost ended up eating the stupid centerpiece in her hunger! I need to get out of here before I mistake the plates for piyaya!
It took everything of Fleur to rise gracefully to her feet when all she wanted was to run out of the ballroom before hunger turned her into a furniture-chomping monster. She air-kissed everyone as she made her excuses, and she had to suffer Pippa's smug, knowing look as she said goodbye to her friend.
Don't forget to Venmo me, Pippa mouthed at her.
I hate you, Fleur mouthed back, and she could only grimace when she heard her friend snicker as she turned away.
On her way out, Fleur again had to walk past Philippe's table, but this time around she feigned distraction as she rummaged through her purse. To ignore him twice in one night would've been too much, but with this at least, she could keep the tycoon guessing.
Doing great, Fleur! Keep it up!
She knew it was a little too early to give herself a pat on the back, but she simply couldn't help it. Fleur loved to celebrate. It was why she loved her job as PR department head for the family business, and more importantly, it was also why she believed she would make the perfect wife for Philippe DeRose.
Patience was key here, Fleur reminded herself, and as long as she stuck to the plan, everything should and would fall into place. But in the meantime—-
Fleur placed a warning hand against her stomach. Do not growl, you monster! Growl, and I'll starve you! I mean it!
Maarten already had the car waiting outside Paradijs when she stepped out of its front doors, and Fleur breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, thank God. She kicked her heels off as soon as she was inside her car and gave her driver a pleading look. "Take me to the closest fast food, please?"
The older man tapped on the car's navigation display. "Burger King okay?"
"Triple Whopper with cheese, onion rings, and...um...Diet Coke," she finished piously.
Her driver snorted, but weak with hunger as she was, Fleur couldn't even find the energy to tell Maarten he was being judgmental.
Maarten ordered a coffee for himself and, through the rearview mirror, watched Fleur with a mixture of amusement and concern as she gobbled down her food. "Did they not feed you there?"
"I have a new image to maintain."
Maarten only grunted this time, knowing from their previous conversations that the younger woman had somehow convinced herself she needed to change her so-called image in order to find herself a proper man.
He had no idea what Fleur meant by such changes, but since he had also been working for her family for decades, Maarten also personally knew that any man would be lucky to marry his charge. Girl was a gem plain and simple, the older man thought grumpily, and them wealthy men were all idiots for not seeing this.
A full stomach always made Fleur feel like she was floating, and she certainly felt that as Maarten drove her back to Paradijs, which also offered hotel-like suites for its members to use.