Chapter 305 - The Story Behind Ricardo

While sales for Andres Islands were doing good, Isabella had observed that all of Ricardo's endorsements instantly became famous. He was a well-known model in Italy. She was ambitious and Andres Islands had made her bank account incredibly fat over the year. 

Hanxi was a good representative for the resort since he was loyal to Andrea but Isabella thought, 'Just one time. I just want Ricardo to do a shoot for the resort just once. Just enough to make the resort well known to the Italian Market.'

For days she had requested an appointment with him or his manager but to no avail. He was just too busy. One day, she was giving her team instructions while promoting Andres Islands in one of their hotels when she saw that Ricardo was there, attending a charity event. 

"Wow, this must be my lucky night," she mumbled to herself. 

She left their booth to catch up with him as he walked towards the venue. She called out to him repeatedly, "Ricardo! Ricardo!"

She was barely catching up as Ricardo and his manager walked rapidly. When all of a sudden, he ceased to speak with a woman being held by another man. 

"Ricardo!" She called for him again. Surprisingly, this time around, he turned, and he smiled at her. 

"Ah, there you are, sweetheart. Thank goodness you made it," he said while walking towards her direction. He then whispered to her ear, "Whatever you want, I will do it. Just go along with me for tonight."

She was still in shock when he dragged her to where the woman was standing and said, "This is my girlfriend. Sweetheart, this is my ex-wife, Veronica."

The woman frowned at her presence and it took a moment for her to realize she was being used for Ricardo's gain. Whatever it may be. Nonetheless, she was quick to think and told herself, 'Fine. Maybe this is the only way she can get him to model for the resorts.'

Isabella ended up pretending to be his girlfriend the entire event, making his ex-wife eat vinegar like crazy. Veronica even approached her as she went to the restroom. She told her that like her, she will also grow tired of his busy life. 

Ricardo and Isabella agreed for an exchange deal. Since she had pretended to be his girlfriend for one night, he would come to the Maldives and model for the resorts with no professional fee. 

Introducing Ricardo as a boyfriend to Hanxi was never part of her plan. However, she recalled how she confessed her feelings for Hanxi. She clearly remembered the worry on his face. He did not come back to her when asked about his feelings. She immediately assumed he would turn her down. 

Since she did not want to hear rejection, she avoided him for two weeks. When she finally had the courage to speak to him, Isabella noticed that he seemed unaffected. To her, it was like she never asked him how he felt about her. 

She instantly recalled Ricardo's reasoning for using her during the charity event. He said, "Jealousy. Jealousy can win my wife back. Didn't you see the look on her face? It was just perfect!"

On one of their video calls, Isabella thought to test the waters and told Hanxi a lie. 

"How have you been?" Hanxi asked. 

She pursed her lips before answering, "I have been busy…Actually, I met someone… Someone, I think I like."

Isabella instantly saw a different side of Hanxi and they were both fell silent for seconds. She could tell that he was taken aback. At that time, she could only hope it was because he was hurt. 

Struggling to respond, Hanxi asked, "What - What's his name?" 

'Shoot! Name! Name!' Isabella panicked. She did not think of naming her non-existent lover. In the end, she gave the name of the only good-looking male she recently had interaction with, "It's Ricardo - Right. Ricardo is his name. He is a model."

Occasionally, during their chat, Isabella would bring up Ricardo and observed Hanxi's reaction. However, the more she mentioned him, Hanxi seemed to have gotten used to it and his reactions became accepting of the fact that she was in a relationship. 

When it was time to discuss the contract for Ricardo's shoot in the Maldives, she was curious how he was dealing with his ex-wife. She asked him, "Did it work for you?"

"Excuse me?" Ricardo asked. 

"Making your ex-wife Jealous, did it work for you?" She asked firmly, leaning closer towards him. 

Ricardo smiled and said, "It's too noisy and I can barely hear you. Can you whisper it to my ear?"

After repeating herself, she noticed him smiling from ear to ear. It was as if she said something that complimented him. Then he replied, "Yes, it's working perfectly. In fact, before meeting you, I posted on twitter I was meeting my girlfriend for lunch and there she is five tables away, spying on us - Don't! Don't look."

Isabella's eyes were wide open. She glared at him and said, "You used me again?!"

"Well, with the very limited time I have. I have to use it wisely," Ricardo responded casually as he went through the details of the contract. "It's better when she sees us. It further increases her annoyance."

"You know we are looking for sponsors for my shoot in Beijing. If you would like to join, your hotels would get free advertising… It's for the travel magazine my manager and I had recently established."

"Beijing?" She was silent for a moment before asking, "Is it really better to make someone jealous in person?"

"Yeah, absolutely. I was constantly jealous of my ex-wife's male friends back in college. It made me decide to ask her out. I'm pretty sure it's very effective," he said while reaching for a napkin and pretended to wipe the corner of her mouth. He was smiling adoringly as he said that, hoping that his wife was looking. 

While Ricardo was busy using her to make his ex-wife envious, Isabella was in deep thought. They were about to wrap things up when she said, "Can you help me make someone jealous?"

Thus, she offered to sponsor his shoot in exchange for making Hanxi jealous. He also got a fully expense paid one week vacation in China, staying in his own private suite.

What Hanxi did not know, every after dropping them off, Ricardo would move to the suite next to Isabella's. Even if Isabella booked a two-bedroom suite, she was never comfortable having another man within meters from her as she slept through the night. 

After a week of making a show, Isabella became frustrated. She felt like she did not make progress at all and Ricardo was going to be busy with his shoot. 

"I think it's not working," she said while walking in circles inside her private suite. "This was a bad idea."

"It's working. Trust me, it's working. I can see it in his eyes. Isabelle, find time to speak to him. I'm going to my suite now. I need my beauty rest for tomorrow," Ricardo said before walking to the door. 

Isabella was about to give up. She contacted her assistant to change their return flight. She figured it was best for her and Matteo to return. However, she received a call from Hanxi telling her that Andrea had invited her to visit their home and stay for dinner. 

After their call, she lingered by the living room balcony and told herself, "I have to tell him tomorrow. I have to get this over and done with."