The Alchemists

Finland whispered in Jean's ear, "That's Caspar..."

Jean looked at the man on the stage and locked his eyes with Heinrich Schneider's. This was the guy whose face he wasn't able to find anywhere on the internet. Both of them seemed to judge one another.

"Mr. Schneider doesn't like to be photographed, so please don't take any pictures to upload on social media." Ms Song said.

There were whispers among the guests. Most of the upper-class society who have met with Schneider Group's owner before were not at all surprised. Only some of the guests who heard this strange request for the first time were forced to comply.

After recovering from their amazement, the girls from LTX International shifted their eyes to Finland. They knew that she had a special relationship with the owner of the Continental Hotel from the flowers he sent to their office, and now after seeing how impressive he was, they started seeing Finland with a different perspective.

She was friends with the amazing supermodel, Jean... and her connection to Continental Hotel was none other than the owner of Schneider's Group himself!

After he was done with his speech, Finland immediately sent an SMS to Caspar.

[I lost the bet. You won. What do you want me to do?]

[I want you to go on a proper date with me tomorrow; you can kiss me when we bid good bye.]

[OK.]

[By the way, you look beautiful tonight. I love your dress.]

Finland did not reply to Caspar's last SMS. She showed their SMS exchange to Jean, and the man frowned. He did not like the situation.

The event finally came to an end and everyone prepared to leave. Jean insisted on taking Finland home and that's when he finally saw Finland's beautiful place. He suddenly felt suspicious.

"There is no way this place could cost 500 dollars. It's too good to be true, Finland. Don't you feel anything is wrong with this?" He asked in surprise. "The pavilion is very luxurious; the main house is also very grand. And look at this stunning garden. Finland, this must be the house of a very rich person, and they don't usually need tenants."

"The owner is rarely in Singapore. There are only 3 old household staff living here. They are all very kind to me."

"I just want you to be careful. If anything bad happens and you are forced to leave from this place, you can always go back to my apartment. I actually prefer that you live in my place."

"I know. Thank you!"

After saying good night, Jean returned to his own apartment. Finland sighed. She also realized that Jean was right. The circumstance was very suspicious, but she was not ready for the truth and she did not want to leave this place yet. She really liked her house.

***

The next day Ben picked Finland up at her home for a "date" with his boss. Finland was very aware of the kiss she had to give Caspar at the end of the date. She wished she hadn't lost the bet.

Ugh... fine. She shouldn't be too troubled. This was only the meeting of lips. No big deal.

It turned out that their date today was in Caspar's own residence, in his penthouse at the Continental Hotel. The man was preparing dinner when Finland arrived at the door.

"Welcome, Finland." He welcomed the girl with a big smile and an embrace. Finland replied by kissing his cheek. "I'm cooking today."

"Oh... that's great. You can cook?" Finland asked in amazement. "What's the menu for tonight?"

Caspar mentioned some dishes that Finland found difficult to grasp and she had no idea what they were, so she just nodded. Anyway, this was a free dinner. She always liked food that was provided for free, and if the dish was prepared fresh before her eyes, it was even better.

"Seriously... am I not the most amazing man you have ever met?" Caspar asked when he finished serving the food he perfectly prepared. "I'm handsome, I'm very rich, I'm also smart, and I can cook."

Finland coughed when she heard it. "Uhm... aren't compliments supposed to be given by someone else? It doesn't count if you compliment yourself."

"I just expressed what was in your heart," Caspar said in a teasing tone. "I know that's what you were thinking."

"Actually, I was just thinking about the food. I feel very fortunate to have free dinner two days in a row now. Yesterday at the Bartz event, and now at your place. My bad luck seems to be changing. Many good things have happened in my life lately, and I am grateful."

Caspar smiled at her, "I'm also glad you think like that. Your face looks brighter and happier now, compared to when I first met you at the airport. You are smiling more often now. My mission to make you smile within six months is almost a success."

"Thank you," Finland bowed, "I don't know why you care so much about me. But thanks for trying to make me smile."

"I like doing things that seem impossible. When I saw your pair of sad eyes, I became determined to do something to make your sadness disappear. You could say, I enjoy unconventional projects."

"Oh..." Finland raised her face in confusion, "are you trying to say that I'm just another project for you?"

Caspar realized that he chose the wrong words, "Uhm... it's not like that. I'm just happy I could help."

He knew he said the wrong thing again. Finland had been very clear from the beginning that she did not like to be helped or to rely on other people's kindness.

"Never mind... let's just eat," Caspar said quickly. He scolded himself. Never in this long life of his had he ever had to be careful about his words like this. All the girls he met treated him like a Prince Charming who saved a damsel in distress. They all liked to be helped, defended, and saved by him.

But this girl in front of him was very stubborn. She did not want to be pitied, even though among all the women he had ever dated before, Finland was the poorest.

They finally ate in peace. Finland was impressed by Caspar's cooking. She had never tasted dishes as delicious as this her whole life. The man was not joking when he said that he was great at cooking.

"The longer you do something, the better your ability will be," Caspar explained. "For example, someone who have painted for a hundred years would surely have more authenticity compared to someone who have painted for just one year.. Whatever I do now will have close to perfect results because I have had so much time to practice."

Finland agreed. She didn't really understand though what Caspar meant by having so much time. He could not possibly have that much time to cook. He was a great surgeon, and a successful business owner...

The wine Caspar chose during their dinner paired perfectly with each dish they had, and it made the atmosphere more lively.

Although it was difficult for Finland to accept that she lost the bet, she had to admit that Caspar's strategy was very clever yesterday. She expected Caspar to disguise himself as a guest, not a model.

Now she was ready to give the man her first kiss.