Opposites Attract?

2

It was a grand evening at the Arceta household. The sprawling garden was illuminated with soft, warm lights, and the long dining table was set with the finest silverware. Aiah, her demure beauty on full display, sat at the far end of the table beside her mother, who was proudly introducing her to the Lim family.

"Aiah, I'm sure you've heard of Mikhael Jèane Lim," her mom, Malou, said, nodding towards the crimson-haired young man seated directly across the table.

Aiah smiled politely, though the truth was she had never really taken an interest in business circles, especially not in the socialites like MJ Lim. But she had seen pictures of him—the COO of a renowned construction company, usually photographed with different models, and always with that same stoic, unreadable expression.

MJ, on the other hand, only gave her a curt nod, almost mechanical. He was tall, his thick brows drawn together as though being here was the last place he wanted to be. His dyed crimson-red hair stood out in the otherwise formal atmosphere of the dinner.

"Prim and proper muna, Aiah," Aiah mentally reminded herself, flashing a smile that she was known for—sophisticated and demure. But deep inside, the real her was rolling her eyes. The whole evening felt like a staged political event.

As the dinner progressed, the conversation among the parents flowed naturally—business, politics, and of course, the subtle exchange of pleasantries about "future plans." Meanwhile, Aiah and MJ exchanged a few forced smiles and nods across the table.

"Aiah, Mikhael, why don't you two talk? Get to know each other," Dick Arceta suddenly suggested with a wide grin, completely unaware of the growing tension between the two.

"Sure," Aiah said sweetly, keeping up appearances. She gestured for MJ to follow her into the adjacent sitting room. MJ, ever the obedient son, stood up and followed with his usual nonchalant expression.

The moment they were out of earshot, MJ immediately crossed his arms, clearly impatient. Aiah, who was still trying to maintain some level of grace, sat down on one of the plush chairs and gestured for him to take the seat opposite her.

"So..." she began, trying to break the ice. "What do you do for fun, Mikhael?"

"I work," MJ replied flatly, not even bothering to sit down. He glanced around the room, probably wishing he was anywhere else.

Aiah blinked, a little taken aback by his short response. "Uh, I see. So, you don't do anything outside of work?"

"Not really a fan of wasting time," MJ said, his tone a bit more clipped than necessary. "And please, just call me MJ."

Aiah's polite smile wavered. "Right. MJ, then. Do you, uh, plan on having a family someday?"

MJ finally sat down, looking at her squarely. "No. I don't see the point in it. Kids just complicate things."

Aiah's eyes widened. That was not the answer she expected, especially not in a setting where their families were clearly scheming to push them together. "Wow, straight to the point, ha?"

He shrugged. "No point in sugar-coating. I'm not here to impress anyone. And to be frank, I don't even believe in love."

Aiah almost choked on her saliva. "Excuse me? You don't believe in love?"

"Yeah. It's just an illusion people feed themselves to make life seem less... pointless," he said, leaning back in his chair as if he had just shared the weather forecast.

Aiah narrowed her eyes. "Cocky ka ha. You say that now, but when you find someone—"

"No," MJ interrupted, his tone sharp. "That's just it. I've seen what 'love' does to people. I'm not interested."

Aiah couldn't help herself. "So, you're just okay with going through life without ever feeling... anything?"

MJ shrugged again. "Feelings complicate things. I'm more about efficiency."

Aiah bit her tongue. Efficiency? "Wow, you're really something else, Mikhael. Parang robot."

MJ raised an eyebrow at her sarcastic tone. "And you? What's your grand plan? Be a party girl forever?"

"Excuse me? Party girl?" Aiah's voice rose a bit, her Cebuana temper flaring. "I'm an interior designer, not some random socialite."

He smirked. "Oh right, because designing rich people's houses is sooo fulfilling, right?"

Aiah's fists clenched on her lap. "At least I'm doing what I love, unlike some people who think life is just about working until you drop dead."

MJ leaned forward, his smirk deepening. "At least I'm realistic."

"Realistic?" Aiah scoffed. "More like jaded. You sound like someone who's given up on life."

"I haven't given up on anything," MJ shot back, his eyes narrowing. "I just choose not to waste time on things that don't matter."

Aiah folded her arms, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "You know what, I don't even know why we're having this conversation. Clearly, we're too different."

"I couldn't agree more," MJ said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "But unfortunately, we don't have a choice."

"Ay nako, kung hindi lang dahil sa mga parents natin, hindi ko sasayangin ang oras ko sa 'yo," Aiah muttered under her breath in Bisaya.

"Piskit, this is going to be a long night," MJ muttered, shaking his head.

Aiah glared at him. "You know what? I think we're done here."

MJ stood up and dusted off his pants. "Agreed. Let's get this over with."

As they made their way back to the dining table, both of them wore perfectly practiced smiles, fooling everyone into thinking the conversation had gone smoothly. But behind those polite grins, they were fuming.

They sat down at the table again, both stiff and awkward. Dick Arceta and Michael Lim exchanged knowing looks, thinking their plan was falling into place. Little did they know, their children couldn't stand each other.

"So, how did it go?" Aiah's mom asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Oh, great," Aiah said sweetly, her voice laced with sarcasm that only MJ could detect.

"Yeah, it was... enlightening," MJ replied, barely keeping the irritation out of his voice.

Aiah sneaked a glance at MJ, who was glaring at his plate. "This is going to be a disaster," she thought to herself.

MJ, on the other hand, was thinking the exact same thing.

The night dragged on, and as they exchanged more forced pleasantries, one thing became crystal clear to both of them—this arranged marriage was going to be anything but easy.

MJ groaned. "You think you had it bad? I had to stand next to Aiah for hours, pretending like we were the happiest couple alive. Ang hirap kaya non!"

Guill chuckled. "It didn't look that bad. Actually, you two kinda looked... good together?"

MJ shot him a glare. "Take that back."

Jan laughed. "Pare, ikaw naman kasi. You're just looking at this the wrong way. This is an opportunity! Both business-wise and, well, personally. Who knows? Maybe you'll actually start liking her."

"Fat chance," MJ muttered. "We're too different. She's prim and proper, I'm—"

"Prim and improper?" Nick quipped, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

MJ threw a napkin at him. "Very funny. Basta. This whole engagement thing is a mess, and I'm stuck with it."

As the conversation spiraled into more teasing and laughter, MJ couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of amusement. Sure, he hated the situation, but with his friends around, even the chaos of last night felt a little more bearable.

He just hoped the next few months wouldn't be as chaotic as the engagement party. But knowing Aiah and their families, that was probably wishful thinking.