After Rising From The Ashes

Natalie and I treated Andrew to a fancy dinner to win him over.

Andrew said confidently, "I got this. Guys like Yosef, who dream about dating anime characters, are an open book to me."

Next day, Andrew showed up in flats and a floral dress.

Yosef practically drooled when he saw Andrew.

I tugged at Yosef's sleeve, signaling for him to present the gift.

Yosef finally said, "Andrea, here is a little something from me. A fancy bag for a beautiful lady."

Andrew barely glanced at the gift bag and said with a hint of disdain, "I usually give this brand to my maids.

But I guess I'll keep it, since you're Layla's brother."

Yosef's face turned red, but he forced a smile and said, "My bad, Andrea, just tell me what you like, and I'll get it for you."

Right in front of Andrew, I offered to transfer money to Yosef.

I told him, "Chasing girls costs a fortune, I've just wired you two million dollars. Spoil Andrea with some surprises."

During the high tea, Andrew had Yosef completely enchanted. Yosef friended Andrew on WhatsApp. Then Andrew excused himself to check on his office and left.

Yosef, grinning broadly, clutched his phone. "Layla, I think Andrea's quite taken with me. When's her period? I'm thinking of getting her pregnant soon."

I laughed. "Andrea's pretty shy and innocent, so you'll have to take the lead. And hey, watch your spending. I had to mortgage my house to scrape together that two million for you."

Using a newly created account, Andrew and I chatted with Yosef for a couple of weeks, which made him even more obsessed with "Andrea."

Yosef ended up splurging one and a half million dollars on gifts for "Andrea."

But "Andrea" only responded with gifts of equal value and never agreed to be his girlfriend.

After a few tests, Yosef completely bought into the idea that "Andrea" was a naive heiress, just a rich girl with more money than sense.

I told Yosef, "Andrea is just testing you. Don't rush things, just keep at it a bit longer."

But Maria was even more impatient than Yosef.

Annoyed that Yosef had blown so much money on "Andrea" without even a touch, Maria couldn't stand it and started bombarding me with calls.

Over the phone, Maria snapped, "Layla, that Andrea isn't right for Yosef. Get her to send all the gifts back.

Yosef spent a ton, and she's just stringing him along. That's a real bitch move.

And you, stop mixing with these shady characters. They're bad news."

Putting on a weepy voice, Andrew chimed in, "Mrs. Watson, I can't believe you think that of me. What Yosef spent is just half of my monthly allowance from my dad. I didn't know you guys were tight on cash.

Don't worry, I won't bother Yosef anymore. I'll send back everything he gave me."

Before Maria could reply, Andrew hung up.

He turned to me and remarked, "Man, that's crazy. I've never met a mom like her before."

Natalie silently gave Andrew a thumbs-up. "The real craziness is still to come."

Within ten minutes, Yosef tried to video call.

Andrew kept rejecting Yosef's video calls, five times in total. Yosef panicked and started sending voice messages: [Andrea, my mom didn't mean it like that. She's tough on the outside but soft inside.

She's just looking out for us. Don't be mad at her.

And hey, I bought that evening gown you wanted!]

Andrew sent back a tearful voice message: [I've never been insulted or hurt like this before. I'm going to return your gifts, and let's not talk anymore!]

I grabbed the phone and added: [Yosef, mom was way out of line. How could she indirectly call Andrea a gold digger? Do you really think Andrea cares about a million or so?]

Fearing he might lose "Andrea," Yosef humbled himself for the first time.

He sent back a voice message, almost begging: [Layla, please, put in a good word for me. I've already chewed out my mom. I truly care about Andrea.]

Seeing my chance, I replied: [Andrea's dad likes a certain bracelet. He said anyone who can snag that bracelet and offer it as a dowry, he'd let Andrea marry him.]

Yosef immediately promised to get it, no matter what.