Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

Jacob had told her not to mess up Edward's plan.

"Just channel that same energy into him. I'm sure you'll fool his family."

Janice took a deep breath, taking in the icy winter air. She walked over, opened the car door, entered the car, and closed the door-all in one smooth motion.

The moment the door shut, she turned her head and said bluntly, "Good morning, darling."

As she spoke, she leaned in and placed a kiss but shielded the view with her hand. To others, it looked like she kissed Edward's cheek, but in reality, her lips had only touched her fingers.

"Did you miss me?" Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

For a moment, the car fell into complete silence.

Edward was clearly stunned. He slowly turned his head around, but his response came surprisingly fast. "Yes."

Janice blinked.

That was when she suddenly heard a sound. Looking up, she saw someone in the front passenger seat.

It was Edward's older brother, Calvin.

Janice was speechless. Good heavens!

She had assumed it was just Edward and the driver in the car. Wanting to ease any awkwardness from yesterday's ride, she had decided to "kiss" him.

"Sorry, I forgot to have Edward tell you I was here," Calvin said politely.

Janice quickly adjusted her expression and greeted him, "Good morning, Calvin."

"No worries. Carry on," Calvin said as he personally reached out and raised the partition between the front and back seats.

The moment the space was divided, Janice's smile disappeared.

But in the next second, she heard a soft chuckle from her left.

Edward was looking at her, still smiling. "Where'd you learn that from?"

"What do you mean?" Janice lowered her voice, glaring at him with her beautiful eyes. "Why didn't you tell me your brother was here?"

"This is even better. It puts his doubts to rest right away."

Janice didn't notice that Edward's tone was gentler than usual.

The rest of the ride went by in silence until they arrived at the competition venue.

Once she got into work mode, Janice went through a subtle change in vibes.

As the boss, Edward didn't have much to do beyond exchanging a few words with the event organizers and waiting in his designated seat.

From afar, he watched as Janice walked to the registration area to submit her entry. Her poised and confident demeanor, as well as her effortless grace, made her stand out—and not just to Edward. Many of the businessmen present had their eyes on Janice as well.

"She does look like a perfect match for you," Calvin remarked, impressed by Janice's appearance. Edward smirked but shot him a glance. "She's my girlfriend. Who needs your opinion?"

"Seriously? Are you that protective?" Calvin was stunned.

Janice never expected to run into Heidi backstage.

Was Heidi one of the judges?

There were nine judges for the finals, and Heidi had been a last-minute addition. One of the judges had fallen ill and was hospitalized.

Since Heidi had just returned from abroad—where she had gained some recognition—the organizers invited her as a replacement.

When they were alone, Heidi smirked. "Janice, bet you didn't expect me to be judging the finals today, did you?"

Janice calmly took the contestant's registration slip and folded it neatly. "Not everyone is as bored as you. I can't be bothered about this."

Heidi couldn't stand how unfazed Janice looked. "What makes you think you can act so high and mighty in front of me? You're just living off your youth. Who do you think you are?"

Janice turned slightly, her voice quiet. "Who do I think I am?"

Heidi glared at her.

"I'm Shirley Olson."

A few seconds later, Heidi suddenly burst out laughing.

"Did you just claim you're Shirley Olson? Janice, I've never met someone as shameless as you! You're so jealous of me that you've completely lost it! How ridiculous!"