Chapter Forty - Eight


    Danie''s heart did some dancing at the sound of Loney''s voice or perhaps, butterflies were romping in


    her stomach. Her lips curled into a smile, as she tucked a strand of her behind her ears and followed


    Loney.


    Paul''s gaze held Mabel''s, his fist tightening around his ss, it almost broke, before both of them


    pinned their gazes on Danica. She was fighting to hold back her tears.


    "Hey, rx okay? From what he told me, Danie was the first girl he fell in love with but she didn''t


    want him. It was a long time ago okay?" Paul forced a smile and was impelled to let go of his hard


    feelings at the moment.


    He wanted Danica to feel better but she only got worse. If Loney loved Danie, then he would never


    love her. She pushed her te away and stood on her feet. Turning around, she ran up the stairs.


    "You made matters worse Paul, why couldn''t you keep your mouth shut?" Mabel chastised. If she had


    known that getting Loney home would be in Danie''s favour, she would have found her way around


    getting Danica to eat.


    "I was just trying to help," Paul pushed his te away, standing in the process.


    "But you didn''t." Mabel was upset. Danica hadn''t finished her food and she was greatly disturbed.


    "Let the girle out. I will speak with Loney afterwards," Paul said and turned to leave the table.


    Mabel gave no response. She only imagined a way to help out Danica.


    *******


    Loney led Danie to his room, thetter gaping in amazement with the conviction that this was where


    she belonged. Finally, she achieved her dream. "Sit," Loney pointed to the expensive sofa and went to


    his closet. Danie sat, admiring the room like an idiot.


    Despite all the expensive hotels she went to do illegal things for Ray, she never came across anything


    like this. Loney''s taste was beyond her foresight.


    When Loney returned, he had changed up from his work clothes, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He


    carried something like a briefcase and dropped it on the table. Then, he brought out some pictures and


    "I need advice," he said casually. Danie''s heart fluttered. Loney wanted advice from her. That only


    meant that he trusted her. Her dumb sister was good for nothing. She was the right person. She


    grinned like a fool, "I am willing to help with anything."


    Loney smirked, "good. Do you know anyone in these pictures?" He spread about fifteen pictures on the


    table. Danie''s eyes travelled eagerly through each of them.


    "Oh, yes, the Frankenstein nerd. Our college clown." She remarked, not taking her gaze off the


    pictures. Loney froze as Danie continued to speak. "Where did you get his pictures?" She asked.


    Loneyposed himself, hiding his bitter sentiments. "He is seeking a job in mypany but how do


    you know him and what do you know about him?" Loney''s voice went t. Something in him had been


    poked.


    "Don''t hire someone like him in yourpany. Look, we were in the same college but no one wanted


    to be-friend him because he was below everyone''s standard, wearing the same clothes every day and


    hardly eating anything nutritious. He was poorer than a church mouse but the only thing he had was


    the academic brain. Such a waste,"


    Danie concluded. Her voice was a little higher pitched than Danica''s which got Loney irritated, aside


    from the fact that she was courageous and always spoke before thinking, unlike Danica who thought


    carefully about her choice of words.


    "Is that all?" Loney clenched his teeth to keep from speaking anymore.


    Danie paused as if recalling something she was ashamed of. "I met him at the beach once and he


    had the guts to ask me out on a date. It was my worst embarrassment," disgust coated Danie''s


    words.


    Loney was embittered. The past began to y on his mind, his eyes darkened in fury. "So what did you


    do?" He didn''t fight to hide the coldness in his voice. He had restrained himself long enough.


    "I told him my peace of mind. His appearance and everything about him was so disturbing and his


    presence was so.."


    "Irritating," Loney concluded for her.


    She gaped in shock. "How did you know?"


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    Loney forced a smile and said, "look at the picture again, what do you see?"


    Danie assessed the picture carefully this time, hopeful to show Loney how smart she was. "The


    eyes, it looks like.." Suddenly, the realization hit her.


    "Oh my God, it''s you? Loney Hubert?" She began to curse herself internally. Loney tricked her and she


    fell for it. Why couldn''t she be a little smart? Why did she have to talk too much?


    "Yes Danie, and you haven''t changed a bit," Loney stood up as he said tly, hiding all the bitter


    emotions. His expression was unreadable.


    Danie had to think fast. She couldn''t let the opportunity pass her. "Come on, we were justughing


    about the past, nothing serious right?" Her stomach tightened in fear of Loney''s dark expression. It was


    new to her but one thing was sure. Loney had changed so much.


    Loney forced a smile, "because of you, I quit school."


    Danie shrugged, "well, I quitter too. I wasn''t smart enough to graduate so that makes two of us,"


    sheughed sheepishly. "Look, you still made it big. You should thank me right?" She rhetorically asked


    but Loney answered anyways.


    "Yes, I thank you. I just thought that you must have changed over the years but you are still the same,"


    he said thoughtfully. Strangely, the bitterness that lingered before had dissipated and he could


    understand why. It was when the thought of Danica crossed his mind. He had hope and wished Danica


    would give him a reasonable exnation for lying to him.


    "Yes, I''m still beautiful and hotter than my sister," she flicked her hair to the back and ambled towards


    Loney, thetter avoiding her seductive move by widening the gap between them.


    "So, why did you fake your death?" Loney found himself asking, irrespective of how he wanted her out


    of his life and his house.


    "Oh, that, we went to the club and got kidnapped by a mafia in Russia. I kicked him in the groin to


    escape and everyone told me he would revenge so I faked my death to return to Mexico," she narrated


    smoothly.


    Somehow, Loney found it hard to believe. Mafia''s don''t just kidnap people. There should be more to


    what she was telling him. "Is that so?"


    "Yes," Danie abruptly replied but Loney''s expression wasn''t convincing. "You don''t believe me?" She


    asked.


    Loney did not respond to her question. Instead, he said. "Thank you, Danie. You can leave now."


    Danie was slightly disappointed but wasn''t ready to give up. "So we can go on that date you


    proposed at the beach sometime?"


    Displeasure heightened in Loney''s demeanour. "You don''t get it, do you? I moved on, Danie." His


    voice was icy.


    Certainly not what Danie expected. Her face drained of colour, her countenance turned to chagrin.


    "Is it because of my sister? Come on, she''s trash. She had a boyfriend way back. His name is Jones.


    He is still waiting for her. Besides, she''s a liar. She didn''t even tell me she was going to be a surrogate.


    Gosh, guess she wanted to give the money to that boy. He is so poor," Danie sighed in displeasure.


    Loney was cooked with so much anger and jealousy, he wanted to throw both sisters out of his house.


    He gritted his teeth, "get out, Danie."


    Danie realized he believed her, therefore added more salt to injury. "Look, I''m telling you the truth


    and you shouldn''t judge me as a bad person. If my sister was the one who met you in college, she


    would have also rejected you. She''s no better than me." She curtly said, waking all the buried anguish


    in Loney.


    "Just get out before I drag you myself," Loney growled and matched towards her to drag her out.


    Danie shivered, anxiety cruising through her veins. "Fine, if you want to know the truthter, you


    know my room. I will be waiting for you." She turned around and walked out the door.


    However, she didn''t go to her room immediately. She went to Danica''s and was met with surprise. Her


    sister''s room was much more beautiful than hers. She couldn''t ept it.


    "Why are you here?" Danica wiped her tears and asked. Her eyes were red from shedding so many


    tears.


    Danie felt excited, seeing her sister broken. "Oh, I just came to warn you. Loney and I used to date in


    college and now he wants me back. I told him I would think about it so don''t sell me out with


    information about all the money I owed those mafias okay?"


    Danica felt her heart shatter but she won''t show her weakness in front of her sister. "You are so bold,


    Danie. You stood in front of him and lied. Well, I''m done covering up for you."


    "So, you are going to sell me out like that?" Danie was amazed. She ascertained that her sister


    would do anything for her so why would she give up on her now?


    "Get out, Danie," Danica calmly said. She didn''t know how to yell, no matter how angry she got.


    "I''m not leaving. Besides, this room should be mine because it''s next to Loneys''. You are his surrogate


    and I am his girlfriend. You should get out."


    Danica got down from the bed and strode to the door. She opened it to let her sister out but found


    herself bumping into Loney.


    Loney was trying to reach Danica on her phone but it was switched off so he decided toe to her


    room since it was just next door.


    "What''s going on?" Loney asked. He realized Danica had been crying. Besides, she was cold towards


    him when their eyes met.


    "Danie was just leaving," she said to him without eye contact. Her sister''s disclosure of her


    rtionship with Loney stabbed her so deeply, she couldn''t hide it.


    "Oh Danica, we will talk againter," Danie said. She was startled upon hearing Loney''s voice and


    rushed out of the door.


    Something didn''t add up to Danica. Why would her sister run off upon seeing Loney if thetter wanted


    her?


    "Come with me, Danica," Loney''s deep voice pulled her from her thoughts. Her heart banged in her


    chest.