ã€ŠLove At Lastã€‹


 1

    Chapter One

    LILY

    My rm goes off, informing me that the time was 4:30am and that it was time for me to get up and prepare as usual, I turn it off then rolled out of bed. My mornings would always start like this, I would get up, stretch a little, then head into the bathroom to get dressed. Today I picked a yellow floral sun dress and brown boots for my outfit of the day. I got dressed and did some light make up to brighten my face, by now it was 5:20am.

    I run a bakery that serves different pastries and bread, also some tea and coffee to go with it. I also deliver topanies all around the country. Today was no exception, I rushed down the stairs which led to the bakery, and immediately headed to the back room, which was for baking. Most of my staff were present, so I picked up my apron and joined the set who were kneading bread dough.

    ¡°Good morning Lily,¡± Jarod, my head chef said as soon as I walked towards him supervising.

    ¡°Good morning Jarod, how is everything going?¡± I replied while smiling at him and washing my hands.

    ¡°Everything is going good; 50 pans of apple pie are in the oven baking. That¡¯s the order we got from Sharon¡¯s Salon, then there¡¯s some tea bread and chocte cake baking also, for our in-house customers.¡± Jared always gave me a run through of the orders he got in the mornings, to keep me up to date. He was my manager, best friend and chef all in one person. ¡°David¡¯s order isn¡¯t till evening, so we would start making his when we are done with most work here.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s today¡¯s special?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no really any special today. Though we¡¯re trying all of America¡¯s favourite vours of donuts, cake, cupcakes, pies and cookies.¡±

    ¡°All?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re working on it over there, the cookies section are making oatmeal vour already. Now personal talk, how was your night?¡±

    ¡°My night was short as usual, with little to no dream. I barely got any beauty sleep,¡± I told him while kneading dough.

    ¡°You still look beautiful no doubt,¡± Jarod was always good with words, which was why hispliment didn¡¯t surprise me any bit. ¡°I¡¯m off to start work on the donuts.¡± It was 5:42 by now and the shop was set to open 6:30 every morning. I had 25 staff working with me, because of the amount of orders I got every morning.

    After my parents sent me packing, I took little of what they sent me out with, and went over to my grandmother¡¯s ce, in a town called Nedford. Nedford was a small town located at the northern part of USA, my grandmother had moved to this town when my grandfather died years back. She decided on moving to a small town were nothing would remind her of my grandfather.

    You would be wondering why my parents would¡¯ve thrown me out right? Well, here goes your answer, I was thrown out because I got pregnant. I had my first boyfriend, Jeremy Andrews, when I was 17, he was everything I wanted in a guy, he seemed like someone I would want to start a family with. He seemed to love me so much, as much as I loved him, which was why when he asked to take my virginity, I didn¡¯t think twice before letting him. That first sex led to me being pregnant. I was scared when I found out, but was happy since it was with Jeremy, the one I wanted to have a family with. I was so excited and na?ve, so I rushed over to his house, knowing his parents were not home, and ran straight to his room. I was shocked at what I saw when I yanked open his room door, Jeremy wasying on the bed butt naked, with a redhaired girl on him, also naked. I was too shocked at what I had seen to say a word, I went back out of the house and ran to tell my parents all that had happened.

    My father, Steve Greyson, was the CEO of Grey¡¯s empire, one of thergestpanies in the USA. His reputation to him was everything, he had the money, the fame and everything, what he wanted the world to see was the perfect family which he had built alongside the perfectpany. Which was why when hisst child, and only daughter came home crying about being pregnant he was furious. She was still a teenager and just got into college, how could she get pregnant? He stormed off out of the living room that day and left me with my mother, who was always at his beck and call. She hurried towards me and scolded me without considering the heartbreak I just went through.

    My father came back that night and sent me packing, threw all my things out and denounced me as his child. With tears in my eyes, I picked up one suitcase out of the five he threw me out with and dragged myself to the nearest hotel. That night I called my grandmother, Annie Greyson, then exined all that happened to her, she gave me the warm replies I craved from my parents, and told me to take the next bus to her ce first thing in the morning.

    I was delivered a very handsome boy, I named him Jacek, it has a polish name which meant Hyacinth flower. Luckily he looked more like me than Jeremy, so I wasn¡¯t reminded of my horrible past. My grandmother helped me with my son while I went to college for baking and pastry arts, it was for two years. I had started the course when I was still with my parents, but I had to transfer to one around Nedford. As soon as I graduated from college, I decided to start my own bakery with the experience I had. I went in search of buildings around Nedford which would be perfect for a bakery. I found a two story building that was perfect for I and my family. The second floor of the house was a three room apartment, with a kitchen and a living room. While the ground floor had a main room and a back room. I met Jarod in college, we became best friends a month after we met, he was my first employee. We remodelled the bakery together and decided on a name together, ¡®That Bakery Shop¡¯, we decided on it because it sounded funny and catchy at the same time. Surprisingly we got busy faster than we expected, I was really popr both in high school and college, most people from high school ordered from me, while my college friends visited the shop frequently. Different shops came to my bakery to get bread for retail,panies ordered for different artist designed pastries for theirpany meetings and events. Jacek was now two years old, and was my number one advertisement. Jarod made a video of him snacking peacefully on one of my designed doughnuts, he had some of it all over his face, but the satisfaction was evident in his eyes. He said to me, ¡°This is really yummy.¡±

    At exactly 6:30am, we were open for the day, we had sent the order to the salon right after the apple pies had been prepared. 7am was the usual time for breakfast rush, we began setting up the bakery, I turned on the coffee machine and ced all ingredients for our bestseller tea, and chocte drink. Disy pastries were arranged in the transparent disy case, the sitting area was well arranged and we were ready for our first order. The bakery door bell jingled, signalling that someone walked in. Frank, a customer from the house next door walked in with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Good morning Frank,¡± I said as soon as he got to the counter.

    ¡°Good morning Lily, it¡¯s always so good to be graced by your smile every morning,¡± Frank replied, as cheeky as ever. ¡°Am I the first one toe in as usual?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are as usual. Today we would be giving you a little bit of something extra.¡±

    ¡°That is lovely, I would like to have three¡­¡±

    ¡°zed doughnuts and one chocte filled doughnut right?¡± he chuckled then nodded. I picked out our custom doughnut box, and ced his order in it. ¡°For our extra gift today, I¡¯ll be giving you our new recipes. So you have to pick between our Lemon Meringue pie or German chocte voured cupcake.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a tough one seeing as I¡¯ve never tried any of the two,¡± now he was stroking his chin. ¡°I guess I will go with the cupcake, you can never go wrong with chocte, thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem, here is your order,¡± I gave him the already packed box and got his credit card in exchange.

    ¡°Thank you, how¡¯s Annie this morning?¡± Frank had a thing for my grandmother, ever since we moved to the bakery.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing very good. She¡¯s probably still resting,¡± I passed his card back to him and a receipt on his order.

    ¡°Send my greetings to her,¡± with that he walked towards the entrance and left the building. Just as he left, people began trooping in, and so the breakfast rush began.

    It was now 8:30 am, this was when the rush hour most times are reduced,

    ¡°Phew, I can never get used to that,¡± I said to Jarod as I slumped on the chair closest to me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone can get used to it, they just live with it,¡± Jarod replied. He looked just as tired as he sounded.

    ¡°Please cover for me, let me go get Jacek ready, and make breakfast.¡± With that I got up and headed for the staircase which led to the second floor of the building.

    Once I got into the house, I headed towards my grandmother¡¯s room, because I was sure that was were Jacek would be by this time of the morning. I slowly pushed the door open, and saw both Jacek and Annie sprawled on her bed in each other¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Mama!¡± Jacek squealed, then ran over to hug me. I went down on my knees to receive him and smother his whole face with kisses.

    ¡°How was your night candy?¡± I asked him while pulling him back to look into his golden eyes.

    ¡°It was fun!¡± he replied then chuckled.

    ¡°Fun?¡±

    ¡°Yes mama, we went to Disnend and had lots of candy,¡± he told me while still smiling.

    ¡°We did?¡± I asked tentatively.

    ¡°Yes mama, in my sweet dream. Mama can you take me there someday?¡± he asked in his slurred baby voice, and gave me the puppy dog eyes.

    ¡°Soon candy, now we just have to get you dressed for the day okay?¡± I replied. He had been asking to go to California for the longest, and I didn¡¯t really have time for vacations. I knew someday I would have to give in to his request. I went over to my grandmother who had been watching the whole scenario. ¡°Good morning nana.¡±

    ¡°Good morning love, how was the rush?¡±

    ¡°Draining as usual. Frank sends his greetings.¡± She scoffs.

    ¡°It¡¯s high time you tell him, I¡¯m actually not interested in him or anybody. I¡¯m not getting any younger,¡± Nana shrugs and squeezes Jacek tightly in her arms. He had crawled his way back to her while we were talking.

    ¡°Anyways, it is not my story to tell, you have to tell him yourself. Let me get this baby boy ready and make breakfast.¡± I picked Jacek up, tickled his sides a little, and took him to his room to get him prepared for the day.

    At 9:45am, I went down the stairs leading to the bakery, leaving a now well fed Jacek with my Nana. I could hear a lot of noise from the backroom where I was. I ignored it because it kind of sounded like the normal rush, though it should have ended by now. I went into the pantry to check how much ingredient we had left, this was my daily routine.

    ¡°There¡¯s this customer talking trash about our food!¡± Dean, one of my workers said as he rushed into the pantry.

    ¡°Talking trash?¡± what could possibly go wrong with my art? I rushed over to the counter at the front room.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would sell this for people to eat. It¡¯s utter rubbish, and not fit for consumption, this bakery should be shut down!!¡± A browned haired man shouted, he had drawn up a crowd right at the counter. He was all suited up with a suitcase in hand, and looked like he could buy the whole of my bakery and make it a corporate firm.

    ¡°Sir, we served you the vour you requested for, you asked for honey lemon cruller, which was our special today, that¡¯s how it tastes¡­¡± he cut Jarod off

    ¡°When I asked for your special, I didn¡¯t ask for trash like this!!¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°You would not talk to my employee like that!¡± I don¡¯t know what came over me, but I was angry, and I just shouted at a customer¡­.

 2

    Chapter Two

    CAYDEN

    ¡°You would not talk to my employee like that?¡± I watched the little woman¡¯s eyes turn from anger to regret in a minute. Did she just yell at me? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I yelled, I can quickly make something else for you from a in donut, how about that?¡± she looked so calm like she did not just yell at me.

    ¡°You just yelled at me, how am I so sure you know what you are doing?¡± I know I was being really annoying, but I wasn¡¯t sorry. I asked for their special for the day, no one told me what it was, then I was given doughnuts with lemon in them. Who the hell came up with that idea? I was furious, I had to vent out my anger. I never imagined I would meet someone who was this calm and collected, ¡°Let me see if the ¡®best bakery in town¡¯ is worth it,¡± I made an air quote with my fingers. She looked like she let out her held breath, then walked back to where she sprung out from.

    I went back to where I was sat initially, and watched as the crowd went back to their sitting positions. The man at the counter earlier, brought a cup of coffee to my table,

    ¡°I didn¡¯t order coffee,¡± I told him.

    ¡°It¡¯s on the house, sorry for the inconveniences,¡± he looked like he wasn¡¯t pleased with what he said. He bowed his head, then walked away. I shrugged then sipped on the coffee while waiting for the petite woman toe back with whatever magic she wanted to perform on the doughnuts.

    I liked professionalism, poor customer service shouldn¡¯t be part of any business problems. I was the COO (Chief Operations Officer) of one of thergestpanies in the USA, Grey¡¯s empire. Professionalism was what we were known for, that¡¯s how we were pronounced the best.

    I came down to Nedford for business meetings with our clients who were supposed to arrive in town today. The flight got dyed, so they were not in town yet, this was one of the reasons I was so grumpy this morning.  Work was everything to me, a break from work had me frustrated, I had nothing to do apart from have some girls over and have my way with them, no love allowed. I had a no love policy, why you may ask¡­N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    I was born into an abusive family, not the kind you would see on a normal day. My mum was the abuser, she would constantly abuse I and my father, she would me my father for marrying her into poverty, she would me me for being the reason they got married in the first ce. She got pregnant for him after their first time together, her parents insisted they got married. My dad wasn¡¯t done with college by then, so he had to quit college and start working different jobs. Even with numerous jobs, my dad still couldn¡¯t afford the morous lifestyle my mum craved, that¡¯s when the abuse started. She would push him, hit him, beat him and all other forms of abuse, I wasn¡¯t excluded either she would cause bruises all over my face, back and arms. She went on with the abuse till my dad died. She pushed him down the stairs and he had some internal injuries, he died because she didn¡¯t take him to the hospital immediately. After that she was arrested, and waster given a life sentence, I was taken by child services at the age of 8. This whole scenario was my driving force to most of my sesses, I never wanted my life to end the way my dad¡¯s life ended. Ever since, I¡¯ve never seen the need to fall in love with any woman.

    ¡°Here is a caramel apple donut, an exquisite taste for an exquisite person like yourself,¡± the petitedy, who I think owned the bakery, said as she ced a te of donut dripping with caramel sauce. It actually did look good, she had sprinkled some chopped peanuts on it and had drawn an apology on the top part of the te. Everyone had their eyes on me as I picked the fork from beside the food. I took a bite, the vours in my mouth were something I had never experienced, they were as exquisite as she had mentioned. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°They are quite alright,¡± I shrugged and took another bite. I wasn¡¯t going to be totally honest seeing as everyone wanted that from me, they didn¡¯t have to know what was going on in my head. She sighed then walked away, back to have a talk with the guy at the counter, probably her husband or something.

    After I was done eating, I went to the counter stretched out my tinum credit card. To show off my wealth a little bit, the guy ignored my show, picked the card and paid the bill. After that I walked out of the bakery, headed to their tiny parking lot, then drove to the hotel I was lodged at.

    As usual, when I travel to new ces, I liked to explore thedies they had, Nedford wasn¡¯t an exception. I had met a girl at the loungest night and invited her over for lunch. She arrived just in time, as soon as I got back from the bakery.

    ¡°Wee to my suite, mdy,¡± I said as soon as I saw her at the door. She had on a red ruched body con camisole dress, that stopped midthigh, a pair of ck show me the ropes square toe heels, and a sexy smile on her face.

    ¡°My pleasure,¡± she replied seductively, while cing her hand on my chest. ¡°I brought lunch.¡±

    ¡°Wow, can I have that now?¡± I asked pulling her towards the bedroom.

    Soon our clothes were long gone, we were now in bed together, in each other¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I love you,¡± I barely remembered her name, and she was talking love.

    ¡°We don¡¯t do love here,¡± I chuckled and got up from the bed. ¡°When you¡¯re settled, get dressed and meet me downstairs,¡± I got dressed and walked out of the suite.

    An hour gone, I was back in my suite, working on myptop, trying to cover up the work I was losing. The ringtone of my cell phone went off, distracting me from work a little bit. I picked it up, my client¡¯s name popped up on the screen.

    ¡°Good evening Mr Davidson, I do hope you¡¯re doing fine,¡± I said as soon as I answered the call.

    ¡°Good evening Mr McLou, I¡¯m calling concerning our meeting at Nedford. The flight which I thought was postponed to tomorrow, was actually postponed to next week Monday, I¡¯m so sorry about the inconveniences,¡± he said from the other side of the line.

    ¡°No problem sir, have a lovely week,¡± I sounded like everything was okay but my heart had fallen down to my feet, I was going to stay in Nedford for a whole week, without working? Just kill me¡­

 3

    Chapter Three

    LILY

    My day could¡¯ve gone well if I didn¡¯t have such a bad customer, why do people from big cities always feel like they are the best at everything? How could someone be this full of himself?

    ¡°Can you imagine him saying the donut is just alright? After saying this, he finishes the whole doughnut and cleans up the te, including the apology,¡± I was ranting to Jarod, who was also at the scene. ¡°How arrogant, he couldn¡¯t even admit that my art was the nicest thing he had ever tasted in his entire existence.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°I totally agree, just calm down baby girl,¡± Jarod replied with both hands on my shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s not worth all this anger, he¡¯s just a one-time customer who is here for the attention.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± just then Jacek bounded down the stairs.

    ¡°Hi mama,¡± he flung himself into my arms.

    ¡°Hey candy, howe you came down the stairs on your own? You¡¯re such a big boy now,¡± I tickled his side.

    ¡°Yes mama, I¡¯m¡­a¡­big¡­boy¡­now,¡± he said in between chuckles. I loosened my grip on him, he rushed into Jarod¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Hey Jay, how are you big boy?¡± Jarod asked while throwing him up in the air.

    ¡°Mummy said we are going to Disnend soon, will youe too?¡± Jacek said to him,pletely ignoring his own question.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re inviting more people?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°Yes mummy, everyone has toe with me!¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± I never won a fight with Jacek. ¡°What do you want for lunch?¡± We always went out for lunch, with nana and Jarod. Leaving the bakery in the hands of the other workers,

    ¡°I would love to have cupcake for desert!¡±

    ¡°I know love, what will you have for lunch?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t know mama, maybe chicken,¡± this was why my nickname for him was candy, he always wanted something sweet, never actually thinking of an actual food to eat.

    Two days after, and Mr rude guy is standing in front of me at the bakery counter. He was in morefortable clothes, he wore a mint green long sleeved Ralph Lauren polo shirt, with ck suit pants. Which left me no choice but to think, did he lose his job?

    ¡°Good afternoon to you too, since you seem too busy to greet a customer,¡± he said to me, as rude as ever.

    ¡°Good afternoon, sorry I was taken aback for a while, I never imagined you would be back, after the review you gave thest time you came,¡± I told him bluntly. Jacek was beside me pulling my pants, he had been asking and begging for cupcakes, and his sugar intake these days have gone through the roof, so I ignored him. ¡°Did youe toin about something this time?¡±

    He let out a hearty grin, ¡°I¡¯m here only because I have a date, and my date asked for us to meet here,¡± he seemed to be really proud of his so called date. ¡°Can you at least offer me some coffee? How bad can your customer service be?¡±

    I was so close to yelling at him again, he just knows how to get on my nerves. This was the worst day for nana and Jarod to go for a check up.

    ¡®I¡¯ll bring the coffee to your table, please kindly go have a sit.¡± He chuckled as he walked away, what was so funny? I turned to the coffee machine and made the best coffee I had ever made, I didn¡¯t know why I felt the need to impress him. I ced the cup of coffee on a tray and ced some cream and sugar sachets beside it.

    I took it to the table where he sat, Jacek who was still pulling my pants followed my trails. I ced the tray on the table and smiled at him,

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me how you wanted your coffee, that¡¯s why I ced sugar and cream on the tray,¡± he looked down at Jacek, his cold expression turned into pity.

    ¡°Why is he crying so much?¡± he asked turning his stern gaze towards me. I was used to his tantrums, so I had tuned him out.

    ¡°He¡¯s just throwing a tantrum, nothing much thank you,¡± with that said, I picked him up and ced his head on my shoulders. ¡°Baby, not today okay?¡±

    ¡°Can I please ask what he wants at least?¡± Jacek really didn¡¯t like strangers, so I knew he wouldn¡¯t like this weird guy touching him, so I said this,

    ¡°Sure, you can try,¡± I turned Jacek¡¯s face towards him. Today was a perfect day to betray me, Jacek didn¡¯t wait to be carried, he stretched his hands towards the guys direction, asking to be picked.

    ¡°Hi baby, what¡¯s the problem?¡± he cooed, who knew he could be so nice to a baby. I was so shocked about two things, Jacek let his whole guard down, then this strange rude man, is suddenly so soft for a 2 year old baby.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you both,¡± I said to them, but they seemed too into their conversation to notice me going back to the counter.

    Thirty minutes gone, and no date had arrived to Mr rude¡¯s table. Jacek was still in his arms, he had somehow convinced Jacek that he didn¡¯t need any more sugar for the day, and they were chatting happily. I don¡¯t know why, but I was somehow jealous, I wanted my baby to myself, and no one else.

    ¡°Hey baby girl, how¡¯s everything going?¡± Jarod asked, appearing from behind me. When and how did they get back and I didn¡¯t notice? ¡°Why are you so lost in thoughts?¡±

    ¡°When did you get back?¡± I asked the one question going through my head.

    ¡°We just got back, nana muttered her greeting but you were so lost in thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Nana was here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she went upstairs though,¡± his expression had now changed, from that of a prying friend, to a concerned one. ¡°What exactly is wrong?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I was about to tell him all that had happened, but Mr rude got up, while still holding Jacek in his arms. I gestured towards his direction when Jarod gave a questioning eye,

    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now, apparently my date cancelled,¡± I don¡¯t understand why he felt like he should exin to me. ¡°Your son is great by the way, if you don¡¯t mind I would love toe once or twice to hang out with him or take him out, how about that?¡±

    Take who out? Did he mean my son? Wait, does that mean he¡¯s still going to be in town? Wait did he ask if I would mind? What just happened?

 4

    Lily

    The first thing I did was to carefully take my son out of this stranger¡¯s hands.

    He noticed the look of disapproval on my face and rolled his eyes.

    I was shocked at his facials.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m kidnapping him or something,¡± he said with an attitude.

    There was no way in hell that I was going to leave my son with a total stranger.

    ¡°Yeah. Right,¡± I replied, still cradling jacek in my arms.

    Although Jacek was calm, I knew it was only a matter of time before his tantrums began.

    ¡°So. What do you say?¡± He asked.

    ¡± Feel free toe here whenever you please¡± I started, a smile escaping his lips.

    ¡± But I don¡¯t want you taking my son out or any of those other things you mentioned previously. This is a ce of business and I¡¯d appreciate that¡± I finished.

    I watched as his smile morphed into a deep frown.

    ¡± Typical¡± he muttered under his breath and walked away, the sound of the bell that hung above the door ringing as a sign that the door had been opened.

    I released my breath, one that I didn¡¯t even realize I was holding up until now.

    ¡°That guy ¨C Jarod ced a hand on my shoulders for support like he usually did ¨C is bad news, Lily. I don¡¯t like him¡± Jarod said.

    ¡± Me too¡± as soon as I said that, Jacek began to cry. I was too worked up to try to even consider what exactly was making him shed crocodile tears, I didn¡¯t even have to ask his hands kept on stretching towards the door.

    ***

    ¡°Mama! It¡¯s today. It¡¯s today! Isn¡¯t it?¡± Jacek was currently in the bathtub, having his hair scrubbed thoroughly by me.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    It¡¯s been two days since that rude man walked through the doors of my shop and it has been peaceful since then.

    ¡°Yes, baby. You¡¯re right! It¡¯s today¡± my voice sharp with excitement.

    Jacek giggled as I tickled him a bit.

    Today, we were going to Disnend and I have never seen a child be so happy about something like that.

    ¡± I wanna see Mickey mouse and the slides. The waterfalls, mama!¡± He shouted and sshed some water in the tub, sshing most on himself and sending some flying my way.

    Iughed at his attempt to make water ripples ending with the ripples running for their lives.

    He was such a cute child.

    I dried him off from the tub and carried him, wrapped him in a towel the way he liked.

    He had his clothes picked out since the day I told him that we would be going to Disnend. I felt so proud of him for even being this way at such a young age. It ddened my heart.

    We finally hurried up, getting dressed and all.

    ¡°Is Jaroding, mama?¡± He asked.

    Did I mention, that his memory was fantastic?

    ¡°No candy, he¡¯s not,¡± I said and made a face.

    Jacek made an identical one and moved closer to me.

    ¡°Why, mama?¡± He asked, his tiny facial expressions almost making meugh instead of feeling guilty.

    ¡°Because candy he had to work. Don¡¯t you want cupcakes when you get back?¡± I asked him, deliberately using that as a cover because if I didn¡¯t then Jarod had no choice but toe with us.

    ¡°Yes! Mama. I do¡± he said.

    I smiled, loving that my truck had worked.

    We drove to Disnend and I could see the excitement in his eyes, it gave me joy that I had spent a good amount of money to give him this explicit amount of joy. I loved it.

    ¡°Mama! What¡¯s that?¡± He suddenly asked, pointing to a kiosk that had way too many people.

    I had him on my hip and pointed at the kiosk too.

    ¡°That¡¯s cotton candy. Want some?¡± I asked him and he nodded his head, happiness overwhelming him.

    Iughed a bit and moved towards the line, adjusting his weight on my body.

    A lot of people suddenly rushed towards me, I attempted to wait till they passed but I needed to get to the end of the line.

    As I tried to boycott the stream of people that had intercepted my path, I bumped into someone.

    ¡°Watch it!¡± He growled.

    I turned to where the voice hade from and I couldn¡¯t hide the shock that rippled through me in waves.

    ¡°Urgh. It¡¯s you¡± his mouth formed more words. I was rooted in shock, the stream of people gone and only us standing, my path obvious and his, I didn¡¯t care about.

    ¡°Mama. It¡¯s the rude guy!¡± Jacek shouted.

    Jesus!

    The guy looked from me to Jacek, his face softening as though magic was been performed.

    ¡°Hi. Jacek. What did we say my name was?¡± He asked Jacek and made to touch his pinkie.

    ¡°Cayden!¡± Jacek shouted happily and then began to fumble on my hip, stretching his arms indicating he wanted to be carried by Cayden.

    I didn¡¯t know his name was Cayden or that my son would somehow develop a friendship with the one man I didn¡¯t like.

    ¡°And you¡± he motioned to me.

    The shock left my eyes immediately, he stretched his hands to want to carry Jacek from my arms.

    I immediately turned away, rejecting him.

    ¡± You can see the boy wants mypany right? You¡¯re not blind¡± I scoffed at the audacity of this man.

    ¡°I¡¯m his mother¡± I fired.

    ¡°I¡¯m his friend¡± he returned.

    I was trying so hard to be civil and not convince myself that I didn¡¯t need to dump a whole tray of mud on that pristine head of his.

    ¡°What are you even doing here? You¡¯re not a child are you?¡± My tongue sharp at the tip struck at him.

    He looked at me, anger and irritation evident on his face

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not but you still are¡±  he fired back and I¡¯ve never felt my cheeks grow hotter than a pan in an oven.

 5

    Dayout at the yground

    Lily

    I felt a sharp wave of annoyance, wondering why this man always gets me so angry, everything about him felt wrong. How dare he answer me in such a way? Can¡¯t he see that I¡¯m here because of Jacek?

    ¡°My being here is justified because I¡¯m only here for Jacek,¡± I said, rolling my eyes ¡°and I don¡¯t see any child around you, permitting you to be here¡± my free hand motioning around, to show there¡¯s no child around him.

    I notice the grin on his face turn to a frown and I could tell he was about to st me with all he got.

    ¡°Nice! I can see you n to keep getting me angry at every instance?¡± He fired back as I looked at him scornfully. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Ady was walking up to meet him, she had quite the eye for good fashion. She had a cropped top on, with a dungaree with a pair of boots. Her hair was long, silky and brown. Her legs were shaved, obvious she was ready for some action. She walked towards us like someone prepared for war, interrupting Cayden¡¯s about-to-be angered speech.

    There was an awkward silence that followed but thedy looked at me like she was about to bore holes in my body. Jacek starts crying.

    ¡°Shhhhhhh candy¡± I try to make soothing sounds with my mouth to calm Jacek

    ¡°Hey girl, I¡¯ve been seeing you talking and flirting with my date and I gotta tell you to back off!¡± She said rudely, with her fist almost in my face.

    I from Cayden to the girl, Cayden also looked at her in shock. I patted Jacek and he cooled, then walked away.

    I could tell there was a heated argument happening as I left. I¡¯ve not felt this embarrassed in a while. I kept reliving what just happened in my head, the disrespect all because of this rude guy I keep bumping into¡­

    ¡°Lily!¡± My thoughts were intercepted by Cayden¡¯s voice, calling out my name. So he knows my name now¡­

    ¡°Lily!!¡± He called out again because I refused to turn back the first time¡­ I still didn¡¯t turn. I felt a bit of anger for him because this wouldn¡¯t have happened if I¡¯m not always seeing him wherever I go¡­

    ¡°Lily,¡± He says amidst heavy breaths, finally catching up with me ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about that, I didn¡¯t know that¡¯ll happen. I spoke to her already.¡± What?!?! Did he just apologize? He¡¯s capable of doing that? I¡¯m amazed! I didn¡¯t say a word to him, I just needed the silence. He followed me to the rollercoaster; I tried to pay for myself and Jacek but the attendant didn¡¯t allow me, saying I¡¯m way above age. Jacek starts crying.

    Can this day get any worse? Can¡¯t this attendant see I¡¯m doing this because of my child? Ugh! What do I do now? I try patting him but it doesn¡¯t work.

    Cayden immediatelyes to the rescue by carrying Jacek and he shuts up immediately. I wonder what charm this man has over my child. I felt relief but I¡¯m not thanking him; I won¡¯t let him have it. Felt good to be free from carrying Jacek for a while. He yed with Jacek for a while, almost forgetting the fact that I was there.

    ¡°Who¡¯s a big boy??¡± He says tickling Jacek, who¡¯sughing uncontrobly in his cute baby voice.

    ¡°Wanna go for a ride in a carousel? It¡¯s gonna be pretty fun! And there are other children there too; I will be there too, so you won¡¯t be alone¡± There was a lively spark in Cayden¡¯s eyes, he was so good with children, I wonder where he got that from. I¡¯ll admit to myself; having him around isn¡¯t so bad after all but I still won¡¯t thank him.

    We all walk over to the carousel and got tickets to ride. I sat behind Jacek and Cayden sat behind us.

    I stared at other families riding the carousel, they looked so happy. I longed for that. A particr man was standing and cheering his child from outside the carousel, he looked so proud at her and she was so happy, withughter that came out from the abundance of her heart! I wish all men could be like that; very responsible.

    I don¡¯t really regret anything because I wouldn¡¯t have had this beautiful child with the best pastry shop in Nedford. It was a dreame true.

    I felt a bit uneasy with Cayden behind me, I wondered if he was staring at my hair or my back or the back of my neck¡­ Why am I even concerned? I don¡¯t know why I started feeling shy all of a sudden. I wish he sat in front, now I can¡¯t wait for the ride to end!

    I tried to hold on to Jacek just for safety reasons, can¡¯t imagine him falling off and it also kept me busy from thinking about what Cayden¡¯s thoughts were at the moment.

    Was a silent ride and I¡¯m sure he was trying to start up a conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be staying in Nedford throughout the week..¡± I put on a confused face, like I don¡¯t need this detail because what¡¯s my business? ¡°¡­ So I¡¯ll being over to the shop to see Jacek as often as I can, whether you like it or not¡± My fist tightened and released. Did he just say that?

    ¡°That¡¯s my child we¡¯re talking about here. You can¡¯t just show up to my workce and take him like you¡¯re a friend or better. You¡¯re just a customer and I don¡¯t consider you a friend. So please, stay away from my son!¡± I get up immediately the carousel starts moving, carrying Jacek and starts walking away.

    ¡°Mum, why are we going so soon?¡± I don¡¯t answer him

    ¡°let me say goodbye to Cayden¡± ¡°uncle Cayden!¡±

    ¡°Stop that Jacek! Let¡¯s go¡± Jacek frowns and keeps quiet.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 6

    Cayden¡¯s bad day

    Cayden

    Feeling sad, I walk to my car and sit in it for a while, wondering why she acted that way; what did I say wrong? I just wasn¡¯t to see Jacek because I like him, even though I like seeing her too.

    There was a loud noiseing from the park; they were screams of children on the rollercoaster. Parents on the ground level look terrified for their kids. I wish mine cared like that.

    I started the engine of my car and started driving home. It was a very long drive because of the thoughts in my head; it never seemed to end. Didn¡¯t know why just a ¡°goodbye¡± got to me that much. I needed to take my mind off things and release some steam, so I dialled the number of the girl that spoke to Lily rudely.

    ¡°Why are you calling me? I thought you said I embarrassed you?¡± She said, sounding grumpy

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby, I was just stressed but I¡¯m good now¡± I heard her sigh ¡°can youe over to my ce? I¡¯ll send you the address¡±

    ¡°Okay babes, I¡¯ll be there shortly!¡± She sounded so excited. I ended the call.

    Women, I thought; easy to get them.

    I got home and felt strong pangs of hunger, realizing I¡¯d not had anything to eat since morning and it was 3:45 pm now. I went to the kitchen and immediately threw my keys on the kitchen counter, trying to get something from the fridge to eat. I need to get some ¡°ready to eat¡± food because it¡¯s just ice cream left in the freezer. I took the small bowl of ice cream and rushed it into my mouth with a spoon, loading it into the shape of a pyramid. The cold air that hit my face from the ice cream going into my mouth made my eyes watery and I had an excruciating brain freeze. I didn¡¯t mind anyway, I just needed something to go into my figuratively potholed tummy.

    Finishing the ice cream, I picked up my phone and ordered two Chinese noodles; one for myself, the other for my guest. I went up to my room and took off my clothes to shower. The water was warm, just how I liked it. I thought about Lily, and what she was doing if she was still mad at me. I had shbacks of our ride, how I stared at her back and how her body moved up and down the merry-go-round. I hope she didn¡¯t think I was staring at her¡­ My phone rang, bringing me back to reality. I quickly dress up and move towards the phone, picking it up from the bed; it was my secretary.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Good day Mr Cayden, headquarters expect you to be back in two days¡± she sounded stressed

    ¡°Two days? Why? What¡¯s the issue? Anything I should know about?¡± I was worried about this new development and the fact that I already told Lily I¡¯ll be around for the week. Now, I might not get to see her and her son after two days.

    ¡°No Sir, I¡¯m just delivering the message¡± I didn¡¯t like the fact that she didn¡¯t want to tell me more.

    ¡°Alright then, thanks for the IMPROMPTU info!¡± I stressed on the impromptu, so she¡¯ll know this wasn¡¯t pleasant news to me.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee¡± I knew she was relieved the conversation was over. I guess I¡¯m scary.

    I ended the call.

    The doorbell rang.

    I walk up to the door and see her. She¡¯s wearing a nude, handless see-through dress, revealing her perfectly shaped body, with a lot of cleavages. I almost felt like ripping her apart.

    ¡°Hey baby,¡± She said, making cute eyes at me

    ¡°Hey,e in¡± My face was emotionless. A man wasing behind her, he walked to the door

    ¡°Delivery for Mr Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Yea, that¡¯s me¡± It was my order for Chinese noodles. I collected the package and closed the door

    ¡°Guess you were missing me and couldn¡¯t wait to see me again. I was happy to see your call¡± she felt proud saying this, if only she knew I just needed her here for her body.

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± I said,ughing. I quickly ripped open the noodles and started eating, I gave her hers to eat while she watched TV.

    ¡°Come with me to the bedroom,¡± I said with my mouth full. I was done with the food and taking a fruit juice.

    ¡°Okay¡± She closed her food and followed me upstairs.

    Noticing my mood, she asked, ¡°is everything okay? You don¡¯t seem as happy as you usually are¡±

    I dragged her towards myself and put my hands on her back, slowly taking the zipper down as I gently followed her spine down with my index finger.

    ¡°Just having quite the day and a little bit stressed¡± I pushed my face very close to her ears and said, ¡°I need you to make me happy and take the stress off me. Can you do that?¡± Her body shivered and the hairs on her body stood, with my hands still going vertically on her spine.

    ¡°Of.. of.. cou.. rse¡± her lip quivered and her voice, coarse.

    I went in for a kiss, ripping her clothes apart and before we knew it, we were butt-naked with her on top of me.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The sex was good but not good enough to stop worrying about everything that went down that day.

    ***

    It¡¯s 6:30 am and I¡¯ve still not gotten any sleep. I get up to shower and have breakfast but remember I don¡¯t have foodstuff. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just go to Lily¡¯s ce to grab breakfast then,¡± I say to myself.

    I put on a pair of blue jeans, ck big sized polo, my expensive wristwatch and ck palm slippers. I did look good.

    I took my keys and drove over there. On getting there, I see Lily. She¡¯s happily discussing with another young man and client. I get irritated and annoyed, noticing the smile drained from her face when she saw me. I decided to order food and stay at the farthest side of the booth. Instead of hering over to serve me, her richest and most important customer, she sends one of her workers to deliver the food; is she serious?

    I decided to act stubbornly because I wanted her toe to talk to me, so I refused to take it from him.

    ¡°Tell your boss toe to deliver this to me herself¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir,¡± he said, I hope he didn¡¯t take that the wrong way.

    He goes back and tells Lily what was going on.

    She looked annoyed and hesitant but I¡¯m sure she realized it would mean bad business for her, so she walked up to me.

 7

    Lily¡¯spromise

    Lily

    The only reason I walked up to him was because of this business¡¯s image. So many thoughts going through my head and all of them were against my going to meet him. What¡¯s the worst that can happen anyway?

    I dropped his order on his table but he refused.

    ¡°I want to see Jacek. Bring him and I¡¯ll ept¡± He had a grin on his face whilst smacking his lips; they looked good tho¡­ Oh no! Back to the present lily!

    ¡°Jacek? I¡¯m not bringing my child to see you. What has he got to do with this??¡± I was getting frustrated, so I breathed out and said;

    ¡°Look Mr Cayden, this is my ce of work and that¡¯s it, whatever you¡¯re looking for, you¡¯ve gotta find somewhere else, respectfully¡± I really hoped that didn¡¯t sound like it did in my head; like a threat.

    ¡°I just want to see him, that¡¯s all. I promise I¡¯m not up to any funny business. C¡¯mon, let me see him¡±

    Why the hell is this man choosing to get on my nerves? I could feel fumesing out of my and in a bid to not lose my anger, I stormed out and went into the bakery and let off some steam, literally.

    What hell has followed me these past days? I just want him to go away as soon as possible so I can have my life back!

    ¡°Mama!¡± Jacek called as he ran down the stairs happily, I need some of this innocent happiness in my life right now.

    ¡°Hey, candy! How are you doing?¡± I asked as a drew him in for a very tight and close hug

    ¡°I¡¯m fine and I want a cupcake!¡± He raised his hand, making a fist as if protesting.

    ¡°Baby, you¡¯re not even brushed and you can¡¯t have that for breakfast. You need real food so that you¡¯ll grow up healthy like Nana¡± I said,ughing.

    ¡°Okay mama¡± I kissed him on the cheek and ruffled through his hair with my fingers.

    ¡°Lily¡± Jarod rushed with fear in his eyes ¡°That rude man is causing trouble in the bakery. You need to hurry¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked with a high pitched voice, surprised as I run out to see what¡¯s happening.

    Cayden is talking with people he gathered from ¡°only God knows where¡± Agreeing on a mysterious topic I know nothing about. I was surprised. Is he trying to take my business? Just because I didn¡¯t let him see Jacek? Crazy! He did have good people skills and how he gathered this many people is rming.

    I guess I¡¯ll just have to give in to his request and stop this from going further than it should. I went back into the room.

    ¡°Jacek, Cayden is around¡­¡±

    ¡°Yay!!! Where¡¯s he, mum? Please can I see him?¡± I stared at my child, jealous that he likes someone else and wondering what makes him like Cayden so much.

    ¡°Yes baby, you¡¯ll see him in a bit¡± He jumped up excitedly and I ced my hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

    ¡°I just need you to take this tray of biscuits to him,¡± I said, putting the biscuits in a tray and handing them over to Jacek.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°OK mama¡± He took the tray from my hand and took it straight to Cayden.

    ¡°Hello, uncle Cayden¡± Cayden looked in my direction and gave a wicked smile. He then took the tray from Jacek, raised him fondly and settled him on hisp.

    He disbanded the gathering and they went away. Peace was finally restored. Maybe I should have just brought Jacek out earlier to avoid all this drama cause this guy is a piece of work and he isn¡¯t worth it.

    He kept Jacek busy. I could hear theirughter and could tell they were having fun. I delivered his order and I prepared it personally, of course trying to make sure nothing goes wrong with his food.

    He wanted a chicken burger with coke and some fries. This was one of my easy meals to make. With how much I loved baking, I didn¡¯t like to stand for a long time, it was really tiring. I work hard but when the sharp paines, I grab a chair and sit to avoid anyplications.

    I walked to his table and served him his breakfast.

    ¡°You can sit and join us if you want..¡± He said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m busy and have to get back to work¡±

    ¡°Alright then¡± I walked back to the counter and watched them from there. I was counting the minutes until he left cause I needed his ws off my child.

    He did have really nice hair and the bass in his voice was appealing. I didn¡¯t like the fact that he always showed off his wealth but what you do expect when you¡¯re rich like that?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to send Jacek off to him, I know you didn¡¯t want that,¡± Jarod said with his hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess. It¡¯s not like he can kidnap my child anyway. He seems really fond of him and I¡¯ve got my eyes on him¡± I pointed my index and middle finger at myself and then at Cayden,ughing. I can¡¯t even believe I¡¯m suddenly calm at this development. I guess he¡¯s proved himself enough to be fond of my child and I know he won¡¯t hurt Jacek and nothing more; nothing more.

    I take my focus on the orders and deliveries we have to make for the day, going through the log book and signing the already packaged pastries.

    While I wasn¡¯t looking, Cayden tipped me by giving Jacek back the money and dropping him off with Jarod when I wasn¡¯t looking. I only knew because Jarod told me this. I need to know what Cayden¡¯s intentions are because I can¡¯t let this proud man think that I could be one of his concubines.

 8

    That awkward day

    The sun started setting, the evening breeze finding its way through the door and making the bell on the door jingle like someone just walked in. people starteding to get ready to go pastries after the long day they¡¯ve had and they were received with the best smiles on our faces. It wasn¡¯t as much as the rush that happened in the mornings but was still something close to it.

    I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what went down earlier. What if he did something and it all went wrong and drives my customers away? Who did he think he was toe into my shop and order me around like I work for him? And tipping me? Is that supposed to impress me? I just tried to ignore and focus my mind on work for the rest of the day.

    We closed the shop by 6pm. I was pretty exhausted. I took some leftovers to the house because I wasn¡¯t in the mood to cook. I¡¯ll just order pizza if that¡¯s not enough.

    ¡°Good evening Nana¡± I said to grandma, who was watching TV with Jacek.

    ¡°Hey mama, grandma got me lollipop¡± he pointed to me as he came to give me a hug.

    ¡°That¡¯s cool. And what did you say to grandma?¡±

    ¡°I said thank you with a big kiss!¡± he shouted

    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy¡± I said with a smile that contained little or no excitement. Grandma noticed.

    I walked into the room and slumped on the bed. The room was colored grey. I had pictures from my childhood, at least the bag I carried when dad kicked me out had most of it. They were photos of my first, second, eight, tenth, sixteenth and eighteenth birthday; in the order of their celebrations. My eigthenth birthday was the biggest of them all. Dad threw a very borate party, inviting all of his friends to see his perfect family, up until I spoilt it. You could say the party wasn¡¯t necessarily about me.

    Granda came in to check up on me.

    ¡°how was work?¡¯ she sat on the bed, where my head was, raising it and putting it on herp. Then she moved her hand gently down my hair and to my ears, calming my nerves down. ¡°I noticed your mood wasn¡¯t pleasant, so I came to know what¡¯s going on in that head of yours.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Nana, work was exhausting but fine too¡­¡± I start to tell her everything that went down at the shop today.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that happened, I promise it¡¯ll only get better. Give him some time, be patient and everything would fall into ce. Then and only then would you know what to do.¡± Nana always had her way with words. Im d I have her around. She¡¯s always there when I need someone to talk to. When I started staying her, I thought she¡¯d be rude like how I read about people that end up like me in stories, but none of that happened. Shes been a really big help and emotional support.

    We came out of the room to have dinner together as a family. After that, I tucked Jacek in, said goodnight to grandma and went to bed.

    Got to work the next morning and started getting ready for deliveries. The bell jingled as the door opened and a manly figure followed. It was Cayden! He walked up to the counter and demanded that I serve him, again! The courage this man has is second to none.

    He walks over to sit and presses his phone. Grandma walked in. she took over from me and decided to serve Cayden.

    He seemed to have recognized who she was because he seemed to be acting nice towards her.

    Myself and Jarod observe ehats happening from where we were. I was dumbstrcked.

    ¡°why is grandma acting so nice to him? I thought the n was to get him to stop asking after Jacek?¡± Jarod asks me admistughter

    I looked at him sternly and he stops.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± he said ¡± but what are you gonna do now?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know Jarod¡± I bite my lip, lost in thoughts.

    Ugh! My ns have been rendered futile! I thought this would help grandma to see him for who he truly was but unfortunately, grandma has been brainwashed.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Where is Jacek?¡± grandma asked, walking towards me, all smiles.

    ¡°He¡¯s in the room, why?¡± I said, curious

    ¡°Mr Cayden is asking of him. He seems like a really good man. Very charming and respectful. Im gonna take Jacek to him¡± she danced away as she spoke, taking my grandson to meet this man. I need to get her out of there, now.

    ¡°Nana, lets leave Mr Cayden alone, he needs to get back to his meal¡± I said to her, on reaching the table. But she wouldn¡¯t bulge, instead she tries to start a new conversation.

    ¡°its good you came, you guys should get to know yourselves better. Mr Cayden seems like a fine man for you, aren¡¯t you Mr Cayden? Noticed his mood changed

    ¡°No Ma¡¯am, im just here for Jacek, I have no interest in Lily¡± he clears his throat and looks away.

    ¡°Ah, I see what youre doing; using the son to get to the mother. How lovestruck are you? Sheughs, raising her eyebrows at him in a teasing manner.

    ¡°Actually, im being serious. I have no intentions of being with your granddaughter. I onlye here to see Jacek and nothing else. I also in amitted rtionship.¡±

    I felt the need to want to defend myself.

    ¡°I¡¯m in a rtionship too, I have a fine man I¡¯m currently dating and he¡¯s, handsome, lovely, tall caring, lovi¡­¡±

    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± nana chipped in.

    ¡°just the facts¡± I face palmed myself. Why did grandma have to embarrass me in front of him? After what he just did? No way hes getting away with that. Grandma better lose her likeness for him as soon as possible.

 9

    The supposedst meet

    Cayden

    I knew I was being mean to Lily to Lily but I just couldn¡¯t help it. Her grandma being here doesn¡¯t change that but I respect her. I could feel the shame she felt as she tried to defend herself but her grandma stopped that from happening; how convenient.

    ¡°Even if Lily was thest or only person on earth, I still won¡¯t date her¡± I felt Lily¡¯s face going red like it was about to burst open and her grandma¡¯s face was disgusted.

    ¡°How would you say that to my granddaughter?? I don¡¯t appreciate that.¡± She said

    ¡°With all due respect ma¡¯am, I only feel this way because Lily is always rude and sarcastic towards me. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯ll ever do that she would be pleased with. Seems everything thing I do throws her off.¡± I felt like that was too much detail anyway but maybe it needed to be said.

    They seemed to be in shock at what I said. I should probably take my leave now and do something else with my day. Her grandma insisted they packed my food to go, as I wasn¡¯t able to eat itpletely. I thanked her and went away. I could still feel Lily¡¯s eyes at the back of my head as I walked out the door.

    I hear her grandma asks her if she¡¯s ever been rude to me and why she decided to use her to get rid of me when she has already been bad to him. Her grandma didn¡¯t seem happy about it and even when Lily tried to exin, she didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    I enter my car and decide to look for a ce where I can chill and also get some beautiful views. I couldn¡¯t get any, so I just started my engine and drove. I passed a ce that had rocks around it and a had a beautiful view of the sunrise. I reversed and looked for a ce to park. Came down and sat on the floor.

    It was beautiful and serene with birds chirping. The early morning breeze, fresh as ever, rippled through my hair and clothes, sending cold shivers down my spine. It was an epic feeling It¡¯s a ce where you¡¯d want to go to arrange your thoughts.

    I thought about Lily. Somehow, I had hoped what I said didn¡¯t hurt her but make her change her actions towards me. She¡¯s a beautiful woman and her determination and hard work gets to me. Maybe that¡¯s why I keep bumping into her; I feel like we can rte to that.

    My phone rings

    ¡°Good day Mr Cayden, I¡¯m calling to tell you that your flight has been booked for tomorrow,¡± My secretary said

    ¡°Why so sudden? Can I know why I¡¯m being rushed?¡± I ask, worried

    ¡°Sir, all I can say is that it¡¯s a matter of urgency. You¡¯ll know as soon as you get here¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you¡± The phone beeped and I put it back in my pocket.

    What¡¯s happening? I hope nothing bad has happened. I don¡¯t know why no one is willing to exin why they need me around all of a sudden and keeping me in suspense. I brought the food Lily¡¯s grandma packaged for me and began eating.

    ¡°This is good¡± I muttered to myself under my breath with a mouth full. Her bakery is the best, I¡¯ve not had any snack as good as this. I should give her some credit. Eating her food and looking at this breathtaking view was the perfectbo; I should do this more often.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    I clean my mouth and head for home. Getting home, I quickly pack the few things I came with into my box, getting ready for my trip tomorrow.

    I made some popcorn with the help of YouTube. It didn¡¯t exactlye out as it should have but it was okay. Very sugary thought. I decided to do a bit of Netflix and chill with it. Scary movies were nice but I found it difficult to find really good ones cause most of them don¡¯t have a good storyline or good graphics and it never ends! So, I settled foredy. You can¡¯t go wrong with that. I took a nap after the movie and woke upter in the evening.

    It¡¯s 4:14 pm now and I¡¯m on my bed star in at the walls, showing me how far I¡¯vee from our two-bedroom house that looked like a dump. I¡¯m d I was able to work my ass off and give myself the life I deserve. The fact that I might not see Lily again disturbed me. or should I go to the shop to see her onest time before I leave? Nah, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fed up and doesn¡¯t want to see me. Let¡¯s just leave it to fate then. Like my dad would say ¡°Que Sera Sera¡±

    I stand up the next morning, a little bit anxious about the trip. I took my bags to the car and ced them in the trunk. Got back inside the house, ordered pizza and went to shower; I guess it was a good thing I didn¡¯t go grocery shopping.

    I matched a white polo on grey joggers and put on my crocs forfort. The pizza delivery guy came and dropped it. I sat down to eat for some minutes, packed the rest in my car and drove off.

    It was a very long drive back. Still tired, I drove home and got a call, summoning me to the CEO¡¯s house for an important meeting. Iid on my couch for about 30 minutes before I stood up and drove over to his house.

    The CEO¡¯s house was like a mansion, very big and spacious with a well-tendered garden at the side and a swimming pool at the top floor leaving you an amazing view. I didn¡¯t have much time to observe, so I quickly walked in and met him.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the contract,¡± he said, his face tightened.

 10

    Business first

    Cayden

    ¡°Walk with me Cayden¡± Steve gestures to a hallway that with a few steps soon leads to arge garden area. It was a magnificently pampered garden, motiffed with different species of flowers, nts and trees that were certainly not from this part of the world. I knew this because he had keenly spotted a garden heliotrope; a flower he cloyingly admired on one of his many trips around the world, the Caribbeans to be specific. Steve had sessfully created a whole new ecosystem behind hispound that could almost pass for a nce at heaven and Cayden was impressed. Although I had been to Steve¡¯ske side vi many times before, he had never been to this section of thepound and except for the now unfolding event, nothing was going to bring him here again. Only private business meetings and diners brought Cayden to the vi, thus his bemusement for being summoned without an official engagement as its reason.

    ¡°Permit me to say, you have a beautiful garden Sir¡± here was me trying to make an attempt to dissolve the lingering silence but Steve¡¯s response was not quite what I pitched for.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°How did the meeting go with the client back in Nedford?¡± Steve¡¯s question shadows my appraisal just as briskly as it came.

    ¡°Well about that¡­ it didn¡¯t hold, at least not yet. I was still expecting the clients before the urgency of meing back here came up¡± my response now in a rather more assertive tone than his previouspliment.

    ¡°They were never gonnae, you want to know how I knew? -Now I began to understand why Steve summoned me back so abruptly- because Mr Bradenton called me a few days ago, saying he didn¡¯t thing the facilitation of the contract was going to be visible anymore, that there was a collision of interests and principles¡± Steve halts and arcs to give me a brief stare.

    ¡°I am honestly failing to see what the issue is, I thought everything was going ordingly as discussed a few weeks ago, why the sudden U-turn from them? Other than the obvious reason that Steve recalled me back for this, I was failing to see where the problem was and the maze in his mind grew even thicker.

    ¡°I was in the same state of perplexity you are now until Mr Bradenton borated further¡± Now continuing his stroll. ¡°You see, Mr Bradenton is one of those men that will not hesitate to intercourse business with sentiments. Men like him do a thorough andprehensive background check on the people they do business with and regardless of your ability and prowess, they will not falter in halting any proceeding engagements if discrepancies are found¡±

    We soon arrive at bench that stood just close enough for you to feel the soothing chill that came from theke. ¡°You know the funny thing here Cayden, Mr Bradenton didn¡¯t even have to do a research on us to find our fault and it all has to do with you¡±

    ¡°Me!? But I do not have any illegal or illegitimate business dealings, you for one should know me far too well¡± I reposition my sitting posture in such a manner that you could almost see the seriousness leaking from my seat.

    ¡°Yes you Cayden, I doubt you¡¯d remember a certain Felicia¡­ ofcourse you wouldn¡¯t, she¡¯s one of your many flings and also happens to be Mr Bradenton¡¯s personal assistant. Believe me when I say she¡¯s loud mouthed even for ady, so it wasn¡¯t very difficult for him to change his mind on the contract when your name came up as mypany¡¯s representative to finalize the contract¡±

    ¡°I suppose I should be sorry but how on earth was I supposed to know that a situation like this was going to affect work and besides, who doesn¡¯t have women in their lives?¡±

    ¡°Well one of those women in you life has be a nail beneath the soul of my business and you need to fix it. We cannot afford to lose this contract, our reputation precedes us. Mr Bradenton wants to see a redefined ¡®Cayden McLou¡¯ if he is to ever reconsider the terms of the contract¡±

    ¡°And how on earth am I supposed to do that, get married in a week? I prime the crown of my face with a frown as my insides begin to overheat.

    ¡°Nobody is telling you to work down the aisle yet Cayden!¡± Steve lets out a briefughter that I do not reciprocate. He then introduces his next words with a smirk. ¡°Choose one of the many women in your life and show her off, maybe even an engagement¡­ Felicia would not be bad either but I understand going back to his space may seem ulterior so fish outside. I should be expecting positive news from you by next week and that¡¯s final¡±

    I knew better than to argue with Steve. He hated his opinions being confronted and  besides this country was going to facilitate a huge break for ourpany into other parts of the world, I wasn¡¯t about to let such an opportunity slide.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do something about¡± I mutter in separated words as I make-up a hearty grin that barely came from beneath my skin and give a reassuring nod.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s a good boy, you should consider having something like this with someone special in the nearest future yunno and not that penthouse of yours that only wees your escapades¡± Steve spreads out his arms as if to point to both the vi and theke. A house assistant ushers us with two sses of rum that Steve had requested for just before we left the building. I used the liquid to wash down any more words that may have brewed up for a response to Steve.

    ***

    I¡¯m just about finished with my every morning routine as I hurry down the flight of stairs to meet Jarod at the counter

    ¡°Good morning Jorad¡± I set off on a bright note

    ¡°Morning Baby girl, I trust you rested well at least?¡± Jarod propped me into a side hug thatsted for as long as his words did.

    ¡°Well I tried to at least, that should be a win. By the way, has Mr rudee to buy anything today yet, Jacek and Ann won¡¯t let me hear thest of him¡± I inquired in a somewhat nonchnt manner.

    ¡°Nah not today either, too bad we won¡¯t be getting a double from the fined today¡±

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s a double?¡± My curiosity bes slightly fired up on Jarods response.

    ¡°Well Cayden always pays double for whatever he orders so I usually just mark it as him tipping the shop yunno¡±

    A wave of guilt sweeps my once vague concern, maybe I wasn¡¯t very nice to him thest time¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, let me head to the market and stock up on some supplies, we¡¯re running low on them¡± I wave Jarod a goodbye as I head for the door.

    ¡°Be safe!¡± Jarod yells back.

    I stop by the kiosk to get a few cartoons of milk just as a hand firmly tugs me from my shoulder ¡°Hey you, yes you¡­ I remember you! aren¡¯t you the bitch that¡¯s tryna steal my man?¡± She yells just loud enough for passersby to give my direction a perplexed stare.

    I turned to get a definite view of the unfortunate human who was about to start this trouble , she had far too many make-up details on her face for a redhead that it gave off a witch-like look.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me!¡±

 11

    Mummy¡¯s apple piece

    Lily

    Cayden always parked his next generation Mercedes coupe sports car by the curbside, just a few meters away from the shop. Pedestrians would flock around it and take stray pictures but he didn¡¯t bother. He would then walk down the Not because there were no empty parking spaces at the front of the shop oh no, it was because Cayden loved to sport his ambiance maybe he wanted to be in the pictures too. Jarod called it the ¡°walk of glory¡± but I would always cut him off by saying ¡°please! there is nothing glorious about that man¡­ more like the walk of shame¡±

    He came in looking rather ravishing than other days I must admit, maybe it was because I had not seen him in a few days. Jacek was the first to spot Cayden enter the shop and before he could release the spring door to close, my baby boy being the pristine soul that he is rushs to envelope Cayden with a hug.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Mr rude back again, don¡¯t tell me you got lost in such a small town¡± I sneered at him as I made my way into the counter area from the back room, I had just finished supervising the packaging of thest set of orders we were to send out for delivery. I needed to make sure every single piece of pastry was next to perfect, who knows how many more Caydens are out there.

    ¡°Hello Lily! Are those I miss you Cayden I hear behind this misced words?¡± He countered with his snicker and a smirk that cringed my insides. He left this smirk on his face that almost made me want to leave my today¡¯s special on his pretty face and wellbed silk brown hair.

    ¡°You wish¡­ Come here Candy, let¡¯s go make chocte pie with Grandma¡± I stretch out to pull Jacek from the arms of Cayden but he raps his minion hands briskly around Cayden¡¯s neck impervious even for an ant. ¡°Jacek! Now youe down here right now¡± I alter authoritatively.

    ¡°But I want to stay with Mr Cayden¡± he lets out in a low pitch as his face is muffled up in Cayden¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Now now you should let the dear boy be, at least he misses me and you can obviously see he is happy where he is. Isn¡¯t that reason enough¡± he uses his free hand to meander traces across Jacek¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Look mister, I don¡¯t know what kinda sorcery you used on my candy and my Granny but it¡¯s sure as hell not working on me¡± my frustration could be evident in the way my hands shrugged into themselves.

    ¡°It is obvious everyone misses me, you should join them too it¡¯s a good feeling trust me¡± his smirk grin stretched almost to the point that it couldfortably kiss his cheek bone. He offers his tinum card to Jarod who had already served his usual on a te.

    ¡°Ofcourse why wouldn¡¯t they, especially your dirty espacades you leave roaming the streets without a leash. Just the other day one of your flings tried to harass and even embarrass me in the market¡­ thank goodness alot of people know me and the kind of person I am. I¡¯m sure you have at least one of her in every state and country of the world¡± I must admit that felt really good to let out and for the first time since I got to know Cayden, this man was stuck in awe and altered nothing as a counter. The mischief that once coated his face soon metamorphosed into a looming storm. I could have sworn I saw a little smoke puff out of his snooze like that of a bull.

    Cayden loosens Jacek from his knot and sets him on one of the stolls nearby and then retrieves his card from Jarod who had already swiped for payment. And there he went, strolling with swiftness fueled by anger back to his chariot.

    ¡°Oh well¡± I said to myself as I turned around to head back to the back room only to be stunned by the presence of Granny who as it now seems, had seen watched the whole forey that had just happened. I knew what was toe next and had already started preparing a ment script for my defense.

    ¡°Lily Greyson, that¡¯s wasn¡¯t very nice of you, you should go and give a heartfelt apology to him¡± that was it, Granny rarely ever called me by my full name except she was absolutely serious. Her face was now pale and emotionless.

    ¡°But why do I have to apologize, I wasn¡¯t lying was I?¡± I began my soon futile defense

    ¡°I will say no more than that younddy, go and apologize to that handsome man¡±I cringed at thepliment she gave him in his absence.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Jarod help me out here¡± I gesture to Jarod to support my motion

    ¡°I support Granny on this one baby girl, you should apologize to him. Besides Cayden seemed very nice today and you only reciprocated by being sharp edged with youments¡± Jarod began to preach like an adjudicator.

    ¡°Look just take his order and maybe some extra pieces and say him a nice apology. I heard he stays in a suite not too far from here so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to find, I¡¯ll leave his address on the pack. Less I forget, take your kinda with you, I¡¯m not about to have my customers suffer the whaling of that poor boy because mummy was rude¡± he immediately packeged Cayden¡¯s order in one of our special souvenir packs and left it on the counter for me.

 12

    Drama at my ce

    Cayden

    Hell no! This was not happening, I wasn¡¯t about to have one of those days where you wake up and believe the whole day is gonna be as amazing as you are but then petitedy calls you out on your shit and then you end up walking out on everyone to preserve your pride and leave behind your breakfast for the morning¡­ no, I wasn¡¯t about to have one of the worst days of my 30 years long life. I wasn¡¯t gonna allow Lily to ruin my day.

    I really needed to get rid of this mental strain andy off some steam and what better way to do that than with ady. I¡¯m not needy for many today, just one would suffice for the time being. I immediately made for my phone thatid on my working desk and though I had an array of women to call, I settled for the Disnend girl; Rita. She seemed to really wanna make a statement of her position in my life, let¡¯s see if she can prove it with a few gulps of fine wine and a marathon in bed.

    Dails Rita¡¯s number¡­

    ¡°Hey! Rita¡­¡± I immediately began the conversation with my charming voice. I used this card for moments like this when I needed to melt the heart of anydy.

    ¡°Cayden my love! Here I was worrying if you were ever going to call again¡± She blurts out with bodacious excitement ¡± How are you my love?¡±

    ¡®My love¡¯ those were words she didn¡¯t hesitate to call me a million times a sec and even more when she spoke to me. It was either that or daddy when we were going in bed. Funny how I never reciprocated the sweetness and called her by a fancy name, it was always Rita and no, I didn¡¯t call her any name¡¯s in bed¡­ not even baby.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been really busy with work and all, I barely have time for people¡± I try to sound impassioned, I couldn¡¯t know this call was born out of desperation.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve been busy with work or with that bitch I saw you with at Disnend thest time¡±

    Now this infuriated me deeply, I could not decide whether it was the fact that she called Lily a bitch or that I even had anything to do with her¡­ oh please, I¡¯ve got higher taste than a bakerydy.

    ¡°Is this why I called you, to bring up a flimsy past?*

    ¡°No no no, I¡¯m sorry my love. In Fact I¡¯m sorry in the manner I acted on that day too, I promise to be better¡±

    ¡°Now that¡¯s better¡±

    ¡°So let me make it up to you, can Ie see you at your suite¡± my n had finally aligned, even better than I expected, I didn¡¯t even have to ask her toe over.

    ¡°Alright that would be fine, but hurry up though, I won¡¯t be  here for very long, I¡¯m a busy man.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in less than 15 minutes, don¡¯t miss me too much okay¡±

    ¡°See you soon¡±

    ¡°Muah¡± she kisses as I drop the call.

    Wonderful, now that that was settled, I was now left with the dilemma of deciding what to have for breakfast. Lily¡¯s specials would have been nice but I guess that¡¯s out of the picture. Maybe I should order some Chinese food when we are done with our fun session.

    There was very little need to put anything in order in my ce, I had a thing for always making sure things were kept in their appropriate positions and they were spotless. I somewhat had this conviction that neatness affects the air I breathe, the more reason I¡¯d always transition from my apartment to my car. The perfumes I left in them are to die for.

    All I did was tuck in the bed area and retrieve a brand of red wine and some ice shaped pieces from my fridge and that was all I needed to make this soon to ur episode.

    Rita soon arrived and rang the doorbell. I paced to the door and on opening it, I¡¯m engulfed in the tight embrace of hers. I could barely breathe not because of the hug but because in an attempt to overly impress me, she ended up emptying her bottle of perfume and cologne. Its fragrance was choking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you!¡± She says with muffled words as she buries her mouth in the lower regions of my neck area.

    We don¡¯t talk and sip wine for very long before we start getting intimate with each other. The forey had begun and I was enjoying every second of it just as much as she did. This was what I really needed

    Someone knock on the door

    I hesitate the first time and continue my romance session. But the knock on the door persisted, I wasn¡¯t expecting any more casual visitors so it had to be something or something important. I detach myself from the ce my hands had already started roaming on Rita¡¯s body and head for the door to check who that was.

    ¡°Shit¡± what were they doing here? It was Lily and a now cry Jacek that stood pretty on the door ways. What could possibly be the matter again, did shee to finish what she started at the bakery. I adjust close to the door and post myself in such a manner that gives barely anyview of my suite except the roof area if she looks up.

    ¡°Hey Cayden, I¡¯m sorry for showing up uninvited but I¡­¡± and before Lilypletes whatever she¡¯s about to alter, Rita interrupts and her reaction on finding out Lily was the one who stood at the door wasn¡¯t one for happy eyes.

    ¡°My love! What¡¯s going on? You shoulde back in¡­?¡± And just as elongates her long neck to spy on whoever interrupted our romance session, she is shocked and instantly bes furious ¡°wait, this bitch again! What the fuck are the doing in my man¡¯s ce?¡±

    She widens the opening of the door that I once held to limit Lily¡¯s view and almost immediately engages Lily in fierce physical contact. What I¡¯m God¡¯s name was she doing, didn¡¯t she see a 2 year old child in Lily¡¯s arm!? With what I presume to be all the energy in herself, she reached for Lily¡¯s side and pushes her almost sending her cascading to the ground but for the grace of my quick reflexes and firm grip.

    ¡°Jesus Christ Rita, what is this! what are you doing?¡± Rita remains unfazed in her rampage and tries to attack again until I shout her senses back to earth.

    ¡°Rita! Get out!¡± My shout could be heard from blocks away.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± for the first time in so many seconds she calms down and tries to decipher what I¡¯d just said.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Lily, please leave the door way ande in while I handle this¡± I now pear into the eyes of this petite woman I now held in my arms.

    ¡°My love!¡± Rita tries to enthrall me with that name but pretends not to hear her.

    ¡°I think you should leave¡­¡± continue with every pound of authority in my voice¡­

 13

    Be my guest

    Lily

    ¡°I think you should leave¡­ please¡± I¡¯d never seen Cayden in this state before, I¡¯d always known him to be somewhat hard headed and egoistic but the charisma and authority in the tempo of his tone was staggeringly cloying, this new man I was staring at seemed foreign and as badly as I hated to admit it i liked it. Maybe it¡¯s the way he caught my candy and I with god-like speed and still held us firmly with those brawnily chiseled arms of his. He tilts sightly to give the witch a reaper gaze while I scrutinized his jaw line that gave off a nice detail as the corridormp reflected on him. I was adoring this fine man in this very moment and I couldn¡¯t help it.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Lily, I really do not know what hase over her, are you okay?¡± he gentle releases one of his arms from the knot he held us in and caresses Jacek¡¯s head.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± the words staggered out of my mouth, I was still trying to recollect what was happening. That was one nasty push the witch gave me, Lord knows what I would¡¯ve done if I ended on the floor.

    ¡°Wait are you talking to me, are you kicking me out because of this bitch!?¡± She stares in utter disbelieve.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t speaking gibberish was I? Get out of my space this very minute¡± he reaffirms

    ¡°urrgggg whatever¡± she let¡¯s out a distorted groan as she makes for chanel handbag and even bumps Cayden as she heads out the doorway.

    ¡°Lily I¡¯m¡­¡± he attempts toy another apologize but I cut his words short.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I¡¯m fine. I actually just came to apologize to you for how I spoke to you earlier, that was very bad of me to shade you in such a manner, your person life should be none of my business and I¡¯m sorry bout that¡± I rip myself from his grasp, mustering every atom of courage in me to do this and let¡¯s not forget the fact that two of the most important people in my life were not very happy with me, I had to make things right for peace at home at least.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°And here, I brought you your order and added a few of my specials as a peace offering, I¡¯m you¡¯d enjoy them¡± I gesture my palm to receive the pack from Jacek who had now stopped crying on seeing Cayden, at least that was going well.

    ¡°Thank you Lily, my insides are starving! I guess you¡¯re an angel after all¡­¡± his hands devoured the souvenir pack briskly from my grip ¡°and oh I¡¯m sorry myself, I admit the way I spoke to you at the bakery was quite prickly of me¡± heys the now lukewarm pack on the oak wooden wall table that sat pretty adjacent to the door.

    ¡°You two shoulde in, I¡¯ve got some juice in the fridge for Jacek and an ice coated red wine in the bucket for us to share, consider it my peace offering as well¡± he twitches his eyes just long enough for miniature wrinkles to form above his eyebrow level and extends the poles of his lips to form a morbid smile that puffed his cheeks in a subtle rise.

    ¡°No thank you, I¡¯ll pass. Besides I left thinks to do back at the shop, the bakery isn¡¯t gonna run itself yunno¡± I wave my fingers in disapproval of his offer, I wasn¡¯t about to let him lure me into his den like the other girls.

    ¡°Alright then, I can understand your business is important to you and that¡¯s something I really admire about you¡± those were nice words for someone who barely ever gave me any, our encounters were always heated, our words sharp and aimed straight for our sanities. ¡°Let me drop you off at the bakery then, that¡¯s the least you should let me do¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I¡¯ll take a bus back besides it¡¯s not very far off¡± I still persisted and so did he

    ¡°C¡¯mon Lily don¡¯t be difficult with me now, this is me trying to be nice¡­ how bout some money for the transportation, you can¡¯t possibly refuse that¡± he buries his hand into his buttocks pocket brings out a leather wallet that had a signature like inscription embedded on its skin, I didn¡¯t quick know which designer¡¯s it was for but it sure looked expensive, probably costed more than everything I was putting on. It had at least a quarter bundle of dor notes queued in it.

    ¡°Look Cayden I don¡¯t need your money, I didn¡¯te all the way down here with my legs did I, I canfortable take myself back thank you¡± his attempt to offer me money for fare back to the shop was just about to trigger the artless Lily he had earlier met at the shop. Did he think I could not afford amenities, what the hell was he driving at?

    ¡°Fine, use it to get something for nice for your Granny and Jacek, the poor boy shouldn¡¯t have to cry all the way here for nothing¡± as badly as I wanted to bruise the audacity in those words, I had to control my anger, I didn¡¯t want to make matters worse.

    I rip the neatly pressed mint 100 dor bills from his fingers and headed off without a goodbye or thank you.

    ***

    I rallied up the stairs that led up to the living room. Grannyfortably sitted in her rocking chair that stood on the opposite side of the room to where the television was, Jacek would normally climb on its body and call it his throne.

    ¡°Hello my sweet Candy, how are you?¡± Granny wees Jacek and he sprints into her cuddling bossom ¡°and if it isn¡¯t the firesty Lily¡± she exims in mockery.

    ¡°Granny! Is that how you¡¯re gonna wee your favorite grand daughter?¡±I give her my grammy winning baby face.

    ¡°Well okay then my favorite grand daughter, how your apology session with Cayden go, I hope you didn¡¯t go on reminding him of his private life?¡±

    ¡°it went quite wonderfully actually, he¡­¡± just as I¡¯m about myself safely out of this conversation, my Candy manufactures a storm.

    ¡°Mummy got in a fight with ady from Disneynd but Cayden¡­¡± and just like that, I was back on the hot seat again.

    ¡°A what!?¡±  Granny does not let Jacek finished either and now readjust her posture on the chair with Jacek still in her arms ¡°Now that doesn¡¯t sound like a wonderful experience to me, start talking youngdy¡± I rarely saw this kind of seriousness in Granny¡¯s eyes, except she was watching trivial documentary that went against her opinions.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it sounds Granny, there wasn¡¯t any fight¡­ at least I didn¡¯t get to repay the pleasure. I can exin what happened?¡±

    ¡°You had better, I¡¯m listening¡± she replies in a subtle tone now. I go ahead to exin all but the money Cayden gave to buy the things I had just gotten from Walmart. I didn¡¯t really see the need for that part of the story and besides I spent the money judiciously by getting groceries for the house.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to believe Cayden is not such a goodpany, especially for my grandchild. I absolutely will not have him getting entangled in anymore of such awful situations that would endanger him and expose h to scenarios that are obviously ot for his age¡± She takes in an aged breath and continues ¡°I do not want to Jacek or yourself anywhere around that man except hees to the shop to buy something and that¡¯s it, he might be a nice man but he should also learn to out his affairs in order.

    As much as I wanted to feel good about Granny¡¯s new conviction about Cayden, I felt not telling her about the money may have led to this¡­ but hey! I guess it¡¯s for the best.

 14

    An almost perfect day

    Lily

    It was yet another 8am in the bakery shop and everything was going as hoped for, including Cayden noting to take his usual morning order. As much as I wanted my customers to alwayse back every day, Cayden was unfortunately not on that list, at least not anymore, not after the whole debacle at his ce yesterday. That was more than enough drama tost me a lifetime and I wasn¡¯t subscribing for anymore.

    ¡°Hey baby girl, do you have a minute?¡± Jarod rallies my attention back to earth as I stare at the door in hope that Cayden would not be the next customer to walk in.

    ¡°Sure I do, what¡¯s the matter¡± I swerve back to his direction

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely gonna love what I just found¡± Jarod ransacks one of the front pockets of his apron and his hand emerges with loosely folded flier-like material that he begins to open up with excitement painted all over his barely sweaty face.

    ¡°What¡¯s that¡± I ask with a now brimming curiosity

    ¡°This my dear, is a flier for a pastry contest that I¡¯m a million percent sure you¡¯re going to win if you participated. Now registration closes in a few days so I would hurry and go get registered for thepetition before such a date¡­ and before you say no, you should take a look at the grand prize¡±

    ¡°Two hundred thousand dors! Jesus Jarod!¡± I scream in awe and almost immediately cover my mouth to curtail the noise.

    ¡°Yes my dear, you are wee!¡±

    ¡°And you wonder why I love you so much, you¡¯re the best Jarod thank you so much!¡± I could see his cheeks turn pink in those briefs, trust me to seal the moment I lean forward and give him a tight hug, so tight that I could almost feel his groin in-between my thighs¡­ maybe it was kitchen equipment but I sure as hell don¡¯t wanna know.

    ***

    We highlighted from the bus with a part of my caramel gown tautly bound in Jacek¡¯s hand. We made our way through the insidenes of the market square. But just as my day was going amazingly, the universe blew a certain human being my way yet again. Cayden was calming strolling down thene I was on, a few steps ahead of me with what seemed to be another one of his many flings. But unlike the witch I previously had an encounter with, thisdy was far younger, maybe even two years younger than myself and still had a voluptuous figure topliment her youth.

    Atoms of cringe crept up my skin as I watched the girl point almost every they went by in the market with her manicured hands. I stared for quite a longer period than was normal and decided to take an alternative route to the registration spot in pretense that I did not see them but just as I bent to whisk my Candy¡¯s hand from my fabric, I spotted him sporting his tiny legs to where Cayden was. And like a spell was casted on him, Cayden lifted Jacek from the ground and up as he began to make his way to where I stood, with my futile attempt to escape him now in the drain.

    ¡°What¡¯s this Cayden? you never told me you were married¡± the girl begins toment in disgust ¡°and who has this child you¡¯re now carrying?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, where¡¯s thising from, do you see a ring on my finger¡± he replies in shock

    ¡°Oh please! Many of you men this days no longer wear their wedding ring¡­ you¡¯re all just the same¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you fetched such ideas from but you should really calm down¡± Cayden answers in a rather more refined pitch now and hastens his pace towards me.

    ¡°Oh really! So who¡¯s that disturbed lookingdy that¡¯s staring head-on in our direction?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s Lily, his mother¡±

    ¡°You know what, I think I should be on my way now, I won¡¯t be a side piece to anyone. Go rekindle with your family¡±

    ¡°What in God¡¯s name is wrong with women?¡± He is baffled as the girl walks away and even gives me the reaper¡¯s stare as she walks by me.

    He finally gets to me with my son ¡°You¡¯re happy now aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Well you seeded in chasing every viable option for me to get a woman¡±

    I let out a brief congealedughter ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about but I¡¯d like to have my son now¡±

    ¡°Would it kill you to at least smile whenever you see me and not that soar look on your face? That was the major reason she left yunno¡± he sets Jacek down beside me and them stares me back in the eye with an unfazed gaze.

    This sent butterflies meandering round the walls of my belly, the fact that I was an influence in his life and that he was disturbed about it.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of my business, I have somewhere to be now¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t, not until you agree to remedy this situation¡­ believe me when what I had going with thatdy was very intentional until you came around, now you¡¯ve made a very precarious situation a whole lot worse¡±

    Iugh out more loudly now but his person was unfazed, his face remained emotionless ¡°look I have a contest I need to go register for that gives me a chance to win two hundred thousand dors. Now that man can go a long way for my business and Jacek¡¯s school so if you don¡¯t mind, I have a future to go secure¡± I attempt to walk away but then he grabs my wrist but surprisingly not in a manner enough to infuriate me. He lets go and I restart my walk.

    ¡°Okay hold on a sec, you really do not understand how bad this situation is. You¡¯ve got to do something¡±

    ¡°Look, Cayden¡­

 15

    THE UNOFFICIAL CONTRACT

    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m joking, do you?¡± Cayden wore a serious expression on his face. I had no choice but to conform to the mood. ¡®What is this lunatic saying?¡¯ I thought to myself. Watching little Jacek and an ¡®annoying¡¯ Cayden y drifted my attention a bit that I didn¡¯t notice when Jacek left my arms and was enjoying the bosom of this dude in front of me.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go and get you registered, miss,¡± he walked further away from me, gesturing me toe forward. ¡°You¡¯re here to enroll, right?¡± he asked me when I was only a few inches from him.

    ¡°The prize is out of this world. I need that cash¡± Iid emphasis on ¡®cash¡¯. ¡°So what do you say, you up for it?¡± I knew he was talking about the ridiculous request he made earlier. I scoffed and tilted my neck a bit to stare at his face properly. ¡°What exactly would you have me do?¡± I finally asked after a few seconds of thought.

    ¡°I need a date and urgently, for a particr event of mine. Unless you¡¯d love to be my date¡­,¡± he paused to look at me who did nothing but sneer at him, ¡°secure me a date, please,¡± he concluded with every iota of plea in his tone.

    ¡°Get a dating app or something. How in God¡¯s name am I supposed to do that? I can¡¯t and won¡¯t, Mr. Cayden,¡± I fired. To my greatest awe, Cayden paused in his tracks, turned to face me directly, wearing a ¡®sorry¡¯ look. ¡°What?¡± I couldn¡¯t care less about his facial expressions.

    ¡°I need you¡± he takes his left hand off Jacek¡¯s back and holds on to my right hand. I was surprised but then again, I subconsciously savored the manly and feeling and warmth I got from his grip that it took me seconds to shrug and take my hand away from his. ¡°No!¡± I refuted firmly and walked past him.

    ¡°Why not though?¡± he immediately came after me but maintained his distance behind me, still trying to convince me otherwise but as he could see, I wasn¡¯t even ready to budge. I couldn¡¯t care less about him or his concerns. ¡®Why would I bother myself with this fellow?¡¯ I thought as I kept scoffing loudly to each and every one of his pleas.

    I paused abruptly in my tracks which made him bump into me with his arm. I turned around swiftly and gave him quite the stare. ¡°Listen!¡± I paused for a while, ¡°whatever business you have, is all up to you. What I only care about is my business and that¡¯s it, okay?¡± I made my point clear and gestured my open arms towards Jacek beckoning on him toe to me but to my utter dismay he t-out rejected my offer. Oh well, I turned around quickly to continue my journey to the registration office.

    ¡°Twice!¡± Cayden eximed and I paused abruptly. ¡°Twice?¡± I asked, still confused on what exactly he was trying to say. ¡°Twice,¡± he repeated still. ¡°Are you okay?¡±I blurted out. ¡°I¡¯ll give you twice the prize of whateverpetition it is you¡¯re here today for,¡± he finally spoke thenguage I understood and I burst into a hystericughter.

    ¡°Twice?¡± I could barely speak, still caught up in myughter.

    ¡°Yes, twice,¡± he repeated convincingly.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked in a low tone. ¡°Yes!¡± he replied affirmatively

    ¡°Trying to show off your wealth, Huh? ¡­ Mr., my answer remains no!¡± I objected still. The expression I read on his face disyed frustration to a high degree but then again, I couldn¡¯t care less.

    ¡°Thrice!¡± he blurted almost immediately. ¡°I also promise to look up a very good school for Jacek.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± I eded subconsciously and he let out a really bright smile. Immediately I felt a little bit of regret welling up in me as I watched the newly formed ¡®Cayden and Jacek¡¯ duo walk ahead of me. I immediately shrugged and caught up to the two of them.

    On getting to the registration centre, after much persuasion, I gave in to let Cayden pay the fees for it. I wasn¡¯t usually easy going so what exactly happened that day left me bewildered,pletely. After concluding the processions, we stopped by a snack bar for some refreshments. I couldn¡¯t say no to this particr offer, I felt so out of it. Cayden had coffee, I and Jacek had doughnuts. We talked about random things and I happened to let my guard down a little. The atmosphere felt rxed and beautiful and so in order to blend inpletely, I had to loosen up and rx, especially for Jacek¡¯s sake.

    Finally it was time to part ways but then again, Cayden always had something to whine about. He asked for my cell number and after much contemtion, I yielded and gave him the number.

    About an hourter, we ¨C I, my grandma and Jacek ¨C were all settled to have the dinner prepared specially by my grandma. As usual, she took it upon herself to serve everyone, herself inclusive and we all started eating in no time.

    ¡°How¡¯d your day go?¡± my grandma broke the silence.

    I cleared my throat and took a sip of water from the ssid beside my food. ¡°Um¡­ it went¡­well?¡± I stuttered. ¡°I registered for thepetition and it was okay,¡± I concluded, totally leaving the fact I¡¯d met Cayden out of the story. ¡°Nana, nana, we saw uncle Cayden¡±, Jacek immediately cried out,pletely blowing my cover. Immediately, I noticed the cheerful expression on my grandmother¡¯s face slowly fade.

    ¡°And?¡± she turned to me, and I totally understood the ¡®stare¡¯ she gave me. ¡°and?¡± I repeated, feigning ignorance. ¡°What happened next?¡± she asked yet again.

    ¡°What else would happen? We¡­just¡­saw, right?¡± I said between chuckles.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Did you speak to him?¡± Nana asked firm but calmly. ¡°Ummm¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Jacek affirmed even before I could utter a word. ¡°Shoot!¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°Umm¡­,¡± Nana cut me off.  ¡°Why though?¡± she asked, trying to maintain a warm facial appearance so as not so scare Jacek. I didn¡¯t exactly know what to say so I remained silent.

 16

    LILY

    ¡°Sweetie?¡± nana called out to Jacek.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Eat quickly and go inside, okay? You need to sleep,¡± nana said wearing smiles as Jacek nodded repeatedly.

    Few minutester, dinner time was over and I was alone with nana for a heart-to-heart conversation.

    ¡°I thought we agreed to stay off him.¡±

    ¡°I know, but¡­,¡± Icked words to exin myself to my nana. What would I say to her that would serve as a good exnation? Finally, after rummaging through my thoughts, I said, ¡°we just said hi, that¡¯s all,¡± I lied.

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s all¡± I affirmed strongly to avoid unnecessary doubts as nana was good at reading my facial expressions.

    ¡°Better,¡± nana replied and I heaved a sigh of relief.

    It¡¯s 4:30 am in the morning and instead of getting up by the sound of my rm clock, a call from an unknown number did the job.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said on picking the call from the ¡®unknown¡¯ as I gently rubbed her eyes.

    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± a familiar voice cried out from the other side of the line as I heaved a sigh of irritation. ¡®Why in God¡¯s name would he wake me up by this time?¡± I thought as I kept the other fellow waiting for my reply.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°What is your problem?¡± I barkedpletely forgetting the fact that my roommate ¨C Jackel ¨C was still fast asleep. I quietly got off the bed and made my way to the living room to speakfortably.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten our agreement, right?¡± the annoying voice said.

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯d call me by this time?¡± I fired. ¡°This is a breach of contract, you know? I could call off our agreement.¡±

    ¡°Rx. I thought you¡¯d be up already. Your bakery gets up-and-doing by 6:30 in the morning¡­,¡± he paused ¡°so tell me, were you still sound asleep or you just feel like whining unnecessarily?¡± he asked and got me infuriated the more.

    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, Jacek was lying right beside me. What if he¡¯d woken up?¡±I retorted angrily.

    ¡°My bad then¡­,¡± nana cut in by clearing her throat loud enough.

    Knowing exactly what was up I immediately hung up without telling the other party. ¡°Nana?¡± I called out on turning around to see my grandma who stood behind me, looking all suspicious.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Jarod!¡± I replied without thinking twice.

    ¡°Jarod?¡± nana sounded a bit skeptical. ¡°By this time?¡± she looked at the clock.

    ¡°Yes. I asked him to do something for me, he just called to brief me on it,¡± I stylishly tried to avoid nana¡¯s direct gaze.

    We both stood at our respective positions for few seconds without uttering a word. Nana looked like she didn¡¯tpletely buy what I said but then again, it¡¯d look rather insulting to call Jarod to confirm, or awkward to keep asking me questions in order to voice her suspicion. In no time, we retired to their respective morning duties.

    As the day would have it, I went down in time and as usual, attended to the customers appropriately but today, I was a little distracted all thanks to Mr. ¡®Annoying¡¯. I was busy all day looking into dating sites ¨C something I¡¯d never done for myself ¨C for the fellow who wouldn¡¯t get off my neck.

    Due to my absent-mindedness, I had to relinquish most of the duties to Jarod and the other staffs. Getting all hooked on I  device, I hooked Cayden to the dating sites and a few minutester, managed tond him a 26-year old Samantha, light-skinned, blonde with blue eyes. I sent him a screenshot of our conversations. It was clear that I yed the role of a ¡®middle-man¡¯ since our ever sweet Cayden was too busy to get himself a chic.

    Around 2:30pm, I excused myself and left the bakery after I had called Cayden to inform him of my visit and the purpose behind it ¨C to prepare our prince ¨C charming for the ¡®big date¡¯. After listening to his whining over the phone for three whole minutes, I hung up and hit the road.

    In no time, I was in front of his house. I rang the doorbell and I a few seconds, what greeted me left me awe-struck. Cayden seemed to have just taken his bath since the only clothing he had on was a towel which only covered his lower body leaving his abs and biceps all in the open, forcing me to instantly get wild dreams.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°Umm¡­are youing in or not?¡± Cayden asked gently on seeing me frozen.

    I immediately shrugged and walked in,pletely ignoring the scene that met with my eyes. With water dripping from his hair, he walked up to me ¨C after shutting the door ¨C and smiled. ¡®Why¡¯s he smiling now?¡¯ I thought. ¡°Did you get my texts?¡± I asked, wearing a smug look.

    ¡°You sent me texts? I¡¯ve not checked my phone, I¡¯ve been busy¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hopeless,¡± I fired with every hint of sarcasm. ¡°How would you not have checked your phone the whole day, knowing full well we had an agreement of some sort?¡± I scolded. ¡°You really are hopeless,¡± I finally concluded.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, though,¡± Cayden defended.

    ¡°You¡¯re ser¡­¡±, I held myself back fromshing out on him, which I very much knew would escte into a heated argument. ¡°You know what?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only going to have a proper conversation after you¡¯ve put a shirt on,¡± I said and looked in ¡®the other¡¯ direction.

    Cayden chuckled and let out a mischievous smile, ¡°why though?¡± he asked and walked a bit closer to me. ¡°Do you not like what you see?¡± he whispered slowly into my ears, causing me to walk further away, annoyed.

    ¡°Go put on a shirt, Mr. ¡­¡± I repeated, looking all serious as I tried my very best to avoid his gaze, ¡°or I¡¯ll leave,¡± I finally said and returned his stare, wide-eyed.

    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll do it. Jesus,¡± he budges and excused himself. I heaved a deep sigh of relief as my heart wouldn¡¯t stop thumping real hard and fast.

 17

    THE BIG DATE

    My guest ¨C Lily ¨C just sat in my living room and fed her eyes with the assets in it. She was a handful and a feisty one, I must confess. After I put on a shirt, I went back to the living room and found my guest standing in front of a painting I¡¯d hung on the wall.

    ¡°Hellooo,¡± I snuck up behind her and gave her quite a scare. She jerked a bit and held on to her chest. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± she cried out. ¡°Shall we begin?¡±I made my way to my favorite sofa.

    My guest was here to help me prepare for my supposed date she¡¯d set up forter that evening. I was ever ready to learn from my master, so-to-speak, but then Miss Lily just stood there and stared at me. I beckoned on her to seat beside me as I gently tapped the space beside me. ¡°C¡¯mon, miss.¡±

    ¡°Tch,¡± she clicked her tongue and finally epted my invitation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡±

    She cleared her throat signifying she was ready to start the lesson. ¡°First things first, the date is going to be at a museum, she loves art,¡± she said while I nodded repeatedly. ¡°So what do you think your conversation-starter should be?¡± she asked a clueless ¡®me¡¯.

    ¡°Ummm¡­say hi?¡± I was unsure of what to say.

    ¡°That¡¯s a given, something else.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°Call her by her name? Compliment her dress, her looks?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a given.¡±

    ¡°You tell me,¡± I gave up trying to hit the nail on the head. ¡°What should I do, miss?¡± I inquired of my teacher.

    ¡°Youpliment her taste. She loves artworks, Mr., how could you not even guess that?¡± my teacher seemed a bit annoyed at my na?vet¨¦.

    ¡°My bad.¡±

    ¡°While you don¡¯t want to be too carefree, you mustn¡¯t be stingy with words and at the same time, you have to pay close attention to whatever she¡¯s putting on or doing, not necessarily toment on them, but to know exactly how to follow her up. Do you understand?¡± she asked me who seemed a little lost in thought. ¡°Do you?¡± she waved her hands over my face while she snapped her fingers continuously to call back my attention.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯tpliment her so much?¡± I asked,pletely unaware of what she said earlier. She immediately ced her palm over her face signifying utter disappointment.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said, Mr. ¡­ I said you shouldn¡¯t be stingy with words, but at the same time wouldn¡¯t want to seem carefree. Do you understand?¡± she tried to exin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need a little more briefing with that.¡±

    ¡°Practice?¡± she offered to y ¡®the girl¡¯

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Samantha and you¡¯re you?¡± she stood up and beckoned me to do same. ¡°Pretend I¡¯m your date,¡± she said.

    ¡°Hey beautiful,¡± I smiled heartily. ¡°Are you a rose? Because I¡¯d love to pick you up every time I see you,¡± I said, feeling fly but the expression on my teacher¡¯s face said otherwise.

    ¡°Gross,¡± she expressed her disgust explicitly. ¡°She¡¯d definitely not appreciate those cheesy pick up lines, absolutely not,¡± she gestured by waving a her index finger side-ways signifying a ¡®no-no¡¯.

    I immediately lost my will and zeal to go further. I asked her to y ¡®me¡¯ instead while I y ¡®Samantha¡¯. I immediately posed like a girl, causing her to chuckle a bit which she immediately stopped oning to a realization.

    ¡°Hey Sam,¡± she called out softly, letting out a beautiful smile which made my heart flutter a bit.

    ¡°Hello, Cayden?¡± I returned the pleasantry by smiling.

    ¡°That¡¯d be me,¡± she said jovially, still beaming with smiles as she spread out her arms briefly. ¡°So you love this piece?¡± she pointed to the direction of my TV which made me a bit confused.

    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± I thought about what next to say but the words weren¡¯t forting.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even act as ¡®Samantha?¡±

    ¡°What am I supposed to say? And for God¡¯s sake, what ¡®piece¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten you¡¯re at a museum and she¡¯d be supposedly staring at an artwork since she loves art?¡± I could read the expression on Lily¡¯s face. She was getting fed up with my na?ve attitude.

    ¡°I thought girls pulled up at your crib whenever you wanted. So how is it that you can¡¯t handle a simple date?¡± she asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Right?¡±  I paused. ¡°What if you¡¯re just the one trying to make it seem difficult bringing unnecessary courtesies into y,¡± I grouched.

    ¡°Listen. This is a proper date, okay? Not some sort of fling, so I suggest you take it a bit more seriously,¡± she advised. ¡°Fine,¡± I replied grudgingly.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do. You know what?¡± she sat.

    ¡°What?¡± I sat also.

    ¡°Firstly, I¡¯ll read out her likes and dislikes to your hearing,¡± she picked up her phone and looked like she was searching for something. ¡°You¡¯d pick it up from there, okay?¡±

    ¡°She loves flowers, hugs, cuddles,¡­,¡± she read through their conversation and paused, like she skipped a couple of lines and then continued, ¡°she hates when guys use cheesy pick-up lines,¡± she diverted her gaze away from the screen and directed it towards me or a brief moment, wearing a sarcastic look. I knew the direction she headed and so avoided her gaze.

    There wasn¡¯t much to Samantha¡¯s list. There were things I could handle to the best of my abilities without worries.

    ¡°I have a suggestion though,¡± I voiced out.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked looking fed-up.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you apany me? That¡¯d be best¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t bargain for that. That was nowhere included in our agreement, Mr.,¡± she rebuffed.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, think about it Lily. Youing with me can help me feel a bit morefortable and from a distance, you could also detect red gs on my part and help dye them green, you get?¡± I tried to persuade her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get!¡± she fired immediately and I got up from my seat and sat directly beside her, her back against my chest. ¡°What is your problem?¡± she fired as she immediately turned to face me. Seeing my face up-close felt a little bit awkward for her that I could see, so I stood up and returned to where I sat initially. That didn¡¯t mean I gave in. I still persuaded her further and after much said, she finally yielded after I promised to pay for that specially.

    It¡¯s past 7:30 in the evening and we ¨C I and my teacher, Lily ¨C were both at my date venue. Out of her benevolence, she decided to call Samantha on my stead and asked of her whereabouts. Samantha told her she¡¯d just gotten to the museum and was already inside. She reminded me of a few tips to use during the date. Finally, I was set to go.

    We both went into the museum, but differently, like we didn¡¯t really know each other. Lily smiled when she caught sight of a womanly figure that stood at the other end of the room wearing a ¡®knee-length¡¯ red colored gown, carrying a gold purse and putting on gold shoes. She called on to me and gestured towards that direction.

    ¡°Is she the one?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I can tell,¡± she replied.

    I took deep breaths as surprisingly, I felt nervous. I took few steps towards Samantha and stopped abruptly when she turned around for a second to look at another artwork whichid beside the one she was admiring. I immediately recognized her ¨C Samantha Rodrigues, a woman I¡¯d called off my rtionship with a few months ago. I immediately turned around to leave, ignoring the fact that I¡¯d gone close enough to be seen by her.

    Lily who was watching, was surprised at my sudden change in attitude. ¡°What happened?¡± Lily asked in awe. ¡°Why are you trying to leave all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin everythingter. For now, we have to go, and now!¡± I pulled Lily towards the exit and then¡­ ¡°Cayden?¡± the familiar voice called out to me, causing Lily to hesitate and pause to look at the figure standing behind us.

    ¡°Cayden?¡± she called out again but I ignored her and tried to show Lily the way out when one hand drew me in, closer and the other graced my check with a sound p.

 18

    LILY

    I covered my mouth with both palms in shock. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ I thought. From the looks of things, it was obvious the two knew each other but then again, what would spur this youngdy to walk up to this man and p him so hard? Amidst the embarrassment I felt, I let Cayden push me out of the museum and watched him follow suit,pletely ignoring what had happened. Asides the disgust and anger I felt, I was more disappointed in myself and Cayden than I was at Samantha.

    All through the ride home, I just sat in his car without uttering a word, fuming with rage. I¡¯d never felt so insulted in my entire life. I wasn¡¯t the one pped but then again, being the brain behind the whole meeting made me feel cheesed off. I noticed Cayden stole a few nces at me but I was too psyched-up to pay him any attention. He well understood the atmosphere and decided to wait for me to speak up first, which I never did. I felt embarrassed and disgusted at the scene I witnessed few minutes ago.

    When we arrived at my house, I finally voiced my feelings. ¡°What in the world happened back there?¡± I pointed to nothing in particr all in a bid to gesture. ¡°I can see you¡¯re nothing but a flirt because it was very well obvious she knew you¡­ or wait a minute, do you know every girl around here?¡± I barked while Cayden said nothing.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯m done with you! I¡¯m done with this,¡± I tried to walk in but Cayden held me by the hand and pulled me back.

    ¡°Will you just calm down and listen to me, please?¡± He looked a bit apologetic and that made me to calm down a bit. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You just have to help me. Remember I¡¯m paying you, so technically, I¡¯m your boss and you can¡¯t just quit.¡± Yes, I was wrong. This fellow was as annoying as ever, even more.

    ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± I tried to walk in again.

    ¡°Triple!¡± he eximed. ¡°Remember? Triple¡± he repeated in a bid to remind me of what we had bargained. That reminder sure went a long way to get me back in business. ¡°Fine,¡± I replied grudgingly and walked in.

    On getting to the house, Jacek wees me with the best hug I¡¯d ever ask for. I cuddled the little one in my arms that I didn¡¯t notice my granny who stood by the window and stared through. ¡°How are you, Candy?¡± I cuddled Jacek closely.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Hey nana,¡± I kept Jacek down and called out to my granny. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± I greeted casually.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± she asked,pletely ignoring my greeting.

    ¡°Who was¡­,¡± I rolled my eyes ¡°who?¡±

    ¡°The car that just dropped you now.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± I eximed, racked my brains on the next lie to voice out when nana cut me off abruptly.

    ¡°Your boyfriend?¡± she teased and had me coughing real hard as I didn¡¯t expect that.

    ¡°Ummm¡­,¡± I still didn¡¯t know exactly how to react.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel shy, my dear. I¡¯m d you found someone,¡± nana teased further. ¡°Jarod got a new car?¡± she walked up to me and whispered.

    ¡®What? Where did thate from?¡¯ I thought. ¡®Jarod? How did Jarod squirm his way into all of this?¡¯

    Apparently, nana assumed Jarod was the one who dropped me off, but then that wasn¡¯t Jarod¡¯s car. Nana knew Jarod usually visited and she didn¡¯t recall Lily getting close to any other man. After sessfully holding in the hystericughter that would have emerged my lips, I decided to excuse myself and went in to freshen up.

    After retiring to bed, I was too swamped up with my thoughts that I barely got any wink of sleep. The curiosity that welled up inside of me earlier, which I somehow managed to subside came back that night to haunt me. ¡®who was she?, What was their rtionship?, ¡®what in God¡¯s name did Cayden do to deserve such resounding p?¡¯ questions like these bugged me so much, denying me of my night¡¯s rest. Whenever I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to do otherwise, the scene would rey, causing me to spring up from bed once more and continue swimming in the pool of my thoughts.

    I picked up my phone after rolling on the bed for about forty five minutes and thought to call Cayden. It was past nine at the time, ¡®it wouldn¡¯t be sote, right?¡¯ I thought. I held out my phone in my palm, with Cayden¡¯s contact number disyed on the screen and contemted hard on what I should do at that point. Cayden lifted the burden off my shoulders at the time and called me instead. Despite the fact that I wanted to call, I still hesitated a bit before picking the call.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I finally picked and tried my very best to keep my voice low as Jacek was lying beside me, sleeping soundly.

    ¡°Umm¡­you must have been shocked today, right?¡± Cayden said over the phone and I just cleared my throat. I didn¡¯t want to engage in another argument with him. ¡°Hello?¡± he called out to confirm I was still on the line.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk tomorrow. I have something else to tell you,¡± I hung up immediately to avoid further questions.

    Hearing his voice somehow managed to put my mind at ease and I was finally able to catch some sleep.

    I decided to summon courage and set Cayden up again with someone else. I wanted to hold my head up high. Weirdly enough, I thought of Cayden as my client and so wanted to keep a clean te.

    After all said and done, I set up an appointment first with Cayden to lecture him on how he would act around his new date. I decided to set the meeting ce away from both our houses to avoid plications¡¯ like thest time.

    It was on a Monday afternoon, I and Cayden arranged to meet up at a snack bar a few miles from where I lived. Cayden was supposed to meet me up at exactly 2:30 pm. I¡¯d gotten to our meeting ce about ten minutes earlier so I¡¯d be able to nag Cayden oningte.

    It was almost 3:30pm and Cayden hadn¡¯t showed up. I dialed his number a couple of times and it didn¡¯t go through. Out of spite and frustration, I picked up may bag and left in anger.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 19

    LILY

    Fuming with rage, I took a cab straight to Cayden¡¯s apartment. On getting there, I was greeted by a strange woman who was already on her way out when I knocked. The strangedy ignored me and walked out giving me a better view of inside the apartment, in which Cayden stood, looking pathetic to me. I immediately walked in and mmed the door behind me in rage.

    ¡°Seriously?!¡± I eximed, filled with rage. ¡°Cayden, seriously?!¡± I was so cheesed off that I¡¯dpletely cut it out with the formality. ¡°So you now let just anyone grace your bed, huh?¡± I barked angrily with every iota of sarcasm in my tone.

    ¡°I can exin, okay? Let me exin¡±

    ¡°Exin!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just some girl I metst night, okay? I¡¯m sorry, please,¡± he apologized heartily.

    ¡°You know what? I think you¡¯d be fine on your own, okay? I can¡¯t put up with this any longer,¡± I tried to leave when Cayden stood in my way, preventing me from getting to the door.

    ¡°Please just listen,¡± he pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? Please forgive my insolence,¡± he apologized still. ¡°I didn¡¯tpletely forget our appointment. It¡¯s just that the circumstances I got myself entangled in didn¡¯t permit me. Once again, I was wrong and I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized in the most lowly tone I¡¯d ever heard him speak, enough to calm my horses. ¡°Let¡¯s just have the lessons here,¡± he suggested and I just sighed deeply.

    After a moment of silence and stares, I gave in and sat down. ¡°Today we have to be serious,¡± I said with all seriousness.

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± he sat. ¡°How¡¯s Jacek though?¡± he inquired with concern.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing just fine,¡± I replied still frowning a bit.

    ¡°First and foremost, why did Samantha hit you that way?¡± I blurted suddenly to his awe.

    ¡°Ummm¡­would you like anything?¡± it was quite obvious he intended to avert my question.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden!¡± I eximed rather loudly. ¡°Why did Samantha hit you that way?¡± I asked again, staring right into his eyes, not falling for his ploy.

    He heaved a sigh and returned my gaze which he¡¯d been trying real hard to avoid. ¡°Was in a rtionship with her,¡± he finally said.

    ¡°For how long?¡±

    ¡°One week.¡±

    ¡°One week?!¡± I eximed wide-eyed. ¡°So why exactly did she hit you?¡± I asked again. I really was curious. I wanted to know so bad what had transpired between the two.

    ¡°I broke up with her.¡±

    ¡°That much was obvious, sir,¡± I fired sarcastically. ¡°Over what exactly? That¡¯s the issue here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask her?¡±

    ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± I retorted.

    ¡°Well, the reason for our break-up is quite embarrassing,¡± he once again tried to avert his gaze. ¡°Can we just skip this part?¡± he requested meekly. ¡°Just teach me.¡±

    ¡°But I demand to know. The embarrassment thest time wasn¡¯t what I expected.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d stopped in the middle of getting intimate with her and¡­,¡± I noticed he felt quite embarrassed but I didn¡¯t care. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I told her I wasn¡¯t feeling her and asked her to leave in the middle of the night,¡± he finallypleted his story.

    ¡°You what?!¡± I eximed wide-eyed. I¡¯d never heard any story as ridiculous as that one. It sounded funny but then again, that was cruel. I was short of words and so, I decided to move on to the main agenda of the day. ¡°Well¡­,¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Let¡¯s just move on to the business of today, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied and lowered his head. He gave off a bit different aura today. ¡®What could be wrong with him?¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°So this time, her name¡¯s ra Smith,¡± I showed him her details on my phone. She was light-skinned also, but this time with dark hair and brown eyes. Her physique was really beautiful as she had an ¡®8-shaped¡¯ figure.

    I decided to spend the remaining time we could spare before his date that was in less than two hours, teaching him what he needed to know. Surprisingly to him, I was rather too calm at the time for someone who was fuming with rage minutes ago.

    ¡°So this time, the date is at a restaurant. So how do you think you¡¯d start off a conversation?¡±

    ¡°¡®Nice to meet you¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Okay, ¡­ that¡¯s actually¡­¡±

    ¡°A given?¡± he cut in and we both smiled.

    ¡°Well, like I said for Samantha, there wouldn¡¯t be much difference. This time, there are no paintings so how about we practice.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ll be ra and you¡¯ll be you. Cool?¡± he didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± I called out mildly.

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± he replied spontaneously. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked with concern.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied.

    ¡°So shall we?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Act like I¡¯m ra.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± he cleared his throat and was ready to finally get down to business.

    ¡°Hello beautiful,¡± he smiled broadly.

    ¡°Hello¡­ Mr. Cayden?¡± I yed along.

    ¡°I sure am,¡± he replied jovially, beaming as I couldn¡¯t help but let out a mild chuckle. He looked so cute, that fact I could not deny. ¡°So, ummm¡­.,¡± *sigh* Mr. Cayden was back to his normal confused self. How hard could this be?

    We both went in and out of practice sessions for the next one hour which left us with little time to prepare physically for the actual date but oh well, what had to be done, had to be done.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    During practice, I noticed how Cayden seemed a bit out of it. He kept stealing nces at me and wasn¡¯t really interested in my lessons.

    ¡°Are you listening?¡± I asked when he had ignored the question I asked seconds ago.

    ¡°Umm¡­ You were saying?¡± he kept spacing out for the entire period. ¡®She¡¯s being so nice to me¡¯, he thought.

    ¡°Hellooo?¡± I called out again and he jerked. ¡°Why are you spacing out?¡± I asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized meekly as he shrugged his shoulders. He must have been lost in the pool of his own thoughts.

    ¡®She¡¯s not being nice to me, this is purely business¡¯, Cayden thought and shrugged once again.

 20

    A BAD DAY

    The venue for the date this time was a restaurant made   for the ¡®first level¡¯ of people of the society. Cayden was dressed in a ck tuxedo, wearing his ten thousand-dor pair of shoes which portrayed his extravagant lifestyle. I wasn¡¯t dressed too casually; neither did I dress to stand out like Cayden did. I¡¯d worn a ck sleeveless flowing gown, with a small white jacket worn on my shoulders. I¡¯d brought my nana¡¯s white purse along with me andplemented the entire look with an ¡®eight hundred dor- worth¡¯ ck heel.

    We walked into the scene together but as different people. I scanned through the almost filled restaurant which also had a section for just alcohol. After few seconds, I spotted Miss ra in a red luscious dress sitting all alone in a table for two. She¡¯d crossed one leg over the other, and kept herselfpany with a ss of water she obviously ordered earlier. The silver sparkles all over her purseid on the table beamed with nothing but elegance. After savoring the scene myself for a while, I heaved a sigh, shook my head a bit and called Cayden¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out in a low tone to Cayden and gestured towards ra. ¡°She¡¯s the one seated over there.¡±

    Cayden went over to sit with her while I stylishly sat a few inches away from them. I was just doing my job.

    ¡°Hey beautiful,¡± Cayden called out sweetly to the beautiful figure in front of him and smiled.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡±ra replied and returned his kind gesture appropriately.

    ¡°That¡¯d be me,¡± Cayden smiled and took the other seat. ¡°You¡¯ve only ordered water?¡± Cayden picked up the menu thatid on the table.

    In no time, waitresses approached our table and received both our orders. Because I didn¡¯te for pleasure, my visit was strictly business, I ordered the least-worth bottle of red wine ¨C I still had to maintain ss. Although I knew Cayden would foot the bill, I still decided to keep my modesty and maintain my integrity before my client.

    Before I knew what was up, I paid less attention to Cayden and was caught up in the moment. I looked around I found out that I was the only one without a pair or crew. I immediately brought out my phone from my purse and so in order not to look so odd, I pretended to be engrossed in my phone while waiting for my order, when in reality I just kept ¡®scrolling¡¯ and ¡®swiping¡¯ randomly.

    *cough, cough*, I heard ra cough and once again, my attention was called back to them. Their tone was a little bit low so I tried my very best to listen to them meticulously. It felt like I was eaves-dropping.

    Few minutester, I was interrupted by a couple of girls ¨C Charlotte and Evelyn ¨C who apparently, were bullies from high school. They barged in on me, intruding my privacy in the rudest manner anyone would ever imagine. Charlotte took the empty seat while Evelyn just stood there, close to Charlotte.

    ¡°Well, well, well, look who¡¯s here,¡± Charlotte said sarcastically.

    ¡°Hey mummy,¡± Evelyn chipped in, making known that they were both very well aware of my predicament.

    At that point, I felt the ground would open and swallow me but then again, that was reality and I was left with no choice but to handle the situation before it spiraled out of control.

    ¡°What do you girls want?¡± I asked mildly, to avoid unnecessary drama.

    ¡°Nothing much. Just to say hi to our baby mama,¡± Charlotte jeered and they bothughed.

    These two had the habit of taunting me ever since our high school days. The fact I¡¯d gotten pregnant out of wedlock at the time gave them more reasons to taunt me. Ever since I moved to my grandma¡¯s, I¡¯d been happy, so happy that Ipletely forgot about these two.

    The sight I beheld at the time did nothing but flood past and forgotten memories back to mind.  I tried very hard to suppress the urge to shed tears, of course I didn¡¯t want to pose off as a weakling before these two.

    Few minutester, they were gone but the pain they inflicted still remained. For the entire time we were together, they did nothing but taunt me and open wounds I¡¯d been trying over the years to heal.

    As I watched them ¨C Evelyn and Charlotte ¨C walk through the door, a familiar figure ¨C ra ¨C walked through, behind them. I immediately turned to Cayden¡¯s table ¨C which I¡¯d forgotten for a while now ¨C and saw that he was alone. I felt very sad but still, I was very curious as to why ra left. So I decided to shrug off the sadness I felt at the time, temporarily.

    I walked over to Cayden¡¯s table and took   ra¡¯s seat. ¡°What happened?¡±  I asked mildly as I was in no mood to nag. My hunch told me that Cayden messed up big time.

    ¡°That girl? She¡¯s really weird, you know?

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°I asked her to spend the night at my ce and she just¡­¡± I cut him off.

    ¡°You did what?!¡± I eximed wide-eyed. On realizing I¡¯d raised my pitch a bit, I used one hand to cover my mouth and scanned the room to see if anyone was staring at me. ¡°You did what?¡± I whispered. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± I gestured with both hands to conform to the message I was trying to convey.

    ¡°How wrong was that?¡± Cayden asked nonchntly. ¡°Take a look at me, Miss. She should be happy I offered just on our first date,¡± he bragged to my utter dismay. I didn¡¯t have the energy to engage him any further so I just asked him to foot the bill and left the scene. I went outside and stood beside his car to wait for him.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Few minutester, I saw Cayden walk out of the restaurant and immediately wiped the tears off my face to avoid questions from him. In no time, we hit the road and headed to our various destinations, together. Cayden turned on the music and that was the only sound that could be heard throughout the entire ride.                                                                                                                                                          As usual, Cayden first took me to my house to drop me off.

    ¡°Umm¡­ We¡¯re here,¡± He announced but I was too engrossed in my thoughts to notice what was going on.

    ¡°Umm¡­ hello?¡± he waved his hand over my face and jerked me back to reality. ¡°Oh!¡± I eximed. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I opened the door and was about to alight when Cayden held me back gently.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he finally asked with concern.

    ¡°Of course! See?¡± I feigned a smile but he didn¡¯t buy it.

    ¡°Now that I think of it, you¡¯ve not just been quiet, you¡¯ve been sobbing also. You sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°I am, trust me,¡± I insisted. He let go of me and I alighted his vehicle.

    Instead of walking into the house, I changed my direction and headed to the y park in the opposite direction. It was empty at the time, and seemed to be the perfect ce to cry my heart out. Cayden just sat in his car and watched me as I walked to the y park and sat at an empty seat ced in the middle.                       From where he sat, all he could see was the swinging of my legs in opposite direction, and me using my hand to wipe my eyes asionally.

    He sighed. ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± he immediately came out of his car and walked towards where I sat. He sat beside me but I didn¡¯t show any reaction as I was more focused on drying the tears that wouldn¡¯t stop emerging from my eyes.

    ¡°Just let them flow, Lily,¡± he called me so tenderly that it spurred me to tears.

 21

    LILY

    After crying for a few minutes without interruption from Cayden, he finally decided to interrupt me which most definitely cheesed me off.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Cayden ced his left palm gently on my right shoulder in a bid tofort me but I just shrugged, still in serious tears. ¡°Can you please just tell me what happened?¡± he asked calmly but I noticed a slight raise in his pitch from earlier. I still didn¡¯t give him any reply.

    ¡°Can you please tell me what the problem is?¡± he asked, ticked off and stood up.

    I then decided to exit the scene as the atmosphere no longer felt conducive for me. I stood up and turned around to leave when he held me back. ¡°If it¡¯s something I did wrong, can¡¯t you just cut it out already and tell me what I did?¡± he lowered his tone but it was already toote. I was already fuming with anger.

    I ignored him, freed myself of his grip and turned around to leave again, when this time, he stood in my way. ¡°Can you just get the hell out of my way and leave me alone?!¡± I barked at Cayden to his surprise, my eyes welled up yet again. ¡°You have everything all easy with you and so you take people¡¯s efforts for granted, don¡¯t you?¡± I wailed further. ¡°Just¡­leave¡­me¡­alone!!!¡± I tried to walk away, again he stopped me.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry okay? He apologized humbly but I wasn¡¯t ready to budge. I pushed him violently and cleared my exit path. I walked out of the scene and headed straight home feeling dejected.

    On getting home, I met nana in the living room looking out the window again. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with this old woman?¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Where¡¯s who?¡±

    ¡°The mysterious fellow who¡¯s always dropping you off.¡±

    I heaved a sigh, ¡°nana please,¡± I ignored her question and walked to my room where I saw Jacek sleeping soundly. I immediately lost the desire to do any other thing and justid beside by baby boy and snuggled him.

    ***

    The next morning, I decided to forget all that happened the previous day and face the day¡¯s activity with an open mind. As usual, it was the rush hour and customers kept flooding my bakery. I and Jarod worked together in sync for the first time in a while.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you answer the call, already?¡± Jarod asked as he brewed coffee for a customer who had ordered it.

    Mr. Cayden had been calling me non-stop all morning. But then I made a resolve to stop helping him and so, I decided ignore his calls and texts. ¡°It¡¯s no one important,¡± I replied as I organized the   cups of coffee on the tray and served them appropriately.

    Out of annoyance, I then put my phone on ¡®silent¡¯ mode in order to concentrate on my work.

    Few minutester, while still trying to keep up with the morning rush, the door bell ¨C which signified the door was either opening or closing ¨C rang. It wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary and so as our custom demanded, we¡¯d usually gesture towards the customer with smiling faces. That day wasn¡¯t different and so I turned towards the door to tell the customer a warm ¡®wee¡¯. On seeing the customer who just walked in, the smile on my face disappeared instantly, which Jarod noticed.  I immediately served the table I wanted to serve at the time, and relinquished all my duties to Jarod, who neverined. I hurriedly made my way to the passage-way which housed the staircase leading to my residence upstairs, but instead of taking the stairs, I hung around to get a hold of the situation about to unfold.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    Cayden walked up to the counter, acting all bossy and rude, and demands to speak with me. Jarod wasn¡¯t a fan of his insolent behaviors but he tried his very best to act civilized as Cayden at the time, was a customer.

    ¡°What would you like, sir?¡± Jarod asked mildly, forcing a smile.

    ¡°Lily,¡± Cayden replied out rightly.

    ¡°Sir?¡± Jarod tried very hard to keep calm as he wouldn¡¯t want to cause a scene seeing how full the shop was.

    ¡°Are you deaf?¡± Cayden rebuked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said?¡±

    Jarod couldn¡¯t quite understand the situation he found himself in. ¡®Why did he just barge in here, demanding for Lily?¡¯ he thought. He heaved a sigh and kindly asked Cayden to leave. He tried to be as polite as possible to prevent violent outbursts.

    ¡°You¡¯re daring me.¡± Of course, the trouble maker by the name, Cayden wouldn¡¯t budge that easily. ¡°Do you want me to go in there¡­,¡± he pointed towards my direction ¡°and drag her here myself?¡±

    Knowing how serious the situation was, I came out of hiding and dragged Cayden outside by the hand. ¡°What is wrong with you?!¡± I scolded angrily. ¡°Do you want to ruin my business? Can you not read the mood? How could you just barge in here and ask of me like that?¡± I asked almost simultaneously and paused to take deep breaths to ease my nerves.

    ¡°Listen¡­¡± I cut him off.

    ¡°Now listen! ¡­ You¡¯re not the boss here, I am. Okay?¡± I said authoritatively. I hardly ever exercised authority over people but then, at the time, it didn¡¯t feel bad at all.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Cayden concurred. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to speak now. I¡¯m sorry, Miss. I just came to tell you that. I felt bad yesterday that I barely got any sleep. I came to apologize to you,¡± he said apologetically and again, I let my guard down. I was no longer furious.

    ¡°I still need your help,¡± he stated further and I looked away, signifying I had no interest in working with him again. ¡°I beseech you, Lily,¡± he did the thing again ¨C called my name in the most gentle and sweet way anyone would ever. ¡®Did he do it on purpose?¡¯ ¡°Please?¡± he pleaded.

    At first, I remained adamant but how Cayden managed to know the right buttons to push every time, left me in awe. ¡°Fine,¡± I replied grudgingly. ¡°I¡¯ll fix another date ande over. How does that sound?¡± he looked so excited.

    ¡°Per¡­¡±

    ¡°Lily?¡± a familiar voice called out and we both turned around to see nana.

    ¡°Young man, what are you doing with my granddaughter?¡± she asked Cayden, totally ignoring my presence.

    ¡°Ummm¡­,¡± Cayden turned to me looking shocked. He didn¡¯t know exactly what to say. We were both caught off guard.

 22

    LILY

    ¡°Umm¡­,¡± Cayden cleared his throat. ¡°So granny, I had something important to¡­¡± wait a minute, was this guy nning on spilling the beans? Telling nana everything? In the space of an instant, I knew I had toe to ¡®my¡¯ rescue.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

    ¡°He was just asking of Jacek, nana,¡±   I cut in, trying real hard to maintain a straight face so nana wouldn¡¯t get suspicious.

    ¡°Jacek?¡±

    ¡°Yes, nana.¡± ¡°Right?¡± I turned to Cayden who just nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°Right,¡± although surprised and also confused, Cayden decided to y along.

    ¡°And he was also telling me about the  petition I enrolled for,¡± I added as Cayden turned swiftly to stare at me in disbelief. He could not believe how well the lies escaped my lips. ¡°Right?¡± I tapped him on his shoulder and signaled him to act the part properly ¨C concur with my lie.

    ¡°Ah¡­ y¡­yes. Yes ma,¡± he stuttered a bit. He was not really used to seeing this aspect of ¡®Lily Greyson¡¯. He did not know exactly how to react and so, he just decided to go with the flow for the time being.

    I well understood nana¡¯s facial expression at the time. She did notpletely buy our story. There was no way Nana would havepletely bought the story when Cayden would not stop stuttering unnecessarily and blowing our cover. Nana just stood there and stared at us for a while before smiling broadly, ¡°thank you so much for your care and concern,¡± nana said cheerfully.

    ¡°No problems, ma,¡± Cayden bowed slightly as a sign of respect for my granny.

    ¡°You see, my granddaughter here,¡± she gestured towards me ¡°shoulders the responsibility of this household. She¡¯s a strongdy but still, the care and concern the likes of you show will go a long way to keep her going.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma,¡± Cayden said nothing but that.

    ¡°More grease to your elbow, Lily,¡± nana gestured with both arms held out, perpendicrly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be inside, okay?¡± nana turns around and leaves.

    I heaved a deep sigh of relief as I had said silent prayers for nana not to ask further questions, and just buy the story we gave. Although nana did notpletely buy the story, that fact I was well aware of, I still hoped she pretended to believe whatever we said. I turned to Cayden and noticed the ¡®stare¡¯ he gave me.

    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Why did you lie to your ¡®nana¡¯?¡± he asked.

    ¡°What would you have had me say? ¡®I am hooking you up with girls for a special event I don¡¯t even know of¡¯? C¡¯mon Cayden, you¡¯ve got brains so use them.¡± Cayden didn¡¯t quite understand my point but didn¡¯t ask questions either.

    ¡°I can¡¯t   tell nana that. It would break her heart,¡± I exined.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand now,¡± Cayden yielded.

    ¡°On no ount should nana learn the truth, okay?¡± I had to make sure my point was driven home properly.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Cayden cleared his throat in a sarcastic manner. I knew for sure he was going to say something either annoying or cheesy. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re back to work?¡± he said with every bit of sarcasm in his tone. I knew he was going to say something that would annoy me. I turned around to leave when he stood in my way.

    ¡°Not so fast, Miss. I¡¯m your boss again, remember?¡± he teased jovially but I was in no mood to smirk, let alone, smile.

    ¡°I need to get back to work.¡±

    ¡°When am I expecting you?¡±

    ¡°Whenever you see me.¡± I tried to leave but he stopped me yet again.

    ¡°Rx. You have staffs swarming this building. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°I need to get in there, okay? What kind of boss leaves all the work to the staffs?¡± I tried getting past him but he wouldn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°I want to have breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Not today. You have to leave for now, please,¡± I spoke mildly. ¡°I wille over when I have a new date for you,¡± I tried to persuade my client otherwise.

    ¡°Promise?¡± he gestured is index finger toward me.

    I nodded, ¡°I give you my word,¡± I promised and he finally left.

    While I watched him leave, for a second, thoughts of when and how we first met shed through my mind and that felt a bit weird. Why would I be having those memories at this point? I shrugged and reminded myself of the ¡®strictly-business¡¯ rtionship I had to maintain. I didn¡¯t want to leave room for ¡®extra¡¯ thoughts. While I tried hard to brush off that thought, his shirtless body shed in my head. ¡®Oh my goodness, what¡¯s happening to me?¡¯ I thought.  Absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn¡¯t notice when Cayden drove out of eye-shot.

    I shrugged off the silly thoughts and decided to live the day and the moment. I turned around to walk back into my bakery, when I saw a manly figure who red at me in disbelief ¨C Jarod. He was standing very close to the entrance, close enough to have eavesdropped on my conversation with Cayden.

    ¡°Jarod?¡± I called out softly. ¡°For how long have you been standing there?¡± I asked meekly.

    ¡°Long enough,¡± he replied, sounding disappointed.

    Jarod had been my only and closest malepanion for years. I understood why he must have felt the way he did. Even if I was going to do something like that, just letting him know beforehand would have made all the difference.

    We stood at our respective positions, and just stared at each other. I waited for him to say something to me while he on the other hand, was waiting for an exnation of some sort, which at the time, wasn¡¯t forting. I let out sighs after sighs, deep breaths, racking my brain on what exactly I would say to the disappointed fellow who stood a few inches from me.

    ¡°I can exin, okay?¡± I finally said as I took two steps forward.

 23

    SUCCESS A¡¯LAS

    Jarod covered the distance between us and took me to a corner.

    ¡°Let me exin,¡± I insisted. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think,¡± I tried to exin what he saw when he shut me off rudely.

    ¡°What other exnation do you want to give me? I saw how you both were all over each other, Lily,¡±

    ¡°Over each other?¡± I was surprised as to the interpretation Jarod gave the whole scenario. ¡°Listen,¡± I tried to talk to him again but he wasn¡¯t ready to listen.

    ¡°Lilly, I thought I told you that guy wasn¡¯t good at all. He¡¯s not good for you, Lily. Even if you wanted a man or boyfriend, that guy? He¡¯s a ¡®no-no¡¯, Lily.

    I got enraged not just because Jarod made baseless assumptions but for the very fact that he tried to dictate what was and wasn¡¯t right for me. ¡°Jarod,¡± I called with a serious tone.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± he answered.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°You have no say over what is and what¡¯s not good for me, okay?¡± I tried my hardest to hide my annoyance so I wouldn¡¯tsh out on my friend.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon Lily. I care too much about you to ignore when I know the path you¡¯re heading would ruin you,¡± Jarod whined. ¡°Mr. Cayden is not good for you, Lily. He only wants to use you and dump you like Jacek¡¯s father did,¡± he said, and I immediately turned to stare at him. He sure understood the stare.  How dare he mention Jacek¡¯s father in that situation?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if that hurt your feelings,¡± he apologized but it was toote, I waspletely cheesed off.

    ¡°You crossed the linepletely this time, Jarod,¡± I red at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Lily,¡± he apologized.

    ¡°Take a week off. For a week, you¡¯re relieved of your duties,¡± I wasn¡¯t listening to Jarod¡¯s plea. I had to make sure certain lines remain uncrossed. Beingx in a situation as this one wouldn¡¯t help, I discerned.

    ¡°A  week?!¡± Jarod eximed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please,¡± he pleaded still but all his pleas fell on deaf ears. My mind was made up. I didn¡¯t intend to relent. ¡°Rethink, Lily. You¡¯d need me for thepetition,¡± he tried to persuade me.

    I walked out on him and headed inside. I didn¡¯t give any contrary instruction to the one l¡¯d given earlier. It was crystal clear to Jarod that I¡¯d given him the order as his boss and not necessarily as his friend.

    Jarod walked into the shop looking sad to the bewilderment of everyone ¨C the other staffs. When they asked him what was going on, he simply told them he was taking a weak off but they were not gullible enough to believe that. They¡¯d seen me walk in earlier, looking furious as I walked past them all ¨C staffs and customers ¨C and headed straight to my abode on the first floor. He packed his stuff, getting ready to leave, and came upstairs to pick some things he¡¯d left in my house for convenient ess to them daily.

    When he walked into my house, he met Jacek ying with his toys on his mat. ¡°Hey big boy,¡± he lifted Jacek up and they both yed together.

    I walked into them being all giggly and immediately ordered Jarod to pick whatever he came for and leave. I didn¡¯t want to see his face much longer as I was afraid I¡¯d have a change of heart. Jarod immediately kept Jacek on his mat and went ahead to pack his stuffs. Jacek didn¡¯t understand fully, but he sensed Jarod was leaving and felt very sad. He came to me and tried to throw a fit, but I maintained my stead.

    After Jarod had taken all he wanted to, he asked to see nana before he left but nana was sleeping at the time, which was very unusual. All the same, he wished me well and bade us farewell.

    Watching Jarod walk through my door made me feel very sad but I couldn¡¯t go back on my word. I needed to set some things straight and the line between I and Jarod which he ought not to cross, was one of them.

    A few dayster, I was already in the middle of preparing my client for a third date! This time, his date was with Anna Hansley ¨C tall, a bit skinny, blonde with hazel-green eyes. Personally, I found her physical features appealing.

    As usual, I had to go to Cayden¡¯s house to prepare him for his date. I pleaded with Cayden over and over again to take this one seriously. I told him not to mess things up this time by making ridiculous requests and he eded. On my part, I put in extra effort to make him memorize his lines and use them properly. Throughout the entire process, I felt skeptical owing to the way the past two dates ended even before they started.

    Two hourster, all three of us were present at the date venue ¨C the same restaurant I¡¯d set up with ra. I hesitated a bit because of my previous encounter, but still decided to go there notwithstanding.

    Cayden didn¡¯t mess things up at the beginning. It was only the beginning, I still felt a bit scared. Further into their conversation and everything still went on smoothly, wow!  They talked andughed that at some point, Iughed alongside them. The duo seemed to be having a really amazing time together.

    To my utmost surprise, the date ended beautifully and they both exchanged contacts officially and set up another date. The joy I felt knew no bound. Finally! I met my own end of the bargain and now it was his turn to meet his. Aside the mary reward that apanied the job, something else gave me butterflies but I could not wrap my head around what it was exactly. I decided not to bother myself unnecessarily and just savor the deep sense of satisfaction I felt.

    After the date endedpletely and Cayden saw her off, he approached me and said, ¡°how about we go over there¡­,¡± he pointed the counter for drinks, ¡°and drink,¡± he finished his statement, beaming.

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± I turned down the offer, while swinging a ss of red wine in my hand gently.

    ¡°C¡¯mon now,¡± he took the ss from my hand and kept it down. Let¡¯s drink, okay? Alcohol.  Real drinks,¡± he insisted.

    I was too excited to say no twice so I just agreed and we moved over to the section for alcohol.

 24

    CAYDEN

    ¡°Get us a bottle of champagne, please,¡± I ordered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t usually drink alcohol. This is a breach of contract,¡± she stated jovially.

    ¡°Cut me some ck today, teach. I did pretty well today, didn¡¯t I?¡± I was interrupted by the bartender who ced our order in front of us with two cocktail sses.

    ¡°Thanks,¡±

    ¡°Enjoy your date night,¡± we immediately stared at each other in surprise. ¡®Date night¡¯? Hell no. it seemed the bartender misunderstood uspletely, but we didn¡¯t bother with clearing the confusion.

    I popped the drink and poured as required, into our sses.  I drank mine hastily while Lily just stared at the ss in her hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I noticed she had not even had the first ss when I just had my second ss.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± she gulped it down all at once and tried her very best to put her facial expressions in check, so as not to seem overly dramatic.

    ¡°How do you feel now? Alive?¡± I chuckled while she beckoned on me to refill her ss. I did exactly as my teacher wanted and refilled her ss.

    She hastily gulped down the second ss to my greatest surprise. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I giggled.¡± You don¡¯t have to push it, okay?¡± I gulped down my third ss.

    After we had a couple of sses, I started feeling very tipsy. Reading the atmosphere, I decided it was the best time to ask her questions she wouldn¡¯t answer on a normal day.

    ¡°What made you cry the other day?¡± I asked Lily who seemedpletely knocked out.

    ¡°I cried? When?¡± she asked, acting all drunk. ¡°Ohhhh!¡± she raised her head suddenly from the position sheid in briefly. ¡°My¡­ my¡­ school mates¡­,¡± she rested her head again on the counter, as she spoke gibberish. It waspletely obvious to me that she had very low tolerance when it came to alcohol. We had equal amount of sses, and she was already out of it, while the alcohol was barely showing any effect on me.

    She suddenly raised her head again and smiled, letting out chuckles. ¡°What about you?¡± she pointed me, ¡°why do you need a woman so badly and why do you always womanize?¡± she asked with a bit of sincerity notwithstanding the fact that she looked very dizzy.

    I heaved a sigh as I pondered on her question. How I turned out that way was a story to be told some other time. ¡°I wasn¡¯t like this¡­,¡± I had not even finished my sentence when sheughed hysterically. Sheughed so hard that I didn¡¯t even realize that I was smiling in admiration.

    ¡®She¡¯s beautiful¡¯, I thought. I¡¯d never seen herugh so hard before, I felt happy I was able to get her to drink with me. I made up my mind to do things like that on a more regr basis.

    Seeing how knocked out she was, I decided not to have any more drinks so I¡¯d be able to drive her home. I watched hery on the counter and slowly fall asleep. For some reason, watching her sleep gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. Iid my head beside hers and watched her breathe. I used my right index finger to gently adjust any strand of hair that got in the way of the beautiful view I savored ¨C on her face. I knew Lily was pretty but I had not really taken my time to observe her perfect facial features.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    I foot the bills, helped her up and took her to my car parked outside. I adjusted the passenger¡¯s seat in a way she¡¯dyfortably on it. Iid her gently on the passenger¡¯s seat and tucked her in the seat belt. When I was sure everything was set, I hit the road.

    My drives with Lily were always quiet but this time, she wasn¡¯t just quiet, she was sound asleep. I struggled hard to keep my eyes focused on the direction I was headed, as I could not help but steal nces at the sleeping beautyying beside me. In as much as I reminded myself over and over again of the rtionship between myself and Lily, I could not also deny the fact that she looked he pretty while sleeping.

    My first stop was to be Lily¡¯s house, I had to drop her off first. On getting to her house, I gently brought her out of the car, stood her up andid her head on my shoulders, using my hand to support her waist. Where I parked wasn¡¯t so far from the bakery. I managed to help Lily walk down while providing her full body support.

    It was past 9:00pm, and of course the bakery was closed for the day. I didn¡¯t know exactly how to find my way in. I tried opening the door but it was locked. I thought of looking through her bag to see if she had a spare key, I had left her bag inside the car and so I could not go to ¨C and ¨C fro with Lily in my arms like that. ¡®I could wake her¡¯, I thought even though she waspletely knocked out and wouldn¡¯t wake up unless there was an explosion. I looked around for anything that looked like a doorbell so as to alert the residents in the residence upstairs.

    I finally saw one that looked like one and pressed it. About two minutester, ¡®nana¡¯ opened the door and saw me. I could tell right away that she was shocked at the scene that met her eyes.

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± she took Lily in her own arms and helped her instead.

    I looked inside the bakery and saw Jarod ring at me. I was surprised. What was he doing there by that time of the night?

    Apparently, nana had invited Jarod over to help him talk to Lily when she got back. The same Lily that returnedpletely knocked out in another man¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Let me help you, nana,¡± Jarod takes Lily from nana¡¯s arms and continues ring at me.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in for dinner?¡± nana offered kindly.

    ¡°Nana, there¡¯s no need for that. He¡¯s on his way out,¡± Jarod cut in abruptly. ¡°you¡¯re on your way out¡¯ right?¡± he asked me.

    I felt annoyed by his behavior and had the feeling my stay there would cheese him off. So I replied, ¡°no. Nana, I can stay for dinner,¡± I had nothing to lose anyway. I had no proper meal at home and I felt hungry. I get to eat something made by nana, so there was no reason to turn down the offer. This made Jarod very angry.

    We all headed for the apartment upstairs.

 25

    Dinner at Nana¡¯s

    Cayden

    I stepped into the house andpletely avoided Jarod¡¯s eyes. I could tell he was waiting for one wrong move from me.

    I went ahead to help Mrs Annie to set the table because, why not? I went into the kitchen to grab the ceramic tes and the utensils. The kitchen was quite small but it was beautiful and homely. There were pictures of Jacek on the fridge, attached with mas to hold them. They were pictures of him walking, I¡¯m guessing his first walk, a picture with Lily and Mrs Annie and other memories. I quickly stepped out and dropped the tes on the table, arranging them ording to the sitting arrangements. I could still feel Jarod¡¯s eyes on me. He went inside to bring the food dish, and then I went ahead and helped Mrs Annie to the table.

    ¡°Thank you Cayden, you¡¯re too kind,¡± Mrs Annie said

    Jarod was furious, I could almost see fumes at the top of his head. He went in to get water; I¡¯m guessing he thinks I¡¯m doing this to spite him and I can¡¯t let him win. The res I¡¯ve been getting from him are next to none.

    ¡°So Cayden, what¡¯s your work about what does it entail?¡± Mrs Annie asked passing me over sd

    ¡°Umm, well¡­ I..¡±

    ¡°Does it entail stalking women and making them drunk?¡± Jarod asks, being very petty. I just couldn¡¯t understand what his deal was. Does he think he¡¯s Lily¡¯s dad? Why is he talking like we have any business?

    ¡°Jarod, don¡¯t be mean to him..¡± Mrs Annie said, chewing ¡°please go on Cayden¡±

    ¡°Yes Cayden, go on and tell us why you¡¯re here¡­ To snatch Lily from us? To get her to fall for you and then run away? You want to hurt her?¡± Jarod continued, all his veins, out and eyes fixated on me like he was about to attack me.

    ¡°Jarod! Where¡¯s all thising from? Would you stop this immediately?¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay. I just wanted to have a peaceful meal and it seems Jarod has an issue with that.¡± I leaned forward towards Jarod, ¡°do you feel insecure? Is that what this is? Or do you want Lily to fall for you and see you as the guy that eliminated the ¡°rude guy¡± from her life?¡± I leaned back in my seat and there was an awkward silence that followed. I continued eating but I felt Jarod¡¯s eyes on me. What I said must have gone deep. Serves him right.

    ¡°So tell me, what¡¯s your n for Lily? What do you want with her?¡± Jarod backfired. He took me by surprise, I didn¡¯t know what to say; I froze.

    ¡°You can¡¯t answer? I said, what¡¯s your n? Because I overheard some parts of your conversation with Lily the other day and it seemed like Lily likes you. What do you n to do about that?¡±

    What? I was so shocked because it seemed like he heard wrong and is seeing the wrong signs, so I startedughing. It was funny; thinking you know everything but you don¡¯t. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on me and it felt like a very serious moment, I had to stopughing.

    ¡°Whatever you heard or say was not it Jarod, it¡¯s simply moreplicated than that.¡±

    ¡°What is it then?¡±

    ¡°Jarod, that¡¯s enough. Let this conversation end now. Lily is a grown-updy, her life is hers. Let her decide what she wants to and not do, okay? Besides, Lily hasn¡¯t mentioned anything of any sort to me so you don¡¯t have any right to embarrass anyone on this table¡± Mrs Annie stepped in, such a lifesaver

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡±

    Phew! That¡¯s over, I thought. Enough drama for the day, I should just leave now and protect myself from more embarrassments and whatnot.

    ¡°Thanks, Mrs Annie for the meal, I¡¯m grateful! And thanks for letting me in your home, it¡¯s very beautiful¡± I said, cleaning my mouth with a handkerchief and standing up.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving so soon already?¡± Mrs Annie asked with a concerned face. Jarod rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is all your fault, Jarod¡± She hit Jarod¡¯s shoulder with a spat

    ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s painful Nana.¡±

    ¡°Serves you right¡±

    I chuckled.

    ¡°Let me see you out¡±

    ¡°Alright ma¡¯am¡± we started walking towards the door

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Jarod¡¯s actions earlier, I¡¯ll speak some sense into him¡±

    ¡°Nah that¡¯s fine, guess he¡¯s trying to be overprotective of her¡±

    ¡°As I should!¡± Jarod yelled from inside, connoting he¡¯d been eavesdropping.

    ¡°Shut up Jarod!¡± She yelled, turned back at me and smiled. My mind was not at peace and for the fact that my all thoughts kept resonating with the fact that Jarod somehow knows what I and Lily were doing or he had mistaken what they were doing.

    I smiled back at her, walked to my car and drove off

    Mrs Annie

    I shook my head and walked back into the house. Jarod was clearing out the table.

    ¡°What was going on with you Jarod? What was all that about? You couldn¡¯t keep yourself and your thoughts together for just one dinner? If you have issues, why not talk it out with Lily like grown people do?¡± I felt embarrassed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Grandma, I promise it would never repeat itself. That was my bad¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡°Never happen again?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡±

    ¡°Alright then. You should get going though, it¡¯s gettingte already. And thanks for clearing up the table too.¡±

    ¡°Sure grandma, anything for you. You know I won¡¯t leave without doing that.¡± I smiled

    ¡°Grandma, please I want to ask for a favour¡±

    ¡°What is it this time Jarod?¡±

    ¡°Please can you not mention anything that happened this night to Lily? I don¡¯t want it to get out, she might get madder than she already is¡±

    Gosh! These children!

    ¡°Normally, I would tell her so you¡¯d learn your lesson but I won¡¯t. Whatever was said at this table, dies at the table. I¡¯m even shocked your noise didn¡¯t wake her up¡±

    We bothughed.

 26

    Overachiever

    Lily

    I opened my eyes the next morning, feeling a throbbing pain in my head and my eyeballs felt like they were moving spirally; God, I hate hangovers!

    ¡°Hey darling, how are you feeling?¡± Nana was at the door, she held a brown ceramic cup in her hand and started walking towards me when she realized I was awake

    ¡°My head hurts¡± I took the nket on the bed which was currently covering my legs to my waist, dragged it up and covered my head

    ¡°Come on, take this and drink, you¡¯ll feel better¡± she sat on the bed and gave me to drink. The cup was hot.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Thanks, Nana¡± She watched me drink it but there was a worried look on her face

    ¡°What happenedst night that made you so drunk, leading Cayden to drop off a barely conscious you?¡±

    ¡°I umm.. we just.. we stepped out for a few drinks and¡­¡± I stammered uncontrobly.

    ¡°You know what? Save it, I don¡¯t want to hear it. Just know I¡¯m extremely worried about you and I have a right to be your only guardian. Just be careful¡±

    ¡°Yes Nana, I promise¡± I gave her a hug for the tea and gave her back the cup.

    ¡°I need to get ready for work, I¡¯ll see you then¡±

    I quickly got up to have my bath and dressed up. I wasn¡¯t really into the whole dressing-up mood, so I just put on a big polo and shorts on a pretty palm slipper; at least, something looked pretty. I went to Jacek¡¯s room and gave him a forehead kiss, he was still asleep. I quickly went to the baking room and started. Snacks and pastries were already being baked, thanks to my employees. I just supervised. Maybe today will be good after all. Immediately I went into the bakery, people starteding in, in troops. I was so confused, they were more than the rush usually was. I tried to handle everything but it was so hard and I realized I needed serious help. Not just from anyone but from Jarod. I picked up my phone and dialled his number but he didn¡¯t pick up. Why is ignoring now of all times to do so??? I kept on trying his number but no response. I guess his stubbornness is way past my pride. I picked up my bag, left my employees to handle the shop and went over to Jarod¡¯s house, where he won¡¯t be able to ignore me.

    ¡°Jarod!!!¡± I shouted his name so loud, the person at the end of the street could hear me.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Lily,e open the door¡± He walked up to the door and stare at me

    ¡°Yes? How can I help you?¡±

    ¡°Come on Jarod, stop ying games and just open the door ¡± he looked at me and sighed

    ¡°Fine,e in,¡± he said opening the door and moving backwards.

    ¡°Thanks¡± I move in and find a chair to sit on.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about thest time we spoke, I was really mad¡±

    ¡°Are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am! I shouldn¡¯t have driven you away, that was totally on me¡±

    He was quiet

    ¡°Come on Jarod, I need you and can¡¯t run that business without you, I need your help¡± I puppy-eyed him

    ¡°Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee?¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine!¡±

    ¡°Yayyyy!!! Thanks, J, you should get dressed now¡± he turned to me

    ¡°Wait, you meant like today?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a lot of people at the shop that needs attending to right now. So hurry up and let¡¯s start going back. I wonder how they¡¯re faring without any of us at the shop¡±

    ¡°True that!¡± He said,ughing.

    On our way back, we stopped to get some milkshakes and we saw someone familiar

    ¡°Jarod, does that face look familiar to you as it does to me?¡± I asked, slightly pointing in her direction.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I remember her¡±

    ¡°Really? Where?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the famous Baker who took the title twice in thepetition that you newly registered in¡±

    ¡°I knew I recognized the face!¡± My voice seemed to havee out a little more high-pitched than I expected because she turned back and looked at me. She was very pretty. She was putting on an aqua green sweatshirt and ck trousers on a pair of Air Jordan. She started walking towards my direction.

    ¡°Do I know you?¡± She asked on reaching me

    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t know?¡± I looked from her to Jarod. He was containing hisughter. I did just answer her in a question form

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you around, yea. You own that little restaurant down the street. That¡¯s you, yea?¡± Did she just call my restaurant little? The audacity!

    She continued, ¡°and I guess like every other hopeful baker that gets their hopes of winning thepetition by me, you¡¯re going for thepetition?¡±

    I nodded

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t bet on it if I were you¡­ What am I saying? I can never be you because I¡¯m better and I¡¯ll take the crown again, just so you know..¡±

    ¡°Slow your role theredy. I¡¯ve been standing here watching you talk to my friend but I won¡¯t let you speak to her in that manner! She¡¯s the best around here and deserves a lot of des for what she does. She doesn¡¯t need any bacshing from rude and undeserving overachievers like you, so back off!¡± Jarod¡¯s hands were almost in her eyes. ¡°You cane for thepetition and face us as real adults do, not bullying people and bossing them around andstly, I don¡¯t wish for anyone to be like you!¡±

    She scoffed loudly, obviously ashamed of the defeat.

    ¡°Thanks, Jarod¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me, you know I can¡¯t stand by and watch someone talk to you anyhow and not do anything¡­ What are friends for?¡±

    I squeezed his hand in appreciation. I didn¡¯t feel better anyway, I was still in shock from the drama that just went down but had to get it together anyway.

 27

    Missing Lily

    Lily

    Since my encounter with thedy, I put all unimportant calls aside and yes,  I¡¯m talking about Cayden. Talking to someone you¡¯ve never met like that must have cost a lot of confidence and I needed to beat that confidence down. I put in hours of work into my training, hours turning into days and I barely noticed because that was all in my head. I mostly left Jarod to handle all the shop work while I spent time browsing and working on my recipes till they were perfect. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Jarod was happy that I spent all my time on work, I knew he didn¡¯t like Cayden, not even one bit. He says this should be the most important that mattered right now and nothing that had to do with Cayden. I guess he was right. This was my life.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself and make sure you¡¯re not doing this for the wrong reasons?¡± Nana said

    ¡°Of course, not Nana, but I need to work hard to achieve what I want¡±

    ¡°I know baby, just remember why you¡¯re doing this and I think more inspiration would flow from there¡± she rubbed my back

    ¡°Yes Nana¡±

    I liked how supportive she always was. If only I could just have a guy and relief her of me for a while. I thought about Cayden if he had gone on other dates¡­ I had to stop thinking in that manner, definitely not healthy.

    ***

    Cayden

    I sat on the bed, wondering why I had not heard from Lily since I dropped her home. Or has Jarod been in her head? Did he say any bad things about me? I wonder what his intentions are towards Lily. I stood up and roamed the room, hands akimbo. Maybe she¡¯s just avoiding as she does every once in a while¡­ But it¡¯s usually a day or two, it¡¯s been four days, no texts or calls and I need her help with these dates. I can¡¯t marry myself. Let me leave a voicemail, maybe she¡¯ll respond.

    ¡°Hey lily, um I hope you¡¯re alright? You¡¯ve not texted since when west met and I still need your help with the dates. Please can you call or text when you¡¯re free?¡± I ended the voicemail and waited for her response, put on music and waited for a response.

    Thirty minutester, my phone beeped. It was a message from Lily saying no. Just no. No to what exactly? Everything? Or just the dates? I don¡¯t get her, today she¡¯s free and good to me, the next day it¡¯s another story. What could I have possibly done to spite her now? My head was everywhere, maybe  I should go for a ride.

    Outside, the sky was dotted with a few fluffy clouds that looked like candy floss. I entered my car and drove slowly, looking for a ce I could rx. On the way, I saw a signpost that showed there was a fun fair ahead, I followed the poster.

    The entrance to the fair could be seen in the distance and the long queues edged forward slowly. I looked for a ce to park and stepped out of the car; it was colourful. Customers were bing increasingly excited and impatient as they took a few steps forward every so often. Faint music could be heard from beyond the tall gates with the asional happy scream suddenly piercing the air. Closer to the entrance and the massive structures of the rides could be seen: a rollercoaster, a big wheel, a helter-skelter. They were steel giants reaching for the sun.

    Once inside, the braver kids ran towards the first rollercoaster. It zipped back and forth across the queue as fast as a bullet. Those sat at the front screamed the loudest, their eyes bulging like frogs, as the wind howled into their faces. Hands gripped the safety bars like a vice as the shuttle suddenly flipped upside down. One seemingly cocky boy, immediately felt nauseous, his confidence knocked and his face turned a sickly green colour.

    Below, younger children stood watching, eating their sweets and snacks. Ice creams wobbled perilously over the cones and dripped down their small fingers as they melted. Some munched on brightly coloured balls of candy floss. The strands dissolved on the tongue and the sweet sugar stuck to the teeth like glue. A few ate too much andined to their mummies and daddies.

    Across from the queues for the rides, were the pic tables, a refuge from the madness. Families, young couples and groups of friends sipped on drinks, applied sun cream or kept a vignt watch on their children. I didn¡¯t go on any of the rides. I just bought a chocte ice cream cone and sat somewhere, observing the whole scenario. The sight of it all was fulfilling! When it was dark, I drove back home.

    The next day, I decided to go to the shop and meet her. The shop was very full like there was a party going on there. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d see Lily unless I wait for about an hour and she¡¯d be exhausted by then. I waited anyway until the crowd died. So many peopleing in and out of the ce, couples, children, children and parents, teenagers on their way to school and others. This was a crazy big establishment on its own. I felt proud of her, even if that didn¡¯t mean anything to her anyway. The crowd reduced about forty minutester. I started walking in. Jarod spotted me first and cajoled tired Lily inside to rest. I didn¡¯t mind, I still went in.

    ¡°Yes, what would you like to order?¡± Jarod asked me as he had never met me before

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you could call Lily to attend to me, I need to see her¡±

    ¡°Sir, my manager explicitly bestowed on me the power to serve and if you aren¡¯t ready to order, please let another person do so.¡±

    ¡°Come on Jarod, it¡¯s important¡±

    ¡°Sir, there are other people here that need to be attended to. So please if you¡¯re not ordering, let another person have the liberty of doing so¡±

    I felt so disappointed at Jarod, dismissing me like I¡¯m nobody.

 28

    Chapter 28 ¨C Cayden¡¯s anger

    Cayden

    I was feeling really frustrated and tired of all these. I just came here to do what I was supposed to do and now I¡¯m facing this? Ugh.

    Could this day get any worse? I looked at this guy named Jarod again and I started thinking about how to convince him that I really needed to see Lily now. A few secondster, I said ¡°fuck it¡±under my breath and I just decided to tell him straight up that I needed to see Lily and that was it. I am definitely not leaving his ce until I see Lily. It¡¯s really important.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°I really need to speak to Lily.¡± I said to him and I waited for a reply. Jarod hesitated before he answered me again. I was expecting him to tell me where to go, to meet Lily. I was really surprised when he told me a quick ¡°no,¡± and he continued going to work. I wanted to snap my fingers at him and tell him that that¡¯s not a proper way to answer a customer, but I settled for calling his name to get his attention.

    ¡°I really need to see her. It¡¯s really important.¡± I said carefully and when he was about to protest again, I quickly added ¡°it¡¯s an emergency.¡± Even with that, he still shook his head at me and when he was about to go back to work, he turned towards me and he said to me,

    ¡°She isn¡¯t avable for customers right now. She isn¡¯t around for.. anyone.¡± The look that he gave me when he ended his sentence was really weird and I was taken aback by that.

    ¡°I know she¡¯s in there somewhere. I need to see her now.¡± My tone had suddenly changed and the fact that this guy is stopping me from seeing Lily, is making me angry.

    ¡°Sir, I told you several times that Lily isn¡¯t in. I think you need to find your way out.¡± He said scornfully and he eyed me in a bad way. The anger that was surging through me now was really increasing and by the time I¡¯m done with this guy, I can¡¯t promise if he¡¯s still going to be alive.

    I wanted to jump over the counter and rip his throat out of his neck, but I controlled myself not wanting to draw unnecessary and very highly unpleasant attention to myself. I hit my fist on the counter and I asked for Lily for thest time. Seeing how angry I was, he also increased the tone of his voice.

    ¡°She isn¡¯t in. I think you need the security to show you out, don¡¯t you?¡± He said and turned away from me. I could swear that when he turned away from me, he called me a fucker.

    I closed my eyes to calm myself down and I left the ce instantly. I didn¡¯t know if my anger was from the fact that I didn¡¯t see Lily or the fact that that worker in there was being a total jerk.

    I started fuming in anger and thinking about what I wanted to do. I can¡¯t just leave this ce and go home. No, I can¡¯t. I need to see Lily and I need to see her now.

    I entered my car and I violently closed the door after I entered. I hit my fists against the steering wheel and I rested my head on it. I started trying to bnce my breathing because I was too angry to even think. After a while, I was okay and I could finally think now.

    Where could Lily possibly be? I was hitting my thumb against the steering wheel in frustration, when my brain finally unclosed something that I hadn¡¯t even thought about. If I wanted to see Lily that bad, then I could have just gone to her house. It isn¡¯t that bad.

    How is it that I didn¡¯t even think about that before exchanging words with that jerk? I hissed loudly and I started my car to go to Lily¡¯s house.

    Some minutester, I was a few steps away from Lily¡¯s apartment. I took a deep breath in before I got out of the car. I started walking towards the apartment and when I got to the entrance, I knocked softly on the door and I waited for an answer.

    A minuteter I was still outside, without anyone opening the door. I increased the intensity of my knock and the door finally opened a few secondster.

    Lily stood in front of me looking really confused.

    ¡°Wha-¡± she started saying, but I Interrupted her by going into her apartment without getting invited in. She let out a lid sigh before closing the door.

    When she came inside to meet me, I was already making myselffortable on a seat and she stood in front of me with her hands crossed against her chest.

    ¡°What are you doing here, Cayden?¡± She said and waited for a reply. I looked up and I didn¡¯t say anything to her. I wanted to bepletely calm before saying anything to her.

    I loved how cosy her apartment was. It went perfectly with her personality.

    ¡°What?¡± She said and I looked at her to see that she was still staring at her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I answered her, while looking around the house.. again.

    ¡°Why are you looking around the house like that? What do you have to say about it?¡± She asked me and moved closer to me.

    I shrugged before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s cosy and it suits your personality perfectly.¡± Immediately I said that, a huge frown settled on her face and I saw that she was a little bit offended at that.

    I quickly told her that I meant it as apliment and that was when a small smile settled on her face. She was trying to make me reallyfortable, so she offered me water. I didn¡¯t know how to tell her that I was really starving and that was why I came to her. Of course, coupled with the fact that I came to ask her something.

    I ignored my hunger and I asked her, ¡°why didn¡¯t you give me an update about the second date? No calls, text, nothing!¡±  I could see how bad she felt about that and she looked so guilty.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I just wanted to concentrate on thepetition. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯d end up not getting a single prize and it¡¯ll end up being a crash project.¡± She said and I could only stare at her. I was really stunned by what she said. Was that the reason why she didn¡¯t get back to me about the second date?

    Wow, Lily. Wow.

 29

    Chapter 29 ¨C The confidential situation.

    Cayden

    I didn¡¯t even know what to say to Lily, I just kept on looking at her.

    ¡°Um, Lily..¡± I started talking and she cut me off by telling me how sorry she was.. again and I just told her to stop.. I found it weird that she was apologising this way just because she forgot to call me about the second date.

    Lily is really something.

    ¡°Why did you think of me like that?¡± I squinted my eyes at her and waited for a reply. She hesitated before she told me that I seemed to know more girls on the than the girls themselves and she was sure that finding me a second date was going to be really hard.

    Is it that bad? Am I that.. scary to find a second date for? I took in a deep breath and I released it instantly.

    I need to calm down before I deal with Lily because I don¡¯t know where she¡¯s going with all these unnecessary exnations.

    ¡°Lily. It¡¯s all fine. At least, I already found a second date.¡± I said carefully and she replied to me immediately.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how hard it was because you.. don¡¯t know anything about it. You feel everything is easy, don¡¯t you? You saying that casually just made it sound like I didn¡¯t do anything. What do you think this is?¡± Lily suddenly blurted out and I watched her in surprise.

    Where were all theseing from? I looked at her again to see if she was okay. She was.

    I continued watching her as she continued putting me down and just when I couldn¡¯t continue taking it, I stopped her mid sentence. Who does she think she is to lecture me? Oh God.

    ¡°Just stop there, missy. Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? I am paying you to work and that¡¯s what you¡¯re meant to do and not to rant like this. I paid you and you are going to do the work, so what¡¯s all these, Lily? Tell me!¡± I screamed at her and she watched me in astonishment. I really thoughting to her was going to be good for me, but it¡¯s the opposite that¡¯s happening. Clearly.

    I hissed inwardly and I tried calming myself down. I really don¡¯t want to get angry.. angry.

    Just when I thought my day couldn¡¯t get any worse, this happens.

    There was a very brief silence that was observed in the room because neither of us coulde up with what to say again and just when I thought I had gotten over what she said, I decided to continue talking about it.

    ¡°I am paying you a lot of money to get your help and you said all that? You said all that because you don¡¯t know that I¡¯m actually in a life and death situation.¡± When I said that, she turned her attention back to me and she squinted her eyes in confusion at me.

    I silently cleared my throat and I added, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I am in a life and death situation and I actually need your help your help more than I actually admit.¡± I stopped talking and I waited for her reply. I wondered what her reply was going to be.

    ¡°What situation is that?¡± She asked in a really soft tone. I was right about what her reply was going to be.

    Even though I¡¯m not meant to tell anyone at all, I still felt the need to tell her everything from the beginning to the end.

    I looked at her and I was sure that I really wanted to tell her. Even if I don¡¯t tell her everything, I still wanted to tell her a part of it.

    I took in a deep breath before I spoke again. ¡°I have to get a girlfriend or a wife, so I would be able to take the job by the horns.¡± I said and I looked at her. For a second, I thought I saw a worried and caring look on her face, but before I confirmed it, it was gone. I sighed softly and a few seconds of silence was observed, with so many things running through our minds.

    I was really happy that we were alone in this house. I really can¡¯t afford anyone else hearing our conversation and the confidential part of it.

    I just hope she knows how much I really need her help. I don¡¯t need her to keep on getting on my nerves and constantly making me angry. We need to work together to achieve something reasonable.

    I really wished I could tell her all these and when I looked at her, it seemed like she actually heard me because I could see a smile trying to break through.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Okay.¡± She simply said and I wanted to confirm what she said without jumping into conclusions..

    ¡°What¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you to get a second date.¡± She said and this time, I was the one smiling. She doesn¡¯t really know how grateful I am for this. I felt really happy about this and we started talking about it. We finally came to an agreement about it and I silently hoped we wouldn¡¯t argue about it again.

    ¡°So now, about my apartment and my personality?¡± Lily said and she raised a brow at me. I chuckled lightly that she still remembered that even when we had a small fight.

    ¡°Your apartment is cute and so are you. That¡¯s what I meant.¡± I said carefully and she smiled immediately after I said that. When I heard the words leave my mouth, I didn¡¯t believe them, but I actually meant them. She¡¯s cute and that¡¯s it.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said with a smile and I smiled back. I heard a growling from my stomach and I felt awkward about it. I thought she didn¡¯t hear about it, but when I saw her trying to hold augh, then I knew that she had heard it. I also joined in herughter and we were bothughing together like two weird people.

    Well, that¡¯s true. We are both weird and we surprisingly love that.

 30

    Chapter 30 ¨C Jarod¡¯s jealousy.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    When I heard the growl from his stomach, I just couldn¡¯t keep theughter in and I startedughing. I was surprised when he joined me too. It felt good tough with him when we had a fight today.

    I tried offering him some food, but he refused, telling me that he wasn¡¯t hungry even when he clearly was.

    I wanted to force him to eat something at least, but I thought against it. You can¡¯t possibly force someone like Cayden to do what he doesn¡¯t want to do. I wanted us to go back to our agreement quickly before he leaves.

    ¡°So, is the agreement settled?¡± I said to him and he instantly became serious. We continued talking about it. It¡¯s better for us to finalise it before taking the wrong steps. What he told me about needing a girlfriend or a wife really scared me, even though I didn¡¯t show it.

    The situation is more serious than I thought. That¡¯s why he¡¯s always taking it so seriously. I understand now. I¡¯m making a promise to myself now to help him in any possible way that I can and I¡¯m sure that I will be able to keep that promise.

    We started talking about the payment and when I made a suggestion of the amount that he needs to pay me, u could see that he really wanted to protest against that, but he didn¡¯t. He agreed without saying anything. Now, he¡¯s paying me one fourth of the whole money and after that, we will both go our separate ways.

    ¡°Separate ways?¡± I asked him to confirm. When he said we were going to go our separate ways, something tingled inside me. I didn¡¯t know the emotion that I was suddenly feeling. The thought of the both of us not seeing again after all these seemed.. not right. So, that means we wouldn¡¯t even be friends after everything.

    ¡°Yes, is anything wrong with that?¡± He asked me. I could see that he had no idea of what I was thinking about. I gave him a small smile and I dismissed whatever weird thoughts I was having about it.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± I said and supported it with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, great.¡±

    Yeah, just great.

    He stood up from the chair and he started getting ready to leave. When he stood up, I realised that he was right about my apartment being small and cosy. He seemed so big in the house and I chuckled lightly at it.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s all settled, I guess I should leave now.¡± He said and he nodded at me.

    ¡°Yes, you should. I¡¯ll give you updates about¡­ everything.¡± I said as I trailed behind him to the door.

    Before he left, he threw a smile at me before he got into his car to leave.

    As his car sped off, I saw a figureing towards me. I moved closer to see the person and I saw Jaroding towards me. I was surprised as to why he wasing to meet me in my house.

    I don¡¯t remember telling him toe¡­

    ¡°Hey, Jarod.¡± I said when he got to where I was standing. He looked a little bit sad and¡­ angry? I wasn¡¯t sure. Before I could ask him the reason why he was here, he started speaking without returning my greeting.

    ¡°The supervisor for thepetition ising down to the bakery tomorrow, so¡­ yeah. That¡¯s all.¡± He said and ended it with a sad smile. He was about to turn around to leave, but I called him back.

    ¡°Are you okay, Jarod? You seem.. out of ce. Do you want toe in and have something? We could hang out a little before you leave.¡± I was trying to make him feel better, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t working.

    ¡°Nah. I have to get back to the bakery. It seemed like you were having a whole lot of fun anyway.¡± He shrugged lightly before he turned around to leave.

    I couldn¡¯t help but to ponder on what he said before he left.

    Why did he look jealous? Oh my God, was Jarod jealous? I smiled to myself as I thought of it.

    What fun was I having though? I watched him as he walked down the road before I went back inside.

    Pushing aside what Jarod said, I decided to start preparing everything for the second date. I have to make sure that there are no mistakes at all.

    I started chatting with the second date to know what she likes and what she doesn¡¯t, to make everything easier for Cayden.

    The chat was going well, until we started talking about kids. When I made mention of kids and if she would like to have some, what she said really shocked me.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    She said that she hated children and she doesn¡¯t even want to have one in future. I was really surprised because everyone wants children, right?

    Well, I know a good number of children, women especially, that love and want children. So, what was so different about thisdy?

    I wanted to change her mind about it and I texted back to her, telling her how much I love children and how I wanted some someday. I even added the fact that I would love to have some with her, to make her feel better about it.

    Immediately I sent it, she sent a reply, telling him about how she doesn¡¯t think the date can work and how she doesn¡¯t want to go on a date with Cayden because she thinks I¡¯m Cayden.

    When she sent that reply, my heart skipped because I knew that I was in so much trouble.

    If the second date doesn¡¯t want to go on a date with Cayden, then so many things are going to happen. To me, especially.

    God, what have I done? Why did I chat with her now? I should have just waited for Cayden to make his magic and now, I destroyed everything.

    Oh Lord, Cayden is going to kill me. Yes, he is. I am so dead.

    What am I going to tell him? That I tried making his date love kids and in the process she rejected him? That¡¯s too ridiculous.

    I started pacing around the room, while thinking about what to do and how to fix the mess that I made.

    This is too bad. Too bad.

 31

    Chapter 31 ¨C A very bad morning.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    God, what did I do?

    I just couldn¡¯t stop pacing around the room. I don¡¯t even know what to do. I had already promised Cayden that I was going to get him a second date and now? Everything is ruined and it¡¯s all because of my stupid attitude.

    I should have just left the poordy to hate kids just like she wanted to, instead of forcing my own opinion on her. The fact that she actually thinks Cayden is the one that was texting her, is even worse.

    I stopped pacing around the room like a crazy person and I started thinking about what I was going to do.

    Out of frustration, I started scratching my head and biting my fingernails. Anyone that sees me right now, is going to think that I¡¯m a crazy person.

    Well, I¡¯m actually crazy because if I don¡¯t find a solution to this, then I¡¯m going to be crazy for real.

    ¡°Okay, this is going to be fine. Yes, it is. I¡¯m really sure Cayden can¡¯t kill me, can he?¡± I started talking to myself, so I wouldn¡¯t gopletely crazy.

    ¡°Oh no, he can.¡± I wailed loudly and I fell on my bed. This is not good at all.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    A thought suddenly came to my head and I jolted from the bed. The fact that the second date says she doesn¡¯t think the date can¡¯t work doesn¡¯t actually mean she wouldn¡¯te, does it? No, it doesn¡¯t.

    I don¡¯t even have to tell Cayden about this. He doesn¡¯t have to know at all and he won¡¯t.

    A miracle might still happen and she would just think about everything and stille for the date.

    Yes, that¡¯s really possible and miracles do happen.

    I suddenly started feeling a little bit relieved because I hope and think thedy is going toe for the date. Then, Cayden wouldn¡¯t have to kill me.

    So, it¡¯s a win-win? That¡¯s settled then.

    To make here, to encourage her, I could just send roses and some gifts to her. Yes, that would work.

    I went to bed with a smile on my face, knowing that that was no issue that needed an immediate solution. Everything is already nned out and they will definitely go as nned.

    So, I thought¡­

    The night went by really fast and before I knew it, it was morning already. I got ready and headed to the bakery.

    While I was getting ready for the bakery, I couldn¡¯t help but to think about what I was forgetting. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I just couldn¡¯t ce my hand on it. I decided to move it aside and concentrate on my work for today.

    The breakfast rush was really crazy and I continued serving all customers myself withoutining since it wasn¡¯t noon anyway.

    I had finished serving everyone, when someone walked into the bakery looking really neat, just like how everyone does every morning.

    He sat at a table and he ordered his breakfast. As usual, I got it arranged and took it to him with a bright smile on my face. I usually serve my customers with a smile on my face, so even if anyone was having a bad day, they would instantly feel better.

    Many minutester, the customer that I had served earlier, called me to his table and I answered him.

    ¡°Do you need anything, sir?¡± I said politely, while I waited for an answer.

    ¡°Yes. Can I see your working area?¡± He said and he looked into my eyes.

    My working area? Isn¡¯t that trespassing for a customer? Wow.

    ¡°No, sir. That¡¯s out of bounds for customers.¡± I said again, politely and just when I was about to leave, the man called me back.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take up to a minute.¡± The man said again. He obviously wasn¡¯t ready to listen to what I said. Ugh. I really don¡¯t want to have a bad morning.

    ¡°Like I said earlier, you can¡¯t. Sir.¡± I was bing impatient now and this man is just making it worse.

    ¡°Just a minute, Miss. It isn¡¯t hard at all.¡±

    Okay, now the man was being weird and a little bit rude. Who asks to see a worker¡¯s working area? He isn¡¯t my boss or anything, he¡¯s just a normal customer and he¡¯s still asking for my working area? Such effrontery!

    ¡°I already told you that you can¡¯t and you¡¯re still persistent with your weird request. Don¡¯t you have a job to get to?¡± I said angrily and the man just continued staring at me.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a simple reques-¡± I instantly cut him off. He had already made me angry and spoiled my morning already.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. You can leave now and please, get a job.¡± I said and I hissed. I walked away from him and I went back to my working area.

    A few secondster, the man came to where I was.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I said scornfully and I hissed. The man just smiled at me and he started speaking, ¡°I¡¯m the supervisor that¡¯s meant¡­¡±

    Immediately the man said that he was the supervisor, my mind just went off and I didn¡¯t even hear the rest of his sentence.

    The supervisor? And I was so rude to him. Oh God, I didn¡¯t even know what to do. I had already destroyed everything because of my anger and impatience.

    The man didn¡¯t even tell me that he wasing at all. I didn¡¯t even know what to do, I just continued staring at the man.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive the mail that I sent to you concerning this?¡± He asked me and that snapped me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t.¡± It suddenly felt like I couldn¡¯t talk properly now. My voice that was really loud minutes ago, was now barely a whisper.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll score you now.¡± The man said and he scored me right there, in front of me. I looked away from him to blink away the tears that were threatening to drop.

    ¡°You cook really well, but your hospitality skill needs¡­ a little bit of work, Miss Lily.¡±

    The man gave me a mocking smile and he turned to leave. He hadn¡¯t taken up to four steps, when he turned back to say something to me,

    ¡°And yes, Miss Lily, I do have a job.¡± And with that, he turned around and he left me to regret my actions.

 32

    One of those awful days

    Lily

    Yes¡­ I was having one of those utterly awful days were any and everything I tried doing wasn¡¯t going to n, were I plug one hole and three morerger holes open up, each of whichrge enough to swallow me in it. It was every definition of apletely shitty day. Even my attempts to make any pastry proved futile as they all came out unevenly made, it was almost like the entire world around me was copsing inwards and I couldn¡¯t do a single thing to stop it.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    It was rush hour as usual but today there was barely any rush, there were more cupcakes in our showcase than there were customers, even Granny in her old age would be able to attend the number of customers that came in that morning without a sweat. Unlike others day were we would be pushing out batches of different pastries to amodates the buzzing rush period.

    As it now seemed, word had gone round that I failed thepetition supervisor¡¯s survey and that my service provision was poorpared to other bakery stores. This made people perceptive about patronizing me today and some had even gone to try other bakery stores that did well to see for themselves if the survey was right. But I consoled myself that this was just one of those bad sales day and that things were going to pick up in theing days. Moreover I was will to double my efforts to make sure we were back to our glory days.

    Little did I know that in all my worrying and contemting, I had forgotten to send the gifts I wanted to send to Cayden¡¯s prospective second date as a way of persuading her to reconsider going in a date with him after my screw up in ourst conversation.

    ¡°Hey Jarod, how bout we get rid our this gloomy mood of ours and step out, maybe go to the market and get a few things for sime new recipes I found on pinterest¡± I made my move to try and savage the little joy and happiness we had left in us ¡± No worries, I¡¯m sure the other staffs can handle things for the time being till we get back¡±

    Jarod lifts his heard from it¡¯s position he ce it on as he sat on a nearby stool ¡°I guess I do need some fresh air myself, let¡¯s go¡±

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll leave Candy with Granny I don¡¯t want him getting tanned by the sun¡± I pick up Jacek ¡°hey Candy! Uncle Jorad and want to go get a few things from the market, so you go upstairs and keep Grannypany, alright baby?¡±

    ¡°Okay mama¡± Iy a kiss on his forehead and promise to get him from ice cream on my way back before I set him down and watch him minion run up the stairs.

    ¡°Alright shall we?¡± Jorad and I both took off our aprons and made for the walkway that led to the bus stop.

    ***

    We arrived at the market and as I¡¯d suspected, the sun was in a very mood either with our shadows bing more defined now. Jarod finally speaks after being mute all through the ride here.

    ¡°I¡¯m still not happy Lily, about the supervisor¡¯s review. What could¡¯ve happen, we¡¯ve always been know to offer the best customer services and outmr pastries are the most tasteful so what went wrong?¡± His pitch grew and he became more audible as more words found their way out of his mouth.

    ¡°Oh my dear Jarod, if people only knew what really happened¡± I sick my face into my palm in sadness

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking, I know what everyone knows but what really happened?¡± Maybe Jarods inquisition was born out of the guilt of not telling me he had seen the mail that stated the supervisor was going to bing within the week but the guilt had not beguiled him enough to want to feel bad about it yet.

    ¡°Well the supervisor came in disguised as a regr customer and order for one of our pies, which I served him with the brightest of smile. He then requested to see my cooking area which I instinctively felt was inappropriate for a customer to ask for and so I declined. I¡¯d admit that at some point I might have thought he was apetition who came to spy on my recipes¡± I take in a deep breath and then continue ¡°it wasn¡¯t until he introduced himself as a supervisor from the contest organizers that I knew I had really fucked up, there was very little I could do at that point¡±

    Now the real effects of the guilt swept Jarod like a wave. The humidity became more evident as he began to sweat profusely. I ignorantly continue by asking him if he had by chance seen the mail and he head on lies to me ¡°No baby girl, I didn¡¯t see any mail¡±

    ¡°This is so unfair honestly, I know someone in that shop saw the mail and I swear to God, I will fire that unfortunate person the very moment I find the person.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t the two musketeers in flesh and blood¡± familiar voices distracted me from my brewing anger. I turn around to see Michael and Christopher, I had not seen them since I transferred from my previous college of study and a join that was soon going to vanish erupted from within me.

    ¡°Hey guys! How long has it been?¡± I ask in bubbling excitement.

    ¡°Not long enough it seems, you guys still look the same¡± Michealments. I didn¡¯t know if to take that as apliment or sneer, my excitement had be slightly

    ¡°Well youds don¡¯t look bad yourselves¡± I responded this time in a subtle like counter sneer, he wasn¡¯t about to let them have this one. We all share a briefughter and then I continued

    ¡°What are you guys doing in these parts?¡±

    ¡°Well we were made to know about the pastrypetition that was hold and decided to participate, put our prowess to some big winnings¡±

    I was shocked to hear this, I didn¡¯t know Micheal and Christopher did this kind of business, I was both happy and disturbed at the same time. These two were barely ever serious ormitted to anything in their lives, over pampered brats they were.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s wonderful¡± I try to hide my confusion

    ¡°Ofcourse, in fact we just might win it this time, sadly I doubt we can say the same about you. Word spreads like wildfire yunno¡± Christopher intrudes this time with arrogance painted all over his person.

    ¡°That was a rather unfortunate situation that happened in my shop but I¡¯m still very hopeful¡± I try to cushion the effects of Christopher¡¯s words on my now shattered heart.

    ¡°I doubt hope is gonna cut it this time my dear Lily. You had one thing to do right but fucked that up too, just like you did when you got pregnant out of wedlock¡­ how old is you child now by the way¡±

    Lord knows blood was going to start sttering around if Christopher did not stop spitting venom from his mouth. But I understood this was a trap, they needed me to do something that would give them a reason to tell the organizers why I didn¡¯t deserve to participate in thepetition anymore. So why Jarod tried to defend me like I trusted him to always do, I intervened and told the boys and told the boys we would appreciate if we could take out leaves from that space. They didn¡¯t argue and in minutes we were out of there and free from an atmosphere free from ego and pride. And so I¡¯d home for a very long and wet sobbing session with my pillow.

 33

    Cry me a river

    Lily

    ¡°Hey baby girl! Stop crying please, you shouldn¡¯t take whatever those two said they were just petty disrespectful and desperate. It was all a trap¡± Jarod uses his palm to continuously draw a bridge on my back as he tries to stop the river of tears that now flowed freely from my eyes.

    ¡°They were right! I can¡¯t do anything that turns out fine, I¡¯m just a failure¡± I mutter as my wailing continues without a seizure and my pillow now soaked in my tears and sweat. ¡°I want to be alone please¡±

    Granny who stood at the door all this while finally spoke and told Jarod to leave me be, that I need my space to sob for the time being ¡°Jarod dear, I think you should let her be for now, I¡¯ll take care of her and make sure she¡¯s fine¡±

    Jarod hesitates but then agrees ¡°Alright Granny, I¡¯lle back and check on herter this evening, please take care of her¡±

    ¡°I will my love, I¡¯ll go make soup for her incase she develops a fever like she usually does from excessive crying¡±

    ¡°Alright Granny, I¡¯d be on my way now¡± just as Jarod steps out from the main door, he sights Cayden who was briskly approaching the house. He immediately makes a U-turn and hurries back into the house and ends up startling Granny in the process who was on her way to go prepare my favorite beef vored soup. Before Granny could attempt to inquire why Jarod came back to the house so suddenly, Cayden appears in their presence with both worry and curiosity motiffed all over his face.

    Jarod is pricked by the mere sight of Cayden and even gets more irritated when Cayden begins to ask about Lily.

    In a gentlemanly manner, Cayden first greets Granny ¡°A lovely evening to you dear Granny¡­ Jarod!¡± He then calls Jarod in a passive tone as he scans him briefly.

    ¡°Evening my dear, are you here to see Lily?¡±

    ¡°Yes please, where is she?¡± He asks as he scrutinizes the house with his eyes.

    ¡°Lily is quite indisposed right now, maybe you shoulde backter¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ what I need to discuss with her is actually very important and urgent, I would really appreciate her presence and opinion¡± Cayden was quite versed with the way he used his words, so much so that Granny felt obligated.

    ¡°Hey Mr, didn¡¯t you hear her say Lily was indisposed¡­ you should take your leave now before I am forced to make you¡± Jarod interjects in an admit to get Cayden out in a whisk

    ¡°Well hold on now¡± we both turn to look at Granny ¡°why don¡¯t we allow Lily to decide that. Young man, her room is two doors after this, knock and if she responds then that¡¯s your luck but if not you would leave¡± Granny points to her door and Jarod¡¯s anger grows even more as Cayden brushes him as he makes his way to my doorN?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Cayden knocks thrice and then speaks in a taming pitching ¡°Hey dear, how are you doing¡±

    ¡°See! She didn¡¯t respond, now can you leave?¡±

    And just as Cayden is about to take his first step, the handle of my door creeks and an opening lines up on the opening of the door. I peep and am surprised to see it was Cayden.

    His eyes looks with my peeping eye ¡°Lily, can Ie in please, I promise I won¡¯t strain you¡±

    I hesitate for only a second or two and then open the door slowly. I catch his face brightening up but he does not give an obvious facial expression. Jarod is left in awe as Cayden makes his way into my room with gentle ease and then I close the door behind him and then the handles creek again, indicating that I had locked it.

    Cayden immediately goes to pick up my reading table chair and positions it closer to the bed when I go back to sit down now instead. It was how audacious he made it seem like he had been in my room before and I waspletely unbothered about it, I even sat closer to were his chair was.

    He does not say anything for the first few minutes, all he does is gaze at my now swollen face and saggy eyes that gave off the obvious fact that I was crying my eyes out. At intervals I¡¯d look to see his polished marine blue eyes pear at me. I imagined he may have wanted to scan other parts of my body as I was not sweaty and my wet dress now giving details of my upper body that were normally not pronounced.

    I was more surprised that Granny would freely let Cayden get an inch close to my door, talk more of letting him enter into my room without going bunkers. Unlike in previous times, Granny¡¯s newly found trust in Cayden was heartening to me.

    He finally speaks after what felt like an hour of loud silence.

    ¡°Lily¡­¡± he starts in the kindest of tones

 34

    Damage control

    Cayden

    I gazed at just how pristine Lily looked when she was sobbing and her tears had washed up most of the oil on her face that was now swollen. She must¡¯ve been crying for quite a while now to be this swollen. I finally snapped out from my drooling episode and was finally able to assemble words.

    ¡°Lily, are you okay?¡± I doubt that was a good start but I¡¯d do it for now. As I suspected, she says nothing and only lets out loud breaths.

    Meanwhile Jarod had now gotten so vexed that he left the house, why would Lily let me in so freely and she had told him that she wanted him alone, he couldn¡¯t take staying in the same room with that guy¡­ with me.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t mind you not telling me what the matter is, I will not force even a cough out of you, not while you¡¯re in this state. I can sit here all evening without saying a thing and absolutely fine by me¡± but I lied or at least I didn¡¯t tell the truthpletely. The truth was I wanted to know everything, I wanted to know it all. What could possibly make such a strong and stubborndy like Lily cry so deeply, was it a man? At least I didn¡¯t notice any in all my time around her and she wasn¡¯t one for being flirtatious or forming new bonds, I¡¯d have won her over by now if that were the case¡­ what are you saying Cayden!

    I rally my thoughts back and continue talking ¡°Truth is I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll rest easy tonight knowing I left here without at least knowing what made you this way¡± I couldn¡¯t help it anymore. I was now more concerned about her than my life or death situation at work ¡°so please tell me, what happened Lily?

    I was almost moved to reach for her hands but that would havee off as flirtatious.

    She finally speaks and I jump at its instance ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Like okay you will say something now?¡± I lean forward a little then settle back into my seatBelonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell you what happened¡± I smiled widely and readjust my posture

    ¡°Alright I¡¯m all ears and senses¡± she¡¯s goes ahead to tell me all that had happened with the supervisor and how it was now affecting her business negatively and how now more than ever, she needed to win thepetition in order to rebuild the reputation of the bakery and also open up new opportunities¡± I admired that she valued her business just and prioritized its growth. This was me to Steve¡¯spany, I could not let anything happen to it.

    I pleaded for her to let me put out a few calls and pull some strings with the organizers but she refused and was adamant on the fact that she wanted to win the contest by her own will and nothing else. I was amazed and impressed.

    ¡°Jarod must have done it, I¡¯m certain¡±

    ¡°What exactly?¡± She stares in confusion

    ¡°He saw the mail Lily and took it to God knows where¡± I reemphasize. I mean, am I the only one who sees this, who else would take mail that was delivered to the shop beside him.

    ¡°Is this a joke? Jarod would never do such a thing, I know him¡± Lily bes offended and her mood changes almost immediately

    ¡°I assure you my dear it isn¡¯t and maybe it¡¯s because you know him too well that you do not look at the obvious. No other person has ess to that kind of stuff asides the both of you and I doubt the organizers would miss not sending you a mail before sending a supervisor. You should ask Jarod and if you already have, you should ask him again and this time with more intent¡± I persisted in my notion and Lily wasn¡¯t very happy about it. I took the que and immediately changed the subject to avoid making things worse than it already was.

    ¡°You know what, forgive my intrusion. I don¡¯t mean to fault your truth in your friend stroke employee. I¡¯m just showing concern and I¡¯m sorry if that maye off wrong¡± I douse the heating situation and move to the next subject ¡°By the way, how is the conversation with my next date going, may I see the chats?¡±

    She immediately readjust her sitting position and responds just as soon as myst word drops ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be necessary honestly, everything has already been finalized and is going ording to n, besides I don¡¯t appreciate people prying into my work, especially not you¡±

    ¡°Well okay, if you say so! Let it not seem like I don¡¯t believe you can deliver, I am paying a lot of money for a reason¡± I retreat and settle that all had worked out just fine and that by tomorrow evening I¡¯d been sharing a table with my second and hopefully thest date.

    ¡°Speaking of money, she did mention that she fancied rose flowers so I wanted to get some of those and give to her but situations have clouded my time. But then again I obviously cannot go anywhere in this state I am in so you¡¯d have to do this one on you own¡±

    ¡°What exactly?¡± I be curious

    ¡°Get her some rose flowers and probably some choctes and leave them by her door step on the morning with a nicely quilled letter but without letting her see you, now that would be really romantic¡±

    ¡°Yeah I would but why do I have to do the delivery though and is the date still sure for tomorrow?¡± I protest

    ¡°You are paying a lot of money, aren¡¯t you?, You should get in on some of the action asides the dinner dates and yes, your date is set for tomorrow¡± she uses my words against me and all I could do was smirk and yield.

    ¡°Alright fine, here¡¯s my card. Have them delivered to me and I¡¯ll take them there in the morning alright?¡± I reach for my wallet and take out one of my tinum cards and hand it over to her ¡± And oh, do get something for yourself as well¡­ you should have to shed all those tears for nothing. Let me try and put a smile on your face for a change¡±

    To my disappointment, Lily does not say a thank you neither does she say anything else.

 35

    FAILED DATE

    After all said and done, I was finally sessful in my quest of getting the gifts to Cayden¡¯s date. I felt a sense of aplishment knowing that hurdle had been crossed but then, something else couldn¡¯t stop bugging me.

    That morning, what Cayden had said to me the previous day kept reying in my head and I kept shrugging it off, as I didn¡¯t want to harbor doubts in my heart. Cayden may as well have been wrong. I tried my very best to treat Jarod the same as I used to but I noticed Jarod was a little out of it that morning.

    Jarod had been trying to give me some space. ¡®Could it all be my imagination?¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°You don¡¯t knead the dough like that, Jarod,¡± I said jovially and giggled, in a bid to start a conversation between us. The atmosphere felt weird, Jarod felt distant.

    Jarod only let out a mild grin; he didn¡¯t really say anything to me which had me a bit worried.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jarod replied, still fixated on the task he had at hand.

    It was obvious he was lying to me. Something was up, I could sense it. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep properlyst night?¡± I asked again with concern hoping he¡¯d open up to his friend, me.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, I slept soundly.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±

    He inhaled and exhaled deeply and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that with thepetition around the corner and everything, I can¡¯t help but think of how we¡¯d pull through,¡± he finally said something reasonable.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok Jarod,¡± I spoke mildly. ¡°When we get there, we would definitely scale through¡­,¡± I ced my hand on his shoulders to assure him, ¡°as a team,¡± I finished my sentence.

    I could totally rte to what he said and just patted him gently. I assured him that we¡¯d scale through no matter what and that he shouldn¡¯t let it bug him so much.

    I also felt a bit guilty towards him but then I decided those feelings were not needed at the time as I had work to do ¨C prepare for Cayden¡¯s second date.

    I tried my very best not tog and kept up with Jarod¡¯s pace. We both carried out our morning duties together like we always did. While working though, I kept thinking of various ways to turn Cayden¡¯s date to a huge sess despite the minor setbacks I had.

    Around 7:15 pm, I was prepared for the date as a third wheel, as usual. All dressed, I headed to the venue ¨C an amusement park which had other amazing functions. Following the theme of the date, I was d I didn¡¯t have to wear gowns or dress corporately, I had to put on morefortable clothes and so I wore a pair of jean pants and a navy-blue V-neck shirt with a pair of sneakers. I agreed with Cayden to meet him at the venue, he didn¡¯t have toe pick me up or wait for me.

    Co-incidentally, we both got there the same time. Seeing that his date was nowhere to be seen at the time, we decided to hang out together while we wait for her.

    Thirty minutes past the time and the girl still does not show up. We started feeling uneasy. It was at the time the girl called off the date abruptly. I told Cayden what the girl said and showed him her text. Of course, Cayden felt mad and insulted. I for one was disappointed in Anna¡¯s attitude. If she wanted to call off the date, telling us beforehand would have made all the difference.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± Cayden tried hard to hold his annoyance and irritation in.

    ¡°We leave?¡± I replied.

    Cayden stood up angrily and was about to leave the scene when someone who looked like a dispatch rider walked in on us. Apparently, he was given information on the reserved table at the ice cream parlor at in the amusement park.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± the dispatch rider called out.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Cayden replied,pletely ticked off.

    ¡°I was asked to give you these,¡± he kept the package ¨C which contained the gifts I had sent to Anna ¨C on the table. ¡°If you may, please sign here,¡± he held out a te which had a paper on it and a pen towards Cayden.

    Cayden turned around and red at me briefly before storming out the scene. I settled things with the delivery guy and excused him.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    I went outside and met Cayden standing close to his car. I tried to be nice and calm him down, but his outburst wasn¡¯t quite what I expected.

    ¡°This is all your fault, Lily,¡± he barked at me.

    ¡°My fault?¡± I tried my hardest to remain civilized. ¡°How exactly?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°You tell me! How in God¡¯s name did that wench get the idea that she could stand me up and on top of that, return all the gifts you supposedly sent to her?¡± he scolded. ¡°You were in charge of everything, Lily. What exactly went wrong? Why exactly did she choose to embarrass me in this manner?¡± heshed out further.

    ¡°Will you calm down and let me speak?¡± I still tried to maintain decorum. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know why she decided to do this. Everything was going¡­,¡± I got cut off abruptly.

    ¡°You know what? She needs to understand that she can¡¯t mess with just any guy and go freewithout dealing with the repercussions,¡± he paused and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you for this, Lily. You ought to do a clean job in representing me well if you¡¯re going to keep posing as me,¡± he kept scolding and pointing at me repeatedly.

    ¡°Can you just cut it out already?¡± I was fed up. ¡°I did my part and set the date. Why she decided to stand you up at the veryst moment¡­,¡± I paused, ¡°is totally not my fault,¡± I concluded my statement. ¡°If you¡¯re that good, why don¡¯t you take the bull by the horn and get out there¡­,¡± I pointed nowhere in particr, just as a form of gesture, ¡°and get yourself a girl!¡± I barked. ¡°The whole world doesn¡¯t revolve around you, you know? I   have a life too.¡±

    ¡°This is strictly business, Lily. You¡¯re not doing this for free. I¡¯ll make sure you get your reward in full so do¡­your¡­work¡­properly!!!¡± he scolded, making gestures with both hands.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯m done with this,¡± Istormed out in anger, throwing the package to the floor.

 36

    THE   VIRTUAL   MEETING

    After Lily walked out on me, I eximed loudly out of spite. I immediately got into my car and zoomed off. I felt so angry and betrayed. I¡¯d never been turned down in my entire life by a girl. Fuming with anger, I kept thinking of possible reasons Anna had to stand me up the way she did. My thoughts were interrupted by a call that came in. At first when I heard my phone ring, I thought it was Lily calling and decided to ignore it. It rang again for the second time and which made me realize that it could not have been Lily. Lily had too much pride to call me back after an argument.

    I decided to pick up the call after it rung for the third time ¨C it was my secretary.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°The CEO would like to have a virtual meeting with you in about thirty minutes from now.  Are you home?¡± he said over the phone, going straight to the point.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Can you push it a little further?¡± I requested.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Fine,¡± I replied grudgingly and he hung up.

    Due to the frustration I felt all thanks to the whole ¡®Anna¡¯ drama, the call I received from my secretary only fueled the me even more. I mmed my palm so hard against the steering wheel a couple of times in a bid to vent but I didn¡¯t feel much relief while doing it, I stopped.

    I picked up my pace and elerated even more to get home in time for the meeting. I knew how particr my boss was about time.

    I got home just in time and immediately rushed in, picked up myptop and connected via zoom for the virtual meeting. In no time, the meeting with my boss started.

    ¡°Good evening sir,¡± I greeted politely, notwithstanding how I was feeling at the time.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden,¡± my boss called with a serious tone. I knew something was definitely up.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s it going with getting you a woman?¡±

    I heaved a sigh and replied, ¡°It¡¯s going¡­well?¡± I tried very hard to hide my uneasiness.

    He cleared his throat and said, ¡°the contractors are pulling out gradually, Mr. Cayden. They¡¯re already scouting for other investors in Germany¡­,¡± he paused, ¡°that¡¯s an entirely different continent. All the way to Europe for a recement, and so at this point, you¡¯re not even in a position to help out,¡± he concluded. ¡°So what now?¡±

    I didn¡¯t know exactly how to reply, let alone what to say. I remained silent for a while before saying something, ¡°Sir¡­,¡± before I could even say anything, he cut me off.

    ¡°Three days. I give you three days to sort this mess out, Mr. Cayden. I know I¡¯d given you two weeks, and you still have more time, but for now, it¡¯s a matter of urgency. So what do you say?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°But sir, three days is so little a time to get things done,¡± I protested.

    ¡°Three days, Mr. Cayden. Unless you want to mess things up or relinquish half of your duties to someone else, you have to fix this,¡± he ordered. ¡°I hope I¡¯m well understood.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied. I knew I was about to bepletely screwed over. I just had a fight with my savior and now my boss was on my neck. How exactly I was supposed to handle the situation, I had no idea.

    Finally, the meeting ended andthen, Lily came to mind. ¡®How am I going to squirm out of this one unscathed¡¯, I thought. I decided to give myself a break and went in to freshen up and cool off the heat I felt all thanks to the pressure I felt from the task I¡¯d just been assigned.

    In no time, I set in to fix dinner for myself. Al through the time, I thought real hard on what to do. I thought of calling Lily so many times but I had my face to save, my pride to keep and my dignity to uphold. I wasn¡¯t going to start an argument and call againter to say sorry. Besides, I still felt Lily was at fault for everything that happened, I med her for everything. She fixed the date so what could have possibly gone wrong if she didn¡¯t mess everything up from the very beginning. But then again, I knew deeply inside my heart that I needed Lily and badly at the tIme, then that another ultimatum had been set.

    I had dinner and settled in my favorite couch to watch my favorite TV show but I could not concentrate. The scene ¨C where I and Lily had an outburst ¨C kept reying in my head causing me to think. The TV was on in front of me but my mind wasn¡¯t anywhere around me. Swamped up in my thoughts, I paid zero attention to the TV.

    Minutester I retired to bed. Iid down, back against the bed and stared into empty space, still in the pool of my own thoughts. I found it hard to sleep that night. ¡®How am I supposed to get a girl in three days, and without Lily?¡¯ I thought. At the time, my mind was still made up on not contacting Lily first. I racked my brains on how I was going to do everything without her but nothing reasonable came to mind. It¡¯s not like I could walk up to just anyone and ask the person to y ¡®my wife¡¯ or ¡®my fianc¨¦¡¯ for that particr meeting. I picked up my phone and stared at the screen to see if Lily had called earlier but no, she hadn¡¯t. For some reason, I waited for her to call me first.

    After minutes of just staring into nothing, I decided toe to terms with the fact that I still had to be the one to call Lily and fix things. Waiting for her call was just me being delusional. I shrugged and turned over on my side to feel morefortable as I wasn¡¯t ever able to sleep in the position Iid in earlier.

    Before I knew what was up, it was already an hourter. I¡¯d been rolling on the bed, assuming different positions for one whole hour!!!

 37

    SHOCKING REVELATION

    Following the event that urred yesterday, I felt bad for what had happened but I decided to shrug it off and focus on my work. I couldnot afford to space out during work hours over some petty argument. I worked harder and more meticulously than usual to keep unnecessary thoughts away.

    ¡°How about Cayden?¡± Jarod asked me. He kept trying to converse with me even over littlest things. Maybe he felt sorry for his attitude thest time.

    ¡°He¡¯s long gone,¡± I replied straightforwardly. I did not think to sugarcoat my words to hide anything in particr. I just voiced how I felt at the time and nothing more. Even without looking, I could feel Jarod¡¯s intense stare. He must have been thinking about the reply I gave. To ward off any suspicion, I turned to return the stare and feigned a brief smile. I then walked out to serve the customers that kept flooding my bakery.

    For a brief moment, I remembered what Cayden said concerning Jarod sabotaging my work. Though I decided not to shrug it off this time, I did not let it affect my pace. I decided to ask Jarod directly but still, I did not want to feel bad if Cayden turned out to be wrong, I had to ask Jarod circumspectly. ¡®How though?¡¯ I thought.

    The morning ¡®rush-hour¡¯ were always the busiest hours of the day. I and my staffs did all we could to maintain the smooth running of the bakery.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your order, sir,¡± I served a customer a cup of coffee and doughnutsced with choctes.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I got really tipsy yesterday, you know? I could have said something I shouldn¡¯t have,¡± I overheard two customers discuss between themselves.

    Owing to what I just overheard, an idea on how to get the truth from Jarod came to mind. I just had to make him tipsy and ask my questions. That way, if Cayden was wrong, Jarod wouldn¡¯t be able to remember and I wouldn¡¯t have any reason to feel guilty. It felt like a win-win situation for me. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± I muttered. My mind was made up. I was going to take Jarod out for drinks, get him tipsy and get the truth from him. I hoped Cayden was wrong though.

    Later that evening, I proposed the idea to Jarod and of course he hopped on it. I had told him I wanted the two of us to go out and celebrate our teamwork, and that I wanted to take him out for a treat. Without further questioning, he agreed toe with me as he also craved an alone time with me.

    I took him to the ce I and Cayden had drinks. We ordered the Tennessee whiskey and in no time, we both werepletely absorbed in the moment. I knew for a fact that getting Jarod tipsy would be a piece of cake as he loved to drink. I, on the other hand had to be careful, knowing full well I had a pretty low tolerance for alcohol. I had to remain sober so as not to fall into my own trap.

    Few minutester, Jarod started getting really tipsy. I discerned it was the right time to throw my questions at him. I waspletely sober at the time, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about forgetting our conversation.

    ¡°Did you do it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°What?¡± He was speaking under the influence of alcohol.

    ¡°My mailbox. The mail from thepetition supervisor, was that you?¡± I asked, keenly peering into his eyes, hoping for a ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°Oh, that?¡± he giggled. ¡°Yes, that was me.¡± At that moment, I didn¡¯t know exactly how to react. I felt angry and betrayed. How could Jarod take decisions for me and act the way he did. Even without Cayden being in the picture, he still tried to take control.

    I felt a throbbing pain in my chest instantly. Why in the world would Jarod even conceive the idea of sabotaging my efforts? We were supposed to be friends.

    ¡°Hey, Jarod!¡± I turned to him and held him by his cor. ¡°Snap out of it, Jarod. Why would you do that?¡± I shook him vigorously by the cor.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lily. I still don¡¯t know why I did what I did. Forgive me please,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of you, Jarod,¡± I cried out, still shaking him continuously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized still.

    ¡°How could you?!!¡± I cried out further. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be friends, Jarod. Friends!¡± I eximed loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lily. I really am,¡± he kept crying out.

    The bartender was not pleased with the attention we drew to ourselves and so he politely asked that we excuse ourselves and settle our differences outside.

    I let go of his cor roughly and tried my very best to hold back my tears, covering my face with both palms in utter disappointment. I had seriously hoped Cayden was wrong. Even without being present, he still had a say in my life. I felt so betrayed and heartbroken. I bowed my head, using both hands to support it as I thought hard on what could have made Jarod act the way he did. That fell far from my expectations of him. I tried really hard, but couldn¡¯t fathom just why he acted the way he did.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± the bartender called out gently.

    ¡°He should leave,¡± a familiar voice said. ¡°Leave,¡± the voice repeated.

    The voice sounded like Cayden¡¯s but why would he be here of all ces, and at the same time I was? I raised my head and to my greatest awe, I saw Cayden ring at Jarod.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to leave, Jarod,¡± he repeated.

    ¡°Cayden?¡± I called out. I didn¡¯t expect to see Cayden anywhere around the perimeter of that ce.

    Cayden only turned to stare at me for a brief moment and directed his attention back at Jarod. Jarod on the other hand was too tipsy to grasp the situation at the time, so he just red back at Cayden.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 38

    LILY

    ¡°Hey mister,¡± Cayden called out to the bartender, ¡°throw this pathetic fellow out of here,¡± he was referring to Jarod obviously.

    Before I could utter a word, Cayden immediately grabbed Jarod by the cor and pulled him closer. ¡°Leave while I¡¯m being nice,¡± he whispered. ¡°You are being really pathetic right now,¡± he added.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I cried out in awe. ¡°Calm down Cayden.¡±

    Jarod immediately pushed Cayden in a bid to free himself from his grip. At once, Cayden retaliated and a fight ensued. Jarod graced his jaw with a couple of punches, Cayden of course did same. In no time, the situation spiraled out of control. I and the bartender tried to stop the fight between those two but they were too caught up in their fight to pay us any attention.

    After trying all I could to stop them from fighting but to no avail, I yelled out, ¡®can you both just stop?!¡¯ to everyone¡¯s surprise.

    Like what I did had some effect, the duo managed to calm down and in no time, I seeded in putting an end to the fight. The bartender,pletely ticked off by the whole dramawe disyed and the ruckus we caused, kicked all three of us out. I held both of them by their arms and dragged them. We walked out, with me in the middle feeling the most embarrassed.

    On getting outside, they wanted to continue from where they had stopped as Jarod hit Cayden by his shoulder but I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I held on tightly to Jarod to prevent him fromshing out again. Asides that, he staggered as he waspletely out of. I guess I was more concerned about him falling than starting another fight with Cayden.

    ¡°Thank your stars Lily keeps holding me back,¡± Jarod said as he pointed Cayden continuously. I barely managed to maintain my bnce; Jarod was being really uncooperative.

    ¡°Just get lost already. You¡¯re a disgrace to friendship,¡± Cayden retorted.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily,¡± Jarod kept saying. I was too annoyed and embarrassed to make anything out of his plea.

    ¡°Just keep shut already!¡± Ished out on Jarod. ¡°First things first, we need to get you home, Jarod.¡±

    I felt really angry with Jarod but at the same time, I knew I had to get him home somehow, I couldn¡¯t leave him all by himself in the state he was in. I booked him a cab and in no time, sent him on his way. I was then alone with Cayden.

    I heaved a sigh and stared at Cayden for a while without saying anything. Like we were in a staring contest, Cayden also did nothing but stare. I thought to ignore him and leave but I was too curious to do that. That was one hell of a coincidence. Cayden was the least person I expected to show up!

    ¡°What were you doing back there?¡± I fired and finally broke the weird silence. Cayden, instead of giving me a reply just kept staring. ¡°I ask again, Cayden. What in the world are you doing here?!¡±

    Cayden heaved a sigh and replied, ¡°listen to me, Lily. I need you so badly right now, I really do,¡± Cayden said in a humble tone.

    ¡°You need me?¡± I didn¡¯t understand where the plea wasing from. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How is it that you suddenly need me now, Mr. Perfect,¡± I said sarcastically.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a matter of life and death. It¡¯s a matter of urgency and emergency, Lily. Please help me, you have to help me,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°So you only run back to me when you¡¯re in a pinch, right? Youpletely embarrassed me yesterday and did not even deem it fit to apologize to me, Mr. Cayden!¡± I barked angrily. ¡°Whatever it is you¡¯re here today for won¡¯t work out so I suggest you kindly leave,¡± I gestured and looked away.

    ¡°Can you please cut it out already?!¡± he yelled, causing me to redirect my stare at him. ¡°I need you to understand that this¡­is a matter of serious urgency. I won¡¯t have you battering words with me, Miss¡­,¡± he paused,¡± you caused all this in the first ce!¡± he scolded. ¡°I will pay you in full. Take care of the mess you created,¡± he concluded.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Just when I was about to yell since we were in a yellingpetition, I noticed blood dripping from the side of his head. ¡°Blood!¡± I eximed.

    ¡°What?¡± he immediately rubbed his index finger against the blood and on seeing it, he staggered a bit. He felt feint, no doubt.

    Immediately, I took out wipes from my bag and gave it to him to press against the wound to control the bleeding.

    It was obvious he sustained the injury during the fight with Jarod. At that time, he gave off a defenseless aura, I couldn¡¯t yell at him any longer. I couldn¡¯t help it, I felt pity for him. I decided to help him, I obviously could not leave an injured person there all alone because of a mere brawl.

    I held on to him to provide him with support and helped him to his car.

    ¡°Where are your keys?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°My pocket,¡± he replied in a very low tone. He felt a bit light headed due to the head injury he sustained.

    I dipped my hand in his pocket, brought out his keys and opened the car with them. I immediately kept him in the passenger seat as he was in no condition to drive, and sat behind the wheel. I had to be his driver for the night and take him somewhere safe, get him the needed care.

    While I drove Cayden, I kept feeling sorry for him and med myself for what happened back there. I kept stealing nces at him without saying anything in particr.

    ¡°Why do you keep staring, miss.¡± My cover was blown. He knew the whole time that I was staring.

    ¡°Staring? Wha¡­what do you mean?¡± I stuttered as I waspletely caught off guard.

    Cayden did nothing but chuckle and groan slightly.

    ¡°If you¡¯re in pain, you can adjust your seat andyfortably,¡± I suggested.

    ¡°Just keep driving, miss,¡± he rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes.

 39

    LILY

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you home¡±

    ¡°As you please, ma¡¯am,¡± he replied.

    In a few minutes, we got to his house and I helped him get inside. When we got inside, I asked him where his first aid kit was and he told me it was in his room, the drawer beside his bed. I went in and got the kit, had him sit so I could tend to his wounds.

    Before I could start anything, it started to rain very heavily. I panicked a bit when I thought I could be stuck in his house for the night.

    ¡°Could sting though. Hope you¡¯re not a cry baby,¡± I rummaged through the well packed kit for anything useful.

    ¡°Try and see,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Arghhh!¡± he groaned out of pain.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    I then took out the cotton wool, cut out a bit and disinfected it.

    ¡°I rubbed it gently in the wound while he groaned. I cut out another bit of the cotton wool to clean the blood he had on his face.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Cayden groaned. ¡°Careful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being careful, Mr. Cayden,¡± I said sarcastically.

    ¡°You¡¯re using this opportunity to take out your anger on me, right?¡± he said jovially.

    ¡°Should I?¡± I teased and we both giggled.

    While cleaning the wound, I noticed it was a cut, quite deep but not deep enough to causeplications. The cut must have been caused by Jarod¡¯s ring when he threw punches earlier.

    ¡°Uh-oh!¡± I eximed.

    ¡°What?¡± I sensed a bit of anxiety in Cayden¡¯s voice. He must have wondered what made me exim the way I did. Well, I eximed that way on purpose to give him quite the scare.

    ¡°Shoot!¡± I eximed again, spiking Cayden¡¯s curiosity and anxiety. ¡°What happened?¡±  he asked again.

    ¡°You sustained a cut. Looks like I¡¯ll have to stitch it,¡± I said, carefully observing the injury.

    ¡°Can you even do that?!¡± he eximed wide-eyed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see.¡±

    I sat next to him and tapped myp gently, gesturing him toy on it. ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± I beckoned.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked and I kept tapping myp. ¡°I shouldy my head on your thighs?¡± he asked wide eyed,ying emphasis on ¡®your thighs¡¯.

    ¡°If it feels so awkward, you can go to a nearby pharmacy or better still, go to the hospital and get yourself treated, Mr. Cayden!¡± I fired.

    ¡°You really expect me to?¡± he whined.

    ¡°Should we go to the hospital instead?¡± I wore a smug look.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he agreed grudgingly after thinking about it briefly. Heid on his side on the couch and kept his head on myp, exposing the wound to me.

    I then took out the surgical suture from the kit and began stitching up the wound. I struggled to concentrate on what I was doing as I was easily distracted by his side view which was looking so handsome at the time. His jawline was perfectly curved and I couldn¡¯t help but savor the view. I shrugged, shook off the unnecessary thoughts and focused on stitching his wound.

    ¡°All done,¡± I said when I finished stitching the wound and cing a band-aid. He then sat up beside me.

    ¡°How do you know how to do this?¡± he asked while I packed the kit.

    ¡°I studied nursing for a while beforeing down to Nedford, Mister.¡± I took out the pain relief tablets from the kit and gave it to him, packed it up and kept it away.

    I walked to his dining and got water for him. ¡°Here you go,¡± I gave him the water and urged him to take his medicine.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He took the medicine I gave him. ¡°You studied nursing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Briefly.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Proves that I don¡¯t even know much about you to start with,¡± he chuckled and I followed suit. ¡°But why briefly though?¡± he asked again but I remained silent.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you do not wish to talk about it. I won¡¯t inquire any further.¡±

    ¡°No issues.¡±

    ¡°But why do you badly need my help? And why did you call it a matter of life and death?¡± I asked mildly. ¡°You could get anydy you want, you know?¡± I added.

    ¡°You really want to know?¡± he asked, staring directly into my eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°You keep me going.¡±

    ¡°Excuse you?¡± I scoffed.

    ¡°Sounds weird, right? I know,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I just want you around, and besides, you ruined two of my dates, remember?¡± he reminded me.

    ¡°If you really do need apanion so bad for an important event¡­,¡± I paused and got his exclusive attention, as he stared at me keenly, ¡°why don¡¯t I y the part?¡± I concluded my statement and burst into a hystericughter almost immediately. He didn¡¯t seem to understand really well why Iughed the way I did, so he just smiled, watching meugh my heart out.

    ¡°Umm¡­ that could actually¡­,¡± I cut him off.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been hooked up with ¡®me¡¯ that I actually ignored what I was supposed to do,¡± my tone was quite serious. ¡°I want to apologize to you. I¡¯m sorry for sabotaging your date ns thest time,¡± I apologized.

    ¡°You?¡± Cayden seemed a bit shocked. ¡°Why would you do that though? Did something happen?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I sensed so much red gs from Anna that I thought to protect you from,¡± I exined and noticed he let out an archaic smile.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°She said she hated children; I just couldn¡¯t concur with her.¡±

    ¡°Hated children?¡± he sounded a bit confusedText property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your texts.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure!¡± I brought out my phone from my bag and showed him our messages. He read through them.

    ¡°How could anyone hate kids? I mean, they¡¯re so adorable, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they are, Lily,¡± he giggled.

    ¡°You¡¯re not mad, right?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± he shook his head signifying a ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sorry for what happened,¡± I said apologetically.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, miss. Thank you for thinking about my interests,¡± he smiled warmly. ¡°And thank you for this,¡± he pointed his banded wound.

    ¡°You¡¯re more than wee,¡± I smiled. ¡°What did you do with the gifts Anna retuned?¡±

    ¡°Guess.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t pick it up, right?¡±

    ¡°Bingo!¡± he eximed hysterically and we bothughed.

 40

    CAYDEN

    We bothughed so hard, it felt good. Suddenly, she stopped smiling and looked a bit worried.

    ¡°Jarod?¡± I tried to guess what could make her switch moods that way instantly, turned out I was right.

    ¡°Why would Jarod do that to me? We¡¯re supposed to be friends, right? I mean, he¡¯s the only male friend I¡¯ve had over the years,¡± she said with so much sincerity written all over her.

    I felt for her a bit. I tried to understand her. I knew for a fact that she felt betrayed and that was absolutely normal. I listened to her patiently while sheined to me and told me how she felt.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Lily,¡± I ced my hand on her shoulder tofort her when she bowed her head and covered her face with both palms to hide the fact she was tearing up already. ¡°Why do you always try to hold your tears in, Lily?¡± I asked tenderly. ¡°If you feel like crying, then just do so¡­,¡± I urged, ¡°if you don¡¯t want me staring, I could go in ande out when you¡¯ve cried to your satisfaction,¡± I continued.

    She raised her head up and cleaned her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she chuckled.

    ¡°Sure?¡± I asked with concern and she nodded. ¡°You bet,¡± she replied.

    I looked toward the door. ¡°It¡¯s still pouring hard outside. How about I get you something to eat and you spend the night here?¡± I suggested with concern and she shrugged. It looked like she wasn¡¯t going to buy my idea. She stood up and walked to the window to look through.

    ¡°It¡¯s pouring really hard,¡± she said.

    ¡°Told you, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°But still, you don¡¯t expect me to ept your offer, do you?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I asked, confused on what exactly she meant.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®why not?¡¯?¡±, she fired.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get what the real issue is here, miss. Why can¡¯t you spend the night here?¡± I asked. ¡°Few minutes ago, you asked me toy on yourp and felt nothing and now? ¡­¡± I paused and continued, ¡°we¡¯re not even going to sleep together, so why the fuss, miss?¡±

    ¡°How could you be so brazen?¡± she retorted.

    ¡°Wha¡­,¡± I scoffed, ¡°what?!!!¡± I eximed and stood up. ¡°Brazen? Are you being serious right now?¡± I was surprised she actually called me brazen. ¡°I¡¯m only trying to be nice here, okay? Don¡¯t get the wrong ideas,¡± I blurted outrightly.

    ¡°Wrong ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yes, wrong ideas, miss. Wrong ideas!!¡±

    ¡°You wish.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very obvious you¡¯re letting your imaginations run wild right now. That much is clear to me. If not, what¡¯s the big deal in spending the night here? Or do you think I¡¯m trying to seduce you right now?¡± I argued.

    ¡°Seduce me?!¡± she eximed. ¡°Listen and listen real good, Mr. Cayden. Even if you were the only man in the entire universe, I won¡¯t even budge. I¡¯d rather spend my whole life in a nunnery,¡± she retorted.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± did she think that lowly of me? That hurt a bit though. To prevent the fight from escting any further, I yielded. ¡°Do you think that lowly of me?¡± I lowered my tone.

    ¡°Listen to me. It is improper for two unmarried people of the opposite sex to spend the night together under the same roof, and I have to be in my bakery early enough tomorrow as another supervisor would be dropping by, okay? Don¡¯t go around imagining things, it¡¯s bad for your health,¡± she rounded up her argument and sat down. It was obvious I conceded to her; the argument was over. I sat down too.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I ticked you off though,¡± I apologized and she looked away. ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she replied grudgingly.

    ¡°I still need your help, and urgently. I¡¯m under a lot of pressure as the event I told you about is close at hand,¡± I said.

    ¡°Close at hand?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How close?¡±

    ¡°I should get a woman for myself in two days.¡±

    ¡°Two days?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes. Now do you understand the kind of pressure I¡¯m under?¡± I asked meekly. ¡°I need you, Lily. My job, my means of livelihood depends on this,¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°If it¡¯s that urgent, why not hire an actress to y the part?¡± she asked with concern.

    ¡°No. Even though it¡¯s going to be brief, I¡¯d love a bit of genuineness to make things go smoothly. If I should get an actual date, I could ask her to apany me and it would feel very natural¡­,¡± I paused to scrutinize the expression she had on her face, ¡°do you understand?¡± Ipleted my statement.

    ¡°I think I do,¡± she heaved a sigh. ¡°Okay, how about we do this?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let me y the part,¡± she voiced and I was a bit shocked.

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Why not?¡± she gestured.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d rather be single than be with me,¡± I teased.

    ¡°Really? ¡­ And here I am trying to be of help to you. You¡¯re not serious,¡± she scolded. ¡°Suit yourself then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, miss. Someone else and not you, please. I wouldn¡¯t have us arguing unnecessarily in front of everyone, okay?¡± I teased and giggled, infuriating her the more.

    I had thought of making Lily y the part but I didn¡¯t like that she was the one who suggested it first. I had to save face; I didn¡¯t want to seem easy going. I turned down her offer but deep down, I knew I was going to regret sooner orter.

    ¡°Get me a date, miss. Please¡±

    She stood up, ready to leave. ¡°Come drop me off.¡± She seemed angry.

    ¡°But it¡¯s still pouring outside,¡± I crossed my leg and gestured towards the window.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to be walking in the rain, are we?¡± she retorted. ¡°Take me home please,¡± she said with a frown.

    I understood she was cheesed off and decided not to hold out for much longer.

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± I raised my hands to signify I yielded. I wasn¡¯t ready to engage her in another argument again. ¡°I yield, madame. Okay?¡± I giggled.

    She walked out the door and stood at the corridor as she didn¡¯t want to get herself wet. I walked in to get an umbre. In no time, I rushed out with the umbre and we both walked to my car under it.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Through the ride home, I tried so many times to speak with her but she didn¡¯t seem the least interested in whatever I had to say. I knew I had to give it up, so I just turned on the music and let her be.

 41

    NEW YORK

    Cayden dropped me off at home, but I was too annoyed to even say ¡®thank you¡¯. I just alighted and went in.

    On getting in, nana was waiting for me in the living room.

    ¡°Hey nana, good evening,¡± I greeted and sank into the couch. I felt a bit fatigued.

    ¡°Good evening,¡± she responded. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t get caught up in the rain,¡± she inquired with concern.

    ¡°No nana, I¡¯m fine,¡± I spread out my arms, closed my eyes and rxed more. ¡°Where¡¯s Jacek?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sound asleep. You don¡¯t expect him to still be awake, do you?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Jarod was here,¡± she said and I opened my eyes swiftly. ¡®Could he havee to apologize? Did he remember what happened?¡¯ I thought instantly. ¡°He did?¡±  I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± she affirmed and I sat upright.

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± she said. ¡°He waited a while for you to return and left few minutes ago,¡± she added.

    ¡°He did?¡± I was surprised that the Jarod who got into a fight earlier woulde to my house and wait for me. ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I think you also have to tell me that. He said he had to see you and talk to you about something. He really didn¡¯t tell me what he wanted to say to you,¡± nana exined. ¡°The whole time he kept asking if you went out with an umbre,¡± she added.

    ¡°So, he didn¡¯t state the purpose of his visit?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t stutter.¡± ¡°So tell me, what exactly is going on?¡±

    ¡°Going on?¡± I feigned ignorance. ¡°Jarod was here, you should have asked him,¡± I said.

    ¡°Lily?¡± she called out.

    ¡°Nana¡±

    ¡°Why did Jarode here?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, ma,¡± I replied politely.  I walked to the dispenser and fetched some water from it with a ss I found on the dining table.

    ¡°You sure you have no idea of why he was here?¡± nana asked me with every iota of doubt in her voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I affirmed strongly to get rid of nana¡¯s suspicion.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to take your word for it. But then again, I sensed something¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I think Jarod likes you,¡± she said and I burst into a hystericughter whichmade me choke on the water I was drinking. I coughed so hard, I didn¡¯t expect nana to say what she did.

    ¡°Jarod what?!!¡± I eximed. ¡°Nana you can¡¯t be serious,¡± I rebuffed firmly.

    ¡°I am serious though. He does like you,¡± nana insisted.

    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± I asked.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t stop asking and worrying whether or not you took an umbre with you. I tried calling, but your line was not reachable,¡± nana exined.

    ¡°Nanae off it please. Jarod is my friend, worrying about me is totally normalplease,¡± I scoffed in disbelief. ¡®How could nana even say something like that?¡¯, I thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s very correct but trust me, Jarod could have feelings for you,¡± she said without a doubt.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine nana, I¡¯ve heard you,¡± I yielded. I was in no mood to engage anyone in any argument at the time, the brawl I had with Cayden at his, was more than enough for the day. I walked out the living room and headed straight to my bedroom where I found Jacek sound asleep.

    ¡°Oh, my baby,¡± I cuddled Jacek in my arms and pecked him multiple times.

    The next morning, I got ready and went to my bakery. At exactly 6:30 am, I was already taking orders and delivering them appropriately. My staffs were all present except Jarod, which was very unusual of him. I just assumed he was too ashamed to face me after what happened the previous night, and didn¡¯t bother to call him. I still felt disappointed and angry at him that I didn¡¯t think twice on whether or not to call him, I just wasn¡¯t going to!

    As usual, the door bell which signified the door opening and closing, rang continuously as those were the busiest hours of the day. I decided not to think of Jarod or any one and just faced my duty. I had other things to think about ¨C the supervisor¡¯s visit. I instructed each and every one of her workers to be in their best behaviors.

    In no time, the supervisor arrived and I served him to the best of my abilities.  He was impressed with my performance, and that earned me a good record on his te. Hemended me and told me thepetition was in three days.

    On hearing thepetition was in three days, I was reminded of Cayden and his ¡®situation¡¯. ¡®He turned me down so I don¡¯t have to bother myself with him¡¯, I thought. I decided to forget Cayden and focus on preparing for mypetition that was in three days. For a moment, I wished Jarod came around.

    Around 6:30pmter that evening, the bustling hours of the day gradually came to an end. There were less customers to be served, invariably less work to be done.

    While I sat down to look at the records on the day¡¯s sales, the door bell rang and I saw Cayden walk in.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he smiled cheerfully at me. I did nothing but scoff.

    ¡°What are you doing here, mister?¡± I asked.

    He sat beside me, all smiley. ¡°How¡¯s today been?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Good enough,¡± I replied and took a quick nce at him. ¡°Why¡¯re you here though?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. Just stopped by to see you,¡± he replied.

    I paused what I was doing to stare at him properly, ¡°to see me?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, weird?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    He cleared his throat; I knew something was up. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°I booked my flight back to New York. It¡¯s tomorrow,¡± he said to me.

    ¡°You have ady?¡± I was surprised. It was just yesterday he told me to help him find someone. Did he find someone overnight?

    ¡°Yes. I have one in mind¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± I kept my eyes fixated on the screen of the tablet I had in my hand.

    ¡°You,¡± he replied almost immediately.

    ¡°Oh, congra¡­,¡± wait a minute, did he say ¡®me¡¯? ¡°Excuse you?¡± I raised my head to re at him, ¡°what did you say?¡±

    ¡°I booked your flight tickets also,¡± he added.

    ¡°Booked flight tickets? I don¡¯t get.¡±

    ¡°I want you toe with me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Come with you?!¡± What exactly was this guy¡¯s problem? I had suggested to him and he refused, so what was he saying now? ¡°I don¡¯t get,¡± I voiced. ¡°I thought you rejected my offer yesterday.¡±

    ¡°That was yesterday,¡± he blurted and I scoffed.

    ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. in fact, I won¡¯t,¡± I turned him down explicitly.

 42

    LILY

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I have apetition in three days, three days!¡± I eximed wide eyed ¡°I have to get myself prepared, and now?¡± I continued.

    ¡°I already promised thrice the prize you¡¯d be getting so why the fuss? I don¡¯t get why you should turn me down, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you think this is all about?¡± I asked. ¡°This is not just about the prize money to me, you know?¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought it was, though,¡± he jeered.

    ¡°Cayden!¡± I eximed. ¡°Look, this isn¡¯t all about the money, okay? It isn¡¯t. I¡¯m going to bepeting with chefs of high caliber, bakers all over the state and beyond,¡± I tried to exin the angle I came from.

    ¡°What exactly do you want? I can recall vividly the day we went to get you registered for thispetition. I asked you why, you said and I quote ¡®I need that cash¡¯,¡± he mimicked, ¡°so what exactly are you saying?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s different now,¡± I retorted.

    ¡°What exactly?¡±

    ¡°Cayden I¡¯m really excited for that day, okay? Think about me too, I really want to feel the thrill thates with events as this one,¡± I tried to rub minds with him.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Lily. Should I quadruple the price? Get you a new house? Name it. I need you to be on that ne with me,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°Cayden, this¡­is¡­not¡­about the money, okay?¡± I said between breaks. ¡°Do you think increasing the price would make me do otherwise?¡±

    ¡°I really need you, please,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°Cayden please. I can¡¯t do what you ask of me,¡± I refused politely.

    ¡°What happens to the flight tickets then?¡±

    ¡°You should have informed me before you got them.¡±

    ¡°There was no need to do that. You¡¯reing with me,¡± he said beyond shadow of doubt. I wondered how he could be so sure I would go with him. ¡°I expect to see you tomorrow noon at the airport. That¡¯s when the flight is scheduled for,¡± he added.

    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯d be there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think, I know.¡± To my greatest astonishment he immediately took out his ck card and kept it on the table in front of me. ¡°Get yourself a change of clothes. Use as much as you¡¯d need; you have to look the part.¡±

    ¡°Were you even listening?¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± I gestured towards the card. ¡°I thought I made myself clear.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯reing with me tomorrow, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Cayden I really hope you¡¯d understand me, honestly. Don¡¯t make things harder than they already are for me, please,¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°Lily,¡± he stressed my name. ¡°You know your problem?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You overthink things a lot¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about that, Cayden¡­,¡± he cut me off.

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely what it looks like to me though. Give yourself a break from thinking and let me do that for you on the ne to New York tomorrow afternoon okay?¡±

    ¡°But Cay¡­,¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow then,¡± he stood up and left the scene.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Arghhh!!!¡± I mmed the table so hard; I¡¯d forgotten there were still few customers in the bakery; two to be precise. Oning to a realization, I turned around and saw them staring at me in awe. It was obvious they saw the whole drama I and Cayden acted moments ago.

    I smiled and urged them to ignore me and continue enjoying their snacks.

    I bowed my head and ced it on the table in front of me. Cayden¡¯s visitpletely demoralized me. I was confused on what decision to make. If I chose to go with Cayden, I get more than double the prize money from thepetition, but then, I was excited about thepetition more than ever. ¡®What if I don¡¯t win?¡¯ briefly, that thought raced through my mind. I thought really hard on what to do while rolling the ck card Cayden left earlier in my palms.

    ¡®Is this guy okay?¡¯, I thought because if he were, he wouldn¡¯t leave a ¡®ck card¡¯ carelessly on the table of just anyone, forgetting I could actually get my payment from it and bepletely satisfied. The more I thought hard on it, my head ached. I was really confused on what to do.

    I went over to the customers ¨C who were regrs at my bakery ¨C and sat with them. They were astonished on why I did that, but I told them not to mind me, I only had a question for them.

    ¡°For instance, you¡¯re to attend apetition that offers you five thousand dors as the prize money and then someone else offers you twenty thousand dors to ditch thepetition and just apany him somewhere, what would you do?¡¯ I asked them.

    After staring at me like I had lost my mind there for a second, the guy in blue striped tee-shirt asked me, ¡°does this have to do with the guy who left here moments ago?¡±

    It would be pathetic of me to deny the obvious, so I just nodded my head in affirmation.

    ¡°Do what you want, miss,¡± the guy in ck shirt cut in.

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s the problem,¡± I gestured, ¡°I¡¯m really confused right now and that¡¯s why I came to ask your opinions. So in all honesty, what would you do if you were in my shoes?¡± I stared at them both.

    ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d ditch thepetition,¡± the guy wearing the ck shirt said. ¡°First and foremost, I¡¯m not certain I¡¯d receive the prize money and secondly, I only get to go somewhere with you, and four times the amount is assured? I am so ditching the contest,¡± he exined.

    ¡°What about you?¡± I turned to the other guy who looked a bit older.  ¡°It¡¯s a sticky situation, miss. A really sticky one,¡± he confessed.

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I were in your shoes, I¡¯d ditch the contest¡­,¡±

    ¡°You would?¡± I cut in.

    ¡°Let me finish, miss,¡± he said politely.

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d ditch thepetition because presently, I¡¯m in dire need of money. But for you, you may not need money so badly. You may just choose to ditch the contest just for the greed, without having any pressing need for such huge amount of money,¡± he exined. He made a lot of sense to me that I kept nodding my head repeatedly.

    ¡°I see,¡± I kept nodding. ¡°Thank you very much sirs,¡± I thanked them and let them be. As a token of my appreciation, I packed snacks for them and ced it on ¡®the house¡¯; they weren¡¯t to pay for it.

    They appreciated my kind gesture and asked me to feel free toe to them for advice anytime they came around again.

 43

    LILY

    Finally, the bakery was empty.  It was finally time to get some rest. I tried to help my other staffs round up a few tasks when nana walked in and took a seat.

    ¡°Nana?¡± I called out. She beckoned on me toe sit with her. I had to pause doing the dishes and went to nana who looked like she came to discuss something of utmost importance with me.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±I asked with concern as I grabbed a seat beside nana and sat.

    ¡°How were today¡¯s sales?¡± she¡¯d always inquire.

    ¡°Everything went smoothly, nana.¡± ¡°Excellent job today honey, you¡¯re making me proud,¡± she appraised me. I grinned ear to ear; nana¡¯s praises were like sweet incense to me.

    ¡°That guy¡­¡± the length of the grin I had on my face slowly shortened. Nana looked a bit serious.

    ¡°What guy?¡± I asked as the grin slowly but surely disappeared.

    ¡®That always hangs around you,¡± she described. I didn¡¯t have to think twice to know she referred to Cayden. Only two guys hung around me ¨C Jarod and Cayden. Nana wouldn¡¯t refer to Jarod as ¡®that guy¡¯; we knew him long enough, he was like family.

    ¡°Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡¯ nana confirmed.

    ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°He was here?¡± I was shocked. She¡¯d been there the whole time!

    ¡°Yes nana. He¡­ was¡­ here,¡± I stuttered.

    ¡°So what do you intend to do?¡± she asked mildly. I understood she overheard our conversation.

    ¡°What do you suggest I do?¡± I asked humbly.

    ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡®Go for it¡¯? For what exactly?

    ¡°Umm¡­?¡±

    ¡°ept Cayden¡¯s offer,¡± she blurted and left me astonished. Was she being serious?

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°You heard what I said, Lily. Men like him are hard toe by these days. Life has decided to give you a second chance at it. Start anew.¡± Nanapletely misunderstood what she saw earlier. From the way she talked, it was obvious she thought I and Cayden were ¡®a thing¡¯.

    ¡°Umm¡­ nana, I think you¡¯re getting it all wrong¡­,¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to try and convince me otherwise, Lily. I think Cayden¡¯s feelings are genuine here,¡± she said. She then held both my hands and stared directly at me. ¡°Lily, listen. I know you¡¯ve gone through a lot and may be feeling a little restrained, but trust me when I say Cayden is that man,¡± she spoke with so muchpassion. Nana wasn¡¯t ready to ept that she had the facts all jumbled up.

    Nana started to give me a number of reasons I shouldn¡¯t let the opportunity slip through my fingers. To be honest, I saw reasons with nana but I still couldn¡¯t believe nana of all people advised me so.

    ¡°Nana, I really want to attend thispetition. I think it will be good for me to go there and test my baking skills.¡±

    ¡°Thepetition is in three days, right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes ma,¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°Then you can still make it back in time for thepetition.¡± That was a possibility but I didn¡¯t want to take the risk; knowing full well that ¡®unforeseen urrences¡¯ were rampant.

    ¡°Think about it properly, Lily. Don¡¯t throw this golden opportunity away. This could be your chance to finally settle down and have a beautiful life,¡± she persuaded.

    ¡°But nana, isn¡¯t that too expensive of a risk to take? I have to prepare properly before thepetition. I already have a limited amount of time and now, you want me to shorten it even further?¡± I grouched.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°If that¡¯s your concern, then work towards striking a bnce between the two so you don¡¯t have to miss out on any one,¡± she encouraged.

    ¡°Right now, I love my life the way it is, nana. With you and Jacek by my side, I couldn¡¯t ask for more. I really am not looking for a better life than this one, nana,¡± I spoke mildly. Whenever I spoke to nana, I was always conscious of my tone. Some things she¡¯d say may spur me tosh out, but I always tried my hardest to keep my tone in check.  She was the only one who took me and my baby in when the whole world abandoned us.

    I tried convincing her otherwise but her mind was made up. I couldn¡¯t tell nana that Cayden was going to make me pose as his girlfriend just for a special event, though I knew that would have gone a long way in dissuading her.

    ¡°What happens to my business while I¡¯m gone?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about that. Your granny is here and she¡¯s got your back,¡± she assured me with a warm smile. ¡°Think about it carefully, okay?¡± she caressed my hands.

    Apart from the fact that nana advised me to go with Cayden, the way she praised him didn¡¯t make me feel good at all. I knew him well enough to know that nana had thepletely wrong idea about him. What? ¡®Cayden is that man?¡¯ I scoffed in my head so many times as I pondered on that very statement. Cayden was very far from being that man. All he ever did was cajole me into doing his biddings, only thinking of himself notwithstanding how I felt. How nana managed to get apletely twisted and deluded idea of his personality baffled me.

    After nana left me alone, it was then between me and my pool of thoughts. I pondered hard on everything nana had told me. Nana was a mother figure to me. She always advised me on what and what not to do; this time wasn¡¯t different. I never for once doubted nana¡¯s words of wisdom, but this time, she had the wrong idea of the nature of me and Cayden¡¯s rtionship to start with.

    I held out Cayen¡¯s ck card in my hand, letting out sighs after sighs, deep breaths after deep breaths, lost in my own head. It was then it urred to me that I never asked him in detail what the meeting he wanted apany for, entailed.

 44

    MY DECISION

    I felt really excited preparing a new recipe I would use to sweep the judges off their feet but now, I could feel the excitement I felt ebb away. The time and effort we ¨C I and my staffs ¨C put into the preparation felt thrilling. Even now, nana was on Cayden¡¯s side. ¡®How screwed up could all these get?¡¯

    I finally decided to take nana¡¯s advice and not miss out on any one. I¡¯d apany Cayden and be sure to be back in time for thepetition.

    I called together my staffs and exined in details what I wanted them to do for me. I had to ce someone else in charge while I was away and that ¡®someone else¡¯ wasn¡¯t Jarod even though, I knew for a fact that he was the best candidate to take my spot in taking the lead. I told them they needed to manage until Jarod showed up; at the end, I only trusted Jarodpletely.

    The next afternoon, nana helped me prepare for my flight. I wasn¡¯t going to stay long so I didn¡¯t have much to pack. I only had a small bag packed with a few clothes as I didn¡¯t want to give myself the impression that I¡¯d be staying long in New York.

    ¡°This should be enough, right?¡± I raised the bag up to nana who was sitting in my bedroom.

    ¡°You want to be psychologically prepared to be back on time for thepetition, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly nana! As always, you¡¯re the best,¡± I did the ¡®thumbs-up¡¯ sign and smiled.

    One hour before the flight, I was ready to leave. I stayed back a bit to bid nana and Jacek proper farewells. Nana as usual gave me an earful of advice and encouragement. Jacek didn¡¯t look happy to see me leave; he cried, which broke my heart to pieces.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lily. Get going already,¡± nana took a crying Jacek from me and tried to console him.

    I teared up on seeing my poor baby cry so much. I really felt bad leaving him behind but I trusted nana would do a good job in looking after him.

    After holding my baby for few minutes, I said farewell and left them.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    It was finally the day of my flight. I found it hard to believe that after all said and done, I was going back to New York with Lily as my woman. Thoughts of her flooded my mind. I wondered if she was going to ept my request and get on the ne with me.

    I got up earlier than usual that day, feeling the rush of adrenaline in my body.  I sang and listened to my favorite songs while dancing hysterically, tending to my morning duties. Lily kepting to mind; ¡®will she disappoint me and not show up?¡¯, thoughts like that made way in my heart. I decided not to over think it, the flight was in hours, not minutes. I still had time to prepare myself physically and mentally.

    I had sandwich and coffee for breakfast that morning; I wasn¡¯t a heavy eater. I believed in eating light for breakfast.

    While I settled down to read a couple of fashion magazines I had lying around, I checked my phone multiple times for ¡®missed calls¡¯ from Lily but oh well, I didn¡¯t find anything. I thought of calling to ask if she bailed out, and shrugged. I decided to take the risk and wait for her at the airport like I said.

    Few hourster, it was noon. I made my way to the airport ten minutes to the scheduled time of my flight. I wore a ck tuxedo suit ¨C my favorite ¨C and a designers shoe toplement the whole look. For that very day, I shopped for a special shampoo which helped me align my hair to the back, giving anyone who stared, a clearer view of my face. I sat, waiting for Lily. I hoped fervently that she woulde as I couldn¡¯t stop looking around, ncing through the hall, and checking out for petite women in particr.

    Five minutes to the time and Lily was still nowhere around the vicinity. I brought out my phone to call her when I sighted her from quite a distance in a ck beautiful flowing gown. She held to herself a small silver purse on one hand and a small travelling bag ¨C which I believed to contain her clothes ¨C on the other. Sheplemented the entire look with a pencil-heeled ck shoe ¨C which added a few inches to her original height ¨C with roses in front and packed her hair in a bun.

    As I stared at her from a distance, all I did was admire her beauty and elegance; she sure dressed the part. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes; this woman in front of me was going to be my woman for the next few days.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    I grinned so brightly and muttered to myself,  ¡°she didn¡¯t disappoint me after all,¡± I chuckled. When I saw how she paused and looked around, I stood up and raised my hand to alert her of where I was. She saw me and epted my invitation toe over.

    ¡°I was scared to death, Lily. I thought you wouldn¡¯t show up.¡±

    ¡°And you said all that nonsense yesterday as to how overly certain you were that I¡¯d show up?¡± she jeered. Lily would always be Lily ¨C sarcastic.

    ¡°This is the only bag you have with you?¡±

    ¡°Are we going on a vacation?¡± she retorted. I giggled and raised my hand signifying a ¡®fine ma, you win¡¯. ¡°We¡¯d be back in time right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°If all goes well, yes. By tomorrow, we should be back here so you don¡¯t have to worry about making it for yourpetition in two days okay?¡± I assured with a smile.

    ¡°Better.¡±

    ¡°You look beautiful by the way,¡± Iplimented but in a rather flirtatious manner.

    ¡°Are you flirting with me right now?¡± she asked. I held her by the waist and pulled her in closer. ¡°You¡¯re my woman for now, remember? Let¡¯s act the part properly,¡± I brimmed with mischief.

    She didn¡¯t push me away immediately, which surprised me a bit. She just giggled and tapped my chest gently. I let go on my own volition.

    *JAROD¡¯S POV *

    I had not set my eyes on Lily ever since thest incident at the bar. I remembered everything vaguely, but I knew for a fact I made her mad and that  it had to do with the ¡®mail box sabotage¡¯.

    I bought flowers and headed to her house to properly apologize to her. I somehow managed to get wind of the fact that thepetition we prepared earnestly for was in two days; we had work to do.

    I got to her house and nana who was consoling Jacek greeted me. I was surprised; I wondered why Jacek was crying. I gave the flowers to nana and held little Jacek in my arms.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little one?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°My¡­mu¡­mmyy¡­,¡± he could barely speak.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Iid his head against my shoulder and caressed it. ¡°What happened to his mom, ma?¡± I asked nana.

    ¡°She traveled.¡±

    ¡°Traveled?¡± I was puzzled. We had to prepare for apetition in two days, where could she have gone to?

    ¡°Yes. She had work to do in New York,¡± nana replied.¡¯

    ¡°New York?¡± Nana got me more confused. ¡®What exactly is she saying?¡¯ ¡°She had work to do? What kind of work, ma?¡± I asked almost at once.

    ¡°She went with Cayden. She didn¡¯t tell you?¡±

    What?!! She went with Cayden to New York? Two days to ourpetition and without informing me?

    ¡°What kind of work, nana?¡± I suppressed the urge I had to re up. I couldn¡¯t scold the olddy in front of me.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask her yourself, Jarod. I don¡¯t know what exactly is up with you two.¡± ¡°Are these for her?¡± she was referring to the flowers I gave her earlier.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°When is she going to be home?¡± I asked,pletely ignoring the question she asked.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t then,¡± she muttered. ¡°By tomorrow, I guess? She has to be back in time for thepetition,¡± she said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I bowed slightly.

    To avoid further questions, I excused myself and left the house, fuming with rage.

 45

    Hotel lobby

    Lily

    It was a smooth 25 minutes drive in Cayden¡¯s chrome painted grey Mercedes Gwagon, it was sure big and made alot of reving noice, it was an intimidating car that was sure going to make a statement if it went pass you car. It seemed that Cayden had a thing for high performance cars, maybe he had childhood dreams of bing a racer but I guess those suits and ties say otherwise. He had the SUV brought to the (insert name of airport) for our arrival and had even made sure our luggages was tucked neatly in the trunk of the car. We arrived at the hotel at about 11:47pm and at that point I was already too exhausted to want to savor the sensational ambiance of the luxurious King¡¯s and Queen¡¯s hotel and suites, little wonder it had such a grand name. The hotel had royalty spelt all over it, from the gigantic chandeliers that hung freely from the ceiling to the gold ted railings that trailed the steps all the way to the next floor. This was indeed a seven star hotel and I could only imagine how much Cayden could have spent to reserve rooms for us here. By the way, my exhaustion wasn¡¯t from the flight but from the many hours we spent waiting for our flight to be cleared for travel, the weather was very poor and made it almost impossible for any ne to take off until after a few hours.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    As soon as we parked at the entrance of the hotel lobby, two hotel attendants approached the SUV, one went for our luggages in the trunk while the other retrieved the car key from Cayden as we both highlighted from the car, he was going to chauffeur the car to the underground parking lot as was customary for arriving guests and would bring it back here whenever Cayden wanted to use the car.

    We approached one of the attendants at the hotel  counter and she immediately greets us with the warmest of smiles even before saying a word ¡°Hello! Wee to the King¡¯s and Queen¡¯s hotel and suites, how can I be of help?¡± She had this mode of speech like thosedies who hosted advertisements onmercials, she had a polished Canadian ent that furnished her sentences the most.

    ¡°Hello, I have a reservation for two rooms with the name Cayden McLou¡± Cayden spoke calmly like we didn¡¯t both share the same exhaustion from today

    ¡°Alright Mr Cayden, give me a few seconds to confirm your reservations please¡± the fine receptionist reys

    ¡°Well Mr Cayden, there¡¯s a reservation here for just one room and not two, a deluxe prince room to be specific¡± she finally speaks after surfing her screen with her fingers for a short while.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right, I could have sworn I made provision for reservations of two rooms¡± Cayden¡¯s mood immediately changes from a calm one to that of utter confusion, his both eyebrows now reaching for the other.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sir but your log only shows a room reservation in your name¡± The receptionist maintains herposure and to my greatest surprise, her smile too.

    Cayden tilts to check my reaction and retreats his face as soon as our eyes meet ¡°Well isn¡¯t this embarrassing¡± he mutters and then tries to salvage the situation ¡°Do you have any other avable rooms please, I¡¯ll pay¡± Trust Cayden to always make everything about his money. For someone who was overly concerned about this trip, he had fucked up the simplest of things he had to do

    ¡°No not at all, all our rooms and suites are currently reserved and would not be free until tomorrow¡± Cayden spends a while to worry his mind but the receptionist interrupts his contemting session ¡°Do I have the attendants take your Luggages to your room please?¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do with the room¡± we didn¡¯t have a choice, it was already quitete in the night and there was little chance that we would get avable rooms in another hotel.

    ¡°Wonderful, he¡¯ll show you to your rooms, please walk with him to the elevator¡± she pointed to the attendant who had earlier gotten our luggages from the car and now had them in a carrier.

    ¡°Thank you¡­ Racheal¡± Cayden gets a nce at her name tag and calls her by her name.

    We got to the room and I immediately began that all important conversation. I needed to set up rules and boundaries that we were both going to abide by, I wasn¡¯t about to allow anything to happen nor was I going to be a one night stand, especially not one of Cayden¡¯s.

    ¡°Hey Mr look here, we are going to have boundaries in this room and I¡¯d appreciate if you stock to them¡± He chuckles and I immediately feel dumb ¡°And what¡¯s so funny¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s just your baby effort to try and prevent whatever you presumably think is going to happen between us, I can understand that you¡¯ve not been in a room alone with a man especially not one as charming as myself but I assure, I do not have the time or intention for any such as long as you stay where you are supposed to¡± Cayden waves off my seriousness and my state of dumbness bes more evident.

    ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m not about to take any chances. In fact I¡¯ll go as far as demarcating the bed, I don¡¯t want any funny business¡± I defend myself.

    Caydenughs ¡°I do not have the time or strength for this, do whatever makes you feel safe alright? You could even demarcate the room if that would quench your fear¡± heughs a little more this time and it pricks me.

    ¡°I want to shower now, meaning I¡¯ll take off some of my clothes, do you want to close your eyes or trunk around?¡± It was how he made fun of my carefulness and manipted it to his own amusement. I hiss and turn to face the TV.

    He began by taking off his shirt and singlet and my all too curious self could not help but see the high and mighty Mr Cayden¡¯s body. And so I turned my head quietly like I was trying to avoid rippling the air around me and my eyes adored what they saw. The mountains and valleys that formed on his back as he pull his singlet from his upper body enthralling, so much so that I couldn¡¯t help but clenched my almost sweaty hands to my thighs. His arms finallye down and the skin of his now direly contoured naked shoulders now appear polished silver in the glow of the light that perched on the ceiling. The sexual rush bes so intense that as his head rolls back, tensing the muscles in his thick neck he catches me biting my lower lip.

    ¡°Miss Lily, are you checking me out?¡± He gives this corny look.

    ¡°Oh please, you¡¯ve got an awful body¡±

    ¡°Wait what!?¡±

 46

    Room 50

    Lily

    ¡°Wait what!?¡± Cayden is taken aback, we were usually heated with ourments about each other but not as brutal as I had just done. ¡°What did you just say¡±

    ¡°You heard me!¡± I brace myself for whatever he was about to throw at me as a counter. I was tantly lying, Cayden had an amazing and I could only imagine how it would feel if it intertwined with mine

    ¡°Your eyes were saying a different thing a few seconds ago yunno, I saw the way they were slogging around my body and then that bite on your lips, was that your way of showing distaste?

    ¡°Oh please, even if you were thest man on earth, I would rather sleep with a dog than with you¡± I sneer in a desperate move to conceal the obvious

    ¡°Can a dog do the things I could do to you Miss Lily?¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    ¡°And what nonsense things might those be¡± shit, what was I saying, that came out wrong.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you gaze at my body long enough and you just might find out¡± Cayden now has this kinky look in his eyes and as badly as I hated to admit it, I was loving it too.

    ¡°Even a gun to my head, won¡¯t make me do that again¡±

    ¡°Oh so you were doing it before?¡±

    ¡°I only turned to make sure you weren¡¯t crossing boundaries, nothing more¡±

    He lets out a loudugh ¡°No worries, like I told you before I do not have the time¡± then heads for the restroom to take off his remaining outfit and I immediately leave my sitting position and head for my things that the hotel attendant had left by the door for us. I began to arrange my things for the night and left the room afterwards. I needed a breather from all that sexual adrenaline rush.

    I decided to use the stairs this time as I felt it was therapeutic to walk around rather than let the machines do everything for you. This time I now had the opportunity to know my way around and admire the interior of the hotel and I was sure loving every square inch of it.

    I soon arrive at the lobby and head for the counter. The warmth that envelopes the receptionist¡¯s face was almost as if she was expecting me toe back down. Somehow, I felt that the smile was just a facade as she needed to keep up in order to make sure customers leave even happier than they came. I should know, I must times did same too back at the bakery so I could tell.

    ¡°Hello Rachael¡± I greeted her by her name without looking at her name tag, as I had remembered it from when Cayden called it.

    ¡°Hello! How¡¯s your stay, I trust you¡¯ve settled infortably?¡± She inquires

    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t call it that but it is a lovely hotel¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful of you to say. Do you need anything, can I be of any assistance?

    ¡°Actually, I do need something¡±

    ¡°Anything at all, I¡¯m here to assist¡±

    ¡°Do you have a food menu here?¡± I get the menu from her and scan its contents for a while and then I settle on what to have.

    ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯ll have the rice and chicken soup with some sd, two of those to my room please¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have it brought up to your room right away¡± we exchange minorpliments and I head back to the hotel room.

    I get to the hotel room and just as I step in, Caydenes out of the rest room looking like a sweet bowl of ice cream sundae. I drool for a short while but recover just in time for Cayden to remove the wet towel he was using to wipe his face.

    ¡°Lily, where did you run off to¡± he asks passively

    ¡°I went to get something for us to eat, I imagined the journey had taken a lot from our bellies¡± and just as I alter myst word, a knock echoes from the door

    e in¡± a dark skinned man who was probably in his early 30s strolls in with our meals on a carrier.

    ¡°You got something to eat for us both?¡± He asks in surprise but doesn¡¯t let it show for too long

    ¡°Yeah, I hope you like chicken soup?¡± I Smile but Cayden doesn¡¯t reciprocate and immediately heads for the dish.

    I was just about to call him out for not appreciating the fact that I had gone down stairs to go get something for us to eat before he throws an all important question my way that puts me to my senses.

    ¡°Lily, I know what I¡¯m about shouldn¡¯t really matter at this point, seeing as we are here now already but I really want to know, why did you eventually decide toe with me, what changed your mind?

    I hesitate a little but then give him a response, a suitable one at that ¡°well the truth is I can understand what you¡¯re going through, in fact I can rte with you. I too have been on a life and death situation so it was going to be selfish for me to know someone I knew was going through a simr situation and I did nothing about it or worst, bailed on you at thestp¡± truth is I¡¯d never really been in a life or death situation but telling him the truth was only going to do less for me at this point.

    ¡°Well I guess I am grateful, I was really contemting what I was going to do knowing you had decided not toe with me. A million and one things ran through my mind and not one of them was going to yield any positive results, you might say I was almost fucked¡± excuse me if I¡¯m wrong but was Cayden beginning to get emotional? The Cayden that I knew never acknowledged anyone¡¯s effort but his, what was going on?

 47

    Shopping spree

    Cayden

    ¡°¡­ you might say I was almost fucked¡± here I was giving Lily hidden appreciation for deciding toe to New York with me even after he had vehemently said that she wasn¡¯t going toe. I considered a lot of things I would admit, I had even considered calling any of my flings in New York to apany me to the party, having a tag along and showing the clients at the part that I had an eye staggering second wheel in a partner at the diner was very important.

    But I still jog my mind, as to why Lily would change her mind ande to New York with me, risking thepetition and her shop for this. But I was wise enough to not dig any further, I felt I had known just about enough of it.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re not one for saying thank you but I¡¯ll say you¡¯re wee regardless¡­ for the sake of my peace of mind¡± our eyes meet and rather than break the link, we both smile at each other and he lets out a little carbon dioxide.

    ¡°Okay so back to business¡­¡± I dropped my cutlery and readjust myself on the chair.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± she pays attention.

    ¡°So the party is going to be held at a venue not too far from this hotel so we shouldn¡¯t be worried about beingte, it¡¯s the residence of one of the men that will be there. It¡¯s something they usually do everything year to act up and of course discuss new partnerships and deals¡±

    ¡°Okay I¡¯m following¡­¡± she nods in reassurance and then I continues

    ¡°It¡¯s a party that¡¯s going to be held in two phases, more or less like two parties in one. The first will be a dinner and the second will be a ball, both of which will of course hold at the same venue but probably in different locations¡± I pause to sip a little portion of water and then continues ¡°Now this is the most important aspect, as you ofcourse know we will be attendants of both parties and I must or should I say we must impress those prospective investors, especially the ones mypany is targeting. I have to do this or else I will be on the verge of getting fired and clearing my desk at thepany¡±

    ¡°I very much understand the situation, Cayden, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I will do my utmost best to help you¡± she smiles lightly and then I arrive at a topic in which she had unfortunately faulted.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you do, Lily. Now like every party there is a dress code and elegance is at the core of its inspiration, we especially need to look the part, do you understand?¡± Cayden pauses for my response.

    ¡°¡­ ¡± She didn¡¯t say anything and I immediately smelled a rat, something was not right.

    ¡°Did you buy the dresses I asked you to right, Lily?¡± Lily does not still respond and this time I get really agitated.

    ¡°Lily!¡± I blurt out

    ¡°Look I¡¯m sorry, I thought I could still wear the dress you got for me for your dinner dates rather than waste money getting another one¡± She mutters with a now flushed face and baby eyes.

    ¡°Those were dates Lily! Anyone can wear just about anything to a dinner date and it would still go smoothly. This is a party! There was a reason I gave you my card and specifically told you to get befitting dresses¡± she falls back to her silence again and but this time I do not hesitate, I pick up from here I had stopped.

    ¡°Please tell me you brought something that¡¯s at least half befitting for a dinner in that small box of yours?¡± I ask in faded hope

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± and before she could say any more, I rose from where I was seated and made for her cartoon brown box that she had left on the bed after arranging some of her things earlier on while I was in the shower.

    ¡°You know I wondered why you¡­¡± and there it was. One of her most priced body possessions wasying pretty on the shelves of clothes she had staked inside my box. I was staring down at Lily thongs. OMG! Did I touch it?

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ I ummm, I didn¡¯t know that was there¡± the words stammer out of my mouth and as soon as Lily spots what had halted my rampage, she leaps like a fleeing frog and whisks her box from my grip. Her face immediately turns pink and my mind scampers for what to do to save this awkward situation.

    ¡°You should try to keep your private stuff properly next time¡± she tried to respond but it was obvious the embarrassment was quite overwhelming for her.

    ¡°Yunno what, let me go get you some dresses from the boutique, we still have a few hours so I can get a few things for you before the time for the party reaches¡± Ipose myself and put on a white polo and ck Louis Vuitton shorts, carry my car and bolt out of the hotel room.

    I signal the hotel attendant who I recognized from earlier and throw him my car keys ¡°Hey! Catch¡± and to my satisfaction, he catches the key and speeds off to go get my car. He returns with the car parked at the entrance of the hotel with its engine running.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    I know a number of luxurious boutiques around due to my numerous shopping sprees with thedies I had been with, so I drove to one a few blocks away, got inside the store with a mental image of Lily¡¯s voluptuous shape and got her a few dresses. If she were here  I would have probably persuaded her to get more but I was going to do with the basicdy dress code knowledge I had.

    I arrive back at the hotel about an hourter and my trusted hotel attendant is on standby to assist me with my baby. Yes I called my Gwagon my baby. It was a customized model that I had fitted to my taste and satisfaction and it was one of the few things I had that I wished I could travel with wherever I went around the world.

    I opened the room door and became enchanted by the goddess I was gazing at now¡­ Lily.

 48

    Chapter 48 ¨C Her silky, smooth skin.

    Cayden

    When I entered the room and I saw Lily in that position, my heart skipped so many beats.

    Oh my God, she looked so¡­ sexy.

    I watched the water dripping from her hair drop on her skin and.. and I didn¡¯t know when I gulped. Her skin looked so silky and so smooth. I just wanted to move close to her and caress her body slowly, until we both..

    ¡°Cayden?¡± Lily Interrupted my dirty thoughts and I cleared my throat nervously. I looked at her and I saw how confused she looked. I don¡¯t me her at all. If I caught a man staring at me the way I was staring at her body, I would also react the same way.

    ¡°Um, the dress?¡± I stretched out my hand and she squeezed her face at me.

    ¡°The bag is on the other hand. Are you okay? You look¡­ I don¡¯t know, just let me have the dress.¡± She snatched the bad from me, while I just scratched my head in frustration. I didn¡¯t know what to do anymore and I was feeling really awkward.

    ¡°You can go, thank you.¡± She said and she eyed me suspiciously. I looked away from her and I didn¡¯t think before I spoke again.

    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t stay?¡± Before I realised what I said, Lily widened her eyes at her and she shouted, ¡°what do you mean? Get out now. Please.¡±

    I nodded my head quickly and I got out of the room not only because she asked me to, but because the awkward atmosphere was about to kill me in the room.

    I started walking around because I didn¡¯t know what to do. I was bored and a little part of me, just a little, couldn¡¯t wait to see Lily in the dress. I feel and know that she is going to look so beautiful and¡­ breathtaking.

    I didn¡¯t know why I was thinking about Lily not, but the image of her wrapped in a towel that I saw earlier, couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t just leave my head. I really wanted to touch her and.. feel her quiver under my touch.

    Oh God. What was I thinking about? I shook my head repeatedly to get rid of the thought, but it didn¡¯t work. I was still thinking about Lily and I don¡¯t think the thought of her is going to leave my head anytime soon.

    I went outside and I just decided to check the surroundings pending the time Lily would be done. Thirty minutester and she was still in there. I decided to go in to make sure that she was okay and if she needed me for anything.

    I got to the door and I knocked softly, waiting for an answer. I knocked again and there was no answer again.

    I tried opening the door and I saw that it was open. I proceeded to open it widely and when I did, I saw Lily struggling with her dress.

    I ran to her and when I was about to touch her, she suddenly turned and she told me to stop.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just touch me like that. Have some respect.¡± She said and I saw drops of sweat dropping on her gown.

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t. What happened to the dress? Isn¡¯t it good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good, I¡¯m just struggling to zip it up.¡± She said and she jumped up to zip it, showing me that she was really finding it hard to zip it up.

    I ignored her soft protests and I moved closer to her. I used one arm to turn her and a sound escaped from her mouth. I didn¡¯t know what it was, so I decided to ignore it.

    I removed her hand from the zip, exposing a really smooth and silky skin under the dress.

    For the second time that day, I gulped down and I touched the zip even though my eyes were fixed somewhere else; her back.

    I tried moving the zip up, but I saw that it was stuck, so I knew that the only solution to it was to zip it down and bring it up again.

    I told Lily my n and she reluctantly agreed. I slowly moved the zip down, exposing more skin. I gulped again and I tried moving the zip up.

    In the process, my fingers brushed against her skin and I felt a shiver run down her spine. I smiled at myself and I tried zipping it again, this time brushing my fingers against her back on purpose.

    A really soft moan escaped her mouth and I smiled again because I was enjoying it. I started being serious with the zip and I zipped it up, but I stopped just before her bra strap.

    She wore acy bra and I loved it. It was red, so sexy. I ignored the little voice that was telling me to unstrap it and do things to her at that moment and I finished zipping it.

    By the time I was done, I was the one sweating because of how hard I was holding myself from touching her¡­ everywhere.

    She muttered a quick ¡°Thank you,¡± before leaving the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

    The dress looked so good on her and I hurried after her to have a very good view of the dress.

    ¡°Lily.¡± I called after her and she abruptly stopped on her tracks. I walked really fast to meet her and I turned to face her.

    Dear God. The dress was sexier than I thought. The way the dressplimented her ready silky skin, the tightness of it around her chest and waist area. Damn, it was a really good view.

    I stood by her side and I skipped my hand around her waist. She was taken aback by this, but she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for dinner.¡± I simply said and I looked forward. She nodded and we started going for dinner.

    When we got to where we were having dinner, Lily turned every head present. The investors and some even important tables all wanted to greet me and Lily was excellent at saying her Hello and all.

    I was talking to Lily, when I became distracted by the number of investors that wereing to talk to me. I excused myself from Lily and I went to them, leaving Lily all alone.

 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C Enjoying the stranger¡¯spany.

    Lily

    With the way Cayden¡¯s eyes travelled around my body when he came in the room earlier, then I knew that I looked good.

    Ever since he touched my back when he was trying to help me with my zip, I have been feeling weird ¡®down there¡¯. I didn¡¯t know why I was feeling that way and I just hoped it would go, but when he slipped his hand around my waist and told me that we were going for dinner, the feeling increased and I had to rub my thighs together to feel better.

    Now that we were at the dinner, I knew that I looked good with the way so many people were smiling at me and giving me so manypliments.

    I looked over at Cayden and I saw that he was still in a deep conversation with the investors. I was so bored and watching everyone talking to their partners wasn¡¯t making me feel any better.

    Why did he have to leave me in the middle of the room like this? Now, I feel weird and awkward. I looked around again and my eyes settled on him. I was really contemting going to him and telling him that I needed him to stay by my side throughout the dinner, but I thought against it. I wouldn¡¯t want people to think that I¡¯m a nuisance or something rted.

    I continued standing and a guy suddenly approached me. He was handsome, so handsome and I didn¡¯t know why he came to me. I smiled at him and I asked, ¡°hey.¡±

    He smiled back and he dragged me to a corner of the room. I wondered why he was with me, but I decided to be nice to him because he also seems nice.

    ¡°You should say something, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said jokingly and he chuckled softly.

    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re really beautiful.¡± He said before shing his teeth at me.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    Damn. His voice is so nice and.. deep. I loved his voice so much. His voice was as amazing as his face. I definitely wanted to know more about him.

    We started off well and we continued talking. I felt better that I had someone to talk to at least.

    I stole a little nce at Cayden and I saw that he was still having conversations with the investors and I just continued enjoying this nice stranger¡¯spany.

    After a while, I turned to look at Cayden, but he wasn¡¯t there anymore. I became worried and I started using my eyes to scan the room. The stranger asked me what I was looking for and I put on a fake smile and told him not to worry about it.

    We continued talking even though my mind was no longer present here.

    Was Cayden looking for me? I have to wait here for him then.

    As if he heard what I was thinking about, Cayden appeared in front of me with a huge frown on his face. I smiled at him and when I was about to introduce him to my new friend, he grabbed the stranger¡¯s cor and he dragged him to the centre of the hall.

    So many gasps escaped from the mouths of the people that were present and my hand flew to my mouth in shock.

    What was Cayden doing?

    Before I could say anything, Cayden threw the man across the room and he crashed on a small table that had a few cups on them. I wanted to go to Cayden and stop him, but a woman dragged me and told me that I shouldn¡¯t do that because he might hurt me by mistake.

    I watched in shock as the drama that was happening right in front of me became more brutal by the second. The man and Cayden were really fighting and cussing each other out. Even though Cayden had the upper hand, I still felt scared for him.

    The stranger suddenly threw Cayden across the room and people rushed to him. The stranger came to me, brought out a pen and a paper from his zer and he handed me a paper that had his phone number written on it before walking away.

    I looked at the paper and I looked back at Cayden in confusion. I didn¡¯t know that this was how the dinner was going to end or¡­ even start because it hadn¡¯t even started at all.

    People helped Cayden to clean up and he walked to me really fast. While he wasing, I scanned his body and face and I saw that he had no injury, that means the fight wasn¡¯t bloody.

    ¡°What was that, Cayden? What in heaven¡¯s name was that?¡± I started ranting the moment he got to me. The fight was really weird and not necessary at all.

    ¡°Why were you talking to him, huh?¡± He said and I just continued staring at him. After everything that happened, that¡¯s what he has to say? Who is this man standing before me? Because this isn¡¯t Cayden at all.

    ¡°Why did you hit that man? I was about to introduce you to him and vice versa.¡± I red at him and he didn¡¯t say a word. He just continued looking at me.

    I left him because of how angry I was and I went to help the workers to clean the few things that fell on the floor. The workers told me to stop and I reluctantly stopped. I didn¡¯t want to talk to him at all because I was angry at him. I went to a corner of the hall and I brought out the paper that the stranger gave me a minute ago from my purse.

    I looked at the number before bringing out my phone to dial the number. I looked at Cayden and I saw him looking around in frustration.

    I looked away from him and I decided to be petty. He didn¡¯t want me to talk to that man, but now, I¡¯m going to call him myself.

    If he wants to be jealous, that¡¯s his problem.

    I dialled the number and I called it.

 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C Married to Lily.

    Cayden

    I was feeling a little bit bad for leaving Lily all alone, but I just had to do it. I had to excuse myself and speak with my investors and business partners.

    After a while, I started feeling worried about Lily, so I looked back to see her. I was a little bit startled when I didn¡¯t see her. I tried looking at her with my eyes, while listening to my business partners, but it wasn¡¯t just working. I was really worried about her, so I quickly excused myself from them.

    I started searching for and I suddenly turned around when I caught sight of her somewhere.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    When I turned, I saw that she was standing with someone and the person coincidentally looked like my rival.

    My blood started boiling and I just didn¡¯t know what to do. The fact that he even had the effrontery to meet Lily and talk to her without fear made me feel angrier.

    I ignored the little voice at the back of my head that was telling me to calm down and I just started walking towards them. I wanted to call out Lily¡¯s name with every anger in me, but I decided to calm down.

    I didn¡¯t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. When I got to her, I dragged my rival by his cor and we started having a small fight.

    The fight wasn¡¯t big at all, but I pushed him to a table. He retaliated by pushing me back and a lot of people came to meet me to check if I was okay.

    When I finally stood up, I didn¡¯t see him again, I could only see a very angry Lily standing and looking at me.

    I felt a little bit bad because I didn¡¯t want to draw any form of bad attention to myself, but here I was, fighting someone right in front of everyone.

    With the look that was on Lily¡¯s face when I dragged my rival away, I don¡¯t think she knew that she was with my rival, if she knew, then I¡¯m sure that she wouldn¡¯t have talked to him at all.

    When I got to her, she angrily left my side and she went to the other side of the hall.

    I didn¡¯t want to follow her, to avoid drawing more attention to myself. I just stood there and I rested against the wall, watching the whole hall go back to normal.

    I turned my head and I saw my rivaling back into the dinner hall. He growled at me and I eyed him too.

    He went to sit at the big dinner table and when I saw that everyone was going to the table too, I went over to Lily to go to the dining table with her.

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± I said to Lily and she stared at me for a while, before she followed me without saying a word.

    When I got to the table, I brought out a chair for Lily and she sat down quietly. I watched her as she exchanged a look with my foolish rival and I cleared my throat loudly to show that I could see her.

    The dinner started on an awkward note, but it did.

    ¡°How is everyone today? I hope you guys didn¡¯t beat one another up.¡± My rival said and I red at him because I knew that he was referring to me. I saw that Lily stole a nce at me and other people too did the same.

    I cleared my throat again and I didn¡¯t say anything..

    ¡°Mr Cayden, how are you today?¡± He said again and nobody said anything. I turned my head to Lily as she cleared her throat ufortably.

    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡± Lily said because of the awkward silence and I looked around before staring at her.

    ¡°You should sit down.¡± I said in between my teeth. I red at her as she looked at me and she averted her gaze immediately.

    It seemed like she understood what I meant because she gave me a small nod before looking at everyone.

    ¡°So, Mr Cayden, how¡¯s your business doing?¡± One of my business partners said and I turned my attention to him to answer him. I gave him a very detailed exnation about my business and when I was done, I threw a small nod at my rival because I was proud of my business.

    A few minutester, everyone started chattering amongst themselves. The only people that weren¡¯t saying anything were Lily and I.

    I moved closer to her and I ced my mouth behind her ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I whispered and I backed away from her. I watched as a smile appeared on her face and I smiled at her back. I was happy that that was over at least.

    ¡°Mr Cayden, where and when did you meet her?¡± My rival suddenly said and everyone stopped talking and they turned their attention to us.

    Lily looked at me lovingly with a mocking smile on her face, she was also waiting for an answer. I searched her eyes for help and she just shrugged lightly.

    I looked back at everyone that was waiting for an answer and I started speaking slowly.

    ¡°Um. I met her some months back, in a really special ce.¡± I said and I looked back at Lily. Nobody seemed satisfied with my answer and I rested my back on my chair, not ready to give another answer.

    I could see that my rival wanted to ask more questions and I mentally prepared myself for them.

    ¡°Are you guys married or what? Let us know.¡± My rival said and I looked at him with a little bit of sarcasm in my eyes. He red back at me and I saw that he wasn¡¯t joking about it.

    I suddenly bursted intoughter because being married to Lily was so funny to me, I am not even a fan of marriage. I stoppedughing when I saw the confused look on Lily¡¯s face.

    She looked at me with a little bit of anger in her eyes and she excused herself from the table. I tried stopping her, but she didn¡¯t answer me.

    She just left without saying a word and we all watched her as she left the table.

 51

    The dinner date

    Cayden

    Lily excusing herself from the table rmed me. I didn¡¯t realise what I had said would anger Lily. It was all just an act, right? I tried talking to her to sit down but she paid deaf ears and walked away. Good thing was, the people at the table easily got carried away by another topic and weren¡¯t paying attention to the show Lily was putting up with me¡­ except Aaron of course. Such a nosy cunt.

    Aaron followed me closer towards the bar area of the hall as I got up to follow Lily. I paid no attention to him, I needed to catch up with Lily. I felt someone grab my shoulder and turned me around; Aaron. There were lots of people around, so he held me closely so no one would notice. We stayed close to a champagne tower, just close to the entrance. Ady walked in, catching both of our attention. She was in a very astonishing dress. She had a slender body,  her hair was slipped back with curly ends. The colour of her dress was green and it was neck plunging, showing a lot of cleavages, her skin yellow and well moisturized. She also had full-on makeup with bold red lipstick. She was a model, I¡¯m guessing a very expensive one. Aaron drooled, he seemed to have a type; anydy that looked hot. His eyes followed her till she got to her seat.

    ¡°Earth to Aaron? Can you let go of my hand now?¡±  he turned back to me and cleared his throat

    ¡°There¡¯s no need pretending I know that you and lily are not together and I will take her from you at the slightest chance I have. And even if you are together, ill still take her from you¡± Aaron said, looking at me with those eyes of his and a smouldering look. He must think I¡¯m the one to easily be threatened. I made a fist, trying very hard to not punch him but I released it, forcing my hands out of his grip and said;

    ¡°No matter how hard you try, Lily will never ept you. She¡¯s too smart for that¡± his face turned red, and he looked annoyed. I wonder how people could be so petty. I continued my chase after Lily. She went into thedy¡¯s bathroom and I followed her nheless, not bothering if there were otherdies in the bathroom. I needed to know why she suddenly excused herself like that.

    ¡°Lily!¡± she didn¡¯t answer or even turn back

    ¡°Lily!!¡± she ignored again. I knew she could hear me perfectly well.

    ¡°Lily,e on,¡± I said gaining on her and pulling her back to me.

    ¡°trying to go to the bathroom again and you still won¡¯t let me?

    ¡°Please stop running and tell me why you acted the way you did at the table, did I say something wrong?

    ¡°What do you mean? borate please¡± she asked rolling her eyes like she didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.

    ¡°You know, when they talked about the whole marriage thing and Iughed and you got angry¡­ I don¡¯t get it, I thought we were just ying pretend. Or do you n on sabotaging me already? I knew I saw thising!¡± I was almost furious. She gave me a dead stare.

    ¡°wow, you¡¯ve got some nerve. After I followed you here, gave you clients, and won their hearts like a sweet little girl; all you did was leave me, forgetting I followed you here and focusing on the real reason you came here. I was left all alone. What did you expect me to do? Sit in one ce and wait for you? I had to be lucrative with my time, I made a new friend you know, the guy that¡¯s been following me around? Who knows, he might just be the one for me since you¡¯re not!¡± she raised her voice.

    There were somedies behind who had overheard Lily¡¯s speech but luckily, they were not important. They looked stunning though in their beautiful couture dinner dresses. I needed toplement them.

    ¡°Good eveningdies, you all look wonderful¡± they blushed and thanked me, happiness showing in their walking steps as they bounced away. They mostly gave Lily a weird look while passing her. One of them walked back and tried talking to her.

    ¡°Hey, I overheard you guys talking and I know I shouldn¡¯t have but from what I heard, I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re mad¡± she continued ¡°you guys had an agreement and he¡¯s just acting based on what you agreed. There¡¯s no need to be sulking like a child just run with it and maybe at the end of the day, you might just fall for yourselves you sound like you have feelings for him so stop pretending ande out already!¡± she said and walked away with the rest of the crew that was waiting for her.

    I and Lily were in shock but I didn¡¯t show mine. I never guessed Lily would have any form of likeness for me anyway.

    I looked back at Lily, cing my hands on her shoulders, her mouth was agape. I smiled and closed it up for her as I leaned forward and spoke, looking directly into her eyes;

    e on Lily, that was the agreement we made. None of it is real. You know I made you follow me because you already know me and it was going to be easier going with someone I already know. But they came up with the whole marriage talk, throwing me off guard. You know we¡¯re not going there¡±

    That speech didn¡¯t look like it made her feel any better, she shook my hands away from her shoulders and stepped back.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m simply ying my part and I need you to because you simply are not¡±

    She looked at me and didn¡¯t say anything like she was in shock. Was that something wrong too?Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 52

    Ball dancing

    Lily

    I can¡¯t believe he just said that, I was in total shock. Does he consider me a puppet? I stared at him in amazement, I¡¯m sure he thinks he can control me as he does with the girls he meets regrly. That¡¯s not me, I¡¯m not doing that.

    ¡°you don¡¯t get to tell me what I can and can¡¯t do, it¡¯s a free world. I¡¯m not your girlfriend and I¡¯ve done what you needed of me. You left me out there, feeling awkward and I had all these people on me like they were about to rip me open and eat me inside out. I saw Aaron and he kept mepany so I had to have fun. At least, someone noticed that I was there and kept mepany, made me feel important and you didn¡¯t¡± I said walking towards him and my fingers pointed at him.

    ¡°so stop acting shocked at my behaviour because this is all because of you!¡± I stopped and said, ¡°besides, what¡¯s wrong with a little bit of fun?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Wow, you think that¡¯s fun right?¡± I rolled my eyes

    ¡°yes, of course you think so. I¡¯m sure you act so nice to everyone¡±

    ¡°wait, what? How can you be so daft? That¡¯s the best you coulde up with?¡± I looked down, hurt at his words

    ¡°you know what? Come to closer Cayden¡± he slowly moved closer to me then I ced my hands on his shoulder

    ¡°I need to tell you something and I mean it from the bottom of my heart Cayden, FUCKOFF!!!¡± I eximed and stormed out of the bathroom. He was in shock. I went back inside with a bright smile.

    I saw Aaron and walked up to him, he was amid otherdies

    ¡°hey there handsome¡± I ced my hands on his shoulders and he turned around, smiling sheepishly

    ¡°Hey Lily, so wheres the man that¡¯s always hovering around you every time we try to have a good time?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s somewhere around, sulking that I¡¯m spending time with you¡± I ced my index finger on his chest and took it to my hair, twirling it¡±

    ¡°Nice¡±

    Cayden came out and our eyes jammed. He walked over to a sit and watched me

    ¡°do you want to dance?¡± I asked Aaron, already dragging him to the dance floor

    ¡°I guess there was no need to ask then¡±

    He drew me into a close embrace, there was 80¡¯s r&b music ying over therge speakers; some hung from the ceiling like chandeliers and the rest sat on the floor called subs.

    ¡°so, what¡¯s the deal with you and Cayden?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I asked

    ¡°You know, Cayden says you¡¯re together but I can see through the lie. I need to know what the deal is anyway because I want you. He raised my face which previouslyid on his shoulders to meet his face. I looked boldly into his eyes.

    ¡°I know I can treat you better than he does, give you more than he can. I see that he doesn¡¯t value your presence as much as I do, I can change that¡± his hands slid further down my back, bringing me closer to him. I could smell his cologne. It smelt very expensive and arrogant.

    More people started trooping in on the dance floor and I had to exchange dance partners at some points. Another man that came to dance with me started flirting too. He was way older than me but I loved what it was doing to Cayden, his face was red and boiling with anger. He walked up to a girl in a green astonishing dress and asked her to dance, and she agreed. She looked elegant and expensive. He came to dance directly in front of me. It didn¡¯t move me. I just wanted to have a good time and Aaron was giving me that.

    More people came to dance with me, giving me so manypliments and flirting. They knew that I was Cayden¡¯s girlfriend but the fact that I wasn¡¯t acting like it and having a good time with Mr Aaron gave them the idea that I was free to mingle with whoever I wanted to.

    I got back to dance with Aaron and it was the real dance began:

    We began waltzing around, hands locked together. My body was a bit stiff as I had not done it before. I could feel his every breath on me.

    Whenever he felt difort, he changed the style to make sure I was okay but I knew he was just doing this for the stares it got him. So was I anyway, everyone¡¯s eyes were on us. I followed his every step leading me into the perfect move that I forgot about the eyes and was just really enjoying myself with a man that knew how to dance and impress ady.

    Somehow, I wanted Cayden to have been the one I was doing this with but he was too proud to even apologize or be a man towards me. Aaron slowly danced with me, staring into my eyes and I¡¯m sure by now, his cologne was all over me. He twirled me around him and I did the same to him, then he walked to my front and took a bow. The music ended. I turned towards Cayden and saw him approaching me.

    ¡°What are you doing Lily? You¡¯re messing this up for me! I don¡¯t even know why I carried you along with me here, you¡¯re of no good to me!¡± He took me by the hand, grabbed my purse and took me outside. There were lesser eyes there.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you behaving yourself? You¡¯re just so set out to destroy me and it¡¯s pathetic! I can barely face you right now¡±

 53

    Being gas lighted

    Lily

    I looked at him while he spoke like he was about to run mad. I was driving him crazy, I liked it.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m only doing what you asked of me, to be nice to everyone. Isn¡¯t that what you said? That you¡¯re sure I¡¯m nice to everyone? Aren¡¯t you happy? I¡¯m doing what you wanted¡± Cayden looked so disappointed

    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of your excesses, it¡¯s frustrating. I never thought you¡¯d slot yourself out like this, for every man to talk to and flirt with¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°I spoke to Aaron and he told me that he wants to try and get you. I told him that will never happen, you¡¯re too smart and decent for him but you know what? You¡¯re exactly his type, the kind that will be used like every other girl that showcases themselves around men like him and gets dumped. Such a horrible sight to see ¡±

    Iughed

    ¡°And you? Are you any better? You presume to be gentle and caring but you¡¯re just another yboy struggling to get out of the street how far has that worked for you? You know, you could have just picked another one of those girls that you pick up from bars and the likes but you wanted me toe with you because you knew I was more decent than you just previously said.¡± I felt proud of my defence, even if he still annoyingly looked at me.

    He murmured some insulting words under his breath. I didn¡¯t want to hear them anyway, I was getting tired of being there, and I needed to leave. Somedies and old women started walking our way, slowly passing remarks loud enough for me to hear

    ¡°Such a slot¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t belong here¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t deserve a man like him¡±

    ¡°Why would he bring a scavenger like her here¡±

    ¡°All over Aaron like she hadn¡¯t seen the man before¡±

    I heard all of thesements and it got me angry.

    ¡°All of this is just because I was trying to help you, now look what I¡¯m going through. I have a brand I¡¯m trying to protect for Christ¡¯s sake!¡± I turned over to thedies;

    ¡°Ladies, why are you in a hurry to go back? You should¡¯vee back and said all those remarks to my face! Come one, don¡¯t be shy!¡± They came back but maintained a safe distance between us

    ¡°Say what you were saying to me to my face, let¡¯s see who has the balls¡± I stood facing them, arms folded. Cayden just watched in dismay.

    Thedies were shocked

    ¡°I thought y¡¯all were bold earlier? Come on? Say it!¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t saying anything, madam¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Now you address me as madam?¡± Iughed and shook my head.

    ¡°You all think you¡¯re better than me, yea? Aren¡¯t you all just feeding off of your spouses and boyfriends? I have an establishment, I¡¯m more independent than any of you right now so technically we¡¯re not on the same level and yea, go fuck yourselves!!!¡±

    People started gathering, I didn¡¯t realize that I had caused quite the scene.

    ¡°What are y¡¯all looking at? Huh?¡±

    Cayden quickly stepped in and dragged me out of there, apologizing to thedies

    ¡°Apologizing? Really? After what they said to me?¡± He didn¡¯t say a word. He took me back and told me to stay put at the entrance

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back, need to say a few goodbyes, don¡¯t do anything stupid, okay?¡± I rolled my eyes at him.

    I watched him say goodbye to the host and other important guests at dinner. He seemed like a pretty important person. Don¡¯t want to spoil his image but I¡¯ve just gotta have my fun. Imagine being married to someone like that, being number two in the chain ofmand, attending dinners and balls, going for expensive dates and eating at expensive restaurants with designer gowns, having chauffeurs and giving the best life to Jacek and Nana. Quite the luxurious life, yea? But I don¡¯t want to be a ve, I want a deep love connection not for material things, someone that I can be overly understanding and rational with. Cayden always turns everything into a fight, it¡¯s ridiculous and tiring. Can¡¯t deal with his childish ass.

    Somedies saw that I had been staring for a while and came to talk trash to me. I recognized one from thedies outside earlier

    ¡°Still not stared at your man enough? Get a grip on yourself! We¡¯re very collected people here and I don¡¯t know how you do things from where you came from but it¡¯s high time you go back to that slum¡±

    Luckily for me, I was close to the champagne tower. I took a ss and emptied it on thedy¡¯s faceC0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Are you crazy???¡± She shouted and Laughed loudly

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is with youdies, you don¡¯t get tired of picking on people? You should be lucky I didn¡¯t punch you in the face. The only thing stopping me from doing that is that man right there, alright?¡± I pointed to Cayden, who had not yet realized what was happening.

    ¡°You should leave, like now!¡± One of the otherdies said. I turned towards Cayden, he noticed what was happening and started walking towards me. I quickly arranged myself but I couldn¡¯t really hide it, people were staring at me already and thedy that I poured wine on was still there like she wanted Cayden to see.

    Reaching me, he gave a very deadly stare like a mum gives her child when she¡¯s preparing her for the scolding she¡¯s gonna give him when they get home.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorrydies, forgive her for she¡¯s drunk. Yea, she had a lot to drink this evening, like a lot¡±

    He turned to me and said, ¡°let¡¯s go! You¡¯ve embarrassed me enough for a day!¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say ¡°why Lily?¡±

    I felt embarrassed that he apologize to thosedies when he didn¡¯t even know what happened. That was hurtful

 54

    Chapter 54 ¨C

    I can¡¯t find Lily anywhere.

    Cayden

    Lily looked really hurt when I apologised to the women. I know that she was thinking about why I didn¡¯t listen to her own side of the story before I reacted like that.

    What could I do? They were already saying really bad things to her already and I knew that if I didn¡¯t interfere and apologise on her behalf, then they would start thinking about so many things and I¡¯m sure that the hatred that they already have for her would increase.

    The women looked a little bit satisfied after I apologised to them and I reluctantly looked back at Lily. The hurt was still visible on her face and I cleared my throat in a really awkward way because of the situation.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± I said to Lily and she looked away from me without saying anything. I could see that she was really angry, but I couldn¡¯t say anything to her at that moment, I just wanted us to bid everyone goodbye and just leave. I knew that we were going to solve it when we got to the hotel.

    ¡°You heard me, Lily. Come on, let¡¯s go and bid everyone goodbye and leave. That¡¯d be good for the both of us.¡± I knew that what I said sounded like a threat, but I just had to say it, so Lily would listen to me.

    Lily did the opposite of what I said and she walked past me, her shoulder brushing against mine as she walked past me. I turned and I watched her leave without even saying anything to me or even anyone. She didn¡¯t utter any word of goodbye to anyone and I started feeling a little bit awkward because now I had to make everyone think that everything was fine.

    I don¡¯t know why Lily was overreacting, I mean, I just apologised to the women, not like I med her for anything. I just can¡¯t wait to get to the hotel, so we will solve this.

    I can¡¯t really keep up with the constant awkward moments that we are always having.

    I looked back at everyone and a few of them were looking at me, not knowing what to say to me. I slowly walked to them and I rubbed my palms together before saying anything.

    ¡°Thank you so much for everything and yeah, the dinner too. We will see you allter. Thank you once again and goodbye.¡± I carefully said and a good number of them actually replied with smiles and I felt a little bit better.

    Before leaving, I stole a nce at my rival and before he had the chance to say anything, I left the hall instantly to meet Lily. I was sure that she was either waiting for me at the car or at the hotel, but I knew that she was definitely going to be at the car because how else will she get to the hotel?

    I got out of the dinner hall and I started walking to my car very fast. I didn¡¯t want to keep Lily standing.

    However, the closer I got to the car, the more I realised that nobody was actually standing beside my car.

    I walked faster to the car and I checked the other side of it to see if she was standing there. She wasn¡¯t.

    I quickly got inside the car and I instantly put it on. Anyone that saw me at that moment, would think that I was really looked put together, not knowing that I was a little bit scared.

    I didn¡¯t know where Lily was or where she even went, so the fact that I was scared was a bit justified.

    I increased the speed of my car, ignoring the constant screams from my fellow drivers and passers-by too.

    While I was driving, only one thing, more like a name, was ringing in my head; Lily.

    If she wasn¡¯t in my car and she wasn¡¯t at the dinner hall, then she would definitely be at the hotel. Right?

    Who am I kidding? I wasn¡¯t even sure myself if she was at the hotel, but a huge part of me was telling me otherwise, that she was at the hotel.

    In less than nine minutes, I was trying to park my car in the hotel¡¯s parking lot. The hotel was really packed with so many cars, so getting a ce to park was so hard

    After so many trials and shouts from me to some drivers, I finally seeded in getting a parking spot. When I was sure that my car was properly parked and good, I hurried out of it and I made sure that it was kicked before I left.

    I started going inside the hotel and when I started feeling really weird, I increased my pace.

    I didn¡¯t return the brief greeting of the receptionist because I didn¡¯t even pay attention to it, even though I inwardly apologised to her and I hurried into the elevator because of how anxious I was.

    It seemed like the elevator was going really slow and I hit the side of it for it to go really fast. It didn¡¯t. I guess that that¡¯s not how elevators work anyway.

    I was happy that I was the only one in it because if I wasn¡¯t, then the people that would have been in it, would probably be looking at me like a mad man right now because of how I was pacing around it.

    The elevator finally got to my floor and I started walking really fast to our room. I didn¡¯t even realise that I was silently praying that she would be there, sitting angrily, with her hands crossed against her rising and falling chest.

    When I got to our room, I scanned the room for a while before sliding the key at the door. I was sure that she had her own key, so if she came to the room, then she would have gone inside.

    When the door opened, I opened it widely and my fear was confirmed.

    Lily wasn¡¯t in the room.

    I checked every part of the room and I didn¡¯t see her.

    My heart suddenly started racing and for the first time that day, I was super scared. So scared.

    I brought out my phone and I started calling her phone. She didn¡¯t pick.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    I called her again and it was the same thing. She didn¡¯t pick.

    I cleaned the beams of sweat that were starting to gather on my forehead before I called her for the third time.

    She still didn¡¯t pick.

    I knew that I was in for something then. Something bad.

 55

    APART

    Furious and disappointed, I decided not to return to the hotel Cayden booked for us. I told the driver to take me ¡®just anywhere¡¯. I asked him to show me around New York; I wanted to seize the opportunity to feed my eyes knowing I wasn¡¯t going to spend forever in that city.

    Feeling the cool breeze that graced my skin through the car windows helped me a lot to calm down and think less about what happened. I tried my very best not to feel regrets of any sort as it wouldn¡¯t be too good for us both.

    ¡°Any good and cheap restaurants you have in mind? I need to get food,¡± I asked the driver, breaking the long silence.

    ¡°I could take you to one I love to visit if you wish, Madame,¡± he replied politely.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I rested my head on the chair and closed my eyes.

    With my bag ced on myp, I felt my phone buzz. As usual, it was Cayden calling. I avoided his calls like a gue and this time wasn¡¯t going to be different. After calling for the umpteenth time, I put my phone in silent mode out of annoyance.

    I went back to feeling the cool breeze as I dumped the phone in my purse. At the time, I wanted to rid myself of all possible unnecessary thoughts that could bug me. I asked the driver to take me to the restaurant he proposed earlier.

    On getting to the restaurant, I ordered the food to be put in a ¡®take-away¡¯ pack ¨C which was going to be my dinner. While waiting for my order, I sat down and had a cheap bottle of red wine ¨C I wasn¡¯t going to spend mboyantly, I had a family to manage. Savoring the sweet vor of the wine attracted positive thoughts to mind ¨C thoughts of nana and my baby boy, Jacek. Before I realized what was going on, I found myself grinning ear to ear and chuckling all by myself. It felt really good to have positive thoughtse to mind at that time.

    Few minutester, I left the restaurant and asked the driver to help me look into cheap motels I could spend the night. Obviously, I wasn¡¯t going to go running back to Cayden who served me a real dose of embarrassment on a tter. The driver proved to be God-sent to me that night as he helped me a great deal.

    I eventually checked into a cheap motel the driver helped me find. It was not in any wayparable to the extravagancy I enjoyed in Cayden¡¯spany, but in the very least, I had my peace of mind and rest.

    I got the keys from the receptionist I saw at the entrance of the building and made my way to my room ¨C room 15. On getting into the room, I threw my bag to the bed andid down t on it as I let out a deep sigh of relief. I was too fatigued physically and otherwise to even think of checking out the room first, as that was the normal thing to do in a new ce.

    I took out my phone and pressed the ¡®power-button¡¯. What my eyes saw drove me to utter astonishment ¨C thirty-three missed calls from Cayden! In stared at the screen for a moment and instead of yielding to the thoughts of returning his calls, I switched off my phonepletely and threw it to a corner.

    I then took out the food I bought from the restaurant; I was famished.  I had turkey chili ¨C brown rice topped with turkey chili, pepperjack cheese and pico di gallo ¨C for dinner; it was specially rmended to me as it was on sales at the time. I made sure to savor every bite I took and actually enjoyed it.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    I knew Lily was obviously mad at me but ¡®where could she have run off to by this time and is not even picking her calls?¡¯ I thought.

    I drove through the city in search of Lily, all to naught. I called her phone so many times but she didn¡¯t pick and that got me really worried. I wasn¡¯t going to bring someone new to my city and get the person missing. Without any particr ce in mind, I rummaged through the whole city.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Where could she have gone?¡± I was so worried about her, I couldn¡¯t think straight. I picked up my phone and dialed her number for the umpteenth time and this time, my call wasn¡¯t just ignored, her phone was switched off!

    I hit my legs against the brakes of my car abruptly, causing the tyres to screech. This time, Ipletely lost it. Her phone being off meant I couldn¡¯t track her device even if that was thest thing I ended up doing.

    I didn¡¯t stop dialing her number, I was too anxious to do so. I kept dialing her number, hoping it¡¯d eventually be turned on, but my efforts all came to naught.

    ¡°Lily where on earth are you?¡±  I cried out as I bowed my head against my steering wheel. ¡°I just hope you¡¯re safe Lily, I really do,¡± I recited continuously. I sincerely hoped she hadn¡¯t gotten into any form of trouble as I doubted she knew her way around New York.

    Eventually, after series of thoughts, I concluded that getting overly frustrated and anxious wasn¡¯t going to get me anywhere. I turned on the car and drove back to the hotel, hoping to see Lily there.

    My hopes were shattered to pieces in no time ¨C I got back to the hotel and there was still no trace of Lily around. I dashed back downstairs to inquire of the receptionist.

    ¡°Thedy that came with me earlier, the petite beautiful light-skinneddy¡­,¡± I tried to describe Lily the best way I could.

    ¡°Your fianc¨¦e?¡± the receptionist asked. ¡®My fianc¨¦e?¡¯ I was shocked she actually called Lily my fianc¨¦e.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I affirmed without thinking twice or correcting her notion.

    ¡°No I haven¡¯t,¡± she shook her head.

    ¡°Okay, thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee sir,¡± she said with a smile.

 56

    LILY¡¯S RETURN

    The next morning, thoughts about Lily¡¯s whereabouts brought to an abrupt end, the few hours of sleep I could barely get. Thinking about Lily all throughst night until the early hours of the morning deprived me of my beauty sleep and any peace of mind. I sprung out of bed to get the day started again on searching for my supposed ¡®date¡¯. In the space of an instant, I mapped out in my head areas she could have possibly been if she was in fact missing but if she wasn¡¯t, and chose to stay away on purpose, finding her would be a bit more tedious.

    I picked up my phone to check if I had missed any calls from Lily but to no astonishment of mine, there wasn¡¯t any. I sat down on the couch and rested my leg on the table in front of it, my back against the couch with my eyes closed thinking about the next line of action to take; I had to find Lily. I was worried sick and angry at Lily at the same time. Shepletely derailed from the initial n and almost ruined everything, and on top of that, she acted up and left me in the middle of nowhere. I felt not only hurt, but also disappointed; I had absolute trust in her.

    I went into the bathroom to take my bath and just as I was about derobing myself, my door bell rang. ¡®Could it be Lily?¡¯ I thought and raced out to get the door. On getting to the door, I opened it and it was in fact Lily.

    Like what she did the previous night came shing back to my mind spontaneously, I forgot the feeling of anxiety I felt due to her absencepletely, and ignored the brief moment of relief I felt when my eyes met hers. The only feeling I felt welling in me towards her then was anger.

    ¡°Lily how could you be this insensitive?!¡± I barked at the very person I spent my entire night thinking of, the very moment I saw her. ¡°Like the drama you disyed at the party wasn¡¯t enough, you also chose to ce unnecessary burdens on me and decided to go missingst night,¡± Ished out further.

    ¡°Youpletely derailed off the n, Lily. Completely!! We had an agreement, Lily. You had no right whatsoever to ce me in such a sticky situation as the one fromst night,¡± I scolded. ¡°Why did you do that, Lily? Why did you have to stand me up the way you did? If there was something wrong, why didn¡¯t you just call my attention to it?¡± I asked almost at once but noticed Lily wasn¡¯t even paying any attention to me.

    She walked past me, went straight to the wardrobe and took out her small box. ¡®What¡¯s thisdy trying to pull right now?¡¯

    ¡°Lily,¡± I held her by the arm and stood between her and the bed. She forcefully rid herself of my grip and made her way past me, to the bed to ce her box and pack her things properly.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I reduced the pitch of my voice on seeing the look on Lily¡¯s face. ¡°Can you cut it out already and talk to me?¡± I decided to stop with the yelling and rub minds with her instead.

    Lily paid me no attention as she waspletely focused on packing her things. I took a closer look at her face and noticed that just like I did, she also had dark circles around her eyes. ¡®Did she not get enough night¡¯s rest?¡¯ I wondered. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get enough night¡¯s rest?¡± I voiced withpassion swelling in my tone but she didn¡¯t even nce at me.

    ¡°Lily please listen to me okay?¡± I tried to get her to look at me as I waved my hands continuously to her face. She didn¡¯t even budge; she walked past me again to the table behind me to get her deodorants. I stood in her way again and got her to look at me, finally!

    ¡°Can we talk?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°So you can actually speak gently, huh?¡± she fired.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°We need to iron this out.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s absolutely nothing left to iron out, Cayden. Whatever happened yesterday has passed, but the feeling it brought with itself still remains!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely faultless here, you know?¡± I defended.

    ¡°Oh really?¡± she asked with sarcasm enveloping each word she voiced. ¡°Now tell me, what exactly did I do wrong?¡± she folded her arms and pouted her lips. ¡°All you ever care about is you and you alone. What others think and how they feel¡­¡± she paused, staring deep into my soul, ¡°is none of your concern,¡± she concluded slowly. She heaved a deep sigh and tried to calm down as I had let her rant continuously without cutting her off.

    ¡°Why do you keep calling me selfish?¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s exactly what you are,¡± she retorted. ¡°That¡¯s¡­exactly¡­what¡­you¡­are, Mister,¡± she emphasized.

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m selfish?¡± I felt a bit hurt each time implied I was selfish.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stuttering when I said it,¡± she affirmed strongly.

    ¡°Listen,¡± I touched her by the arm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me please,¡± she moved further away from me to get my hand off her.

    I heaved a sigh, suppressing the urge to retaliate. ¡°If we both calm down and see things from the same perspective, we could prevent it from escting,¡± I said mildly.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I want to see from your¡­,¡± she poked my chest, ¡°perspective, Mister,¡± she paused. ¡°I sincerely regreting here with you in the first ce. And to think I abandoned my duties and mypetition to be here with you right now and you¡¯re not even the least grateful,¡± she scoffed.

    ¡°Can you just!¡­,¡± I eximed and paused abruptly. I held myself back from starting another brawl with her. I immediately turned to her box and started unpacking it. ¡°Can you just be calm and exin to me in details why you felt the way you did and what spurred you to act out the way you did? I¡¯d appreciate it if you do so,¡± I continued unpacking her clothes. ¡°Why do you keep calling me selfish an ungrateful, Lily?¡±

 57

    LILY¡¯S PREDICAMENT

    ¡°Please tell me what¡¯s wrong so we could fix it,¡± I asked politely.

    She stood there and while ring at me, I noticed her eyes welled up gradually. ¡®Was she tearing up? Why exactly?¡¯ I walked up to her and asked again with concern, ¡°what¡¯s wrong, Lily?¡± which made her tear up instantly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked again. ¡°What exactly did I do?¡± I was shocked by her sudden outburst. ¡®What could I have done?¡¯ I thought. ¡°C¡¯mon Lily¡± I kept urging her to talk to me instead of crying.

    ¡°Last night, I didn¡¯t find what you did funny at all,¡± she finally said. ¡°You brought me to an entirely new environment, got caught up with feeling the moment yourself, and forgot you had an extra responsibility ¨C me. On three consecutive asions you treated me so badly, Cayden,¡± sheshed out amidst the tears.

    ¡°Calm down,¡± I urged her to rx and exin to me calmly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to calm down!¡± she fired. ¡°You just keep shut and listen to me,¡± she ordered.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Yes miss, please continue,¡± I spoke with mildness gesturing her to go on.

    ¡°I was really disappointed, you know that? I didn¡¯t expect you to humiliate me the way you did¡­,¡±

    ¡°I did?¡­,¡± I tried to cut her off again.

    ¡°Just listen!¡± she eximed and I instantly went silent.

    ¡°You know what ticked me off the most? The encounter with those bbermouth women. They were the ones who ridiculed me but you jumped in and instead of asking me properly what went on, you immediately took their side, making me!¡­,¡± she pointed herself, ¡°look like the troublemaker, dumping the fault all on me,¡± shepleted her sentence. ¡°You didn¡¯t even for once ask how I felt with everything and everyone; I was so very ufortable Cayden! The piercing stares each and every one gave me didn¡¯t make me feel good not even in the slightest way. I despised every moment I spent there!¡± she eximed. I just heaved a sigh and listened patiently to every word she uttered. ¡°I hate you for this. You¡¯re a selfish and self-centered egoist. That¡¯s exactly what you are, Cayden!¡± she concluded her scolding and covered her face with both palms as she kept wailing.

    ¡°I hate you Cayden, I hate you,¡± she muttered under her breath.

    I felt deeply hurt by what she said; I didn¡¯t realize I hurt her that much. I instinctively held her by the hand in a bid to pull her into my embrace. ¡°Just leave me alone,¡± she struggled with me but oh well, guess who had zero intentions of budging this time ¨C me. Eventually she stopped struggling and yielded. I pulled her into my warm embrace and ced her head on my chest in a bid to calm her down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily. I really am. I didn¡¯t realize how badly I must have hurt you,¡± I paused. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. I was too engrossed with myself that I ignored you and your feelingspletely. I¡¯m so sorry for what happenedst night,¡± I apologized heartily, while caressing her hair.

    I held on to her until she calmed down and was sobbing continuously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily, I really am,¡± I kept saying apologetically.

    We maintained our position for the next few minutes, the room became really silent. The only thing Lily could hear was the sound of my heartbeat, while I savored the beautiful feeling that came with holding her up close. She raised her head up, forcing me to move my hands down to her waistline. We stared deep into each other¡¯s eyes without uttering a word ¨C we were lost in each other¡¯s thoughts.

    Personally, I admired her beauty up close that I didn¡¯t even realize when my head started moving, in preparation for a kiss. She did nothing but close her eyes slowly like she was in fact ready for whatever I had in mind to do. Just before our lips could interlock, the sound of a phone ringing jerked us back to reality, forcefully causing us to back off from each other.

    Anxiously, I picked the phone from the bed and answered the call. ¡°Lily?¡± the voice from the other end called out, making me realize it was in fact, Lily¡¯s phone. ¡°Lily it¡¯s for you,¡± I handed the phone over to her and went over to sit on the couch.

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s nana,¡± she said on seeing the caller and held the phone to her ear.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Lily?¡±

    ¡°Nana?¡± I heard Lily call out.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡±¡­ ¡°Really?!¡± she eximed ¡­ ¡°Seven hours?!¡± she eximed again. As I could only hear Lily¡¯s part of the entire conversation, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from wondering what in fact the call was about. In no time she hung up and heaved a sigh of frustration.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked with concern.

    ¡°That was my granny.¡±

    ¡°That much was obvious. What did she say?¡± I inquired further.

    ¡°She said I need to be home bytest, in seven hours time for the second phase of thepetition,¡± she exined.

    ¡°Second phase?!¡± I was shocked to hear that. ¡°I thought¡­,¡±

    ¡°I thought so too,¡± she cut in. ¡°But now the situation¡¯s different.¡± She looked at the time on her phone, ¡°if I leave now, I¡¯d be able to make it in time for thepetition.¡±

    ¡°Now?!¡± I eximed wide-eyed to her bewilderment.

    ¡°Yes, why? Any   problem? We had the event yesterday, right?¡±she asked. ¡°Besides, I was scheduled to leave today, so why the fuss?¡± she added.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I really don¡¯t know how to say this and you¡¯ll not get angry.¡± She red at me wearing the ¡®this guy is up to more trouble again¡¯ look. ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    ¡°Well, apparently¡­,¡± I cleared my throat, thinking of the best way to say what I wanted to that¡¯d get Lily the least upset.

    ¡°Apparently?¡± Lily was growing impatient.

    I manned up and said, ¡°we have a golf meeting that¡¯ll onlyst thirty minutes¡­,¡± I said with my heart in my mouth.

    ¡°Golf meeting?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

 58

    LILY

    After everything I exined to this guy in front of me, he still had the nerve to ask me for more. As far as I was concerned, he was being really insensitive.

    ¡°Golf meeting?¡± I asked again and scoffed. I wondered how someone could be as insensitive and as self-centered as he was.

    ¡°Listen,¡± I held myself back from getting angry and scolding him again. ¡°I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s best for me to remain here, okay? I need to leave and right away okay?¡±

    ¡°Lily please listen. If I go there alone, it¡¯d portray our rtionship as a joke or even a fake in front of everyone. Please I really need your help on this one,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°Cayden don¡¯t you get it? You really don¡¯t? With everything that happened, you really do expect me to go back there?¡± I pointed the door as a form of gesture.

    ¡°I promise to be better this time, Lily. Please you have to help me. I¡¯m okay with you calling me selfish but please, you really do have toe to my aid on this. I need you badly,¡± he pleaded heartily. He was doing the thing again ¨C using his seductive tone on me. He knew very well what buttons to push and it infuriated me the more.

    ¡°Please?¡±

    ¡°But I really have to be back in time. Are you not putting me into consideration here?¡±

    ¡°Okay, how about we do this?¡± He looked like he had an idea.

    ¡°You have an idea?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes. How about we just make an appearance together and few minutester, You feign a faint or stomach upset or anything at all that you could use as an excuse to excuse yourself and exit the premises?¡± he asked staring at me.

    I thought about what he said for some time, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea after all. I decided to help him as he had mepletely swept off my feet.

    ¡°How long from now is the said meeting?¡± I asked and noticed the instant switch in his countenance from ¡®nervous¡¯ to ¡®happy¡¯.

    He looked at the time and replied, ¡°thirty minutes from now actually.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± I gave in, but grudgingly.

    ¡°Thank you so much, Lily. You¡¯re the best,¡± he appraised me and headed for the bathroom to start preparing.

    The golf meeting was held at a golf course obviously. In no time, the golf club were all present, including Gabriel ¨C Cayden¡¯s rival. We were all in golf clothing.

    ¡°Nice shot,¡± they all cheered Cayden as he yed.

    Those who yed took on the putter and made their shots, while those who didn¡¯t stood by the side and cheered for them. Among those who cheered were me and Gabriel. For some reason though, Gabriel had his eyes on me the entire time which made me feel very uneasy. After checking my wristwatch for the umpteenth time in a bid to discern when the best time would be to feign a stomach upset without giving off the smell of a rat, I decided to go for it.

    ¡°Arghhh!¡± I groaned and held tight to my stomach. Gabriel immediately rushed to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong miss?¡± he asked.

    ¡°My stomach hurts badly,¡± I groaned. ¡°It does?¡± I sensed sarcasm in his tone. ¡°You ate something Cayden didn¡¯t? Because he¡­,¡± he gestured towards Cayden, ¡°seems just fine,¡± hepleted his sentence.

    I turned to look at his face, ¡°I said I feel sick right now. What are you saying?¡± I still remained in character.

    ¡°We have a medic team, you know? We could call them for you. How¡¯s that? This guy was hell bent on frustrating my efforts. ¡°No, thank you,¡± I declined politely.

    Cayden then noticed what was up and came to us. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Lily?¡± he held on to me to provide me with support as I was bending over a bit. ¡°Are you okay? What happened to you?¡± He askedpassionately almost at once. Cayden was aplete drama ¡®king¡¯. He was being so dramatic; I hoped he didn¡¯t spur unnecessary suspicions.

    In no time, the entire club were all around me, inquiring of my condition. ¡°What¡¯s wrong honey?¡± one of the investors¡¯ wife asked with concern. ¡°Is it that time of the month?¡± another chipped in. In order to look the part, I ignored their concerns and kept groaning.

    ¡°She could go home if she isn¡¯t ok,¡± I heard someone said what I wanted to hear. ¡°Or we could call the medic team,¡± Gabriel suggested and extinguished the ray of hope I thought I had. Gabriel immediately put a call across and requested for the medic team. ¡®Shoot!  This is heading for a proper screw up¡¯, I said in my mind.

    I looked at Cayden, scanning his face and eyes for any possible solutions. ¡®Say something¡¯, I said to Cayden without uttering a word.

    ¡°Gabriel that wouldn¡¯t be necessary,¡± he finally said. ¡°As a matter of fact, she¡¯s been having episodes as this one for a while now, we need to get her to a hospital or better still, invite my personal doctor over. We need to go,¡± he lied. ¡°Thanks for your concern,¡± he added.

    ¡°Oh is that so?¡± Gabriel didn¡¯t seem to buy Cayden¡¯s story. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone would be curious to know what will be of her condition¡­,¡± he took nces at each an everyone present, ¡°why don¡¯t I apany you both?¡± he finally asked and sent chills down my spine. What was this his problem?

    ¡°Excuse you?¡± Cayden retorted. ¡°If anyone here is curious, they can as well call me on phone to ask of her. Why do you need toe along?¡± Cayden spoke in his defense.

    ¡°There¡¯s no harm, right?¡± he asked no one in particr. I noticed some other members there bought his idea, seeing how they nodded repeatedly.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Unless you have something to hide, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± he said, acting all smug.

    ¡°Listen Gabriel, Lily here is mine and taking care of her ispletely my responsibility, okay? You do not have to bother yourself with our business,¡± Cayden backfired.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Calm down Cayden. No one here ispeting with you over this.¡± ¡°True!¡± I heard someone else concur. Things were about to get real messy. ¡°All I ask is to be there as a representative of this honorable club,¡± he spread out his arms as a form of gesture.

    ¡°But¡­,¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­,¡± I cut Cayden off to his surprise, ¡°you cane with us,¡± I concluded. ¡®What are you doing?¡¯ spelt the expression on Cayden¡¯s face as he turned around to stare at me wide-eyed. I nodded slightly in a bid to say ¡®I got this, rx¡¯.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine?¡± Gabriel asked looking all thrilled. ¡°Yes you can tag along,¡± I replied. ¡°Seems like she doesn¡¯t have a problem with it after all,¡± Gabriel said to Cayden.

 59

    THE ARTIFICE

    After much said and done, Gabriel tagged along with us as we drove to the hospital. We took Cayden¡¯s car while he drove in his car right behind us.

    ¡°What do you n to do now?¡± Cayden asked me when we were together in his car while looking at Gabriel¡¯s through the side mirror.

    ¡°Drive to the clinic.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± he eximed. ¡°Did you delude yourself into thinking you¡¯re actually sick?¡±

    ¡°Calm down and listen to what I have to say.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°We go to the hospital, at the ER, serious diagnosis are not made so there will be absolutely no problems getting past that phase. When we get a doctor, you discreetly exin our predicament and plead with him to y along,¡± I exined.

    ¡°Do you think that will work?¡± he asked skeptically.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t, we¡¯re all screwed then,¡± I said in a nonchnt manner.

    ¡°What?!¡± he eximed wide-eyed as he turned briefly to stare at me. You¡¯re not even certain your n will work and you agreed to let Gabriel tag along?

    ¡°What would you have had me do? Didn¡¯t you notice he was already cajoling everyone into buying his idea? I had to quench the mes of suspicion before it turned into a wildfire.¡±

    ¡°I just hope this n of yours works.¡±

    ¡°I hope so too.¡±

    ¡°You really are something, Lily,¡± he scoffed, I chuckled.

    On getting to the hospital, I was given general emergency care in the emergency room ¨C the ER. When filling the consent form, Cayden was filled in as my husband and Gabriel as my friend. In no time, a doctor came to attend to us.

    In order to prevent the doctor from blowing our cover, Cayden calls the doctor discreetly and apparently, he exined the nature of our predicament to him.

    About fifteen minutester, everyone ¨C including the doctor ¨C was gathered in my room to receive the doctor¡¯s note. Gabriel asked the doctor to exin to him in details what had happened to me; he didn¡¯t want to hear anything from Cayden. I pretended to be asleep and heard the entire conversation in the room.

    ¡°Well, we managed to calm her down. She apparently went into shock and is now asleep,¡± the doctor said. He waspletely in on the ploy. I wondered what exactly Cayden had told him to say. I wanted tough so badly.

    ¡°Shock?¡± Gabriel asked. I heard Cayden sobbing in the background; he was being overly dramatic, I must confess.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the doctor replied.

    ¡°From what exactly?¡± Gabriel was proving to be a hard rock.  Why wouldn¡¯t he just take what the doctor said and get lost.

    ¡°Gastro-intestinal infection,¡± the doctor blurted confidently. ¡®What?!! Gastro-intestinal what?!¡¯ I suppressed the urge I felt to burst into a hystericughter. And to think that wasn¡¯t enough, Cayden started wailing and holding on to my hand. His actions made it harder for me to maintain myposure and act properly but I wasn¡¯t ready to turn back when we were almost there. I decided to hang in there until Gabriel left.

    ¡°But she¡¯ll be okay right?¡± Gabriel asked.

    ¡°Definitely, she will. I will prescribe some drugs to make her feel better.¡±

    ¡°Can you cut it out already? The doctor said she¡¯ll be fine,¡± he scolded Cayden. ¡°Thank you doctor,¡± he shook the doctor.

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m only doing my job as a doctor,¡± he replied.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll get going now,¡± he scoffed at Cayden and walked out of the room.

    When I heard the sound of the door close, I waited for a while to make sure he wasn¡¯t hanging around to eavesdrop. ¡°You can open your eyes now,¡± Cayden broke the silence after some time and let go of my hand.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone?¡± I opened my eye slowly. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much doctor,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m always happy to help you break free from bad people,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± he said and left the room.

    ¡°Bad people?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°What exactly did you tell the doctor?¡± I giggled.

    ¡°I told him the truth. Gabriel is a bad person,¡± he said hysterically and we both burst intoughter.

    After we left the hospital, we headed straight to the hotel we lodged to get my things.

    I hastily put my clothes in my box and arranged them.

    ¡°Can you rx a bit?¡±

    ¡°Time¡¯s already far spent, Cayden. I still need to prepare myself for thepetition physically, mentally and otherwise,¡± I said while folding my clothes and arranging them in my box hastily.

    ¡°Thank you for everything today. I appreciate,¡± he said.

    ¡°So you can actually say ¡®thank you¡¯,¡± I teased.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    In about forty-five minutes, we were already at the airport, flight tickets booked for the next avable flight. Cayden decided to tag along until I got on the ne and left New York.

    ¡°What are you going to do when you get back home?¡±

    ¡°What else? Find out how far my staffs have gone with the preparation and spice things up myself.¡±

    ¡°You have high hopes for this, right?¡±

    ¡°I really do. Most importantly, I want to heighten the fame of my cooking skills and improve my business more. Good ambitions, right?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They sure are. I wish you the very best, Lily. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be able to pull through,¡± he cheered me on.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I smiled. ¡°Five minutes left,¡± I announced on checking the time on my wristwatch. It was five minutes to the time of my scheduled flight. ¡°I have to start going now,¡± I stood up.

    ¡°Okay then,¡± he stood up and spread out his arms, requesting a hug. It was no big deal so I epted his request and hugged him.

    Momentster, we departed.

    On getting home, I had two hours to spare before thepetition. I called nana and informed her when I got back, I asked of Jacek and she told me he was doing just fine. I excused myself as I didn¡¯t have the luxury to go home and rx; I headed straight to my bakery.

    I inquired of my staffs how far they had gone with the preparations and found out that they hadn¡¯t done much. The second phase of thepetition involved the judgesing over to my bakery themselves. Owing to that fact, I decided not to think too much and me anyone for beingx, I immediately set in to prepare a new recipe to save the day.

 60

    THE NEW RECIPE

    Preparing a new recipe in so short an amount of time had me wishing that Jarod was around as we both made a great team. I had a lot of recipes in mind but wasn¡¯t so sure about the best one to go with.

    I pped my cheek to get myself fired up, changed into work clothes and got down to business. Owing to Jarod¡¯s absence I knew I had to work twice as fast as I normally would; thank goodness my shop was stocked properly.

    I made up my mind to go with three pastry recipes I came up with ¨C potato cinnamon rolls, chocte cannoli and Lavender-honey lemon tart. I employed the co-operation of every staff that was disposed to help me get ready.

    In preparing the cinnamon rolls, we used mash potatoes to achieve a soft, pillowy texture in the mouth. For the chocte cannoli, a stic bag was used to pipe chocte filling into purchased cannoli shells. Out of all three recipes I had in mind to prepare, thevender-honey lemon tart was the most time convenient. Despite itsplicated look, it only took about ten minutes to prepare; perfect for the part! Candied lemons were key ingredients in its preparation as they served as an impressive topper. To add spice to everything, I made little twitches in different phases of preparation.

    One hour forty-five minutester, we rounded up our cooking and made little adjustments where necessary. We discerned that the judges were also going to judge us not only based on our cooking, but also our customer care service in general. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have much customers present at the time so getting ready in time wasn¡¯t much of a hassle.

    Fifteen minutester, the judges arrived; I was a bit nervous. I served them to the best of my abilities and made them taste each and every one of my cooking, exining to them how they were made, the importance of each ingredient and how theyplemented the entire dish. Some of the judges seemed to have really enjoyed my dish while others didn¡¯t show any particr emotions. They threw questions at me concerning the whole business as a whole, and not just about the cooking; I knew they were other criteria to be judged. I answered every question they asked honestly to the best of my abilities. They also asked my staffs some questions and they didn¡¯t disappoint me at all.

    Momentster, the scrutiny was over.

    ¡°Good job today, everyone,¡± I appraised my staffs and hugged them individually.

    The judges didn¡¯t really tell me my stand or anything, but I felt relieved that it was finally over.  I immediately called nana over the phone to share my experience with her.

    ¡°Nana!¡± I called out when she picked up my call excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s finally over?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes ma,¡± I heaved a sigh. ¡°When Ie home, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± I was so excited to share with nana everything that happened over the past hours.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at home, honey,¡± she replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Alright, bye,¡± I stressed the ¡®bye¡¯.

    ¡°See you soon, honey,¡± she chuckled and hung up.

    Few hourster, we closed the shop and all headed our different ways. On getting home, I was greeted by nana who was so excited to see me. I threw my box and purse to the floor and dived into her arms; I missed her so much. I cuddled nana so tightly and nted a couple of pecks on her neck.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much nana.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, my dear,¡± nana replied. She took my things from the floor and kept them by a corner while we sat together to converse.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jacek? I don¡¯t see him,¡± I looked around.

    ¡°He¡¯s asleep already, Lily,¡± her tone expressed ¡®you should know your son by now¡¯. I chuckled and smiled.

    ¡°How did the scrutiny go?¡±

    ¡°I was so nervous nana, but I somehow managed to pull through.¡±

    ¡°I trusted that you¡¯d be just fine,¡± she smiled.

    ¡°So how was your trip?¡± she inquired with concern. ¡°How did everything go?¡±

    ¡°Well, everything went pretty smoothly. I apanied him to a special event and even to a golf meeting,¡± I narrated.

    ¡°Golf?!¡± nana eximed hysterically.

    ¡°Yes nana.¡± We bothughed

    ¡°His colleagues were all swept off their foot by me, nana. You needed to have been there,¡± I exaggerated a bit.

    ¡°I trust you honey, I knew you¡¯d take my advice and show them the stuff you¡¯re made of,¡± she appraised.

    ¡°What about Jarod? I didn¡¯t see him today of all days.¡±

    ¡°I really should be the one asking you that, you know? Not the other way round. Few minutes after you left yesterday, he came over with a bouquet of flowers¡­,¡±

    ¡°Flowers?¡± I cut in.

    ¡°Yes, flowers.  And you didn¡¯t even tell him you were travelling. When I told him, he stormed off. I could sense he waspletely psyched up by what I said to him,¡± she narrated. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know why he brought flowers, nana,¡± I said,ying emphasis on ¡®he¡¯.

    ¡°You still im you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay, why didn¡¯t you tell him you were travelling?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to talk me out of it, nana. You advised me to go for it,¡± I said. Nana just heaved a sigh.

    I felt a bit guilty abandoning Jarod all by himself but I didn¡¯t even conceive the thought of calling him; I was the one wronged so why would I call him. Besides, thepetition was strictly professional, he shouldn¡¯t have dragged our personal matters into the whole thing and try to sabotage my chances of winning ¨C yet another sabotage! Jarod¡¯s presence would have made all the difference in getting us prepared, but he deliberately stayed away so why would I be the one to call?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°I made dinner for you,¡± nana said, initiating my lips to grin. ¡°As always nana, you¡¯re the best,¡± I did the ¡®thumbs-up¡¯ sign.

    ¡°What did you make?¡±

    ¡°Yours and Jacek¡¯s favorite,¡± she replied and had me all smiley.

    I was so happy to be back home with nana and my baby boy. I didn¡¯t even tell nana the bad aspect of my trip because that would only trouble her needlessly. I decided to go with the flow and keep my granny and myself happy.

 61

    CAYDEN¡¯S RETURN

    *NEW YORK CITY*

    That morning at the office, I got invited to my boss¡¯ office; guess he wanted to praise me for a job well done.

    *knock knock*, I knocked on the door to his office and walked in. ¡°Good day sir,¡± I greeted my boss who seemed to be working on his desktop, humbly.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden,¡± he called out, still fixated on what he was doing.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°Please sit,¡± he beckoned me to sit down and I did.

    ¡°You sent for me sir,¡± I said, making him suspend what he was doing and focused on me.

    ¡°I did.¡± He immediately stretched forth his hand, asking for a handshake; turned out I was right. I shook his hand and felt so good with myself.

    ¡°Whatever you did to pull the whole thing off, I want to sincerely thank you for that.¡±

    ¡°No problems sir. I didn¡¯t want to split my job.¡± We bothughed.

    ¡°What you did went a long way to get us back on track. Thank you very much,¡± he expressed his gratitude heartily.

    ¡°No problems at all, sir.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t bother asking about thedy right?¡± he teased and made me chuckle.

    ¡°Mmhh,¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°A new project is underway and I¡¯d like you to be a part of it,¡± he said.

    ¡°Okay sir,¡± I replied humbly.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking forward to opening a new branch in a small state, we¡¯d like you to personally oversee the selection process,¡± he stated.

    ¡°Okay sir.¡±

    ¡°Your job will be to check out a couple of states we put together and give us feedback on which one you deem fit to be a new location of this great empire,¡± he exined further.

    ¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine, sir.¡± He turned back to his desktop and cked his keyboard a couple of times. ¡°Check your email, I just sent you the list of states you¡¯d be visiting.¡±

    ¡°Okay sir.¡± I did as I was told and discovered that the first state on the list was Nedford ¨C the state Lily resided. On making the little discovery, I could feel excitement welling up in me; I was going back to Lily! I felt so happy that I didn¡¯t know when I smiled broadly while looking up the list.

    ¡°Are you that excited?¡± my boss asked and called me back to my senses.                           ¡°Of course sir!¡± I concurred firmly. It was easier to just blend in than to ¡®stand out¡¯ by telling him I was thinking of something else. ¡°This is a wonderful project sir¡­,¡± I added, ¡°and the states you selected are also good.¡± I didn¡¯t even see any other state on the list except Nedford. After I saw the first state on the list, I was too pre-upied with feelings of excitement and thrill to look further.

    I had my boss nod repeatedly as he told me I was to get going the very next day; I couldn¡¯t be happier.

    It was the day I was supposed to travel back to Nedford. I visited department stores and purchased appreciation gifts for Lily. I was so excited to share the good news of everything falling into ce due to her benevolence, with her. I¡¯d already booked my flight tickets so all that was left to do was to go to the airport. I had two boxes packed ¨C one contained my clothes and the other smaller one contained gifts I got for Lily and Jacek; I hoped she won¡¯t reject my ¡®token¡¯ of appreciation.

    Momentster, I got on the ne and made my way back to Nedford. Brimming with excitement and joy, I went over to Lily¡¯s with my box of gifts.

    On getting to Lily¡¯s I met Mrs. Annie ¨C Lily¡¯s granny.

    ¡°Good day madam,¡± I greeted politely. She looked at me with surprise written all over her face. She must have wondered if I decided to move in with them, owing to the box I had in hand. ¡°Oh this?¡± I asked on noticing how she kept staring at the box without saying anything. ¡°I got these for Lily,¡± I said referring to the contents of the box.

    ¡°All these?!¡± she eximed.

    ¡°Yes ma,¡± I chuckled.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± she invited me in and I epted the invitation.

    ¡°Uncle,¡± Jacek ran towards me and dived into my arms.

    ¡°Hello there big boy,¡± I cuddled the little one I hadn¡¯t seen in forever in my arms. ¡°How¡¯ve you been Jacek?¡± I asked jovially.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been good uncle, I missed you,¡± he said all smiley.

    ¡°I missed you too big boy. Look here¡­,¡± I pointed the box of gifts, ¡°I got you lots of gifts. Later, your nana is going to give you all of it,¡± I said.

    ¡°You got me gifts?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes big boy!¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°Thank you so much uncle,¡± he expressed his gratitude.

    ¡°You¡¯re very much wee,¡± I replied. The little one ran back inside with so much excitement in him.

    ¡°You came to see my granddaughter?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes ma.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not in at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s at a pic.¡±

    ¡°Pic?¡± I asked. ¡®Why would she be at a pic? Was she picking with some other guy?¡¯ I thought and felt a little bit upset.

    ¡°That¡¯s the venue for the third phase of thepetition,¡± nana rified and I let out a deep sigh of relief. ¡°This phase involves the first outdoor baking contest,¡± she exined further.

    ¡°Can you please tell me where?¡± I asked politely.

    ¡°You want to go over there?¡± she asked me. ¡°Yes please,¡± I replied almost at once.

    Mrs. Annie gave me the address of the pic and I rushed down there to see Lily for myself.

    On getting there, I stood with the audience as I scanned through in search of Lily. I finally caught sight of her wearing an apron with abeling ¨C ¡®016¡¯ ¨C written boldly on it. I assumed she was contestant number sixteen. The view I saw was rather satisfying and fulfilling. I watched her knead her dough with so much determination. Seeing how beautifully and meticulously she worked made me feel so alive; I wished the scene would not end.

 62

    THE THIRD PHASE

    The MC ¨C Master of the Ceremony cheered on all the contestants present but I was only focused on watching the way Lily¡¯s hands moved ¨C speedily and carefully ¨C beautifully. Apparently, this phase was a test for speed as the contestants all had timers at a corner of their cooking tables.

    ¡°What are these beautifuldies going to make for us today? Can we see how beautifully their hands are moving?¡± the MC cheered. ¡®Beautifully¡¯ indeed! Lily¡¯s hands were the most beautiful to me.  ¡°I sure know these amazing talents will produce something beautiful with their dough,¡± he cheered further.

    The contestants ¨C which included males and females ¨C worked at an amazing speed to remain on track and to be able to finish on time. The scene was in fact intriguing with Lily being at the center of it all.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Minutester, the timer went off signifying that their time was up; then came the moment of truth. It was finally time for the judges to taste, judge and award the contestants scores. I felt really nervous as to how the judges would react to Lily¡¯s dish. I watched the contestants take their dish up to the judges ¨C a total of five ¨C for them to taste and score them individually. Watching thedies go up to the judges to be judged by them, I waited anxiously for Lily¡¯s turn.

    Some of them made really attractive dishes and received low scores, some made dishes which looked rtively ne and received high scores while others too made attractive dishes and received high scores. While I cheered for these ones sub-consciously, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off an anxious looking Lily.

    Finally, it was Lily¡¯s turn to be judged. She walked up to them and served them what she had made.

    ¡°What¡¯s this red beauty emanating from her te,¡± the MC hyped Lily. Apparently, he was referring to sliced strawberries Lily included in her dish.

    I paid special attention to how the judges reacted on tasting what she prepared. Some of them looked thrilled; some seemed to enjoy it like every regr dish while one of them remained indifferent. ¡®What score will they give her?¡¯ After tasting her dish, it was finally time for them to give their remarks.

    ¡°Well, I must confess, this is actually the best dish I¡¯ve had here today,¡± the woman with the red bow remarked and the audience cheered. She was the first one handed the mic toment on the dish. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a ten!¡± she raised her scorecard that had ¡¯10¡¯ printed boldly on it and we all cheered. A ten! We were off to a good start.

    The next person given the mic toment looked like a middle-ageddy ¨C the one who was indifferent to her dish. I felt nervous. She cleared her throat and said, ¡°the minced strawberry syringed with chocte helped to ameliorate the entire dish and give it a whole new vor¡­,¡± Shemented and got me thinking another ¡¯10¡¯ wasing but she ended up giving her a ¡®7¡¯.

    After the judging had ended, Lily ended up with a total of forty marks. We all cheered her on but it was obvious from the look she had on her face that she personally didn¡¯t find her score pleasurable. Personally, I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with her score, but considering the fact that some contestants actually had perfect sores, I totally understood why she didn¡¯t feel so good about her score.

    After thepetition ended and the contestants were left to pack up, I went over to her table to cheer her up. ¡°Hello missy,¡± I called out cheerfully.

    She raised her head briefly to look at me. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± she didn¡¯t look the least excited to see me.

    ¡°Look what I got you and Jacek,¡± I ced the box of gifts on the table yet she said nothing.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, Lily.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Listen, some people didn¡¯t even get up to a ¡¯30¡¯. Be proud of what you¡¯ve achieved okay?¡± I cheered.

    ¡°Some contestants had perfect scores Cayden. Some had near-perfect scores. My score is nothing to be proud of,¡± she retorted.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true but still. A ¡®forty¡¯ out of ¡®fifty¡¯? C¡¯mon Lily, rx.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s minus a whole ten marks, Cayden!¡± she eximed staring at me in the eye. ¡°I didn¡¯t do well as far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± she repeated and continued packing up. I just heaved a sigh and tried to help out whichever way I could.

    I noticed she paused for while; ¡®why?¡¯ I asked myself. It was then I heard some women who were walking past ¨C few inches away from where we stood ¨C talk between themselves.  ¡°She definitely came for the money. How else do you expect her to take care of her son without a father?¡± I heard one say. ¡°Right?  Considering how she was kicked out and everything, she has to earn a living,¡± the other woman chipped in.

    I noticed she knew she was the topic of their conversation; apparently she recognized them from her previous neighborhood. She paused to listen carefully to what they were saying.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to them and ced my arm around her shoulders. ¡°She¡¯s not desperate for the cash okay? She¡¯s asfortable as anyone would ever imagine so I suggest you stop running your mouths and look for yourselves something meaningful to do,¡± I defended her.

    The women just stared in awe and I noticed the embarrassment they felt. I wasn¡¯t looking haggard for them to assume I was her measly boyfriend; all I had on me were purely designers. Lily on the other hand stared at me in awe but was too dumbfounded to refute my help. I managed to shake the women off her tail and had them back off in anger.

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± she asked me when the women were out of earshot.

    ¡°You would have shrugged if you didn¡¯t want my help.¡± She heaved a sigh and returned to packing up.

    ¡°Let me help you.¡± I helped Lily pack up the remaining things and offered her a ride home.

 63

    THE KISS

    On our way home, I thought of why she let herself be ridiculed by those women as I tried to get the reason why those women treated her the way they did from her.

    ¡°Lily,¡± I called out to her but she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Lily?¡± I called out again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± she replied. It was obvious she knew why I called her.

    ¡°Why though? Why don¡¯t you want me to ask?¡±

    ¡°Because my reply would be a bit embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°I still want to hear it though. Why did you let those women ridicule you the way they did. That wasn¡¯t fair at all,¡± I protested.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the past now, right? Let it remain there.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon Lily. I really am curious right now, you know?¡± I pestered.

    She tilted her head to the side to look at me. ¡°Why do you want to know? It¡¯s really not necessary so just forget about it, okay?¡± she wasn¡¯t ready to budge, neither was I.

    ¡°I helped you back there you know? This is the least you could do to show your appreciation. I never asked, neither did I try to pry before, but now I really want to know what they said was all about,¡± I insisted.

    She heaved a deep sigh and asked, ¡°you want to know? You really do?

    ¡°Yes!¡± I affirmed. ¡°Please tell me,¡± I added.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears, miss.¡± I was ready to hear her story.

    ¡°I had Jacek with my first andst boyfriend when I was eighteen. I was blindly in love with him that I didn¡¯t think twice when he asked to vite me. We had sex just once and it unfortunately resulted in me getting pregnant. When I found out about my pregnancy, I got scared and freaked out but first decided to share the news with its father whopletely denied and rejected the pregnancy,¡± she narrated. Her eyes began to well up.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I rubbed her back.

    ¡°I told my parents about the pregnancy and they also turned their backs on me ¨C they threw me out of the house not wanting to have anything to do with me and Jacek, despite the fact that I was their only child. I felt like the whole world was against me. With no one to turn to, I called my granny and she said I coulde over to her ce which is here in Nedford,¡± she wiped her tears continuously as she sobbed.

    ¡°If you need to cry, don¡¯t hold it in, let it out,¡± I urged her.

    ¡°Nana has been the only¡­,¡± she gasped as she couldn¡¯t control the tears anymore, ¡°the only¡­,¡± she tried to speak but the tears wouldn¡¯t let her.

    I hit the brakes of the car and stopped in front of Lily¡¯s house. I held on to her hands and made her face me directly. ¡°Calm down and talk to me, okay?¡± I spoke mildly.

    ¡°Nana was the only one who stood by me¡­,¡± she managed to say and burst into another round of tears. I held her closely and rubbed her back in a bid to console her.

    ¡°Listen to me okay?¡± I asked with her still in my bosom. ¡°Your parents were the ones who wronged you, okay? They did you dirty. So you don¡¯t have to swallow whatever nonsense people spew at you, okay? You don¡¯t have to let the guilt of what happened to weigh you down and make you forget who you really are ¨C a beautiful sessful and independent woman and a loving mother,¡± I emboldened. ¡°Now listen to me¡­,¡± I held her petite face in my palms, to my face, ¡°you don¡¯t have to listen to what anybody has to say, okay? Just be the woman you aspire to be. Do not let anyone talk or look down on you, okay? Being a single mom is not something to be ashamed of,¡± I said all in a bid to encourage her. She did nothing but sob and nod repeatedly.

    I used both my thumbs to wipe her teary face gently. I then lowered my head slowly, bringing my lips closer to hers. She said nothing but close her eyes gently ¨C the scene from the hotel was being reyed again. This time, I hoped nothing would interrupt us as I went in for that kiss. Nothing interrupted us this time and I ended up nting the most passionate kiss ¨C which l ever had in forever, andsted seven seconds ¨C on her lips.

    *JAROD¡¯S POV*

    It came to my knowledge that Lily was back in town and that made me happy. I decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her and apologize for everything I did to her.

    I went over to Lily¡¯s but she wasn¡¯t around; she was at thepetition. Instead of rushing over to see her ¨C since thepetition was almost over ¨C I decided to spend time with Jacek while waiting for her toe back.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the way you do it, Jacek,¡± I held his little hands and helped him y the bike-racing game on my device. He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve won!¡± he eximed on winning that round. ¡°Good job, little one,¡± I cheered him heartily. ¡°Congrats.¡±

    ¡°Jarod are you sure you want to keep waiting?¡± Mrs. Anie walked in and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine ma, I can wait.¡±

    ¡°You should have headed there instead. You¡¯re supposed to be with her on this one,¡± she said.

    ¡°I know ma¡¯am but we had a little bit of misunderstanding which I¡¯m here to say sorry for.¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t want to tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I suggest you ask Lily,¡± I said politely. ¡°If she chooses not to, my hands are tied.¡±

    ¡°Lily always tells me to ask you instead. Why are you both tossing me around?¡± she asked jovially and we bothughed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand. I¡¯ll force the truth out of either of you eventually.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want anything?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Okay then,¡± she said and went inside.

    After waiting for over thirty minutes for Lily and still saw no sign of her, I informed Mrs. Anie and took my leave.

    On getting outside, I saw a familiar car parked a few meters from Lily¡¯s house. I looked through the front ss and saw Lily and Cayden. I watched from a distance and noticed Cayden being all touchy; I saw him hug Lily and wipe her face. ¡®Was she crying?¡¯ I thought. I was annoyed by the scene I beheld; I wanted to go over and give Cayden a hard punch on the jaw. I held my horses and decided to watch the duo a bit more. It was then I witnessed the most heart-breaking scene I¡¯d witnessed in forever ¨C Cayden kissed Lily on the lips!!! As if that was not enough, Lily didn¡¯t oppose and let the kiss go on for seven whole seconds.

    I waspletely ticked off by what I just witnessed. I moved further away from eyeshot to prevent any of them from seeing me identally.

 64

    CAYDEN AND LILY

    I nted the most passionate kiss I had in forever on Lily¡¯s lips; it felt so good. After the heavenly seconds ended, we stared deeply into each other¡¯s eyes still maintaining our position ¨C her face still wrapped in my palms.

    In that very moment, memories of how the petite beautiful face I held in my palms walked into my life, crept in. In the space of an instant, I imagined how I was able to kiss someone who fought and argued with me most of the times we spent together.

    ¡°MMhh,¡± Lily cleared her throat and sat upright while I also did same. ¡°Umm¡­ so I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll be going¡­be going¡­ I¡¯ll be going,¡± she stuttered while pointing her house, ¡°I¡¯ll be going in now,¡± shepleted her statement and cleared her throat again.

    ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡± The atmosphere felt really awkward. ¡°Can Ie in with you?¡±I didn¡¯t know when the question escaped my lips.

    ¡°Next time please,¡± she declined my request. ¡°Thanks for dropping me off.¡±

    ¡°No issues.¡± The kiss must have shaken her a bit; she hardly ever thanked me for dropping her off at home. She alighted the car and went straight home without looking back.

    I didn¡¯t intend to persuade her so I just let her alight and zoomed off after I saw her walk into her house. Driving home, I couldn¡¯t stop caressing my lips. The kiss scene reyed in my head over and over again. ¡®I just kissed Lily¡¯, I kept reciting in my head continuously. I enjoyed every bit of the moment I interlocked my lips with hers; that feeling was divine. I¡¯d kissed dozens of lips and no one felt as good as hers; I wondered why that was so.

    On getting home, thoughts of Lily still consumed my spirit, soul and mind. I kept smiling and giggling by myself as I reminisced the feeling vividly. I struggled to shake her thought off but failed every time I tried. I decided to let nature take its course and not fight it again ¨C I let the thoughts overwhelm me.

    I¡¯d gotten home fifteen minutes ago and just sat on the couch doing nothing but fantasize. My fantasies were interrupted and I was jerked back to reality by a call that came to my phone ¨C it was my boss.

    ¡°Hello sir,¡± I said on picking the call.

    ¡°Good day, Mr. Cayden,¡± he greeted.

    ¡°Good day sir,¡± I returned the warm gesture.

    ¡°So how¡¯s it going with the investigation, any useful information?¡± I was too preupied with Lily the entire day that I almost forgot what I was back in Nedford for. ¡°Or are you taking your time?¡± he asked while I rummaged my thoughts on what to say and bailed me out at the veryst moment. I just chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting you a partner, Mr. Cayden.¡±

    ¡°A partner?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll need assistance and so we decided to send you one. How does that sound?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, sir.¡± Who was I to say no to orders from above?

    ¡°Perfect! Expect a call from us soon.¡±

    ¡°Okay sir, thank you,¡± I concluded the call.

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    The awkwardness I felt after the kiss overwhelmed me. For the entire day, I couldn¡¯t think straight; the kiss scene kept reying in my head over and over. I did so many things to get it off my head ¨C yed with Jacek, helped nana prepare food, did more chores than I used to ¨C all to no avail. I was doomed!

    While Cayden brought his head closer to mine, beckoning for a kiss, I was too frozen to even refute or push him away. On realizing that his lips were already interlocked with mine, I still said nothing and let him have his way for seconds! The kiss ended when Cayden ¨C of his own volition ¨C backed off.

    The entire day, Cayden gued my mind. When I settled in to sleep, I held out my phone and thought of calling him. Actually, my mind was made up ¨C I was going to call him. The thoughts I had were on what to say and what excuse to give to him to prevent him from thinking I called because he was all I had in mind all day; even though that was nothing but the truth.

    After careful consideration, I decided to call on the pretext of ¡®just checking up on you¡¯.

    ¡°Hello?¡± his voice flooded the memories I managed to suppress for a while, back to mind. ¡°Lily?¡± he called out sweetly.

    ¡°Cayden,¡± I finally broke my silence.

    ¡°You missed me?¡± he teased.

    ¡°I just called to check on you, dumbass. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea,¡± I said. I must have sounded pathetic to him ¨C it was obvious I called because I missed him. But I couldn¡¯t just spell out ¡®I miss you¡¯ to his hearing; I had my pride to keep.

    ¡°How are you?¡± he asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m good and you?¡± I replied.

    ¡°Doing just fine, thinking of you.¡± For a moment, I felt butterflies in my stomach.

    ¡°Thinking of me indeed.¡± I rebuffed. I didn¡¯t intend to y along in any way.

    ¡°So tell me¡­can¡¯t sleep?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case, mister. I sincerely called to check on you.¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious though,¡± I insisted.

    ¡°Fine, fine, I agree,¡± he yielded. ¡°So tell me when the next phase of yourpetition is going to hold.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± I sensed surprise in his tone.

    ¡°Yes, tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Are you prepared?¡±

    ¡°We were all supposed to be prepared before thepetition kicked off.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re ready for it then?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied sarcastically and we bothughed.

    ¡°So this time, what¡¯s involved?¡± he inquired.

    ¡°Well, just like today, we¡¯d be asked to prepare dishes and get scored. Easy, right?¡± ¡®Easy indeed¡¯. I just didn¡¯t want to sound pathetic and portray myself as someone who was still sulking over ¡®forty points¡¯.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s the spirit. You¡¯ll do better this time, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± I said with so much confidence.

 65

    JAROD¡¯S VISIT; THE FOURTH PHASE

    I woke up that morning at my usual time to get started with the day¡¯s preparation for the fourth phase of the cooking contest. While my workers attended to their duties, I focused on perfecting my skills in making tasty mind blowing dishes in short amounts of time. cing the timer close to me, I monitored the time I spent in each step of the cooking process.

    ¡°Arghh¡­ shoot!¡± I eximed when the timer went off and I wasn¡¯t done with the chocte shake. ¡°This isn¡¯t good for me at all.¡±

    The door bell rang and as usual I raised my head to greet the customer, but this time it was Jarod who walked in. I felt relieved that finally there was going to be some serious help around me. Also, I¡¯d miss him so much but I was careful enough not to let my facial expression give me away ¨C I kept a straight face.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Jarod,¡± I said and returned to the task I gave myself. ¡°Well you have a lot to do now,¡± I concluded. ¡°I need you to mince these strawberries, coat these¡­,¡±

    ¡°I quit,¡± Jarod cut me off abruptly. He quit?

    ¡°You what?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°You heard me the first time. I said I quit,¡± he repeatedying emphasis on ¡®I quit¡¯.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked meekly, resisting the urge to tear up. I thought my long lost team mate was back again.

    ¡°You take me for granted a lot and that¡¯s not fair,¡±

    ¡°I ta¡­,¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going somewhere else to get the love and appreciation I deserve¡­,¡± he pointed himself, ¡°since you¡¯re not ready to give them to me,¡± hepleted his sentence.

    I was utterly bbergasted. Where was all he was spewinging from? My eyes welled up and I immediately wiped them off before they made their way down to my face. ¡°Can you just¡­,¡± he cut me off again!

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to talk about, Lily. My mind¡¯s made up; I¡¯m leaving. With me out of the picture, you can do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Jarod? You need to calm down and exin things to me properly so that I¡¯d be able to understand,¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to be understood,¡± he blurted. ¡°You can as well ditch the contest because I¡¯m going to make sure you get nothing from it,¡± he said and stormed out without giving me the opportunity to exin myself to him.

    I went over to a chair and sat down to rest my head properly and cry. I didn¡¯t want to attract any attention from my staffs but I ended up attracting them anyway. ¡°Madame,¡± Elsa ¨C one of my staffs ¨C tapped my shoulder gently. I raised my head up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked gently.

    I feigned a smile. ¡°I¡¯m good, okay? Don¡¯t let Jarod¡¯s visit disturb you,¡± I assured.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I most definitely am,¡± I nodded repeatedly.

    ¡°If you say so ma.¡± She returned to what she was doing inside.

    I went back to resting my head on the table. I felt so bad by what Jarod said earlier ¨C that he would make sure I get nothing out of thepetition. I wondered if actually my friend whom I¡¯ve known for years will make sure I lose thepetition we both prepared for at one time.

    I could no longer concentrate on preparing for thepetition. The timer went off repeatedly before I could achieve anything reasonable. I was worried that I¡¯d screw myself over even before Jarod did, if I didn¡¯t sit up and do the needful. ¡®Why would Jarod say such a thing to me?¡¯ I thought while preparing. I pondered hard on what I could have possibly done to make him feel unappreciated and seek it from elsewhere. Jarod¡¯s visitpletely demoralized me.

    Around 12:00 pm that day, we ¨C contestants, judges, spectators, etc ¨C were already gathered at the venue for the fourth phase of thepetition. This time wasn¡¯t different; I still thought of Jarod all the time. Like I said earlier, this phase was all about speed but with a little twitch tost time. This time, the judges were checking how much we could make in selected amount of time and not necessarily how well we made one dish; of course there was going to be a ¡®tasting¡¯, I could not ignore that and focus on timing alone.

    In no time, the contest took off and was tost for one hour, fifteen minutes. Hearing the sound of the clock ticking threw mepletely off bnce. I could not stop myself from thinking about Jarod and his surprise visit this morning. Everyone ¨C including myself ¨C noticed how slow my pace was.

    ¡°Is this beautifuldy here trying to make just one dish that would outweigh the rest of herpetitors?¡± The MC was obviously referring to me ¨C with the slowest pace.

    Repeatedly, I got flour on my face as I tried to wipe the tears that would not stop welling.

    The timer went off ¨C our time was up. I only managed to make one dish and was in the middle of the second one when the MC announced ¡®Time up!¡¯ I knew I waspletely screwed over seeing how some made four different dishes, others made five. They must have chosen easy and eloquent dishes to present to the judges.

    After the tasting, I ended up with a total of thirty-six points from six judges! This phase was worse than the third phase. I knew I waspletely done for. In no time thepetition ended and we were left to pack up and leave.

    I was too frozen as to what just happened to even pack my things. I stood in front of my table, but instead of packing I just stared, lost in my thoughts. ¡°Lily?¡± a familiar voice called. Of course I didn¡¯t turn around to look at who it was even though I recognized the voice was Cayden¡¯s.

    ¡°What happened back there Lily?¡± he askedpassionately.

    ¡°I flopped, right?¡±  I asked him with a shaky voice as I turned around to look at him with my teary face.

    ¡°You¡¯re crying?¡± he was shocked to see the condition was I was in.

    ¡°I¡­I¡­,¡± I held out both shaky hands to my face, ¡°I¡­I,¡± I kept up with the ¡®I¡¯s¡¯ without saying anything meaningful.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± he asked with concern as he held on to my shaky hands in a bid to stop them from shaking. ¡°Calm down okay?¡± he kept urging but I was deeply in shock to make anything reasonable from what he was saying.

    ¡°Calm down, okay?¡± he urged further.

    ¡°I flopped, right?¡± the tears kept flowing. He held my face and wiped my face with his thumbs. ¡°Rx, let me take you home, okay?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I turned him down abruptly. ¡°Just leave me alone.¡±

 66

    LILY

    Cayden offered to drop me off at home but I turned down his request politely, I was not in any mood to speak with him.

    ¡°I insist.¡±

    ¡°Just go please. I really am not in the mood for anything right now. I need to  collect my thoughts together.¡±

    ¡°I insist, Lily.¡± He dragged me by the hand to his car.

    ¡°Get in,¡± he opened the door to the passenger¡¯s seat and ushered me in.

    ¡°Cayden,¡± I red at him.

    ¡°Just get in already miss. I can be as stubborn as you are and you know that quite well.¡± He was not ready to budge. I heaved a sigh and yielded; there was no harm in epting his offer.

    We went into his car and he zoomed off. He kept stealing nces at me for a while without uttering a word.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing miss,¡± he redirected his gaze to the road.

    ¡°Then drive,¡± I heaved a sigh.

    Instead of driving me home, he drove us instead to an ice-cream parlor.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked on seeing where he drove us to.

    ¡°We need to get those lips grinning, miss. Your mood is too dull for my liking,¡± he said cheerfully.

    ¡°I really am not in the mood for any of this. Can¡¯t we just go home?¡± I whined.

    ¡°No we can¡¯t,¡± he said and alighted the car. He walked towards my end but before he could open the door for me, I did the job myself.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got hands too, you know?¡± I asked on getting down from the car. He did nothing but chuckle and shut the door behind me.

    We got inside and took a seat that gave us a clear view of what was going on outside, close to the window to enjoy the cool breeze; reservations needn¡¯t be made. ¡°What vor are you getting?¡± he asked me to ce my order. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re getting.¡± I didn¡¯t have the strength to make choices, so he ordered the same thing for both of us.

    He cleared his throat to start up a conversation. ¡°So do you mind telling me what happened back there?¡± he asked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t you back there, that I¡¯m sure of,¡± he added.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± I heaved a sigh and covered my face with both palms.

    ¡°So tell me what the issue is. Did someone say something to you or did you get into any fight?¡± he asked with so much concern as he peered into my soul. ¡°You know you can always talk to me, right?¡± I saw a trusted confidant sitting in front of me and not just an acquaintance. I had no choice but to open up to him.

    I heaved a deep sigh in a bid to get myself ready to say all I had to. ¡°Something happened earlier this morning,¡± Imenced my story. ¡°Jarod came over¡­,¡±

    ¡°Jarod?¡± he cut in.

    ¡°Yes, Jarod. He came over and I felt so relieved¡­,¡± I paused and closed my eyes because I sensed the tears welling up again. ¡°Calm down, don¡¯t push it,¡± Cayden said. ¡°I was so happy to see him this morning¡­,¡± I continued, ¡°but in no time he dashed all my hopes and expectations in seconds,¡± Ipleted my statement.

    ¡°What exactly did he do?¡± Cayden asked calmly.

    ¡°He quit!¡±

    ¡°Quit?¡± Cayden asked looking all bewildered. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He said he was going somewhere he¡¯d be loved and appreciated. He also said he was going to make sure I don¡¯t get anything from thispetition¡­,¡± I paused and continued, ¡°doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯d make sure I fail?¡± my voice was shaky; keeping the tears in was a bit difficult.

    ¡°He said all that?¡±

    ¡°He said that and more.¡±

    ¡°Why exactly did he say he was going somewhere he¡¯d be loved and appreciated?¡±

    ¡°Right? I and Jared were good friends, our rtionship wasn¡¯t just that of a boss and employee. Where all he said to me came from, I just don¡¯t get,¡± I gave up holding the tears back in and let it roll. I bowed my head on the table, my elbows on it as I used my hands to support my head and wept silently.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lily. Calm down,¡± he urged, rubbing my back gently. ¡°I know Jarod¡¯s a coward and his actions sometimes give off the wrong vibe, but then again, he¡¯s not one to tell his friend he¡¯d make sure she¡¯d lose. Something¡¯s definitely up,¡± he said, causing me to raise my head.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Right? Something¡¯s up, right?¡± I kept telling myself that since morning, and now that Cayden said the same thing, turned out that I needed assurance of some sort. ¡°Jarod wouldn¡¯t betray me like that, right?¡± I asked continuously as I wiped my face yet again.

    ¡°Firstly you need to calm down and have your ice-cream before it melts,¡± he pointed the cup of ice-cream ced before me moments ago.

    ¡°Right.¡± I raised the cup and took the spoon from it to start digging in.

    ¡°You know how you look when you cry?¡± he threw the question at me from nowhere.

    ¡°How?¡± I was curious. I held the ice-cream cup to my face, covering my lips.

    ¡°Like a¡­,¡± he stressed the ¡®a¡¯ like he was actually thinking of what to say, ¡°a bunny,¡± he blurted suddenly and made me burst intoughter; I wasn¡¯t expecting him to say that.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked amidst theughter. ¡°You sure do,¡± he affirmed all giggly.

    ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± I refuted jovially.

    ¡°Hear this joke out, I thought of it one time.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear about the guy who invented the knock knock joke?¡±

    ¡°No, you tell me,¡± I smiled.

    ¡°He won the ¡®no-bell¡¯ prize,¡± I thought about it for a second and got the joke ¨C ¡®no-bell¡¯ = Nobel ¨C which made me burst into another round ofughter.

    ¡°Cut it out please,¡± I said amidst theughter.

    ¡°Now this is the Lily there should be. Any other Lily isn¡¯t weed,¡± he smiled warmly.

    Cayden went a long way in helping me alleviate my stress ¨C I felt a bit relieved. The thoughts from yesterday ¨C concerning the kiss ¨C  lingered in my mind but the issue I had on hand prevented it from overwhelming me.

    After a while, Cayden drove me home and we parted ways.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    All through the time I was with Lily, I took asional nces at her lips because thoughts from yesterday lingered continuously. Due to the issue at hand, I couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to speak about it so I just let it remain within me.

    After we had ice-cream, I drove her home.

    ¡°At this point I could call you my driver, you know?¡± Lily asked on getting to the house.

    ¡°I know right? You need to start paying for my services.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for today, I really appreciate,¡± she expressed her gratitude heartily.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee missy,¡± I replied.  She then opened the door and stepped one foot outside. Just when she was about to alightpletely, I held her hand back causing her to turn to me abruptly. ¡°Any problem?¡± she asked gently.

    ¡®What was I thinking?¡¯  My hand moved subconsciously and reached out to hers.  Lily wasn¡¯t going to appreciate it if I talked about the kiss we shared the previous day so I just shrugged and let go.

 67

    CAYDEN¡¯S NEW PARTNER

    Three days after the kiss scene and two days after the ¡®Jarod¡¯ fiasco, I got a call from my work ce that my supposed would-be partner was already in town and I had to go pick whoever it was from the airport. I was curious to see who I was going to be working it on the said project as I prepared myself to go pick the person from the airport. I was given the person¡¯s flight details to aid my search when I got there.

    On getting there, I was stunned to find out that my partner was actually a woman ¨C a beautiful one at that. She was light-skinned and had very well defined curves, tall ¨C not taller than I was though ¨C and looked slender. Her very dark and long hair matched her all-ck attire ¨C ck dress, ck pair of heels, ck purse, smokey make-up and even a ck nail polish to add to it all. She gave off a very sassy vibe to me. She¡¯d tied her hair up in a ponytail and looked through fashion magazines while she waited for me.

    The only personal information I got on the fellow was thest name, the fact that she¡¯d have ourpany logo on her box and that she wore an ¡®all-ck¡¯ attire; nothing about her gender was said, I just assumed it would be a guy and never bothered asking. I kept in touch to know when she¡¯dnd and got there right in time to pick her up.

    ¡°Miss Elsher?¡± I called out to the fellow who had her head buried in the magazine. ¡°Miss Elsher?¡± I called out again as she didn¡¯t even raise her head the first time. A feisty   one indeed. ¡°Miss Elsh¡­,¡±

    ¡°If you see¡­,¡± she¡¯d cut me off abruptly but paused on her own when she had a proper look at my face. She waspletely smitten, I could tell.

    ¡°Miss Elsher?¡± I stretched forth my hand beckoning for a handshake.

    ¡°Miss Brielle Elsher. Nice to meet you,¡± she introduced formally and shook my hand as she smiled briefly.

    ¡°I¡¯m McLou¡­,¡±

    ¡°Cayden McLou?¡± She knew my full name, when I didn¡¯t even know hers. ¡°Woah, I¡¯m hurt, you know? I wasn¡¯t told anything reasonable about you.¡±

    ¡°I pleaded with them not to spill, especially my gender.¡±

    ¡°That was on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Of  course! My favorite genre is suspense.¡±

    ¡°You must be weary. Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    We left the airport together in my car. I asked her what kind of hotel she¡¯d  love to spend the night and to my awe, she said she didn¡¯t want to check-in to a hotel.

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m too jetgged for that. Don¡¯t you know how to treat a guest?¡± she retorted.

    ¡°Where do you intend to spend the night then?¡±

    ¡°Do you sleep under a bridge?¡± she tilted her neck to ask, with sarcasm written all over her tone.

    ¡°My house?!¡± I eximed.

    ¡°Got a problem with that?¡± Thisdy was proving to be a handful. How could she be so brazen to want to spend the night with someone she just met.

    ¡°You don¡¯t feel awkward making that request?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, honey.¡±  I scoffed real hard.

    ¡°How can you possibly befortable going home with someone you¡¯ve never met to spend the night. What if I¡¯m a¡­,¡±

    ¡°A serial killer?¡± she cut in andpleted my statement. How did she know what I wanted to say?! ¡°Cut it out already with the ¡®serial killer¡¯ talk or are you one?¡± she asked looking all smug. ¡°Besides, as partners, we need to learn to work together. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± she added.

    I had no choice but to give in to the strange woman who journeyed with me.  I drove straight home.

    ¡°Here¡¯s my humble abode,¡± I announced on getting into my apartment with my arms spread out.

    ¡°This is far from ¡®humble¡¯.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it was,¡± she blurted hysterically and had us both giggling.

    ¡°Let me set your room up for you.¡±

    I took her box inside and arranged a guest room for her to spend the night in. I then showed her the room and we both retired to freshen up to prepare for dinner which I of course would be the one to make ready.

    Minutester after taking my bath, I came out to fix something that wouldn¡¯t take so much time to prepare. I had a few ingredients in my fridge so I just threw whatever I could into the pot and made a ptable dish.

    Miss Brielle came out while I was setting the table.

    ¡°You cook?¡± she asked me.

    ¡°I live alone missy. If I don¡¯t know how to, who would do it for me? Or would you rather I starve to death?¡± I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

    She chuckled and replied: ¡°you¡¯re rich; you could choose to always eat out.¡± She wanted to have the upper hand in our argument.

    ¡°I have money to spend, none to throw away,¡± I retorted.

    ¡°Okay sir, whatever you say,¡± she finally yielded. ¡°What do we have here?¡± she asked as she tried to inhale the aroma from the food. ¡°Mmhhh,¡± she inhaled, ¡°smells nice,¡± sheplimented.

    ¡°Thank you very much for thepliment,¡± I smiled. In no time, we dug in.

    ¡°You know¡­there¡¯s this one time I had a boyfriend.¡± It seemed she wanted to start a conversation with me while we ate.

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°We dated for about¡­,¡±she paused and thought for a while before saying, ¡°six months, I think?¡± she concluded her statement.

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°After we dated for six months, I decided to meet his family. He had three ugly looking sisters¡­,¡±she blurted, causing me to burst into a hystericughter.

    ¡°What? Ugly?¡± I said between giggles. I was surprised she could voice something like that out rightly.

    ¡°Yes , ugly. Why?¡±

    ¡°That was a bit¡­ you know¡­,¡±

    ¡°Blunt?¡±

    ¡°Yes that¡¯s the word!¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°Not necessarily though. I¡¯m sure you noticed from the airport how outspoken I am.¡±

    ¡°I sure did. So what happened next?¡± I was curious.

    ¡°Well, his olddy was a bit on the over domineering side and looking at the kind of person I am, I just couldn¡¯t fit,¡± she narrated.

    ¡°By ¡®his olddy¡¯, you mean his grandma?¡±

    ¡°Nah, his mom,¡± she blurted hysterically and had meughing again.

    ¡°Why do you keepughing?¡± she asked smiling.

    ¡°Why would you call her that?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? She¡¯s his olddy. I mean, she¡¯s old right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah but still, could¡¯ve just said his mom or sum¡¯n.¡±

    ¡°Calling her his ¡®olddy¡¯ feels so much better.¡±

    ¡°Okay miss. Please continue,¡± I urged her to continue with her story; I was enjoying it

    ¡°That very day, the wild re his mom and sisters greeted me with is still engraved in my head,¡± she said making hysteric expressions which made meugh so hard. ¡°I had dinner with them and his olddy was all over me like ¡®why do you have nail polish on?¡¯ ¡®why do you wear all-ck attire like the grin reaper?''¡± she mimicked hysterically. ¡°Why do you keepughing?¡± she asked me ¨C who couldn¡¯t hold myself back. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear the rest of the story?¡±

    ¡°I sure do,¡± I said amidst theughter and all.

    She cleared her throat and continued, ¡°the olddy asked me to take off my nail polish, you know?¡±

    ¡°She did?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± she eximed dramatically. ¡°Take a good look at me¡­,¡± she gestured, ¡°do I look like someone who¡¯s ready to bend over for some man?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± She sure didn¡¯t look like one who¡¯s bend to a man¡¯s will.

    ¡°After that day, I vowed not to take second looks at blonde guys anymore,¡± she concluded excitedly.

 68

    THE MISUNDERSTANDING

    The rest of the dinner was full ofughs, chuckles, and giggles. She was actually very fun to be with. The personality she portrayed at home was quite different from the impression she gave off when I saw her at the airport about an hour ago. I enjoyed every bit of herpany.

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    That morning, I¡¯d gotten up and returned to my usual duties still gued by the thought of what happened between I and Jarod. I tried very hard not to let anyone notice that I wasn¡¯t myself. Customers flooded in, I made them food and served them, the staffs all worked in sync to be on time, etc ¨C the normal morning routine.

    While I was chopping lemon, my phone which I had in the pocket of my apron buzzed. I took out my cooking gloves to answer the call.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said on picking the call.

    ¡°Miss Lily Grayson?¡± the caller called.

    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m calling with respect to the baking contest you entered for¡­,¡± my heart raced a bit. ¡®Did I lose?¡¯ I thought. ¡°Congrattions!¡± I smiled, ¡°you¡¯ve been selected as one of the top ten contestants to participate in the next round,¡± the called said.

    ¡°Thank you sir,¡± I thanked the fellow repeatedly even after he hung up, out of excitement. After thest phase, my ray of hope became very dim; I thought I screwed myself overpletely.

    After I hung up, the expression on my face and how I actually felt changed drastically. I no longer felt disheartened or sad; I was now very excited.

    In the feeling of excitement and thrill, the very first person I thought of sharing the amazing news with was none other than Cayden. I called him to share the good news with him but he didn¡¯t pick up.

    ¡°Pick up the phone, mister, pick up,¡± I held the phone to my ear and heard it ring on the other end, but no one picked. Woohoo!!¡± I eximed dramatically. After he didn¡¯t pick up the third time, I kept the phone back in my pocket and returned to slicing the lemons, humming my favorite song a bit loudly.

    Overjoyed, I could not wait to break the good news to Cayden who encouraged me not to feel down by what happened thest time. During thete hours of the morning when the morning rush hour was finally over, I excused myself and went over to Cayden¡¯s.

    On getting to his house, I pressed the doorbell a couple of times before getting a reply. When I heard the knob move from inside, I was prepared to make a dramatic entry.

    ¡°Heyy!!!¡­¡± I eximed and paused abruptly when I saw a very light-skinned beautifuldy wearing a shirt-gown ¨C which I recognized to be Cayden¡¯s ¨C which exposed her long straight legs from the portion inches above her knee down to her feet. Her long dark hair flowed from both sides of her head giving her front view a demanding look.

    ¡°And¡­who might you be?¡± she asked smugly.

    I waspletely frozen. ¡®Who¡¯s this beautifuldy standing in front of me wearing Cayden¡¯s shirt?¡¯ I thought to myself.

    ¡°Hello?¡± she waved her palm over my face and jerked me back to reality. ¡°I¡­,¡± just when I was about to speak, I heard Cayden ask, ¡°who¡¯s  there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, one weird looking measlydy,¡± thedy jeered.

    I looked over her shoulders ¨C as she was a bit taller than I was ¨C to get a proper view of inside the house and found Cayden shirtless with his hair looking all messy.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he called out when our eyes met.  ¡°You know her?¡± thedy turned around and asked him. ¡°This my house, it¡¯s obvious she came to find me,¡± he retorted. ¡°Right,¡± she said.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he walked to the door looking excited. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Come in,¡± he beckoned

    ¡®Come in?¡¯ I was already drowned in thoughts of what exactly the duo were doing ¨C that made thedy wear his shirt, leaving him shirtless with only his cks on, his hair looking all messy like they were actually making out ¨C to ept Cayden¡¯s gesture. My heart sank in my stomach as those thoughts crept in; the excitement I felt switched to feeling of betrayal in that instant.

    If I went in, I was definitely going to be ¡®the odd one out¡¯ so I just decided to leave instead. ¡°I¡­I ¡­ I¡¯m¡­,¡± I stuttered.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Why¡¯s she stuttering?¡± thedy asked rudely. ¡°Let me handle this,¡± Cayden said. ¡°Fine.¡± She walked back into the house.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he turned to me and called mildly.

    ¡°Umm¡­it¡¯s fine,¡± I finally voiced, ¡°I coulde back some other time,¡± I concluded.

    ¡°But you haven¡¯t even told me the purpose of your visit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Seems I came at the wrong time.¡±

    ¡°But Lil¡­.¡± I wasn¡¯t going to stand there any further and listen to him. I walked out  immediately.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    Brielle and I were to have a meeting with the CEO ¨C our boss ¨C that morning. We got the day started around 6:30 in the morning, individually ¨C in out various rooms.

    I got off bed and started my morning prep by brushing my teeth and taking a shower. After taking my bath in the mornings, I had a special responsibility to fulfill towards my hair ¨C hair care routine ¨C that keeps it glowing; that morning was not different. I usually had the routine after bathing as it was supposed to be done after washing my hair. I put on my cks and in order not to get my special shampoo on my shirt, I hung it by the bed instead of wearing it.

    I applied all the products I used for the routine and let them stay on my hair for about thirty minutes. Thirty minutester,  I went into the bathroom to wash my hair.

    After washing my hair, I picked up the hand dryer to dry it. I turned off the dryer asionally while drying as usual, and heard Brielle talking to someone. Supposedly, since it was my house, whoever she was talking to was to be my guest.

    Knowing how sassy Brielle can be, I kept the dryer and dashed out the room without a shirt and my hair looking all messy.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± I asked on getting to the living room and seeing Brielle talking to someone who stood outside.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, one weird looking measlydy,¡± she jeered with her back against me, still staring outside.

    I walked further away from the passage way into the living room to see who it was for myself. Lo and behold! It was Lily.

    Shoot! The scene I and Brielle portrayed looked really suspicious. I could sense from the look she had on her face, she felt the same way. It was then I noticed that Brielle was actually putting on my shirt!

 69

    CAYDEN¡¯S ¡®ROOM MATE¡¯

    I tried to exin thepromising scene Lily beheld, but she wasn¡¯t ready to listen to me as usual. Without letting me exin myself, she drew conclusions on her own and stormed off. I understood how she felt, and so didn¡¯t bother calling her back as that would have been the wrong time topel her to listen.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Brielle asked me on shutting the door.

    ¡°A friend of mine,¡± I replied on turning around.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she came over to see you, then why did she run off like that without saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Look at us missy¡­,¡± I gestured, ¡°who wouldn¡¯t leave seeing us like this? I¡¯m shirtless, my hair¡¯s all messy and you¡¯re supposedly wearing my shirt,¡± I exined. ¡°She obviously got the wrong idea of thepromising situation we posed off.¡±

    ¡°OH!¡­¡±

    ¡°Which beings me to my question ¨C why are you putting on my shirt miss?¡± I fired

    ¡°My bad, I discovered I came with no nighties. Fortunately, I saw this in the drawer and so I decided to help myself,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized.

    I decided not to drag the situation any further and just replied: ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°But why should my putting this on be a problem?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you see how alluring you look in that, showing too much skin?  You¡¯ve got guts you know?,¡± I teased, she chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t know the kind of man I am, what if I decide to let nature take it¡¯s course?¡±

    ¡°Nature¡¯s beautiful and so is it¡¯s course,¡± she said in a rather seductive manner. I chuckled and smiled while biting my lower lip. ¡°As payment for the shirt, I¡¯m making us breakfast this morning,¡± she chipped in.

    ¡°You cook?¡± she looked too posh to know how to do so.

    ¡°I also stay alone in New York, you know?¡± she retorted sarcastically; Ipletely understood she was imitating my reply when she asked if I cooked, yesterday. This girl was a whole new specie.

    I watched as she walked to the kitchen; her butt line I could see from the shirt, all wiggly.

    ¡°What do we have here?¡± she rummaged my fridge for anything she could use to make breakfast.

    ¡°I¡¯m quite out of stock, but we could make do with sandwiches.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to put on a shirt?¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Are you not going to take off my shirt?¡± I retorted and had her all smiley.

    ¡°I¡¯m paying you for it already by offering to make breakfast.¡±

    ¡°And this is my house, I can do whatever I want, missy,¡± I didn¡¯t back down.

    She scoffed, ¡°fine, partner,¡± she voiced

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this up to you. I need to finish up with my hair¡­ or do you need me to show you around?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help myself. Go put on a shirt, you¡¯re distracting me,¡± she said and turned back to the fridge to continue her search for ingredients.

    I walked out the kitchen and headed inside to finish doing my hair.

    Minutester ¨C after I and Brielle finished getting ready for the virtual meeting ¨C we settled down to have breakfast. We had avocado toast for breakfast.

    ¡°I still had avocadoes?¡± I was amazed at the ptable dish she was able to put together.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you have in your own house,¡± she teased.

    ¡°You won¡¯t me me.¡±

    ¡°Be honest with me, you mostly eat out, right?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s thating from? Are you trying to imply I can¡¯t cook?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything yet.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you enjoy the dinner I made us yesterday?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°I actually did enjoy it a lot,¡± she confessed.

    ¡°So why  does it matter whether or not I eat out?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re drawing conclusions for yourself, Mr. ¡®Partner''¡± she said the ¡®partner¡¯ with a pinch of ridicule in her tone. ¡°I never said it mattered whether or not you ate out. I¡¯m just curious.¡±

    ¡°Well, to be honest, I do eat out most times.¡±

    ¡°Figures.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s actually because I feelzy to cook most times, not because I don¡¯t know how to cook,¡± I stressed thest part of my sentence. She chuckled. She was a pretty good conversationist, I must confess. With her, there were hardly any dull moments.

    ¡°What do you think today¡¯s meeting is going to be about?¡± I changed the topic.

    ¡°Same old story,¡± she rolled her eyeballs dramatically. She was full of drama.

    ¡°What old story?¡± I was curious.

    ¡°He¡¯d sound to us for the umpteenth time the description of our jobs.¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s going to be it this time?¡±

    ¡°Fifty bucks,¡± she bet.

    ¡°Pretty confident of you,¡± I chuckled.

    Around 11:15am, we were both seated in front of myptop ready for the ¡®zoom meeting¡¯ with our boss.

    ¡®Good morning sir,¡± we greeted unanimously and politely.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± he replied. Miss Brielle came over to your ce?¡± He knew very well where I usually sat to have virtual meetings with him in my house. He was shocked to see Brielle beside me in the same location ¨C my house.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I replied almost at once to prevent Brielle from spewing nonsense.

    ¡°Okay. The agenda for today¡¯s meeting is to tell you the details of your job there,¡± he said and Brielle used her feet to kick me stylishly in a bid to remind me of what she said during breakfast. I chuckled silently.

    ¡°To be able to set up a new branch, we need affiliates. You have to visit small scale andrge scale firms as the case may be to know how well we¡¯d blend in¡­,¡±

    Like Brielle had said, we were sounded for the ¡®umpteenth¡¯ time what we needed to do.

    Finally, the meeting was over.

    ¡°Where did you spend the night, miss Brielle?¡± just when I was about to click the ¡®leave meeting¡¯ button, he asked.

    ¡°Here at Cayden¡¯s,¡± she  replied suddenly, driving me to utter shock.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cayden¡¯s roommate now,¡± like what she said earlier wasn¡¯t enough, she added.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I moved away from the camera and without voicing a word, I asked her.

 70

    A POSSIBLE HIDDEN AGENDA

    For heaven¡¯s sake, ¡®was Brielle being serious about what she just said to our boss?¡¯ I was stunned by her sudden reply. Yesterday when I went to pick Brielle from the airport, I conceded to letting her stay over at my house because I thought she only wanted to spend the night and leave the next is day which apparently was today. Now, like what she said yesterday meant something else I couldn¡¯t get, she told our boss she was my roommate; I wasn¡¯t so happy with the reply she gave.

    ¡°You¡¯re his roommate?,¡± our boss asked.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Brielle affirmed. I already said earlier that Brielle just came over and now? She could literally paint me as a pathetic liar and a loser in front of our boss if the worst should happen.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± he called me, making my heart to sink.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s staying with you?¡± he questioned.

    ¡°Umm¡­apparently¡­she¡­,¡± I stumbled with words as I didn¡¯t know exactly how to squirm my way out of the sticky situation she got me in.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if she stays with you,¡± to my greatest surprise, he replied. He didn¡¯t seem ticked off that she stayed with me; rather, he felt relieved.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay? I asked mildly. I was astonished by his leniency. I thought he was going to make an issue out of me lying and express his not being okay with Brielle staying with me at my house.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s find by me, ¡°he affirmed.  ¡°Miss Brielle here¡­,¡± he gestured over the screen towards her direction, ¡°is hardlyfortable with anyone,¡± hepleted his statement. I wasn¡¯t surprised by what he said for I sensed that personality in her also but surprisingly enough, never for once witnessed it myself as she was pretty cool to me.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy you both are getting along pretty well or¡­am I mistaking?¡± he asked staring at us both.

    ¡°Absolutely not, sir,¡± I concurred for I didn¡¯t have the nerve to say otherwise. ¡°We¡¯re okay,¡± I added, looking at Brielle¡¯s face through the screen and I sensed a weird expression on her face like she had something else  in mind. I wondered if she yed with her words yesterday and made me let her sleep over intentionally.

    ¡°Have a wonderful day ahead,¡± he said.

    ¡°And you too sir..¡± ¡°yes sir and you too,¡± we replied simultaneously. I hit the ¡®leave meeting¡¯ button, shut theptop and turned to face Brielle.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked casually.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what?¡¯? What was that for?¡± I fired.

    ¡°What exactly are you talking about? Why the fuss?¡± feigning ignorance still, she asked.

    ¡°I thought you were only going to spend the night here, what¡¯s this about being my roommate and all that?¡± I voiced out, sounding a bit annoyed.

    ¡°Can you please rx and hear me out?¡± she requested.

    ¡°I¡¯m calm,¡± I gave a witty reply.

    ¡°Staying together like this would make our boss worry less and also save you stress and besides, my stay here is strictly professional,¡± she exined calmly.

    ¡°How exactly is your stay here alleviating me?¡± I didn¡¯t understand that part of what she said and requested for a rification.

    ¡°We¡¯re partners right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Right,¡± I affirmed.

    ¡°How would you feel if you¡¯re always asked of my whereabouts especially when we have meetings like this one?¡±

    What was she saying? That didn¡¯t sound like an ¡®excuse¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s just ridiculous. How could you even conceive the idea of staying over at my ce? Have you no fear?¡± I scolded.

    ¡°Fear of what or who exactly?¡± she retorted; her tone portraying ¡®I¡¯m done trying to exin things to this guy¡¯. ¡°Fear of you?¡± she jeered and scoffed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily about being literally scared. We¡¯re both unmarried and without sexual partners or do you have any?¡­¡± I paused and asked her, ¡°no, that would be even more brazen¡­,¡± I answered for her. ¡°We¡¯re both unmarried and without sexual partners and you still im to see nothing wrong with it?¡± I recited Lily¡¯s lines, trying to exin the angle I came from.

    ¡°This is the twenty-first century, Mr. Cayden! Don¡¯t go about talking like someone in the fifteenth century,¡± she backfired.

    ¡°That¡¯s really not the case here, you know? Twenty first century or not, I¡¯m notfortable with letting you stay with me. I¡¯m  a man and I have blood running through my veins, okay?¡­¡± I gestured by holding out my left hand and poking it continuously, ¡°I have feelings,¡± I concluded. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯d keep to myself and not try something else,¡± I added.

    We argued continuously with neither of us wanting to yield or give in to the other. I stressed the fact that my problem was that I was just ufortable, and she kept jeering at me, telling me my way of thinking was quite archaic.

    ¡°Listen. I totally understand if you¡¯re ufortable with me being around you but what I just can¡¯t and won¡¯t try to understand in any way, is why you¡¯reshing me out right now,¡± she retaliated. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me around, you could just tell me to leave your house and I wouldply! It¡¯s that simple, okay?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t get it?¡± I decreased my voice signifying I was no longer vouching for an argument; arguing with her led us nowhere. We had to reach an agreement.

    ¡°There¡¯s absolutely nothing to get, Mister Cayden,¡± she called out formally.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you see reasons with¡­,¡± I tried to request and she cut me off.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the least interested in you,¡± she blurted; of course that was a lie. She waspletely swept off her feet when she saw me for the very first time. ¡°My stay here is strictly professional, okay? You don¡¯t have to be bothered by me. If what I suggest is still not fine by you, you could as well throw me out, I said that before.¡± I noticed the change in her tone ¨C she sounded a bit more serious this time, wearing an expressionless look instead of a cheesed- off one.

 71

    A TWITCH IN LILY¡¯S DEMEANOR

    ¡°Your stay here is strictly professional, you say?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t stuttering.¡±

    ¡°Fine then, I yield. You can stay here since this is all strictly business. We really should not be arguing over this.¡±

    ¡°Well you were the one telling me how brazen it was for us to stay together,¡± she replied with sarcasm.

    ¡°Fine, whatever,¡± I walked into the house.

    I decided to let it go as a coincidence and not as something she nned from the start. If we were going to work together, we needed to avoid needless arguments and unnecessary suspicions.

    Ever since I returned from New York, it¡¯s been forever since Ist visited Lily at her bakery. I had less to do today, so I decided to pay her a surprise visit though I wasn¡¯t so sure she was going to be happy about seeing me considering the way she stormed off thest time.

    On getting there, the ce was booming with a lot of customers; everyone seemed busy either serving or savoring. I looked around and saw that all of the seats were upied by customers ¨C a really overwhelming sight. I decided to be a gentleman and wait patiently outside for someone to leave, so I¡¯d be able to get a seat for myself.

    About two minutester, my wish came through ¨C a pair walked out. I  went in and found a vacant seat by the window which I took. I sat down and scanned the entire hall for Lily but I didn¡¯t get a glimpse of her anywhere. ¡®Where could thisdy be?¡¯ I asked myself. Soon, one of Lily¡¯s staffs, apparently, came to take my order.

    ¡°What should I get you sir?¡± her tiny voice asked me.

    ¡°Your boss,¡± I replied.

    ¡°My boss?¡± she was definitely fazed at the nature of my order.

    ¡°Why? I thought you came to get my order,¡± I teased.

    ¡°Your order for food, sir.¡± She was quite bold.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want food. I want your boss,¡± I insisted.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell her someone¡¯s asking of her,¡± she said and walked inside.

    Some momentster, I indeed got what I ordered for ¨C Lily. We went outside her shop to talk properly as we could barely hear ourselves amidst the chattering sounds inside her shop.

    ¡°What do you want here?¡± she questioned authoritatively.

    ¡°Umm¡­I realized it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you so I decided to check in today.¡±

    ¡°Okay you¡¯ve seen me now, you can go,¡± she turned around to walk out when I held her back.

    ¡°I thought to surprise you bying over today. What¡¯s with the attitude?¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°What attitude?¡± she retorted. ¡°You saw the crowd in there¡­,¡± she pointed towards the door, ¡°right?¡± shepleted. ¡°Yes I did,¡± I nodded. ¡°So what other exnations do you need?¡± she asked me in a rather rude and unweing tone. ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± she clearly stated.

    ¡°Lily what¡¯s up with you today? Why are you acting up? Is something wrong?¡± I was actually very concerned about her.

    ¡°Nothing happened, I¡¯m just fine,¡± she replied hastily. ¡°Can I go in now?¡± she was unusually impatient. She wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible.

    I heaved a sigh and said: ¡°How about the next phase of yourpetition? When is iting up?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Never mind mypetition, Cayden. It¡¯s my business,¡± she retorted harshly.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? You¡¯re scaring me. Are thosedies troubling you?¡± I was referring to the women who bad-mouthed her the other day.

    ¡°For goodness sake, can you just mind your business and stop butting heads with mine?!¡± she barked. ¡°It¡¯s my life, okay? I¡¯m no longer a child, I can take very good care of myself,¡± she scolded in the coldest manner I¡¯ve ever witnessed her speak.

    ¡°Lily if I¡¯ve done something¡­,¡¯

    ¡°Please excuse me,¡± she cut me off and walked out on me.

    ¡°Lily! Lily!¡­¡± I called out repeatedly but to no avail.

    Lily treated me with so much disrespect that day. I nned on ordering as much as I could to buy us time to converse heartily ¨C as we hadn¡¯t done so in a while ¨C but her cold reaction towards me did nothing but push me away. I thought of persuading her further to talk to me as I knew what buttons to push to get to her but then again, the Lily I saw minutes ago wasn¡¯t the same Lily I knew whose buttons to push ¨C she gave off a pletely different aura. I decided to let her be for now and just go home to think things through hoping that our next meeting was going to be different from today.

    Feeling frustrated and disappointed, I got into my car and zoomed off; I headed straight home.

    On getting home, I was weed by the sweet aroma that emerged from the direction of the kitchen. I had thought of ordering something to eat ¨C as I didn¡¯t have much ¨C on getting home. The sweet aroma I inhaled through my nostrils brought life back to my soul. I followed the trail of the aroma all the way to the kitchen and found Brielle in the center of it all, with headphones over her head she made rhythmic movements ¨C danced. I watched her in awe and for a moment, I forgot all about the frustration Lily inflicted on me few minutes ago.

    ¡°And what do we have here?¡± I savored the aroma that filled the whole kitchen.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back?!¡± she jerked a bit on seeing me as she didn¡¯t know when I came in.

    ¡°Yes I am. What do we have here?¡± I looked into the pots.

    ¡°Food. What else would be in pots?¡± Brielle sure had a way with her words.

    ¡± And here I was thinking of ordering food.¡±  ¡°Ah!¡± I eximed, ¡°you¡¯re a life saver. Thank you so much,¡± I warmly expressed my appreciation for her kind gesture.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± she said while stir-frying the fish.

    ¡±You went grocery shopping?¡± I asked because I knew I didn¡¯t have fish in the house.

    ¡°I had to. I suddenly craved fish,¡± she said. ¡°Actually, I ordered.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay,¡± I replied and made my way to leave.

    ¡°Umm¡­Mr. Cayden?¡± she called in a bit seductive manner and made me pause.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I turned back around to stare at her.

    ¡°There are areas we need to survey , maybe in two days?¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°You know what? Just go in, I¡¯ll tell you everything over dinner.¡±  ¡°Alright, fine,¡± I concurred to her message and walked out of the kitchen.

 72

    THE TOP TEN

    Following the events of everything that has been happening, it¡¯s already been forty-eight hours ¨C two days since we started preparing for next phase of the bakingpetition. I implored the total indulgence and creativity of every one I worked with ¨C my staffs ¨C toe up with something bigger and better thanst time. This time was much more better than thest because I had less to think of as the time ebbed away. We¡¯d been preparing two special cake recipes to blow the judges¡¯ mind off with. The cake wasn¡¯t going to be just any regr cake, it was going to bring ¡®heaven¡¯ to whoever had a taste of Its scrumptiousness ¨C the judges inclusive.

    One hour to thepetition, I wrapped up the day¡¯s recipe preparation, and went home to prepare myself physically in order not to bete for the big day.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to eat something?¡± nana kept nagging while I prepared to leave the house soon.

    ¡°Nana please, I want to be there on time for this, please,¡± I pleaded respectfully. Nana looks at the wall clock.

    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s barely 11:00 am and this round I know starts by 12!¡± she eximed beaming with wonderment. Nana cared too much about me to let me leave the house on an empty stomach; she was simply the best.

    ¡°Nana, how I managed to get to the top ten, I still cannot fathom. But right now, what matters the most is that I¡¯m part of the chosen ones today, and I¡¯m not going topromise my doing well for this round,¡± I said. ¡°The two special cake recipes I prepared will definitely earn me that top spot,¡± I bragged, ¡°so nana please, don¡¯t force me to eat anything right now,¡± I made my point clear.

    ¡°You need strength for this, you know?¡± nana insisted.

    ¡°I already had a bite of everything I prepared earlier today at the shop so I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± she yielded.

    Thirty minutester, I was ready to move to the next venue of the outdoorpetition. I went outside my house and boarded a cab to take me to my destination.

    While driving, I wound down the window to let the cool breeze in; I felt so excited and nervous at the same time. While looking through the window, I sighted a familiar car ¨C Cayden¡¯s car ¨C from a distance at the other side of the road.

    ¡°Please slow down a little,¡± I urged the driver so as to take a proper look at the G-wagon I caught sight of.

    My suspicions were proven to be true, it was indeed Cayden¡¯s car. He was standing outside the car with the strange woman I met at his house the other day, against a street; they looked like they were looking at something so meticulously. ¡°Please you can increase your pace,¡± I wound up the window and let out a sigh of annoyance. Seeing them together provoked me.

    Owing to what I just saw, I felt really annoyed but I had something  bigger  to achieve so there was no way I was going to allow Cayden and his ¡®mistress¡¯ to taint my mood. I rested my head against the chair, closed my eyes and fantasized  all the judges giving me near-perfect scores.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the driver announced on getting to our destination causing me to feel tensed a little bit.  ¡®We prepared day and night for this, Lily. We can do it,¡¯ I cheered myself on and alighted the vehicle.

    I was just in time!

    Thepetition was going very smoothly and before I knew it, it was already time for the tasting ¨C the moment of truth for every contestant. They were a total of seven judges this time, which could leave one a total of seventy points ¨C aplete boost in the scorecard.

    ¡°Contestant ¡®ten¡¯!¡± the master of ceremony announced it was my turn to serve the judges my dish. ¡°Mmhh, the appearance of this beautiful dish on your tray is mouth watering,¡± the MC cheered as I walked to the judges with my dish ced in a roble tray. This was usually the time that made me the most nervous.

    ¡°What dish do you have for us today?¡± one of the judges asked.

    ¡°This right here is a special cake designed by me¡­,¡± I exined.

    ¡°It¡¯s a cake?¡± the woman looked amaze by what she saw. Yes, the dish I had in my tray didn¡¯t really look like a cake.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Yes it¡¯s a cake,¡± I confirmed. ¡°This one,¡± I pointed to the one by the left, ¡°was specially prepared with mashed lemons¡­¡± I went on and on, on how the dishes were prepared as I was supposed to do so before the tasting in this round; it was the requirement.

    After my brief talk, the judges each had a taste of my artwork. Only a few of them managed to keep a straight face after tasting my food, the rest of them werepletely mind blown. It felt so good to finally be the center of it all again, as many of them called my dish the best; I felt on top of the world. After tasting, they all raised their score cards.

    ¡°¡¯10¡¯, ¡¯10¡¯, ¡¯10¡¯, ¡®9¡¯, ¡®9¡¯, ¡¯10¡¯, ¡¯10¡ä¡±, in my mind, I read the scores each of the seven judges disyed on their card as my mark ¨C a total of sixty-eight points!!!! What I fantasized actually came true.

    The crowd cheered me on, but no one did that better than myself. I felt so happy and alive after a long period of brooding. And that was how I managed to boost my scorecard rapidly.

    Momentster, thepetition came to an end and as usual, we were asked to pack up. While packing up, I kept humming my favorite song to show how excited I was.  A number of people walked up to me with congrattory messages.

    ¡°Congrattions¡±¡­¡±congrattions¡­¡± ¡°congrattions¡­¡± ¡®Congrattions¡¯ was the only word I could hear as though I¡¯d actually won thepetition. That wasn¡¯t the case though, a few other contestants who got near-perfect scores also received their share of the ¡®congrattions¡¯.

    Few minutester, Cayden ¨C who I didn¡¯t expect to see ¨C appeared before me looking all feisty and annoyed. The first thought that came to mind was concerning his mistress¡¯s whereabouts; I didn¡¯t see her around.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I maintained a straight face; I had to force it as I was too excited to do so.

    ¡°Seriously, Lily?¡± he sounded upset. I guessed it was because I refused to tell him of the feat I achieved ¨C securing myself a spot in the top ten.

    ¡°What?¡± I feigned ignorance.

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t tell me you had apetition today, even though I came all the way to your shop to ask you about it,¡± he stressed the ¡®all¡¯ dramatically. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m your biggest fan?¡±

    ¡°When I called to give you the good news, did you take my calls?¡± I muttered under my breath.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± He obviously didn¡¯t hear what I said. I didn¡¯t said it to be heard by him so I wasn¡¯t going to repeat myself again.

    ¡°Lily, from what I heard, this round was for the top ten. You didn¡¯t even tell me you managed to pull it off!¡±

    ¡°How did you know toe here?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t expect me to answer that, do you?¡± he backfired.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not important, okay? You have your life to live, just keep doing that.¡±

 73

    CONGRATULATIONS

    ¡°¡®My life to live¡¯? Where¡¯s thating from?¡± he asked me but I really didn¡¯t have an answer to that question, so I ignored him and continued with what I was doing ¨C packing up. ¡°Lily, you really are acting weird, you know that?¡± This guy waspletely clueless.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m stressed. I mean no harm,¡± I replied basically.

    ¡°I know you well enough to know that you¡¯re lying right now.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself, mister.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t intend on telling me what the problem is, huh?¡± he asked with all sincerity I could sense from his tone.

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem, so what exactly do you want to hear from me?¡± I gave quick and sudden replies. I wanted him off my back as soon as possible.

    ¡°Sure?¡±

    ¡°You bet.¡±

    ¡°Fine then, as you wish,¡± he yielded. I expected him to drag on. ¡°Congrattions by the way. I came to tell you that. I¡¯m sincerely happy for you, Lily,¡± he congratted warmly.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied coldly, my voicecking warmth. I could sense he noticed the way I replied seeing how he went silent for a while before speaking up again.

    ¡°A small scale celebration won¡¯t be a bad idea. What do you say? Would you like to go out with me tomorrow to celebrate this great feat you just achieved?¡± he asked cheerfully irrespective of the fact that I was being aplete downer. ¡°A drink or two wouldn¡¯t bepletely out of the question,¡± he suggested.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± I rejected his offer tantly.

    ¡°Why though? Isn¡¯t it a happy asion?¡± he insisted.

    ¡°It is indeed a happy one! That¡¯s why I want to spend it with the one who makes me the most happy.¡±

    ¡°Jacek?¡± Bingo! He guessed correctly.

    ¡°Yes, Jacek. You guessed correctly.¡± I confirmed. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to spend quality time with my baby this period. So, I¡¯m going to be hispany for the whole of tomorrow,¡± I exined grudgingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s even better. Let mee along then, I miss the little man so much,¡± he pleaded. This guy was never going to take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.

    ¡°We¡¯d be long gone before you wake up from your slumber,¡± with every bit of sarcasm in my tone, I voiced. I didn¡¯t intend on budging this time, it had to be him.

    ¡°You really are hell bent on pushing me away, right?¡± he was trying to use ¡®that tone¡¯ on me again but I was miles away from falling from his antics this time around.

    ¡°Whatever you say. I and Jacek are going to enjoy a wonderful ¡®mummy-and-son¡¯ alone time tomorrow without intrusions from anyone.¡±

    ¡°Am I just ¡®anyone¡¯?¡± He sounded a bit hurt by the way I said what I did.

    ¡°You can take it however you wish to.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon Lily. For the sake of the little one, just let me tag along, would ya?¡± he kept insisting.

    ¡°What part of ¡®a wonderful mummy-and-son alone time¡¯ do you not understand?¡± I stressed. ¡°It¡¯s going to be just mummy and son, don¡¯t you get?¡± I scolded.

    ¡°So you really aren¡¯t going to budge , huh?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± I retorted.

    ¡°But you¡­,¡± ¡°Cayden!¡± a voice called out. Our conversation was interrupted when the weirddy I saw at his house walked in on us.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve been here all along, and I was searching everywhere for you,¡± she said,pletely ignoring the fact that I only stood few inches away from Cayden.

    ¡°How did the survey go?¡± Cayden asked her. ¡®Survey?¡¯

    ¡°Pretty well, yunno? But the gate keeper was a really feisty one,¡± she said hysterically and had then bothughing.

    For a moment, I turned invisible even to Cayden who was on my neck minutes ago, asking me to let him tag along. The duo seemed very free and friendly with each other that it incited a little bit of jealousy in me. Who was this otherdy who could make Cayden all smiley and giggly and wasn¡¯t me? Seeing Cayden walk up to me earlier annoyed me, but seeing two of them all friendly with each other now? My infuriation was spiked to a whole new level ¨C I waspletely provoked.

    ¡°So where¡¯s the next site? Shall we go?¡± she asked Cayden. I cleared my throat to remind them I was still standing there and for a few seconds, they both went silent as they turned to stare at me. ¡°You¡¯ve been here this whole time?!¡± she asked when she finally noticed me. She didn¡¯t see me the whole time she talked with Cayden?  Was I that small?

    ¡°Ummm¡­I¡¯d like to take my leave now,¡± I requested.

    ¡°Oh okay, take care,¡± Cayden replied.

    ¡®Oh okay, take care¡¯? I recited in my head as I walked out immediately. Is that all he had to say? Cayden didn¡¯t even notice how angry I stormed off. Deeply engrossed with his newdy, he didn¡¯t even try to talk to me or bid me a proper farewell ¨C which was very unusual. I thought hard as to who thedy was. She felt too surreal. There were only a handful of people I knew Cayden hung out with. And that ¡®handful of people¡¯ was me! I felt reced and really jealous to see someone else make him smile andugh so happily the way he did back there. The little time I spent with Cayden must have bred a sense of attachment in me to make me feel that way. I hated being reced more than anything in this world and would do anything to maintain my position, no matter how small. I guess that exined why felt the way I did.

    Walking out, I asionally turned back to look at the duo to see if Cayden was staring at me but he wasn¡¯t! They were still caught up in their chit-chat looking all lovey-dovey. I stood at a far corner and watched them until they exited out the scene and headed for car parked at the other side.  I got caught up with the view and only came to a realization when he drove out of eyeshot.

 74

    FRIENDS

    I and Brielle headed to the next site we needed to survey as we had a list of areas we worked with. She kept rting her funny experience with me and had meughing real hard as we drove to our next stop.

    ¡°Who was thatdy though?¡± Brielle asked me causing the smile I had on my face to fade away. I knew she was referring to Lily.

    ¡°Whatdy?¡± I feigned ignorance.

    ¡± Thedy you were talking with back there,¡± she rified.

    ¡°Oh!¡­,¡±

    ¡°I watched you both for a while, you know?¡± She¡¯d pretended she didn¡¯t see Lily and now?

    ¡°So why did you act like you didn¡¯t notice her at all?¡±  I voiced.

    ¡°That was obviously on purpose to  end the nice conversation you both were having back there. I have eagle eyes you know? I see everything,¡± she stated out rightly.

    ¡°So you saw her and pretended you didn¡¯t on purpose?¡± I asked, a bit shocked.

    ¡°Exactly! Now tell me, who was she? And why did you look so familiar with her?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, just a friend,¡± I answered. Although it felt a bit awkward calling Lily ¡®just a friend¡¯, but thinking, there wasn¡¯t really much to our rtionship although we had grown close a bit.

    ¡°You keep friends?¡± she asked. ¡®who doesn¡¯t?¡¯ I answered in my head.

    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± I voiced.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she stated out rightly

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, you¡¯re obviously not human,¡± I blurted jovially and she giggled.

    ¡°Friendship is more like a burden I wouldn¡¯t want to bother myself with.¡±

    ¡°A burden?¡± I was shocked at the notion she had about friends. Everyone needs friendships to keep going; longsting one at that. So how could she possibly feel that way? ¡°Did you have a childhood trauma or something?¡± I made known to her my thoughts.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°If I say I did?¡±

    ¡°Would you mind sharing?¡± I asked politely in a bid to prevent myself froming off as a nosy fellow.

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with it.

    ¡°So tell me what¡¯s up with you and seeing friends as a burden?¡± I was eager to hear her story.

    ¡°Well, my childhood friend betrayed me,¡± she said causing me to feel a little bit sorry for her.

    ¡°Is that why you turned out this way?¡± I asked with concern.

    ¡°Yes!¡± she stated firmly.

    ¡°So what did that friend of yours do to you?¡±

    ¡°She dated my crush,¡± she blurted to my surprise. ¡®Crush¡¯?

    ¡°What? Crush? How old were you?¡± I asked surprisingly.

    ¡°Ten?¡±

    ¡°Ten?!¡± I eximed and turned sharply to her taking my eyes off the road. The sorry feeling I felt earlier slowly went away. I was shocked at her story. How could that determine how cold she was towards people in general? She¡¯s a handful.

    ¡°Drive,¡± she stressed and gestured towards the road. ¡°Do you want to get me killed?¡± she asked further.

    ¡°You allow a measly squabble between you and  childhood friend shape who you are today?¡± I asked, stressing the ¡®childhood¡¯. Thisdy never ceased to amuse me.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that enough reason? I really liked him you know? Isn¡¯t that enough to be called a childhood trauma?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I refuted.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± she stated casually.

    ¡°You really never cease to amuse me, Brielle.¡±

    ¡°Everyone says that,¡± she said and the car went silent for a split second. ¡°So tell me, she¡¯s just a friend?¡± she broke the brief silence.

    ¡°Who?¡± Ipletely forgot what we were talking about before delving into her past.

    ¡°Lily!¡± she reminded.

    ¡°Oh!¡­ Sure.¡±

    ¡°Sure you ought to be keeping unnecessary rtionships?¡±

    ¡°Unnecessary? What do you mean by that?¡± I asked with a friendly  tone.

    ¡°You  know our stay here is strictly business, so if you ask me, keeping friendships as this one is really not advisable. Your stay here is temporary, and you¡¯re prone to leave at anytime, you know that, right?¡± In as much as I wanted to prove her wrong, she made a lot of sense to me. My stay in Nedford indeed was strictly professional.

    ¡°Lily is a nicedy. If you get to know her, you might end up liking her,¡± I still had to defend myself somehow.

    ¡°You sure about that?¡± she scoffed. I knew her scoffing meant she didn¡¯t really like people or associated with them; she scared people off instead of attracting them. The only features she possessed that had the possibility of attracting others to her were her face and her physique ¨C she was really beautiful.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not so sure,¡± I replied jovially and she giggled. ¡°But making friends here can help facilitate the rate of our business down here,¡± I chipped in.

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say. If you make friends with a local from this town, won¡¯t it help out with the survey?¡± I asked. I wanted to defend my actions at all cost even though all she said made real sense.

    ¡°Lily is a local here?¡± she asked. She really didn¡¯t know? Wasn¡¯t that obvious?

    ¡°Exactly! So being a friend of someone who knows the in and out  of this city ¨C Lily ¨C is also helping me out with the task which is invariably still me being professional,¡± I exined.

    ¡°True though. Talking about Lily¡­,¡± she rubbed her chin and looked liked like she was thinking, ¡°I could have sworn I¡¯ve met her somewhere before now,¡± shepleted her sentence. ¡°She looked very familiar.¡± She added.

    ¡°What are you saying? She¡¯s the one who came over the other day, remember? The weird measly-looking woman?¡± I reminded.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Of course I remember her from before. I¡¯m talking about something else right now.¡±

    ¡°Somewhere else?¡± I was confused. ¡°You sure about that?¡± I added.

    ¡°Absolutely. She doesn¡¯t have a basic face, so don¡¯t even bother telling me I saw someone who looked like her and not her herself,¡± she defended.

    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s true. So where could you have possibly seen her. She¡¯s been in Nedford for a while.¡±

    ¡°Maybe in her previous city?¡± I then realized that Lily hadn¡¯t really told me about that. ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± she affirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve definitely seen that face somewhere.¡±

 75

    Chapter 75 ¨C Lily is my ¡®friend¡¯

    Cayden

    After Lily was already gone, I turned towards the woman to discuss with her.

    I was about to start asking her our ns concerning the second site, when she interrupted me by speaking first.

    ¡°Who is thatdy?¡± She asked and she looked at me with a weird look on her face. I turned my neck towards where Lily just left to be sure that she was talking about Lily and not someone else.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I asked her to be sure. She let out a small sigh before nodding her head to my question.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s just a friend.¡± I said casually, even though I didn¡¯t believe that myself. I didn¡¯t know what Lily meant to be or who she was to me. I wasn¡¯t sure about it and now, using the word ¡®friend¡¯ seemed like the only right word to use.

    I couldn¡¯t call her my acquaintance because Lily was more than that, way more than that.

    ¡°Really?¡± The woman Interrupted my thoughts and I turned my attention back to her. The woman didn¡¯t look convinced at all. Well, I don¡¯t me her either, I wasn¡¯t sure about what I said anyway.

    I was suddenly curious about what Lily thought about me and she would address me if she was asked the same question. I feel she would probably call me her colleague. Yeah, I think so.

    ¡°Mr Cayden?¡± She dragged me out of my thoughts and I cleared my throat ufortably.  I was feeling weird about the fact that in less than five minutes, I had already thought about Lily twice, up to the extent of getting lost in the thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s my friend.¡± I said and looked away from her. When I looked back at her, I saw that she was still looking at me. I wondered why she was acting really weird about it.

    Does she think there¡¯s something more between Lily and I? I also think the same too, I just don¡¯t want to ept it at all.

    ¡°What does she mean to you?¡± She asked again and this time, her tone seemed more serious.

    I slightly scratched my head before answering her.

    ¡°Uh. She means a lot to me since she¡¯s clearly a friend. We are pretty close.¡± I said carefully and she started scanning my face.

    ¡°That¡¯s really bad. For this job, you don¡¯t need to have friends, especially friends like thatdy Lily. You don¡¯t need friends, you need to focus. Is that clear?¡± She said all at once and I stared at her in astonishment.

    What was that about? Not having friends because of this job? That¡¯s really crazy.

    ¡°What do you mean by that? I¡¯m not allowed to have friends now? Why?¡± I asked her and she rolled her eyes at me. I was really confused about what she was trying to say.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need friends at all, since you¡¯ll be staying here forever.¡± She said and waited for my answer.

    Oh, so that was what she meant.

    Well, she  actually makes a good point. She¡¯s right about that. The fact that I don¡¯t need friends since I¡¯ll be staying here forever till God knows when is very true, but Lily is different from that. I need Lily so much and even as much as she doesn¡¯t like to admit, she also needs me.

    I didn¡¯t know that I was talking into a trap by answering all the questions that I was being asked. I shouldn¡¯t have said that Lily was my friend and now, I didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Yes. Just like thatdy now. You don¡¯t need her at all, I think you need to cut her off. That¡¯d be better for you, to be honest, Cayden.¡± She said and when she started speaking about Lily in that manner, I started feeling ufortable with the way he was talking about her. I  suddenly remembered something that she said earlier about Lily and I decided to ask her about it.

    ¡°What did you mean by friends like Lily? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± I asked her and when she widened her eyes at me in confusion, I quickly added, ¡°you said that earlier.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. I just don¡¯t have a good feeling about her. It¡¯s nothing deeper than that.¡±

    Nothing deeper than that? That sounds so suspicious. I suddenly started feeling the need to defend Lily.

    ¡°Lily is actually a very good friend. You should love her because she is so dear to me and I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going anyway, which means that I¡¯m not cutting her off anytime soon.¡± I said at once and before she said another word, I added, ¡°I think you don¡¯t have a good feeling about her because you just met her, you could give her a chance?¡±

    When I said that, she looked at me sceptical without saying a word.

    ¡°No.¡± She said after a few seconds.

    ¡°Apart from that, this job is even better when you have friends, it¡¯s easier to deal with that way.¡± Even after that, she still didn¡¯t seem convinced. At that point, I didn¡¯t know anything else to say to make her know that Lily is good for me.

    An idea suddenly popped in my head. For her to like Lily, I decided to tell a little lie, just a little.

    Little lies don¡¯t hurt anyone, do they? I don¡¯t think so.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you know that Lily is actually a local here. She¡¯s from this ce, so she knows the in and out of this town.¡± I lied. I was surprisingly feeling really good about the lie that I told.

    I couldn¡¯t tell if she believed the lie that I told with the reaction on her face. I decided to wait for her to say something before adding more to the lie that I told.

    ¡°From this town? Wow.¡± A frown was on her face and I knew that something was wrong. I didn¡¯t know if she found out that I was lying, but I really hoped that wasn¡¯t the case at all.

    ¡°I feel like I have seen her somewhere though. Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, I can see that she actually looked familiar.¡±

    I didn¡¯t say anything as I heard all that, I just stared at her as she continued thinking about how she thinks Lily looks familiar.

    Chapter 76 ¨C The awkward sightseeing.

    Cayden

    She continued thinking about where she had seen Lily earlier, while I watched her impatiently. I was really curious about where she thought she had seen Lily and I really hoped it wasn¡¯t going to turn out to be a problem for me.

    ¡°Where is that? Can you remember now?¡± I said and I ced my thumbs into my two pockets, waiting for her reply. A few secondster, she shrugged and told me that she couldn¡¯t remember.

    When she said that, I silently heaved a sigh of relief and I started trying to make her get over Lily¡¯s matter, by telling her that I wanted to go for the site seeing immediately.

    She reluctantly agreed and I thanked God for that.

    ¡°We should go now.¡± I said when she finally agreed. We turned to the opposite and we started walking, when she suddenly stopped me.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked her and she looked at me before speaking. She dragged me to the side and now, we were walking back to where we were leaving.

    ¡°I remember where I saw her now. Lily? Yes, I remember now.¡± She said with a hint of pride in her voice and I was suddenly curious about where she had seen her.

    I just hoped it wasn¡¯t on one of our trips. I waited patiently for her to start speaking..

    ¡°I saw her at apany. I think she went there for a party, more like a dinner party.¡± She said while she waited for my answer.

    What she said sounded so familiar and I started panicking. She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she had seen Lily before. I started thinking about ways to stop her from thinking about that because she seemed like she was ready to be persistent with asking questions about Lily. I needed her to stop really fast because I wasn¡¯t ready to even give her answers to her questions.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± I said, feigning surprise.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so sure. I wondered why I¡¯m just noticing now. I should¡¯ve asked her about it.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be mistaken about that. I don¡¯t think Lily has attended any party and definitely not one in apany.¡± I was really hoping that she was going to make the issue die down peacefully without asking any more questions.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very sure that I saw her there.¡± She sounded so sure of the answer and at that point, I just couldn¡¯t do anything else to change her mind.

    I just decided to confirm her answer and just twist in another way. I was really tired of going back and forth with her.

    ¡°I remember now. I think you¡¯re right, but she went to the party at thepany a very long time ago. It¡¯s been long, that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t even remember. It¡¯s nothing to brood over, it isn¡¯t worth it, don¡¯t worry.¡± I said it all at once and with what I said, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to say anything again.

    ¡°You were telling me a minute ago that I was telling lies and now you¡¯re telling me that it happened a long time ago? Are you serious about that?¡± She eyed me suspiciously and crossed her hands against her chest.

    The fact that she kept on going back and forth with Lily¡¯s issue was starting to make me feel really ufortable. All the questions that she was asking me weren¡¯t even necessary at all, but I just had to answer everything so she would forget about it all.

    ¡°Yes. It happened a long time ago, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t remember at first. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± She squinted her eyes at me, while I just stared at her.

    ¡°Yeah. Can we go and see the second site now?¡± I asked, trying to make the atmosphere feel lighter.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± I was correct, it made the atmosphere lighter.

    We turned to the other side again and we started walking towards the opposite side to see the second site.

    I could still see that she was still feeling suspicious, but I wasn¡¯t interested in clearing her doubts again. I had already tried my best and if that wasn¡¯t enough for her, then I have nothing to do about it.

    The site seeing was actually going pretty well and it wasn¡¯t as awkward as I expected. We had small talks here and there and I was really cool with it.

    However, I wasn¡¯t sure if I waspletely satisfied with the way things were going, but it was okay. It wasn¡¯t bad at least. I could see that she was also sceptical about the vine that we were having, but she also thought it wasn¡¯t bad either.

    The next hour, we were already through with the site seeing and I was a little bit happy about that. I was starting to feel sick about the whole process and I just wanted to go back.

    When we were done with site seeing, I was about to bid her goodbye and leave instantly, when she stopped me. She told me that she needed me for something and she didn¡¯t want me to leave yet.

    A small frown settled on my face, as I listened to her speak patiently.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want me to leave yet?¡± I asked her and in response to that, she shook her head slowly and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

    ¡°Why? I thought we were done with the site seeing. Is there another ce that you want to go to?¡± I asked her and she looked away from me before answering me.

    ¡°No, not that. I just feel like we should have a drink together. Or what do you think?¡±

    ¡°A drink together?¡± I was a little bit confused and I didn¡¯t know why she wanted us to go and have a drink together.

    Did she think that this was a date? Oh God. That¡¯s funny.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m inviting you out for a drink. So, is it a yes?¡± Her eyes suddenly started glowing with a little bit of excitement.

    I looked away from her before answering her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, but I have to go. I have to resume early tomorrow. So sorry.¡±

    She slowly nodded her head and she looked away from me. The glow that was in her eyes was gone now.

 76

    Chapter 76 ¨C The awkward sightseeing.

    Cayden

    She continued thinking about where she had seen Lily earlier, while I watched her impatiently. I was really curious about where she thought she had seen Lily and I really hoped it wasn¡¯t going to turn out to be a problem for me.

    ¡°Where is that? Can you remember now?¡± I said and I ced my thumbs into my two pockets, waiting for her reply. A few secondster, she shrugged and told me that she couldn¡¯t remember.

    When she said that, I silently heaved a sigh of relief and I started trying to make her get over Lily¡¯s matter, by telling her that I wanted to go for the site seeing immediately.

    She reluctantly agreed and I thanked God for that.

    ¡°We should go now.¡± I said when she finally agreed. We turned to the opposite and we started walking, when she suddenly stopped me.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked her and she looked at me before speaking. She dragged me to the side and now, we were walking back to where we were leaving.

    ¡°I remember where I saw her now. Lily? Yes, I remember now.¡± She said with a hint of pride in her voice and I was suddenly curious about where she had seen her.

    I just hoped it wasn¡¯t on one of our trips. I waited patiently for her to start speaking..

    ¡°I saw her at apany. I think she went there for a party, more like a dinner party.¡± She said while she waited for my answer.

    What she said sounded so familiar and I started panicking. She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she had seen Lily before. I started thinking about ways to stop her from thinking about that because she seemed like she was ready to be persistent with asking questions about Lily. I needed her to stop really fast because I wasn¡¯t ready to even give her answers to her questions.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± I said, feigning surprise.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m so sure. I wondered why I¡¯m just noticing now. I should¡¯ve asked her about it.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be mistaken about that. I don¡¯t think Lily has attended any party and definitely not one in apany.¡± I was really hoping that she was going to make the issue die down peacefully without asking any more questions.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very sure that I saw her there.¡± She sounded so sure of the answer and at that point, I just couldn¡¯t do anything else to change her mind.

    I just decided to confirm her answer and just twist in another way. I was really tired of going back and forth with her.

    ¡°I remember now. I think you¡¯re right, but she went to the party at thepany a very long time ago. It¡¯s been long, that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t even remember. It¡¯s nothing to brood over, it isn¡¯t worth it, don¡¯t worry.¡± I said it all at once and with what I said, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to say anything again.

    ¡°You were telling me a minute ago that I was telling lies and now you¡¯re telling me that it happened a long time ago? Are you serious about that?¡± She eyed me suspiciously and crossed her hands against her chest.

    The fact that she kept on going back and forth with Lily¡¯s issue was starting to make me feel really ufortable. All the questions that she was asking me weren¡¯t even necessary at all, but I just had to answer everything so she would forget about it all.

    ¡°Yes. It happened a long time ago, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t remember at first. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± She squinted her eyes at me, while I just stared at her.

    ¡°Yeah. Can we go and see the second site now?¡± I asked, trying to make the atmosphere feel lighter.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± I was correct, it made the atmosphere lighter.

    We turned to the other side again and we started walking towards the opposite side to see the second site.

    I could still see that she was still feeling suspicious, but I wasn¡¯t interested in clearing her doubts again. I had already tried my best and if that wasn¡¯t enough for her, then I have nothing to do about it.

    The site seeing was actually going pretty well and it wasn¡¯t as awkward as I expected. We had small talks here and there and I was really cool with it.

    However, I wasn¡¯t sure if I waspletely satisfied with the way things were going, but it was okay. It wasn¡¯t bad at least. I could see that she was also sceptical about the vine that we were having, but she also thought it wasn¡¯t bad either.

    The next hour, we were already through with the site seeing and I was a little bit happy about that. I was starting to feel sick about the whole process and I just wanted to go back.

    When we were done with site seeing, I was about to bid her goodbye and leave instantly, when she stopped me. She told me that she needed me for something and she didn¡¯t want me to leave yet.

    A small frown settled on my face, as I listened to her speak patiently.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want me to leave yet?¡± I asked her and in response to that, she shook her head slowly and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

    ¡°Why? I thought we were done with the site seeing. Is there another ce that you want to go to?¡± I asked her and she looked away from me before answering me.

    ¡°No, not that. I just feel like we should have a drink together. Or what do you think?¡±

    ¡°A drink together?¡± I was a little bit confused and I didn¡¯t know why she wanted us to go and have a drink together.

    Did she think that this was a date? Oh God. That¡¯s funny.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m inviting you out for a drink. So, is it a yes?¡± Her eyes suddenly started glowing with a little bit of excitement.

    I looked away from her before answering her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, but I have to go. I have to resume early tomorrow. So sorry.¡±

    She slowly nodded her head and she looked away from me. The glow that was in her eyes was gone now.

 77

    Chapter 77 ¨C Sad about Cayden¡¯s drama.

    Lily

    As I was walking back home, I couldn¡¯t just stop thinking about Cayden and the woman that was taking him site seeing.. for the second time.

    Ugh. I really wanted to stop thinking about it, I really wanted to, but I just couldn¡¯t do it. I tried shaking my head, hitting it with my hand, but it didn¡¯t just work.

    I was really tired of everything and very soon, I wouldn¡¯t even care about anything he does because he doesn¡¯t even notice my care sometimes.

    He didn¡¯t even notice that I was hurt when I was leaving and he didn¡¯t do anything about it. I wondered why he was doing all that and if all his actions were all deliberate.

    And the woman? She had a kind of vibe that I don¡¯t like at all. I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t even like me either, so there was no need to ponder over her issue. I really don¡¯t care about her.

    After a very long hour of thinking about things that I¡¯m not even meant to think about, I finally got home.

    When I got home, I felt that the atmosphere was a little bit different and.. better. When Granny came towards me with a huge smile on her face, I realised that I was correct about the atmosphere being good.

    I epted her open hands and I hugged her tightly with a smile on my face. She was really being sweet.

    I felt something nudging at me too and I looked down to see jacek. I smiled against Granny¡¯s neck and I broke the hug off. I carried jacek and I nted a small kiss on his cheek.

    All the pleasantriessted for minutes and I was finally tired of standing at the door. I came in properly and I locked the door after I went in.

    I told Jacek to help me with water, while I spoke to grandmother.

    ¡°What was that? You were being too sweet? Did we hit a jackpot?¡± I asked sarcastically and that earned a chuckle from her.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re the jackpot, Lily. I¡¯m so proud of you dear.¡± I could feel the warmth in her smile, she was too cute.

    I covered my mouth with my palm and I knelt down to hug her because she was seated. The fact that she told me that she was proud of me, just made me feel better and I was no longer feeling frustrated.. or angry.

    ¡°Thank you so much, grandma. That¡¯s really sweet. You¡¯re so sweet and cute. I love you.¡± I said and I gave her a small kiss on her cheek too.

    Jacek came, but I didn¡¯t see any ss of water with him.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it, mummy.¡± He said and he pouted. I chuckled and I drew him into a hug. I pecked him again and he reciprocated the gesture.

    ¡°I have something for us to share. Just to celebrate.¡± Grandmother interrupted our mother and son moment and she got up to get something. I waited patiently for what she wanted to bring.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for grandma. Yes baby.¡± I said in a baby-ish voice to Jacek, while I waited for her toe.

    A few minutester, we saw hering with a medium sized tray filled with something that I couldn¡¯t see. When she got to us, she ced the tray in front of us and opened it.

    The things that were inside surprised me a little bit.

    ¡°You brought pastries?¡± I asked her with widened eyes. She could have just asked me to bring some pastries instead of going through the stress of making them.

    ¡°Yes. You should taste the cake, it¡¯s really nice. I churned the butter myself, so it¡¯s creamy.¡± She said and I could really hear the excitement in her voice.

    ¡°I still think you shouldn¡¯t have gone through the stress of making them, I¡¯m a baker for heaven¡¯s sake, but thank you. I really appreciate this, Grandma.¡± I threw a smile at her and she returned the gesture.

    She told you again and when she came back, I saw that she was with some drinks and out of excitement, Jacek stood up from myp and he started jumping.

    We celebrated with the pastries and drinks. I really appreciated her for being this nice and making my evening a lot better, so much better than I actually wanted it to be.

    It was bedtime a few hourster and I carried Jacek from the living room to the bedroom. I tucked him to sleep carefully and when I was about to leave, I felt someone dragging me back.

    I looked back and I saw Jacek dragging me back. I sat back on the bed and I asked him while he wasn¡¯t sleeping again.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kiss me goodnight, mummy.¡± He said and I actually realised that I didn¡¯t do that. I apologised to him and I kissed him goodnight.

    I walked away from him and I switched the light off before going out to also get ready for bed.

    When I got to the living room, I saw Granny sitting down there. It seemed like she was waiting for me.

    I went to her and I asked her, ¡°why are you still here, Grandma? Do you want me to follow you to your room? I could do that.¡±

    She looked up to me and she patted the space beside her. I went in to sit there and I waited for her to speak.

    ¡°Tell me about the progress of thepetition.¡± She said and as soon as the words registered in my head, I felt a sting in my heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, Grandma.¡± I quietly said and she patted my back lovingly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just so overwhelmed. I don¡¯t know.¡± I didn¡¯t know how I was going to tell her that I was feeling really hurt because of Cayden and his whole drama. I am tired of everything.

    ¡°Come here.¡± She ced my head on her shoulder and I hugged her.

    There was a brief silence observed by the both of us and I inwardly thanked her for that.

    ¡°I am hurt that Jarod left me like that and he sabotaged me like that with no remorse.¡± Grannyforted me and she told me that since we had known each other for a long time, she was sure Jarod woulde to his senses.

    I thanked Granny and we both went to bed. The next morning, I woke up to a call from Cayden.

    I received it and I was told that he was standing outside my door.

 78

    Chapter 78 ¨C Surprised by Cayden.

    Lily

    When he told me that, I was a little bit shocked and surprised because I was wondering why he was suddenly outside my house and for what reason?

    After giving me the cold shoulders yesterday?

    ¡°I know you¡¯re lying, Cayden.¡± I tried sounding like I wasn¡¯t bothered by what he said, but it didn¡¯t work. I could hear my voice shake a little over the phone and I ced my hand over my mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. You shoulde out and confirm, don¡¯t you think?¡± He sounded so sure, but I still wasn¡¯t ready to fall for his tricks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too early to y pranks, Cayden? It¡¯s way too early. I¡¯ll cut the call now.¡± I threatened, even if I knew that I wasn¡¯t going to do that. I love the way his morning voice sounded in my ears.

    ¡°Juste out, Lily. Do that without arguing.¡±

    He sounded like he wasn¡¯t ying pranks at all and I reluctantly got off the bed. I decided to go and confirm myself to see if he was just ying a prank on me or not.

    ¡°Okay, Romeo. I¡¯ming.¡± I teased and I went to the living room. I tried brushing my hair with my hair, but I stopped when I saw that it was of no use.

    I quietly opened the door and I stretched my head to confirm.

    Yes, he was lying at all. He was sitting there in his carfortably, while looking at me with his phone against his ear.

    Our eyes met and for a second, the both of us couldn¡¯t do anything, but stare at each other.

    Cayden cleared his throat loudly over the phone and he startedughing. I hissed and closed the door.

    I decided to check my body to see if there was anything wrong with what I was wearing. There wasn¡¯t. Or was it because of the fact that I looked terrible? Oh, Cayden!

    ¡°Why are you stillughing? What¡¯s funny?¡± I said with a really stern tone. I wasn¡¯tfortable with the way he was staring at me andughing at the same time.

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s the way you were staying at me like you were seeing me for the first time. Am I that.. pleasing to look at, huh?¡± I could tell that he was teasing me, but I was still smiling. I loved how carefree and funny he could be sometimes. Sometimes!

    ¡°You were also starring, Romeo.¡± I teased him back. I didn¡¯t know why I was calling him Romeo, it just felt right, like the name was made for him.

    ¡°So, are you inviting me in or what? Or you coulde outside instead.¡±

    It was too early for him toe inside. Jacek and granny were still even in bed and inviting him in would look somehow. I couldn¡¯t go out to meet him either. I just got out of bed and my hair was still really messy.

    I started thinking about excuses to give him and I finally settled for one.

    ¡°I can¡¯te outside and you can¡¯te in either. Jacek is still in bed. Granny too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± He said and I could feel him raising his eyebrows at me over the phone.

    ¡°Yes, so I think you should turn back now. I can¡¯t get Jacek out of the bed now.¡± I was sure that after the excuse I gave him, he was going to turn back and leave immediately.

    ¡°Well, I think I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll see youter. You coulde some other time.¡± I was about to put my phone down, but he spoke again.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m going to wait.¡± He didn¡¯t sound defeated at all.

    ¡°What do you mean? Wait for what?¡± I knew the answer to that, but I didn¡¯t want to hear it.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Wait for Jacek to wake up and get ready. You too. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Thest part of his sentence sounded.. more intimate than I wanted to admit and I smiled at it. I didn¡¯t know why that particr ¡®I¡¯ll wait for you¡¯ sounded so intimate and.. nice to hear, but I liked it.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­wait for me. Just go. You shouldn¡¯t waste your time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m notining.¡± He said and the line went dead. I dropped the phone from my ear and I sighed. Cayden is a hard nut to crack and he could be annoying.. sometimes.

    I peeped through the window and just like he said, he didn¡¯t make the move to even leave. I sighed again and I decided to waste his time, so by the time Jacek and I were through, he would have gone.

    I went to make breakfast and I took more time than I ought to. I wanted to waste his time properly.

    An hourter, I went to wake Jacek to get him ready, which took thirty minutes to finish.

    After Jacek was done, I served him breakfast and I decided to get ready too.

    Three hours and thirty minutester, we were finally through and I was happy that Cayden was gone.

    Before I went to have my bath, I peeped through the window to see if he was still there and he wasn¡¯t. Now that I¡¯m checking the window again, he isn¡¯t there.

    I smiled to myself because I was happy that my brilliant n actually worked.

    Jacek and I were ready to go and I bid grandmother goodbye before I opened the door.

    We hadn¡¯t taken up to three steps, when we heard someone calling us from behind.

    ¡°You were leaving without me, Juliet?¡± Cayden teased me and I turned back to see him giving me a mocking smile.

    He did it, he called me Juliet because I had called him Romeo earlier. I hid the smile that was threatening to break through my lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± Yes, he really was. He had packed his car somewhere else to deceive me.

    Jacek left my hand and he ran towards Cayden. Cayden bent down and opened his hands widely to wee him.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to leave, did you?¡±

    As a matter of fact, I did. I thought he was going to leave.

 79

    Chapter 79 ¨C I¡¯m Romeo and Lily is Juliet.

    Cayden

    I knew that Lily didn¡¯t want us to go out together alongside Jacek, that was why she told me to leave.

    The look that was on Jacek¡¯s face when he saw me, made me happy that I didn¡¯t go with his mom¡¯s words and leave. I hugged him and we both walked to his mother.

    I could see that Lily was a little bit surprised and shocked that I didn¡¯t leave, even when she told me to.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Come on, Juliet. Let¡¯s go.¡± I love Lily¡¯s name, but I think I love calling her Juliet more. The fact that she called me Romeo earlier, made me call her Juliet too.

    I¡¯m her Romeo and she¡¯s my Juliet. Hmm.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that you actually waited. Why did you do that?¡± She asked me while we were walking to my car.

    In response to what she said, I pointed to Jacek who was busy jumping on me in excitement and she nodded her head. She understood what that meant.

    We got into the car, I switched the car on and we zoomed off.

    My eyes were fixed on the road, but I could feel Lily¡¯s eyes on me. I didn¡¯t want to let her know that I could see her staring at me, so I just continued staring at the road.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She said and I finally faced her. I was thinking about going to an amusement park and a zoo, but I hadn¡¯t decided yet.

    ¡°We have to pick. Zoo, amusement park or a very fancy restaurant?¡± I asked and I could hear Jacek¡¯s scream of excitement and I smiled.

    ¡°A.. muse.. ment park.. k. k.¡± Jacek yelled and I could see Lily smiling too. I wanted to go to the zoo, then a fancy restaurant, but I also wanted to make Jacek happy. So, I just decided to go to the amusement park.

    I tried having small talks with Lily, but she just gave me ¡®one-word¡¯ replies, so I just stopped and we continued the ride in silence.

    Hourster and we finally got to the amusement park. Before I got down from the car, I saw that Lily and Jacek had already gotten down and were already walking to the gate.

    I walked really fast and caught up with them. I wanted to ask Lily why she was acting really weird and.. annoying, but I didn¡¯t want to do that in Jacek¡¯s presence, so I just carried the boy and we entered the gate in silence.

    I paid for so many rides for us to do together, even though most of the rides were for only Jacek.

    ¡°How do you feel about this? Happy?¡± I asked Lily, while we waited for the ticket for a particr ride.

    ¡°I feel okay.¡± Lily simply said and she turned away from me.

    The cashier looked at me sceptical before handing me the ticket.

    We were about to go, when she stopped us. ¡°Excuse me sir. Your wife is a really beautiful woman.¡±

    I looked at the cashier and I smiled. I was about to tell her that Lily wasn¡¯t my wife, but Lily beat me to it.

    ¡°Um, sorry. I¡¯m not his wife. Don¡¯t make that mistake again. We just know each other, nothing more.¡± She said to the cashier, while the cashier and I watched her in awe.

    We were about to leave again, when Lily stopped us. ¡°And please, get back to work.¡± She said to the cashier and she stormed off, without waiting for Jacek and I.

    I threw an apologetic smile at the cashier and I went after her. I took Jacek to the ride without her and after making sure that he wasfortable, I left him and I went to Lily.

    ¡°What was that, Lily? I need to know why you¡¯ve been acting really weird and crazy. Did I do anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°How many questions at a time?¡± She said and faced forward.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re the boss, you tell me.¡± I said with an edgy voice and she faced me again.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Cayden. Let¡¯s just focus on why we¡¯re here.¡± She said and she looked away from me¡­again.

    Jacek was done with his ride and he ran to us with a huge smile on his face.

    ¡°Did you enjoy your ride?¡± Lily asked him in a baby-ish voice and he nodded enthusiastically.

    We went on other rides together and an hourter, Jacek¡¯s enthusiasm was dying down. Before the little boy getspletely tired, I decided to use him to make Lily¡¯s mood lighter.

    So, the both of us made a n to surprise his mom with a very fun ride and so many other things. I was really happy when I saw that the amusement park had a fancy restaurant too, so I already made a n to go there with herter, when we were done with our rides.

    ¡°Jacek wants to tell you something, Lily.¡± I said to her after making the n with Jacek and she turned her attention to the little boy immediately.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, baby?¡± She asked him and he hugged her instantly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get on that ride together, mummy. Please, can we do that?¡± He asked while doing the puppy dog eyes and Lily hugged him.

    I was happy that she agreed and we got on the ride. I sat down beside her, so whenever the ride got a little bit scary for her, she would cling on to me and close her eyes. Jacek too did the same and I was really happy about it. It weirdly felt like we were a family and I wasn¡¯t ufortable with that. I was so cool with it..

    We got off the ride and we all went to the restaurant. At the restaurant, I could see that Lily¡¯s mood was still a little bit.. bad, but it was a little bit better.

    We got our meals and finished them instantly because of how famished we were.

    We were done with everything that we wanted to do and I could see that Jacek was going to sleep a minuteter, so I told Lily to follow me to the car, while carrying him.

    I hadn¡¯t even dropped him on the back seat and the boy was already snoring softly.

    Lily and I were now alone, with no interruptions. I decided to ask her why she was moody again.

    ¡°I noticed that you¡¯ve been acting this way since the day you left my house, why¡¯s that?¡± I asked carefully, so I wouldn¡¯t annoy her.

    Lily told me that it was nothing and it was only because she was so tired, she couldn¡¯t think of anything good to say to me.

    I wasn¡¯t satisfied with her answer because it seemed like it was more than that, so I started pressuring her.

    In the process of doing that, the woman that took me site seeing yesterday saw us and she instantly approached me.

    She started bringing up work unannounced without acknowledging Lily at all.

    I continued discussing with her, not noticing that the two women were somehow fighting.

    She suddenly told me that she needed my help, and I refused her. That was when she acknowledged Lily.

 80

    Baby day out

    Lily

    Raising her head, she finally looks in my direction noticing my presence.

    ¡°Oh hi there¡± She smiled. ¡°I think I remember you from the house the other day. You came and left immediately after I opened the door like you saw something you shouldn¡¯t have¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ Something I didn¡¯t need to¡­¡± I whispered

    ¡°But did you see someone that scared you?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I didn¡¯t see SOMEONE, I saw something, yea; something in them pig polo that didn¡¯t belong to you¡±

    ¡°Come on Lily, don¡¯t do that¡±

    ¡°Lily? For real? I¡¯m the only one you¡¯re calling out here? Real mature Cayden¡± I took Jacek from his hands and stormed off. He seemed to not know when he says the wrong thing to me and that¡¯s pretty messed up. Taking her side over mine? He¡¯s never even bothered to introduce me to her to at least, know who she is. She just shows up everywhere acting like an obsessed girlfriend. How in the hell did she even know where we were? Were we being followed? Some creepy shit right there.

    Going back home, I do a little bit of sightseeing with Jacek because why not? I¡¯ve been away from him a lot these days, so while I¡¯m at it let¡¯s just make a memorable evening out of it.

    There were lots of animals around. Very beautiful animals as I love to call everything that has to do with nature beautiful, quite a mystery. We went back to the entrance to ask how these animals were fed and they gave us the food for ducklings, peacocks, monkeys and chickens. I didn¡¯t want to do any other animals that might have been a danger to Jacek, so I decided to operate safely.

    We went back out there and fed the animals, there was a supervisor there just in case and they also educated us on the uniqueness of the different animals.

    We witnessed a white cock and hen mating, it was quite the view; I turned Jacek¡¯s eyes away. Couldn¡¯t let my boy see that now. Other things we learned were:

    Chickens are the closest living rtives of dinosaurs! Scientific evidence has proven the sharedmon ancestry between chickens and the Tyrannosaurus rex.

    Chickens have domesticated about 8000 years ago and evolved from the Red junglefowl, which are tropical birds that live in the jungle. These wild birds fly to escape predators and to roost high up in trees. Today¡¯s domestic chickens still can fly, although not as effectively. Chickens can fly for short distances ¨C enough to clear obstacles or reach a perch.

    Research has shown that chickens experience REM (rapid eye movement) while sleeping, meaning they can dream just like us! They also have a sleep phase that humans don¡¯t experience called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, where one half of the brain is asleep and the other is awake. This means that chickens can sleep with one eye open, which is especially useful for looking out for predators.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Like humans, chickens have colour vision and can see red, green and blue light. However, what makes chicken vision unique from ours is that they are also able to see ultraviolet light, which are the colours you see when using ck light!

    ¡°Wow, Mama! That¡¯s awesome!¡± Everyone in our tour groupughed. That might have just been the only thing that he might have heard now¡­ The guy continued:

    ¡°Well generally¡± He kept talking as he walks, taking s towards the elephants ¡°Did you know, that the heart of a shrimp is located in its head? That a snail can sleep for three years?¡± His eyes brightened as he scratched his nose¡± this would blow your mind. Did you know that the fingerprints of a ko are so indistinguishable from humans that they have on asion been confused at a crime scene?¡±  ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡±

    He answered her but I started getting lost in my thoughts. I thought about what happened earlier, and how it made me feel. I did have feelings for him but I don¡¯t have to act on them, since he¡¯s too blind to see and keeps hanging out with thatdy.

    As I started to walk out of the ce, I spotted them still there talking. Seems she might have convinced him to work after all. They were very chatty and were looking at the paper she brought earlier on. Seems like he likes her¡­ Nah, I¡¯m not doing that to myself. I¡¯m just gonna go home. The whole mood for the day had already been ruined by ¡°knock off Dakota Johnson¡± in 50 shades and her mister.

    Cayden

    I don¡¯t even get what¡¯s happened. I just wanted her to not get into it with little miss over here. Seems like I always end up saying all the wrong things to Lily and I don¡¯t even realize it mostly. If she¡¯d just be patient with me and try to exin sometime or even go straight to the point and ask questions, she just gets mad and bolt. That¡¯s just crazy

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not just friendship going on with you too, yea? Cause y¡¯all were out and you were holding her child and all. I see why you were with her¡± she smiled.

    ¡°And you¡¯re in denial too, she¡¯s not just any local, there¡¯s more tea in this story and you know it. Being in denial must be a superpower for the both of you¡± Iughed

    ¡°Shut up you! You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re saying. You just want to get me. Don¡¯t put words in my mouth, please. Offering and taking a woman and her child out doesn¡¯t mean so much. I do care but that¡¯s all¡± I knew I just lied anyway. I feel so confused about my feelings these days. Lily is here and not here at the same time. She keeps giving mixed signals. Don¡¯t know if she¡¯s avoiding me on purpose or doesn¡¯t want anything to have to do with me. Whichever one it is, I better know fast, the clock¡¯s ticking.

 81

    The betrayal; friend and foe

    Lily

    Getting home and grandma isn¡¯t there, sleepy Jacek hung on my body with headid on my shoulders. I took him to his room,id him on the bed and tucked my sweet little child in. Watching him sleep gave me so much joy amid the venting anger going on inside me. The air in his room was so easy and peaceful; I wanted to be him for a second. My dream room would have a very light shade of grey as the wallpaper, a desk with a fuzzy chair, it would have a picture of me and Jacek and it would have a big closet with wallpaper with tulips, grey tulips, and my bed would have, it would be all the kinds of colours of grey mixed. And an extra big picture frame with a big drawing of Jacek¡¯s and also it would have white and grey polka dots.

    I thought about Jarod. I was disappointed in him, he hadn¡¯t called to check on me all this while, so much for friendship! I felt like there was a possibility that he didn¡¯t betray me; I guess we do feel that way when we desperately want to go back to that one friend that hurt us. But maybe, just maybe Cayden lied to get him out of the way. I know Jarod confessed but I maybe I got that wrongly; I mean, it¡¯s possible? Making decisions at this point was irrational of me, I know that. I shouldn¡¯t make any decisions while the head¡¯s out, I should just take some time to chill and let the anger dissipate for a while¡­ Nah, wasn¡¯t working, I was angry and needed someone to pour it out to; so I called him.

    The call kept going straight to voicemail, he didn¡¯t want to take my call. How petty. I will just go over to his house and confront him because I¡¯ve had enough of the childish behaviour.

    I got over to his house and saw my ssmates that contested with me at thepetition and were mocking me,e out from Jarod¡¯s house. I quickly found somewhere to hide. The anger in me doubled. ¡°What the fuck is Jarrod doing with these guys?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s out there?¡± Shit! One of them must¡¯ve heard my voice. They conversed between themselves, arguing that it was nothing ¡°bro, you¡¯re just too chicken, it was nothing¡±

    Luckily for me, a rabbit ran out very close to where I was; they saw it too

    ¡°See? Told you I heard something¡±

    ¡°Yea right, sure you must¡¯ve thought it was ¡°the conjuring¡± Or something¡± they allughed. The one with the fear shook his head ¡°whatever man¡± They entered their car and drove off. I felt pangs of betrayal and jealousy kick in.

    I walked to the entrance of the door. I saw Jarod from afar, he had already spotted me but walked inside like he didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Come on Jarod, I know you¡¯ve seen me. Come open the door¡±

    ¡°Go away Lily, I don¡¯t want to see you, talk to you, breathe the same air with you or stand in the same room as you¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Now, you¡¯re just reaching. That¡¯s too much, juste open the door already. I don¡¯t bite¡± No answer from him

    ¡°Jaaarrrrrrooooooodddd, I¡¯m gonna sing your name out there for your whole neighbourhood to hear if you don¡¯te open this door right now, I¡¯m not bluffing¡± Still no answer

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s have an open mic right here with the rabbits and tadpoles¡± I heard the lock of his door unlock and the door opened

    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s good to see you too¡± I rolled my eyes, waltzed inside and sat on the couch in his living room

    ¡°So, what the fuck were those losers doing here? I thought you weren¡¯t close to them?¡± I asked while he stood in a corner, staring at me with a straight face that looked like it needed to breathe. If he was trying to scare me, it was not working.

    ¡°They asked me to be their chief baker for thepetition¡± Every single word that came out of his mouth was without remorse. My countenance dropped and my heart froze for a second there. Is he being serious?

    ¡°Wait, what? They asked you?¡±

    ¡°Yea, they did. Are you surprised? Thought I¡¯d never be a chief baker because I¡¯ve always been in your shadow? Guess what? Someone thought me important and asked that of me. Too for you to handle?¡± I kept shaking my head in disagreement with all the questions stated above. But why is he being mean though? He¡¯s the one that should be sorry, he betrayed me and almost cost me my carrier. I¡¯m just here because I have a big heart. Such a jerk!

    ¡°I never saw you as anything less than I was. You were one of my most valuable assets. Can¡¯t you remember that you were my right-hand man and manager? It wasn¡¯t too long ago for you to forget now,e on¡±

    He startedughing. I did feel like going for the throat and watching him choke for a while just to have my fun a little bit because what was funny? Why in the greatest hell was heughing?

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have possibly said yes to them, right? Jarod, please tell me you didn¡¯t throw away all our years of friendship and eptance to deal with?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact Lily, I did¡± He walked towards me as he had just acquired all the power in the world; power he didn¡¯t deserve. He had a devilish wide grin on his face. My eyes filled with tears.

    ¡°So, the next time you see me, I¡¯ll be on the opposite side of thepetition. You should also change your recipes because I know all of them and can use them to my advantage¡±

    My heart was broken to a thousand pieces, my friend and best asset had betrayed me in my greatest time of need. How convenient!

 82

    A p across the face

    Lily

    Still sitting on the couch, my brain kept going back to all the times we spent together, all the things I had and still could have achieved with Jarod. I could have sworn that this day would never happen. He kept looking at me like he was waiting for me to say something, all smiles. I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. Must feel fantastic to betray your own.

    ¡°You know, I had so much faith in you. Even while we quarrelled, I felt it was just another pothole along the way. I never thought you¡¯d be this petty and destroy our friendship with such an epic betrayal! I¡¯m beyond disappointed Jarod!¡± I raised my voice at him and it almost broke. The smile on his face turned to a frown. Mission aplished.

    ¡°How dare you sit down there and talk about a betrayal? You are the one that betrayed me. I did nothing but stayed loyal to you until I was fed up. ¡± I was so lost, what did he mean by that? How did I betray him? I did nothing wrong

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? How did I betray you?¡± My eyes widened. He startedughing

    ¡°How dumb could you possibly be?¡± Heughed again

    ¡°You¡¯re so self-righteous and blind that you don¡¯t see that you¡¯ve just been ying into the devil¡¯s court, dancing with a man that doesn¡¯t care about you and doesn¡¯t even see you for who you are ¡± He shook his head

    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d fall for him you know, for a yboy like him that just wanted to use you but I¡¯m sure his wealth blinded you so much that you couldn¡¯t see the real deal in front of you all the while¡±

    Now wait a minute, ignoring all the insults because it¡¯s nothing I¡¯ve not heard from Jarod before, I do hope that the real deal in this statement isn¡¯t him though, that¡¯d be funny that he¡¯ll think that I¡¯ll ever think of him in that way.

    He continued, ¡°in case you didn¡¯t realize, I was talking about myself¡± I so wanted to burst intoughter but I had to pull myself together

    ¡°You treated me like trash Lily, I did like you and I was always there when you needed me but like I said, blind to see the signs¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t friends supposed to be there for each other whenever they¡¯re needed?¡± I asked

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point Lily, I¡¯m just really disappointed that you chose him over me¡± he pointed at me

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m gonna give back to you every ounce of hurt you made me feel and so much payback that you¡¯ll wish we never met. It¡¯s on Lily!¡± Okay, that got to me. I¡¯m going to lose Jarod and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Is this how it feels to lose a friend? If so, I don¡¯t want to even have one to lose anymore. I was in shock.

    ¡°Come on Jarod, it can¡¯t be that bad. We¡¯re close friends, you want to throw all that away?¡± He said nothing

    ¡°Look, I always considered you family and families always look out for each other. I never thought feelings were involved. Also, I¡¯m not with Cayden. Things have been going in a way I didn¡¯t expect, even today we¡­¡±

    ¡°Save it, Lily. I don¡¯t want to hear it. What is done is done, there¡¯s nothing that can change my mind¡±

    ¡°Your stance is just petty Jarod, you¡¯re just looking for a fight where there shouldn¡¯t be..¡±

    ¡°Oh, I am? Did you just invalidate my feelings? So much for being a ¡°caring¡± friend¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking about caring, if you knew anything about care, you¡¯d not betray me at the slightest chance all because our feelings weren¡¯t mutual¡±

    ¡°Yea? If only you knew anything about care, you¡¯d have asked me about how I felt or considered my thoughts about you being with Cayden. But you didn¡¯t care anyway. You even went as far as travelling with him!¡±

    ¡°Snap out of it Jarod, you¡¯re acting like a child¡± I snapped.

    ¡°You snap out of it, you¡¯re acting like a rich man¡¯s mistress!!¡± I gave him a very hard p with the palm of my right hand across his face, and we both stared deeply into each other¡¯s eyes. His fist tightened but I knew he¡¯d do nothing, he had his principles, and beating up a woman wasn¡¯t part of it. His fist released shortly after.

    There was silence, streams of tears I¡¯d been holding rode freely down my cheeks. I hope Jarod felt aplished.

    ¡°Get out of my house¡± He looked at me with his hands pointed at the door.

    ¡°With pleasure, ass hat!¡± I stormed out of the house and sat under a tree nearby. There were lots of bushes around and it seemed like a good ce to let all my feelings out.

    ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!¡± I screamed so loud that all the birds and insects around dashed out of fear. I sat still and allowed the evening breeze to cool me down. The cool evening breeze whistled softly, blowing lightly through my hair. The sky was a deep, clear blue and the moonlight reflected on people¡¯s windows. I could feel the stars smiling down at me; an angry me. After the stifling heat of the day, I felt relieved just for a second. But it wasn¡¯t enough to make me feel better.  I was still in tears. I didn¡¯t deserve how Jarod made me feel, he was such a bitch. To think that I thought he might have been gay at some point; I mean, he didn¡¯t seem to like anyone. It was rming. Now, breaking up a friendship because I didn¡¯t go for him? That¡¯s some childish and stupid thing right there.

    People were hiking this part of the woods, either for leisure or fitness sake. Can¡¯t remember thest time I went out for a jog. I should try it someday and get some steam off of this body.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 83

    Catching up with my feelings

    Lily

    Still, in very bad shape, I didn¡¯t know who to call. I couldn¡¯t even move, I just loved thefort the breeze gave me. I thought about Cayden, maybe he could help? I just needed a friend is all I know. I dialled Cayden¡¯s number, it rang a few times and he picked up.

    ¡°He.. hello?¡± My voice broke and sounded coarse

    ¡°Lily? Are you alright? You don¡¯t sound fine¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not fine, please can youe to pick me up?¡±

    ¡°Yea, sure.. send me your address¡± The call ended and I sent him that address.

    His car pulled up in front of me in about ten minutes.

    ¡°Hey Lily,¡± He said as he came down from the car. I was distraught, I started crying again. He immediately ran towards me and pulled me in a warm embrace, consoling me. We stayed like that for about two minutes before he finally let go.

    ¡°I need to go somewhere that¡¯s not my house to clear my head, I¡¯ll just text Nanater¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He walked me to the car

    ¡°Would you be okay staying at a hotel? My house is indispensable at the moment¡± I nodded, as long as I wasn¡¯t at home with the prying eyes of Nana constantly boring into my soul for answers.

    He opened the car door for me while I entered and he shut it right back. He entered the driver¡¯s seat and drove off.

    The hotel was a gigantic one, seems like Cayden wanted me to have a first-ss experience. There were shades in the pigeonhole of the car. I put them on before going in to hide my now red and swollen eyes.

    The first thing I noticed about the hotel is that it seemed very calm. The lobby seemed busy, but rxed at the same time. The lobby smelled fresh and recently cleaned.

    For the most part, the music yed was background music, but there was one song I hear that did not quite fit in. That song was, ¡°I¡¯m a Believer¡± by Smash Mouth. Although it reminded me of my childhood it did not fit in with the atmosphere of the hotel.

    I noticed that most of the meeting rooms contained bathrooms for attendees. There were also always bathrooms located as one walked up to a new level. I drink a lot of water so I found itforting to have bathrooms avable all around the hotel.

    The gym was very nice and had a variety of machines. It was quiet there which is nice because I do not like going to crowded gyms. They also have an ¡­show more content¡­

    It holds up to 50 people. The conference table cannot be moved. There are no windows in the room. There is a restroom located at the entrance of the boardroom.

    The Presidential Suite was ratherrge and elegant. There was a living room which chairs and arge television. There was a deck outside where parties of up to 50 people could be held. On the deck, there was a firece and couches. It contained a king bed. The bathroom had both a tub and a shower. The toilet was in a separate room.

    This was the tour that was given to us by the receptionist¡¯s office. They seemed professional. They finally gave us a room to stay in, and I was grateful.

    Cayden takes apanies me to my room and sees that I¡¯m settled in before attempting to leave

    ¡°Please could you stay for the night? I need yourpany¡±

    ¡°Umm..¡± He cleared his throat¡±yea sure, I¡¯ll stay with you¡± I felt relief.

    I went on to sit on the bed and invited him. I didn¡¯t want to have my bath or anything, just wanted to lie down. He came over and knelt before me, taking my shoes off. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at him. He noticed and stared right back. After taking off the shoes, she stood up slowly leaning towards me without breaking eye contact and kissed me passionately. I felt so many butterflies that my tummy couldn¡¯t handle and it felt like it was going to burst out. So much emotion and feelings gave in a kiss. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else, it was just what I needed. I felt his every breath on my face as he raised me and pushed me further to the middle of the bed with his left arm. He turned me over, making me sit directly on top of him as his hands move gently across my face, to my neck, kissing it with passion. He went for my breasts but I wasn¡¯t ready so I stopped him from doing just that but we continued kissing. His hands went down my back, taking down my zipper just to feel my body. I felt out of this world; the feeling was electric. He finallyid me on the bed, pulled me into a warm hug and we stayed that way for the night.

    I woke up the next morning feeling way better. Cayden was wide awake. He was staring at me.

    ¡°Morning sleepy head¡±

    ¡°Hey, how long have you been up?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, not long¡± he smiled.

    I went into the bathroom to wash my face and came right back

    ¡°Please can you take me home?¡± I did feel good that there were no awkward moments aboutst night

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, walking over to pick up his keys

    Cayden

    Getting home and still seeing this woman in my house, she looked furious like she was about to pounce on me

    ¡°Where the hell have you been Cayden? You left me here all alone in this big ass house of yours with no exnation. I¡¯ve been worried sick about you¡± she walked closer to me, trying to touch my face. I stepped back and simply ignored her, walking away. That made her mad

    ¡°You want to walk away from me? Fine! But there¡¯s something you need to know¡± She walked closer to me,

    ¡°I know Lily is the woman you used to get the contract¡±

    I was in shock, how did she figure that out?

 84

    Fool me once, fool me twice

    Cayden

    ¡°How the hell did you figure that out?¡± She smiled and said;

    ¡°I was going through the pictures I snapped that night at the dinner, and I saw something like looked like her shadow. So, I zoomed in and saw that it was her, the crazydy raising her voice at everyone. So local¡±

    Shit! This was a big mess up. Knowing her, I knew she was going to report or do anything to probably sabotage and take over this job for me. I had to find a solution quickly.

    ¡°What do you what?¡± She walked majestically to sit down, crossing her leg.

    ¡°I want you all to myself Cayden. You¡¯d have to stop seeing Lily or any of that nonsense.  We suit each other. I¡¯m well aplished and so are you. I mean. Just look at all these Cayden ¡± She stretched her arms around the house, pointing at every corner, ¡°we could have all of these together. And I¡¯ve gotten quite acquainted with the house. Let¡¯s just keep this good thing that we¡¯ve got going on. ¡±

    I felt so disgusted by her all of a sudden. She had no self-worth, was willing to sell herself to me, no shame. There was no difference between her and the other girls that I usually had a nightstand with. But I decided to go with the n just for now.

    Lily

    ¡°Where were youst night, Lily?¡± Nana asked me, following me into my room as I tried to take off my clothes.

    ¡°There¡¯s no big deal Nana, I don¡¯t want to talk about it please¡± She looked really worried. I do not enjoy writing her off like this but the detail wasn¡¯t even important, she didn¡¯t need to know.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you baby, don¡¯t want you to get hurt. And I need you to know that you can always talk to me¡±

    ¡°I know that Nana, thanks¡± She stared at me for a little longer before going back into the living room.

    I sat in my bathtub filled with water and just sank in, reying everything that¡¯d happened in the past few hours. I could still feel the touch of Cayden¡¯s hands on my body; from my face to my neck to my chest and in between my thighs. I wanted to be in that moment again.

    My stomach growled and I came back to reality; the reality with no current action, sigh. I quickly showered and went to fill my tummy with some food.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t cookst night baby, we just had pizza. There¡¯s some left in the fridge, just microwave it¡± Ugh! No actual food? Dang, it! I didn¡¯t have a choice anyway, had to heat the pizza anyway. I¡¯ll just step out and get some groceries afterwards.

    Nana had a thing for romance films. She had this movie, ¡°me before you¡± It seemed very interesting but I¡¯m not really into romance films. I sat with her to watch it anyway. I barely spent time with her. I knew she was happy to have me around.

    I got to the grocery store not so far away from the house, just about a few blocks. The store had a wide neon sign out front, there was a receptionist at the entrance to my right. I picked up a cart and moved in. They had sections for everything; meat, processed and unprocessed goods snacks, toiletries, foodstuff, confectioneries and the like. It was a pretty big shop.

    By the time I was done, my cart was full. I went over to the cashier and paid. Stepping out, I saw Cayden. I was so happy to see him. I went over to hug him

    ¡°Hey, Cayden..¡±

    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re not doing that¡­ Can¡¯t be close to you¡±

    ¡°What do you mean can¡¯t be close to you?¡±

    ¡°Just stay away, please¡±

    He walked out on me like I was nothing. Did Cayden just ignore me?

    I walked back home and tried to act like that didn¡¯t just happen, it wasn¡¯t easy. I dropped off the groceries with Nana leaving her to arrange them and went back to the shop to distract myself from work but it didn¡¯t work. Nana must have noticed that I left in a hurry but she didn¡¯t ask because I wasn¡¯t going to answer.

    A few minutester, Cayden walked into the shop and sat down at a chair close to the door with his friend, I was shocked. Before now, he¡¯d normallye to the counter and ask after me and ask that I be the one to serve him but he looked all gloomy like he didn¡¯t care and like he forgot that he just stepped into my shop. I tried so hard to reach him but it was not working, so many customers wereing in and out and thedy was with him. She didn¡¯t even let him look my way. Her phone rang shortly, so she was distracted for a bit and got up to answer it in a less noisy ce¡­

    ¡°Cayden please let me talk to you outside,¡± I said quickly passing the message and I walked past him, heading outside. He followed me.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s happening? Did I do something wrong? Or is there anything going on with you? Please let me know I don¡¯t like this distance¡±

    He looked sorry like he was about to apologize but then the bitch came and before I knew it, the words I hearding out from Cayden¡¯s month were;

    ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to have anything to do with you, Lily. We¡¯re not meant for each other and whatever you thought was going on simply can¡¯t work! Do you hear that? We can¡¯t work and I can never be with you, you¡¯re simply not my type. You should go find some dude out in the streets or anywhere else, just not me¡±

    Thedy seemed happy, she was all smiles. He took her by the hand and walked away, in my presence!!!

    Cayden just fucking yed with my feelings and dumped me!!!

 85

    Chapter 85 ¨C Cayden doesn¡¯t want me in his life.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    I still haven¡¯t gotten over all the words that Cayden said to me minutes ago.

    Did he really mean everything he said? I hope not because the words were way too deep for him to mean.

    It¡¯s not like I had offended him without apologising, so why did he say that he doesn¡¯t want to have anything to do with me again?

    Wow, I really can¡¯t believe it. If that¡¯s how he really feels about the rtionship we share, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get over it in a while.

    What will I even tell Jacek? That the man he loves with his whole heart doesn¡¯t want us? No, that¡¯s too mean for a child.

    I thought about going after him and asking him why he doesn¡¯t want me anymore, but I decided to forget about it. I don¡¯t want to humiliate myself in front of that meandy.

    I touched my cheeks and I saw that I was crying. I sniffed noisily and I cleaned my tears away.

    Being weak and vulnerable like this was making me feel bad about myself and I was starting to dislike Cayden, even though he just said all those things to me a few minutes ago.

    I turned around because I was ready to go home and forget everything that happened today.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    I hadn¡¯t taken up to three steps when I heard someone calling me from behind. I knew the person that was calling me, but I wasn¡¯t ready to turn back, so I just continued walking.

    The person continued calling me and when the person saw that I wasn¡¯t ready to talk to him, he stopped calling me. I thought he had gone back, but when I turned, I saw him staring straight into my eyes.

    ¡°What do you want, Cayden?¡± I asked him and he grabbed my hand instantly. I tried freeing myself from his grip, but he was too strong.

    He continued dragging me until my back was resting against a wall. He suddenly released his grip on my hand and he hugged me tightly.

    I was shocked by his sudden action, so I didn¡¯t hug him back. I was just waiting for him to pull out of the hug and exin himself.

    He finally stopped hugging me and he palmed my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lily. I really am.¡± He said and when he tried hugging me again, I stopped him by putting my hand in between our bodies.

    He was shocked by that and I gave him a small push before speaking.

    ¡°What was that hug for, Cayden? I thought you didn¡¯t want me in your life. Why are you here? You should go with your woman. Please go.¡± I said all at once and when I was about to leave, he grabbed my right hand and he dragged me back to my former position.

    I sighed and I decided to let him speak before leaving again.

    ¡°There¡¯s a perfect exnation for that. I didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± When he said that, I was suddenly interested in what he had to say.

    A huge frown settled on my face, as I prepared to listen to what Cayden had to say.

    He slightly backed away from me and he looked in my eyes.

    ¡°Just like I said earlier, I didn¡¯t say all those things to you on purpose. I¡¯d never do that to you, trust me. I did that because she asked me to do it. She told me to be mean to you and throw you out of my life.¡±

    What he was saying didn¡¯t make any sense to me. He wasmanded to be mean to me? That¡¯s crazy. There must be a reason behind it.

    ¡°Why? Why did you do that?¡± I asked and I looked away from him

    Even if he was really asked to say all these things to me, he could have just refused. He¡¯s a grown man for God¡¯s sake.

    ¡°The woman that¡¯s leaving with me..¡± he started saying, but I Interrupted him, ¡°the one that you left with some minutes ago?¡±

    I knew that the question that I asked was too obvious, but I just wanted to be clear on everything.

    ¡°Yes. She knows about you.¡± He said and I looked at him sceptically.

    I wondered what he meant by her ¡®knowing me¡¯. It sounded weird and I didn¡¯t want to interrupt him, but I just needed an answer.

    ¡°What do you mean by her knowing me? I didn¡¯t know her before you met her. I didn¡¯t even have anything to do with her. Please, exin to me.¡± I said all at once, expecting a reply the next second.

    ¡°Calm down, please.¡± Heughed and I didn¡¯t know when I wasughing too.

    The fact that I was being too inquisitive was funny to me too.

    ¡°She knows that I took you to dinner and the golf game that we went to.¡± He said and I subconsciously widened my eyes.

    Oh wow, she knew all that? Cayden wasn¡¯t wrong when he said that she actually knew me more than I thought.

    ¡°Are you serious? How did she know all that?¡± I asked almost immediately and Cayden casually shrugged.

    I didn¡¯t like thedy before, but now I find her really creepy.

    Wait a minute, the only person that knew about the dinner party and the fact that we went to y golf apart from me, was Cayden.

    Which meant that Cayden was the one that told her one way or the other.

    ¡°You told her, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re a betrayer.¡± I used and this time he was the one that widened his eyes.

    ¡°Why would you say that? If I did, then I wouldn¡¯t have told you that she knew. The fact that you think I actually told her makes me feel bad.¡± He looked a little bit angry, but I wasn¡¯t interested in feeling remorse about what I said. I was sure that he was the one that told her because her sudden knowledge about it made no sense to me at all.

 86

    Chapter 86 ¨C Getting tired of Ana.

    Cayden

    The look on Lily¡¯s face when I told her that I didn¡¯t want her in my life anymore was still haunting me. I just couldn¡¯t get over the fact that I said all those things to her.

    A little voice in my head told me that I had to make things right because if I don¡¯t, she might never talk to me again and that will definitely break me.

    I stopped the car and I turned to Ana. She looked a little bit surprised and I got out of the car without saying anything to her.

    She also got out of the car and started following me.

    ¡°You have to go home alone, Ana. I have to get something.¡± I said to her, while I tried helping her to get a cab.

    ¡°But-¡± she tried saying, before I Interrupted her.

    ¡°No buts, please. I¡¯ll meet you at home in the next five minutes¡­I promise.¡± I said and she agreed.

    I watched her enter the car before I started running to where I left Lily. I couldn¡¯t imagine how much hatred she probably had for me.

    When I got there, I didn¡¯t see her, but I saw her walking away just a few feet away from me. I started calling her name, hoping she would stop. She didn¡¯t.

    After a while, she thankfully came to me and we started talking. I told her how Ana knew about her and she seemed a little bit shocked about that.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    When I told her that she also knew about the dinner party and the golf that we went for, she suddenly started ming me, telling me that I was the one that told Ana about it.

    It didn¡¯t make sense to me at all because I was wondering how I could have told her, when I didn¡¯t even want her to know. It made no sense to me at all.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t trust me then?¡± I asked her and she kept shit instantly. I didn¡¯t say a word after that because I was waiting for her to answer.

    A few secondster, she answered and just like I suspected, her answer was a no.

    The both of us started arguing about it and after a while, I was tired of going back and forth with the issue. I just needed a solution to the problem.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you jus-¡± she continued saying, but I Interrupted her.

    ¡°Just stop, please. I think we should stop arguing for now and focus on the issue we have on the ground.¡± That seemed to shut her up, as she didn¡¯t argue with me after that.

    ¡°So, what do you think we should do? Because I don¡¯t know what to do. You know how much I hate stress.¡±

    Yes, I do know. I thought.

    In the process of thinking of what I wanted us to do, I suddenly remembered that I told Ana that I was going to meet her at home in the next five minutes and ten minutes were gone already.

    ¡°I think we should-¡± I started saying, when Lily Interrupted me with her own idea.

    ¡°I feel like we should meet up again to discuss this properly.¡± It seemed like she was in my head, as she said what I wanted to say to her.

    I threw a smile at her and I was really happy when she smiled back. I could somehow feel that we didn¡¯t want to meet up again because of this issue, but because we just wanted to see each other again.

    ¡°Um, Lily before you go, I have to tell you something.¡± I really wanted to tell her that I was sorry about what I said earlier and I didn¡¯t mean any of those things. That¡¯s true, I actually don¡¯t mean any of the bad things that I said to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what happened earlier, I didn¡¯t mean any of those things I promise you. I¡¯m sorry. It would never happen again. I promise.¡± In less than two minutes, I had already made two promises to her.

    She smiled and she told me that she had forgiven me for it. I was happy and even when we were bidding ourselves goodbye, I was still smiling so hard.

    I walked away from the spot and I went into my car. When I remembered that I was going home to meet Ana, my smile slowly faded away and I let out a big sigh before driving off.

    When I got home, I parked my car properly before I started walking slowly to the house. Before twisting the door knob, I sighed softly.

    ¡°Where were you?¡± I was greeted with Ana¡¯s angry voice and I finally knew why I didn¡¯t even want toe home to her.

    She looked angry that I had spent more time than I promised I was going to spend.

    ¡°What do you mean by that? I can go anywhere I want, Ana. Let me be, please.¡± I said because I was starting to feel really frustrated and angry.

    ¡°No, Cayden. I am not going to ¡®let you be. I need to know where you went to and why you took so long toe back home, after telling me that you were only going to use five minutes.¡± She said angrily and the fact that she thought she needed to know where I was, was suddenly making me feel really irritated.

    ¡°Knowing my whereabouts isn¡¯t part of the job description, is it?¡± I said the hostility was really obvious in my voice.

    She widened her eyes at me and she lives closer to me.

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, but do you know what¡¯s actually part of my job description? Exposing the people involved with fraud.¡± She said with pride in her voice and I couldn¡¯t say anything else again.

    She was right about that one and I had nothing to say about that.

    When she saw that I wasn¡¯t saying anything, she started smiling at me and she tried touching me, but I brushed her hand aside.

    She told me that she wanted us to go out together to have fun, under the pretence of working and that infuriated me. I refused her and I went to my bedroom immediately, to avoid any further unpredictability from her.

 87

    Chapter 87 ¨C Getting Ana out of the house.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    After Cayden and I bidded ourselves goodbye that afternoon, I started thinking about what I could do to solve the issue that we had.

    I went home and I finished everything that I was to do, so I would retire to bed early. I didn¡¯t want to retire to bed early because I wanted to sleep, I wanted to be left alone to think about what we could do.

    Hourster, I still hadn¡¯te up with anything. I got out of bed and I went to my dressing table.

    When I grabbed my phone, an idea suddenly popped into my head and I thought about it for a while to see if it was foolproof. Fortunately for us, it was.

    I wanted to call Cayden immediately to inform him of the n, but I knew that he could be with her, so I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want to make any mistakes, so I didn¡¯t send him a message either.

    A voice in my head kept on telling me that Cayden was going toe to the shop the next morning and I decided to tell him there codedly.

    Even if he doesn¡¯te to the shop, I made a n to call him and inform him to see me. By that time, I was sure that he wouldn¡¯t be with Ana.

    I went to bed smiling because I was happy with my n.

    The next morning, I got up really early and I stormed off to work, but not before I made sure everything was fine at home.

    When I got to the shop, I started cleaning everywhere before the customers started arriving. An hourter, the shop was already filled with people that wanted to enjoy the morning warmth of the pastries.

    The shop was filled with people and Cayden wasn¡¯t one of them. I continued checking around to see if he was around or not.

    After a while, I made the decision to call himter, instead of waiting for him to juste.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    I was at the counter, trying to serve some pastries, when I was called from a table. I looked over at the table and I saw Cayden sitting there, while smiling at me.

    I went to him and he told me that he just wanted some snacks. I was surprised that he didn¡¯t even talk about the n, but I pushed the thought aside because I thought he would have nned for us to meet after leaving the shop.

    From a book, I tore a small paper and I told him that I already had a n through the paper. I folded it properly and I ced it under the meal that I served to him.

    A minuteter, he finally noticed the paper and he called me again. When I got to him, he dragged me outside to speak properly.

    ¡°What n do you have, Lily?¡± He said and I chuckled lightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell you about itter. I just want you to know that I have thought of a way to get Ana out of your house.¡± I said and he seemed really surprised at that.

    ¡°What? Are you sure about that? Is the n foolproof?¡± He asked and I chuckled inwardly because he used the word that I had used the night before.

    ¡°Yes, it is. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± I assured him and even though he seemed sceptical about that, I told him to just calm down.

    ¡°You need to do something to make the n work though.¡± I asked him and he squinted his eyes at me.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°You have to get her out of your house at midnight and you¡¯ll take her to a hotel.¡± I said and he started looking at me like I had gone crazy.

    ¡°What?¡± He said and Iughed lightly.

    ¡°You just have to do it for everything to make sense. After taking her to the hotel, she wouldn¡¯t be able to go back into the house for a while, till tomorrow at least.¡± I said and I begged him by batting my eyes at him repeatedly.

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± He finally said and I nodded at him. I was happy with the way everything was going and I was pretty sure that the n was going to work.

    ¡°But are you sure that it¡¯s going to work?¡± Cayden asked me.. again and I was suddenly feeling weird that he didn¡¯t even believe me enough to carry the n on.

    ¡°Yes. Do you want me to show you a proof of how it¡¯s going to work?¡± I asked him, even though I didn¡¯t have any proof to show him.

    He looked at me for a few seconds before he answered.

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine. So, I¡¯m guessing that I¡¯ll take her to the hotel till tomorrow?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yes. By tomorrow, we¡¯ll do something.¡± I said boldly and after that, we both went back inside into the shop. I was already happy that Cayden was already on board with the n.

    After I closed the shop, I ran to the house because I had been so anxious to start the n with Cayden.

    When I got home, I did everything that I knew I had to do and I also tucked Jacek in. When I was pretty sure that Granny and Jacek were asleep, I sat on my bed, waiting for Cayden to call even though we still had an hour to spare.

    When it was ten minutes to eleven, I got up from the bed and I started preparing for Cayden¡¯s call because we talked about him making the ns to take her out around eleven.

    I just hoped he was going to do it just the way we nned it. I wanted to call him to ask him how the n was going so bad, but I just decided to hold myself.

    If he wanted me to know how things were going, then he would have definitely called me.

    Getting her out of the house to the hotel was just for today, tomorrow, we¡¯d do something about it.

 88

    ying along

    Lily

    I do have no idea if this would work but there¡¯s only one way to find out

    ¡°Come on, just try it out. I think it¡¯s a really good idea.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll try and figure out a better idea, okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine, won¡¯t hurt to try it out anyway¡± I smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go back to work now, just let me know how it goes, alright?¡±

    ¡°Yea, sure¡± He smiled and leaned in for a hug. I was surprised but why not? I returned the hug. We were like that for almost a minute before I said;

    ¡°Okayyy, really gotta go now¡± Caydenughed

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Chat youter¡± He waved and went to where he parked his car. What a weird guy. I pray the idea works anyway.

    Cayden

    I opened the door and saw her in my shirt. I was so furious. Who gave her the right to take my shirt? And wear it as if it belonged to her? I decided to keep my cool anyway, I knew it was a trap. So I just smiled at her and she was pleased.

    ¡°Wee back darling,¡± She said, twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger. That irritated me.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as I walked in. I went straight to have my bath. I sat in the bathtub for a while to have a bit of privacy even if it was just for five minutes. The aroma of the food she was cooking filled my lungs; at least there¡¯s one good thing to having her around.

    I got dressed and went downstairs to watch TV.

    ¡°Come join me at the table Cayden, food is ready¡±

    ¡°Alright¡± I went to the dining area and sat there as she dished my food. ¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± I said and she blushed as she ced my food right in front of me.

    The food tasted really good. We were having mashed potatoes and the texture was right; not too thick or runny.

    ¡°The food tastes nice¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Thank you, Cayden. y your cards right and you¡¯d get unlimited ess to this all day long.¡± She boasted.

    Well, I¡¯m d Lily is also a good cook. Why else would she have so many people buzzing out of her restaurant? Speaking of restaurants, I can always enter there and be served whatever I want at the best pastry and restaurant shop at Nedford!

    ¡°I have a surprise for you, by the way, you¡¯d love it,¡± I told her and she was happy.

    ¡°Really?¡± She smiled sheepishly. If only she knew how much I wanted to throw her out of my house.

    ¡°Yea, I¡¯d show you once we¡¯re done eating¡±

    ¡°Okay¡± She hurriedly finished her food, almost choking

    ¡°Slow down girl¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just not had anyone surprise me in a very long time, I¡¯m excited¡± She stood up, dropped her te in the dishwasher and hurried off to get dressed. She¡¯s not had a surprise and she¡¯s forcing herself on me? Instead of her settling down and letting a guy love her for her. I felt sad for her.

    She met me downstairs ten minutester looking so peng. She had on cargo pants and a cropped body con top on boots. She packed her hair in a ponytail and wore shades, with a Dior bag hanging from her shoulders. Where the hell does she think we¡¯re going to?

    ¡°Why are you overdressed? I didn¡¯t say I was taking you out, I said I had a surprise¡± I stared at her

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to always be ready for anything, you can¡¯t be too sure.¡± I shook my head

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± I picked up my keys ¡°let¡¯s go¡±

    I took her for a drive around town. We saw different ces, we went off down to a pond nearby to feed the ducks. I tried my best to have as much fun with her, prepping her for my surpriseter. She knew some friends around and asked to see if they wanted toe to the beach with us.

    Some of her friends said yes but others said no so we went down to the beach and had a swim and yed on the beach. But something horrible happened the whole beach started to get flooded so much water wasing in so we had to run as fast as we could to get up high. Her friend could not run as fast as the rest of us so I ran back down and got her. We got up somewhere high just in time.

    Her friend was so scared that we never went back to that beach again. Instead of going to the beach with friends, we go to the park so her friend doesn¡¯t get scared of what happened that day. We all had fun going to the park but her friends looked like they were in so much shock and vowed to nevere back again.

    I got her back in the car and drove her to a motel not so far away. It was a cheap one, with no serious facilities or too many facilities. It was quiet too. I had already paid down for a room beforeing.

    I walked up to the receptionist and got the key card for the room while someone showed us the way there. I made it seem like I was booking the hotel for both of us.

    ¡°So, this is us. Getfortable, we¡¯ll be here for the night¡±

    ¡°You, that¡¯s cool¡± Her mouth curved as she said it, anding over to hug me, I quickly pulled away.

    ¡°Just freshen up, okay? Let me go get something for us for dinner¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± She said and entered the bathroom.

    I quickly sneaked away to my car and drove home. It felt so good. Finally, some privacy for the night. I ordered some pizza and had an amazing night¡¯s rest with the house all to myself.

    I woke up the next morning to the loud sound of the doorbell. Who could it be? It was so early. I went to get the door and there she was, her face red with anger. This was not good.

 89

    Stuck in a cage

    Cayden

    She stormed into the house like someone going to war. She didn¡¯t look good, it seemed like she had barely gotten any sleep.

    ¡°You left me out there, to be alone in that ce while you came back here and slept like a baby. Why did you trick me into thinking we would spend the night together? Are you trying to get rid of me?¡±

    I sighed ¡°look, there are no hard feelings. I¡¯ve been trying to tell you for days but it was not easy and you¡¯re pretty hard to get along with. I just needed some space in my house. It¡¯s my house for fuck¡¯s sake. I should be able to have my privacy when I want¡±

    ¡°I just need you to stay at the hotel for now. I need this space all to myself now¡± I said as I pointed around the house

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not letting you have that. I refuse. I¡¯m not going to stay in a dirty ass motel when you can share this with me. I¡¯m tired of you thinking you can y games with me and get away with it¡±

    She pointed at my face ¡°if you try anything, I¡¯ll report back to the CEO what you did, hiring a local for two days just to get the contract done¡±

    I was so angry. How could they have given me someone so insensitive to work with? This was a nightmare and I needed to wake up.

    ¡°Do you hear me Cayden? I said I¡¯lle for your ass if you try it again¡± She hissed ¡°you men are so ungrateful. Do you know how much I bring to the table? You¡¯re just misusing a very valuable asset and if I leave, you¡¯d wish you kept me close¡±

    I already wished we never crossed paths

    ¡°Yeah, sure. Do you¡± I started walking away to my bedroom

    ¡°Do you? That¡¯s all you have to say?¡±

    I didn¡¯t even turn back, let alone answer her

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how the hell I¡¯ll throw this woman away from my house. I was fed up with all the pettiness. It¡¯s exhausting. I need a breath of fresh air. I walked out to my balcony to enjoy the view. It was really beautiful from up here.

    The balcony was a concrete ledge, with square rough edges and a rusty rail, but it was my oasis. I filled whatever space my table for one did not upy with potted nts and in the spring and summer seasons it was a riot of colour. On my balcony, I could enjoy the breeze, and the sun and even sometimes sit out in misty rain. Below the city flowed in its tense way, bustling and honking.

    I¡¯d always been fond of balconies. I felt that if I could only manage to stand on one long enough, the right one, wearing a long white trailing gown, preferably during the first quarter of the moon, something would happen: music would sound, a shape would appear below, sinuous and dark, and climb towards me, while I leaned fearfully, hopefully, gracefully, against the wrought-iron railing and quivered. But this was a very romantic balcony. It had a metallic railing like those on rtively high-ie apartment buildings of the nies, and the floor was perfectly tiled, and it glowed like was being polished every week. It was the kind of balcony a man would stand underying a lute¡­Besides, it was about ten feet off the ground.

    I went back inside and dialled Lily¡¯s number. She picked up fast

    ¡°Hey, Cayden, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Hey, things aren¡¯t going as nned. We need to meet at our bar spot¡±

    ¡°Are you fine?¡± She sounded worried. That felt good to hear.

    ¡°Yea, we¡¯ll talk about it when we see¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in twenty minutes¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, see you soon¡±

    I ended the call.

    Miss ¡°know it all¡± Wasn¡¯t downstairs when I was going out, good for me. My sneak-out was aided by her absence.

    Lily got there before me. It was surprising that she decided to be there for me when she was supposed to be at work, as Jarod is no longer in the picture.

    I walked up to her and hugged her

    ¡°Thanks foring Lily, means a lot¡±

    ¡°Sure, my pleasure¡±

    I smiled

    ¡°So, turns out our n didn¡¯t go well. She showed up at my house early this morning, furious that I left her at the hotel. She ims that if I try and y any more games with her, she¡¯ll report me about paying you off to be my girl¡±

    Lily held my hand, it felt so warm

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Cayden but are you sure she has proof? I feel like she¡¯s just using this as leverage¡±

    ¡°I do not know, I¡¯m not affirmative but she acts as she does and I don¡¯t even want to test it because that¡¯ll be me ying with fire. I¡¯ll get burnt if she does¡±

    ¡°Look Cayden, the best way to beat her is to make her leave and feel unwee¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that Lily¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, try and make an ally among one of your bosses, let him know what¡¯s happening just in case anything goes wrong, you¡¯ll have the backing of someone and you won¡¯t seem like you tried to outsmart your boss.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let them hear false and exaggerated news from an outsider?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible Lily, it is not that simple. You¡¯d be surprised how inflexible and unbent these people can be¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll work out just fine. It¡¯ll build their trust in you. They¡¯ll know that they can trust you and would recognize you as a very good asset  ¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try it out, Lily¡±

    ¡°Please do¡±

    ¡°Yes boss,¡± I said as sheughed ¡°look at you being all nice to me, who would¡¯ve thought???¡±

    She was so wise, I could be myself being so close to her.

    ¡°Thanks, Lily¡±

 90

    Relieved

    Cayden

    I still wasn¡¯t so sure about Lily¡¯s idea but she¡¯s smart and I guess I¡¯ve just got to try it out. It won¡¯t hurt to.

    ¡°Hey, can you drop me off at home?¡± Lily asked as we stepped out of the ce

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    I went ahead to open the door to the passengers seat for herBelonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Thanks¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee¡±

    I felt like hanging out a little longer with her but she had to go to work anyway. Won¡¯t hurt to ask though.

    ¡°Hey Lily, do you want to hang out a little longer with me?¡±

    She hesitated for a while

    ¡°Do you have any ce in mind?¡±

    ¡°Not one in particr but let¡¯s see..¡±

    I drove off thinking of where to take her to.

    ¡°How about I take you out for just a light breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Okay then¡±

    I drove to a ce a few blocks away. They had great aesthetic features, I hoped the food was good too because Lily is a critic and seems hard to impress.

    We got in and got a table close to the window; she was a sucker for views too. I signalled the waiter, he came over

    ¡°Order what you¡¯d like to have Lily,¡± I said to her

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a burger and coffee, preferably not ck please¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same, thanks¡±

    ¡°Go big or go home, I guess?¡± She was clueless

    ¡°The burger?¡±

    ¡°Oh yea¡± Sheughed ¡°I love junk and I love burgers¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool¡±

    The orders came in shortly and we ate and talked about different things. She talked about her dad but didn¡¯t go into details. I didn¡¯t want to pry. She was really fun to converse with.

    After breakfast, I drove her home. His grandma was outside so she saw me.

    ¡°Hey Cayden, how are you doing?¡± She seemed happy to see me, surprisingly.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing grea

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for dropping her home¡±

    ¡°My pleasure ma¡¯am¡± I drove back home

    This littledy was waiting for me back home, sitting on my couch like a paranoid mum, waiting for her child who hasn¡¯t still gotten home after dark

    ¡°Where the hell have you been? Is this how you¡¯re going to neglect me and run off?¡±

    I didn¡¯t utter a word

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me Cayden? Where the fuck did you go?¡±

    I was fed up with this woman, questioning my every move

    ¡°Why do I have to answer you, huh? Why are you acting so petty like a mum?!¡± I paced about the living room

    ¡°I want you to get out of my house now woman, just leave. I¡¯m tired of seeing you everywhere. You¡¯re in my face morning, noon and night and I don¡¯t even like you! Hell¡± It felt good letting all that out. It¡¯s been inside for so long, my stomach no longer tightened.

    ¡°Why would you say something like that? No, you must be joking, I know you don¡¯t mean that¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes I do and you have no idea how much..¡±

    ¡°Cayden? You have no reason to send me out. I have done wrong!¡±

    I was just not having it at the moment I was charged. I started walking towards her room.

    ¡°I have nowhere to go and it¡¯s gettingte. Please don¡¯t do this to me¡±

    Ipletely ignored her and started packing her items of luggage out of the room. I¡¯d never entered her room since she came to this house now. She had decorated the room like it was hers for life. It was looking very womanly but still beautiful. Such a shame she had to leave. If only she had behaved herself. I went to the wardrobe and removed her clothes from there, packing them in her luggage and carrying them to the living room. There was nothing she was going to say that would have changed my mind.

    ¡°Cayden, stop this now!¡±

    She must be stupid if she thought I¡¯d listen to her, especially with a tone like that. Entitled bitch!

    I kept waiting for her to magically bring out the proof she imed to have against me but it didn¡¯t happen. Guess they were just all lies like Lily had said, to make her stay.

    ¡°If you¡¯re in desperate need of a man, find one around. Your type isn¡¯t so hard to find anyway. They¡¯ll keep you busy and satisfied.¡±

    I could see the fear in her eyes, she was so scared. Thankfully, she¡¯s not a broke person, she could easily lodge at a hotel for as long as she wished to stay.

    I helped her take her luggage outside and hailed a cab for her from the kindness of my heart. I had done more than enough.

    A cab stopped directly in front of the house

    ¡°Please Sir take thisdy to wherever she wants to go.¡± I turned to her ¡°you can help yourself and lift the luggage into the car.¡± I walked to my door and sat at the doorstep watching her scream

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this Cayden, I¡¯ming for you, you deserve what¡¯sing¡­¡±

    I just keptughing inside me, nothing wasing. Funny howdies use all these threats as a front. Well, whatever makes her feel good, as long as she¡¯s out of my driveway.

    ¡°Cayden! Are you going to keep ignoring me? Cayden! You ungrateful ass! I hate you do much¡±

    Her voice was so loud, I¡¯m sure someone at the end of the street could hear. She looked crazy and I was enjoying the view.

    The cab man honked for her because he was tired of waiting.¡± Madam, please get into the car, I¡¯m not being paid to wait¡±

    She turned to him, ¡°can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m in the middle of something? ¡± She hissed and turned back to me, her hair was a mess, her eyes red with eyeliner washing down her cheeks because of tears.

    The cab guy started moving

    ¡°Hey, please stop¡± She moved to the car and got her luggage in, went to the passenger seat and drove off.

    I felt so much relief and the breeze that blew across my faceplimented it.

    t Mrs Annie, you?¡±

 91

    Cheers to freedom

    Cayden

    The cab slowly rolls away and for a short while all I could do was just stand there and breath, a long deserved one. For a while her mere mention of her name obstructed my breathing but now there she went, into the sunset and out of my life for good. I could finally think properly and one of the first things that dived into my head was to call Steve and let him know that things were now over between me and her. Everyone who knew about her and was instrumental in me being in a rtionship with her needed to know that we were no longer together and of course, he also needed to inform Steve that the deal for the contract had scaled through.

    I immediately snapped out from my hibernation state and began my brisk stroll back to my apartment with a leap. I soon arrived in my apartment and headed for my phone that had been on my working for a while now. I always kept it there as it was easier to find whenever I needed it. I scroll through my contact list and dial Steve¡¯s secretary¡¯s number. I could¡¯ve called Steve myself but he was one to not pick private calls whenever it was office hours so I opted for thetter option.

    It rang for a few seconds and then his secretary said ¡°Hello, this is Mr Steve¡¯s office. How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°Hello Margaret, this is Cayden speaking¡± I immediately responded with enthusiasm quilled in my voice.

    ¡°Oh good afternoon Mr Cayden, how are you enjoying your time outside thepany¡¯s walls¡± she goes for pleasantries. If it were anyone else, Margerat would immediately ask the purpose of the call and what she could do for the caller with formality written all over her response. But I was a familiar person to her, she knew how close Steve and I were and so she couldfortably lower the formalities for me just a little.

    ¡°Well Maggie, it just keeps getting better¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s lovely Sir, I presume you want to speak with Mr Steve or do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes please, put me through to him immediately please¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately Mr Steve cannot take any calls now as he is currently in a meeting in his office, do you want me to pass a message to him for you when he is through?¡±

    ¡°No Maggie, I¡¯d rather tell him myself. Please let him know this is very urgent and cannot wait¡± I need to tell Steve this news right now, while the high of this excitement filled me.

    ¡°Alright, do hold on please¡± she then dials Steve¡¯s office and he picks ¡°Hello Sir, you have Mr Cayden on line three, he says he needs to speak with you¡±

    ¡°Did you tell him I¡¯m in a meeting?¡± Steve replies in a mildly pricked tone.

    ¡°Yes I did Sir, but he says it is very urgent and cannot wait¡± Steve wondered what could be so urgent that I so desperately needed to tell him.

    ¡°Alright, put him through¡± my line beeps once and I hear Steve on the receiving end of the call ¡°Hello Cayden, how are you my boy?¡±

    ¡°Very well Sir, thank you¡±

    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s so important that you needed to tell me that couldn¡¯t wait a few hours? He inquires in curiosity.

    ¡°Well Sir it¡¯s great news¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Hit me then¡±

    ¡°Well first off, the conclusions for modalities on signing the deal with the investors was sessful, we¡¯ve signed all papers and the contract has been finalized¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! Now that¡¯s my boy, I always knew you could do it¡± Steve screams in delight and satisfaction ¡°this calls for a toast,e over to my vi as soon as you¡¯re back¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much sir, I¡¯m d you believed in me¡± I respond blissfully

    ¡°You said first off initially, what¡¯s the other thing?¡± He further makes inquiries

    ¡°Yes yes, I also wanted to let you know that J and I have also broken up, we ended things because she got sick during the meeting and med me for her sickness, can you just imagine that?¡± I asked in hopes that Steve would be happy about this too.

    ¡°No Cayden, what I can imagine is why you would think your break up nonsense was going to be worth an extra few minutes of my time¡± he joy now slowly fades into exasperation.

    ¡°Well I thought it¡­¡± he cuts my sentence short

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem my boy, you didn¡¯t think. Your break up with whoever is of no relevance to me, what¡¯s important is if the deal went through or not, now did it?¡±

    ¡°Yes it did sir¡± I respond in a morbid

    ¡°Good, see you when you get back¡± Steve cuts the call.

    But Steve¡¯s response was not enough to kill my joy. I immediately called Lily to share the wonderful news with her.

    ¡°Hey Lily! How are you my dear¡±

    ¡°Cayden! I am fine thank you. Why do you sound so excited, did you win the lottery?¡±

    ¡°Even better my dear but how about I tell you about it over a drink at mine, are you free?¡±

    ¡°Well sure, but it had better be worth it Cayden¡±

    ¡°It will trust me¡±

    It was a few minutes to 7pm, Lily and I were sharing a bottle of bailey milky wine and theughter could be heard from the windows as I told her about my breakup with J. We continue chatting for a little while and sexual tension begins to rise. I lean over slowly as she stares down on my lips. Our lips interlock and so do our bodies as our hands begin to roam the shores of our behinds. We make out for a few minutes and then Lily pulls awayUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°I¡­ we¡­ I don¡¯t think we should be doing this Cayden, I should be smarter than this¡± I am shocked as she pulls away and says those words, what did she mean by she should be smarter than this?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Lily, I thought you wanted this?¡±

    ¡°I would be lying if I said this wasn¡¯t a good feeling but I think we should slow things down a little¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think we¡¯re moving too fast, we¡¯re going just at the right ce Lily¡± I try to convince her and myself too

    ¡°Look Cayden, I don¡¯t want to be like every otherdy you¡¯ve been with. You were just telling me about your break up with J and though she may have been an awful person, I don¡¯t want to be in her shoes. I want something real and genuine Cayden, I want it to be intention¡± Lily borates and as hurtful as it made me feel, she was right.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, I understand¡­¡±

    ¡°I should be on my way now, it¡¯s gettingte¡± she sets down her ss of wine and picks her bag up.

    ¡°Yes you should, let me drop you off please¡±

    She refuses at first instance but eventually yields after I persist.

 92

    Blessing in disguise

    Lily

    We made it to the finals of thepetition and just like the party Cayden and I had attended back in New York, this too was going to be in two phases and the first stage was going to hold in a few days so we had toe practice and prepare. To my greatest delight Cayden decided to apany me to not just the two days that the final stages were going to hold but he also came for every practice day. Cayden was bing very intentional about being in my space and I enjoyed being in his too. We would tease each other at the slightest eye connection and would sometimes even get baking powder all over our faces and aprons and would giggle and chuckle as we did it.

    ¡°Who knew you could be this handsome even with powder on your face¡± I smiled mischievously as he tried to wipe off the powder I left on his face.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?¡± He smiles

    ¡°You bet your nuts I am¡± his eye widens and then he smiles again. Cayden was normally a sexually intimidating guy but it gave me pleasure to know that I could make him vulnerable whenever I talked about his body.

    ¡°Well naught Lily isn¡¯t going to bake this pies, normal Lily is¡± he immediately waves off myment and we continue practicing.

    ¡°All the while, Jarod paid kin attention to all the lovey dovey acts Cayden and I engaged in and his irritation became more and more aggravated as the days went by.

    On the day of the first stage of the finals, we all engage in final preparations for thepetition. Cayden and I arranged things before the event would start. I asked Jarod to wait for us while we both went back to our homes to change up. Cayden offers to drive me home and I agree. On our way remembers that he forgot his phone back at the venue of thepetition and tells me he¡¯ll go back to get it before going home to change.

    Little did we know that Jarod was about to do the worst. While Jarod thought we were away, he went for the ingredients we had prepared and sabotaged them. He even went as far as mixing some ingredients together knowing fully well that using too much or two little of whichever ingredient could ruin whatever we made. He continues his sabotage when Caydenes and sees him.

    ¡°Hey! You!¡± Cayden shouts to draw Jarod¡¯s attention. He gets startled when he hears Cayden and even pours some of the flour he was pouring into the sugar jar in himself ¡°And what do you think you are doing¡±

    ¡°No¡­ nothing¡­¡± the words stagger out of his mouth and immediately tries to flee the scene. Cayden smells a rat and grips him tautly by the elbow

    ¡°What were you pouring into that jar then¡±

    ¡± Look mehn, I didn¡¯t do anything¡­ let me go¡±

    Jarod breaks free from his hold and walks away. Cayden tries to go after him but people start noticing the drama so he withdraws from his quest and immediately calls me. I didn¡¯t pick his calls as I was in the shower and didn¡¯t hear my phone ring, he then decided to drive down to my ce and tell me what had happened instead. Cayden may not have known how to bake but he was one for details and he knew something was not right and that Jarod had sabotaged the ingredients.

    He soon arrives at my ce and blocks me at the door as I am about to step out with Jacek.

    ¡°Cayden, I thought I told you I¡¯d take a bus back? You didn¡¯t have toe¡± I say as I am surprised to see him

    ¡°I need to tell you something Lily, he has done it again¡± his face tensely stiffened and anger written all over it.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Who has done what again?¡± I ask in perplexity

    ¡°Your friend Lily, Jarod!¡±

    ¡°And what did he do?¡±

    ¡°I caught him trying to sabotage the ingredients we had kept earlier and I don¡¯t know which of them or how badly the damage is but I know he sure did something¡±

    ¡°You should stop this Cayden, Jarod cannot possibly do such a thing. We¡¯ve been friends for longer than I can remember and he has always been of great help to me, why would he wanna do something to hurt me now especially knowing how important thispetition is to me?¡± I became furious and defensive about Jarod. Cayden sees that nothing he was going to day could change my mind so he yields and apologizes in order not to have an issue with me.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯m sorry, maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it. I don¡¯t want to ruin your rtionship with Jarod, I¡¯d hate for that to happen¡­ I know how sad it would make you¡± he pulls me closer and gives me a hug, I be motionless in his warmth and my temper rxes.

    Thepetition had already begun and I was mixing the ingredients when I noticed the sugar was more powdery than was normal, I deep a finger into what remained in the jar and what I thought to be sugar was mostly baking flour. This meant that I had just added way more flour than was necessary in my mixture and there was no sugar to use either. I was devastated and Cayden was right. He sabotaged things in such a way that whatever I made was going toe out poorly especially because there was no sugar to use. Luckily for me I remembered the bottle of honey I carried with me to make tea for Jacekter and I took the risk of using it. I had never used honey for my baking before so this was going to be a precarious situation.

    All was done and presented to the judges and to my greatest surprise, my presentation was selected as the best for that day and I was so ted, I saw Cayden and ran like a bull to hug him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry for not believing you Cayden¡±

 93

    Bestfriendse and bestfriends go

    Lily

    ¡°And where the fuck is that Jarod of a human being¡±

    I asked around until my staff told me that he had seen Jarod head into one of the back rooms just before thepetition ended.

    ¡°Let mee with you, please¡± my staff asks but I decline, I need to confront Jarod on my own.

    ¡°No, I need to do this on my own. I¡¯ll let you know if something happens alright?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this one bit ma¡¯am but alright. I¡¯ll take Jacek to Mr Cayden, would that be okay ma¡¯am?¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡± Yes please, tell them I¡¯ll be with them in a few¡± he then walks away with Jacek while I head to the back room Cayden had told me Jarod was in.

    I barge into the room without bothering to knock and Jarod is immediately risen from his contemting session.

    ¡°How could you Jarod, I thought you were my best friend, I trust you?¡± I began with fire in my eyes

    ¡°Point of correction Lily, I was your best friend. You lost me the day you decided to let that¡­ that excuse for a man into your life¡± To my amusement, Jarod responds just a s much vexation as I had and showed no remorse for what he had done ¡°I wanted the best for you Lily but you paid no attention to me and rather spend your time with that idiot that calls himself Cayden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call him names, Cayden has been more of a friend to me than you could ever be as a best friend. At least he wasn¡¯t the one who sabotaged my efforts in a bid to ruin my life¡¯s work and end my dream¡±

    ¡°And you are lucky it didn¡¯t work, because I wish it did. I wanted to see you lose Lily, I wanted you to see just how important I was in you life before you allow animal into your life¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up, nobody took your ce in my life. You¡¯re just a jealous, egoistic and selfish piece of shit and I regret ever having you as a friend¡±

    ¡°The regret is mutual my dear and if I may ask, have you been sleeping with him? Because I can see that you¡¯ve had his junk so deep in your skull that you can no longer think straight¡± That was it, I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°You bastard, how dare you! I¡¯ll¡­¡± I squeeze my fist with the intention of rocketing it straight for his ugly face but then I hesitate. This wasn¡¯t me, I wasn¡¯t going to let him turn me into the monster that he already was. I was going to be the civil and mature person here andfort my emotions.

    ¡°You know what, I¡¯m not going to say anymore. I can now see that you¡¯ve be a lost soul and it¡¯s just sad that you¡¯ve let the devil get this deep into you and use you¡± I take my leave as he continues screaming

    ¡°You watch your back Lily, I¡¯m not through with you just yet¡±

    I stormed out of the room not noticing Christian and my other college ssmate who I had previously met at the market and we¡¯re jerks to me. I over my quarrel with Jarod and see it as an opportunity to make sure I didn¡¯t win thepetition. They go into the room and have a lengthy conversation with Jarod.

    I reach Cayden¡¯s car and notice Jacek watching a cartoon on a tablet in the passenger seat of Cayden¡¯s Maserati coupe.

    ¡°Hey Lily, are you ready to go now?¡± He asks as he raises his head and sees me.

    ¡°Nothing really, I just needed to greet a few people and exchange pleasantries, that¡¯s all¡± I waved my fingers in the air in expression.

    ¡°Alright then, really proud of you Lily you really did good back there¡±  he smiles but I do not reciprocate the smile quickly enough ¡± you don¡¯t look too happy Lily, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes I am, in fact thank you so much Cayden, I really do appreciate your concern and help especially with thepetition. It really means a lot to me¡±

    ¡°Say no more Lily, it¡¯s the least I could¡¯ve done after all you did for me¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯ve had a really stressful day, can you take me home please?¡±

    ¡°Sure sure, hop in please. You need to get home and rest¡±

    We arrived at my ce and before I could step out of the vehicle, Cayden stopped me.

    ¡°Hey before you go, I wanted to ask you something¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay sure¡±

    ¡°Well I was wondering if you¡¯d be free tomorrow, I want to take you and Jacek out I¡¯m the spirit of celebration¡±

    ¡°Well I¡­ you know what? Sure, we would really love that¡± I need a distraction from the catastrophe that would have almost urred today and I also needed to get my mind off my altercation with Jarod

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, so I¡¯ll see you by 11am, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes Cayden, 11am it is¡± I see his face light up as I step out of the car and head into my ce

 94

    Ice cream date

    Lily

    We strolled to the counter of the ice cream shop and Jacek had already started his jubtion on Cayden¡¯s body has he carried him on his arms.

    ¡°What vour of ice cream would his royal highness like?¡± Cayden asked Jacek like his was a king and it made me smile

    ¡°Vani!!!¡± We bothughed and then he turned to ask me

    ¡± How about you Lily, are you a vani vor fan too?¡±

    ¡°Nah, choctes are to die for¡± I arcmy head up as if to find something I left on the ceiling.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have what the beautifuldy is having then¡± he says and my cheeks immediately turn red

    We got seated and our conversations began, we would get to know each other a whole lot better, at least I wanted to know him better.

    ¡°So we¡¯ve always been on and up about my life and you literally almost know everything about me but I sadly can¡¯t say the same for me, I know little about you Cayden except that you work in apany, dress really nicely and drive nice cars too¡± he chuckles a little then responds

    ¡°What would you like to know me then?¡± He stares into my eyes and I could not help but notice his glitter.

    ¡°Everything Cayden, everything¡±

    Heughs ¡°Everything is quite a difficult thing to ask for where do I even start from¡±

    ¡°Alright, since you asked for it, tell me how you became a casanova. I don¡¯t know why but I want to believe you weren¡¯t always this way¡± before we got this close, Cayden would absolutely re up whenever I called him out for being a casanova but this time he was very calm and collected.

    ¡°Well it all started from a childhood trauma. My mother was never around and when I say never around I mean she was always with any man that was not my father. She would bring different men to the house when he was not around and sometimes even did it when he was. But my Dad did nothing, he didn¡¯t even shout for once. She would always mock him for being less of a man, that he didn¡¯t have the balls to do what other men did to take care of their families and give her thevish lifestyle that she desired. My Dad soon had cancer that eventually took his life, yet all the times we were in the hospital my mother never came. She only came to im some of his stuffs and left ever since. I also tried finding true love in order topensate what I¡¯d not had in a female figure in my life but even that didn¡¯t work out for me¡±

    I had lost my appetite for my ice cream and could almost feel an ocean of tears looming on my eyes

    ¡°Week that¡¯s enough about me, what about you? I barely see any guy in your life which tells me you must be picky. What¡¯s your definition of a perfect man?¡±

    ¡°Well first of all, there is no perfect man. I feel the perfectiones from his intentionality towards you¡± he smiles widely and then lowers it back as if to signal me to continue ¡°he has to be caring, resourceful, passionate, charismatic, funny ofcourse, kind and many more attributes but I can understand that one cannot have it all, so yeah¡­ I guess that¡¯s that¡±

    ¡°I doubt I meet any of those qualities on you list¡± he says as he looks at me while sipping his semi melted ice cream.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do, you want me to tell you that you actually meet my expected qualities so you head can swell right?

    Heugh and waves his hands in the air in surrender ¡± I guess you got me¡±

    We bothugh it out and continue taking scopes of our ice cream before I feel the need to use the rest room

    ¡°Hey, I need to use the rest room, I¡¯ll be right back¡±

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be here waiting¡± he responds as I walk away to the restroom.

    I go to wash my hands after taking a pea and then I hear adies voice call for me.

    ¡°Hey slut, yes you, you dirty slut¡± I first turn to check if there was anyone beside me but there was no one, I was the only person here. I would turn around to see threeddies standing not too far from me

    ¡°Sorry do I know you?¡± I try toport myself

    ¡°You can¡¯t my dear, I don¡¯t mix myself with sluts, at least not anymore¡± I am still confused as to why thisdy was verbally attacking me but she does not stop ¡°Both you and that excuse for a man out there who calls himself Cayden are both sluts and you both deserve each other, at least that would save every one else from your dirt¡±

    ¡°Look I do not know who youdies are or what your issue is but I can see why Cayden left you, you¡¯re all just soar people who do not have better things to do with their lives but to follow men around. So now tell me, who¡¯s the slut?

    Thedies get provoked and one of them immediately tries to attack me while the others approach from behind but I p and push her away, forcing her friends to hesitate, giving me room to escaped the restroom. I immediately alert the security and thedies are escortedd out of the premises.

    ¡°What happened Lily¡± Cayden rushes to me and ask but I do not respond

    ¡°Hey Candy, would you like to go to the park and y¡± I ask Jacek and he responds in excitement

    ¡°Yes mama

 95

    JACEK GOES MISSING

    We got to the park and Jacek is looking all excited. Seeing the little one so happy filled me with so much joy. I noticed how he kept looking at various kids ¨C his age ¨C at the swing, rollercoaster, children boat, etc respectively. It was very obvious he yearned to go y with those folks.

    ¡°Want to go y?¡± I asked him and without even thinking he replied affirmatively: ¡°yes!¡±

    ¡°What? This ce is not looking so good for him to y in,¡± Lilyined.

    ¡°What do you mean, missy? Look around you¡­,¡± I gestured, ¡°they¡¯re all his mates running around here,¡± Ipleted. ¡°What could the problem be?¡±  I asked again.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see how full this ce is? It¡¯s swarming with people everywhere you turn. So please, it¡¯s a no!¡± she objected firmly.

    ¡°Jacek?¡± I called out to the little man in my arms.

    ¡°Yes uncle,¡± he replied sweetly.

    ¡°Tell mummy you¡¯re a big boy now and she shouldn¡¯t worry about you getting missing in this ce. Tell her you¡¯d be just fine,¡± I egged him on.

    ¡°Mummy¡­I¡¯m a big boy now¡­,¡± he repeated all I asked him to say in a hysteric manner. Seeing how cute the little one was, Lily was too chicken-hearted to say no again.

    ¡°Off you go buddy,¡± I let him down and watched him go over to the section for the ¡®slide¡¯ ¨C which wasn¡¯t very far from us ¨C so keeping an eye on him was a given.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°He¡¯s so cute,¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Right?¡± Lily was all smiley.

    ¡°Now over to you miss, what happened back there?¡± I asked her causing her ¡®all-smiley¡¯ expression to diminish. I still insisted though.

    She heaved a sigh and took the seat behind us without really saying anything to me. Of course I followed suit.

    ¡°Lily you know how much I hate to see you keep things from me and you always do that, why?¡± I asked gently.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we let that issue down the drain already? I really do not want to speak about it any further,¡± she said with her head buried downwards  while she swung her legs back and forth.

    ¡°I want to know what happened back there. You really can¡¯t tell me?¡± I asked with a pleading tone.

    ¡°Just let it be, I already gave them a taste of their own medicine.¡±

    ¡°A taste of their¡­¡± ¡°Hey!¡­¡± a voice called out as they ¨C twodies ¨C approached us, interrupting our conversation.

    ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t Lily,¡± the other one chipped in.

    ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± I was confused because I¡¯d never seen them in my entire life.

    ¡°Not really. We¡¯re talking to the swine behind you,¡± the one in jean pants jeered.

    ¡°What? Swine? Did you just call Lily a swine? What for?¡± I asked almost at once as I stood up to face the annoying duo. ¡°Lily say something. Who are these uncultured women?¡± I turned to Lily to ask.

    Apparently, it turned out that the duo were her ssmates ¨C Charlotte and Evelyn ¨C from high school. Judging from the way they acted towards Lily, it was obvious that they were bullies.

    ¡°Look Charl, Eve, please, please and please, here¡¯s not the right ce for you to disy your madness. Not today please,¡± she pleaded.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s disying madness right now, can¡¯t you see?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­,¡± I tried to cut in but I waspletely cut off.

    ¡°Letting your bastard of a son y with kids who have fathers?¡± The one on striped tee shirt ¨C Charlotte ¨C asked and got me fuming.

    ¡°Excuse you?!¡± I eximed. ¡°Who or what gives you the right to insult her  like that?¡± I barked.

    ¡°Oh she hasn¡¯t told you? Or are you the kid¡¯s father?¡± Evelyn jeered and two of themughed.

    ¡°Is this how you go about shamelessly running your mouths?¡± Lily kept drawing my shirt stylishly telling me to give it up and let them be but I wasn¡¯t ready to forgive their ill manners just like that.

    ¡°The one shameless here is she who decided to open her legs for a mere high school boyfriend!¡± Charlotte fired. ¡°Exactly!¡± Evelyn concurred.

    ¡°Cayden it¡¯s okay, let¡¯s just go,¡± Lily pleaded.

    I ignored Lily¡¯s plea. What was so wrong about being a single mother that everyone seems to want to have a say in her life? ¡°You must be insane to say such things about your fellow human. You both attended the same school, cut her some sl¡­,¡± I hadn¡¯t even finished what I wanted to say when Lily held me by the hand and dragged me out of the argument.

    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be engaging people like this,¡± she scolded when we walked away from the annoying duo.

    ¡°How do you expect me to stand there and not say anything in your defense?¡±

    ¡°These particr girls have taken it upon themselves to jeer at me at any given opportunity so talking to them is of no use please,¡± she added. ¡°Fine,¡± I replied grudgingly.

    ¡°I really am in no mood to remain here. Let¡¯s  go get Jacek,¡± she said and walked ahead of me to where we had seen Jacek run off to.

    ¡°Wait up.¡± I followed suit.

    ¡°Jacek?¡± Lily called out as she didn¡¯t catch sight of Jacek anywhere.  ¡°Jacek,e out now,¡± I added jokingly thinking it was a usual hide-and-seek he was up to again. Little did I know the little man was actually nowhere around that ce.

    ¡°Jacek?¡­¡± ¡°Jacek¡­,¡± I and Lily called out repeatedly as we searched for him. We increased the perimeter of our search and went beyond the slide  section and made our way to other sections in the park still calling out his name repeatedly. We kept searching but couldn¡¯t find him anywhere. Lily started to panic but I advised her to calm down and not freak out just yet.

    ¡°Jacek must be somewhere, let¡¯s just search further,¡± I assured.

    We took the search more seriously and before we knew it, we ransacked more than seventy percent of the whole park. Still unable to find the little one, I mmediately alerted the security that there was an issue on ground; by then Lily was already in serious tears.

    ¡°Jacek!¡­ Jacek!!¡­ Jacek!!!¡­¡± she kept wailing out attracting attention to us.

 96

    THE STRANGER

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    ¡°Jacek!¡­ Jacek!¡­¡± I kept yelling on top of my voice as my eyes were already getting swollen because I¡¯d been crying for the past thirty minutes now.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, Lily I¡¯m sorry, I really am!¡± Cayden cries out loud. ¡°The security team has already been dispersed okay? I¡¯m sure they¡¯lle back with good news. If you need someone to vent on, please vent on me; I really am sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. If only I didn¡¯t let Jacek run off on his own,¡± Cayden panicked also. Turned out I didn¡¯t need to apply anymore pressure by ming him myself ¨C he did so himself.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    While the security team went looking for my child, I couldn¡¯t just sit still and wait for them, expecting to see them eventually with Jacek. I searched for a thousand more times, the vicinity and still found nothing! At this point, I was already going crazy.

    ¡°Jacek! Jacek!¡± I kept calling out, looking for my baby boy. I didn¡¯t intend to lose him in a park that day. Feelings of regret came welling up in me. From the very beginning, I regretted suggesting that we visit a park, I regretted yielding when Cayden asked me to let him go y, I also regretted Cayden making the suggestion in the first ce. My whole head was in shambles!

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    Overridden by guilt, I didn¡¯t have the nerve to try to calm Lily ¨C who was already going bananas ¨C down.  The security team had promised to find the child for us ¨C when  we showed them a picture of him ¨C and bring him back by all means. Despite their assurance and their urging us to just sit still and wait, we just couldn¡¯t.

    While Lily ran off on her own to find Jacek, I did same to help her. After a while, she came back to me and cried out: ¡°I still haven¡¯t seen my son,¡± she wailed as she hit my chest gently. I understood the pain she must have felt so it would be insensitivity on my part to take offense. I held on to her and ce her head on my chest ¨C what I always did to calm her down. It took a while before she finally calmed down and entered the second phase of crying ¨C sobbing.

    While I consoled her and used my eyes to nce around to see if by any chance I¡¯d see Jacek, I caught sight  from a distance, a weird figure with a familiar child in his arms. I recognized the red shirt, blue shorts and ck sneaks ¨C it was Jacek. I immediately heaved a deep sigh of relief and tapped Lily to tell her. ¡°It¡¯s Jacek, it¡¯s Jacek,¡± I announced and stormed to go and take Jacek who was crying from the strange man¡¯s arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, little man. Uncle¡¯s here now,¡± I rubbed his back gently.

    ¡°My love,¡± Lily waspletely overwhelmed with joy as she took Jacek from me and nted on his entire face, multiple kisses. ¡°Were you scared without mummy?¡± she embraced the little one in her arms so tightly and warmly. I felt very much relieved that Jacek was back even though I couldn¡¯t stop wondering who the fellow was.

    I knew I had to thank him. ¡°Thank you very much for your kind gesture,¡± I stretched forth my hand, beckoning for a handshake but the guy just stared at my hand and scoffed. ¡°Where did you find him?¡± I ignored his impudence and asked.

    I noticed the fellow wasn¡¯t paying attention to me, he was focused on Lily who obviously was still cuddling her found son in her arms.

    ¡°Thank you so m¡­,¡± in all excitement, she turned to express her gratitude to him but paused abruptly on seeing the man¡¯s face properly. From what I saw, I could tell she was in shock after seeing him ¨C she froze instantly! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You know him?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Long time no see, Lil,¡± he said.

    ¡®Lil?¡¯ Seeing how Lily froze on seeing him and how he even had a nickname ¨C Lil ¨C for her, it was quite obvious that she knew the fellow.

    I observed and saw how Lily waspletely shaken by the sight of this man who stood before us; it felt like his cheesy smiles and aura taunted her. ¡°Do you know him?¡± I asked Lily but got no reply. That I could understand.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked the man.

    ¡°Long time no see, Lil,¡± he repeated, ignoring my questionpletely. Was I too small to be noticed or he  was just naturally annoying?

    ¡°Lil¡­,¡± I could notice his hands were going to tap her on her back when I pped it off a bit violently.

    ¡± I don¡¯t know what this drama is all about, but respect yourself and back off while I¡¯m being nice,¡± I scolded while he just scoffed at me the whole time ¨C quite insulting. ¡°You don¡¯t touch women without their permission, you know that? And besides, as you can see, she¡¯s with a guy,¡± I added.

    ¡°Lil, it¡¯s obvious I can¡¯t touch you but you can hear me right?¡± He ignored me again! ¡± I came back few days ago and would love some catching up with you, okay? What do you say?¡± he asked Lily who held Jacek up blocking direct view to her face and remained silent. He chuckled and said: ¡± I understand if you¡¯re not in the mood to talk to me right now, but I want to tell you that I¡¯m rooting for you and I hope you win the baking contest and¡­,¡± he paused.

    I was surprised he actually knew of the contest. ¡°Hey mister¡­,¡±

    ¡°And also,¡± he cut me off, ¡°I¡¯d like us to talk over lunch some time. I coulde over to your shop so you don¡¯t stress it, okay?¡± He also knew her shop? ¡°Mister¡­,¡±

    ¡°See you around, Lil,¡± he bade his farewells and left without even turning to look at me once! I felt so insulted at that point for no one ever ignored me the way the stranger just did. The fact that he was a total stranger got me furious the more.

    ¡°Lily who was that guy?¡± I turned to Lily. ¡°It¡¯s obvious you know him so can you please tell me what¡¯s going on here before I lose it? Who was that wretched son of a nobody to ignore me the way he did?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± she walked off on her own, ignoring my question. I could pardon her for that because she still was shocked, but the fellow who walked out minutes ago? I couldn¡¯t bring myself to forgive his daring insolence.

 97

    WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME

    Still in shock, I walked over to Cayden¡¯s car hurriedly to avert his question even though I knew he was going to still ask. Iid Jacek gently in the back seat and made my way to the passenger side.

    In no time, we hit the road. I could sense the intense urge in Cayden to throw questions at me from all directions, but seeing how he repeatedly took nces at the back seat made me realize he was waiting for Jacek topletely fall asleep. I personally hoped Jacek wouldn¡¯t fall asleep but that hope was far from being realistic because Jacek was already halfway gone.

    ¡°Who was he?¡± he blurted and I turned around to check on Jacek only to find out that he was then asleep. I heaved a sigh knowing I was in for some drama with Cayden.

    ¡°Never mind, Cayden. Just drive,¡± I said wishing he¡¯d listen to me for once but that wish was far from being fulfilled.

    ¡± I ask again, who¡­was¡­that¡­guy?¡± I could sense from his tone that he was boiling.

    ¡°Can you just drive?¡±

    ¡°No I can¡¯t! What exactly do you mean by that? Do I not deserve to know who he was and why he thought to disrespect me the way he did?¡± he scolded, already on the warpath.

    ¡°For that, I¡¯m sorry, okay? Just let it be already. He¡¯s not important so just keep driving,¡± I retorted a bit on the sarcastic side.

    He hit the brakes suddenly, the impact causing us to jerk. I turned back to check if Cayden stilly properly owing to what just happened; he was still very much sound asleep.

    ¡°I demand an exnation Lily,¡± he said ring at me.

    ¡°I thought I said this already. He¡¯s not important so just forget about him and drive, okay?¡± I pleaded which only got him crazier.

    ¡°¡®Someone unimportant¡¯ wouldn¡¯t give you a nickname, Lily. Start talking.¡± He was still staring intensely at me who tried hard to avert his piercing gaze.

    ¡°You want to know who?¡± I turned and returned the stare audaciously.

    ¡± I sure do,¡± he replied almost at once.

    ¡°Just an old friend. Happy? Now let¡¯s go,¡± I satfortably signifying I was ready to hit the road again.

    He scoffed repeatedly. ¡°I hope you really didn¡¯t say that expecting me to buy it?¡± he asked with every iota of doubt.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®why not?¡¯? Take a good look at me very well¡­,¡± he pointed himself, ¡°do I look like a child? Or an idiot?¡± hepleted.

    ¡°I never said you were an idiot, neither do you look like a  child. You asked who he was, now I¡¯ve told you. What else do you want from me?¡± I replied angrily.

    ¡°Lily listen to me. He called you ¡®Lil¡¯ and the way you froze back there tells me otherwise ¨C you werepletely defenseless before him! He insulted the hell out of me, and you still said nothing!¡± he stressed thest part of his sentence. ¡°Now if you would please do me the honor and tell me who the fuck that was,¡± he barked, hitting his hand against the steering wheel multiple times,ying emphasis on ¡®fuck¡¯. He totally lost it.

    I raised my hand and covered my ears with them. ¡°Can you just stop screaming already? I¡¯ve told you who he is and you still don¡¯t buy it?¡±

    He turned away from staring at me, rested his head on the chair, closed his eyes and used his thumb and index finger to press both sides of his head in a bid to express his frustration. ¡°Lily, Lily, Lily you really are getting on my nerves.¡± He turned to me again and said: ¡°I¡¯ve never been insulted like that before, you know?¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep saying you were insulted? He only ignored you so what¡¯s the big deal?¡± Ished out as I could no longer contain my anger.

    ¡°Seriously? Is this all you have to say?¡± he reduced his tone. ¡°I defended you back there Lily!¡­,¡± he heightened his pitch again. ¡°I deserve to know what happened back there!¡± hepleted. ¡°You know what I think? I think there¡¯s a rather dirty past between you two and I need to know who he was at least so¡­,¡±

    ¡°You defended me, you defended me, you defended me!¡± I cut him off abruptly, gesturing with both my hands going up and down to convey that I was fed up. ¡°You keep using that as an excuse to want to pry into every little detail about me,¡± I scolded. ¡°Listen and listen real good, mister,¡± I pointed at him, ¡°You¡¯re not special enough to demand any thing from me and expect me to spill,¡± I stated clearly. ¡°You have to first get that engraved somewhere in your head,¡± I gestured by poking my own head. ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself,¡± I added while shaking my head.

    He looked a bit hurt by what I just said seeing how he calmed down a bit. ¡°Fine. Even though we¡¯re not special as you say, we¡¯ve been through so much together to call ourselves friends, right? And friends share everything with each other, right?¡± He asked, feeling frustrated.

    ¡°Friends!¡­,¡± I stressed the ¡®s¡¯ as I paused, ¡°have limits, Cayden,¡± I continued.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Really! Am I the one overestimating our friendship? What do you really take me for?¡± his voice sounded broken.

    I paused for a while and thought of what to say but nothing came to mind. I decided it was best to excuse myself and pervert the issue from escting beyond that level. I exhaled and said: ¡°I really don¡¯t have the answer to that question. Have a good night.¡±

    I opened the car and alighted. After I did that, I went to the backseat to get Jacek who was still sleeping amidst all the shouting and scolding ¨C he was being quite a deep sleeper. I took him in my arms and stood by the roadside to board a cab to take me home as I didn¡¯t want to hear any more of Cayden¡¯s nagging. All the while, Cayden just stared without saying anything. In no time, I boarded a cab and went on my way.

 98

    MY UNWANTED GUEST

    ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± I banged my hand against the steering wheel, already through the roof as I watched the cab Lily boarded drive past. I was boiling in anger and disappointment; it was always this way when I and Lily fought ¨C it never felt good.

    Iid my head against the wheel, taking deep breaths, reminiscing what happened moments ago with Lily. After some time, I decided to just go home and rest and so I turned on the car and drove off.

    On getting home, the sight that met my eyes infuriated me the more ¨C Brielle stood in front of my house. I wasn¡¯t really ready for another brawl today. ¡®Is today my unlucky day?¡¯ I muttered to myself as I stared through the window, at Brielle. I decided it was best not to overthink things and just be a man and send her out nice and good.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I approached her and asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s no way to greet your guest, Mr. Cayden.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± I answered smugly.

    ¡°You should work on your courtesy,¡± she said and fanned the mes of anger and resentment in me.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    I really was in no mood for her troubles today and at the same time, I was too exhausted to engage in another fight. I had to settle it peacefully and quietly. I took a deep breath to cool off steam and said: ¡°As you can see¡­,¡± I paused and took another deep breath, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for your stress right now,¡± I continued. ¡°So please do me a favor and use the way out,¡± I pointed the way out imploring her to leave.

    ¡°Do I look like someone who goes around making trouble?¡±

    She was still babbling, making me go insane the more. ¡°What part of ¡®use the way out¡¯ do you not assimte?¡± I asked cidly. I tried my utmost best to remain calm and notsh out. I knew very well thatshing out at that point wouldn¡¯t be so good for either of us. But it seemed to me that Brielle took my  benevolence for granted. ¡°Brielle,¡± I called out still holding my horses. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m in no mood to entertain your nonsense, okay? So if you don¡¯t mind, please leave,¡± I requested nicely.

    ¡°Are you not going to ask me why I came over? You don¡¯t intend to listen?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡­,¡± I almost lost my cool and yelled. I inhaled deeply once again in a bid to calm down. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care, okay?¡± I reduced my pitch.

    She scoffed at me. ¡°Listen Cayden. I haven¡¯te here out of my own volition, okay? I came strictly for work,¡± she said.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to know why you¡¯re here. I just want you to get lost,¡± I retorted angrily still watching my tone.

    ¡°Listen¡­,¡± I cut her off abruptly.

    ¡°Brielle, for the love of God, get the hell out of my house!¡± I said with increasing tones ¨C I increased my tone with every word I uttered ¨C stressing the ¡®hell¡¯.

    ¡°Just shut up and listen to me already!¡± she yelled. She probably figured that was the only way to get me to pay her any attention. ¡°I haven¡¯te here to y with you or look at your ugly looking face,¡± she sneered. ¡°Like I said earlier, my purpose foring here is strictly professional. The boss wants to have a virtual meeting with us both present!¡±

    ¡°Virtual meeting?¡± I scoffed. I didn¡¯t believe what she said.

    ¡°Yes, virtual meeting.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why would he want us to be both present? If he has anything to say, he could just tell us individually. Why do we have for be together?¡± I made my point  ¨C that I doubted her ¨C known from the way I sounded.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we find out for ourselves?¡± she jabbered.

    ¡°You really are¡­,¡± I was cut off by the sound of my ring tone ¨C a call came in.

    Apparently, it was the secretary of where I worked that called me.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I picked up.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± she called out from the other end.

    ¡°Yes Margret,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Mr. Steve would like to have a virtual meeting with you and Miss Brielle today in  few minutes,¡± she informed.

    ¡°With me and Margaret?¡± I asked still in awe as to why that was so.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Cayden. Apparently it¡¯s an urgent matter so if you don¡¯t mind¡­,¡±

    ¡°Sure, It¡¯s fine by me. Miss Brielle is already with me as we speak,¡± I said, ring at her.

    ¡°Oh, great. Have a wonderful day ahead.¡±

    ¡°And you too,¡± I concluded the call and hung up. I turned to Brielle and asked: ¡°Why does he want to meet with us together?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only a few minutes away from finding that out . Why don¡¯t we go in and find out for ourselves?¡±

    Grudgingly, I opened the door and let her into my house.  Still squawking, I dashed in to get myptop and had it all set up. In no time, the meetingmenced.

    ¡°Good day sir¡±, ¡°Good day sir,¡± we greeted almost immediately.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden, Miss Lily, I trust you¡¯re doing well?¡± he inquired.

    ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m doing just fine.¡±

    ¡°And so am I,¡± Brielle responded.

    Mr. Steve cleared his throat and said: ¡°Miss Brielle, could you please repeat what you said to me in his presence?¡± he asked.

    I turned swiftly to her.

    ¡°I said that Mr. Cayden here hired a girlfriend for two days to sort out the issues with the investors. Their rtionship was all a lie, sir. That¡¯s what I said,¡± she stated to my dismay. She really snitched on me.

    ¡°After their ploy, Mr. Cayden here called off the rtionship over flimsy reasons. Sir, you know very well that thispany was built with genuine efforts from the likes of you and what my partner did is  against this greatpany¡¯s code of conduct. That¡¯s why I decided to bring it to your notice,¡± she fueled the fire.

 99

    SIKE

    Brielle actually ratted me out to Mr. Steve. I never really conceived the idea that she¡¯d snitch on me; I thought she only threatened to, to keep me wrapped around her fingers. Mr. Steve went silent for a while and during those moments of silence, I thought of possible punishments I could receive ¨C a query, a suspension without pay, or worst case still, a sack! ¡®I¡¯m doomed!¡¯ What reply was I to give him if he asked me why I chose to deceive everyone to get the work done. I felt a rush of thebination of the  feelings of anxiety and dread in me, my heart raced a bit faster than usual. I was  extremely nervous but somehow managed to maintain myposure. I waited patiently to get an earful from our boss.

    ¡°Miss Brielle?¡± he called out to my stun; I thought the next name he would utter was going to be ¡®Mr. Cayden?¡¯, probably to ask if what she said was true.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± she answered with a sense of fulfilment. I was too angsty to even be mad at her.

    ¡°Throughout the entire period you spent with Mr. Cayden here, did he in any way derail from his duty?¡± he questioned. I didn¡¯t really understand the point he was trying to make right now.

    ¡°No sir, he didn¡¯t,¡± she said honestly.

    ¡°Did he neglect his duties?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°No sir.¡±

    ¡°Did he grumble while working?¡± He interrogated.

    ¡°No sir.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±  he blurted.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°What exactly is the problem you have with him hiring a girlfriend to get the investment project rolling again?¡± he asked, relieving me of all my anxiety ¨C fear of what punishment he¡¯d mete out on me.

    Turned out that my boss didn¡¯t actually find the fault with me, but with Brielle ¨C the bbermouth.

    ¡°Sir I¡­,¡± she tried to defend herself when Mr. Steve cut her off politely.

    ¡°Your ne tickets are ready. You¡¯re leaving Nedford first thing tomorrow morning,¡± he ordered. ¡°Your expertise is required somewhere else so we need you out of that city bytest, tomorrow morning,¡± he further stated.

    ¡°But sir, with all due respect, I only thought of performing my duties by telling you what Mr. Cayden had done. I sincerely meant no harm sir, I meant well,¡± she asserted.

    ¡°Miss Lily?¡± he called out again.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± she replied dispiritedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t pay you to keep tabs on my loyal workers.¡± Hearing him refer to me as ¡®loyal¡¯ lifted up my spirit ¨C I was overjoyed and felt fulfilled to actually be acknowledged in this manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that sir, I¡­,¡± Mr. Steve intercepted yet again.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

    ¡°Save your strength and focus on your duties okay? That way, no one would feel wronged,¡± he reprimanded nicely without losing his cool.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean no harm, sir. I just thought you won¡¯t be happy about it so I told you everything,¡± she defended.

    ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t see anything wrong with that. Mr. Cayden here ascertained the urgency of the whole issue and sprung into action. He discerned he needed to have a partner to fix things up and instead of whining over the fact that the job tried to interfere with is personal life ¨C which wouldn¡¯t have beenpletely out of the ordinary if he did ¨C  he chose to act fast and hired someone to y the role of a partner. That¡¯s peak professionalism right there, if you ask me,¡± hemended and had me all smiley. The anger and irritation I felt some moments ago were suppressed rapidly.

    ¡°Sir¡­,¡± It looked like Brielle had more to say.

    ¡°Miss Lily?¡± he called out firmly but calmly, cutting her off.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°If you have enough time to butt in other people¡¯s affairs, go get ready to leave,¡± he instructed firmly and entertained no rooms for further arguments. ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± he called me this time.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I answered excitedly.

    ¡°Thank you for a job well done. I really am very grateful,¡± he expressed his thanks warmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to render my services if that¡¯s all needed to avert crises, at any time, sir,¡± I responded.

    ¡°Do have a  great day ahead.¡±

    ¡°And you too, sir.¡±

    He logged off and the meeting ended.

    Looking at Brielle¡¯s disappointed expression, I burst into a sarcasticughter. ¡°Sike!¡± I eximed, stillughing hard.

    ¡°So you really did snitch on me, huh?¡± I jeered. ¡°What were you expecting? An apud? A raise? Or better still, my downfall?¡± I asked almost at once, as I managed to control theughter for the mean time.

    She just stared at me silently, I could feel the fumes of anger emanating from her soul as she red at me. The expression she disyed was to me, a rather funny scene to look at seeing how I couldn¡¯t hold myself back fromughing. She angrily picked up her purse and stormed out without saying anything; I bet she was too embarrassed to say anything to me.

    In the spirit of excitement, the anger I felt earlier, dissolvedpletely. I thought to call Lily but then again, my pride was hurt really badly.  ¡®I was wronged, I should be apologized to¡¯ was one of the many notions I abode by. I then put my phone aside because I concluded that wasn¡¯t the best time to call as my pride was still wounded deeply. I discerned it was best to wait for my pride to heal before I called her.

    Thinking of Lily, I was actually very worried as to the kind of rtionship she shared with the strange guy I saw earlier. The way she froze on seeing him felt too surreal; it was obvious that something was definitely up but Lily denied it. Her denying the obvious fact was in fact what  annoyed me, coupled with the fact that she wasn¡¯t reallyfortable to share sensitive matters with me after all the time we spent and everything we did together. I felt really scarred by her actions but I still wasn¡¯t going to give up on her.

 100

    FEELING OF DESPONDENCY

    The next morning, I woke up feeling alive for a change. I had high hopes for the day and a number of things I hoped to sort out of which clearing the misunderstanding with Lily was one of them. I got off bed and carried on with my morning routine as usual.

    After I was done with getting ready, I set out with Lily¡¯s shop as my choice of destination. While I drove down there, I pondered on what I was going to say, if I was going to say sorry first or wait for her to say sorry first. After a while of duelling with the voice in my head, I gave it up and just saved my strength for when I saw Lily.

    On arriving at her shop, I walked in and sat at a corner, waiting for someone to approach me or better still, for Lily to make an appearance. In no time, one of her staffs approached me ¨C the smallish lookingdy that came up to me thest time.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I greeted cheerfully and she smiled. She recognized me instantly.

    ¡°What is your order going to be today? Same asst time?¡± she joked, not necessarily expecting me to say ¡®yes¡¯ but I did¡­

    ¡°Bingo!¡± I affirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll have the same thing asst time,¡± I was referring to Lily.

    ¡°Ummm¡­,¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your order won¡¯t be avable today,¡± she said politely.

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t she in?¡±

    ¡°No, she isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t?¡± I was asked with a perplexing tone.

    ¡°No,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°Any idea where she went to?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen her today.¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ¡°Oh okay, thank you.¡± I said not to bother her again.

    ¡°Nothing else?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± I shook my head slowly.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be inside then.¡± She walked away.

    I stood up and made my way to Lily¡¯s house hoping she was going to be home since thedy said she¡¯d note to the shop the whole day.

    It only took a measly amount of seconds for my hopes to be dashed on getting to her house.

    ¡°So she¡¯s not at home also?!¡± I eximed.

    ¡°No, she went out,¡± Mrs. Anie repeated for the umpteenth time.

    ¡°Where could she have gone then? Ma¡¯am did she by any chance inform you of her whereabouts?¡± I asked meekly.

    ¡°No she didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Any idea of where she could be? Is any phase of thepetition happening today?¡± I asked consecutively.

    ¡°Not really but¡­,¡± she paused to think.

    ¡°But?¡± I was hopeful something useful came to mind.

    ¡°She left earlier with someone who came over to pick her up,¡± she revealed.

    ¡°With someone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain of that much,¡± she affirmed.

    ¡°No idea of who this ¡®someone¡¯ is?¡± I pestered gently.

    ¡°No idea,¡± she shook her head affirmatively.

    I decided not to bother the olddy with my interrogative questions anymore.

    ¡°Okay ma, I¡¯ve heard you. Do you mind if I wait for her?¡± I requested.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± she consented.

    ¡°Uncleeee¡­.,¡± Jared came running from inside the house.

    ¡°Hey there Lil man,¡± I decreased my height ¨C by kneeling ¨C  to match his and weed him into my embrace. ¡°How are you doing?¡± I yed with him.

    ¡°Seems you¡¯re not going to be bored while you wait,¡± Mrs. Anie chuckled. She was clearly referring to my new partner ¨C Jacek. ¡°I¡¯ll be inside,¡± she announced and walked inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing good!¡± he replied all giggly.

    ¡°I have this new game on my device, you¡¯re definitely going to love it.¡± I kept Jacek on myp and yed with him.

    For the next one hour, Jacek was mypany. He helped my stay a lot by keeping mepany and not letting me feel bored, which in turn urged me to keep waiting irrespective of the fact that I¡¯d been waiting for one full hour already.

    I checked my wristwatch again and it was already one hour, forty -five minutes gone! I tried calling Lily for the umpteenth time but her phone was still switched off. ¡®Where could Lily have gone? I told myself that if I waited for an extra fifteen minutes and she still wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen, I¡¯ll take my leave.

    Fifteen minutester, like I said, I wanted to leave then since Lily wasn¡¯t yet back but my lilpany didn¡¯t seem to be fund of the idea. ¡°It¡¯s okay, lil one. I¡¯lle over some other time and take you away with me , okay?¡± I consoled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go,¡± he cried out stressing thetter part of his statement. I felt sorry leaving him behind but I just had to go; I had other activities to attend to. Just when I was about to call Mrs. Anie and inform her I was leaving, I heard rattling sounds of keys from the other end of the door like someone was trying to get in. There was no need for assumptions, it was clearly Lily.

    She opened the door from outside and walked in. ¡°Lil¡­,¡± just when I was about to exim, someone else followed suit behind her. On seeing the intruder, my spirit was downed yet again. I really didn¡¯t expect to see Lily walk in with him ¨C the annoying guy who insulted me at the y park!

    ¡°Cayden?¡± she called but was interrupted by Jacek who greeted her. She cuddles Jacek and asks him to go inside for a second. She turned her attention to me again. She looked fazed; she was taken aback by the sight of me. ¡°Have you been waiting for me?¡± she asked.

    ¡®Never mind that, missy. Why is this guy walking in with you?¡¯ I said in my head.

    ¡°Never mind that, ma¡¯am. Why¡¯s this guy with you?¡± I voiced.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am? Does he work at your bakery?¡± he asked Lily. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he beckoned for a handshake of which I seemed the least interested in.

    ¡°Worker?¡± I scoffed.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t work for me. He¡¯s just a friend,¡± she babbled causing me to stare at her in dismay; I felt really hurt.

    To think I waited for Lily toe home while she probably just had fun with the same guy that led to us having a squabble the previous day.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lily shook her head.

    ¡°My bad then,¡± he returned his hand to his pocket.

    ¡°Cayden you¡¯ve been here all along?¡±

    ¡°I waited for you, Lily,¡± I replied, heartbroken.

    ¡°For me? Why?¡±

    I really wasn¡¯t in the mood to even look at her, let alone talk to her, I was utterly disgusted. I walked out of the house, ignoring Lily¡¯s calls.

    I spent quality time I would have used to so something meaningful hoping to patch things up with Lily but she not only shattered my hopes, she squashed my spiritpletely. I was too devastated and downhearted at the time to even think straight. The other ns of the day were jeopardizedpletely ¨C it was an irrefutable fail!

    That evening, still drowning in sadness, I headed out for a drink or two; I intended to get myself drunk actually in a bid to ease the throbbing pain I felt. I went clubbing and purchased drinks anddies. I bought enough to knock me out for the night and as for thedies, I paid them to justy by me even though I initially intended to have real fun ¨C sex.

    We ¨C I and the Ladies ¨C came home with all the drinks I got from the club and drank stupendously. Before we knew what was up, we werepletely knocked out ¨C my goal had been achieved.

    The next morning, I woke up with a piercing headache.

    ¡°Arghhh¡­!!¡± I groaned as I held unto my head tightly. I tried to spread myself out on the bed but instead of feeling the entirety of my duvet, I felt bodies! I turned to my side and saw two women whoid on each side of the bed half naked. I instantly remembered what happened the previous night ¨C that I was the one who invited thedies in.

    ¡°Wake up, wake up,¡± I shook them aggressively. The sight I beheld was rather appalling now that I was all sobered up. ¡°Get up!¡± I kept tapping the two violently.

    ¡°Good morning handsome,¡± one of them tried to touch my face when I hit her hand off and ordered them to get up and leave.

    After the house was rid of thedies, I finally had some peace and quiet to think ¨C about Lily of course. It became pretty obvious I waspletely smitten by her. I had fallen for her but she didn¡¯t seem to like me in the tiniest way, seeing how she went around causing me needless pain. I felt instantly disgusted at myself ¨C thedies¡¯ man ¨C for falling head over heels for a woman who wasn¡¯t shaken my me.

 101

    RYAN

    *ring ring*, the doorbell rang. I went to get it. I was at home this morning because it was Saturday.

    ¡°Miss Lily Grayson?¡± the guy who looked like a delivery guy called.

    ¡°That would be me.¡±

    ¡°You have a package, miss,¡± he hands me over the box he had in his possession.

    ¡°My package?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please sign here,¡± he held out a paper and showed me where I was to sign.

    ¡°Who sent the package?¡± I asked while signing.

    ¡°¡®You¡¯ll find out soon enough¡¯, the person said.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay.¡± I took my passage and sent him on his way.

    While I unwrapped the package, a call came in to my phone ¨C it was Ryan!

    Ryan was the man who met I and Cayden the other day at the park, not just that, he was also Jacek¡¯s father ¨C the very reason I was living the way I did. Turned out that he came into Nedford two days before I saw him , and inquired of me. My seeing him at the park was because he had tailed me and watched us ¨C me, Jacek and Cayden ¨C the whole time from a distance. Seeing Jacek was my son, he knew for a fact that he was invariably his and had taken him to speak with him when we dered him missing. He walked back into my life andpletely won me over again, making me forget the ugly memories I had of him ¨C that he got me pregnant and  abandoned me, made my life miserable by abandoning me for another. He crept into my life again, promising to do all he couldn¡¯t for Jacek now that he was standing on his own two feet ¨C financially inclined. I thought ¡®why not?¡¯ and made up my mind on giving the fellow another chance to make it up to me.

    I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear, still trying to unwrap the package. ¡°Heyy¡­,¡± I called out happily.

    ¡°Hey beautiful. You must have gotten the gift I sent you by now , right?¡±

    ¡°Do you have eyes around me or something? ¡± I was amazed at the perfect timing on which he called.

    ¡°I sure do, honey.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°I knew these were from you,¡± I held out the content of the package ¨C a Louis Vuitton purse ¨C in my hand. ¡°How many gifts just this week already? You intend on spoiling me with gifts, right?¡± I teased.

    ¡°Anything for mdy. Look outside your window.¡±

    I walked to my window, shifted the curtain a bit and looked through it; I saw his car ¨C 2022 Nissan  Sentra ¨C parked outside a few inches away from my building.

    I immediately left the purse and my phone on the table and dashed out in excitement. I ran into his arms, cuddling and nting kisses  on his neck while he also did same.

    ¡°We were together all through yesterday. Do you miss me already?¡± he asked still cuddling me tightly in his arms; his hugs were the best.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I confessed out rightly. ¡°How many gifts just this week?¡± I pulled out a bit, causing him to move his hands to my waist and mine rested on his chest. ¡°My room¡¯s already flooded with shoes, bags and clothes of all kind  already. Do you want to spoil me?¡± I whined jovially. He threw me a bit off bnce by nting a brief peck on my lips.

    ¡°Ryan!¡± I eximed and covered my face, feeling shy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, they just looked so good,¡± he flirted. ¡°Do you have time today?¡±

    He¡¯s already taken me out five times already just that week, was he nning to do more?

    ¡°We¡¯re going out again today?!¡± I eximed.

    ¡°Just me and you today,¡± he poked my nose gently.

    ¡°Without Jacek?¡±

    ¡± Yes mdy.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Come in and wait for me while I get ready.¡± I held him by the hand and dragged him inside.

    ¡°Good morning madame,¡± he greeted nana respectfully on getting inside.

    ¡°Good morning gentle man, how are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine ma.¡±

    Apparently, he frequented the house and familiarized himself with my granny. My granny never for once asked what was going on at the time, and I wished she never did. I wasn¡¯t ready to tell her I¡¯d gone back to my ex ¨C the life I was forced to abandon. My granny seemed to like the aura he emitted. I could sense she was a bit rxed around him and was happier because I seemed to be having so much fun and enjoying life to the fullest ¨C something I never really was privileged to enjoy.

    Momentster, I got dressed casually ¨C since we were mostly going for walks at zoos, parks, etc and not to restaurants. I wore a ck turtle neck, tucked in blue pants and a pair of the matching sneakers he got for us two days ago as he was already wearing his.

    ¡°Be sure to be home for dinner, sweethearts,¡± nana urged as we left the house.

    We visited the zoo, parks, beaches and so on, being all lovey-dovey. Maybe life decided to be fair to me once more and sent me happiness in disguise. We took pictures of ourselves and of course our matching shoes, we had our fill with snacks,  enjoyed street shows, had ice-cream, etc.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    It was already 6:30 pm in the evening and we were at a small-scale park not too far from my house. I had my left hand intertwined with his right, while I held my vani vored cup ice-cream ¨C for the fourth time to be precise ¨C in my left.

    While I felt the cool breeze ruffle through my hair, I wished that moment was never going to end. Ryan served me a real dose of happiness like he was making it up to me for abandoning me thest time.

    Momentster, my worries came true ¨C our date ended and we parted ways. But our parting was only temporary as he was invited over by nana for dinnerter tonight.

    It¡¯s dinner time! Everyone ¨C including Ryan ¨C is present. Nana served everyone and in no time, we dug in, chatting adughing out loud.

    ¡°That one time was really scary¡­,¡± Ryan rted a funny experience of his to us which made usugh so much.

    ¡°Thank you mummy, thank you nana, thank you uncle Ryan,¡± Jacek greeted when he was through with his dish. He was a light eater at night.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee honey,¡± I rubbed the back of his head and excused him.

    Dinner still went on smoothly until¡­

    ¡°Mr. Ryan?¡± nana called.

    ¡°Yes ma.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never really asked but I think I deserve to know more about your rtionship with my granddaughter here. Who are you to her? Are you both going out?¡± nana asked him and not me. I trusted he wasn¡¯t going to blurt ¡®I¡¯m Jacek¡¯s dad¡¯ so I rxed a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jacek¡¯s dad,¡± in just few seconds, he broke my trust.  I turned to him wide-eyed and whispered ¡°what are you doing?¡±

    Nana was just about to put the spoon in her mouth when he said what he did and she paused abruptly.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± she drops the spoon on her te.

    He heaved a sigh and repeated: ¡°I¡¯m Jacek¡¯s dad,¡± he paused and continued, ¡± decided not to beat around the bush and just tell you about it,¡± he sounded a bit sad remorseful.

    Nana immediately turned to me and looked at me with so much discontent and disappointment in her eyes. I could sense she wasn¡¯t happy at all.

    ¡°Young man. You know what your silly mistake caused this girl?¡± nana scolded.

    ¡°I am well aware of that, ma and that¡¯s why I¡¯vee to make amends. I¡¯m a changed person now. I¡¯vee back to Lily to pick the broken pieces I left behind,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°I know putting back those pieces will not suffice in producing something stainless, but I promise to do everything within my power to make sure Lily here and my son are kept happy for the rest of their lives,¡± he assured heartily causing my heart to flutter the more.

    Nana, without saying a word, stood up and left the table.

    ¡°You think she¡¯lle around?¡±

    ¡°Let that be my headache, okay?¡± I smiled  spurring him  to do same.

    Momentster ¨C after Ryan leaves ¨C nana called me to her room to talk to me.

    ¡°You really are okay with him?¡±

    ¡°Nana, thest few days of my life have been nothing but the best! Can¡¯t you tell your granddaughter is beaming now?¡± I stated enthusiastically.

    ¡°I still feel you should be careful.¡± I rolled my eyeballs and said: ¡°C¡¯mon nana. You taught me to always give people the chance to repent, right? That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing right now,¡± I spoke in my defense.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t see it, do you?

    ¡°See what?

    ¡°That there¡¯s every possibility Ryan has a hidden agenda,¡± she warned.

    ¡°And what could that be? What can I possibly offer him?¡± I wasn¡¯t buying Nana¡¯s idea.

    ¡°If he loves you that much, why did he abandon you in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Nana, we were too young and immature then. I think I understand now,¡± I defended still.

    ¡°Oh so now you¡¯re saying you were too young,¡± nana teased sarcastically.

    ¡°Please go to bed, nana. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡± Sheys down.

    I turned off the lights and retired to my own room.

 102

    FORSAKEN AFFECTION

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    It was yet another exciting day with Ryan. We ¨C Jacek inclusive ¨C visited the movies, malls, zoo, ice-cream parlors, y parks and what have you.  It¡¯s already been weeks in this heaven and if it were a dream, I wished to never wake up from it. We held hands and chatted happily, looking like a real family. Whenever Ryan held Jacek in his arms, I¡¯d always imagine myself as his wife in a proper home if the unfortunate incident didn¡¯t ur.

    ¡°Aaahhh,¡± I beckoned Jacek to open his mouth for me to feed him his ice-cream and heplied. ¡°Good boy. Do you like it?¡± I asked him while rubbing the back of his head.

    ¡°Mmhh,¡± he affirmed with his mouth close while nodding as he couldn¡¯t speak because he had something in his mouth.

    ¡°Jacek?¡± Ryan called out, causing Jacek to face him. ¡°Here you go, lil man,¡± he cut a portion of his cake and fed him. Watching them felt so morous. ¡°You like it?¡± he asked the little one, smiling and he just nodded; his mouth was stuffed.

    We spent the entire date taking turns to hold Jacek and sometimes, we kept him in the center, and each took a hand. I forgot to add, we also wore matching outfits ¨C grey sweatshirts and pants, with white Nike sneakers ¨C that made us look like a real family. Some people even showered us withpliments, telling us how beautiful we looked as young parents. After what seemed like forever, I had the family I always fantasized of before me. Of course, taking pictures was a given ¨C we took pictures, lots of them.

    After the long date came to a painful end, Ryan drove us home and carried Jacek in his arms, inside. On getting in, it turned out that Nana wasn¡¯t around so I asked Ryan to stay over for a while.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡®A while¡¯ turned to ¡®an hour¡¯. We got caught up in our conversation that we didn¡¯t notice how fast time flew. Owing to the fact that Nana wasn¡¯t around, we took advantage of the peace and quiet there was in the house.

    *Door bell rings*, could that be nana? If that was indeed nana, she didn¡¯t need to ring the doorbell, she had her keys. ¡®Maybe she forgot them?¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ming,¡± I cried out and headed to get the door. I opened the door and my jaw dropped. I¡¯dpletely forgotten about this guy ¨C Cayden!

    ¡°Cayden?¡± I called out.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    It¡¯s already been two weeks of the same routine ¨C get ready in the morning; work, go to clubs at night; drink and get drunk, pick updies; have sex with them or better still, pay them to warm my bed then throw them out the very next meeting. It¡¯s been a tiring routine, I must say. I decided to let Lily be and face my life ¨C which now felt really boring ¨C and my work. I didn¡¯t call her and she didn¡¯t call me for two whole weeks! How could she havepletely forgotten about me just like that?

    This morning was not different from other mornings I had for the past two weeks. I woke up with two sluts gracing my bed. I paid them to just warm my bed for the night so it didn¡¯t feel so cold as I was already frozen inside. ¡°Get up!¡± I woke them up in a feisty manner. ¡°Get your things and get out!¡± I kicked one violently on the leg and got off bed.

    After ridding my house of all the  filth ¨C thedies ¨C I focused on cleaning up the messed up living room to get my day started properly. The life I was living was really tiring but I had no choice if I didn¡¯t want to gopletely crazy as they helped me fight depression to a reasonable extent.

    It¡¯d been two weeks since Ist saw Lily so that day, I summoned the courage to go see herter in the day.  I avoided Lily like a gue but didn¡¯t think she¡¯d also do same. I was trying to give her space, apparently, she ought to reach out to me first but here I was trying to reach out first again. I was shocked by Lily¡¯s actions.

    Some hourster ¨C around 3:00pm ¨C after I finished submitting some reports and doing some work at home, I paid Lily a visit in her bakery. I missed her so much.

    On getting there, I saw thest person I expected to see ¨C Jarod! He was already on his way out when I met him at the entrance of the shop. He had a few bags with him like he came to pick a few things. I ignored him and wanted to continue on my way, when he blocked my path and pushed me to the side to pave way for others who might want to get in.

    ¡°What did youe here to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not any of your concern, okay?¡± I tried to walk past him again but to no avail as he pushed me back again.

    ¡°Did you get tired of waiting for Lily and decided toe here?¡± he jeered.

    ¡°Can you please move?¡± I was annoyed.

    ¡°Why? Did I push the wrong buttons or is Lily choosing her baby daddy over you too excruciating a pain to bear?¡± he jeered and burst intoughter almost immediately.

    ¡°What?! Father?!¡± I was in total wonderment. Was Ryan really Jacek¡¯s dad?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even know?¡± he asked with every bit of sarcasm swelling from his tone. ¡°Have a nice day, lover boy,¡± he tapped my shoulders in a daring manner and walked out on me, stillughing.

    ¡°Jacek¡¯s dad?¡± I muttered to myself. I waspletely frozen as to what Jarod just said.

    I wanted to storm in and ask Lily all the questions I had but seeing the number of people who walked in and came out caused me to wait for a better time. I told myself that Jarod was a total psycho and that I needn¡¯t pay him any attention. I decided to wait in my car for Lily untilter when I presumed she¡¯d be less busy to talk to her and get answers for myself.

    I sat around in my car, windows all wound up making the only source of venttion to be  the cooling system ¨C the AC. Minutester, I dozed off and since my car sses were all tinted, it wasn¡¯t really a problem.

    Momentster, I woke up and checked the time; it was already three hours seeing how the time was past five already. I immediately got off the car and dashed inside the shop only to find a few staffs cleaning, and the others were arranging.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I greeted them and they responded ordingly. ¡°What about Lily?¡± I inquired.

    ¡°She didn¡¯te in today,¡± a voice cried out.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± they all concurred.

    It felt like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu with a little twitch. The only thing that felt the same withst time was that Lily wasn¡¯t at her shop, she was with that fellow and now I hoped and prayed that wasn¡¯t  the case this time around.

    ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± I thanked them and left.

    I headed straight to Lily¡¯s house.

    I hit the doorbell to alert the residents they had a guest. In no time, Lily opened the door and I felt a rush of excitement which ended suddenly after Lily ushered me in and I saw Ryan! Ryan again?

    ¡°Lily?¡± I called her looking all disgusted.

    ¡°Umm¡­Cayden?¡± she was lost for words.

    I immediately held her by the hand to drag her outside.

    ¡°Woah! Woah! Woah!¡± He eximed and stood up in her defense. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± he tried to take Lily from me.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Ryan.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Lily nodded. ¡°If you say so,¡± he yielded. ¡°Be careful,¡± he warned me.

    I took Lily by hand and dragged her outside.

 103

    UNDERGROUND

    ¡°Lily I want you in all honesty, to tell me who that man is,¡± I didn¡¯t raise my voice, I spoke gently. I noticed she started to panic a bit; felt like she understood what exactly I was asking of.

    ¡°Ummm¡­he¡­he¡¯s,¡± she stuttered.

    ¡°Rx, okay? I¡¯m not here for an argument. I¡¯m here to iron things out with you amicably so please calm down and talk to me,¡± I goaded.

    ¡°You sure you won¡¯t get mad?¡± she asked staring directly at me.

    ¡°It¡¯s your life, okay? I¡¯m sorry forshing out on you thest time the way I did and you don¡¯t have to feel pressured but right now, I need you to answer my question,¡± I implored.

    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll tell you. He¡¯s Jacek¡¯s dad,¡± she dropped the bombshell. Turned out Jarod was actually right after all.

    ¡°He is?¡± I asked dismayed but made sure not to raise my voice on her.  She nodded. ¡°He¡¯s back again?¡± I added, then she nodded again. ¡°Does he want you back?¡±

    ¡°Apparently,¡± she bowed her head slightly.

    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked causing her to raise her head to look at me again. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked empathetically.

    ¡°What I want?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get.¡±

    ¡°Do you want him back or not?¡± I asked explicitly.

    She heaved a sigh and bowed her head again like she didn¡¯t have a reply for me.

    ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t force it, just don¡¯t tell me what you really want,¡± I beseeched. She still remained silent. ¡°Lily?¡± I called out gently.

    ¡°To be honest, I really don¡¯t know¡­,¡± she started talking, ¡°on one hand, I want to give him a second chance to make it up to me  but something in me keeps dissuading me. Nana even told me she didn¡¯t trust himpletely but the past few days of my life with him have been nothing but the very best,¡± she exined. Thetter part of her sentence hurt me a bit though. This new guy already had Lily all over him more than I ever did

    ¡°I like you, Lily,¡± I confessed and had her fixated on me wide-eyed. ¡°I really do. And if you kind enough to give me a chance, I¡¯m ready to be a changed man for you,¡± I added and drove her speechless ¨C she was frozen.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I called out seconds after my confession when she said nothing. ¡°You like me?¡±

    ¡°I really do,¡± I emphasized.

    ¡°You really do?¡± She looked like she was still trying to process everything I just said.

    ¡°I do,¡± I nodded affirmatively. ¡°You have a choice to make, Lily. You don¡¯t have to feel pressured by him,¡± was referring to Ryan. ¡°I want you so badly I to be with me.¡±

    ¡°But¡­but¡­,¡± she started to panic again as she gestured with both hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Trust me,¡± I held firmly on to her hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m not tryna reject you or anything like that, it¡¯s just that those memories of we being together and people walking up to me to remind me of my dirty past still taunts me and I wouldn¡¯t want to burden you with any of that,¡± she made known her plight.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I stressed thetter partying emphasis on ¡®okay¡¯. ¡°You don¡¯t have to push it, okay? I¡¯m not forcing you to give me a reply right now. Take your time, think things through, alright? I heartened imperturbably.

    Seeing the state she was in, I was left with no other choice but to let her go in, after giving her full assurance that I was ready to wait for her till whenever even though I hoped she chooses me. I watched her walk into the house and turned around to leave.

    I went to where my car parked, opened the door to go in when suddenly a hand shut the door in my face. In shock I turned around and saw that it was my rival ¨C Ryan.

    ¡°Hi,¡± he rested against the door preventing me ess. Instead of force my way through, I perceived it was best I condoned him and let him off eventually in good piece.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What was your little chit-chat all about?¡± he asked egoistically.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern, now move!¡±

    ¡°I heard everything you guys said.¡±

    ¡°You were eavesdropping?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded smugly.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I sensed you were bad news.¡±

    ¡°So what are you trying to say?¡± He scoffed .

    ¡°You came to beg Lily to take your ass back so I came to tell you to save your energy because now that I¡¯m here, she¡¯s all mine now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Lily¡¯s choice to make.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already been intimate once, we even have a child together. You think you can beat that? Can¡¯t you tell from the way she abandoned you and your friendship who¡¯s way¡­,¡± he emphasized by pointing upwards ¡°up there on her scale of preference?¡± he continued. ¡°Give it up. You can¡¯t win unless I back down,¡± he challenged.

    ¡°You see¡­,¡± he cut me off.

    ¡°And also, I want to thank you so much¡­,¡± he entuated dramatically, ¡°for the time you took care of her in my stead.¡± I scoffed and looked away, shaking my head  ¡°While I¡¯m here, scram! You¡¯re more than wee toe back again when I¡¯m through with them,¡± he said and had me turning back to stare at him in awe. What did he mean by the concluding part of what he just said.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± bug-eyed, I asked.

    ¡°What did you hear?¡±

    ¡°When  you¡¯re through with them? What did you mean by that?¡±

    He gasped dramatically and said: ¡°Was that what I said? Me?¡± he faked ignorance.

    ¡°I heard you loud and clear.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you did, man. You need to get your ears checked.¡± He stands upright with both hands in his pocket and closed the distance between us. Whispering into my ears, he said: ¡°Drive safely.¡± He then gave off a mischievous smile and went back inside the house.

    ¡°When he¡¯s through with them?¡± I muttered to myself and got into my car. While driving, I kept pondering over that particr line ¨C ¡®when I¡¯m through with them¡¯ ¨C trying to decipher what he meant by that.

 104

    DECEPTION

    When he¡¯s through with them?¡± I muttered to myself and got into my car. While driving, I kept pondering over that particr line ¨C ¡®when I¡¯m through with them¡¯ ¨C trying to decipher what he meant by that. I was too curious to  just let the matter lie low.

    Getting home, my mind was still preupied with what Ryan said. It made me question his genuineness to the peak. Instead of letting things unfold with time, I made up my mind to look into him since I smelled a rat.

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    My new life was going on normally ¨C with Ryan showering me with all the love and care I could ever ask for. Things were not necessarily different although, I noticed some changes but paid zero or no attention to them. I told myself that it may all just be my silly imaginations and shrugged it off all the time.

    That afternoon, Ryan came over to spend the day with me and Jacek. Nana wasn¡¯t around, which made it easier for us to rte freely. We stayed indoors all day keeping ourselvespany with indoor games ¨C chess etc.

    ¡°Checkmate.¡± I won that round of chess.

    ¡°Again?!¡±

    ¡°I told you Ryan. You suck at this game,¡± I tease him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily suck, you¡¯re just that good.¡±

    ¡°Well, thanks forpliment. ¡°The roo.. went silent for a few seconds.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he called.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Have you thought of what we discussed?¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that exactly?¡±

    ¡°Concerning all three of us bing a real family.¡±

    I knew that was exactly what he was going to say. For a while now, that¡¯s all he talked about. I was wary of him because of that, but I told myself that¡¯s what I always wanted ¨C a real family ¨C so what¡¯s the harm? The idea although seemed a little shady to me for some reason, I still weed it.

    ¡°Oh that! I have absolutely no objections to that, I thought I told you already.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can we speed up the pace and get it done with?¡±

    ¡°Quickly?¡± This fellow called Ryan started spiking my suspicions.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why though?  Getting married is nothing to rush into. It has to be done gently, don¡¯t you know?¡± I chuckled, still trying to suppress my wariness.

    ¡°I want to have equal custody of Jacek!¡¯ he spilled.

    ¡°Equal custody?¡± Why was he suddenly asking us to speed things up to get equal rights over Jacek.

    ¡°Yes mdy.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get. Is that why you want us to get married?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Absolutely not, honey. I want you by my side as my wife,¡± he assured. ¡°I¡¯m just itching to be called ¡®daddy,''¡± he joked, making me giggle.

    I started noticing and ignoring serious red gs in Ryan¡¯s behavior ¨C he pressured me the more to get married to him, his attitude towards Jacek began to change. He didn¡¯t really seem fond of my baby boy again and now he was before me spewing nonsense about gaining custody over the same Jacek he didn¡¯t seem to enjoy quality time with. Lately, he started viewing Jacek as more of a burden than a son. Some times, I¡¯d plead with Ryan to watch over him with me and Nana gone and he always came up withme excuses.

    ¡°Hey honey?¡± I called out to Jacek who had been sleeping when he came out. ¡°You up?¡± I held him to my bosom and he nodded.

    ¡°Say hello to uncle Ryan,¡± I pointed him and Jacek doesn¡¯t even budge. He still embraced me tightly, ignoring my request. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± I asked mildly, then he shook his head on my shoulders signifying a ¡®no¡¯.

    Yes! Jacek and Ryan¡¯s rtionship changed. Jacek wasn¡¯t fond of him  anymore, in fact, Jacek had never really been fond of him. All the times Jacekplied to let Ryan hold him or treated him nicely, was all himplying with my whim. I knew for a fact that my baby boy was fondest of Cayden than he was of any other male in my life ¨C including his own father!

    The picture of the beautiful family I once envisioned became vaguer by the day which made me worry that my fears were indeed real.

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    Going on with normalcy, I visited the bar that night to get drinks anddies. It was around 7:15pm I arrived at the bar and looked for a ce to park my vehicle. While in search of a good spot ¨C somewhere I wouldn¡¯t be bothered by anyone else toe take out my car ¨C I caught sight of a familiar vehicle through my windscreen. The car looked like that of Ryan¡¯s from behind but then again, they were thousands of people in US as a whole who had that car. Driving further, continuing my search, I had a better view of the side view of the car and it was indeed Ryan¡¯s . I saw him standing with one of the tterns I recognized worked at the bar and a guy on blue shorts. I couldn¡¯t just pass by after seeing something like this.

    I discreetly parked my vehicle at a reasonable distance from the scene; giving up my quest for a good parking spot. I watched them for a while chat andugh within themselves with the slut being all touchy ¨C suspicious. After a while, Ryan shook the guy and sent him on his way. He and thedy got into his car and drove off with me of course on their trail.

    I followed them all the way to what seemed like Ryan¡¯s apartment. As expected, I parked my car again at a distance and watched the both of them.

    Ryan alighted the car and made his way to the other side and opened the door for thedy toe down. Thedyes down with her arms all around Ryan¡¯s neck and they start kissing shamelessly in front of his house!

    I was disgusted by the sight. I couldn¡¯t bear to hold it in; there was no need to. I immediately drove off, dialing Lily¡¯s contact to inform her of the impending doom that awaited her if she didn¡¯t put a halt to whatever she was doing with that sly fellow. I called repeatedly, but she didn¡¯t answer my calls.

    The next morning, I drove over to her house. I then called her to inform her I was around because I didn¡¯t want to go in.

    ¡°Hello? Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Lily are you home?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Of course I am. Are you even checking the time?!¡± she eximed.

    ¡°I called severally already.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that, Jacek had been with the phone all night so it was on silent mode. Any problem?¡±

    ¡°Can I see you? I¡¯m outside your house,¡± I said looking at the window that faced outside to see if she¡¯d check for herself.

    ¡°Outside my house? By this time?!¡±

    ¡°Yes please. I need to tell you something right now,¡± I uttered with urgency.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am. Please juste out.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± I hung up.

    In no time, I saw her walk out of the house and waved at her through the windscreen. She waved back and entered the car.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she closed the door.

    ¡°Were you doing anything serious inside?¡±

    ¡°Not really.  So tell me, why are you here looking gloomy?¡±

    ¡°I saw something I shouldn¡¯t have,¡± I said staring at her directly.

    ¡°Something you shouldn¡¯t have?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ryan¡­,¡± I paused for a while to read the expression on her face and saw that it changed a little ¨C it wasn¡¯t so cheerful as it was seconds ago. ¡°Ryan?¡± ¡°kissing a girl so shamelessly in front of his house,¡± Ipleted my statement, peering into her soul but to my greatest dismay, sheughed.

    ¡°Why are youughing? You think I¡¯m cracking jokes here?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t ?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious right now,¡± I said sombrely.  ¡± Why would I leave my house by this time toe here and crack boring jokes?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± she folded her arms and pouted, her expression showing she did not buy my story in any way.

    ¡°I¡¯m dead ass serious right now, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Where and when exactly did you say you saw him?¡±

    ¡°In front of his house,st night.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing there?¡± she fired.

    ¡°I followed him there.¡±

    ¡°From where?¡± she kept asking interrogatively.

    ¡°From the bar at a club I usually visit every night.¡±

    ¡°The club you usually¡­,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Ryan doesn¡¯t club. He hates clubbing,¡± she rebuffed in his defense.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that but I¡¯m definitely sure it was him I saw.¡±

    ¡°Proof?¡± she held out her hands disying her palm to me.

    ¡°What proof?¡± I was confused.

    ¡°Proof that you saw him for a fact.¡± It was pretty clear she was convinced I was lying to her.

    ¡°Were you even listening to me?¡±

    ¡°Of course I was and that¡¯s why my ears hurt so badly from listening to your nonsense!¡± she reprimanded. ¡°You like me, I get it. But you have to wait for my¡­,¡± she points herself, ¡°decision! Stop trying your best to win me over by being this petty.¡±

    ¡°What?! You think I¡¯m being petty right now?!¡± I eximed bug-eyed.

    ¡°And jealous  also.¡± I scoffed.

    ¡°Jealous?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, jealous. You¡¯re jealous because I haven¡¯t been paying you any attentiontely and have been so engrossed with my family¡­,¡± I cut her off.

    ¡°Family?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, family!,¡± she stated convincingly. ¡°We¡¯re a family, okay? Get over it!¡±

    ¡°You know what?! I me myself foring over here in the first ce. You really are ungrateful, you know that?!¡± I  yelled.

    ¡°You didn¡¯te here for me, you came here for yourself! You just want to sabotage poor Ryan before me and make yourself look like an angel to me but news sh, I¡¯m way past that antic. Try something else.¡±

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°You heard me right, Cayden!¡± she wailed, not smiling at all.

 105

    Dancing with the devil

    Cayden

    I wish Lily could just understand that I¡¯m just looking out for her. I hated that she thought I was just telling her this to spite her

    ¡°Lily, can you¡­¡±

    The bell on the door of her shop jingled as it opened. Jake stepped in, interrupting me. He walks up to Lily and stands between the both of us facing Lily like I wasn¡¯t there at all.

    ¡°My love, what¡¯s happening here?¡± He said, touching her face.

    My love? What in the actual fuck? I was so irritated by the drama

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s nothing. Just a squabble¡±

    ¡°Sure? You don¡¯t look fine, you look like someone¡¯s stressing you out. You know you can tell me¡±

    He looked further into her eyes e, Lily, I¡¯m waiting¡±

    Could he just get a grip on himself? This was so petty.

    ¡°Where were youst night? Who were you with?¡±Lily asked, her hands folded.

    Atta girl Lily!

    ¡°What do you mean? What are you talking about?¡± He was so shocked

    ¡°You heard me, it was a simple question¡±

    ¡°Okay fine. I was meeting up with some clients for a business deal. I own a business¡±

    ¡°Oh please, that¡¯s total bullshit!!!¡± I cut in and he turned around to face me

    ¡°Do you meet all your clients at a bar? Huh? Or do they all walk you home after having a ¡°business meeting¡± With you and kiss them afterwards? Doesn¡¯t that imply that you¡¯d be sexually rted to all your clients? ¡±

    He was in so much more shock but he shrugged it off and said,

    ¡°That¡¯s riching from you¡­¡± I chuckled

    ¡°You know, I heard your stories. The tales of Cayden, well known for sleeping with so manydies, never sleep with one twice and how meaningless they are to you. Must feel good that you finally caught the big fish¡±

    He was referring to Lily. I did feel bad about everything he said. He just kept going on and on about me and I didn¡¯t even know how to defend myself. I had hoped for some help from Lily but she just stood there, watching. She looked like she was embarrassed for me too.

    I stared at him for a while. I can¡¯t even believe how much bull shit I¡¯ve had to take and still taking ask because of the so-called feelings I have for this woman named Lily. The same woman who can¡¯t even defend me, the same woman who¡¯s sidelined me since this guy came without thinking twice. She¡¯s shown no interest in me, she only remembers me when she¡¯s down.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    No, I can¡¯t keep taking this. My pride is too much to handle this, my walls have gone down enough. It¡¯s time to be loved back. I looked from him to Lily and walked out of the ce. Once bitten twice shy, bitches!

    Lily

    I should have said something to defend Cayden but I just didn¡¯t know what to say. I froze. This I what I have to deal with every time I¡¯m with Cayden; the judging stares, the gossip, the embarrassments, the confrontations and many more. It¡¯s exhausting. I thought staying with Jake would make it easier but he¡¯s not making it easy for me. He seems to have a potential arrogance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to ever see you Jacek close to him, do you get that?¡± I stared, confused ¡°I don¡¯t want you to ever see him and he should stay away from my child. He¡¯s bad news and would only cause harm. It¡¯s not good for you. Am I clear?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad Jake, he¡¯s just looking out for..¡±

    ¡°Save it, I don¡¯t want to hear it. Just maintain your distance, that¡¯s all I care about¡± the anger in me rose. I was so worried that in a bid to go for a save guy, I might as well just have settled for the devil in sheep¡¯s clothing.

    ¡°And I¡¯m going to be staying here in Neford longer than I thought so that I can be around you for a longer period. So, getfortable baby. ¡± he rubbed my cheeks slightly and kissed them.

    I felt something was up. But I couldn¡¯t ce a finger around it. I felt like I had set myself up like a sheep led to the ughter without realizing it, only this time I had a sixth sense and could feel iting.

    He left the shop and went to where ever he was going. He did mention it but I was too lost in my thoughts to concentrate. I went back to work to try and focus my mind elsewhere. I realized I had not spoken to Nana in a while, so I went to meet her. She was feeding Jacek some fries.

    ¡°Mama! I¡¯ve missed you.¡± He raced to the door to give me a big hug. I received a hug on my knees. It was the mostforting feeling I¡¯d felt in a while. This child was my life.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too candy! So much¡± He giggled

    ¡°Mama loves you so much¡±

    ¡°I know mama¡±

    ¡°My big baby,¡± I said as I tickled his tummy

    ¡°Good afternoon Nana¡±

    ¡°Hey baby, you¡¯re back early¡±

    ¡°Yes Nana, I just needed a breath of fresh air. Had quite the day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,e join us. We¡¯re watching Me before you¡±

    ¡°Again? Nana, you need to watch some reality show and stop living in fairy tales¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone Lily, I¡¯ve lived out that part of my life, I can do whatever I please now.¡± Iughed

    ¡°And besides, Jacek could learn one or two on how to treat ady and not end up like those jerks out there that treatdies like trash. I want him to be a romantic, just like me¡±

    Yea, she got that right. Lots of jerks giving us headaches just like the one I experienced today. Jacek won¡¯t grow up thinking he could just sleep with a milliondies and get away with it. He has to do better and I¡¯ll make it my mission.

 106

    I want you back

    Cayden

    Trying to get some sleep and it¡¯s not even funny at all, it¡¯s a serious struggle. Can¡¯t get Lily out of my head; the fact that she chose to stand there and do nothing was heartbreaking. I turned to the other side of the bed and could see my balcony from there, it only reminded me of how much she was a fan of great views. I turned back and forced myself to sleep. It was not easy but it had toe somehow.

    Lily was standing at the doorway, she had on very transparent nightwear. I could see the red thong she wore inside, perfectly giving her ass a good raise. She looked very attractive.

    ¡°Ready to sleep, babe?¡± She asked as she walked towards the bed, seducing me and taking off the cover nightwear which was the only thing that stood between her body and the air in the room.

    ¡°Of course, I am, with you¡±

    Sheughed and started kissing me from my legs to myp slowly crawling on top of me, reaching myp and kissing me passionately. I was so lost and couldn¡¯t think about anything else except how much I wanted her. When she got to my thighs, all the hair on my body stood, and I froze. She kept going until she reached my balls. She just kissed it and moved, Iughed

    ¡°You¡¯re a real party pooper you know¡±

    ¡°Yea, I do. We don¡¯t want to go there now, do we?¡±

    I did but I didn¡¯t mind anyway.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re getting married tomorrow Cayden, after so long, it¡¯s a dreame true¡± She looked at me and smiled, kissing my breasts and twirling her tongue around the nipples,ing up to my neck and kissing my lips. I was so in love with her.

    My brain was still in shock from the action going on, in my body. A minuteter, I realized she mentioned us getting married tomorrow¡­ Married? How? When did I propose?

    I jerked back to reality and realized I¡¯d been dreaming this whole time. If only I could live in that dream world, it seemed to have everything I wanted; Lily.

    I decided to not focus on her anymore. It was aplete and total waste of time. My work needed my attention and that¡¯s just about what I¡¯m going to do.

    I got up to have my bath and made some noodles. Been a while since I cooked a meal, not like noodles are much of a proper meal anyway but you get what I¡¯m driving at.

    Lily

    Ever since the incident with the two men in my life, I¡¯ve realized that Jake hasn¡¯t been what I needed exactly. He wasn¡¯t making things work, everything was so hard for him. It was easier with Cayden.

    ¡°Why do you want to be with me so early? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rushed? What¡¯s the reason?¡± I asked Jake one faithful day

    ¡°Why would you ask something like that Lily? You know we¡¯re meant to be together, you¡¯ve always been the one for me. You can see fate brought us back together, isn¡¯t that enough proof baby?¡± He looked into my eyes

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it baby by thinking too much¡± He kissed my forehead and walked away.

    What the fuck have I done?!?!?!? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    Thepetition drew closer and closer, making me nervous but anxious at the same time. I used all my spare time to practice as much as I could. Jake wasn¡¯t helping in any way. He woulde up to my workce and say so much trash that my spirit would be so low. It was so discouraging

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re putting so much time and energy into this,e hang out with me at the bar this evening. Don¡¯t worry about thepetition, it won¡¯t help your self-worth. You should be more invested in trying to make this rtionship work.¡± He says.

    Who encourages people like that? Some crazy shit. I know how much work I¡¯ve put into thispetition, and nothing is going topromise it for me, not even this so-called rtionship.

    After the morning rush, Jake came into my shop

    ¡°Hey Lily, how are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good, surprised to see you this early¡±

    ¡°Yea just came to check up on you. Nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jacek?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right here¡± I pointed to the little man right beside me. Jake came over to carry him and started ying with him. Jacek wasn¡¯t a fan of Jake so, he was not enthusiastic about seeing him.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take you and your mama out of here and take you to travel the world,¡± He told Jake

    ¡°But I like it here¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more to see out there little man and I¡¯ll show you someday¡±

    He kept making promises to my son; promises that were no good to me. He dropped Jacek and walked towards me.

    ¡°Hey Lily, can you borrow me some money? I¡¯ll give it back as soon as possible¡±

    My ears stood, never thought I¡¯d see the day. I gave him anyway, out of the goodness of my heart and he left.

    He came back other times to ask for money and it was getting worse. I kept giving him because it seemed like he was in dire need of it. I shouldn¡¯t have because it started eating into my business money.

    Cayden

    My job was bringing so much profit and I was proud of the hard work I¡¯d put in.

    I went out for a stroll and met one of my long-lost friends, Quinn.

    ¡°Quinn, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Iughed as we hugged. It was so good to see him.

    ¡°I know a ce nearby where we could catch up, let me take you there¡±

    ¡°Okay then¡±

    When we got there, I realized it was Lily¡¯s ce. Omg, it¡¯s been a while. I miss her.

    ¡°Hey, is Lily around?¡± I asked one of the workers

    ¡°No Sir, she stepped out¡±

    Such a shame.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sit on the patio, outside¡­ You look so different though, what¡¯s going on?¡± Quinn asked

 107

    An eye opener

    Cayden

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I asked Quinn as we sat on the patio. It was a good ce to catch up.

    ¡°You know what I mean,e on. You look like a vampire¡± Iughed so hard

    ¡°Do you even get enough sleep? Your eyes are swollen man. Whatever it is, you shouldn¡¯t stress yourself too much. It ain¡¯t worth it.¡± Myughter turned into sadness. Quinn noticed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Cayden? Talk to me¡±

    I poured out my heart to him, telling him how I felt for Lily, how I was in love with her but she wasn¡¯t seeing it, how her baby daddy came back to her and she epted him back like I didn¡¯t exist, how I¡¯m suspecting that her baby daddy is up to something that will end up hurting Lily and how I confronted her about it but she thinks I¡¯m just jealous her now that she looks like she¡¯s getting a form of happiness from someone that¡¯s not me.

    ¡°It¡¯s heartbreaking. I never thought any woman would make me feel this way¡±

    ¡°I never thought so too¡± I red at Quinn

    ¡°What are you driving at¡±

    Heughed ¡°I¡¯m shocked too. All I¡¯ve been hearing in the street is how you¡¯ve been busy, ying the ssic yboy. Hearing this is uplifting I must say, who would have thought?¡±

    Iughed. I somehow caught the shadow of someone that looked like Jake, the person seemed to have been listening in on the conversation but I just shrugged it off. Couldn¡¯t be him anyway.

    ¡°Ahem¡± Someone standing beside us coughed

    ¡°Would you like to order anything, gentlemen?¡± That was Lily¡¯s voice, I¡¯d recognize it any day. I raised my head and looked at her face. Oh, how I missed looking into those eyes¡­ Wait a minute, had she been listening in on the conversation? Oh no! I felt so embarrassed, I didn¡¯t know how to act, I froze.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have a milkshake¡± Quinn turned to me but I was still lost for words

    ¡°I guess my friend here would have the same, thanks¡±

    She walked away like she didn¡¯t know me

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s her¡±

    Quinn brought me back to reality.

    ¡°Yea¡±

    ¡°Yea, even a blind man would have noticed.¡±

    ¡°Stop it¡± Weughed

    ¡°You should go tell her how you feel really, tell her the truth¡±

    ¡°What? No, I can¡¯t do that¡±

    ¡°Yes should, before it¡¯s toote. Do you want to be with her or not?¡±

    ¡°I do¡±

    ¡°Then go¡±

    ¡°Thanks, man¡±

    ¡°You got it¡±

    I got up and went after Lily. She was supervising her workers as they dished out orders.

    ¡°Hey Lily, please can we talk?¡±

    She hesitated

    ¡°I won¡¯t take much of your time, just give me some minutes¡±

    ¡°Fine¡±

    I took her outside and started the conversation

    ¡°How have you been Lily? I¡¯ve missed¡­¡±

    ¡°Lilye with me, I need you now¡± Jake interrupted. I knew he had been lurking somewhere. Ass hole!

    ¡°Do I have to go with you? I¡¯m in the middle of something?¡± She didn¡¯t look like she wanted to go with him but I couldn¡¯t do anything except she wanted me to

    ¡°Just do it, Lily!¡± He almost raised his voice at her.

    Is this guy crazy? Why was Lily allowing him to talk to her in such a manner?

    She walked to the car reluctantly and sat inside.

    ¡°Hey mister whatever you call yourself, I¡¯m gonna need you to stay away from Lily. I don¡¯t ever want to see you close to her again, you hear me? Stop getting involved in her affairs. I¡¯m here to stay and I¡¯m not going anywhere. It¡¯s high time you gotfortable with that fact!¡± He faced me, head to head.

    ¡°Are you threatening me? Do you know who you¡¯re talking to?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer me. He just walked to his car and started driving. Lily looked at me from the rear mirror, she looked scared. Our eyes were locked until the car was out of sight. I had to find out what Jake was up to, this isn¡¯t a good sign.

    I went back to meet Quinn where he sat, drinking his milkshake

    ¡°Did you see the drama that just yed?¡± I asked him

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention but I saw a guy speaking to you. Who was he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Lily¡¯s baby daddy¡±

    ¡°And what the fuck did he want from you?¡±

    ¡°He says I should stay away from Lily. He threatened me, can you imagine that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good, do you want me to do something about that?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t know what to do yet but I¡¯ll figure it out. He seems dangerous and looks like he¡¯s going to put Lily in harm¡¯s way. I can¡¯t sit back and let him do that.¡±

    ¡°I second that. You shoulde up with a solution fast before the situation worsens¡±

    ¡°I will¡±

    Lily didn¡¯t look as okay as she did thest time I saw her. I hope Jake hasn¡¯t been stressing her out or being demanding. She looked like she was stuck and couldn¡¯te out of it. Or had she been hitting her? No, Lily won¡¯t tolerate misbehaviour that far. I just needed to figure out what was going on fast. I think she¡¯s in danger and she doesn¡¯t even know it yet. Oh, Lily! I¡¯ve got to get her out of this mess, I have to save her.

    I and Quinn got up and started heading for home? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°It was nice to see you man, I hope we get to catch up sometime soon and please, I want to hear good news¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°Alright man¡±

    We exchanged hands and went out our separate ways.

    I got home and started thinking of all the ways to save Lily. There had to be a way out. I thought about texting her, hoping Jake won¡¯t go through her phone and put her in more trouble. Omg, can it be that bad? Maybe I should just open my mind to the possibilities. Saving her was my priority from now on.

 108

    Cayden

    The fact that Lily doesn¡¯t even know how bad and dangerous her baby daddy is, is still on my mind. I can¡¯t just stop thinking about it.

    I knew that if I should tell her the truth about him, she wouldn¡¯t believe me at all. So, I just decided to set her free.

    It¡¯s actually pretty sad because she doesn¡¯t know the person that she¡¯s dealing with at all.

    While I was driving back home, I couldn¡¯t just take my mind off it. I already decided that I was going to set her free, but then, my conscience was disturbing me so bad, so I just decided to inform her about him.

    That¡¯s better than not doing anything at all. I stopped the car when I got to a bus stop and I brought out my phone to call her immediately.

    I thought it was better to inform her really fast, so she would know what to do about it. I dialled her number and I was sure that the call was ringing at the other end.

    ¡°Pick up, Lily. Pick up!¡± I screamed to myself and I waited for her to pick the phone. She didn¡¯t.

    I started bing more anxious by the minute and I just wanted her to pick the damn phone up.

    After the first ring, I tried it again and she still didn¡¯t pick.

    I felt like the third time was the charm, so I decided to call her again for the third time.

    The call was picked.

    I quickly put the phone to my left ear immediately to speak to her.

    ¡°Lily, Lily. That man is dangerous. I know you might not believe me, but I promise you, he is. I could pro-¡± I was saying to the receiver at the other end and I was Interrupted by the receiver.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired, man? Stay away from Lily! You seem really pathetic. Just leave her alone. Good bye and don¡¯t call this number.¡± Lily¡¯s baby daddy said and I clenched my fist against myp.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°You¡¯re a pathetic fucker. What are you doing with her phone anyway? You-¡± I stopped talking to the phone when I realised that the line was dead.

    I hit my fist on my steering wheel in anger.  I was feeling really frustrated and angry about everything.

    Tomorrow is another day and I decided to go to her shop and inform her tomorrow. It¡¯s better to inform her face-to-face anyway.

    The next morning, I already got up so early and I was ready to go to the shop to inform Lily about her mean baby daddy. I cracked my neck as I grabbed my car keys from the table.

    I was really tired. The night went by really fast and it felt like I didn¡¯t get any sleep at all.

    The morning was still very young, so the road was really free. I drove at a very high speed to Lily, not caring about the fact that I exceeded the normal and allowed car speed.

    When I got to her shop, I opened the door to the shop and I saw her attending to a customer.

    I quickly went to her and she was exchanging pleasantries with me, when she was interrupted by a customer.

    When she asked to be excused, I gave her a small nod, as I waited for her to be through.

    A few minutester, she was through with everything and she finally had my time. When she came to me, I wanted to get to the point immediately, so I just said, ¡°I¡¯m here because of your baby¡¯s daddy. I don¡¯t feel good about him. I feel he¡¯s-¡±

    I stopped talking the moment someone came through the door. I hissed loudly as I saw her baby daddy approaching the both of us.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± He said to me and I faced the other way. I wasn¡¯t interested in his morning games.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked him and he smiled at Lily before answering me.

    ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡± He said and he gave me a mocking smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to wish Lily a very good day.¡± He quickly added and I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡± I mumbled under my breath and I went out immediately.

    I went to my car instantly and just like yesterday, my steering wheel suffered my wrath by enjoying my fists.

    He really needs to be exposed. I thought and I decided to find out more about him. I decided to stay in my car to wait for him.

    Since my car was packed opposite the shop, he wouldn¡¯t notice my car at all. I waited patiently for him toe out and when he did, I started trailing behind him carefully to his house.

    In the process of doing that, I contacted a PI agent to dig up dirt on him because I knew that he wasn¡¯t as innocent as he imed to be.

    The baby daddy¡¯s POV

    I was starting to get really tired of Cayden. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s just so interested in mine and Lily¡¯s business.

    When he called her yesterday, I was so frustrated. I thank God that I was the one close to the phone, or he would have told her everything he knew about me.

    The next morning, I didn¡¯t know why I was just feeling like going to see Lily at her shop, even when I had no reason to. Obeying my inner voice, I got really ready to go to her shop early because I just wanted to see why I was suddenly drawn to the shop.

    A few minutester, I got to the shop and just as I suspected, I saw Cayden standing right in front of Lily and I guessed he was about to say something about him. Then, I knew why I was suddenly feeling like going to the shop.

    I put on a fake smile and I told Cayden that I went there to wish Lily a very good day, when I really went there to spoil his ns to expose me.

    I can still remember the look on his face when he left the shop.

    I¡¯ll keep on destroying his ns to expose me.

 109

    Cayden

    I was still trailing behind him without him knowing, when I got a call from the PI agent that I employed to get dirt on the baby daddy.

    The PI agent told me that he already found out that the baby daddy in question wasn¡¯t only a failure, he was a drug dealer, trafficker and he abuses drugs too.

    I knew that the baby daddy was bad, but I didn¡¯t know that he was that bad.

    I was in awe when the PI agent continued telling me about how he was running away from the government and the police too. He was in big trouble as he¡¯s a hardened criminal.

    A Shiver went down my spine when I remembered that Lily was oblivious to these facts. I was also Informed that he was really broke and he couldn¡¯t even afford anything by himself. Coupled with that, he also had a wife and kids in Mexico.

    I put the phone down because I was really shocked about everything and I just couldn¡¯t continue listening to what he was saying.

    When I put the phone down, I decided to stop following him. I would need more than a confrontation to stop him from following Lily.

    I went to my house instantly and I started thinking about what to do. I really have to do something. Fast.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    After Cayden and my baby daddy left, I was left with my thoughts. Something was definitely wrong between those two, but I had no time to even ponder over it and I went back to work.

    When it was finally time for lunch, I removed my apron and I left the counter. I was about to go out when I also saw Jaroding in. I was a little bit shocked to see him because he hadn¡¯te to the shop in a while.

    ¡°Hey, Lily. How are you?¡± He said enthusiastically when we went back inside the shop. I smiled back at him and I returned his greetings.

    I kept on wondering why he was in the shop, but I didn¡¯t just want to ask him so I wouldn¡¯t be seen as rude. After all, I¡¯m not the only one in the shop and I¡¯m sure anybody cane in too.

    He was being friendly to me, too friendly even and u just knew that he was trying to make amends for what he did. I decided that two can y the game and I acted oblivious to his friendly acts.

    ¡°Do you need something?¡± I asked him after minutes of speaking with him. I wanted him to leave because I needed my lunchtime.

    He hesitated for a while before he answered me. I could see that he didn¡¯t even n on getting anything with the way he was stuttering when he was making his order.

    Cayden¡¯s POV

    Before I knew it, it was already evening and I just knew that Lily would have left the shop, so I decided to call her and inform her about the new discovery that I just made.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    After thinking about everything, I was finally feeling a little bit relieved because I know that sooner orter, I¡¯m going to get her baby daddy arrested.

    I dialled her number and I waited for her to answer.

    She answered after the second ring.

    ¡°Hey, Lily.¡± I said when she picked the phone.

    She answered a few secondster and I wasn¡¯t satisfied with the way her voice sounded over the phone.

    ¡°Can youe to the bar? Where we usually get drinks.¡± I decided to ask her and she reluctantly said yes. I asked her if she was okay and she said that she was with the most convincing voice I¡¯ve ever heard.

    I tried talking to her again and when she gave me another cold reply, I just knew that something was definitely wrong with her.

    So, I decided to go and see her, to see what¡¯s really wrong.

    I just hope it isn¡¯t because of that fucker because if it is..

    Hmm.

    When I got to her house minutester, I was not surprised at all to find her baby daddy sitting there. I scoffed when I saw him and I closed the door after I got in.

    I could see that Lily wasn¡¯t happy to see me, but I knew that by the time I was done with telling her all about the criminal she was with, she would definitely thank me so much.

    ¡°Lily. I have something to tell you, something I¡¯ve been trying to tell you for a while. This devil right here..¡± I pointed to him before I continued. ¡°Isn¡¯t who he says he is at all. Do you know that he has been abusi-¡±

    I didn¡¯t have Lily¡¯s attention anymore. Her baby daddy was showing her some pictures on his phone and I tried calling lily again, but he wasn¡¯t listening to me again.

    ¡°This woman right here is Cayden¡¯s wife. ¡± The baby daddy said and I went over to see the person that he was calling my wife.

    When I saw the woman, I recognized her as one of my old time flings. I¡¯ve had sex with her, but that was a long time ago. I wondered why he was bringing it up in front of Lily.

    ¡°Why do you have these pictures? Tell me, you criminal.¡± I said to him and he feigned a look of fear. He¡¯s so pathetic.

    ¡°You have to tell me why you¡¯ve been bothering Lily, when you already have a wife, Mr Cayden.¡± He said and he crossed his hands against his chest out of pride. I was feeling like punching his face, but I just held myself. I didn¡¯t want to create a bad impression of myself in front of Lily because I could see that she was already getting frustrated.

    ¡°What the heck are you saying? You¡¯re lying.¡± I said and he met out a chuckle before bringing his phone out again. He brought out some random pictures that showed that I had a wife and I was expecting a child.

    I suddenly got angry and he asked him to bring proper proof that shows that the woman in the picture is my wife, or I¡¯d throw him out of the house. I was really thankful that Jacek and granny weren¡¯t in because of the way that I was shouting.

    The man brings out lots of pregnancy tests and my recordings with the woman in question and I told Lily that if I was really expecting a child and married, then why would I still chase her?

 110

    Lily

    I was getting really tired of their back and forth confrontations. I didn¡¯t even know the person to believe and the person to throw out of my house.

    ¡°He¡¯s a casanova, Lily and you shouldn¡¯t be with him. He¡¯s had so many failed rtionships and friendships. He¡¯s even broken so many hearts, so how are you sure that he isn¡¯t going to break your heart?¡± My baby daddy said and Cayden growled at him.

    He started moving closer to him in defence and I just knew what was going to happen next.

    I am not ready to have two grown men fighting in my living room, so I just screamed at both of them to stop.

    ¡°Just stop, you two. Please. Your argument is making me sick. The door is over there.¡± I said to the both of them and I pointed towards the door, waiting for them to leave.

    My baby daddy grinned and he said, ¡°Aa-hah. I told you that you were going to be the one to leave.¡± He said and he started making fun of Cayden, like I didn¡¯t ask him to leave too.

    After he said that, Cayden red at me, with questions in his eyes. I looked away from him and it was my turn to re at my baby daddy.

    ¡°I was talking to the both of you.¡± I said and I pointed to the door again.

    My baby daddy was really surprised that I was sending him outside too, but he left and Cayden trailed behind him.

    When they left, I heaved a sigh of relief and I copsed on the chair. I was feeling really stressed from everything and I just wanted a nice, long bath alone.

    I was about to close my eyes, when I started hearing muffled voices from outside again. I knew that it was my baby daddy and Cayden that were arguing because I could hear them clearly.

    I sighed.. again and I went outside reluctantly. When I got there, I saw them growling at each other like two angry lions and when it was about to get really physical, I ran to them and I stood between them, pushing Cayden¡¯s chest with the little strength that I had.

    After I saw that they were both okay, I left them and I turned around to go inside without saying a word to any of them. The grunts that I started hearing made me turn back and I saw that they were fighting physically now and I just covered my ears and I screamed as loud as I could.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    That stopped the both of them from doing any other thing and they just started staring at me like I was the one acting crazy.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the both of you? Why are you both acting like two naughty toddlers? Don¡¯t you have anything to do?¡± I said and I let out a very loud hiss.

    ¡°He started it.¡± The both of them said at the same time and then, I knew that I was right about the both of them acting like toddlers.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? Wow, I just want the both of you to leave. Now.¡± I said that and I looked so serious. I was really tired of theirpany, they were both confusing me with their ¡®theories¡¯ about how they are both terrible people and I¡¯m not even ready to hear any more of that trash.

    ¡°Okay, fine, but you should have this.¡± My baby daddy brought some papers from his jacket and I saw that they were pictures that he showed me earlier and some papers that had some conversations on them.

    Before I had the chance to even protest, Cayden started insulting him.

    ¡°Shut up, man. Lily, you shouldn¡¯t listen to him. Now that I¡¯m back, I¡¯m going to make sure that our child would never suffer from gossip or from people who didn¡¯t know about our love. I love you, Lily. I really do.¡± He said and he moved closer to me. When he got to me, he took my hand into his and he said, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel okay with me being here? Don¡¯t you miss me? We could be a happy and full family. You just have to make that happen by telling me your decision.¡±

    I looked over to Cayden and I saw that he was staring at us with both anger and sadness in his eyes.

    I quickly looked away from him because I was suddenly feeling bad about the fact that he was sad.

    My baby daddy noticed what just happened between Cayden and I in a few seconds and he started speaking again.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t listen to Cayden, he¡¯s  only known for destroying rtionships. I found out that he sleeps with his friends¡¯ spouses and he also sleeps around with different people. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve caught him with someone before, haven¡¯t you?¡± When he asked that, I remembered when I saw himing out of his house with a woman when we were meant to talk about his second date.

    ¡°What the heck are you saying? You shouldn¡¯t listen to him.¡± Cayden looked shocked and I¡¯m sure that he realised that this man had also dug in on him too.

    My baby daddy left and Cayden tried to exin to me about everything, but I didn¡¯t even want to hear anything concerning Cayden. So, I started going inside.

    When I was about to do that, Cayden dragged me back and he pushed his own evidence in my hands. He shouted at me to at least look at it.

    I pushed him off of me and I asked him if he really had a babying and if he was really married.

    Cayden asked me that if he was really married, why would he take me to his events and all those many fruitless dates?

    I wasn¡¯t ready to listen to everything that he had to say, so I just told him to stop talking. He was trying to make me feel guilty about everything and I wasn¡¯t ready to do that.

    ¡°All those dates and dinner parties mean nothing and I mean nothing to me, so you should leave.¡± I said that and I got to my door before he called me back.

    ¡°Lily, wait. Did you mean that?¡± He said and I put on a serious look.

    ¡°Yes. Yes, I did.¡± And with that, I shut the door in his face.

 111

    My answer is still no

    Lily

    Ourst squabble worried Cayden deeply and he was starkly perplexed as he did not know what aspect of the quarrel to focus on. Whether he was to focus on the ache that his chances of ever being with me were now almost bleek or the sore betrayal he felt when I reaffirmed what (baby daddy) had used. He tossed and turned, twisted and swirled, walked to and fro his room space all in a bid to get the chaining thoughts of our altercation. He finally settled on to subdue his worries and focus on work, as he was now certain that if he could not be with me the there was no need to be here.

    Meanwhile, here I was starstruck. I could barely put a definition to how I was currently but the obvious was hardly deniable, I was missing Cayden and I couldn¡¯t help the feeling. I missed him in my space and how he made my days bearable for me. Even the universe could tell that we were both missing each other because everything around us reminded us of each other.

    I was just about to restock the pastries that has finished on the show cab after yet another rush hour when (baby daddy) walked into the shop. I see him and I immediately put on a half baked smile as he approaches the counter.

    ¡°Look who the winds of chaos blew into my shop today¡± I say in sneer and he defends himself.

    ¡°Ie in peace today Lily and no other motive whatsoever¡± he returns the smile

    ¡°And why do I find that hard to believe?¡± I ask with a raised eyebrow

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be my love, in fact I brought you some flowers¡± he pulls out the flowers from behind him and I immediately get irritated. He brought flowers that I was allergic too

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring those close to me please! You should know I¡¯m allergic to those, whatever happened to rose flowers?¡± I yell and withdraw a little from the position I stood.

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know you were allergic to them. It has been so long now that I can barely remember your likes and dislikes¡± he immediately dumps them in a trash can closeby and re-enters the conversation.

    ¡°Lily I¡¯m one again sorry about that but I got those because I wanted show you just how much I cared about you¡±

    ¡°Well thank you but you didn¡¯t have to honestly¡± I wave off his gesture and he almost gets provoked but controls himself.

    ¡°Those flowers were not the only reason I can¡­¡± he hesitates a little and then continues ¡°I wanted if you were free to have lunch with me, so we could catch up on old times¡± he paused and wrung his medium sized hands ¡°chat andugh out loud like we used to yunno¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the offer (baby daddy) but I currently do not the leisure of engaging in any fun time¡± I take a second to look at his now changing face and then continue ¡°especially now that my business is fast booming, I can barely spare time for such, I¡¯m sorry¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for too much of your time, maybe just an hour would do¡± he persist

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my answer is still no and that¡¯s not changing¡±

    He slowly bes more pricked now but tries to hide it ¡°Well how about my son, where is he? I¡¯d like to spend time with him since you are so busy!¡±he raises two fingers from both arms in the air and clutches them in a manner that shows mockery.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like you to spend time with your son, I don¡¯t think that would be visible either¡±

    ¡°And why is that¡± he says with a now widened gaze

    ¡°Because my Candy is with my Granny and even they aren¡¯t around either they both went to have someone fun

    ¡°Why are you trying to keep me away from my son¡± he asks in an exasperated manner but I immediately respond

    ¡°Nobody is keeping you away from your son, you lost that liberty when you abandoned him to suffer all this year¡¯s¡± I respond in a recollected tone.

    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you let me see him, Lily?¡± He was fuming and was doing very little to hide it

    ¡°Look I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about I¡¯m not¡­¡± the disappointment had be very unbearable for him and he could no longer bear staying in that space. He bolted out of the shop in frustration but I did not bother to call him back.

    About an hourter, I looked out the ss window that kept my bakery inside only to see (baby daddy) obviously discussing something sensitive with anotherdy just across the street from my shop. The shock immediately creeps into my body and I hurry to look at the evidence Cayden had given me early. It was all true, everything Cayden had said about (baby daddy) was true. I thought to call Cayden but I knew that after ourst altercation, he wasn¡¯t going to be very willing to help me. I thought of telling Granny too but I knew she was only going to escte the whole situation and I didn¡¯t want that.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Let me call the police department to confirm this details, maybe I¡¯m just overthinking things¡± to my disappointment, the evidence were true and the police operative that spoke to me on the line asked if I had seen (baby daddy) but I lie, I tell him that I had not seen him but only wanted to confirm the rumors.

    Later that night I stayed up till 2am in the morning, contemting on what action to take next. I was confused. Granny came into the living room like she would always do to take her night ss of water and met me. My eyes were red and my baby cold, I was overthinking and it was evident all over me.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping my love, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing Granny, I¡¯m fine¡±

    ¡°Not from what I¡¯m seeing. If something is wrong why not call Jarod, maybe he can help¡±

    ¡°No Granny, I said I¡¯m fine. Besides we had a little argument so I don¡¯t he¡¯d wanna help¡±

    ¡°My love, regardless of how bitter your argument was with Jarod may have been, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d still want to help. That¡¯s what friends are for¡±

    I still refuse in adamance and Granny takes it upon herself to call Jarod by herself, not know the true degree of misunderstanding Jarod and I had.

 112

    Pay the cops an anonymous visit

    Lily

    Jarod allowed Granny¡¯s call to ring its full span until it ended and he still did not pick. But Granny was a stubborn woman so she called the second time and this time he picks

    ¡°Hello Granny, so I was doing some chores in the kitchen and that was the reason I couldn¡¯t pick the call¡± he lied to avoid being dragged by Granny but that was beside the reason she called.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°How are you my dear, I haven¡¯t been seeing you around. I do hope you¡¯re fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am, I¡¯ve just been very busytely and the truth is, Lily and I are not really talking terms so I didn¡¯t really think it would be necessary to he around her¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the reason I called Jarod, something is seriously wrong but she has refused to tell me anything, I thought maybe she would open up to you instead¡±

    ¡°I¡­I ummm don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea Granny, I doubt Lily would want to even see me not to talk or speak to me¡­I doubt that¡¯s ever gonna happen¡± he tries to evade the request but Granny remains persistent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between the both of you but one thing I do know is friends don¡¯t show up for friends when they need them and you guys are even best of friends remember?¡± Jarod would try to evade again but Granny would still persist ¡°she hasn¡¯t been sleeping Jarod, she barely even eats and I¡¯m afraid something might happen to her. Pleasee and talk to her for my sake¡±

    ¡°Oh my! Now that¡¯s serious. Alright Granny I¡¯lle and see her as soon as possible alright? Please stop worrying, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine¡±

    Jarod came in as early as 6am that morning and could obviously notice from first nce that something was definitely wrong with me.

    ¡°Baby girl¡± he called me by the pet name he gave me.

    My eyes widened as I narrowed my gaze to see him. His square face was flushed and ruddy but it did very little to hide the worry that now made up his face. I was surprised to see and almost immediately sensed that Granny had something to do with being here.

    ¡°What are you doing here Jarod¡± I asked with a surprised look on my face andggy eyes.

    ¡± I came as soon as I could. Granny told me something was wrong with you and from what I can see, she wasn¡¯t wrong, you look like those pastries we¡¯d make that didn¡¯te out well. What¡¯s the matter Lily?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s  (baby daddy), he¡¯s back Jarod¡± I said as my chin sunk into my cor bone.

    ¡°Wait what! I¡¯m out of your life for just how long and the long lost lover returns?¡± He says with a sprinkle of humor but I do not respond, I only continue to narrate.

    ¡°That¡¯s not even where it gets worse, (baby daddy) and Cayden were in a serious fight with each other because of me, they¡­¡± Jarod cuts me off before I could say anything

    ¡°You see! I told you that Cayden guy was no good for you Lily, good for nothing piss of shit¡­ ha his already fighting cus he knows his going to get reced and his sorcery over you would end, I¡¯m not surprised honestly¡± Jarod says in obvious satisfaction

    ¡°Look at this first, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d feel differently now¡­¡± Jarod opens the file and starts flipping through its pages as his eyes widens ¡°this was one of the reasons they were fighting. Cayden told me (baby daddy) wasn¡¯t a good man but I refused to believe him, I thought he was just being petty and immature¡± he was now feeling different about both men and it showed as his eye scanned through every page

    .

    ¡°Lily this is a lot¡± He says as his face now bes pale like he had seen a ghost.

    ¡°I¡¯m confused, Jarod, I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t feel safe and I don¡¯t feel my Candy and Granny are safe either. He has even been trailing me around town. I always notice him at ces not too far from where I am and when I catch his gaze he immediately bolts away. I fear he might do something to me or my baby one of this days Jarod, what do I do!?¡±

    ¡°We need to call the police Lily, that¡¯s what we need to do. This guy is a criminal and the sooner we do something about this him the better. Who knows what evil deed he has nned for you guys¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem Jarod, I can¡¯t just go to the cops. What if he has someone there? From the way he arrogantly carries himself around, I would not be surprised if he knew someone there and if he gets to find out I¡¯m the one who reported him to the police, he might try to harm myself oe my family¡­ I¡¯m scared Jarod¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you have a point there¡­¡± he takes a pause and then continues ¡°bit we can¡¯t just do nothing Lily and I feel the police are the only ones that can really do anything at this point¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no but Lily, we have to do this, it¡¯s the right thing to do¡±

    ¡°Alright fine, we¡¯ll do it¡­ but on one condition¡±

    ¡°And what could that condition?¡± He hesitates his joy

    ¡°We¡¯d have to do it anonymously, I cherish the safety of every member and I will absolutely not jeopardize it¡±

    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine but how do we do that though?¡±

    ¡°We could just put copies of the evidence in a file and send it to the police station through an anonymous mail, I think that should work¡±

    ¡°Yeah it should, let¡¯s do that immediately then¡±

 113

    Thedies man

    Lily

    ¡°Yeah it should, let¡¯s do that immediately then¡±

    Jarod was eager to get on with it and make sure (baby daddy) met the full wrath of thew, but I had reservations. I wasn¡¯t so sure this was how I wanted to solve the problem or this was what I wanted to do to (my baby daddy). I wasn¡¯t even sure I wanted to do anything anymore, the confusion still lingered.

    Later that morning, (baby daddy) came into the shop with his usual mischievous smirk on his caramel face. But this time he wasn¡¯t here to ask me out for lunch¡­ At least that was what I thought ¡°A beautiful morning to you Lily!¡±

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t the devil himself¡± I whispered softly ¡°If this is about the date, my answer still remains no¡± I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°Now now my dear, is that how to wee the father of your child?¡±

    ¡°You stopped being his father the day you abandoned us, so don¡¯te in here and expect to be treated like you were here for thest 2 years¡±

    ¡± If memory serves me right, I only abandoned you and not him, he wasn¡¯t born then was he? How is he by the way?¡±

    ¡°How dare you? You jerk¡± I became pricked by his audacity and almost lost it.

    ¡°I am here now aren¡¯t I? Now that¡¯s what truly matters¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, the answer still remains a no for him too¡±

    ¡°Look Lily, rx, I didn¡¯te here for all this. The truth is I actually came here to ask you for a favor, I need some money and I¡¯m absolutely going to pay you back¡±

    I thought I had seen it all from him before then this, was he really trying to take money from me? ¡°I don¡¯t think I can borrow you any many (baby daddy)¡±

    ¡°Hey this is really urgent and I wouldn¡¯t be asking you if I had it. My bank ount is having minor issues but once it¡¯s sorted out, I¡¯ll pay you back in full and maybe even extra¡±

    I hesitated a little and then I yielded ¡°how much do you need?¡± I ask with an emotionless face

    ¡°Finally! You see why I love you right?¡±

    ¡°Just answer the damned question (baby daddy) and leave please¡± my exasperation begins to resurrect

    ¡°Alright alright, can I have two thousand dors?¡±

    ¡°What are you, a thief? Where do you expect me to get that kind of money from, do you think I have a that kind of money justying around?¡±

    ¡°Okay, how about a thousand five hundred?¡±

    ¡°All I can give you is seven hundred dors and that¡¯s it¡±

    ¡°Not even a thousand?¡± He asked in a bid to persuade me.

    ¡°No sir, not a dor more than seven hundred dors¡±

    ¡°Well I guess I can manage¡± he gestured his hands in the air.

    ¡°Better¡± I punched a button on the money machine and a lowered cab opened up.

    ¡°Here you go¡± I stretched out my arms to give him the money in reluctance but he quickly swept it from hands ¡°This is thest time I¡¯ll be giving you any money, don¡¯te back for more ever again¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Thank you so much you won¡¯t regret it, I promise I¡¯ll pay you back¡± we both knew that was an empty promise and that he wasn¡¯t going to pay me back but I wanted him to leave so desperately and I was willing to do anything to ensure that including giving him the money I was meant to use to restock from of the things in the store.

    ¡°So Lily, are you absolutely sure you won¡¯t have at least a drink with me?¡± He attempts in a finally bid to win me over but I refuse

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck please, just leave¡±

    ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll be seeing you soon¡±

    ¡°I strongly doubt that, now leave¡±

    It was just a few minutes past 7pm and I strolled from my bed to my room window to get a little fresh air and enjoy the splendor of the evening. I scanned around the neighborhood I saw spotted him ¡°of course it¡¯s the redhead¡±

    (baby daddy) was obviously making sexual advances to ady just a few buildings away from where I stayed and I immediately got irritated. I left my room and headed for the living room to watch some TV when after about 30 minutes of my disgusted sight, I heard a knock on the door. I immediately rose from my sitting position and went to open the door only to see thedies man on my doorstep. What was he doing here after the rubbish I just saw him do with thatdy down the street

    ¡°What are you doing here (baby daddy)?

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just pay a random visit?¡± He asked with a prickly look on his face.

    ¡°No you can¡¯t¡± I repositioned myself to cover the door way, barely leaving the door open

    ¡°Well believe it or not but I actually came to see your Granny¡±

    ¡°And why would you want to do that?¡±

    ¡°I brought flowers for her, since the first time I tried getting some fire you didn¡¯t turn out fine¡±

    As luck would have it, Granny had just stepped into the living room area and replied (baby daddy)¡¯s advances before I could say anymore and saved me the stress. ¡°Sorry dear but I don¡¯t like flowers either, you can take those back to wherever you got them from¡±

    ¡°But I¡­¡± I shut him down before he could say anything.

    ¡°You heard her, you can take your leave now thank you¡±

    ¡°Look I know she probably didn¡¯t mean what she said, can you take the flowers and give it to her for me?¡± His face became sore after Granny¡¯s rejection.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I will do no such thing, so bye!¡± I shot the door at his face and for a while I could hear that he had not walked away and still stood there probably contemting why Granny rejected his flowers.

 114

    For better or for worse

    Lily

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I will do no such thing, so bye!¡±

    For a second there my conscience riddled me that I might have probably left him in a manner, so I opened the door to still me (baby daddy) standing at the walkway.

    ¡°Look I¡¯m sorry my Granny rejected your flowers but I think it¡¯s best you just leave¡± I try to vaguely sympathize with him

    ¡°And what am I supposed to do with the flowers, it was difficult enough for me to find someone to give the first flowers you rejected¡± he let out in frustration

    ¡°Beautiful, I¡¯m sure you can still fine someone else to give this flowers as well, you seem quite good and getting thedies already¡± I give a light sneer

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Lily?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, who was that red head I saw you kissing just a few moments ago?¡±

    ¡± Oh that was¡­ ¡°he hesitated for a few seconds to fabricate the best lie to tell me and formed a fake smile ¡°that was nothing Lily, nothing happened. It was just ady who asked for directions so I told her and she appreciated me. We didn¡¯t even kiss, it was just a peck¡±

    ¡°You really can¡¯t change can you? You¡¯re just an old dog with old habits? I became irritated with the fact that he was still trying to lie to me even after I had seen them do their nonsense together. But I was more disappointed that I didn¡¯t believe Cayden when he told me all those things about (baby daddy), I was such a fool to treat him the way I did. Now I saw (baby daddy) for who he truly was, a lying, cheating, self centered, egoistic piece of shit who only cared about his selfish interests and nothing more. The mere sight of him irritated me the most.

    ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m already used to your ways at this point so nothing surprises me anymore. I no longer want to have anything to do with you anymore (baby daddy) and I think it¡¯s best you forget we existed and that you ever had a son, maybe start a family with that red head of yours¡±

    ¡°You can possibly be serious now Lily. I¡¯ve put a whole lot in ce here for use, I wanted us to get married and build a happy home here with Jacek, you can¡¯t possibly just put me in the mud like this. Reco sider what you are saying Lily, I care about you people¡± he protested but my decision remained adamant

    We¡¯ve been doing wonderfully for the past two years now that you¡¯ve abandoned us, I don¡¯t think your care and lies would make any difference now. And besides I cannot get married to a chronic and  unrepentant cheat and pathological liar as an excuse for a husband even if you were thest man on earth. I would rather stay single the rest of my life if that were the case¡± he tried to make a defense but I shut him down ¡°I¡¯m through with you (baby daddy), it¡¯s best you take your leave now and never return here again in this life time and even in another¡±

    ¡°You know what, it¡¯s absolutely fine¡­Have it your way then¡± he surrendered his quest and walked away.

    I went back into the house with a widened smile and a pink cloaked cheek bone, I was overly excited that he was now out of my life and I could worry less. Granny seemed happy too as she had very little liking for him herself so it came as great news to her when she saw the smile on her face and had overheard our argument.

    Later that day I got tipped by the supervisor who had initiallye to inspect my shop who was now my friend, that someone named (baby daddy) hade to petition the board that her bakery was a fraud and hadid other not so nice usations about her business. He went on to tell me that the judges had discussed and decided to pay the shop an unannounced visit to investigate his ims and take actions if necessary. He said that the judges weren¡¯t very happy and even I knew that whether or not they found anything incriminating about my business, their visit alone was going to affect my business and I couldn¡¯t afford that at this point in time.

    I was confused and didn¡¯t know what to do. I might admit that I wasn¡¯t so surprised to hear that (baby daddy was the one who made the petition to the judges. I thought he was gone for good but I would have been lying if I didn¡¯t think he was going to take a final stand. Regardless, this was a precarious situation for me and my business, I needed to do something and I needed to do it fast? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 115

    Lily dialed Jarod¡¯s number, and it took a while before he picked up, but she was relieved he finally picked up.

    ¡°Hey Jarod, I need to see you right now, please¡±, Lily pleaded.

    ¡°Aright, where are you?¡± Jarod asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m at Dan Restaurant,¡± lily replied.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in half an hour,¡± Jarod said.

    Thirty minutes after she had asked Jarod to meet with her, she had not seen him and was worried about why he had not shown up. She picks her phone, about to call him, then sees him approaching the restaurant. Then she dropped her phone and crossed her fingers, waiting for him to get to where she was sitting.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± Jarod asked.

    ¡°I called to see him today just to break up with him, but it did not go well, he threatened me. I thought he agreed, not until he told the judges that I was a fraud,¡± Lily said and pped her palms on her face.

    ¡°Gosh, he is so annoying,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t reach out to Cayden as he is not showing up, and I am too guilty to face him at the moment. He had warned me, but I was too strong headed and now, look at what it is costing me,¡± Lily said.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    I really wished I had listened to Cayden when he warned me. Now, he would rather not show up or get involved in anything concerning me. I hate regrets, I do not have a n on what I can do right now.

    I am hoping on Jarod that he helps me out of this mess I have put myself into. Likewise, I know, next time, I will be wiser.  Furthermore, I would not be so strong headed anymore as I was with Cayden.

    ¡°Stop being a pity party, Lily,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°But what do I do? I am scattered. Aren¡¯t I pitiful?¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°Let us make him pay,¡± Jarod said, with confidence beaming out of his eyes.

    I felt hope was back for me as Jarod looked like he had a n, and a smart one at that. I felt so relieved and ready to make Daniel pay for threatening and making my life a mess.

    ¡°How do we make him pay?¡± I asked, keenly.

    ¡°Firstly, we are going shopping,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°What! Shopping? Are you kidding me?¡± I asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Calm down, Lily. I do not mean shopping for fun,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°What do you mean, then? I do not seem to understand,¡± I said, with a confused look on my face.

    ¡°We are going to shops that can provide us with tools and equipment that can change our voice,¡± Jarod exined.

    ¡°Okay? What next?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We are going to call the police with a different phone,¡± Jarod said.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°Alright, that is a good idea, but when we call them, won¡¯t they ask to see us? How are we going to do that?¡± I asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°We are going to get props too, we would disguise excellently in a way that no one would be able to recognize us. Even you won¡¯t be able to recognize yourself,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Wow, seems like an excellent n,¡± I said

    ¡°Yeah, and we would cover our faces where necessary, so cameras won¡¯t spot our faces, you understand what I am trying to exin, right?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± I said, with confidence.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get to it,¡± Jarod said.

    We went to shops to buy all the things that could change our voice, then we bought a new phone and different kinds of good props.

    We finally got set, and we called the police, they picked, and then we got ready to set the n.

    ¡°Hello, who is on the line?¡± A male cop asked.

    ¡°I am Greg, I want to report an evil person to you. He is a notorious gang leader, and he needs to be caught right now!¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Alright, give me his address and can we meet with you, so we can gain more information on this case?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Sure, you can,¡± Jarod said.

    We hung up.

    A few minutester, they came over to see us to ask us some questions, and we did not look familiar to them.

    ¡°So, what is this person¡¯s name?¡± The cop asked.

    ¡°Daniel Martins,¡± Jarod answered.

    ¡°So, you said he is a notorious gang leader, right?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jarod said.

    They asked a few more questions, and they went to hunt Daniel down.

    A few hourster, the news showed on TV, Daniel being handcuffed and tagged as a notorious gang leader and was announced to be on trial. Cayden saw the news but didn¡¯t call Lily.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    I felt so sad and guilty when I didn¡¯t receive a call from Cayden, even after I was certain that he had seen the news. I knew he had tried to protect me, and I was blinded, I didn¡¯t know and now, my eyes are open.

    ¡°Thank you for helping me out, Jarod,¡± I thanked him.

    ¡°Oh! That was nothing, I just want you to get your mind off things that aren¡¯t necessary. Now that he is gone, I want you to smile and rest,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.

    Granny was shocked and in grief when she saw the news. She didn¡¯t know she had been weing a dangerous man into her house.

    I was thankful that he had not hurt granny in any way or did something that would put asting regret in my heart.

    All I wished for now was to get forgiveness from Cayden. He had not been picking my calls, I am very certain he is furious.

    Now, I know I would have to face my evil ssmates again, as they have seen the news. They would start saying I am cursed and don¡¯t end up with the right people, but I wasn¡¯t concerned about the insults. All that mattered right now was that I was alive.

 116

    The judges kept visiting me at my shops frequently to ask me questions and get some information. Eventually, I had passed on to the next level after a lot of rification, and then I started preparations for my final level in thepetition.

    I thought of Cayden and decided to call him. His phone rang and rang with no answer, I kept feeling guilty as he refused to pick up his call.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    I even tried going to his house asionally to try my luck if I was going to be allowed to see him. Every single time, I was rejected, but I had to keep trying as guilt didn¡¯t allow me to rest.

    Eventually, I was allowed one day, and I was happy. I went in and apologized to him a lot.

    ¡°I am so sorry, Cayden, please understand me. I am pleading for your forgiveness, Cayden,¡± I said as I kept repeating to be forgiven.

    ¡± I only wanted to be family with him because of my son. He was always bullied over not having a father. I feel bad for him, everyone hees home crying bitterly over that,¡± I continued exining and pleading.

    ¡°I understand you very much on this, lily. I really do understand why you had to make that decision for your child. After all, a mother can do anything for her child,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°Thank you so much for understanding, Cayden. I apologize for doing that. I wish I had listened to you, I have learned my lesson,¡± I continued pleading with tears rolling down my cheeks.

    ¡°I have heard you, but I am still hurt by your actions, lily. You made me hurt with your decision, and that is why I ignored you and didn¡¯t do anything when you were in that mess. I also needed time to clear my head,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°But why were you hurt, I really do not understand Cayden. You told me multiple and countless times that I meant nothing special to you. You made me convinced that I have never been someone like that to you and there is no way I can make you hurt if I do not hold a special ce in your heart,¡± I said, as I was confused about what Cayden meant.

    ¡°It¡¯s really the opposite. I care about you, Lily. I care about you more than you can ever imagine. And I love you so much and with all my heart, I hid it all. And that is why I said you hurt me,¡± Cayden said.

    Cayden pushed me to the wall, stared into my eyes and hungrily kissed me deeply, I was shocked, but I reciprocated the kiss. He gave me a warm kiss that sent warmth through my whole body. He held my head tightly, and I was like Alice in Wondend. Then a call came in, I released myself from him and checked the caller and saw that I had to pick it up.

    ¡°Hello, yeah, yeah, that¡¯s correct. Alright then,¡± I said as I ended the call.

    Then I looked at Cayden and finally took the opportunity to invite him toe watch me for my final contest.

    ¡°Tomorrow is my final participation in that contest and I would love to see you around,¡± I said.

    ¡°I have not forgotten my price yet, and I know you want your money back, thrice the amount of thepetition,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°What! What do you mean?¡± I asked, in a confused tone.

    ¡°You heard me right,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°I am inviting you, only as a visitor. Just to watch how my cooking contest ys out and this is what you could say?¡±, I said in disbelief.

    Lily ran out in disgust and pain. Then Cayden felt stupid for misunderstanding and being too quick to talk.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I wished I had not talked too fast. Now, I have created another misunderstanding between us. Oh goodness, what is going to happen now?

    But I can¡¯t believe I actually confessed my feelings to her. I would have to deal with it anyway, and she would have known any sooner. I feel much more relieved after confessing my feelings.

    ¡­¡­.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    I had hurt him and now, it is his time to act just anyhow with me. I wanted him toe over to watch me as I amaze everyone with my cooking skills, but all he said was gibberish.

    Lily had gotten home and she bursts into tears. She had tried her best to hold the tears as she wasing back home, and then her granny saw her crying.

    ¡°Lily my child, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked.

    Lily cried the more as her granny asked her what was wrong. Her granny, seeing this, began to pet her and pat her back.

    ¡°Are you okay, lily? Come on, tell me what is wrong, lily? You can talk to me,¡± She kept on asking.

    Then Lily decided to open up to her grandmother about everything that happened.

    ¡± I decided to give my ex-boyfriend a chance, most especially because of my son, and I thought he was serious about us and wanted to be a family. Little did I know that he was not ready to get married. I had hurt Cayden because of him and when I knew his ugly intentions, I decided to break up with him, which I tried but be framed me up and now, I am in a mess. I tried to reach out to Cayden as I felt guilty, and I wanted to apologize for what I did, but he ignored me for a long while. Not until today when I was allowed to see him. I pleaded and pleaded, and he told me that I had hurt him.¡± I paused for a while.

    ¡°Oh my! So, what happened next?¡± Granny said.

    ¡°He uttered nonsense, I¡¯m just confused, granny,¡± I said with tears in my eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, my child,¡± granny said,forting me.

 117

    ¡°Oh my dear child, I would say you were in love and that was why everything felt like it made sense to you, but truly, nothing actually made sense. When you are in love, you will be blinded by love,¡± she said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.

    ¡°Yes, what I would need you to do now is to be patient. Everything will be fine and will fall back in ce. As for Cayden, just give him some time, he woulde back for you. Remember, it is ways advisable to be patient,¡± her granny said.

    Lily then decided to calm down and focus on what was at hand, and then she started preparing for her final contest.

    She was going to make a very lovely dish. It was her favorite, and it was a simple dish, but it tasted exquisite. She nned to take her audience surprised, hoping the judges were going to love her food.

    The next day, Lily went early to the venue and started to prepare, she wanted to practice one more time when she saw Jarod approaching her. She didn¡¯t hesitate to ask him what he wanted, abruptly.

    Jarod began to look pitiful, and I would rather not fall for that at all.

    ¡°Speak!¡± I urged him.

    ¡°I came to ask for forgiveness, Lily. I am so sorry, I had a reason for acting that way but, nevertheless, I am so sorry. Please forgive me,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°Please leave, I would rather not hear any plea of yours,¡± I said.

    Jarod left without pleading again, and then I sighed. As I was about to continue, my evil ssmates came over. I knew they were up to something again, they always made me feel bad through insults and sarcasm.

    ¡°Hey everybody, Lily just seeded in driving her baby daddy away,¡± they allughed.

    I didn¡¯t want to care about what they were saying, as I didn¡¯t want anyone to spoil my mood. Today was a big day of mine, and I was not going to allow anyone to step on me.

    ¡°You were born for stupid and bad men, lily. Can¡¯t youe to terms with that? Don¡¯t you believe us?¡± Jane said.

    ¡°Yeah, lily. You should believe us as we are always watching, so we have already noticed,¡± another ssmate said.

    ¡°You know, you might probably have a lot of them, but I do not think you are going to get married to any man who is fantastic,¡± the Samantha said.

    ¡°Yeah guys, didn¡¯t you all notice that she is always attracted to poor men?¡± Jane said.

    They all affirmed it sarcastically and began tough at her, pointing fingers at her.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about your cooking skills, they taste like whack, like what the hell! I wonder what useless confidence you have right now for you to think you actually are worthy to participating. I bet the judge won¡¯t like your food. After all, you are a lily,¡± Sophia said.

    They allughed again, making sure that she felt bad.

    ¡°Do you probably want to cry?¡± Theyughed again.

    ¡°What if I can prove to you that I can cook well enough? Would you admit that I am a good cook?¡± Lily spoke out.

    ¡°Wow, really? Are you sure you are confident enough to hear the truth?¡± One said.

    ¡°And nothing but the truth?¡± They all teased andughed.

    ¡°Yes!¡± She said.

    I believed that they would taste my food and be wowed by it. Even if they hesitate to tell the truth, I would see it in their expression. Lily began to cook as her ssmates sat. Some were watching her while some were taking pictures of themselves, the others were ying games or chatting.

    Lily looked at them with one eye and was ready to blow their minds.

    ¡­¡­

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I do not know if she would still wee me with a willing heart when I go for herpetition. I am actually having a hard time trying to decipher the situation we had yesterday. It definitely looked like she was really hurt by what I said.

    I walked and paced around my house, thinking of what to do and checking my watch. Would I prefer to watch her on TV or go there to watch her live?

    I wished I could get someone to advise me on what to do. I went to my bedroom, put off my clothes and went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Furthermore, I felt the water relieving me from any stress my brain could be going through at that moment.

    Likewise, I knew I was tensed and sometimes, going under the shower was just the right thing to do. I was done in the bathroom and I felt better, I took up a new outfit and wore it then I went back to my sitting room and turned on the TV.

    Time would tell whether I was going to attend or not.

    ¡­¡­

    LILY¡¯S POV

    I had started cooking and could sense they were salivating because of the aroma. But I neededments or a satisfied expression to be sure.

    When I was done, I served it into small tes for them each, and they all savored it and ate it.

    All of a sudden, I saw them all making disgusted reactions at the food, and they dropped it and allughed at me.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°We told you, didn¡¯t we? Stop trying so hard,¡± Sophia said.

    ¡°What do you mean! You all are just acting like it¡¯s tasting bad, I can¡¯t believe otherwise,¡± I said in anger.

    I was finally able to fight back because I was controlled by emotions and this was a big day of mine when I needed encouragement, not discouragement.

    ¡°You really think you cook differently? Look at the other contestants, they are big in this game. Do you think you can stand a chance to winning them?,¡± Jane said, with seriousness and a touch of sarcasm.

 118

    I thought about it and I would rather not face her, so I decided to watch her on TV, but I was not left alone by my thoughts. I decided to go watch her live and see how well she performs.

    Furthermore, I got there and found a ce to sit. Likewise, I watched her as she smiled brightly at her audience with confidence. Not only that, but I loved her confidence at that moment because I knew very well that thepetition was difficult. It was highlypetitive as good cooks from different parts of the world were present to contest.

    I began to watch as they started the timer and lily had started cooking. My head went from left to right, looking at lily and the other cooks. They were really fast and lily was too.

    She was really doing well, she had presented a simple dish and I hoped that the judges would be pleased with her cooking skills and what she presented. She must have had a reason she wanted to cook that simple dish, and I hoped that her thoughts and efforts would not go in vain.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    As the timer stopped, luckily, lily and the other contestants hadpleted their work and the judges were visiting each table one by one. They tasted each contestant¡¯s food after drinking water.

    A few minutester, they were done tasting each contestant¡¯s food. Then we were told to go on break. I went to see her when she came out.

    ¡°Lily!¡± I called out to her.

    ¡°You came,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah, I did. I could not afford to miss it,¡± I said and smiled.

    ¡°So, how did I look when I was cooking?¡± She asked.

    ¡± You looked perfect and like a professional. I am really proud of you, lily¡± I said.

    ¡°Thank you so much foring, I sincerely appreciate your presence, I really hope I win, so I can make it worth your time and also make you proud, ¡°Lily said.

    ¡°I am sure you will win, lily,¡± I encouraged her.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she smiled.

    ¡°Would you like to take a drink? Maybe soda or something to calm your nerves,¡± I offered.

    ¡°Sure, I do not mind,¡± she said, with a smile.

    We ended up going to the caf¨¦ and she took something else, instead, which was an iced coffee. I loved the way she smiled at me when Iplimented her and when she saw some of her colleagues or fans.

    ¡°I think we should go in now because in no time, they could demand our presence,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said.

    We got back in and in a few minutes time, the cooks were back at their spot. They began asking them why they had chosen the meal they prepared. Other cooks didn¡¯t really have a nice reason, but lily had. She had cooked the meal with an intention, and that was why she stood out.

    ¡°And the winner is, Lily Greyson,¡± the announcer said.

    I and Lily¡¯s fans stood up and rejoiced, we were all so happy that she had won. I could see lily looking so happy and was trying so hard to contain it. Likewise, I was so happy for her and I wanted to show her how happy I was for her, so I ran towards her, picked her up and kissed her passionate. She reciprocated the kiss, and I was happy, then I put her down and hugged her.

    Jarod began to approach them and Cayden began to feel ufortable and protective of Lily, but Lily assured him to calm down.

    ¡°Congrattions, Lily,¡±  Jarod smiled.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± lily replied.

    ¡°I¡¯ll like to see you in private,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Why would you want to see her?¡± Cayden said aggressively.

    Lily calmed Cayden down and told him she would be back soon.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Cayden. I will be back soon,¡± Lily said.

    Cayden reluctantly let her go and impatiently waited for her to be back. He was going to punch Jarod in the face if he tried anything stupid with her.

    ¡°I am here to exin to you why I did that, please allow me to exin,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Alright, go on, I am listening,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Thank you. The reason I did that was because I love you and every single time you pushed me away, the pain I felt was much worse than burning alive.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    I was left speechless, I really didn¡¯t know what to say as I was not expecting him to say that. I wondered about what reply I could give, but words failed me and I could not utter a word.

    ¡°I still love you, Lily, and I will still continue to do so until you love me back. But for now, I would love to try out as friends and use that to make amends,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Oh Jarod, I am really speechless right now,¡± I said.

    ¡°May I be reinstated back to work at your restaurant? Please, Lily, do not tell me no. I would love to be back at your restaurant,¡± Jarod pleaded earnestly.

    I thought about what he said because I had to be certain I was ready to take him back in. Although, I had missed his presence back when he used to work with me.

    ¡°Alright, no problem about that. You cane back to work with me,¡± I said.

    ¡°Thank you so much, Lily. So, I can safely say we are back to friends, right?¡± Jarod asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said and gave a smile.

    I could feel he was delighted that I had forgiven him, his eyes beamed with joy and only him could tell how deep his joy was at the time.

    Then I excused myself as I remembered that I had Cayden waiting.

    ¡°I have to go, Jarod,¡± I said.

    ¡°Alright, thanks for your time and forgiveness,¡± he said with a smile.

    I smiled at him and went back to Cayden, who was really looking impatient, I giggled before I got to where he was, and he surprised me with our agreement. Triple of the amount he said he was going to give me. Oh, my! I was rich within minutes.

 119

    LILY¡¯S POV

    Cayden had fulfilled his promise, even though I did not think much about it. I was so happy as I thought of getting more supplies and getting new cooking ingredients.

    I appreciated Cayden and hugged him so tight that we both chuckled.

    The next day, I was so eager to go to my restaurant, I got there early and began to cook the day¡¯s menu. I was humming my favorite song and cooking. Of course, I was in a good mood. I began to dance while cooking and was careful with other things in the kitchen.

    After I was done cooking, I began to see people strolling in and then, in the twinkle of an eye, many people had strolled into my shop as usual. I was so happy I had employed Jarod back, as I needed hands to serve and satisfy the customers.

    Having Jarod was nice as he knew how to handle the job well and was notzy. We both hummed as we went on about our work, and we looked at each other and chuckled. It seemed like we were back to being friends, and I loved the air and surrounding aura. It was a delightful one.

    I looked around to see their expressions, I could see that they were really pleased with my cooking skills. Most of them were nodding their heads in satisfaction and admitted to the fact that I was an excellent cook and that the food was so good, it tasted exquisite.

    Most of them added tips and some thanked me for the food as they had not eaten such lovely food in a while. I was happy to hear suchpliments, it made me feel good and confident about myself. I had also sent Jarod to help me get more supplies and other things I needed.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I was happy with the move I made yesterday, I had made her feel on top of the world. Happiness was yesterday¡¯s theme, if anyone had asked me.

    I also came around to get food, but more importantly, it was an excuse to see her beautiful face and lovely smile. I was also promoting the food by talking about it to those I sat with, and was even making a video of myself to post on social media.

    Then I asked Lily to go with me on a pic data which she agreed to, she was so happy to hear that. When we got to where we nned our pic, we had a lot of fun andughed a lot.

    We yed both childhood games and popr games. I ran after Lily a lot and I caught her most of the time, it was so funny to notice that she purposely did not run fast, so I could catch her. She loved that because whenever I caught her, I always hugged her from the back and kissed her neck.

    After a while, we sat down to enjoy the snacks, and we began talking about many things. I was good at making herugh and I know it because sheughed countless times.

    Then we discovered we had finished the snacks and wanted more, so I decided to get snacks for both of us. I stood up and left Lily, hoping to get back to her as fast as possible, so she won¡¯t get bored.

    Lily brought out her phone and started taking pictures and videos, she was smiling brightly, and the breeze was moving her hair lightly.

    ¡°Hey, hello,¡± a stranger greeted.

    ¡°Hi,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Hi, I am Mike and you are?¡± Mike asked.

    ¡°I am Lily,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Nice name. You look so beautiful, I must confess,¡± Mikeplimented.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± lily smiled.

    ¡°Mind if I stay for a while?¡± Mike asked.

    ¡°Uhm, no problem. But I came with someone, in case the person is back, you understand what I mean, right?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I totally get,¡± he said.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I was dyed at where I went to get snacks, their snacks were fantastic, so they had plenty of customersing back. When I was able to get the snacks, I was happy and then began to walk back to our spot.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    From a distance, I could see our spot. Then as I got closer, I discovered that Lily wasughing at a stranger¡¯s jokes and worst of all, it was a man. I was furious and approached them faster.

    ¡°Hey man, fuck off!¡± I said, beaming with anger.

    ¡°Hey, that is rude,¡± Mike said.

    ¡°Cayden, he means no harm,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I think I said you should leave this instant!¡± Cayden barked.

    Mike didn¡¯t take it lightly, as he didn¡¯t appreciate Cayden¡¯s tone and manner of approach. This got Cayden angry the more, he was fuming in anger, and he started showing signs that he was going to start a fight soon.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mike, I actually came with him. Please, no offense, kindly leave,¡± lily said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you are going out with a really rude guy. How is that attractive to you?¡± He said as he left.

    Cayden was still fuming in anger, but lily calmed him down with a kiss. Cayden felt so relieved with what she did.

    ¡°You really need to calm down, he is not taking me away from you. We came here together, and would leave together,¡± lily said.

    I felt butterflies in my tummy and I could literally feel myself smiling and blushing. All I needed were those sweet words from Lily, and they were enough to soothe me.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    Cayden was really a protective man, he would re up at anyone who seemed toe close with hidden intentions or something he feels could take me away from him.

    This was adorable as I felt assured of his love for me. Then I leaned over to kiss him in public, he reciprocated back in joy and pride that felt like he wasn¡¯t concerned about what anyone thought about him at that moment.

 120

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I felt so happy with the way Lily leaned over to kiss me. It felt so good that I wanted more, I loved the way she assured me that no one was taking her away from me. Lily hadpletely stolen my heart as I would hate to share anyone with her, neither did I want to have any rivals.

    The next day, I was going to surprise her with a visit to her restaurant, I had bought a bouquet of flowers and choctes. I had a very nice day yesterday with her, even though we encountered some annoying people on the way, admiring her beauty.

    Lily was stunning, and I loved the way she was, I didn¡¯t know I loved her to this extent until I confessed the day before herpetition. I was so excited to surprise her, and I began to imagine her giving me kisses that would soothe me over and over.

    I really felt that Lily was going to be mine as she was able to send that silly stranger away, so I won¡¯t be too annoyed and jealous.

    Then, I drove off to her ce and while I was in my car, I yed love music that would fill the air with joy and love. She had turned my whole world around with love. I had so many ns in mind on how our dates and outings would go. I was really excited, like a baby who was promised a candy.

    When I got to her restaurant, I saw her attending to customers with a smile and I smiled back like as if I were the one being smiles at, but the smile faded when I saw Jarod. She had re employed Jarod! I was shocked.

    I felt a bit bad seeing him there and that she did not tell me about it, I could see the look on his face, he looked pleased and overjoyed.

    He came over and signalled that we see each other outside, we met outside and talked for a while.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Cayden asked.

    ¡°Of course! Lily epted that I work, close to her,¡± Jarod said.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Really?¡± Cayden asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m the boss. Remember when Lily and I talked the other day she won thepetition, I told her about my feelings; she was happy when I told her that I would love to be back to being friends with her again. It looks I have a higher chance with her, soon, she will ept me, and you would be left out,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°She is mine already, I can see it in her eyes. Why don¡¯t you stop wasting your time and get another girl?¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me with this,¡± Cayden said, trying to show confidence, even if he was no longer sure.

    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll see for yourself,¡± Jarod said and left.

    Cayden felt threatened and went inside the restaurant back and went to meet Lily, who was near Jarod.

    ¡°Lily?¡± Cayden called out to her.

    ¡°Yes, Cayden,¡± lily said with a smile.

    ¡°I got this flower for you and a box of choctes,¡± Cayden said, with a smile.

    ¡°Oh my goodness, thank you so much, Cayden, I love them,¡± lily said as she sniffed the flowers. She loved the scent.

    ¡°Would you like to go on a date with me?¡± Cayden asked for Jarod to witness.

    ¡°Of course, I will,¡± lily said, beaming with smiles.

    JAROD¡¯S POV

    I wonder what cards he has up his sleeves. But I won¡¯t ever back down because Lily is mine and mine alone. I screamed in my mind as I was furious.

    ¡°That¡¯s my baby,¡± Cayden said.

    Cayden was pleased to hear this and was happy. He looked at Jarod with a victorious smile, and Jarod who was beaming with anger and jealousy, hid his expression, so he wouldn¡¯t look defeated.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Lily, may I help you out with getting supplies from the local market today?¡± Jarod asked.

    ¡°Yes, thank you so much,¡± lily said with gratitude and smiled at him.

    Cayden became really annoyed but tried to keep it in control.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    This guy doesn¡¯t give up, does he? Why can¡¯t he just get someone else and leave to me what is mine?

    After a while, customers had reduced, and I say one of the chairs, so Lily came over to meet me.

    ¡°Thanks for the gift, Cayden. I really love them,¡± lily said.

    ¡°Really? I am d you love them,¡± I said.

    ¡°How did flowers and choctes get to your mind?¡± Lily asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re as attractive as the flowers, you are more attractive I mean, so I bought it. For the chocte, I felt you might love it,¡± I exined.

    ¡°Wow, I love your hunch. I was craving chocte so bad. Was happy when I saw youing with choctes,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Our minds click, right?¡± I said with a smile.

    ¡°I guess¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because you love me,¡± she said.

    As she said this, the surrounding aura was tense. I was blushing uncontrobly and finally had to smile.

    ¡°Why is Jarod not here yet?¡± She said as she looked at her wristwatch.

    Then I remembered Jarod again and felt bad again as Lily still didn¡¯t feel it was necessary for her to tell me. I had to allude to it because I was itching to know her reason for bringing Jared back to work.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I called.

    ¡°Yes?¡± She answered.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you had brought Jarod back to work?¡± I asked.

    I could see that she felt guilty, as she probably did not remember to tell me.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It skipped my mind. I should have told you,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, so what is your reason for bringing him back?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well, he already begged to be reinstated, and I thought it was a nice idea because he is actually fast and good in the kitchen. So, it¡¯s like a bonus for me,¡± lily said.

 121

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    It felt like my heart shattered into pieces, she couldfortably talk about Jared that way in my presence. Could Jared really have been saying the truth about he having a chance with Lily?

    Lily and I drove off to a 5-star restaurant and when we got there, we ordered steak. I kept on remembering what Jarod said each time, and it caused me to be moody, I had even almost forgotten that Lily was with me.

    What if Lily leaves me again and gets fooled by Jarod. I couldn¡¯t bear to lose her again, seeing her face made me happy, she was my joy. And now it seemed like Jarod was having his way, how was he doing that?

    LILY¡¯S POV

    Cayden was a lively person, and he made meugh whenever we were together, but it was weird seeing him moody. It felt like something was wrong, and I had to ask him.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°No, you can eat your steak,¡± he said.

    A few minutester, I noticed he had been ying with his steak and I had to ask him again if something was wrong, but he told me no.

    ¡°You know you can talk to me if anything is wrong, right?¡± I said.

    I guess his mind wasn¡¯t there as he didn¡¯t reply to me.

    Not only that, but I had high expectations for this date and this was what he could give me, steak and gloom.

    Then I had to make a fake call of having to leave, and I declined him escorting me.

    ¡°Hello, alright, I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± I said.

    ¡°Uhm, Cayden, I think I have to leave. I have an important thing to sort,¡± I said.

    ¡°On really? I¡¯ll escort you,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t bother,¡± I said, then faked a smile and left.

    After I left, I went straight to the beach and sat there for a while, I was so sad.

    The next day, Cayden went to Lily¡¯s restaurant and when he entered, Jarodughed at him for long. He wondered why he did that.

    ¡°Why the hell are youughing at me?¡± I asked, irritated.

    ¡°Oh, really? You really want to know?¡± Jarod asked sarcastically.

    ¡°I bet it¡¯s nothing significant,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°Oh! It is, it really is. You went for a date with lily and almost killed her with boredom. You couldn¡¯t even keep a date with a woman, interesting. So, tell me, how are you a better match? You are boring,¡± Jarod mocked.

    Cayden was shocked and surprised at how he knew.

    ¡°What do you mean by this? And how did you know she regarded it as boring?¡± Cayden asked, trying to sound confident.

    ¡°She came back annoyed and has been gloomy since then, you made her gloomy. You are really not fit for her. Her mood was really okay yesterday until you came to mention a date, which ruined her mood,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Stay out of my business!¡± Cayden warns.

    ¡°Nah, I think you should watch and learn from the boss and see how he wins ady¡¯s heart. Maybe when you¡¯re better, you¡¯ll use the skills on thedying for you,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°You really have a way to annoy me,¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°You see, a man who gets angry easily, that is not a perfect match for lily,¡±Jarod said.

    ¡°Who are you to say so?¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°Her future husband,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°What! How dare you?¡± I fired at him.

    ¡°All you do is get angry, you really aren¡¯t capable to winning a girl¡¯s heart with true intentions,¡± Jarod said.

    As Cayden was about to reply, Lily came out of her office. She truly looked gloomy, I felt guilty that I had allowed my emotions get the best of me. I walked up to her and greeted her.

    ¡°Hey Lily, how are you doing?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m okay, what about you?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright too. Uhm, do you mind if we go on another date? You know we weren¡¯t able toplete our date,¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry, I have an appointment with Jarod. Maybe next time,¡± Lily said.

    I felt heartbroken when she said that, and the worst was that it was in Jared¡¯s presence she said that. I looked at Jarod and saw his victorious smile, I would rather not look defeated, so I acted like I was okay with it.

    ¡°Alright then, perhaps next time,¡± I said and walked out.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll be fine. If her really loves you, he would find a way to make up for the disappointment,¡± Jarod said.

    ¡°Thanks, Jarod,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Do you mind if we make it real? The outing?¡± Jarod asked.

    ¡°Uhm¡­. I¡¯m sorry, I think I just want to rest,¡± Lily said.

    After Lily closed up the restaurant, she went home and to her surprise, she got home and met Cayden ying with Jacek. Cayden looked up and was shocked to see hering in at this time, he remembered clearly that Lily said they had a date together and wondered if they cancelled.

    ¡°What are you doing here? I didn¡¯t expect to see you here,¡± lily said, still surprised.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Same here, this is the time calcted for you toe home from work, ¡± Cayden said.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Well, we cancelled. I was tired,¡± Lily lied.

    Lily was happy that Cayden had tried to make up for the disappointment in his own way. She saw that Jacek was happy and already had a nice time. She put Jacek to bed andes back to Cayden, who was waiting in the sitting room.

    ¡°So, I wanted to apologize for being so distant on our special date, yesterday,¡± Cayden said.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s alright,¡± Lily said as she blushed. Cayden could not see it as it was night already.

    ¡°So, am I forgiven?¡± Cayden asked.

    ¡°Oh no, Cayden do not act that way, I understand. But do you wanna talk about it?¡± Lily asked.

    Cayden knew that it would be so childish to tell on Jarod so he told a lie.

    ¡°I think I was not feeling too well,¡± he said.

 122

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    Jarod was really getting on my nerves as he kept saying or doing things that pissed me off. He has been giving me a hard time these days, appearing as a rival. I wasn¡¯t ready to give up on my joy, neither was I ready to lose it and Lily was my joy.

    I knew that he would watch closely at my faults and try to be better to Lily so she could favor him and probably start seeing him as the best option.

    I could just punch him hard in the face but that was only going to make me lose points as I had already lost points when we went for a date. I had not noticed that I didn¡¯t pay attention to her at all.

    I should have noticed she was disappointed already. I asked to escort her and she rejected. I should have known from that time. I was so dumb to have allowed my emotions control me.

    JAROD¡¯S POV

    I am going to make sure I win Lily¡¯s heart by all means. Looks like our rival over here is beginning to lose some points. That is where my cuees in, I will take over and I will win.

    Lily¡¯s smile makes me enchanted and I can do anything to have her. Cayden is an easy rival as he is quick to anger and Lily clearly doesn¡¯t like such personality.

    I will make sure I drift them apart with my two hands and show him who is boss.

    The following week was a free week for the restaurant and Lily stayed at home to have enough rest.

    ¡°Granny, how do you feel as I¡¯m home to keep youpany for the week?¡± Lily asked.

    ¡°Oh you should know more than anyone how I love it when you are around. I feel so good right now and the day doesn¡¯t seem boring as it used to be when you go to work.¡± Granny said.

    ¡°Granny, can I ask you a question?¡± Lily asked.

    ¡°How did you know grandpa loved you when you both were still very much young?¡± Lily asked.

    ¡°Hummm that is an interesting question to ask my dear. Well, I was young and beautiful, I had so many suitors. It was hard to know those who were after my beauty and physique or those who were after my my heart and soul.¡± Granny paused.

    ¡°Hmmm, interesting. I¡¯m listening, granny¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Your grandpa did things differently, he did everything he wished to do for me and with me with a sincere heart¡­..¡± Granny was interrupted.

    Then she heard a knock and went to check who was at the door.

    ¡°Who is at the door?¡± lily asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Cayden, ¡± he said.

    Lily was shocked as she did not expect him. She opened the door for him and he hugged her.

    ¡°I came to keep youpany, hope you do not mind,¡± Cayden asked.

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯ll love that,¡± Lily said with a smile on her face.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I felt so relieved seeing her smile because of  me again. I was determined to make the most of our time whenever we saw. I didn¡¯t want Jarod to steak her from me in any way. He was cunning so, there is a possibility he could devise a way and I wouldn¡¯t know.

    I exchanged greetings with her granny and sat with her. We began to talk about different things and weughed together, I was happy I was able to make herugh. I urged Lily to join me, which she did.

    I loved the way sheughed, she always looked the happiest whenever she wasughing.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°When Jacek wakes up, let us go on an outing to an amusement park, it would be so nice,¡± I said.

    ¡°Really? I am excited to go, thank you so much,¡± lily thanked me.

    LILY¡¯S POV

    Cayden had be more flexible than he was those early times. I love the way he came to my house and had fun with my granny too. It¡¯s not an easy thing to mingle with these oldies, and he is trying his best to make herugh as much as possible.

    ¡°I would have to see you and Jarod tomorrow. I don¡¯t know if you both have nned to see me throughout this week but I have to see you both tomorrow,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Really? It¡¯s strange that when ites to Jarod, you cut him some ck. Why can¡¯t you tell him to back off like the way you¡¯ve done to others who seemed to be trespassing?¡± Cayden asked.

    ¡°Jarod is not a stranger and you know that,¡± Lily said.

    CAYDEN¡¯S POV

    I didn¡¯t want to initiate an argument tonight since tonight was the only certain time I had with her alone, to myself.

    ¡°Should we go for a night walk?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, sure. Also, I have sent a text to Jarod about it, so he might have been preparing for  tomorrow,¡± Lily said.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I said.

    The night breeze was cool and good for lovers but Lily and I weren¡¯t lovers yet. I wished I could hug her but wasn¡¯t sure. Especially because of what had happened recently.

    ¡°Lily, the breeze is cool this night. You should be thankful to me that I decided to walk you out,¡± I said, teasing her.

    ¡°Really? Oh! Do I need to bow?¡± Lilyughed.

    I had eased out the tense, then I held her shoulders and kissed her. This time around, the kisssted a bit longer than anyone we¡¯ve ever had together.

    The next day, I had taken my bath, made myself smell nice and look more handsome for Lily as I knew that brat rival was going to be around. I drove to her house and surprisingly, Jarod was there already.

    Did he get to her house very early? This devil incarnate never cease to annoy me.

    ¡°Hey guys, news sh. I would have to cancel my appointment with you guys. I have an appointment with someone else and I really have to go now,¡± Lily said.

 123

    Chapter 123Cayden and Jarod were stunned by Lily¡¯s audacity. They had been looking forward to their date with her all week and had even made reservations. But now, she was telling them that she had canceled their ns and would be going out with someone else instead.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going out with someone else?¡± Cayden asked, his voice rising in frustration.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for us to go out,¡± Lily replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve hurt your feelings, but I think it¡¯s better if we just stay friends.¡±

    Jarod was equally taken aback. ¡°But we¡¯ve been nning this for days,¡± he protested. ¡°You can¡¯t just bail on us like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not bailing on you,¡± Lily said firmly. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for us to go out. I hope you understand.¡±

    With that, Lily walked over to the couch and picked up her jacket. She didn¡¯t even look back as she left the house, leaving Cayden and Jarod standing there in stunned silence.

    For a few moments, the two men just stared at each other, trying to process what had just happened. Then, Cayden¡¯s frustration boiled over.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she would do this to us,¡± he eximed. ¡°We were so excited about tonight, and now she¡¯s just blowing us off for someone else.¡±

    Jarod shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s just not interested in us like that. We need to respect her decision and move on.¡±

    Cayden was having none of it. ¡°No way,¡± he said angrily. ¡°We can¡¯t just let her walk all over us like this. We need to do something.¡±

    Jarod sighed, knowing that Cayden could be stubborn when he wanted to be. ¡°What do you suggest we do?¡± he asked.

    Cayden thought for a moment before replying. ¡°We need to confront her,¡± he said. ¡°We need to make her see that what she¡¯s doing is wrong.¡±

    Jarod shook his head again. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll just end up making things worse.¡±

    But Cayden was already heading for the door. ¡°I¡¯m doing this, with or without you,¡± he called over his shoulder.

    Jarod ignored himpletely, which passed him off.

    That¡¯s when Caydenunched into a heated tirade.

    ¡°You always do this,¡± Caydenined, his voice rising with each word. ¡°You never want to stand up for yourself. You¡¯re always so worried about what other people think.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Jarod shot back. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth getting into a fight over.¡±

    ¡°A fight?¡± Cayden repeated, incredulous. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about a fight. I¡¯m talking about standing up for ourselves.¡±

    Jarod rolled his eyes. ¡°You always have to be so dramatic,¡± he said. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth getting worked up over.¡±

    Cayden was getting more and more frustrated. ¡°You¡¯re always so calm and collected,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s like nothing ever bothers you. How can you be so apathetic about this?¡±

    Jarod stopped walking and turned to face him. ¡°I¡¯m not apathetic,¡± he said firmly. ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth getting into a fight over. We can¡¯t control how Lily feels about us, and getting angry about it won¡¯t change anything.¡±

    Cayden shook his head, refusing to back down. ¡°You¡¯re always so passive,¡± he said. ¡°Sometimes you have to take a stand and fight for what you want.¡±

    Jarod¡¯s frustration was starting to show. ¡°I am not passive,¡± he said, his voice rising. ¡°I just don¡¯t see the point in arguing over something that we can¡¯t change.¡±

    Cayden was now practically yelling. ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re so afraid of change that you won¡¯t even try to make things better.¡±

    The argument was starting to escte, and it was clear that both boys were getting worked up. They were standing face to face, their fists clenched at their sides, and it looked like things might turn violent.

    But then, something unexpected happened. Jarod burst outughing.

    Cayden looked at him in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he demanded.

    Jarod shook his head, still chuckling. ¡°We¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re arguing over something that doesn¡¯t even matter. We¡¯re both exhausted, and we¡¯re taking it out on each other.¡±

    Cayden looked at him, the anger draining from his face. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°This is stupid. I¡¯m sorry.

    Lily had a n. She knew that Cayden and Jarod were having trouble getting along, and she was determined to help them work it out. She had nned to cancel their date and tell them that she was going out with someone else, in the hopes that it would force them to confront their problems. And things were working like clock work.

    Later that night, Cayden and Jarod sat down to talk. They both knew that they needed to address their problems if they were going to move forward.

    Jarod spoke first. ¡°Look, Cayden,¡± he said. ¡°I know we¡¯ve had our differences in the past. But I want to put that behind us and move forward.¡±

    Cayden nodded, relieved. ¡°Me too,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t want things to be awkward between us.¡±

    Jarod smiled. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Because I have to tell you something. I really like Lily, and I want to be friends with her.¡±

    Cayden looked at him in surprise. ¡°Really?¡± he asked.

    Jarod nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°I think that role suits me better. And I don¡¯t want it to cause any problems between us.¡±

    Cayden smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you.¡±

    Cayden continued to think about Lily constantly since their date, wondering how he could win her heart. He knew that he needed to make a move soon, but he didn¡¯t want toe on too strong.

    One day, he decided to take a chance and visit her at her house. He nervously walked up to her front door, his heart pounding in his chest.

    As he knocked on the door, an elderly woman answered. ¡°Hello there,¡± she said kindly. ¡°Can I help you?¡±

    Cayden smiled at her. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m here to see Lily,¡± he said.

    The woman smiled back. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of Lily¡¯s friends,¡± she said. ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    Cayden followed her inside, feeling a bit apprehensive. He had never met Lily¡¯s grandmother before, and he wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.

    As they walked into the living room, Cayden saw Lily sitting on the couch, looking surprised to see him. ¡°Cayden, what are you doing here?¡± she asked.

    Cayden shrugged. ¡°I just wanted to stop by and say hi,¡± he said.

    Lily smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had a higher chance of getting her now that he was in her house, talking to her grandmother.

    The three of them chatted for a while,ughing and getting to know each other. Cayden found himself feeling more and morefortable around Lily, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was a connection between them.

    As the visit came to an end, Cayden said goodbye to Lily and her grandmother, promising toe back and visit soon.

    As he walked out of the house, he couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, he had a chance with Lily.

    The two boys made up, and Lily eventually returned to the apartment. Jarod left, and Lily noticed that he didn¡¯t seem angry or upset.

    Cayden told her that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and that he loved her. She asked about Jarod, and Cayden told her that they had made up and that he wasn¡¯t going to be a problem anymore.

    Lily smiled, feeling relieved. She knew that things wouldn¡¯t always be perfect between the three of them, but she was d that they were all working to make things better.

 124

    Cayden had always been supportive of Lily¡¯s pastry shop dreams, and when she mentioned wanting to renovate and build a better shop, he was more than willing to help. They spent hours going over designs, visiting hardware stores, and picking out paint swatches.

    ¡°Maybe we should go with a light blue for the walls, it¡¯ll make the pastries stand out more,¡± suggested Cayden as they browsed through the paint section of a local hardware store.

    Lily nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! And we can get some modern light fixtures to add some ambiance.¡±

    As they made their way down the aisles, they would asionally run into some of Lily¡¯s acquaintances who would whisper and give them looks.

    They would often be seen together at the pastry shop, discussing ideas for improvements or picking out new items for the menu. Some of the more judgmental townspeople would gossip about them behind their backs, specting that Cayden would eventually dump Lily or that he was just using her for his own gain.

    Despite the rumors, Cayden and Lily didn¡¯t let it bother them. They were too focused on building a sessful pastry shop and enjoying each other¡¯spany.

    Cayden and Lily just smiled and shrugged it off, knowing that their rtionship was much deeper than any gossip.

    The next day, Cayden surprised Lily by showing up at her shop with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

    ¡°Wow, Cayden! These are beautiful,¡± eximed Lily as she smelled the flowers.

    ¡°They¡¯re for you, who¡¯s working so hard on her dreams,¡± replied Cayden with a grin.

    Lily blushed at thement, ¡°You¡¯re so sweet, Cayden. Thank you.¡±

    Over the next few days, Cayden continued to spoil Lily with gifts and affection. Cayden took Lily¡¯s hand and led her towards the direction of a high-end shopping district. They walked past various stores and boutiques, with Lily admiring the window disys of designer clothes and luxury essories. Cayden noticed her admiration and couldn¡¯t resist spoiling her with a few treats.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in here,¡± Cayden said as he opened the door to a high-end jewelry store. The store was dimly lit, with sparkling jewels in ss disy cases lining the walls. A friendly salesperson greeted them as they walked in and led them to a disy case showcasing diamond nes.

    Cayden looked at Lily and grinned. ¡°Which one do you like?¡±

    Lily¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the beautiful nes on disy. ¡°They¡¯re all so stunning,¡± she said, admiring the diamonds as they sparkled in the light. She pointed to a ne with a solitaire diamond pendant. ¡°That one is beautiful,¡± she said softly.

    He quickly got it for her before they left for the restaurant.

    As they walked out of the shoe store, Lily couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed by Cayden¡¯s generosity. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you,¡± she said, her eyes filling with tears.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Cayden wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me,¡± he said softly. ¡°I just want you to be happy.¡±

    Cayden couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her, ¡°You look stunning, Lily.¡± Caydenplimented, his lips forming an ¡°o¡± as he talked to her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She responded, beaming.

    Lily decided to ask Cayden about his job. She had seen him work before, and she was curious to know what his role was at thepany.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s thepany where you work?¡± she asked, taking a sip of her wine.

    As Cayden shared the name of thepany he worked for, Lily¡¯s face fell. It was as if a dark cloud had descended upon her, and her expression shifted from one of joy and excitement to one of fear and apprehension.

    Cayden noticed the change in her demeanor and was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lily?¡± he asked, his voice filled with concern.

    Lily hesitated, her eyes searching Cayden¡¯s face for a moment.

    She suddenly looked like she had seen a ghost. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cayden asked, concerned.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he repeated, reaching out to touch her hand.

    Lily shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cayden. I just don¡¯t feel well all of a sudden. Can we go home?¡±

    Cayden was confused, but he didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Of course, let me call for the bill.¡±

    As they walked out of the restaurant, Cayden tried to ask Lily what was wrong, but she was distant and unresponsive. When they reached her apartment building, Lily leaned in and kissed Cayden on the cheek. ¡°Thanks for a lovely evening,¡± she said softly, before walking inside.

    Cayden stood on the sidewalk, watching her disappear into the building. He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. Lily had seemed fine all evening, and then suddenly she was upset and wanted to go home.

    Cayden¡¯s mind was racing as he sat alone in the restaurant, his thoughts darting from one possibility to the next. What had he said to upset Lily so much? Was it something he had done? Or worse, something he hadn¡¯t done?

    As he sat there, he felt a growing sense of unease. It was as if the entire world had shifted on its axis, and he was the only one who hadn¡¯t received the memo.

    He reyed their conversation in his mind, trying to identify the moment when things had gone wrong. He couldn¡¯t find it. Everything had been going so well. They hadughed and talked, and he had felt a growing sense of connection between them.

    Had he said something wrong? Did he do something to upset her? Was there someone else in her life that he didn¡¯t know about? Cayden was at a loss, and he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something more going on than what he could see.

    As he stood there at the table, Cayden felt a pang of sadness in his chest. He had been so happy just moments before, and now he was left with nothing but confusion and uncertainty.

    But now, as he sat there alone, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened. Something that he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on.

    He thought about calling Lily, but he knew it was pointless. She had made it clear that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, and he didn¡¯t want to make things worse by pushing her.

    Instead, he tried to distract himself by focusing on the details of the restaurant around him. He noticed the way the light yed across the tablecloth, the clink of silverware against tes, the murmur of conversation from other diners.

    But even as he tried to distract himself, his mind kept returning to Lily. What had happened? What had he done to make her so upset?

    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to rest until he figured it out. But for now, all he could do was wait, and hope that Lily would find it in her heart to forgive him.

 125

    Chapter 125 ¨C A lunch date with Cayden.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    I decided to forget about the other night and concentrate on the most important thing right now; the renovations for my second bakery shop. I was really excited to start the preparations.

    The fact that everything was going ording to n was really good and it made me happy too. When I got to the second shop, I wanted to call Cayden toe and see me to keep mepany, but I thought against it.

    He was probably busy anyway. So, I just continued with the supervision of everything.

    A few hourster, I was already really tired and I went out to get some fresh air. I was in deep thoughts, when I suddenly saw Cayden approaching me.

    I was really shocked and surprised and I had to look again to be sure.

    Yes, he was the one.

    He was grinning from ear to ear and I couldn¡¯t help smiling at him too.

    ¡°Hey. You look stressed.¡± He said when he got to me. He was looking around the site and I wondered what he thought of everything.

    ¡°Oh wow. Thanks for thepliment. I really appreciate Mr Cayden.¡± I teased him and he smiled at me.

    With the way things were going between us, I wasn¡¯t sure if we would ever be like before again andst night¡­.

    I decided to let things go because Cayden wasn¡¯t even acting like he remembered what happened, so I just buried that because I didn¡¯t want it to look like I was being persistent over the same issue.

    ¡°Do you want to get something to eat?¡± He asked me and I was about to decline, when my stomach growled loud enough for him to hear.

    I ced my hands in my stomach and I looked away from him. I was really feeling embarrassed about it, but he seemed like he didn¡¯t care about it.

    ¡°Oh, wow. Now, you can¡¯t refuse my offer.¡± He said andughed loudly. I also joined him and I looked at his face. I really loved seeing him like this.

    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go.¡± I said and I was about to drag his hand for us to walk together, when he stopped me.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked him with a little frown in my face.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking your bag?¡± He said and he ced his hands on my waist. He dragged me closer and he put his mouth beside my ear.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll being back here today.¡± He whispered and I smiled at him. I knew what he meant and I was all for it.

    I¡¯ll always be avable to him. Always.

    Cayden¡¯s POV

    I hadn¡¯t been given the time the CEO woulde, so I was still feeling really rxed. I knew that I still had time, that¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t bothering about it.

    Lately, I¡¯ve been receiving so many emails from an unknown person and the emails all had one message.

    ¡°I¡¯ming to see you. It¡¯s really urgent.¡± I read all the messages and before replying to any of them, I read them more than four times. I didn¡¯t know how to feel about it and how the person even got my email address.

    I decided to reply to the person today and I took a deep breath before replying. ¡°Who are you? I need to know.¡±  That was the message that I sent to the recipient and I didn¡¯t receive a reply.

    A few hourster, I finally got tired of waiting for a reply. I had a more important thing to do, which was to go and see my Lily.

    I got dressed and a few minutester, I was done with everything. I grabbed my car keys and I went out in my car.

    I didn¡¯t know why I was feeling really anxious to see her, maybe it was because I had missed her so much.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    While I was on the road, my mind kept on wandering around Lily and the weird emails that I¡¯ve been receiving. They were starting getting weird and I stead of bothering myself with it, I decided to focus on just one person, which is the most important one, Lily.

    I got to the site and I quickly got out of my car. I started walking to the site and I was really surprised to see that Lily was standing in front of the site. She looked really stressed and I doubled my steps.

    When she saw me, she started smiling and I smiled at her too. I was really happy to see her. I got to her and I pulled her into a hug. The hug didn¡¯tst for long, but it was enough for me.

    ¡°Hey. You look stressed.¡± I said and she replied with a more sarcasticment. I asked her to have lunch with me and almost immediately, her stomach started growling, so she couldn¡¯t even turn down my offer with excuses.

    When I was about to get to her, I thought the air between us would have been a little awkward, but I loved the way we handled it. We didn¡¯t even talk about what happened thest night we were together.

    My eyes scanned her body slowly and I just knew that she wasn¡¯t going home today. I moved closer to her and I whispered that to her. I told her to get ready to stay with me for the night and she smiled at me.

    I helped her into my car and in less than three seconds, we already stormed off to the nearest fancy restaurant around.

    When we got there, I brought the chair out for her to sit before sitting down myself.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked her while staring at the menu in my hand. She didn¡¯t answer me and I just ordered two ys of pasta for the both of us, with one of the fanciest wines that they had.

    ¡°You¡¯re a saviour, Cayden. I was really starving.¡± She said and a sigh escaped from her mouth.

    I smiled and I replied, ¡°that¡¯s why I¡¯m the love of your life.¡±

    She widened her eyes for a second before she smiled at me.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

 126

    Chapter 126 ¨C A very nice night.

    Lily

    Cayden was being extra sweet today and I was really happy about that. Now, I feel like nothing can ever go wrong between us now.

    When our tes of pasta finally came, I started digging into it. I just couldn¡¯t wait for Cayden to begin.

    After taking the third spoon, I looked up to look at Cayden, I saw that he was looking straight at me. I dropped my fork because I felt embarrassed and¡­weird.

    ¡°You were really starving.¡± Cayden said while looking at me.

    I looked down before answering. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I was about to say something to him about stealing his food jokingly, when he received a phone call. I could see that he was contemting if he should receive the call right in front of me, or if he wanted to go out to receive it. He finally settled for the first option.

    ¡°Hello?¡± He said to the caller at the other end, but it seemed like the person didn¡¯t say anything because he dropped his phone almost immediately.

    A few secondster, his phone rang again and he picked immediately.

    ¡°Hello?¡± He said again, but this time, he didn¡¯t drop the call immediately.

    A minuteter, he was done with his call, but with the look that was on his face, I suspected that the call was a bad one. He started looking worried, frustrated and unsettled.

    I tried to show my care by asking him what was wrong, but he told me that he waspletely wrong even though his face and tone of voice said otherwise.

    Cayden¡¯s POV

    I was enjoying my lunch with Lily even though I hadn¡¯t even touched my te whereas Lily had taken up to four spoons. I guessed she was really hungry.

    Everything was going fine, until my phone rang and when I checked to see the caller, I saw that it was an unknown number. I didn¡¯t want to pick it but when I looked at Lily, I saw that she was waiting for me to pick it, so I just did.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I said to the caller and I didn¡¯t get a reply. I thought it might be a wrong number, so I just dropped my phone.

    The number called me again for the second time and I picked it instantly, wondering why the person was trying to spoil my lunch with Lily.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I said again, but this time, I received a reply.

    ¡°Cayden.¡± The person simply said and a frown settled on my face. The voice didn¡¯t sound familiar at all and I pressed the phone against my ear to hear properly.

    I was about to ask who the person was, when the person continued speaking.

    ¡°You need to take responsibility for your actions.¡± The person said and the line went dead.

    I was really surprised and confused about what the person said. I forgot Lily was in front of me and I started pondering over it. It was really confusing to me and I needed so many answers to answer many questions.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lily asked and I snapped out of my thoughts. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was fine at all, but since the problem didn¡¯t have anything to do with her, I didn¡¯t want to bother her with it. So, I just told her that I was fine, even when I wasn¡¯t anything to be fine.

    I decided to invite Lily over to my house. With the issues on my mind, I really need her to take my mind off things and make me feel really good. I asked her and she instantly said okay, just like I expected.

    Hearing that Lily was spending the night made me so happy, that I finished my meal immediately to go home.

    An hourter, we were in my house, having small talks. I went to my bedroom and I wasn¡¯t surprised when Lily started trailing behind me.

    Before we got to my room, I turned to face her and I carried her up, with my hands on her butt. I kissed her chest and she giggled happily.

    I kicked my door open and I rushed to the bed. I dropped her and I removed my shirt quickly. I looked at her and when she was about to remove her too, I stopped her because I wanted to do that.

    I bent down to kiss her and she kissed me back like she had been longing for me. I also wanted to have her too, so I didn¡¯t waste any time at all.

    Lily¡¯s POV

    I woke up the next day feeling a little bit sore. I was about toin, but I felt Cayden¡¯s hot breath against my skin. I remembered everything that happenedst night and I started smiling.

    Last night was one of my best nights and while I was reminiscing about it, I suddenly heard the doorbell ring and I moved Cayden from my body before I went out to meet the person.

    I opened the door and the person that I saw standing at the door, was someone that I had never seen before.

    It was a woman that was holding her protruding belly with her two hands. I stopped looking at her belly and I asked her the person that she wanted to see.

    ¡°Is this Cayden¡¯s house?¡± She asked and I looked at her suspiciously before confirming that.

    After I answered her, she pushed past me and she went further j to the living room. I closed the door and I was about to scream at her, when I saw Cayden looking at her.

    ¡°What are you doing here?.. and with your luggages?¡± Cayden asked her and I was surprised. It seemed he actually knew her. She moved closer to him and she started¡­crying? I wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to call you for a while now, but it¡¯s either you answer the call or you pick it and tell me that you can¡¯t hear me.¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s my fault, but the hotel I was staying in had no service.¡± She added and she tried touching him, but he backed away from her.

    I was really confused about what was happening, so I decided to ask. I asked the woman who was responsible for her pregnancy and she said Cayden.

 127

    Chapter 127 ¨C Cayden has a pregnant wife.

    Lily

    Cayden?

    I don¡¯t think I heard what she said right.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean by Cayden? Cayden did what?¡± I asked the woman, even though it looked like I was asking Cayden himself.

    ¡°You heard me right.   Cayden is responsible for this.¡± She said and she touched her belly. I could see pride in her eyes and I backed away from them with tears in my eyes.

    Was Cayden really responsible for the pregnancy? No, that¡¯s not possible. Right?

    ¡°Cayden¡­¡± I said to him, expecting him to dispute the nonsense the woman was spitting. I looked at him and I saw a look of defeat sh through his eyes.

    Oh my God.

    The woman is telling the truth.

    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes and ears at all.

    Cayden faced the woman and he started asking her if she was okay because he couldn¡¯t remember ever getting into a rtionship with her. He continued saying other things, but at that point, I was listening to anything that anyone was saying.

    I was way too broken to even listen. I started feeling used. Useless. Betrayed. Upset. Angry. Frustrated. Tired. Annoyed. I just had no words to express how I was feeling.

    A little voice at the back of my mind whispered to me to just do something and that sounded really smart to me.

    I removed my hand from the chair that I held for support and I walked past Cayden to go inside and change.

    When I walked past him, I could hear him calling after me, trying to make me wait, but I wasn¡¯t even interested at all, so I just kept on walking.

    Cayden followed me in and he started trying to convince me that the woman outside was just lying against him and that he hadn¡¯t even seen her before, but I was even listening to him at all.

    He imed that he hadn¡¯t seen her before, but she had his number to call several times when she was at the hotel.

    Wow, he was being ¡®truthful¡¯.

    I got dressed quickly and u pushed past him to go outside. When I got to the sitting room, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not the father, Lily. I¡¯ll expose her, I promise. Just wait and listen to what I have to say. Please.¡±

    He was pleading with me, but I wasn¡¯t having it at all. I wasn¡¯t interested in whatever game they were trying to y with me, so I just told him my mind. I told him that I was tired of everything and tired of.. him.

    ¡°Just wait, Lily. I can exin.¡± He said, trying to move close to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Just don¡¯t, Cayden. I can¡¯t continue bearing this, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said and I wiped the tears that were streaming down my face before leaving the house.

    He didn¡¯t go after me.

    Cayden¡¯s POV

    After Lily was gone, I turned to the woman that wanted to put me in trouble and I started asking her to exin why she did what she did.

    ¡°Why? You¡¯re the father of this baby. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great father.¡± She said and she smiled at me, while rubbing her belly affectionately.

    ¡°Who is the father of your baby?¡± I said while frowning at her. ¡°Don¡¯t y with me, I don¡¯t have time for rubbish. Just get to the point.¡± I quickly added when she started smiling at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know that when I give birth. I feel like she¡¯s going to have your eyes, don¡¯t you think?¡± She said and she tried moving closer to me, but I left that spot.

    I was feeling really frustrated by the whole thing and the fact that the woman was ying with the situation and making jokes out of it, wasn¡¯t helping the situation at all.

    ¡°I actually n on staying with you until I give birth. Smart right? Your ce is way morefortable than the hotel.¡± She said, while looking around my house like I was going to stay here anyway.

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s a dream that can nevere to pass. You can¡¯t stay here even for one more hour. You have to go back to wherever you came from.¡± I screamed to her and she watched me closely.

    ¡°I¡¯m not even staying here for an hour.¡± She said and shrugged.

    ¡°Thank God.¡± I said and I was about to help her with her luggages outside, when she added, ¡°I¡¯m staying here for more than an hour. A year, I think?¡± She said and I watched her in awe.

    Where is she from for heaven¡¯s sake?

    ¡°Okay, okay. You¡¯ll go back to where you¡¯reing from and I¡¯ll pay for everything you¡¯ll ever need, but you will never set foot in this house or anywhere around me. Is that fine?¡± I asked her and she red at me like I was crazy.

    Hey, I¡¯m not the crazy one here. I wanted to scream that at her, but I kept my mouth shut.

    The woman wanted to argue, but I was really surprised when she didn¡¯t.

    Instead of doing that, she moved closer to me and she told me that she agreed to what I said to her. I was about to rejoice about that, when she told me that if I should ever abandon her, then she would make sure that mypany would suffer for it and the news would hear of it.

    I agreed to that and I decided to drive her back to the airport. I helped her with her luggages to the car and an hourter, I had already dropped her at the airport. I gave her some money before leaving too.

    After her departure, I started feeling  confused emotions. I tried calling Lily, but I realised that she blocked my line.

    I decided to drive to her house to ask her why she was hurting me so much.

    When I got to her house, I was told that she wasn¡¯t at home and I instantly drove to her shop. She wasn¡¯t there either.

    I started panicking about everything because I was wondering where she could be. I was filled with much guilt  because I knew that if anything happened to her, then I¡¯d be the cause of it. I started going from one ce to another, but I still didn¡¯t find her.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and to feel better, I just went back to her shop.  I started sulking and ming myself for everything, when I saw Jarod staring at me.

 128

    Chapter 128 ¨C Jarod¡¯s weirdfort

    Cayden

    I looked again to see if my eyes were deceiving me.

    No, they weren¡¯t.

    Jarod was really standing right before me with a confused look on his face. I instantly looked away from him because I didn¡¯t want him to see how sad and vulnerable I really was.

    He started walking towards me and I shook my head repeatedly, trying to tell him not toe any closer, but he ignored me.

    He came to me and without me telling him anything, he sat down beside me and he didn¡¯t say a word to me.

    I wasn¡¯t interested in talking to him, so I just continued observing the silence between us. He also noticed that I didn¡¯t want to talk because he didn¡¯t break the silence.

    A few minutester, I stole a nce at him and I was finally ready to talk to him since he wasn¡¯t ready to leave.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The both of us said at the same time and we startedughing like two crazy men. Well, I guess we are actually crazy.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked a few secondster and myughter instantly wiped away. Remembering the look that way in Lily¡¯s face when she left only made me sad.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know man. I really don¡¯t.¡± I said to him and I sighed loudly. I really wanted to tell him everything that happened, but I didn¡¯t know why I was feeling like he didn¡¯t have to know.

    I mean, we¡¯ve never really seen eye-to-eye, so me feeling him my problems now just seemed¡­weird.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± He said and he eyed me suspiciously.

    ¡°Well, I do, but I don¡¯t feel the need to tell you.¡± I said and I shrugged casually.

    ¡°What in heaven¡¯s name is wrong with you? You know, I used to think that me hating you was just something that I was going to get over, but today, I¡¯m sure that I actually do hate you. You did something wrong and now, you¡¯re here feeling like God knows what about it and you still don¡¯t want to tell me? You¡¯re a joke, man.¡± Jarod screamed at me and I finally realised that his visitation was not one offort, but one of confrontation.

    I suddenly felt like he knew what happened, even more than what I knew and I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn¡¯t know how to.

    ¡°I am not happy with the way you¡¯re here, acting like you¡¯re one innocent man. You shouldn¡¯t be here to be honest.¡± He said and I could still hear the anger in his voice.

    He didn¡¯t want me toe here? But why? I didn¡¯t do anything to him, did I? The only person that was supposed to act this way was Lily and not Jarod. Which means that he actually knows something that I don¡¯t.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked him and he looked at me before facing forward.

    ¡°An hour or so ago, Lily came in here crying like she had lost somebody. I saw her and I ran to her, asking her what was wrong. At first, she didn¡¯t want to talk to me, just like you didn¡¯t want to talk to me too, but after a while, she opened up to me that you were the cause of¡­her tears. After telling me, she ran out of the shop and when I was about to follow her, she told me not to.¡± He said and he swallowed.

    Wow, Lily really did that?

    God, I hate myself right now for hurting someone that¡¯s as innocent as Lily.

    ¡°What happened? I really need to know before I punch you in the face right now.¡± He yelled and guilt instantly overwhelmed me.

    Jarod wasn¡¯t wrong in any way. I really deserved a punch for hurting Lily.

    I sighed and I decided to tell him everything. I mean, he already knows more than half of the story anyway.

    I told him everything that happened. From the pregnant woman that tries pinning the responsibility of her pregnancy on me, to the way Lily ran out of the house and everything that happened afterwards.

    However, I didn¡¯t tell him about how Lily and I had one of the best nights of our lives before the woman came and destroyed everything.

    ¡°What the hell? Wow.¡± Jarod seemed really surprised and shocked.

    ¡°So, you actually have a wife? And not just a wife, one that¡¯s pregnant? That¡¯s really crazy. You¡¯re a crazy man.¡± He said and a huge frown settled on my face.

    Jarod didn¡¯t believe me too?

    ¡°She¡¯s not my wife, bro. I don¡¯t even know her at all. I¡¯m serious.¡± I said and I really hoped he believed me because I was starting to even doubt myself.

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He said and I wasn¡¯t sure if he actually believed me, but he said okay. That¡¯s enough, right?

    ¡°Jarod, I really need some advice concerning this to be honest. I¡¯m confused and I also need to see Lily. I know that you didn¡¯t tell me the full story about how she left. I know she told you where she went.¡± I said to Jarod and he shifted ufortably in his spot.

    ¡°Look, man. I actually understand what you¡¯re saying, I really do. The issue is crazy and painful. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do.¡± He said and I was a little bit relieved that I was getting closer to him, so he would be able to tell me about Lily.

    ¡°Thanks for understanding. I need you to help me to lure Lily out of where she¡¯s hiding. Please. I pleaded with Jarod, but he refused. He told me that he couldn¡¯t risk the friendship that he had suffered to get back. I started begging him with my life and after a while, he finally agreed to tell me where she was.

    I was so relieved and I asked Jarod what I should do first, to make everything okay again.

 129

    Lily is M. I. A

    Cayden

    ¡°I think you should call her first and see how that goes. Then you can go into town and search everywhere you think that she could be; market, stores, a spot and whatnot. If you don¡¯t find her,e back in the evening okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. Thanks, man¡±

    ¡°My pleasure¡±

    Jarod giving me advice has to be one of the weirdest things that have happened to me since I arrived Nedford. It¡¯s a good look tho.

    I got in my car and went to all the ces I went to search for her initially, you know, you can never be too sure. I went to the park, her favourite thinking ce and even the market, just in case she went to purchase something for the new shop; she wasn¡¯t in any of those ces. Where the hell could she have gone to hide? I was so worried, I just hope that she didn¡¯t get kidnapped. That would be a real bummer.

    I had onest stop before going back to the shop; her house. I got there and knocked on the door

    ¡°Coming!¡± That was Nana¡¯s voice. She opened the door and saw me.

    ¡°Hello Mrs Annie, how are you doing today?¡±

    ¡°Not so good Cayden, Lily hasn¡¯t returned home. I miss my baby¡±

    ¡°Still?¡± She shook her head

    ¡°Omg, this was myst stop. I thought she¡¯d be here¡±

    ¡°Oh God, I hope my baby hasn¡¯t gotten missing now¡± she was pretty shaken.

    ¡°She woulde back, I know she would. Besides, she would never leave Jacek alone¡± I said as I ced my hand on her shoulder and led her to the couch to sit, calming her down. She had been watching a romance video before I got there. I yed the movie for her and her mind settled. I felt guilty seeing Mrs Annie like this because I was the reason she disappeared in the first ce. My mind was going haywire! Was Lily doing alright? I hope she¡¯s fine. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of all the possibilities of events that could have happened. I stayed with Mrs Annie for a while and left her when she was more settled. I got into my car and dialled her number but it kept going straight to voicemail, so I left her voicemails but no response. I texted her about a million times but she didn¡¯t reply, I panicked. I sat in the car for a while to take all of what was happening. It was just crazy.

    I sat and observed the road, who knows, she could be here somewhere around. I saw couples hanging out at an open bar not so far away. It didn¡¯t look like their first date, they synced, so it was obvious how much fun they were having. I just wanted that Lily but every time things are starting to give well, something goes wrong. Hell, it feels like a curse.

    I got tired and started my engine. I drove back to Lily¡¯s pastry shop to see if Jarod could help me in some other way that I won¡¯t know since he¡¯s known her longer than I do. Getting there, I saw Lily.

    ¡°Oh my God Lily! You¡¯re here!¡± I was so happy she was okay and none of the things I thought happened to her happened. Guess she just needed some time away but she should have told her grandma though, she almost had a heart attack but anyway, it¡¯s good to see her.

    My first instinct was to go hug her and I went for it but she gave me attitude, so I stopped. Jarod left the shop so we could talk privately. They were about to close the shop.

    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± I said to him

    ¡°Sure,¡± He said, walking away.

    ¡°Hey Lily, I know you¡¯re mad¡± She started walking in the direction of the door but I blocked her.

    ¡°You¡¯re in my way¡± Her eyes were fiery.

    ¡°Please just give me a chance to speak¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be anything you have to say Cayden, you¡¯re a liar!¡±

    Her words stabbed my heart but I didn¡¯t stop. I needed this woman to know that I didn¡¯t know anything of this until thedy came and I¡¯d never do anything to hurt her.

    ¡°Look, I get that you¡¯re mad Lily that¡¯s my bad. U promise you that I didn¡¯t know okay? I¡¯ve done so much wrong in the past but I care about you too much to lie about something this sensitive to your face. I can¡¯t hurt you, my conscience won¡¯t let me do that¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even look at you Cayden! After all, we¡¯ve been through, you still ended up cheating on me! I should have seen thising. I feel like I¡¯m always heading for doom with you. Please just stay away from me, okay? I¡¯m not interested in what you have to say¡±

    ¡°Lily it¡¯s not even like that. I told you I can¡¯t lie to you. You mean a lot to me and I¡¯m not taking it for granted. Please just believe me when I say I didn¡¯t cheat because I didn¡¯t.¡± I sighed ¡°I need you to trust me, it¡¯s just my past trying to revisit me and destroy my future because I¡¯m finally happy but I won¡¯t let that happen. So, would you please listen to me now?¡± I looked into her eyes, she had calmed down. It was a good sign, we could work with that.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Just go on and say what you have to. You have about ten minutes, after that, I¡¯m walking away.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡±

    I went ahead and walked to a table, turned over the chair from the table that was previously upside down and sat down on it. She went back to the counter and dropped the bag that she was holding, alongside the keys and came back to meet me at the table I was sitting at. She motioned me to begin and I started¡­

 130

    Odds against me

    Cayden

    ¡°When I newly came to Nedford, I messed around with lots of girls and that¡¯s when I met her¡± I paused and continued ¡°I had not even met you then at all¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re going to use that as an excuse? Did you think it was okay to just follow any girl that had a vagina around? So unbelievable¡± She remarked

    ¡°I¡¯m hurt Cayden, this is too much for me to take in and I can¡¯t handle it, and neither can I forgive you. You lied to me and that¡¯s not okay¡±

    ¡°Lily, when did I lie? I found out the same time you did and I¡¯m here trying to smoothen things..¡±

    ¡°When did you lie? Are you asking me that?¡±

    I didn¡¯t answer because it was a trap

    ¡°I should have believed Jake when he brought the information about your wife and child¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a wife and a child, Lily¡±

    ¡°But you have a child in the way, yes or yes? I should have trusted Jake¡¯s information and never let you close to me, now everything has blown over in my face just right after we had sex! Perfect timing!¡± Her breath was heavy.

    ¡°I fell in love with you and now I¡¯m hurt. I should have protected my heart and kept my distance. This is a lot of hurts for one person to go through Cayden. How do you want me to handle this, huh? Just imagine I got pregnant too, there would be no difference between your ¡°baby mama to be¡± and myself. I hate that this is happening! I just.. I¡­¡± She paused and tried to breathe, calming herself down. I¡¯m sure she was tired already. I hated that I was putting her through all of this.

    I tried to hug her but she stopped me. I just had to respect her and keep my distance from her.

    She walked to the fridge and grabbed a tequ and shots cup. Seems like she needed some moral support.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to figure this out Lily, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the father and I¡¯m going to do a paternal test to prove that but it can only happen when the child is born¡±

    She stared at me, taking another shot. ¡°So I¡¯m going to have to wait for months to know if you¡¯re mine? Do you even understand how long that is?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already yours Lily and I¡¯ve been telling you that, I won¡¯t still stop saying it. I¡¯m yours, Lily, no matter what happens. I¡¯m not gonna let thise between us, please let me figure it out¡±

    She just looked at me silently. Her stare was killing me

    Jacek came in from the room inside

    ¡°Mama, you¡¯re closed already?¡±

    ¡°Candy, who told you toe here?¡±

    ¡°Grandma said you¡¯d be here, I was missing you, mommy.¡±

    She giggled

    ¡°Come give mummy a hug¡±

    Jacek raced into his mum¡¯s arms. She was happy to see him but the pain in her eyes was still visible.

    ¡°Uncle Cayden!!!¡± He screamed and came to hug me too. She was not happy about that but can you me a child for his innocence?

    ¡°Why are you and mommy here alone? Don¡¯t you want toe up?¡±

    ¡°Baby, Uncle Cayden and I are having some grown-up talk¡±

    ¡°Ugh, boring!¡±

    We allughed. Jacek was a bundle of joy, seeing how he lightened up the mood in a few seconds.

    ¡°Come upstairs with me, please?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle to meet you there Candy, this talk is very important and Uncle Cayden needs to leave soon¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± His mood changed ¡°but why do you have to go? You¡¯ve note to visit me and mommy in a while¡±

    Lily didn¡¯t n on covering for me, she wanted me to respond to that question myself.

    ¡°Umm, Uncle Cayden has wronged mummy and he needs to make up for that first¡±

    ¡°But have you apologized?¡±

    ¡°I have a baby but it¡¯s moreplicated than that. Grown-ups make a lot of messed up decisions¡±

    ¡°Oh, I hate grown-up stuff. I don¡¯t ever want to grow up.¡±

    I chuckled ¡°well, not all grown-ups mess up this bad Jacek. You¡¯ll do fine, you¡¯ve got nothing to be worried about.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± He said.

    ¡°Alright candy, time for you to go back home¡±

    She gave him kisses all over his face and he giggled continuously..¡±I¡¯ll see you shortly baby¡±

    ¡°Okay mama¡±

    We watched him go up the stairs and she continued;

    ¡°Despite being mine, you still hurt me. There¡¯s nothing you can do about that Cayden, what¡¯s done is done.¡±

    ¡°Come on Lily. Don¡¯t dismiss my feelings like that¡±

    ¡°Dismiss? Is that what you think is happening here? This is the sound of a woman who¡¯s heartbroken, disappointed, hurt, and regretful, how else do you want me to exin that?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, I get your point¡±

    A man walked

    ¡°Hey, are you guys still open?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡±

    ¡°Oh, please is there anything I can get that¡¯s maybe leftover? I¡¯ve been looking for where to get something but seems like everywhere is closed and I¡¯m exhausted, justing from work¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that but were closed¡±

    ¡°Pleaaaaaase?¡± He dragged

    ¡°Alright, let me check¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    He walked in and grabbed a seat to wait.

    Lily microwaved something for him, I couldn¡¯t see. Looked like a burrito anyway and a burger, and then she added a milkshake; such a caringdy. She packaged it and summoned the man to the counter. She took his credit card and paid for it with it

    ¡°Thank you so much!!! I¡¯m extremely grateful¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee¡±

    He walked away, feeling fulfilled. Lily walked back to where I was and sat down.

    There was an awkward silence that followed.

    ¡°That was nice, what you did for that man¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Say something nice please, the silence is killing me¡±

    ¡°I wish it did, then I would know that the only I¡¯m not with you is because you¡¯re dead¡±

    Ouch! Those words stung worse than a bee.

 131

    Reconciled

    Cayden

    ¡°Please can you just find reasons to call a truce for now? I just don¡¯t want to lose you, Lily, we¡¯vee a long way now.¡±

    ¡°Please just leave Cayden, I¡¯m tired of this already. Leave.¡±

    Wow, I didn¡¯t see thating at all. The amount of hurtful words I¡¯ve had to take from this woman this evening is enough to give one a heart attack. I wished I could do something to twist and turn back the time, something I could say to settle her mind, just anything to prove how much I love and care for her.

    I left the shop with my head down. I had failed to get her to take me back, what¡¯s the assurance that she would say still want anything to have to do with me if I stayed away from her for months and came backter? Is there nothing I could do to save my rtionship? I saw the pain and hurt in her eyes, I did that to her. I was filled with so much guilt and I wanted it all to go away.

    I drove to my spot to think and get a breath of fresh air

    The smell of wet woods hit my nose, I weed the friendly scent by taking in a deep breath. It was a relief to smell the fresh air of the mountains rather than the city fumes that burned at my lungs day by day.

    I needed a moment to rx and the best way for me to do that was to take a stroll through the woods and let my overactive imagination roam.

    The sticks and leaves crunch beneath my hiking boots as I lead myself to my favourite trail. I smiled when the beginning came into view.

    I was exhausted, today had been a long day.

    The pitter-patter of feet practically caused me to jump out of my skin.  I stopped, easing my thoughts by reminding myself that it could just be a ck bear.

    I¡¯vee across a few ck bears, they usually move on after a short while.

    Through the silence, I could hear a strange whining.   I listened more intently, it sounded as if it was an injured animal.  I sat up, ready to seek out the unknown noise with blind trust. The noise came from off the trail,  ¡®ve been warned by the signs around the area not to go off, but I felt I needed to do this.

    I moved my feet carefully in the direction of the noise,  it grew only slightly louder as my feet drew me closer, it was not a bear it had to be a smaller animal. I keep walking when I finally reached the animal by the sound of its wails.

    When I finally got into eyesight to see the animal I was finally able to identify that it¡¯s a fox. It curled itself up in a ball on the leafy ground, his leg bleeding as if it had gotten caught somewhere.

    I carefully dropped my bag off my back being as quiet as possible and reached for my first aid kit. Guess it was a good thing I didn¡¯t leave the bag in the car.

    I slowly took short silent steps towards the fox not wanting to startle it. His blue eyes looked up at me.  His eyes were almost as blue as mine.

    ¡°Hey buddy,¡± I said attempting to touch him. I was shocked as he allowed me to touch him, I carefully and slowly pet his head. I¡¯d previously learnt to give first aid earlier. I tended to its wounds and it curled around me

    ¡°Easy buddy¡± Iughed and it went away, happily

    ¡°At least, something to cheer me up a little,¡± I said to myself? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    I got back to my car and drove home. My secretary called

    ¡°Good afternoon Sir, I¡¯m just calling to remind you about the CEO¡¯s visitation soon¡±

    ¡°Yea, thank you.¡± I was least enthusiastic about that. All that filled my head was Lily. I was heartbroken and couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    I tried getting some rest but it didn¡¯t work. I was restless. I dressed up and went to her house. The light in her room was switched on so I went to her window

    ¡°Hey Lily¡± No answer

    ¡°Lily, can you hear me?¡± Still no answer

    ¡°Come on Lily¡± This time, she switched off the light.

    She didn¡¯t want to talk to me. I went back home. Eating or sleeping couldn¡¯t even be part of the agenda because none of those could happen. Instead, I counted down the time till morning so I could go back to the shop and try again. Staying away wasn¡¯t an option.

    I got to the shop looking so haggard.

    ¡°Hey Jarod, where¡¯s Lily?¡± I asked on seeing him

    ¡°She¡¯s not around¡±

    ¡°Come on man! A man just wants to talk to a woman because he¡¯s in love! Do you want to stand in the way of love?¡± My voice was high pitched and people were staring at me because I made a scene. They started murmuring about what happened to myself and Lily.

    Lily came out and dragged me outside.

    ¡°Can you stop embarrassing me at my workce Cayden?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily but I¡¯ll go to any length to have you back. Look at me, I¡¯m a mess without you. I¡¯m sorry about everything I put you through but I can never be sorry I met you because everything good in my life is all because of you Lily. I love you so much, please forgive me¡±

    She was silent

    ¡°Lily, you¡¯re everything good that I dream of and I know I can¡¯t make all this go away but I know how badly I want to be with you¡±

    Her eyes were teary¡±I want to be with you too Cayden and I love you¡±

    I leaned towards her and kissed her passionately, raising her. Everyone at the shop started cheering at us. It was epic

    ¡°Oh my God,¡± She said,ughing

    ¡°I know baby, you¡¯re amazing¡± She blushed

 132

    Hard to get

    Cayden

    Things were no longer the same since we got back together and although neither Lily nor myself said anything about it, it was ringly obvious even to a blind man. We were both happy to be back in the others life and had missed ourpanionship so much but the trust level was no longer the same, especially from Lily, she trusted me a little lesser than she did before the whole even. I didn¡¯t me her regardless, I understood that it was going to take some time and process for her to adate like she usually did and I willing to give both.

    I came in the early afternoon to Lily¡¯s shop and I had hoped, the shop was less busy as it was now office hours so the number of people in the shop was less. I settled down on my favorite chair quitefortably and then signaled for Lily toe over and sit so we could conversate. She tidied whatever she had doing before I came, gave a few instructions at the back room like she knew we going to talk for at least a short while and thene over with a pristine smile on her face.

    ¡°Hello beautiful¡± I began with subtle ttery.

    ¡°Hey Cayden!¡± With a more reassuring tone than I had expected.

    ¡°You look stunning today Lily¡± I continued my taffy and absolutely savored the smile it painted on her face.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°I look this way every day Cayden, don¡¯t be a simp now¡± she chortled softly and I could see every detail of her finely contoured face. It was an oval face with Rosy cheeks, lustrous skin and sulent lips that padded the air lightly whenever she spoke.

    ¡°If appreciating true beauty were a crime, then consider me guilty as charged¡± Ipensated my sweet talk with an overpraise.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s enough ttery for one day¡± she smiled ¡°so would you like to have your usual?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯d like that but although I need something else as well¡± I stared in subtle curiosity

    ¡°Okay tell me and I¡¯ll check if we have it¡± I asked in ignorance

    ¡°I need you Lily, for a considerable part of my day. I really do understand that you absolutely have a busy day here in the bakery so you barely have the time for requests as mine but I¡¯d would be super ted if you would go on a date with me¡± I takes a pause and at that point she already knew what her answer was going to be, I could see it from the way her face lightened up. At least I was more gentlemanly in asking her out than that (baby daddy) guy ¡°I want to share a bottle of finely brewed wine and stare into your eyes as they glitter from the chandelier lights¡±

    And just as she was about to give me a reply, my phone rang. It was Steve¡¯s secretary and was surely going to be important if she was calling with his office line. I asked Lily if I could step out to take the call and she nodded in approval. The callsted for about six minutes and by the time I got back into the shop, Lily¡¯s face was slightly flushed in. I paid vague attention to it but little did I know I was its cause.

    ¡°Hey I¡¯m back¡± I settle in anticipation of a favorable response to my request.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ how is work, Cayden?¡± She tries to deflect the initial conversation.

    ¡°Work can be talked aboutter Lily. Now all I need to know us you response to my request and why your face has be sappy all of a sudden¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s nothing. But I don¡¯t think I want to go on the date anymore¡­¡± she declines and I immediately be perplexed as to why she turned me down, she was all flower and butterfly like just some moments ago.

    ¡°Oh¡­ well okay, I understand¡± I conceded without even inquiring why she said no.

    ¡°I need to go to the market now, we¡¯ll talkter¡± I asked to drop her off at the market but she declined and asked that I eat my breakfast that I had requested which I yielded to and we said our goodbyes.

    Later that day I headed to meet up with Jarod as I had started doing in order to buddy up with him and kill any bad blood we had towards each other. I needed to amodate any and everyone who was important to Lily.

    ¡°My man!¡± Jarod blurted out as he opened his door to wee me.

    ¡°How are you brother?¡± I reciprocated the hand shake and brotherly hug

    ¡°Oh you brought bear too, wise man. I was just about to go get those,e in,e in¡± I got into his apartment and settled into a single couch.

    We drank andughed about a lot of random topics and found out that we share more inmon than we knew. I finally got to why I really came.

    ¡°Hey bro, I really need to talk to you about something, I need your help in fact¡± I sat up. If there was one person who knew Lily more than she knew herself, that person was Jarod and I knew that. I could have asked Granny but there was only so much she could do.

    ¡°Sure bro, what¡¯s the matter?¡± He settle his bear on the hand of the couch he sat on.

    ¡°It¡¯s Lily, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong but I¡¯ve been trying everything to get things back to the way they were but all my efforts have been futile. I feel she still doesn¡¯t trust me and I can understand that but I am trying here Jarod¡± I let out a long held breath.

    Jarodughed out a little and then replied ¡± Do you honestly me her for not trusting you, regardless of that dramatic apology you pulled off. Those periods were very traumatic for her so it¡¯d be difficult for her to trust anyone not even myself¡±

    ¡°I still feel some atom of guilt for that, everything that happened¡­ I feel I contributed to them¡± I copsed my face to the side.

    ¡°Fortunately for you, those are mistakes that are forgivable and correctable. You see, the thing about Lily is the both the little and big things matter to her and you have to be intentional about both if you want to get to her. You also need to bare yourself out to her,e out with your feelings and true intentions. Having her make assumptions isn¡¯t going to help you my man¡±

    ¡°Alright, about those little things, can I start by getting her something nice as an apology gift? Although I know very little about the things she likes and dislikes¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no biggie Cayden, that¡¯s why you¡¯ve got me. Don¡¯t worry yourself too much, I¡¯ll help you win her back but you¡¯d need to promise me that you¡¯d bemitted as well¡±

    ¡°Absolutely bro, absolutely¡±

 133

    Chapter 133 ¨C I almost killed Lily with lilies.

    Cayden

    I decided to make Lily happy by doing something really special for her. I was really happy when Jarod told me that flowers were okay.

    I got into my car and I drove off to a flower shop to get many flowers for her.

    Apart from getting flowers, I was nning on getting other things for her too, like some jewelleries for her. The image of her smiling appeared in my head and I smiled to myself too, knowing that I was about to make my lily really happy.

    When I got to the shop, I was greeted by a middle-aged woman and I returned her greetings enthusiastically.  I started walking around the shop to find the perfect flowers for my lily.

    I was just walking around when my eyes caught some flowers that were positioned at the end of that section. I went to see the flowers and I saw that they were lilies.  I bent down to smell them and they smelled even better than they looked.

    I smiled to myself and I picked the flowers instantly.  The lilies looked perfect for lily. I paid for the flowers and I entered my car immediately.

    When I got in, I ced the flowers on the front seat and I started the car.

    I was going to her house to drop it, when an idea popped into my head. Instead of taking a bunch of flowers to her,  I could just order a truckload of the flowers. I turned my car around and u went back to the shop to buy ny percent of the lilies there and I went out immediately.

    I told the woman that I needed to buy more things, so I went to a jewellery store to buy so much jewellery for her. I got the most expensive jewelleries and I went back to the flower shop.

    The jewelleries and the flowers were sent to lily and I went to my house to wait for lily¡¯s reply. I was really anxious to know what she felt about the gifts and I kept on pacing around my room, while waiting for a call or a text from her.

    Hours passed and I still hadn¡¯t gotten a text. I suddenly got a call from the truck driver that u sent to deliver the gifts to her and u picked the call with a confused look on my face.

    The truck driver told me that the gifts, especially the flowers, were sent back and he was waiting for me outside my house.

    I was really surprised that lily sent the gifts back and I decided to go to her house, to find out about why she did that.

    I was really angry and I told the truck driver to go with the flowers. I wasn¡¯t interested in taking the flowers back because I sent them to lily.

    When I got to Lily¡¯s house, I got out of my car and I went to her door. I knocked and I waited for an answer.

    Lily¡¯s grandmother was the one that opened the door and she didn¡¯t look happy to see me. She reluctantly invited me in and I went inside.

    When I was inside, I used my eyes to scan around the living room to see if lily was around and I saw that she wasn¡¯t around.

    I asked granny about lily and her face fell immediately.

    ¡°When you brought the flowers, we all went out to see them and in the process, lily passed out because of her allergy.¡±

    Lily is allergic to flowers? I didn¡¯t know that.

    I started feeling really guilty and I didn¡¯t know what to do and how to apologise to the granny.

    ¡°Because of your carelessness, Lily is in the hospital fighting for her life. You did that to her! You did.¡± Grabby suddenly said to me and I wasn¡¯t taken aback by that because I knew that I deserved every form of insult directed to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, granny. I¡¯m sorry. Do you know the hospital that she was taken to?¡± I asked granny with the hope of her telling me where she was.

    She sighed and she blinked at me repeatedly before telling me the name of the hospital.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    I instantly stood up and left, but not before apologising to granny again. My car speed was really high, but I didn¡¯t care about the cops or anything.  The most important thing to me at that moment was getting to Lily and holding her hands.

    When I got to the hospital, I asked the receptionist where Lily was and I was directed to a ward. I ran to the ward and when u opened the door, I saw Jarod sitting in front of lily and he was holding her hand too.

    I closed the door and went inside. When I got inside, Jarod came to me and he gripped my cor in his hands. He pushed me to a wall and he started using me of almost killing lily. He was really angry and I was trying to calm him down, but he wasn¡¯t ready to even listen to me.

    After a few seconds of screaming at me, he finally stopped and he waited for me to exin myself.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that she was allergic to lilies, Jarod.¡± I said to him while trying to catch my breath.

    ¡°What?! You¡¯re not being serious, are you?¡± He red at me like I was crazy.

    He told me that he didn¡¯t know that I was that stupid and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    I started arguing about him that I meant well and it was a romantic gesture on my part. We continued arguing and I heard groaning from Lily¡¯s side.

    I went over to her and I saw that she was already awake and j was about to me Jarod for waking her, when he started dragging me outside, but I tried fighting him back because I didn¡¯t want to leave lily alone. He told me that he wanted Lily to rest, but I told him that I wasn¡¯t there to cause trouble.

    He tried dragging me out again, but he was stopped by lily.  She told him that it was okay and I could stay.

    When that happened and I looked into her eyes, I started feeling guilty about what I did, that I caused the woman that I really love pain.

    She blinked at me and she touched my hand.

 134

    Few seconds of truce

    Cayden

    Seeing her on the bed only made me feel guilty. I did this to her and there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. I felt like all I¡¯d done so far is hurt her and that¡¯s not okay.

    ¡°Hey Lily, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that you were allergic to lilies. I¡¯m so sorry, it¡¯s all my fault¡­¡±

    She ced her hands on mine, calming me down

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Cayden. It¡¯s not your fault, you didn¡¯t know, okay? Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself, I¡¯ll live, I¡¯m not dying.¡±

    ¡°I know but I should have found out first. I¡¯m such a dumbass. It¡¯s shameful and not something to be proud of you know, not knowing things like this about your girlfriend¡­¡±

    Sheughed ¡°it¡¯s okay Cayden, no need to beat yourself up about it and I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s nothing serious just a reaction. I¡¯ll be dischargedter today.¡±

    I smiled and kissed her hands ¡°okay babe, I¡¯ll stay with you until you¡¯re discharged so I could drop you home. I¡¯m not going anywhere, my eyes are on you¡±

    ¡°No Cayden, you don¡¯t need to do that, grandma will be here soon, she¡¯ll take of me¡± she paused and continued, ¡°besides, she¡¯s very angry with you about this whole stuff and doesn¡¯t want to see you at all. So I think you should stay out of my radar for at least, 3 days???¡±

    I smiled, ¡°don¡¯t worry love, I settled that beforeing here. I went to your house first beforeing here. I did all the apologizing and making up I had to do for her to forgive me and she did, eventually. She¡¯s the one that gave me your address too, that¡¯s how I knew where to find you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my! For real? That¡¯s a change. She must like you to have forgiven you so quickly. I¡¯m surprised! That barely happens¡±

    ¡°Have you met me? I¡¯m very forgivable baby! Face card never declines!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, ¡± She said and weughed

    I stared at her as shey on the bed, her eyes sleepy but she still looked very beautiful. My heart was at ease, being with her. She was on a drip and a machine in the room kept beeping, monitoring her heart rate. I¡¯m d she¡¯s okay.

    ¡°Quick question though, why did you decide to send me flowers out of the blue? I was pretty shocked you know, it¡¯s unlike you to do that¡­¡±

    Unlike me? But she deserves it anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I was just trying to do a romantic gesture and make you feel special you know. We¡¯ve been so distant with work, you¡¯ve been overstressing yourself, working and working like that workaholic you are¡±

    Weughed

    ¡°But you¡¯ve not had time to go out with me. I needed to make you see or have a feeling of how special you are to me differently and extravagantly, that you won¡¯t necessarily need to leave work, you know.¡±? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    She startedughing so hard. I didn¡¯t realize what I had just said was funny.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cayden, I didn¡¯t mean tough like that but why would you think that I don¡¯t already know how special I am to you? Come here¡± She tapped the bed with her hand, indicating that I sit next to her on the bed.

    ¡°I know how you feel about me Cayden and I appreciate the grand gesture it¡¯s heart warming¡± She squeezed my hand affectionately and continued

    ¡°But I already know how special I am to you. I know you love me and I feel the same way towards you Cayden. A bunch of flowers, romantic? Yes, but it won¡¯t tell me that. It¡¯s all here¡± she ced her hand on her chest.

    I stared at her, such a nice and sweet woman. I¡¯m so in love with her and nothing can change my mind about that.

    ¡°I love you, Lily¡±

    ¡°I love you too Cayden¡±

    I leaned towards her and kissed her as if my life depended on it

    ¡°Okayyy, you can stop now lovebirds¡­ Get a room ¡± Jarod said, interrupting.

    ¡°Well, technically we¡¯re in a room,¡± I said, pointing to the hospital room we were in as weughed.

    ¡°How are you doing girl?¡± Jarod asked as he walked towards Lily, on the bed

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, can¡¯t wait to go home. Can you grab me something to eat? I¡¯m hungry¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, walking out. I gave her some time to talk with Jarod, at least I trust him now.

    I saw a vending machine and checked if I had quarters to put in. Luckily, I did. I got her a soda and a bag of chips. That should handle the hunger, I guess.

    ¡°Here you go my love,¡± I said as I handed it over to her.

    ¡°Thanks, babes¡±

    ¡°Aww, y¡¯all are gonna make me cry. Some Romeo and Juliet story¡± Jarod teased

    ¡°Oh please Jarod, stop whining. You know you could wait outside, yea?¡±

    ¡°And miss all this free drama I¡¯m getting? No way. Don¡¯t worry, do you, I won¡¯t make a sound.¡± He sat on the chair at the entrance of the room.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my baby?¡± Mrs Annie said as she walked into the room

    ¡°Grandma!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to get up from the bed? Stay there baby, I¡¯m alreadying to give you my hug¡± She said to Lily as she walked to her and covered her in a tight embrace.

    ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m much better Nana, doctor says I¡¯ll be discharged soon¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good¡± She turned to me ¡°Cayden, hope you took great care of her before I got here?¡±

    ¡°Nana?!¡±

    ¡°I have to ask my dear, he has to learn. If not for now, thenter¡±

    ¡°Oh my God,¡± She said and covered her face feeling embarrassed

    ¡°Just the facts¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine Lily¡± I turned to Mrs Annie ¡± yes ma¡¯am, I¡¯ve been doing my best¡±

    ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s what I want to hear¡±

    The doctor came in an hourter

    ¡°You¡¯re free to go now, Miss¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much¡±

    She turned to me ¡°can you please drop me at home?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she smiled.

 135

    CAYDEN¡¯S ABSENCE

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    My days of blissful living never came to an end thanks to the unwavering love Cayden showered me ¨C from doing little things for me to getting me assorted gift. I was definitely happy with the way I lived with Cayden by my side.

    It was a Saturday morning, my doorbell ringing randomly became a custom for a while now and today wasn¡¯t any dissimr.

    On getting the door, it was a delivery guy; thought as much.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I greeted.

    ¡°Hello? Miss Lily?¡±

    ¡°Yes that¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°You have a package miss,¡± he handed me over the package he was holding.

    ¡°Alright. From who is this?¡± I asked

    ¡°It¡¯s written inside. If you may, sign here,¡± he held out a paper and a pen to me. I signed the paper and sent him on his way.

    Unwrapping the gift, I found a card ¨C which I thought to contain the sender¡¯s information ¨C that read:

    ¡®From your unwavering love, Cayden.

    Just as the water in the sea, oceans and water bodies atrge never run dry,

    So will my love for you.

    ept this gift as one of the numerous tokens of my love,

    I love you.

    Your love,

    Cayden.¡¯

    I held the card to my chest, grinning from ear to ear while staring into empty space. Unwrapping the gifts, I saw that it was a special cooking gloves I had seen in the market one of the times we were together and picked interest in. I never thought he¡¯d get it for me because I didn¡¯t even know he saw me admiring it on disy. Cayden¡¯s consideration is one of the qualities in him I admired the most.

    Full of energy, I picked up my phone to call him to express my deep gratitude for the gifts he sent. I dialed his line and held the phone to my ear but it was switched off, thinking it may have beenwork issues, I dialed for the second and third time but still got the same response. I kept the phone down, not really bothered ¨C because it may have been he ran out of battery ¨C and made up my mind to go to his houseter in the day.

    Later that very day, I packed pastries made with most of my new recipes for Cayden to have a taste of every one of them as a token of my appreciation, and went over to his ce.

    I hit the doorbell a couple of times and got no reply, I dialed his phone but he still wasn¡¯t reachable; that was when I started to panic a bit, I was worried if anything had happened to him. I never had to hit the doorbell twice but today, I¡¯d hit it a total of six times and still no sign of a living person in or around the house.

    I shrugged it off and ushered myself out. While I walked down the street, a ck sports car ¨C 2022 Audi R8 ¨C stopped abruptly directly before me. With a bundle of nerves, I fell to the floor which made the bag I held in my hand to spill over, exposing the contents. Angry, I stood up immediately and wanted to give the reckless driver an earful but instead of  just any ¡®reckless driver¡¯ toe down from the car, Charlotte and Evelyn both alighted from the driver¡¯s seat and passenger¡¯s seat respectively.

    ¡°Oops! My bad Lily. You¡¯re small I didn¡¯t see you standing there,¡± Charlotte jeered with sarcasm in her tone. ¡°Or did you see?¡± she turned to ask Evelyn.

    ¡± Nah, not at all.¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you girls to deserve these ill  treatments from you?!¡± I posed the question to no one in particr, collectedly.

    ¡°Thest time I checked, you don¡¯t live here so why have youe to this peaceful neighborhood to disrupt its peace?¡± Charlotte questioned authoritatively.

    ¡°I bet she came to see her boyfriend!¡± Evelyn cried out.

    ¡°Oh! Cayden? The guy who moved?¡± I tilted my head sharply to face  Evelyn who stood farther away from me than Charlotte did.

    ¡°Most definitely,¡± she affirmed.

    She turned back to me and said:  ¡°I knew that handsome responsible young looking man would never fall for you, Lily. You should really learn your ce in life,¡± she abused me smugly.

    ¡°I bet she was nning to get pregnant for the guy since he¡¯s rich, and change her story for good!¡± Evelyn chipped in and they bothughed.

    Charlotte clicked her tongue a couple of times, ¡°too bad, Lily. Looks like your petty little ploy has failed woefully,¡± she kept jeering at me.

    I closed the distance between I and Charlotte to her amazement and staring deep into her eyes, I said: ¡°You can never know what true love is all about until you¡¯ve experienced it yourself, Charlotte.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°So before you¡­ or you¡­,¡± I turned to Evelyn and back to Charlotte, ¡°walk up to me again to speak trash about my rtionship and love life, make sure to be able to understand the concept of true love to be able to distinguish it from the child¡¯s y you both are used to,¡± Ipleted my statement feeling like the boss, leaving them both speechless for a while.

    ¡°Whatever you say, bitch. Just make sure to clear this trash,¡± she pointed to the spilled over pastries.

    ¡°They¡¯re now useless, you can have them,¡± I froze them instantly and walked out the scene with my bag.

    ¡°What insolence!¡± I heard Evelyn cry out from behind me.

    Walking out the scene, out of earshot, deep inside of me, I was worried sick about Cayden. I dialed his number again hoping it went through this time but same as always, it didn¡¯t. It¡¯s been days already!

    I went on with normalcy, facing my business but with a little switch.

    It¡¯s been days now andtely, going to the market made me feel butterflies in my stomach as I¡¯d seen or heard, a couple of times, people whispering obviously about me. They included people I did and did not know. The whole drama ended up dumping a grave amount of unwanted pressure on my shoulders and had me considering moving ces.

    Through out the ¡®Cayden abandoned her¡¯ fiasco, Cayden didn¡¯t call me for once making me worried and upset at the same time.

    *NEW YORK*

    *Mr. STEVE¡¯S POV*

    I had some people keep tabs on my workers in an in depth manner and Cayden was very well among those I kept tabs on. I managed to get wind of the fact that he indeed had a woman who was already pregnant for him. I just couldn¡¯t sit back and do nothing; I had to act.

    I immediately thought of an idea and relinquished someone else¡¯s duties to Mr. Cayden in a bid to get him  out of Nedford for the mean time as his presence could hamper my investigation.

    I called my secretary to my office that morning to give her daily reports on her findings.

    ¡°Anything yet?¡± I asked Margaret, my secretary.

    ¡°Here is a CCTV footage secured from outside his house sir,¡± she gave me the tablet in her possession.

    ¡°CCTV?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. From the footage, thedy in question went to his house with her luggage and left not so long after.¡±

    ¡°If she came over with her luggage, she intended to stay?¡± I asked still buried in the footage.

    ¡°Probably, sir. But now, she¡¯s no longer in Nedford, she booked flight tickets and left,¡± she detailed.

    ¡°Cayden must have sent her off?¡± I raised my head to look at her.

    ¡°Most likely sir.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Okay. Keep up the good work,¡± Imended.

    ¡°No problems, sir.¡± I excused her.

    It felt a little dirty keeping tabs on someone like Mr. Cayden, but a bigger issue was at stake here ¨C the image of mypany.

    *NEW ORLEANS*

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    It¡¯s been five days since I left Nedford on impromptu call from the secretary without informing the love of my life ¨C Lily ¨C of my whereabouts. I missed her so badly that the only thing I thought of that morning was booking the next avable flight back to Nedford but I had one more issue.

    My phone rung while I was making breakfast that morning and the caller was Eliana ¨C my ¡®one more¡¯ issue. There hadn¡¯t been a day since I left Nedford without she calling me and it irked me to my bones.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I picked the call in annoyance to tell her off for good this time.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Cayden? How are you dear?¡± she spoke softly.

    ¡°Eliana this was no where part of our agreement, you know that?!¡± I ignored her pleasantry.

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We agreed you¡¯d stay off my back until a paternity test is done on your delivery. So why do you keep calling me so much?¡±

    ¡°Is it bad to call the father of my baby and tell him I miss him?¡±

    ¡°Quite audacious of you to call me the father of your baby. I haven¡¯t epted your pregnancy yet so please know when to draw the line,¡± I spoke courteously.

    ¡°But¡­,¡±

    ¡°If you keep breaching our contract, I¡¯d be forced to breach too and stop giving you money!¡± I warned sternly.

    ¡°Fine!¡± she replied abruptly and hung up.

    I set up the zoom meeting with my boss few minutes after I ended the call with Eliana to tell him I was through and that I wanted to head back to Nedfordter that same day.

    Mr. Steve denied my request out rightly for no good reason but never did I conceive in my head to go through with his order; my mind was already made up. I knew for a fact that I must have left Lily devastated and worried so I just could not bring myself to throw to the wind, an opportunity to go see her.

    Following through with my ns, I had my flight tickets back to Nedford booked and in no time, I was already on that ne, heading back to Nedford!

 136

    CAYDEN¡¯S RETURN? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    That evening, after what seemed like forever, Cayden called and told me he was back in town and that he was already heading to my house from the airport. I felt excited to hear his voice again but at the same time, I was mad at him for keeping me hanging for days. I saved the earful I wanted to give him on the phone, forter when he would appear before me.

    Thirty minutester after nana left the house, I heard my doorbell ring and it was Cayden!

    ¡°Seriously?!¡± I didn¡¯t even usher him in yet before I thought to reprimand him. In a bid to calm me down, he drew me into his embrace immediately and held on to me tightly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much my love,¡± he cuddled me tightly.

    I was in no mood to let my anger and vexation be dissolved easily so I pushed him. ¡°Your antics won¡¯t work on me this time, mister. Back off!¡± I said not smiling.

    ¡°Believe me when I say I¡¯m deeply sorry for everything, darling. Honestly, I didn¡¯t intend for things to go down the way they did,¡± he apologized warmly.

    ¡°I called you, Cayden! I called you so many times! Do you know how worried I was?! I thought something bad had happened to you!¡± I scolded.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Honestly, I¡¯d forgotten my phone in my car I left at the airport and there was no way to reach you. It¡¯s been hell without you my love. Please let me hold you for just one minute,¡± he walked to me, with his arms wide open beckoning for another hug. I retraced my steps thereby widening the distance between us to show him I was not even ying.

    ¡°I¡¯m still angry with you, that excuse is not eptable to me,¡± I turned my back on him when he finally closed the distance between us.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily. I got called to work on an impromptu notice,¡± he ced both hands on my shoulders as he tried to exin his predicament to me but I wasn¡¯t paying him any attention. ¡°Let me show you something.¡±  He brought out his phone and showed me what seemed like text messages.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I took the phone from him.

    ¡°Just read,¡± he urged.

    I read through the texts and it was supposedly official, turned out he left on getting impromptu requests from some colleague of some sort. While reading through, I paused when I saw a logo imprinted on a letterheaded paper sent to him via the texts. I very much recognized the logo ¨C Grey¡¯s Empire ¨C and felt shivers run through my spine. I went silent and just stared all frozen.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he tapped me gently on my shoulders and reminded me of his presence. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you not saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s this logo here?¡± I held out the phone to him, disying the picture.

    ¡°It¡¯s obviously an official text so it¡¯s a given that that¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°Grey¡¯s Empire?¡± I voiced.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Is this where you work?¡± returning my gaze to the screen, I asked.

    ¡°Yeah, any problem?¡± Cayden must have been confused as to why I took particr interest in that but at that point, I just could not help it. I had a bigger matter on ground.

    Lost in the pool of my thoughts, all jumbled up, different thoughts raced through. My man worked for my father whom I was not in good terms with and was forced to cut ties with. I still found it hard to process in my thoughts, the fact that my past maye back at anytime to haunt me down and screw me up for good. I stared intently at the picture, not knowing exactly how to proceed. ¡®Was I just unfortunate or was life teasing me all this while by giving me a moment of peace and tranquility?¡¯. It was then I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about the man I imed to love dearly while he on the other hand walked with me through virtually all my major ordeals.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he called my attention using a serene tone. ¡°Is there an issue with the logo?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you talk to me. I said I¡¯m sorry, okay? Please don¡¯t stay mad at me, I hate it when you do,¡± he pleaded.

    ¡°For how long have you been working here?¡±

    ¡°Ummm¡­a while now. Why do you ask?¡± He was obviously bemused at why I was so hung up on that logo. ¡°Do you have an issue with it or something?¡±

    I put my acts together and faced him again. ¡°Not really,¡± handing him over his phone, I feigned a smile and embraced him to  flush down his confusion and anxiety.

    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± he cuddled tightly.

    ¡± I missed you too.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go out on a date some time to catch up on all the times we¡¯ve lost together. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°A date?¡± I pulled back a little from his embrace, still wrapped in his arms.

    ¡°Yes, date.¡±

    There was no way I was going do say no to his proposal. I needed to learn all I had to while I was at it. The idea that he knew almost everything about me ¨C my family and the circumstances surrounding them ¨C and I knew almost nothing about him, didn¡¯t sit quite well with me. I discerned it was best I drew even closer to him to feed the insatiable curiosity I felt welling up in me at the time. ¡°Sure!¡± I gave in without giving it a second thought.

    ¡°Sure?¡± I affirmed by nodding my head continuously.

    ¡°I love you so much and I¡¯m sorry once again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re forgiven.¡± I smiled affectionately.

    He pecked me on the cheek and returned to cuddling me tightly. Although I could see from the looks of his face, he felt I was a bit uneasy; guess he wanted to ease the tension by not asking further questions and just went with the flow.

 137

    SECRETS

    It was a few days to the grand opening of my new shop. Everyone was pretty excited to move to a new environment and I was in fact the most excited.

    My ever loving boyfriend spiked my excitement when he informed me of the party he was hosting and for a fact, I was going to be the celebrant of the day. That morning, I received his package ¨C it was aplete outfit he handpicked for me to wear to the partyter that evening. The outfit included a dress for starters, jewelries, a purse and a pair of heels. I felt really loved and cared for and wondered what I ever did to deserve a man like Cayden.

    I immediately called him to express my heartfelt appreciation for his kind gesture.

    ¡°My love,¡± he called out over the phone.

    ¡°I got the package, Cayden. Thank you so much,¡± I stressed the ¡®so much¡¯ with so much warmth and feeling protruding from my voice.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me, honey. Just try out every thing out tell me what you think.¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to see for yourself at the party?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like suspense, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well I do. Suspense adds spice to everything,¡± I blurted jovially.

    ¡°Fine! Be sure to be on time , okay? You can¡¯t bete for your own party.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Thank you so much once again. I really appreciate,¡± I expressed my gratitude once more.

    ¡°Instead of telling me thank you, tell me you love me instead,¡± he teased.

    ¡°Fine! I love you.¡±

    ¡°I love you more. See you at the party.¡±

    ¡°Definitely! Bye,¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡± I hung up.

    It¡¯s party time! I got to the venue of  the party ¨C wearing my red sleeveless, long flowing gown, my silver shoes, and holding to me, my silver purse embellished with pure diamonds, my neck and ears adorned with pure gold jewelries ¨C in a special ride Cayden prepared for me. The venue for the party was a rented garden in a five-star hotel in Nedford.

    Arriving the venue as the celebrant, I made a grand entrance of which I wasn¡¯t such a fan of as I like to always roam behind the scenes. Knowing the kind of person Cayden was, I decided to live the moment, beaming with smiles as everyone greeted me cheerfully.

    ¡°You look alluring,¡± Cayden whispered into my ear while I was still responding to kind gestures by either nodding, waving or just smiling.

    ¡°I do?¡± I turned to look at him.

    ¡°You sure do, missy. I never knew this dress will  refurbish your natural endowments in this manner,¡± he flirted and had me blushing real hard.

    ¡°Hey celebrant,¡± Jarod called out to me as he approached us.

    ¡°Jarod!¡± I eximed excitedly and hugged him. ¡°Good to see you. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯d be here. Or have you forgotten I¡¯m a shareholder in this great empire.¡± We allughed.

    ¡°Good to see you, man,¡± Cayden chipped in.

    ¡°Good to see you too. I have high hopes for the party tonight. Can we get started already?¡± he sounded enthusiastically.

    I locked arms with Cayden ¨C  who was dressed in a ck tuxedo as usual; Looked like he had a thing for that brand of suits ¨C as we made our way to our seat.

    ¡°Can we make some noise?!!!!¡± the MC ¨C Jarod ¨C got the party rolling.

    Following the arrangements of the party, there were servers who walked around randomly with trays having cups of red wine on them, wearing aprons around their waists. There was of course loud chattering from every corner of the party, coupled with the mild music that could be heard from the sound system. Alcohol of course was a given; some tables had just alcoholying all over.

    I and Cayden, while enjoying the view chattered, giggled andughed within ourselves. I was having a lovely time with my man.

    It was now time for the guests to give their remarks seeing how random people took the mic to say something.

    ¡°It¡¯s  happy asion today!¡± the man who seemed a little tipsy took the mic from the MC. ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± he turned to where we sat, ¡°this is indeed a happy asion.¡± We smiled. ¡°And as for the celebrant, I mustmend her audaciousness and admirable quality¡­,¡± hemended, making me smile sheepishly, ¡°seeing how she¡¯s able to make something out of her life despite throwing away her life as a rich heiress¡­,¡± he blurted and the smile I had on my face instantly faded. Cayden turned to look at me with awe written allover him.

    ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± He whispered.

    I watched Jarod hastily and discreetly usher the man out, denying him the chance to speak further.

    ¡°Lily I asked you a question. What was he talking about?¡± he red at me.

    ¡°It was obvious he was tipsy. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did Jarod usher him out like that?¡± he asked with a lot of doubt in his tone.

    ¡°Just let it be, okay?¡±

    ¡°Lily I thought we no longer had secrets between us.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that man knows something about you that I don¡¯t . Were you a rich heiress?¡± he sounded a bit upset.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you Cayden. It¡¯s nothing like that. That man was talking all gibberish back there. There are no more secrets to be told,¡± I lied, discreetly avoiding his intense stare

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why can¡¯t you look me in the eye and say it? You¡¯re lying to me right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I looked him directly in the eye this time and said: ¡°There are no more secrets to be shared. Happy now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re certain you¡¯re not hiding anything more from me?¡± with traces of doubt in his eyes, he asked.

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± I affirmed strongly.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± he redirected his gaze back on stage.

    *NEW YORK*

    *MR. STEVE¡¯S POV*

    *Knock knock*, a knock came on my door in my office. It was my secretary who came to provide me with the progress the investigation on Cayden assumed.

    ¡°Good day sir,¡± she greeted.

    ¡°Good morning. Anything new?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. Please take a look at this,¡± she gave me an envelope.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked and opened it; turned out the contents of the envelope were pictures. ¡°Whose are these?¡± I asked, taking a look at them.

    ¡°Miss Eliana, sir.¡±

    ¡°Eliana?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. Thedy said to be carrying Cayden¡¯s child. She lives alone in a condo in Stowe.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s indeed pregnant!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. I sent her bank notes to your email sir.¡±

    ¡°Her bank notes?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. Mr. Cayden has been providing her with financial support.¡±

    ¡°That must have been the deal they struck that made her leave Nedford.¡±

    ¡°Probably, sir.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you so much. You can go now?¡± I excused her.

    I immediately turned to my system to check my mail box for Miss Eliana¡¯s bank statements that my secretary sent to me and confirmed her ims.

    I felt utterly disappointed in Cayden as I really didn¡¯t expect him to behave that way but I didn¡¯t think to call him. Despite the fact that he was my employee, getting ady pregnant had to do with his personal life but still, I could not bring myself to turn a blind eye. I called my secretary back in and asked her to discreetly make ns for me to pay Cayden a surprise visit in Nedford.

    *NEDFORD*

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    It¡¯s been days since the opening party of my new shop. Everything went pretty well back to normal; Cayden didn¡¯t bug me again concerning the drunk man fiasco that urred at the party.

    ¡°While I was making lunch for Jacek, my phone rang. I picked it up and realized that it was Cayden calling.

    ¡°Hello dear,¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Hello Lily, how¡¯re you doing?¡± he inquired with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m good and you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m  doing just great.¡±

    ¡°Are you freeter tonight? I made reservations for us to have dinner together,¡± he proposed.

    I instantly thought it was the perfect idea that would provide me the perfect opportunity to ask Cayden all the questions I had for him.

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± I concurred strongly. There was no way I was going to throw the golden opportunity presented before me under the bus.

    ¡°Really?¡± He sounded overjoyed.

    ¡°Absolutely!¡±

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll text you the details right away.¡±

    ¡°No issues. I love you,¡± I replied cheerfully.

    ¡°I love you more.¡±

    ¡°See you at dinner.¡±

    ¡°Surly  looking forward to it with you. Bye.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

 138

    ON THE DINNER TABLE

    I made reservations for I and Lily at a fancy restaurant and had a car go pick her up and convey her to the venue.

    In no time, Lily made an appearance. I was already at the restaurant waiting when I saw her walk through the door as I had my eyes on it all through. I waved at her to alert her of where I was, then she came over and sat with me.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re looking ravishing tonight, Lily,¡± Iplimented and pecked the back of her hand gently.

    ¡°And you look very handsome today, my love,¡± she reciprocated. ¡°So have you ordered yet?¡±

    ¡°Was waiting for you to arrive so they¡¯d take both our orders at the same time. So what will you be having?¡± I handed her the menuying on the table.

    ¡°Ummm¡­,¡± she looked through the menu, ¡°you know what, let¡¯s just have whatever you want,¡± she kept the menu down.

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    The waiters came and took our order; we ordered rice and grilled chicken with green sd. Momentster , we were served.

    ¡°Have a wonderful dinner,¡± one of the waiter said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± we both chorused.

    Two minutes after we were served and  started eating, Lily broke the brief silence.

    ¡°Ummm¡­Cayden?¡± she called out.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± I was already trying to make my way through the grilled chicken on my dish with my cutleries.

    ¡°Can I ask you some questions?¡±

    ¡°Sure! Go ahead.¡± With a portion of the chicken garnished with sd already in my fork, I put it in my mouth and chewed.

    ¡°Where were you born?¡±

    ¡°Where I was born?¡± She nodded.

    ¡°New York city.¡±

    ¡°So you basically lived there all your life?¡±

    ¡°Well, technically, yes. Literally, no. I¡¯ve been in and out of the city so many times.¡±

    ¡°You lived with your parents?¡±

    ¡°Who didn¡¯t?¡± I retorted mildly.

    ¡°You still do?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Lily. I told you everything, didn¡¯t I?  I¡¯m all alone now.¡±

    ¡°Right. Pardon my ill manners.¡±

    ¡°No issues.¡±

    ¡°Where did you attend college? Still in New York?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I schooled in London.¡±

    ¡°What did you major in?¡±

    ¡°Business. Business administration.¡±

    ¡°So when did you got back, you immediately joined Grey¡¯s empire?¡± she interrogated; it felt that way to me at least.

    ¡°They scouted top students from the school and I was fortunate enough.¡±

    ¡°For how long have you been working there?¡±

    ¡°Lily, I feel like I¡¯m being interrogated right now. If there¡¯s a problem just say it,¡± I voiced out my thoughts.

    ¡°Problem? I just want to get to know you better, what could be the problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! So please just keep answering my questions.

    ¡°Okay, fine.¡±

    ¡°So what does the nature of your job entail?¡±

    ¡°Well, I and a few others are kept in charge of dealing with  investors who wish to do business with us.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here in Nedford?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°So thepany you work for, is it privately owned or by a group of people?¡±

    ¡°There are a few shareholders here and there, but we have one CEO,¡± I replied and noticed a slight change in her countenance.

    ¡°A CEO?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A CEO.¡±

    ¡°So while you¡¯re here , how do you receive orders from the higher-ups?¡±

    ¡°His secretary sets everything up with us.¡±

    ¡°Is his secretary male or female?¡± She started to sound a bit uneasy.

    ¡°Lily are you sure you¡¯re good?¡±

    ¡°How do you mean?¡± she wore a stic smile, I could tell.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get where all these areing from.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I just want to know you better,¡± she ces her hand over mine. ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡±

    ¡°Just that,¡± she confirmed.

    ¡°His secretary is a female, Miss Margaret,¡± I said and stare she gave me changed instantly from ¡®mild¡¯ to a quite intense one.

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your boss?¡±

    ¡°Lily I¡­,¡± I tried to fuss.

    ¡°Just answer,¡± she caressed my hand.

    ¡°Mr. Steve.¡± Immediately she heard the name I said, she dropped her cutleries suddenly. I was confused; she acted weird.

    ¡°Mr. Steve who? What¡¯s hisst name?¡± Staring at me, I could see the tension in her eyes. I too started feeling very uneasy. ¡®Did I say something I shouldn¡¯t have?¡¯ ¡°Lily is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s hisst name?¡± she repeated, ignoring my concern.

    ¡°Mr. Steve Greyson!¡± Like I had dropped a bombshell, she frozepletely. I could tell from her reaction, that she was worried and  tensed. ¡°Lily are you okay?¡± I called her back from where she must have wandered off to in her head. ¡°Lily?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ummm¡­C¡­Cay.. Cayden?¡± she stuttered with a shaky voice. It was quite obvious  that she was in a deep state of distraught and restlessness and was portrayed to me like someone who just heard what she wasn¡¯t supposed to. Did the name I call ignite bad memories in her?

    ¡°Lily calm down and talk to me,¡± I held both her hands firmly. ¡°What is the problem?¡±

    ¡°Listen okay? I¡¯m sorry but I have to leave now,¡± she pulls her hand away and takes her handbag from the table.

    ¡°Are you leaving just like that?¡± She immediately stood up to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, love you,¡± she said while hurriedly walking out.

    ¡°Lily! Lily!¡± I stood up and called out multiple times but not for once did she turn around to look at me. Looking at her te, she barely even touched her food.

    In that period of my perplexing, I decided to call the one person who seemed to know much about Lily ¨C Jarod.

    While I heard his phone ring from my end, my heart raced and thumped so hard. I thought hard on what I must have said to trigger to leave the dinner table. I called Jarod three consecutive times but he didn¡¯t pick my call. Lily had left, so there was no need for me to remain there. I settled my bills and stormed off and went straight home.

    In my state of distress, I recalled every single line I said to Lily as a reply to the questions she asked and no matter how I looked at it, it was definitely ¡®Mr. Steve Greyson ¨C my boss¡¯ name ¨C  that triggered her. I deliberated on what exactly could have spurred her reaction on hearing my boss¡¯ name.

    Amidst my thoughts, my phone buzzed and it was a text from Eliana that read ¡®Our baby misses you¡¯ with heart emoji attached. Out of annoyance, I quickly replied ¡®Go fuck yourself!¡¯ and threw the phone to a corner.

    Oning to a realization that I may have actually been too harsh on her ¨C Eliana ¨C I picked up the phone from where I dumped it and sent another text that read ¡®I¡¯m sorry I replied that way. Currently, I¡¯m in no mood for talks and that¡¯s why I felt annoyed by your text. Once again, sorry.¡¯ And kept the phone by my side to continue drowning in the pool of my head. Secondster, the phone rang. I thought it was Eliana calling again and wanted to smash the phone in anger, when I took a peek and saw it was miss Margaret calling.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I made sure not to sound angry.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Steve is on his way to Nedford.¡± At that moment, the anger I felt turned to shock.

    ¡°He is?!¡± I sat upright.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re not supposed to get wind of this, but I decided to just let you know. Be careful,¡± she advised.

    I heaved a deep sigh of frustration and said: ¡°Thanks for the information.¡± I hung up.

    ¡°Arghhhhhh!!!!!¡± I eximed in rage as I hit both hands on the couch concurrently, multiple times.

    I dashed into my room, not in the mood for anything, and justid in bed to sleep but as expected, I could not fall asleep; I was too irritated to do so.

 139

    ¡®DAD?¡¯

    I felt bad for walking out on Cayden the way I did but I had no other choice but to act that way.

    On getting home, I met nana who was waiting patiently for me toe back and rte to her how well the dinner went as I had told her I was going out on a date.

    ¡°You¡¯re not yet asleep?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel sleepy yet. How did your date go?¡± she asked merrily.

    ¡°It went pretty well, nana. Everything went smoothly. I had fun!¡± I feigned a smile.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, nana. Can I go to bed now? I already had dinner.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    I went in, freshened up,yed in bed and tried to sleep but it wasn¡¯t forting. My fears were proven to be true. I was indeed, in no time going to face my horrible past again. I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to sleep and that was when a call came in ¨C Cayden.

    Staring at the phone ring, I contemted whether or not to take the call and what exactly to say to him. I made up my mind to bottle it all up and just feed Cayden with a lie I cooked in my head.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°Hey honey,¡± I cheered up instantly to aid my lie go through to him without hassles.

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to pick up.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m still up so why will I ignore your call?¡±

    ¡°I should be the one asking you that. Why did you run off like that?¡±

    ¡°I was being overly dramatic, right?¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    ¡°Never mind me Cayden. I had once post a friend and I also worked there one time,¡± I let the lie flow effortlessly to minimize the chances of him getting suspicious.

    ¡°You worked there?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I never told you?¡±

    ¡°You never told me. Was that why you ran off?¡±

    ¡°Forgive my insolence, my love,¡± I cajoled. ¡°Your story triggered some bitter memories I won¡¯t want to talk about for now.¡± For the first time since I picked his call, I said something with an atom of truth in it.

    ¡°I was worried sick you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worried,¡± I spoke sweetly.

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°I am! Don¡¯t worry too much about me,¡± I stated firmly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay then. Since you don¡¯t want to talk about your predicament, I won¡¯t force you. Now, I can sleep well. Goodnight, love.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight and sweet dreams.¡±

    ¡°Good night.¡± He hung up. The length of the grin I had on my face ¨C so as to y the part properly ¨C shortened instantly as there were no longer traces of smiles on my face anymore.

    It¡¯s been two days since thest perplexing incident and here I was again with Cayden in a restaurant, to have lunch. We sat at the porch outside to receive the cool breeze that grazed our skin.

    ¡°What would you like to have, mdy?¡± he asked looking at the menu.

    ¡°Any¡­,¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything I¡¯m having,¡± he cut in and had me giggling.

    ¡°How did you know I was gonna say that?¡±

    ¡°It has be a custom for you. You never want to have a choice of your own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case. I just feelzy to make a choice,¡± I defended myself.

    ¡°We¡¯re saying the same thing, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± I took the menu from him and while looking through, I asked myself, ¡°what should I have?¡±

    ¡°You can order whatever you want, okay? We don¡¯t need to pay a dime. Just feel free to pick whatever you want to,¡± heid emphasis on ¡®whatever¡¯.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to pay a dime? Why?¡± I was confused.

    ¡°Apparently, I know who owns this ce so it¡¯s not a problem. Eat and eat away your sorrows. The bills are already taken care of by default.¡±

    ¡°By default? What are you saying? So we¡¯re just going to eat and leave without paying?¡±

    ¡°Bingo!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that absurd?¡±

    ¡°You worry too much, my love. Just be quiet and have fun!¡±

    ¡°Who owns this ce?¡± I asked looking around.

    ¡°Someone I know.¡±

    ¡°That much is obvious. Who exactly?¡±

    ¡°A friend of mine.¡± ¡°Oh okay.¡±

    Remembering what he told me thest time, I was eager to hear more on that topic but I didn¡¯t want to taint the atmosphere by bringing up a distressing conversation. My curiosity at that point outweighed my quest for peace so I was going to go for it anyway and start by asking him again who owned thepany he worked for. ¡°Ummm¡­Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I need to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± Just when I was pulling myself together to throw my question, a call came in for Cayden throwing me off bnce.

    ¡°One minute,¡± he excused himself.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡­¡± he eximed. ¡°I¡¯m obviously not ready right now¡­¡± ¡°you should have informed me earlier¡­¡± those were the only words I heard escape Cayden¡¯s lips. He looked troubled and anxious, invariably making me to feel the same way. ¡°I need you to stall him for me. I need time!¡± he said and hung up immediately.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Cayden?¡±

    Just as he was about to give me a reply, another call came in making me feel very irritated. ¡®Was I ever going to get a chance while I was at it?¡¯

    ¡°Hello sir¡­¡± ¡°very well sir¡­¡± ¡°Okay sir¡­¡± ¡°yes sir¡­¡± ¡°yes sir!¡± He said and hung up again making me to feel more anxious.

    ¡°Shit!¡± he eximed furiously.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked bug-eyed. ¡°You¡¯re scaring me, Cayden. If there¡¯s an issue, just say it,¡± I said.

    Before I knew what was happening, fleet of assorted, exorbitant-looking cars drove into the premises and packed in a straight line in front of the small restaurant. ¡°Shoot!¡± Cayden eximed but this time, I was more engrossed in the scene to ask him anything.

    Men in all-ck attire alighted the first,  second and third vehicles and formed a circle in front of the backseat door ¨C that faced where we  sat down to eat ¨C of the fourth vehicle in the convoy. I counted the number of men that stood there and they were twelve in total. The scene was just too overwhelming to behold but at the same time, I felt glued to it for some reason.

    One of the men opened the door and the others bowed to greet the person ¨C whose face hadn¡¯t be clear yet ¨C who came down from the car. Judging from the list of formalities it was easy to ascertain that that was their boss.

    When he came down from the car, the others who blocked his way paved way for him making his face more visible to me. The sight I beheld sent shivers down my spine immediately. I felt a mixture of fear, anxiety and tension in me. The one who stood before me was the least person I ever envisaged of seeing at that time in that circumstance. I rubbed my eyes slowly in a bid to make sure I saw clearly, I pinched myself twice to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming. After doing all that, the scene remained the same way. It was then It dawned on me that I was in fact in for some deep shit.

    I stood up from my seat slowly, still fixated on the person wide-eyed. ¡°Lily?¡± Cayden called out and stood up too.

    ¡°Dad?!¡± I called out slowly.

 140

    FAMILY REUNION

    ¡°Dad?¡± Cayden resounded. ¡®What in God¡¯s name did Lily just call Mr. Steve?¡¯ I thought. ¡°Dad?¡± I muttered to myself.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden¡± he called out.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here with my daughter?¡± ¡®Daughter? Did he just confirm Lily¡¯s ims?¡¯

    ¡°D¡­d¡­daughter?¡± I asked while looking at Lily in bewilderment.

    Lily immediately dashed off the scene without even saying anything to me.

    ¡°Your daughter?!¡± I asked again.

    ¡°Yes, my daughter. You didn¡¯t know that Lily was my daughter?¡± I never in my wildest dream thought that the ¡®Greyson¡¯ in my boss¡¯ name was actually the one Lily shared.

    ¡°I never knew sir, pardon my insolence.¡± I buried my awe and curiosity for the mean time.

    ¡°Why exactly were you both having lunch together?¡±

    ¡°Sir I¡­,¡± he cut me off.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be in town for a couple of days and I will be needing your help. Is that okay by you?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be caught up with needless distractions. The scene I met here was nothing right? It was just an ordinary lunch, right? Nothing attached?¡±

    Of course there was something attached but it would mean my end if I were to give an honest reply at that time so I just said: ¡°Yes sir. Nothing more. I happen to know miss Lily and we just agreed to eat together here,¡± I lied. ¡°No strings attached,¡± I added.

    ¡°Better. Get into the car, we need to go somewhere,¡± he ordered.

    ¡°Very well sir.¡±

    Although my mind was still very much unstable and I had multiple questions I wanted to ask ¨C of which how he knew my whereabouts was one of them ¨C I sucked it all in and followed him to attend to some business in the state.

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    My father who cut all ties with me and I hadn¡¯t seen in forever, suddenly resurfaced before me in the least expected way possible.  There was definitely no way I could stand and watch him for too long, so I ran off on my own, leaving Cayden behind to face what met him.

    On getting home, I met nana in the sitting room and embraced her, sobbing. She was confused but she reciprocated my gesture and rubbed my back gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay sweetheart it¡¯s okay,¡± nana consoled without even knowing what was up. ¡°You can talk to me , okay?¡± She held me so close to her and provided me with what I needed the most ¨Cfort .

    ¡°What happened? Why are you crying?¡± she wrapped my petite face in her palm and wiped my tears.

    ¡°Nana!¡± I cried out and rested on her shoulder again.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± she asked kindly. Nana then sat me down to ask me to exin in details why I was crying.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, honey? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nana you won¡¯t believe who I saw today.¡±

    ¡°Who did you see? Who did you see that has you demoralized in this manner? Was it Ryan?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No nana, it was dad,¡± I spilled.

    ¡°Dad?¡± she was still puzzled. My answer was quite clear; guess she thought that would be farfetched.

    ¡°Yes! My father, Steve Greyson!¡± I affirmed and buried my face in my palm again.

    ¡°What?!¡± to my astonishment, she eximed rather excitedly. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re looking pale?¡± I raised my head up. ¡°Nana?¡±

    ¡°After what has been like forever, I get to see my son finally and he obviously came for you, so what¡¯s the issue here?¡±

    ¡°Nana?¡± I could not believe my ears.

    ¡°It¡¯s a happy asion and an opportunity to finally make amends. Don¡¯t you miss your family?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I refuted strongly. ¡°There is no way I¡¯m going to make amends with that man that calls himself my father,¡± I stated explicitly, sounding my point very clearly.

    ¡°Why not? I could call him over and sort things out with you both, so what¡¯s the issue here?¡± she tried to persuade me.

    ¡°Nana after all they did to me?¡± I stood up in anger causing her to stand up too.

    ¡°Listen to me sweetheart. He¡¯s your father and¡­,¡±

    ¡°And he threw me to the streets!¡± I pointed toward the door as a form of gesture. ¡°He threw me away, nana. Both he and that woman who Calls herself my mother!¡± For the first time in forever I raised my voice on my granny.

    ¡°Whatever you say won¡¯t change the fact, Lily. You have to make amends now that an opportunity chose to surface itself.¡± She remained calm.

    ¡°I can¡¯t, I won¡¯t go back to those people. I won¡¯t! Never!¡± I strongly refused.

    ¡°Lily calm down and let¡¯s talk about it, okay? You don¡¯t have to sound so angry. Let¡¯s just talk it out, okay?¡±

    ¡°Nana whatever you say, I strongly disagree to making amends with those people,¡± I rebuffed.

    ¡°Why are you strongly against it?¡±

    ¡°Nana have you forgotten? You  have been the one with me through thick and thin, you most definitely have not forgotten about the pain those two inflicted on me,¡± as my eyes started to water, my voice became shaky.

    ¡°I understand, Lily. Trust me,  do.  But I need you to understand the angle I¡¯ming from. They¡¯re your parents no matter what and he must have possiblye for you so what¡¯s the big issue here?¡±

    ¡°Everything! Everything is the big issue here, nana. I can¡¯t even believe you¡¯re the one saying this to me. Nana you of all people should understand my plight. Those people don¡¯t deserve to be called pare¡­,¡± nana cut me off.

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± she scolded for the very first time since our squabble. ¡°Shut your mouth, Lily! Before that unfortunate incident urred, have you forgotten how lovingly they nurtured you? Have you forgotten they gave you the best life you could ever ask for? Have you forgotten?¡± I remained silent. ¡°Before you curse them out, remember they¡¯re not entirely to me for this¡­,¡± she said and I suddenly turned to stare at her in the eye. ¡°Yes! You heard me, Lily. You messed up big time and disappointed your parents in the first ce.¡± ¡°Nana?¡± I was almost in tears.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to call back painful memories to mind, all I¡¯m trying to say is that both parties involved here are at fault so why don¡¯t you just call it quits and make amends already?¡±

    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± I blurted.

    ¡°Lily!¡± she eximed wide-eyed.

    ¡°I am not going back to those people whether you like it or not!¡± I made my point clear and stormed out of the living room to my bedroom.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    For the first time in forever, I engaged my nana in a squabble and so I didn¡¯t feel so good about it. Just in one day, everything seemed like they took the wrong turn. I let the tears I had been holding in flow; sitting on the floor close to bed, I sulked.

 141

    LILY

    The very next day, I woke up with a throbbing headache; must have been due to the emotional and physical stress I passed through yesterday.

    I kissed my baby boy on the cheek and went out, to the living room.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be expecting you,¡± nana said and ended her call immediately  she saw me.

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll soon find out.¡± I thought about the possibility that that would have been my dad, but shrugged it off saying nana wouldn¡¯t be that insensitive to my feelings.

    I went on my way to continue my morning routine. I was in no condition to go to the shop that day so I called in sick and decided to rest at home instead.

    About two hourster, my peace and quiet was disrupted.

    *Knock knock*, nana knocked on my door. ¡°Come in, the door¡¯s open,¡± I cried out then she walked in. I wasying on the bed when she entered my room.

    ¡°Are you still here? Nothing to do?¡±

    ¡°Nana please. My headache is still there. Please don¡¯t add to it,¡± I asked politely.

    ¡°Your dad¡¯s here to see you,e say hi.¡± I sprung up immediately with energy from an unexinable source.

    ¡°My dad?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, your dad.¡±

    ¡°You called him over?¡±

    ¡°Yes I did, Lily. I can¡¯t sit back and so nothing. This is the least I could do for you. So put on something nice ande out.¡± She turned to the door to leave.

    ¡°Tell him not to bother waiting for me.¡± Iid back down and picked up my phone.

    ¡°Lily!¡± she turned around again to face me.

    ¡°You heard me, nana. Unless you¡¯ll have to drag me out of here, I go nowhere!¡± I stated.

    ¡°Lily your father asks to see you. Are you going to be disrespectful enough to ignore him?¡±

    ¡°Nana you called him over so invariably, he¡¯s your guest,¡± I entuated the ¡®your¡¯.

    ¡°Lily stop proving to be stubborn ande say hi to your father,¡± she sounded a bit ticked off.

    I sat upright on the bed. ¡°Nana why did you call him over even without telling me?¡±

    ¡°If I had told you, would you have consented?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! But since you¡¯re the one who called him over, deal with this yourself. As for me, I go no where,¡± I made my point known andid back down.

    ¡°Lily!¡­ Lily!¡­ Lily!¡­ How many times did I call you?¡± Nana was definitely angry now.

    ¡°Three times,¡± I replied casually and heard her m the door on walking out.

    She walked out and walked back in momentster but this time, fuming with rage.

    ¡°Lily your insolent behavior irks me! Can you just call it quits with your stubbornness already? Your father came over to see you and you sent him away?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t send him away nana, you did.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Nana please. As you can clearly see, I¡¯m in no mood for arguments today so please do me favor and leave me alone,¡± I asked mildly.

    ¡°Lily I don¡¯t like what you did today at all! I really don¡¯t. I¡¯m trying to help out here.¡±

    ¡°Nana if this is how you help out, please stay still and do nothing. You¡¯ve helped me enough already so don¡¯t burden yourself with this headache.¡± I made sure not to yell at her again as I didn¡¯t want what happened the previous day to repeat itself again.

    ¡°Lily!¡­ Lily!¡­ Lily!¡­ How many¡­,¡±

    ¡°Three times nana, three times,¡± I turned my back on her byying on my side instead, facing the other side of the room.

    ¡°No problem.¡± She walked out and mmed the door hard.

    Going on with normalcy, I continued paying my boyfriend random visits not minding what happened thest time. Of course I prepared myself for whenever he posed the question. I knew for a fact that there was no escaping it this time.

    That very day, I went over to his house and decided to spend quality time with my boyfriend.

    ¡°Lily?¡± he called out with a serious tone while resting his head on myp facing upwards, in my direction.

    ¡°Just ask already, Cayden.¡±

    ¡°I should?¡± He sat upright.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°So how does it turn out that you¡¯re Mr. Steve Greyson¡¯s daughter? One of the richest men in the whole of US!¡±

    ¡°Well, turned out that way. After I got pregnant for Jacek, they threw me out of the house and nana took me in. Nana proved to be the only support I had.¡±

    ¡°Howe you never spoke about him? Steve Greyson is your father?!!¡± he was in utter disbelief, he still found it hard to ept reality. ¡°Unbelievable, Lily. This is too much for me to digest.¡± ¡°Howe you never spoke of him?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Is that much not obvious? They threw me away, Cayden. They¡¯re part of my bitter past I wish to forget. I really don¡¯t want to have anything to do with those people ever again.¡±

    ¡°So that was why you acted that way at the dinner? You just walked out in shock,¡± he recounted the night I walked out on him while we had dinner.

    ¡°That was why. I was very surprised to find out you actually work for my dad.¡±

    ¡°This is unbelievable, Lily. So you indeed are the ¡®rich heiress¡¯,¡± he teased.

    While we were talking, his doorbell rang.

    ¡°You expecting someone?¡±

    ¡°Nah.¡± He stood up to get the door.

    On opening the door, he called out, ¡°Mr. Greyson?¡± I turned sharply towards the door.

    Without giving me time to even collect my thoughts, talk more of hide or run, he pushed Cayden aside and forced his was in and saw me standing in his living room.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden! What¡¯s the meaning of this nonsense?!¡± He barked angrily and turned to him. ¡°I thought I made myself clear thest time!¡±

    ¡°Sir, I can exin.¡±

    ¡°Exin what?!¡± he backfired. ¡°My daughter is off limits for you, Mr. Cayden. We have a good official rtionship doesn¡¯t mean you can have my daughter for yourself!¡± he scolded further.

    ¡°And as for you¡­,¡± he turned to me, ¡°stay away from this fellow,¡± he pointed Cayden.

    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what and what not to do?¡±

    ¡°Lily?¡± my dad called out.

    ¡°Listen, Mr. Steve! The day you cut all ties with me was the day you lost every right over me, okay?¡± I was fuming.

    ¡°Lily! Whatever happened in the past doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re a Greyson. From what I gathered, you still bear the name which means you still remember your roots clearly.¡±

    ¡°Mr. St¡­,¡± he cut me off.

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Dad¡¯, Lily. ¡®Dad¡¯. I am still your father and I tell you in all boldness that you and Mr. Cayden¡¯s rtionship should end!¡±

    ¡°Cut it out dad! After everything you did to me? After everything! You threw me to the streets, left me to suffer and now all of a sudden, you resurface from who knows where to exercise your rights over my life?!¡± My eyes started welling up, but this time I cleaned them off immediately. Thest thing I wanted was to cry before this man again. ¡°it won¡¯t work.¡± I concluded.

    ¡°Listen Lily. I know I treated you badly, trust me I do.  But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I missed you so much.¡± I stared at him scornfully. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much, Lily. So please calm down and let¡¯s talk,¡± he asked cidly.

 142

    CALL IT QUITS

    I just stared at the duo who argued in my very before without saying anything. In the heat of the moment, there was no way I could butt in, it was best to let the father and daughter iron out their differences.

    ¡°You missed me?¡± Lily scoffed.

    ¡°Yes I do, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Cut it out with the tant lie already! It¡¯s been years, daddy, years! Years of you and mom abandoning me to fend for myself. You never for once called to ask of me¡­,¡±

    ¡°I¡­,¡± Mr. Steve wanted to cut in.

    ¡°Let¡­ me ¡­finish!¡± Lily cut him off abruptly.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been away from you people for so long already. Not once did any of you call me to inquire of my wellbeing. Not once!¡±

    I could see that Lily was struggling to keep her self from tearing up as she would asionally wipe her eyes.

    ¡°Whether I lived or died, neither you nor your wife cared about me!¡± she paused and took deep breaths as she had been yelling nonstop. ¡°All you ever cared about was your image dad, your image! You didn¡¯t even bother to know how your little girl was faring.¡±

    ¡°Lily¡­,¡± Mr. Steve wanted to speak again.

    ¡°Mr. Steve?!¡­,¡± she called out sternly, ¡°let me finish,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯m just going to use this opportunity to tell you everything I think about you. The day you threw me away, you lost your daughterpletely. I knew for a fact that I made a huge mistake but I turned to you dad,¡± she pointed him. ¡°I turned to you and mom¡­,¡± she pointed toward the door as a form of gesture, ¡°for sce but you both turned your backs on me!¡± she concluded as she wiped her eyes again.

    Listening to her story almost spurred me to tears actually. We both had bitter stories to tell ¨C one big simrity between us.

    ¡°I was Just 18! An immature 18-year old high school girl who craved the love and care from her parents on the streets of New York! You and mum were supposed to call me back and correct me but no, you thought it wise to dump me to save your face. You cherished your reputation more than your own daughter,¡± she poked her chest three times, each time she said ¡®your¡¯, ¡®own¡¯, ¡®daughter¡¯. She then covered her face with her palms to hide the tears that rolled down earlier. Mr. Steve used this opportunity to speak.

    ¡°I cannot begin to imagine how you feel right now, Lily. But I and your mom are deeply sorry for what happened. We indeed are sorry. If you could find a ce¡­,¡± he walked closer to Lily and tried to touch her, igniting her spark again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± she warned, ring at her dad. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me. Don¡¯t try to sympathize with me after all these years. Even though you threw me out, you could have at least looked after me from a distance but you didn¡¯t! You and mompletely abandoned me!¡± she wailed making gestures to conform to her every line.

    ¡°Even after I gave birth to my son¡­,¡± Mr. Cayden turned to re murderously  at me like ¡®was it you?¡¯  I immediately raised both hands in the air and shook my head repeatedly like I was saying ¡®it wasn¡¯t me¡¯ ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± I voiced.

    ¡°Look at me dad!¡± she forcefully called back Mr. Steve¡¯s attention. ¡°This is not about him dad, it¡¯s about you! You have even forgotten the circumstances surrounding what happened?¡± she ced one hand on her waist, and the other one on her forehead disying frustration at its peak.

    ¡°Wherever you came from, if you came down to Nedford for me, just return to where ever that is and forget you ever had a daughter named Lily.¡± She picked up her bag.

    ¡°Lily please give me a chance to speak.¡±? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°Have a great day Mr. Steve Greyson,¡± she walked to the door, then paused and turned around. ¡°Before I forget. You don¡¯t have a say over me or whoever I choose to spend the rest of my life with. I can be with whomever I choose to and you¡¯d do absolutely nothing about it!¡± she concluded and stormed off.

    Seeing that it was only I and Mr. Greyson in the room, I kept my hands in front of me, leaning them against my legs and held them together, while bowing slightly my head as a form of respect and also to plead with him not to be mad at me.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± I maintained my position.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t know Lily was your daughter. We never for once spoke about you, Lily never talked about you and I never even bothered to ask. Forgive my insolence, sir,¡± I apologized calmly and chose my words carefully to avoid fueling the already burning fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse, Mr. Cayden. I brought you from the gutters, refurbished you and this is how you choose to repay me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir.¡±

    ¡°Listen and listen real good Mr. Cayden. Whatever it is you have to do with my daughter, call it quits!¡± he ordered, causing me to raise my head abruptly. ¡°Break off whatever nonsense you have to do with my daughter. I won¡¯t sit back and allow her be with someone as irresponsible as you are,¡± he warned me sternly.

    ¡®Irresponsible?¡¯ I never for once dragged my feet when it came to do with my work, so where did thate from?

    ¡°If you refuse to do as I¡¯ve instructed, I¡¯ll make sure you returned to the gutters where I picked you up from. I made you into who you are today, Mr. Cayden. You have no choice but to do as I say unless you want to forfeit everything you¡¯ve achieved for the sake of my daughter. And when I say everything, I mean everything ¨C your job, your aplishments, every thing entirely! Have I made myself clear?¡± he asked but I was too lost in thoughts ¨C of how I was supposed to break things off with Lily ¨C  to answer. ¡°Mr. Cayden?¡± he called my attention stressing thetter part of my name ¨C ¡®-den¡¯.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°Have I made myself clear?¡± I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to argue with him at that point so I just said, ¡°yes sir.¡±

    ¡°Good. Have a great day.¡±

    ¡°And you too sir.¡± I received the mming of my door s a response.

 143

    NANA

    I stormed off Cayden¡¯s house and finally let the tears I held in all the while I was having a brawl with my father, flow. I was so bitter at heart and heartbroken. I thought of leaving the city since my dad was now back to disrupt my the peace I enjoyed.

    On getting home, I immediately headed straight for my bedroom ignoring nana who was sitting in the living room. Of course she followed me in, seeing the manner I walked past her without at least acknowledging her presence.

    I went into my room, brought down my box from on top of my wardrobe and started to pack my things immediately while weeping profusely.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± nana asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving nana, I can¡¯t stand it anymore. The atmosphere here is choking me seriously. I need air, I need to breath.¡± I kept removing my clothes from the hanger and putting them in my box hastily, without arranging them properly.

    ¡°And who do you think you¡¯re leaving your child with?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m taking him with me, nana. I¡¯m done with this trash!¡±

    ¡°Trash?¡±

    ¡°Yes , trash,¡± I affirmed immediately.

    ¡°Listen, I get that you¡¯re upset about something but if can at least calm down and tell me what the problem is, I¡¯d appreciate it. Why are you shedding tears? Did someone say something to you?¡± she asked, still maintaining herposure.

    ¡°Is it not your son?¡± I threw the shirt I had in my hand to the bed forcefully. ¡°He just won¡¯t let me have my way. Why does he have to resurface from nowhere and butt in my business?¡±

    ¡°Your dad?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not my dad, nana,¡± I rebuffed.

    ¡°Will you shut your trap? Shut it!¡± she rebuked while I returned to packing my things. ¡°No matter what the issue is, he¡¯s still your father and nothing can change that. You¡¯re a Greyson no matter what you do.¡±

    ¡°I may be his daughter because we have the same blood running through our veins, but to me, I don¡¯t have a dad.¡±

    ¡°Can you cut the nonsense out already and exin to me properly what is going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving nana. That¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t take daddy¡¯s over domineering attitude anymore. I¡¯ll take my son with me and leave with Cayden.¡±

    ¡°You lie!¡± she reprimanded firmly. ¡°You lie, Lily. You go nowhere!¡±

    ¡°Nana, even you?!¡± with shock written all over me, I asked.

    ¡°You can¡¯t abandon your family and abscond with a man. It¡¯s unheard of.¡±

    ¡°Nana even you? You¡¯re also not in support of I and Cayden? Is it because he¡¯s your son?¡± with a teary face, I wailed.

    ¡°Just shut up and listen to me already!¡± she eximed in a bid to get me to calm down and listen.

    I turned to her. ¡°I won¡¯t shut up!,¡± I retorted; her ploy didn¡¯t work on me this time. ¡°Let¡­ me¡­ speak. I¡¯m in serious pain right now, nana. I am! And even you I thought would have my back?¡± making gestures while I spoke, I paused for a while before continuing, ¡± turns out it¡¯s always the child before the grandchild,¡± I returned again to dumping my clothes in my box.

    ¡°Just unpack your things already. Even if I result to tying you up to get you to stay back, I¡¯ll happily do so.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious you your son are now in cahoots. You both have ganged up against me, right? No issues.¡±

    ¡°Stop spewing nonsense from your mouth and listen to me before you draw baseless conclusions.

    ¡°Baseless  conclusions?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Yes, baseless conclusions! Just listen to me already.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I wiped my face with my palms and folded my arms, tapping my feet against the ground continuously.

    ¡°Your dad called me already¡­,¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± I turned swiftly to her.

    ¡°Lily can you please let me speak?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sing over to talk to you so wait for him and hear him out at least.¡±

    ¡°Dad ising here?¡± I started to panic.

    ¡°Yes , he¡¯sing. So wait and hear him out.¡±

    ¡°Then I have no reason to stay here.¡± I put a few more clothes into my box and locked it. I took the box by my hand and headed out of the room with nana of course walking behind me still trying to persuade me otherwise.

    ¡°Why are you so stubborn, Lily? Your dad came here the first time and you told him off. This time I won¡¯t allow you humiliate him the way you did thest time.

    ¡°He humiliated me enough already!¡± fuming, I threw my box to the floor. ¡°Everyone seems to have forgotten how much I want through including you, nana!  I trusted that of all people, you¡­,¡± I pointed her, ¡°would be able to see reasons with me,¡± Ipleted my sentence.

    ¡°I love you Lily and that¡¯s why I¡¯ll always choose the best for you.¡±

    ¡°And making amends with my dad is the best for me?¡± I babbled.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best you settle the scores already, Lily. The fight is long over due now. Cut it out already! Must you drag on to the very end?¡±

    ¡°I saw dad at Cayden¡¯s and said all I needed to. I have nothing more to say to him.¡± I picked up my box.

    ¡°He told me you didn¡¯t even give him the chance to speak. Is that true?

    ¡°Speak about what exactly? Say sorry? Or better still, bber on, on how he missed me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your father we¡¯re talking about here, Lily. Bridle your tongue,¡± she cautioned stiffly but nicely. ¡°Give him a chance to exin himself to you. If he says he¡¯s sorry, then he¡¯s sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nana saying sorry at this point won¡¯t change anything so what¡¯s the point of it all?¡±

    ¡°At least it shows your father¡¯s now remorseful.¡±

    ¡°Nana how is it that you¡¯re so weing towards him after everything we both went through?¡± I asked with a mixture of astonishment and perplexity in my voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re both my children. And no good mother would drive a wedge between her children on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Nana I¡­,¡± the sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted me.

    Nana immediately rushed to get the door and my father walked in.

 144

    HEARTBROKEN

    ¡°Steve? Come in and have seat,¡¯ nana ushered him in. He turned to stare at me who was still very angry.

    ¡°Calm down Lily, just calm down,¡± he gestured. ¡°I let you rant all you wanted back at Cayden¡¯s now you have to calm down and listen to me please,¡± he pleaded.

    Wiping my tears, I said: ¡°I really don¡¯t have anything to say to you right now, dad. Please let me be and let me go,¡± I said with a pleading tone this time around.

    ¡°Just listen to me please.¡±

    ¡°Listen to your father,¡± nana chipped in.

    After moments of trying to calm me down, I yielded and we all sat down to talk like mature adults.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be with Cayden.¡±

    ¡°You already lost that right to tell me what to do,¡± I fired almost immediately.

    ¡°Just listen and I¡¯ll exin everything in details to you,¡± he spurred.

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± I folded my arms.

    ¡°Take a look at this, Lily. He handed me the envelopes he was holding.

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°Look at the contents yourself.¡±

    ¡°I opened the first envelope and saw pictures ¨C of the samedy who imed to be Cayden¡¯s baby mama ¨C and what looked like bank notes in it. In the second envelope, I found recordings and video tapes.

    ¡°Why you giving these to me?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°That¡¯s Cayden¡¯s woman who he¡¯s been taking care of for a while now.¡± That much I knew. ¡°She is indeed carrying his child, Lily.¡± That part I didn¡¯t know of. Cayden assured me thedy was lying against him.

    ¡°Indeed pregnant for him?¡± I asked puzzled while nana took the envelope from me to see for herself.

    ¡°Exactly! Mr. Cayden is a liar and a cheat, he¡¯ll not make the perfect partner you need by you at this point. You need someone who is going to be open and honest to you in whatever he does and trust me, Cayden is not that guy,¡± he made his point clear.

    With feeling of indignation and disappointment swelling up for  Cayden at that point, I struggled to contain my mixed emotions ¨C the anger I felt towards my dad and the confusion I felt at that point. ¡®Why did he have to allow me get the truth from my dad?¡¯ I wanted to assure myself that my dad was lying to me, but the very first thing he gave me ¨C the envelopes ¨C contained irrefutable proof I could not deny.

    I didn¡¯t even have the will or zeal to speak in Cayden¡¯s defense because it turned out I really knew nothing about his extra affair.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden is nning on getting married to this woman once the child is born, Lily. I got the information from a reliable source and without much questions, you could also see for yourself,¡± he pointed the envelopes. ¡°Think about it. Why would he take care of her somewhere else and fend for her needs if he isn¡¯t in fact the father of the child?¡± he spoke convincingly.

    ¡°But dad, he assured me the child wasn¡¯t his,¡± I had to say something in his defense.

    ¡°Think about what I said earlier. If he was sure of that, he should not have taken the woman out of Nedford to take care of her specially before she gives birth,¡± he cajoled further. ¡°He¡¯s most definitely nning to marry the saiddy on confirming the paternity of the child in her womb. It¡¯s all for the sake of his publicity, Lily. Believe me.¡±

    I felt disheartened by what I heard my dad say. It felt bad to actually be betrayed by Cayden, but it felt worse that it was my dad who presented me with this information. Adding to my pain, he tells me something more heartbreaking.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t disown you of my own volition Lily,¡± he called my attention.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked with a pretty low tone; I was too tired to yell at anyone again.

    ¡°Believe me , Lily. I won¡¯t lie about something as sensitive as this one. What I did wasn¡¯t in anyway my choice.¡±

    ¡°Nana what¡¯s he saying?¡± I turned to nana who just nodded, urging me to keep listening.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± He pressed a few buttons on his tablet and handed it to me. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I looked at it.

    ¡°In it, you¡¯ll see the order of arrangements of everyone who¡¯s worked with me until now and the various roles they yed.¡±

    ¡°So what exactly am I to do with this?¡± I kept looking at it haphazardly, not really paying attention to the details in it.

    ¡°If you check properly, you¡¯ll see that during the time of your getting pregnant, Mr. Cayden was in charge of my publicity at the¡­,¡±

    ¡°Cut it out, dad,¡± I cut him off redirecting my gaze to him. ¡°He told me that he was in charge of handling investments that came into yourpany,¡± I still tried to defend my man even though I barely managed to let the words escape my lips as I felt heavy inside. Nana tapped me gently, urging me to calm down.

    ¡°That¡¯s true but at the time you were pregnant, he was in charge of my publicity. Take a look,¡± he urged me to see for myself that he was not lying.

    Although what appeared on the screen seemed all gibberish to me, I was able to deduce from it and confirmed what my dad said was right. ¡°So if he was in charge of your publicity, how does that affect me in any way?¡±

    ¡°You still don¡¯t get the point I¡¯m trying to drive home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Being in charge of my publicity, I shared with him my predicament ¨C of you being pregnant ¨C and he advised me to drive you away to save face,¡± he dropped the bombshell. ¡°He did?¡±

    ¡°He told me that keeping you around would only taint my image and advised I send you away.

    ¡°Cayden?¡± I was in utter disbelief.

    ¡°You saw for yourself right? He was in charge of my fame and anything that had to do with my image. I know it was foolishness on my part to have bought the idea in the first ce, but right now, I¡¯m not trying to justify myself or apologize, but I¡¯m trying to show you the kind of person Mr. Cayden really is. I¡¯m sure he knows you¡¯re my daughter and couldn¡¯t think of possible ways to say sorry, and got close to you on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Dad you¡¯re not lying to me right now?¡± tears started welling up yet again!

    ¡°It will be irresponsible of me to want to dump Cayden with all my misgivings and squirm through effortlessly; I¡¯d never stoop that low.¡± I covered my face, letting the tears flow ¨C I broke down in tears. I had enough for the day already.

    Nana sits closer to me and rests my head on her shoulder to console me. ¡°It¡¯s okay Lily, everything will be fine,¡± she assured.

    ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry my princess. I know I wronged you but please I¡¯m sorry, very sorry. For everything we put you through, I promise to assume responsibility now. Forgive me.¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°No¡± I raised my head, shaking it repeatedly still unable to stop the tears from flowing. ¡°Cayden won¡¯t betray me like this. No dad, I really cannot ept all of these without asking Cayden about it,¡± I stood up immediately.

    ¡°Where to?¡± nana asked.

    ¡°To Cayden¡¯s,¡± I replied and stormed off feeling shattered inside.

 145

    Guilty

    Lily

    As I made my way to the house, so many things were going through my mind. How could he do that to an innocent girl? The man I¡¯m in love with was the cause of my demise? Why is life so cruel to me? Should I have just ended it all and not have to had gone through all of this torture? Nah, let me not assume, dad might have lied to get me to stay away from Cayden. He¡¯s been a very sweet person to me, why throw all that away? Let me get to him first anyway.

    I rang the doorbell as I reached the house, and Cayden came to get it.

    ¡°Lily? What are you doing here?¡± He asked but I didn¡¯t answer. I barged in angry and he noticed but seemed like he wasn¡¯t ready for any of that. He walked ahead of me into his room. He was packing his things, seems he was already making ns to go.

    ¡°Stop that right now Cayden,¡± I said, bringing out the clothes from the box

    ¡°Why are you stopping me?¡±

    ¡°I have some questions for you Cayden¡±

    ¡°Okayyy?¡±

    ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re the reason I was sent to Nedford? The reason I was emancipated from my parents and that always had a baby mama, nning to get married and run away with her?¡±

    I waited for a response but I didn¡¯t get any. His eyes were teary like that of a guilty person. I couldn¡¯t believe what was happening

    ¡°Talk Cayden! Tell me it¡¯s not true, please¡­ ¡± My voice broke badly, my heart was broken to a thousand pieces.

    ¡°I¡­I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Lily. It¡¯s true but the part about always having a baby mama and getting married isn¡¯t true¡± his voice broke as tears ran down his cheek

    I was stunned. Cayden went to his knees and was crying. He was so ashamed and I felt so much pain like never before, just as much as being thrown out.

    ¡°Lily, I¡¯m so sorry. I promise I didn¡¯t know you that period and I thought it was the right thing to do at that time.¡±All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Oh my Goodness, you irritate me right now. I don¡¯t even recognize you anymore. Are you that heartless? Not knowing me isn¡¯t an excuse Cayden. It doesn¡¯t give you any right to separate a child from the privileges of a parent. Is being pregnant not enough for you to be remorseful and advise a father otherwise?¡± I was in so many tears ¡°there¡¯s no difference between yourself and my dad. You only care about your image, and what the press would say. You made me move out of my parent¡¯s ce at a very young age, to cater for a child and fend for myself at a  young age¡± I sniffed, ¡°if not my grandma I would have been all alone Cayden, all alone.¡±

    I moved towards him¡±I can¡¯t believe I fell in love with someone as inconsiderate and heartless as you. No wonder nothing goes well with us. Whenever things start to go well, something always goes wrong. From the jump, you¡¯ve brought me nothing but pain even before I met you; isn¡¯t that a curse?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily. I know I¡¯ve been a terrible person but I promise I¡¯ve realized my mistake and I¡¯m not that person anymore. You¡¯ve got to believe me, Lily. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll never hurt you intentionally. ¡±

    I didn¡¯t even know what to say anymore. I was emotionally downcast. All I could do was cry. Cayden was crying too. The whole thing was a mess. My face was soggy and swollen, it was an ugly picture.

    ¡°Seeing how much I was going through every day just to give my son a good life, seeing how much hustle  I went through with my grandma, wasn¡¯t that enough for you to havepassion and confess your sins Cayden? Did you enjoy seeing us suffer? Did it fuel your happiness? Everything I did was to try to build a good life and I brought you into that life to share it with me¡±

    ¡°How selfish are you Cayden? Huh? How selfish are you???¡± I said as I hit him on the chest continuously, but he eventually stopped me and put my hands down.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lily, I know I won¡¯t be able to apologize enough for all the wrongs I¡¯vemitted against you. I was just doing my job then. I was a heartless, proud and insensitive yboy. I can¡¯tpare the man of them to this one right in front of you. Your dad just wanted something that would protect his image. I never thought he¡¯d abandon you entirely. He was the CEO, he speaks and we listened, we always have to deliver and his image was the only thing that mattered to him and is wanted to keep it without ws. I advised him to get you out of the way but he should have still made sure that you were taken care of, not that sending you away was the best option anyway and I know that now. Saying this doesn¡¯t make it any better, I know. But I don¡¯t know how else to tell you how sorry I am.¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m just saying a lot of gibberish. Please Lily, please. I never thought I¡¯d have fallen in love with you. It all happened so fast and I didn¡¯t even know you were his daughter when I got to Nedford. If I had known what I know now, I would not have let that happen. It¡¯s the worst regret of my entire life Lily and I¡¯ll spend however long it takes to make it up to you.

    I couldn¡¯t say anything, I was at a loss for words. He was still on his knees and I wanted him to remain that way. It¡¯s nothingpared to what he put me through my whole life; moving to a new town, taking care of a child, finding my own feet? Nah, he had to feel even if it¡¯s just a tip of what I felt.

 146

    I¡¯m caught by the tongue

    Lily

    Cayden still on the floor, I decided to do some more interrogation

    ¡°Why did you lie about your baby mama? Why did you say you were not going to marry her when you¡¯re taking care of her and fattening her up like a sheep who¡¯s about to be led to the ughter? ¡±

    ¡°I never lied about her Lily. I did find out the same day you did. I had never even met her before I got here. I¡¯m only taking care of her so I can do some tests when the child is finally brought into this world and see if the child is mine. That¡¯s the only motive, Lily. If I want to be with anyone, it is you, only you. You¡¯re the only one that I¡¯m in love with and would want to share my life with. I just want a DNA test to see if it matches, that is all. No strings attached.¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°To see if it matches is all¡± For real? See how you¡¯re saying it like it¡¯s no big deal Cayden. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, it is a big deal for me, okay? Have some feelings, goddammit! There were so many strings attached when you were swinging it with her, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d like to be hooked on you by the time the results are positive. So what happens if it matches? Do you have a baby mama? And where would I stand? In the mud? Can my life get any worse than it already is?¡±

    ¡°Please Lily, can you just get through this with me? Can you be a bit patient with me so that I can sort this out? I know I have a lot to prove to you. Please just give me this chance¡±

    Everything and every attitude that Cayden put up reminded me of the memory of multiple pieces of evidence in brown envelopes that were stacked on my table at home, showing that everything Cayden just said to me was a lie and he had other ns. They included how I was going to be abandoned because I wasn¡¯t even in any of those ns. Grandma turned her back on Cayden immediately after she learnt of the truth, she gave no room for apologies and I should just do the same too. She says I¡¯ve endured enough from him and I deserve better. He was not the one meant for me.

    ¡°You know, every one of your actions irritates me Cayden. Of you can lie to me with a straight face now, what can¡¯t you doter that would be worse than this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, Lily, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean?¡± I scoffed ¡°my father, brought evidence with him when he came to visit me just before I came here, which contrasted everything you¡¯re saying now Cayden. He also mentioned that your ¡°so-called¡± baby mama had told him that she was going to be married to you if it turns out to be your child so that there won¡¯t be bad publicity for thepany. Do you see that now? You, my dad, no difference. You did the same to me, only that my life was nearly destroyed and for this girl that you¡¯ve gotten pregnant, it¡¯s just greener pasture¡± my voice, high pitched¡­

    ¡°So, I ask you again Cayden, where the fuck do I stand? Did you n on burying me? Or paying me off as you do to every other girl out there?¡±

    ¡°You have to believe my words over theirs Lily, it¡¯s not true!¡±

    ¡°Oh nice, you¡¯re one to shout, you must have thought me stupid when you met me, like someone you could easily ride over but let me tell you, I¡¯m not that girl Cayden! I will not be manipted into being used and dumped! Did you ever like me or love me as you say? Was any of it ever real? I feel like I was treated even worse than the other girls you sleep with. At least for them, it was just sex, just a one-night stand but with me, you took time, money and energy into making me fall for you. How does that make you feel, huh? Aplished? You know what, you should throw a party Cayden, you caught the big fish! Bravo!¡±

    At this time, I¡¯d already been shouting at the top of my voice. The house echoed with my tiny voice. My vocal cords were extremely stressed from shouting and crying. Cayden was silent, he looked dumbfounded. I had said so much that he didn¡¯t even know where to begin from. It was good, it means that I¡¯d got him

    ¡°Lily, I¡¯m d you got that out of your system¡± He was trying so hard to thread with care.

    ¡°I want to try and break this down as much as I can; do I have a baby mama? Yes. Did I know before you found out? No. Do I love you with all I have? Yes. Did I manipte you into loving me? No. Was all of this my n from the jump? To make you fall in love with me? No. Am I getting married to the baby mama? No. Do I n to elope with her? No. Do I want to stay with you? Yes. Am I lying to you right now? Definitely not. Was I truly in love with you? Hell yea! Do I regret having sex with you? No. If I ever lied to you? No Lily. I¡¯ve been honest with you from the jump till now. I know this is a lot for you to take in and you can¡¯t even tell if I¡¯m lying but you¡¯re just going to have to trust me on this one. Use the love you once had for me to cut me some ck at least, even if it¡¯s just ten per cent.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to respond to that. I was a trap and I¡¯m not cutting him some ck, at least not yet.

    ¡°So what do you think is going to happen if this child was eventually yours?¡± I asked him

 147

    Chapter 147 ¨C Lily is leaving me¡­forever?

    Cayden

    What Lily asked me was the truth and it actually makes a lot of sense. I hadn¡¯t even thought about that, I just did what I felt was right at that moment to be honest.

    Everything happened so fast that I didn¡¯t even have the time to make the right decision.

    Lily asking if I was the father of the child hurt me a little bit. I mean, I want her to trust me with all her heart and not doubt me at all.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    I wanted to tell her everything that was going on in my mind, but I just decided to keep shut.

    She wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway, I have to show her and not just show her.

    The truth was haunting me now. I hadn¡¯t even thought about it to the extent that Lily has. When thedy came to me, telling me that the baby was mine, I had thought that she was just lying. I didn¡¯t overthink it. I just decided to take care of her and her baby pending the time the real father of the babyes.

    I stole a nce at lily and u saw that she was ring at me with anger and questions in her eyes and I just averted my gaze from her.

    The guilt that I was feeling was too much that I had nothing to say to her. I wanted to walk away from her, but I just knew that that would be really bad and she will never trust me again if that happens.

    ¡°Why the hell are you still quiet?¡± She snapped me out of my weird thoughts and I looked at her to see that she was still waiting for me to answer her question.

    The look on her face was haunting me, so I just looked away.

    ¡°Wow, Cayden. Wow. I¡¯m really sure that I was correct after all. You¡¯re feeling guilty, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t even hold eye contact with me for more than three seconds. You¡¯re being wicked right now.¡± She said to me and moved closer to me. I raised my head up and I saw that tears were already welling up in her eyes. I wanted to stretch my hand and clean the few that just dropped on her face, but I restrained myself from doing that.

    ¡°You-¡± I started saying, but I stopped almost immediately. I wanted to tell her that she didn¡¯t understand everything because she actually doesn¡¯t, but I decided not to say anything.

    I could see that she was feeling bad and she needed to let everything out, so I allowed her to have her moment.

    ¡°You told me that you loved me, Cayden. You really did and I trusted you. Oh God, I was so dumb enough to believe that you actually loved me.¡± She said amidst tears and I blinked at her before backing away from her.

    I hate seeing her in tears so much, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt her, so I just stayed still.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t love me and you still don¡¯t. You were just using me for my body and all. Cayden!¡± She screamed at me while pushing me back. I didn¡¯t do anything and I just continued looking down.

    She was hurting really bad and I just knew that for her to feel better, I just had to leave. So, I left her and I started packing.

    When she came to me and she saw that I was packing, she started screaming and pushing me, but I didn¡¯t react to any of her actions because I totally understood the pain she must have been going through.

    ¡°Oh wow. You¡¯re packing because you want to run away from the truth like you always do? Yeah, that¡¯s what you always do, so run away. Please. I don¡¯t even want to see you around anyway. Just go. Go like the coward you are.¡± She said and even though she was really angry, knew that she still cared so much about me.

    I was feeling so frustrated, drained and so tired and I had so many things to say, but I just can¡¯t say any at all.

    I knew that she was waiting for me to say something to her, but what could I say? That I was packing and leaving solely on the orders of my boss, her father? Or because I hate myself so much for hurting her and I can¡¯t keep on living with that misery?

    She was still shouting at me and following me about as I packed silently. She suddenly stopped and she asked, ¡°are you going to say anything about everything I said? Are you really running away from the truth?¡±

    I didn¡¯t answer her, even though I wanted to. I stood up from where I was packing and I saw her wiping her tears off her face.

    God, her eyes were so red.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve gotten my answer.¡± She said and I wanted to correct the impression that she already had about me, but I didn¡¯t.

    ¡°I am going to leave you now to continue what you were doing since my time here has obviously expired.¡± She said and she sniffed noisily.

    What she said scared me and when she was about to leave, u grabbed her hand and I tried turning to face me, but she didn¡¯t allow me. She slipped from my grip and she ran out of the house.

    I felt devastated and I wanted to go after her, but I didn¡¯t.

    I grabbed my bags and I left my house. I entered my car immediately and I drove off to the airport. When I was about to get out of my car, I brought out my shades and I put them on to hide my teary eyes from everyone.

    I entered the aerone and when Inded in New York, I felt a little bit lighter. I instantly went to the apartment that I had rented for the pregnantdy  in question. The anger that I was trying to forget was suddenly brewing and I was bing angrier by the minute.

    When she opened the door for me, I instantly demanded that she tell me exactly what she had told the CEO.

    I could see that she was really scared of me and I felt good about that. She told me that she didn¡¯t tell the CEO directly, as someone hade to the house iming to be my sister.

 148

    Chapter 148 ¨C I don¡¯t have a sister.

    Lily

    I was feeling really frustrated by everything and the fact that Cayden wasn¡¯t answering all my questions was so painful for me.

    I asked him about the baby and he didn¡¯t say anything. His silence was telling me that he was feeling guilty about what he did and he just couldn¡¯t ept his mistake and move on.

    Instead, he was ignoring me and going what he likes. Why can¡¯t he see that I am hurting so bad? Why can¡¯t he see that I want him to grab my face and tell me that it¡¯s just lies?

    Why?

    I told him that he was being quiet because he was guilty and he still didn¡¯t say anything. I was feeling really hurt and I didn¡¯t know when I started crying.

    Even with the way I was crying, he didn¡¯te to me and hug me.

    ¡°Wow, Cayden. Wow. I¡¯m really sure that I was correct after all. You¡¯re feeling guilty, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t even hold eye contact with me for more than three seconds. You¡¯re being wicked right now.¡± I said and I moved closer to him when he didn¡¯t say anything while I waited for him to say something.

    He raised his head and he saw that I was crying. He didn¡¯t say anything and I continued talking. ¡°You told me that you loved me, Cayden. You really did and I trusted you. Oh God, I was so dumb enough to believe that you actually loved me.¡±

    My voice was breaking now, but I was determined to speak sense into him.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t love me and you still don¡¯t. You were just using me for my body and all. Cayden!¡± I screamed at him and he instantly started packing.

    He was packing to run away from the truth and everything. He¡¯s a coward, a coward is what he is.

    I told him that I was leaving his life forever and he tried stopping me, but I slipped out of his hold and I ran home, not looking back at him for thest time.

    Cayden

    I was taken aback by what she said and I was really surprised. I wondered what she was talking to her and I was suddenly interested in everything that she had to say.

    ¡°What do you mean? I want to know everything.¡± I said to her and she had a small smile on her face. She invited me in and I hesitated before I told her to lead the way into the house.

    I silently closed the door after I went in. The house was almost in the same shape since I got it for her. That¡¯s impressive?

    I pushed the thoughts of the house aside and I decided to concentrate on the important information that I was getting from her.

    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± I said to her when I wasfortable in the living room. She gulped before she started speaking again.

    She started yelling at me about how a ¡®strange¡¯ woman suddenly came to her house and told her how she had been looking for her for a while. She took a dramatic pause and she told me that the woman that went to her, told her that she was my sister and she told her that I had shared the news with the whole family.

    I stretched my hand out to stop her from saying any other word. I just wanted to clear everything up in my head.

    So, a woman came and she imed to be my sister? And she said that I had shared the news with the family? I wanted to ask her what news she was talking about, but she probably knew the news already.

    She continued by saying that the strange woman who was iming to be his sister was really happy to let her into the family and she was representing me too.

    When she said that, I widened my eyes at her. I couldn¡¯t remember sending anyone to her to ¡®represent me. That¡¯s a very big lie. I didn¡¯t even send someone to tell her anything, talk more of someone that¡¯s iming to be my sister.

    ¡°I was really happy because that was what I wanted. She even told me that she came to me because you were ready to get married to me and you were really excited about it. She said and I could hear a small excitement in her voice.

    Who on earth was pranking this woman for God¡¯s sake?

    I looked at her and I wanted to tell her that I don¡¯t even have a sister, but I decided to wait for her to finish speaking before I pop her fantasy bubble.

    ¡°She told me that the wedding was going to take ce, as long as I was ready to keep my mouth shut and because of the fact that I wanted to get married to you, I agreed.¡± She said and she threw a smile at me. I didn¡¯t return it.

    Even if someone like that actually went to her, I think she would have at least informed me about it. Right? That would have been the right thing to do at that moment.

    ¡°Why did you not call me immediately after she talked to you?¡± I asked her and I saw that she shrugged subconsciously.

    ¡°I actually wanted to, but your sister told me that I wasn¡¯t allowed tomunicate with you for any reason because you were so busy and always on ¡®long¡¯ calls, business trips and meetings. She even said that that was why she made all the preparations and arrangements because you were always in meetings and by the time you were through with them, you¡¯d be too tired to even talk to anyone.¡± She said and I just red at her in awe.

    Business trips? Long calls? Meetings? Where were all theseing from? Wow.

    If she called the strange woman my sister one more time, then I might lose my cool, to be honest.

    I was suddenly feeling weird like the earth shifted for a second. This whole issue was getting deeper than I actually wanted it to. I thought it was something that I could just solve by myself with no help, but now? I¡¯m not so sure about that.

    I was feeling really dizzy like I was about to pass out and I shifted in my chair ufortably. I was about to fall out of the chair, when she came to me to help me. She asked me if I was okay and I looked at her for a while before I decided to answer her.

    She really deserves to know what trouble she had put herself in.

    When I was okay and bnced enough to talk, I said, ¡°thedy you im is my sister, is not my sister. In Fact, I don¡¯t have any sister.¡±

    When I said that, I saw that it was her turn to pass out now.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 149

    Damage control

    Cayden

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m really sorry. If I had known she was a fraud I absolutely would no¡¯t have let her into our home. She acted so genuine so I could hardly tell the lies from her¡± she tried to exin as she supported me but I was barely having any of it, not because I didn¡¯t believe herpletely but because the situation has weakened me to my bones and I could hardly think straight anymore ¡°I¡¯m as surprised as you are honestly, how could someone do such a wicked thing?¡±

    ¡°Tell me the truth please, are you absolutely sure of what you¡¯re saying?¡± I tried to tell myself that it wasn¡¯t true, that this situation was not happening or that it was just a dream. But it wasn¡¯t, I was now living that dream.

    ¡°Look Cayden, I have o reason at all to lie to you. I mean, what do I possibly stand to gain¡± she tried so vehemently to appraise the fact that she was telling me the truth ¡°In fact I had initially had baby monitors, carriers and cameras ced in the house for my personal reasons, if you don¡¯t believe me then maybe you can go through the video storage footages and have a look at thedy for yourself, maybe then you would believe¡± I was first skeptical and began asking questions.

    ¡°Why would you have cameras installed in the first ce, did you suspect something?¡± I quizzed her for questions that I already knew the answers to.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s going to be difficult to believe me, considering the state you are in right now but I speak nothing but the truth, thedy in question even made sure to get me groceries many times that one and was the one who brought the CEO to the apartment. They had an extensive conversation and the CEO made sure he got the whole conversation on tape¡± as soon as she made mention of the fact that Steve had gotten their whole conversation in tape, my heart sunk deeper.

    I decided to watch the footage that she had emphasized so much on and I was taken aback at my discovery of who was on the footage. It was Brielle, I should¡¯ve have guessed. My ex and who was also thedy I thought was out of my life for good and nowe back and done me dirty. My face did very little to hide the anger and frustrating I was currently going through. She noticed I recognized Brielle and immediately gave a tip was going to be a life saver or at least a chance to do something.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know it this would be of any help but I still have the number of thedy incase you want to reach her and talk about what has happened¡± she tried to control the damage that had already been done.

    ¡°You do?¡± I asked in renewed hope.

    ¡°Yes yes, here, you can have it¡± she scrolled to Brielle¡¯s number on her contact list and stretched out the hand that held the phone. I whisked the phone from her hand to confirm the number with the one I had and immediately came up with an idea.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to have to do something for me right now¡±

    ¡°Sure, whatever it is I will do it¡± she responded in absolutely obedience

    ¡°Good. I need you to call Brielle and pretend to want to have an afternoon drink with her at a location of my choice but you would not be going for the date, rather I would go in your stead instead and use the opportunity to confront her¡± this was the best and only option I had at that point and I was more than ready to bank on it, it was the only way I could get to Brielle and know things for myself.

    ¡°Alright I do not know if this would work or entirely know what is going on either but let me give this it a try¡± She dialed Brielle¡¯s number and to my greatest pleasure, after a few rings she picked the call. They go ahead to discuss details of the date and I calmly whisper the location and time at which I wanted it to hold into her ear and Brielle ignorantly epts. A miniature atom of smile creeped through my face and I immediately began to get prepared for the drink date.

    It was almost two hours after the date had been scheduled and Brielle was already sitted like the pretty little demon she was in the coffee shop. I came into the shop anonymously and even went as far as putting on shades, a cap andpletely oblivious cloths that made it almost impossible to identify me but Brielle spotted me. She immediately took to her hills on sighting me but I was about to let her get a way. I pursued her out from the coffee shop and a few blocks down before our distance closed up and I caught her.

    ¡°And where do you think you are going, leaving so soon?¡± She tried to catch her breath but I had barely gassed out as sprinting was something I was quit skilled at.

    ¡°Get you filthy hands off me Cayden this very minute¡± she tried to struggle her way out of my taut grip but to no avail.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s filthy Brielle, do you have any idea the degree of damage you caused me?¡± I began to re up ¡°you¡¯ve ruined my life Brielle¡±

    ¡°Yes I did and would do it a million times again if I were given the chance to¡±

 150

    Whatever happens, happens

    Cayden

    ¡°Yes I did and would do it a million times again if I were given the chance to¡±

    I knew things between Brielle and I ended on a not so good note but it still perplexed me as to why she would go to this extent of trying to ruin my life. What did she stand gain, what was her reason for all this¡­ I thought she was gone for good?

    ¡°But why Brielle, why? What did I ever do to deserve the evil you¡¯ve so intentionally done to me, why go through all this stress?¡± I tried to phantom why on earth she would do what she did. My mind raced around a million and one reasons why she did it but none wmquite settle in.

    ¡°You are way more dumb than I thought if you can ask me such a stupid question¡± she spites me but I do not burge ¡°I wanted you Cayden, I wanted you for myself and nobody else yet you reciprocated the opposite affection to me, little did I know you wanted to get rid of me discreetly. Now that wasn¡¯t what pricked me the most, my fury began when you started discussing our issues at home with that bitch called Lily. I could¡¯ve have fucked up her life too but smi consider to be a woman like me who has needs so you are the one to me and not her¡± she took a two second breath and then continued ¡°and to sum it all up, at the foolish instruction of that bitch, you had to audacity to send me packing in the middle of the night Cayden, like who does that¡­ and then you will call me a devil. I do not regret a single thing I have done to you Cayden¡± she stiffened her face and I could see bridges of skin form on the top of her skull.

    ¡°You know I actually thought you were insane then but I didn¡¯t know you were this crazy. This petty things you¡¯ve said gave you no right to meddle in affairs of my life or even get close to me. If memory serves me right, you freely got into that taxi and sped off in it, so why go away only toe back and hurt me?¡±

    ¡°Oh my dear Cayden, you really do not know the extent to which I can go to ruin your life. I hate you Cayden and would risk every atom of my being to make sure your life crumbles to pieces, you deserve every misfortune thates your way and I would not mind being the cause of a whole lot more¡± she reiterated her hatred for me and I could see the anguish in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you know you could go to jail for this Brielle? You impersonated a person who you are not andmitted fraud. I can assure you of arge number of years behind bars for this, if I report you to the authorities. You¡¯ve sure made the worst mistake of your life trust me¡±

    For a few seconds there, Brielle was silent and I could see the intense contemting that loomed in it. Then she finally spoke again

    ¡°If you report me for my deeds than I guess I¡¯ll have no choice but to expose you as well for the fraud that you are and make sure everyone you love goes down with you. Now I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want that now, do you?¡± Those few words terrified me deeply, I couldn¡¯t have a situation that would be worse than the one I was already in, especially not having to bring Lily into my mess as I had already ruined every chance of being with her, now I couldn¡¯t have hering to answer questions of fraud because of my mistakes.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare Brielle¡± I asked in hesitation

    ¡°Oh yes I will, I bet your big junk I will. If I came this far, what makes you think I wouldn¡¯t do this?¡± she asked with a mischievous smirk and I could see that she wasn¡¯t kidding.

    I had finally decided on what to do, I was going to take her to the police regardless of what was going to happen. Besides if she was really serious and not bluffing why did she wait this long to bring her proof and not use the chance she had to have ruined my life a long time ago and get rid of me. This meant she didn¡¯t have any proof at all and I was not will to bank on that uncertainty.

    ¡°You know what Brielle, go ahead¡± I said in an adamant tone

    ¡°Wait what!?¡± She was surprised to find out I was willing to risk it all

    ¡°Yes go ahead and do whatever you wish but one thing is for certain and that¡¯s the fact that youring years are going to be spent behind bars¡± I kept s pale face and she could now see that I wasn¡¯t kidding.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    I dragged her without shame to the police station where an officer was stationed at the counter. I gave my statement and handed her over before taking my phone to call (baby mama) to make sure she was will to testify in my favour when the time arose.

    ¡°Hey I just got Brielle to the police station ow and she has been taken in¡±

    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s good news I guess¡±

    ¡°But I will need you to do onest thing for me¡± I asked in hopes of a favorable response

    ¡°Sure, what could that be¡±

    ¡°Well as it now seems, this case may go to court and I would need a reliable witness to testify in my favor and that¡¯s where youe in. Can you do that for me please¡±

    ¡°Absolutely Cayden, after knowing what she had done to you it¡¯s the least I can do to get you back on track¡±

    ¡°Wonderful, thank you so much¡±

    I dropped the call with a renewed hope that things may just start working out for my good.

 151

    CAYDEN¡¯S INNOCENT

    It¡¯s been well over three months now since the ¡®Cayden baby mama¡¯ drama and things were going on as normal.

    That very day, I was lying on the sofa watching some funny videos on YouTube just trying to rx when nana came in sounding and looking restless.

    ¡°Lily are you not watching the news?¡± She picked up the remote control and  switched channels.

    ¡°What happened nana? Why are you sounding that way?¡± I askedUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°Shhh¡­ just listen,¡± she pointed to the TV

    *The said girl, Brielle Elsher who worked with one of the biggestpanies in the whole of the United States of America is said to have been arrested of impersonation and defamation of one Mr. Cayden Mc. Lou¡­*

    On hearing the name Cayden Mc. Lou from the news reporter, my attention on the TV was tripled and I became more interested than before.

    *for making false derogatory usations about him¡­* the news reporter concluded her story after attaching a couple of pictures ¨C whose faces were blurred ¨C of which I recognized one of them to be Cayden and the other, Brielle.

    I stood in front of the TV fixated on the screen even after the news update was over. ¡°Lily¡± granny called my attention. ¡± I hope you¡¯re not thinking of doing anything right now.¡±

    ¡°Anything like what, nana?¡±

    ¡°Anything like calling back Mr. Cayden and sorting things out,¡± she rified.

    I heaved a sigh and sat back down without saying anything. Of course I would have the thought in mind; Cayden was falsely used, making us to call our rtionship quits.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Lily. It¡¯s been over three months now. Going back would be reopening old wounds unnecessarily. So let it be, okay?¡± she advised.

    ¡°Fine, nana. I¡¯ll let it be,¡± I said resting my head on the sofa, facing the ceiling while I folded my arms.

    ¡°Let me fix something for you,¡± she walked out the living room.

    I sat upright now nana was gone since I was hiding the guilt I felt over watching the news. Rather than ¡®revisit old wounds unnecessarily¡¯, I was going to dig in and find out the truth so technically, I won¡¯t be going against my nana. I immediately picked up my phone and anonymously requested for a PI ¨C on an investigation and crime scene blog I newly formed interest in and followed daily updates.

    A few dayster, someone replied myment and told me he was  a PI and he would happily work with me for the right amount. We immediately exchanged contacts after which I deleted thement entirely to get rid of possible traces. I suggested the ce of first meeting and of course it was away from my shop and house; we met at a zoo as one can never be too careful. I didn¡¯t want to raise rm or inform anyone of what I intended to do, I said to go in head on and alone

    He described to me what clothes he wore and what part of the zoo he¡¯d be at so without much said and done, I located him standing in front of an ostrich¡¯s cage.

    ¡°Mr. PI?¡± I called out.

    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Liam, miss Lily,¡± he reminded me nicely and he beckoned for a handshake of which I yielded to.

    ¡°Right! Mr. Liam. So you¡¯re the one who replied myment?¡±

    ¡°Do I look weird?¡± he asked frantically then I giggled.

    ¡°Not really. Pardon my manners.¡±

    ¡°No problems.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m going to make this quick. I heard all what you guys need are people¡¯s pictures and full names to find whatever you want to, right?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. Sometimes, we don¡¯t even need their names so if you don¡¯t  know the person¡¯s name, fret not.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Here you go,¡± I opened my bag and brought out an envelope which I gave to him.

    ¡°Can I open it?¡±

    ¡°If you wish to.¡± ¡± In there, those are pictures of ady I want you to do some digging into. She was recently used of defamation against one Mr. Cayden and I want you to look into that for me,¡± I exined the task while he looked through the pictures meticulously. ¡°You can do it, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± he affirmed.

    ¡°Great. So when you¡¯ve found something, be sure to tell me, we could meet up back here.¡±

    ¡°Yes miss.¡±

    ¡°Confidentiality is your watchword, right?¡± I still had to make sure everything is done in secret.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Alright, see you then.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Have a great day!¡± he cried out as I was already a few centimeters away.

    ¡°And you too!¡± I responded and walked out of earshot.

    The guy sure understood the part and yed appropriately by putting on something to blend with the entire crowd ¨C white shorts and blue tee-shirt with ck sneakers ¨C and not calling attention to himself. I on the other hand was the one who had more chances of jeopardizing our secret meeting by putting on something I thought would take attention away but it turned out that wasn¡¯t the case. I wore an all-ck attire with a ck scarf covering my head and sixty percent of my face , with the only part exposed ¨C which were my eyes ¨C still covered with sunshades.

    Despite my looking like an oddball, he didn¡¯t speak about it; he was indeed professional so I trusted he¡¯d do a good job and waited patiently for him to call me first.

    Two weeks after I met with the PI and given him the job, he contacted me again asking for us to meet at the zoo since I proposed earlier that we met there to avoid poking eyes.

    I got to the zoo and recognized him sitting at the sit-out under the trees lined up in front of the ostrich¡¯s cage I met him before.

    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± I beside him casually.

    ¡°Not really. Here you go,¡± he handed me a file thaty by his side earlier.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± I asked while opening the file to check the contents.

    ¡°Miss Brielle in fact worked with Grey¡¯s empire long before Mr. Cayden Mc. Lou came over to Nedford.¡±

    ¡°She did?¡± still going through the documents in the file, I asked.

    ¡°Yes. Inside the file I gave you is aprehensive report on my findings. Turned out that this miss Brielle in question was involved in the ¡®Mr. Cayden¡¯s baby mama¡¯ fiasco.¡±

    ¡°She was?¡± I looked at him this time.

    ¡°Yes. Apparently, she was Mr. Steve¡¯s informant. She was the one who pulled the strings and made it look like Mr. Cayden intended to marry the saiddy for the sake of his publicity,¡± he narrated further.

    ¡°What about the issue concerning his defamation?¡± I asked.

    ¡°If you look in the file, there¡¯s a sh drive inside,¡± he pointed the file and had me ruffling through again to see it. ¡°Inside the sh drive, areprehensive reports Miss Brielle provided Mr. Steve. Those reports were made even before he came into Nedford but she kind of fabricated it to use Mr. Cayden wrongly,¡± he concluded and had me feeling deeply guilty for doubting Cayden as much as I did and wasn¡¯t even willing to hear his side of the story. ¡°When you get home, go through them,¡± he interrupted my thoughts, standing up to leave.

    ¡°Nice doing business with you,¡± I stretched forth my hand for a handshake.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he shook my hand. ¡°Anytime you have something else as this, be sure to inform me,¡± he winked, then smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have that in mind,¡± I reciprocated his friendly gesture and bade him farewell.

    Walking out of the scene, I recounted everything he said earlier and I never felt more guilty and gullible as I did then. I was easily swayed by evidences against Cayden that ced him in apromising situation. I felt deeply down in the dumps.

 152

    GUILT

    Overridden with guilt and anguish, I picked up my broken pieces and headed back to my shop ¨C my new shop. The new shop sure was more spacious than thest, and that meant extra hands needed on the table; of course I employed those ¡®extra hands¡¯ with Jarod as my number one employee. I  made him the head when I wasn¡¯t there.

    Returning to my duties, I found it really hard to concentrate on anything owing to what the PI had said to me. I was really absent minded to the point that I¡¯d mix up orders some times and even try to serve one¡¯s order to another but my right hand man ¨C Jarod ¨C was always there in the nick of time to save the day.

    ¡°Lily are you okay?¡± he asked while I was washing my hands in the kitchen sink to take a break. ¡°You¡¯ve been out of it ever since you came back earlier. What¡¯s the problem?¡± he asked with so much care and warmth. ¡°Is it because of the news on Cayden two weeks ago?¡± He called my attention immediately.

    ¡°You watched the news?¡±

    ¡°Who didn¡¯t? Grey¡¯s empire is a bigpany, you know? Everyone in even this small city ¨C Nedford ¨C knows about the ¡®Cayden¡¯s baby mama¡¯ fiasco already. There¡¯s nothing to hide when you¡¯re in the spotlight.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± I replied dispiritedly and heaved a sigh of exhaustion.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± cing his hand on my shoulder, he asked.

    ¡°Jarod,¡± I called.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yeah? Tell me what¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°I employed a PI.¡±

    ¡°By PI, you mean¡­,¡± he stressed the ¡®mean¡¯ while looking at me to confirm his thoughts though his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Private Investigator,¡± I validated. ¡°I just came back from meeting him and that¡¯s why I¡¯m demoralized right now.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did you tell him to investigate?¡±

    ¡°The ¡®Cayden baby mama¡¯ fiasco.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do nothing,¡± I whined while gesturing.

    ¡°So what did you and your PI find out?¡±

    ¡°Well, it turned out that Brielle Elsher was indeed the wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he leaned against the sink to look at me properly.

    ¡°She¡¯s the one who framed Cayden up for everything. She impersonated someone else and made it seem like Cayden for a fact wanted to get married to his baby mama for publicity¡¯s sake,¡± I spelled out to Jarod who just stared at me in awe, making dramatic facial expressions. ¡°What?¡± I asked on noticing what he was doing.

    ¡°You actually hired a PI to dig up dirt on her for you?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue right now, Jarod.¡±

    ¡°What the is the issue?¡±

    ¡°Cayden! Poor him took the fall for everything and even me who was supposed to be there for him through thick and thin, abandoned him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bite your yourself so much Lily.¡±

    ¡°Trust me Jarod. I wanted to see reasons with him but the proofs and everything they cooked up nicely was really appetizing that I just dug in without even thinking twice.¡± Feelings of guilt over took me this time, spurring me to tears.

    ¡°Cayden was¡­. He was¡­,¡± I cleaned my eyes and looked upwards to keep the tears from flowing. ¡°He was innocent, Jarod,¡± I finally spoke, letting out a mild sob. ¡°He was and I didn¡¯t even care to listen to his side of the story.¡± I wailed and almost lost it when Jarod held me in his arms while gesturing to the other workers who wondered what was going on, to carry on with their work and ignore us.

    ¡°Common, let¡¯s sit,¡± with me in his arm, he went to the other side of the kitchen where there were seats and made us sit.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t care to listen Jarod,¡± I sniveled. ¡°I didn¡¯t care to listen to his side of the story. I just jumped into conclusion on seeing the different¡­,¡± another round of tears was already warming up to escape my eye lids as I closed them tightly and covered my face. ¡°I¡¯m a bad person, Jarod. A very bad one,¡± still buried in my palms, Imented, cursing myself out. ¡°I didn¡¯t deserve a man like that in the first ce. I should have listened to him when he begged me to,¡± I wailed further still covering my face, while Jarod listened patiently for me to pour out my heartpletely. ¡°I hate myself for doing that.¡±

    ¡°Lily,¡± he called out softly as he took both my hands and held on to them, exposing my teary face. He then bent over in my direction and clean my face with the back of his hand. ¡°Stop cursing yourself out, Lily. Cayden is not entirely off the hook, remember?¡± I sobbed continuously.

    ¡°He also yed a part in ruining your life , Lily. He¡¯s the ¡®a¡¯-hole here for advising your dad to kick you out at such a young age,¡± he consoledpassionately. ¡°Listen,¡± he squatted before me to get a better view of my face as I had my face buried the whole time. Looking deep into my eyes he assured, ¡°you really do not have to pick on yourself, okay?¡± he said while shaking his head as a form of gesture. ¡°Raise your head up and face the world because you¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± I just stared at him, letting the tears flow from my eyes freely.

    ¡°You think so?¡± I asked meekly, while sniffling.

    ¡°I sure do, Lily. Don¡¯t prick yourself for this, okay?¡± he used the back of his index finger this time to wipe the tears off my face.

    ¡°What exactly should I do, Jarod? I¡¯m confused. I don¡¯t know exactly how to go about it.¡±

    ¡°We can figure that out, Lily. That¡¯s not a problem so promise me you won¡¯t cry again.¡± I smiled. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just try. You have to promise you won¡¯t at all,¡± he teased.

    ¡°Fine! I won¡¯t.¡± I cleaned my face properly with a scarf I had in my pocket. ¡°So tell me. Any ideas on what I should do? I need to make up for this somehow.¡±

 153

    MY TRIP TO NEW YORK

    ¡°I think I might have an idea Lily,¡± he said using his thumb and index finger to support his jaw while putting on a ¡®thinking¡¯ face. Like a ray of hope appeared in a dark tunnel, I grinned from ear to ear, beaming with expectations. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked eagerly.

    ¡°So now you¡¯re happy,¡± he smiled and I followed suit. ¡°You feel guilty, right?¡±

    ¡°Very,¡± I emphasized.

    ¡°Why not make it up to him then?¡±

    ¡°Make it up to him? How?¡±

    ¡°Pay him a visit in New York.¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ¡°I should?¡±

    ¡°That way, you tell the other party which is Cayden that you indeed are putting in efforts to sort things out,¡± he heightened my interest as I seemed to buy the idea.

    ¡°So I visit New York, what next?¡± I was eager to hear the rest of his ¡®idea¡¯.

    ¡°What else? Pay him a visit over there.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know where he stays,¡± Iined.

    ¡°Then find out. That makes it easier for Cayden toe to see reasons with your sincerity. When you get there, you find out whether or not he¡¯s interested in you both getting back together.¡± I nodded continuously as I was totally in the game. ¡°Just clear the air and unburden yourself from unnecessary guilt,¡± he concluded. ¡°So what do you say? You like the idea?¡±

    ¡°Excellent Jarod. You¡¯re a genius,¡± I removed my apron and dumped it in his body.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, looking all dazed.

    ¡°To carry out your idea, of course. Take care of things while I¡¯m gone okay?!¡± I dashed out immediately.

    I rushed to the airport and booked flight tickets for the next avable flight to New York without giving it a second thought.

    After I booked the flight tickets, I rushed back home to pack my things; my flight was in just one hour. Time was not on my side.

    When I got to the house, I realized the house was empty; nana wasn¡¯t in. So I just dashed in to my room at once to start packing. I started by taking my box down from the wardrobe, cing on my bed and opening it to put my clothes inside.  Being in a hurry, I didn¡¯t have all the time in the world to neatly arrange my clothes in the box, so I just put them in still hung in the hangers.

    Still in the rush of stuffing my things in the box, nana walked in on me.

    ¡°Lily?¡± she called out giving me quite a scare.

    ¡°Nana! You weren¡¯t in when I came back so where did you appear from?¡± I looked startled. ¡°You startled me!¡± I voiced.

    ¡°Are you traveling?¡±

    ¡°Yes nana,¡± I forced the few things left in the box and tried to zip up.

    ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t have the time to inform you,¡± I apologized.

    ¡°Where are you off to and why are you in such a hurry? You wanted to leave without my notice?¡± ¡°No nana. I¡¯m off to New York and I¡¯m in a hurry because my flight is just in¡­,¡± I looked at my wristwatch, ¡± thirty minutes from now,¡± I finished my statement.

    ¡°New York? You finally want to make amends with your dad?¡± she asked cheerfully like she truly hoped that was the case. But news sh, I was about to dash those hopes like they were nothing.

    ¡°Never!¡± I refuted still stuffing my bag.

    ¡°Never?¡± The traces of smile on her face diminished instantly.

    ¡°Never. I¡¯m never making up with those people.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being stubborn, Lily? I thought your dad exined everything to you thest time.¡±

    ¡°Cayden asked him to do it, he suggested and didn¡¯t force daddy, nana,¡± I turned from the small bag I was putting my deodorants in, to face her. ¡°Whatever daddy did was solely him. And besides, Cayden asked him to throw me out and not abandon me but daddy chose topletely abandon me,¡± I made my point clear and returned to packing my bags.

    ¡°So what exactly are you going to New York to do?¡±

    ¡°To fix daddy¡¯s mistake.¡± I brought the box down from the bed and ced the small bag on it showing I was ready to leave. ¡°Daddy came over here and ruined mepletely, nana. I¡¯m going over to New York to clean the mess your son created.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry nana. When I get back¡­,¡± I extended the hand of the box and rolled it towards the door, ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything to you,¡± I pecked her goodbye and made my way out.

    I got to the airport exactly ten minutes to the time my flight took off and made it right on time.

    On getting to New York, I knew I had to board a cab from the airport to aid my movements in this city. I boarded a cab on stepping out of the airport and asked the driver to take me to the hotel I and Cayden stayed in thest time I apanied him for official reasons. For some reason, that was the ce I had in mind to spend the night all through my flight. And owing to the fact that my visit was totally unannounced to Cayden, I could not roam the streets of New York like a newbie with boxes, looking for where Cayden lived; I had to book a room beforemencing my search.

    On getting to the hotel, I booked a room without hassles and made my way to the room ¨C room 294.

    I got to the room and didn¡¯t think to retard by unpacking my things and getting the room ready, instead I made my way to the bathroom and freshened up.

    I got dressed and left the room approximately twenty minutester, with the Grey¡¯s empire as a destination in mind; I thought to visit Cayden¡¯s office to see him and if he wasn¡¯t there, it would be the best ce to go if I were to get information as to where he lived.

    On getting there, I met the receptionist at therge hall in the entrance of the sophisticated building.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted warmly with smiles allover.

    ¡°Hi, good day.¡± I retaliated.

    ¡°So how may we be of help to you, ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see someone.¡±

    ¡°Who may that be?¡± She spoke  courteously.

    ¡°Mr. Cayden¡­Cayden Mc. Lou.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­hold on a minute,¡± she turned to her system and cked the keyboard a couple of times before returning her attention to me. ¡°Sorry, he¡¯s not presently in his office.¡± I thought as much.

    ¡°Umm¡­could you by any chance give me his house address?¡± I requested.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait a minute, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m not allowed to expose our employees¡¯ personal details. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she informed nicely.

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of in a pinch right now, please help me.¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°But ma¡­,¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± I held out both hands and held them together signifying a humble plea. ¡°I¡¯m in a pinch. I need to see him urgently,¡± I wore a ¡®sorry¡¯ look.

    She heaved a sigh and turned back to theputer. ¡°I¡¯ll help you out just this once.¡± Of course miss, I  am not returning to this ce again.

    She then told me his address , and after thanking her heartily, I left the premises and headed straight to Cayden¡¯s.

 154

    I¡¯M SORRY

    *CAYDEN¡¯S POV*

    Eliana and I had been in and out of the hospital a couple of times as her EDD ¨C Estimated Due Date ¨C was very close. She had a couple of falsebor, which made us run in and out of the hospital on several asions. Owing to the doctor¡¯s note, we weren¡¯t allowed to ignore herbor pains anytime she experienced them. I assumed the responsibility of taking her to the hospital and made sure she was well taken care of.

    ¡°Aaahhhhh!,¡± I heard Eliana screaming in her room from the living room where I sat down to rx. ¡®another false rm?¡¯ I thought.

    Without dragging my feet, I dashed off to her bedroom to see what happened and found her on the floor close to her bed groaning in serious pain in a pool of water; apparently her water broke. I then helped her up after what seemed like forever as she was in serious pain to even move.

    I held her by the waist to provide support and led her to the living room, from where we can exit the building and head to the hospital.

    Still holding on to her waist while she held tightly on to me to ease her pain, I opened the door that led outside the house and helped her out. On getting out of the house, I saw someone I hadn¡¯t seen in what felt like forever ¨C Lily.

    She stood a few inches away from us, close to where  I parked my car. When our eyes met, she turned around and started walking away. Of course I just couldn¡¯t let her leave after months of being apart, so I helped Eliana up to the car and ced herfortably in it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, okay? Just a minute,¡± I said and dashed out to catch up to Lily.

    *LILY¡¯S POV*

    On getting to the address thedy gave me, I saw something that immediately switched my emotions from ¡®excited and hopeful¡¯ to distraught; it was Cayden who had his arms wrapped around Eliana¡¯s waist as he provided her support. The scene instantly reminded me of all the incidents that kept us apart and subconsciously, my feet turned around and started walking away.

    ¡°Lily hol¡¯up,¡± Cayden ran up to me and held me back from behind. Without uttering a word , he kissed me gently and affectionately, after which he pulled me into his bosom; I missed that feeling so much.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, Lily. I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± he cuddled me tightly but stopped when he heard me sobbing. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he held me out to stare at my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cayden,¡± I cried out. ¡°I am really sorry for the way I treated you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to cry, Lily,¡± he wiped my tears.

    ¡°I came over to New York to say sorry to you Cayden. I¡¯m sorry!¡± I kept wailing.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Lily. You know I hate to see you cry.¡± He pulled me into his bosom again. ¡°It¡¯s okay Lily. You really are hurting me right now with those tears,¡± he patted the back of my head with care.

    I pulled  myself back a bit. ¡°I now know you were telling the truth. I also forgive you for what you did to me years ago, so don¡¯t let it burden you, ok?¡± I ced my petite palm on his face. ¡°I love you,¡± I caressed his face.

    ¡°I love you more, Lily,¡± he held my hand firmly to his face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you now,¡± I withdrew my hand from his face slowly.

    ¡°Lily you can¡¯t just leave like that. It¡¯s been months , Lily.¡±

    ¡°Have a nice and guilt-free life, Cayden,¡± I said and started walking out hurriedly.

    ¡°Lily? Lily?¡± he called out to me several times but I didn¡¯t turn around once to look back. I just kept wiping my eyes continuously as they kept on producing tears.

    I went straight to the airport to book a flight ticket back to Nedford as I didn¡¯t see any other reason to remain in New York.

    The very next day, I got on my flight heading back to Nedford.

    ¡°Lily it¡¯s been days already,¡± nana spoke with concern as she saw meying on my bed. ¡°You¡¯ve been holed up in your room for three days now, Lily.¡±

    Yes, three days. It¡¯s been three days since I arrived from New York and fell into depression. Nana woulde into my room asionally to check on me, feed me and do little chores for me as I wasn¡¯t in the mood to get off bed, talk more of do anything around the house and that included feeding myself breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. Nana assumed full responsibility in taking care of me through these turbulent times and I couldn¡¯t be more grateful for  having such an angel as a grandmother and supporter.

    ¡°Lily?¡± she called out gently as she sat on my bed and caressed my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to get up and shrug off whatever has left you in this state?¡±

    ¡°Nana,¡± I called out in a pretty low tone; I was too tired to even speak!

    ¡°Yes love. What do you want? Just name it and it¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Can we all leave Nedford? I¡¯m tired of this ce , nana. I want us to leave,¡± I sat up. I spoke with difficulty as the fatigue that overwhelmed me was on a whole new level.

    ¡°You want to leave Nedford?¡±

    ¡°Yes nana. I can¡¯t breathe properly in this ce, nana. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay honey,¡± she hugged me and rubbed my back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Get better first and then we can all leave, okay?¡±

    I held her back and nodded, resting my head on her shoulder.

    A few dayster, I was back on my feet thanks to my sweet loving grandmother. Following my recovery, I started making ns to move my family to a new environment entirely ¨C another state. I chose California as a new state of residence.

    In no time,  we all moved out of Nedford to grace California with our presence!

    *TWO YEARS LATER*

    ¡°Ok sir, the pleasure is all mine, sir. Thank you so much,¡± I hung up.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± nana asked.

    ¡°One of the judges for thepetition I¡¯d be hosting in New York, nana. I called to tell him of when I¡¯de back officially  to host thepetition.¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ¡°Interesting. So when is that?¡±

    ¡°In two weeks, nana.¡±

    ¡°You have another article on you, Lily.¡± She gave me her phone to see for myself. ¡°¡®The best female baker¡¯ in the whole of California, that¡¯s what everyone knows you as, Lily.¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°That reminds me nana, I¡¯d be appearing live on a cooking show tomorrow evening. You¡¯d be able to handle Jacek, right?¡±

    ¡°You never have to make special requests for that, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much Nana,¡± I pecked her.

    Yes , I¡¯d be a hotshot baker with a lot of attention in California. I started my business after settling down in my new city and started taking advantage of digitalization to make my business boom. I started with making videos of myself cooking, making tutorial clips and all that. I never thought taking my business online would work out the way it did.

    Getting the whole world to know me was done in no time. I applied for a huge cooking contest and won the prize money which was no joke. Owing to the fame that verypetition got me, I got orders from hotshot bakers all around the world, contracts to bake and deliver wedding cakes of public figures in the society, handled birthday parties¡¯ cakes for celebrities¡¯ children and in no time, I was already a celebrity myself ¨C¡¯The Best female baker¡¯ in the whole of California.

    Dealing with fame was no child¡¯s y; there was no ce to hide as I was in the spotlight. Not only was I in the spotlight, so were my granny and my son for being my direct family; I remained unmarried, unable to get Cayden off my mind. After years of hard work, I reaped its fruit and made a name for myself!

    I had a passion for seeing young talents bloom and so decided to host the biggest bakingpetition in the whole of US in New York. Thepetition was in three weeks, I nned to travel in two weeks to oversee how far my workers over there had gone with their work.

    It¡¯s already been three weeks. I and Jacek were in the venue for thepetition. I  watched the organizers give subtle orders here and there to get the venue ready for thepetition that was in fifteen minutes time. The guests and spectators were already present and chattering could be heard from every corner of therge hall.

    ¡°Lily?¡± a familiar voice called from behind me.

    I turned around to see who had called me. Giving off a broad smile, I called out ¡°Cayden?¡±

 155

    REUNION

    ¡°Cayden!¡± I eximed happily and hugged him briefly. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been good, Lily. How have you been?¡± he stressed the ¡®you¡¯.

    ¡°Been good!¡± ¡°Helloooo¡­.,¡± I lowered my head a bit and smiled at the little boy he held in his hand, Your son?¡± I raised my head to ask Cayden.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

    ¡°Yes! Hey there lil one,¡± he greeted Jacek.

    ¡°Hi uncle Cayden!¡± he responded cheerfully.

    ¡°You remember me! You¡¯re now a big boy, huh?¡± he ruffled through his hair jovially.

    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°Aiden.¡±

    ¡°Hey Aiden!¡± I called out yfully. ¡°And his mum?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re co-parenting now Lily with no stress.  No one¡¯s fussing.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get married to her?¡±

    ¡°Nah I didn¡¯t get married, I chose to stay single and tend to my son.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. What about your work?¡±

    ¡°I own my ownpany now and I¡¯m doing pretty well, away from the cameras now, Lily. I finally have my peace and quiet.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± I eximed. ¡°That¡¯s interesting, Cayden! I¡¯m happy for you,¡± I cheered.

    ¡°Thank you so much. And by the way Lily, you¡¯re all over my TV and the inte atrge. You¡¯re now a top hit, you know that?¡± I smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s not been easy at all Cayden. Trust me , it¡¯s not. After I moved to California, it took a while for me to even settle down before even starting up my business again. The struggle was real. After resuming my business over there, I tried new methods to make myself grow and I was fortunate enough to meet with important people in the society which yed a part in getting me where I am today,¡± I narrated.

    ¡°Why did you leave Nedford?¡±

    ¡°I needed space to breathe. I needed a break from everything and everyone and I¡¯m d I did. Jarod now manages my shop over there. Right now, I¡¯m so living to the fullest!¡± I said with so much excitement.

    ¡°It was worth it, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Definitely!¡±

    ¡°I am so happy for you, Lily! Honestly, I am d you were able to ovee the numerous hurdles that came your way and became this big in just two years!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy for me too!¡±

    Meeting Cayden was the most exciting part of the whole event. We sat together and talked, catching on old times whileughing and giggling happily.

    It¡¯s day thirty-one of going out with Cayden. Thepetitionsted for about three weeks, the extra one week I remained in the city was with Cayden as we continuously went on dates ¨C to the park, restaurants, ice-cream parlors and sometimes to the zoo with both our kids ¨C rekindling our old me gradually. In no time, we were head over heels for each other again as we never fell out of love in the first ce. Cayden made  my stay in New York very memorable and enjoyable.

    It was 7:30pm and Cayden hade to pick me up from the hotel I lodged for a dinner date that night. He had his personal driver convey us as we both sat in the back seat and talked.

    ¡°Whoa! Lily you really are something else now,¡± he was swiping through his phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Here you go.¡± He gave me his phone to see for myself.

    I looked at the screen and saw an article with a title that read: ¡®Hotshot baker ¨C Best female baker in the whole of California ¨C in a steamy romance with Mr. X. Who is the lucky fellow?¡¯ with a picture of me and a faceless figure tagged ¡®X¡¯. ¡°When was this released?¡±

    ¡°That and many other articles on our rtionship with me as Mr. ¡®X¡¯ is already taking the top spot in hit searches on the inte now. You indeed are a celebrity now!¡± he was beaming morously. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m in my car with the best female baker in the whole of California,¡± he teased.

    ¡°Oh please,¡± I blushed.

    In no time, we arrived at the venue for the dinner date.

    On getting inside, the whole room was quite dark with the only source of illumination from the diamond glitters on my dress, jewelry and heels. ¡°Cayden?¡± I called out to Cayden who walked in behind me moments ago and got no reply.

    ¡°Cayden!¡± I looked around for him but couldn¡¯t see anything as the room was very dark. Just when I was about to panic, light shone on the stage. I thought he was taking me to a restaurant.

    On the lit up stage was Cayden. When did he get up there? ¡°Cayden what¡¯s going on right now?¡± in a quite perplexed state, I walked up to him on the stage. ¡°What¡¯s going on right now?¡± I asked again on getting to where he stood.

    ¡°Lily¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for so long right?¡±

    ¡°Yes we have, Cayden.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve also been through some ordeals together, right?¡± he asked. Trust me, I was dead ass confused on what the setting was all about.

    ¡°Of course!¡± I still went with the flow.

    ¡°I love you Lily,¡± he took both my hands.

    ¡°I love you more, Cayden. Now what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    He let down my left hand and knelt down slowly on his right knee. I now knew what was going on! Putting his right hand in his suit, he brought out a diamond ring and posed me the million dor question: ¡°Will you walk down the aisle with me and be called Mrs. Cayden McLou?¡±

    Overwhelmed with joy, I almost teared up. Without even thinking twice I agreed. ¡°Yes, Cayden! Yes!¡±

    He slid the ring down my finger and in that moment, the whole room was lit! From all entrances leading into the hall all around, people came in. Reporters were also present from different media outlet to take pictures.

    Amidst the cameras shuttering, pping and ¡®congrattions!¡¯, Cayden and I shared a long passionate kiss. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes, I teared up and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°I love you Lily,¡± he whispered into my ears, pecking my neck continuously.

    ¡°I love you more, Cayden,¡± I shed tears of intense joy, jeopardizing my makeup.

    In no time what seemed like Cayden¡¯s  acquaintances and my fans walked up to us, giving us congrattory messages, gifts and flowers. ¡°We love you miss Lily!¡± a voice cried out from the crowd. I was grinning ear to ear. What I saw next filled me with overwhelming joy; Jacek walked out from behind the stage with flowers in one hand, while holding Aiden in the other as Eliana followed behind them both.

    ¡°Congrattions nummy,¡± he gave me the flowers, causing the tears to flow more. I knelt down to his height and hugged him with affection. Of course Aiden wasn¡¯t left out. I turned to him and hugged him too, nting pecks on their cheeks.

    ¡°Congrattions, Lily,¡± Eliana congratted.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I wiped my face gently and bugged her.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡± the crowd kept cheering repeatedly.

    *SIX MONTHS LATER*

    It¡¯s my wedding day! Of course I had nana flown to New York weeks to my wedding.

    Currently, I was  in my hotel room together with the girls who handled my makeup; I was already dressed in white! I literally glowed like an angel as I sat in front of the mirror and couldn¡¯t help stare in admiration at  what a beauty I was.

    Nana walked in and the makeup artists excused us.

    ¡°Oh¡­my¡­God!¡± she eximed.

    ¡°Nana!¡± I called out and stood up to hug her.

    ¡°Lily you look ravishing, beautiful, gorgeous, pulchritudinous,¡± sheplimented and had me saying ¡®thank you¡¯ with eachpliment she gave.

    ¡°Nana you¡¯re looking good yourself, you know? This dress makes you look under-16,¡± I teased, then we bothughed.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s here to see you, Lily,¡± her facial expression changed a little.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Come in!¡± She cried out and my dad walked in. I was too excited tosh out on him so I just held my horses and condoned his presence.

    ¡°Lily you look beautiful,¡± heplimented, walking to me as I looked away to tell him I was still very much upset. ¡°I¡¯m justing from Cayden¡¯s room¡­,¡±  he called my attention abruptly, ¡°I didn¡¯t go to cause any trouble Lily. I just went there to say sorry to him for not being a good boss to him. And I¡¯vee to apologize to you,¡± he took my hands and held them in his. ¡°I am sorry Lily, I really am and I hope you can find a ce in your heart to forgive I and your mom who couldn¡¯t make it here today. I really am sorry. Please forgive me,¡± he apologized with so much warmth and feeling, wearing a ¡®sorry¡¯ look.

    Like I said earlier, I was too excited for it was my big day, to stay angry at him. I was spurred to tears by his heartfelt apology and immediately ran into his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he repeated multiple times.

    Locking hands with my dad, I was presented to my groom. In no time, we walked down the aisle ¨C we were pronounced ¡®man and wife¡¯, ¡®Mr. And Mrs. Cayden McLou¡¯.

    It was indeed a happy asion. I had Jarod and a few of my staffs and of course so many dedicated fans from allovere celebrate my big day with me! The happiness I felt that day was immeasurable and boundless; it¡¯s safe to say that was the happiest day of my entire life!

    Two dayster, the entire family gathered at the airport to bid us ¨C I and Cayden ¨C farewell . We were on our way to Germany for our honeymoon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you so much Nana,¡± I hugged her passionately, not wanting to say goodbye. ¡°Go well my child.¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart,¡± I turned to Jacek who looked pretty sad to see me go. I knelt before him and said: ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon for you, okay?¡± he nodded and we both shared a long hug.

    After hugging and saying our goodbyes, we left the scene to board the ne as the flight was only in a few minutes time. It was a touching and painful ¡®goodbye¡¯ experience and I felt really sad leaving them behind but all the same, I was going to be with my one true love and spend the rest of my life with him !

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!