CHAPTER 5

Lily's POV

I let the phone ring out twice. Not bothered about who it could be. But on the third ring, Shawna couldn't take it anymore. 

“Don't you wanna pick that?” she asked while chewing the chicken meat that filled her mouth. 

“No,” I answered, lowering my fork on the plate. 

I felt no urgency toward anyone or anything. Nothing interested me. Whatever they wanted to discuss on the phone, I didn’t care. 

I reached for the glass of water on the table. 

I watched Shawna rip open another bottle of soda on the table with genuine interest while I barely touched the chicken that lay in front of me. 

She had always been carefree. She had gained about four pounds since her wedding last August but she didn't even care. She never stood in front of a mirror to judge herself. Every time I asked, her reply was simple: my husband doesn't complain. 

Her husband worked in finance and they were never broke. She never did anything wrong. She had a life free of trouble. A life I would trade anything for.

As I watched her devour the chicken, I couldn't count the number of times she had had to drag me out of a mess. She deserved a better person as a best friend. Someone who could match her life. Not me, a walking body of mess. 

The phone rang again. Shawna's eyes met mine. 

She gestured her fork toward the phone. “Why don't you just pick the call? It could be important or urgent.” 

I stared down into the chicken cooling on the plate. “There is nothing important going on in my life right now, Shawna, you know this.” 

She fell silent for a while but I could feel her gaze on me.

“You can't say negative things about yourself,” she said.

“Besides, you haven't been to work since Monday. It might be your HR on the phone checking up on you.” 

“No HR, Shawna. Not anymore. I was fired” I replied. 

She placed her fork and knife down “What do you mean?” she asked. 

My lips parted so I could answer her but the phone rang again. My eyebrows tightened as I dropped the knife on the plate, making enough sound to jolt the person sitting at the next table. 

I picked the call and pressed the phone to my ear. 

“Hello,” I said. 

“Is this Lily?” A deep voice from the other end hit my ears. 

“Yes,” I answered. 

Shawna leaned forward, her eyes bulging more than usual. 

“Who is it?” she whispered but I ignored her. 

“This is Aaron,” the voice said. “The man you met at the club the other night.” 

Aaron? For a moment, my mind drifted back to the drunk white-haired man I had driven to Hopston estate from that night at the club. I had almost completely forgotten about him. His voice was different. Calmer and clearer. 

“Ok,” I responded. 

“I want the Patek Philippe you took from my car the other night,” he raised his voice. 

I furrowed my brow then stared into Shawna's forehead as she scooped the sauce in her plate. 

“Patek what?” 

“I'm asking if you took my fucking Patek Philippe wrist watch from my car,” he said with an ear-splitting voice and my heart almost skipped a beat. 

My fingers tightened around the phone. I should have left him that night. I could have just walked away when the hooded guy appeared.

Despite my wailing heart, I chose to help a drunk stranger get to his home so he won't be robbed or worse but this is how he repaid me. An accusation of theft. 

“Are you accusing me of theft?” I asked. 

Shawna’s eyes shot up, her hand froze midway while raising the fork to her mouth.

“The estate security said you drove me home?” He continued. 

“So the wrist watch can’t be with anyone but you.”

“But your security took the car at the gate,” I said, still frowning. 

“He has been questioned thoroughly,” he responded. “Besides, those men wouldn't risk stealing from me. They know the consequences.” 

I didn't reply. My mind was empty of words. 

I heard him exhale through the phone. 

“Look. I know your kind,” he said with a calmer voice. 

“You need the money. I get it. I understand you”, he said “but the wrist watch is a family heirloom that used to belong to my dear late mother. It is the only thing I have of her left.” 

“So, how about we do it this way,” he said. 

“I can have my men bring you ten thousand dollars right now then you give them the wristwatch,” he said.

“Or we can take this the way you wouldn't like,” he said. 

I fell silent for a while, still awed by what was going on. 

My mind was lost in thought for a moment. Ten thousand dollars for a wrist watch. How important could it be? 

“Are you there?,” he said. 

“I should have left you that night,” I said, “leaving you to drive yourself home while drunk.” 

“I didn't ask you to help,” he said, “you chose to.”

You chose to. The words pierced through my ears into my heart. Why should kindness have consequences? 

“You would probably have crashed and gotten injured or worse,” I responded, “because then this ridiculous accusation wouldn't have taken place.”

“I should have left and let those hooded guys rob you,” I continued, gritting my teeth. 

“What guys?” he snapped fast, like he already concluded I was creating excuses. 

“The one that came from a corner,” I said. 

“He disappeared to get more guys. I saw them in the rear view mirror while driving away,” I continued. 

“Of course, you wouldn't know all this because you had ten shots of Long island,” I said. 

He fell silent. Really silent. I brought the screen of my phone to my eyes to see if the call was still on. 

I thought he was feeling guilty when he didn't reply but when he spoke again, I hated him more. 

“For your own good, just give up the fucking wristwatch for the money, girl,” he continued. 

Shawna’s face said it all. Hooded guys? Crash? Long Island? Theft? These were dangerous words. Her mouth froze open. Unable to talk. Unable to eat. 

I let go of my tightened eyebrows then sighed before rubbing my forehead. 

“Aaron, your wristwatch is not with me.” I said and he chuckled.

“So, this is how you want it to go,” he said. 

“Look, I'm dealing with a lot right now, I can't have this conversation,” I said. 

Aaron chuckled, “You are dealing with a lot right now?” he said. 

“Aside from the plate of chicken and soda in front of you, what else are you dealing with?”