Embarrassed, Mimie remained seated at the table alone. She ignored the prying eyes of others around and tried to calm herself. She was utterly short of words. She drove her gaze back to where Rio had sat. And how he’d dismissed her with his unkind words. This was the second time he’d abandoned her for that red-haired girl. Just because she looked at his wife, she was sure. She could feel tears streaking down her cheeks. Silent tears. But she made no vocal sound, picked up her purse and sashayed out of the restaurant. She couldn't let people see how much Rio had gotten to her. She sniffled lightly as she waved down a cab. She got in and held close to herself. Didn't Rio know that nothing could bring Sarah back? He was better off moving on from her.
“Are you alright ma’am?” the cab driver pried into her emotions. She looked up at the rear view mirror. His green eyes appeared so worried. The tears on her face must have given her away. She’d been sobbing silently.“I’m alright,” she lied. "Just recalling good old memories.” She forced a smile. Her nose was terribly clogged with snort. The driver averted his gaze back to the steering wheel. Her mind found its way back to her unpleasant thoughts.I can't possibly give up now, she thought.She couldn't just let him go. No! She would keep fighting to have him.***A certain aura swept across where Rio and Anita sat. They had found a suitable table in the restaurant. One far away from where he’d sat with Mimie. He could feel Sarah in her presence. Or rather, he was only imagining things. His senses could never forget what being around her felt like. And indeed, what she smelt like. Anita’s hazy eyes were excited. She seemed just as free-spirited as Sarah had been. Being around her was the most soothing moment he had had in a while. If he was not ignoring his daughter, he was enduring his mother’s nagging.“Sorry for interrupting your date. The lady you were with didn't seem so pleased about it,” she said.“There's no need to apologize. It was a blind date,” he said. He didn't really care about how Mimie felt. Not that he disliked her. He just wasn't attracted to her in any way. He was disappointed when he found out she was his date. He'd hoped for someone else. Someone that would make him forget Sarah for just a few seconds. And he was glad Anita had appeared to rescue him from the date.“I’ve been receiving a lot of pressure to move on from my dead wife. So, a friend set me up for a blind date. Blind dates are not usually my thing. In fact, that was my first blind date.”Anita laughed a bit. And in a way Sarah would have."So what brought you here?” he said, leaning forward.Her face beamed with a smile while she scoured her brain for the right excuse. She couldn't let him know that she was stalking him.“Just came here to have something nice to eat.”“Okay.” He looked like he bought her lie.Anita’s phone chimed in her bag. Who could it be, she thought. She zipped open her bag and brought out her phone. It was her mom. She tapped the answer button and put the phone to her ear.“Wanted to check up on you sweetie?” her mother said."I’m doing okay mom. You?” They hadn’t spoken in a while.Rio took his phone out of his wallet and scanned through his unread messages.“So, how’s your job at the firm going? I know that being a lawyer can be very stressful.”Anita thought twice before she spoke."Work at the law firm is going well mom,” she lied. Rio looked up at her. His bright blue eyes were totally surprised."There are new interesting cases to deal with everyday. Reliable people to work with. I couldn't have asked for a better job.”Anita knew she had a lot of explaining to do.“That's wonderful to hear, sweetie. Your father has already retired to bed. You know how he likes to sleep early. I’ll be joining him after I drop this call.”“Okay mom,” Anita said into the phone."Bye sweetie. Love you.”"Love you too mom.”Her mom hit the end call button.She put her cellphone back into her pocket. All the while, Rio’s curious eyes remained on her.She set her gaze back on him.“I thought you were a writer,” he queried.“I am,” she said, trying to calm her thrashing nerves. She couldn't let him get wind of the truth.“Then why mention to your mom your experience working in a law firm? Are you also a lawyer?”She looked away."I’m not,” she replied. "I lied to my mom.”His eyes grew wider with more surprise.“Why would you do that?”It was time to play her A.“It's a long story,” her voice shook as though she was fighting back tears.She let her eyes turn wet while tears seeped down her chill.Rio felt sorry for her even though he didn't quite understand what the problem was.“Lying about being a lawyer is my only means of keeping them sane."My parents always wanted me to study law. But I never had any interest in studying law. I wanted to pursue writing. But I saw what it did to them. So I lied and kept lying to keep them safe.”Rio understood better now. Frankly, he wasn't an advocate of lying. But in this case, he couldn't blame her for trying to make her parents happy.”He handed her a facial wipe.“I’ll come clean after I become a successful writer. Just want to get my book published.”“Don’t worry about that. I’ll help you to get your book published.”This delighted Anita. Her plan had worked perfectly.Ugggggghhh!!!Mimie screamed as she stamped her feet on the hard surface of the floor. This was something she did whenever she was upset. She was restless. Things were not going according to her plan. In her line of work, confidence and a strong aura was something that came naturally to her. She had always gotten her way with this, and she was used to this pattern. This was how things were meant to be but not this time. She had no idea how else to navigate through this situation."I've never failed and it will not start with Rio!". She made this resolve as she stared at a photo of Rio. The picture was probably taken recently, Rio's hard unsmiling eyes stared at her through the picture. He was everything she wanted in a man."What's the fastest way to get to Rio?" She asked herself.Yes! Mimie smiled as her eyes rested on the second figure in the picture. Rio's two-year old daughter. If she could win over his daughter then he'd naturally come to her."Time to get to work", she smiled a
Rio was smiling all through his drive back home. Anita was truly a different breed. She was funny and they had ended up spending hours talking about her book and similar story plots.He could not remember when last he had felt genuinely free with anyone. Everyone who came around him usually had an ulterior motive, wanting him to help them one way or the other but Anita seemed different.He liked the way he was feeling, nobody has ever made him feel this way since Sarah's death. Rio entered into the house, unaware of all that had transpired in his absence.It was pretty late so he knew Riley would be asleep already. He was anticipating his next meeting with Anita and was unaware of the smile that graced his godly facial features.Rio's mother watched as he entered the house smiling. It had been ages since she saw him smile like that. Not the tight, rehearsed smiles he used during interviews but one that showed he was happy for some reason. She couldn't imagine why but she was happy wit
Anita, came back to the house, threw her bag on the scattered looking bed and as usual made one of those her celebratory dance. She was so into her celebratory mood she didn’t notice when Gracy, her roommate entered the room.“I’m beginning to like this new mood of yours, I don’t get to see the ever worried Anita anymore”.Gracy said as she made way to drop her books on the table.Anita smiled at her response. Her dreams were finally coming to life. She walked towards the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of cold water from the mini fridge they had in their kitchen and in an instant she had gulped everything down her throat.That celebratory dance must have taken a lot from her, she joined Gracy in arranging the scattered looking bed after which they decided what they would be having for dinner.“Lets order take outs! Who's paying?” Gracy asked before she could finish her sentence.“Don’t worry I’ll handle it” Anita said, scrolling through the menu of the online burger store. I’ll be having
Anita was handed over to the police as soon as the policemen arrived. She was still in shock at how the expensive earrings ended up in her purse, and she was not a thief even her parents could vouch for her on this.Anita’s lifestyle was a simple one, she was not a high class lady. She was not a fan of unnecessary attention so she saw no need for those earrings. Many thoughts ran through Anita’s head on their way to the police station.What would her parents think if they got to hear of this?What would Rio think of her? This was messing with the plans she had been working with, One little mistake could cost her all and everything could be blown out especially if her parents come to hear of this.They would not only call, they would show their face and that would mean exposure of the undercover work she was doing to get her books published and become a popular author.They got to the police station and she was pushed out of the van that had picked her up.She was taken to the interrog
The day of the wedding rolls up. Rio cleans and dresses nicely, he had gotten a haircut the previous day. The edges of his hairline were well pronounced, the barber had done a great job on his perfectly molded head.Rio was different from others”. He was a lover of good looks so he carefully took his time in preparing when attending a function. He was a beautiful man perhaps not in the conventional sense, but he had the appearance that could make him stand out in any large gathering.He had a thing for sleeveless shirts that revealed his muscular arms but that wasn't an option for the occasion. Several photographers had caught him on camera in this outfit and taken the liberty of posting the pictures on the internet. The comments that followed were majorly from ladies which had earned him the tag of a playboy.He could pass for a ladies man but Rio was more of a one woman guy. He never fantasized the idea of frolicking with many women.He took out his lime green Tom Ford Suit from his
"I can explain," Rio calmly stated, turning towards Anita, who sat beside him."She's my daughter," he began, his voice filled with a mix of hesitation and regret. "I never mentioned this before because I didn't see the need, and the right opportunity never presented itself," Rio explained, fastening his seatbelt.Anita shook her head, struggling to find the right words to respond."I apologize for not sharing this with you earlier," Rio said, his tone sincere."It's fine," Anita replied, forcing a smile. She had no choice but to accept his apology, even though it complicated her mission."Shall we proceed?" Rio asked, starting the car.Lost in her thoughts, Anita couldn't believe he had a daughter. This caught her completely off guard, and she hadn't prepared for it. She had no idea how to proceed with Rio now that she knew he had a daughter, a charming little girl at that. This unexpected discovery consumed her mind as Rio drove them to the wedding venue.Anita snapped out of her th
Anticipation filled the air as the groom stood patiently in the elegantly adorned church, eagerly awaiting his bride. Rumors circulated that she was momentarily delayed in traffic, causing a slight ripple of concern among the wedding guests.To ease the restlessness among the attendees, the priest discreetly signaled the choir to grace the sanctuary with their melodious voices. As the choir took the stage, their enchanting tunes began to permeate the room, casting a soothing spell over the eager congregation. Two songs gracefully flowed from their lips, captivating the hearts of all who listened.Just as the last note lingered in the air, a momentous shift occurred. A signal from the pastor prompted the choir to transition into a solemn hymn, symbolizing the arrival of the bride. In unison, the entire congregation rose to their feet, joining the choir in their heartfelt chorus, as if offering their voices as a harmonious escort for the imminent arrival.The bride, accompanied by her f
Rio drove at high speed,he wanted to get home as soon as possible.He was not comfortable with the way Riley was asleep at the back of the car.“She must be tired” he said, adjusting his rear view mirror to get a proper look at the sleeping child at his back.He honked his car horn loudly as he got to the street his house was, he did not want to be kept waiting.He drove his car inside the compound, the gate man had already rushed to open the gate when he heard Rios' loud honk which he was very familiar with.He parks the car and gets down, walking towards the back door to get Riley.He opens the door and sees Riley stretching,“Are we home yet?” She says rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm.“The loud honk must have woken her up” he says, stretching out his hands to carry the half awake child.They enter the house and Rio sends for the housekeeper to take Riley to her room as she needs to get some proper sleep.The housekeeper takes Riley and proceeds to her room.“Grandma Stac