Anthony continued to think about why Lerisa wasn't happy, as he didn't have any siblings and had always seen her as a sister.
He sighed and focused on the road, driving home. Soon, he arrived and drove into the garage before getting out of his car and walking up to their mansion.
“Good evening, Mom and Dad,” Anthony greeted his parents as he entered the living room and saw them sitting in the dining room.
His mother smiled and replied first, “Welcome home, Anthony. How was work today?”
“Fine, Mother,” Anthony said, walking toward the stairs to go to his bedroom. However, his mother spoke up, “Wait, Anthony, won't you join us for dinner before heading to your room?”
Anthony paused, looked back at his mother, and replied, “Okay, Mom. How's the birthday preparation going? We'll celebrate it here in the event hall tomorrow.”
Anthony went to the dining room to join his parents. He pulled out a seat and sat down across from his father. His mother replied, “Fine.”
Anthony's phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket. He saw that Clara was calling.
“Excuse me, Mom and Dad, I have to take this call. Hello, babe, I'll call you back later,” Anthony said to Clara. He immediately ended the call and smiled at his parents while adjusting his chair closer to the table.
Mrs. Beatrice smiled, knowing her son was in a relationship. She didn't want to disturb him by asking who the caller was, as she hoped Anthony would settle down with Lerisa Jonah, whom she loved and wanted as her daughter-in-law.
“How about Lerisa, Anthony? Did she come to the company today?” Anthony's father asked before they resumed eating.
Anthony frowned slightly, remembering the sad look on Lerisa's face before she left the company. His mother asked, “What's wrong, Anthony?”
“Nothing, Mom. Lerisa is fine. She came to work today,” Anthony answered, then asked, “Where's the meal?”
“Anthony, we know you only see Lerisa as a friend. But her father was not just my assistant but a good friend who supported me in building the company you now run. The Jonah family means a lot to me, which is why I'm asking about Lerisa,” Mr. Joshua Gregson said.
“I understand, Father. Where's Sandra, Mom?” Anthony asked. Just then, Sandra stepped out of the kitchen with a tray of their meals and approached the table to serve dinner, as she was their maid.
“I'm sorry for the delay,” Sandra apologized. Mrs. Beatrice sighed and replied, “It's okay, Sandra. Please hurry.”
Anthony and his parents resumed eating in silence. When Anthony finished, he stood up and said, "Thanks, Mom, Dad. I'm going back upstairs to rest. Good night.”
“Yes, good night, Anthony,” replied Mrs. Beatrice. She watched as Anthony walked away and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.
Anthony entered his bedroom and sighed, deciding to call Clara to find out why she had called earlier. He missed Clara, and the call connected.
“Hello, babe,” Anthony said as he took off his coat. He heard Clara respond, “Hi, sweetheart. How was your day at the office?”
Clara was in a club, and Anthony could hear music in the background. He asked, “Where are you, babe?”
“I'm at a club. My girlfriend is having a birthday party, and she invited me. You know I couldn't turn her down," Clara replied.
“Hmm...” Anthony checked his wristwatch and saw it was already after 9 p.m. He said, “But it's getting late, babe. Start heading home now; I'm not happy with you being there.”
“Hahaha. I know, babe, relax. I didn't come here to sleep with anyone, and it's a midnight party. I'll be fine,” Clara assured him. Anthony frowned, and as he was about to complain, Clara said, “I have to end the call now, babe. Good night, and see you tomorrow at your parents' house. But I'm not happy you're celebrating your birthday at home instead of a hotel like an adult.”
“Hmm,” Anthony frowned and said, “It's how my parents want it, Clara, and I can't go against them.”
“How your parents want it? But not how I want it, Anthony. Anyway, it's okay. Good night," Clara said, and Anthony heard the call disconnect, deepening his frown.
Anthony loved Clara; he sighed and took off his shirt. He was about to remove his trousers when he touched the red ring box in his pocket.
He took it out and stared at it, intending to propose to Clara the next day.
Anthony sighed and placed the ring box in his drawer.
He went to his bathroom to bathe, and afterward, he put on his usual white robe, walked to his bed, and sat down to use his laptop.
Anthony thought about calling Lerisa to check if she was okay and had gotten home safely. He sighed, picked up his phone, unlocked it, and called Lerisa.
***
Lerisa had finished her bath and was wearing a gray nightgown. She was at the dining table with her parents, having dinner. She wasn't with her phone, so Anthony's call didn't connect.
Anthony finally put his phone in the drawer and continued with his online research. After browsing for a while, he turned off his laptop and plugged it in to charge.
Lerisa finished dinner with her parents in the dining room. With none of her siblings at home, she stood up, locked the house entrance door, and returned to her bedroom to sleep.She went into her bedroom, picked up her phone, and saw that it was after 10 p.m. She was surprised to see many missed calls from Anthony, so she immediately called him back to find out why he had called.When the call connected, she spoke first: “Hello, Anthony.”Anthony was still in his bedroom, preparing to have dinner with his parents before returning to sleep.He saw his phone ringing, noticed it was Lerisa, and answered.“Hey, Lerisa. I called earlier to check if you got home safely and if you're alright now.”"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks for checking," Lerisa replied. She knew Anthony cared for her like an older brother, but she wished he could see her beyond just a sibling bond, as she loved him too.Anthony said, “Okay then. Goodnight. I'll visit you tomorrow morning to check on you again.”"Okay," Ler
Anthony finally looked back at Lerisa's face and said, "I have to go home now, Lerisa. I hope you're truly feeling fine."Anthony drank from the bottled water in his hands again, looking directly at Lerisa. She replied, "Yes, I'm fine. See you later this evening."Lerisa's pretty, fair face turned sad again as she remembered that Anthony would propose to Clara that evening. Anthony and Clara had been dating for three years or more.Anthony noticed the change in Lerisa's mood as her face turned red. He immediately asked, "What's wrong with you again?"Lerisa snapped out of her trance and replied, "Nothing, I'm fine.""Hmm, you keep telling me you're fine when you're not. Tell me the truth, Lerisa. What's bothering you? You can share anything with me. You know I care about you, and I know you don't have many friends aside from me.You don't have a boyfriend, or maybe you do, and I just haven't met him. But that's no reason to look sad," Anthony advised."I don't have a boyfriend, Anthony
Ben chuckled, knowing he had been asking Lerisa out, yet she didn't want to accept him.Lerisa was the first woman who had ever rejected his advances to date her, and he was determined to have her by force, whether she liked him or not. Ben believed that, with time, Lerisa would fall in love with him too.He replied, "Does it matter how I got your number, Lerisa? The truth is that I want to hear your voice. I have been searching for your mobile number and finally got it from somewhere else.""Where?" Lerisa asked, frowning, not wanting to have anything to do with Ben.She knew that Ben was also from a rich family, not the first son, but he owned a hotel and was doing well at his age, despite being the same age as Anthony.Lerisa asked him, "Why are you calling me?""Chill, babe. Why are you sounding so pissed off? Yesterday, I saw that you looked so sad, and that made me truly worried about you. I couldn't sleep well last night, which is why I am calling you now to know how you're fari
Lerisa sighed, knowing she couldn't miss Anthony's birthday party. She had attended every year since his 8th birthday, and now he was an adult.She knew that if she avoided attending Anthony's party, it might seem as though she was jealous or holding a grudge, and her parents would frown upon her.Lerisa focused on the road as she drove out of the street, planning to take another turn before reaching the main road.Just then, she saw a man and a woman kissing in front of a black car parked on the street.Lerisa wondered who the shameless couple was, kissing in public instead of somewhere private.She knew that mostly rich families lived in the estate, as most houses were individually owned and occupied by the owners and their families, rather than tenants.As she drove past the black car, she recognized the woman as Anthony's girlfriend, Clara Harry, kissing a man by the roadside.Lerisa's jaw dropped, and she slowed down for a better view.Initially, she intended to look away from the
Clara knew that she had lied to Remy about her name being April. It was a habit of hers to lie to men about her real name since she wasn't interested in them and only wanted to have sex with them.She walked back through her house gate, as she lived alone, and returned to her room in the rented apartment.Meanwhile, Lerisa drove to the shopping complex to buy clothes. She parked her car and sighed as she remembered how Clara had denied knowing her.Lerisa thought about calling Anthony again, but she didn't know how to tell him that she saw his girlfriend cheating on him.She switched off her car engine, stepped out, locked the door, and walked to the boutique to pick out a gown.In one of the boutiques, a sales representative greeted her, "Good afternoon, ma'am. What kind of clothes do you want to buy? We have gowns, skirts and blouses, trousers, and any kind of feminine wear you want." Lerisa smiled and looked around the boutique before replying, "Gowns, as I don't usually wear trous
Martha and Lerisa met their parents in their living room. Lerisa greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mom, Dad.""Welcome home, Lerisa. Your father and I forgot to purchase birthday gifts for Anthony today. How about you? Did you buy anything on your way home?" Mrs. Antonia asked."No, Mom. I forgot too," Lerisa replied.She glanced at the living room wall clock and saw that it was already 2 PM.Her father said, "There's still time, Lerisa. Why not go out with your sister to the nearby shops and buy something for the Gregson family? We can't attend Anthony's birthday empty-handed since he is their only son.""Hmm, you're right, Father. But what should I get him? They're wealthy, and last year we already gave Anthony a standing fan... I don't know what to buy this year," Lerisa said with a frown, as they had already bought many gifts for Anthony before."Anything you give him will be acceptable, Lerisa. As long as we bring a gift, we can't go to their house, receive a gift, and enjoy their fo
Later in the evening, Lerisa was in her room when she received a phone call from Anthony. It was already 5 PM, and she had finished dressing up and applying a little makeup.She felt nervous seeing Anthony's name on the caller ID, unsure whether to pick up. She was worried because she hadn't told him about Clara cheating.Taking a deep breath, Lerisa finally answered just before the call could end. Anthony's deep voice greeted her, "Hello, Lerisa...""Hi, Anthony. I'm on my way now," Lerisa replied quickly. Anthony asked, "Are you sure? Or do you not want to attend my birthday party tonight?"Anthony wanted to see Lerisa, as he thought of her like a younger sister. Lerisa immediately said, "Why wouldn't I attend your birthday? I'm coming, please... Just a minute," she pleaded."Alright, I'm expecting you. Please don't disappoint me. Later, you can share your problems with me, and if you need money, I can help you out," Anthony said. Lerisa quickly replied, "No, Anthony... I'm coming no
Staring at his handsome reflection in the wide wall mirror one last time, Anthony finally walked out of his bedroom. He followed the passage on the top floor and went downstairs to the event hall in the second wing of their mansion."Welcome the celebrant! We've been waiting for this joyful moment to begin celebrating his new age with him: Anthony Gregson!" the female host shouted as Anthony walked onto the stage."Thank you all, thank you," Anthony said as the applause grew. He accepted the microphone from the host in a white gown.She was a young lady, married, but the host of the show. She smiled sweetly at Anthony, who smiled back at her and all the guests. They all clapped happily for him too.Lerisa stood in a corner of the event hall and smiled at Anthony. She watched him on stage and then sat beside her sister as most guests took their seats."I appreciate you all for accepting my birthday invitation. Today wouldn't be memorable without you here to celebrate this joyous day and