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," Lerisa agreed, knowing it wasn’t his first time visiting her family home, as her mother liked him a lot.
“Goodnight too,” she said.
After the call disconnected, Lerisa stared at her phone screen in silence for a while.
She had saved Anthony's photos on her phone and even used his photo as her wallpaper.
She smiled and kissed his photo on her screen, feeling her heart flutter for Anthony.
If only he could hear her heart beating.
Lerisa finally plugged her phone in to charge, then went into her bathroom before heading to bed.
****
The next Saturday morning, after Anthony finished his exercise and fitness routine, he went for a jog.
Even as a billionaire, he prioritized exercising, especially in a town mostly occupied by rich folks.
Anthony wore a white sports jersey that morning—white singlet top, shorts, socks, and canvas.
He looked breathtakingly handsome, and many young women along the way stole glances at him while he jogged.
Anthony's family home was just two streets away from Lerisa's.
He decided to visit Lerisa at her family mansion to see how she was, considering her like a younger sister and best friend.
Anthony approached Lerisa's family gate and knocked, waiting for someone to open it.
The gate was locked from the inside, and Anthony didn't have his phone to call Lerisa and inform her he was there.
He checked his wristwatch and saw it was after 8 a.m. The sun was rising, and Anthony knocked again. Before Lerisa, who was sweeping the front yard, went to open the gate.
She gasped, surprised to see Anthony standing there, looking handsome and sweaty.
Her breath caught at the sight of Anthony in a singlet that revealed his abs. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to touch them.
She gulped as she looked up at his handsome, dark face.
She met his eyes and greeted him, shyly, “Good morning, Sir."
Anthony smiled, happy to see Lerisa blushing, as she often did. He liked her pretty, light-skinned face.
“Good morning, Lerisa. How was your night?" Anthony asked.
He took a drink from his water bottle. Water dripped from the corners of his lips.
Lerisa swallowed, watching Anthony drink. She looked down as he finished and asked, “I came to see you. How are you feeling now?”
“Lerisa! Who's at the gate?” her mother called from the house.
Lerisa looked back and replied, “Anthony is here, Mom.”
Anthony moved closer and said, "Let me say hello to your parents first."
Lerisa, not wearing a bra under her nightgown, felt heat radiate from Anthony's proximity.
She stepped aside, allowing him to enter the compound.
Anthony smiled at Lerisa, his eyes lingering on her chest, noticing her pointed nipples. He quickly looked away, avoiding her catching his gaze.
Lerisa stepped aside, and Anthony entered the beautiful compound to greet her mother, who smiled at him.
Mrs. Antonia Jonah stepped outside of the bungalow, seeing Anthony approach, and greeted him, “Good morning, sir.”
Anthony smiled and replied, “Good morning, Ma. How are you?”
“I'm fine, Anthony, and you? It's a pleasant surprise to see you! You rarely visit since becoming CEO. Did we do anything to offend you?” Mrs. Antonia asked.
“No, Ma. Not at all," Anthony said with a friendly smile, relieving Mrs. Antonia.
She smiled back and said, “You're welcome anytime. Come inside; I'm about to make breakfast. Join us if you like.”
“No, Ma. Thank you. I just came to check on Lerisa, as she seemed sad yesterday,” Anthony said, glancing at Lerisa, who smiled shyly.
“Oh! Lerisa. She was sad yesterday, and I wondered what was wrong with her. I hope there's no problem between you two at the office?” Mrs. Antonia asked.
“No, Ma. There's no problem. She's fine now, and I can see that. I should head home; I just wanted to check on her,” Anthony said politely.
“Okay then. Thank you for checking on my daughter. Your mother invited me to your birthday celebration tonight. I hope you invited my daughter too,” Mrs. Antonia said, smiling.
“Yes, Ma. I did.” Anthony smiled back.
“Okay then. We'll see you later. I need to get back to preparing our breakfasts. Goodbye, Anthony,” Mrs. Antonia said.
“Okay, Ma,” Anthony replied.
Lerisa stood aside, listening to her mother's conversation with Anthony. Her mother went back inside the house, leaving her alone with Anthony.
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
As Ben walked outside to the stage with Lerisa, Anthony, and the rest of the event, the shows hadn't started.Stepping outside on stage with Ben as the music played a love song, Lerisa could feel all eyes on her. It seemed like everyone in the event hall paused to stare at her as she walked nervously on stage with Ben holding her closely, and she held his hands too.She didn't want to look at the table where her parents sat watching her in surprise. She knew her mother had told her she liked Anthony and wanted him to marry her.With the way Ben was holding her waist so closely, Lerisa felt her face burning hot. Even though Ben was taller than her, he was the same height and had a masculine shape like Anthony.Lerisa wondered why she couldn't stop comparing Ben to Anthony. Probably because she grew up hoping a handsome man like Anthony would notice her, as they still lived in the same vicinity, and she hadn't traveled to another country or worked elsewhere. She saw him every day too...