CHAPTER 6

Anthony looked back at Lerisa's face and said, "I have to go home now, Lerisa. I hope that you're truly feeling fine now."

Anthony drank from the bottled water in his hands again, looking directly at Lerisa's face. She replied, "Yes, I'm fine. See you later in the evening."

Lerisa's pretty, fair-complexioned face turned sad again as she remembered that Anthony would definitely propose to Clara in the evening. Anthony and Clara had been dating for three years or more.

Anthony noticed the change in Lerisa's mood as her face automatically turned red. He immediately asked her, "What's wrong with you again?"

Lerisa snapped out of her trance and replied, "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Hmm, you keep telling me that you're fine when you're not... Tell me the truth, Lerisa. What's bothering you? You can share whatever the problem is with me. You know that I care about you, and I know that you don't have many friends aside from me," Anthony said.

"You don't have a boyfriend, or perhaps you do but I haven't met him yet. However, that's not why you should be looking sad," he added.

"I don't have any boyfriends, Anthony," Lerisa admitted, and Anthony looked at her again and asked, "Why? You're very beautiful, Lerisa, and I want the best man for you. How about my friend, Ben? He has been asking me about you. Why not consider dating him?"

"No. I'm not interested in Ben," Lerisa replied, quickly rejecting the suggestion.

Anthony's eyes narrowed with suspicion, and he smiled and asked her, "Then who are you interested in? I don't know anyone who's your boyfriend or love interest that could have made you look sad."

Lerisa gazed up at Anthony's face. She met his blue eyes, and her lips parted to speak, but no words came out, as she couldn't tell Anthony the truth that she was in love with him. She gulped and looked down.

Anthony sighed and told her, "It's okay, Lerisa. If you don't want to tell me about the guy that you like... But you should know that I care about you very much and see you as more than a friend."

"I have to be on my way home now, as I promised my mother I would be home early for breakfast after my exercise. Otherwise, I could have joined you and your mom for breakfast here. How about your dad?" Anthony inquired.

"He has gone out for the weekend meeting," Lerisa said. Anthony sighed and advised her, "Be good, okay. Take care of yourself."

Lerisa escorted Anthony to the exit gate. She opened the gate for him and locked it after he left their compound. Unknown to her, her mother stood by the kitchen window and eavesdropped on their conversation while watching them.

Lerisa wiped away her tears and turned to walk back into the house, not knowing that her mother was also secretly hoping for her and Anthony to marry.

As she stepped into the living room, her mother emerged from the kitchen and asked, "What's going on between you and Anthony, Lerisa?"

Mrs. Antonia was carrying a tray of fried eggs as she walked to the dining table and placed it there.

Lerisa walked toward the dining room to join her mother. She replied, "Nothing, mom."

Lerisa sat on a chair, her face still red, as she continued to think about the diamond engagement ring she had seen with Anthony the previous day.

"You keep saying 'nothing, mom' when you look as red as a tomato. Haven't you looked at yourself in the mirror, Lerisa?" her mother asked.

Lerisa sighed and replied, "I'm fine, mom."

"Okay. If you say so, but I hope you know that I like Anthony too, and I don't want you to chase him away with your red face," Mrs. Antonia teased. 

Lerisa only shook her head as she picked up a piece of fried egg from her plate and ate it.

"Stop that! Go and wash your hands first, and let's have breakfast together since your dad isn't home yet. Have you selected the clothes that you'll be wearing to Anthony's birthday party this evening? Your father and I will also be attending, as you know that I like Anthony very much, and I want him to marry you to seal our family's bond with his family."

"Mom, Anthony has a girlfriend, and you and Dad should stop thinking about me becoming Anthony's wife. Anthony will only remain my boss and family friend," Lerisa said with a sad face. She stood up from the chair and walked to the kitchen to wash her hands in the sink.

"Hmm..." Mrs. Antonia frowned and followed her daughter into the kitchen.

She said, "Why would you say that, Lerisa? Anthony cannot marry whichever girl he's dating. His parents won't support him marrying anyone except you. His dad and your father are best friends, and the same goes for his mother and me too."

"Hmm." Lerisa shook her head and finished washing her hands under the running tap water. She picked up her teacup and said, "Mom, I'm hungry, and I still need to go shopping for new clothes to wear to Anthony's birthday party tonight."

"Okay," Mrs. Antonia sighed, and finally let Lerisa pass. Lerisa walked out of the kitchen with her teacup and went to the dining table to have her breakfast.

Mrs. Antonia joined her daughter in the dining room, and they had their breakfast together.

Lerisa didn't want to tell her mother the truth—that she had seen Anthony with an engagement ring. Anthony would propose to his girlfriend, perhaps in the event hall, as he was preparing to settle down with another woman.

Lerisa knew that her parents would be heartbroken when they witnessed Anthony going down on one knee and proposing to Clara Harry right in front of them.

Lerisa sighed again and resumed eating her bread with the fried eggs, while her mother stared at her in silence and continued eating her breakfast too as they sipped from their teacups.

****

After breakfast with her mother, Lerisa cleared the used cups in the kitchen, washed them, and finally went to her bedroom to freshen up. She wanted to go shopping for a new gown to wear to Anthony's birthday party.

Her mobile phone rang out, startling her. She wondered who was calling, as she didn't have many friends' numbers stored in her phone.

Lerisa walked to her drawer where she kept her phone. She picked it up and saw it was an unknown caller.

She answered the call while sitting on her bed, and said, "Hello, who is this?"

"Hi Lerisa. How are you doing this morning?" She heard a deep, masculine voice ask.

"I'm fine; who is this?" Lerisa questioned, but she immediately recognized Ben's voice.

She frowned, wondering how he got her phone number.

She asked him, "How did you get my mobile number?"