Anthony finally stared back at Lerisa's face, and he said to her, "I have to go home now. 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-in-complexion face turned sad again as she remembered that Anthony would definitely propose to Clara in the evening. Since Anthony and Clara have been dating for three years or more,. Anthony noticed the change in Lerisa's mood due to how 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 lying to me that you're fine when you are not fine... 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 any other friends aside from me," said Anthony. "You don't have a boyfriend, or probably you do, but I don't know him yet, and I haven't met him. However, that's not why you should be looking sad," Anthony advised. "I don't have any boyfriends, Anthony," Lerisa admitted, and Anthony looked at her again and asked, "Why?" Why don't you have one? You're very beautiful, Lerisa, and I want the best man for you. How about my friend, Ben? He has been disturbing me about you. Why not consider dating him?" "No. I'm not interested in Ben," Lerisa replied, quickly rejecting Ben. Anthony's eyes squinted in 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 on her, 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. Lerisa gulped it down and stared downward. Anthony sighed and told her, "It is 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 more than a friend." "I have to be on my way home now, as I had already promised my mother that I would be home early for breakfast with her after I've completed my exercise. If not, 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 finally escorted Anthony to the exit gate. She pulled the gate open for him and finally locked up their house gate from within after Anthony left their compound. It was unknown to her that her mother stood by the kitchen window and eavesdropped on their conversation, as she was staring at them too. Lerisa wiped her teardrops away and turned to walk back into the house, not knowing that her mother was also secretly rooting for her and Anthony to marry too. However, stepping into the living room, her mother immediately got out of the kitchen and asked her, "What's going on between you and Anthony, Lerisa?" Mrs. Antonia was carrying a tray of fried eggs in her hands as she walked up to the dining table and placed the tray of fried eggs there on the dining table. Lerisa walked towards the dining room to join her mother there. She replied, "Nothing, mom." Lerisa sat on a chair, her face still red, and she continued to remember the diamond engagement ring that she had seen with Anthony the previous day. "You keep saying 'nothing, mom' when you look this red like a tomato. Didn't you stare at your reflection 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 redden face," teased Mrs. Antonia, but Lerisa only shook her head as she picked up a piece of the fried eggs from her plate and ate it. "Tah! Go and wash your hands first, and let us have breakfast together since your dad is not yet home. Have you selected the clothes that you will be wearing to attend Anthony's birthday party this evening?" Your father and I will also be attending it, as you know that I like Anthony very much, and I want him to marry you, but that's when he's also ready to settle down. At least 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 saddened face. She stood up from the chair and walked up to the kitchen door to wash her hands in the kitchen sink. "Hmm..." Mrs. Antonia frowned and went into the kitchen to meet her first daughter. She said, "Why would you say that, Lerisa? Anthony cannot marry whichever girl he's dating. His parents won't support him marrying anyone else 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 carried her teacup and said, "Mom, I'm hungry first, and I still need to go outside to shop for the new clothes that I will wear to attend Anthony's birthday party tonight." "Okay," Mrs. Antonia sighed, and finally allowed Lerisa to pass. Lerisa walked out of the kitchen with her teacup and went to the dining table to have her breakfast. Mrs. Antonia stepped out of the kitchen and joined her first daughter in the dining room, and they had their breakfast together. Lerisa didn't want to tell her mother the truth—that she saw Anthony with an engagement ring. Anthony would propose to his girlfriend, maybe in the event hall, as he was preparing to settle down with another lady. Lerisa knew that her parents would be extra heartbroken when they witnessed Anthony going down on one knee and proposing to Clara Harry rightly in front of them to marry him. Lerisa sighed again and resumed eating her bread with the fried eggs, but her mother only stared at her in silence and continued eating her breakfast too. As they drank and sipped from their teacups,. **** After her breakfast with her mother ended, Lerisa cleared her used cup in the kitchen, washed it out, and finally went to her bedroom to freshen up. Since she wanted to go out of the house to shop for a new gown that she would wear to attend Anthony's birthday party,. Her mobile phone rang out, startling her, and she wondered who the caller was. She didn't have many friends' mobile numbers stored in her phone. Lerisa walked up to her phone, where she kept it in the drawer. She picked up the phone and saw that it was an unknown caller. She picked up the call and sat on her bed, then said, "Hello, who is this?" "Hi Lerisa. How're you doing this morning?" She heard a deep, masculine voice ask her "I'm fine; who is this?" Lerisa questioned, but she immediately recognized the voice as Ben's voice. She frowned, wondering how he got her phone number. She asked him, "How did you get my mobile number?"Ben chuckled out first over the phone call, as he knew he had been asking Lerisa out, yet she didn't want to accept him. She was the first lady who had ever rejected his attempts to date her. He was determined to have her by all means, whether she liked him or not. He believed that, with time, she would fall in love with him too. "Does it matter how I got your number? The truth is that I want to hear your voice. "I've been searching for your mobile number since and finally got it from somewhere." "Where?" Lerisa asked Ben, frowning and 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. "Why are you calling me?" Lerisa inquired. "Chill, babe. Why are you sounding so pissed off? Yesterday, upon observing how depressed you appeared, I became extremely concerned for your well-being. I couldn't sleep well last night, which is why I am cal
Lerisa sighed as she knew that she couldn't miss Anthony's birthday party. She had been there with him since he used to celebrate his seventh birthday party, and until now he has become an adult. Lerisa knew that if she avoided attending Anthony's birthday party, it might seem as though she was jealous or holding a grudge against him, and her parents would frown at her. Fixing her gaze on the road, Lerisa drove her car out of the street and wanted to take another street turn before driving out onto the main road. But just then, she saw a lady and a man kissing each other in front of a black car parked on the street. Lerisa wondered who the shameless young lady and the man were, kissing in public rather than finding a private place. She knew that mostly rich families lived around the estate, as most houses were individually owned and some were mostly occupied by the real house owners together with their family members instead of tenants. But as she drove her car ahead to exit the st
Clara knew she had lied to Remy about her name as April. That was one of her habits of lying to men about her real name, since she wasn't interested in them and only wanted to have sex with them. She walked back into her house gate, as she lived there alone, and returned to her room in the rented apartment. Meanwhile, Lerisa drove to the shopping complex where she wanted to purchase clothes, parked her car, and sighed in relief. She remembered how Clara had denied knowing her. Lerisa thought to call Anthony again on the phone. But she didn't know how she would explain to him that she saw his girlfriend cheating on him. She switched off her car engine and finally stepped out of her car before locking her car door and walking up to the shopping boutique where she wanted to select a gown. Lerisa stepped into one of the feminine boutiques, and the sales representative there attended to her. "Good afternoon, ma'am. What kind of clothes do you want to buy? We have gowns, skirts, blouses,
Lerisa met with her parents in their living room and greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mom, Dad." "Welcome home, Lerisa. Your father and I forgot to purchase birthday gifts that we will give to Anthony today. How about you? Did you purchase anything when you were coming home?" Mrs. Antonia asked, and Lerisa replied, "No, mom. I forgot too." Lerisa stared at the living room wall clock and saw that it was already 2 p.m. Her father said, "There's still time, Lerisa. Why not go outside now with your sister to the shops nearby and purchase what we will give to the Gregson family? As you know, we cannot go there empty-handed to attend Anthony's birthday, since he is their only son." "Hmm, you're right, father. But what do I buy for Anthony? As they're rich, and last year we had already given him a standing fan... And I don't know what to buy for him this year again," Lerisa said with a frown, as they had bought a lot of gifts for Anthony before, and she didn't know what she would give him r
As the evening wore on, Lerisa found herself in the comfort of her room, when suddenly her phone rang. It was Anthony on the other end of the line. By 5 pm, she was ready, having taken the time to dress up and add a touch of makeup to her face. She felt a surge of anxiety as Anthony's name appeared on the caller ID, unsure of whether to answer his call or not. She was consumed with worry, unable to bring herself to tell him about Clara's betrayal. Inhaling deeply, Lerisa managed to pick up the call just before it could disconnect, and Anthony's rich, masculine voice welcomed her. "Hey there, Lerisa..." "Good evening, Anthony. I'm on my way now," Lerisa swiftly responded. Anthony inquired, "Are you certain? Or are you not interested in coming to my birthday party tonight?" Anthony enjoyed having Lerisa's presence around, as he saw her as a dear younger sister. Lerisa quickly responded, "Of course I'll be there for your birthday! I'll be there soon, please... Just a minute," she plead
After one last glance at his reflection in the mirror, Anthony left his bedroom upstairs. He traced the path of the upper level and descended to the event hall in the second wing of their grand estate. "Welcome the celebrant! Just as we have eagerly anticipated this joyous occasion, we are thrilled to join him in celebrating his new age. Anthony Gregson!" The female host exclaimed with excitement as she witnessed Anthony's grand entrance onto the front stage in the event hall. "Thank you all, Thank you," Anthony expressed with gratitude as the round of applause grew louder for him. As he stepped onto the stage, he gracefully took the microphone from the host, who was dressed in an elegant white gown. Despite being married, she was the host of the show. She greeted Anthony with a warm smile, reciprocated by him and the other guests who had gathered in the event hall alongside him and his family. They all enthusiastically applauded him as well. Lerisa stood at a corner in the event ha
Ben strolled out to the stage alongside Lerisa. Since Anthony and the rest of the event shows hadn't begun. As Lerisa stepped onto the stage with Ben, the music of a beautiful love song filled the air. All eyes in the event hall seemed to fixate on her, creating a moment of suspended attention. As she stepped onto the stage, her nerves were palpable. Ben stood by her side, offering support as she tightly gripped his hands. She hesitated to glance around the table where her parents sat, their expressions filled with surprise. She was aware of her mother's personal endorsement of Anthony as a potential spouse. As Ben held her waist tightly, Lerisa could feel her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Despite Ben's height advantage over her, he possessed a similar stature to Anthony, exuding masculinity. Lerisa couldn't help but constantly compare Ben to Anthony. Perhaps it was because she had always dreamed of catching the eye of someone as charming as Anthony, given that they still re
Lerisa hurriedly descended from the stage, not bothering to wait for Ben to join her. As the hallway grew dim, illuminated only by a single, faint bulb, she accidentally bumped into a mysterious man whose face remained hidden. She offered him a sincere apology, her gaze fixed downward as she softly uttered the words, "I'm sorry." As she hurriedly tried to escape the event hall, hoping to avoid witnessing Anthony's proposal to Clara on stage, a strong man firmly took hold of her left wrist and swiftly turned her to face him. Lerisa let out a startled gasp, "Ah!" She bumped into the man's chest and gazed up at his face, as Anthony and Clara carried on dancing together on the stage. "Hi, Pretty," Remy greeted. The sight of him sent a jolt through Lerisa's veins as she recognized him as the same man who had been locked in a passionate embrace with Clara earlier that day, right there on the side of the road. "Hi," Lerisa was astonished, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Ben swiftly m