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...
Lerisa immediately rushed down from the stage, not even waiting for Ben to leave with her. Since the hall was dark, mixed with the dim light from the bulb, she collided with a man whose face she hadn't seen. She apologized without looking up, saying, "I'm sorry."As she wanted to leave the event hall quickly to avoid witnessing Anthony proposing to Clara on stage, the man grabbed her left wrist and turned her to face him. Lerisa gasped, "Ah!"She collided with his chest and looked up at his face, while Anthony and Clara continued dancing alone on the stage."Hi, pretty," Remy said. Lerisa was shocked to see that he was the man she had seen earlier in the day kissing Clara by the roadside."Hi," she said, unable to believe her eyes, her mouth agape. Ben immediately approached them and pulled Lerisa away from Remy's touch, glaring at him.Remy smiled at Ben and Lerisa as she pulled herself away from Ben's possessive hold.Remy was wearing a simple yellow shirt, with some buttons open, re
Remy was shocked to see the lady's face, as he had seen her dancing earlier with Anthony but hadn't properly seen her face then.After he exclaimed, "What the heck!" he attracted a lot of attention, as Anthony had yet to propose to Clara.Clara didn't know when Remy arrived, and seeing Anthony go down on one knee in front of her, she got nervous, realizing that Anthony wanted to propose to her in front of everyone.Mr. and Mrs. Gregson frowned, while Lerisa's parents, also seated in the VIP section, frowned upon seeing Anthony wanting to propose to another lady.They had all hoped that Anthony would marry Lerisa and fall in love to seal their family closeness. But they were wrong, as Anthony took out a red ring box from his suit trouser pocket and opened it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. He proposed to Clara right in front of everyone, who was amazed.Clara was emotional, as were most of the young women in the hall who had been crushing on Anthony. Some were jealous seeing that th