Chapter 4

Five Years Later

Melissa groaned from her sleep the moment she felt someone jumping on her bed.

“Come on, Ryan. Let mommy have a sound sleep.” She mumbled, not opening her eyes.

“No Mommy, you have to stand up.” The little boy didn’t even slow down with the way he was bouncing on the bed. “Aunt Milly said you are going to be late for your interview.”

Melissa groaned, knowing he was right.

“Okay. Just give me five more minutes and I will be up.”

“No Mommy. I want you to take my bath for me.”

“Ryan!!!” She groaned.

Melissa heaved a small sigh when she felt him stop jumping. Before she could fully enjoy the peace, She felt her little boy shower kisses across her face, making her smile.

“Okay, okay, I’m up.” Melissa opened her eyes.

“Good Morning, Mommy.” Ryan grinned at her.

Mel sat up and pulled her Son into a warm hug, crowning it with a deep kiss on his forehead.

“Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, mommy.” He grinned.

“Are you still tired?” She saw Ryan ask with so much concern in his voice.

“I was, but not anymore.”

“What’s Emily doing?”

“Oh, She’s having coffee and waiting for you to come make breakfast.”

Melissa cursed softly, knowing her elder sister was going to be the end of her.

“Let’s go get you ready for school, baby.” Melissa got down from her bed, helping her son down too. In a couple of minutes, She dressed him up for school and then served him some cereal for breakfast. Once Ryan started eating, Mel went ahead to pack his lunch box.

“You’ve been awake way before me. It would do us all some good if you actually help around here.” She playfully glared at Emily who was typing away on her phone, smiling at the screen as though something very interesting was going on there.

“Come on, Lissa. It’s not my fault that you make the best toast ever. I was waiting to have that. You know Ryan always wants you to get him ready for school. I’m still going to drop him at school anyways so telling him to come wake you up is the best I could have done this morning.”

Melissa rolled her eyes at her sister, reaching for her son’s lunch box.

“Are you excited for the interview today?”

“Least I forget, I got you the perfect outfit.” Emily smiled, rising to her feet.

Melissa frowned. “I’m the one having the interview but you seem more excited than I am.”

“Of course, you are my sister. This is a new phase for us all and I can’t wait to see what this city has in store for us.

“So you got me a dress?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t bother. I will just wear what I have.” She voiced out before Emily took her leave.

“You are kidding, right?”

“I’m so damn serious, Mily. I don’t trust the dress you are bringing me so I don’t want it.”

“Yeah, I don’t trust your outfit. That’s why I took it upon myself to get you something gorgeous.”

“Why do you even care so much?”

Emily chuckled in disbelief. “You are seriously asking me that? Did you actually not look up the company you are to be interviewed.”

“You know I don’t like it when you make me look dumb. What’s so special about the company? I’m sure it’s just like any other organization.”

Emily facepalmed. “Sometimes, I do wonder if you are my sister.”

“So brave of you to say that because I’m not as wild as you and I would be so damned if I take up any of your advice again.”

“Don’t tell me this had to do with the night my nephew was conceived. You went above and beyond the dare. I see no reason why you would ever blame me for that.”

“I’m not blaming you for anything and I cannot even begin to imagine being in a world without Ryan in it.”

“I know you are my sister and it’s okay for you to be really protective even though you show it in a wrong way. But can you please stop being in my business all the time?”

“I know I need to get a job so I would help with the house bills. Of course, I’ve been preparing hard for the interview, which means I’ve got clothes to wear.”

“I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just really want you to get the job. I heard the company is owned by the richest dude in the country and working there comes with a lot of benefits. It's not my fault that I’m not satisfied with your choice of dressing. I saw pictures of staff who work there so I knew we had to bring our A game.”

“You of all people know that I don’t care what anyone thinks of me.”

“Yeah, I know. But this is a job and you’ve got so many people to impress. Because of how popular the organization is, I know that quite several people are going to be there for the interview and I don’t want them intimidating my sister with their looks.”

Melissa sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to hear the end of it.

“Fine, Just give me the clothes and I will have a look at it. But I’m not going to wear it if I don’t like it.”

“Don’t worry, you are going to love it,” Emily smirked after which She took her leave.

Melissa shook her head in disbelief, finally putting Ryan’s lunch in his bag.

“Mommy, are you and Aunt Emily being naughty?” He asked with a sad face.

She took some steps over to where he was eating and caressed his cheek. “No baby, Hurry up with your food so we can get you to school okay?” She kissed his forehead as he nodded a little.

....................

Once Emily and Ryan were out of the house, Melissa went to her bedroom to get ready. She saw the dress her elder sister brought her. It was well laid on the bed. Mumbling some incoherent words, She went over to the bedside and picked up the black dress.

Lisa frowned, checking it out. To her surprise, the dress was decent in length and it had a decent cleavage also but the only problem was that it was a bandage dress that would surely accentuate her curves. She sighed, put the dress back on the bed, and then went into the closet in search of a matching blazer to wear over the dress.

In thirty minutes, Melissa was all dressed up, waiting for her cab.

After being stuck in unexpected traffic, She finally got to the office building at the exact time of the interview.

Melissa paid the taxi man and got down from the car, taking fast steps towards the building and into it.

Rolas incorporation was so big that Melissa had no idea where to go at first. Not only was it big, but it was also pretty busy, giving her the vibes of being in a mall.

Melissa finally located the receptionist's desk.

“Good morning, Ma’am. Please, I'm here for the interview.” She said to the middle-aged woman behind the desk.

“Good afternoon. May I know which position you are applying for so I can direct you to the exact floor? We’ve got a couple of interviews going on today.”

“Sales Manager,” Lisa answered immediately.

“4th Floor.”

“Thank you.” She responded, heading towards the elevator in very fast steps. And just when she was a couple of steps away from the elevator, Melissa felt someone bump into her, splashing a hot cup of coffee over her blazer.

Lissa hissed loudly from the pain.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” The soft feminine voice came through.

Mel hardly paid any attention. She was so concerned about her dress. Remembering that She was wearing a blazer over it, She placed her handbag on the floor and took off the blazer. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no stain on the dress. Then she picked up her bag.

“I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

For the first time since the incident happened, She stared at the person who poured coffee on her.

From her appearance, Melissa could tell that she was just a clumsy person. She was casually dressed so she doubted she was a corporate worker here.

Remembering she had an interview that she was late for, Melissa was about to take her leave when a very deep but familiar voice came through making her freeze where she stood.

“What’s going on Betty?”

It was common for men to have deep voices. But his own was very different and God knows she could recognize it at any point in time. Melissa’s heart started beating really fast.

“I was rushing to catch up with you so I spilled the coffee over her by mistake. I’m really sorry.”

“We are so sorry, we c....” He was saying then Melissa turned around to face him. His eyes went wide at the face staring back at him.

Lissa’s heart fell the moment she came face to face with the owner of the voice. The duo did nothing but stare at each other in disbelief with a racing heart for almost a minute.