Chapter 3: Stabbed in the Back

"Dede," Julia called out and both Brian and Dede's attention shifted to the door as they both heard footsteps approaching. 

"Now, you don't want to create any confusion. Just in case she asks of me, tell her you have not seen me," Brian said and entered the bathroom leaving Dede to answer the door. 

"Dede," Julia called again, standing in the corridor not sure which door leads to Dede's room. 

Dede walked to the door and opened it to find Julia in the corridor. Julia entered admiring the room. Dede smiled but was trembling inside knowing Brian was in her bathroom. 

"Your room is nice," Julia said and sat on the bed. "I am so excited we are here. Now we need to find ourselves jobs and get a better living," she said and Dede managed a smile still standing in the middle of the room, just a distance away from the door. 

"Dede, are you alright?" Julia asked with a frown. "Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?" she added. 

"Er, am.." Dede stammered as she wanted to tell Julia about Brian but their attention was drawn to the bathroom door as Brian's voice was heard. 

"That should do it," he said and entered the room. "Hey, Julia, when did you get here?' he asked. 

"Just a couple of minutes ago," Julia replied with a frown wondering why Brian was in Dede's room. 

"Hope the shower in your room is working. You know, no one had used these rooms for a while. I should have had them checked," Brian explained. 

"Oh, mine is working fine and thank you," Julia said with a smile and Dede felt a bit relaxed. 

"Okay, you can take your shower now," Brian said to Dede and turned to look at Julia as he offered her his hand. "Let's go," he said and Julia accepted his hand already feeling like a princess in a Disney movie. 

"Dinner will be ready half an hour from now. See you downstairs in the dining room," Brian said to Dede with a wink when Julia was not looking. 

The two left the room and Dede knew she needed to be careful around Brian. Julia had introduced him to her as her boyfriend so why was he looking at her that way? She picked a straight boring dress and changed into it. She left her bag on the bedside table and exited the room. 

"Please how do I get to the dining room," Dede asked the servant she met in the corridor. 

"Mr Jackson sent me to fetch. I shall take you there," the servant replied. 

"Thank you. I am Dede Mensah and you are?" Dede asked. 

"Call me Kate," the elderly woman who appears to be in her fifties replied. 

"Okay, ma'am," Dede said with a smile and the woman led her to the dining area. 

Julia was already sitting next to Brian behind the table laughing about something. Dede entered and greeted before making herself comfortable on one of the chairs which was next to Julia. Brian sat at the head of the table with his bad-boy look. 

"Dede, you missed all the jokes," Julia said as soon as Dede was seated. 

"Anyway, you are both welcome to my home. I will be here from now till the end of the week and I will go to my family's house. I will be passing by to check on you occasionally," Brian said alternating his gaze between Julia and Dede. 

"I hope I won't have to stay here that long without you," Julia asked feeling all in love and happy seeing the man she had been chatting with online for two years. 

"No, you don't have to miss me that much. I will be here," Brian said and kissed the back of Julia's hand. "Well, let's eat before the food gets cold," he said. 

The servant waiting quickly uncovered the food and the aroma filled the room. On the table was rice, vegetable salad with prawns, sauce and grilled chicken. The servant served the three and they all started eating. Once they were done with dinner. They watched TV together before retiring for the night. Dede said goodnight to Brian and Julia before heading for her room. Brian went with Julia to her room and once he closed the door. He grabbed Julia and began to kiss her. In a matter of minutes, they were on the bed and Brian was on top of Julia pounding her. 

Dede on the other hand climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep after taking a shower. Dede felt something cold which quickly turned warm in her chest area and it was followed by a ticklish pleasurable feel which made her squint her face. She felt a hand on her thigh which made her open her eyes only to find Brian on top of her. 

"Ah!" Dede screamed but Brian's hands quickly covered her mouth. 

"I want you. I will give you anything you want. Your friend doesn't need to know about this," Brian said and Dede frowned and pushed herself up away from him. 

"Please, go back to your room. I can't," Dede pleaded. 

"You are in my room," Brian said and Dede was surprised wondering how she ended up in Brian's room. 

The lights came on and Julia was standing at the door. Brian jumped out of bed pushing Dede away. 

"How did you get here?" Brian yelled at Dede who was surprised by Brian's sudden reaction and Julia stood there looking at the scene before her. 

"Get out of my room," Brian yelled at Dede and Dede got out of bed. 

She looked around the room shocked. That wasn't the room she was given. She was wondering how she ended up in Brian's room. She recalled getting into her bed and sleeping on her bed inside the room that was given to her so how did she end up in Brian's room? She was lost in her thoughts when she felt like her ears could not hear anything anymore. The feeling was followed by a sharp pain on her cheek and another one landed on her remaining cheek before she registered Julia had just slapped both of her cheeks. Dede's hands flew to her cheeks. 

"Dede, how could you? For four years, I took care of you without asking you for anything and the first thing you did was to jump into my boyfriend's bed?" Julia questioned. 

"Julia, I swear to you. I don't know how I got here," Dede explained.

"Of course, it has never been your fault. You are always the victim. Dede, that is the problem. You are always the victim," Julia growled as this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

Brian stood by his bed watching Julia descend on Dede. He just wanted to sleep with Dede. He had another plan on his mind so he decided to say something to worsen Julia's mood.

"Julia is that the kind of people you have as friends? For once I thought you were the one until she spoke," Brian said with a frown standing next to the bed wearing just trousers but no top. 

His well-formed chest was in clear view and the dragon tattoo on his left shoulder stretching towards his elbow could be seen. Julia looked at Brian briefly and returned his gaze to Dede.

"What do you mean you don't know how you got here? Your room is on the next floor. So how is it that you are here?" Julia asked looking at Dede disappointed. 

"Dede, what is your explanation this time? Brian came onto you?" Julia asked sounding angry "Before you tell that lie as you did to Mike, remember you are the one in Brian's room," Julia said and Dede went silent. 

Mike was Julia’s first fiancée back in Ghana and a similar situation led to the end of the relationship. Back then, Julia Believed Dede was attacked by Mike because she was at home and Mike came to visit but this time, it was Dede in Brian’s room.

At this moment, Dede knew there was nothing she could say that would make Julia believe her. She had entered her room. Taken a shower and climbed into her bed. So how did she end up in Brian's room? This was a question she could not answer. 

"You think you have an extraordinary beauty so you will seduce men and play the victim when caught? You see, today your deeds have found you out. You know what? Mike was right about you. Mike may not be a good person but I am beginning to think between you and Mike, on that day, you were the one lying," Julia said. "I never had a sister, so I took you as my sister and the reason I gave you everything. Dede, have I ever denied you of anything? So why my boyfriend?" Julia yelled.

"Get out," Julia yelled without waiting for any explanation from her.

Dede exited the room and Brian walked up to Julia, pulling her into a hug. She immediately broke down in tears. 

"I loved her like my sister. I never thought she could do this to me," Julia said in tears. 

"You can never trust people. I am so sorry about your friend," Brian consoled wishing he had drugged Julia to sleep after their passionate session. 

Earlier, he had entered Dede's room and carefully carried her out of her room into his room on the next floor. Dede was exhausted from the long flight and the little alcohol in the cocktail drink served on the table induced the deep sleep. Brian didn't expect Julia to wake up and come look for him seeing she was also very tired. He had thought she was going to sleep till morning. Julia caught them and he pushed everything on Dede. He liked Julia but he was lusting after Dede and only wanted to sleep with her. 

"So, what are you going to do about your friend?" Brian asked holding Julia in his arms as they both lay on the bed. 

"She has no one except me. If we were back in Ghana, I would have thrown her out into the street but here I don't know what will happen to her. Can you help me find her a job that comes with an accommodation so she can move out?" Julia asked and lifted her head to look at Brian. 

"You two just got here. I need a work permit, to begin with. The process can take a while but let me talk to some friends and see," Brian replied. 

"Hmmm," Julia said and lay her head back on Brian's chest wondering why Dede stabbed her in the back like that. 

"You know; this will not be the first time I have caught her with a male friend of mine in such an awkward situation. I had always thought it was the men trying to take advantage of her but tonight had made me realize she only plays victim when caught," Julia said and Brian kissed the top of her head and continued to rub her shoulders gently. 

Brian could hear Julia talk but his mind was on the brief feel of Dede's body in his arms. Dede on the other hand was sitting on her bed wondering how she ended up in Brian's room. 

The next day in the morning, Julia pushed the door to Dede's room open like she was the madam of the apartment. Her eyes narrowed at Dede whose eyes had turned red from no sleep and tears. Brian had left for work so it was just the two of them in the four-bedroom apartment together with the servants. 

"I paid for the whole process for you to be here. My boyfriend paid for our plane ticket. I wanted to throw you out into the street but this is what I am going to do for you as a friend and our friendship will come to an end. Brian will find you a job. Once he does, you will leave this place. I don't want a repetition of last night's incident," Julia said. 

Dede got out of bed and went on her knees with tears in her eyes. 

"Believe me. I don't know how I ended up in Mr Jackson's room. I took a shower and went to bed. Here in this room, Julia. It is our first time in this apartment. How could I have known Mr Jackson's room was upstairs?" Dede said but Julia was finding it hard to believe. 

"You want me to believe that when you can easily ask any of the servants or even follow Mr Jackson to his room?" Julia spat at her. 

Julia recalled the nude pictures of Dede on Brian's phone when Dede mentioned she had taken a shower. The pictures were taken in the bathroom. Brian told her, he had received it from Dede. 

"So that was when you decided to take the nude pictures of yourself and send them to Brian's phone?" Julia asked. 

"Nude pictures? What nude pictures?" Dede asked surprised. 

"Of course, you will act shocked like you are hearing it for the first time," Julia spat. "Look as part of becoming a model, you can add acting to it because you know what, you are so good at acting. You play innocence so well but guess what? You will not fool me this time. I am done with you Dede," Julia yelled at her and exited the room. 

Dede sat on the floor with her back against the side of the bed facing the dressing table. The mirror picked her image and she frowned immediately but her eyes were quickly filled with tears. Her appearance had caused her so many problems. 

"God, why didn't you create me like everyone else? Must you give me all these features to create problems for me? I am sure it was the same reason why my birth parents abandoned me in front of the orphanage home. What if I didn't have these features, I would not have problems, right?" Dede thought and stood to her feet. 

She went out of her room and asked one of the servants for a knife. The servant got her the knife and Dede headed for her room. Kate was curious to know what Dede was going to do with a knife in her room after hearing the yelling that went on in Brian's room at 11 p.m. the previous day. She knew Brian all too well and his womanizing behaviour. 

Inside Dede's room, Dede looked at her face for the last time in the mirror and shifted her gaze to the knife she was holding in her hand. 

"This is for the better. No more trouble and problems," Dede said and gave herself a cut on the cheeks which started bleeding immediately. 

She moved the knife to her other cheek to give herself another cut. She intended to give herself multiple scars on her face. She knew by doing this, she may never get the job as a model because all the models she had seen in the magazines had flawless skin and now she is giving herself scars.