What happened to him? The Harry she remembered was a really polite gentleman, not this ill-mannered man she was talking to. How could he barge into her home and try to order her around? He wanted to sleep on her couch? What for?
“Look, I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I’m sorry, you are not welcome here,” Jade told him once she finally found her tongue.
Harry sighed as he sat up with his elbows resting on his knees and both hands folded under his chin as though he was getting ready to talk sense into a stubborn child, “See it this way, I’m here in the stead of both your brothers to ensure that you are okay and everything is going on well with this case. I’m not going anywhere, so let’s not argue over this,” Harry said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Was he perhaps going about it differently? What would either Benne or Bryan had done if they were here? Perhaps offer her a hug and tell her everything would be fine? Harry wondered.
“I don’t remember asking for your help,” Jade pointed out.
“You don’t have to. Now unless you want me to inform your entire family about what is going on with you, I suggest you don’t give me a hard time over this,” Harry threatened, knowing that if he so much as informed her mother about it, both her parents would move in with her.
Although Jade wanted to argue some more, she knew deep down that she was less scared now that she had someone in the house with her. Not just anyone, but Harry who was very reliable judging by how much Benne esteemed him.
Jade’s resistance was mostly due to the fact that she was feeling too embarrassed that he was seeing her in the state, and also because of the way he was ordering her around. However, her pride wouldn’t let her just accept the offer without putting up a fight, “How do you expect that we both can stay under this roof together? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a woman, and you are a man who is unrelated to me,” Jade said matter of factly.
“Well, just assume I’m one of your brothers then. A recently adopted brother, if that will make you feel better. Also, you have nothing to worry about me touching you,” Harry assured her, looking her over like he was unimpressed by what he was seeing.
“When last did you have a proper sleep anyway? Have you even had your bath today?” He asked looking at the black circles under her eyes which reminded him of a panda. An amused smile twitched his lips at that thought, and one look at the scowl on her face, the smile widened into a grin.
At least they were getting somewhere. A scowl on her face was way better than the fear he had seen in her eyes earlier.
“I beg your pardon?” Jade asked with a slightly raised brow as she glared at him.
“You should go and get out of that ugly robe. Freshen up while at it, and let’s talk about our living arrangements when you look normal,” Harry instructed her as he stood up and adjusted his suit, “I will be outside making a couple of phone calls,” Harry said as he walked to the door.
Placing his hand on the doorknob he turned around to look at Jade who was still glaring at him, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “Sorry, I have trust issues,” he said as he removed the key from the lock and held it up, “I will hold on to this, just in case you choose not to let me back in,” Harry said before stepping out of the house.
The moment Celsie stepped into her bedroom, she collapsed on her bed and shut her eyes. She was exhausted. Perhaps it was because of the time she had spent in the company of her boss, or maybe she was just mentally exhausted after revisiting her past and sharing part of her experience with Benne.
She needed to confront the past that she had tried so hard to keep locked up for years. She needed to face everything that had happened. That way she wouldn’t have to faint or go into shock merely by thinking about it. Perhaps she should consider the doctor’s suggestion and ask him to get her a psychotherapist? It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
Once Celsie made up her mind to give the doctor a call the next day, she sat up on the bed and picked up her phone once again to check if there was a text or call from Benne, and then she recalled that she had missed a call from Lucas earlier. She dialed his line and connected her earpiece to her phone before plugging it to her ears and resting her back on the headrest of the bed with both eyes closed.
“Hey, Celsie!” Lucas greeted in his usual distracted tone once he received her call.
“I missed your call earlier. What’s up?” Celsie asked unable to hide the tiredness in her voice.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked with a concerned frown and dropped his pen to give her his undivided attention when he heard her voice.
“Yeah. I guess I’m just exhausted. Had a really busy day at work today,” Celsie explained with a yawn.
“Then you should rest,” Lucas suggested.
“Sure, I will. Why did you call earlier?” Celsie asked, reminding him once again that he had called her earlier.
Lucas narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall why he had called, “Oh, yes! You will never guess who walked into my office today,” Lucas said excitedly, making Celsie open her eyes.
“Who did?” Celsie asked curiously when she heard the excitement in his voice.
“Your boss’s parents! I was so surprised by the coincidence of it all,” he said, making Celsie’s brows furrow in surprise.
“Really? Why were they at your office?” Celsie asked, and listened as Lucas explained it all to her, only leaving out the fact that he had given them an invite to his wedding. He wanted it to be a surprise to both her and Sonia.
“Wow! It’s a small world, I guess,” Celsie said when he was done telling her about it.
“Yeah, it is. I should leave you to rest right now,” Lucas said, and Celsie smiled.
“How is Rachel doing?”
“She’s okay. Just busy with wedding preparations. I will tell her you sent your love. Let’s talk some other time, okay? I love you,” Lucas said.
“Sure. I love you too,” Celsie responded before hanging up the call.
Once she hung up and dropped the phone on her bed. She stood up to take off her clothes, but the phone started ringing once again. She quickly picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that it was a call from Benne, and she quickly received it.
“Hey, baby!” Benne greeted, feeling really guilty about what he was doing.
“Where have you been? Where are you?” Celsie asked, sounding both relieved and upset at the same time.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.