Secrets behind the smile
1162 Words
Adunni could not focus for the rest of the day.
Even after Damian drove away, her chest still felt painfully tight. The look in his eyes before leaving kept replaying inside her head.
Anger.
Guilt.
Something deeper she could not explain.
She hated that she still cared enough to notice.
The final lecture ended around 5PM, and the moment Adunni stepped outside the school gate, rain began falling heavily again.
Perfect.
It felt like the weather mocked her these days.
Students rushed around looking for shelter while loud conversations filled the air. Adunni hugged her bag closer and stood under a small shop shade waiting for the rain to reduce.
Then her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
She ignored it.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
Annoyed, she answered. “Hello?”
“Miss Adunni?” a female voice asked politely.
“Yes?”
“I’m calling from Cole Enterprises. Mrs. Vanessa Cole would like to see you tomorrow morning.”
Adunni froze instantly.
Damian’s mother.
Her stomach tightened immediately.
“Why?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know, ma’am. But she said it’s important.”
The call ended before Adunni could ask another question.
Adunni stared at the phone nervously.
She had only met Mrs. Cole twice before, but both times were enough to make her uncomfortable.
Vanessa Cole was the definition of power.
Elegant.
Rich.
Cold.
The type of woman who could destroy somebody’s life with a single sentence.
And worst of all…
She never liked Adunni.
“Who called?”
Adunni looked up and saw Tami approaching with an umbrella.
“Damian’s mother wants to see me.”
Tami’s eyes widened instantly. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Tami became quiet for a moment before speaking carefully.
“Adunni… I don’t think you should go.”
Adunni sighed tiredly. “Maybe she just wants to warn me to stay away from Damian.”
“Exactly,” Tami replied quickly. “Those rich families are dangerous.”
Adunni looked away silently.
Deep down, she knew Tami was right.
But another part of her desperately wanted answers.
The next morning arrived too quickly.
Adunni stood nervously in front of Cole Enterprises, staring at the massive glass building stretching high into the sky.
Luxury cars filled the parking lot while sharply dressed workers moved confidently through the entrance.
Adunni suddenly felt small.
Very small.
She adjusted her simple cream dress nervously before walking inside.
Everything about the building screamed money.
Marble floors.
Golden lights.
Expensive perfume floating through the air.
The receptionist smiled politely. “Mrs. Cole is waiting for you upstairs.”
A few minutes later, Adunni entered Vanessa Cole’s office slowly.
The office alone was bigger than her family’s entire apartment.
Vanessa sat behind a large desk dressed elegantly in white. Her sharp eyes scanned Adunni from head to toe before she smiled slightly.
“Sit down.”
Adunni obeyed quietly.
For a few awkward seconds, silence filled the room.
Then Vanessa finally spoke.
“You’re beautiful.”
Adunni blinked in surprise.
“Excuse me?”
Vanessa leaned back calmly. “I can see why Damian liked you.”
Liked.
Not likes.
Past tense.
Adunni swallowed painfully.
“I didn’t come here to cause problems for your family,” she said softly.
Vanessa smiled again, but this time it felt colder.
“Oh, I know. Girls like you usually don’t.”
Adunni felt the insult immediately.
Girls like you.
Poor girls.
Ordinary girls.
Girls who did not belong in their world.
Vanessa opened a drawer slowly and brought out an envelope before placing it on the table.
Adunni frowned. “What’s that?”
“Compensation.”
Her heartbeat stopped.
“I don’t understand.”
Vanessa folded her hands elegantly.
“My son is young. He makes emotional decisions sometimes. Unfortunately, those decisions can create unnecessary attachments.”
Adunni stared at her in disbelief.
“You think I’m with Damian because of money?”
Vanessa chuckled softly.
“Please don’t insult both of us by pretending otherwise.”
Adunni’s eyes filled with tears instantly.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The humiliation.
Damian’s sudden coldness.
The distance.
His family never accepted her from the beginning.
Vanessa pushed the envelope closer.
“There’s five million naira inside. Take it and quietly disappear from Damian’s life.”
Adunni’s breathing became uneven.
Five million.
The amount could completely change her family’s life.
Pay their debts.
Help her mother.
Fix everything.
But at what cost?
“You can’t buy me,” Adunni whispered painfully.
Vanessa’s expression hardened slightly.
“No. But life eventually humbles everybody.”
Adunni stood up immediately.
“I loved your son.”
Vanessa looked almost amused.
“And that is exactly why you are dangerous.”
Tears rolled down Adunni’s cheeks as she grabbed her bag.
For the first time in her life, she truly understood what it meant to feel worthless.
Not because she lacked value…
But because powerful people decided she was beneath them.
Just as she turned to leave, Vanessa spoke again.
“If you truly care about Damian, stay away from him.”
Adunni stopped walking.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa hesitated briefly.
Then her voice became quieter.
“You have no idea how much damage loving you is causing.”
Adunni frowned in confusion.
Before she could ask more questions, the office door suddenly opened.
Damian walked in.
And the moment his eyes landed on Adunni…
Everything changed.
“What is she doing here?” he demanded coldly.
Vanessa stood calmly. “We were having a conversation.”
Damian looked between both women suspiciously before noticing the envelope on the table.
His jaw tightened instantly.
“Mother.”
Vanessa remained calm. “Relax. I’m handling the situation.”
Adunni stared at Damian desperately, hoping for once he would defend her.
But Damian only looked exhausted.
Like she had become another problem in his life.
His silence hurt more than anything.
Adunni nodded slowly.
“I understand now.”
Damian frowned slightly. “Understand what?”
But she shook her head painfully.
“You know what’s funny?” she whispered with tears in her eyes. “I kept thinking maybe you still cared about me.”
Damian’s expression changed slightly.
But before he could speak, Adunni continued.
“I was so stupid.”
Then she walked out of the office before either of them could stop her.
The elevator doors closed slowly while tears streamed endlessly down her face.
Upstairs, Damian turned toward his mother angrily.
“What did you say to her?”
Vanessa remained calm. “What needed to be said.”
Damian ran frustrated hands through his hair.
“You had no right.”
Vanessa’s eyes sharpened immediately.
“You think destroying yourself over a girl from nothing is love?”
Damian looked away silently.
Because the painful truth was…
He did not know anymore.
All he knew was that watching Adunni walk away felt like losing something he could never replace.
- Writer
