Whispers of deceit

CHAPTER 4

The days passed in a blur and Adrian still hasn’t called me. What could be going on? I didn’t even collect his number. How will I gain access to the things my father needs? I really don’t want to disappoint him. Isabella how do you think sometimes. I lamented internally just staring at my phone.

As I wanted to drop my phone to go freshen up, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. I glanced at the screen, seeing Emily's name flashing in bold letters. With a quick swipe, I answered.

"Hey, Em! What's up?" I greeted tiredly because I had just woken up.

"Hey, B! You won't believe what just happened!" Emily's voice crackled with excitement.

I chuckled, "Alright, spill the details. What's going on?"

"I'm meeting that guy from the club again tonight, you know, the charming one with the mysterious smile? The artist." Emily's words come out in a rush.

“The artist?” I questioned wanting to confirmed what I had heard. The next thing that came to my mind was Adrian, the bastard hasn’t even called me.

Emily laughed, "Well, yeah! He called, and he just popped the question about us meeting. I thought, why not?"

“Okay, so where are you guys meeting?” I asked wanting to know the location my friend is going to with the man she had just met. Almost sounding like a mother.

"He suggested this quaint little eatery downtown. It's got a cozy vibe. You know the one near that park with the fairy lights?" Emily explained, her enthusiasm contagious.

"Yeah, I know the one. Sounds like a good choice. When's the meeting?” I questioned again.

"He is sending an Uber to pick me up at around 7. Can you believe it? He's even offering for someone to take me there!" Emily exclaimed. She was very happy. I could almost imagine her jumping on her bed sharing this news.

"Wow,That's thoughtful of him," I replied genuinely happy about my friend’s happiness. The guy must be a well brought up man.

“Hey B…”I hear Emily say over the phone changing the entire tune of her happy voice into a somewhat sad voice.

“Urm… I wanted to ask if you could come along with me…”Emily asked, if she was with me physical she’d be giving me her puppy dog eyes. Thank God she was not here physically, I won’t be falling for it.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to third …” I was cut short by Emily.

“Please B” She said almost crying in my ear. I eventually accepted only because I wanted to see this man that was finding his way into my friend’s heart.

"But here's the thing, Em. If I'm joining you, you're picking me up first. I want the full chauffeur experience."

Emily laughed, "You're hilarious, Bella. Deal! I'll pick you up around 6:30 then. Be ready!"

"Perfect. See you then," I said, already imagining the adventure that awaited us.

As the call ended, I felt a mix of emotions. The idea of another night out with Emily was exciting. But the idea of almost disappointing my mother was almost killing me.

Later, as the clock approached 6:30, Isabella heard the familiar hum of Emily's car pulling into the driveway. She glanced at herself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs to open the door.

"Hey, Bella!" Emily greeted, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she leaned on the horn.

Isabella grinned, stepping outside. "Hey, Em! Let's make this a night to remember!"

Mathilda, my head of staff in the house,spotted Emily and a delighted smile lit up her face. The fondness between them dated back to their childhood days, where Emily was like a second daughter to Mathilda.

"Emily, my dear! Welcome back. It's been such a long time since I've seen you," Mathilda exclaimed, reaching out to playfully pull Emily's cheeks. Gosh, Emily looked like a squashed teddy bear, I thought.

"Mathilda!" Emily greeted with excitement after Mathilda let go of her cheeks, embracing her. "How have you been?" Emily asked genuinely, "I hope B has been taking good care of you." She continued as I rolled my eyes towards of course I have been taking care of Mathilda, she is basically a mother to me.

“s**t, I left my coat” I sudennly remembered and I went upstairs to pick the coat,leaving those two to contine their conversation.

“Miss Emily. You look stunning tonight!" Mathilda says as we were heading out of the house to the car that was arranged for my friend

"Thank you, Mathilda! You always know how to make me feel special," Emily replied, her nerves easing a bit.

As we settled into the car, we were just speaking about random things from Adrian to the date and how scared she was.

"He's really into vintage movies, you know? I mean, who knew that was a thing?" Emily giggled.

I chuckled, "Vintage movies, huh? Sounds interesting. What's his name, by the way?"

"Marcus. Marcus Anderson. He's got this old-school charm about him. You'll see!" Emily replied, with her eyes shining with anticipation.

We arrived at our destination, and as I stepped out of the car, my eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the restaurant. Emily wasted no time and dashed towards him. Intrigued, I took my time strolling over to them, sensing the impending third-wheel experience.

As I drew closer, the man's face became increasingly recognizable. Hold on a second—this was the guy from my father's office. What on earth was he doing here?

"B, this is Marcus," Emily introduced, breaking my train of thought. "Marcus, meet Isabella, my bestest friend." Her words did little to ease my suspicions about this unexpected guest.

Marcus extended his hand in greeting, as if we hadn't crossed paths before. Despite my initial skepticism, I shook his hand, convincing myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me. We made our way into the restaurant.

Soon enough, Emily and Marcus dove into conversation, leaving me feeling like the odd one out. After enduring a few minutes of awkward silence, Marcus decided to break the ice with an announcement, "Oh, before I forget, my friend will be joining us any minute." I welcomed the idea of someone else to keep me company.

As we continued navigating the uneasy atmosphere, the restaurant door creaked open, signaling the arrival of Marcus's friend. "He's here, guys," Marcus declared, and just as I turned around, a familiar voice filled the air. "Hello, enchanted dancer."

My internal exclamation echoed – there was only one person in the world who could make such a statement: Adrian Blackwell. I turned around to confirm, and there he was. What a night this was shaping up to be, I thought.