THE CEO IS CLUELESS

CHAPTER TWO

THE BLIND DATE

Maya walked into the fancy restaurant in her pointed heels and knee-length dress that looked so elegant. Her hair cascades down her shoulders with the defined curls bouncing as she walks. She was directed to her reservation and took her seat while stealing a peek at her wristwatch. “ Where could he be,” Maya said to herself. Picking her phone, she tried calling her date, but there was no answer. Maya was too nervous to sit still. She had been talking to Luther for a month now, and he finally proposed a date; here she was waiting nervously for him to show up. She grabbed her purse and headed to the bathroom; looked in the mirror and reapplied her lipstick before heading out. Maya stopped in her tracks when she saw a male figure already seated on their reservation. She had never seen Luther and had no idea what he looked like. They both never exchanged pictures, agreeing that they wanted the first meeting to be a total surprise and just hoping for the best. But she was sure it was him. She took a deep breath and braced herself before approaching him.“ Hi Luther,” she said, a bright smile on her face. She expected the young man to get the seat for her, but he rather just stared blankly at her as if trying to figure out who she was. He was better than she expected, his well-chiseled chest was still very obvious even in his tuxedo. His brown hair was neatly slicked to the back. “Hi,” he replied blankly. Maya was confused; they had gotten along over text, and she kept wondering why he was being so plain. “ He must be shy,” she thought to herself, and stretched out her hands to exchange pleasantries. Jaden was confused, he had never seen this lady before, he was only at the restaurant because his mum had begged him to get her food from the restaurant and by himself. He had found her request fishy but waved it off. He took her hands in his, still wondering who she was. Then it dawned on him, “This pretty lady must think I am her date”, he thought to himself. Jaden decided not to clear the air and just play along. Maya’s beauty had caught his attention.

They conversed through dinner and got along well. “ I will visit your restaurant; I would like to try out your dishes,” Jaden said at the end of the date after finding out she was a chef.

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The cool breeze kissed Maya’s face as she walked out of the restaurant at a very fast pace, her shoulder-length hair flying beside her chin. She could hear Jaden call out for her, but she was too shocked and confused. She wanted nothing but to get out of the vicinity. “ Maya! Maya, listen to me”. Jaden called from behind. She is not my wife, and you know it ”She stopped in her tracks and turned to him abruptly. Her arms folded on her stomach. She is an old friend”. Jaden’s voice had softened now. Maya looked her husband in the eye and saw the distress on his face for the very first time. “ She said she was calling her husband Jaden and you showed up,” Maya said while pushing her hair behind her ears,an habit that she was fond of, especially in distress. “ Maya, she is an old friend I promise you it's nothing more” Jaden moved closer and held Maya’s hands in his she just got back from the States after a painful divorce; I am just helping her as a friend Maya trust me. He said trying his best to convince her. Maya furrowed her brows but nodded slowly. She is helpless and lonely”, he added. Maya was still confused, she could not understand why her husband had come with the entire convoy when the estranged pregnant woman had called him. “But, bbb, butt….” she could not find the right words to say to him. “ Good God, I am so sorry,” Claudia said from behind, interrupting the conversation. Both Jaden and Maya look in her direction. Claudia moved towards them and stopped beside Jaden “ I had no idea you were his wife” she said, putting her fingers on her chin and pouting like a child. “ You know, Jaden is my childhood friend” she stated “his been mine before he met you….” she said and paused for a while looking directly at Maya who now has her brows furrowed in confusion. “Claudia!!!” Jaden called and looked sternly at her “oh I am sorry” Claudia said and lowered her head pouting. “What I meant was you are my childhood friend Jaden” she added “ Maya Jaden and I are friends, he takes care of me and the baby like he is the dad; you are too kind J, I am sure he is a good husband to you” she said while looking from Maya to Jaden giving a brief giggle to soften Jaden’s mood. Claudia placed her arms on Jaden's shoulders; a sly smile forming on her face. Just as he tried to get her arm off his shoulder, Ouchh…” Claudia winced in pain, placing her free hand on her belly “ What's wrong?” Jaden asked, feigning concern. “Oh I think I have been stressed from all this… Jaden, please bring me to the hotel; you wouldn't mind, right Maya?” Claudia said through an obvious false smile. Maya’s eye fell on the shiny bracelet on her wrist. Boldly inscribed on it was her name “ MAYA”. Claudia saw that Maya was looking closely at the bracelet. “Oh, I found this in J’s bag; I liked it and decided to try it on. It suits me, right Maya?” She stretched her wrist towards Maya. “ J and I, we never keep boundaries; I found this in his suitcase and thought to try it out”. She looked Maya in the eye. “You wouldn't mind if I took it would you Maya ,Please let me have it, it would really make my baby happy”. She pouted like a child. Maya smiled coldly, “ I will just take her to the hotel to rest,” Jaden said to Maya. She watched as Jaden led Claudia to the car; she knew in her guts that Claudia was up to no good. Maya grabbed her bags in her office, got in one of the cars. “Take me home,” she said under her breath to her driver, and the car zoomed off.

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Maya could not get her mind off the scene that played at the restaurant. She kept thinking of the things her husband said and his chemistry with Claudia. She pulled out her drawer and brought out her prenatal results report. “ The prenatal results report”. She attached the text to the picture of the report and was about to hit the send button, but she hesitated. Her mind drifted back to the bracelet on Claudia’s wrist. Maya knew the bracelet Claudia had on was Jaden's gift to her. “Would he even care?” she thought to herself, cleared the text, sighed dropping her phone on the drawer. She lay flat on her bed looking at the fancy bulb till she fell asleep. Dingggg dingggg dingggggg Maya's phone rang, it was 3 am in the morning; she got up. Still half asleep, and answered the call “ Maya!!! Sir Jaden took that pregnant leach to his other house. I just saw them step out of the convoy; I don't know that awful red lip anywhere else!”