Beneath the Lies

A knock came just as we were clearing the table, we just had dinner. “I’ll get it," his mum smiled at us. She was always so sweet to me. I stayed with my boyfriend, laughing at a joke he just said. I heard the front door open. It was a man’s voice that came next, “I hope I’m not interrupting.” I knew that voice, my body froze and the smile on my face disappeared. When life was going so well, why did it have to be him? Footsteps, getting closer, my heart started racing fast. Anger filled my body as my fingers tightened around the table edge. I looked up and our eyes met . . . Two Years Earlier … “I don’t know if I should report Lewis to the board, honey. We’re both gunning for the CEO position already, there’s lots of tension,” my dad said to my mum. I was not eavesdropping; their voices were not that low, so, I could hear. I haven’t introduced myself; my name’s Cierra Williams, the only child of Sarah and Daniel Williams. We live a comfortable life. My dad is a senior executive at his office while my mum works as a surgical nurse, and I’m in 11th grade. My dad’s been having some issues at work. One of his former friends, Lewis, is competing with him for the CEO competition at their company. Both are technically credible, but there’s a problem with Lewis. My dad found out from someone at the office that he was committing fraud and stealing money. The ideal thing is to report him, but my father still has a soft spot for him, considering that they were long-time friends. “Maybe speak to him about it, confront him and see if he lies. If he doesn’t, ask him to make the only admirable choice, which is to back off from competing for the CEO position,” my mum advised. She was right though, at least for the sake of friendship. I’ve known Lewis since I was a baby, and he was always so nice until he developed drinking problems after he got a divorce. His whole character changed and that’s when he and my dad started having problems. ********************************************************************** “Hey baby,” familiar hands hold my waist from behind, leaving a smile on my face. “Hi my love,” I turned to face my sweet boyfriend, Isaiah, who was now inches from my face. He then leaned down and kissed me. “Love birds, please get a room,” my friend, Melissa, said to us, and we all laughed. She was accompanied by Jaden, her boyfriend (Marcus) and Chris. I’ve been friends with Melissa and Jaden since 3rd grade, my literal childhood besties; we’d go to each other’s houses and have lots of sleepovers. Chris, on the other hand, came in 6th grade. He seemed a little shy. Melissa had a class with him, then soon after, she introduced him to us, and we’ve had each other’s back since then. Marcus started dating Jaden around last year; he occasionally sits or walks with us. Isaiah and I met in 8th grade. He made it official early last year and life has been so beautiful since. “We’d best get to class. It’s almost 8,” Jaden said in her British accent. “She’s right, the crowd in the hallway is about to be a lot,” Melissa said. “Bye guys. My baby, I’ll see you during lunch,” I said, and asked Isaiah goodbye. Chris and I had physics together, so we left. ********************************************************************** “Daddy!” I exclaimed as my dad shut the door behind him. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, maybe because I’m the only child. But, I love my parents so much. “My princess,” he says as I run to hug him. “The food is getting cold, please come and eat,” my mum says from the dining table. “You’re always so jealous mum,” I replied, and we all laughed. “Oh please,” she rolled her eyes as we all sat down. She shares the food with us; we say a little prayer and start eating. “The board said they’ll be appointing someone as CEO by the end of the week.” My dad started small talk. “Glory to God, did you speak to Lewis today?” my mum replied. “You know, Cynthia, my secretary, the one who found out about the fraud. She followed me to his office with proof of our accusation. He agreed to see us, alongside his PA, and we spoke about it.” “He was shocked at first, especially with all the evidence provided. After I told him my proposal, he agreed to back off from the CEO post as long as I keep the fraud amongst us,” he ended. Wow, so it went well then. “So, you’re the new CEO?” my mother smiled. My dad grinned. “Unofficially, yes, but by Friday, it’ll be official.” “Congratulations daddy,” I said to him. “Thank you, my princess. Lewis even celebrated with me. I was shocked considering I just gave him some bad news,” my dad said. “Lewis celebrated with you? That’s new,” my mum laughed. “I was surprised as well. Maybe his therapy is working,” my dad said. “Okay, no more small talk, let’s eat,” my mum concluded. ********************************************************************** “Come have lunch with us babe,” I told Isaiah, he drops me off at home most days. “I need to meet up with the guys,” he whined, and Melissa was not having it. “Just come in, the boys will be fine,” she rolled her eyes. “Fine, let me call Brian,” he says, and I’m elated. It’s been a while since Isaiah came inside. He has met my parents multiple times, so it’s not a problem. He follows us in after getting off the phone. “Do my eyes fail me?” My mum looks up at us. “No ma,” Isaiah smiles at her, and they hug. Melissa hugged her too. “The last time I saw you was a few weeks ago, Isaiah, you don’t like to visit us again?” my mum said as we all sat down. “I’m sorry; I’ve had a lot on my plate. I’ll do better going forward,” he smiled at her. “I hope you two are staying for lunch. I’m making something already,” my mum said. “Of course,” Melissa answered, while I laid my head on my boyfriend's chest with his hand running through her hair. After a few minutes, mum came to tell us lunch was ready and we ate. “Would we be seeing you again, Isaiah?” my mum said as she escorted us to the door. “Definitely,” he smiled. I followed him to the driveway where he parked his car. We hugged and kissed, then he entered his car. “I’ll call you when I’m home, babe,” he said as he turned on the ignition. “I’d be expecting that call,” I winked at him, then he drove off. “Lovebird, he’s gone, come inside,” Melissa shouted from my front door because I was watching Isaiah drive off. I laughed in response and ran to the front door. ********************************************************************** “I’ll be coming home a little late, honey, I have some work to finish up with,” my dad told my mum on the phone. I was with her so I could hear the conversation, plus her phone was on speaker. “Okay, be safe,” she replied. “Always, love you,” he says. She replies, “Love you too” and ends the call. My dad wanted to make sure he did everything right before his CEO appointment on Friday, so he’s been working late. My mum is just worried that he’s overworking himself and pushing himself hard. She keeps telling him to slow down. I was worried too, but he always smiled and said, “Just a few more days. After Friday, things will settle down”. A few hours later, my mum’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and smiled. “It was my dad," she said as she answered the call. Not wanting to interrupt, I headed towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I was feeling thirsty. Before I even reached the fridge, I heard the voice change. “ … What?” Then silence filled the air and I walked to the sitting room. “I’m coming right now,” she took a breath. “Stay calm and do not say a word to anyone till our lawyer gets there,” she said and cut the call. My heart immediately dropped. What’s happening? “Mum?” I called and she didn’t answer. Instead, she was panicking while searching for her car keys. She pulled the cushions off the couch, opened drawers, and even checked the dining table. Her breathing became more uneven, and I was getting worried. “Mum, what is it? You’re scaring me”. She ignored my question once again. “Cierra, just help me find my car keys …” she paused for a bit. “ . . . I need to go help your father,” she says, still searching. The panic in her voice terrified me. I looked around the living room, then I found the keys beneath the couch cushions. “Found them” and gave them to her. Her hands were shaking while she collected the keys from me. It was so bad that the keys fell and clattered onto the floor. She bent down quickly, picked them up and headed to the front door. I followed quickly behind her. “Mum,” I said, grabbing her arm gently. “Please take it easy, you can’t drive in this state,” I told her because she’s really scaring me. She stopped and just stood there, it seemed as though strength left her body. She slowly falls to the floor and I join her sitting, covering her face with both her hands, a quiet cry left her lips. I barely see my mum cry. “Mum, please speak to me, what’s the problem?” I sit close to her. She lifted her head, her eyes were red and filled with tears, “It’s your dad.” Fear filled my eyes. “You know he stayed late at work again,” I nodded in response. “He found Cynthia … in the parking lot.” She was struggling to say the next words. “She was already dead.” Wait, what the hell? “What?” I responded in shock. “He called 911 immediately,” she wiped her tears with her shaky hands. “But by the time the police came, he was the only person on scene,” she used her hands to cover her face again. I stared at her in shock, “No”, that’s all I could mutter out. “They wanted to ask him some questions, so they arrested him,” she said. “No!” I stood up in anger. “That’s impossible! Dad would never hurt anyone!” I say to her. “I know,” she cried. “I know he wouldn’t.” She stood and wrapped around me as we both broke down. “They think your father murdered Cynthia.” I couldn’t breathe. Dad was supposed to become CEO on Friday. Now, he’s sitting in a police station.