Chapter 4
1230 Words
Lillian arrived at the coffee shop early, her mind raced with both positive and negative possibilities. She spotted him sitting in the corner, sipping his drink.
"Lillian!" He called, gesturing for her to join him.
She approached him quickly, “Good morning sir."
"Good morning. I am glad you came." His eyes shine with happiness.
Lillian sat down, with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. She did not want to be too forward, yet eager to know what his intentions were.
As if he could read her mind, “Now that you are here, let's get down to business.”
"So, what is this proposal of yours?" She was incautious that the words came out abruptly.
Sir Douglas took a glance at her and sipped his drink.
“Yes, I do have something for you. But before that, do you have a boyfriend?”
Lillian couldn't help but get shocked by the question. Wondering why he was concerned with her affairs, and not about her background or her work experience.
“Yes Sir, and he is doing fine." She uncomfortably lied to him.
Sir Douglas noticed her body gestures but gave it less concentration.
“That sounds romantic, I like that. And I know you must be a strong lady with dreams. Not every orphan has a dream; some even turn out of character completely.”
Lillian became surprised, she never told anyone except Thomas about her background, even when asked.
At the same spot, she had a hint that he could have done some background check on her.
"Thank you sir.” she bent her head a little to show some respect.
Sir Douglas leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with intensity.
"I want to challenge you to live as me for 30 days. My life, my wealth. You are going to be in my shoes."
Lillian laughed incautiously. "I'm sorry I laughed.” She cleared her throat, and continued. "You mean, like, pretend to….to be you?"
Sir Douglas nodded. "What a sharp lady. I want to see if you have what it takes to handle the pressures and privileges of my world."
Lillian raised an eyebrow. "Not to be rude sir, is this what you meant by what you want?”
He nodded again with a smile.
"I don't know what to say, sir, how can I….just like that?” She said, trying to digest what she heard.
Sir Douglas smiled. "Yes, because if you agree and succeed, I will give you a job and a salary that will impress you."
Lillian's eyes widened. "A job? What kind of job sir?"
Sir Douglas leaned back in his chair. "Oh dear, that is for me to know and you to find out. But trust me, it is worth your while."
Lillian hesitated, trying to weigh the risks and benefits attached to the offer. But the prospect of securing a well-paying job and pleasing Thomas was too enticing for her to resist.
"Okay, I am in," she finally said.
Sir Douglas grinned. "Excellent! I will call my driver and get the documents right away."
After he made a call, his driver came to their spot and handed a blue folder to Sir Douglas.
"Here,” Sir Douglas brought out a document and gave it to her. “Please read and ask questions before you sign."
She collected and skimmed through, too much in a haste to sign.
“No, don't sign here. Do that at home and we shall meet again." He returned the other copy to the folder.
"Is that all sir?” She asked, putting the document in her bag.
“For now, yes, be ready for the adventure of a lifetime. See you soon." Sir Douglas said and took his leave.
As Lillian left the coffee shop, she felt a thrill of excitement mixed with fear.
****** FOUR HOURS LATER
On getting to her house, Lillian noticed the windows she closed before setting out were opened, her mind telling her it must be Thomas.
Fear gripped her instantly; she knew she couldn't escape another assault today because it was late, and she prepared nothing to eat before setting out.
Lillian opened the door gently, praying silently that he should be asleep.
“Where are you coming from?” Thomas' thick voice echoed in the small room, sitting on the bed like a hungry Lion.
Instantly, Lillian became startled and did not know what to say. “I….. it is…my.”
"Oh, now you suddenly became a stammerer, right?.” He moved closer and yelled, "Will you answer the simple damn question I asked?”
With a shaky voice, she replied. “I went out for job hunting, so I can meet up with your demands."
The look in his eyes changed, "What is that supposed to mean? You now insult your boyfriend?” He asked angrily.
"Insult you, no babe I would never have thought of that.” Lillian sounded sincere and innocent.
"Then what do you mean by my demands? Do I look like a beggar to you? I love you and that is why I ask from you."
“I am sorry babe." She said in a pleading tone.
Thomas took some time to assess her from head to toe. He realized she was not telling the truth; probably she was hiding something from him.
“I know you too well that you don't have a friend you'd visit and you have never gone job hunting dressed the way you are. So tell me the truth, where are you coming from?"
Lillian checked out herself. "I went for an interview, and I decided to look my best. I might even start soon."
Thomas wasn't convinced, “Oh wow, you need to learn how to lie to me. Let me ask, what qualifications do you possess?”
“The job has nothing to do with my qualifications. Let's just say I am a lucky babe and you should be happy for me. I am finally getting a decent job for us.”
"I do not believe your lies." He leaned forward. “I need some little cash to sort things out." Reaching out for her bag.
"No...no, I don't have any money, babe,” she said and held her bag tight, trying to prevent him from knowing about the document.
She is not sure of how to present the deal with Sir Douglas to him without getting him upset anymore.
He approached her and she took a few steps back.
“Why? You don't have money to give me or you are hiding something from me."
"It is not….” Before she could finish her sentence, he tried to snatch the bag from her.
Lillian struggled with him but she was unsuccessful at it as he finally snatched her bag.
Unfortunately, the unsigned document fell to the ground.
“Wait…wait ... what is that?” he picked it up and gave a devilish smile as he was about to read it.
“Thomas, no!" Lillian's heart began to race fast out of fear.
He looked at her scornfully, "Did you just call me by my name? I knew you were hiding something from me.”
The struggle continued; Thomas was curious to know what the document was all about, and Lillian was not ready to let him know about it.
Unfortunately, the document was torn into pieces.
- Writer
