LUSTING TO HAVE HER WAY

JOYCE CHOSEN OVER ANGELA

CHAPTER 15

James watched Joyce silently as she finished cleaning the sitting room. The soft hum of the vacuum cleaner faded as she wrapped its cord around the handle. The scent of lemon furniture polish lingered in the air.

For a moment, James found himself looking at her more closely than he normally did.

He had seen Joyce countless times over the years, yet something about her seemed different that afternoon. Perhaps it was the quiet confidence with which she moved, or the way she carried herself despite wearing a simple housemaid's uniform.

He watched her for another moment, surprised by the interest he suddenly felt. Joyce remained completely absorbed in her work, apparently unaware of the attention he was giving her.

There was something disarming about that innocence. She was not trying to attract him, yet he found himself noticing things he had never consciously noticed before.

Joyce was about to leave when he broke the silence.

"Joyce."

She turned, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Sir?"

"This is your fifth year working in this house, yet you've never looked at me except when I call your name," he said thoughtfully. "It's almost as though you don't care what I go through."

Joyce looked at him quietly.

"Granted, my emotional well-being isn't your responsibility," James continued, "but it's only natural to expect some human concern from someone who lives under the same roof. Why are you so detached, Joyce?"

Her expression remained calm.

"I'm not detached, sir. I'm simply shy, and I mind my own business."

As she spoke, she absent-mindedly smoothed a crease from her neatly pressed uniform.

James gave a faint, sarcastic smile.

"So, whether I live or die is none of your business?"

"Not in that sense, sir."

She spoke gently but confidently.

"You just said your emotional well-being isn't supposed to be my responsibility, and you're right. Someone already occupies that position—your wife."

She paused briefly.

"So, respecting my boundaries seemed only fair. Still, I admit I mind my business too much. Please forgive me. Someone as kind as you deserves more emotional support than you've received from those around you."

James studied her face.

The sincerity in her voice touched him.

For years, he had barely noticed how attractive her restraint could be. She never competed for attention. She never tried to impress him. She simply went about her duties quietly.

Now, with Angela's betrayal weighing heavily on his mind, Joyce's calmness seemed almost magnetic.

He wondered how he had failed to notice it before.

"You sound educated. What's your academic background?"

Joyce smiled faintly.

"I'm a graduate, sir. I studied Communication and Human Relations at Imo State University before earning a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Psychology at Lagos State University."

James blinked in surprise.

"Wonderful."

Then he smiled.

"But you're a complete betrayal of your course."

Joyce laughed softly.

"You're right, sir. Life has made me unusually reserved. It has taught me to speak less, keep to myself, and avoid people's affairs. In many ways, I have become the exact opposite of what I studied."

James gestured toward a chair.

"Sit down."

She obeyed.

As Joyce sat, James noticed how naturally graceful she looked even in the modest uniform.

He quickly looked away.

He had no business studying her like that.

She was his employee.

Yet the thought did little to explain why her presence suddenly seemed to affect him differently.

"As a university graduate, why did you apply to be a housemaid?"

Joyce's expression became distant.

"You may not understand."

"I will."

He leaned forward.

"Tell me."

She hesitated before answering.

"There are hardly any jobs. I also come from a very poor family. I needed work that would at least allow me send something home to my mother every month. I considered this better than wandering from office to office in search of opportunities that never came."

James nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand."

After a brief silence, he asked,

"Are you aware that I'm going through one of the most difficult periods of my life?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know there are problems in the house."

"And you've done nothing to help."

"I wish I could."

James sighed deeply.

"My graphic designer has finished designing my wedding invitation, but he's waiting for one final detail."

"What detail, sir?"

"He keeps asking me one question."

James looked directly at her.

"'What's the bride's name?'"

Joyce frowned.

"How is that a problem?"

"I've already paid for the venue. Friends and business associates across the world know that my wedding is this month. They're all waiting for the invitations."

"Then add Angela's name, approve the design, and send out the invitations."

She smiled apologetically.

"Boss, wedding planning isn't my field. I don't know if you're interviewing me."

James' expression became serious.

"Joyce, you still don't understand."

He took a slow breath.

"October 21 is supposed to be my wedding day, but I have serious issues with Angela."

Joyce listened quietly.

"Then postpone the wedding," she suggested. "Resolve your differences first and fix another date."

James slowly shook his head.

"I'm not marrying Angela on October 21—or on any other day."

Joyce stared at him.

"Why?"

James explained that Angela's past was darker than he had imagined.

When Joyce asked what he meant, he told her that Angela had spent years in the s*x industry.

The revelation shocked her.

Nevertheless, she spoke carefully.

"If all that belongs to her past, and she's living differently now, does it have to end the relationship? People change, sir. After everything the two of you have shared, I honestly feel sorry for her."

James remained unmoved.

"Angela will never be my wife. Apart from her past, I have evidence that she's still an incurable flirt."

Joyce sighed.

"I don't know all the facts, sir. I'll simply advise you to pray, take your time, and make the right decision."

James smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you."

He paused before adding,

"The truth is... I'm already in love with someone else."

Joyce looked surprised.

"Have you spoken to her?"

James smiled.

"That's exactly what I'm doing now."

She looked puzzled.

"If she says yes," he continued, "the wedding invitation will read:

October 21 — Joyce weds James."

Joyce stared at him in stunned silence.

For several moments, she couldn't decide whether he was joking or speaking seriously.

She searched his face for any sign that he was teasing her.

There was none.

The seriousness in his expression only made the statement more difficult to understand.

Their eyes met again.

This time, neither looked away immediately.

Joyce felt a strange flutter in her chest.

She had spent five years addressing him as "sir," keeping an invisible boundary between them. Now, in a matter of seconds, he had stepped across that boundary with words she had never imagined hearing from him.

James noticed the uncertainty in her expression.

He softened his voice.

"I'm serious, Joyce."

She swallowed.

"Sir..."

The single word came out almost as a whisper.

James smiled.

"I know. You don't have to answer me now."

Joyce looked down at her hands.

She could feel the warmth rising into her face.

For the first time, she wondered whether the man she had always regarded as her employer was beginning to see her as a woman.

The thought frightened her.

But it also stirred something she was not yet ready to name.

Unable to process what she had just heard, she excused herself and quietly returned to her duties, convinced that the collapse of James' relationship with Angela had left him emotionally confused.

As Joyce walked away, she tried to convince herself that she had misunderstood him.

James had just gone through an emotionally exhausting period.

Angela was still the woman everyone expected him to marry.

And October 21 was getting closer.

Perhaps he was simply trying to make sense of his feelings.

She entered the kitchen and resumed arranging the dishes, but her mind remained in the sitting room.

"Joyce weds James."

The words kept replaying in her head.

She shook her head and smiled nervously.

"Impossible."

She tried to push the thought aside and concentrate on her work.

But the more she tried, the more clearly she remembered James' words.

She had never imagined herself having such a conversation with him.

For now, she decided not to draw any conclusions.

Back in the sitting room, James remained alone.

He picked up his phone and glanced at the date.

The wedding was only days away.

Yet instead of excitement, he felt a strange mixture of determination and uncertainty.

He had already made up his mind about Angela.

What he had not decided was what would come after her.

He looked towards the doorway through which Joyce had disappeared.

A faint smile touched his lips.

She had listened without judging him.

She had spoken honestly when everyone else seemed to have something to hide.

Perhaps that was what attracted him to her.

Or perhaps he simply needed someone who could listen.

But deep down, James suspected it was more than that.

There was an innocence in Joyce that drew him toward her.

She had not tried to seduce him.

She had not sought his attention.

She had not even seemed aware of how much her quiet presence affected him.

That made the attraction feel more genuine—and more dangerous.

James leaned back slowly.

For the first time, he allowed himself to imagine what it would feel like to have Joyce beside him, not as an employee, but as the woman he could come home to.

The thought surprised him.

He immediately pushed it aside.

There were still too many things standing between them.

And October 21 was only days away.

The tension in his chest eased slightly.

He remained there for a moment, reflecting on the conversation.

Whatever decision he eventually made, he knew it would have consequences.

But he did not allow himself to dwell on that thought for long.

There were already too many unanswered questions surrounding him.

But his phone suddenly vibrated.

The smile disappeared from his face.

He looked at the screen.

It was a message from Inspector Balogun.

James opened it.

We need to talk. Something new has come up concerning the Black Corks investigation.

James stared at the message.

Whatever peace he had found lasted only a few seconds.

He stood up.

"Not again."

He slipped the phone into his pocket and walked towards the study.

Behind him, Joyce quietly stepped out of the kitchen.

She watched him disappear down the corridor.

Joyce remained where she stood, her thoughts returning to everything James had told her.

But whatever decision James was about to make, she sensed that it would change more than just his wedding plans.

Whatever had happened between James and Angela was far from over.

And the wedding was approaching fast.