CHAPTER 11
802 Words
Rather, Joshua stared at her intensely and leaned towards her.
With a smile, he said “this is my business card. If you valued what happened here between us and ever need my help again, call me. If not, don't dial my line again.”
Before he could give Claire a chance to reply to that, he had left.
He is kind, emphatic, daring and audacious. I like that” muttered Claire in her own solitude.
*****
There were a bunch of reporters blocking the entrance to the hospital as Richard pulled up in a sleek black bugatti escorted by his hefty escorts. They bombarded him with questions as to why he wanted to use getting married to his supposed fiancé to clear his name.
“Hey, you! Why do you want to use your fiancé's hospital visit to clear your name?” Voiced out one of the reporters in the hurdles.
Well, you see, it's not about clearing my name.” Chirped Richard, trying to control his rising rage at the so-called press making his entrance to the hospital difficult. “My fiancé means the world to me, and I just want to be by her side during this difficult time.
“But why the hospital? Why not somewhere else?”
Richard, now frustrated at the insensible questions being thrown at him, but still trying to act sane because of the media. “The hospital is where she is right now, and I want to show her my love and support. It's important for me to be there for her, no matter where she is.”
“Are you sure this isn't just a publicity stunt?”
Absolutely not!” Announced Richard.
“This is turning into an insult, a whole me, being questioned by these commoners” he thought.
“My love for her is genuine, and I don't need any publicity to prove that. I just want to be there for her when she needs me the most.” He announced calmly after weighing his decision in his head.
“Well, we'll see about that. Good luck to her agreeing to marry you”.
“Thank you, but luck has nothing to do with it. Love and determination are my driving forces.” Richard, now fed up with the questions, began increasing his pace to make his way through the reporters. “Excuse me, I need to go now.”
He navigates through the hospital corridors, asking for directions and overcoming obstacles along the way.
“Sweetheart, I'm here. I told you I'd make it.” Richard said as he arrived at Claire's room, where she awaited him with a smile, probably fake, probably not.
Claire didn't say a word, she just kept smiling.
“How're you doing my lady? I heard your health has improved greatly”.
“Fine” Chirped Claire, with no emotion in her tone and voice. Her expression remained the same, apart from the fact she was still wearing that smile on her face.
She now dreaded Richard, not because he didn't visit her during her painful stay at the hospital, but because she now saw she had an option; far way better than Richard in her mind.
She just couldn't resist her innocent female desire to act and want the things she was currently craving.
It was just the day before. Joshua visited her room in the hospital, and since then, his stay and memory hasn't been able to leave her head.
“Well great! Now you're feeling better, I would like us to visit the newsline concert that will be held tomorrow in Las Vegas and publicly announce to everyone we are getting married soon” declared Richard, still oblivious of his fiancé's indifferent demeanor towards him.
“So the reason you came here to see me isn't to check on my welfare, but to ask me to help you clear your name?” Claire voiced out that instance with anger and resentment showing on her face in tears began flowing down her eyes in an attempt to make her supposed romantic partner standing at her front, feel guilty.
“Have you forgotten who you are?” yelled Richard suddenly, his eyes turning red, his jaw clenched in rage.
“Have you forgotten you're a nobody with a sick mother who I saved, and I'm currently saving”.
“I own your life Claire! And you'll do exactly what I tell you to do”.
“You are mine and mine alone! Don't you dare question my decisions again in your life”, he continued yelling as he stamped his luxurious Salvatore Ferragamo leather shoe covering his large feet on the ground.
Claire, stunned at her husband's sudden behavior in front of her, did something very unexpected.
- Writer
