CHAPTER FOUR
1436 Words
/-Kyra-/
"You mean you told a total stranger about my father and let him pay the bills without even asking me?" I yelled.
"Quiet, young lady! He was first my brother before he became your father! You should be grateful that you don't have to shoulder this burden alone!" She spat and my fists clenched so hard that my knuckles turned white.
The stranger got off his seat and that was when I realized how old he was. He was possibly in his mid-sixties, and she called him my suitor?
"Hello, beautiful. I know you might not know me that well but I see you often at Inferno. You probably didn't notice but I was usually the one who sprayed the most money. You are undeniably gorgeous and..."
"Where did you take my father?" I cut him short. "I need to see him now."
"Of course, we are not planning to keep him away from you. I only want you to give me a chance to express my love. I promise I will give you the life you deserve," he made to touch me but I backed away from him.
If he saw me at Inferno, then there was no possible way he would have known my true identity or where to find me, unless he was stalking me or Manager Kim told him how to find me.
I turned to my aunt.
"Accept him, Kyra. He is the best choice for you, trust me," she smiled at me.
"If he is that great, why don't you let Jana marry him then or better still, wed him yourself!" I spat and a slap met me across the face.
I cupped my cheeks with a small gasp.
"How dare you speak to me in that manner? Don't you have an iota of respect for me?" She growled. "Do you have any idea how many girls would die to be in your shoes right now? You should be glad that, unlike your useless mother, I am willing to stick around to care for you and your sick father!"
I turned to the man who was stunned by the whole exchange.
"If I were you, I would return that man to where I picked him from and get all my money from her because I, Kyra Ashwood, would rather die than be your wife!"
With that said, I ran to my room and locked the door. I dropped to the floor and hugged myself, letting the tears pour.
Wasn't it bad enough that I dropped out, now she wants me to marry a man three times my age?
If only my mother were here, if only she didn't abandon my father and me at the most critical points of our lives, would my aunt be here to sell me off to another man?
I eventually cried myself to sleep but woke up to a loud banging on my door.
"Kyra, open up!" Jana yelled. I got off the floor, rolling my eyes in annoyance.
"Go away, Jana. I am not interested in your long talks," I hissed.
"Mom was f*****g right! We should take this knob off your door. Maybe then, you will have a little manners. I don't even get why you're being so dramatic. All my mother was trying to do was help your miserable life. You're not schooling, you're typically unemployed and yet, you don't even want to get married!" She huffed.
I simply plugged in my earphones and played some music. It helped me fall back asleep.
The second time I woke up, it was almost 3 pm. I unlocked my room and headed downstairs. Thankfully, the man was gone so I headed to the kitchen.
I could see that my aunt and Jana had already had lunch, but they didn't leave any for me. I checked the fridge only to find it as empty as it was in the morning.
I shook my head in disbelief. I went upstairs and picked up my bag. While grabbing lunch, I seized the opportunity to pay the money into my account.
My mind drifted to my father. I couldn't help but worry where they were taking him.
I could only hope he was safe until I found a way out of the mess my aunt had pushed us into.
/-Davies-/
"There is someone here to see you, sir," Sarah, the receptionist, informed me.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Miss Gwendolyn," she answered. My lips pressed in a frown.
"Tell her I'm busy," I instructed and hung up. About ten minutes later, my door went ajar and she came stomping in with Sarah running behind her.
I let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, sir. I tried stopping her but she wouldn't listen to me," Sarah apologized.
"You can go," I said and focused on my laptop.
"Really? Has it gotten to the point where you ask your workers to lie to me? You haven't been home for days! Have you considered how that makes me feel?" Gwen yelled, slamming the laptop shut.
I rested back on my seat.
"What do you want, Gwen?" My tone gave out my exhaustion.
"You're doing it again!" She seethed. "Making me feel like I'm lousy when, in reality, you are the negligent one! Do you even care about anyone but yourself?"
"I came home yesterday," I told her and her expression changed.
"What?!" Her face paled out. "When? The maids didn't mention anything to me."
"They couldn't have. I mean they weren't even around to begin with," I opened my drawers and took out the cigarette. "You should take a seat."
Her knees went weak and she grabbed on the chair for support. I flicked on the lighter.
I fixed it back in my pocket and let the smoke escape my mouth. The fear dancing in her eyes was fascinating. I couldn't count the number of times I had seen that expression on her face.
"If you were home when the servants were gone, that means you..." She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.
"That I what? Heard your moans from the living room or saw him pound you on my bed?" I asked her.
Tears began to gather in her eyes and that was exactly what I hated. I didn't want sobstories.
"If you're going to cheat on me, be confident enough to own it. You always whine for me to come home but every time I do, I find you in the arms of a different man," I sighed. "It's hard to keep track of them."
A tear slipped down her cheeks.
"Wipe them off. It's a lot more irritating than finding a man in my bed," I tossed my handkerchief to her.
"Why are you not even bothered by this? You find your wife sleeping with different men and you are not even bothered. Isn't that enough proof that you no longer love me?" She sniffled.
"I don't think there was ever a time I was in love with you," I shrugged.
"Why don't you just divorce me then, huh? Why play with my emotions instead?" She threw my handkerchief back at me in anger.
I puffed out smoke.
"What kind of man are you? Are you really this heartless or is this just an act?" She spat. "You don't even care about me and our son..."
My hand froze before the cigarette got to my mouth. My eyes darkened and all the anger I was keeping at bay began to surface.
She backed away, realizing she was treading on dangerous ground.
She knew I wasn't a negligent father. I made sure to provide everything they needed and all my weekends were spent with Darell.
"I can't do this anymore. I want a divorce!" Gwen sniffed but I saw right through her pretense.
"Fine then, I'll call the lawyers," I said and her eyes widened.
"That's it? You're not even going to try to keep me?" Hurt coated her voice.
"Why exactly did you come to my office, Gwen?" I crushed the cigarette. My patience was exhausted now.
"I want you to come back home," she said.
"Wrong answer."
"Fine, I needed some money too, and you wouldn't take my calls, so I had to come," she sighed.
"How much?"
"Three hundred thousand," she responded.
"Drop your details with my financial manager. You should get the money immediately. If that is all, kindly use the door. I have a lot of work," I said plainly.
"Okay," she mumbled slowly. "I'm sorry for cheating. I don't know what..."
"The cigarette is exhausted, Gwen. You should leave while you can."
- Writer
