The Romance Of Lies

HENRY STEELE

Henry Steele had only been distracted for a moment when someone claimed his lips.

“Handsome, lend me your lips for a bit,” he heard, and a small arm hooked his neck and brought his face to another.

Nothing short of beautiful and warm lips covered his. He recognized the woman who was kissing him and felt as though his head had exploded as a sudden need to respond filled him.

But before he could react, she had pulled away and entered his car, dragging him in.

The driver looked at him through the rear-view mirror, asking if they should leave, and he nodded absent-mindedly.

How could Henry explain that he had lost his soul? Did this woman just kiss him?

Just as the car pulled away, the woman broke down inside. She looked embarrassed.

He had noticed her at the restaurant but could not believe she followed him out. His eyes were fixed on her face as she sat there, seemingly composed.

Opal was in no way composed. But this act she had started, she was going to finish it to the end. She had been looking back once in a while to make sure they had completely left her enemies behind.

Only then did she pay attention to the man beside her. He looked familiar, but she could not place where she met him.

She looked into his slightly dark eyes and held her smile. She wanted to disappear but could not.

“Don’t look at me that way. I was just doing it to get rid of some people,” she said to him.

“You kissed random people to get rid of others?” he asked darkly. For some reason, it bothered him.

“Of course not. I kissed my husband Henry Steele,” she said mischievously and Henry raised a brow.

“You don’t say,” he answered. It was clear this woman did not recognize him, neither from last night nor that he was in fact, Henry Steele.

“I made him up, so I don’t look bad in front of my ex. I hope you don’t mind,” she said apologetically.

“Thank you so much for helping me. You can drop me right there, junction,” she said.

If his eyes were dark before, they were even darker now, but she had no intention of staying back. I’m not waiting to see what happens, she thought.

She was really scared inside, and she was done acting like she was not.

Henry ordered his driver to stop her at the junction, but he did not stop staring right at her. It was almost as though if she moved wrong for one moment, he would swallow her whole. The car rolled to a stop at the junction, and Opal got off the moment her feet touched the concrete floor.

“Thank you, handsome,” she said, walking away in brisk steps, almost as though she was afraid if she waited one moment, he would walk out of that car and come for her.

She had never felt such danger so close before; her heart was beating so loud, that she thought she might die.

When inside her taxi going home, she called one of her friends, Millie.

“You would not believe what just happened,” she said.

“Yes, yes, I am sure it will be interesting; Riley is dating?” Millie announced, and Opal gasped.

“Dating? Who is dating?” she asked hurriedly.

“I called her not too long ago, and she sounded tired, so I thought she was just going to bed.”

“Was she going to bed though? Did you ask if she was going to bed?” Opal asked excitedly.

"Relax; I did not need to ask. She said she was in bed about to sleep, and next thing, I heard a man’s voice from my end.” Millie said so excitedly.

“She denied it, didn’t she? She is the kind to deny it!” Opal said.

“She said there was no one. She said I must have missed heard, but I know what I heard. The man had asked, Who is it? How did I hear wrong?” Millie narrated.

“I knew that it was odd that she volunteered to take the project. She was going to see a man!”

“This is a good thing. Of course, if you manage to touch a man, I will roll over like a well-made burrito. Are you sure you are not also in a secret relationship? You know the rules. Only one of us can be in a secret relationship at a time.”

“Don’t worry, that will never happen. You two can go ahead and live wildly. Nothing wild like that will ever happen to me,” she declared confidently.

“You guys I need to go. I got the news that CEO Steele is married,” Millie said.

“Steele? Is that a common name?” she asked but Millie had ended the call. At that moment, she received another call from her boss.

“Send over all the documents now. CEO Steele’s wife was spotted at the Hills today. Do you know what that means? It means husband and wife met with the Stanleys. This deal will go through,” he said and she paused in shock.

“Was Steele a common name?” Opal could not help asking herself.

The news was spreading and it had made its way to Henry Steel’s grandmother.

As she was seated in the back seat, she received a message from her spy. A driver she had placed by Henry’s side. He sent her a picture of a woman’s figure and the old woman stood up.

She hurried home and called a family meeting. For a second, the entire family thought something horrible had happened.

When they had all gathered, she dropped a bomb.

“Henry has a girlfriend,” she said, and the tension in the room dropped just as quickly as it had risen.

They had thought something had happened. This old woman would give out information many times that was incorrect. When they were younger, they used to fall for it; now it is not as easy.

“I received pictures of Henry kissing his girlfriend today at a restaurant,” she said, and tension dropped even further.

Her words did not give them any more confidence in her. It was not the first time she saw someone who looked like Henry holding someone, only to find that Henry had not been in the country for days.

“I have evidence,” she said, and they all raised their brows. Did she know to take evidence? Has the sun risen from the west? Still, Henry is her grandson, and she had been hoping he would marry soon, so she thought anyone who looked like him walking around with a girlfriend might be him.

“I took pictures,” she said, and attention peaked right back to where it was when she walked into their room. Is it possible it is him?

“I have sent it to the group chat,” she said, and everybody immediately scrambled to their phones.

Just then, a little boy walked in and dropped an even bigger bomb.

“Grandma, your information is old. Uncle is married. All the news are saying it,” the little boy said and the room paused.

“Married?” they all exclaimed before they all rushed for their phones.