The Truth Behind It All

She stumbled to the floor and lifted her head to look at the tall man in front of him. His face was as hard as a stone, stoic and straight-laced. He was shirtless and his hands were tucked in his pocket.

For the first time after bumping into him thrice, she eventually got a chance to scan what he looked like.

He wasn't a male model but he should have been. The lush, Viking gold hair he groomed so carefully has a rippling quality, a sign of his rude health.

The aquiline nose he sported complemented his prominent cheekbones. Handsome in an understated way, his basalt jaw and spartan shoulders spoke of strength. 

He possessed a latent, leonine power and his aura radiated baroque and darkness.

She found out the reason he was nicknamed the national husband because nobody can be as good-looking as he was and not be every woman's choice.

She sprang up swiftly, caressing her ankle that hit the floor when she fell. She forced a smile out.

   "Hey!" She waved embarrassingly.

Chester glanced at her from her head to toe with scrutiny. He looked uninterested in her stature.

   "How do you feel after sleeping with your friend's fiance?" His gaze was on her, making it impossible for Elsa to react because of the effect of his eyes on her.

   "I... I... Can explain," She stammered with her head lowered.

   "Explain what? Do you want to explain how you ended up warming my bed instead of my fiancee who is your friend?" 

     "No... I...," She tried to interject but he interrupted. He held her hands and dragged her into the bedroom. He made her sit on the bed and stood in front of her.

   "Tell me! I need to know how I ended up having sex with you,"

     "I swear, it wasn't what you think. I didn't know it was you," She defended helplessly.

    "Funny!" He chuckled and continued, "If you don't know I was the one. Then how did you get to my room? How did you find out I checked into this hotel and how did you get into this room?"

He trailed her forehead down to her neck with his finger, "Don't you think you should look for a better excuse and not a flimsy one?" 

   "I will ask you for the last time. How do you feel after betraying your dear friend?" 

   "I didn't do it. It was Lau....," Elsa stopped herself before completing the statement. She knew more than anyone that if Chester knew everything was Lauren's plan, he was going to get angry and that might affect their relationship negatively. She decided to take the blame.

   "Yes! I came to Orange Hotel but I wasn't expecting to meet you here. I came for someone else,"

    "Oh! Maybe someone else is me. I was so intoxicated last night and didn't know it was you, why didn't you stop after realizing it was me?" Chester fired, not giving her a space to defend herself.

   "There is nothing you could say to justify yourself, Elsa. You are just a desperate slut," He added.

   "What!" Elsa muttered, getting up. She was stunned.

   "Yes! That's what you are," He moved to his suitcase, took out a cheque and scribbled an amount on it, and threw it at Elsa.  "Take this and leave forever. I don't want to ever see your face or see you near Lauren. I know you did this for money and so you have it," 

Elsa felt insulted. First, she was called a whore and now he flung a cheque at her as if she was a sex worker. Is looking for a way to help her mother live a crime? How come her only means of getting money turned out to be disgraceful?

   "Okay. I won't refuse this because I need it more than you do. I will obey you and never show my face to you. I will forget something ever happened between us and go far away from you. Thank you," She meekly said, put on her clothes, and left the room without turning.

Chester glanced at the space she sat in and hissed irritatingly. 

He took his phone and dialed Lauren's number. 

   "Hello, boo," That was Lauren's active voice.

   "Hi!" He replied simply.

    "What's wrong, Chester? You sound off," She worriedly asked.

   "It's nothing. Just some shits happening," He scratched the upper part of his brows.

   "Shits? Let me guess. Is it because of what happened between you and Elsa?"

Lauren muttered and Chester's body stiffened. He stopped what he was doing, shock was written on his face.

   "Did she call you already? I guess she's more shameless than I thought. She wants to play the victim role," He huffed.

   "What!" Lauren mumbled and burst into laughter. "Do you really think she did that intentionally?" She chuckled.

   "There's no better justification to this," 

    "I sent her over," She let out.

Chester went mute all of a sudden. 

   "Babe! Hello! Are you there?" 

     "Can you repeat the statement you said?" He threw a question calmly.

    "I know we agreed to meet at the suite last night but an emergency came up at work and I needed to deal with it. So I sent Elsa over because she also needed money to take care of her sick mother," She explained.

   "Wow!" He muttered. His eyes blinked and were staring at the space, unbelievably. 

Lauren was the woman he had learned to love all his life. He met her at a modeling audition. He was also a judge there and the first time he set his eyes on her. He had fallen in love which made him believe in love at first sight.

They'd been together for 5 years and he had been giving her everything she wanted. He even helped her with her fame and hoped that he would get married to her before the year ends.

The woman he'd thought he would spend his eternity with sent her friend to his bed. 

    "Am I a joke to you?" He asked after managing to find his voice.

   "Chester! Of course, you are not. You understand me right? We've been together for five years and I thought it shouldn't be a problem. You only shared a bed with her, not a heart," She replied nonchalantly. 

Chester stared at his phone for a few seconds, trying to control his swelling exasperation. 

    "It's funny how you see nothing wrong in what you did," 

    "It's nothing new, Chester. If you are scared Elsa might be a problem then I promise you she won't. I will shut her up with some dollars," 

    "Let's break up," Chester announced.

   "What!" 

       "It is over between us," He uttered and hung up before she could respond. 

Her call came in almost immediately, he hung the call and switched his phone off.

The scenes from last night's sex session flashed across his eyes and he glanced at the spot Elsa sat.

He hissed and flopped on the bed with his arms spread.

*. *. * 

Chester descended from his car and strolled in. He removed his shoes and fit his feet into the pair of slippers at the entrance of his living room.

As soon as he stepped in, he met his mom looking at some photos in her hands and smiling sheepishly. 

   "You never informed me that you will be visiting today," He said, walking toward him. He hugged her briefly and went to his mini bar at the corner of the living room, poured himself a glass of red wine, and took a sip.

   "Do I need to start writing a letter of permission before I visit my son?" She answered, still glancing at the photos with keen interest.

   "I know but that's unlike you," 

He dropped the glass on the bar's cabinet and strode back to her. He sat beside her.

   "Hmm!" She swiftly hummed. 

Chester was surprised at her short response. He wondered what she was so engrossed in.  

    "Let me see, mum," He jerked one of the photos from her suddenly. His mother couldn't prevent it on time.

He saw the photo and his smirk changed into shock. He glanced at his mother with an open mouth and muttered, "What! Mum!"

She pursed her lips and blinked her eyes innocently, "It's just for the last time. I was so curious when Sam told me there was another girl last night,"

She held her lips when she realized she had mentioned his assistant's name, Sam.

   "What the fuck! Sam told you and even took pictures?" 

   "I threatened him to do it. He's as innocent as I am," She blinked her eyes and held her lips tightly.

    "You are ridiculous, mum,"

    "I know right? Every mother is ridiculous when it comes to choosing a good bride for their son," 

She gathered the photos and dumped them into her Gucci luxury bag.

   "Bride? Rub that off your mind. I can't do anything with her. She's just an intruder," He stated clearly, getting up from his seat.

   "But she is better than that....," 

Chester stopped her before she could finish.

   "Don't, mum. It's not going to work. You can force me to marry a girl I don't love. I only shared a night with her," 

Saying this, he climbed the stairs to his room.

His mother rolled her eyes and mimicked the way he spoke.

   "You will still do as I wished!"