Chapter 4

Diane walked slowly inside even if she wished she could walk right back out the direction she was coming.

Micheal is truly in a meeting with someone, a business partner.

The man whose eyes never cease to caress her body whenever they meet and always gross her just like right now.

"I thought you said she wasn't around," the pot bellied man said to Michael while staring at Diane like he always does.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting, I just want to pick a document" Diane said in a crispy manner while she ignored the disgusting looks from the older man and pretended to search for a document and was about to leave the room when the door to the bathroom opened and a lady came out.

Diane stopped in her tracks immediately as she couldn't believe her eyes, she looked straight at Michael whom she has been pretending wasn't in the room since she walked in.

"Daddy are you done with your meeting, I need to.." Diane listened in shock as the lady complained to the lecherous man. She was the same girl she caught with him yesterday.

Now it makes more sense that  the man is her father, that is why she  is around Michael. 

"Oh Miss Diane, you are  back? Dad has been waiting for you" she turned her fake smile to Diane who in turn glared at her with no care that her father was present.

"You will get some documents to him tomorrow to sign" Michael finally spoke since Diane came in. She gave no response to all of their ramblings and stormed out of the room.

She gripped the poor document she held so hard it almost tore into two, she was shaking as she walked out with her head held high.

The secretary looked at her with eyes full of  pity as she left.

"What is it?"  Diane said coldly into the phone even though the person on the other side was her best  friend. She was still too angry to act normal.

"He has disappeared, I came to check on him just now and he is not in the premises. Nobody saw him leave and I can't find him anywhere" Rhea rambled away breathlessly as she couldn't contain her distress.

"Who has disappeared?" Diane was confused about what she was talking about.

"The man you brought in  yesterday," She replied.

"He's definitely still there, just keep looking, he will turn up." Diane said in a low tone, as she has no clue on how to calm her stressed out friend, she is the last person to call if a patient goes missing at the hospital.

She hopes a missing person doesn't add to her list of problems.

"Just keep looking, I'm on my way" Diane ended the call,  started the car and headed toward the hospital as she struggled to keep some sanity into her mind. Her thinking was currently jumbled.

The all white building isn't what she needed right now. But it turns out she has no choice but to go there.

~

"What happened?" Diane asked as she approached a pacing Rhea.

She was waiting at the front of the hospital while twirling the ends of her hair between her fingers.

She looks exactly as she sounded on the phone.

"Has he been found yet?" Diane asked calmly.

"No!" Rhea yells frustratedly.

"No need to worry, I'm sure he is fine. He might just be out somewhere for fresh air or a quiet time" Diane tried to calm her friend down even if what she just said made little sense to her but she  just wanted to know  her friend was okay before returning to work.

There are a couple of tasks  she has to attend to before the day ends, and time is slowly slipping away.

"I'm sorry for keeping you away from work, I did not intend to. Go back to work and send my greetings to Michael, I will give you a call about how it goes" Rhea bids Diane farewell as she proceeds to go back into the hospital with her shoulders slumped.

Her quiet voice made Diane worry as she couldn't remember the last time she had seen her friend this quiet, she is always as chirpy as a bird. But now she lost all her vigor because of a man that is suffering from concussion and might not even remember her once he heals.

"What are you doing here?" A sophisticated looking woman on the same age range as her approached Diane as she got into the building, it was one of the projects Michael had handed over to her since it began. She hasn't been here to check the progress since a couple of days ago.

The construction going on in different parts of the uncompleted building made so much noise that she barely heard the woman speak to her.

"Why is my presence here any of your concern?" Diane answered her question even though she could have pretended not to hear.

They have always barely tolerated each other since the years they have been working together but surprisingly the two have never clashed.

"It's because Michael is here to check himself,"

"And oh!,  I heard he has a new girlfriend now. Are you fine with that?" She asked in a concerned manner.

Diane decided to ignore her and continued to walk around the building while pretending not to hear.

"There is he and his clinging girlfriend and they look kind of cute together," She pointed out as she was trailing behind Diane, who stopped suddenly in her steps as she saw Michael not too far from with the girl hanging on his arm.

The sight made her inside burn like hot lava, she proceeded toward them while she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

"Can I see you for a sec?," Diane asks Michael.

She was tired of pretending not to care.

Michael grudgingly followed her but not before he whispered something in the new girlfriend's ear, who in turn giggled like a kid.

The act made Diane grit her teeth so hard they ache.

"What is it?, Micheal asked impatiently after they moved aside.

Diane stalls for a minute before talking, she doesn't want to sound like an immature or unreasonable girlfriend but she just wants to clarify things between them.

"I thought you said yesterday was a mistake, why is she following you around like a lost cat?" Diane asks in a whisper as she tries to keep herself in check.

"Why is she still with you?".

" I promise her father to let her work with me, and she will now be my personal assistant" He replied.

Diane tried to digest and process his words but couldn't.

"Then what about me?, if she wants to work with you there are a lot of positions to fix her".

"You will head the marketing department for the time, she will be my assistant and I don't want her to suffer that is why I'm training her myself"Michael continued.

" Can you listen to yourself?!, I am your girlfriend for fuck sake. Why are you prioritizing her over me? Diane asked as her eyes became clouded with unshed tears, she was stuttering on her words like she does when her anger was too much to manage.

"I have made those decisions, so accept it!" Micheal said in anger and turned to leave.

"Yes, you have made those decisions but I will not live with it" Diane spat out before walking away as tears were almost streaming down her cheeks.

Her last shred of hope has shattered, she was really a fool.

She thought painfully to herself.