Chapter Four

Clyde

It was finally time to strike my plan. I had been planning for this for some years now and now it was the right time to act.

"Gabriel, Call Arthur Smith. It's time to meet."I ordered.

It was time for him to meet his new business partner. He had been trying to meet me many times but was avoided now he would have the pleasure of meeting me. I entered the same holding for which my father worked as a designer and lost his life because of that cruel man Arthur Smith. I recognized those red curls as soon as she entered the door, Amara was drooling over me since the second she saw me. But I knew her better, she would drool over my expensive suit and watch, over the fact that I was rich and handsome. I knew her like the palm of my hand and she hadn't changed a bit.

On the other hand, Arthur Smith was greedy for power and money. He only cared about himself and always wanted to be the best, it didn't matter if his workers lost their lives. My money impressed him and he would do anything to keep me near. He did what I expected, and invited me for dinner at his home to show off. To show me his precious family with his second wife and his two daughters. It was like I was returning to hell when I stepped into that villa. His wife was different, she was more like Olivia more compassionate. We sat in the hall making small talk while waiting for dinner to get ready. Olivia was not there.

"Mr Smith, If I'm not wrong, You said you had two daughters."

I couldn't ask directly where Olivia was.

"Yes, Olivia, She will be here soon." Arthur forced a smile but he was nervous.

Was my Olivia rebelling again against her father? The door rang and the maid went to open it.

"It must be Olivia." Her mother forced a smile.

"Yes, Daniel Wallas." Olivia, mentioned my real name while speaking on the phone.

"What do you mean he is dead? Did you bury him with your own hands? Show me the proof! He doesn't even have a tomb to cry for! So don't tell me that he is. No, I don't allow you! Hello! Hello?! " She looked frustrated while the person she was talking to ended the call.

I loved the moment when she saw me there, not knowing what to do. Afraid I would tell her father I found her drunk and brought her home with me. She extended her hand and when I touched her it was so damn difficult not to have her. She exchanged some words with her father or better say he criticized her because I knew Arthur Smith. Her mother excused herself and went to her daughter so I was left with Amara who tried to flirt shamelessly with me even if I knew she had a fiance.

"Don't mind my sister, she is kind of delusional, she can't accept her best friend's death."

I knew Amara disliked her step-sister and never accepted the marriage of her father for the second time, nor the birth of Olivia.

But Olivia was blind to seeing that.

"Her best friend died? My condolences." I tried to be polite.

"Yeah it is not a big deal but my sister is very spoiled and a drama queen if you ask me." She giggled.

You just ask something and she keeps spilling the bean.

"Well, that seems like a very important person to your sister. Did he pass away recently?"

"Nah, seven years ago. He was one of our worker's sons. His father passed away in a tragic accident when one of our buildings collapsed then he went missing we never heard of him again."

She kept shoving her chest in my direction and revealing her thighs.

"So how do you know for sure he is dead if the guy just went missing?" I asked but I should have expected that shallow answer from her.

"Because the guy was madly in love with me. I helped him out of pity, but he fell for me. Can you blame him? So If he was alive he would have come to see me." She made herself look like she was the love of my life.

Amara was such a hypocrite, she was never to be trusted. I was never in love with her. The only one I cared about was Olivia. But she was younger than us, and so pure back then. My thoughts were interrupted and Amara covered her thighs again when her father came back. A few minutes later his wife came inviting us to the table.

As expected Amara sat next to me but Arthur made her sit in front of me because the seat next to her was for her fiance who came before Olivia came down. A rich spoiled guy who thought he was funny.

Olivia took her time to get ready and walked slowly towards us eyeing the seats. Then she rolled her eyes understanding her father's plot, giving me his single daughter because the other one had a fiance. And because giving me his daughter would secure him our partnership. That was the kind of man Arthur Smith was, he didn’t care about family or workers, just to get his way for money by selling his daughter.

She had a black dress on matching my black clothes. The tension between our bodies was enormous, I had the habit of throwing my arm around her neck or waist. Or kissing her cheek and forehead. I missed doing that, and I was trying hard not to do it.

Olivia

"I apologize for my daughter's behavior. She is not used to strangers, she doesn't like crowded places. Her sister had to take her to those clubs where the youth goes to loud music. But Olivia, she never liked those places, she doesn't even like alcohol."

Suddenly I became the topic of the conversation.

"Oh, she doesn't like to drink? She has never gotten drunk?"

The stranger, what was his name I didn't pay attention to, turned his head slowly toward me with a threatening smirk on his face. Like he was going to tell them about the other night.

"No, my baby calls it to give yourself to the devil, she always wants to be in control of her actions." My mother added smiling at me sweetly and I blew her a kiss in the air.

At that exact moment, the man next to me put his left hand on my thigh while talking to my father. I tried to remove his hand from my thigh but he was stronger, he strengthened his grip, which would probably leave a mark on my skin. I leaned closer to him when all eyes were on my sister's fiance who was talking about his business and whispered for the other not to listen.

"You have five seconds to take your hand off or I'll cut your fingers," I whispered to him forcing a smile.

"Do it." He winked, whispering back.

Of course, I wouldn't cut his fingers but I had to scare him and make him move his hand away. He thought I was just making empty threats and continued his conversation asking my sister's fiance Roland about his job. I took the knife from the table, sneaking it under the table and I pointed the sharpness of the knife on the back of his hand. He didn't even bother to turn his head when he felt the knife on his skin.

He didn't move his hand away. I pushed the knife enough for his hand to bleed, no reaction on his part. His face remained static, with no sign of pain, no sign of burning. I sighed in surrender leaning to take a paper towel to wipe the blood from his hand. I didn't even realize the knife I had in my other hand was poking my other thigh.

"Be careful with that knife, you'll hurt yourself!" The man next to me took the knife from my hand and all eyes were on me.

"Huh? I didn't even realize." I narrowed my eyes on the blood on my thigh, just a little cut.

"Oh my god, what did you do baby?" My mom hurried beside me.

"It's okay, just a little cut." The man pushed the chair away and kneeled in front of me wiping the cut on my thigh and in the meantime blowing on my thigh.

Only Daniel did that whenever I got hurt, he said it would hurt less, and then he would kiss the place where the wound would be.

Where are you, Daniel? My dad had a huge grin on his face like he won the lottery and mouthed me "good job" as if I did it on purpose. I rolled my eyes moving away from the stranger.

"Uhmm, thank you. Excuse me."

I whispered before going upstairs to my room. I missed Daniel so much, no one knew me like him, and no one took care of me like him.