“The difference between them is so clear. Gina seems really humble. The day she came to see me, she also mentioned that her Girls do not give her issues like Debock.”“That’s really insane. Poor woman. He must have been a handful to her.”“But She’s so kind. I can’t believe she hugged me. Girl, I’m never going to take a shower. I want to have her scent on me forever.”Beatrice chuckled, rolling her eyes at Rita.“She’s so happy that we came. What a beautiful soul! I’m loving this party already.” Rita chuckled.Soon enough, they were approached by the person Gina pointed to earlier. He was tall, light-skinned with dark hair, dressed in a well-fitted suit, and had a beautiful dimpled smile.“Good to meet you. I’m Carlos Debock.” He smiled at both ladies but his eyes were more on Beatrice. Rita noticed that and then tried to give the duo some privacy.“I’m Rita.” She introduced herself, stretching out her hand to him.Carlos brought her hand to his lips and placed a polite kiss on it.“I
“So you eventually showed up?” Carlos said in disbelief, sighting Daniel.Raising her head, the smile on Beatrice’s face faded the moment she sighted him.“Why won’t I? It’s my sister’s wedding remember?” he answered, trying to stay settled when in fact, he felt so much discomfort inside of him. He saw Carlos and Beatrice talking and laughing so freely earlier on and that angered him a lot because he never got to experience that sweet gesture with her. Rather, they were always on bad terms. And the fear of Beatrice liking his cousin was slowly starting to eat him up.“For someone who swore not to show up, it’s nice to see that you do not keep to your word. Remind me not to ever take you seriously again.”Daniel ignored Carlos and all that he was saying and turned his attention to the lady beside him who seemed very shocked by his presence.”“Hi, Beatrice.” He voiced out, staring intently at her.“You two know each other?” Carlos asked, looking from Beatrice to Daniel and then back to
“You don’t have to get all stressed out. Like I said, we would need a test to confirm that as it could be a bug or other things.”Beatrice snapped out of her thoughts, knowing she was in some deep shit. She shook her head, “No, that’s not possible. I can’t be pregnant.”“It’s only after you go for a checkup that you can be certain.”“You don’t have to panic. Whatever the outcome may be, I know you will do just fine.”“No, it can’t be.” She mumbled again, her head suddenly feeling very heavy.“Please calm down.” Amarie was about to approach Bea to calm her when she moved a step backward. She picked up her purse and rushed out.“I’m so sorry. This is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. You seem to be familiar with her.” Zainny voiced out the moment Beatrice was out of sight.“Yeah...yes..I sort of know her but she might not know me.” Amarie mumbled, feeling lost.“Well, that was an experience. But I hope she is happy in the end and most importantly, that she takes care of herself
After a couple of minutes of searching, Carlos finally found Rita having conversations with some familiar faces.“Oh Hi, Where’s Beatrice?” She asked as he pulled her away from where she was, the smile slowly leaving her face.“She left.”“She left? Did she feel sick again? I told her to come to me if she feels sick.”“She was sick?” Carlos asked.“Yes, she was not feeling good this morning but she came because I really wanted to be here.”“I should get going.”“I’m confused because we were really having a good time. Or do you need me to come with you?”“There’s no need. We will probably head to the Doctors. Besides, this is your party and you need to be here.”“If you insist. But please let me have your phone.”Rita brought out her phone from her purse and handed it to him.He punched his number in and saved it.“Feel free to give me a call. I can always come to check up on her once the party is over.” He said, returning her phone.Rita smiled. “You are sweet. Thank you.”“I will tak
Beatrice had no idea how she managed to stay sane as she exited the event hall. With tears in her eyes and her mind far away, she walked to the front of the gate and waited for the ride she booked.Her ride arrived in no time. She got in and the driver started the trip.Bea was brought out of her thoughts when her phone vibrated. She opened her purse, saw the caller ID, and instantly declined the call upon seeing the caller ID. It was Rita. Beatrice was not in the mood to talk so she sent a text that she was on her way home after which she turned off her phone.“I’ll be right back,” Bea said to the driver who nodded, after which she came down from the car. She had added a stop on the ride since she had no test kits at home. Beatrice made her way into the pharmacy, went to the ladies' wellness corner, and picked up a few kits. She paid for them and was out in four minutes.The ride to her home felt like the longest journey ever for someone who wanted to know her fate.They finally arri
Three Days Later“What’s wrong, Honey? You’ve been acting strange all day.” Barack placed a kiss on Gina’s cheek before taking a seat beside her.“We planned to go on a vacation after Anita gets married but you’ve not said a word about it since the wedding which is so unlike you. Anything the matter?” He stared at his wife curiously.“Nothing honey. We will still go for the vacation. There’s just something bothering me.”“I’m listening.” Barack encouraged her to say whatever was on her mind.“It’s about Daniel.”“You are this sad because of him? Why?”“Honey, I made you understand that you need to let him be. Dan is grown enough to handle himself and the consequences of his actions.”“Let me guess? He has done something absurd again?”“I don’t know if it’s right to term it that way.”“You wanna talk about it?”“Dan might have gotten a girl pregnant.”Barack smiled, “Natalie?”“Wait, is that why she couldn’t make it to Anita’s wedding? Is she sick?”Gina sighed. “Life would have been s
Dan said nothing, emptying the alcohol in his cup. He had taken off his jacket, he wasn’t wearing a tie, the first two buttons of his shirt were left undone and his hair was messy. Anyone who knew Daniel would know that he was a freak about his appearance and it was very clear that this wasn’t his usual self.“That’s because there has been so much to do. I hope you believe me now when I tell you that I’m busy.”“I have a meeting soon so I would advise that you state what you are here for.”“What are you hiding from me?”Daniel frowned at his mother who was still on her feet. “What do you mean?”“Is it possible to hide anything from you? If you don’t hear it from me, You will get some information from the media.“I’m not here for your crappy talks Dan and I promise you that me being here doesn’t mean I’m jobless. Just in case you have forgotten, I have investments to monitor and even if I’m free, I would rather spend the day with my husband or have some girls' time with my friends.”“M
“Sorry, I’m a bit late. The boss gave me a tough time since I would be taking an early day off.” Beatrice said as she approached Rita who was seated on a chair outside the restaurant.Rita rose to her feet upon sighting her best friend. “It’s nothing, babe. I was occupied with my phone.”“You’re ready to go?”“I think so,” Beatrice mumbled, clutching her tote bag tighter.“There’s no need to be nervous. You know, right?” Rita said.“I’m not. I’m just still in so much disbelief at everything that is happening.”“I really wish that things were different but It would be a waste of time to dwell on thoughts that are not my reality.”Rita smiled sadly. “I understand how you feel my love. But everything is going to be fine. I give you my word.”“I don’t think so but I really hope so. Call a taxi and let’s get this done with so that I can go back home, have some ice cream, and then get sad all day.”A smile smile crept to Rita’s lips. “Have your cravings started?”Beatrice rolled her eyes. “
"Dan! What the hell? I've been on my feet trying to explain this to you. Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Henry slammed the piece of paper against the table and slumped into the visitor's chair that was opposite Daniel's desk. "Sorry, my thoughts are elsewhere." He mumbled, massaging his temple. "What's going on? This is so unlike you!" Henry asked, concerned. "Beatrice is mad at me and it's really messing with my head." "What did you do?" Daniel could swear that he could almost see Henry glaring at him."Why are you assuming I'm the one at fault?" "Well, we all know that Bea can do no wrong. It's gotta be you who has ruined things. Now open up to me. Tell me, what did you do to upset the Queen?" "I got home last night with a lipstick stain on my shirt." "Holy shit, Dan. Don't tell me you are cheating. I swear I'm going to kill you with my bare hands right now.""Of course not. I'm not the one at fault. After all that I've endured and suffered to build, you think I'
FIVE YEARS LATER“Mommy!!!!” Ryan Lee Debock shrugged out of his nanny’s arms and ran as fast as his legs could carry him when he saw his mom walk in through the door.Beatrice smiled as this was the best part of her daily routine that she looked up to: getting all loved up in her baby boy’s embrace.She placed her handbag on the floor, crouched down to her knees, and stretched out her arms, just in time for her son to run into her. Bea showered his face with kisses the moment she had Ryan in her arms.He giggled “I miss you, mommy.”“I missed you too, my love.” She placed a deep kiss on his forehead, wondering how it was so possible for her to love a tiny human this much.“How was school today? Did you take your food and vitamins?”The little boy nodded, smiling, that Bea couldn’t resist kissing his cheek again. Her Son was so adorable and needless to say, he looked so much like Daniel.“Good evening ma’am.” Aliyah, the nanny greeted. She was a young lady in her early twenties.“Hi d
EPILOGUEFOUR MONTHS LATER“Babe.” Bea heard that very familiar voice, followed by a soft kiss on her neck.“Hmmmm.” She whispered with her eyes closed.“I really don’t want to wake you but we have thirty minutes till our appointment.”“Already? But we literally just slept.” She said with a drowsy voice.“You want us to postpone?”“No. I really wanna know today.”“Me too. How about we take a joint bath?”She nodded against the pillow.Daniel chuckled, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to refuse that.”He helped Beatrice down from the bed after which they made their way to the bathroom. They ended up having a quickie and then rinsed their bodies.Beatrice was styling her hair when Daniel walked out of the closet. He came to a halt in front of her, holding a jewelry box.Bea sighed. “Babe, we agreed that we were done with gifts.”“No.” Daniel shook his head. “You should have figured out that I was lying.”“You promised no more gifts."Dan feigned innocence. “Well, I don’t remember that.”Bea
Debbie nodded shyly.“Okay, what else don’t I know?”“Debock has met you and he literally didn’t say anything to me?”“I’m sorry if you feel furious about this but Frank said a lot of nasty things that I can’t even begin to mention now. My heart wasn’t at peace. I had to make sure I knew Daniel’s intention.”“How did you meet him? He’s so busy.”“Rita said he usually comes over to her workplace.”“Good, You all are making plans behind me.”“That’s not it, my love. I promise you that we all had your interest at heart. I just had to make sure the billionaire dude wasn’t messing with my daughter. He came over and we discussed.”“He gave me his word about wanting you genuinely. And he also promised that he was going to take care of you. That was after he apologized about the cafe scene.”“Your siblings were here when he came over. They recognized him and he was kind enough to take them to the mall for a treat. They got clothes, shoes, new phones and laptops, as well as groceries for the h
THE NEXT DAY“Here comes the heartbeat.” The Doctor said and almost immediately, the room was filled with the most beautiful sound Beatrice and Daniel had ever heard.With their eyes glued to the monitor, the duo had tears in their eyes.As they got familiar with the baby’s heartbeat, the doctor went ahead to print out some ultrasound pictures for them.“Congratulations to you both for raising a healthy baby so far. Everything is fine and in a couple of weeks, we would be able to find out the gender; of course, that’s if you don’t want to wait till its birth.”Dan and Beatrice stared at each other, smiling.“I commend you both for the good work done so far. I believe if you continue to abide by the instructions given, the birth of your baby will be a smooth one.” She said, then turned her attention to Daniel. “Your woman needs you now more than ever. This is the best time to shower her with so much love and support.”“There’s nothing to worry about, Doc. You can count on me.” Dan sai
“You have experience working in cafes and restaurants. What if you own your own business.”Beatrice said nothing so he continued speaking.“It’s okay if you want to start really small with a cafe or wanna dive straight into the restaurant idea. I will support you with whatever you choose.”“I will fund the whole project. We will get you a good space, furnish it, employ the necessary staff and you just need to deal with managing the place.”“I can help you out with the business plan or if you don’t want me to be too involved, I can connect you with Amarie to help you out.”“You can also enroll in some online classes on management if you think you are not confident enough in running your own place but I’m sure you will do just fine.”“Should in case you don’t want a cafe or a restaurant, there’s always a boutique business, owning your own fashion brand and all.”“You need not worry about customers. I’ve got sisters with huge social media presence who I know would be happy to help and I
She glared at him, “Really? That’s what you could take out from everything that I said?”“I understand all that you said but that was what stood out for me the most. I know you’ve been through so much, Bea, but I promised you that it hasn’t been easier for me too. The times that you weren’t happy, I wasn’t happy too. I may have indirectly inflicted pain on you but I promise you that I felt pain too.”“I don’t know what you want in the man of your dreams but I promise you that I can be that man and I will live up to your expectations.”“I like you so much, Bea. So much that I know I would go insane if you are not mine and seeing you so sad or mad at me makes me feel terrible.”“Knowing you definitely birthed a new personality for me. I would do whatever it takes to make you happy.”“There you go again. Knowing what to say to me.”“I don’t want to lose you.”She sighed. “You make things so hard for me.”“So does that mean that I’m forgiven?”Beatrice said nothing, looking away from him.
Daniel seemed to have slept for a very short time but he didn’t mind because he woke up the happiest man in the world to a very wonderful woman by his side. He smiled seeing that she still had her head buried in his chest as she slept peacefully.Daniel removed some of the hair that fell across her cheek and placed a soft kiss on it after which he gently tore himself away from her and got out of bed. He proceeded to the bathroom to get ready for his meeting with Nora and one of their business partners.“Jeez, did you even sleep at all?” He smiled, sighting his Grandmother on the couch.“Thank goodness you are here. I was contemplating if I should come bang on the door but I wouldn’t want to ruin anything that was happening between you both.”Daniel laughed out loud. “Good morning, Grandma.”“Oh, Good Morning, and Happy Birthday to you my lovely Grandson.” She rose to her feet, pulling him into a warm hug. “May this new age bring you abundant happiness. I love you so much, Daniel, and
“I just want to cuddle you.”“I don’t want you to.” Bea was saying when he placed her head on his chest and she was surprised at the warmth she felt due to the closeness of their bodies. They were in a spooning position and for the first time she felt really protected.“You win because I’m tired and I don’t have the strength to argue with you.”“Anything that makes you sleep at night.” Daniel smiled, kissing the side of her forehead.Beatrice felt her eyes start getting itchy but she tried her best to push back the tears. It was evident that she and Daniel started on a very terrible path but if she was being sincere, no man had ever made her feel loved; not even Frank.“Are you an early riser?” He asked, caressing her hair.“It depends. Why do you ask?”“I need to be up early. Grandma and I have a meeting with someone. It’s business related but we will be done before noon."“Then we have the rest of the day to explore this city before we head back home.”“It’s fine. You don’t need to