More time passed than Belle calculated. She had begun to write an article about random things she noticed in the new town she was in, using Zina's laptop.One night, she was asleep when she felt warm breathing near her face. She regarded it as nothing because she was so much intoxicated by her deep sleep.The next morning, she was sitting in front of the kitchen counter, waiting for Zina's pancakes which she now enjoyed when Zina leaned in front of her, elbows holding up her head, she stared at Belle."What are you doing?" Belle asked her with a light laugh."Staring at you?" Zina replied."Yeah, I see that. Why are you staring at me like that?" "Because you are cute?" Zina smiled and then bit her lips."P-L-E-A-S-E," Belle laughed at what she just said."I haven't even gone out in like a month, I must look like a zombie or a vampire and you think I'm cute?""I think Vampires are cute too," Zina laughed with her."Your lips are just..." Zina couldn't take her eyes off Belle's cherry-l
Zina stood still till Ben left for the room to meet Belle, that was when she could finally be at ease. She heaved a sigh of relief and ran her fingers through her hair, thanking her stars that he didn't find out she was feeling something for Belle.She immediately went and shoved down some of the flowers that hadn't completely entered the bin. She had seen the flowers while she was in the cab coming home with Belle, and had remembered Belle mentioning how she loved pink roses so she stopped the cab back then to go get her some but was met with Ben's surprising visit when she made it home.She sat on the couch, cursing herself inwards at how she had forgotten that Belle was in some tangled situation with Ben, and how she was only there to look after her and make sure she was safe.She knew she would lose so much more than her job if Ben got to find out that she was beginning to like Belle so she decided to erase every growing feeling that was in her concerning Belle.*****Late Morning
Belle just looked outside the window while seated next to Ben as Zina drove. Once in a while, she would look at Zina and wonder how she didn't know that she was just there to protect her. She was so different now that Ben was with them; she talked less and smiled less even when she managed to speak. Belle sighed.The car drove by the Crisp-TV media house building before they got to her house. Zina came down first and opened the door for her, she looked at the ground while Belle got down, avoiding eye contact with her.Ben leaned by the door frame with his hands in his pocket as he watched Belle after she walked into her room. She stood for some seconds and looked at the bed, her phone was still there, where she kept it before leaving. She went and picked it up then went to meet Ben."I don't want to stay here anymore. I can't." She sniffed."Okay. I will make sure the first house by the media house is vacant by tonight, so you can stay there from tomorrow," Ben told her while holding
"What did they say?" Belle asked Brie after she returned from the billing department. "Nothing much different," Brie shrugged, devastated as before."So what are we doing now? Grandma needs to be attended to with urgency, or else her health will depreciate more, that's what the nurse said when she returned," After she spoke, Belle got a call.Brie asked her to answer it as it might be Cherry calling to know how things were going so Belle answered her phone without checking to see who it was."Why didn't you let me know?" She heard Ben's voice over the phone."Ben?""Have they begun giving her the treatments she needs now?" She heard him ask and wondered what he was talking about."Ben, my grandma has been ill for some days now, I didn't know till I found out earlier today, so I'm back to my hometown with my sister." She thought he should know but after saying all that, she realized that he might already know."Do you already know?" She decided to ask and was sure she heard him sigh."
Belle was seated at the back of one of the cars Ben came with. She rested her head on his shoulders and enjoyed as he caressed her hair slowly. They were going to a hotel, it was almost night, and Brie decided to stay at the hospital."Thank you, Ben." Belle thought she should say to him."Next time something like this happens, I want you to call me immediately, okay?" He told her instead of a ‘you are welcome’ like she expected."What if you can't help," she sat up and turned to him."There will surely be a way to avert the situation. No problem is unsolvable, it just depends on how you approach it, and I don't want you to approach any problem from now on, let me be the one to take care of that for you.""..." Belle said nothing. She rested on him again but not on his shoulder this time, she laid her head on his thighs and he began stroking her hair again.She suddenly chortled to herself but he heard her."What is funny?" He wanted to know but Belle said nothing in reply. She wasn't
Her call was answered at the first ring, so she went direct with her questions."Ben, where are you? Randy says he can't take me to see you without you giving him a go-ahead, so where are you?" "Good afternoon, Miss. Sir Larkson isn't here to take your call, I'm sorry. But if it's important, I am more than available to relay your message," Belle heard a polite female voice reply to her through Ben's phone."Oh, okay." She knew it had to be his assistant."I will make sure to inform him of your call when he returns to the office," she heard the lady again before ending the call, disappointed that she couldn't go to him.Randy saw that disappointment on her face and wished he could help her but he did dare go against Ben.****Belle was later driven to the new house Ben got her. She was tired and couldn't stay awake even if she wanted to overthink some things.Late into the night, she felt a hand rubbing on her shoulder, it felt nice. The touch extended to her arm, then she felt a fing
Morning.Belle woke up and Ben wasn't beside her. She sat up and looked around but didn't see him. Falling back on the pillows, she lay back down with a sigh, assuming he had left while she was still asleep.Her assumption was wrong because Ben soon opened the door to the room and came in with a tray in his hands. He kept it on the bed carefully, before leaning into her and kissing her on the cheeks."Is my hair messy?" She asked but Ben just laughed as a response."Glad you've woken up, else I would have had to, brought you breakfast. Thought you wouldn't be in the mood to make yourself something, seeing how tired you were last night.""Tired? I was tired. Did you see yourself last night?" She retorted and watched a smile come on his face. The smile soon became dry before diminishing. Her mind automatically went back to last night and all he told her, she knew that was probably what he remembered to make his smile fade.She stood on the bed and held his face in her small hands like h
Later.Belle woke up with suddenly. It made Ben sit up too."Ben," She called when she saw that he was also awake."Yes, I'm here." He held her, "Take a breath.""Okay," she nodded and did as she was asked, breathing in and out slowly. It made her relax and Ben noticed it."Good," he smiled."Talk to me, I'm listening." Ben wanted to know what made her get up with such suddenness."Earlier," She began, leaning back into his arms."Yes?""While we had sex, you said something..." She trailed, hoping he would catch what she was referring to. She didn't want to complete it because she knew he didn't like the topic."I said something? Be specific.""You know, you whispered these words to me...or did you?" She stopped and asked herself, biting her lips and thinking to herself.He didn't know but most of the time they had sex, she always imagined how he was saying how much he loved her while he fucked her. It was something she discovered that gave her orgasm reach a boost, and when he said ‘I
"Are you okay?" Jenna asked her when she noticed she was acting somewhat different."Yeah, it's just..." Belle stopped and sighed. "Can I tell you something?""Yes girl, I'm all ears.""Well, you see..." Belle sighed once more after sitting next to her on the sofa in the living room."I thought and thought but couldn't get Ben a good gift. He got me those cars outside and all I could get him was tickets to go see a movie with me. I realized that I couldn't even go out to see a movie with him because he's him, you know. I feel bad but I'm trying not to because he was so excited gifting me the cars.""You got him tickets?" Jenna laughed after listening to her say all she had."Yeah?""Three of his houses in city S have private cinemas in them." Jenna couldn't stop laughing."Awwww, that makes me feel worse." Belle almost sobbed."I'm sorry. It's just funny but don't stress about it. I used to feel that way years back but then I realized he really didn't care what it was I bought, he only
Back in city S.Belle woke up and didn't see Ben by her side so she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to check for him but when she didn't see him, she decided to just do her morning routine of brushing her teeth and cleansing her face.After that, she decided to go to the balcony to check if he was there because lately, he was there using his laptop whenever she woke up late.She got there and didn't see him but she saw something surprising. There were seven cars parked downstairs. She turned around to go look for him but saw him just there, he had been behind her while she counted the cars."Good morning, my queen," he told her with a smile."Good morning," she held his face and kissed his right cheek."And happy birthday," she got on her tippy toes and hugged him and felt his arms go round her waist."You're finally awake, I've been waiting and my excitement almost died while waiting." He laughed after the hug."The cars?" She didn't know how to react though he was laughing."T
Larkson mansion.I"Aww, she has such a pretty face." Mrs Larkson said after some silent minutes of admiration.Belle looked up from her dish and smiled at the woman sitting opposite to her on the dining table. Things were great since she came by unlike all she assumed. Mrs Larkson didn't ask the many questions she assumed she had to prepare for so things were alright till she said:"My grandchildren will be so cute, I can already imagine." Belle almost choked on what she was about to swallow when Mrs Larkson blurted that out.Ben stood and filled a glass of water, rubbing Belle's back slowly while bending to speak to her as she had her head down."Water?" He proposed and she took the glass from him and took a big sip. While Belle was drinking water, Ben took the chance to give his mother a questioning look about what she just said.Belle returned the glass to him and he kept it on the table and sat back down. Mrs Larkson didn't say anything else; she didn't mean to make Belle uncomfor
Morning, the next day."Did you think about it?" Ben leaned against the wall with both his hands in the trouser pockets as he watched Belle arrange her hair."Think about what," she dropped her hairbrush and turned to him."Please tell me you gave a thought to what I told you last night.""Be direct, we talked about quite a lot yesterday," she started to put lipstick on her lips while facing the mirror again."..." Ben scratched the back of his neck and bit his lips because he knew that she remembered what he was talking about."Alright, I'm ready." She stood up from the chair in front of the mirror."Will you drop me off at my sister's or will someone else take me?" She asked, walking past him after picking her purse and hoping he followed like she wanted but he didn't. Ben pulled her back by her waist and he did it so easily, it made her wonder if to do a weight gain diet so he couldn't do that anymore."Please?" Be didn't let her go after bringing her back to himself. His arms around
"Hey man, come take a look." Belle watched as one of the men assigned to be with her called to the other after collecting her ring from her ring finger."Is it original diamond?" The man who was called asked."What do you think? Of course, it is, can't you see?" The first man held it up to the light."She's wearing a ring that's probably worth an amount I've never touched in my entire life.""Are we going to sell it?" The second man asked."We? Did you just say we? I'm the one who noticed it on her finger first...""Guys," someone came in while panting loudly."Yeah?" "I was upstairs..." The man stopped to pant for some seconds."I was upstairs, and I saw these vehicles...""Is the boss back?" The first man asked, putting the ring in his jacket pocket."I don't think so, he usually comes alone. When I said that I saw cars, I meant that there were at least seven of them.""Seven?" The second man asked."Yeah," the informant nodded."I would be far off if I had started to run when I saw th
Richard was now being tied up in her living room while she watched alongside Ben. She was excited at first, that Ben came to her rescue then realized sooner that he came solely for Richard."What did he do?" She asked Ben but didn't get a reply. "Search for it," she heard him order instead. The men started up her stairs."Search for what?" She asked again but got no reply. She saw Ben go over to one of the sofas opposite to where Richard was tied up to take a seat. She saw a look on Ben's face that she saw the day he came by and injected her with an overdose of the drug that landed her at the hospital. It was a masked look because he seemed calm but she knew he was angry and unhappy at the same time.When she got a chance, she moved to where Richard was and decided to ask him what she asked Ben earlier, hoping for a response."What did you do, Richie?" She asked and got a glare from him that made her move back."Where is she?" Richard's eyes turned from Alex to Ben when he heard the q
Alex was starting to get scared of Richard's presence when they heard her doorbell ring downstairs."Are you expecting someone?" He asked her."N...yes!" She lied and left him for downstairs before he could hold her back. Happily opening the door to at least be free from him, she saw Randy."Ma'am, I was sent by Mr Larkson..." Randy saw that she was in a towel and looked away immediately."Randy, thank goodness it's you." She pushed him outside and followed, closing the door behind her."Ma'am I...""Shhhh. I need you to help me okay? There's someone in there whom I am currently not very comfortable with," she started and when she saw that he was listening, she continued."I want you to act like we planned to leave together and that you came to pick me up. Can you?""I was actually sent by Mr Larkson to...""Aren't you listening to me?!" She whispered shakily."I need your help, someone broke into my house.""I'm not the police, ma'am." Randy remained polite though he didn't believe what
11:49 pm Cherry returned from the restroom and saw Brie seated on the bed, not sleeping. She lay on her side of the bed and pulled the blanket over herself to go back to sleep but couldn't, not when Brie was awake."You are overthinking shit again, aren't you?" She sat and joined Brie."I just have a bad feeling. It's been two days since Belle went to that wedding, I find it weird that she hasn't called or come over to tell us about what happened that day. You know how excited she gets, she should have come by to see us, you know.""Urggh, Brie, really? Is that why you are not sleeping?""Is it not a good enough reason?""No, it isn't. Get some sleep, Belle is FINE. She's probably cuddling in bed with him right now and you're here, worrying your ass over nothing.""I'll call her tomorrow morning, please remind me?""Yeah, sure. Can we return to sleeping now?""Okay." Brie rested her head on the pillows."Oh wow, that was actually easier than usual, you agree to go back to sleep. Good
Weeks later.Late night.Alex's heels made some noise as she walked into the quiet house. It woke Richard up; he had been sitting and waiting for her till he fell asleep."You're finally back, I've been waiting for you. Why didn't you pick up your calls? The least you could have done is answer the goddamn call and let me know if you're busy, you fucking left me worried.""You didn't see my text?" Alex raised a brow."I didn't.""Well, I sent you a text to let you know that I would be visiting Doctor Dan to fix an appointment for my abortion.""What? I thought we talked about that, we're keeping the baby, aren't we?""I changed my mind," she shrugged."You changed your mind? Seriously? Tell me you're joking, Alex.""Do you see me laughing right now? Look, Richie, I'll be honest with you. I went out with my friends after seeing the doctor and I'm as hell as I speak so please let me just go have a good shower so I can get some sleep." She started to walk towards the stairs."You can't mak