Ben frowned as he saw that Remy had disrupted Anthony from getting engaged to Clara. His fists clenched, as this was what he had been waiting for and wanted to confirm.He looked away and met eyes with Emma, who stood aside and stared at him, hurt after seeing him dance with another lady. But he looked away from Emma; he had told her countless times that he wasn't in love with her and that they should only agree to have sex with each other. So why couldn't she understand that his heart belonged somewhere else? He frowned as he left the event hall.Most of the staff invited by Anthony had witnessed the drama that had unfolded and wondered if the birthday celebration was still ongoing or if it had ended. They were unsure whether they should start going back to their various homes.Anthony left the event hall and returned to the living room of his family mansion. He was hurt and couldn't believe that Clara would actually cheat on him and still pretend to love him.Anthony had given Clara
Martha walked up with the wrapped gift that Lerisa had bought for Anthony, and she was the last person to finally approach him on the front stage. All the other guests had given their gifts to him and left the event hall after receiving their "Thanks for coming" gift from Sandra, who was Anthony's mother's maid.Martha approached Anthony nervously, and he immediately asked, "Where is Lerisa? I haven't seen her since?""Umm, Lerisa has gone home," Martha replied nervously. Anthony frowned, recalling that he last saw Lerisa dancing happily with Ben on stage when he returned to the hall with Clara.Anthony wondered if they had left the hall together, as he didn't see Ben around either. Lerisa had been behaving strangely toward him lately, and he questioned why."I don't know if she has gone home, as she's not here now, but I will call her later to find out before leaving with our parents. But here's the gift she bought for you," Martha said as she handed the wrapped gift to Anthony."What
Lerisa arrived at her father's house earlier, parked her small red car, and went inside to her bedroom.She remembered the moment she saw Anthony walking into the event hall with Clara, holding hands as they walked up to the stage.Lerisa wiped her tears away, knowing that Anthony couldn't love her again. She felt embarrassed when Ben asked her why her expression changed upon seeing Clara and Anthony arrive together as the couple of the night.Lerisa said to herself, "I wasn't expecting my emotions to reveal the truth of my feelings on my face. What if Ben goes ahead and tells Anthony that I'm in love with him and jealous of seeing him and Clara together? Hmm," Lerisa sighed.She knew there was a tendency for Ben to reveal the truth about her emotions to Anthony before she did. But she thought, "Anthony wouldn't believe Ben. I cannot tell Anthony yet that I love him. I am not confident enough to do that."Taking a deep breath, Lerisa decided to take a bath. She stripped off the green g
Mrs. Beatrice laughed first and replied, "No, Anthony. I wasn't like that. Although, you know, in my time, your father and I didn't have the opportunity to date; we just met through our parents who arranged it. It wasn't as if we were dating. We got married, and although I didn't move in quickly to live with your father, his love and care were enough for me to feel comfortable.""Hmm," Anthony was speechless. He took the bottled water from the dining table and drank it to calm his nerves. "Dad is just lucky to have you. I am also lucky to have you as my mother.""That's alright, son. I wish I could have gotten pregnant and given you more siblings. At least you wouldn't feel so alone.""I am not alone, Mom. As long as I have you here with me," Anthony replied, which made Mrs. Beatrice feel relieved.She asked Anthony, "How about Lerisa? Have you called her yet to find out where she went? I heard her sister say that she wasn't feeling well, which is why she left here early.""I also noti
Lerisa looked at Martha in surprise, shook her head, and replied, "How do I admit to Anthony that I love him? Isn’t it a man who should take the lead first? Anthony may appear nice and calm to us, but he's very mean and difficult at times in the office, and I am very afraid to tell him that I love him. That would make it seem like I am desperate. Don’t you think so?" Lerisa looked at Martha with hope as Martha contemplated her response."I don't know, but I think that Anthony likes you. Maybe if you open up about your feelings to him, he will reciprocate and love you too.""No. I am not going to beg a man to love me first. It's not appropriate. Let me just wait for Anthony to fall in love with me first, and if he doesn't, then I will move on with my life. We shouldn’t date, and maybe we aren’t destined to be together, just like our parents want. I also admire him, though."Martha sighed. "It's fine, sister. I'm already tired now. Let us go back to our rooms to rest, and maybe later we
Anthony approached his sitting room door and pulled it open, and he saw Lerisa standing there, looking beautiful in her long brown gown. The gown hid all her shape and her big boobs that Anthony had seen the previous morning at her home when he went to visit her family to see if she was alright. Lerisa smiled sweetly at Anthony, unable to explain what had brought her to his family house instead of just sending her regards through his mother. She smiled at Anthony again and greeted him, "Good morning." "Good afternoon, Lerisa. Why are you here?" Anthony asked, staring intently at her face and wondering why she looked so happy, unlike the previous night and days when she had a sad look on her face. Her face had also been red like a tomato then. "I came to see you and to apologize for leaving your birthday celebration early yesterday. I wasn't myself, so I had to go home and rest," Lerisa said, and Anthony finally made way for her to come into his sitting room. He asked her, "Did my
Lerisa nervously greeted Anthony's father, "Good afternoon, sir." "Welcome, Lerisa. How are your parents at home?" Mr. Joshua asked, and Lerisa replied, "Fine, sir." "Hmm," Mr. Joshua hummed as he settled into a dining chair beside his wife. Lerisa saw that the time was already after 1 PM, and she really wanted to leave Anthony's family house, if not for Anthony's mother asking her to join them for lunch. She wasn't expecting the whole family to have lunch together. It had been a long time since she joined Anthony and his family for a meal. Lerisa stared downward in embarrassment as she saw Anthony at the stairs. She knew he never used to disrespect his parents, even though their requests weren't always what he wanted. Anthony looked at Lerisa silently and then stepped downstairs into the living room before walking up to the dining table to join her for lunch. Lerisa was nervous as Anthony sat beside her at the dining table. She wondered if he was the same man who had been so co
Remy looked at Anthony and responded, "There's nothing to be sorry about."Remy was wearing a white top and blue jean shorts, while Anthony had on a yellow long-sleeve shirt and black pants.Remy remembered the young lady he admired so much—Lerisa, as Ben had mentioned her name. She felt a pang of jealousy thinking about Anthony being with Clara."How about Lerisa?" Remy asked. "I saw her at your birthday celebration yesterday. She caught Clara, or April—whatever her name is—kissing me yesterday morning, and I want to apologize to her. I was embarrassed to see her at your birthday. Where does she live? Can I have her mobile number? I really like her and want to marry her." Remy finally looked at Anthony, dismissing his butler.Anthony frowned and replied, "You cannot date Lerisa.""Why? Are you involved with her?" Remy asked, his tone direct.Anthony glared at Remy. "What do you mean by that? She's like a sister to me and a family friend. I am not involved with her.""So, why are you b
Anthony already knew Remy would be heartbroken, so he left and went back home to apologize to his parents, not wanting to add to Remy's agony.Remy already grasped the situation, and if Anthony hadn't been his cousin, he could have dealt with him for daring to come to his house and tell him directly that he had slept with his woman.After Anthony left, Remy went back into his house to nurse his broken heart.A month passed and after the trending news stopped, Remy went back to his business. The female staff didn't dare to gossip about the matter. except they risked losing their jobs.Lerisa knew she owed Remy an apology, and her mother had said that she wouldn't marry Anthony unless she tender an apology at Remy.Lerisa arrived at Remy's hotel with the car gift that he bought for her. She did not know his house, so she donned a red dress and made her way to Remy's office.When the female staff saw Lerisa, their murmuring and gossip resurfaced. Lerisa didn't care and made her way to Re
Lerisa hadn't stepped out of her father's house since she started trending. She was ashamed and couldn't face Remy. She couldn't tell Remy why she had broken up with him.Hearing her mother's voice, Lerisa rushed out of the house as she heard her mother shouting at someone. However, as Lerisa walked out, she saw Anthony drenched, with water dripping down his body.Anthony wasn't annoyed. He didn't want to leave until he saw Lerisa."Mom! What have you done?" Lerisa shouted, shocked to see that her mother had actually baptized Anthony with a bucket of cold water. Mrs. Antonia hissed and went back into the house, not wanting to answer Lerisa's questions.Looking back at Anthony, Lerisa offered her apologies to him. She did not know that Remy had arrived earlier, but seeing Anthony wet, Lerisa offered to bring James's clothes for him to change into."See them, shameless people," Mrs. Antonia muttered from her kitchen window. She should have known that she could not change her daughter's d
Lerisa looked at her father sadly and said, "Dad, you cannot tell the Creed family that it's because of Anthony that you want to call off the wedding.""Then what should I tell them?" Mr. Fred asked. "You went to Anthony's house and ended up sleeping on his bed.""Dad, I don't want Anthony and Remy to quarrel because of me. They're brothers and...""You should have been aware that they were brothers and not comfortably slept with Anthony unclothed on his bed. I don't want to discuss this matter again. Mr. Joshua and his wife are equally disappointed, as they know this would cause a rift in their family, especially since Mrs. Samara is Mrs. Beatrice's only sister. Your actions have caused a lot of problems, but it will be settled. You can go." Mr. Fred dismissed Lerisa. He did not believe his wife at first, but after visiting the Gregson home, Mr. Joshua told him personally that his wife had been in tears, blaming Anthony as the cause."Why did Anthony not admit his feelings sooner? He
Remy already noticed that Lerisa wasn't sounding like her usual self. However, he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with her. He donned a casual outfit, but he was still handsome and tall."Fine. If you say so, I will contact you tomorrow morning before going to work. Try to charge your phone, okay?" Remy said. As he looked at Lerisa's finger, where he had placed the engagement ring the previous day, he noticed that Lerisa had taken off the ring.He furrowed his brows and asked her, "Where's your engagement ring, Lerisa? Did you purposefully take it off? Where is it?"Remy suspected something fishy."I left it indoors," Lerisa tried to lie, but she wasn't good at lying as she spluttered."You left it indoors? Where? You know that you were not supposed to take this ring off. Fine, go inside and bring it, and you can wear it back. Right here in my presence," Remy insisted. He didn't know what was wrong with Lerisa. Just the previous night, he had called her, and she promised to call him b
Mrs. Antonia frowned and accompanied James to Lerisa's room. Lerisa had cried herself to sleep on her bed. She was hungry and weak, but she didn't want to meet with anyone. She had also switched off her phone."Lerisa!" With a gentle knock on her daughter's room door, Mrs. Antonia called Lerisa. "Lerisa, are you in there?" Mrs. Antonia asked again, and Lerisa, feeling hungry, woke up.Lerisa pulled the door of her room open. Her mother and James gasped as they spotted her."Since when did you return?" Mrs. Antonia was the first to ask Lerisa, who looked sad, as did James."Not too long ago. Maybe after you and Dad left for church," Lerisa replied in a sad tone."What happened? Why do you sound sad?" Mrs. Antonia inquired. Lerisa shook her head and said, "Nothing, Mom. I am hungry."As Lerisa walked out of the corridor, Mrs. Antonia saw the red marks all over Lerisa's neck. She inquired, "Wait, Lerisa. What happened to you? Who beat you?"Mrs. Antonia rushed to examine her daughter's ne
"Please, Lerisa, I am sorry," Anthony tried to apologize to Lerisa after his mother left his bedroom with a grimace.Lerisa started crying on the bed as she realized what she had just done with Anthony."What am I going to explain to Remy now? Remy loves me too," Lerisa cried, still sitting on Anthony's bed."You will tell Remy the truth, that you cannot go ahead and marry him," Anthony replied, as he wanted to touch Lerisa's arms again, not equally satisfied with the previous night's events with her. However, Lerisa pushed his hands away."No! It's easy for you to say, but I cannot do it. I cannot face Remy. I have to go home now." Lerisa stepped down from the bed, and Anthony admired her physique.Anthony got down from the bed, fully unclothed. Seeing him in that state, Lerisa remembered all that had happened between them the previous night; she wanted more but knew she had Remy to deal with and, more likely, her family too.Lerisa shook her head and wanted to search the room for her
Anthony stood up from the tiled floor. He knew that it wasn't just him and Lerisa alone. Due to his silence and denial of his feelings for Lerisa, Remy had already engaged Lerisa, and now he was coming to break that bond. The media would become aware, and it would also cause a rift in their family.Lerisa sobbed, and Anthony hugged her closely, comforting her."I am sorry," he continued to apologize, and Lerisa knew that if she had to choose between Anthony and Remy, she would pick Anthony."I don't know what to tell Remy. I don't want to see you both fight because of me," Lerisa said as she turned her back to Anthony's chest.Anthony kissed Lerisa on the neck; he could no longer hold himself back. He had always restrained himself, but now that he had confessed his feelings to Lerisa, Anthony reached to undress her, and she didn't try to stop him. She wanted him badly and hadn't thought the day would come so soon.Lerisa held Anthony close, and they kissed as Anthony took her into his
"How could you lie to me, Anthony? I have been in love with you all these years, and you lie to me that I am just like a sister to you." Lerisa was in tears, and Anthony's heart broke. He turned Lerisa to face him, but she pushed his hands off just as his hands touched her arms."Stay away from me! You cheated on me; you pretended not to be in love with me, breaking my heart further with all your lies. Yet you know the truth that we are destined to be together. Why are you denying that, Anthony? Do you feel scared that you would hurt me in the long run and feel another man deserves me?"Lerisa was in tears as she moved away from Anthony. Anthony stood speechless; he loved Lerisa, but he couldn't admit it to her. He had also felt she saw him as an older brother, and it was only recently when she confessed her feelings to him—that she had been in love with him and couldn't bear to see him with other women—that he knew he had wronged her dearly."I am sorry," Anthony said, but Lerisa move
Lerisa sat down next to Anthony at the dining table, and the maid served them dinner.Anthony's eyes were still glued to Lerisa's face as he saw her frowning. She was going to marry his cousin, so he shouldn't be entertaining the thought of snatching Lerisa from Remy.Anthony finally asked Lerisa, "Do you like the meal, or do you want me to order something for you?"Lerisa didn't look up at Anthony's face. She stared at her plate, which contained jollof rice and fried turkey legs for dinner. She eventually replied to him, "It's okay. I can manage it."Mrs. Beatrice smiled understandingly at Lerisa, not interfering; she soon blessed their meal, and they started eating.After dinner, Anthony's mother called his father, and Anthony spoke to his father for a while.Lerisa knew that she had switched off her phone to avoid her parents. She couldn't face them, so she waited for Anthony to show her to the guest room to rest.Anthony's mother was exhausted, admiring her son's house. She wanted