Lerisa smiled faintly at Mark. She told him, "I know that we are friends, but I'm just trying to put some respect between us."Mark smiled and replied, "It's okay, Lerisa. I understand. But that reminds me, the boss called me earlier today and informed me that he wouldn't be in the office throughout this week.""Oh! Really?" Lerisa looked surprised that Anthony hadn't called her but had called Mark."Yes. Didn't the boss call you too? I know you both are close, so you might be aware. Or haven't you called him yet to find out why he isn't in the office today?"Lerisa's cheeks flushed red. She replied, "I forgot to...""That's fine. I know you hold the boss dear in your heart. Kindly take care of yourself and goodbye."After seeing Anthony holding onto Lerisa's arm closely the previous day in the office, Mark had already concluded in his mind that Anthony and Lerisa had gone intimate and were friends with benefits.He decided not to push further to ask Lerisa out, knowing she wouldn't ac
Benita was always the center of attraction back then and had many admirers on campus. This prevented Anthony from having the privilege to court her.He liked her figure and how sexy and curvy her hips were. Furthermore, he knew that most people usually thought that all handsome guys and beautiful ladies in school were already in a relationship.Anthony thought the same about Benita, which is why he decided not to chase after her then. He still liked her now, so he quickly read her chat, "Hey, Anthony! What's up?"Benita had sent the chat message to him about 30 minutes ago.Anthony quickly replied, "I am fine."Anthony saw that Benita was online and still typing to him.He became curious to chat with her since he was now single and ready to mingle.He loved fair-complexioned women, as that was his preference.Another chat popped up from Benita. She said, "I'm in town today, so I decided to visit you at your company. It's been a long time since we saw each other, Anthony. I cannot wait
Anthony sighed as the phone call didn't connect. He called Lerisa again and again, but even on the third attempt, she wasn't responding to his call."What's wrong? Why is Lerisa not picking up her phone?" Anthony wondered, considering that it might have to do with him telling Lerisa that he needed some time alone.Anthony sighed and decided to let it be. He was sure he would see her by Monday, or in church on Sunday, as he didn't want to visit her family house.He plugged his phone in to charge, exited his bedroom on the top floor, and went downstairs to the dining room to have dinner with his parents since the night had fallen.Mrs. Beatrice was glad to see that her only son wasn't looking sad like on previous days. She wondered why Lerisa hadn't visited their home since Monday and asked Anthony just as he settled into a dining chair across from her."Anthony, did you tell Lerisa not to come here again to visit us?"Anthony frowned a little at his mother's question, but his frown was
"Hello, Lerisa," Anthony's deep male voice fanned her left ear.It was already nighttime, almost 10 pm, and she wondered what had taken Anthony so long to call her back."Hi, good evening," Lerisa sounded somber, and as usual, Anthony noticed and asked, "What's wrong?""Nothing. I am fine, sir. Good evening," Lerisa quickly greeted Anthony."Sir, hahaha. What has come over you, Lerisa? Haven't I warned you to stop calling me 'sir'? When will you ever obey that?" Anthony asked, not sounding annoyed as he was in a good mood."I am sorry, but I am not comfortable calling you by your name," Lerisa nervously said."I know that you aren't comfortable speaking with me on the phone either. What's wrong with you? Are you angry with me because my parents were suggesting that we should get married? Don't mind them," Anthony said, but Lerisa remained quiet."Hello, are you there on the call?" Anthony asked. Lerisa replied, "Yeah, I am listening to you. I said I cannot call you by your name. We are
"Good morning, Anthony. Why are you standing here by the gate? Come inside," Lerisa made way for Anthony to enter her father's compound.Anthony's eyes scanned Lerisa's body in her pink nightgown. He hadn't seen her wear any tight dress before, and seeing her in her nightgown, he loved the look of her body and gulped as he quickly averted his eyes to meet her gaze.He saw her blushing, a reverse of the sad woman he had spoken with on the phone the previous night."No, Lerisa. I'm through with my exercise, so I decided to come check on you. I have to be on my way home now; you know I cannot speak after having my breakfast with my mother," Anthony said, still staring intently at Lerisa's face."I know, but you should have said hello to my parents. Or no problem then, you can go." Lerisa frowned, and Anthony sighed, thinking his mother would be happy to hear that he went to see Lerisa and they were on good terms."Alright, let me come inside," Anthony stepped into the gate, and Lerisa shu
Lerisa went into the house and retired to her bedroom while Martha went to the kitchen to continue washing the dirty teacups.After thinking about Anthony for a while, Lerisa sighed and went to take her bath. She had woken up late because it was Saturday.However, Anthony couldn't stop thinking about Lerisa as he walked home.He saw her ample bosom flashing through her light pink nightgown."Hmm," Anthony hummed.He stumbled upon two people on his way home, lost in his thoughts."I'm sorry," Anthony ended up apologizing to the passerby."Damn it! I should have just accepted Lerisa's offer to drop me home, but I cannot have her wearing her nightgown to follow me outside... That's not right. What if another man sees her in that gown? She looks more sexy at home than at work, or are my eyes deceiving me now? Shit!"Anthony was sweating after finishing the cold bottled water in his hand.He tossed the empty bottle into the nearest trash bin on his way home.Arriving home, Anthony went into
Lerisa was lost in her thoughts the moment she stepped into the café. The first floor of the café was extremely spacious, and she hadn't anticipated seeing Anthony there.She was stunned when she saw Anthony walking towards her. The other men, who were hopeful admirers, frowned as they assumed Anthony was her date."Lerisa, what brings you here?" Anthony's deep voice called out, capturing her attention.Lerisa couldn't stop her cheeks from turning a deeper shade of red in embarrassment. She stammered, "Um, I, I don't know. Why are you here?"As Lerisa asked her question, her gaze fell on a beautiful woman in a yellow dress, whose eyes were shooting daggers at her.Lerisa immediately recognized the woman. It was the same woman who had asked her about Anthony before. 'Benita Evans,' Lerisa muttered in her heart, but Anthony quickly interjected, "I came here to see Benita. Who are you here to meet? Come over, let me introduce you to Benita, or are you meeting someone?"Anthony’s scrutiniz
Benita's smile brightened her lovely face. She was wearing a seductive red dress with a V-neck that exposed her full breasts to Anthony's view. She noticed Anthony's eyes wandering to her chest several times, and she knew he admired and desired her.Well, she was a beautiful woman, so she expected a handsome, wealthy guy like Anthony to admire her."You have nothing to worry about, Anthony. I accept your offer to date you. I've always liked you too, but I had to focus on my studies. I won't disappoint you, I promise," Benita smiled sweetly again."That's alright. I won't disappoint you either," Anthony said.Meanwhile, Lerisa had stepped out of the popular café to head back home, but a masculine arm caught her smooth, tender left hand. She swirled around to see who it was and was shocked to see Remy, looking breathtakingly handsome in a white top and blue jeans. He wore white sneakers too."Hey, Lerisa. I'm surprised to see you here. Did you come to see someone?" Remy asked.Lerisa for
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