Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“What did you say?” I asked as I stared at her intently.

She smiled and sat on the sofa, ignoring my question.

“What did you say about Williams? What did you tell him and why were you even discussing with him?” I asked seriously.

She smiled broadly, taunting me more. “You look so funny right now Earl, I thought nothing ever gets to you. It was just a discussion and I never said I told him anything”

I shut my eyes to calm my nerves. I wouldn't want anyone to hear us argue, but her nonchalance was getting me worked up. I squinted and spoke between gritted teeth, “Don't joke with me, Venus. I married you for a reason and Williams is not someone I want to see you with because he is my biggest enemy in this company and very dangerous. If you get close to him, you will be greatly marred. You get that?”

The smile on her face vanished and she nodded obediently, looking scared and different from the bold lady I had seen earlier. I wanted to walk to her, hold her and tell her I didn't mean to scare her.

But now wasn't the time to be meek; I needed to be two steps ahead of Williams, who has always been a cunny man.

“So what were you doing with him?” I asked again, ignoring the innocent look on her face.

She swallowed and stared ahead, avoiding my eyes. “I was heading to the restroom when he stopped me and challenged me about being paid by you to be your fake wife. He knows my name and said he has researched me and my family. He asked how much you paid me and promised to double it. However, he said he would dig up dirt about me and he might harm my family”

She looked at me in fear and asked, “Do you think he is capable of harming my family? You said he is dangerous. Tell me, will he harm my family? All I do is to help my family, they are all I've got and I can't drag them into any mess.”

I sighed and rubbed my temple while relaxing my back on the swivel chair. I had thought she was scared because of my words, turns out she was scared of what Williams could do to her family. Does that mean she doesn't fear me at all? I pondered.

“Earl! Say something”

Her voice brought me back to reality. I sat up and looked straight into her eyes, “Williams is dangerous and power driven, he will do anything to get what he wants, but you have nothing to worry about if you stick to your part of the bargain. I will protect you and your family. Don't worry.”

She looked at me with uncertainty. I shook my head and said, “I promise, I won't let him harm you. But if you decide to work with him because you are scared of what he could do, you will become his toy, and there will be no going back, and of course, he will always use your family to get you to do what he wants because he knows that's your weak point. So you need to trust me on this, okay?”

She watched me silently before nodding.

********

Williams paced around his office, his grip on the cup containing some tequila was firm. He looked down at it and wished it was Earl’s neck, he badly wanted to end his life.

He turned around and faced his personal assistant, Jabez, who had been standing and waiting for the next order.

“I need every detail about that bitch, where she is from, her family background, and how she met Earl. I threatened to deal with her to get her to speak, but she wants to go the hard way and I'll love to let her know no one messes with me. I'll make her beg for mercy and give me the information I need without a reward”

Jabez typed on his iPad while nodding to everything being said. He had vowed to serve Williams for as long as he was needed because he felt indebted to him for paying for his mother's brain surgery. Going against Williams was never an option, no matter what he did.

Williams emptied the cup in one shot and walked back to his table, his back turned. “Tell Marcelo to meet me tonight at the usual spot, we need to speed up the game.”

He waved his hands dismissively and waited till the door was shut before smashing the cup in his hands against the wall.

*******

*Venus POV*

The ride home was silent, and all I wanted was to take a cold shower and rest for the day, even though it wasn't night yet.

Earl had ordered Ben to take me back home while he attended his other meetings. It was a welcomed development for me seeing that I was feeling monitored and choked being in the company.

While some stared at me in envy, some stared in admiration, while others stared in disgust. I couldn't tell if it was just because they didn't like me, or if Earl's problem with some of the employees made it so. I needed no soothsayer to know that Earl had so many competitors, Williams was just the recognized one.

His words and condescending look flashed through my brain, and I shuddered; he didn't look like someone who had a conscience.

I looked towards Ben, whose eyes remained focused on the road, and I asked, “How long has Mr Williams been working in the company?”

Ben looked at me through the rearview mirror, his forehead creased in confusion. “Is there a problem Ma'am?”

“No, I'm just curious. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries by asking?” I smiled nervously.

He peered at me through the mirror again and kept his eyes glued to the road. He didn't seem like he was going to answer me.

After some minutes, he replied, “He is one of the founding staff of the company and has so much influence on quite a number of employees in the company. In everything you do madam, don't have any business to do with him.”

My throat felt dry and I felt my heartbeat increase its thumping. I shut my eyes in a bid to erase every negative thought from my head but my phone beeped, showing I had a message.

I clicked open and saw the text written in block letters, “THERE IS A PROBLEM.”