Chapter 4: Scruple

Diane's heart thumped loudly in her chest as she got to Liam's secretary's table, a pretentiously pleasant woman who hated every stunning lady except herself.

" Hello, Mrs Evelyn, is Li... the boss in?” she asked with a pleasant smile plastered on her face "Miss Donaldson, how are you today?" Evelyn responded warmly.

"Very well, thank you”, Diane responded impatiently. "Do you have a prior appointment with him?" She asked.

" I do?" Diane said, faking a painstaking emotion,” But it wasn't timed. I just need to see him urgently as he requested my presence, and I decided to see him over the lunch break," she added pleasantly despite feeling the opposite.

" Okay, Miss Donaldson, I know we both work here, but I am sorry, I still need to follow the proper procedures. Give me a minute. Let me put a call through to him", Evelyn responded politely.

" All fine, I will wait" She turned and eyed Evelyn maliciously; one day, she will see to her sack, she promised herself. Evelyn made her short call and gestured her towards the CEO's office.

" He said you can come in”, Evelyn said; Diane didn't bother to respond as she made for the gigantic door that opened to Liam's office.

She turned the doorknob and let herself in " Mr Hickson you requested my presence" Diane said in a businesslike tone skipping pleasantries

"Diane, I am sorry about my loss of self-control last night; please have a seat," Liam said in a calm tone, gesturing towards a two-sitter opposite him.

Diane walked towards him, holding his gaze; to his utter bewilderment, she sat on his lap.

" I wasn't drunk last night Liam, I told you I consented to it," she said seductively watching his drastic change in countenance

" Did you take advantage of my shattered emotion?" Liam said feeling hurt

" Yes I did Liam," she said confidently" Let us be realistic, you need me now more than ever, someone who truly cares about you enough to want you happy" she added sweetly

Liam threw her a warning look to stand up from his lap but she pretended not to notice or care

" Aren't you Rissa's best friend? Do you think she will let you be if she finds out about your betrayal" Liam blurted out.

Diane laughed hysterically "Betrayal? Who? Me! I never betrayed anyone; as far as I am concerned, I slept with you as a bachelor; aren't you both divorced?" Diane responded swiftly cutting off any further infuriating words Liam was about to spill.

" I know," he said calmly adjusting his tie as he was feeling aroused from her sitting on his lap

" I do not understand how even the guilty party could move on so fast and the victim kept wallowing in self-pity" Diane bellowed nettled

" She moved on?" Liam asked suspiciously keeping a blank expression to maintain his composure.

" You still don't get it, do you? She eloped with her lover already; didn't you see how fast she was willing to sign the divorce papers? She never loved you, Liam; she was after your wealth in the first place; it was a shame you caught her early on" Diane blabbered on nonchalantly.

Liam felt a pounding headache; he didn't know Rissa was this terrible; he fell for her softness and ambitiousness. Unknown to him, she had hidden the cunning fox in her.

" I loved her,", he said without thinking, Diane's emotion darkened, but she recovered immediately.

She placed her long fingernails on the back of his shimmering black hair inhaling the sophisticated aroma of his cologne.

" You have me now Liam, I will stand by you" Diane responded seductively moving her hand over his hair

" Why didn't you tell me about Rissa's betrayal from the onset?" he asked out of the blue.

" I also found out too late about her flings and she begged me that it would never happen again until she did it again on your wedding night" She recounted sadly

" She has been cheating on me from the onset?" Liam asked wide-eyed, and she nodded in affirmation.

" I am sorry you found out this way", Diane added, feeling elated at the effect her words seemed to be having on him.

Liam succumbed to her. He placed his head on her shoulder as she kept rubbing it on, and Diane smiled satisfactorily at her accomplished feat.

***

Adrian stared blankly at the glass window of Morning Sunshine restaurant.

He kept munching hungrily on his hamburger alerting a toddler who stared at him wide-mouthed.

He noticed the child and smiled warmly at her hiding his embarrassment.

" Daddy look," the girl said, pointing at him "he is hungry", she added, giggling.

Her mother turned her head to stare at him making obvious her disdain.

Adrian turned back to the glass window, and he despised himself at that moment; he looked so homeless and unkempt.

His straggly beards covered a greater part of his face, he was still dressed in his pyjamas at midday.

" Even a toddler finds me unattractive," he said mockingly to himself and focused on munching his hamburger.

He picked up his phone and switched on his internet connection, glancing through the business news he scoffed loudly

" This old geezer is bluffing again" he soliloquized while itching his twitching nose.

He was about to drop his phone when a notification of entertainment news popped up on his screen, showing a stunning lady in a towel and the back of her departing lover; for some unknown reason, he picked up interest in the story.

He punched on to open the blog post but unfortunately, his phone battery gave off

He screamed out of frustration earning himself a look of disdain from other customers.

" Do they serve mentally deranged people here?" A tubby woman in her fifties thundered nettled

Adrian didn't seem to care about the stares he was amassing, he just kept eating on

He gulped down his cola drink all at once and made to exit the restaurant when a huge framed man blocked his way.

Adrian closed his eyes and opened them again" Are you here to kidnap me?" He asked with a thumping heart.

" What if I am? " a deep voice responded coldly and yanked his hand from the doorway, dragging him along forcibly.