Chapter 3

Lila's POV

“Lila,” I felt someone tap me softly but I stirred on the bed, adjusting my sleep position to continue to enjoy my sleep.

“Lila,” the voice came again with another tap and my eyes fluttered open to see mother. She just woke up too and I'm happy to see her looking better.

But I'm surprised that she isn't smiling back at me. I was about to question her when she stopped me. “Lila, you're late for work”

A gasp escaped my lips as realisation dawned on me when my eyes darted to the wall clock. “Oh my God!”

I have to resume work in the next 25 minutes if I don't want to be made redundant. It looks so impossible to get ready and be at work in that little time frame. 

Just then, we heard a knock. That must be Elena. I scrambled out of bed to get the door and it turned out that Elena had been knocking at the door for a while. 

I quickly dashed to the bathroom to get ready.

En route to work, I couldn't help but think about how mum scared the hell out of me last night. I feared that something might happen to her.

Mum kept trying to assure me that she'll be fine and I should go get some sleep so I'd be up early for work but I didn't listen to her. I saw to it that I used cold water and a neat piece of cloth to soak away the hotness of her body repeatedly till she got better and even slept off.

I'm happy that my makeshift solution for her rising temperature worked. And I've left some money for Elena to get her some medications this morning. 

Fear and anxiety have become my best friends recently, because they did not leave me even now. Here I am, running to work as a consequence of not sleeping when I ought to. 

At times I would run, at times I would slow down and walk to catch my breath a little before running again. 

My boss had given me enough warnings, and I don't know what to expect with my tardiness to work this morning, but i braced myself for the worst

By the time I got to work, I was huffing and puffing like a fugitive who just escaped from prison. I checked my watch which revealed that I was 10 minutes late to work. 

“You're late Lila,” my colleague said to me as I walked in. 

She shook her head in dismay, and I feared that the boss might have fired me even before I got here. But then, she spoke up again. “Well, you're lucky today because the boss hasn't arrived yet.”

“Are you serious?” My face brightened up at her words and she nodded with a genuine smile. 

Relief swept through me in a huge rush and a profound feeling of joy rained down on my existence, making my heart dance in glee.

Just as we were discussing, the door was suddenly thrown open and Greg came into view, ambling towards us. 

It is not just the fact that Greg just walked in with a woman that is unusual. Everything about him today seems unusual. 

I'm not sure I've ever seen Greg smile in months that I've been working with him, but today, he is not just smiling. He is grinning from ear to ear like he's a model for some toothpaste company, replying nicely to the greetings of every staff member he met on his way. 

It's really incredible how this is coming from the same Greg that has always been cold to his staff.

“Looks like our boss has been cloned, we need to call for help,” Grace whispered to me. 

“Yes, we need to call for help immediately,” I whispered back to her.

I was making so much effort to stifle my impulse to laugh because Greg was now standing before me, with his fingers still intertwined with the lady's own. 

“Good morning Sir,” Grace and I greeted him concomitantly. 

“Morning, my lovely staff,” he replied accompanied with a wide grin. 

Grace and I exchanged a brief gaze of disbelief before we both returned his smile. 

I knew that if I hadn't averted my gaze from her quickly, Grace had the disposition to snort from a stifled laughter, which could trigger my outburst of laughter too before she joins me laughing.

“These are my staff,” he said to the lady as he turned to us again. 

“Ladies, meet my fiancee,” Greg said to us. 

“Good morning ma, you're welcome,” we greeted her with moderate smiles on our faces, unlike our boss who we had just discovered to be a clown in disguise.

When they both headed to Greg's small office and were out of sight, Grace who couldn't contain her laughter anymore snorted before breaking into a fit of laughter and I couldn't help but join in.

Who would have imagined that Greg could ever behave like this? 

He just acted like a clown and if I didn't give him a closer look I might have thought that Greg had tuly been cloned. 

He must be trying to make his fiancee believe that he is a nice man and not the usual cold and fastidious person that he is, but I think he went a little overboard with the façade. 

The day's work went smoothly because Greg wasn't here to put too much pressure on us as usual. Instead, we could hear him laugh at intervals from his small office. It is just so laughable that I've never seen this side of him before.

I walked towards the handsome man that just made an order, carrying a glass cup and Cabernet Sauvignon wine in my hands. He looked effortlessly handsome, his sharp jawline and well-groomed stubble catching the soft light. 

His crisp, tailored suit contrasted with the casual diner setting, hinting at wealth and sophistication and I wonder why he chose here among many other ones that would have suited his class. 

Dark, neatly styled hair framed his striking features, and his deep, blue eyes made me feel like I could get lost in them if I keep looking. 

I was pouring him a glass of wine when the door suddenly swooshed open, revealing Greg who had just walked his fiancee to the door some moments ago.

I froze at his features. How could he quickly transition to his usual cold look when some moments ago, he was all smiles like a clown.

“What the hell woman!” I was jolted from my reverie when the man I was serving yelled at me, only for me to see that I had just spilled some wine on him.

“Oh no!, I'm so sorry please, it was an accident.” my heart was racing in my chest as I pleaded. 

“You clumsy woman.” I turned to see Greg storming towards me, his face a mask of fury. 

When he got here, Greg pressed his palms to each other in a plea directed at the man. “I’m so sorry, don't be offended please,” and then he turned to me. “How could you be so careless? You can't work here any….”

“No it's fine, let her stay,” the man said to Greg and my eyes dilated in utter astonishment. 

Greg too was surprised to say anything so there was a brief silence before the man broke it again.

“Except you want me not to come here again,” he added. 

That worked the magic because Greg doesn't like to lose customers, especially customers like him.

“Fine,” he said, accompanied with a moderate smile of acknowledgement towards the man before he walked away 

I can't believe this man just saved my job.

“Thank you so much sir.” I said to him, my heart brimming with Joy, while he responded with a nod before I left him to enjoy his order.

My mood while walking home tonight is a stark contrast to that of last night. Tonight, I feel so alive.

I've been doing overtime and going home a little late recently so I'm not surprised that the usual bustling street is now quiet. 

I even left work later than yesterday. I already told Elena this morning that anytime she doesn't see me by 7pm, she can leave. And I'm glad she won't be waiting for me by now so I won't delay her. 

I've also made mum promise me she won't stress herself by going extra miles for me.

Suddenly, a bike man dressed in black all through suddenly rode past me and then halted at a distance behind me.

I looked back only to see that he had alighted from his bike but was pressing his phone. I felt indifferent and kept moving but as I moved some inches more, I heard footsteps following me. I halted and the footsteps ceased as well. 

I looked back again to see that the gap between us had become shorter, but he still seemed to be pressing his phone like one who is chatting with his lover.  

Oh God! I hope it's not what I'm thinking.

To be convinced that I'm just overthinking it all, I faced the front again and walked faster this time, but to my greatest shock, the footsteps behind me quicked with the same pace. 

I turned back to see that there was only a little gap between us and my eyes instantly caught something standing out from his shirt pocket. 

A knife!

A sharp looking pocket knife!

My heart started beating twice its normal rate as I need no soothsayer to tell me the kind of person he is.

I picked my heels immediately, and even though I didn't dare look back, I could hear the man run after me.