Some years laterAlice's POV“Dad! You shouldn't have borrowed that much money! Do you think we'll be able to pay off our debts in six months?” I griped angrily at Dad.“That's the best thing to do, Alice. Look, we can't sit and watch our Café go down the drain. We'd have to try our very best to bring it back to life,” my dad, Mr Robert Ferdinand, replied.“But at least, you should have told me about it earlier! You should have…” I was heartbroken.“I'm so sorry Alice. It skipped my memory to tell you about it. Believe me Alice, we'll pay off the debts, as soon as we bounce back,” he cooed, smiling convincingly.“How about mum? Does she know about it? Did she agree to it?” I asked.“Of course, Alice! We both agreed on this. It didn't really occur to me, I should have told you about it earlier,” he apologized.“So, how do they intend to have us pay the debts? What are the terms and conditions?” I inquired, staring intently at Dad.“On a monthly basis, we are expected to pay about a tho
Mum… I had really missed you,” I wrapped my arms around her in a warm embrace, as I welcomed her with cheers.“Oh! You're here, Alice! You didn't tell me you were coming,” she smiled, surprised to see me.“Yeah mum, it was a surprise visit! I didn't need to tell you about it,” I teased.“Oh wow! That's lovely, Alice!” She remarked, beaming with smiles.“So, how've you been, mum?” I asked, concernedly.“Very well, Alice! And you?” she grimaced a smile.“I’m doing pretty well too,” I answered, returning the smile.“Dad told me you went down the neighborhood to see Mrs Winifred, your long time friend,” I disclosed, peering into her face, excitedly.“Yeah, I did. Can I go in now?” She smiled at my insensitivenessI just realized we were still standing by the door.“Oh yeah, that's true,” I shrugged, ushering her in.“I'm so sorry about that, mum. My mind was somewhere else,” I apologized sincerely.“It's fine, Alice. Get your mind back! You're home now,” she teased, giving me a funny stare
C'mmon, Alice! You just finished having lunch. Where are you heading to?” Mum asked, giving me a battered look.“Mum, I've told you I've got stuff to do at home. It's getting rather late already,” I replied, hardly looking at her face.“But can't you at least stay with us for some while? Is it that urgent?” She furrowed eyebrows in dismay.“But I've stayed enough already! Thanks for the meal. I have an important thing to do at home and I have a meeting to attend afterwards,” I lied, tactlessly.“Meeting? What meeting are you talking about? It's a Saturday for goodness sake! Who holds meetings on Saturdays?” She smirked, moving her gaze slightly towards Dad and then back to me.“Mum… I'm leaving please!” I concluded and continued moving, to mum's chagrin.“Come back here! You hungry ass! Stop being an insolent child! You're way too big for that!” Mum barked at me, sending chills down my spines.“Mum, I'd see you later please,” I still proved adamant.I walked away into the living room.
"What? Charles... How did you get here? You didn't tell me you were coming!" I ranted, as my eyes popped in disbelief.He frowned angrily, as he caught a sight of what I was doing earlier. He kept mum, all the time. I didn't like the expression on his face."What's wrong with you, Charles? It is me, Charles, or are you seeing a ghost? Please talk to me!" I didn't like the silence."I thought I gave you some rules. Have you gotten them off your mind in a jiffy? What the hell are you doing?" he was so pissed off."I'm so sorry Charles, I just..." My statement was incomplete. "You just did what? Felt horny, huh? And you're yelling my name all over the place?" he shut me a dagger glare."I'm so sorry about that, Charles. I won't do that again. I promise," I pleaded with him.He seemed not to be interested in what I was saying. He breathed heavily, like he was going to tear me into pieces any moment from now."I warned you, Alice! I warned you, but you won't listen to me!" he stared disdai
It was sad how things turned out for me. It was even more sad that I had to lose at both ends. The long breakup note I had sent was intended to make him feel remorseful, but it didn't. And how was it that he was too willing to discard me like some piece of trash? Was this it?‘You can never know with men!’ It was now that the dictum my mum always said dawned on my face. I even had to add mine; you can never know with women. I'd make that bitch pay for what she did to me once I get out of this!I cried my eyes out all night. The days were lonely and dreary. Every day birthed its new problem for me. I found it a hard put to discuss it with anyone, since the only ones I had trusted let me down. I also couldn't tell it to Mum or Dad, because they had their own problems too and I didn't want to bother them.I grabbed a romance book from the bookshelf and thought of reading it. I gave up the idea, remembering what had transpired between me and Charles some days ago. I decided to listen to
I turned my face towards the left, struggling hard to hide it away from the cameras. The CEO kept mum, with a resolute face. The reporters were surprised at how none of us budged. They soon grew more anxious and continued with their questioning.“Who is she to you?”“How can you explain this to the media?”“And she looks like a pauper. Why would you stoop so low?”That last hurt me so deeply. I gasped suddenly and gulped down hard. I knew I didn't have much money, but it's so bad how they made me feel worthless like some piece of filth. In a normal circumstance, I'd have tried to defend myself, but right now, the circumstances were beyond normal, so I couldn't do anything about it.I wanted to say something to the man beside me, but the noise from the crowd drowned my tiny voice. It now sounded barely above a whisper.“Can we leave this place immediately? I can't take this anymore!” I took an exasperated sigh.“Oh you wanna leave? Isn't this more of a shame to you?” One of the angry r
‘Bernard Alexander, the CEO of the Alexander's Hotels And Suites Spotted With A Mysterious Low-Class Lady On A Night Dress!’ The news headlines shone brightly at my face.“What?!” I yelled loudly and jerked as I read those lines.Scrolling down through the news, it was all I could do to break down into tears. The netizens weren't taking it lightly with me.“She's a gold digger!” I read the next comment and whimpered softly.From the news headlines, one could insinuate almost accurately that we came out from a hotel room, or something of sort, which was what the majority of the online critics thought.All I could think of right now, was what my parents and close relatives would have to say, if they found out about the scandal. I bothered more about that, than I did about what Charles and the likes would say.It's been barely twenty-four hours since I and the CEO were found together by the paparazzi, yet the news spread very fast. Our crazy escapade was polished by the media to be capti
The Gibbons garden was well-decorated with live flowers of different kinds. The canopy trees gave the place a shady look and a touch of nature. This was a perfect spot for Alex and I. I have come here on several occasions to catch up with Charles, but most of the time, he didn't show up. I'd painstakingly leave after waiting for hours without seeing him. Now it was my turn. My turn to pay him back in a different way.Bernard and I had showed up a little earlier than when Charles decided we met. We were already seated opposite to each other, under my favourite tree, enjoying the chill of the atmosphere and he had ordered a bottle of champagne.“Alice, can I ask you a question?” He gazed at me suddenly.“What’s that?” I was curious to know what he wanted to ask.“Do you still love your boyfriend?” His hoarse tone pervaded my ears.I gulped, lowering my gaze to the table and admiring the lovely patterns on it. I knew I had to choose my words wisely, else it would end on a bad note.“I h