“How long will you stay with me?” I asked Charlotte as we packed for New York. She had agreed to stay with me for a while as I took care of some matters in the office. The time I would stay there was indefinite, and we could not stay far away from each other for too long.“I have spoken to Kerrington, and as long as I can take care of things online, there is no problem with me changing my environment. It’s good for the brain.” She said with a smile. She took a pile of jeans from her closet and threw them on the bed, picking out the ones she needed for her stay.I was willing to buy her all the clothes she needed to avoid her carrying too much around, but I knew she would not agree to me doing so, hence, I did not push it. I knew she could take care of herself without needing my help, but I wanted to take care of her. Always. I was ready to spoil her, but I had learned to be careful not to make her feel like I was insulting her with my wealth.“Perfect! I have already asked Jacque to p
The newest couple in town walked past the crowd of people at JFK, hastily heading to the exit area of the airport before their arrival became chaotic. Lucas’s driver was already waiting for him at the exit terminal, and on sight, rushed to get the big suitcase off his hands.“No, get that!” he told him, pointing at the bags rolling by Charlotte’s side. The driver greeted Charlotte and grabbed the bags from her which were not as heavy as what Lucas had. He rushed to where the car was parked and carefully placed them inside the trunk of the black Porsche before lifting the large bag and setting it on the other side.Lucas held the car door for Charlotte who silently boarded the car. she sensed the tension that Lucas felt, and she hated her helplessness in the situation that crowded his brain. Lucas went round the car and settled beside her as they roared out of the parking lot and onto the road leading them home.As promised, Vivian Kent’s red Bentley was still outside Lucas Benjamin’s
“How are you?” I asked Jenny on the phone. It was currently seven in the morning, and she was preparing to go into court for a trial. Lucas was in the dining room having his breakfast that I helped prepare since I was up before the break of dawn.Kerrington had asked for my review on some articles before they were published the following day, and I figured the earlier I got into it, the better this staycation would be for me.“I am well. I told him about the pregnancy, and he was beyond excited.” She spoke enthusiastically. “He has already painted the extra room in his house... Some mauve colors for now. I will not be surprised if he starts shopping for the child before he buys my wedding dress.”I laughed hysterically.“Stop it, Jen. Anthony loves you a lot. He will buy them all at the same time.” I jested.“You see, that’s where the problem is. This child has eight months to arrive. Our wedding is in three months. I believe that makes me the priority.”“Honey, you will have a glamor
"Have you ever had a chat with Martha?" Charlotte asked. I stared at her quizzically, unsure of who she was referring to."Uhm, does Martha want to have a chat with me?" I asked, not wanting to sound oblivious in case this Martha was someone I ought to know."Do you even know who Martha is?" She asked, clearly noticing the change in my tone.Shit."I don't, actually," I surrendered. Charlotte clearly knew me too well, and every time I thought I could outdo her, my brain miscalculated how well the person I had lived with all my life knew me. "She's your head cook, Lucas!" She mentioned matter-of-factly. "We had an in-depth conversation with her about her hometown. She is such an intriguing soul, and she happens to bear the same wisdom that Aunt May had." She stretched out her legs, swinging with pure joy as we watched the sunset. "You know, you do have interesting staff members." She added.My mind did not wish to think about anyone or anything else at the moment as my day at the off
“Sir, you have a Miss Charlotte for you,” Luce’s voice sounded on the intercom. Lucas pressed the answer button and asked her to let her in. He stood up from his seat and smoothed out his suit which did not require any straightening at all.Lucas walked to the door and opened it even before her beautiful figure appeared in his sight. She was dressed in a black casual dress, and her ebony black hair bounced on her back with every step she took as she approached him.He watched her keenly, his heart beating quicker with every clack of her heels. Her face beamed when their eyes met, clearly equally excited to see him. Luce watched the two lovebirds as their eyes never peeled off each other, and instantly knew that she was the woman who drove her boss romantically insane all along. She had never seen his face light up so brightly before.“Hey,” Lucas greeted her when she stood before him.“Hi,” she responded casually. He welcomed her inside his gigantic office, leaning on the door frame a
“Excuse me?” I said, stopping the fury from seeping out of me. I could not place her face no matter how hard I racked my brain, and it did not make sense why she would ambush me in the bathroom for no reason. Her eyes glittered in purple eyeshadow, and her face portrayed her as a young lady, almost my age.She stood by the sinks, blocking the sight of my purse. This did not look like a burglary at all, and even if it were, the only valuable thing I would lose was the purse itself which was a gift from Lucas.“How dare you!” she cursed loudly, making my head spin in confusion. There was no reason for her anger, and she did not seem mentally incapacitated to be angry at a stranger for no reason.“Excuse me!” I echoed.“Charlotte Manning, right?” she asked. Her question puzzled me more, as the only reason someone would know both of my names is if they were my kin or colleague. I was not a journalist at Kerrington, and publishers were hardly ever recognized outside their places of work. W
“Look who we have here!” Vivian exclaimed loudly. Her presence had garnered more people in the audience, and the social media platforms were flowing with live news of the encounter. “If not the new couple in town,” she laughed deviously.“What the hell is this, Vivian?” Lucas tremored through his clenched teeth. His attempts to hide Charlotte from the limelight were proving futile, and like every wrong thing in his life recently, he had Vivian Kent to blame.“No, no, no, sweetie! You are not the one to get angry here, you hear me? In this situation, I should be the frustrated one. Of all the ways to trample on my dignity and pride, you replace me with her?” She said, gesturing at Charlotte. A group of people gasped in amazement as the cameras turned towards Charlotte who did not even try to hide her face since it was too late.“You know, when you told me you were leaving me, I was ready to forgive you. But now that I know you left me for this cheap bag of shit, I do not know if I can,
“You do know hiding in your duvet won’t negate the fact that you are famous now!” I declared as I tried grabbing the duvet from her face. Charlotte Manning was trending on all social media platforms thanks to her courageous confrontation with Vivian yesterday.Most people were praising her for her ‘pieces of truth’ as they framed them, with a few of Kent's loyal followers still amused by her out-of-the-blues appearance.“No, leave me alone!” Charlotte protested, clinging onto the end of her duvet like it could provide a stronger fort against the crowd. Her phone had been ringing incessantly from different media houses, and she sent them all to voicemail which bore messages asking for wedding dates. The only call she had agreed to pick up was from her assistant Diane, who wanted her permission to publish the story in Kerrington magazines, but she declined.“Baby, you know I can’t do that,” Lucas replied as he struggled to find an entry inside her fort. He snuggled with her, holding her
“Did you all think that I was going to let you off so easily, huh?” Vivian shouted from behind. The crowd gaped in surprise as they watched her stagger to the front, knocking down some of the arrangements that had been placed symmetrically on the ground. She was clearly drunk. “You and your family came to ruin my life and you think you can escape that easily!” Vivian laughed out loud, devilishly. “No, honey! You got it all wrong! Vivian Kent never accepts defeat.” Lucas stomped over to meet her in the middle of the aisle and with all his strength, he pulled her back all the way to the end. She was screaming and wincing in pain, demanding him to get his hands off her. Lucas was not about to do that. “Let me go, Lucas! I will not tell you again!” she shouted loudly. Before she could utter another word, a louder roar was heard from the left side of the audience. It was Terrence. Jenny had invited him for the wedding, and as a form of respect, he had taken the first plane to Atlanta to
The wedding setup looked as beautiful as the Heavens were imagined to look. The aisle divided the white seats into half, leading up to the altar that overlooked the Chattahoochee River. The sun had just risen, covering the surface of the water with its orange rays, as if contributing to the wedding theme.At the front, the couple’s family had designated seats and the planner had even left a seat for Aunt May as per Jenny’s wishes. The peach and white flower arrangements were placed along the sides of the aisle creating a romantic and lush aisleway from the entrance all the way to the altar.White florals and pampas grass had been used to create a modern eclectic boho feeling that was highlighted by the rustic wedding arch at the altar. From the sight of the venue, it was clear to see Aunt May’s presence around them, and their influence on their lives. Rita had gone out to inspect the venue for the umpteenth time in a bid to calm Jenny’s anxiety down which left her running around and
Lucas had bottled up all his wrath until the moment he heard Charlotte’s voice, calling out for Noah. He turned his head swiftly towards her, stunned by her interference in their direct family matters. This was a thing that Lucas felt he had to do alone, and now that the control was off his hands, he was unsure of what to expect.“What is wrong with you, Charlotte?” Lucas asked her, pulling her down to her seat. She was reluctant to go back down.“Noah, wait, this can’t end like this,” Charlotte said, her focus directed entirely on Noah and not the man who was currently tugging at her arm. The guard was about to walk him back to the seat but Noah resisted. He remained rooted to the floor.“Noah! We came here to tell you that you didn’t have to die sad and guilty anymore. Lucas came here to let you know that as much as you hurt him, he did not want you to carry the weight of your sins to the grave. It’s the first reunion in decades, it was definitely meant to be difficult. But it was n
The two doors opened simultaneously and Noah Benjamin limped out into the hall. The orange jumpsuit he wore was baggy around his frame and his face was time-worn, cutting him out to be a man of the age. His grey-white hair was wizened and straw-like, and his beard was patched up around his face, almost covering his entire skin. From afar, his eyes appeared sad and worn, but I could tell they lit up when he saw eyes as he neared. He tried fastening his pace towards Lucas, but his unsteady feet could not let him hurry.“Lu- cas,” he called out as the guard behind him helped him to his chair. I was rooted to my seat, still holding Lucas’s hand for support. His eyes were lasered on Lucas whose face seemed totally disinterested in whatever the old man had to say.“Lucas, my son. Is that you?” he called out again. His voice was weak and rough, and he seemed to be using the remaining energy in his bones to call out for his son. Lucas still did not respond.“I never thought I would ever see
The prison area was fenced six feet high with electric barbed wire all around the huge parcel of land. There was pin drop silence all around the neighborhood which made me feel like we were entering the devil’s study room. My eyes were focused on the front gate which was past the field where many men stood outside, staring at us while murmuring to each other. I drove to the front gate where manned guards stood with huge firearms around their torsos, their fingers ready on the trigger. A tall slender man approached me on the driver’s side, requesting for our identification and purpose of visit. After a long process of security checks and document verification, we were let inside.The field was bigger from the inside than it seemed outside. We parked next to the main block. I had taken three days to assure myself that I needed to do this now, but as we parked outside, all I wanted was to turn around and go back home. I sat there silently; my mind froze from the world outside my body.
The dress that Rita had designed for Jenny fit her like a glove. Clearly, it had been tailored just for her. She stood in front of the mirror for a while, her eyes filling up with tears as she stared at her reflection in utter disbelief. It was still taking a while for her to come to terms with the fact that she was about to become Anthony’s wife.“You… you are so beautiful, my baby,” her mother cried out from her bed. Jenny watched her reflection in the mirror, forcing a smile on her face as she nodded. The beauty before her had left her dumbfounded. Jenny had never fancied a big white wedding like her sister Charlotte did when they were young, but she always hoped to find a good man to settle down for as long as life allowed. And here she was, getting what she prayed for and more.Charlotte stood up from the seat in the corner and walked over to her sister, standing bedazzled by her side. She put her arms on her shoulder and looked into the mirror. Her face was wet with tears of joy
But I just need to make sure that as we move forward, we won’t end up regretting anything from the past…Charlotte’s words kept ringing in my ears as I sat through a meeting with Korean investors in the afternoon. The three men all dressed in matte black suits were interested in investing in the petroleum company that Mark and I ran. As they discussed business and partnership matters, my mind revolved around my past which seemed to follow me everywhere I went.I knew Charlotte did not mean to force me to meet Noah, but deep down, I knew I needed to shed off the skin, and that meant meeting him even if it was for the last time.“Thank you, Mr. Benjamin. We look forward to our next meeting,” one of the investors said as he stretched out his hand to shake mine. They were all standing up, which stopped my train of thought and brought me back to the four-cornered office.“Yes, thank you all too. Let me show you out,” I said to them as I walked around my table and opened the door for them.
One week laterJenny, Rita, and I were all together in my apartment, surfing through the internet to find the best event planners for her upcoming wedding. Jenny seemed calmer than I imagined she would be. However, as her support system, we still insisted on being by her side just in case that changed abruptly. The anxiety of being both married and a mother was bound to spill out from her soon, and we did not want her to go through it all alone.“Do you think I should invite Terrence?” Jenny asked. I looked up stunned, noticing how all the eyes were fixated on me in wait for my response.“I don’t know, do you want to invite him?” I turned the focus around.“I don’t know. He was once a part of this family at some point, so I just thought it might be cordial to have him around,” Jenny said.“Mh,” I sighed and immediately returned my attention to the tablet screen in front of me. I did not want to dictate her audience, but I knew agreeing to her question meant that I was the one inviting
The rest of the time on the island went by smoothly, and before we could create enough memories to last us a lifetime, it was time for each one of us to go back to the real world. “Did you have a great time?” I asked Charlotte while we were still in bed. It was half past eight in the morning, and the ship captain was scheduled to come to pick us all up at noon. “I had the best time of my life, Lucas. Thank you for everything,” she responded. “You don’t need to keep thanking me for doing the minimal things for you. you deserve so much more,” I told her. I kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly under the sheets, not willing to let go of her anytime soon. She smiled warmly. “We did not discuss how this works from now on. Kerrington Publishers had just launched earlier this year, and hence we don’t have any branches in New York, or anywhere else for that matter. And it would be selfish of me to ask you to live with me in Atlanta since you are mostly based in New York. I don’t want