Chapter Six

A soothing music played at a restaurant in the dark, cool evening. Customers in the restaurant discussed in high spirits, but the restaurant was soundproofed to prevent a racket. Waiters and waitresses sailed around the restaurant, serving their customers. 

Nothing was more nerve-racking, awkward and embarrassing to June than having dinner at a restaurant with the man who now owned Asrijet. What would people say about it? June forced herself to be happy, smiling at everything he said at the table while her mind wondered his intentions.

Tally barely took her eyes off Anthony. She sort of doubted if she had met face-to-face with such a beauty before. His kissable, reddish-pink lips mesmerized the sense out of her. Was she to focus on his killer blue eyes, sparking her brain with every glimpse he shot her way, or his ripped body that fought to tear his grey shirt open. She could not imagine pulling on his neatly combed-back, dirty blonde hair while they kiss under the shower. She'd never admired a man that much, he was the first. 

“I was thinking —” A sheepish smile surfaced on Pinky’s face. “When are you two going to get married?” Her lips twisted, she anticipated the worst response because she thought her question was inappropriate.

Kayla glanced at Pinky for having asked such an unnerving question. Then she continued eating, she believed there was certainly no answer to Pinky's question. Marry an iron-fist? Hah! Pinky really needed to work on her mouth. 

“Well —” Anthony worked his gaze to Pinky. Every eye at the table was on him, waiting to hear his response. But Kayla focused on her food — eating was a way she forced herself to stick to rule number one. Kayla missed catching the intention in Anthony's eyes, which June detected when he looked her way. That glint in his eyes offered June the feeling he was up to something unpleasant. “Our marriage is in seven days.”

His words hit Kayla's with a shock that swiveled her head to him, gazing in a daze. Anthony wasn't looking back at her, as if he meant to taunt her with those words. Anthony said that to test her, right? Whether Anthony meant those words or not, the impression it made on her felt like there was a time bomb wrapped around her waist. She downed the wine in her glass and pulled a smile to her face to mask her uneasiness.

“Is it true, Kayla?” Sam asked.

“Uhm…” Kayla had been struggling to hide her emotions, Sam almost kicked her out of her leash with that question. She gripped a fork and a knife to repress her uneasiness. She thought that Anthony joked about what he said, why wasn't he saying anything to prove his words were lies? “Well…” She glanced at Anthony, who offered her a smile she deemed evil.

“But seven days is not enough time to prepare a grand wedding, or — is it a backyard wedding?” Pinky's lips curled nervously as she asked — she feared the response will turn out negatively. Pinky's words earned Kayla and June who were uneasy an imperceptible sigh of relief.

Anthony pushed his gaze back to Pinky. “It’s a grand wedding, of course,” he said to enliven Pinky's mood. Then his glance revisited Kayla, who was pouring herself another glass of wine. “Kayla and I had been preparing for months.” 

The bottle in Kayla's hold almost slipped, the glass mistakenly overfilled and wine spilled over the table. Anthony's words came with a heavy force that shook her. To erase every suspicion her mistake raised, she pulled up an approving smile, glanced at Anthony and nodded at his lies. He planned alone —not with her.

“But how can the wedding be in seven days when you haven't proposed yet?” Sam's questioning eyes fell on Kayla's fingers, “I don't see any ring on her finger.”

“About the proposal…” He gazed at Sam. His lips shifted into a small beam. Sam knew that Anthony wasn't the type that smiled, so he could manage the little smile Anthony gave him, he just needed an answer to his curious question.

His silence left everyone's heart wobbling as they anticipated what he would say next. An overwhelming height of anxiousness had Kayla downing a cold wine without stop, her mind apprehended another test Anthony might give her, his silence already gave her a signal to prepare for the worst.

Anthony looked at Kayla, who kept imbibing cold wine, avoiding his eyes. With his eyes on her, he pushed his seat back and slowly stood up. Kayla heard the sound of his seat scraping the floor. Anxiousness and curiosity pushed her head to look at him. She froze up in fear, gazing at him, thoughts whirling around her mind.

Kayla's eyes followed his movements, the same as the eyes of others at the table. They wondered what he was about to do. June knew he was up to no good. Kayla's heart raced, she could pee on herself.

He captured her eyes in a tight gaze she found grisly, then took a knee beside her. Her eyes widened, Anthony was about to do something beyond her expectations. She hoped it was nothing near her thoughts. 

        “Wait! Is he going to propose?” Sam's voice sounded both excited and shocked as he gaped. He stood up and hollered, “He’s going to propose to Kayla!”

A lot of people in the restaurant looked towards Anthony's direction — they heard Sam when he mentioned ‘propose’. While some people made issues out of the proposal, those who gladly anticipated the proposal reached for their phones, and some, their cameras —they were ready to film the moment.

Anthony broke the gaze and slid his hand into his pocket. Kayla's eyes still followed his movements until he took out a love-shaped velvety navy ring box. Upon seeing the ring box, it occurred to everyone that he was indeed going to propose. The restaurant broke into an euphoric hubbub, customers were filming the moment. Tally, Pinky, and Sam were excited, they went live on social media.

Holding the box, he shot Kayla a glance that stabbed her emotions like a knife, caused her heart to ache and bleed until she lost herself. Her eyes went dewy, yet she fought to keep her cool. She wished it was another test. She wished it could be a necklace or anything other than a ring seated in the box.

Soon as Anthony opened the box, people were stunned to see the 40-carat marquise-cut diamond ring which seated beautifully in the box. Kayla's heart broke into shreds, tears forced its way out of her eyes. It eventually turned out to be a ring. Anthony was going to propose to her. Proposing was beyond a test.

Anthony picked the ring out from the box. Looking up at her face with the ring held forward. “Kayla Jonathan. Will you be my wife?”

“Come on, Kayla. Say ‘yes,” Pinky urged, afraid Kayla might turn down the proposal because she'd delayed for too long.

Her delay started to annoy and exhaust people. Most people turned off their phones and focused on what they were doing before the proposal distracted. Anthony was supposed to get tired, but his intentions energized him. He would kneel there until she made her decision.

“If I'm not conflating things, Anthony Kings is having an affair with Jenifer Houston, isn't he?” a teenage girl in glasses asked her girlfriend, who exchanged a puzzled look with her.

“I thought so.” Her friend shrugged. “Never heard he broke up with Jenifer.”

Customers in the restaurant and fans on social media made issues out of Anthony's relationship with Jenifer Houston. His sudden proposal to Kayla baffled people and raised a million questions in their minds. 

It pained Kayla to know that people would take her tears and hesitation otherwise. They would assume she was surprised, or for some selfish reason, she wasn't ready for marriage, and Anthony caught her off guard. People would call her ingrate. But all that were far from the truth.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice was low and rueful tone. The coercive glint in his eyes alone gave her a deep compulsion to accept his proposal, but she decided against marrying an imposter. “I can't.” Not withstanding the feelings, she stormed away.

Kayla's action terrified June, she knew it was dangerous for Kayla to leave without settling Anthony, she could see it in Anthony's eyes as he looked at her. His gaze was much more like a warning.

June took the same route Kayla took and headed to the restroom, hoping to find her there. Opening the women's restroom door, she found Kayla there alone, flooding tears. Kayla's feeling at that moment was contagious, June contracted the pain but hers was joined with sympathy.

 “Kayla.” She walked up to Kayla. Taking Kayla's arms, she made Kayla look at her. Kayla buried her face, still in tears. “I know it's worth crying for, but please stop punishing yourself like this.” She held Kayla's face, clueless concerning how to console her, but then something came to mind. “Accept his proposal, Kayla.”

Kayla's heart sank the moment June's words collided with her ears. Her tears ceased as anger stormed in, confusion glistening in her eyes, she doubted if she even heard clearly. “Mom …” She slipped off June's hold and stepped back. “You —” Was June under a spell?

June quickly picked up Kayla's reaction. “I didn't mean it that way, sweetie.” That unbelievable look still sat tight on Kayla's face. “Do you remember your 13th birthday? That day on the balcony?” Tears rolled down her face.

Kayla shut her eyes as the memory of that day ravaged her soul and pulled tears out of her eyes. The memory didn't hurt because she almost jumped off the balcony that day, it hurt because Clinton's end lived on in her heart.

“For years you've borne guilt in your heart. Maybe this is your chance to let it go.” June approached. She placed her hand on Kayla's cheek as they looked into each other's eyes. “Remember… every pain is a passage to a new beginning. Who knows, maybe destiny has something else to say.”

“Destiny has nothing else to say, Mother. Anthony threatens to kill all of you. He's evil, he's not Clinton.”

June wiped Kayla's tears with her fingers. “He may not be Clinton, he must be a bad person. But if you obey him, every one of us will be alive until I figure out a way to set things right.” 

Hope rushed through Kayla and her eyes lit up when she heard June mention ‘way’. “Are you — going to help me escape from Anthony?” She asked for certainty.

“You have my words,” June assured, liking the hope washing over Kayla.

Kayla's eyes drilled into June's, as if trying to figure the possibility of June keeping to her words. She saw trust in June's eyes, and she trusted June as a mother; therefore she believed in June's promises. “But the marriage is in seven days, do you realize you must be quick about it?”

“Just relax and do whatever he asks you to do. Then leave the rest to me, okay?” Kayla nodded at June's assurance. “That’s my daughter. Now huff and puff, and let's go kiss the birdbrain goodbye in advance.” A hilarious smile which touched June's face sent a smile across Kayla's face.

Wearing June's promise in her heart like an armor — only June's promise, Kayla killed every heartache, every fear, every dismay and apprehension. Boldly, she accepted his proposal. Ignoring every knowledge of his dark intentions, she let the ring of an imposter who'd do her nothing but harm wrap around her finger. 

Acclamation burst through the atmosphere in the restaurant soon as she finally accepted the proposal. People congratulated them on their engagement. But these people never knew their acclamation was like a farewell to Kayla —was like a funeral — was like sending her to a journey of no return. However, with the armor of hope June had given, she believed life must return to what it used to be before he came. 

Immediately after the proposal, Anthony had squeezed her so tightly in his arms like a happy boyfriend and whispered in her ear, “Such a clever little bird you are, Kayla. A little reminder…” He paused. “You failed your test.” He dropped a kissed on her cheek and smiled, lovingly stroking her back.