Life Or Pride

Layla went to bed feeling a bit uneasy. She didn’t know if she was safe, but he hadn’t done anything to her yet, she had never heard news about him being involved in such scandals. Although it was tough, she eventually slept.

She woke up the following morning and went to the bathroom after confirming she wasn’t dead. She took a quick shower and left the bathroom to find her clothes, but yelped when she left her room only to see him in her bedroom. 

“OH MY GOD!” she screamed and ran back into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” Ryan asked, confused.

“I should be the one asking that!” Layla shouted from the bathroom. 

“What?”

“Yes!” she yelled. “What the hell are you doing in my room?”

“Your room?” Ryan chuckled. “I think you might have forgotten something, this is my house, every room in this house is mine,” he said with a slightly demeaning tone.

Layla wanted to find a rebuttal, but he was right, it was his house.

“Would you leave the bathroom? I like to look people in the eyes when I talk to them,” Ryan requested, but it sounded more like a command.

“Can’t you wait for me to get dressed first?” Layla mumbled. 

“I do not have the time for that,” Ryan replied. “Now, you can either come out here, or I will go in there to meet you. Your choice,” he said.

Layla remained silent in the bathroom, not moving a muscle.

“You have three seconds,” Ryan said and got up from her bed. “One,” he began counting, walking towards the bathroom. “Two,” he said and took out his hand from his pocket as he got closer to the door. “Three…”

“Fine!” Layla shouted from the bathroom and came out, feeling embarrassed.

“That did not have to be hard,” Ryan sighed and walked back to the bed.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, trying but failing to sound bold.

“You,” Ryan replied simply. “I don’t live a very social life. But I know a respectable woman when I see one, a sophisticated and respectable woman,” he added. “You have tested a lot of life, the good, the bad and the ugly, and you have learned from all of that,” Ryan said, but he was beating around the bush.

“And the point of all those… compliments?” Layla asked.

Ryan looked her in the eyes. “Layla Reynolds, I would like you to be my woman,” Ryan said with a serious tone.

Layla looked at him in shock. She looked at his face for a while, trying to redefine what he meant, but she couldn’t find a redefinition. After almost thirty seconds of silence, she suddenly burst out into a laugh.

“Oh my God you are funny, you are good, you are really good,” she laughed. “This… this is one of those celebrity prank things, right?” she laughed. “Where are they?”

“Where are who?” Ryan asked, genuinely confused.

“The hidden cameramen and rest of the people running this?” she chucked and looked around, but there was no response. She looked at his face and saw that he was absolutely serious.

“Oh God, he is serious,” she muttered to herself. “You are serious?”

“You thought that was a joke?” Ryan felt a bit insulted.

“Well, yes… I mean, what else did you expect me to think?” Layla raised a brow in confusion. “I literally only just met you last night and now you want me to be your woman? That’s not how life works!” she yelled and held her head, feeling a bit nauseous. 

Ryan looked at her and shook his head slowly. “Look Layla, all you have to do is be my woman, that is all I ask. I will handle your grandfather’s bills, your family’s debts will be absolved, you will have…”

“NO!” Layla yelled, feeling disgusted. “What do you think I am? Some cheap woman or something?” she squinted. “You don’t tell a woman she is respectable and the next moment ask her to be your woman in exchange for her salvation or something. Love doesn’t work that way!”

Ryan fumed as he looked at her. “This is a one time opportunity Layla. I have what you need, you are the companion I desire…”

“It still doesn’t work that way Ryan,” Layla shook her head. “What if you aren’t the companion I desire? Doesn’t that matter?”

Ryan looked at her with a frown and turned to leave. “You should reconsider your decision,” he said and left.

Layla watched him as he left and collapsed into the embrace of the bed with a sigh. “He really has no idea how relationships work does he? Everything is a business deal to him,” she sighed. 

She was still deep in thoughts when the door creaked open. It was Ryan’s housemaid.

“Mr. Ryan asked me to bring you these,” she said and rolled a trolley into the room. “Breakfast and a change of clothes," the lady said and then turned to leave.

“Thank you,” Layla said as the lady left. 

She walked closer to the trolley and skeptically opened up the tray. Her stomach grumbled at the sight, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything the previous night, and it smelt really good. She looked at the bottom compartment of the trolley and neatly arranged in it was a beautiful black dress, a pair of silver heels and silver jewelry to match. 

“These are really beautiful,” she muttered to herself in admiration. “Was this what he had prepared for me expecting I was going to say yes?” she asked no one, and took it out. It was exactly her size of clothes.

“How did he know?” she asked herself but her phone rang taking her attention away from the clothes. She looked over and it was her house help, the last help that had refused to leave the family even though they couldn’t afford to pay her former rates.

“Miranda… hey. What is the matter?”

“Ma’am, it is your grandfather. The doctors said at this rate he won’t last another week. Have you gotten the money for the surgery?”

Layla felt tears roll down her cheeks as she received the information. “I am still working on it,” she sobbed.

“Please be careful Ms. Layla.” 

“Thank you, Miranda,” Layla replied and ended the call.

“What do I do?” she asked herself, starting to consider Ryan’s option.