CHAPTER 7 – WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?

🦋 BENITA 🦋

I slowly opened my eyes as a tired yawn escaped my lips, blinking away the remnants of sleep. My hair was a tangled mess, looking like a bird’s nest that survived a storm.

The dark circle under my eyes gave me a perpetually tired look, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I tried to recollect the last thing that happened last night.

I could swear I was sleeping miserably in the sitting room, so how did I get here?

I flung the door open and came into contact with Felix, who was also on his way out. He stared at me, but his face was so emotionless that I couldn’t tell if he was angry and disappointed or the other way around.

I smiled awkwardly, knowing I looked like a mess.

“Can I come with you?” I blurted out.

His eyes darkened, but no words left his lips: “I’m too scared to be in this mansion alone; the two men you left behind are even scarier.” I explained.

He looked at the time, “You have five minutes to be ready.”

I nodded happily and slammed the door shut, bouncing into the bathroom. I was done taking a shower when I realised I had nothing to put on, of course… except for what I wore when I was coming, which would make me look nothing but a detailed embarrassment.

After a second of thinking… I came up with a solution.

***🦋***

I walked out of the mansion, towards the car Felix was in, with each step I took, all Felix men’s gaze fell heavily on me, with their mouth hung open, including Felix who was looking at me, confused about the emotions he should be feeling.

I smiled to myself to ease the embarrassed feeling that was clinging onto me, knowing fully well that they weren’t dramatically ogling at me because I was stunning, but because I was in one of Felix’s suits.

I looked like I borrowed my dad’s entire wardrobe, Felix’s huge suit swallowing me completely, making me look like a toothpick playing dress up in dad’s closet.

The jacket hung off my shoulders, and the sleeves were too long; they covered my hands entirely. The pants were comically baggy, bunching up around my ankle like oversized clown pants.

My tiny frame and the oversized suit created a hilarious contrast that was hard to ignore.

I looked at the group of men surrounding me, they looked like they were constipated, their faces contorted in a desperate attempt to hold their laughter in.

Their lips were pressed so tightly, they turned white, and their eyes were watering from the effort. One guy’s face turned bright red as he bit down on his lip, trying to stifle a giggle. Another’s shoulders shook silently like he was having some sort of internal earthquake. They all looked like a bunch of balloons about to pop.

Suddenly, one of them let out a tiny snort, and the others’ eyes widened in alarm. They exchanged “Don’t-make-me-laugh,” glances, their faces pleading with each other to maintain the poker face.

Humiliated, I looked at Felix and threw my hands in the air, “I need clothes!”

“Take them off.” He growled.

I rolled my eyes. “And wear what?”

I shuffled along, my pants flapping around my ankles like sails in the wind. My thighs felt like they were swimming in fabric, and my knees were having a party in the excess material. Every step was a victory, like I was taming a pair of unruly pants.

As I got into the car, I felt like I was in a bad 90s music video, my pants were so loose, I could’ve hidden two small child in each pocket.

Deep down, I half expected to trip over my own pant legs and face-plant into a nearby trashcan, but luckily… that didn’t happen.

***🦋***

🦋 FELIX 🦋

As we walked into the company, all eyes were on us, not because of me but because of Benita, who looked very ridiculous. She trailed beside me, her oversized shoes making her look like a cartoon character come to life.

My employees stare down, curious and bewildered. One of them raised an eyebrow, mouth agape, while another looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

I glanced at Benita, who was looking around happily with no care in the world. Storming into my office, I lashed at my secretary.

“I asked you to get a set of new female clothes.”

“I wanted to,” he calmly responded, “But I didn’t know the size I was dealing with.”

“She’ll be here in a minute,” I retorted, settling into my office chair.

In a few seconds, Benita walked in with the bodyguards following behind. She glanced at me, blinking innocently.

I looked at my secretary, who was looking everywhere but at me, trying so hard to hide the expression on his face.

“Greg,” I growled.

He cleared his throat and glanced at Benita, “Wow! You look… I’m Greg, his secretary.” He said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Benita threw her sleeves at him, as her arm was covered, “I’m Benita… nice to meet you too.”

Greg laughed awkwardly, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“From who?” I snapped. “I never said anything.”

“Right,” he replied, embarrassed. “I’d better go get that dress.”

Silence descended, for hours, Benita sat there staring at me working, and I felt too uncomfortable and hot, my tie feeling too tight all of a sudden.

“Could you…” I paused.

“I have nothing else to watch…” she muttered.

I calmly looked down at the file I was working on, and after a while, I could no longer feel her eyes on me.

Curious, I glanced at her and realized she was fast asleep, and somehow, I felt at peace watching her sleep.

Ignoring the work I had to do, I picked her up and walked towards the car. Just then, my secretary returned.

“I sent a lot of female dresses to the address you provided,” he stated. “But we have a problem, your grandmother is asking to see you right now.”

I nodded calmly and gently set Benita down in the car. “Make sure she gets home safely, ask her to go in herself when you drive into the mansion… don’t you dare lay a finger on her,” I commanded, and my men nodded calmly.

I drove to my grandmother’s mansion. I knew I should expect a piece of bad news, and it was exactly what I predicted.

“You have to get married to her,” she stated, pointing at the one proud lady I hated so much.

Rose Fred, and I grew up together, and she made my life miserable at every opportunity she got. All my life, the only thing I was grateful for was the fact that we weren’t related in any way, and now… we are about to be families.

“I already spoke to Rose about it, and she seems to want to be married to you,” my grandmother added, “Then it's settled, two of you would get married in a week, it would favour both parties.

I have never once gone against my grandmother, because I felt like I had to become the perfect CEO she wanted before she could approve of me.

Staring into the void, I stood up and glanced at my grandmother, inhaling sharply, “But you didn’t ask me if I wanted to get married to her.”