“What do you mean by that?” Lucas asked, slowly moving to sit with Damien on the bed.
“I- I don’t have any prove yet but I think she only married me for my money.” Damien explained.
Lucas stared up at Damien like he had grown a new pair of eyes. “You think?” He asked, laying emphasis on the last word with his eyes almost falling out of their sockets.
“All these…” Lucas said referring to Damien’s marital situation.
“… you are doing is based on a fucking thought you have? Come on Damien, you are way smarter than this. Give me something concrete.”
“Well, I over heard her talking to her boyfriend on the phone about it!” Damien said kissing his teeth.
Lucas passed a hand over his hair and got up from the bed. “Was the phone on speaker?”
Damien remained quiet.
The phone wasn’t on speaker, but he did hear her own reply to whatever conversation they were having and it wasn’t innocent at all. She was telling whoever was on the other side of the call that she had managed to seduce him for his money. That wasn’t innocent at all. Céline was a cheating liar!
“Lucas, it doesn’t matter if it was on speaker or not. I know what I heard.” Damien said clicking his tongue.
Lucas returned to sit on the bed and looked into Damien’s eyes.
“I think I need to bring in Brian…” Lucas stated after two seconds.
Damien’s eyes enlarged in shock. “No! You can’t call Brian!”
Lucas grinned. He had gotten Damien by the neck, he wouldn’t be able to escape now. “Nope. I have sent him a text already, he should be here in…” He checked his wristwatch and his grinned widened. “He should be here in a few minutes.”
“Lucas! You know Brian will tell Charles about this and Charles will tell his wife and somehow my mom will hear about this! I told you I don’t have a prove yet, I don’t want to blow this out of proportion brother.”
“You should have thought of that before starting to treat Céline like that!”
“Come on Lucas, I didn’t do anything to her!”
Aside the forced sex, he didn’t literally do anything to her. So, what was the fuss about. Brian was surely going to bring in the entire group! Lucas was going to make him look like a villain here.
“Too late.” Lucas grin widened more as the door bell echoed in the entire house.
Damien got up and started pacing. This was bad. He didn’t want things to end up like this. There were so many ways things could go wrong.
First, if he was wrong, he would be tagged a paranoia or a totally deranged guy who thought his own wife was after his money, when it technically belonged to him.
But, if he was right. Then they would all hate Céline. Deep down, he didn’t want other people to hate Céline. Somehow, he was still protecting her.
Bringing in Brian and Lucas would ruin that chance. He wouldn’t be able to protect her now.
“What is this thing I am hearing about you calling off your honeymoon, where is Céline?” Brian asked as he kicked the door open.
Damien was in a tight corner. Should he tell Brian what he told Lucas?
“Charles is on speed dial… Start talking or I call him. I don’t have all day.” Brian said, as he sat on the other end of the bed.
“Céline is probably crying in her room. Let him rather answer why he called off his honeymoon and lied to us about it!” Lucas put in with fire in his voice.
Brian raised his brow at Damien and wiggled his fingers over his phone to remind him that he wasn’t joking when he said he was going to call Charles.
“I think Céline’s a gold-digger…” Damien stated firmly. It was better to just get it over with than drag the matter for longer and bring the entire family here.
“You think! That’s a crazy thing to say!” Lucas snapped.
“I overheard a conversation she had. I am certain of what I am saying.” Damien explained.
“A conversation that wasn’t on speaker! It could have been a joke!” Lucas objected.
Brian placed two of his fingers on his jaw and rubbed it gently as he watched his friends exchange words.
“But I did hear it!”
“You are sure about of what you are saying?” Brian stated quietly, earning a glare from Lucas.
“I didn’t bring you here to believe him! You are supposed to be on my side here bro!”
“Yes, Brian. I am sure of it.” Damien said, completely ignoring Lucas comment.
“Did you confront her about the matter?” Brian asked again.
“I did mention it…”
“What was her reaction?”
“She… Well she was shocked and she cried… But that might have just been fake tears.” Damien said, remembering her reaction when he asked her to state the amount of money she needed.
Lucas looked from Brian and Damien in annoyance. “Are you both just going to ignore me?”
But Damien and Brian, did just that, they ignored him.
“Have you done anything about it, like trace who she was calling or what she might be needing the money for? I don’t think Céline will want to do that to you. She loves you…” Brian put in.
“That’s what I have been trying to tell him. Céline isn’t that sort of person!” Lucas wailed.
“Do you think I am happy about this? I am also hurt here. More than anything I want all these to be untrue. But I heard it with my own ears, she seduced me for my money.”
Damien’s heart broke all over again, recalling the exact words from her mouth.
Lucas and Brian remained quiet. Each finally getting how painful the whole situation was for their friend.
“Has she made any more calls since then?” Brian demanded.
“Aside calling Lucas, no. None that I know of.” Damien replied glaring at Lucas.
“Well, she didn’t call me. How can she call me when you asked her to keep her phone off! Sarah called me.” Lucas said with a shrug.
Sarah did? Sarah had Lucas’ contact?
When all these was over, he would have to ask Lucas about that, Damien thought.
Since Sarah was the one who called Lucas, it meant Céline hadn’t broken any of the rules he gave to her. It also added to the change of mind he was starting to have about the whole situation. Aside that call, he didn’t have any other thing on her. What if he only misunderstood her? What if Céline was innocent?
“You asked her to keep her phone switched off?” Brian asked.
“Please, ask him! I don’t know why he would do that! If this goes out to the media, you are doomed!” Lucas snapped.
“I didn’t want her to call you or anyone else calling. We were suppose to be out of the country.” Damien explained.
“Didn’t it occur to you that people still called their loved ones even when they are in different continents? Her poor aunt might be worried sick about her! You really messed up dude!”
Now that Lucas mentioned it, Damien realized that he had truly messed up. Aunt Elizabeth would definitely be worried sick about her niece. Damn!
Brian got up from his position and came close to Damien. “Just ask her to turn on her phone and she should go see her aunt or something. The situation can be controlled…” He said, patting Damien’s back.
“So, what are we going to do now?” Lucas asked.
“I opened an account for her and funded it with a hundred million dollars as bait. I am waiting for her to make a transfer, then I can trace whoever she was talking to that day.” Damien explained.
“We also have to keep tabs on her from now on,” Brian added.
“I will get some people to watch her every move then…” Lucas got up and heaved a long sigh.
He moved to where Damien stood and also patted his shoulders.
“You should go talk to her. If all these turns out to be a false alarm, I don’t want you to lose her…” He told him.
Damien nodded in understanding.
He didn’t want to lose Céline either. And above anything, he wished it was truly a false alarm.
“Okay, i’ll have to leave now. I’ve got a meeting by two o’clock.” Brian said checking his time
“I’ll be on my way too. Do take care of yourself and do not question Sarah. You and I will settle this…” Lucas said with a wink.
Damien narrowed his eyes at him, but smiled. He had always known that Lucas and his mom had spies everywhere that watched his every move. He just hoped, the news had not gotten to his mom yet. She wouldn’t understand the way his friends did. She would definitely take the whole matter to the next level.
He watched his friends leave and turned his steps to Céline’s room. It was time, he apologized for being rough on her. Whether she was a gold-digger or not, she was a virgin and she deserved to be taken with some love and kindness.