EVENING drew nigh and Jeremy returned home, not after calling at home as he had promised his parents. Nathan opened the car door and he immediately alighted and rushed into the house, he couldn’t wait to set his eyes on his woman, it had been like ages to him.
Jasira was already sprawled on the bed, listening to music with her phone, her eyes closed. Jeremy entered to see her and he smiled, then walked up to her.
“Baby?” He called and she looked up, her face splitted into smiles.
“I hope you are okay babes? I saw the news,” she said.
He nodded.
“I’m fine. Do not mind those mother fuckers, they really do underestimate me. How was your day?” He questioned as he leaned forward to smooch his lips on her cheek.
She swallowed hard.
“It was good, I was at the boutique today, the sales representatives are doing so well,” she said.
He nodded.
“That reminds me, I passed by, it is really bustling and I really have to say, you are doing a great job my woman,” he said and she burst into laughter.
“Thanks dear, you made it happen, so all accolades to you my king,” she said.
Jeremy chuckled.
“Sweet tongued, I need to go freshen up,” and he turned to head for the closet.
“Um Jeremy,” she called, ” how about -,” she paused, hesitant to talk.
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Go on, how about what?”
She sighed.
“How about your fiancee, Amelia?”
He shook his head.
“What about her? Besides, she isn’t my fiancee, I have clarified this to you already.”
“Well yeah you have, but what if she comes up? She can just try to spite up a drama, you know, and we aren’t public yet. So what if?”
“Are you scared?”
She chuckled.
“Scared? Why should I? I’m not.”
“Good, so let me be the one to worry over that, I will handle it,” he said.
Jasira nodded and laid back on the bed, reminiscing over the whole issue. Amelia knew her, they have had an encounter before, so if ever she gets to find out she was now an item with her man, hell was gonna let loose. Though she was relieved that she was no longer with them, and was now free, but the thought of Amelia kept gnawing at her.
“Ahhh!” She exclaimed as the sound of running water from the bathroom filtered into her ears.
***
The sun was setting as Amelia’s plane touched down. The vacation had been a much-needed escape, according to her father, but now, she was back in the world of cold corporate battles and unwanted engagements.
Amelia had never been under any illusions about the nature of their engagement. Jeremy had even made it clear from the start, and always did: this was a business merger disguised as a relationship.
His heart was not hers to claim, and he had made that painfully clear, almost all the time, but she was determined to play the part, if only to secure her family’s legacy and fulfill their expectations.
Despite Jeremy’s warnings about her visiting his mansion, she still felt an inexplicable urge to go to his house the moment she returned. It was almost as if some unseen hand was guiding her, whispering that there was something she needed to see.
She didn’t tell Zoey because of course, Zoey would ask her not to go, and she was determined to.
Ignoring his stern warning, Amelia found herself driving to his sprawling estate that night. As she approached the grand gates, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. She told herself she was simply nervous about facing him again, but deep down, she sensed it was more than that.
The mansion was quiet as the guard by the entrance door opened and she let herself in. She got in, and began moving silently through the opulent rooms, her footsteps echoing on the marble floors. She reached the living room and stopped dead in her tracks.
Coming out of the kitchen she met with him, eyeballs to eyeballs, he was holding a glass of milk and was going into the dining, the table was set and it seemed like dinner was about to be served.
Jeremy frowned, then his expression shifted from frowning to irritation.
“Amelia,” he called, his voice cold and hard, “what are you doing here?” He asked.
For a moment she felt bad and regretted her actions. Who would have think that she was gonna meet face to face with him? She had only wanted to sneak in, before thinking of what next to do and how to go about it, but instead, he was the first person she had seen on entering the house.
Jeremy ignored her innocent look and went ahead to sip a great deal of the milk, then dropped the glass and its remnant on the dining table, moving a little bit further.
Amelia’s mind raced, trying to form a coherent response.
“I… I just got back from my vacation, so I thought I should come by and-”
“And what?” He interrupted, “I told you not to come unless I asked you to,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument, “didn’t I?” He shouted, shoving his hands into his pants pocket.
She flinched in her spot.
“Yes you… you did.”
“So, why the hell do you always choose to disobey me? Why?” He asked, “why do you like this part of we having issues all the time, unnecessary issues?” He demanded.
Her face fell.
“Jeremy you know why, you do, please do not pretend you don’t,” she cried with a pleading face.
He scoffed.
“Well Miss Amelia Redford, I have told you several times, my heart belongs to someone else, why can’t you get that into your skull and let us be?”
Her countenance instantly fell, she was about to tear up.
“No, no, you can’t say that.”
He chuckled.
“And why can’t I?”
“Because I love you Jeremy, I do, and, and that is the reason I keep on coming even when you are asking me to stay away. It is because I love you Jeremy, I -.”
“Babes, is everything alright over there?” A voice asked from the kitchen rudely cutting Amelia short.
She gasped and abruptly turned towards the kitchen, then back at Jeremy who shrugged his shoulders and flashed her an ‘I told you’ look.
She went mute and speechless and as she stood, staring at Jeremy, a woman sauntered out of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Jeremy, hugging him from behind, burying her face on his back.
Amelia gasped again. Her bag which was in her hand fell. Right before her another woman was doing to Jeremy what she had never done, pain and melancholy took over her heart.
For a moment, Amelia couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. The woman was beautiful, with a grace and warmth that seemed to light up the room.
Jeremy, the always cold, distant CEO, was now gazing back at her with a look of such profound love that it made her heart ache.
“Come on,” Jasira said raising up her head, “I heard voices, who -,” she suddenly halted on sighting the lady standing metres away from them in the living room, and their gazes met.