They sipped their tea and stood up to hug their father one after the other
“We shall be on our way, Father,” Louis announced.
“It is all right. Be careful Louis. Denise, how is Angel?”
“All right, Father. I will. You will get my call when I land,” Louis assured him.
“Angel is fine. We will talk later, Father.”
“It is all right. Safe trip, Louis.”
They took off to Denise’s house at once. The drive was still slow because the traffic rush was still there, They got to his house with enormous expectations that they would meet his fiancee and the others at home.
Then, John, the security guard, welcomed them.
“Welcome back, Boss.”
“Thank you, John. Where are our guests?”
“They have gone to Nicholas’ residence to look for you.”
Louis and Denise only smiled. They have had enough disappointment for the day. So, they decided to take it as an act of God.
“Big brother, it was not meant to be,” Louis announced.
“You are right. You can see her any other time. Just focus on your trip.”
“You are right, Big Brother.”
They got into the house and Louis picked up his belongings.
“It is all right, Louis. Be careful, please.”
“I will.”
“Safe trip.”
“Thank you, Big Brother. Keep me posted on the progress of your wedding preparations.”
“Certainly.”
“Mention me to Angel, please.”
“That won’t be a challenge. Bye.”
“Bye.”
He took off from Dover to Seven Oaks at 8 PM and Denise could not go to work again.
At Mr. Field’s’ Resident
Freya and her team arrived at 6 PM. They were disappointed when Mrs. Field informed them that he was not at home, and neither were Denise and Louis with him.
“How come? Would he have been here without informing you?” Mrs. Fields asked Freya and Olivia, who got out of the vehicle to hug her.
“Too bad. What of Godfather? Where has he gone to?”
“He has gone to the club. I will join him soon.”
“It is all right. We will be on our way.”
“It is all right.”
“Kindly mention us to him when he returns.”
“I will. Be careful.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Fields. Bye.”
“Bye.”
“Oh! What a day!” Mrs. Bailey exclaimed.
“Indeed. We shall return to my house, Mom. You can have dinner with me before you return,” Freya proposed.
Mrs. Bailey protested, “It would be late by then. I suggest that Angel and I book a cab and return to the Native Home while you take Daniel home before he wakes up and asks for his uncle.”
“It is okay, Mom.”
The disappointed Olivia and Mrs. Bailey returned home at 7:55 PM with a cab. She got to her room and took her bath before she got to the dining table for dinner.
At Denise’s Apartment.
When Louis left, he got back to his apartment for dinner. Then, he sent a message to Olivia and asked.
(Where exactly are you?)
Olivia saw the alert after her dinner and she called at once. Denise, who had gone to his room after dinner, picked up the call excitedly.
“Wow! Angel, we kept missing each other today.”
“Good evening, dear. Yes, we wanted to pay you and your cousin a surprise visit. How was your day?”
“As you have known, my day was hectic. Chasing an Angel like you all over the city was not easy.”
“Haha. Sorry about that. How is your cousin?”
“He left a few minutes ago. He had an emergency and had to return to his base.”
“Wow! I missed the opportunity of meeting him.”
“Never mind. You will meet him someday. How was your day?”
“My day was fine. I was able to get across to my parents. I informed them about you and our planned wedding and they promised to be around.”
“Wow! That is a piece of good news. Did he say why they were unreachable all the while?”
“Yes. They said it was network issues because they visited the poorest areas of the country.”
“It is all right. We will talk to them whenever we meet.”
Denise was fond of teasing her with their meetings. He knew that she must have longed to see him that day, but was disappointed.
Then, Olivia quickly asked, “When?”
“Next week.”
“It is all right if you want to make me cry.”
“Why?”
“Because next week is too far.”
Denise chortled and pleaded, “Please don’t cry. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Better. In the morning, I guess.”
“Yes. Before I leave for work.”
“Oh! I can’t wait. I love you, Denise.”
“I love you, my Angel. We will call your parents when I come over. Is that okay?”
“It is all right, dear. I love you.”
“I love you too. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Denise called his mom and father to say good night too. He also called Louis to find out about his trip.
“Hello, Big bros. I just got into my house,” he informed him.
“Oh! That is good to hear. I just called to check on you.”
“That is nice of you. Have you spoken with Angel?”
“Yes.”
“It is all right.”
” Good night.”
“Good night.”
At Seven Oaks – Louis’s House.
His staff members were happy to see him. Tony, his security guard, was the first to see him, and greeted him, “Welcome back, Boss.”
“Thank you. Where is Fred?”
“I’m here, Boss. Good to see you, Boss.”
“Thank you. Can I have my dinner? I’m starving.”
“I got it, Boss. Give me twenty minutes,” Fred assured him.
“It is okay,” Louis said and walked towards his bedroom, which jogged his memory to the reality of the emotional wound he was nursing.
He took his bath quickly and walked back to the dining table where his dinner was already served. Then, he sat down, picked up his cutlery, looked at the meal for some time,, and smiled. The Paccheri pasta with yellow fin tuna and fresh tomatoes, was his favorite.
‘It is good to have staff members who treat you like their son,’ he thought as he munched his food leisurely.
“Thank you, Fred. The meal is nice,” he appreciated him and inched towards his room.
“Don’t mention, Boss.”
Now, they had fixed the bedroom door that they pulled down the previous week, and he never bothered to lock the door at night again before going to sleep. That night was not an exception. He was busy coordinating his staff members who were on his team for the trip to Cairo.
“We are leaving Seven Oaks by 5:30 AM. Did you get that?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“We cannot afford to take chances. We should be at the airport one hour and thirty minutes before our departure. Kindly inform the other members of the team members. Good night.”
“I got it. Good night, Boss.”
He went to bed afterward and was not expecting sleep to come immediately because he always had sleepless nights worrying about Olivia. That night, he was privileged to get the true position of his relationship with her in a dream, but he dismissed it as a mere dream.
The last night they made love was a memorable one for both of them. However, the event that followed erased the memory from Olivia’s heart immediately and replaced it with a genuine love for Denise, while the memory remained with him. In his dream, he saw Olivia dressed in white apparel and was in a beautiful garden, beaming with a warm smile. He smiled, too, and ran in her direction. To his rude awakening, he could not get to her. He stretched his right hand towards her, but she was not bothered to take hold of him. Instantly, the beautiful smile on her face had vanished and was replaced with a sad and depressed face.
Now, he was unable to cross the unseen barricade in between them to meet her. While he was attempting to cross the besiegement, a young man in white apparel appeared, and she cheerfully stretched out her right hand to him. The man grabbed it and after giving her a peck, they walked away. He could not withstand the sight, nor could he beat the hurdle that had separated them.
At that point, he screamed in anguish, “It is me, Olivia.”
The scream alerted his staff members who ran to his door and knocked, even though they knew it was not locked.
“The Boss,” the janitor called out.
Louis responded to the knock and assuaged their fears, “I’m fine, Fred. Thank you, for your concern.”
“Okay. Good night.”
“Good night.”
He continued nursing his wound as he thought aloud, “Could she be dead and was dressed in white burial clothes? Is the man on white apparel God who had come to take her to heaven?”
So many thoughts about Olivia tormented him but he was able to get some sleep. He woke up in the morning and got ready for his trip. Though he looked worn out, the trip was important to him. He addressed his staff members before leaving.
“Fred, thank you for your meal and concern last night. Please take care of the house.”
“You are welcome, Boss.
“I will keep in touch.”
“It is okay. Please be careful.”
“I will.”
“Fair trip.”
“Thank you.”