Nichole could not believe that Arthur could be threatened with the appearance of Christopher or any other man. She released herself from his grip and looked into his eyes, which were already wet, and assured him, “No, dear. No one is qualified to have me except you.”
She raised her lips to meet his and gave him a quick kiss. He looked at her and still showed doubt. Then, Nichole smiled and began to unbutton his shirt and reassured him, “You are my hero, Arthur.”
Arthur regained his position after several rounds of intimacy and turned out to be her hero that night.
“I love you, Nichole,” he stated happily.
“I love you too, my hero.”
“You are moving into my apartment at once, Nichole. I can’t have you live alone anymore,” Arthur declared with finality but Nichole was skeptical and pointed out, “But we are yet…”
“Shhh. Yes. I am aware that we are yet to register our marriage. We just have a few days left. Do you realize the danger you would have faced if the chef had succeeded?”
They looked at each other, and Arthur continued, “That coward would have taken advantage of you, and I would not have been able to stand it.”
“I got it, but I have a suggestion.”
“Say it. I am listening.”
“I recommend that we should visit the graves of Williams and Rosy and make our intentions known to them.”
He pulled her closer and kissed her temple before he spoke, “Your proposal is cogent. I propose that we do that as soon as possible.”
“It is all right by me.”
At the Graveyard
The next day, after work, Nichole and Arthur drove to the tombs with fresh flowers and their wedding photographs, which they carefully placed on the flowers. The security officers who accompanied them stopped a few meters away from them and were alert.
When they got to Rosy’s tomb, Arthur held Nichole with his left hand and the flowers with his right hand and said, “Rosy, you were a wonderful companion and I loved you so much.”
He paused and looked at Nichole before he continued, “I wish to formally inform you that I have given my heart to Nichole and I’m aware you will consider her a good choice for me. The children and I love you and wish you eternal rest.”
Afterward, he looked at Nichole again and she looked at him in return. Then, she looked at the tomb and spoke, “Rosy, I am convinced that you loved Arthur and wished to see him happy always. I promise to make your wishes for him come to pass. I will make him and your children happy for the rest of their lives. Sleep on, Rosy.”
Thereafter, they dropped their flowers and photographs and moved over to Williams’ tomb. They did the same thing and walked back to the car. He opened the door for her and she got in. Then, he got into the car, too, and turned on the ignition. Now the two security vehicles were in front and behind him and waited for him to move. As soon as his lights came up, Williams and Rosy appeared and they were frightened.
“Oh! My God,” Nichole screamed and leaped towards Arthur who was surprised as well.
However, Williams held Rosy by the hand and they smiled happily at them. They wore the same grave clothes they wore on their burial days. Suddenly, they waved assuredly at them and walked back into the graveyard hand in hand.
“Don’t be scared, Nichole. They have approved of our relationship,” Arthur assured her.
Likewise, she breathed freely and returned to her seat. Incidentally, none of the guards or drivers saw the dead Williams and Rosy. Then, he honked his horn, and the security vehicle in front of him moved and he followed.
They got home at 7:12 PM, and she confidently moved into his apartment while they continued with their marriage preparations.
At Denise’s House
It had been several days after Denise and Olivia got out of the honeymoon and posted their pictures on the family platform. Meanwhile, Louis had not commented on the post or called to send his congratulatory message to him and his wife. As it is expected, Denise was distraught over his conduct. At home, he would comport himself before his wife but at work, he found it difficult to concentrate and often talked to himself.
“Could it be that my brother is envious of my marriage?” He regularly wondered.
On many occasions, he was tempted to call him but changed his mind.
“He ought to have called me to apologize for disappointing me on my wedding day and not me calling him,” he convinced himself.
Then, he allowed the matter to rest and concentrated on his wife, work, and the upcoming wedding of his parents.
At The President’s Office
That day, he walked to his father’s office to discuss some official matters with him, and his father was pleased to have him.
“Denise. I’m happy to see you,” he welcomed him cheerfully.
“Good day, Father. How has your day been?”
“Kindly sit down. My day had been nice. And yours?”
“My day had been nice too.”
“I see. What brings you?” Arthur asked anxiously.
Denise laughed unrestrainedly and asked him, “Father, why do you ask? Can’t I come and say hello to my father?”
Arthur smiled and explained, “I asked because you hardly come. You preferred to be officious in the complex and I like you for that.”
“It is all right, Father. I won’t be too officious anymore.”
“That will be nice.”
“All the same, I have come to know how you’re preparing for your upcoming wedding.”
“We are on it. We visited your late father’s and my late wife’s graves the other day to formally inform them of our intention to get married.”
“Wow! That is a nice one.”
“Yes. And they are happy with our decision.”
“I’m glad to hear that. How far have you gone with the preparation?”
“As you know, it will not be elaborate like yours. We need just a few witnesses.”
Denise showed worries and asked, “Why, if I may ask?”
Arthur laughed softly and responded, “We wished to keep it so to avoid undue attention from people.”
His explanation pleased Denise and he shrugged, “It is all right,” he declared.
“By the way. How is your wife?”
“She is fine, Father. Thank you for your concern.”
“That is good to hear. My regards to her.”
“I will inform her.”
“I can’t wait to see your brother, Louis settle down, too.”
Now, Denise smiled to cover up the burden in his heart over his brother. He was tempted to report the matter to his father but had a change of mind to avoid ruining his day and his marriage preparations.
Then, he responded, “I cannot wait for that day, either.”
“Lest I forget. I would like you to forgo the PM shift until further notice. Your wife needs you now.”
Denise’s face beamed with joy and he appreciated it, “Thank you, Father. I am grateful. But I hope the other staff members would not be discouraged by feeling neglected?”
“Do you care for tea or coffee? Kindly get coffee for me.”
Now, Denise knew that the discussion about the PM shift was over and he rested his case. He got to the pantry and returned with coffee for his father and himself. They took time and discussed some issues, especially the explosive that he was working on.
Afterward, he announced, “Thank you for the coffee, Father. I will be on my way.”
“It is all right. Thank you for stopping by. I hope to see more of you.”
“It’s okay, Father.”
He walked him to the elevator and returned to his office afterward.
At Seven Oaks
After the team returned from Cairo and had their five days leave, they resumed with renewed vigor. They held their postmortem meeting and evaluated the outcome of their business transactions in Cairo. Louis allocated the clients to the team members for a follow-up and also to give a progress report on each client. With that, they made headway in actualizing their dreams. When the President, went through the Cairo report that he sent to him, he was impressed.
Meanwhile, after lunch, Dr. Quain, who took it upon himself to check on him from time to time, called him. He picked up his phone and smiled softly when he saw the caller.
“Hello, Dr. Quain. I am delighted to hear from you,” he greeted him.
“Hello, Mr. Bailey. I’m just checking on you.”
“Wow! Thank you for that.”
“You are welcome. I would like to discuss with you if you are not too busy.”
“It is okay. Go on, I’m listening.”
“Thank you, for that. I would appreciate it if we could meet at the clinic, or I can come over to your office if you wish.”
“I hope there is no problem?”
“Nothing much.”
“It is all right. I am coming to the clinic.”
“It is okay. I will be waiting.”