John, who had been standing at the gate, opened it, and he drove out. Before he joined the road, the scene of how the mysterious man in his dream grabbed his wife flashed in his mind, and he halted abruptly. The force of the halt pushed Olivia forward and she almost hit her head on the car dashboard if not for the seatbelt.
“What?” she screamed.
Instantly, Denise released the handbrake lever before he looked at his wife and apologized, “I am sorry if I startled you, my Angel.”
Olivia rested her head on the chair and took a deep breath before she spoke, “It is all right. What happened? Why did you stop suddenly?”
“I just remembered something. Let us go back.”
He did not wait for her response before he turned on the ignition and drove back into his courtyard. To his consternation, she was not angry nor disappointed. He parked the car in the parking lot and opened the door for her. When she got out, they walked into the parlor.
“If you need anything, Caleb can get it for you,” he pointed out.
“It is all right, my dear.”
They walked to the bedroom and Denise got to the bathroom while she walked to the desk where she had been working on her website.
“Is my wife under attack or am I thinking too much?” Denise muttered and pondered on the meaning of such a dream.
At Seven Oaks.
Cassandra stepped out of the office just to keep herself busy. It was not a regular occurrence to see her boss in such a mood, apart from what she saw with the other team members in Cairo.
“Cassandra, it’s like you would work late today?” A colleague who was on her way out asked her.
She smiled and gave a vague answer, “I will soon be on my way.”
“It is okay. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Good night.”
She got back to her office and sat on her desk to avoid more questions. At 4:45 PM, she took a bold step and called him. To her happiness, he picked up the call after it rang three times.
“Hello, Secretary,” he spoke with a sluggish voice.
She never minded the voice and went straight to the point, “Hello, Boss. If I leave now, you will be the only person in the block.”
“Thank you, for informing me. You can leave. I will be on my way very soon.”
“It is all right. I am leaving your messages on my desk. You can check them out.”
“Thank you, Secretary. That is thoughtful of you.
“You are welcome. Good night, Boss.”
“Good night.”
Cassandra left with a relief. She was satisfied that she handled the situation alone without letting out her boss’ secret.
Meanwhile, after Louis got back to his office, he locked the door and wept more over the helplessness of his situation. He cried the more when he remembered that for three years of their relationship, he slept with Olivia just for two days while Denise had slept with her for over sixty nights and still counting.
After the call from Cassandra, he stood up, gathered his stuff, and left, too.
At Dover – The Bailey Native Home
The Bailey family would have been in complete joy if not for the impending grand family dispute between Louis and Denise. Arthur and Nichole had been having a romantic time since she moved into his apartment. He got to discover that Christopher was the minutest enemy he had to fight before he could get Nichole. Nevertheless, there were other silent wooers whom Nichole was not aware of because her concentration was on Arthur. They were waiting for the right opportunity to make their intentions known to her.
In all her years as a widow, they had never seen Arthur as a threat because the fact that Nichole was a mother to his children was not new to them. They became anxious when they noticed the unusual rapport between them. Unfortunately, they were not aware that they had registered their marriage process in the registry. One of the wooers was a member of another branch of the Bailey family.
“Mr. Stephen Bailey is here,” the janitor informed Arthur, who was watching the television in the parlor that Saturday morning, while Nichole was sleeping in the bedroom.
Arthur was surprised and frowned his face before he stated, “Let him in at once.”
“It is okay, Boss,” the janitor said and inched away.
Stephen was a businessman of fifty-five years old and a bachelor who had a son, Tim Princewill, outside wedlock some years ago. The son had been with his mother and hardly visited them. Though, sometimes, he provides for his upkeep the problem was bonding with the son and being stable in his dealings with the son’s mother, Ann Princewill. She had been waiting to see if he would have a change of heart towards marriage.
Despite his age, Stephen was a casual lover who believed in a fling rather than a relationship. While the women he had affairs with worked hard to make a relationship happen, he was just a sore-headed fun seeker who did not feel the same way and his attitude often led to a breakup. Incidentally, everyone in the Bailey family was aware of that.
“Good morning to you, Arthur. I’m glad to see you,” Stephen greeted him with a smile as soon as the janitor escorted him in.
Likewise, Arthur stood up and welcomed him with a hug, “Good to see you, Stephen. It had been a while.”
“Yes. It’s been a while.”
“Kindly take your seat,” Arthur said.
“Thank you, for the offer,” he said and sat down. Arthur sat down as well and focused on him.
“I was away when Denise got married. I apologize that I did not honor the invitation,” he explained.
“Sorry, before you go on, what would you like to take? Tea or coffee.” Arthur inquired joyously.
“Coffee will be fine by me.”
“It is all right,” Arthur acknowledged.
He turned and informed the janitor, “Coffee for him and tea for me.”
“It is all right, Boss,” the janitor said and walked away.
“You were saying something before I interrupted you,” Arthur reminded Stephen.
“Yes. I said I could not be present at the marriage ceremony of Denise and his wife. Pardon my absence.”
“There is no cause for alarm. You are welcome once again.”
“Thank you for having me. And how is he adjusting to marriage life?”
Before he could respond, the janitor served the tea and coffee.
“Thank you, for this,” Arthur appreciated the janitor before he faced Stephen and answered, “He is doing well. Lest I forget, how is your son?”
“My son is fine,” he responded coldly because he had not heard from him nor seen him for some years.
“I see. You are welcome.”
They watched the television in silence and sipped their tea and coffee. Now, Arthur, who had no forethought of the purpose of his visit was delighted with his visit. He thought of hanging out with him and Nichole that evening before Stephen dropped a bombshell by beginning on a friendly note.
“Arthur,” he called out.
“Yes, Stephen,” he answered with glee.
“You are aware of how the relationship between the mother of my son, my first girlfriend, and I went.”
Arthur sipped his tea and acknowledged it, “I did not bother about the details, since things did not work out between the two of you.”
“Yes. Things were not meant to work out between the two of us for an obvious reason lack of compatibility. She was not the right partner for me.”
“I see. There is no problem. Life must go on.”
“Yes. You are right. Now, I have made up my mind to get a wife.”
Now, Arthur who was joyful. He did not hide it, and he declared, “Wow! That is good to hear. When you settle down in marriage, you will enjoy life to the fullest, especially if you are with the right partner.”