Lawrence was in the hallway looking at the paintings that were exhibited not quite long when Elaine walked up to him. She had gone to check him in his office but he wasn’t there so she decided to look around.
Walking up to him, she was surprised at the extent at which he was staring hard at the particular painting without noticing that she was there already.
“What are you staring at so bad? You look so serious with this” she asked standing beside him, finally getting his attention.
He only smiled without breaking his gaze on the painting and she gasped at the sight of the particular drawing he was staring at. “Isn’t that the painting that has no owner? You didn’t allow us exhibit it no matter how much we begged” she exclaimed and he nodded.
His hands slid into his pocket as his lips curved into a happy smile, “The painting has finally found its owner. I didn’t let us display it then because I couldn’t find the owner but now I can put it up proudly” he stated and she titled her neck in confusion.
She was sure of what he was talking about because he kept speaking in parables but she was wise enough to know that it meant something important to him and it’s not an ordinary painting. Finally remembering the reason why she was there, she turned to him.
“Sir, we should be getting ready for the big day, what are your plans?” she asked with her eyes brimming with eagerness.
He didn’t reply still, he just kept smiling and turned to walk away to her amazement. “He’s smiling so much today but there is something about this smile, it seems genuine. What is wrong with him?” she muttered to herself as she marched behind him back to the office.
***
Tom came home with all smiles after dropping Amber at home but the smile disappeared immediately he saw Stephanie’s car in the compound. He didn’t know when his mood changed drastically and he became immediately tired, it was if life was sucked out of him.
He walked inside and as expected, he found her with his mom chatting away. The strong feeling of wanting to ignore rush through him but he fought it back and just decided to greet them before leaving for his room.
“Welcome, you should wash up and have some food” his mother ordered but he waived the offer, “I ate out already, I didn’t want to disturb you since it was late” he responded but that only made her sad.
“I am your mother and if I can fix meals for people at any time of the day then why will I not be able to do that for my own son? You should never have that kind of thought, I will always be here to fix your meals so make sure you come home to eat” she scolded with mild advice and he had no choice than to assure her that he would do so from now.
He strode quickly to his room in order to avoid any form of interaction with Stephanie who fixed her eyes on him throughout the time he and his mother were busy talking. He was about closing the door when he found her already standing there behind him. With a tired sigh coming out of him, he had no choice but to usher her in.
“I thought you were going to lock your door on me but I guess you still have some conscience after all” she stated and strolled to the bed to have her seat.
Pulling off his suit, he asked “What are you doing here at this time? Were you waiting for me to drive you home like the last time?” but she chuckled and crossed her legs.
“Will you do that if I ask you to? I would really love that” she answered with a seductive tone but he was not in the mood to flirt with her.
“It’s too late, sleep here till tomorrow and go home in the morning” replied Tom as he proceeded to remove the cufflinks and wristwatch.
A loud thud sounded from behind him and he turned sharply to see what was happening only for him to see her sleeping widely on his bed, her shirt unbuttoned midway.
“What do you think you are doing?” he yelled at her without holding back and she sat up with all her chest region exposed but she was putting on a singlet that covered her bosom.
“What does it seems like? You were the one that told me to sleep here and leave for my house tomorrow and I am doing just that” she pouted.
As anger rose within him, he rushed to her and held her hand to drag her out of the room to one of the guest room but she yanked her hand away making him jerk forward suddenly and ended up falling on the bed.
Before he could blink, she straddled him and started to undress her remaining buttons but he quickly held her hands in place. “What do you think you are doing right now? Why are you doing this to me?” he shouted at her and she kissed him forcefully.
He struggled to push her away but he was being careful of pushing her against the floor, wall or bed frame. After so much struggle, he was able to yank her off him and sprang to his feet. Her singlet has now moved down showing half of her cleavage but she didn’t mind, her chest heaving up and down as she struggled to catch her breathe.
“Do you really not know what I am doing? Do you really not know why I am doing this to you or are you just pretending? I should be asking you why you are doing this to me. I am certain you liked me so much then, you were always hovering around me and loved my presence so what went wrong? You didn’t speak up then and I am speaking up now so why are you pushing me away? We are both compatible so why are you rejecting me?” she lashed back at him, angrily.
He only stood up in silence and head for the door after whispering “Close yourself up, I have no intention of seeing what you are showing me” but she ignored him and ran to hug him from behind.
“Please don’t go, please don’t leave me Tom. Why are you not looking at me? It’s not like you have anyone so why are you pushing me away? I love you Tom. It’s okay if you don’t love me as much as I love you, I will love both of us together and I will shoulder all the love” she cried profusely as she held him tight.
He broke free from the hug and turned to face her, he could honestly understand her but this is not it. This is not the way to be loved, one doesn’t have to beg for love or shoulder it alone.
“You should not do this to yourself, why would you go through the stress of shouldering the love for both of us? I might have liked you in the past like you said but Steph, I don’t like you anymore. I cannot lie to you because that will be the biggest sin to commit towards you” he calmly told her.
Her sound of sniffing filled the room as he expressed his mind to her and made her see the reasons why she shouldn’t be hung up on him anymore. “Please don’t do this next time, I have a girlfriend and you will be getting engaged to Joseph soon. You don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble, do you? Also, I now have a girlfriend” he added and moved towards the door once more.
“I will sleep in the sitting room, you should sleep here and go home tomorrow” he concluded and left her in the room.
She dropped to her knees and wept bitterly, her chest wrinkling in pain. Tom has been a very good friend to her ever since he knew him but she had always been unsure about him because he was a step-son. She claimed she didn’t want an uncertain future when he expressed his feelings from her through a painting he gifted her and since then Tom never made mention of his love for her till now. She had come to love him to the point of not caring about her status when she grew more matured but it was too late for her, he already closed the door to his heart.
The news of having a girlfriend hurt her so much, it felt as if her heart was stabbed with a knife laced with sharp pins to pickle her as it pierces her. Everything was bleak and all hope was lost, she would never have the heart of Tom Holland.