Chapter 22
Celine’s POV
I got prepared after Paxton left in happiness. For the first time in a week since Bryan burst into my home to take my son away, I feel genuine happiness again.
I believe I have every cause to be happy. I have every cause to let go of the bad vibes and wallow myself in this new happiness since I have my son close by. I don’t need to be sad anymore. Jason is doing fine and Paxton and I are still close friends.
Even though Bryan is a pain in the ass, I will no longer get hurt by his insults and choice of harsh words he directs at me. I already understand what is happening to him and the reason for his actions so I don’t need to be mad when he insults me.
I prepared Jason’s dinner on time and fed him around 7 pm. We played for a while before I sang him a lullaby to lure him to sleep.
Within minutes, Jason slept off and I practically raced to the bathroom to take a shower, giggling like a teenager going on her first date.
I finish taking my bath and come out. Jason is sleeping soundly on the bed. I haven’t told Camilla yet but I intend to once I am dressed.
I pick out a yellow floral gown my old aunt bought for me. It is the only suitable dress I can wear at the moment. The rest of my things are still in the house.
When I was in Bryan’s home as his wife, I lacked nothing, especially dresses which he usually asks his secretary to order for me every month.
But when I left, I packed them all away and changed my wardrobe.
Towards my labor time, I sold some of the clothes so I can have some money to get some clothes for my son. It was at that moment I regretted not being patient enough for our contract to expire so I can get my final pay.
But I was scared. My fear took over. I didn’t care about the money at that moment. All I was after was my son’s safety.
Even if I had stayed till the end of our contract, my belly would still be flat but I didn’t want to take chances. Bryan is an intelligent and observant man. I was scared he would know even if I didn’t tell him.
I stand in front of the dresser, placing the gown on my body with my hands around my shoulder to see how it will look on me.
Even if it doesn’t look nice, I don’t have any other nice dress to wear. I drop my towel and wear the dress over my head.
I dip my hand into the bag to bring out my eyeshadow. I applied a little on my lid then applied my red lipstick on my lips. I look good.
I debate on which shoe to wear and after a while, I settle for my low heels sandal. I wear it and I am about to go out to inform Camilla of my intention to be out for a while when I hear a knock on the door.
My heart begins to pound wildly in my chest. I am thinking it is Bryan as I twirl around sharply, wishing I can just vanish into thin air so he won’t see me in this cheap dress. He is going to mock me and I might cry.
I tremble and turn back to face the dresser, thinking of wiping off the red lipstick on my lips when I realize Bryan doesn’t knock. The person at the door knocks again and I find myself permitting the person to come in, praying it isn’t Bryan.
Camilla comes in and I heave a sigh of relief, almost slumping to the floor.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
She stares at me from head to toe. “You look good.”
I smile, despite my pounding heart. “Thank you.”
“You are going out?” She asks me.
“Yes, with a friend. I was just about to come to see you so I can inform you”, I say to her, thinking of how to pack my hair. It is in a high bun and I don’t know whether to leave it this way.
“Uhmm”, she murmurs, watching me intensely. “You have a boyfriend?”
“What?!” I almost choke on my saliva as I exclaim. “No, he is just a friend. We stay in the same apartment.”
“Ok. Does the boss know you are heading out tonight?” She sits on the single sofa and I move close to her so I can tell her my plan.
“Bryan doesn’t know and I don’t intend to let him know”, She raises her brows. I squat in front of her. “I want you to look after Jason for me for a few hours, will you?”
She nods.
“In case Bryan comes and he gets to know I am not in, tell him I went home to pick a few things I will be needing”, I tell her.
She shakes her head. “I don’t think he is going to know. Just go and come back as soon as you can.”
“He is not going to know?” I stand upright, arching my brows in confusion. “How do you know that?”
“Boss came home early and went out again. I don’t think he will be back anytime soon.”
“Oh!” I mumble. Without wasting time, I turn around and rush to the dresser to check my appearance once more. I need to be back before Bryan, this will save me from unnecessary explanations and save Camilla from lying.
I am content with my look. I walk in a hurry to Jason’s bed, peck his forehead and wave Camilla goodbye.
****
Bryan’s POV
I have just called Emily to inform her about my presence in front of her home. I sit still in the car, waiting patiently for her to come out.
Silence creeps in after the call as Kelvin looks straight ahead while I look out, thinking about what Emily wants from me this time. I told her off indirectly twice, because of Helena and Celine.
Is she trying to make me date her since everyone knows me as a single man again?
I shouldn’t have come out here but I find myself getting dressed even though I don’t know where she wants us to go too.
It’s been a while since I am out for fun and the invitation is tempting since I have been finding it very hard to take a day off from work. I actually need a vacation but I can’t have one now.
It takes some more minutes before she comes out in a single maroon dress and I let out a deep sigh of relief that she is eventually out. I wonder why women love keeping men waiting.
My Helena wasn’t like this. She is so different from the rest of the girls. She is punctual and she sticks to time. I have never had any reason to wait for her for several minutes whenever we have plans to go out.
I guess this is why I am frustrated. We aren’t dating and I shouldn’t be seen by the media waiting up in front of her gate. I have had enough media scandals for a lifetime.
When Helena died, the media took it up and the stories were told in different ways. Same with Celine, even though I didn’t allow her to be exposed to the media but they got to know about her anyway when she left.
A soft smile forms on her lips as she approach. Kelvin goes down and opens the back door for her to enter. She hops in and scrutinizes me, then she frowns.
“Why are you dressed this way?” She shoots me an angry look.
I look down at my dress and wonder what is wrong with it. “What happened?”
“Remove the suit”, she insists and drags it off my shoulder. I furrow my brow in confusion and discomfort.
“Where are we going, ma’am?” Kelvin interrupts her. She stops removing my suit halfway and throws me a cold glare before leaning forward to whisper in his ears. Kelvin ignites the car engine into action immediately.
I arch a brow at her when she slumps back in the seat. “What is happening, Emily? Where are we going?”
She ignores me.
I let out a frustrated sigh, wishing I can keep my curiosity in check and be patient till we get to wherever it is we are going. I wonder why Kelvin isn’t telling me where she had whispered into his ears when he is my loyal employee.
“Emily”, I call her again, with a hint of frustration in my voice.
She scrutinizes me for a while and wags her fingers at me like a mother scolding her child. “Why did you wear this?”
I shrug nonchalantly. “I had no idea where we are going. How am I supposed to know what dress will suit the evening?”
“Gosh!” She hits her head and scowls at me before sighing heavily. “We are going out for fun, Bryan. This is totally out of it.”
“The fault is yours then”, I declare openly. “for not telling me.”
“Whatever!”
“Where are we going?” I ask her but she keeps silent. “Aren’t you going to tell me? I think I have been patient enough”, there is a hint of anger in my voice and I think she catches it too.
She watches me with amusement as I groan, looking out and not bothering to ask her any more questions. I shouldn’t have come.
I won’t let any woman control me. I have my reasons for coming here in the first place but now I realize I came here because I am a coward.
“We are going to a club”, she finally announces, making me snap my head to stare at her with my mouth hanging open.