“Erica, this isn’t necessary. I already told you that Ellen is being delusional and
just wants to cause drama”, Richard said to Erica as they walked into Jessica’s
office.
“I just want to speak to Jessica to confirm. She’ll never lie to me”, Erica said,
looking at Jessica.
When Jessica heard this, she started feeling nervous and wanted to just pass out.
Her day was already messed up due to her events the previous day and now this
was adding to it.
“Jessica, how are you doing?” Erica asked, taking her seat.
“I’m fine. Thank you”, she said, stuttering.
“Richard, I’ll like to be alone with her”, she said to Richard.
“We’re both being accused here, I’m staying”.
“Richard, this is my assistant and I want to have a talk with her. Please excuse
us”.
“And she’s….” he started to say and he held back his tongue. “She’s the one who’ll
receive the heat and I don’t want that”.
“There’s not going to be any heat if she’s honest with me. Richard please excuse
us”, she said in an annoyed tone and he walked away angrily.
“Jess, I’ll like to ask you some few questions and please be honest with me just
like the first day we had a talk. Let’s talk woman to woman”, she said to her and
Jessica nodded.
Deep inside her, she was shaking and she wished the ground will open up to take
her in.
“Is there anything going on between you and Richard?” She asked her and Jessica
tried her best to keep her cool.
“No”, she said, lying through her teeth.
“You sure?”
“No Erica, he’s just been friendly with me”.
“Mmm, and what were you doing in his house so late on Saturday?” She asked
and Jessica didn’t know what to say.
“Uhmm… I…My… new apartment is closer to his and I was having issues with the
documentation. He offered to help and so I just took a stroll to his house to help
out”.
“Wow, you’re such a bad liar”, Erica said, chuckling. “What you’re saying doesn’t
add up and it’s way different from what Richard told me”, she said to her and
Jessica started to shake.
“Oh God please help me out”, she said to herself and a tear dropped down on her
cheek. Her day was not going so well and she just wanted to break down and cry
out loud.
“Jessica, I’m going to give you one more chance to say the truth. I’m trying to help
you here, I know my brother and what he’s capable of”, she said to her and
Jessica looked at her with tears in her eyes.
“Jessica what’s going on between you and my brother”, she said to her.
“We are dating”, she said, looking away.
“You’re dating Richard?”
“Yeah”, she said in a calm tone.
“And how long has this been going on for?”
“2 to 3 months”, she said to her.
“Hmm, and you didn’t bother to say anything to me? I thought we were closer
than that”.
“I was scared that you were not going to approve of it and I was scared that you
would think that I was using your brother”.
“Using Richard? No one uses Richard. Richard uses people”, she said, chuckling
and Jessica’s eyes widened.
“Richard is my brother but I can’t defend what’s already out there”, she said to
her and Jessica had a confused look.
“Why do you look surprised? Wait, you didn’t know this?” She asked and Jessica’s
tears dropped. Her head was spinning so fast.
“Jessica relax. I’m not saying he’s using you. I don’t know how he feels about you
but Richard is going through a phase and trying to be a better person. If you had
come to me earlier on, I would have told you to keep your distance because you
might just be an experiment. He’s never dated your type and I honestly don’t
know where his mind is at but Jessica, for your own good, please end whatever it
is, she said to her and Jessica was in tears.
“Normally, I would have sent you packing but you’re valuable to me and I’ve
come to like you as a younger sister. And I know that this wasn’t entirely your
fault. Richard knows how to get what he wants, so I don’t blame you. But just end
this and move forward. And I’ll speak to Richard to stay out of your way but if
you don’t feel comfortable being here anymore, I’ll understand”, she said to her
and she squeezed Jessica’s hand.
“Do you want to go home? I can permit you to stay home for today”, she said to
her and Jessica realized that she had no home yet.
“Yes, thank you”, she said to Erica.
“Use this to get a ride home”, she said, placing some money on her table and she
left.
Jessica’s head was aching really bad and she felt like jumping through her
window. She wanted to scream but she couldn’t because of she was at work.
She didn’t know what to do or who to go to and she just decided to go home to
her parent’s house.
She grabbed the money, placed it in her bag and left the office.
Richard was in his office when Erica walked in.
“Richard! What is your problem?! I’ve really had it up here with you! I’m going to
tell mum and ask her to transfer you to another company. I can’t have you here!
You’re just messing up everything! Why did you move to Jessica? You couldn’t
find someone else?” He asked her.
“How is this any of your business and we both have equal rights here. You can’t
ask mum to move me! I add more value here than you do!”
“I’ll tell her you’re messing around with my assistant!”
“I’m not messing around. I love Jessica and that’s it”.
“Love? Do you even know what that is?”
“Mmm, enlighten me Erica. Since you know so much about love but you’re still
single!”
“How dare you say that to me?”
“Don’t even start. You’ve said worse. The only reason I hid this from you is
because I was trying to protect Jessica. You know I don’t give a crap about what
you think”.
“I don’t want you doing anything with Jessica. Leave her alone!”
“What makes you think you can control who
I want to be with”.
“Richard! You’re just going to hurt that poor girl!”
“I’m not. I love her and…”
“How do you love someone but you still sleep around”.
“I don’t. It was just Ellen and you know why I did that!”
“And does she know?”
“She doesn’t need to know! What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her and I’ve ended
things with Ellen”.
“And what about Olivia?”
“I’ve not even seen her in weeks”.
“And what will happen when you see her”.
“I don’t know Erica!”
“I thought you were changing. So the church you’ve been attending isn’t doing
much to you?”
“It is! I’m trying my best! I’ve never even slept with Jessica till last night. Do you
know how difficult it was for me? But I was able to hold back because I want to
change fand because I love her so much!”
“You’re just so pathetic. I’m going to get on the phone with mum and tell her
everything”.
“She’ll just ask you to fire Jessica and you know we both don’t want that”.
“Then I’ll tell dad”.
“And he’s going to tell mum and you’ll still have to fire Jessica”.
“Then just leave her alone! Find someone else”.
“What don’t you get! I’m in love with her!”
“And you’re still sleeping around! That’s not what love is!”
“For the last time. I’m not”.
“You slept with Ellen just two days ago! And if Olivia shows up, who knows what
you’ll do! That’s called sleeping around! I pray Jessica heeds to my advice and
cuts you off!”
“What did you tell her?!” He asked and Erica gave him a look.
“If you cause problems in my relationship, you wouldn’t have peace in your next
one!” He said to her and he left the office.
Richard quickly ran to Jessica’s office and she wasn’t there.
He called her phone and it was switched off.
“Erica, where’s she?” He asked, walking into her office.
“I sent her home”.
“You fired her?!”
“She’s just taking the day off and don’t you dare go to her house, I…” she said to
him and Richard stormed off.
Jessica arrived at her house and when she walked in, she saw her mum in the
living room.
“Jessica?!” She said, surprised and Jessica walked up to her and cried in her arms.
“Oh baby what is it?” She asked, hugging her and trying to comfort her and she
didn’t utter a word.
Jessica cried for a long time and didn’t say a word to her mum.
After sometime, she stopped crying and was just sobbing.
“Do you need water or juice or a cup of tea?” Her mum asked her.
“I want tea”, she said to her.
“Okay, I’ll be right back”, she said to her and she left.
She got back and gave the tea to Jessica.
When Jessica was done taking the tea, she told her mum everything that was
going on and she started to cry again.
“Mum, I slept with him and that’s what hurt the most”, she said, crying.
“Oh Jess, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s happened and now we just need a
way forward”, her mum said to her.
“I can’t think of any way to move forward. I can’t even go back to work. It’ll hurt
me a lot and I don’t want to see him.
“I understand baby but you can’t make such decisions right now. You’re hurt and
it’s fueling your decision. Just wait till tomorrow and then you decide on what
you want to do”, she said to her and Jessica was quiet.
“I don’t know why I believed him so much when everything was right in front of
me!”
“Jessica, you don’t even know his own stand on this. For all you know Erica is just
doing this to protect her brother and if it’s not so, she might not really know if
he’s really changed or not”.
“Mum! You were not there to see the look on her face. She had pity in her eyes
and she was trying to protect me! That means the rumors are true! And I didn’t
even try to get to know him and I just jumped right in because I had feelings for
him and what made it worse was when I had to choose! I chose him over Dean
mum! I hurt Dean because of him! And he even wanted me to cut Dean off!”
“Hmm, what made you choose him over Dean?”
“I was just scared mum. Everything was moving so fast with Dean and I just felt
like we might hurt each other and I can’t stand a broken heart from Dean. Just
being ignored by him all these years was killing me inside and then imagine if we
date and break up! I’d go crazy and I might not survive it! And also Richard was
making me really happy and I was just so attracted and drawn to him! I wanted
to explore more with him and have a fresh start away from the whole feelings I
had for Dean”, she said to her mum and she started to cry again.
“And now this is what I get. For his own sister to care about my own feelings,
then it’s bad. I can’t even imagine what he’s done or what he’s doing. I don’t even
know if any part of our relationship was real. I don’t even know if he just wanted
to sleep with me! I don’t know anything mum. I don’t even know who he is
again”.
“Jessica, stop over thinking things. I’m sure when you go to his house to take your
things, you’d get answers to all your questions but don’t let him trap you in his
lies. Ask him for the damn truth!”
“I can’t talk to him now and I don’t even want to see him”.
“Your things are in his house, you’ll definitely see him when you go over there”.
“I have some things in my new place. I’ll go there and stay for the night”, she said,
wiping her tears.
“You can actually sleep here for the night”.
“I wouldn’t be able to go to work tomorrow from here”.
“Okay, I’m glad you’re thinking of work”, her mum said, chuckling. “But you’ll
definitely meet him at work”.
“I’ll try my best to not stay in my office”.
“Hmm, okay”.
“Mum, I’m feeling sleepy. I’m going to sleep. Please wake me up at 6 so that I
leave”.
“Alright honey. You need the sleep and that tea had some sleeping elements in it”.
“Mum, you’re sedating me!”
“You need it. Just go and sleep and I’m sure your dad will be back from work by
the time you wake up”.
“Don’t tell him mum, I don’t want him to get upset and angry”.
“You know I don’t hide anything from my husband”, she said, giving her a face.
“Atleast not today. Maybe when I leave”.
“Alright”, she said to her Jessica and she got on her feet and went into her room
to sleep.
Later in the night, Jessica’s dad decided to drop her off at her place.
“Yeah dad, the tall building on the right”, she said to him.
“Wow! It’s really beautiful. I love how they used the light to decorate the exterior
part of the building”.
“Yeah, I love it too”, he said to her and he came to a stop in front of the building.
“Thank you daddy”.
“You’re welcome”.
“Are you coming up with me?”
“No honey. It’s really late, I have to hit the road so that I get home quickly. But
don’t worry, when you’ve finally settled in, your mum and I will pay you a visit”.
“Okay daddy. Goodnight”, she said, hugging him and then she stepped out of the
car.
She went into the building and as she was about to open up her door. She heard
Dean open his and he walked out with Lisa.
“Lisa!?” Jessica said, widening her eyes.
