Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Exposed Secret

The physical contact between Leon and Ella, though brief, was electrifying. His gentle touch on her arm strangely stirred a surge of mixed emotions in her entire body. It made her feel relaxed and less anxious. She felt a magnetic pull toward him. She shook her head to push down this new burning desire and smiled faintly.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for your concern.” With that, she left the scene and drove off in her car.

Leon was intrigued both by her beauty, emotion, softness, and boldness. She didn’t even try to hug or flirt with him.

Ladies naturally melted in his presence and would give anything to be by his side even for a moment. He didn’t have to push hard to get any woman he wanted. He walked back to his car, still deep in thought, started the engine, and drove into a parking spot

He picked up his phone and dialed Tommy’s number. “Hey Tom, meet me up at Bliss lounge. I’ve got something I need you to follow up on.”

“Sure, I’m around the neighborhood and I’ll be there in five minutes” answered Tom.

Immediately he ended the call with Tom, his phone rang, and then his facial expression changed to one of irritation when he saw the caller.

.....

It was Yvonne, his older fussy sister. She was always acting like a mother hen towards him. Frequently, she questioned his lifestyle and choice of women. Her display of filial affection was sometimes overbearing. He always preferred Ivory’s, his younger sister’s company.

“Dad wants to see you today by 4:00 PM no excuses,” Yvonne stated blankly and hung up.

...

Ella walked into her house and shut the door behind her. She leaned on the door for a while, lost in her thoughts. She admired her moderately but tastefully decorated living room before strolling to her bedroom. She picked up her phone only to discover over forty missed calls and some messages from her boss, sister, and colleagues. She scrolled over the messages and read a few.

[Mr. Kane: ‘Miss Ariella, where the hell are you? Are you not supposed to be at work presently? Why are you not taking your calls? You had better report to the office at this moment! This establishment will not condone such defiant behavior from you.’]

“What a cold-blooded, bossy prick,” Ella hissed. She had never really liked or understood that man. Nothing ever seems to impress him. He always wore the same stoned expression even when you exceed the company’s expectations.

???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

[Denis: ‘Ella, where are you? Are you at home? Are you alright? Please, talk to me. I need to know you are fine.’]

[Olivia: ‘Hi sweetie, congratulation, I am so proud of you. Dad will be too if he were here. When last did you speak to mum? Call me when you have settled in your new office. Kisses and hugs.’ ]

Ella smiled briefly and the smile faded to sad teary eyes. She allowed the burning tears to flow freely for a while. She recollected the words of her late father; who was her best friend, and mentor. He was the only person who stood by her when she decided to forfeit law school for fashion design.

“Princess Ella” he would fondly call her, “if you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.”

“Oh daddy,” she whispered, “I need you right now. I wish you were here. Where did I go wrong? Why is this happening to me now?” She sobbed deeply and lay down on her cozy bed for a while.

After a few minutes of crying, she stood up and took off her clothes. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the cold shower. She shivered as the water ran through her hair. She slightly lifted her face, allowing the flowing water to trail down the curves of her body. A soft moan escaped her slightly parted lips as the water tickled her sensitive spots. She thought about the beautiful stranger she had met in the parking lot and an erotic thought crossed her mind which made her shudder with desire.

She came out of the bathroom, dried herself up, and put on her favorite floral printed T-shirt and a short. Climbing onto her bed, she picked up her phone, and briefly texted Denise, letting her know that she was at home and fine. After that, she turned off the phone, closed her eyes, and slept off almost immediately, thanks to her weariness.

There was a continuous buzzing sound at the door. Ariella opened her bleary eyes slightly. She flickered her lashes for a short while, and then closed her eyes. The buzzing sound did not stop. She opened her eyes for the second time, very much awake, stood up from the bed, and walked lazily to the door. On confirming who it was, she unlocked the door and allowed Denise in.

“Oh my gosh, Ella,” Denise scrutinized her like a mother bear checking out for injuries on her precious cub. “You have been one difficult person to reach all day”.

“Have you been out there for long?” Ella inquired sluggishly.

“No, I have been sitting at home and watching my favorite telenovela” Denise rolled her eyes at Ella. “You got me worried all day. I couldn’t even focus on work and now you are here acting like nothing was wrong. Sometimes, I don’t understand you. You are like a mystical cloud that can only be read by a sorcerer.”

“Come on! I am sorry. I didn’t mean to get you all worried or worked up. Henceforth, I promise to let you know of my whereabouts, mama bear,” Ella teased jokingly as she tried to put a smile on her best friend’s face, who sometimes acted in the capacity of a mom, dad, sister, brother, or anyone to make Ella happy.

Denise had always been endeared to Ella, ever since the day she joined the F&K fashion home. Ella was like a little sister she never had. Her determination to succeed and achieve her goal was incredibly awesome. She wasn’t one of those beautiful faces that felt they could get everything they wanted just by smiling and flaunting their beauty. Ella was the total opposite. She was always on her desk creating and inventing new ideas. As a result, her social life was nonexistent.

Denise had tried to convince her about the need for her to be serious and show more commitment in relationships. But Ella’s response was always the same, ‘if you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to build theirs.’

“By the way, Adrian called me. He had been trying to reach you...I didn’t tell him about the incident in the office today. He wants to hang out with you,” Denise gleamed as she examined Ella’s reaction.

“Come on Ella, say something, you know that guy is crazy about you. Why not give him a chance? You won’t regret it, I promise. Also, I want you to leave the house and go have fun,” Denise tried to persuade her.

“I don’t feel like hanging out right now. Moreover, Adrian is not for me. Yeah, he is cute, but I don’t feel attracted to him. He never stops talking about himself, his achievements, and how he has so much money to take care of me. Maybe that works for other girls but not me” Ella finally confessed.

“I want so much more; respect, honesty, loyalty, personal space, empathetic listener, and affection,” Ella echoed, lost in her thoughts.

As she recalled the brief physical interaction with the handsome stranger earlier on, she unconsciously started to blush.

“Is there something or someone I don’t know about?” Denise broke the silence with a raised eyebrow.

“No. There is no one.” Ella smirked. “You are such a nosy friend.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”Dennis wasn’t convinced by Ella’s reply, but she decided not to interrogate her.

“You won’t believe what I found out today,” Denise declared with excitement, changing the topic. “Have you ever wondered who Sylvia Kane truly was or who she is related to?”

Ella gaped blankly at her friend, unsure of what to say. To the best of her knowledge, Silvia Kane was an only child of her late parents who died in a car crash. She saw herself through the fashion school by working as a part-time student. According to her, fashion designing had always been a dream she wanted to accomplish. And getting a job in one of the prestigious fashion companies was a dream come through.

“I guess I know a little about her,” Ella stared with a confused expression.

“She is the daughter of Mr. Kyle’s only sibling”. Denise blurted out. “she was placed under your supervision to understudy you and acquire the necessary skill she needed to lead the team. She wasn’t surprised when her name was announced.”

“Not only has she resumed her new office, but she also came prepared, giving directives like she was the boss of the company. You had been training her unknowingly for this position for two years now.”

“Where did you get that information from?” Ella questioned Denise with a frosty glare.

“James confided in me this afternoon, he overhead Silvia discussing with Mr. Kyle. He even heard her talking to a woman on the phone whom she called mum and Mr. Kyle called Sophie. So I did my findings and confirmed the story.” Denise smiled feeling impressed at her discovery.

Ella was dumbstruck.

“No...o! you don’t say! seriously! So she had been deceiving me all this while, fabricating stories just to gain my trust,”

Ella paced around the room deep in thoughts.

“So I have been trading my creative ideas just to grow their company? They never had any plans of rewarding my efforts after all I have sacrificed.” She breathed in deeply. “I’ll show them.” There was a darkened fiery look in her eyes. “I’ll show all of them”, she reaffirmed with a sinister glare.