Beautiful Mask
By Ameh Juliet
Episode 7 & 8
Caroline:
“You are?”i ask stun. Simon doesn’t strike me as a man that says he is sorry easily. He feign concentration in the cas-sava is currently murdering to avoid looking at me.
“Yes i am. I was a j£rk yesterday and i over reacted. So umm are you coming back or not?” he ramble and i smile.
“that doesn’t sound like an apology to me” i say feigning annoyance.
“am sorry. This is just kind of new for me. plea-se just- ouch! $h!t!”Simon screams. I don’t see any blood so i don’t think he is hurt.
“What’s wrong?” i ask panicked.
“My eyes. God, my eyes” he stands up while scru-bbing his eyes. A tiny cas-sava peel must have flown into his eyes. This is hilarious and i bur-st out laughing.
“Caroline. Don’t be rude. Help the poor man and st©p laughing. I don’t think i can take more of the both of you bickering.”my father says and walk away. Simon is still scru-bbing his eyes while muttering something about the cas-sava gods hating him un-der his breath and i hold back my laugh.
“come. Sit down let me check to see what’s wrong” i drag him to the only sofa in the sitting room. He sits obe-diently and opens his eyes for me to inspect. I bend to get a closer view and see a little white substance in his eyes.
“Found it, now hold still so i can get it out. Okay?” i ask and he nods. It doesn’t take a minute before i get it out.
“there. All good now” i say and when Simon doesn’t respond i look down at him to see his eyes are fixed on my bo-ob s. The bent position i am, gives him a good view inside my shi-t. I stand straight quic-kly.
“umm. Its getting late. Why don’t you head home alre-ady?. Umm see you at work tomorrow” I say
“okay. Yea, bye”he says without looking at me and in seconds, he’s out of the door. I sigh in relief. That was awkward. Well atleast, i have my job back. I nee-d to prepare well this time.
The next morning i wear my favourite dress and go over to favour’s house before i leave.
“Babe, which burial are you attending?”she asks as soon as she sees me.
“burial?. Am going to work. My boss c@m£ over to the house yesterday and gave me my job back”
“and you are going to wear that?” she looks at my dress with distaste.
“What’s wrong with this?” Am wearing a longsleeved v-n£¢k dress that reaches my shin. I think its beautiful enough.
“Girl, by what you have told me. Your boss likes you. So we have to show him some skin. What you are wearing looks like something your mother’s age would wear to a funeral” she says and i g@sp.
“mom gave me this dress during our ss three graduation.”i tell her
“it won’t do. Come in let me find something for you in my wardrobe” i may be late but i cant help but follow her in. After minutes of searching, favour f0rç£s me into a little black dress. Am curvy unlike favour who has a model’s shape which make her clothes hvg me like a second skin.
“Too much skin. I cant wear this.”i tug on the hem.
“it looks great on you. Match it with this heel” she hands me a silver heeled sandals.
“I cant walk in these” I protest but she is alre-ady forcing my legs into the shoes. I look into the mirror and i don’t know if i like this look. I want to look good and now that favour is helping me i shouldn’t protest.
“Okay. I’ll wear it” I say and favour grins.
“That’s the spirit.”
After applying a little l-ips tick(favour’s idea) i hurry off to work. My scarf is still around my face but i notice some guys looking at me and i feel confident. As soon as i work into the company, the rude lady from the other day that called me a clown walks to me.
“What do we have here. Looks like she isn’t a clown afterall. Just a cheap slut.” she says and I see the lady at the reception corner laughing. Diana eyes me up and down then look at me with disdain.
“where did you find this dress?.The prostitute’s market?”she asks outloud and i wish the ground would just open and swallow me. I try to drag the dress lower.
I hear the material rip and i know this day could not get any worse. I turn to run away but st©p. I cant let this rude lady win just like that. I swing at her and land a dirty b!ow/sl@p across her face. Oh, that was so satisfying. But still i have to get out of here, i turn too quic-kly and run into a solid mas-s of flesh and we hit the floor together. I sit up and ru-b my head.
“Are you okay lady?” the guy i just ran into asks. My breathe hitch at the sight of him. This one is handsome. He is beautiful. I just ran into a beautiful man. My luck just su-cks.
“I am fine.”he stands up with ease then helps me up.
“thank you”i say shyly not looking at him.
“i should be thanking you” he says and i look at him puzzled.
“you just put Diana in her place. I don’t hit ladies so am glad you did it for me” he says and give me a really boyish smile. Oh my God. In just three days, i have met two stunning guys. This must be a company for the handsome. I laugh at me thought.
“Your dress is torn” He bends and t©uçhes the torn fabric on the dress’ hem.
“lets get you something else to wear” he says and start dragging me out of the door.
“But I’ll be late.” I protest
“I’ll deal with Simon. He’s my junior cousin so no worries.” He says as he opens his car for me to go in. How does he know that i work un-der Simon?. I reluctantly get into the car.
“Am kelvin, by the way. You must be Caroline right?” he asks as he puts on his wireless earpiece.
“Yea.
“How do you know my name?” i ask but he just smiles another heart/melting smile.
“yea, Simon. Caroline is with me. She has an emergency so she would be late.” silence
“yes. She is fine. I promise to bring her back safely man.” Silence lence
“Okay bye” He says then smile at me.
“Simon seems to care about you alot” he says.
“Ofcourse not. He just cares about the work i should be doing right about now” I defend.
“Okay. We are here” he says. I look out the window and notice that we are at an high-end boutique.
“um, kelvin. I cant afford to shop here”
“who says you are paying?” he asks and gets out of the car. I do the same and he esc-rts me into the boutique with his hands on my lower back.
He ends up buying me a cute jacket, a sophisticated t©p and a stunning pencil Sk-irt that reaches just above my knee. I look into the boutique’s mirror and can’t help the big smile on my face as we drive back to the office.
Episode 8
Caroline:
“Thanks for the ride sir. And the clothes. You are a life saver” i say/as sir kelvin and i walk into the elevator.
“Call me kelvin. And i am glad to have saved your life” We are the only ones in the elevator and the look in kelvin’s eyes is ma-king this inti-mate. The elevator is quiet except until kelvin breaks it.
“can i ask you a question?” he asks
“sure”
“how did you get this scar?” Okay, that was so not i was expecting.
“I don’t really know . Mom says i alre-ady had it when they found me by
the bank of ekpan river” i look at kelvin to see his reaction but his expression is just neutral.
“So you are adopted?”
“yes.”
“Am so sorry dear. Do you remember anything about how you ended up by that river?”
“its fine. I was just eight years old then but i don’t remember a thing” I say and thankfully, the elevator ding at my floor and i quic-kly walk out.
“Can i have your number, caroline?” kelvin calls to me as i hurry away.
“i don’t have a phone.” I say without turning to him.
This is the floor Simon is supposed to be but i don’t see him. I walk to what i as-sume is my desk and sit. The table is empty except for a computer set and a wra-pped up box. I pick the box and see my name on it. Excitedly, i unwra-p it. Its a phone.
It says infinix and even though i don’t really know much about phones, i know that a phone with f!ngerprint lock is expensive. Wow, it must be from Simon!.
I take the phone off the carton and see a note inside a welcome to work/ sorry for being a j£rk/ thanks for cas-sava peeling lessons pres£nt. Hope you like it. I alre-ady bought and registered your simon’s card.
Wow, am so t©uçhed by this gesture. In just a day, two h0t guys have given me wonderful pres£nts. I power the phone on and a message comes in immediately.
Simon- looks like you found my pres£nt. You like it?
Caroline- I love it thanks. I am not sure if i can accept it tho
Simon-you are welcome and you sure can. I am out with my mom right now. Will be back by noon. Go into my office and arrange the files piled there plea-se
Caroline- alright
Simon- alright what?
Caroline-alright sir
Simon-good now get to work. Bye. I sort out the do¢v-ments in Simon’s office for hours. They are so many. I wonder what his previous secretaries did that his whole office is disorganized. I also arrange his table while looking at the time every minute. Its alre-ady after twelve and he isn’t back.
There is nothing else to do while i wait so i just park my bu-tt on his chair which is even more comfy than mine.
“So soft” I m0@n at the same time the door opens.
“Its nice to see that you are keeping my chair warm for me” Simon who is currently standing by the door says with a serious look on his face. Oh no. I have pissed him off again. I stand up quic-kly and my ankle twist in the heels i am wearing.
“it hurts” I grimace and Simon is beside me in seconds.
“Caroline are you okay?”
“yes. I am fine” I lie but grimace again as i stand on the bad ankle.
“sit” Simon orders with a don’t test me look on his face. I shut my mouth and sit obe-diently. Simon squats in front of me and places my foot on his leg.
“you don’t have-” he shoots me that look again and i Zi-p my mouth shut then throw the key away. Simon starts mas-saging my ankle and i st©p my self from giggling at the serious look on his face.
“its just a sprain. It would be better. You should be careful, Caroline.” he admonish.
“You scared me. I thought you were mad at me for warming your chair” I pout and he shake his head at me.
“Would i bring lunch for someone i am angry at?” he ask and raises an aj bag which i didn’t notice before.
“yes?” i ask and stretch my hand to collect the bag. He stands and raise it up. I stand and stretch but i still cant reach it.
“You are so short, Caroline” i love how my name roll off his ton-gue. It gives me tingles.
“I am not short” I protest but he just raises his eyebrow at me in a teasing manner. I’ll show him. I leap to catch the bag then scream in pretense pain.
“Oh my God. I think its broken” i gr0@nand sit back on the chair. I ru-b my ankle like it hurt and Simon rushes to me.
“Caroline, are you okay?” he asks and i gr-ab the aj bag from him and bur-st out in laughter.
“You cunning little thing” he says and i smile.
“You should never tease me with food. Its my number one weakness.”
“Point noted.” Simon says and we laugh together. He is still squ-atting beside me when the door open. I look to the door to see Beatrice. Her face looks murderous and she see the both of us like this.
“What is the meaning of this?!” she bellows and i see simon’s face fall. He stands up quic-kly and rushes to her and i feel expo-sed.
“its not what you think Bea”
“its not what i think?. What is that ugly thing doing in your office. On your chair, with you on your knee?”
“that’s a bit uncalled for bea. You shouldn’t call her a thing” He protest weakly and i just watch their exchange.
“I thought you fired her?. Or did she spre-ad her nas-ty legs for you?” she asks and i watch as Simon lose his cool.
“What the fv¢k is your problem?. Will you shut up! I am tired of your tantrums. I know i owe you but this is too much. plea-se leave before i forget my manners and hurt you” He grind out menacingly.
Beatrice shoots me a murderous stare before she storms out of the office.
“Am sorry about that” Simon says and i just nod. No one has everdefended me like this.
“Eat your lunch in your office Caroline. I want to be alone for now” he says and i take my lunch with me to my office without argument.
************************
Beatrice:
“I’m in” I say as soon as i enter his office. His eyes light up and he walks over to me.
“hmm..I thought you said you love him. Why the change of heart?”
“That bastard just embarras-sed me in front of that scar faced idiot. I want him to pay. I was re-ady to forgive him for ruining my life years ago but he has some nerve”
“good girl. Now all we have to do is get him to take you to the alter. Then we can take everything from him” he smiles wickedly
“how would we do that?”
“we drug him at the company p@rty this weekend and get him to impregnate you”
“Eww I don’t want to ruin my figure yet” I protest
“Do you want to revenge your family or not?”
“I do”
“Then do as you are told” he says with spite in his eyes.
“Alright. You don’t have to look at me like you want to murder me” I say and he grins.
“Oh. They are a lot of things I want to do to you. All of them, for your plea-sure” he says and ca-ress my n£¢k.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks and I nod.
“Good let’s go” he says and pu-lls me out of his office.
Simon and that tramp are going to regret embarras-sing me
******
Revenge don start oo.