Chasing

LESLIE’S POV

The only emotion that has fueled my determination ever since the invitations for the charity gala were sent out is anger. It has spread all over like a cancerous tumour, taking up the space where Kian’s love used to be and remaining in control even till the very night of the gala.

As I file through the beautiful dresses laid out on my bed for tonight, I imagine myself in each and everyone of them, bold and daring. A knock on my door draws my attention away from the dresses as one of the maids ushers herself into my room.

She bows slightly and I try to remember her name. It is hard to keep up with the names since I cannot even count the number of maids hired by my father to do all sorts of work in his mansion. Judging by the small bag in the maid’s hands, it is quite obvious she’s here to do my makeup for the night. This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

Needing a second opinion on the dresses, I pull her closer and point to the bed where they are all laid out.

“Which one do you think is best for the gala tonight? One that screams I just rose from the dead!?”

The maid laughs but catches herself halfway. I laugh too, to reassure her that it’s okay. She then goes around the bed and picks out one of the few dresses I was sceptical about before her arrival.

“Are you sure? It’s a bit too revealing don’t you think?” I say as she holds up the bright red glittery dress. It is stunning and is absolutely capable of turning heads, the perfect dress to hog all the attention since it is all about me anyway but it leaves only little to the imagination with that wide slit at the side and the wide chest with the tendency of displaying too much cleavage.

I have always shied away from wearing revealing clothes because of Kian. As both his secretary and his wife, I made it my duty to have a clean image that matches his own. I played dress up in my room when I was alone but I never wore those dresses out in the open. The maid makes me stand in front of the mirror and puts the dress in between me and the mirror while she stands behind me.

*

“See how it matches your skin so perfectly?” She says and I stare at my reflection in the mirror, feeling my confidence skyrocket at the sexy sight of myself even when I am yet to put on the dress.

“This is the perfect dress for you.” The maid says again and that seals it. That and the roaring desire to break out of the bondage of Kian’s shadow. It has always been Kian, Kian, Kian! But to hell with that, not ymore. Meeting the eyes of the maid through the mirror, I say to her, “Make me look pretty.”

She does as told and for the next few minutes, she focuses on beating my face and styling my hair into perfection until I am finally ready to go. I stare at myself in the mirror and it fills me with so much giddiness that in the next hour, Kian will get to see this version of me. I cannot wait to see the look on his face when he sees me alive and well.

I may not have proof of his involvement in what was almost my murder because my phone got destroyed alongside the warehouse but my presence and the fact that I am practically untouchable now will haunt him for the rest of his life and that is more than enough for me.

“You are so beautiful. I understand why the chairman has been smiling more now.” She says innocently and I force a smile at the mention of my father. I care less about his happiness because of my arrival into his life. The one person whose smile I so badly want to see is no longer alive.

I subconsciously turn on my new phone at that moment. Grandmother’s face flashes on the lockscreen since she has been my wallpaper for longer than I can remember. I may have stared too long at the image of her smiling because the maid speaks up.

“I am sure she’s proud of you.”

“You think?” I ask. She could have been here. She could have told me earlier about my father and she could have enjoyed this life with me.

“Of course, look around you. You are living the dream and she would have wanted this and even more for you.”

She is right, but only about one thing. Grandmother would have wanted this for me but this isn’t my dream. Her words send a reminder of how I dimmed the lights of my dream just to make that of Kian burn brightly. Urgency fills me

+26 BONUS

once I come to terms with this.

“I need to call Travis.” The maid just looks at me in confusion while I try to dial Travis‘ number. His call comes in right on cue and I answer almost instantly. He speaks first.

“Hey, Leslie. I’m sorry but I might run a little late to the gala tonight as I need to round up at work. You will have to go without me but I promise to be there before the gala begins. I will send a car to pick you up now.”

I barely pay attention to everything he says because I am too caught up in what is running through my own head.

“I thought of a better way to deal with Kiah.” I say.

“What?” He sounds genuinely surprised.

I take a deep breath, telling myself I won’t regret saying what is about to leave my lips.

“I don’t want to be introduced as my father’s heiress at the gala anymore.”

Adeola

Author

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