Anthony continued to think about why Lerisa wasn't happy, as he didn't have any siblings and had grown up seeing Lerisa as a sibling to him.
He sighed and focused his gaze on the road, driving home. Soon, he arrived home and drove into the garage before getting out of his car and walking up to their duplex mansion. “Good evening, Mom and Dad,” Anthony greeted his parents as he stepped into the living room and saw his parents sitting in the dining room. His mother smiled and replied first, “Welcome home, Anthony. How was work today?” “Fine, mother,” Anthony walked up toward the living room stairs to retire to his bedroom. However, his mother spoke to him, “Wait, Anthony, won't you join us for dinner before retiring to your bedroom?” Anthony paused, stared back at his mother, and replied, “Okay, mom. How's the birthday preparation going? We will celebrate it here tomorrow in the event hall.” Anthony walked to the dining room to join his parents. He pulled a seat out before sitting down across from his father. His mother replied, “Fine.” Anthony's phone rang, and he took it out of his trouser side pocket. He saw that Clara was calling him. “Excuse me, Mom and Dad, I have to answer this call. Hello, babe, I will call you back later,” Anthony said on the phone call to Clara. He immediately ended the call and smiled back at his parents while dragging his chair closer to the dining table. Mrs. Beatrice smiled at Anthony and knew her son was in a relationship. She didn't want to disturb him by asking who the baby was, as she was eagerly awaiting for Anthony to settle down with Lerisa Jonah, whom she loved and wanted as her daughter-in-law. “How about Lerisa, Anthony? Did she come to the company today?” Anthony's father finally asked him before they resumed eating. Anthony frowns a little, remembering the sad look he saw on Lerisa's face before she left the company. His mother asked him, “What's wrong, Anthony?” “Nothing, mom. Lerisa is fine. She came to work today,” Anthony answered, and he asked, “Where's the meal?” “Anthony, I know that you only see Lerisa as a friend. But her father is a good friend of mine, not just my assistant in the past. Mr. Fred Jonah supported and encouraged me in building the company that you're now controlling. So I want you to know that the Jonah family matters so much to me for asking you about Lerisa,” spoke Mr. Joshua Gregson. “I can understand, father. Where's Sandra, mom?” Anthony asked. Just then, Sandra stepped out of the kitchen with the tray of their meals in her hands and approached the dining table to serve their dinners, as if she were their maid. “I'm sorry for the delay,” Sandra apologized. Mrs. Beatrice sighed and replied, “It's okay, Sandra. Be quick.” Anthony and his parents finally resumed eating their dinner in silence. When Anthony was through, he stood up from his dining seat and said to his parents, "Thanks, Mom and Dad, I'm going back upstairs to my bedroom to rest. Good night.” “Yes, good night, Anthony,” replied Mrs. Beatrice. She watched as Anthony walked away and climbed the stairs in the living room to his bedroom. Anthony walked into his bedroom and sighed as he decided to call Clara to know why she had called him earlier. He couldn't answer her call because he was with his parents. He missed Clara, and the phone call connected. “Hello, babe,” Anthony said, and he stripped off his coat. He heard Clara respond, “Hi, sweetheart. How was your day at the office?” Clara was in the clubhouse, and Anthony could hear the sound of club music playing in the background. He asked her, “Where are you, babe?” “I'm in the club. My girlfriend is having a birthday party today, so she invited me over. You know I cannot turn down her invitation," replied Clara. “Hmm....” Anthony stared at his wristwatch and saw it was already after 9 p.m. He said, “But it's getting late, babe. Start going back home now; I am not happy with you being there.” “Hahaha. I know, babe, relax. I didn't come here to sleep with anyone, and it is a midnight party. I will be fine,” Clara assured. However, Anthony frowned, but as he wanted to complain, Clara immediately told him, “I have to end the call now, babe. Goodnight, and see you tomorrow at your parents house. But you know that I'm not happy with you choosing to celebrate your birthday at your parents' home instead of a hotel as an adult.” “Hmm,” Anthony frowned and said, “It's how my parents want it. Clara, and I cannot go against them." “How your parents want it? But not how I want it, Anthony. Anyway, it's okay. Good night," Clara said, and Anthony heard the sound of the phone call disconnected, which made his frown deepen. Anthony loved Clara; he sighed and took off his long white sleeve shirt. He was about to strip off his trousers, but he touched the red ring box that he had kept in his trouser pocket. He bought it out and stared at it again, intending to propose to Clara the following day. Anthony sighed and walked toward his bed drawer to drop the red ring box there. He walked to his bathroom to bathe, and after he was through, he got out and wore his usual white robe, walking to his bed, and he sat on it to use his laptop. Anthony thought about calling Lerisa on the phone to find out if she was fine now and had gotten home safely. He sighed, picking up his phone, and he unlocked the phone screen and called Lerisa directly. Lerisa was through bathing in her bathroom and was wearing an ash-colored nightgown. She sat on the dining room chair with her parents, having her dinner. She wasn't with her phone, so Anthony's call didn't connect as she was eating her dinner. Anthony finally dropped his mobile phone in his bed drawer, and he continued with his online research on his laptop. After browsing for a while, he switched off his laptop and went to plug it in to charge.Lerisa was done having dinner with her parents in the dining room. None of her siblings were at home, so she stood up, locked the house entrance door, and finally returned to her bedroom to sleep. She went into her bedroom, picked up her phone, and saw that the time was after 10 p.m. Furthermore, she was surprised to see many missed calls from Anthony too, and she wasted no time, immediately calling Anthony back to know why he had called her. The phone call connected, and she spoke first: “Hello, Anthony.” Anthony was still standing in his bedroom, preparing to step out to have dinner with his parents before retiring back to his bedroom to sleep. He saw his phone ringing, took it, and saw that Lerisa was the one calling him. He picked up her call and asked her, “Hey, Lerisa. I was calling you before to know if you have gotten home safely and if you're alright now.” "Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks for calling me to check," replied Lerisa. She knew that Anthony cared for her like an ol
Anthony finally stared back at Lerisa's face, and he said to her, "I have to go home now. I hope that you're truly feeling fine now." Anthony drank from the bottled water in his hands again, looking directly at Lerisa's face. She replied, "Yes, I'm fine. See you later in the evening." Lerisa's pretty, fair-in-complexion face turned sad again as she remembered that Anthony would definitely propose to Clara in the evening. Since Anthony and Clara have been dating for three years or more,. Anthony noticed the change in Lerisa's mood due to how her face automatically turned red. He immediately asked her, "What's wrong with you again?" Lerisa snapped out of her trance and replied, "Nothing, I'm fine." "Hmm, you keep lying to me that you're fine when you are not fine... Tell me the truth, Lerisa. What's bothering you? You can share whatever the problem is with me. You know that I care about you, and I know that you don't have any other friends aside from me," said Anthony. "You don't
Ben chuckled out first over the phone call, as he knew he had been asking Lerisa out, yet she didn't want to accept him. She was the first lady who had ever rejected his attempts to date her. He was determined to have her by all means, whether she liked him or not. He believed that, with time, she would fall in love with him too. "Does it matter how I got your number? The truth is that I want to hear your voice. "I've been searching for your mobile number since and finally got it from somewhere." "Where?" Lerisa asked Ben, frowning and not wanting to have anything to do with Ben. She knew that Ben was also from a rich family, not the first son, but he owned a hotel and was doing well at his age, despite being the same age as Anthony. "Why are you calling me?" Lerisa inquired. "Chill, babe. Why are you sounding so pissed off? Yesterday, upon observing how depressed you appeared, I became extremely concerned for your well-being. I couldn't sleep well last night, which is why I am cal
Lerisa sighed as she knew that she couldn't miss Anthony's birthday party. She had been there with him since he used to celebrate his seventh birthday party, and until now he has become an adult. Lerisa knew that if she avoided attending Anthony's birthday party, it might seem as though she was jealous or holding a grudge against him, and her parents would frown at her. Fixing her gaze on the road, Lerisa drove her car out of the street and wanted to take another street turn before driving out onto the main road. But just then, she saw a lady and a man kissing each other in front of a black car parked on the street. Lerisa wondered who the shameless young lady and the man were, kissing in public rather than finding a private place. She knew that mostly rich families lived around the estate, as most houses were individually owned and some were mostly occupied by the real house owners together with their family members instead of tenants. But as she drove her car ahead to exit the st
Clara knew she had lied to Remy about her name as April. That was one of her habits of lying to men about her real name, since she wasn't interested in them and only wanted to have sex with them. She walked back into her house gate, as she lived there alone, and returned to her room in the rented apartment. Meanwhile, Lerisa drove to the shopping complex where she wanted to purchase clothes, parked her car, and sighed in relief. She remembered how Clara had denied knowing her. Lerisa thought to call Anthony again on the phone. But she didn't know how she would explain to him that she saw his girlfriend cheating on him. She switched off her car engine and finally stepped out of her car before locking her car door and walking up to the shopping boutique where she wanted to select a gown. Lerisa stepped into one of the feminine boutiques, and the sales representative there attended to her. "Good afternoon, ma'am. What kind of clothes do you want to buy? We have gowns, skirts, blouses,
Lerisa met with her parents in their living room and greeted them, "Good afternoon, Mom, Dad." "Welcome home, Lerisa. Your father and I forgot to purchase birthday gifts that we will give to Anthony today. How about you? Did you purchase anything when you were coming home?" Mrs. Antonia asked, and Lerisa replied, "No, mom. I forgot too." Lerisa stared at the living room wall clock and saw that it was already 2 p.m. Her father said, "There's still time, Lerisa. Why not go outside now with your sister to the shops nearby and purchase what we will give to the Gregson family? As you know, we cannot go there empty-handed to attend Anthony's birthday, since he is their only son." "Hmm, you're right, father. But what do I buy for Anthony? As they're rich, and last year we had already given him a standing fan... And I don't know what to buy for him this year again," Lerisa said with a frown, as they had bought a lot of gifts for Anthony before, and she didn't know what she would give him r
As the evening wore on, Lerisa found herself in the comfort of her room, when suddenly her phone rang. It was Anthony on the other end of the line. By 5 pm, she was ready, having taken the time to dress up and add a touch of makeup to her face. She felt a surge of anxiety as Anthony's name appeared on the caller ID, unsure of whether to answer his call or not. She was consumed with worry, unable to bring herself to tell him about Clara's betrayal. Inhaling deeply, Lerisa managed to pick up the call just before it could disconnect, and Anthony's rich, masculine voice welcomed her. "Hey there, Lerisa..." "Good evening, Anthony. I'm on my way now," Lerisa swiftly responded. Anthony inquired, "Are you certain? Or are you not interested in coming to my birthday party tonight?" Anthony enjoyed having Lerisa's presence around, as he saw her as a dear younger sister. Lerisa quickly responded, "Of course I'll be there for your birthday! I'll be there soon, please... Just a minute," she plead
After one last glance at his reflection in the mirror, Anthony left his bedroom upstairs. He traced the path of the upper level and descended to the event hall in the second wing of their grand estate. "Welcome the celebrant! Just as we have eagerly anticipated this joyous occasion, we are thrilled to join him in celebrating his new age. Anthony Gregson!" The female host exclaimed with excitement as she witnessed Anthony's grand entrance onto the front stage in the event hall. "Thank you all, Thank you," Anthony expressed with gratitude as the round of applause grew louder for him. As he stepped onto the stage, he gracefully took the microphone from the host, who was dressed in an elegant white gown. Despite being married, she was the host of the show. She greeted Anthony with a warm smile, reciprocated by him and the other guests who had gathered in the event hall alongside him and his family. They all enthusiastically applauded him as well. Lerisa stood at a corner in the event ha