Lucas peered over the hot sun as he waited for Clara. He tried dialing Purple's number in the process but kept hearing "service unavailable".
He had dropped her messages on different platforms, but she neither replied nor read them. He knew she was still angry, but what he hadn't thought of was that she would go this far to express her displeasure.
Sweat broke out in a vague amount on his forehead despite the air conditioning in the car where he patiently waited. The short, fumbling movements with his phone hammered the thoughts that had been lingering in his mind.
He saw Clara from a distance and heaved a sigh of relief. As she entered the car, she apologized for her lateness and Lucas mumbled a reply, signaling the chauffeur to move the car
"Where are we going? Clara questioned
"I told you, I have an amazing surprise for you" he replied absentmindedly
Clara smiled as she turned to look at his hard stoned face, she took in his gleaming white starched attire. His hair poured beautifully across his face giving him the ravishing look that her heart could not resist. She settled in the car, giving her attention to the lawns that carefully designed the road.
The car pulled out in a white building and the trio went out. Lucas held her hand as he led her through the building. Realizing what was happening, Clara temporarily fidgeted, and balancing a look of alarm on her face, she demanded
"This is a hospital, why are we here? We were supposed to go out on a date"
"Calm my young lady, I'm merely here to get a friend"
"Why do we need a friend? It's supposed to be just the two of us"
"Again, calm. Trust me, okay?"
Clara relaxed, but could not let go of the smell of suspicion that had become stale in the air. She became alert, promising herself to make a dash if the situation called for it.
They made their way to a mini sized office and Lucas exchanged pleasantries with a young man in a lab coat.
Clara was not smart enough to notice that after they had seated and had just started conversing, Lucas had winked to the young doctor who excused himself and made to leave the room.
Then swiftly, unexpectedly, he injected a syringe in Clara's right arm. Clara started in shock as her brain screamed danger
"What the hell did you just do to me? Lucas, what's the meaning of this. Do you know about this?"
Lucas stood up accompanied by pride. He let out a loud laugh filled with sarcasm.
"You will not understand now, my dear, wait till the test results and DNA are out, we will all know who the nemesis in your womb belong to"
Clara had never felt a numbness like she felt now. She refused to think, to ponder on the fact that she was about to be disgraced like a motherless fool. Where had she missed out? How could she not see beyond the fake smile and warmth of Lucas? She had willingly dragged herself to her doom like a sacrificial lamb.
She rushed to the door and pulled at it for an escape. It refused to open, she tried again, it still remained stuck. She was hit with an hysterical rage as she rushed to the doctor dragging him by the collar
"The damned door is locked, open it now, and let me get the hell out of here"
"Not so quick, my dear. Just last week, you pinpoint a baby on me, I'm only making sure you're doing the right thing" Lucas's demanding voice cut her short.
Clara felt her defense crumble terribly, then she succumbed to her only refuge; tears. Tears of anger, tears of bitterness, not of regret, tears of helplessness, tears of envy, of disgust.
She made a rush again, this time to Lucas, but something stopped her, slowed her pace. A feeling of paralysis was slowly eating her up. She tried to move her legs, tried to move her hands, tried to even keep her fluttering eyelids open, but she could not, try as she may.
She retorted to curses, but that only quickened the feeling of numbness in her and slowly, she could no longer feel herself. All she saw last was darkness.
"The sedation was quicker than I thought" Lucas noticed
"It doesn't last more than 30 minutes at most. Her constant drama the effect"
"Get the test done. I will be back in two days time to get the results"
"No problem"
Lucas left the hospital feeling accomplished. Now, he was going to know the truth about Clara and the baby. It was not difficult to locate a hospital that was ready to help him. Now, it was left to inform Purple.
Purple knew she was hurting Lucas with her selfish actions, she had refused to let him explain, nor did she allow him to visit her. But, she wanted to give him time, time to sort out himself and his relationship with Clara.
On her way to work two days after, her phone chimed, she saw the ID and ignored it. It was Lucas and she knew that his message would only come like the rest "please talk to me, I can explain"
A repeated chime on her phone caused her to peer into the screen yet again. She made to drop it and focus when a name caught her attention. Tapping the message, she read
"Clara has been arrested, the pregnancy was false"
Wishing this was a joke, but feeling a sudden excitement, she dialed his number. He picked up almost immediately
"I saw your text message, what do you mean she's been arrested"
"I mean what you read, she was never pregnant. A test confirmed it. The pregnancy was only used as a scheme to blackmail me and her plans worked. You allowed a total stranger to separate us because of your lack of believe and trust in me. I am disappointed, Purple"
He hung up.
Purple's face turned red.
Purple felt a soreness in her throat that refused to go away. She had misjudged a man she was supposed to cherish because of a trivial issue. This was one of the moments she intended to stick by his side, trust in him, believe him, but she had not, and now, she had to act fast.She could not bear the thought of losing the only man she had ever felt a connection with. She dialed his number and he picked on the second ring"Can we meet please?""What do you want Purple," he said grimly"I just want to talk", her voice was filled with plea"I'm not in the mood to talk""I beg you, Lucas, please hear me out"Lucas released a croaked laugh"What a sad irony darling, a few days ago, I was in your shoes, begging, pleading with you to hear me out. But what did you do? You regarded my pleas as mere trifles. And now……."Purple sighed as she thought hard about his words"Fine… I'm in the house if you need me". He hanged upPurple cleared her desk hurriedly and left her office.As she sat on his
Lucas stared at the bizarre pictures of the crime scene in wonderment. The tongues of the victims were slit and their eyes gorged. What they had done to deserve this brutality was a puzzle he could not solve in hours.His mind went to the state of turbulence in the company and he felt an odd sensation of dizziness spring up in him. He dialed a number on his screen."Hello, After a pause, he continued, any leads?""Yes sir, the autopsy has established that they both died by strangling. There are no traces of the weapons used for the slitting. However, the killers left a fingerprint that is currently traced,""Killers?""Yes, the style of the killing is the same, but we have established that they were murdered by different people"Lucas heaved loudly"How long will this take, Mr Cowen? The media are beginning to ask questions…"Cowen interrupted, "Be calm, Sir, I understand you're worried about the reputation of your company, but we are trying our possible best to…..""Maybe your best i
Purple clamped hard on the cold metal bar as she paced around in the small cell room. Then, with a need born of despair, she sat on the hard cemented floor in a bid to fight the violent rush of anger in her bosom, but no! She was not going to be a sobbing baby.She thought hard about the irony of her situation and how she would eventually be executed for a crime she did not commit. In an hour, she would be taken to court where it would be decided if she would live or die.A guard opened the metal bar"Are you ready?""Yeah,' Purple sighed "I am"She was handcuffed and led outside the door into a long white van. A crude-looking man drove through the silent streets and stopped at the entrance of a mini-building. She was taken to a room, filled to the brim with people. The whooshing sound of the spinning fan made her want to faint with dizziness.She tried to make out their faces but could not. All this crowd for people that were not known while they were alive? Or was it because of Luca
Lucas held the wet, dampened hands into the exquisite bedroom, her aqua smell appealing to his senses. He knew she had tried her best to control her emotions throughout the ride to the house, and now as he watched a blush creep up her heart-shaped face, he knew just exactly what she would do next."We did it, honey. We are free," Purple squealed, drumming her feet.Instead of a response, Lucas bent forward and kissed her, hot kisses that contained emotions both known and unknown. Purple's breath caught in her throat as his delicate hands stroked her. She moaned in delight and leaned closer. 'Truly, love can drive a person completely insane,' she hummed.She looked deep into his eyes and it was evident that he had missed her. His tongue kept connecting with hers in a bristling demeanor and she relaxed into his embrace wanting more, desiring something deep than just kisses.Slowly, she allowed her hands to remove the buttons on the black shirt he was wearing, until his bare muscles sto
CHAPTER ELEVEN"Who was that on the phone?" Purple asked raising an eyebrow"A friend," he said calmly"What friend? A friend I don't know about?""He is a childhood friend, he's currently in Germany for studies""So what? Purple squirmed impatiently, "How is that supposed to make it better?""Honey, it's just a friend. It means nothing," he said reaching out to her.Purple released a breath and chuckled."It means nothing that I don't get to know of a friend you tell almost all your secrets to? Things you do not tell me?""Bunny, I didn't mean it that way, I swear." His eyes were beginning to tighten up."I heard your conversation, Lucas. Do you no longer love me?"Lucas swept his dark curls with his hands as he turned away from her."This is not the right time to discuss this," he sputtered."When will the right time ever be,?" Purple retorted.As Lucas turned to face the gray eyes that had turned slightly dark with rage, he could still see the helplessness in them, the helplessness
The crash of waves and circles of foam as it swept ashore across the sand forced Purple to retreat backward in fear. She had never been to a beach before, so the rushing breeze, the clear, wide, sky, and the water seemed so strange to her."C'mon, the water won't bite," Lucas said, chuckling.Purple stared hard at him. He seemed to enjoy making fun of her"C'mon,' he repeated "Let's go swimming,""But I cannot swim,""I'll teach you, let's go,"Purple connected her hand to his powerful hulk, and he led her to the pool at a secluded part of the beach. As she stepped into the water that felt like ice on her skin, she shuddered."I need you to relax, okay?" Lucas said, placing his hands on his shoulders.When he felt her muscles relax, he kept one hand on her stomach, giving her the aid she needed to slide slowly but freely into the water."This is wonderful," Purple exclaimed, her hands slapping the water."Is it? How about you try it yourself,""Okay, let me try,"Lucas disentangled fr
Lucas sped past the blaring cars and the toxic traffic with a curse. The thoughts of Limo and his threats sparked a fury in him that could not be controlled. He thought of going to the police to file a report, but with what evidence? With what statement? The better plan was to lie low and give Limo a taste of his own medicine.His mind shifted to Purple and he felt his muscles relax. They had a date tonight, and he would not screw that up with worrisome thoughts. His eyes scanned his surroundings, noting the particularly busy streets of the late summer evening. As he drove past a bus stop, he could read a sign on a metal board. "THIS IS LIFE, AND LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL." He scoffed, was life really beautiful?………………….Purple stood at the edge of the sidewalk as the loud, honking cars sped past her. She had just endured a three-hour boring conference meeting and so she needed a break, a comfortable bath, and a cuddle to erase the harsh memory of the day."What was taking him so long?" She t
The hot summer sun shone bright and clear in the sky as Purple drove along the busy streets, her face red with confusion. She was trying to locate an estate, but when it was evident that her efforts were only getting futile, she decided to ask for help."Excuse me, Sir, where can I find the Avescent estate," she asked, pulling the car to a stop."Umm, it's down the second street to the right," the elderly heavily mustached man replied."Thank you,""You're welcome,"Purple flashed him a smile and steered the car into motion. She drove slowly and carefully, afraid that she might die of the same fate that threatened to kill her lover. She found the estate in a place that looked deserted, but beautiful. The white buildings were decorated with golden bars and a smoothly plastered floor.Her eyes caught a yellow tall building and she drove into it. She rang the doorbell with a feeling of shiver. There was no response, but seconds later, the door opened and a sharp eye greeted her."Come in