Oliver's POV
Mr. Meyer, Jessie's father, thinks he knows me well enough to blackmail me. Just like him, I let people see what I need them to see.
He brought up my past, my first and only girlfriend, Nimo. He says he knows where she is and that she can ruin me and Cara. I know he's lying because she can never be found.
I cross one leg over the other and turn to the men seated in the conference room. Some of them are Mr. Meyer's men. He wants 10% equity of the hotel, which he can liquidate if the marriage doesn't work.
"Before we agree, I need the Meyer's business revalued. Upon doing my due diligence, he misrepresented the business value," I state, passing my files to my accountant, who then passes the file to Meyer's men.
In exchange of my equity i get a stake on his oil business.
"This information is accurate. It was audited," one of his finance guys says.
"It is irrelevant. Those numbers do not present a true or fair representation of the business," I calmly state.
Meyer does underestimate me.
The man tries to speak, but I raise my hand to stop him.
"It's final. An agreement will be reached after another audit."
Suddenly, the door swings open, and I see a furious Cara step in.
"I need to talk to you," she says to me. "Now," she adds, directing her words to my company.
"Gentlemen, that will be all. Please excuse us," I state.
They silently walk out, and Cara shuts the door.
"What the hell, Oliver?" She condemns me.
"If you don't tell me what's the matter, how am I going to answer that?" I ask.
"When were you planning to tell me that you were sick?"
Shit.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry what? Thank God Lucy told me. And what do you mean you aren't getting any treatment?" She spits.
"It wasn't in Lucy's place to tell you."
"She cares."
"She wants to ruin my marriage."
"It's a marriage of convenience. I like Jessie, but she seems young and unprepared for marriage."
"Because of her, I'm starting my treatment and considering surgery," I state.
Cara smiles, impressed. "I couldn't love her more than I do now."
"Please don't encourage Lucy's idea. I gave her an ultimatum: she either stops trying to get with me, or our friendship ends."
"I understand. I'll talk to her," Cara assures me.
"Surgery is too risky. Why not radiation?" She speaks again.
"I want that poison removed fully from my body."
Then I see her eyes water. Cara rarely cries; she hides her emotions too well. And I'm reminded why I never wanted to tell her.
She moves in to hug me.
The wetness on my shoulder tells me that she is crying.
"I can't lose you, not ever," she sobs.
"You won't," I assure her.
"Oh, God. I can't survive going through this life without you. After Dad and Mum's death, you gave me strength," she sobs.
I know she's not talking to me, but rather speaking her fears out loud.
"I love you so much, Oliver."
"I love you, C," I reply and embrace her closer and harder, giving me the strength I need.
Jessie's POV
I miss my morning classes and take a taxi to Hush Grill. Grey's mother called and asked me to meet her.
I pay the driver and step out. It's a secluded place; Grey mostly brought us here when his mother was in town.
She spots me quickly, seated at our usual corner. I smile and walk towards her.
"How have you been, dear?" she asks as I sit.
"Good. And you?" I ask.
"Okay, except for my usual backache," she says.
"Sorry about that. You should have it checked."
"That's why I'm in town. Grey found me a specialist."
"Oh!" I mutter.
She's probably aware of the situation now. I was worried along the way about what to tell her.
"So, you're married now?" she asks.
I nod, trying to read her face to get a clue of what she's thinking.
"And in school again," I add.
"A lot has happened since the last time I was here," she says.
"Yeah," I agree.
"Tell me, what did my son do?" she asks.
She was always on my side. She'll be a good mother-in-law to a lucky girl.
"We just didn't work out," I state.
"I can't lie; it does make me sad. You two were good together," she pouts.
I remain silent.
A waitress brings a platter to our table. She had already ordered for us. It looks appetizing with all sorts of meat cooked in different styles, and some potato wedges for her while I prefer fries.
"How's your friend, the one who had man problems?" she asks when we return from washing our hands.
I'm surprised she remembers Layla from their brief encounter.
"Layla is okay. Now engaged," I reply, applying hand sanitizer.
"To the same man she had problems with?" she asks.
I nod and pick a piece of meat. I like it well done so that it falls off the bone.
"Not a good idea, I would say," she comments.
"Why? Fred is okay" I ask.
"Just an intuition," she says.
Sometimes I feel that Grey's mother is lonely despite being married. She seems to like being around me and involved in my life. Grey's father is okay, quiet, and keeps to himself. She rarely speaks of having friends.
We eat, and our conversation gravitates to other topics.
"Now that you're married and no longer seeing my son, is it ethical to keep in touch?" she asks.
I shake my head with amusement. "Even before Grey and I dated, you were always there for me, so we will remain as we were," I say and hug her.
"If Grey finds out I was with you, he'll lose his mind," his mother confesses.
The thought pleases me. I'll make sure he finds out.
"Keep me informed about that back problem," I tell her.
"Your husband will be well," she says.
She gets into her car, and I watch her drive away.
I'm standing outside the Grill premises waiting for my cab until I see Gina looking suspicious outside a building some meters away.
Has she seen me?
I take a step back to hide behind a car.
She looks around like she's waiting for someone.
Carefully, I go behind the cars and start heading towards her direction. As I get closer, I realize the building is a hotelânothing fancy, but decent.
She's in pink sweats and a matching hoodie that she pulls over her hair to cover her face. I'm now too close to see her clearly and can strain to hear her.
"Binky?" a man's voice says.
"I'm too old to be called that, Dad." The man comes into full sight.
It's Oliver's uncle, her dad.
He looks thin and unhealthy.
"You called me, Dad," he says happily.
"Here, don't contact me again." She has a small backpack I hadn't seen.
She opens it, and I have to move closer to see, hoping the parked cars can hide me well.
When her father removes the contents, I then notice familiar items: two watches and a belt. They belong to Oliver and are very expensive.
"That will get you on your feet," Gina says.
"When will I see you again, Binky?"
"Don't contact me again," Gina says, and she leaves.
I watch the man inspect the items Gina gave him. I'm sure she stole from Oliver. If he finds out, he'll be devastated.
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