The train ride was less peaceful now.
Everyone was staring into their phones and then turning to look at me in surprise.
I could not phantom why.
Throughout the ride and until I got to Natalie's house, I had my face covered, trying to avoid the cold glares of women and the irritation that filled the eyes of men.
Natalie was inside pacing the whole length of the room when I came in.
Her eyes widened the moment she laid them on me.
" What have you been up to?!" She yelled.
I was confused now. Why was she acting this way too?
" Did I do something wrong?" I asked.
She pulled out her phone, showing me the now viral pictures that had been taken in the conference room earlier on.
" How are you engaged to the CEO of Lawson industries? You of all people?" She asked.
I bit my lips in pain. How was I supposed to tell her what happened without hinting at the contract marriage.
So I decided to lie to her.
" Well you know I told you he wanted to meet with me originally. But I lost my paintings so I had to go beg him for a job. And he really liked me ...so he decided to get engaged with me" I said to her.
The lie was unbelievable. The quivering voice I used to say it making it sound all the more pathetic.
But somehow, she seemed to believe me.
Her voice grew lower when she finally spoke again.
" Did you offer him your body in exchange for a position as his fiancee?" She asked.
My eyes coated with mild horror as I shook my head rapidly.
" No i didn't. I..." I was beginning to say but stopped as I saw the look of plain disgust on her face.
Natalie. The woman I had known for most of my life.
She believed what she saw about me on the internet.
" You know I will never do such a thing" i said to her.
Then she went ballistic.
" You are such a liar and a slut! What do you mean he just suddenly picked a fancy on you? The richest man in this part of the world?
I never knew you were such a low life. How could you sleep with the first rich man you get the chance to meet because of money and fame?" She was saying.
I could not understand the anger she suddenly directed towards me.
But worse still, I could not understand the words that she uttered.
Why they were filled with so much venom and hate.
" Please let me explain it to you Natalie. You have it all wrong" I was beginning to say but her eyes were now filled with zero emotion. The care I knew she once had for me gone.
" Please leave my house right now. I can't associate with a slut like you. You wanted the rich man so bad? Then go live with him because I never want to see you around me again" she said and for the second time that day, my heart broke.
I could not believe she would have me thrown out. No. I refused to believe that she would take such a bold step. Not after everything we had been through together.
But now, as I stood on her clean porch, gently knocking on her door to try and get in again, I could feel a sense of loss and pain.
Was this even a good choice in the first place? Now I lost my only friend in the process of being a fake wife to a man who thought he was god.
" I will call the cops on you if you keep standing there. Maybe then your fancy boyfriend will come get you" she said taunting.
Pain struck my chest again and I opened my mouth to say something but a call stopped me short.
" Who is this?" I asked into the phone.
" I will send you an address now. Meet me there in thirty minutes..I don't tolerate lateness" he said.
Before I could respond, Jayden ended the call sharply, leaving me standing there in both anger and awe at his cocky behavior.
The message came in shortly after he dropped the call.
Kilut fashioned.
I felt the breath catch in my chest as I looked at the address over and over again.
The kiluts were two brothers who had their origin from Spain and together, they ran one of the biggest fashion company in the history of fashion.
From their high end choice of clothes and patterns, down to their overwhelming prices, it was never a store that I thought I would step into until the day I died.
Now, as I stood in front of the tall and majestic building, wondering just how much money this man had to even want to meet in such an expensive building, i could see the look of irritation that some shoppers shot towards me as i walked in.
" Someone call security. Can't they see how haggard she looks? Why let her in when they know she just wants to steal something." One of them was beginning to say but I did not mind them, walking towards the receptionist instead.
Her own look was no different from the others.
"And what can I do for you?" She asked, the fake smile she had plastered on her face waning slightly.
I cleared my throat, shaking off the nervousness that slowly engulfed me.
" I'm here to see Mr Lawson. he said he is in this building"I said to her.
She stifled a smile.
" You mean you are here to see Mr Lawson? The owner of Lawson companies? Or perhaps do you mean another person?" She was asking.
She did not even try to not sound rude. Instead, she let out her words just as they were, annoying me further as I stared at her.
" Yes. I do mean Mr Lawson of Lawson companies. Can you tell me where he is? We have an urgent appointment" I said to her.
She rolled her eyes.
" I'm afraid I can't let you just walk around this store looking like that. As you can see, only the rich and influential shop here. I won't want you scaring them away. So I will follow you to where Mr Lawson is and then, if he says he knows you, you can stay.
But if he doesn't, I will have the guards personally take you to the police station and file for charges of trespassing" she said to me.
I shurgged, stifling down the anger that I felt inside my stomach.
She walked ahead of me, making sure I did not touch anything, treating me more or less like a prisoner with each step I took further into the store.
And finally, he came into view.
When he finally laid his eyes on me, he burst into a smile.
" Baby. I have been waiting for such a long time. Did you have a hard time finding me?" He asked.
He pulled me closer into him, causing me to grow stiff as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
Her jaws shot open.