Episode 14
THEME:MY INVESTMENT ?
⣠AINSLEY HOSPITAL âŁTHE NEXT DAY
PRIVATE WARD
RIA POV ?â
âI already sent the test result to the stem cell centre.. And so Miss Ria Iâm glad to inform you that you can get the surgery done in Chinaâ Doctor Alisa said to us as she walked into the private ward
âThank You Doctorâ I replied with a smile
âSo Doctor when can we leave?â
âWhenever you are ready Sir.. I only have to prepare a transfer note which you will present at the centreâ
âCan we leave tomorrow if the flight is ready?â Ian asked and a frown formed on my face quickly
âYes..if youâre prepared to leaveâ
âNo..no I donât think tomorrow is a better option Mr Ianâ I said loudly
âWhy Ria?â
âI want to spend some time with my kids before leavingâ
âOkay..what about the day after tomorrow?⊠You can spend the while day with them tomorrow then I will come and pick you up the next dayâ
âThatâs betterâ I replied in a low tone
âOkay..so doctor can we leave now?â
âYes..sheâs good to goâ
âThank you doctor Alisaâ
âYouâre welcomeâ
âTake care Miss Riaâ
I nodded and heard the door closed
âAre you sure you are okay with the day I fixed?..we can move it till next week so you can spend more time with the kids since we will be gone for weeksâ
âIt fine by me..but what do you mean by we?â
âWeâŠmeans that Iâm going to Chinaâ
âWith me?â
âYesâ
âWhy?â
âI want to be there with youâ
âYou donât have to go with me..Mrs Elise can go -â
âI donât think sheâs a better option this time..who will look after the kids if Mrs Elise is with youâ
Oh yeah! Thatâs true..I totally forgot the kids will need someone to take care of them
âSo if youâre coming alongâŠwhat about your business?â
âI will run it while in Chinaâ
âAnd will that be convenient for you?â
âMore than Convenient Riaâ
âWhy..why donât you just help me hire a care worker that go with meâŠI will pay for her serviceâ I donât want him to leave his work and just go with me to China. It doesnât sound good to me. I felt more pressure on the bed and I knew Ian was close
âYou donât need a care worker Ria..I am enough to be your care worker. And you can actually pay me the same amount you wanna pay a care worker⊠If you arenât comfortable with me caring for Free. I will accept the payâ I didnât respond..why? Because I donât know what to say to him!
Is he saying this now? Who is this Guy?! Why wonât he just give up and leave? And why on earth does he want to neglect his duties at work and go with me to China? I find that strange! Really Strange! I know my words wonât stop him from changing his mind.
âSo what do we about our flight?â
I asked changing the topic
âI will prepare a private Jet that will take us to Chinaâ
âYou..have a private Jet?â
âYesâ
âOkay..â
âYou have a renewed passport?â
âYes..so what about the Visas?â
âI will prepare the necessary things. Iâll make some important calls to avoid any delayâ
âOkayâ
âSo what do I have to do?â
âJust prepare for the tripâ
âOkay Mr Ianâ
âI told you that Iâm fine with just Ianâ
âO..okay..can we leave now?â
âYesâ
I hopped out of bed while Ian helped me with my walk stick
âI will hold your purse and phone tooâ
âNo..you donât have to..I can -â
âOf course I want toâ he replied and I didnât argue with him. I just let him hold it for me
â„â„
IAN POV
I pulled up in front of Ria house. Then again she was already out of the car before I came to her side to open the door
âYou should have waited -â
âIt my sight thatâs affected not my handsâ
âOkayâ
âThanks for todayâ
âYouâre welcomeâ
And she nodded
âByeâ she was almost walking away but I stopped her. I latched my hand on her arm and immediately a chill went through me and now I was standing like an idiot. Ria froze in her spot and moved her eyes down to where my hand was still pressed against her arm.
âSorryâ I withdrew quickly
âIs Mrs Elise home?â
âNo..she went to see an old friend of hersâ
âSo..you will be in alone?â
âYesâ
âWill you be fine alone?â
âYes..Iâll just pack my stuffsâ
Can she actually do that? Like selecting and packing clothes Into a box..well I shouldnât doubt her since she can use the machine. But I donât feel too comfortable leaving her alone.
âOkayâ I said
My phone beeped in my pocket. I brought it out and saw âMy momâ as the caller ID
âIâll go ahead nowâ
âOkayâ she nodded
âSee you on Fridayâ
âYeahâ I walked around my car and entered. I pressed the horn and she waved like she could see me. Sting of tears formed at the corners of my eyes immediately but I blinked it. Soon Ria! I said to myself. Soon! Ria will see! She will see the world! And I will be there.. I will be by her side to show her the world.
â„
RIA POV
I traced my steps to the porch and searched for the keys in my purse. I found it and twisted the knob and walked in. I sat on the couch to rest. But when I thought I was going to take a nap Ian Bryant popped up in my mind. A strong desire to know how he look like surged through me. Whatâs wrong with me? I shouldnât be concerned about how he looked..but what is this desire of knowing him too?. Our earlier conversation at the hospital occupied my mind. He offered to pay the bills without a refund..but who does that? Or what does that mean?. I will surely refund his money as soon as i get my surgery done.. If not all but little by little i will be pay so i wonât feel indebted to him.
Ian want to be a care worker and⊠Even leave his duties at work and go with me to China..does that mean heâs being Nice? Or is that how Philanthropist behaves towards those they help? Or should i really call this a Miracle?..the kind I hate now offered to help me. I let out a huge sigh of frustration and slapped my forehead at the thought of having a change of view about men.
âDonât think about that Ria Robert. Donât keep Ian on your mind.. Remember Men are not trustworthy. They are horribleâ
I chanted and turned on my side to sleep. Soon I drifted into sleep
âŠâąâŠ
BRYANT MANSION
I turned the SUV off the main road onto the private Driveway. The driveway in my family home was lined on both sides by Red oak trees. I came out of the car and made my way to the main entrance. My mom said she wanted to see me for some important issues. I wondered what the issue is that she can talk about it on phone. Wait up.. Maybe Lorna called already to inform her what happened at my office. I hope they donât believe that Iâm sleeping with Grace. On stepping into the house I was met my several gazes..Family meeting I guess? Everyone was present in the big living room
âSonâ my mom met me halfway and kissed my cheeks
âHow are you mom?â
âIâm fineâ
âMaâam the food is readyâ a maid announced with her head bowed
âOh! Weâll be right there Leaâ
My mom replied with a smile
âLet all move to the dinning tableâ she said again and the rest stood up and did as mom instructed
âWhatâs the emergency?â
She shook her head slowly
âWhatever we discussed today..I want you to know that I will always support you in whatever decision you make okay?â
I managed to nod. But her sentence didnât give me the right answer to my question. We all settled at the dinning and waited for the maids to serve us. I sat next to Josie, while Lauren sat next to Piper on the other side that we sat facing ourselves. Our parents sat at far ends. We all ate in silence for minutes until dad cleared his throat
âIan -â he called and I looked up
âYes dadâ
âWhat happened between you and Lorna?â
I knew it..this meeting was because of Lorna
âShe called youâ
âNo her father called meâ
âGood thenâ
âAre you truly having an affair with your secretary?â
He asked out of blues. The champagne in Piper mouth sputtered messing the whole table
âSorry..â Her eyes widened slightly showing her surprise. Then she began to laugh. Lauren and Josie stared at me in disbelief. The maids came around the table to clean up Piperâs mess. I didnât respond until they were done packing
âTell us kiddy ..is that true?â
Piper asked giving me a disgusting look
âAnd do you think I can do that?â I asked no one in particular but my mom answered
âI know you canât do such.. Sleeping with your employee is not your thing. I told your dad that Lorna was mistakenâ
âBut he didnât deny itâ dad said in a deep voice
âYes I didnât deny it because I wanted to put Lorna in her placeâ
âBy accepting such nonsenseâ he barked
âThat was the only way Dad Lorna thinks sheâs above any orders. Not only that, she came into my office and beat up my Secretaryâ
âReallyâŠshe did that?â My dad asked
âYesâ
âBut her dad didnât mention anything like thatâ
âShe slapped Grace and threatened some workers when they wanted to save Grace. Lorna caused such serious fuss because Grace didnât let her into my officeâ
âYou gave the order right?â
âYes mom..I was too busy so I instructed Grace no to let anyone inâ
âCan you hear that Jack?âŠwhy is it so hard for Lorna to follow his orders?â
âBut.. You should have left the task and attend to your wife to beâ Piper teased me
âPiper!â My mom screamed at her
âWhat mom? Am i wrong? No Iâm not! Lorna is his wife to beâ
âSays who?â
âAre you asking me? Kiddy Dad already stamped it. You are getting marked to Lorna so stop wasting time and take your bride to the altarâ Piper laughed and I clenched my fist under the table. She knows that the only thing that can piss me off. I wonât let her go just like that..
âIs what about you big sis?â I snorted
âWonât you get married?.. Letâs see according to what I heard two of your friends got married last month.. But you are almost hitting thirty and you are still home aloneâŠâ
âHmm I have a boyfriend -â
âI see.. A boyfriend not even a fiancĂ©â I managed to laugh just to hurt her with my words
âThatâs what youâre good at..having series of boyfriends but failing at bringing in companyâs reportsâ
âIan -â
Josie placed her hand on my laps
âThatâs enoughâ she commanded and i obeyed
â1-1 Bro.. But you arenât going to beat me..â
âPiperâ Lauren called at her but she donât stop
âAt least my current boyfriend is a notable person in the stateâŠhe is better off than a blind oneâ She laughed out loud. A wicked one. A blind one? Where did she get that from?
âBlind?â I repeated. How did she find out?. I looked up again and saw no evident of surprise on their faces. They all know about Ria.
âSo whatâs the goal nowâŠ? I win!â Piper tapped the table. She passed her cellphone to me. I saw a picture of me and Ria at the hospital.. Just our back view..from the outfit it was yesterdayâs picture. I swiped and saw four more pictures.
âHow long have you been spying on me Piper?â
âNo..not spying exactly..I just saw you with her. Come on donât give me that look Kiddy. I should have called you when I saw you at the hospital with the Lady.. But I donât want to disturb your sweet moment with her so I just took pictures insteadâ
âWho is she son?â My mom asked
What should I say to them? How do I explain things now? In a way that they will understand. I didnât think that they would find out about Ria soon
âRemember what I told you sonâ mom added
âHer name is Riaâ I said slowly
âAnd she is blind?â Josie asked and I gave a short nod
âSo what were you doing with a blind Lady?â My dad asked and I hated the look on his face
âShe is my new investmentâ
Piper clapped her hands but was soon silenced by a glare from my mom
âWhat do you mean son?â
âI..I want to partner with Riaâ
âPartner?â They gasped
âWith a blind lady?â my dad asked with a deep frown on his face
âYes..Ria is not just a blind Ladyâ
âThen what is she?â
âRia is a seamstressâ
âHow is that even possible?â Josie raised an eyebrow at me
âWait up Ian..is she the same seamstress that made Cassidyâs dress?â Lauren asked
âYesâ oh yeah! Thank God I already told someone about Ria
âUnbelievableâ she gasped in shock
I sent Cassidy to Laurenâs place when she insisted that she wanted to make a dress for Cassidy too. I instructed Cassidy to go with the dress Ria made for her to convince Lauren that the seamstress was good. Though leaving the detail that Ria was blind cause I knew Lauren might not want make that dress. She had liked the dress Ria made and even promised to make one for her child Mia. That was my plan before Mrs Elise helped me
âJust a seamstress..â My dad chuckled
âRia is blind but she Make dressesâ
âYou shouldnât partner with irrelevant peopleâ he grounded. Anger wailed up inside of me. I stood up from my chair. I canât sit back and watch him talk s–t about Ria. There is no point In telling him anything about Ria or my plans for her since he regarded her as a nobody cause she is blind
âSonâ my mom called. I stopped beside my dadâs chair on my way out
âRia is relevant.. Never judge a book by it coverâ
Then I walked away.. Out of the house to the driveway
âIan!â
I was almost in my car when I saw my mom
âIan..wait upâ I stopped and waited for her to meet up
âMom..Iâm not changing about Riaâ
âYes..yes I know.. And Iâm not here to change your mind. Letâs talkâ
We entered my car and settled in. I waited for her to talk but she didnât for a few seconds
âTell me about this lady..Ria. I know you never go after something that is irrelevant. Youâve partnered with great people.. Ones with good dreams and those who believe in hard work. And that has made you a good CEOâ
Our hands locked as she waited for me to talk
âI want to know about Ria tooâ
I sighed and told her about Ria, her sight and our plans to travel to China for the surgery. She wasnât mad at me for planning to leave the country without informing her.. My mom listened without any interruption.. One of the reason why I love her. She has always been to to support me and listen to me even when the whole world seem to be against me.
âSo..have you paid the bills?â
âYes..mom I already called my bank manager to get the transaction doneâŠbut -â
âBut what?â
âRia wants to refund all the money weâll spend on the trip to Chinaâ
âWhy?â
âIâm not sure about the reason Momâ
âThen let her refund it if she wantsâ
âNo..it a whole lot of moneyâ
âI knowâŠlisten Ian some people donât like to Be indebted to others..so you have to do what she wantâ
âI donât want her to refund itâ
âThen do something about itâ
âYeah youâre right momâ
âSo what about partnering with Ria?â
âNothing much..havenât come up with the best idea.. Just simple plans of enlarging her sewing business once she regain her sightâ
âAnd you think Ria will allow you do that for her?â
âActually she wonât momâŠso I will tell her I want to partner with her. Help her get the necessary things for the sewing business and we strike a deal after. The textile company can always supply her with quality materials. Does that sound like partnership?â
âYes..it a good idea..And Iâm sure with that..Ria wonât turn you downâ
âWell I hope soâ
âUhmmm so..is this whole things just about partnership and investing in her business?..or you feel something for her?â
âOh mom..there you go againâ
âAlwaysâ we chuckled
âYou know mom.. The same thought had been going through my since the minutes Iâd left the park..â
âSo you like her?â She cuts me off
âYes mom..but donât get me wrong. Iâm not doing all this to win her heart.. I just want to help herâ
My mom sighed
âWhat about Lorna?â
âI donât love her mom..I never even liked in such way..just as Friends..just friends and I told her that in her 18th birthday that nothing can work between usâ
âI knew it.. But you donât have to worry about her now..or your dad. I will make sure that he doesnât pressure you to marrying Lornaâ
âYou will do that for me?
âOf course! Now that I know you love someoneâ
I hugged her immediately
âThank you MomâŠYouâre the best!â
I kissed her forehead before letting go
âI will help at the company while you in China..like visiting from time to time and make sure that the necessary files are sent to your systemâ
âThank Youâ
âAnything for youâ
She winked and I giggled like a child
âȘâȘâȘâȘâȘâȘ
âIâve found a love
For me
Darling just dive right in
And follow my lead
Well Iâve found a girl,beautiful and sweet
I never knew you were that someone waiting for me..â
Choose Episodes Below;
Note: episodes already read are highlighted in red!
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22 Episode 23 Episode 24 Episode 25 Episode 26 Episode 27 Episode 28 Episode 29 Episode 30 Episode 31 Episode 32 Episode 33 Episode 34 Episode 35 Episode 36
Ria story is not complete and is the remaining part of the story going to posted soon? I want to know.