CHAPTER 4: The Visit

Following her interaction with Robert, Caroline decided to pay Linda a visit. Adorned in a blue short gown paired with red stiletto heels, with a black cute, mini handbag, and her hair elegantly tied in a ponytail, accompanied by a maid. "Good afternoon ma’am’’ the maid greeted ‘’And what the fuck is good about the afternoon you fool?’’ she shouted. She sneered and cast a disdainful glance at the maid. ‘’Make sure you’re not wearing that rag you called cloth when I return,’’ she instructed. ‘’Yes, ma ‘am, the maid replied, feeling embarrassed. With that, she gracefully exited, feeling a sense of pride. Soon after, she arrived at the Lucas house, accompanied by a maid, good evening Mr. and Mrs. Lucas," she greeted. "You're looking beautiful and adorable today, dear Caroline," Natasha complimented her. Caroline blushed and replied, "Oh, Mrs. Lucas, you're looking quite lovely too." "You can say that again," Natasha responded. "How I wish you and Emily were like sisters," she added. Caroline replied, "Oh, if we were sisters, she'd definitely make a great one. She's a role model for all of us, and rumor has it that marrying Emily would be a stroke of luck for any man fortunate enough. Natasha responded with a broad smile, saying, "Oh, Caroline," and proudly glanced over at Brandy. As Linda was entering, she noticed Caroline, and a surge of anger washed over her. Upon seeing Linda. Natasha exclaimed, ‘’oh, you’re right on time. Look who’s here… Caroline came visiting. Linda, uninterested in their insincere and stupid compliments, she still couldn't fathom how she ended up with Robert even knowing him to be a player. The thought of marrying him made her feel nauseated. She was disgusted at the mere sight and mention of his name. What she feel towards him now is nothing but pure hatred. Urging her to entertain her friend and ensure they all had a great time together. Natasha said, ‘’you girls have a lot to talk about. Linda’’ She called, ‘’take Caroline along with you and make sure you entertain her.’’ Seeing Linda's silence, Brandy refrained from speaking further and simply gave her a piercing stare. Pretending to be welcoming, with a smile on her face, Linda said to Caroline, "Come on, let's go check out my dresses for the engagement." She led Caroline to a room, which was filled with numerous dresses, shoes, and jewelry pieces prepared for the engagement banquet. Seeing everything, Caroline felt bitterness and jealousy. Despite feeling bitter and jealous at the sight of everything, she resolved to keep her emotions in check. Suddenly, Linda called out to her, "Caroline, I need you to be sincere with me." Confused, Caroline responded, "What? Is something wrong? What’s happening?" Worriedly, Linda inquired, "Is Robert in love with someone else?" "He can't possibly be in love with another person," she said, avoiding eye contact with Linda. "Hmmm," Linda murmured. "I'm so anxious and nervous... Or do you think it's because of the impending engagement?" she asked. "I don't think so," Caroline replied. "You must be overthinking." Pretending to look worried, Linda continued, "I don't think so, but Mrs. Beatrice mentioned it to be pre-wedding jitters and told me to relax and not worry. In his heart, apart from me, no other person can be Robert's wife." Hearing this, Caroline felt even more bitter and resentful. Mrs. Beatrice, Robert's mother, never liked the Barbara family, and she didn't harbor goodwill towards Caroline. She noticed Caroline's tightly clenched hand. Satisfied with Caroline's expression, Linda continued, "Robert is in love with me, and he's only interested in me. Any other woman he's interested in is just a plaything to him because I'll soon be his wife. "Caroline muttered "bitch" silently under her breath. Linda replied, "Did you say something?" Caroline responded, "No, I didn't. I was just reacting to your statements." With sarcasm in her voice, Caroline said, "Oh, I thought I heard you say something. Well, let's not talk about that. Let's discuss something lively and cheerful." Linda leaned in with a mysterious air, saying, "Guess what? Last night, Emily claimed she stumbled upon some fascinating man at the club but won't spill the beans on who he is. And you know Emily, she doesn't usually lower her standards for just any guy." Caroline's heart clenched, feeling as though a needle had pierced straight through it. She couldn't shake off the memory of the recent event when Robert was with her. A call came in, and after answering it, he left abruptly, claiming it was an emergency. Linda noticed and inquired, "Caroline, are you okay?" In a stammering and broken voice, Caroline answered, "I'm... I'm okay... yeah, I'm fine," accompanied by a nervous smile. Observing further, Linda remarked, "You're sweating! And why are you panicking? Is something the matter?" "Of course... of course, Linda, I'm fine," Caroline replied, wiping away the sweat on her face and palm. Stammering, she called, ‘’Li..Lin…Linda?’’ ‘’Yes’’, she answered ‘’Did you say Emily told you she met someone the night before?’’ She asked, her voice breaking. ‘’Yes. Is something wrong?’’ Linda asked sarcastically ‘’Not at all.’’ She answered. After asking few more questions, Caroline left, claiming there was an emergency to attend to. Unable to contain her amusement, Linda couldn't help but laugh. "Fools," she cursed out loud. "Now let's see where this ends," she said to no one in particular. To her, it was better if the marriage was ruined than for her to be in a family filled with trouble. She didn't want to get tangled with anybody and their business. Her thoughts drifted back to her encounter with Vincent, causing her to clench her teeth and fists in anger. Thankfully, she had changed her appearance before leaving, hoping that he wouldn't recognize her; otherwise, she knew she would be in trouble. What Linda was unaware of was that, while she was praying for the situation to blow over, Vincent was still in shock over the rejection and puzzled as to why she refused the money he offered her and what a virgin was doing at the club. A call interrupted his thoughts, seeing the caller ID, he sighed before answering. His mother questioned, ‘’you didn’t want to answer my call?’’ ‘’No mom, what do you want?’’ he replied She retorted, ‘’what do I want? Can’t I call to check up on my son anymore?’’ ‘’Of course mom, I didn’t mean that.’’ He reassured her. ‘’Anyways, when are you coming home? Your father has been asking to see you.’’ She said ‘’Hmm,’’ he murmured, ‘’if it’s about planning my engagement, it’s a no for me.’’ ‘’When will you be coming?’’ She pressed. ‘’I’ll be expecting you the following week. Bye,’’ she said before hanging up. He let out a loud sigh and set his phone down, going through some documents his secretary sent to him. Once he was done, he checked out some essential emails and sent out his replies, he retired to bed, his mind lingering on his encounter with Linda at the club. Abruptly, he woke up, his thoughts returning to his encounter. ‘’Why am I thinking of her? What’s wrong with me?’’ he wondered aloud. He reached for his phone and dialed his assistant. ‘’Alex, any information on her?’’ he asked. ‘’Not yet, boss. I’m working on it,’’ Alex replied. ‘’Hmmm,’’ he murmured. ‘’Give me feedback once you’ve found out.’’ With that, he hung up. Struggling to fall back asleep, he rose from the bed and made his way to the balcony. Lighting a cigarette, he resolved to calm his nerves, along with a drink.