Chapter 76 Chapter Seventy Eight Appreciation
Sarah’s POV
I stood at Dave’s villa gate, unsure why my legs had brought me here so quickly. I did not have to come, especially not right after our call, right? But something in me insisted that I needed to thank him in person. It felt necessary. It felt grounding. After everything happening in my life, seeing him felt like the only moment of clarity I could give myself.
What he did earlier kept replaying in my head. He really acted as though naturally he was a jerk, even though deep down I knew he was simply trying to be firm, exactly the way I secretly wanted him to act. Abraham had pushed me too far. Someone needed to stand up to him. Someone needed to show him that he could not treat me like a fool anymore.
Abraham should be put in his place, should he not?
He made me look stupid for too long, so yes, he deserved to be ridiculed too. Maybe that was petty, but it felt human. Still, the old saying echoed in my mind. Two wrongs do not make a right. I knew that. But the truth was that I needed Abraham to stop trying, to stop showing up, to stop forcing his way back into my life. And now that he knew I was with someone else, I could imagine how drastically he would fight to return.
A man in a suit bowed politely at the gate.
“Please, come on in,” he said, stretching his finger toward the scanner beside him. A soft chime sounded, signaling that the gate had unlocked.
The massive gate slid open automatically. The movement was smooth, quiet, almost too elegant for my current emotional mess. I stepped in, feeling a momentary wave of intimidation at how effortlessly wealth could command space.
“Where is he?” I asked softly.
“The boss is waiting for you at the reception. Please meet him there,” he replied with gentle professionalism.
Dave’s POV
I had told Ferdinard to direct her to the receptionist because I needed time, time to clean up the abomination happening upstairs in the balcony of the second living room. I hated that I even had something to hide from Sarah, but my situation with Emmanuella had spiraled far more than I ever intended.
Thankfully my villa was large enough that secrets could be tucked away without effort. You could live in separate corners of the place and never see each other. Sometimes that was convenient. Today, it was survival.
Before stepping down to the reception area, I sprayed myself with my regular cologne, masking any trace of discomfort or guilt clinging to my skin.
“Make sure she does not leave this place,” I instructed Ferdinard firmly.
His assignment was simple:
Allow Sarah in.
Do not allow Emmanuella out.
Two opposite directions, one mission.
As I sprayed myself, he turned his back politely and pulled out his phone. He murmured instructions barely loud enough to hear, exactly the level of discretion I expected from him.
“I just informed Guard B to let her in sir. And like you said, she will not leave the room until you are back.” He bowed slightly, and I patted him on the shoulder before stepping into the corridor.
I moved down the stairs with controlled calm. My heart was not as calm.
At the receptionist area, I positioned myself where the glass front door gave me a perfect view of the outside. I wanted to see her the moment she walked through. I wanted the first thing she saw to be warmth, not suspicion.
Then I saw her. The way she pushed the door gently, the way her presence filled the room. If I said my heart did not soothe in satisfaction, I would be lying.
“Babyyyy…” I stretched it out, smiling wide enough to cover every trace of fear inside me.
I had learned something important over the years. When you have something to hide, you must look harmless. You must appear innocent in the most natural way possible. If I simply said baby without warmth, she might sense something off. And with women, especially the good ones, intuition is everything.
They notice tone.
They notice hesitation.
They notice the emptiness behind a smile.
If she sensed I did not want her here, she would think. And then overthink. And eventually press until she uncovered what I desperately needed to keep hidden.
Stretching the word baby was not overacting. It was strategic comfort.
“How did you know my address?” I asked with a bright smile as I opened my arms to hug her.
“Who would not know where you stay? Even Google knows your home address,” she said, smiling.
I laughed loudly. She was right. People did not get lost coming to Marinda View. Type my name, and the location appeared instantly. One of the perks, or curses, of being publicly known.
“Come,” I said quickly.
“Let me take you to somewhere you will love to see.” I led her away from the receptionist, moving toward the second living room, though my eyes kept flicking subtly. Even though I trusted Ferdinard to keep Emmanuella locked in, I did not want to take chances.
Losing Emmanuella would not hurt me emotionally. She was hired and could always be kept with money. But Sarah touched a part of my heart not even I fully understood.
If she found out everything I was hiding,
If she saw what I was covering up,
If she discovered the mess beneath the charm,
I do not think I could endure the pain of losing her.