Chapter 61 Daniella's parting gift
"Hahaha...that's funny. Well, since you love and care about her so much, just let her know that I left her a little gift."
Whatever she left, Jones perceived it would be terrible. Therefore, he took out his phone and called Herty since he couldn't call Danica directly, which gave Daniella the chance to rush out without looking back.
Jones wanted to go after her but also had to make sure that Danica was safe therefore, he let her go and walked back to his car. After he informed Herty, he drove home with a heavy heart. Herty instantly called Paul to inform him about what Jones had said. She didn't want to frighten Danica.
Thus, when Paul got to the mansion, he searched through Daniella's room but found nothing. He also checked through Danica's room but found nothing. He checked the CCTV footage with nothing suspicious. Perhaps Daniella was pranking them but that didn't restrain him from informing Loney via text message.
Daniella went to the club to meet her old friend, Joana. They suffered the same fate in the hands of Ray, handling his consignments and offering their bodies for his satisfaction. Before she entered the club, Joana sent a text message for her to meet her at a restaurant close to the club so Daniella heeded. She was amazed to see her friend responsibly dressed, it made her wonder.
"Wine for two," Joana told the waitress after Daniella had settled down. Daniella glared disparagingly at the enemy who became her friend close to the time she was faking her death.
"It's been long since I saw you," Daniella said, admiring Joana's long curly jet black hair. She was wearing a long flowy chiffon dress which made her look like a responsible woman and not the person she used to club with all this while.
"I always tried to call you but your number was always unavailable. I knew it was because you were running away from Ray but I was surprised to have got through to you this time. Does it mean you paid your debts and stopped faking death?" Joana casually asked.
"Yes, I paid him off so I'm free," Danica tucked a strand of brunette hair at the back of her ear. She still wondered what had made Joana change so much. She looked better than she was when they last met.
"Wow, you have a man," Joana guessed, excitement written all over her face.
"No," Daniella curtly responded
A shade of suspicion crossed Joana's features."Then where did you get the money?"
Danica sighed, as the waiter arrived to serve their drinks. She waited for the waiter to leave before she said, "It's a long story but let's talk about you. You look different and you got married?" She asked, looking at the huge diamond on Joana's finger.
"Yes, with a child," Joana proudly let out. A glint of enviness flashed Daniella.
"That's a lie. We both have our wombs damaged. We drank the wrong chemical that day and ended up in ER." Daniella recalled the event. The day they discovered they were pregnant with Ray's child. They didn't want to be with him because of the pregnancy and decided to get rid of it. Thus, they drank the wrong substance. When Ray found out the reason for what they did, they were severely punished but the child had been flushed out and so was their womb.
The experience drew them close because they were united by pain."That's the thing. You can always fake pregnancy and get a baby to show. Nonetheless, I'm getting a divorce because I have a new target," Joana let out. Daniella squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"What happened to you, Joana?"
"When I escaped from Ray, I went into a contract marriage and when the contract ended, I didn't want to go so I faked being pregnant. Now, I will have 50% of his properties if I divorce him so that's why I'm doing this."
"That is dangerous."
"I know. But my new target is very rich. In the business journal this month, he came number one. Gosh, he is so hot," Joana fanned herself with her hand as she spoke.
"And you think he's not married?"
"No, he has a girlfriend but a one night stand will get her out of his life for good," Joana was certain.
"Who is this guy?" Daniella couldn't help asking. She might as well find one better than Loney and live a better life than her sister.
"You haven't heard? Look at this?" Joana brought out a magazine with Loney's picture on the front. From the angle view, Loney didn't pose for the picture. It seemed to be taken without his knowledge.
Daniella felt dazed when she saw the picture. She always knew Loney was rich but not to that extent. Her face instantly turned ashen. How could she explain to Joana? No, she won't.
"And you said he has a girlfriend?" She felt she had a shot at her sister. If Loney had a girlfriend, then Loney couldn't be serious about her sister right? All the better for her but she couldn't understand why he was faking to love her sister. Perhaps, it was because of the baby in her womb.
"I'll show you." Joana flipped the page. "Her name is Jasmine. She's the governor's daughter but she's been out of the country for a while so her position is temporarily vacant," Joana ascertained. At least Daniella knew that Joana didn't stand a chance of getting close to Loney but she did.
"And how are you going to get this guy?" She probed to get more information on Loney.
"That's a good question. His ways have been mysterious. These are the only pictures of him and we can't locate him on social media. Everything about him is so hidden but I will find him. At least I know his office location but his security is very tight. They won't let anyone in who doesn't have an appointment," Joana frowned. Instantly, an idea crossed Daniella's mind and she wanted to know more. This would be her final chance.
"So, how did you fake your pregnancy and all?"
"Well, I struck a deal with Ray to give him 50% of whatever I got and he already has links in the hospitals. During scans, they played a video of a different person and they swapped the blood for the test. He has smart people everywhere. But I got the baby from a teenage homeless girl," Joana revealed.
Daniella thought hard. She could kidnap Danica and take her baby. Once she was certain that Danica was dead, she will take her baby and fake to be her. That way, she would have Loney but what if it doesn't work as planned? "What if you are caught?" She couldn't help asking.
"That's why I'm asking for a divorce. By the time he finds out, I will be gone."
Joana's words unbeknownst to her, enlightened Daniella's evil intentions. However, the thought of contacting Ray again made her defences crumble. Ray was a maniac. A wicked and ruthless mafia.
"So, what have you been up to?" Joana asked, seeing Daniella so quiet.
"Nothing much," the two continued to chat about old times with both sad, joyful and sour memories.
The next day, Danica woke up to an empty bed to her disappointment but before her eyes searched, Loney was sitting on the sofa with his laptop. She figured that he was doing what he had promised. She also knew they were supposed to go for antenatal checks. Therefore, she got out of bed.
"Goodmorning," Loney's voice was gentle, his eyes raking every inch of her body. Despite her growing belly, he couldn't get enough of her. Her sunny smile and well-carved body made his manhood hard.
"I didn't want to disturb you. You must be working," Danica turned towards the washroom. Her bladder was full but she couldn't help noticing the lust in Loney's eyes. It made her blush but she wondered if he would still be attracted to her at the latter stages of pregnancy. The thought of Loney not finding her attractive again made greatly disturbed.
"I'm here because of you. Why don't you shower? I will get your clothes and the maids will move your things by the time we return." Loney couldn't help being worried after receiving Paul's text message. He had gone out in the middle of the night to meet Paul. Together, they searched with Mabel and the maids but couldn't find anything. He had sleepless nights, worried that something might happen to Danica. Eventually, he took it on his laptop to finish some pending works
Perhaps, Daniella was just messing with their minds, he tried to convince himself. Danica returned to meet the clothes Loney had picked for her. She looked fabulous in them. As usual, Loney knelt and kissed her bump after rubbing it gently. It made him feel connected to the little one they created together. They went to have breakfast and left for the hospital. As usual, Danica slept through the journey. Upon arrival at the hospital, they went through the usual processes but Loney's favourite part was the scan. Seeing the miracle they developed inside Danica was the most amazing thing ever.
However, his smile froze when Danica began feeling uncomfortable and asked him to take off her clothes. She began scratching her body like crazy, therefore, Loney heeded to help her to take off her dress, while Doctor Jeff provided her with a hospital gown and examined her. His eyes widened in shock as bumps and blisters began forming on her skin. Instantly he called the nurse to bring some medications.
Loney was horrified. The rashes were way different from that of her allergies. No matter how he tried, he couldn't soothe her. She kept muttering, "it hurts, it hurts."
"What happened Jeff?" Loney stared daggers at Doctor Jeff, who was getting upset but held it in. He wasn't ready to tell him till he was sure of his findings.
"I need to examine her clothes to be sure," he said and stepped out of his office.
After a few hours, the itch had stopped due to the medication but the blisters were all red and wild. "It's the reaction from an oily resin called urushiol. It's from the plant, poison ivy." Doctor Jeff confirmed his findings.
"That's impossible. How can that get into her clothes?" Loney was sceptical.
"I should be asking you. It must have been there for some time because poison ivy takes at least 12 hours to take effect," Doctor Jeff stated matter of factly.
If Loney recalled correctly, then it must have even been in the clothes he took off her before they made love. Luckily, she didn't wear that all night. If not, the reaction would have started earlier, which meant the clothing he picked for her had been smeared with the same chemical. He couldn't believe it. Suddenly, his mind went back to Paul's words from what Herty told him. His jaw clenched. His eyes darkened and his breathing paused.