Chapter 22

Back home, Kiara didn't waste anymore time before logging on to her computer to find what she could about Eric. At least, she had learnt that he was a billionaire and that would just make her search much more easier. What she wasn't expecting was for several topics about his promiscuity and womanizing traits to appear.

Apparently, Eric Carter was a billionaire. He wasn't really known but yet, there was still something. Asides being a womanizer, a blog post reported on his arrant temper and how he seemed to always flare up at the slightest provocation. There weren't many details about the type of business he did which left Kiara a bit confused.

Asides that, Kiara couldn't place the Eric she saw today with the character the internet painted him as. To her, they were two completely different entities that just seemed so different there weren't even any similarity.

''Hey honey."

Kiara looked up and discovered it was her mother. She looked so tired from the last time she saw her yesterday.

''Hey Martha."Kiara smiled.

Martha Thompson was fifty and Kiara just looked like her. She was an older and chubbier version of Kiara and even when they walked along the street just before everything came crashing down, people knew that they were related.

Her blond locks which now had some gray undertones were packed to the side to give way for her smooth but slightly wrinkled skin.

Martha Thompson had no husband and she had single handedly trained Kiara since he died. Most people didn't know about it but Martha had killed her husband and gone to jail for it ten years ago. Carl was an abusive husband and father to them and one day, Martha just snapped, having enough of everything.

She had gone to jail for it ten years ago and those ten years were the hardest for the both of them. Due to this, their relationship was somewhat strained but yet, they still tried to make out time for each other.

''Good morning Martha. Did you sleep well?"Kiara asked.

Just like her, Martha had recurring nightmares which were mostly centered on her time in jail and the horrors she had faced with Carl. Kiara could barely remember some of it since she was little then but one still stood out in her mind.

It was a memory of her father, hitting her mother's head on the wall repeatedly while Kiara watched in abject horror. She remembered the amount of blood that flowed from her mother's head and at that Marthaent, she wondered if her beloved mother would die.

The only thing that saved her was when their next door neighbor came bounding in with a gun. He threatened to shoot Carl's head off and that was the only reason he released her mother. She was rushed to the hospital and the doctor had said that she only survived by a hair's breadth.

It was a memory Kiara would never forget. Her past was haunted, filled with all the pain she couldn't voice out and she knew it would take a really long time before she could snap out of it.

''Stop thinking darling."her mother said.

''Sorry, I tend to do that a lot."Kiara smiled.

She had a sense of deja vu at that Marthaent because she had said something along that line to Mark a few hours ago.

''So where did you run off to this morning?'' he asked.

''So you knew I went out?"Kiara chuckled.

''Of course I knew. What kind of a mother would I be if I'm not conscious of what goes around in our house?'' Martha chuckled.

Her thin frame shook slightly and Kiara knew she was under a lot of stress. What she faced wasn't going to leave her anytime soon and it would only take the best of a therapist before she could find any semblance of peace.

''I went to see a client'' Kiara said.

She told her mother all about Mark and from the look on her mother's face, she didn't like what she was hearing.

''To me, he doesn't look like a good person. That's the way all these billionaires behave. They behave like they own the whole world and no one has any right to talk to them'' Martha hissed.

''To my Martha, he seems like a nice guy. I guess the internet just doesn't like him'' Kiara said.

''Whatever. I want you to stay away from him okay?'' she said.

Kiara was tempted to tell her about the coffee date she had with him but she remained quiet. It was no use.

''Okay Martha'' Kiara said, finally.

Martha smiled, moving out of her room. Just then, Kiara's phone gave a light beep, indicating she had a call. The caller ID showed it was Lucas calling. Kiara hadn't heard from her for a while and she was quite worried that something might have happened.

"Hey love."Kiara smiled.

"My baby, I hope you're doing alright?"Lucas asked.

"I am. What's up with you? I haven't spoken to you for a while."Kiara whined.

In reality, it was only a few hours but as the clinging wife she was, she missed him every minute that passed.

"Kiara, it's only been a few hours but I know you've missed me."Lucas chuckled.

"Badly."Kiara smiled.

He remained quiet for a while and Kiara knew there was something going on with him. Lucas hardly stayed quiet especially when he was talking to her. This was odd and she was determined to find out what was wrong.

"Lucas, talk to me. What's wrong? There's something bothering you and don't even lie to me."Kiara sighed.

"Would it surprise you if I told you that I know Eric?"Lucas said.

For several minutes, Kiara remained quiet. No doubt, she was surprised by Lucas's words. That wasn't what she expected to hear which just brought alarm bells in her head.

"Baby, are you there?"Lucas said.

"How?"Kiara asked.

"It's really a long story but I wouldn't want to bother you with that. I'll tell you everything in due time but for now, I need you to stay clear away from him. He's a bad man Kiara, a very bad man indeed."Lucas said.

Kiara's hands shook lightly upon hearing those words. She was working with a dangerous man and there was no telling what he'd do if he discovered that she knew all about him even though she didn't know the details yet.

"I'll stay away from him."She croaked.

"Please do until I figure out how to get you out of his company without raising suspicions. But please, don't let there be any indication that he knows about any of this."Lucas said.

"Okay."Kiara sighed.

"I love you baby, never forget that."Lucas said.

"Love you too."Kiara smiled.

Lucas cut the call but not before informing her he would check on her later in the day. Now, what he had to do was to keep his woman safe and he had every intention of doing that.