Chapter 22

Rowan falls for Leticia

It was getting towards evening and Brenda was still with her neighbor. She was feeling better but her mind was still revolving around the incident with Frank that had taken place earlier that day.

She was a spilled child and never thought to fav something like that, but no, the beast on him just had to frighten her so much that she had to relocate from her previous apartment.

"Thank you...." She stopped for a moment and the stranger realizing that she didn't know his name, smiled at her before saying,

"Leo, just call me Leo."

The sparkles inside his eyes, made her have a sweet and sour feeling, and she had never seen a man who was as handsome as Leo.

"Hey, are you with me?" Leo feeling awkward that she was staring at him so much, inquired and Brenda coming back to her senses, apologized for being so strange.

"Nice to meet you, Leo. I am Brenda."

Leo smiled at her again and asked for the glass which she was still holding, she gave it to him and stayed on the couch with her eyes passing all over his house as though she had lost something.

Leticia was out of the bathroom, and dogs could tell by her instinct that Aliyah was not as good as she wanted everyone to see just at first sight. She couldn't lay her hands on it, but there was something that was particularly off about her and that made her even more suspicious.

"Calm down Ava, you think too much. Maybe the lady was just peeking at you in that manner because you were also awfully looking at her." Her mind shot that at her and she couldn't agree any better.

Leticia had handed over her sample chapters to Rowan, who was happy to have them. Wanting to leave, she gave attention to him asking whether or not they could have lunch later, but Leticia who was dying to, especially as she didn't have enough to get a meal, still declined his offer saying,

"You are my boss, so it is inappropriate for me to go with you to the restaurant at this time. What if someone from the company sees us?"

In her plan, she wasn't supposed to be so cautious but there she was, having her heart and mind worry about what others will say, and that made Rowan loves her some more.

At first sight, he became closer to her because she is the replica of his late wife but as time went by and he spent some time with Leticia, he started to love her personality and intelligence.

"Are you alright Mr. Rowan?" Leticia noticed that he was lost, she had to ask and the man jerking out of there, he announced,

"I am alright. You need not worry. I will see you later after work and I can drive you back home if that is not an issue for you."

"No need for that Sir. You do not need to bother about my trivial things as I can get back home alone amd safely. You should be the one taking care of yourself and that beautiful baby that you have in your life. She is so adorable.

Rowan thought that he had listened to her wrongly so he asked again and she repeated. He was not sure where she came from but everything about her was sweet. With that being said, Leticia was about to leave his office when she was stopped by him.

Turning around to ask what the matter was, Rowan rose from his seat, and with his eyes shining like that of the stars, he mustered the courage to ask a question that had been roaming around his head and that was a perfect time.

" Leticia, will you love to come to see my daughter again?" His heart beat kept on increasing, and watching the sight of how sincere he was, Leticia/Ava saw that it was a good opportunity for her to go closer to him again. And without any hesitation, she nodded her head and told him to set a day and she will love to see that little princess again.

His smile was Priceless and with that, she walked out of there feeling a kind of fulfillment that came just once in a while.

Rowan was very happy too and he his countenance was showing that. Just that, there was a certain person who was not happy with that and it only gave room for her to despise Leticia the more.

Sitting back in his seat, he had her work before him, and the general knowledge of it just in the prologue and first sentences caught his attention. It was talking about women who could smoke themselves in order not to live off men for any particular reason but there was a lady who didn't even want to see men at all and she detested the likes of them.

He switched on his laptop and began reading since he still had some time left before he returns home.

With a loud voice filled with so much anger, Harriet shouted out Alvin's name, inquiring her to tell what that flower was doing on her table.

Louisa not getting to understand why she firmed was so angry, asked her what was wrong with the followers, but Harriet refused to conform to what she was saying.

Alvin entered her boss's office with so much fear and was notified that she was already standing inside her office.

"Now you tell me idiot, who gave these flowers here?" she asked raising her voice to the hearing of the whole building.

"Calm down my seat friend stop yelling at the poor girl you can see that you are frightening her and if you want to know the individual who sent it, here is a card," she spoke out picking up the card from the flowers and handing it over to Harriet.

In the profoundness of all that unrest, Anna walked into the office and catching a glimpse of what was happening, asked what was going on.

Harriet breathing in so hard with anger asked Alvin to leave her office immediately before she changes her mind with her.

Alvin left as soon as her boss spoke out and shut the door behind her.

"I ask again, what is happening here?" Anna inquired further dropping her bag on the table while she sits down.

Louisa, getting tired of her friend's attitude, related what had caused such a fuss just because of a bouquet.

Anna looking at Harriet asked when she was going to stop with that attitude of chasing men away and making problems whenever it concerns a male trying to have his way into her heart.

Raising her eyes with so much anger, she replied,

"Never, I will never stop detecting those vicious creatures", she yelled out.

"You know that you need a man right? the day you will have a man warm up the bud in between your legs, that day your perspective will change for good," Louisa spoke out.

Harriet was getting pissed with the conversation, so she interrogated,

"Are we going to eat lunch or do you girls want to sit here all day, talking about some useless creatures?"

" That was not nice Harriet, and you should stop calling them creatures for crying out loud," Anna uttered.

Louisa carried the bouquet and read what was on the card,

"Dear Harriet, I can not stop thinking about you and your beautiful face. Please have dinner with me tonight, Henry."

Anna asked who Henry was and Louisa answered, that maybe one of the numerous admirers that she can not realize.

Rising to her feet and picking up her bag, Harriet told them to meet her at El Palacio restaurant if they still feel like having lunch, and turning to Anna she said,

" I can see you do not want to plan for your single night anymore."

Leaving her office, Anna called out for her to wait as she did not come with her car, asking Louisa to pick up her stuff and follow her.

Sounds could be heard from beneath the car at the mechanic shop and Cole was the person fixing the oil that was scratched giving way for oil to come out.

"Hey handsome," a voice said from outside, and Cole knew that he was the only person at the auto shop at the time and the voice was a lady's voice, he rolled out of the car and caught sight of a beautiful lady, he responded,

"Hello, how may I be of help to you Alice?"

Holding a flask of food in her hands, she extended her hands to him, saying that she had made that dish herself just for him, but Cole rejected her flask of food with a serious face and a firm voice saying,

"Alice I was clear when I told you that I do not want to continue with this relationship anymore."

Alice was Cole's girlfriend and he loved her with everything he had and had been doing his best to take care of her as well as her siblings and at the same taking care of his mother.

Everything was fine between them but little did he know that she was seeing different men behind her back.

Cole was shocked when an influential man came into their neighborhood with armed men in search of her and let out how she spent the night with him and made away with her money.

That alone was the last thing that killed the little feelings that he had left inside of him, and ever since then, she has not stopped harassing him to get back with her.

"Alice I have some work to do so please if you may excuse me, as I will like to go back to work," he spoke out returning to what he was doing.

Alice stood there angry and uttering profanity not to leave him for any other lady,

"If I cannot have you, no one will Cole."

" This meal is so delicious," Anna spoke out rolling her tongue in her mouth as she enjoyed her banquet.

Harriet who has been uneventful right from the moment they walked into the restaurant, kept on touching her food in a funny way that made her friends notice her sadness.

Louisa, extending her left hand to her, apologized for being so hard on her and also asked her to be more friendly with the crew instead of always lashing out at them.

"Sweetheart, remember you asked us to join here so that we could make a plan of how our party night was going to be right?" Anna spoke out with a cheerful smile to her friend.

Harriet who could not stay angry with her friends for too long asked them a serious question and told them to be honest with her.

"Am I that bad to others, do I maltreat people?"

"Bad is an understatement, you are worst," Anna spoke out concentrating on her food, and Louisa using sign language to stop Anna from saying such did not succeed as she had already said it.

Anna realizing how much her words affected Harriet, made an effort to explain what we meant by that but she was already hurt by her words and just told them to eat up.

"You know you cannot be mad at us forever not so, we are your girl's babes," Anna let out teasing Harriet as she raised her brows and smiled at her. Harriet smiled too and continued eating her food, she made sure not to express her pain.

" I love the food in this restaurant and their hospitality is topnotch," Louisa let out just to change the mood that was in the air.

Anna confirmed what her friend said and turned her gaze to Harriet who has been quiet all day, she asked what the matter was and Harriet wondered in her mind why everyone thinks that she is not a nice person just because she does not believe in love, raised her eyes and her friends could see that tears were forming in them.

Anna felt guilty catching a glimpse of her friend's mood and without any hesitation, she stood up from her seat and walked behind her friend with a warm hug she spoke out softly at the back of her neck as she pushed her hair to one side with her right hand,

"I am very sorry for what I said, it was not the best way to express myself to you." Louisa who was feeling the tension too told Harriett not to bother and to remember that they are always there to support her.

She felt love and she could also understand them as it was not easy for her to be looked at contrarily by people most especially by her staff as they see her as a woman who can never find love.

Harriet lifting her left hand touched Anna's hands and told her not to worry as she was okay. Louisa inquired whether she is okay, she needed acceptance and a happy y mood, they all fondled each other and after that, Anna returned to her seat.

" Now I want you girls to be ready as we are going to paint the club blue-black tonight," Anna spoke out and they all screamed in excitement. Harriet did not have a boyfriend in her life, but it was never boring as she had friends that always cheered her up as they could do whatever they wanted to.

Louisa and Anna were the best things that Harriet could ever ask for as they were not only her friends but they had become sisters and had been through trials and tribulations that had made them stronger.

Anna on the other hand has been in so many abusive relationships that she had become faded up till her fiance showed up and decided to make her his queen. Louisa suddenly sat quiet and Harriet looked at her in awe as she wondered what was the latter. With a sad look and a sick face, she spoke out,

"We will not be able to hang out again right?"

Harriet and Anna in shock asked why she had to think of something like that and she responded that Ana will soon be taken off the market and so she is going to become a housewife. Ana who could not hold back herself from laughing at what her friend had voiced out, exploded in laughter asking where she was taken that idea from.

" Your man is a very jealous lover and we all know how he is when you are not around him," Louisa went on with what she was saying. Anna let out a smile and asked her girls whether Ethan has ever been a blockage to her from having her fun and her girls answered back to her question with a no.

"So there you have you answer ladies," she mumbled and Harriet took up her glass in joy. Sipping their drinks from their glasses, Harriet asked her what they were going to celebrate that evening as their wedding date had not been fixed yet.