Chapter 97

Chapter 97
Dale’s pov

My gaze stayed fixed on a point on the ceiling. There was nothing much going through my mind. I was waiting for the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to ease up so that I could figure out what to do with my life. Everything had gone to shit and I was committed to figuring out what to do with my life. 

It was the only thing I could do to avoid going crazy. 

The dull vibration of my phone caused me to look away from the ceiling and look at the device I had abandoned since yesterday. It was a miracle that it was still with me. 

I picked it up and looked at the screen to see that it was Vanessa calling. I couldn't tell why she was calling, but she seemed like a worthy distraction from the void that was growing inside me. 

“Hey, babe.” I was greeted as soon as I answered the call. 

“Good day, Dale.” She greeted me back in a tone I considered very formal. “I was hoping we could meet today. There is something important that I want to talk to you about.” 

“What is it about?” I sat upright, intrigued by the seriousness in her voice. 

“Umm, I would prefer not to talk about it on the phone. Can we just meet and then we can discuss it properly?” She insisted. 

“Alright. Where should we meet?” I asked. 
Hopefully, going out would do me some good. The public tends to move on fast from scandal and I was sure that my case would be no different. 

“At the bar close to your favorite restaurant.” She said, 

“Alright.” I nodded. 

Less than an hour later, I was at the bar, seated in a quiet corner. The place was half empty and that was expected since it was about 3 in the afternoon. It was too early for people to come out and get drunk. A baseball hat sat on top of my face to give me a bit of privacy just in case. I also had a pair of dark goggles on just in case. 

There was no certainty with the public and I could not afford to get lynched out here because a small group of people were still pissed by my action from yesterday. 

At around 3:10 pm, Vanessa walked into the bar. I could see her from my quite little corner. She had a pair of big round goggles on her face to serve as a disguise. We were not so different after all. Her eyes glanced around the bar, trying to singe me out from eth sparse customers in the bar. I waved a hand at her and she hurried over to me. 

“I would be quick about this.” She started as she lowered her frame onto the chair opposite me. 

She sounded serious and hushed and I could not help but wonder what the problem was. 
“What is wrong? Why did you ask us to meet?” I reached for her hand, but she pulled both her hands away and it quickly became clear to me that there was trouble between us. 

“If it is about what happened yesterday, I am sorry, but that dude sort of deserved it. You don’t understand how small he had made me feel. If it makes you feel any better, I am being punished for my actions, so you can be assured that I would never do it again.” 

I smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. 
The look on her face still remained stiff and I pressed my lips together, knowing that this was not going to go my way. “Why are we here?” 

She let out a breath, flitted her gaze everywhere but at me, and finally said, “My dad has asked me to break things off with you.” She said. 

For weird reasons, her words cut deep within me. What the hell did she mean that her dad had asked her to break things off with me? Just then it hit me and I let out a frustrated sigh. Of course, I was worth nothing now. 

I had lost the funds, the respect, and my status. Her dad no longer saw the benefit of me being her boyfriend and honestly, I could not hate the man. He was simply doing what any other father would do; secure the future of his daughter. 

“It is okay.” I nodded my head accepting the reality of things. 

“Please you need to understand that this isn't how I intended to break things off with you, but with the situation on the ground, I must do this now. Have a nice life.” She brushed my cheeks with her lips and scurried out of the bar, leaving me alone to my pain. 

I let out a deep painful breath as I relaxed my back against the backrest of the chair. I was never in love with Vanessa, but I had never imagined that she would be the one to break things off with me. This was not the way things should have played out. 

I was supposed to end things with her as soon as my mom and I had firmer control over the company. Now, Mom was likely going to suffer from this. It was no trainer why I was being hated. 

I had just dropped a couple of dollar bills on the desk to leave when my eyes caught a headline on the television. It was about Zayad. He was reported to have made a full recovery and was allowed to go home now. 

That didn’t surprise me. The accident had never been about to make him die, it was just to send a message to him, one I was sure that he may not even get. However, that wasn’t the part of the news that interested me the most. 

“According to reports from the police, Zayad’s accident has been ruled as an accident, dispelling earlier rumors that it was an attempted murder.” The news anchor said and quickly moved to another segment of the news. Finally, something to lighten my day.