Chapter 78

Carly ate with her family that evening and listened to some stories from her mother. Carly was very attentive as she wanted to get any hint as to why her father was being followed. Martha talked and chatted with Carly all evening and eventually, James started to feel left out.

"That's enough, Martha." He said. "Allow the girl to sleep. She came here to rest, not to talk."

"What is it with you, huh? Allow me to have some chat with my daughter!" Martha huffed. She sprang up and pulled Carly up with her, to her room. "Come on, let's go somewhere private and talk, where your father couldn't trouble us."

Carly chucked at how cool her parents were together. She was proud that they had stayed so long together and still remained in love. She always looked up to them, hoping to have something as beautiful as them, but... Landon.

Carly watched her father for a few more days and truly realized that he was being followed. She wondered why it was so and also wondered who it was that could be following him around.

Carly stood on her balcony and watched her father leave the house. She noticed how those people seemed to follow him, making simple calls and passing information, until they all were out of sight. Soon, James began to return and noticed the same people. This time around, it seemed as though they approached him but James maneuvered.

Carly couldn't take it anymore. She hurried down to meet her father as he entered the house. James was surprised to find Carly standing before him as he shut the door.

"Carly? What's the matter? Is everything alright?" He asked.

Carly stared at him carefully to see if he was injured and when she made sure he was fine, she ran outside but couldn't find any of the spies anymore. James watched his daughter act like a lunatic and he began to wonder what she had seen that made her act like that.

"Carly... You scared me." James said. "Are you alright?"

Carly nodded slowly. "Who were they?"

"Who was who?" James asked. "Who are you talking about?"

Carly scoffed. "don't play dumb with me Dad. I saw those men following you, don't think that I didn't notice."

James scowled. "It's not important, dear. It's been going on for some time but I'm safe, okay? No one can harm me."

"That's what you think," Carly said. "And you think I'm a child that you can lie to huh? Talk to me Dad, tell me."

James stared at his daughter for a few seconds in silence. He finally resigned and pulled her to the sitting room and they sat opposite each other. Carly gave her father her full attention so that he could tell her everything and she wouldn't miss a detail. The danger at hand would determine if she would involve Martin and the agency for his protection. But, that's only if he's also innocent as well.

"It all began when you were little..." James began.

After having Carly, things seemed to get tough for them at home and he lost his old job. He went out every day, looking for a new job. Most times, he only ever returned with a few dollar bills from what people with sympathy had given him.

But when the billionaire had shown interest in him, James did not think too much about it and instantly accepted to work for the billionaire. The man was a prominent figure in the country and had employed him, a nobody, to be his driver. James took it as a proper job and dressed very well to go to work. He was happy that he now had the chance to be the father that his wife and daughter required him to be.

During the period he worked for the man, he met a lot of people. He met a lot of dignitaries and some of them seemed to not fancy him, some fancied him a bit too much. Some women even threw stares at him and some tried to be obvious with their intentions and their advances at him. But James was a loyal man. He was too loyal to his family and his morals, so he always turned them down politely or didn't even respond to them at all.

This made his boss also hold him in high prestige. The man valued him so very well. But he never knew that the love his boss had for him was making a few people envious of him. They wondered how a mere driver like him was able to earn such favor from the man himself.

It was the night he had gotten his pay, he was very excited, he thanked his boss severally and then it was finally time to go home. He had bought a pack of chocolates for Carly that night, but on his way home, his boss called him.

"James, come back to the house. I have something to do at the company." He said. "That's if you haven't gone that far yet."

James wondered what his boss would have to do at the company by that time of the night, yet in the mood of just being paid, he was happy to do anything for his boss. The man had given him a tip for being an effective worker. Little wonder why his employees were so happy working for him.

James drove back to his boss's house and picked the man up. He drove to the company and he held the gift bag that contained the chocolates and cookies he had gotten for Carly.

"I think I might need to drive myself home tonight, you should leave the car. Take the other one and leave." He said. James had escorted him into the company and helped serve him some snacks and juice while he waited for whoever he was to meet. During the serving, James forgot that he dropped the gift bag on the reception desk and made to leave.