CHAPTER 63

Najiba called her assistant to get a hotel suite for her as fast as possible. Her assistant who was busy at an orphanage was not pleased about it at all because today was supposed to be her day off. She could remember asking for this day and was given. She is an orphan who grew up in an orphanage and every opportunity she gets, she goes back there to see the children and also make the little donations that she can. She's always very grateful to the orphanage as she felt if not for them, she wouldn't be where she is today because her mother gave birth to her and wanted to do god-knows-what with her because when the orphanage found her as a baby, she was barely alive and was hanging from a well.

She asked herself what she was supposed to do since duty has called. She told herself that she has no choice than to answer the call as she picked up her bag, said her goodbyes and left the orphanage immediately. Working as an assistant for a celebrity has really exposed her to a lot of things and a lot of people. She brought out her phone and started to make some calls and within a few minutes, she has gotten the hotel suite that her boss wanted. She tried her best to make sure that she is early to meet Najiba before she will face the music and when she entered into the hotel suite, she was shocked to see Najiba's neck which had some red streaks on it like someone was trying to strangle her. Her face looked swollen and her eyes were red from crying. Tess did not know when she spoke out the words that were on her mind. "Wow! Is there trouble in paradise?"

 Najiba immediately turned and asked her what she has just said but she instantly denied it and said "I was just trying to ask if we should run away because I've never seen you like this. I'm sorry to ask this, but where you waylaid?" Najiba turned and gave her a piercing look as she said "if I hear any story of what you have just seen, you will regret the day that you were born." 

 Even as she spoke, her voice was hoarse and Tess said within herself that there is trouble in Paradise for real and the best that she can do to help herself today, is to try being invisible because even the sound of her breath could bring unimaginable consequences. Tess couldn't stop imagining and asking herselfself what happened to her Idol. There were, many times that Tess has been angry at her own life and most times she blames God for her luck when she sees successful people. She has always wished that she could be like her boss. She also wants to marry a wealthy man, be famous, and have people working for her but after seeing the state that Najiba is in, she told herself that it's true that even the rich also cry.

 Since Lilly and Jay arrived, she has been avoiding and ignoring him. She is not angry at him because he dragged her down here, rather she is angry because she heard him talking to a woman on phone and the way he was talking to her, she felt that Jay was secretly married. She has been feeling hurt since then that even when she went into the bathroom, she stayed there and cried. She asked herself what she meant to him and why he had sex with her when he knew that he was married. She has made up her mind that she will not let him keep her with any family because he might just take her to his wife and introduce her as their new maid.

 Immediately they stepped out of the aeroplane after it landed at the airport, she told herself that she has left behind all her feelings for Jay as it is obvious that he doesn't even see her after taking her virginity. She feels very stupid for letting her virginity go just like that for a one-night stand with a man that doesn't even care about her feelings and only sees her as his new lability.

Jay also noticed that Lily's mood has been sour but he thought that she was still upset about leaving her hometown and her family behind so he told himself that staying away from her right now will be the best solution so he left her to Lola to deal with.

Although Lily was angry at Jay, she was still wowed at his house. It is way bigger than her father's house and very beautiful. She couldn't help looking around because this house looks like a house that she has only seen on television and she has never imagined that she could live in one as beautiful as this. Lily imagined all the selfies that she could take and also the videos that she could make in this house. Those thoughts put a smile on her face and she couldn't wait to get started.

 Lola wanted to take her to to another building which was different from where they lived but Jay refused and told Lola that Lily will stay in the main house. Lola had some objections to that because it showed on her face but she could do nothing because the owner of the house has spoken. Not only was she kept in the main building where Jay also lives, her room was also very close to his and that is more closer than Lola has ever gotten to him.

 Lily is not a fool and she knows that Lola does not like her because she sees it every time that Lola looks at her. Even as Lola led her to her room, she saw the look that she gave her and she couldn't wait for the prude to get out so that she can have enough time to assess her room.

Immediately Lola closed the door, Lily waited and heard her receding footsteps before she jumped on the bed and squealed. This room is more beautiful than the one she stayed in even when her mother was still alive because immediately her father married her stepmom and her daughters moved in, Lily's room was exchanged for one of her stepsister's.

Lola walked up to Jay and met him going through documents when she said "what are you trying to do? You know that she cannot live on the same floor as you." 

"Why can't she? Is she not a human being?" 

"Stop it Jay, you know what I'm talking about. Trust me, you don't want to get a girl like Lily pregnant or have any kind of intimate relationship with her. Look at the girl, she is timid and does not understand the ways of the world. If you try making any advances towards her, she will take it that you love her and the last thing that we need, is a girl who is lovestruck. Jay, we both know that you are not capable of loving anyone right now so I am begging you to stay away from Lily and if you feel so horny that you think you can't hold it anymore, you have many girls in your contacts please call one of them and do not make the mistake of missing your way into Lily's room." 

Jay pulled Lola's hand and the force brought her into his arms as he said "do I detect a hint of jealousy here? Don't tell me that you are afraid that Lily will take your place in my heart. Don't worry darling, I will always have time for you even if Lily walks into the picture." 

 Lola rolled her eyes at him and imagines that her fiance walks in to hear Jay talking to her like this. She just shook her head and told herself that her life will be ruined if her fiance will not understand that Jay talks that way to almost every woman when he's joking with them. "Come on Jay, let's be serious here you know that I can only help to save your name during scandals that are not favorable but I cannot help with pregnancy issues. My fiance and I will be gone for only two weeks so please try not to make a mess of those two weeks because I will not be available."

"Did you just say not available?" 

"Well, I will be available but not as I can be when I am here. Jay, do not trouble me unnecessarily. I really really need this break to put my relationship together and know where I'm headed from there. It's true that you pay me handsomely but you should also remember that I am a woman and I have my life to live so Jay, I am begging you to stay away from Lily." 

Jay stared at Lily with an Innocent face and said "who am I to disapprove when Her Majesty has spoken? I've heard all your instructions and I will follow them to the later or will you take the time to write down your instructions in a book so that I will not forget them?" 

Lola shook her head at Jay because every time she tries having a conversation with him, she ends up being stressed because Jay rarely takes anything serious.

Lily was in her room writing a song because the atmosphere alone was inspiring her. It's been a long while that she did this but she is enjoying every bit of it as she did not know when she began to sing the song that she was writing.

After Jay and Lola had their conversation, she left and Jay was going back to his room when he heard a very beautiful voice singing and he couldn't believe that that was Lily singing.

"He'll never lose face that's just who he is

he will never lose face what are you gonna do cause he'll never lose face.

Myra the call girl and a waitress in nine bar

he was in a drunk state he didn't negotiate well

then in the morning things went bad

from bad to worse then someone else took

the fall for him cause he'll never lose face.

He'll never lose face that's just who he is he will never lose face what are you gonna do cause he'll will never lose face.

You see the politician, the cleric, the monk, the priest, and the elder in church they never lose face." 

When the singing stopped, Jay walked into her room and was clapping but as soon as Lily saw him, she quickly attempted to hide her writing tools but Jay stopped her and said "you have a talent and a good voice so why are you hiding it? Do you think that anyone will ever notice you by hiding? In this life, if you think you have something that the world needs to hear, then you have to come out and say it and always bear in mind that there are haters everywhere and although some of them call themselves critics, it never changes the fact that they are haters. They are there to tear you down if you let them make you see that the talent that you have is not worth it and sometimes, they will tell you that you have no talent at all." 

Even though Lily has taken a vow of silence with Jay, she still decided to talk "I have always wanted to go for talent shows but my step mum wouldn't let me because of all the work that I have to do at home. Even if I go, I do not know many people so I don't know if they will vote for me." 

"Lily, if you know that you do not have a strong mental state of health, please never go for any talent shows because they will end up crushing your spirit. Many artists who are trending today, I am very sure that if they had gone for talent shows they wouldn't have made it to where they are today. Most of these talent shows are there to break you and also crush you. I have never advised anyone to go on any talent show because I don't think it's worth it most times. I am very sure that if I had gone on any talent show, I wouldn't have had the courage to become who I am today because they will judge my singing and everything that I might have ended up becoming less confident in myself. I am not saying that people were not allowed to give their feedbacks to you but all I'm saying is that some of those people who call themselves judges, are toxic and you don't need them. You are good but your voice is rough on the edges so I will get my voice coach to put you through in certain areas and we can see how to modify your song. Lily, it's time for you to get up and show your dad and stepmom that you are no longer the Lily that they used to know rather you and now someone different. One more thing, you need to always be confident in yourself because nobody will put their trust in you if you do not trust yourself first." 

"That's not true, I am very confident." 

"Yes, I can see how confident you are. You are so confident to the point that when you talk to people, your voice begins to shake and you can't even look them in the eye when talking. I dragged you down here with me and you couldn't even stand up for yourself by telling me that you do not want to come here and sometimes when you stand in the presence of someone who intimidates you, you start to tremble. I can really see how confident you are because that's how confident people behave." 

"You just talked about healthy criticism but what you are doing right now is unhealthy because you are being sarcastic. It's not my fault that I am suffering from low self-esteem. I have been through a lot in my life that merely hearing the sound of someone who is angry, makes me want to run away because I feel like I will be hit anytime soon. People who knew me when my mother was still alive will tell you that I was not always like this. Even the big wild cats are usually tamed into domestic pets and I am not different." 

Lily's voice was already trembling while she was talking and it looks like she had tears inside her eyes which she doesn't want to shed. Jay looked at the fragile young woman sitting in front of him and he felt this tenderness in his heart that he couldn't keep his hands to himself anymore as he went to the bed and held her in his arms.