Chapter 53

Priscilla's POV:

I woke up to the sound of someone calling my name. As I sat up in bed, my whole body ached and I couldn't remember why. I looked around the room until my eyes met with Max's gray ones. Memories of the previous day flooded my mind. I lowered my gaze, feeling guilty for lying to him, but Max had taken care of me throughout the night nonetheless.

"Are you okay?" Max asked. I looked at him, feeling a lump in my throat. I shouldn't have gone out yesterday. But as always, I did something and started thinking later.

"Um, I'm hungry," I mumbled, hiding the fact that I had a sore throat and my whole body was aching.

"I've prepared a warm bath for you. Go and take a bath, I will bring your breakfast," Max said. I wished he was always like this, but who am I kidding? He changes like the weather.

"Uh, Max, thanks for taking care of me," I said. I could feel my own chin trembling. I knew very well that if I didn't tell him the truth, the guilt would keep eating me.

"Hey, it's okay. I told you that I would always be there for you, didn't I? You don't have to thank me," Max said. He sat at the edge of the bed with a smile. My chest tightened. Was he doing this intentionally or what?

"Um, Max, you see, yesterday I lied to you. I went to teach some brats a lesson. They were bullying Lurry at school, and I think she was depressed because of them. I couldn't stop myself from teaching them a lesson. "I paused, looking at him, he was listening to me. "Well, I'm the one who helped Nelly escape from here; I gave all the money I had earned at work. I'm sorry for lying to you," I said. I couldn't keep lying to him. I couldn't stop the guilt from eating me alive.

"I know that you lied to me. Just forget about all that. You are not well; you should rest so that you feel better soon. Okay, just go and take a bath. I will be right back," Max said. He rose from the bed and started making his way out of the room. Sighing, I rose from the bed and made my way to the bathroom. After taking a bath, I walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around my body. I walked to the closet. I decided to wear black leggings, a white oversized T-shirt, and black boots. After putting on my warm hoodie, I applied face cream. When I finished getting ready, I made my way out of the room. I was not well, but I had to go to work today. I didn't want to disappoint anyone on my team. We are working on a very important project, and I didn't want to miss anything.

As I reached the dining room, I found Liz, Lurry, and Max, who were dishing food on a plate. I guess it was for me.

"Priscilla, what happened to you? You look so pale," Liz asked, her tone filled with worry. She rose from the chair and walked to me.

"I caught a cold yesterday. Don't worry about me. I'm fine now," I said. I walked to the table. Liz pulled a chair for me, and I sat down.

"You should've come down. I was going to bring your breakfast!" Max said, his tone filled with concern.

"I was running late. I had to go to work," I said. I couldn't be absent from work after Ms. Liana included me in such an important project. I had to be there and try to work hard and earn more money so I could buy a house, an apartment, or even a car of my own. I knew I had to work harder to get what I wanted.

"You are not going to work, not when you are this sick," Max said, with an 'end of the story' expression on his face.

"Max, I'm fine now... I..." Before I could finish my sentence, I sneezed so hard. I quickly covered my hand with my elbow. Why did I have to sneeze now?

"Have your breakfast fast so I can take you to the hospital. Please don't argue with me now because I'm not taking no for an answer. This is about your health, and I'm not taking any risks," Max said. He placed a plate of food in front of me and pulled a chair to sit next to me.

"Max, I don't want to go to the hospital. What if they give me an injection? No, I'm not going there. After eating, I'm going to work," I said stubbornly. I can't sit all day when I have a job.

"You are afraid of getting an injection, but you weren't afraid yesterday when you were beating up those guys, were you? We are going to the hospital, and that's final," Max said. I felt heat flushing through my face. Did he have to bring this up now?

"Priscilla, I agree with Max. You should go to the hospital. You aren't well enough to go to work or do any work. You have to think about your health first before you can think about making money," Liz said. Not her either. Why would she support Max instead of me?

"Yes, Priscilla, go to the hospital. Once you are fine, you can go to work and make as much money as you want. Okay? I don't want you to fall sick," Lurry added. I rolled my eyes. It seems like they have forgotten that I spent five years of my life on the street, catching a cold every day, and yet I'm still alive.

"Guys, I'm going to work, and none of you are going to stop me. That's final. Please don't try to make me angry by telling me that I'm not well. It's just a cold. I won't die. I will be fine. Do me a favor and stop worrying about me. I spent five years of my life on the streets, catching a cold every day, and yet I'm not dead. I'm still alive. I will be fine soon," I said. Before I knew it, I sneezed again.

"You are not on the streets anymore, Priscilla, and there's no way I'm going to allow you to go to work in this condition. You should have thought about work yesterday before you went out on the rainy night barely dressed. You should have thought about work before leaving the house. This is all your fault. You should know that every action you take has its consequences," Max said. Did he really have to keep rubbing salt in my wounds like this?

"Max, you are not going to tell me what to do, okay?" I couldn't finish my sentence when I heard Nicole's voice coming from the sitting room's entrance. He had a wide smile on his face as he greeted Marie. I smiled when I saw him approaching us.

"Oh my gosh! Nic, where have you been all these days? You have completely forgotten about me, haven't you?" I exclaimed. I rose from the chair and walked to him. Reaching where he was, I hugged him tightly. I missed him a lot. In the past two months, he has become a very good and close friend of mine.

"Is this your way of saying that you've missed me?" Nicole asked. I let go of him before swatting his arm with my hand. He winked at me.

"Of course I missed you," I said, and Nicolas chuckled.

"At least someone misses me in this house," Nicolas said, and I knew whom he was referring to. I just smiled, feeling the dagger that Liz was throwing behind my back.

"Come on, let's have breakfast," I said, pulling him to the table with me. He pulled a chair for me, and I sat down. He sat next to me. We were now facing Max and Liz. I could see how her expression had changed.

Max's POV

As I watched Priscilla and Nicolas interact, I couldn't help but feel a burning sensation in my chest and my whole body tensing up. It made me wonder how close they had become. I had always thought that only a few of us, including me, Mark, Liana, and Liz, called him Nic. But now, Priscilla was also calling him Nic. I had assumed that Nicolas was interested in Liz. So, I was surprised to see him being so close to Priscilla. I felt uncomfortable about it and I wasn't sure why. It just didn't feel right to me, and I couldn't tolerate it.

"I have brought a gift for my special friend today," Nicolas said, causing my eyes to widen. Did he bring a gift for Priscilla too? I remember him telling me that if I wasn't interested in her, he was going to make her his. Was he trying to make a move?

"Good morning to you too, Nicolas!" Liz said, her face turning red. Maybe she was feeling the same way I was.

Nicolas turned to her with a sweet smile. "The last time I checked you said you didn't want to talk to me, I'm surprised that you remembered my name," Nicolas said nonchalantly before turning his attention to Priscilla.

"Nicolas, I thought I made it clear that I don't want visitors in my house today. Why are you here?" I asked, trying to control my emotions.

"Guys, please, just let him be. If you don't want him here, then we can go to my room. Anyway, you said I'm not going to work, so I can spend some time with him, right?" Priscilla asked innocently. I clenched my teeth, my stomach hardening.

"Don't mind them, friend. I have brought a gift that will make sure we can talk any time of the day. I'm sure you will love it," Nicolas said, chuckling as he placed a black and gold-wrapped box on the table. Priscilla unwrapped it with a cheerful expression. She looked so happy. Why didn't she show this side of her to me? She rarely smiled at me and spent most of her time arguing with me. I took care of her the whole night, but she was smiling at him, not me.

"Oh wow, a cell phone!" Priscilla exclaimed happily as she brought out a Huawei Mate 50 Pro, the latest model that cost R2,609,000 at the moment. As far as I knew, Nicolas was a stingy guy. He could never buy such an expensive gift for anyone, not even me, his childhood friend. But he brought it for her…

"Do you love it?" Nicoles asked, Priscilla's eyes twinkled with happiness.

"Of course I love it, you are the best friend ever," Priscilla said happily as she hugged Nicolas and pecked him on the cheeks. I felt a sharp pain from clenching my jaws. This was the limit. What was happening here?

"Nicolas, I think you should leave!" I said firmly. He was my friend and I loved him, but I couldn't stand what was happening in my own house. He couldn't just come here and make a move on Priscilla under my watch.

"Nic, come on. Let's go to my room so you can teach me how to use my new cellphone," Priscilla said, pulling Nicolas with her out of the dining room. What on earth was happening here, in my own house? I couldn't believe this. I rose from my chair and followed them upstairs. I wouldn't let Nicolas be alone with Priscilla. She was naive, and I didn't want him to take advantage of her.

Author's POV

Liz clenched her hand into a tight fist. What games was Nicolas playing with her? One minute, he confessed his love for her, and the next, he was busy with Priscilla, who was now her best friend. Liz believed that all men were the same; they just wanted to play. Her phone beeped with a notification. With a sullen expression, she picked up her phone from the table and checked the message from Nicolas. What did he want now? Liz frowned.

Nicolas:Relax, you've already stolen my heart. I can't love anyone else except you. I just wanted to confirm something. I think my guess was right. Your brother likes Priscilla. I just wanted to make sure I'm not mistaken, but I think you saw what I saw.

A smirk played on Liz's lips as she read the message. So it was all a play; she thought that he was interested in Priscilla now.

Liz:How did you figure that out?" Liz typed a message and sent it. She waited for his reply.

"Everyone is weird in this house. Priscilla was angry and sick, but it all vanished as Nicolas arrived. You were sulking a while ago, but now you are smiling. Brother Max left looking like he was going to murder someone," Liz remarked. Liz laughed. Her phone beeped again, and she quickly checked a new message from Nicolas.

Nicolas:Yesterday, he started behaving strangely when I mentioned that Priscilla and I had become close. I realized it right there. I want to see my friend happy again, that's why I'm doing all this. Don't be jealous because you are the only queen of my heart, and no one else can take that position," Nicolas had written.

Liz's cheeks turned red as she read the message. She turned off her phone.

"Come on, Larry, let's go and hang out with Priscilla and Nic," Liz said, rising off the chair. Lurry shook her head.

"Go ahead. I want to eat. I can't leave such a delicious breakfast for anyone," Lurry said.

"Okay, suit yourself then," Liz said and made her way upstairs.