CHAPTER 20

Marcus's pov

Talking to Babydoll last night helped me sleep. I can't believe her voice drove me to one of the best orgasms I have ever had. I wish I was with her right now, her presence alone makes me happy. My thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of my phone. The time on my bedside clock says it's three minutes to seven. Who could be calling me this early on a Sunday? I see my father's name on my screen he is probably going to invite me to another torturous family dinner. I contemplate ignoring the call but decide to answer just in case it's important

"Good morning Dad, " I greet him.

"Morning son, how are you?"

"I am fine thank you, Dad, how are you?"

"I am good thanks, son."

"That's great," I answer waiting for him to tell me why he called but he stays quiet for some time.

"Dad, did you want to tell me something?" I ask him after I realize that he is not going to say anything.

"Oh, yes, son I wanted to ask you if you can perhaps attend the fundraising gala for the Katelyn Foundation. I know you haven't been attending these past years but I was hoping that you would consider coming this year." My father says.

The Katelyn Foundation was formed by my father to honor my mother. The foundation supports women with complicated pregnancies to get the medical treatment they require. My father founded it to help save as many women as he can so that no one goes through the pain he went through when he lost my mother. I don't realize I am crying until I feel something moist on my cheek.

"So, are you coming?" My father asks. I can hear the hope in his voice. He wants me to be there and I don't want to break his heart. I haven't attended the gala for the last five years just so I don't run into Thelma and my asshole stepbrother. But not this time. This year I will attend the gala and show them that they mean nothing to me.

"Yes, Dad, I will come. When is the gala?"

"It's on the 2nd of July at 7 p.m, I will send you the invitation. Maybe I will even get to meet the woman in your life." He says the last part with amusement.

"Maybe you will," I respond with a chuckle.

" Okay, son, I gotta go, enjoy your day."

"Okay, Dad, thank you for calling and inviting me to the gala."

"I love you, Marcus."

" I love you too, old man." I hear him chuckle before cutting the line. If there is one thing I have never doubted in my life is my father's love for me.

After my father's call, I texted Babydoll to check up on her. It only takes a few seconds for her to reply. We plan to meet today around 10 a.m. at the Buzzy for Brunch. After talking to my girl I get up and decide to take a shower and do some paperwork before meeting up with her.

"Good Morning sir, " Eric greets me after an hour of burying my head into the paperwork about my new project.

"Good Morning  Eric, How are you?"

"I am fine thank you, how are you?"

"I am good, but by the expression on your face, I can tell that it is going to change soon," I tell him, closing the folder on my desk.

"You are right sir, the news I have is not good," Eric says, still standing by my office doorway.

"Tell me the news and I will decide whether it is good or bad."

Eric comes in and sits on a chair in front of me. He puts his hands on the desk and plays with his fingers. Eric only does this when he is mad about something and wants to calm himself down. He takes a deep breath and looks at me with fury in his eyes.

"The bastard is here in Lusaka." He states. I just look at him not knowing what to say because I don't know the bastard he is talking about. He seems to understand my confusion and decides to continue talking.

"You told me to find out about the bastard that assaulted Juliana. The bastard is in town, sir. He came back a week ago." I look up at Eric to check if he is joking even though I know he can't joke about something like that, all I see in his eyes is anger. My body starts to burn with rage. I could burn the whole city down.

"When did you know he was in Lusaka?" I ask him.

"Two days ago."

"And you are only telling me this now?" I ask barely containing my anger.

I don't even know who I am mad at at this moment. Whether it is Eric for not telling me earlier or the bastard for being in the same town with my babydoll, where she could run into him. I don't think she will be able to face him. Her wounds from her past are still fresh and need to be nursed with care and love.

"I wanted to find out more about him before coming to you. I didn't want you to make any rash decisions." Eric is right, If he had told me about him, I would have driven to where he is staying and beat the hell out of him. That would have made the situation bad and it would have affected Juliana badly.

"Where is he staying?" I ask Eric. I want to know where that son of a bitch is staying so that I know where to go if he tries to hurt my baby girl.

"He is staying at his old place in Avondale."

"Put an eye on him, I want to know where he goes, who he meets. I want to know everything he does." I tell Eric. He gives me a look that says that there is more to the conversation at hand.

"I am listening," I tell him.

"I received an email last night from the guy I instructed to be following him. The email contains pictures of him and Maggie, Juliana's best friend."

Eric shows me a picture of Maggie eating and laughing with a man. She is wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday, she must have gone to meet him after leaving the hospital.

"What the fuck?" Is the only response that comes out of my mouth. I don't know what else to say. Why would Juliana's friend meet the man who hurt her best friend? And looking at the way they are laughing, one can tell that they are close. This means she has been in contact with him all these years behind Juliana's back. I feel my rage multiply every second that passes.

"What should I do about her?" Eric asks me.

"For now just observe her. Let me know when she meets that bastard again." I tell him, barely holding my anger down.

"Have you told Juliana about her friend's past yet?" Eric asks and I feel like someone just pierced a sword in my heart. I want to tell her but I am afraid that I will lose her. What if telling her brings insecurity and mistrust between us? I am not willing to ruin what we have just because of some stupid past.

"No, I haven't and I don't plan on doing so."

"I think that's a bad idea, Marcus, you should tell her before someone else does." Eric only calls me by my name when he wants me to understand the gravity of what he Is telling me. Deep down in my soul, I know that what he is saying is true but my fear of losing her is preventing me from taking the advice.

"No one will tell her, the only people who know about it are you, me, the guys, and Maggie. If Maggie was going to tell her, she would have done it already. So relax, nothing of that sort is going to happen." I tell him even though I know that the only person I want to convince is myself. I need to believe that Maggie loves her friend so much that she would never want to hurt her by telling her about the past.

"What if she is waiting for you and Juliana to get close?"

"Why would she do that?" I ask him.

"To hurt you." He answers.

I haven't thought about it that way but I think Eric is right. Now that the thought has been put in my mind, I can't help but think of the encounters I have had with Maggie. The way that she looks at me every time, with so much hatred and hurt. Could she be waiting for me to get close to Juliana and then tell her the truth? If that's the case, then I am one unlucky bastard who can't even be happy before the happiness is taken away.

"Then I will enjoy the time I have with her," I tell him, getting off the chair and leaving my office to go to my mini-bar in my small living room. Eric comes after me but doesn't say anything even though I know he wants to. That's one other thing I love about him, he knows when not to push me.

"I have brunch with Juliana at ten, I will just freshen up and come downstairs," I tell him. When Eric leaves I pour myself a shot of whiskey to help me with the nerves. I pass my hand through my hair to try to think of a way of telling Juliana about the past but nothing comes to my mind. I guess I just have to wait and see what will happen next.