Love, Lies and Billionaires

“You’ve held a nervous expression ever since you got back from work yesterday. Is there something wrong?”

Maren raised her eyes to her mom, then looked back down and sucked on her lip. Bher mind was racing and her heart beat increased its pace each time she remembered it.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

After she’d spoken to Kendrick again on the phone, she’d tried to calm down and wait for it to play out, but it was no use. Her mind was already filled with anxiety and the reason wasn’t really clear to her yet.

“I brought you some juice,” her mom informed and Maren let her eyes trail to where the reddish pink liquid stood in a jug.

She knew within her that her mom won’t leave till she said a word and that was the reason she’d brought the juice.

One mind urged her to tell her everything, another stopped her and reminded her that this was her mom’s late husband she’d be talking about if she decided to speak and that wasn’t a conversation her mom would like to have.

Seeing her mom almost peering into her face, she finally looked up completely. “I’m fine, Mom” she forced a smile, but it was obvious her mom wasn’t buying it.

“Well, you don’t seem fine to me” she pulled a chair from one side of the table and sat adjacent to her daughter. “You’ve locked yourself up in this dark, study since yesterday and refused to say a word to anyone.”

“I believe if this place was locked you won’t be able to get in, mom”

Her mom just brushed it off “You’ve been acting really strangely lately. From going out with someone you’re yet to tell me about, to being moody all of a sudden. It’s not healthy Maren”

Maren locked eyes with her mom and saw the seriousness and worry which her voice conveyed. She’d just realised she hadn’t been spending time together like before.

They hadn’t had one of their usual talks ever since Kendrick came into the picture.

As much as Maren wanted to be open to her mom, she wasn’t ready to let her in on something like this, though she knew that was the best option right now.

In fact, secretly, she worried about the old lady. She wasn’t getting younger and though she wouldn’t admit nor show it; she was getting weaker and more frail and Maren really didn’t want to put more of her problems on her. She felt she should handle it on her own.

She reached for the jug and poured herself half a glass and took a mouth full gulp. She looked at the liquid in the glass and thought she needed something stronger.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about, mom,” she said with a straight face. “I mean, aside from work, I really don’t think I’ve been worried about anything lately”

A scowl appeared on her mom’s face. “Don’t give me that bullshit, young lady. I gave birth to you and I know when something’s going on with you and when you’re trying to hide it”

Maren almost wrung her nose at her mom’s senses. She knew she wouldn’t drop it till she said something that’ll appease her.

She heaved a silent sigh and looked her mom in the eye. “Alright, fine, you win.” She surrendered. “It really is nothing serious. I mean, it’s nothing that should bother, really”

“I still want to hear it,” she insisted.

“Well, it’s just I decided to look ring for the detective in charge of William’s murder; Micheal and he’s not been really responsive about the entire thing though he’s still on it and has made little yo no progress”

“Go on, I really don’t see any sense in what you’ve said,” her mom said.

“The part that bothers me is according to him. Irene is has not been since for about a week now and he suspects she probably knows something”

Mrs Sharppe was quiet for a while, as she always was when her mind was cooking up something.

“Did he ask you questions about her whereabouts?”

“Yes. I told him we haven’t spoken in almost a year.”

“Do you think she knows something? Or she just decided to get off the face of the earth?”

Maren fell silent. She really had thought about this, and she knew it was weird for Irene to just disappear without making a show or something.

“Well, I think it’s fishy. I mean, Irene was anything but a coward. She’d rather spill the truth and go down than run away with what she knew.” She flipped the pages on the file in thought.

“I called her phone and even sent text messages, but I got nothing. Her phone has been untraceable and her house was locked when Micheal arrived. He had to break in to find any clues if there were any.”

“Did he find anything?”

“Nope, instead, her house just looked like she had just stepped out to and would he back soon” Maren turned away from her mom and stared into thin air.

“You’re worried about her, aren’t you?”

Faint lines of veins appeared on her forehead as she blinked a number of times. “I mean, I really didn’t feel it this way when I read the texts from Micheal. But now saying it out loud-”

“You miss her, don’t you?”

“I miss who she used to be and I just want her to be safe wherever she is.” She paused, “I know I shouldn’t feel pity for her because of what she did to me, but I really don’t want anything bad to harm her, mom. I lost William, I-”

“Shhh,” her mom shushed, sensing the quake in her voice. Maren shut her eyes tight for a few seconds. “That’s enough thinking for one day, don’t you think? Maybe you should lay back a little and don’t follow him up for sometime”

“I’m fine, Mom. Thanks.” she opened her eyes again and took another gulp of the juice. “And next time, please bring something stronger.”

“You know I wouldn’t do that. What kind of mom would I be if I did?”

Maren chuckled, lightening up a little. “You’re the best mom either way,” she smiled.

She loved her mom and always listened to her, but not in this situation. It was her ex-best friend involved in this one and there was no way she was going to just sit back and watch.

What if she was in danger? There was no way Maren was going to relax. She swore to get to the bottom of it.