Chapter Eighteen

James and Joyce left very early on Monday morning. They were the first to vacate the house. Mrs Andrew had thanked Joyce for gracing her with her presence and her gift. She also gave her a necklace as a welcome gift into her family.

       

  Vivian had left the previous day. She  had simply wanted to bid James goodbye the previous night when she had knocked and intrude their intimacy.

         Joyce,on the other hand, was so grateful to her in some way. What if she hasn't knocked? She found herself wondering what would have happened.

      She had not said a word to James since the previous night. And now, as she sat beside him in his car,her fingers clenched into a fist. She could not help but think about him.

       He also said nothing to her. He had crossed his boundary. He almost did what he shouldn't. He had to apologize. He wanted to but didn't know how. He drove into the compound of his house and parked at his garage. His house was big but very small in comparison to his parents'.

        Joyce wondered how he managed to live alone in such mansion as he invited her in,claiming he had few things to be done before taking her home. It was still so early. She could take a nap for few hours before the morning sun renders its service.

         Joyce followed him quietly and he carried his bags inside the house. She stayed in the living room as he went somewhere, probably, his bedroom. She looked down at the necklace on her neck and smiled. She loved it. It was a silver chain and a tiny pendant carved in the shape of a heart.

         Unfortunately, no matter how much she loved it,it wasn't hers. She had to give it to James to keep it for his future partner.

      "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Joyce." Her train of thought was derailed and she looked up at him as he descended the stairs. She said nothing but unhooked the necklace and gave it to him.

       He appeared confused, so he questioned her to that regard. "What for,Joyce?"

      "It doesn't belong to me and you know that," she reminded.

       "No,I don't. My mum gave it to you,so,keep it." He was done talking. He took the necklace from her and put it around her neck. "It suits you," he muttered his compliment with a smile.

              Throughout the journey to her parents' house, she said nothing. James helped her with her bag and chatted a little with her parents. They seemed to really like him and thanked him for taking care of their daughter while away.

         "She looked beautiful now. More beautiful, I mean," Joyce's mother had teased. Maybe she was right. James found her to be more beautiful than ever,he couldn't help not stealing glances.

        He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't noticed her beauty before. Joyce seemed not to be interested,though.

        Seemed? What an understatement! She was obviously not interested. She sat  with her hands crossed as she stared through the window. Her mother didn't mind her even though she knew something was bothering her cause she knew better than to ask at that moment.

   

        "Okay, then. I will be leaving," James announced and looked at Joyce. "Joyce?"

         She faced him.

       He smiled broadly, obviously excited that she gave him her attention. "I shall take my leave now. You don't need to come to the office if you don't want to. Take the time off today to rest." He only said that for saying sake. Someone as hardworking and diligent as Joyce wouldn't stay home. "Bye."

       "Okay. Bye" was Joyce's reply which made him grinned again.  If only she knew how much that meant to him. He was finally at ease. He had been afraid she wouldn't talk to him when he so badly wanted to hear her voice again.

          He was so excited that he almost hit another car on his way to the office. His mind was soon occupied by the loads of works he would be doing when he gets to the office,the meetings and covering all his appointments.  Even though he was tired,he could not stay at home idly when he had so much to do in the office.

        James got to his office by eight am. That wasn't so bad. He walked by his receptionist who saluted him and asked him how his weekend was.

        "It was splendid," he informed with a broad smile and went straight into his office,placed his briefcase on his desk. He had taken that when he changed at his house earlier from his knickers and top into a designer suit which fitted him in all of the right places and used the tie Joyce had messed up the first day they met. He had not used it after that.

He sank into his office chair and his aim was to start working on the millions of files before him but his mind failed him by derailing to the thoughts of his life. What had he been doing? What did he need? He had been thoroughly hunting for love,for a life partner,but the results so far wasn't satisfactory. Women had jilted him for no reason after they got what they wanted.

      Money.

He had given up on hunting. He had gotten tired of hunting and getting temporary results. What was the point of hunting when you kept on losing the preys? Then,it seemed to him that his mother's birthday really brought him the perfect prey. He must hunt it  and made sure it become his and his only.

"I won't give up on her," James muttered to himself in encouragement and then heard a knock at the door.

    Who could it be? It could be anyone. Client,Joyce, anyone, he wondered within.

         The person was who he wasn't expecting to see in a thousand years. That was hyperbole,though.

         It was Vivian's brother,Philip Lucas. He began wondering what could have brought him to his office. If he was going to persuade her concerning his sister,then,he wouldn't be sorry to tell him to close the case.

What did Vivian took him for in the first place? A tool she could make use of anytime she wanted?How could she came to the conclusion of asking him out when she didn't want it in the first place? Besides, she wasn't single.

Maybe Philip was going to tell him how his sister had been having sleepless nights and crying endlessly like a hungry baby and probably tell him to marry her to ease her pain.

       James shook his head and dismissed the thoughts as he exchanged pleasantries with him and a little into their conversation, Philip changed the subject.

       "Heard my sister was at your place yesterday. She must be so depressed. Her fiance broke up with her." Philip adjusted himself comfortably on his seat before him.

So,that is the reason she was all over me,James thought. She only wanted him to be a replacement. That was so unfair. How could she do that? They were friends.

    James nodded his head and wondered for the thousandth time about how easy it was to ask him to marry her. Though, he felt for her. Her condition wasn't a happy thing,but she had clearly made him understand that she wanted them to be nothing more than friends.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that. She didn't tell me. She didn't mention anything of such to me. How is she now? I hope she's okay. Wait,how could she be okay after experiencing that. She must be heartbroken," James said, sounding like Joyce. He was starting to talk too much. He cautioned himself and stopped.

"Actually, that's not the reason I'm here." Philip curved his lips a little into a smile.

  He looked puzzled but relaxed a moment after. "Then,what brings you here?" The question came out in a rather tensed voice. Somehow,he knew he wasn't going to be comfortable with whatever Philip has got to say.

Philip seemed to catch on his uneasiness but went on nonetheless. "It's about your P. A,Joyce."

The word 'Joyce' made him shot his eyes up at Philip,taking them away from the drawer he had opened to bring out a pen to start signing necessary documents while he listened to him.

   James closed his drawer and adjusted on his chair in a relaxed way. He was becoming angry. He didn't know why but he managed to suppress it for it to be unnoticed.

"What about Joyce?" The question somehow wanted him to laugh which would have been a foolish and immature display to Philip. He suppressed that as well.

   Philip smiled and said,"I need her details. Her contact, address and so on."

        The anger that slid onto James' face was evident. "What on earth for?"