Free Web NovelChapter 118: Lawrence’s Story
Lawrence arrived to pick them up the following day. But the ride to the office was extremely uncomfortable. Lawrence observed them from the rearview mirror and both of them were sitting stiffly, seemingly lost while staring out of their respective side windows.
"Ahm! So the rain finally stopped." Lawrence tried to break the eerie awkward silence.
"Yes, and I hope we get a dry patch now. With the event just 12 days away we can’t afford any more rain or flood," Skyla added, still watching the wet streets with rain puddles at the sides.
Zyair was drumming his fingers on his knee, his other hand resting under his chin. The silence on his part was unsettling. Since his face was covered, no one knew what he was thinking or feeling.
He had been polite to Skyla in the morning but he didn’t initiate much conversation with her nor did he tease her. And now he was being very quiet.
’He is pissed at me,’ Skyla thought to herself.
’I hope the space I am giving her will help her make up her mind and open her heart to me,’ Zyair prayed.
Once they arrived at Kincaid, three of them took the underground elevator which only Zyair and Lawrence used to reach their offices on top. Zyair was busy on his phone checking something out.
"Hold my calls, Miss Skyla, I don’t want to be disturbed," he quietly informed her before exiting the elevator as soon as it stopped.
"Yes, Sir!" She answered with guilt in her voice. He had been nothing but nice to her and yet she said those harsh words to him. She was hating herself with every passing second, the burden of her words weighed heavily on her.
Lawrence was sensing this huge tension between the two and he wondered if it was because of Doran and what happened that day in his office.
Once Lawrence had taken him away he called his secretary to come pick him up. The bloody condition of his face would take weeks to recover, Zyair really did a number on him.
This morning he was surprised to see Skyla was with Zyair. He guessed Zyair needed to keep her safe but both of them were hardly speaking. Skyla seemed more on edge as if she would burst into tears any second.
So he followed her to her office.
"Can we have a word?" He asked and Skyla invited him in. Both of them took their respective seats.
"What’s wrong? Is it something related to what happened here the other day?" Lawrence was referring to Doran getting beaten up by Zyair. Maybe that’s what had Skyla disturbed.
She didn’t know what to even say to him. He was like her younger brother but she didn’t want to burden him with her problems. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"What are you referring to?"
"Zyair beating up your husband. I was the one who got him out of there. He said your husband raises his hand on you. I am truly sorry about that," Lawrence answered rather apologetically. Skyka squirmed uncomfortably, this was bad. Lawrence was just a teenager, he shouldn’t have to deal with adult drama.
"I am sorry you had to see and deal with all that. I truly am. My husband is a disturbed man," she lamented, keeping her eyes down so he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"I figured and you know I am a very straightforward person so I will say this. Divorce him, he doesn’t deserve someone kind like you."
Skyla sighed at his answer. Everyone around her told her the same but how was she to tell them what she knew in her bones? How evil Doran could truly become, no one knew.
"It’s not that easy Lawrence. There are so many factors involved."
"Let our boss take care of those factors. I can assure you he will do anything for you. Haven’t you realised that by now?" He added with a hint of a tease and she lifted her head to stare at the boy.
"That’s not what I want. To become a liability for him. He has shown me so much kindness and I don’t want to become someone who only brings him misery in return."
Lawrence shook his head at her, not believing her words.
"You are the kindest person I have met, Miss Skyla. I can see the goodness your heart holds and more than me, he can see that. He would never take you as a liability. Sometimes one needs help and destiny takes us right where we can get it. It has brought you to his doorstep, you just have to accept it."
He offered her a wise smile which transcended his age.
"He might not but how long will I let him fight my battles?" She asked with a quiver in her voice, her hands clamped together. Lawrence shook his head in amusement before stating.
"You haven’t understood him at all, have you? Let me tell you my story and how I came to be where I am."
He straightened up and all that playfulness evaporated, it was like he had turned on a serious mode.
"My father passed away when I was very young. Leaving us siblings and my mother behind. She started doing small jobs and chores to keep us afloat. We were poor people but when my father was alive, we did get decent meals. My mother struggled hard and fell ill and there came days when we had nothing to eat. I was only ten and didn’t have much of a set of skills. One day my youngest sister who was just a baby didn’t even have milk to drink."
A look of deep hurt coated Lawrence’s ever-shining eyes and Skyla was horrified. She never knew that this boy with a smile always etched on his face had a hard life.
"I am sorry, this is heartbreaking," Skyla’s heart was disturbed while Lawrence continued his story.
"I left my house and wandered the streets, looking for something, anything to help my family. There was a fast food joint and the smell wafting from there made my stomach rumble. I hadn’t eaten anything for two days. So I just sat there and wistfully watched people come and go. No one paid me any heed, no one even looked at me as if I were a mere speck of dirt on the ground. Until a handsome guy exited the place. I still remember he was wearing a black leather jacket. I had never seen anyone as fine as him. He cast one look at me and understood what others refused to do."
Lawrence nostalgically smiled at the beautiful memory before continuing as Skyla held onto every word he was saying.
"He came up to me and not only offered me food, but he covered me with his jacket as well. Then he took me home after buying all the essential supplies and left me and my family money. That was not all, he made this his norm to visit us every week with food and clothes. He helped my mother secure a proper job as well and turned around our lives. This was about nine years ago and that man is our boss now."
He concluded with a bright smile, the respect dripping from his words.
