Chapter Five

James plodded towards the bar where he had just returned from. On his way, his cell phone rang, and he stopped to check the caller. On seeing the screen, he swallowed and shook his head.

It was a call from Rosalind. He picked up and placed the phone on his ears ignorantly.

“Hello, boss?" Rosalind called, and James mumbled silently. 

“I've done what you asked of me. The document is ready. Should I announce your wife as the chairman of the company? Did you reveal your identity already?” She asked, and James scoffed with sadness in his eyes.

"You were right, Rosalind. I was stupid. I was so blinded by love that I couldn't see the truth in everything you told me about Harper.” 

Rosalind went mute, her voice trailed off, and her brain tried to figure out where James was headed. A silence fell in, and James broke it with a deep sigh.

"Harper and I are divorced. Just a few minutes ago. You were never wrong about a single word you mentioned about her. Not even the accusation of infidelity.”

Another silence took place, this time longer than the first. Suddenly, Rosalind let out a loud noise. James furrowed his brow, wondering if she was actually celebrating his divorce. 

“What are you doing?" He asked, and his deep masculine voice called her back to reality. 

“Oh! Boss, umm… I'm sorryyy…” she said apologetically, her voice a combination of feminine and childishness. 

“You know I told you about her. You're such a nice person, she doesn't deserve someone like you. I saw through her from the very first day I met her,” she continued in her childish tone, and James found himself amused by her statement. 

“Rosalind? Take care of yourself. I'll be coming back to my villa soon. Have a good night, and remember to keep your head up. Meanwhile, don't do anything yet without my permission, understood?" James said softly.

From his voice, his agonizing pain was conveyed. 

“Alright, boss. I got you. I'll see you soon, take care.” 

The call dropped, and James let out a deep breath he didn't know he had been holding back. He darted his eyes around and increased his pace towards the bar.

In the Urban area, on the 15th floor of a tall building, a lady was dancing recklessly while making music with the sound of her smacking lips.

It was Rosalind. She was a tall blonde, she was charming, but nowhere near Harper. She jumped on the sofa and picked up her phone with a grin on her face.

She dialed a number real quick, and someone picked up almost immediately.

“Guess what just happened!" She screamed at the top of her voice.

“Hello? What's your problem, lady? It's late, stop calling me at night. I have a wife. She'll whoop my ass if she sees me taking late calls from women that aren't related to business,” a male voice spoke from the phone, and Rosalind rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Eww! Gross! You're definitely a sissy boy in your marriage. How about I call you names like; sweetheart, honey, or sugar plum, just to get your wife triggered huh? I bet you'll come to work tomorrow with a bruised face,” Rosalind taunted jokingly, and they both burst into laughter.

The man on the phone was Mason, the supervisor of the finance department at the Turbo Caramel Company. 

"Guess what just happened?” Rosalind quickly switched topics, and Mason mumbled on the phone.

"What's up? Hit me real quick," he said, and Rosalind giggled childishly. “Boss and his wife, Harper, just got divorced," she said. 

"Wait! What?!” Mason exclaimed in shock, his voice echoed across the phone, and Rosalind burst out laughing.

“Yeah, you heard me right. I just confirmed this from the boss himself. You have no idea how happy I am. That bitch thinks she's better than everybody. The reason I don't get a taste of her attitude is because I'm posing as the current chairman.”

"Unfortunately, I envy her appearance. Damn! She's pretty. Explains why boss refused to believe anything we say about her,” Rosalind continued, and Mason mumbled.

"Alright, hold up. You're taking this too far. Why do I get a feeling that you want to fuck her so bad?” Mason asked, and Rosalind chuckled.

"Well, that's because I want to. What do you mean? Everybody knows I'm gay. Boss knows that too. I like women. Pretty women actually, with some good characters. You know what I mean?” She said, and Mason scoffed.

"Oh my God! Alright, goodnight Rosalind. I better go now before you complicate things in my marriage. Have a nice day,” he said, and Rosalind chuckled before the call dropped almost immediately. 

***

At the bar, James sat quietly before the counter. He had gulped down a few shots of whiskey, but it wasn't enough. 

Anything to take away the pain in his heart. As he ordered another round, his gaze drifted off to the far end, and a lady was sitting by the corner, weeping endlessly. He was puzzled at seeing her cry. 

He began to imagine what could have happened to her, and he realized that she might just be the right person to talk to at that moment. 

Someone who was in pain just like him. Immediately, he paid off the waiter and walked over to the lady.

“Hi?" He greeted her, and she quickly wiped her eyes on seeing a man standing before her. 

“Uhm… good evening sir,” she greeted in a low voice, her voice almost breaking apart due to her heavy heart.

“You can call me James. I noticed that you've been crying for some time. You see I've been having a really bad day as well. Now I wouldn't ask you not to cry because I don't know what has gone wrong, but what I'm sure of is that you'll be just fine. Trust me. It always gets better," James said to her, and the lady chuckled softly.

Her smile was contagious. She had nicely arranged white teeth, striking blue eyes, long black hair, and a spotless skin tone. What a beauty!

Even though she looked unkempt, she was easily as beautiful as Harper or more. James couldn't get his eyes off her. After a short silence, she sniffed to control her tears. 

She suddenly felt comfort in his presence.

“My name is Emily. Emily Simone in full. It's nice to meet you, James…?” “Crawford. James Crawford,” James completed for her, and she giggled again, exposing her contagious smile. 

“So, Emily, can I ask why you're crying now?” James chipped in, and she chuckled.

"Alright. It's… it's not something, you know… in simple terms, I'll say I just got fired from work. Even though I was not fired completely, I was demoted. I don't know how I'm going to cope with all the bills piling up before me. I feel like I'm drowning…” she said but couldn't complete her statement before she broke down again.

This time, James pulled her closer and rested her head on his chest. He patted her till she was calm, and he tucked a strand of hair that had fallen over her face back to her ears. 

“Explain to me, Emily. How did this happen? Where do you work, and what happened?" He asked keenly.

She sniffed and inhaled deeply.

“It was my friend. She got promoted in our place of work. We used to be very good friends. Best of friends actually. After she got promoted, she no longer wanted me. She is the only friend I have, so I couldn't let go. I tried to talk things through with her, and instead, I ended up quarreling with her. To punish me, she had me demoted, and my pay decreased drastically.” 

James furrowed his brow. “Oh! I'm so sorry for that. Sounds like your friend is a terrible person?” James asked, and she shook her head in disapproval in defense of the friend.

“She used to be a nice person. I don't know why she changed so quickly. I love her so much, she's like my sister, and we've known each other for a very long time,” she said.

James nodded his head. "So, where do you two work if I may ask?” He asked, and she wiped her eyes to dry her tears.

"We both work in the Turbo Caramel Company. My friend is currently the manager of the company. She earns a lot of money, and she has lots of rich friends now. She no longer wants me,” Emily said, as hot tears gathered in her eyes. 

James felt a sudden shock. He raised his brow, processing the information, and quickly darted his eyes back to her. Suspicion was hanging in his gaze as he stared at her. 

"Hold on! This friend of yours, can I know her name?” he asked, and Emily sniffed.

“Her name is Harper. Harper Williams," she answered, and James raised his brow, his gaze drifting into the distance with anger in them. A vein pulsed angrily on his temple, and his lips pressed into a thin, taut line.

His brow furrowed deeply, and his eyes narrowed into fiery slits as he glared off at the distance like he could see Harper standing there. 

He couldn't believe it. At that moment, he felt a feeling of rage and guilt bore down on him.

Everything Harper was today was because of him. He immediately remembered Rosalind’s words about Harper being brutal and inhumane towards the employees in the company.

Emily noticed his sudden change of attitude and the fury in his eyes.

“Is everything ok?” She asked, her voice calm and feminine. 

James was called back to reality. His gaze met with hers, and they were so close together. He smiled softly and wiped a drop of tears that had fallen on her cheek. 

“Everything is fine, dear. Don't worry. You'll get back all that you have lost. I promise you," he reassured, and Emily furrowed her brow.

“How? Harper is not ready to listen to me or anyone. Instead, she might even fire me completely. How can you help me? Or are you an Angel?" She asked, and James found himself laughing softly at her last question.

He didn't realize that his hand was on her face, caressing her cheek slowly. I'm not an Angel, but I may just be someone who knows an Angel,” he said to her, leaving her more confused than she was. 

“Come on, let's get you home. Don't panic and cry no more. Everything will be fine. Remember a friend of an Angel said so," he reassured and led her out of the bar. 

A cab came by, and he waved him down, Emily took the cab, after taking his card. James stood by the side, watching as they drove away peacefully.

He suddenly realized that all his pain was gone. Instead, he had a different feeling lurking within him. But what was that?