Chapter 196

"I offer my sincere apologies ma'am," Calhoun said as he stretched his hand toward Brenda. She took it but she kept a hawk-eye on his left hand.

"Thank you," she replied in an even tone as she kept waiting. This was Calhoun Lawson surely he had an envelope for her or did he keep it since she had raised her voice at Ariana? —Brenda thought as she waited for him still.

"May I steal him from you?" Calhoun said instead.

It took Daniel nudging her shoulder before she realised what Calhoun had said. "Of course," she hissed walking past them to go sulk on one of the couches. Her anger was now toward Kelvin who she felt wanted to take the cheque Calhoun must have prepared for her.

"Have the two of you had a conversation?" Calhoun asked Kelvin and Ariana. He wanted to take her away from there but before doing that he wanted her to speak to her long-lost brother.

"We haven't," Ariana said tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Ah! Great then," Calhoun exclaimed handing Ariana's hand to Kelvin. "You see, we will soon be leaving and I hate to be the one who separates the both of you again," he said. He placed a peck on Ariana's temple and whispered to her, "I am waiting with Lisa, join us when you are ready. I don't want you spending a night here." He added another peck before walking to where Lisa sat.

Ariana and Daniel stepped out to have a conversation while Calhoun went to get Lisa. "We should go wait for Ariana at the helipad," He said as he got closer to her.

"Oh, great. The fake love here is killing!" She hissed as she got off the couch. "I have been dying to hear you guys say that!"

Calhoun released a soft chuckle before turning to start walking out with her in tow but as he turned, he came face to face with Brenda who had her teeth flashing in front of him.

"Are you leaving already?" Brenda quickly asked.

Calhoun furrowed his brows before turning his head to exchange looks with Lisa. He stared at Brenda once again and adjusted his suit.

"Brenda, we have offered our condolences and it is time for us to leave. I hope you live through this pain," Calhoun said politely. It wasn't easy playing this game with Brenda but for Ariana, he wasn't making an effort. She didn't deserve to be spoken to with kindness after all she had done. In the right sense of things, she was the one who kept pressuring her husband into illegal stuff because she wasn't a very patient woman. She was always after money. Just like his aunt Lily. If she didn't stop she would end up just like Brenda.

"Don't you have anything for me, Calhoun?" She dared to ask.

Calhoun held his chest and grinned. "All I have for you is love and good wishes. Now, if you will excuse us we have a plane to catch," he stated before walking past the shameless woman.

"Why would you come all the way down here without preparing to give the wife of the deceased anything?" She snapped bitterly.

"I believe you have received enough envelopes today. You don't need more," Lisa slipped in.

"I wasn't referring to you! You golddigger!" Brenda spat angrily.

"Me? A gold digger?" Lisa exclaimed before bursting into laughter. Brenda was a sick woman. There was no point in exchanging words with her.

She and Calhoun walked out and left Brenda yelling at the top of her voice for money she felt she had a right to.

"That woman should be locked in a hospital!" Lisa hissed.

"Doesn't she remind you of someone?" Calhoun asked as they started walking toward the helipad. It was just a few blocks away from Ariana's Street and her street wasn't a large one. Her home town was really just a small one.

"I would have said she reminds me of the old Alice but even Alice wasn't this Cheap! I use to feel like she stole Ariana from the hospital but meeting Daniel today, I guess I will have to take that idea out of my head!" Lisa said and Calhoun chuckled again.

"There could be a possibility she stole him too," he said.

"I wouldn't even be surprised if that secret leaked one day. None of them acts like her!" Lisa added.

"You are right about that..." he said as they continued walking.

"So, who does she remind you of? You asked the question like you had someone in mind." Lisa sensed Calhoun had an answer to his own question before he passed it on to her.

"Oh yeah," he said as they took the bend to the helipad. "She reminds me of Lily."

"Your Uncle's wife?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, if Lily doesn't change, she would be left miserable like Brenda," Calhoun commented.

"I am sorry to say this but didn't your uncle find a better wife to be within the entire country?"

Calhoun chuckled again. Her question was funny because the entire family had thought of the very same thing the day he had brought her home. Elsie was the first to voice out her dislike and that was the beginning of their hating game.

"I guess love makes you do the worst of things," he said.

They reached their helicopter and one of the guards there quickly stepped out to pull the door open for Calhoun and Lisa.

"Welcome back sir!" He greeted and Calhoun nodded before letting Lisa go in before him.

Lisa smiled at the gesture. Sometimes she forgot how powerful he was in the real world. Everyone feared and respected the great Calhoun Lawson and now he was marrying her best friend and she was sitting to have small talks with him. It was incredible what love did really.

"Lisa, how is your job search going?" Calhoun suddenly asked her and she felt her heart stop breathing.

"Horrible," she squeaked.

"I hoped to hear that," he said with a grin. "I will like you to take over Ariana's position. I want you to work with my secretary and assist her with a load of paperwork and scheduling. It gets crazy this time of the year," he said to her.