Finding Love – Episode 22

.

 

CHAPTER 22✏

 

.

 

 

.

 

Damien pulled her face towards his and their lips were just few inches from each other’s when a knock sounded on the door, Leona slowly pushed her eyelids down, Damien hand slipped from her face and she stood up from him, moistening her lips and looking away, frantically trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.. she quickly walked past him to the door and flung it open.. she gave her guest a thorough look, as if trying to see if the knock truly came from her. “Hi Leona” she said. “Um hi Betsy. What’re you doing here?”

 

“My plumber gave me the address so I decided to come pay you a visit since I was less busy at home and help you do some stuffs” she said and Leona gave her a slight grimace, not replying her for a moment. ” Um If you don’t like me here then I’ll just leave”

 

“No,” Leona said “it’s okay. Come in” she said, stepping aside for her to move in.

 

She closed the door and walked to her.

 

“Wow.. it’s so beautiful Leona” she said, looking around the living room with a smile on her face.

 

“Um thank you” she said, exchanging looks with Damien, she looked away and noticed Betsy eyes was on him.

 

“Uh Betsy, this is Damien; my friend and neighbor. Damien, she’s Betsy, um my friend” she introduced.

 

“Oh hi,” Betsy said, stretching her hand for a handshake.

 

“Hi” Damien took her hand and pulled away. As they started a conversation, Leona left to answer the door when a she heard a knock. She pulled it open.

 

“Amelia,” she said before pulling her in “I didn’t think you’d come” She closed the door..

 

 

“You asked me to and now you didn’t think I’ll come. Are you for real right now?” She asked with a frown and Leona gave her a placating smile. They got Damien and Betsy attention.

 

“Hi Amelia” Betsy smiled at her.

 

“Um you didn’t tell me Betsy would be joining us” Amelia said to her, ignoring Betsy greeting.

 

“I didn’t know too. She just came to help and I couldn’t send her out so I asked her in” she whispered to her and Amelia sighed.

 

“You could’ve just told her that there was nothing to help with” she said and Leona shrugged..

 

“Hi Betsy. Sorry, I didn’t know you were talking to me earlier” Amelia said and Leona bit her lower lip before she could laugh. Amelia’s gaze moved to Damien and she grimaced.

 

“Really Leona? You had to invite him too?” She said with a deep frown to Leona.

 

She saw Damien push his head down at the words..

 

“We’ll be neighbors soon, isn’t it normal that he wants to help his new neighbor settle in?”

 

“Wait what..you and him, neighbors?!” She gasps and Leona nodded.

 

“Amelia, let’s talk in the other room” she said and pulled her along. They moved into the bathroom..

 

“Okay. I’m listening” she said.

 

“Look, Damien and I will be neighbors anytime from now, his house’s just few walks from here and besides I don’t still get why you don’t like the guy”

 

“I already told you Leona, I don’t trust him-“Cos he’s poor?”

 

“Yes and cos he’s using you”

 

“Using me?” She repeated “for what exactly?” She asked and Amelia shrugged. “Well uh..for money.. for anything Leona, I just don’t like people like him!”

 

“If I was still with my father I’d have believed that he’s after my money but look at me Amy, if not for Damien I wouldn’t have gotten a job yet and an apartment. Go check out my laptop, up till today there’s still no reply on my job request but because of him I got a job” she said “if you don’t like Damien cos he’s poor then what about me, I’m literally poor now. What if I hadn’t gotten a job, would you have hated me cos I don’t have money? Would you have deserted me as your friend cos I’m poor?” She asked and Amelia face went blank for a moment. She sighed then moistened her lips.

 

 

“You know that’ll never happen right, we’re best buddies for life and just because you’re passing through something now doesn’t make you poor”

 

“Likewise Damien. I’m not asking you to like him or be friends with him, I’m just saying that you should stop being rude to him cos he’s poor, he has feelings too and for the fact that he assisted your best friend in getting a job you should be grateful to him” Leona said and Amelia nodded slowly.

 

“Maybe you’re right,” she nodded “but I’m not saying anything to him”

 

Leona chuckled “That’s fine. Now let’s go back to the sitting room”

 

When they reached the sitting room, Betsy and Damien were talking and smiling at whatever they were saying.

 

“Looks like someone’s into your neighbor now” Amelia whispered to Leona and she gave her a look.

 

“Come off it Amy, we both know the kind of guys Betsy goes for” she replies her before walking to them.

 

“I don’t think there’s any work to do here” Amelia said loudly, getting Betsy and Damien attention.

 

“Yeah. My mom did everything and-” a loud honk stopped Leona from talking as a frown went to her face. A knock came to the door and Leona gave everyone a look before walking to the door, Damien accompanying her.

 

Leona pulled the door open and cocked her brows at the man in overalls standing in front of her.

 

“Hi,” he said and Leona nod, not answering “I was ordered to bring these items to this address” he pointed backward and when Leona turned, there was a big truck. “Are you miss Leona Terence?” He asked. “Um yes” she replied.

 

“Well, someone asked me to give you these”

 

“A truck?” She asked.

 

“No, sorry. It’s actually the items in it” he said, moving aside for Leona to come out. She followed him to behind the truck and her brows narrowed in confusion as she looked back at the delivery guy..

 

“Wow Leona, you already got all the stuffs for your house. I thought you said you haven’t gotten anything yet” Amelia said behind her.

 

“I haven’t,” she answered “listen Mr delivery guy, I didn’t order for any of these”

 

“Yes but someone did and I was asked to bring it here to Leona Terence” he said.

 

“That’s you” Damien said to Leona.

 

“Who asked you to bring this here?”

 

 

“It’s a Mister whose identity we weren’t given, he just bought them and directed us to this place” he said.

 

“But how, I mean who and why?” She asked rhetorically.

 

“Well let’s just call it your lucky day. You need all this and here they are, already paid for. Just accept them and be grateful” Amelia said.

 

“But how do I accept this when I don’t even know where it comes from.. What if..what if-”

 

“What if this person just wants to be your guardian angel, what if it’s your mom and she decides to hide her identity so you don’t know. C’mon Lee, just accept this and save your money for other things” Amelia cajoled and Leona gave Damien a look and he nodded, urging her to accept.

 

Leona could only think of one person that could do this, her mom and maybe Leona’s right.. She’s doing this and hiding her identity cos she doesn’t want Leona to be too appreciative or probably reject them. “Okay. I’ll accept them”

 

“Good. Here, just sign right here and they’re fully yours” he said and Leona collected the pen and scrawled her signature on the piece of paper.

 

The guy nodded before ordering the other guys in the car to take the stuffs out.. Leona directed them to the sitting room and told them where to leave it.. Some of the stuffs that were brought included a refrigerator, a microwave, an oven, new cushioned chairs- a three sitter couch, a two sitter couch and a sofa, a gas ring, a toaster, a coffee maker, a TV set and some other things; all brand new. Leona was dumbfounded for a while as they kept unloading the stuffs for her.

 

Her mom must’ve spent a lot of money to get her these, Leona smiled. What would she have ever done without her. After they rounded up with unpacking the goods, they left.. Leaving Leona and her friends to awe at everything in sight that almost covered up the living room.

 

“You’re one lucky princess girl, we don’t always get to receive surprises from Santa everyday” she said.

 

“It’s not even Christmas yet” Betsy chipped in and Amelia nodded in agreement.

 

“I guess you’re right” she smiled.

 

“So, do we fix all these today or”

 

“No, we do it tomorrow, it’s getting late and even if we start now, we won’t finish it up today” Leona suggested and they all nodded.

 

“Can I come over to help you guys out tomorrow?” Betsy asked.

 

“No Betsy. We’ll be fine on our own” Amelia answered and Betsy face went down from sadness.

 

“Drama queen” Amelia whispered to Leona.

 

“Okay guys. It’s time to go home” Leona said, grabbing the house keys. As they all stepped out of the house, she locked the door.

 

“Damien, it was nice knowing you.. I guess we’ll see some other time?” Betsy said

 

to Damien and he nodded.

 

Amelia gave Leona a look.

 

“Do you mind if I have your number?” She asked.

 

“Totally flirty” Amelia muttered to Leona’s ear.. As Damien gave her his number.. Leona exchanged byes with him and left with Amelia.. She got into her car while Amelia used the Jeep.

 

Getting home, Amelia opened the door with the spare keys and they stepped into the living room and almost immediately caught sight of a ringing phone. Amelia reached for it first..

 

“It’s my mom’s, I guess she’s In her room, I’ll just give this to her first” she told Leona who nodded and walked to her room while Amelia left for her mother’s. She reached her door and turned the knob before pushing it in and walking in, the phone stopped ringing. Her mom was seated in front of her laptop in her reading table, her back turned to her.. Amelia took steps towards her and realized that she was typing a letter, coincidentally she saw the heading of the letter and her brows furrowed deeply..

 

“Mom?” She called and saw her jerk up a bit before frantically closing her laptop, obviously not wanting Amelia to see or know about whatever she was doing.. She shut the laptop and turned her swivel chair swiftly to her.

 

“Yes sweety” she answered with a smile but Amelia didn’t respond, she just stared at her with her furrowed brows “oh is it my cellphone? I didn’t realize that I left it in the living room. Thank you” she said before taking the phone from her. “What’re you doing?” Amelia asked her.

 

“Um..what do you mean, I-I was just checking out some things on my laptop” she said, covering her lie with a smile.

 

“Were you typing a resignation letter?” She asked and Hilda started to deny it but seeing Amelia’s unyielding gaze on her she realized that she had been caught so she sighed.

 

“Yes” she answered lowly before moistening her lips.

 

“To your company?” She asked and Hilda nodded “but why?”

 

Hilda sighed again before taking off her reading glasses..

 

“Sit” she pointed to her bed, offering Amelia to sit on it. She sat, still giving her a curious look.

 

 

Hilda wet her lips again before talking “I know we’ve not really been in good terms because of me and my job and even though you might not believe me, I’m really serious about us going back to the past and being how we used to be both when your father was alive and during the early years of his death,” she sighed again “when Rocco died then, I couldn’t think of anything more than how I’ll be able to raise you alone, I had spent all my earns on his hospital bills, I was close to being bankrupt. I just wanted you to have a good life without wants or needs, I wanted to make you feel less disturbed about your dad’s death, I wanted to provide all you needed on my own. I thought I was succeeding after I got promoted and started earning more, I saw you having a good life, everything a random girl could want and having good grades in school and all, I thought I had done everything a parent could do but I didn’t realise I was depriving my baby of parental love, one true important thing. I didn’t know I was making you hate me and see me as a bad person. Work, work, work; that has been the sole cause of everything and maybe my incapability to realise what I was turning you into, I’ll always think that you’ll come along as time goes by, that you’ll realise that I was doing everything for you and that I love you so much even though you might not believe that. I did what I did thinking about nothing but you, ” she paused to sigh “And now that everything’s all messed up in the middle, I’m trying to go back to that time, I’ll do all my best to make you see me as your mother, to make you realise that I’ll never love anything more than you and to show you that I’m ready to not only be a survivor to you but a mother, I might not be the best but I know I can be better if I get an opportunity to” she concluded and Amelia blinked, realising tears had stored itself up in her eyes, they dropped when she blinked and she wiped them before sniffing.

 

“Um..I-I don’t know what to say” she said and Hilda smiled.

 

“You don’t have to say anything honey, this is something I should bear alone.. I just want you to make it easy for me” she said, moving to wipe her tears with her thumb, Amelia sniffed.

 

“Are you..really serious about resigning for me?”

 

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life” she said and Amelia laughed amidst the tears.

 

“Crying was all I could do when you weren’t there.. When I got scared at night or couldn’t eat Dinner cos I was worried that you weren’t home early and you weren’t picking my calls, I’ll just stay where I was and cry,” she stopped and wet her lips “it was something I got used to as I grew, something I hid from you and tried to showed you only my brave side that was all a facade. I’ve missed you badly mom,

 

 

I’ve missed us. And I didn’t realise you were serious about us getting back to how we used to be, I thought you were only doing it cos you were on your leave, I thought everything will go back to normal when you start work again,” Amelia gulped “I thought you were only deceiving and lying to me” she said.

 

“No Honey, I’ll never do that,” she said, blinking back her own tears “I’m for real and I’ve missed you too” She said and Amelia pushed herself towards her in a hug, crying on her shoulders and letting her comfort her.

 

If anyone had told her that she’ll ever cry in front of her mom for anything then she’d have told that person plainly that it was a lie and would never happen but here, it did happen.

 

Leona came out from her closet, dressed in her nightwear, she took a peek at Amy’s bed and it was empty, she wasn’t back from her mom’s room. Maybe her mom decided to give her one of those her many mother to daughter talk, she just hopes it works on Amy this time.

 

She sat on her bed and grabbed her phone when it beeped in a message.. Her brows narrowed when she saw the credit alert from her Mom.. She checked the amount $2million. A small gasp passed through her lips.. She quickly went to her call log and clicked on her mom’s contact ID.

 

“Hey honey, did you get an alert of the money I sent into your account?”

 

“I did mom but isn’t it a little too much. After getting all those house stuffs for me and now you’re giving me $2million?” She asked. “I told you I’ll send my support right?”

 

“Yes to buy all the home appliances that I’ll be needing but you already sent them and now you’re sending me money?” She asked.

 

“I didn’t send anything apart from money to you Leona, what’re you talking about?” Her mom asked.

 

“I’m talking about the TV, microwave, oven and other stuffs that you asked to be delivered to my apartment. Oh, you think I wouldn’t know it was your doing cos you hid your identity?”

 

“No Leona, I’m serious, I didn’t send you anything apart from the money” she said and Leona’s breathing got hitched for a moment “hold on, did you get something from someone you don’t know?”

 

“Uh yes. Few minutes after you left a truck pulled over at the house with some home appliances, all brand new and he said that someone had ordered and bought it for me. I would’ve said it was a wrong address or probably the wrong person but my address and my name was written right on his paper, I didn’t have anyone in

 

mind but you so I accepted them. Are you serious about that person not being

 

you?” She asked.

 

“I’m serious”

 

“OMG, so what do I do now?”

 

“It’s okay honey, it’s probably just a nice nice person that decided to help”

 

“But why hide his or her identity?”

 

“Because they don’t want you to know it was them or they just don’t want you to be too appreciative about it, stuffs like that happens you know” Elisabeth said. “I’m sure the sender means well, as long as you didn’t beg anyone for it it’s okay to accept it, okay?”

 

“Okay but I’ll have to ask Damien if a Leona Terence lived in the house before me, who knows it might be a coincidence that we bear the same name and those stuffs were actually meant for her” she said.

 

“Okay, do that if you want though I doubt that coincidences like that happens” she said “I have to give your dad his drugs now, I’ll call you back later”

 

“Okay mom, bye” she said before hanging up. As her hand dropped by her side,

 

Leona couldn’t help but think about what her mom just revealed to her.. If it wasn’t

 

her then who sent those stuffs to her. She also doubt that coincidence like that

 

could happen but she still needs to be sure.. She quickly scrolled to Damien’s name

 

on her phone and clicked on it..

 

“Hi Leona?”

 

“Hi Damien, I called to ask you something” she said.

 

“Yes, what is it?”

 

“The lady that you told me moved out from the house before I came, do you happen to know her name?”

 

“Um not really, we weren’t that close but we all address her as ma’am Margaret, she’s an old widow” he said “why?”

 

“Do you know her full name, like her surname and other names?” She asked, ignoring his question.

 

“No but I know her husband name was Gerald Thompson, one of them should be her surname and for her other name, I have no idea” he said. “Why are you asking me this?”

 

“You know the items I got from that delivery guy, my mom didn’t send them and I don’t who did”

 

“Is that why you sound so worried and flustered?”

 

“Well yes!”

 

 

“I’m sure the person means well, I mean do you have any enemy that might want to plant a bomb in those goods?”

 

“No” she said, shaking her head at the same time.

 

“Then you’re safe and don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on your house and inform you if it blows up” he said and it took a while before Leona realised he was only being sarcastic to her.

 

“You’re such a knucklehead” she sighs smiling and he laughed.

 

“Just don’t get yourself all worked up princess, you’re in safe hands okay?” He said.

 

“Really, princess?.. Do you think that’s helping me at all?” She teased. “Oops, did I just get on your bad side?” He asked, using her teasing voice. “Real bad. You’ll see that bad side tomorrow when we meet, just be prepared” “Are you going to kiss me for real this time?” He asked and Leona gasped before laughing out.

 

“You’re one crazy guy” she said and ended the call before resting the phone on her chest, reminiscing back on how she had wanted to kiss him.. A small smile accompanied with a blush rested on her face and she fell on the bed. ***

 

 

 

She hopped down from the taxi and paid before walking into her miserable house.. She just can’t wait to move out from here and go back to how it was in the past.. If her dad hadn’t died things wouldn’t have changed at all.. She wouldn’t be stooping so low to apologize to her enemy and bear all the guts from that lousy bitch, Amelia. She just has to do it for everything to go according to plan and for her to go back to being the sassy Queen bee she had always been, the girl that got all guys attention and maybe she could finally settle on being the model she had always dreamt of being before her dad’s death ruined it.

 

She really detest being this person and having to stand all the insults and sneers.. Well revenge isn’t far, it’s the only thing that’ll be a good payback to that loquacious and bitchy Amelia and her over magnanimous trusting friend, Leona. “Betsy, you’re back” she sight her sister sitting at the corner of their small living room that barely looked like one cos of the many things that it lacked. She had a glass of brandy in her palm.

 

“Yes” she answered simply, walking to her and taking off her jacket. “How’d it go? Is she dead? Did you see Liam? How-

 

“One question at a time Laura” she said before hanging her jacket on the Sofa’s headrest that she sat on..

 

 

“Well just tell me everything, this life sucks more and I can’t wait to get out of it!” Her sister snapped, she fully understood her feelings.. It’s not easy going from dating a billionaire to living in a quack house with barely nothing.

 

“Okay. Well I did see him, it was a bit difficult to recognise him since I haven’t met him before but from the pictures you gave me, I knew it was him, I also got his phone number.. He now lives in a small house and as you already said, he dresses nothing like a billionaire and I think he wears a thin face mask that’s barely unnoticeable” Betsy said.

 

“So it’s true after all? Alex didn’t lie. Liam’s faking his identity to find love?” She scoffed, taking a whiff of her cigar.. “And we were so perfect back then”

 

“And would still have been if you hadn’t left him for a richer someone” Betsy said with a frown and Laura sighs.

 

“Well, I was with him for the money too, it doesn’t make any difference” Laura said.

 

“Well, the girl didn’t die. I don’t know how but the fan didn’t hit her, I saw it lying

 

on the floor. It must’ve missed her” she said and Laura frowns. “But the good news

 

is, she got everything she’ll be needing for the house before moving in, a good

 

Samaritan helped and she’ll be moving in sooner than I had expected.. I have a

 

perfect plan to get rid of her again but I just need sometime to pass so they don’t

 

start to get suspicious, I just need to keep playing along as the unwanted

 

remorseful girl” she said smirking.

 

“a sulking role”

 

“We really have to act fast before Liam gets what he wants. Hold on, Is it still Liam or did he change his name too?”

 

“Yes, it’s Damien now” Betsy said and Laura smiled.

 

“Seriously Betsy are you sure your friends didn’t notice anything about your approach, sudden change or attitude?”

 

“They’re not my friends and I doubt that they do. If anyone should have the

 

slightest idea then it would be Amelia, that bitch didn’t get less smart but Leona got

 

her all covered up and it’s a good thing that she’s not the target” Betsy said before

 

smirking deeply “But as for Leona, she’s too stupid as usual to suspect anything

 

even if it’s right in front of her”

 

.