????DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH???? - Episode 15

Sharon was stunned and opened her mouth wide agape as Lena pulled her away. Sister in-law!!!? She was too dumbstruck to say anything at first but as soon as the shop attendant was faraway from them, she turned to Lena and asked,“What are you doing? Why did you call me sister in-law?”

Lena at first didn’t want to answer her, she pretended like she was lost in checking out clothes and didn’t hear Sharon’s words.

But Sharon wasn’t willing to let the matter go, she held Lena’s hands and they momentarily stopped walking. “Lena answer me right now. I know you heard what I said,” Sharon asked again, now with a frown on her face.

Lena sighed and answered,“Okay fine, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it. It just slipped from my mouth.”

Sharon looked at her suspiciously and she quickly said,“I promise I’m telling you the truth, Sharon.”

Just then, Tia whined and Sharon looked at the baby. Lena sighed as soon as she saw that Sharon looked away. She thought,’ Sharon, whether you want to accept it or not, I know there’s something going between you and my brother. Tia even seem to like you very much.’

She smiled as she watched Sharon patting Tia. Then the shop attendant looked back and saw that they were lagging behind so she called them to hurry up.

As they got to the ladies section, Lena selected clothes for Sharon. As soon as Sharon saw the clothes, she protested,“Lena, these clothes will be too tight for me. It’s not my size so let’s pick something else.”

But Lena refused and replied,“ How would you know if it’s really not your size if you don’t try it on first? You can’t keep on wearing baggy clothes like the one you are wearing right now.”

“These baggy clothes make me feel comfortable. I don’t like tight clothes,” she argued.

“Let me carry Tia so you can try the clothes,”Lena replied ignoring Sharon’s words. Sharon frowned and removed the baby carrier carefully. As soon as Lena carried the baby, she whined and Sharon looked reluctant to leave her.

“Don’t worry about Tia. I’ll take care of her. Just try the clothes and once you are done, you can come and carry your baby again,” Lena persuaded her,

Sharon sighed and walked into the dressing room. The shop attendant followed her in thinking of how lucky Sharon is, to have a sister in-law like Lena.

It seems like Tia is already familiar with the beautiful vanilla perfume that Sharon always use cause she refused to sleep when Lena carried her. She stared curiously at Lena’s face.

Noticing the difference, she whined protestingly. Lena hurriedly paced around the room while patting her back in order to pacify her and stop her whimpers from turning into something worse.

“Ssh… Sshh baby don’t cry. Your mama will be back soon,” Lena whispered to Tia softly. If Sharon was there, she would questioned Lena, asking her why she called her Tia’s mother.

Few minutes after, just before Tia finally destruct the room with her loud screams, Sharon came out. She’s dressed casually. I mean she’s putting on Louis Vuitton top and trouser. What you people call up and down.

As first, Lena didn’t notice her cause she was too busy trying to pacify Tia but then she turned around and froze when she saw Sharon. She gasped silently in suprise.

Sharon noticed the weird look on Lena’s face and looked down at her outfit. She wondered why Lena looks so shocked. She was actually surprised in the dressing room that the clothes weren’t tight at all and they even seem to fit her perfectly.

She was too scared to look in the mirror but now she is actually regretting not peeking once with the way Lena is now staring at her.

“O!M!G! Is this really you Sharon? Where have you been hiding these curves!? This looks amazing on you. I don’t understand why brother keeps calling you fatty cause you aren’t even fat at all,” Lena gushed excitedly.

Sharon looked skeptical at what Lena said. Everyone has always said she is chubby so what is Lena saying came as a surprise to her. Lena rushed towards her.

“Brother is gonna freak out when he sees you. Please don’t wear baggy clothes again. They don’t fit you and only makes you look chubby,” Lena said.

Sharon smiled and nodded. She then hurriedly carried Tia who was more than happy to be back in her arms.

“Pack all the clothes that we selected before, we’ll take it,” Lena ordered the shop attendant not rudely but politely.

Then she pulled Sharon to the next section to select more clothes.

*****

Sheila walked to Ben’s office dejectedly. She couldn’t stop thinking of what just happened. And there’s only one person who is to be blamed for this.

It’s Benedict. If he hadn’t sent that message to her, she wouldn’t have falsely accused Aiden. To think that he was even planning a secret date for her and she disrupt the plan cause of her jealousy.

The more she thought of it, the angrier she became. Why will Ben send a message of Aiden still seeing Sharon behind her back?

At least he must seen or heard something to make him think so. She finally walked into his office and was shocked to see the state he’s in.

He is looking completely different from the Ben she saw just few days ago or was it the day before yesterday. She rushed to him cause he didn’t even notice her presence as he is too busy staring at the computer screen in front of him.

“Brother, what’s wrong? Why do you look so haggard,” she asked him worriedly, momentarily forgetting what she came for.

Benedict sighed and put his head on the desk. Then he looked up and Sheila was once again shocked to see his bloodshot eyes.

“Seriously, brother tell me what’s wrong? Did father say anything to make you upset? Is mother alright? Why do you…,” Sheila was interrupted before she could finish her words.

“I’m in deep shît Sheila. Father is gonna kill me this time.” Ben said in a low voice. Before Sheila could ask any questions, he continued,“The company is in serious debt. Our stock market was attacked. And when I asked for help, that old shareholder requested that I marry his daughter. Marry his godforsaken daughter and leave this single life.”

Sheila doesn’t really know much about business but she knows that from the way Ben is talking, it must be really serious. And marry… That would never happen.

“Who attacked the company, brother?,” Sheila asked curiously.

“It’s Madon’s. Jasper Madon’s company,” Ben replied and Sheila frowned.

Jasper Madon? She has had a huge crush on him since the time she saw him once at an event she followed Aiden to as his plus one.

But too bad he was there with his wife. If not, she would have tried to get closer to him. After all, who wouldn’t want to be close to that great business mogul. Someone that makes the whole business world tremble.

She heard that even before her father resigned and handed the company over to Ben, he had been trying for years to get a business contract with Jasper but all his efforts were in vain.

So how did Ben manage to offend him? What does a business empire like Madon’s company want with a smaller business?

“Brother, did you in any way offend Jasper or any of his staffs?,” Sheila asked not because she’s concerned, she’s just curious to know what really happened.

Ben gave a short laugh and looked at her before saying,“For months, I’ve been trying to present a business proposal to him but I’m not even able to see him so how could I have possibly offended him.”

“What of his staffs?”

“I’ve not seen anyone of them since the last time I went to that company. I’m very sure I didn’t offend anyone of them. I still don’t understand why they choose attack this company,” Ben answered.

Sheila sat down baffled by what Ben said. He didn’t offend them and they just choose to attack the company. That doesn’t even make any sense.

Meanwhile Ben checked the time and asked her,“ Sheila I thought you said you were going to visit Aiden so why are you here now?”

Sheila suddenly remembered why she came here in the first place. She looked up and glared at Ben.

“We fought and he chased me out of his office.”

“What!! I know Aiden… No matter how angry he is, he wouldn’t dare do that to you,” Ben replied.

Sheila groaned and said,“ I’m so angry at you right now cause you literally caused our fight. Why will you send me a false message claiming he’s cheating on me when all he did is just to plan a secret date for me. Now no date and he’s so mad at me.”

“I wasn’t lying. He is cheating on you,” Ben retorted and Sheila sat up immediately.