Chapter 23: Chapter 23

TWENTY THREE- THE ROYAL FUCK UP

"Did I do something wrong mum?" Isabel cautiously asked, sitting up in alarm. Her mother rarely called her by her full name, mostly, only when she had done something bad, so you can imagine how she felt... especially when she couldn't remember doing anything her mother wouldn't like.

"Oh honey, no no. You haven't." Louisa said, taking the young teen's hands in hers.

"This time, I'm the one at fault here. I did something I'm not proud of, I lied to you... and now I want to tell you the truth. You definitely deserve that much Isa."

"What is it mum? You're scaring me. Tell me what it is already." The child said, slightly agitated.

Louisa sighed. "I lied about not knowing your father Isabel." She felt her heart break when her daughter pulled her hand away from hers, slowly shaking her in confusion.

"Why would you lie mum?" She asked, trying desperately to understand. "You said you didn't know who he was."

Louisa tried to reach out for her child, but Isabel stood up, pulling away from her mother. The middle-aged woman sat back down on the bed, hand on her chest to quell the sharp pain she was feeling on her right side.

"Isabel, your father left the country before I could even tell him about my pregnancy... and he left with no way for me to contact him. I was hurt, and I knew I definitely didn't want you to feel that pain I had been through, so I tried to psych your mind... to make you realise that I was going to be there for you, for everything you needed... that you didn't need a father in your life, because I was going to be both a mother and a father to you." She stood up and tried to reach out for her daughter again, sighing in relief when the young girl allowed her to hold her this time.

"Isa, I thought your father left because he didn't want me anymore or something... but I was wrong. He left to protect me. He's going to tell you all about that himself when you meet him. Would you like that?" She asked quietly.

Isabel lifted her tear-stricken face to look up at her mum silently nodding in affirmation.

"I think I'll go to my room now, mum. I have to pack my stuff for school tomorrow." She said after a moment, taking her leave when her mother let go of her.

She paused mid-opening the door. "Mum?" She called out, smiling slightly when her mother looked at her face.

"I love you, okay?" She whispered.

Louisa laughed through her tears. It was such a comforting feeling to know that they were going to get through this. "I love you even more, honey."

Louisa went downstairs after a cold shower, to lounge with her mother and also tell her everything. Louisa had been very fortunate, for when her parents had discovered she was pregnant, they still made her feel loved, and didn't press on when she didn't divulge the identity of her child's father. They had been the perfect grandparents to her daughter, especially her dad... even till his dying day and for that she was very grateful.

Mrs. Mensah sat on the couch quietly chewing over her daughter's news. It pleased her greatly that her grand daughter was going to meet her father finally, and that her daughter had finally gathered the courage to tell her about the mysterious man but, she had a few questions of her own. It wasn't that she didn't trust Louisa's judgement... it's just that she had heard stories of the Italian mafia... how dangerous they could be, and she didn't want any situation that would put her daughter or grand daughter's life in jeopardy.

"Louisa... What can I say? I'm genuinely happy that he has made contact with you, and that Isa will finally have her father in her life, because trust me... though she doesn't show it much, it's something that used to bother her a lot, but I have some questions of my own." She paused, changing her sitting position on the couch to relieve her aching joints and muscles.

She continued after she had made herself comfortable.

"Do you believe everything he's saying?"

Louisa stared into space, a small smile on her face that she didn't notice she had. "I believe him, Mama. He's telling the truth."

Mrs. Mensah sat there analysing her daughter silently. "You still love him." She stated. It wasn't really a question and the older woman looked on with a gleam in her eyes as her daughter sputtered.

"What?! No! Mama!" Louisa shifted uncomfortably trying so hard to deny the accusation, shoulders slumping in defeat when she realised that there was no hiding it.

"Okay. I may still love him-"

"So does it mean you're getting back togeth--"

"No, Mama. Hold your horses. My priority right now is for Isa to get to know him... any decision I'll make will be based on her reaction." She calmly explained, watching on as her mother took her hands in hers.

"I should warn you Louisa, your daughter is going to base her attitude toward the man on how you interact with him. If she detects so much as a hint of resentment or hurt, she's not going to give the poor man a chance, you hear me?" Mrs. Mensah quipped, nodding in satisfaction at her daughter's affirmative response.

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Chris had been miserable all day, and who could blame him really? It was just that he now realised that there was almost no chance of him having a happy ever after with Louisa, and to be honest, it hurt... it fucking hurt. He went through the rest of his working hours like a plane on autopilot; emotionless and without feel, so much so that, by the time he left the office, he had decided.

He was hitting the club to drink away his heartbreak.

He was feeling too much like a loser to continue fighting; maybe-- just maybe, the new dawn of day will renew his spirits and give him hope; something which at that very moment, he was critically lacking.

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"Another glass please." Reggie groaned out as she plopped on the bar stool tiredly, her best friend Yaayaa, and two other close friends closely in tow. Reggie had been cooped up in her mother's house for almost a month now, shutting everyone else but her mother out, and Yaayaa had had enough, so she and some friends had staged an intervention and had all but dragged the hot supermodel to the club for a night of fun and sin.

In all honesty, Reggie's righteous anger towards William had faded and had been replaced with what one could call, self-doubt. She began to blame herself for the unfruitfulness of their relationship, questioning her beauty and strengths as a woman, and wondering what the hell she had done wrong to make everything go awry, and to be honest her mother had had enough. She had preferred an angry Reggie to the resigned ghost that had been woefully haunting her apartment so she had personally called Yaayaa and asked for some help.

The drinking had started way before they had left the house and it was obvious that they were all severely intoxicated.

"Reggie... I thinnnk you've had enooough." Yaayaa drew out in a slur, signalling to the bartender for another shot herself.

Her best friend clumsily brushed her off, "Pshaw... You complain when I'm cooped innnn, gah! Make up your mind already, do you want me to have fun or nah?" She turned to the bartender,

"Keep it coming, I'll take four more shots, then I'm hitting the dance floor some more!!"

Yaayaa wasn't even paying attention to her friend. She had spotted a man on the dance floor, a very sexy man doing what you could call an exclusive private dance for her-- his heated gaze on no one else but her, and she was already hooked, nothing anyone was saying at that moment was getting to her.

The women gulped down their drinks, and marched to the dance floor, Yaayaa going straight to the man she had been blatantly checking out.

After an hour of dancing, Reggie was ready to call it a night, but her friends were not quite so.

The beautiful woman stumbled towards the lounge, too drunk to care about anything else, all she knew was that she had to rest her tired feet, before she embarrassed herself by face planting on the dance floor.

She settled into one of the chairs in a heap, jumping in alarm when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Oh, heyyy!! I didn't see you there. Hope you don't mind me sitting with you." She apologised, bristling with irritation when the man didn't even acknowledge her presence... or her apology.

"Are you always this rude?" She retorted in anger, fuming now when the man just flicked his head in her direction for a brief moment, turning back to his phone and drink.

Though Reggie was drunk... very drunk, there was no denying that the rude man was very handsome, and the fact that he was ignoring her did things to her self-esteem, emphasizing the fact that she had drummed into her head--

That she wasn't that desirable after all.

You could blame the alcohol... or the remnants of her anger towards Chris, but before Reggie knew it, she was spilling her drink all over the poor man.

She burst out laughing at the stupefied look on his face,

"Oh, so you aren't blind or deaf after all." She confirmed, still giggling.

She didn't know when the laughter turned into long racking sobs.

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry." She stood up to leave, but the man reached for her hand.

"Don't leave yet. Please stay." He said.

Chris didn't really come to the club to hangout.

All he had wanted to do was drink his weight in alcohol --if that was even possible-- and then pass out on his bed, with hopes of waking up new and refreshed, but the loud-mouthed woman just wouldn't let him be.

He didn't complain when she rudely plopped into the seat across from him...

He definitely didn't say a word when she loudly apologised for barging into his space, in hopes that she'd just keep quiet and sit... or even better, leave. But no! She still sat there.

She just kept talking and talking... and then there was the drink spill, that... he had absolutely not been expecting.

But God, when she had laughed and he had properly looked at her face... He had realised that she was beautiful...

Very beautiful.

Then she burst into tears all of a sudden, and his heart reached out to her, he wanted to know why she was crying... to- to hear her melodious laughter all over again, despite the obvious signals that clearly indicated, that she was someone currently going through a heartbreak. He then found himself reaching for her hand and asking her to stay.

Reggie sat back down again at the handsome man's prompt and started to apologise once again, but he brushed her apology off.

"It's quite alright ma'am... at least I got a reaction out of you."

Reggie smiled embarrassingly, looking on as the man signalled for a waiter and ordered for some more drinks.

Conversation started awkwardly, but eventually picked up. Maybe it was the alcohol, or one party's smooth talking skills, but whatever it was, the duo were soon laughing over nothing in particular.

They hit the dance floor, played pool... or tried to-- it was amazing really... Chris had never had that much fun in a very long time, he felt young and free, and he told his companion so. He didn't know her name, and she didn't know his, and perhaps it was for the best.

Tonight was a night of fun... a night of forgetting, for both of them, and they actively took advantage of it.

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Louisa quickly signed her daughter's homework, while simultaneously sipping coffee and taking a phone call... in that moment, she was the complete definition of a multitasker, and her daughter told her so after her call had ended.

Louisa scoffed lightly. "Done with breakfast?" She asked.

Isabel nodded. "Grandma's still in her room, that's pretty unusual... isn't it?"

Louisa paused mid-sipping her coffee. "You know, that's true... tell you what? I'll go upstairs and check on her."

Louisa was back after a while. "She's okay... She just couldn't sleep yesternight so she's catching some more shuteye." She explained, grabbing her handbag from the couch.

"Let's go, shall we?"

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Louisa pulled up in front of Isabel's school, bid her a good day, and paused when her daughter still sat in her car.

"Mum?" Isabel called out hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"My father... is he the man I met at your office the last time?" She asked.

"Yes, Isa. He is." Louisa sighed.

"Look honey, you're running late, and so am I. We'll talk about this in the evening alright?"

Isabel nodded and gave her mother a hug, stepping out of the car and waving goodbye.

Louisa waved back and drove off.

○●○●○●

Reggie woke up with a groan. God! Her head hurt so bad.

She didn't know where she was, and a groggy look at her person told her she had no clothes on.

She then noticed the body lying right beside her... definitely male, attractive too and missing a shirt, and that was when she began to freak out.

God she was so screwed.

It was all coming back to her now... Yaayaa' s intervention,

The time at the club,

The man she met at the lounge and how she had spilled her drink all over him.... She couldn't really remember anything else after that. Fuck! How had they gotten to this?

She quietly stood up, frantically looking for her clothes... and that's when the mysterious man woke up.

"God! My head fucking hurts." She heard him groan loudly and she stopped her search to snap at him.

"Could you keep it down?"

Chris's eyes widened in disbelief. His groggy brain somehow piecing everything together. He had a one night stand? He... of all people?

He didn't know what to say... the wave of shame that hit him was too much for him to bear. Oh fuck.

Louisa.

He run his hands across his face in frustration. "Look here ma'am... this was honestly a mistake-"

"Damn right it was." Reggie bit back. She was already in her lingerie by now, so she reached for her crumpled mint dress and slipped it on.

"I'm glad we're on the same page here sir. Don't say another word. This is already awkward as it is, so let's just forget about everything." She declared, smoothing her messy curls.

Chris sat up on the bed, the covers covering his impressive package, his delicious abs on display, but Reggie was too flustered and hangover to even notice... and he was also still in too much shock to care.

"Have a nice life." He heard the woman nervously throw over her shoulder before stepping out of the room.

He lay back on the bed and screamed into the pillow.

He had royally fucked up.