It was almost two in the afternoon when Brandon woke up. He had fallen asleep in the clothes he was with at the hospital, a black track suit, so he took a shower then put on his normal all-black suit. His head was feeling better. He went down and found that Mrs. Maureen Gilbert, the head housekeeper, had already set up the dining area for lunch. Watson was already indulging in the well prepared meal of brown rice and wet fry chicken. When he saw Brandon come down the stairs he almost chocked. He wanted to stand up but Brandon waved for him to seat.
"Enjoy your meal Wats. You are family. Mrs. Gilbert, we shall be having a guest stay over for the next few days. Please make all necessary arrangements." Brandon said as he sat on the center seat of the dining table and got ready to eat. Watson got chocked at what Brandon had just said. Brandon ignored him completely as Mrs. Gilbert tried to hide the surprise on her face.
"Yes Sir. Male or female? To help me know in what wat to fix the room." Mrs. Gilbert asked.
"Female." Brandon replied and took a bite off the chicken breast that had been placed in his plate. Watson who was taking a sip of water, chocked even more. Brandon ignored his PA and continued to eat. Mrs. Gilbert smiled and nodded. Watson looked at his boss in astonishment as he tried to compose himself even more.
"Boss, who…"
"Are you done with work or should I add you some more?" Brandon interrupted him and Watson went silent because he did not want any more work. He knew the CEO position had lots of work and the little work he helped Brandon with was overwhelming most times. He finished his meal silently but was still curious on who the young boss would invite later on. Could it be…
Sasha was asleep on the couch when she heard someone come in. She was not used to having a day off and so she took advantage and took some much needed sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar figure standing beside the bed. She looked at the clock on the wall with its short hand proudly pointing at the '4'digit and the bigger one at the '9'digit. She suddenly remembered where she was. "Mr. Joseph!" Sasha snapped almost falling out of the couch. Watson watched and slightly giggled which awake Natasha who was not deep in sleep. 'Adorable.' Watson thought as he looked as Sasha sit up suddenly. Brandon did not reply and just looked at the woman sleeping before her. Natasha opened her eyes and thought she was dreaming and so she closed them again, breathed in and opened them again. She realized she was not dreaming. 'Interesting.' He thought to himself.
"Mr. Joseph!" She also snapped as she struggled to sit up.
"Come on! I am not a major that needs a salute. Relax yourself or I'll have to call a doctor to help you do it." Brandon said with his hands in his pocket. It was a threat, but it sounded romantic. It was a romantic threat. Natasha smiled, evading his deep alluring eyes which were looking at her intensely. There was awkward silence in the room as two handsome men looked at two beautiful different women. It was like a double-date, only they were in the hospital and liked each other in secret. One could cut the tension with a knife. Natasha cleared her throat.
"Thank you, Mr. Joseph. For everything." Natasha said as she struggled to contain the dizziness she was feeling. Brandon noticed it but his face remained indifferent. He smiled and took a step closer to her.
"Since you are feeling better now, you should go and recuperate at home. Don't you think?"
"Home?" Natasha said then suddenly remembered William. Where was he? Was he at home waiting for her to finish the job? Where will she go? Brandon observed her facial expression and knew what she was thinking about.
"Wats, please clear Ms. Claire's bill and send Ms. Ryan home." Brandon ordered and turned around and looked at Sasha. Sasha wanted to say something but she forgot the moment he looked at her. If Watson was handsome, then Brandon was the god of all handsomeness. She stood up and nodded and walked past him to her best friend.
"Bye my dear." Sasha said avoiding the puppy eyes Natasha was giving her so she could not leave her behind. She then turned around and left. At the gate of the hospital, Watson hailed a taxi and waved for it to stop.
"Ms. Ryan, Mr. Joseph appreciates your help today." Watson said as he opened the back door seat for her.
"When did he say that?" Sasha asked before stepping in to the taxi.
"While you were saying goodbye to Ms. Claire." He lied simply. "Any who, he says that he shall cater for your mom's hospital bills from now onwards. Here is my card in case of anything." Watson said while avoiding the surprised look on Sasha's face. He then reached in to his pocket and handed her a bundle of notes. "For your transport." He said and immediately shut the door and gave the driver the address destination. Before Sasha could load and react, the taxi had already sped off.
"How are you feeling now?" Brandon asked Natasha, as he walked back to seat on the couch.
"Better. Thank you for asking." Natasha replied trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Who was that guy, last night?" He asked, pretending to not know.
"Well," Natasha began, embarrassed. She thought of whether to lie. "He has been my roommate for the past few months… years. He has always wanted more but I could not give. I did not feel him in that way. So I had enough decided to kick him out of our apartment, yesterday afternoon. And his reaction was as clear as day." She summarized and was surprised, just as he was, at her honesty. He looked at him and appeared deep in thought.
"How did he get in to that club? Is he rich?" He asked.
"I…I don't know. And no, he is not. I have struggled to pay for the mortgage on the apartment on my own for the past year. So I was surprised to see him there." She said and she help her head with her right hand trying to prevent the headache that was coming.
"Get changed." Brandon said and he left the room. Natasha slowly got out of bed and picked up the clothes Sasha had left for her at the bedside table. She put them on slowly for any rapid movements gave her pain. As if sensing she was done, Brandon walked back in with Watson and Simon.
"Ms. Claire, you are clear to go. Remember what I told you and take the prescription a directed." Simon said.
"Thank you so much Dr. Simon." Natasha smiled wearily as she sat on the bed. Brandon and Simon walked out first leaving Watson helping Natasha come down to the car. Natasha was still worried about where she would go because she was scared of finding William waiting for her, but she did not speak out her worry. She got into the car obediently and sat at the back-right for she knew whose space the back-left belonged to. Brandon finished bidding goodbye to Simon and got in. Watson started the engine and drove off the hospital. Natasha seemed worried. Brandon looked at her at the corner of the eyes. Watson was figuring out which way to go as Natasha's apartment and his boss' were at different sides. When he got to the junction, he looked at the rear view mirror and saw Brandon give him a quick look then looked at Natasha, who was already biting her nails off the fingers. Watson understood and took a left. Natasha was surprised but she did not say anything. They went on for a few minutes and Natasha suddenly found herself in a very unique neighborhood. She had had that there existed in the city a part where one could not believe did. All houses around were as magnificent as King Solomon's palace, for those who had any imagination while reading Holy Books.
The cars went on for a minute before taking a right turn and paused at a huge gate, which automatically opened itself to let the car in. Natasha peeped via the front window and could not believe what her eyes saw. It was a very huge house and lights were already on which made the house glow even more eye-catching. Then Natasha understood. This was her boss' house. She retracted back to her seat and looked at the man who was indifferently going through something on his phone. Watson put the car to a stop and got out to open the door for Natasha, helping her come out of the car. At the door, Mrs. Gilbert came rushing out and took Natasha from Watson. Watson went back and opened the door for his boss, who was still going through his phone. 'He is nervous.' Watson thought and found himself chuckling which attracted Brandon's attention.
"What are you chuckling on about?" Brandon asked as he got out of the car.
"Nothing Sir. I think a fly got into my throat." Watson lied and cleared his throat to make it believable.
Brandon looked at his PA and went on to follow the two women before him, slowly until they got into the living room. Natasha looked at the beautiful large living room and did her best to stay calm and act sophisticated. It was impossible at the sight of all the expensive things all around her.
"Mrs. Gilbert, is her room ready?" Brandon asked while looking at his phone. It was as if he was avoiding looking at her.
"Room?" Natasha asked.
"Yes Sir." Mrs. Gilbert answered
"Whose room?" Natasha asked in shock.
"Wonderful. Show her to her room to help her freshen up then bring her down for supper." Brandon said and turned to go up the stairs.
"Sir. This is not my house. I cannot stay here." Natasha said to Brandon who had taken the first three stairs. He stopped midway and turned around and looked at her. He nodded at Mrs. Gilbert who nodded back and left.
"Ms. Claire, are you sure you want to go home despite the danger you are in?" He asked as he came close to her, taking off his coat. She hesitated. "Are you sure you are well enough to be alone?" He asked again as he took off his tie. She hesitated again. "Are you sure?" He asked as he loosened the first two buttons of his shirt and looked at her. She could smell his perfume and it was intoxicating. He smiled at her. "Settle down Ms. Claire, for the next few days, you shall be staying here, with me, under my protection. My housekeepers will look after you. Until we are sure that the danger has passed." He looked at her lazily and turned around. "Mrs. Gilbert!" He called out as he went up the stairs.