Max's POV
As I busily reviewed sketches of dresses, trying to decide which ones would stand out and sell well in the market, I received a notification on my phone. Annoyed, I closed my laptop and picked up my phone from the table. It was a message from Dave on WhatsApp. I clenched my jaw as I read the caption of the message: "Fierce tigress, I like it. You've made a wise choice this time, soon she will be mine." The message was accompanied by a picture of him holding Priscilla's hand. My heart raced and pounded in my chest. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. What kind of sick man was Dave?
Running my hands through my hair, I found it hard to focus on work. I couldn't understand the burning sensation in my chest. The thought of any guy getting close to Priscilla made me uncomfortable. I can't explain why, but it just does.
I grabbed my phone and left my office. I waited impatiently inside the elevator as it descended. After a few minutes, the doors opened and I stepped out.
Nicolas was entering my office when he saw me. "Max, what happened? Your face looks red," he asked. But I didn't have time for this.
"Nic, I have something to take care of. I'm heading out," I said and walked past him, leaving the building. I hoped that Priscilla was at home.
After settling into the driver's seat, the driver turned on the car's ignition. I reached into my pocket to retrieve my phone and dialled Peter's number. As the owner of the Lick and Bite restaurant, I knew he had access to the CCTV footage of what happened there earlier that day.
"Peter, please send me the CCTV footage of what happened at your restaurant today," I said, getting straight to the point.
"Aren't you going to even greet me?" Peter joked, but I was in no mood for small talk.
"Peter, I really need that footage. Can you please send it to me?" I asked, ending the call.
After a few minutes of driving, we arrived at the villa where the driver parked the car. I opened the door and made my way inside.
"Marie!!!" I called out loudly, and soon enough, Marie came running to the sitting room, clearly worried.
"Good afternoon, sir. What happened, sir?" Marie asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"Where is Priscilla?" I asked, trying to control my anger.
"Mrs. Priscilla is in her room. She was really upset when she came home, and she even refused to eat," Marie said, but I didn't want to hear any more. I made my way upstairs.
I knocked on Priscilla's bedroom door before entering, and inside, I saw Priscilla sitting on her bed with papers, pens, and crayons scattered all over her bed. It seemed she was drawing something.
I entered Priscilla's room without knocking, causing her to rise off her bed and turn red with anger.
"Why did you go and meet Dave?" I asked, my own anger boiling over.
"And since when am I answerable to you?" Priscilla retorted, her voice cold. "I'm neither your wife nor your mother, so you have no right to ask me anything. Please leave my room. I have work to do."
As Priscilla turned to walk back to her bed, I grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks.
"I thought you were different. I thought you were nothing like Nelly or Gucci, but you are just like them. I now know why you don't want to abort this pregnancy. Just like Nelly, you are waiting for the right opportunity to take everything away, right?" I asked sarcastically, my anger getting the best of me. The burning sensation on my chest kept increasing and I couldn't help it.
" Max, I never said that I am not like Nelly. You formed your own opinion of me, and that's your problem, not mine. Why does it concern you if I met with Dave? It's my life, and I have the right to do what I want. I don't have to disclose everything to you. Also, you were the one who asked me to be your surrogate, and now that I am pregnant, you are making me feel trapped. I didn't come to you to ask for this. I have work to do, so please leave my room now. "Priscilla glared at me with burning anger as I twisted her hand, but she remained silent.
"What are you doing, Max? Tell me, what are you trying to do? Let go of my arm right now!" Priscilla demanded.
"So, you want to be with him after all. I should have known. That's what your mother must have taught you, to trap rich guys with this innocent face of yours, isn't it?" I asked, my anger boiling inside of me even though I didn't know why.
"Max, I can put up with anything in this world, but I can never tolerate anyone insulting my upbringing or my mother. You don't know me well enough to judge me like this. I didn't go to the restaurant to meet Dave. I went there to buy myself an ice cream and he appeared out of nowhere because it's a restaurant where everyone eats. I did not ask him to come to me or make any plans to meet him. You can believe me if you want, and if you don't want to, that's fine, but never say such nonsense about my mother or there will be consequences," Priscilla said angrily. She pushed me away and stormed out of the room.
As soon as Priscilla left, I felt a vibration in my pocket. It was a notification from Peter, and upon opening it, I saw the CCTV footage video he had sent. Watching it, I felt a lump form in my throat and my chin trembled. I realised that I had let my anger get the best of me and made a big mistake. I should have waited for Peter to reply instead of acting impulsively. I realised that I had no reason to be angry in the first place because Priscilla meant nothing to me. There was no need for me to care if she met with Dave or not. But I can't just help it.
I quickly dialled the number of the guard stationed at the entrance. The guard picked up the call instantly.
"I need you to make sure Priscilla doesn't leave," I said in a rush. I knew she was furious with me at the moment.
"Understood, Sir," the guard replied before I hung up. I left Priscilla's room and headed downstairs. As I reached the sitting room, I saw Priscilla entering the house, her face red with anger. She walked past me and went straight to her room. I followed her, but I didn't know what to say. As she reached her room, she slammed the door shut and locked it. This wasn't good; I had managed to make her more upset.
Author's POV
Nelly's whole body was aching so much that she couldn't even lift her feet anymore. She didn't have money to pay for the tax, so she ended up walking back home. Max had instructed her to serve everyone at the office. She couldn't even remember how many coffees she had brought or how many desks she had cleaned that day. She had spent the entire day standing, doing things at the office that she wasn't used to. To top it all off, she didn't know that Max was so cruel. And to make matters worse, Dave had completely ignored her at the office, rubbing more salt in her wound.
As Nelly entered the Villa, she wiped away her tears, hoping to find a quiet place to rest. However, her hopes were quickly dashed when she saw Max sitting in the sitting room, evidently in a bad mood.
"You're back! I was in the garage and noticed that all my cars are dirty. Can you please clean them?" Max asked Nelly.
Nelly's eyes widened in shock, and tears started to gather in her eyes. "But Max, I've been working the whole day, I'm tired, and it's already late," Nelly replied.
Max scoffed, "I wasn't asking you, I'm telling you. You will not go to sleep until all my cars are cleaned tonight. Get to work."
With that, Max rose from his chair and walked away, heading upstairs. Nelly burst into tears. It was 9 PM, for God's sake. She was already tired after working the whole day, and now this.