Restlessly, Sonia longed to get the details of a lie Nadia wanted her to make.
"You really need me to tell my boss that your visit here is because you've got a problem _ alright tell me, which problem then?" Sonia ranted nervously.
But, immediately after the question, abruptly the door opened. Suddenly, they both got distracted and their eyes shot at the opening door so fast.
Unexpectedly, on Ishtar they landed.
"Sonia, hope I've not interrupt the meeting in here," with a brightly smiling face as she was walking in, as soon as her eyes met Sonia's, even though in the office was another person she didn't expect to find in, Ishtar continued to express happiness.
She was glad to pass by the permanent secretary's office to say hi to her.
"Oh, madam Ishtar, you're most welcome," Only for Sonia to respond, giving a nervous smile and uneasy gesture.
However, since Ishtar's mind was free and happy, all her attention to the office in which she used to conduct work before Bob Lee made her his wife, she did not notice Sonia's body language.
"Thanks you," she replied looking around the place, "wow! In here has a lot of memories."
Nadia was down on the chair watching Ishtar curiously.
Ishtar, gorgeously smiling, her eyes came back to Sonia, "you're looking so beautiful," she complimented her.
"Thank you Madam, "indifferently, Sonia smiled in a reply.
"Sorry, are you a stuff?" She looked at Nadia Browne and asked.
At the moment, Ishtar had already quenched to satisfaction her desire to visit and look around, in memories of this office that raised her to discover that she's a brilliant business woman; and now she could pay attention to details around the place.
"No, Madam Ishtar, she's just my best friend," before Nadia could say anything. Sonia gave a quick response.
"Oh, your best friend! Am truly sorry for my behaviour; not greeting you first when I had just walked in," Ishtar gestured a sincere apology.
Noticing that the two were actually the same age as her, "this place is like my other home; the second place I've actually spend most of my time in ever since I was born," she began a unifying conversation, aiming at bringing all of them together to participate.
But, what Ishtar didn't know was, at this point Sonia's heart was racing anxiously, feeling uncomfortable with her best friend's visit.
"What if Ishtar finds out that my friend sleeps with her husband, I'm in real big trouble," she thought through, "and Bob Lee doesn't know Nadia is here... goddammit! How foolish was I to allow this problematic girl come here... if at all I'm told to pack my staff out of that door, it's definitely myself to blame for putting my job at risk."
"Now that am remaining with less than two months to have my twin babies, I came by to pay my last a visit _ say farewell to some who accepted to be friends with me. While I nurse my twins, am sure it's going to take me some good time to return."
Ishtar took a precious moment to say all this while walking easily within the office.
In the process, Sonia looked at her best friend Nadia, then looked at Ishtar, and all she could see was danger knocking and its doors were about to open.
With a haunting feeling that the same danger was not going to spare her, "I don't need to be part of this _ gosh, what do I do?" she said to herself within, uncomfortable and stressed.
She began to feel hot under a well operating air conditioner which was right up, next to the gypsum office ceiling which made the office much brighter.
Due to the sudden hotness Sonia felt, little sweat evolved, making her facial make-up dull."
Allover a sudden, through Sonia's gesture Ishtar noticed.
"Are you alright?"
"O Of course I am," Sonia stuttered, giving a tensful smile.
Down on a chair sitting, Nadia Browne knew the exact reason why her friend was not in a steady mood. Quickly she got on her feet to start the battle.
"Nice to see you Ishtar," boldly speaking with an undermining gaze and smile, she started to close the distance, walking with eyes fixed directly in Ishtar's face.
Nadia's conduct appeared fumbling to Ishtar. She got anxiously eager.
"Sorry, have we met before?!"
Sonia saw that milk was about to spill.
In other words she saw Nadia kick starting a war, ready to fight innocent Ishtar over a man. Hands akimbo, Sonia stood looking at both of them. She tried to open her mouth to talk but she didn't know the right words to speak.
Bothered and restless, "excuse me...!" Sonia stated.
"Don't get involved," Nadia made an abrupt reply, commanding Sonia to stop talking.
Allover a sudden the door was pushed open and Bob Lee walked in before Nadia Browne said much to Ishtar.
Sentient of the danger that her adorable job was at risk, watching trouble calling to involve her innocent life, at the back of Sonia's mind she concluded, "I'm finished!" The moment she set her eyes on her boss.
A sea of anxiety surrounded her.
When Nadia saw Bob Lee's she held on to say a waord and took a few steps away, out of Ishtar's front.
"What!" Bob Lee blurted when he set his eyes on Nadia Browne, whose face was smiling indifferently.
Looking at his wife Ishtar, whose face seemed confused, filled with question marks, he knew fire was already on the mountain.
All caught up in a fix, Bob Lee gazed puzzled, wondering how his side chick ended up in his personal secretary's office with his wife that early morning.
"Um excuse me," suddenly, Sonia intervened and stepped foward so fast to say something.
Everyone switched their eyes on Sonia.
"Um boss," humbly she spoke, "please allow me to introduce my best friend Nadia Browne to both of you."
Ishtar couldn't believe her ears when she heard the name.
"Nadia Browne!" The name rang a bell, hard in her head, as she immediately turned her eyes at Nadia Browne, then to her husband respectively like she was slapped in the face.
Not knowing that Ishtar actually talked in the perspective that she had an idea about the name 'Nadia Browne', "Yes," Sonia panicked into responding with a smile, like all was well, and she quickly maneuvered a narrative, hoping that it was the only way to prevent any chaos from happening.
"My mobile phone rang and all I could hear in the background when I answered it was cars horning in traffic and continuous sniffs..., I obviously knew something wasn't right with my friend here."
"What happened?" With lots of love and care for Nadia, Bob Lee became so curious _ his facial expression spoke it all when he asked.
"Um worried," Sonia continued, "I tried to ask her what the matter was, but the fact that she was crying, it was difficult for her to explain so well in a tone that I could understand..."
In his gesture, Bob Lee couldn't wait to know what had happened to his white moonlight; all ear, and eyes widely open.
"... and since I had just reported at the office that time, the most efficient option was to ask her to come over if she could," she smiled on concluding, "at least am happy she made it here with no injuries like I thought at first."
"So, you're Nadia Browne!" Silently speaking with hidden anger, Ishtar looked at her from head to toe.
From the morning her husband, under the influence of alcohol praised the name owner as if she was the love goddess, it became her nightmare.
However, after Sonia's submission, it came to Bob Lee's attention that nothing deep was actually discussed between his wifey and his white moonlight.
He regained his calm.
"Ah, okay..." Suddenly a guilty smile occupied his face, "I think we should create some space for Sonia and her friend to talk honey _ I believe they have not talked yet, how do you see?"
"It's alright!" Nadia Browne, jealously on her mission to make Ishtar aware that, if at all you don't know, the gorgeous young billionaire you calls a husband is mine too, and I want you to clear your mind on this so you don't be greedy; allow me to enjoy my share of him too said "I'm not shy to talk in everyone's presence."
"Nuh, no no no," Bob Lee couldn't wait to hold Ishtar's hand, smiling uneasy, directing her to walk out with him, "it's not discipline at all to interrupt people's privacy; especially when.... um when... um...."
"Exactly," Sonia joined to save him as he was still figuring out how to make an outstanding excuse in his resume as an unlucky lier, "you know when madam Ishtar walked in, my friend's tears had just dried off her eyes, and she was trying to find where to start from, to tell me what exactly happened to her," Sonia did the needful to keep on a safe side.
The way Sonia was speaking was suspicious to Ishtar. As an intelligent lady, she smelt a rat and looked skeptical, questioning the truth in Sonia's words.
Turning her eyes on her an unexperienced lier husband, his face could tell that he was obviously guilty of something. As for Nadia Browne, she was all smiling bravely in their faces like she dominates when Ishtar turned her eyes at her.
Nadia was really tasting Ishtar's patience.
...
Ishtar sighed, relaxing her steaming moods,
"Who is Nadia Browne?" She asked smiling, and intelligently, "my husband, don't you think it's nice to get to know about new faces when we have a chance to? You never know we may happen to meet again."
"Hahaha, "Bob Lee gave an uneasy laugh, gesturing awkwardly in expression like he was standing on thorns where he was, "of course it's mountains that never meet but us people, we meet every now and then."
Quickly, Sonia, well aware of her best friend's motive, she intervened to prevent leakages of confidential information, "Yeah, my friend hear is a graduate from a wealthy family, her parents stay in different city."
Smiling biased against the information, "Oh, wealthy family! Nadia, I see you're among the few lucky ones... and you're very beautiful for any man to go without trying to turn your pages."
Ishtar, in her words began showing obvious signs that she doesn't like her.
"See, me and my husband here," Ishtar held Bob Lee by the arm, "are a very beautiful and peaceful couple, and as you can see," she used another hand to caressed her bump, "in two months from now I will be rewarding him with cute twins."
Nadia couldn't resist the pain, "this bitch is trying to mock me!" she thought and gave an uncomfortable gesture, loosing her smile.
"When a woman faces any challenges, she runs to her husband or fiance for comfort; but you looking out for your best friend crying, is a clear sign of lacking a serious man in your life," politely speaking with pretence, Ishtar teased Nadia beyond.
Bob Lee and Sonia were watching closely.