"Keep drugging her to sleep. I do not see what use she would be for if I let her awake before the marriage. I'd rather she remain on the bed till the day of the wedding, who knows what disgrace she would bring to my name next?" A man commanded the nurses who were by the bedstand.
"Olivarez, I'd prefer you bring.. my ... Woman to my home to live with me before the marriage than drugging her to sleep all the while" a slurry voice replied him.
He gave him an awkward cold stare and continued to instruct the nurses.
" Did you hear what I said? I'll prefer her being at my house than on your bed being drugged to sleep daily"
" I am just getting my daughter married to you Lawrence. Not selling her off to you. So until the day of the wedding, she won't be allowed anywhere near you or be within your reach" he blurted out, keeping the tone of his voice in check though a part of him felt as if he was being ripped off of something.
Lawrence let out a chuckle and then bursted out into a full fledged laughter.
He gave Oliverez a quizzical look which he extended to the unconscious young lady on the bed.
"Your daughter is an adulterous woman who cheated on her husband in the first week of her marriage. Who knows the hidden times she also did? She was just caught once. And I agreed to accept her, yet you're giving me conditions?"
Oliverez stared at him with painstaking agony written all over his face. Left with him, he wouldn't have done this, especially not to his daughter. But he had to do what he wanted to, to salvage the family reputation been dragged over filth on the internet.
"You broke our deal once Oliverez. Now, you need me again. More than I do you. Don't fumble this last chance I am giving you"he snorted before walking out of the room.
Oliverez's eyes followed him as he left. Of a truth he had once called off a deal they agreed on.
But that had been more than five years ago.
He had betrothed his only daughter Cassie to be married to him then, his business needed his partnership and only giving his daughter out to him in marriage was the catalyst for him to accept to be his partner.
But the little Cassie had been head over heels for Lawrence's cousin and talking the girl into marrying the uncle would be an impossible mission on his part, so he sent her abroad to study, forgetting the promise he had made to his "friend" of then, who had already partnered in his business, not knowing the betrayal that laid in wait for him.
Now, it was as if the universe was finally granting him the opportunity to redeem his mistakes in the past.
"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about the wedding father?" Cassie's rude voice was heard as she cat-walked majestically into the room like one walking on a runway.
Oliver's attention was drawn to her and he paused to observe her for a little bit.
"Aren't you a bit overdressed for one visiting her sick sister in a hospital? There are numerous reporters Cassie!! Don't give them more topics to drag our family to the filth with!" He said in exasperation and desperation laced in his voice.
" Oh please don't give me that father" she replied waving him off with her palm.
" I'm not the cause and neither will I wear dainty outfits just because of a sister who's on the verge of causing her family's downfall. She should dance to the tune of her music on her own. She's the cheating wife! The adulterous woman. There's no need involving me" she finished.
" Cassie...." Her father's downcast voice came.
For a while he stood just staring at her and not knowing what to do nor say to her at that point in time.
She wasn't always like this to Ahneeka. She had been nicer to her sometimes, even going against her mother to defend her whenever her unconscious sister got into troubles with their mom, but hearing her say this didn't seem to help in their current situation.
"Alright, that would be all. I still need to answer to the reporters waiting outside for me. Just came in so they'd capture me walking in to visit my sweet and beloved sister" a smirk lit on her face while she moved her mouth a bit to tone the lipgloss she had been applying as she came to the room.
" Your sister is sick Cassie. You're not even bothered about her, but yet you've been obliging all media rounds to answer the questions they have to ask you about your own, smiting your sister's name in public, Cassie do you know..... "
" Hold your peace there father" Cassie raised her voice back at him.
" Look, I'm not the little girl you always scared into silence years ago. I'm an adult woman now and I demand respect for myself. Your daughter Ahneeka has rolled the family name on the floor and I will answer as much interviews I want to talk I feel satisfied I've cleared my name enough!! Ahneeka was the one that cheated in her one week marriage, she should be named the foul woman. I won't let the public insult me too because of her mistake! We're two different people! Never!" She blurted before walking away.
Oliverez heaved a sigh before sinking to the sofa before him, his eyes not leaving Ahneeka that laid unconscious still on the bed.
"My little babyyyyy" he muttered as he caressed her hair.
His thoughts couldn't stop asking himself what went wrong with her.
She had been the almost perfect child. The envy of everyone. Never complaining not whining, always keeping things to herself and fighting her demons one by one at a time, with her head always raised high.
What went wrong that made her chest on her husband in just a week. He had been her beloved, a fact everyone knew and this made it hard for him to believe the news but the evidence was clear and put on the internet for the whole world to see.
He had been against the marriage from the start because her husband, Lawrence's cousin had been Cassie's beloved and it was somehow for the sister to marry her sister's ex but because of Ahneeka's blindness in her love for him, he let it happen, now look...
"What went wrong, Ahneeka my beloved?" He asked this time with a tear streaming down his eyes.
"She isn't awake yet?" A voice questioned as the room door went open and Oliverez immediately wiped the tears off his eyes.
"She hasn't yet and I don't want her to but Lawrence made a demand which I will have to follow now"
"Why don't you want her to wake up? Cassie is angry at you. You're still bent on not wanting to get her married to him? Wake up Oliver!! Wake up and stop being blinded by that servant's child!!"