Chapter 8
"Oh I'm so sorry!" both of them said in unison as they let go of me. I huffed out a breath of air which they managed to choke by hugging me at the same time.
"Fine! You can stay here for a week. I will send Rica to escort you back to the city. I'll be leaving now," I said as I took a step towards Grandma and kissed her temple.
"Take care... I shall come back to visit you soon okay?"
"Hmm..." she smiled fondly at me and patted my cheek.
"If you need anything... Just give me a call" I told Ivona and took a side step when she took a step towards me wanting to hug me.
I was still not comfortable with her being my fiance. This marriage deal was getting on my nerves.
Sadness marred her face as she looked down and hummed at me as a reply. Still, I chose to ignore it as I looked at the wristwatch that read nine in the morning. I had two more hours to reach my office for my meeting. It was when I sped up my pace and walked up to the car where the driver was ready to drive me off to the boat.
The clock read ten in the evening. I plopped down on my couch as I held my forehead and rubbed my temples feeling the exhaustion growing up inside me even though I just returned from a week holidaying at my Grandma's. Leaning against the couch... I looked out of the glass window towards the building when I heard my phone beeping.
A text message.
It was Ivona.
There were three text messages and two missed calls from her. The day was hectic with me attending three meetings and catching up with the works that I left pending before I went on the holiday. I didn't even had the time to check the phone but I surely had the idea that Ms Ivona Ungur my supposed to be fiance would have surely called me to check on me. It was her habit to call me every day and talk to me even though she knew I barely had any interest in her stories and what she did the whole day. According to her, she wanted me to socialise with her to know me better. And even though I hated it, in the beginning, I grew up to accustom with her ways. And finally, I would call her back or text her back letting her know that I got her text messages.
"Alex..Hi.." her voice seemed down compared to other days where she would talk breathlessly in a single go.
"You alright?" I poured the water from the jug into a glass and gulped it down feeling thirsty all of a sudden.
"Yeah! I mean yes I am alright."
"What happened? I do remember you being the one insisting on staying in there. You are tired just in a single day. How Peculiar.." I chuckled at the thought and leaned back as I stared blankly at the roof unbuttoning the first few buttons of my shirt.
"No, I'm not tired. It's just that my head hurts." she groaned a little.
"It must be because of travelling. You have been travelling continuously past these months. It's probably because of lack of sleep."
"Hmm. I think the same," she said and then she coughed.
"You alright?" I asked as I heard her breathing in deeply.
"Yeah! Y-Yeah.."
"Ivona?"
"Oh dammit! I don't know what's wrong with me. Ever since I met that woman in the mall in the morning ...my head has been hurting tremendously. I can't bear it any longer," she groaned and I raised an eyebrow at her before sitting up on the edge and bowing a little wanting to get rid of my shoes.
"Who was that and what did she do?" I asked as I removed the shocks and was just going for the other one when she replied: "I don't know. I don't think I have ever met her before. Grandma and I went to the mall today and it when I met that woman who ran after me yelling at me like a maniac," she exclaimed and I chuckled at it.
"Why? Did you steal something from her shop?" I couldn't help but to joke and she huffed in response.
"No... I didn't! And she wasn't any shopkeeper or sales girl. She looked like a customer. I don't have any idea what she meant when she ran after me all of a sudden calling me Juliette," I froze on my spot.
"What do you mean?" my voice void of any emotions.
"I don't know. I was in the shoe shop when that woman saw me and yelled at me 'Juliette? Wait! Juliette! I'm Kiara! Juliette is that you! Juliette!'... I even told her that I'm Ivona but she didn't seem to understand...I think she misunderstood me for someone else...I don't even know her...and finally the saleswoman and the guards came to my rescue and it was when I ran away and hid myself in the mall's washroom until Grandma called me and we came back home straight after that..." her voice seemed low much to my dislike.
"The woman seemed possessed. I was scared. Hugh!...What a day!" she sighed and it was when I lost my control.
"Ivona..."
"Yes?"
"Pack your bags. I'll be there in an hour to bring you back!"