32. I WOULD GET HER BACK

Raymond expected her to run back to him as he said those words but instead, she ran away from him. He hit the wall in anger, "You are mine, Yvonne." He went around thinking of ways to stop the dinner date between Justin and Yvonne.

Mercy's call came in, "What do you want?"

"Hey... Calm down, Brother. What happened?"

"Yvonne..." He murmured and sighed.

"Hmmm... I thought you guys settled your misunderstanding the previous day?"

"I thought the same but it isn't the case. She asked me to let her go and should focus on Susan and the marriage. Mercy, I can't let her go." He said in a low voice.

She shrieked, "You should remember how she was then, she's always putting other people's happiness before hers. You should fight for her."

"That's the main thing on my mind. Since 5 years ago, I had felt like something important was missing in my life but yesterday, when I was with Yvonne, I felt real happiness and love."

"Why did you let her go in the first place? You should have tied her down to you." She said frustrated.

He laughed, "Love isn't like that. I want her to feel like she could trust me and I'm giving her time to prepare for my comeback."

"Hmm," She approved. "Hope you aren't forgetting, Justin, is also into her."

"That's the annoying part. He's taking her on a dinner date today, I feel like strangling him to death." He grunted.

She laughed, "You should at the same time remember he's your best friend. Later, I have a place to be." She ended the call before he could say anything.

He looked at his phone, shaking his head, "What's wrong with her?"

He quickly dressed up and left the hotel room. He sighed knowing he would receive an earful from Susan. As he entered, he looked around for her and saw her beside the stairs.

He went toward the stairs, going to his room when she held his hand to stop him, "Hey..." He yelps in pain.

"You got into a fight?" She raised his hand to inspect it.

He groaned in pain and gently removed his hand from hers, "Ouch... No." He went up the stairs to his bedroom, Susan went after him.

"Why didn't you call me yesterday?" She asked in anger.

"I forgot and I was also busy yesterday. I am sorry." He pulled off his suit, shirt, and singlet, and kept them in the laundry basket.

Susan came from behind and hugged him, he sighed and turned to hug her properly. She released from the hug and stood on her toes to kiss him but he moved away. "Susan, please not now. I need to rest."

"You have been behaving strangely since yesterday. You don't want me anymore?" She said with teary eyes.

"Ahh, God..." He groaned. "Not today, Susan. I never said anything about not wanting you." He laid down on the bed to sleep.

She watched his back, "Raymond, are you cheating on me?" He ignored her. "Our wedding is a month away, Raymond."

She had a soft snore from his direction and went to check him, he was asleep. "Only a month before I become Mrs. Russells, Calm down, Susan." She took a deep breath and left the room.

Yvonne sobbed till she got home, the tears kept on coming. She prayed no one would be at home.

"Ma'am, we are here." The taxi man said, bringing her back to the present.

She cleaned her tears in a rush, "Oh thanks." She paid him and he drove off

She went into the house, grateful there was no one to ask her about her teary face, she won't have the strength to give explanations. All she wanted to do was to sleep her thoughts away.

She laid on her bed thinking, no strength to pull off her clothes. She thought of her previous night with Raymond. She admitted she wanted more but they can't be together, he has a fiancee and would soon get married.

She heard a knock and sat up on the bed, "Who would that be?" She wondered and ran to the restroom to wash her face.

The person knocked louder, "Am coming." She yelled as she ran down the stairs to open the door.

She opened the door, "Oh... Hey, come in." She opened the door wide to let her in.

Mercy entered, "Thanks." She dropped her bag and sat down. "You have been crying."

Yvonne sat across her, "Something entered my eyes." She lied.

"You know... when you lie, you don't look straight at the person but avoid eye contact with the person." Mercy watched her.

"Yea. I have been crying." She admitted.

"He told me what had happened. I thought you would be happy to get back with him and continue from where you stopped."

She laughed sadly, "He has a fiancee that would become his wife in a month." She said.

"Don't you get it, Yvonne? It's you he loves and wants to be with you and not Susan. These past years have been hard for him, I FaceTimed him yesterday to talk to him, the glint in his eyes, the glow he had on his face... The happiness that shone on his face was..." A tear rolled down her face.

"Mercy..." She raised her hand to stop Yvonne from talking.

"I know it's not your fault but he also begged you to stay, to support him but you ran away, leaving him to himself to fight his battle."

"I couldn't stay. It hurts more seeing them together." She whispered, loudly.

"I know. He pretend to accept the marriage so Dad would hand over the company to him. That was the only condition Dad gave Ray." She mimicked her dad's voice, "Marry Susan and I would hand over the company to you."

Yvonne laughed, "Mercy, seriously."

"Since 5 years ago, he hasn't smiled the way he did yesterday while looking at you. He forces a smile at everyone except you even knowing you were behind the veil."

"I haven't seen him force a smile since I have been working in the company."

Mercy smiled, "That's what I'm trying to say, even with the disguise you had on, he behaves exactly like his normal self around you."

Yvonne blushed, "He behaves like that with Susan too, I guess." She whispered the last part to herself.

"He doesn't. My parents have been complaining and pleading with Susan to bring back the Raymond, they knew before but without you, he can't be his normal self." She smiled at Yvonne. "Can't you see you both are meant to be?"

"I..." She sighed, not knowing what to say.

"Please, give him a chance." She pleaded. "You both need each other to move on from the memories of the past."

Yvonne smiled at her, "I'll keep that in mind." Mercy smiled back.

"Need my help for your date tonight?"

She looked confused, "Date? Your brother didn't ask me to go on a date with him Or... He sent you to deliver the message?" She raised her eyebrows at her.

"I mean your date with Justin. My brother told me earlier."

She looked surprised, "Mond told you?... Justin traveled but he didn't tell me when he would be back except your brother went through... Hey, My phone..." She rushed to get her phone from her room.

Coming down the stairs, "Oh, Justin is coming back today and he asked me on a date. Mond checked the message." She smiled.

"He's jealous. He could have strangled Justin to death if he was there at the time he sent the message."

"I want to ask a question." Mercy said.

She typed away on her phone, "Go on." She glanced at her and back to her phone.

"Do you like Justin? He has asked you to be his girlfriend, right?"

Yvonne stopped typing, dropping her phone, "I thought what I felt for him was love but it's different when I'm with Mond, I don't think there was anything from the onset... I had relationships with other guys but Justin was the only one that had a bit of Raymond's side."

"Oh... You won't accept him, right?"

Yvonne smiled at her question, "Maybe." She laughed at Mercy's expression. "Mercy still wanna help me to prepare for my date?

Mercy went ran to the stairs, going to Yvonne's room, "Let's go." Yvonne laughed, following her from behind.

Mary and Cammy came home when Mercy was helping Yvonne prepare for her date. Mary and Mercy had met when they were still living in New York, Raymond came visiting them and Mercy tagged along.

Cammy didn't leave Mercy's side till she left, she liked Mercy and gave her "BIGGER SISTER" as a nickname. She said Yvonne is her biggest sister while Mercy is her bigger sister, making everyone laugh.

Justin arrived at Yvonne's house at 7 pm on the dot, he stayed for some time to interact with Mary and Cammy before they left for the date.

"You look beautiful," Justin said, adjusting the chair for Yvonne to sit.

She sat down, "Thanks." She blushed at him as he sat down.

Justin looked around the place, "This place is..."

"What is he doing here?" Yvonne whispered, looking over Justin's shoulder to the entrance of the restaurant.