CHAPTER 08

As the party was coming to the end, Simdi and Lily said their goodbyes and parted ways. He watched her leave and he joined Amorita and they headed home.

Simdi was in a happy mood. He had a lot of wine, maybe that was why he in a merry mood. Or he enjoyed his chat with Lily, that's why his system was dancing around.

Hand in hand he was walking home with Amorita. It was late for Amorita to go to her own home. So she will sleep at Simdi's place, at the guest room. She usually stays there whenever she slept over.

Simdi's parents would frown if she slept in Simdi's bedroom because they were not yet married. Until their wedding, they had to sleep separately. It doesn't prevent them from showing their affection to each other in public.

As they walk hand in hand on the street back home, Simdi asked Amorita if she had fun at the party.

"I hope you had fun today?" he asked her.

"yes I did, what of you, did you have fun?" she asked him.

He beemed with smiles before he answered her.

"initially it was boring, but I later had fun." Simdi replied her.

"I see." she said and they kept walking.

They walked on in silence. Simdi's mind kept drifting to Lily. He can't be walking side by side and holding hands with Amorita and his mind was drifting to someone else. It was a silent battle in his subconscious to be focused on Amorita and to relegate Lily to the shadows.

"the fun you had, was the girl on crutches that caused it?" she asked him.

When he heard her question, he thought that she nearly came close to knowing what was going on in his head.

"yes, we were just cracking jokes and laughing as if we were old friends." he said to her.

"what were the jokes?" she asked him out of curiosity.

"I really can't mention them to you, but all I know was that the young lady really amused me." he answered her.

"I see." she replied.

They walked on in silence each one battling his or her own demon. She doesn't know how to probe Simdi and find out what he discussed with the crippled girl. She didn't spend much time with him but he still looked happy.

Simdi wished Amorita would stop pestering him with questions about Lily and his conversation with her. He can't tell her he asked Lily for directions to her house. He asked her about her parents and siblings. Amorita will grow suspicious if she knew some of the things they discussed.

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Elvis thought of different options in front of him and Daphne. He has the option of taking her to the hotel. He disliked the idea because it might seem he was keeping his girlfriend at a hotel. He can't explain himself out of it easily.

Another option was to take her to his family house and introduce her to his parents. Since they know that Tessy was his fiancée, they would not cause him trouble. They will allow him to look after Daphne very well.

When they got to Elvis' house, Daphne was surprised with what greeted her eyes. The house was a big mansion, built in C shape. Daphne became aware at that moment that she was lower than a servant that worked here. And she was sitting beside the first son of this glorious home.

"this is my father's house, welcome to our home." he said to her.

"thank you."

He came down from the car and went to the boot and took her bag. Daphne has come down from the car and was watching the environment. He walked to her and got her attention.

"let's go to my quarters." he said to her.

"this place is beautiful." Daphne said to him.

"my father has the money and has hunger for good things." he said to her.

He led her to his room and dropped her bag in his wardrobe.

"can I get you food from the kitchen?" he asked her.

"no, I am okay." she answered.

She was still admiring his room. Everything looked so beautiful and expensive.

"come, let me show the bathroom and toilet. You need a hot bath."

"you are right, I need a hot one." she replied.

He took her to his bathroom, and she was busy admiring the white tiles and how clean everything there was.

"take your bath and feel at home. Let me go to the kitchen and pick some stuff." he said to her.

"no problem, I will be fine. And thank you. " she said to him.

Elvis left her at the bathroom and went to the kitchen. Daphne looked around and saw everything she needed to have her bath was there. The soap, the sponge and the towel are all there staring at him.

She undressed and ran the shower on her body and felt instant refreshment. She picked the soap and sponge and began to scrub her body.

Elvis went to the kitchen to check for food. Their house help gave him food and he ate before he returned to his room. He knocked at the door before he entered. When he came in and saw Daphne in her nightgown, she was really breathtaking. And he couldn't hide his admiration.

"you are really beautiful, Daphne." he said to her.

"thank you." she said, covering her face in shame.

"I can see you have taken your bath and look lively." he said to her.

"yes, am really refreshed. All thanks to your big heart." she said gratefully.

"come and sit down, we need to talk and be on the same page." he said to her.

She came sat down on the edge of the bed and close to her.

"I brought you to my house because I want to find a way to help you, but that doesn't make you to be my girlfriend." he said to her.

"I know, I won't assume that." she said to him.

"I have a girlfriend, her name is Tessy. She's in the university and I love her. I really don't want you to entertain any wrong ideas concerning why I am caring for you." Elvis explained himself to her.

"I fully understand you." Daphne assured him.

"after you left my office, I really wanted to forget about you and not get involved with you, but my heart failed me. I couldn't tolerate the thought of allowing you to die."

"Elvis I am glad you didn't abandon me. And I am so sorry to disappoint you like this."

"you must obey everything I tell you to do." Elvis gave her his order.

"I will listen and obey you." she promised.

"alright, go and sleep." he said to her.

"where will I sleep?"she asked him because he was going to the sofa.

"you will sleep on the bed while I sleep on the sofa." he explained their sleeping arrangements for her.

"but your bed is big, it can contain us comfortably." she pointed out to him.

"yes I know, but you should have the bed to your self." he said.

"you won't be comfortable sleeping on the sofa. How can I come here and cause you such discomfort?" Daphne tried to persuade him to change his mind.

"don't worry about me, I will manage." he insisted.

Daphne felt bad and refused to make a move to have the bed. Her mind was wondering on what to do.

"you don't want to touch my body by mistake if we were to sleep together on the same bed." she said to him and watched his reaction.

"stop this issue and go to bed."

From his body movements, Daphne deduced that she said the truth. She pressed him further.

"please, let's use the pillow to separate the bed into two parts. You sleep on one side, while I sleep on the other side. Our bodies won't touch if we do it this way." she said to him.

"brilliant." he said cheerfully. "let's do it this way."

With a big smile on his face, he came over to the bed and used two pillows to separate the bed into two parts. He climbed into one side and she took the other side. With such arrangement, they slept peacefully.

Daphne had a sleepless night. Her mind was wandering far and near. She thought of Eliot and how faithful she was to him. She couldn't find the true reason why he chose to abandon her and abscond. He was working and was earning money. Even if the money was not a lot, but it could take care of both of them, but he chose abandon her to suffer alone.

She knew from the moment Elvis approached her that first time that he was a better person than Eliot. Elvis have proven her right by what he has done for her, even though he has not tasted her sexually for once.

As she lay there on the bed, her mind kept going from one person or topic to another.