Lola's Resolution

An hour after Richmond left the Royal Bar for one of his favourite relaxation longues, he got a call from, Howard Gibson, his father.

Richmond's narrowed eyes darkened.

This wasn't the call he was expecting. He stared at the ringing phone vibrating on the table for a while, undecided on whether to take the call or not.

His frigid gaze was void of emotions and his countenance was like that of a wounded beast.

Even the double dry martini he was sipping did little to tame the storm swirling inside his heart.

Owen was yet to call him with a positive report of Lola's whereabouts and this was slowly suffocating his soul.

Just as the ringing phone was about to disconnect, Richmond swiped the answer button to receive the call.

"Good evening, Dad."

"Good evening, son." The rich and well textured voice of Howard Gibson echoed calmly from the other end of the phone.

"Did I call at a bad time?"

"Something like that," Richmond answered in a less chilly tone. His father's placid voice always had a way of easing his rage anytime he was in a foul mood.

"I'm sorry about that, son. Can you stop by later this evening at the Villa? I would like for us to discuss something important."

"Let it be tomorrow evening, Dad. I have some urgent business to settle right now." Richmond said dismissively.

"Very well son. Tomorrow evening is fine by me. Your mum will be glad to see you."

"Sure, Dad. Bye."

Richmond ended the call and dropped his phone back on the table. He already had an inclination to the reason behind his father's call. But he worried about the impact the stupid video would have on his mother if she saw it.

Just then, another call entered Richmond's phone.

Feeling excessively anxious for some good news, he picked up his iPhone, only to discover that it wasn't Owen but his girlfriend, Jasmine.

"Now what?!"

Richmond tighten his grip around the phone, pissed by the call and its wrong timing.

Without giving it much thought, he received the call and went straight to the point.

"Jas, I'm not in the mood for long speeches. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Explanation!" An enraged cute voice resounded from the other end.

"Why on earth would my prestigious boyfriend go around town fighting like a hooligan?"

"Hooligan!" Richmond clenched his jaw as anger slowly poisoned his veins afresh.

"You heard me right, Richie." Jasmine half screamed from the other end.

"Are you aware of the millions of people that have seen you fighting in a bar? My precious boyfriend, the almighty CEO of GXL Telecoms and soon to be nominated chairman of the Gibson conglomerate, fighting in a bar like a drunk."

"Are you done?" Richmond gritted his teeth in rage. He was about to end the call on her when he observed that she was crying.

"No, I'm not done." Jasmine retorted in a more frigid tone.

"Do you know how ashamed I feel right now? Did you think about Dad, Mum, or me while you were punching that man in the face? What if he decides to sue you in court for assault and battery? I thought you've done away with this foul temper of yours. Is this what I'm supposed to expect from my future husband?"

"Jasmine..." Richmond's attempt to sound cool failed miserably. He was bubbling with untamed rage that was begging for release.

"...I can't talk to you right now about this. I'm sorry for the way you feel and I promise to sort things out. In the meantime, please go home and relax your nerves. I'll check on you tomorrow morning before going to work."

"You better sort things out or I will."

The line disconnected, showing that Jasmine had ended the call.

Taking a single gulp of his remaining drink. Richmond settled his bills and was about to leave when he got the long awaited call from Owen.

"Have you found her?" Richmond asked, anxiety dripping from his every word.

-

-

Thanks to Chelsea, Lola got back her phone and some of her other important stuff from her home.

When she turned on her phone, messages and voice notes started pouring in like a torrent of hail fire.

The majority of these messages were from her colleagues at the office. While others were from strange numbers of people claiming to be journalists.

She had barely turned on her phone when different calls started pouring in back to back.

This forced her to switch off her phone and remove the SIM card.

After the doctor certified her fit to return home, Lola was discharged the same day from the hospital.

As earlier agreed, Jamal drove Lola in his pickup truck, over to his apartment, which was located in the suburb of Westler City.

At Jamal's conservatively furnished home, Lola was welcomed by Ellen, Maureen's diabetic mother.

Being a caring and loving woman, Ellen welcomed Lola with open arms and comforted her the way a mother would. She didn't give Lola a moment to grief after Jamal left the house back to the coffee shop to close for the day.

She engaged Lola in productive discussion and ensured that the latter ate something even when she claimed she had no appetite.

Ellen also ensured Lola took her medication and stayed by her bedside until she fell asleep.

After breakfast the next morning, Jamal pleaded with Lola to stay indoors for a few days to regain herself. He also encouraged her to avoid contacting any of her in-laws to prevent any form of harassment.

Jamal also gave Lola a new SIM card to replace her old one. Aside from him, Maureen, Chelsea and Ellen, no other person had the new number.

"Thanks for everything, Jamal." Lola hugged him briefly before taking back her seat.

"You and Chelsea are my rock and pillar. I honestly don't know what I would do without the both of you in my life. I've heard all you said and I'll remain indoors for the time being."

"Good..."

"But..." Lola wore a serious look on her face. "I'll return to work in three days." Her tone was resolute.

"Work!" Jamal's jaws dropped.

"You mean you want to go back to work after everything that incompetent animal did to you," Jamal asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Lola was unwavering in her decision as she stroked her flat tummy, wondering whether Ian's seed was growing inside of her.