Love, Lies and Billionaires

‘Wake up!’

Maren’s eyes fluttered open at the whisper and it took her some time before her eyes unblurred and she realised where she was.

Knock, knock

“Ma’am, breakfast is ready,” she heard the voice of a maid behind the fastened door. She tried moving her hands, which were wrapped weirdly around the white pillow, but they felt so heavy.

It was like she’d lifted dumbbells three times her normal capacity. She resolved to raise her head at least to ascertain where she was, but as she made the slightest move, a sharp pain shot through her skull, making her wince in pain.

She shut her eyes to let the pain pass away and when it did; she thought of how exactly she was going to move.

What the hell happened last night?

Slowly, she tried to move her body, since her hands and head had refused to cooperate. She moved her legs and the familiar, pleasing pain in between her thighs tore through her.

At least she could remember what happened to that part. She smiled weakly and applied more effort, which helped her move her body so she could face the ceiling.

She heaved a sigh of relief when the light from the familiar chandelier blinded her vision for a few seconds.

A knock came again. “Maren, it’s mom. Can I come in?”

Maren opened her mouth to speak, but it seemed her lips were too sour and dry and she’d lost her vocal cords. Had she moaned that hard? She asked herself.

Gently, she managed to detangle her hands from the pillow and turn her head completely to the ceiling.

“You alright there, baby?” Her mom’s voice came again.

Maren blinked though with so much effort as she tried to muster the strength to get out of bed and unlock the door, or at least say something.

“Maren? I’m coming in,” her mom said and turned the handle and pushed the door inward, letting herself in.

Maren could only turn her eyeball and watched her mom walk into her room with some Tylenol and a tall glass of water.

“Oh, my god Maren. Look at yourself. You’re a mess!” Her mom rolled her eyes and set the contents of her hands on the bedside table.

Her mom sat on the bed and turned to her bedridden body with an annoyed scowl on her face. “Did you forget you have a child and you run a company? Where the hell were you late last night?”

Maren wished she had the answer to that also, as her head ached badly when she tried to think. She turned her gaze from her mom to the glass of water on the table.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Oh, you can’t speak now?” her mom asked and Maren half rolled her eyeballs. It was obvious her mom was trying to punish her by asking obvious questions.

Gladly, she was nice enough to take the glass and take it to Maren’s mouth. The water passed through her throat painfully at first, then gradually she began to feel her throat again and even the weight in her head began to lift.

When the water was more than half gone, her mom took away the glass and watched her try to sit up.

The least her mom could do was help her up, but instead, she just sat there with her arms folded till she finally painfully sat up and rested her back on the backrest of the bed.

“Now, are you ready to tell me where you were last night that you left everyone worried, including Nella? ”

“Nella?” she managed to squeak.

“Yes, you were brought in by some driver who refused to say a word to us. Are you alright? Were you kidnapped in some way?”

Maren smiled inwardly. ‘Way far from that, mom,’ her dirty intrusive thought replied as the only thing she could remember tickled her insides.

She really couldn’t remember what had happened the previous night, but all she knew was she wasn’t physically hurt and she didn’t feel any urge for regret.

So it was safe to say she had had an enjoyable time-whatever it was she’d done.

“Mummy?” A soft knock came from behind the door. Maren avoided her mom’s eyes, which she could feel were burning through her skin with ‘I didn’t raise you this way’

Mrs Sharppe made her way to the door and opened it. “Grandma, is mummy inside?”

“Nathan?” Maren called weakly but happily. Her mom opened the door widely for Maren to view her little son standing innocently and worriedly at the door in his pyjamas with the inscription “Mommy’s little soldier”

Seeing his mom, the tension in his face lightened a little. He hurried over and climbed onto the bed with all the strength he had and lay on his mom’s chest.

“Where have you been, mummy? I was looking for you”

Maren smiled and patted his hair, turning away from her mom, whose eyes threatened to tear her apart. “Mommy’s is fine and I’m here now, alright? I won’t leave that way again”

“Promise?” He asked quietly.

“I promise,” she said and kissed his hair. They stayed that way for a while till her mom walked over to the bed and sat beside them.

“Nathan, go take your bath and have breakfast. Grandma has some things to say you mummy”

Nathan looked up at his Maren as if waiting for her to refuse and let him stay. And in truth, she also didn’t want him to go as he was her ticket to not explain that she wasn’t sure if she had had sex with one of the most influential men in the state.

“Nathan?” Rose called from outside the door, and Maren knew she just had to give up.

“It’s fine baby, go with Rose and have your bath. Immediately you’re done, come back and be with mummy, alright?”

“Okay,” he said, a little lightened up. He climbed down from the bed and headed for the door, which Mrs Sharppe helped him open.

“I’m sorry ma’am I don’t know how he opened his room’s door himself,” rose explained on seeing her.

“It’s okay, Rose. Just get him ready for the day,” she advised and closed the door behind her.

Finally, she turned back to Maren, who was turned away from her with a smile on her face. Her memory had suddenly come back to her.

“You’ve got lots of explaining to do, young lady.”