"Come and sit over here". Pa Brian said to me in his usual welcoming voice and i rushed to sit on the cushion that he had pointed to. "Kate, get her a book and pen". He ordered a maid who was dozing at the verandah.
She brought the book and pen to me and i began to draw all the clothes designs in my head on the plain sheet.
When I was done, I gave the plain sheet to him.
He gasped. "No wonder your mother named you Gold. Are you related to the deceased Dennis? Your surname is also Dennis, so?".
My heart slipped.
No one must know that my father was the famous fashion designer that had disappeared.
"Not at all sir"
"Even in fifty years to come, Raymond can never come up with a design like this". Pa Brian said as a matter of factly.
Raymond made eyes at him and looked away.
Pa Brian rose to his feet. "What are we waiting for then? We have found a designer! We will be introducing her to shareholders tomorrow! Meeting closed!!!". He headed over to his room, still holding the book that I had drawn the design.
"Can we see for a minute?". Jennifer asked me and before I could reply, she had already dragged me to the balcony. "Tell my dad that you will not be a fashion designer. Tell him that you just got married and you need to focus on your home".
I met her eyes. "Why is it a crime for me to participate in the company affairs?". I said as softly as I could.
She gasped at me. "You really want to participate in the company affairs?".
I sighed. "I want to explore in my designing skills".
"I won't allow that. If you want to be a good girl, don't cross your boundary".
I looked curiously at her. "If I cross my boundary, will you hurt me?".
She smiled and placed a arm around me. "I protect all the women that step their legs into the Rolands mansion".
I looked up at her. "...and what do you do to those that cross their boundaries in the Rolands mansion?".
Her smile widened. "I stop them".
"How do you stop them?".
"I stop them just the way Jennifer Roland stop greedy women". She winked at me and walked away.
I heard footsteps from behind and turned.
It was Collins Roland.
He frowned slightly at me. "If you want to live long, don't become Bower bound fashion designer".
"Live long?".
"No woman has struggled for the company with Jennifer and ever survived". He walked away.
No woman?
Does it mean that a woman had died, struggling for the company with Jennifer in the past?
I had so much work to do concerning my research about the Rolands.
I walked into the room and Raymond was sitting on the big bed!!!
Not his small designed bed!!!
"You want to sleep on the big bed today?".
He sighed deeply. It was the first time that i had seen Roland look like someone that has a brain. "Roland? Are you okay?".
"It is April first again". He muttered gloomily like a seven year old kid.
I sat beside him. "What happened to April first?".
"I always have a night mare on that day. Mum always slept with me on April first until I grew up. But despite growing up, it still happens but I didn't tell her that it still happens up till now".
"Did something ever happen to you on April first?"
"I was kidnapped" he shivered and entered into the blanket.
I helped him cover himself with the blanket properly and pulled him into my arms. "You have nothing to worry about, okay?".
He rolled his eyes. "Stop feeling as if you are my mother".
I chuckled. "Don't tell me you don't know that a man's wife is his second mother?".
"What a stupid lie?".
placed my arms around him. "Just close your eyes and think of the good moment while I sing you a song".
He closed his eyes. "With that your cockroach voice?".
"Shhhh..".I began to sing the song my mother had taught me.
Little lamb and he slowly dived into sleep.
The next morning, I opened my eyes only to see Raymond sitting on the bed and staring at me.
I sat up on the bed and rubbed my sleepy eyes. "You had the nightmare".
Tears filled his eyes. "What did you do? What did you do? How can i not have that nightmare? What the hell did you do?".
I gasped.
I had just cuddled him and sang the song and he didn't have the night mare just like that?
Just like that???
"It is the first time that I never had that nightmare. Even when my mother cuddled me, I still always had it... then how could you just come out of nowhere and...".
I sobbed and hugged him.
He looked too pitiful.
"Thank you so much, Gold. Thank you".
I had solved a problem?
Well I think that was just the beginning.
If I don't become Bower bound's designer, how would I know how my father had disappeared?
I only had to think like a designer to catch the designer.
The Bower bound executives and shareholders gathered around the big table.
"Where is the designer?it is twenty minutes already and she is not here?". One of the shareholders asked as he looked around the boardroom.
Raymond picked up his phone from the table. "Let me call her and find out what is wrong".
Jennifer Roland cleared her throat. "She is not coming. Last night, she had already concluded that she was not going to be here".
Collins Roland sighed. "Since it is twenty minutes already,why don't we stick with our alternatives instead of waiting for the shadows?".
Cookies and similar technologies are used on our sites to personalise content and ads. You can find further details and change your personal settings below. By clicking OK, or by clicking any content on our sites, you agree to the use of these cookies and similar technologies.
GDPR
When you visit any of our websites, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and manage your preferences. Please note, that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.