A Stolen Kiss From THE CEO!

176 Ivory’s Perplexity

Grrrrr!

“Calm down baby, mummy is about to eat something delicious.” Ella winced and bit down her lips.

She gently massaged her growling stomach with her left hand and hastily peeled the cover of her mouth-watering food with her right hand.

“Yummy!”

Ella smiled and took a spoon full of her vegetable-rich cereal food. She had just lifted the spoon to her mouth when a sharp knock on her door interrupted her. She angrily dropped the spoon down and glared at the door.

At that very moment, Joan hurriedly entered her office and speed walked to Ella’s desk as though an invisible gun was pointed in her direction. Her face was slightly flushed with embarrassment and fright, causing an ever-curious Ella to wonder who or what was chasing her.

“Joan!” Ella’s eyes shot invisible fiery darts at her. “How dare you interrupt me like this? Are you deaf or something? Didn’t I instruct you to reschedule all my appointment for 2:00 PM?”

“M...m...ma’am, I’m s...sorry!” Joan stuttered in panic as she thought of what her boss’s husband would do to her for keeping him waiting.

“I...I...I...I wanted to...”

.....

Grrrrr!

Ella’s clutched her stomach with both her hands and winced in pain.

“Will you get lost if you don’t have anything to say than fooling yourself in my presence!” Ella yelled at her. She quickly grabbed the bottle of orange juice on her desk and started drinking it like someone dying of thirst.

Joan stood transfixed on a spot for a split second, watching Ella take her juice. Her heart was thumping so loud that she could hear the sound. She licked her lips, swallowed her saliva, and breathed in deeply before regaining her composure.

“It’s your husband,” Joan pointed towards the door with trembling fingers. “He is the visitor I called you earlier about.”

“You kept my husband waiting outside?” Ella’s eyes flashed in anger. “What the hell is wrong with you this afternoon?”

She abruptly stood up and rushed towards the door, ignoring the quivering Joan.

“Oh, my sweetheart!” Ella ran into Leon’s open arms on sighting him.

“Hi baby,” Leon’s anger quickly dissipated and was replaced with tenderness for his wife.

“I’ve missed you so much!” She hug him and they shared a brief passionate kiss.

“I missed you more!” Leon cupped her face and kissed her on her forehead before releasing her to see the person standing by his side.

“Ahem!” Ivory cleared her throat in a funny way, thereby capturing Ella’s attention.

“Hello, sister-in-law!”

“Ivory! Oh my goodness!” Ella instantly withdrew from Leon’s arm and jumped into Ivory’s arms.

They both giggled, hugged, and spoke at the time making Leon chuckle.

“Please, let’s go into my office.” Ella led the way, with Ivory and Leon following her behind.

Joan was smart enough to avoid the excited entourage as she quickly but quietly left Ella’s office immediately after the last person entered.

However, Leon saw what Joan did and smirked but didn’t say anything. He took a seat beside Ivory and admire his beautiful wife’s outfit that temptingly accentuated her curves.

“I was about to have my lunch before you came in.” Ella pointed to her slightly covered food on her desk. “I will be happy if you both join me! Just give me a second to make more orders.”

“Don’t stress yourself, honey,” Leon said in a relaxed tone. “I don’t intend to spend more than two minutes here. I just wanted to see my wife before going back to work.”

“Ugh!” Ella frowned. “Ivory, I hope you’re not planning on leaving soon.

“Nah! You know that I’m here for you,” Ivory smiled. She stuck her nose in the air and sniffed around. “I’ll love to eat whatever you’re eating. It smells so delicious.”

“Awesome!” Ella beamed. She gestured for ivory to take the opposite visitor’s seat on her desk and they both settled in for a nice meal.

“I guess I’ll have to leave you ladies to do all gossip since my presence is no longer needed,” Leon said in an amused tone.

“Don’t tell me you’re already feeling jealous big bro.” Ivory made funny faces at Leon. “You’ve had Ella all this while, so it’s my turn to be with her.”

“Hahaha!” Ella chuckled out loud.

“Sure!” You can have her for the day, as long as I get her in one piece for a beautiful night.”

“Come on!” Ella’s face reddened at Leon’s statement.

“What! I’m just letting her know her boundaries. You know fully well that I find it difficult to share you with anyone.” Leon winked at his blushing wife. He stood up and walked over to Ella. He pulled her face up and gazed affectionately into her shimmery eyes.

“I can’t watch!” Ivory covered her face with both her hands but allowed enough peeking space to watch the couple express their love for one another.

“I love you,” Leon said inaudibly before planting a kiss on her lips. Then he whispered something naughty into her ears and left her rolling with laughter.

“Aww! This love is so sweet. I feel so jealous of you and my brother!” Ivory beamed.

“You don’t have to!” Ella wiped the tears from her eyes caused by excessive laughter. She reopened her food and dished out some for Ivory before she started eating.

“So, how is school?” Ella questioned while she ate.

“Well, I will sum up my experience in three words; fun, demanding, and exhausting.”

Ivory talked about all her adventure in school as they ate. She talked about schoolwork works, fun moments with her numerous friends, and her current boyfriend; who happened to be the third one in less than a month.

“Wow... Your story reminds me of my days back at the fashion college. However, unlike you, I rarely had time for fun and I never dated any guy.”

“Huh!” Ivory’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to tell me that you never dated in college?”

“No, I never did.” Ella shook her head in reply. “In fact, after my two years relationship ended in high school, I never dated any other guy until I met your brother.

“Geez!” Ivory’s eyes shone wider. “Do you mean to tell me that she only dated two guys in your life?”

“Yes!” Ella chuckled at Ivory’s perplexity.

Ivory face palmed her forehead and leaned back on her seat. “Forgive me for saying this but you had the most boring life ever. I can’t imagine sticking to just one guy in high school and then I end up in marriage with another. Wasting all this beauty on just two guys is unfair. I for one change my boyfriends twice or something thrice in a month which in my judgment is a bit fair.”

“Really! Don’t you think that two to three boyfriends every month are on the high side?” Ella questioned in bewilderment.

“No, it is not,” Ivory said emphatically. “Every boyfriend has his purpose and duration. And I do not have time for anyone nagging me or even messing with my heart.”

“What if you encounter someone you’re destined to be with, would you let him go? Ella asked in disbelief.

“Well, I am not ready to settle down at the moment. So if such a person comes around, I will tell him to check me out in the next five years.” Ivory grinned.

“Hahaha! You’re so funny, Ivory,” Ella chuckled. “The beautiful thing about life is that things never go the way we plan.”

“It’s true but I still feel you were cheated,” Ivory said adamantly. “I have no intention of ruining my brother’s reputation but the truth must be told. I can’t count the number of girls that Leon has dated in his lifetime. Sometimes he hangs out with three different girls in a day. And after all his philandering, he still ended up with a priceless lady like you. To me, that isn’t fair.”

“Life itself isn’t fair.” Ella’s smile faded. “Sometimes, we wish for cherry blossoms and we end up getting thorns. Sometimes, we wish for life and death pays us a visit. Sometimes we wish for happiness and sadness refuses to leave our doorstep. Sometimes, we wish for a blessing and we end up having curses.”

Ivory critically observed Ella and noticed the sadness in her eyes. She sensed that Ella was burdened with something that was eating into her gradually. So she decided to interrogate her until Ella breaks.

“Ella, you know you can count on me right?”

“Sure!” Ella’s eyes brightened back up but the hint of sadness still lingered at the corner of her eyes.

“Even though Leon is my brother, I still feel he doesn’t deserve an angel like you for a wife, due to his past lifestyle. Nonetheless, I count him as one of the lucky men alive.”

“Leon is a sweetheart and I promise you, he has changed his way,” Ella said in a convincing tone.

“Okay, if you say so,” Ivory shrugged. “At least, one thing I can tell you is that my brother has a hardened heart. If he sets his mind on something, he usually doesn’t go back on his word, except a promise is broken.”

“Really!” Ella said in a barely audible tone.

“Yes! Once a promise is broken, Leon usually changes for the worse.”

Ella’s heart sank at Ivory’s last statement. She felt an electric shiver run through her spine and her eyes felt heavy. She looked at Ivory keenly and decided to take a risk with her secret.