DARK SECRETS

13. Now Or Never

For a whole week, Erick waited for her call. He was so impatient, he looked at his phone more than six times in a minute.

It was almost like he was getting desperate. Maybe he was. For the third time that day, Erick checked his phone again.

Still no calls or even a message.

He frowned.

This girl was much tougher than he had thought.

Was what she said true? Was she really capable of handling her problems herself?

No way. That can't be. Erick had seen the photos of her that Jerry took when she went to the hospital. His eyes were drawn to her mother. The woman looked terribly sick. And she was admitted at one of the most expensive hospitals in the city.

Yes, Erick was sure Yasmine would be able to pay her treatments a little bit because of the work she was doing at the club.

She was the most paid stripper in Là Calantrò after all. Her salary could pay at least half of it. No wonder she worked there almost everyday.

Erick sighed.

Maybe he would pay her mother a visit one day.

But without letting Yasmine know of it, of course. The girl might create a scene if she ever saw him close to her mother.

If he even went there how would he introduce himself?

Her boyfriend?

Erick chuckled. He wasn't boyfriend material at all, and he knew it.

Anyway, if the need arises, he would know what to say. He just wanted to focus on dealing with the woman's daughter for now. His impatience was making him more excited to know Yasmine.

He liked her toughness.

She was really different from the rest of the women he ever met.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yasmine was in her dorm room searching for some of her books she wanted to submit for an assignment. She had totally forgotten about the man who gave her his complimentary card and told her that he would be waiting for her call.

She had better and more crucial things to think and worry about than some man who wants to offer her help on a silver platter and wanted something huge in return.

"My goodness, where is that book? " She wondered as she scattered all the books in her small library. "I have to submit it before the end of this week. Where did I put it?"

When she checked the other part of the library, she found the book sitting alone on an empty shelf.

"Ah,ah, found you," she said as she picked up the book happily.

"Why was it here alone? I don't normally put the book on an empty shelf, I keep it up here," She said to herself. "What was I thinking when I dropped it here? No wonder why I was looking for it."

As she opened the book, something fell out of it. She looked down and saw it was some kind of paper. She bent down and picked the rectangular paper up and looked at what it was curiously. Immediately she knew what it was, her smile immediately fainted and turned into a huge frown.

"No wonder why I didn't see it," She mumbled to herself. "His stupid card was in it."

Yasmine looked at the name on the card.

" CEO, Erick .R. Dùnn," she repeated what she saw on the card and looked up, wondering;" I wonder what the R stands for."

Ryan?

Royce?

Richard?

Nah, Richard was too calm and somewhat angelic as a name for someone like him, she decided.

He wasn't angelic, he was a devil in sheep's clothing!

She remembered what he said to her and walked up close to her while whispering in her ear.

"I'll be waiting for your call."

His words still rang so loud in her ears that she had to put her index finger inside her ear immediately she remembered it.

It still felt surreal.

"I don't need his help," She said. As Yasmine wanted to throw the card in the trashcan a few feet away from her, her mind suddenly stopped her.

Her body was ready to move and her hand was ready to throw the card into the bin, but strangely she felt an odd feeling as her mind decided against it.

This was the first time her mind wasn't insync with her body. Both were saying two different things.

Yasmine was sure she wouldn't need the help of a man who just came out of the blue and asked her for something ridiculous, but her mind was saying she would strongly need his help one day.

Yasmine was at loss on what to do. She sighed and dropped her body on her bed. Ever since she met Erick Dùnn, her body and mind had been at loss, always. It was like she was powerful and weak at the same time.

She didn't like it one bit either.

Yasmine had always trusted her instincts to make the decisions for her, and this time wasn't going to be any different, even though she herself strongly opposed what her instincts were telling her.

Sighing, she took her wallet and dropped the card inside. She groaned as she did it, but she couldn't throw it away either. She wouldn't be at peace with herself.

And strangely, immediately she kept it in her wallet, she felt at ease. She felt like she did the right thing, even though she knew it was the worst decision ever.

"Damn you, instincts. " She cursed.

Yasmine made a quick decision. After another week, she would throw away the man's complimentary card to ease her mind.

At least she tried to keep it. She would pacify her mind with that.

Yasmine didn't want to have anything to do with Erick Dùnn. And having something of his walking around with her everywhere she went wasn't also something she wanted either.

As she sighed softly and picked her book to read, her door room opened and her roommate came in.

"Yasmine, " Tracy said as she peeked through the door. "Mrs Peter's asking you to meet her immediately."

"Really? Where?" Yasmine asked her.

"Administrative block," Tracy said and Yasmine's heart skipped a beat.

She knew immediately why she was called. She sighed.

"I'll be right there in a jiffy," Yasmine said to Tracy and she left.

Immediately Tracy closed the door, Yasmine sighed deeply. She knew it was coming but she hadn't expected to even be more surprised and scared as she was now. Trying to be strong, Yasmine packed and arranged her books neatly before standing up and going out of the room

Sooner or later, she would have go listen to what the administration had to say to her.

It was now or never.