Renting Hearts

eight- marry me

Jadesola

Baking. That was the only thing I did each time life threw a fresh mess my way. It was the only thing that could keep me sane each time chaos hits me out of nowhere.

After my boss came to my rescue the night Ayomide almost had me, my life took a turn I didn’t see coming. Imagine waking up the next day after a traumatic event and then finding a video from the same event trending all over the media.

But for some reason, it was a cut-out part, and you wonder why they filmed only that part. Then, you read the silly article attached to it and it clicked instantly.

They needed to make up a story, and that was why they took only the part that perfectly fit their delusion. I was the perfect prey for their predator moves. They needed someone to blame and I presented myself.

Now, tell me how and when I became my boss’ secret lover. How did they make that shit up? Waking up to that had me questioning everything the media had said about every single influential figure and celebrity.

The stupid story scared me to death, having me lock myself in here for a whole week. I mean, I was scared of losing my job at first but after the incident, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to the same job.

Ima said people wouldn’t figure out it was me in the video because, first of all, it was already dark and secondly, my face was kind of hidden in the video. But after I got calls from my colleagues at work asking if it was true I slept with our boss, it was enough for me to decide that I was going to quit my job.

Ayomide threatened to post a photo of me and have people see me for who I was. It was that or I come back to him. He gave me two weeks to choose whichever one I wanted. But the truth was, I wanted none of that.

I wouldn’t go back to Ayomide, there was no way in hell I would offer myself to the devil. But I also didn’t want my picture to be out there. I didn’t want people to castigate my boss because of me.

Sometimes, I wondered what he might be going through with the scandal and everything, but then again, he was used to this life already. But in all of that, I still felt bad for dragging him into this drama.

I wondered if I would ever get to see him again and if yes, how was I going to face him? If anything, I would make sure to apologise to him first and thank him again for that night.

With cooking gloves, I carried the tray of cupcakes out of the oven and as its aroma graced my nose, I smiled, dropping it on the table suited at the centre of the kitchen. I had been baking nonstop and Ima and Chichi had been enjoying every bit of it.

If it wasn’t for the outrageous loan I had to my name, I would have focused on only baking but that wasn’t going to happen yet.

The thought of going out in search of a new job gave me much more anxiety than every other thing going on in my life right now. But in all of these, I needed a break.

I needed some time to pretend that none of it mattered. I needed to live worry-free before letting the demons catch up with me once again.

“Baby girl where the hell are you?!” Ima yelled from the living room, and I couldn’t suppress the chuckle that escaped me. “Oh my god! It smells so nice in here. I want to eat cake!” Her voice got louder as she approached the kitchen.

After the day at the hotel, Ima and Chichi had asked what I had to do with Ayomide. I told them exactly what it was and their eyes went wild with shock and pity when they heard my story.

They suggested many ways to get the money, deciding they were going to help pay it back. But I insisted on them not doing it. The free accommodation they offered me and every other thing they did for me was enough.