§∆𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ∆§

♣️Chapter Twelve♣️

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Aundrei's POV
When I decided finally to go for Idara's birthday party it hadn't occured to me that I might meet Makiri Delano again. Infact even when I got there it still hadn't occured to me not until she bumped into me. It wasn't until she had bumped into me before I had actually remembered that we were both friends to the parents of the celebrant.

But honestly I'm glad I did. She must have also gotten similar news to what I had gotten but she calmly reassured me. From the way her eyes widened after what she said I could tell it wasn't something she did everyday. And the fact that she did it for me without hesitation reassures me that she's a good woman.

I leaned back on my seat as I saw houses and trees go by. I picked up my phone and sent one of my secretaries a WhatsApp voicenote
"Schedule an appointment with Makiri Delano ASAP.
Priority: Alpha"
I hoped that whatever solutions she'd proofer would deal with the issues at hand if not soon enough I wouldn't be able to afford fueling this car I'm sitting in. Or worse I might actually have to sell it and it's one of my favourites..... I breathed.
Let's just hope it doesn't get to that.

As for Leilani and I well.....
From the start we knew it would be interesting and it has been. She's quite a character tho but deep down she's a good person. The only problem is marrying her will definitely be awkward (especially with the issue revolving around my decision of Victoria sticking around) and we're yet to get to the proposal part
Sigh 😢😔🤧🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
I'm starting to rethink my whole life and I'm only 23!

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Leilani's POV
Bills, bills, bills and more bills oh and also cancelled contracts. Those were all the files on my desk and those on my desktop and as the CEO behind the desk and desktop I was slowly loosing my mind. Like what the freaking heck??

I smashed a vase and another vase yet I still didn't feel better. I grabbed my purse and made my way out of the building. Deciding to drive myself I made my way to 'The Paqq'. It's a reserved bar where people in our class of society can get some peace of mind with no paparazzi and the rest. Just you, your glass and your thoughts.

As I was mentally deciding the booth to sit in I saw him. There he was cool,calm,calculated and collected. He had all the C's. From afar one could say he was near perfect. But I'd seen him up close I'd even conversed with him twice! And yes all the rumours re true.....
I found myself opposite him staring dreamily. That movement made him raise his head and glance at me. And then of course I had to talk to cut the tension
"Before you think I stalked you down here think again"
"I didn't think anything" he said eyes on his phone but I knew that everything wasn't ok. Or perhaps I was seeing things cos he looked like his normal self.
My drink and dish arrived. He raised his head and glanced at my tray
"A cocktail and a cocktail. Really??"
"Yes really. I'm not so sure I might be able to afford this in a week or two."
Oops! That slipped but it's true so I shrugged adding "Might as well enjoy my money while I still have it"

His nodded
"I also got the memo. It seems like an afterwave of bankruptcy upriver has reached us over here"
I nodded
"We need some kind of way to get over all of this. I am so not about to lose all I've worked so hard for anytime soon. In a blink of an eye it seems like all my investments, contracts, deals, everything it's all crashing down on me like a sandcastle hit by the waves."
He nodded. His lack of reply made me seem foolish so I zipped and concentrated on my tray and I continued eating in silence. Suddenly he downed his glass of blue wine in a go and rose. Then he walked out.
"Just like that Enrique??" Oops I'd said that out loud 😬😬😬🙄🙄🙊🙊
"My secretary will schedule an appointment so till then"
"Which??" I asked raising a brow because I was very sure he had more than 1 secretary
"One of them so till then"
He said and finally walked out.

I breathed deeply. My life this past month has been a blur and all especially the part containing Aundrei.
I'd met Victoria you know and let me tell you I am so not comfortable that the child she's carrying will be his legally like why?? The whole idea of me having an alliance with someone that younger than me was for me to avoid all the issues and complications men my age and older come with not for me to enter into more complications. So well when I didn't react well to the idea of Victoria let's just say Aundrei didn't take it likely so you can imagine me dealing with issues like that and and now this- bankruptcy?? Really?? Come-on!!! 'Come-on Life gimme a break please' I mentally cried.

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Enrique's POV
It was a normal day for me except that I stopped at 'The Paqq' to get a drink. However when I got the phone call it seemed like time had stopped and my heart began to ache.
I've worked so hard to get all I've gotten and I don't plan to lose it at the snap of someone's fingers.
You can imagine my surprise when I heard that Leilani had gotten a similar memo even though I know for sure that some are in too deep than others but really really??

I thought back to Makiri. This last month with her has been nice buh she's too emotionally exhausting for me to handle. So much is bottled inside her that I fear one day she'll explode and my reaction might be an equal if not greater explosion.
As friends definitely but as spouses....
The only problem tho was I'm in too deep.

So now not only am I to think about my soon to be marriage I'm also supposed to think about if I will richer or poorer in the next 5 years. If I'll have a mansion to live in or if I'll be a cleaner at a laundry shop.....
Sighhhhhhhhhhh..... Sigh!!

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A Week Later
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Makiri's POV
It's been a week already and due to our busy schedules Aundrei and I were yet to meet.
However we would meet today as Rachel and Sikandar the business journalists, husband and wife and co-hosts of Entrepreneur Weekly: The gist, The gossip, The pressure have extended another public invite to Me, Aundrei, Leilani and Enrique AGAIN. I don't know what their big deal with us is but personally I don't like them. Why?? Well they are the media they make us look bad and portray us to be who we're not.

They cover celebrity partnerships and relationships especially couples' personal lives creating a sense of scrutiny and pressure on us as celebrities.
They are current with all the rumors and gossip spreading quickly online and they must always confront us with them on their live TV shows making us look tongue-tied.
They have celebrity couples' public images and reputations being scrutinized. Worse yu get to scrutinize yourself by yourself with the kind of questions they ask you indirectly on their show.
Also they have private moments and secrets being exposed or leaked. They make couples doubt each other because of controversies and even verbally attack each other on live tv. A lot of celebrity divorces you hear in this country are based on them. This is a huge reason why celebrities here marry through alliances or Through The Rain And Sunshine Matchmaking Corporation. It's for our own peace of mind. Cos the more you sue them the more they come after you. I wonder what they gain in doing all of this.
This kind of media attention culminates in a dramatic exposé or interview forcing celebrity couples to confront the consequences of their actions on live tv! What do they not do?? And worse they do all this while their own marriage has been standing strong for over 10, 15 years. Like it's totally totally unnerving.

However before the interview in the afternoon I'm gonna have a talk with Aundrei at 'The Paqq'.
Because all this just seems like the calm before the storm. And to be honest I am so not ready. At all!

𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.
𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝐼 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒, 𝑎 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡

🎶𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑛𝑎 𝑗𝑒𝑗𝑒
(𝑌𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑦𝑒ℎ)
𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑛𝑎 𝑗𝑒𝑗𝑒
(𝑂𝑦𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦)
𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑛𝑎 𝑗𝑒𝑗𝑒
𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑛𝑎 𝑗𝑒𝑗𝑒...🎶
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𝑂𝑘 𝑙𝑒𝑡'𝑠 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟......