RULE NO.25

29.Frustration

Rays POV

I just stare at my phone, unable to believe that she left. After everything we had? Imagine my shock when I woke up to find her side of the bed empty and cold. Why pull off something like that over such a small argument? I just wanted her safe! Now, she is not even picking my calls. Knowing Bri, she'll need some time to cool off and as much as the idea irritated me, I think we both need some time to think, so I'll give her a few days.

I leave the house for work, still feeling slightly on edge. I just have the weird feeling in my gut, but I drown myself in work to forget, but it's not that easy.

Something is wrong.

I pick up my phone again and dial Bri's number, hitting the bottom of my pen against my table as the call continues to ring without answer. I dial Grace's number and the same thing happens.

Argh!

Why does she make me feel like this!

"Sir?"

"Sir?"

I snapped out of it as I heard my secretary's voice call me.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked, trying not to let my annoyance seep into my voice.

"There's a woman on hold for you. She said you'll really want to hear from her" she replies, fidgeting a bit.

I sigh as I tell her to connect the call to my line. She nods before leaving my office.

I pick up the phone and put it to my ear.

"Jagamolu here, how may i help you?"
I rasped, barely containing my annoyance at the ill timed distraction.

"Dear boy, its Briannes aunt, I daresay I am a face no one can forget".

"Oh...uh Good day ma'am" I reply, feeling slightly self conscious.

"Wow...a handsome young man with manners. You know they are rare to come by these days" She replied, chuckling lightly. If I didnt know better, I would have thought she was flirting with me.

"Uh..yeah" I reply, tugging slightly at my patterned tie.

"So, what do you say we hang out for lunch, I would love to know how you and my niece met" she says and for some odd reason, I feel she has alterior motives.

"I dont know ma'am, I still have a lot of work to do" I reply, feeling the need to let her down lightly, she seemed like a person one would not want to have as an enemy.

She chuckled lightly as if I had just cracked a joke.

"Boy, the jagamolu enterprise wont shut down if you took a break for a few short hours, and I would imagine you would like to know more about that feisty little thing you've set your sight on. I mean, you'll need to know your opponent to play a fair game" she said, sounding a bit....i dont know. She seemed to drop a bit of venom in that last bit. Although, I might agree that that last bit had me changing my mind. I really wanted to get to know Bri. She intrigued me in ways that I can't explain. I can sense that she has been through a lot, but I want her to tell me in her own time.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I find myself agreeing before I can stop myself.

"Wonderful! I'll meet you at Aimee's by 1:30" she says, sounding a bit like someone who's won the lottery and hangs up before I can even reply.

What in he'll have I agreed to?

I find myself at Aimee's by 1:20 and I curse this stupid bout of curiosity that decided to hit me at this time and somehow I feel guilty. Like I was betraying Bri but before I can beat myself over it, I find my gaze drawn to the entrance of the restaurant.

She walked with pride. The pride of a woman who had had to fight her way right to the top. Like a woman who knows what she is worth. She was graceful, but not in a meek way. This is more like a lioness walking to her pride.

"Hello young man" She says, sitting herself in front of me and carefully arranging her flowy dress.

"Hi ma'am" I reply, a little flustered as I find her gaze burrowing into me like she was sizing me up.

"No more of that boy, just call me D. This 'ma'am' thing makes ne feel advanced in years" She says, making me smile a bit.

She called a waiter and we both placed our orders.

We made small talk as our orders were being arranged and I got to find out that she was really not that bad.

I clear my throat a bit...
" Uh, about Bri. We sorta have a little thing going on and I was wondering if you know....you could help me some how, or maybe tell me what to do"

She looks at me with a brow raised.

" Care to elaborate?" She asks, sounding slightly amused and before long, I find myself telling her of the previous nights event, excluding the intimate parts ofcourse.

"You seem to be in a real binder boy. You must know by now that Bri is an independent woman. She has literally had to do all sort of things to survive. Not that I am judging though, life is a jungle. Because of this, she is really headstrong. You cannot cuddle her or tame her. You'll have to have her just the way she is" she replied smiling softly. I wonder what she meant by Bri had to do "all sort of things to survive". That is not the kind of thing you tell someone who is interested in your niece. Even if it is necessary information, it is not in her place to say. After that little statement, I became wary of her. Not too long after that, our food was served and we reverted to normal small talk. Surprisingly, she seemed to know a lot about me. One would thing she googled me or something. Not that it will surprise me, but the person those blogs portray is not me. In fact, I have been closer to the real me since I met Bri, but now I seem to have stuck my foot in it and sent her running for the heels.

After we finished eating, we conversed some more and I noticed that D purposely dropped a few condescending statements about Bri that didnt sit well with me. But what was I supposed to do, snap at an old woman? I was wary though of tge malicious glint in her eye as she said things like "you know these young ladies can be sluts sometimes" or "you can't really trust these ladies" and "people are not really who they seem". A few would have seemed part of a normal conversation, but i had it up to my neck when she said

"you know you young boys dont really care how many have been there before you, as long as you also get a taste of the dew"

What?! How did she even manage to deviate the conversation from academic inclination of the youth these days to that! She had purposely been changing topics and dropping completely unrelated malicious comments for a while now and I can't help but wonder what she is driving at.

"You know what? I think I have had enough of these little snide remarks. Why dont you go ahead and talk if you have something to say" I say, leaning forward a bit.

"Ballsy" She replies and chuckling lightly, using a perfectly manicured finger to trace her matte painted lips, before she also leans forward in her seat and says;

"Make me"