Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The mountain
"Yes, there are nice places at Baltimore. I saw a couple of them when I visited." Anna replied touching Paige's thigh under the dinning table in a bid to calm her down as she noticed the increased rate of her breathing. "Though I doubt my brother have a knowledge of this. Remember he paid us a visit just once to check up on me and asked that I join him at his hotel but I declined after much convincing from you." Anna said in a bid to set the record straight. She looked at her brother who gave her a slight nod.
"Oh, my bad." Gracia smiled uneasily. "I totally forgot. You know the day we went to the park, we had a male company. In my head, I thought it was Simon. I totally forgot that he was your boyfriend." She said with a smile obviously aware that she just dropped a bombshell. She didn't care anyway. Moreover, she didn't remember asking Anna to defend Simon who had a voice of his own. All eyes turned to Anna except Simon who focused on his food and ate it judiciously.
Anna squeezed her bronze spoon angrily. She couldn't believe that she let herself so free at Baltimore that someone like Gracia will suddenly have something to say about her love life. She looked back at the quizzing eyes of Bridget, then June. She also turned to Simon who didn't as much as budge.
June cleared her throat and turned to Gracia. "Such an annoying memory loss." She hissed. "Did you also loose your manners Gracia. I mean what happened to the phrase that one should never upset their host." June added finally focusing on her food.
Bridget smiled. "I wonder." She echoed loud enough to everyone's hearing. "I think we have a lot in common." She whispered to June's hearing only a d both ladies exchanged smiles. Gracia on the other hand looked across the table to Anna.
"I'm so sorry if I overstep my boundary with what I said earlier Anna." She apologized. I didn't mean to please. I didn't know it was something that I wasn't suppose to say." She continued but got a little tap from her mother who was trying to tell her to stop talking. But she ignored and continued talking. "I didn't mean to h....."
"That's okay. Let's eat please." Emily cut in trying to ease the tension. She was already tired of the back and forth tension going on the table. Starting from Simon walking in with Paige like they were an item to Gracia trying to state a point no one asked for and June in her usual manner trying to defend her sister who was yet to utter a single word in defense.
Paige took a bite of the chicken in her soup absent mindedly. She was trying to make head or tail of the whole subtle drama going on round the table. "Are you okay baby." Simon suddenly asked Paige amid the ongoing drama on the table. The question felt like another bombshell to some people on the ve table. Emily turned to her son with a big smile. Bridget who was already aware of the brooding relationship smiled happily cause she knew within her that the question was Simon's way of shutting Gracia up.
"Yes, I'm fine, D.a.r.l.i.n.g." Paige replied smiling at him thereby giving room for no assumptions but certainty. Since she was sitted a bit far from him, Simon smiled back at her and returned his focus to his food ignoring everyone else on the table.
Gracia got the silent memo and smiled dryly to herself. She knew what game Simon was trying to play and she knew exactly what to do. Gracia travelled down memory lane to few months ago when Simon visited her home at Baltimore. Anna had to attend a conference held at Baltimore and she remembered seeing her pictures all over the news channels as the next big shot. The youngest and most successful lawyer coming to Baltimore. Recalling how they parted ways the last time at Acubana, she decided to reach out to Anna. She went as far as offering her a conducive space in her home to stay all through the period of the conference. Of course she followed the offer up with lots of persuasion and convincing.
She smiled sadly when she remembered the very day Simon came to her home. He'd come to take Anna with her to the hotel he was staying at insisting that it was best for her. But later gave up when he realized that his sister was comfortable with her surrounding. They spent that day together as a family laughing, gisting and sharing good memories together, all of them. Simon was nice to her and even requested for her contact. This gave her the impression he wanted her. There was no doubt that she wanted him too. Who wouldn't want such a handsome, wealthy and reserved man. He spent a couple of hours with them at Baltimore and those few hours felt like one of the best moments of her life. But then he never called her. She waited but got no call from him.
When Anna left, she called her severally and asked about Simon continuously and she'd always get the reply that he's fine. When she tried getting an invitation from Anna so as to visit her at Acubana, the reply was always that she's busy. So when she saw Paige's post on her social media handle, she decided to shoot her shot or rather take the bull by it's horn by dropping a comment on her post that she would love to be at the wedding. Knowing so well that June was definitely going to consider talking to Anna about it.
Getting back from her memory lane, she glanced at Paige. Looking her up from head to her chest unable to see the other parts of her body as a result of the dinning table acting as a shield. She wondered what Simon saw in such a plain looking girl. She couldn't get herself to call Paige beautiful cause she didn't pass her standard for beauty. Of course the class aspect was also a zero for her as well. "Why shouldn't it be when she was wearing a basic hand me down dress to breakfast." She thought to herself. Breakfast continued in silence. Once done, Simon was the first to leave the dinning hall. But that was after planting a kiss on Paige's forehead. "I'll be in my room." He whispered to her hearing only. He stepped out of the hall ignoring everyone else. Simon was followed by Emily who took Jack along with her and Gracia's mum. Then Bridget, Anna and Paige.
Once Paige shut the door behind her, June turned to Gracia. "Okay, do you have a problem with my sister?" She asked impatiently with a straight face.
"June......, Of course not. I apologized already. I never knew her relationship was a secret to the family. I'm not a troublesome person, you can ask Anna. Please June, I'm sorry." Gracia pleaded.
"It's fine." June said. "Just don't upset my sister. I'm not such a nice person when it comes to my family. And I don't know why you're acting bitchy or maybe I'm exaggerating. But if you like my brother by any chance, you should talk to him and stop making side talks. That should be beneath you." June said and stormed out of the dinning hall.
Gracia looked at Sherman who was standing at the door with two of the maids. "What are you all looking at? What?" She asked standing up before storming out of the hall.
She stepped out of the dinning hall. The whole conversation at the breakfast table didn't play out as she imagined it in her head. She had envisioned Paige leaving the dinning hall angrily or upset. But the reverse was the case. As she headed for her room, she thought of the best way to gain Simon's attention. She needed an explanation from him. She wanted to know why he didn't call her after taking her contact number. She wanted him to know that she was into him. But she needed to be classy about it. She recalled what June told her moments ago about opening up to Simon if she felt something for him and she couldn't help but agree with her. Since the mountain wasn't coming to her even after giving her obvious signals, then it was still okay to go meet the mountain.
She walked past the sitting room on her way to her room and was called back by Bridget who was sitted watching a documentary. "Come my dear, come sit with me." Bridget invited her in.
Gracia walked over and sat down. "I'm so sorry about this morning." She apologized even before Bridget could say a word. If she was going to try her luck at getting Simon, then it was best to get back in the good books of every member of the house. Their impression about her mattered a whole lot in this case.
"It's okay." Bridget said. "I bear no grudges. But, if you think you maybe like someone, you should let them know. So as to know if they are free or feel the same way about you." Bridget told her giving her a pat on the back. "A lady needs to be classy always. Even when her feelings are involved. Always keep that in mind." Bridget told her.
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