Chapter 3 THE LOVE GIFT

Jessica could sense a hint of pain in his sparkling eyes, which seemed to disappear just as soon as it emerged. The man sometimes spoke too fast, which perhaps revealed how much agony he concealed within himself. Above all were his frame and stature.

He was not extremely muscular, with eight-pack abs, or biceps. However, he could stand out in a crowd, which was mostly due to his way of carrying himself. Perhaps he was not the kind who had girls swooning over him. But he was simple and innocent. He was perhaps, just one in a million, who was "nothing special, but all the same unique". Jessica was almost beginning to imagine herself on dates and the beautiful moments with this guy when the elevator bell brought her back to reality. She felt guilty about her thoughts when she remembered Bob, so she tried to take off her eyes from this man very quickly. She smiled and shook her head as she stepped out of the elevator. She looked back after a short while to steal another glance but the elevator door had closed and he was gone.

*******

It was the last day of work for the week and everyone in the office hurriedly tried to finish up any pending workload they had. The bay was crowded as everyone walked to and fro with files and papers in their hands trying to clear up one thing or the other to avoid spilling over

assignments till the next week. "Let's be quick in wrapping up guys; it's the weekend!" Jessica told her subordinates. Jessica had planned to go home after work to rest a little, and then head out later in the evening for a massage at her Aunt's Spa. Most times, Jessica always stayed back till everyone had left to review the day's work and correct whatever needed to be

corrected. She only left early on days when she had other appointments before the closing hour. Janet always tried to discourage her from having to stay back. "Madam you don't have to stay back. I will handle the review; you need to

go home and rest," Janet would always say. "I have nothing else to fall back to. This is my father's legacy and I must handle it with utmost care and diligence," Jessica would respond, confidently.

Jessica had noticed how tired Janet was, so she instructed her to leave when she noticed that she was yawning consistently. After a few hours of reviewing and clearing paperwork, Jessica decided to head home as she was very tired and worn out. She put off the lights and closed up. James was outside standing by the SUV. He held open the door as Jessica approached. He closed the door as she entered, and he walked briskly to the driver's door. Unknown to Jessica, Bob had been waiting for her, and he had plans for the night. As James pulled over through the gate into the compound, Jessica noticed Bob's car parked in front of the house. Most times, he told her if he would be coming around, but he didn't tell her he was coming this time.

Jessica managed to drag herself out of the car into the house and was expecting to see

Bob was in the sitting room, but he wasn't there. "Where is Bob?" she asked one of the maids. The maid looked around the sitting room and looked back at Jessica. "I saw him seat here when he came in some minutes ago." She said pointing her fingers towards one of the sofas. "Alright then, let me check upstairs," Jessica replied as she wriggled her body up the stairs.

While she had only walked just halfway up the stairs, she felt someone block her eyes with his hands. "Who is this?!" She screamed. The hands released her eyes, then she turned back to look at who it was. It was Bob. He held her by her waist and led her up the stairs. When they got to the entrance of Jessica's room upstairs, Bob turned to look at her, "I have a special gift for you love."

"Really?"

"Yes," Bob replied as he clasped two of his fingers. Within the twinkle of an eye, one of the maids rushed towards him, with a medium-sized bag that was beautifully decorated.

"Let us go in first., Bob said as he took Jessica by the wrists. Jessica opened the door as the both of them walked in.

While they were still standing in the room, Bob moved close to Jessica, held her waist, and looked into her eyes. "You're all that matters to me right now. And I get afford to lose you. I love you very much." Bob said as he handed over the bag to Jessica. Jessica collected it from Bob, took a glance into the bag and smiled. It was obvious that Bob spent so much money, just to make her happy.

She dropped the bag given to her and hugged Bob very passionately. Bob held her waist and kissed her on her lips. While they were still kissing, they had a knock on the door so they stopped to look in the direction of the door.

"Who's it?" Jessica asked.

"It's me, Madam." The voice replied. The voice sounded like that of one of the maids. Jessica walked towards the door to open it. "What is it Kayla?" Kayla was one of Jessica's personal maids. She was so loyal and smart, so Jessica preferred her to the other maids. She was the only one who had assess to Jessica's room and the only one who was allowed to run very crucial errands for her.

"Aunt Polina is here, and she asked to see you before leaving."

"Didn't you tell her that I have a visitor, or better still, that Bob is around?" Jessica asked. Polina knew Bob as Jessica's boyfriend, but she never liked him. She always told Jessica that she was yet to find a boyfriend. Polina was very sensitive and had studied Bob's attitude on their first meeting.

"I told her but she insisted on seeing you urgently, Kayla explained.