Chapter 5 Tension Arises

**STEVEN'S OFFICE**

He unloosed his tie, removed his suit, threw it on his other chair angrily He took his landline phone, dialed his secretary digit

" Get me my driver immediately" He snapped and hung up " I must be fast before the media questions him" He said, pacing around his office

Two minutes later, the driver came in

" You called for me sir" The driver said

" Just listen to me, if the media ask you any questions on yesterday incident tell them, that lady poured the ice cream on me and I don't know her, is that clear" He replied

" Boss, I can't lie....

Steven interrupted him " I pay your damm bills so you must do anything I say or else you will be fired and I know you have a sick daughter, who is in need of medical attention, I will stop paying her medical bills, then you will be miserable for the rest of your life for killing your daughter" Steven said

" No boss, I don't want my daughter to die, I will do anything you ask of me" The driver replied

" Good so you have to lie if you are approached by the media do you understand" He responded

"Yes boss, I understood" The driver said

" Get out" He snapped The driver rushed out immediately

" Thank Goodness, I'm now a free bird to that lady , who is she" He asked himself Wondering where he knew her from but he couldn't recollect so he just went back to work

💢💢💢💢💢💢 *CINDY'S APARTMENT* < THE SITTING ROOM >

She sat down on the couch with her leg crossed, eating a bowl of popcorn and there was a juice can on the center table beside her She was watching her favorite movie, but it was over, so she switched the channel As she was about to put a handful of popcorn in her mouth The news of Steven's interview came up She was shocked, and her mouth went wide opened, she couldn't believe he lied about the incident to the media

" How dare he paint me black in front of the world, is it because he is from a rich family, does he not have any shame, he is so worthless, he hasn't changed a bit, he is still the same beast of college days, I think it is high time i teach him a big lesson, this time I will show him who I really am" She smirked

" How dare he!!!!!! Bolt rushed to her, using his tail to rubbed her legs, she smiled softly at him

" Hey bolt, it seems you are bored , I'm as well" She said

"I think we should go out, I can also repair my bicycle too" She said She left for her room, wore a cap and a hoodie that has a cap to cover her face from the media's and people so she wouldn't be asked different questions She went to his house, brought out his belt, she clipped it on his neck belt and they went to get her bicycle together outside and left after locking the door

^^^^^^^ They walked for some while till they got to her usual bicycle repairer

" Good afternoon sir, my bicycle's legs are wobbly" She said

" I will get it repaired but it will take a while" The repairer replied

" I will wait here till it's done" She responded " Take your seat" The repairer said

" Thanks a lot" She replied As she was about to take her seat, Bolt ran off She quickly ran after him, but he was too fast for her She looked through the streets but she couldn't see him, she lost her footing She couldn't believe she lost Bolt... Tears are already in her eyes and was about to flow down like a drip of blood Suddenly she heard his barking nearby so she followed the sound and saw him with a stranger

The stranger was feeding him his favorite food, Cheese

" So he sniffed the smell of the cheese that was why he ran here" She said and rushed to get him

" Bolt, you should have told me you wanted to eat I would have bought you this why did you have to run here" She said caressing his face As she bent down, her hoodie cap fell from her head to her shoulder, so her face was visible She wasn't aware of her face being visible, she just rubbed bolt face, cleaning his mouth full of cheese The stranger rose up his head and behold it was Richard

Richard quickly recognized her face immediately he saw her

" Are you the dogs owner?" He asked

" As you can see, he is my dog, but you shouldn't have given him the cheese without my permission, I don't know you so I don't want anything to happen to my bolt, I cherish him a lot, I hope the cheese are good" She replied

" I'm so sorry, he rushed to me, sniffing my cheese so I gave him just a little bite before you came, and I got it for myself" He said

" This is his favorite so I guess he sniffed it and came here, so sorry for the inconvenience" She replied

" It's fine, I love dogs too, but I never got one because my parents doesn't like it" He said " That's bad, but you got to feed my dog" She replied

" Yes, I was so happy when he rushed to me" He responded "

"Thanks anyway" She replied about to leave but she was stopped by Richard

"Sorry, but you are the girl with Steven in this picture right?" He asked pointing to the pictures on his phone

" Yes of course and you are?" She asked

" I'm Steven younger brother Richard, nice to meet you in person" He replied

" Your brother is the biggest liar, I have even seen, firstly he was at fault then he blamed me in his useless interview and he will pay for it" She responded

" Calm down, I saw his interview, I never knew he was going to lie vividly at you, I knew he was at fault when I saw the videos, pictures of you and him on internet" He said

" I promise to pay him back in thousands folds, just wait and see" She replied

" Do so I will love to see how his face looks" Richard smiled " I need to go now" She said

" Just a minute, can we spend just ten minutes together, my car broke down and the mechanic is not far from here but it will take a while before he finish it" He replied

" Of course, I couldn't go to work because of your brother, my face is all over the news channel so I wanted to avoid the media's drama" She responded

" I'm so sorry for that once again" He said " My bicycle is also not far from here, I came to repair it" She replied

" Nice, there is a supermarket over there, let's get some juice and snacks there" He said

" I can just accompany you there to get what you want and that's all, you are still a stranger to me" She said

" Okay, but you are not a stranger to me, can I know your name?" He asked

" It's Cindy, and you are Richard right?" She asked

" Nice name, shall we" He said and they both left for the supermarket with Bolt

+++++++ After sometime they came out of the supermarket with bolt

" You are the opposite of your brother" She said

"Sure, I can never be like him" He replied

" What about to your hand?" She asked

" Sorry but I don't want to talk about it" He replied

" Okay then, Just be yourself, I need to get my bicycle" She said"

"

You are going straight right?" He asked

" Yes, the repairer shop is just two minutes walk" She said

" This is the way to my car as well" He replied

" Ohhh Wow, let's go together then" She said

They walked together and coincidentally, they were heading to the same workshop

" This is the place" She said

" This is my car" He replied pointing to it" He replied

" Have a nice day" She said and left

Likewise Richard, he entered his car and drove off

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

*BERRY HILL MANSION* ~RICHARD ROOM**

When he got back, he went straight to his room, freshened up, went for dinner with his mom and dad

After dinner, he went back to his room, sat down on his studying table and took his phone

He opened his groups chat which was created by Jack

Then he sent them a DM

" You won't believe who I saw today" He wrote to them

" Who was it?" Jack asked

" Yes tell us?" Mason asked

" Stop putting us in suspense, just tell us ASAP?"Leo questioned

" I met Cindy" He replied

" Who is Cindy?" Mason asked again

" Why are you beating around the bush just go straight to the point and stop bothering our mind" Mason said

" She was the girl with my brother in the news" He responded

" What, you mean you met her today and she told you her name without arguing with you?" Leo asked

" Of course, she is a calm and friendly lady, she didn't hold grudges on me, she was so loving to me" Richard replied

" Wow, that means you were right your brother, he was the main cause of the situation between them" Jack said

" I told you guys but you didn't believe me, my brother is a real villain" Richard replied

" And you are the HERO right?" Leo asked

" Keep quiet, you always joke with everything" Richard replied

" So how is your hand? And why did you ignored Poppy today?" Jack asked

" My hand is perfectly fine, I don't want to talk about that" Richard replied

" Well it's fine, I hope you two talk things out" Leo said

" I now know why me brother was lost in thought about the lady and it was confirmed in the pictures, his driver also told me he was speechless for the first time in front of a lady" Richard said

" What are you talking about again?" Leo asked

" He was lost in her eyes, she has a very beautiful ocean eyes, someone can get lost in it" Richard replied

" So did you get lost in it also" Mason joked

Keep quiet, I was talking about my brother, not me" Richard said

" I believe you, you can't love anyone except.....

" Goodnight guys, we have to get to college early tomorrow" Richard replied cutting of their conversations

" Sweet dreams" Mason said

Richard ended the conversation, locked his phone and slept off

➰➰➰➰

*EDWARD'S-KINGS COLLEGE*, THE CAFETERIA**

The cafeteria looked just like a auditorium, There were chef's in their white and black uniforms and a apron with a white caps on their heads

The whole cafeteria was filled with students of different classes

The most richest students has their private side

The rich has their own side

The middle class ( which are the ones who has little money but are not rich) they also have their spots

The poor class where given a small place to dine including the scholarships students

Immediately Richard and his friends walked in, all eyes were on them, they walked in sequence

🗣️ Richard is so handsome

🗣️ Richard is my crush

🗣️ Richard is the best

🗣️ I love Richard

🗣️ I wish Richard was mine

🗣️ I love Jack

🗣️ Jack is so cute

🗣️ Leo is my favorite

🗣️ I love Leo

🗣️ Leo is so sweet

🗣️ I like you Mason

🗣️ I purple you Richard

🗣️ Mason has a beautiful smile

The boys walked to their private spots, and debated on what to eat

Suddenly Poppy and Oliver walked in, they were laughing because Oliver cracked a funny joke

The whole student stared at them, giving different comments

🫂 What is Poppy doing with a lowlife like him

🫂 Poppy seems to be close to Oliver

🫂 I can't believe Poppy, she associated herself with someone like this

🫂 Poppy is so beautiful

🫂 She has a beautiful laugh too

🫂 I love you Poppy

🫂 I wish she was mine

🫂 I need to be her friend

🫂 Oliver is cute as well

🫂 He has a sweet face too

" Just ignore those comments, they are always like this" Poppy told Oliver

" I will adapt to it someday" Oliver smiled at her

Richard felt something burning but he just looked away

" I told you yesterday, mend things with her before this losers steals her away from you" Leo said

" Don't mind him, they are just friends , stop making him plant things in her head, and Leo focus on your life, leave Richard alone" Mason replied

" Yes Leo, I know because you don't like Oliver that is why all those foolish thoughts are on your head, people are not like you so stop your nonsense" Jack responded

" I told you guys but I knew it you would back him up, just wait and watch how things unfolds" Leo smirked

" Will you guys stop fighting, me and Poppy ain't even friends so we don't have anything to do with each other, Oliver can have her I don't care, can we just order something, I'm famished I left home without eating" Richard said

" Just keep lying to yourself don't lie to us" Leo replied

" Must you keep repeating things, Leo just mind your business for once" Mason smirked

" Okay I had heard you, so what should we order, I will take it to the chefs" Leo said

Poppy and Oliver sat next to each other, opposite Richard

Leo got so angry, seeing it, he stood up, Mason quickly calmed him down

" How can he sit with us in our private area" Leo snapped

" Speak softly, and you guys started this whole seats stuff, we are all students we can have our meals at the same place" Mason said

" Not possible, we are different from them so we must have our separate place and I won't allow him sit there for long just wait and see" Leo replied

" Leo just be reasonable for once, he is not different from us it's just that we came from different backgrounds and I don't see anything wrong in him sitting there, we need to change the old customs and traditions of this college and it starts from him" Jack responded

" Yes Leo, he is not different from us, this world is just so bad to differentiate between the rich and the poor which is disgusting and barbaric, I don't see anything if Oliver sit there" Richard added

" You guys are just saying your own opinion and I won't listen till I teach this Ollie of a guy a big lesson" Leo said

" Cut the crap and take our order" Jack replied

" I want French fries and a hot chocolate" Mason said

" I want Sausage Rolls and a strawberry milkshake with ice" Jack said

" I want a Cheese burger and a orange juice" Richard said

" You and your cheese can't you do without it in a day" Leo replied

" Just get the order" Richard said

Leo and Mason left to get their orders

*****

" I brought my lunch box, my mom cooks for me always you can order what you want" Oliver said opening his lunch box

" Wow that is nice, I wish I still had a mother then she would have also cooked for me, she died when I was young, so I couldn't get to know her or spend sometime with her" She replied

" I'm so sorry, I have both my parents but my dad got married to another woman so I don't know where he is now, he left my mom when I was still in her womb" He said

" So sorry, I will get my order, you can start eating" She replied

" No I will wait for you" He said

" Okay I will be right back" She replied and left to get her food

<<<>>>

*THE CHEF CENTER*

Mason and Leo already gave their orders before Poppy got there

" You didn't follow the rules Poppy, why did you allow Oliver at our area?" Leo asked

" Don't start again, he is my friend so he will sit wherever I seat" Poppy replied calmly

" Leo enough of this, you keep making things hard" Mason responded

" I was not talking to you I referred my question to her and her answers are not valid but don't worry" Leo smirked

A plan strikes his head, a quick smile came out on his face

" Good afternoon lovely Chefs" Poppy greeted

" Hello dear" A chef answered

" I want a hamburger and two pieces of pizza" She replied

" Okay dear" The chef replied

Mason and Poppy went to the vending machine

Poppy got two bottles of orange juice, one for her and the other for Oliver, while Mason got a orange juice for Richard

They went back to the chef

" Let me take Jack's order to him first then we can carry the rest" Leo said

" Okay be fast" Mason replied

Leo gently walked to their area but as he was about to pass Oliver, he pretended to slip and the food tray fell on Oliver's body, his whole uniform was stained with strawberry milkshake

The whole students gasped