Caught in her own trap

"You are already married Mr. Stevens." The man sitting on the other end of the desk told the unsuspecting Clive. Earlier in the morning his private investigator had asked him to meet him at the marriage registration office. The investigator had informed Clive about some important information that he wanted him to hear for himself.

Clive had thought that the investigator was playing the usual tricks of trying to get more money from him. He had asked him to investigate the woman whom his parents were so eager for him to marry. He was hoping to find the woman's dirt not the other way around.

"Whom am I supposed to be married to and when?" The shocked Clive asked grabbing the documents from the man's hand. He read through the documents carefully and his calmness surprised his private investigator.

"Are you ok Clive?" Gordon the investigator asked. He was used to Clive shouting and throwing things everywhere if things did not go his way. He was now wondering what was on his friend's mind. The two had become good friends after Gordon exposed a rival hotel chain that was spreading false rumors about one of Clive's hotels.

'Could it be that he knows this woman?' Gordon was now thinking to himself. This calmness was now making him uncomfortable.

"Gordon, investigate this woman now. I'm only giving you three days otherwise I will not pay you." Clive demanded as he stood up and placed the documents on Gordon's lap. He left without saying anything more. Gordon was stunned but knew that he had to do it.

At twenty-nine Clive had inherited his father's company and also owned his own chain of hotels. He was regarded as one of the top ten young rich and handsome men. A few people knew about Clive's personal life as he tried so hard to keep it private.

Clive was the only son of Mathew and Jane Stevens. His siblings were twenty-one-year-old twin sisters Thea and Tia who were attending university in London. Clive was very protective of his sisters and was in contact with them nearly every day.

His father started his business thirty years ago with his best friend Paul Marson. After ten years in partnership the two men decided to go separate ways but remained best friends. It was during this friendship that the two men agreed that their two children Clive and Julie should get married.

Julie was an only child and had her own fashion house. She was well known in the fashion industry. Unlike Clive she always wanted the media to know what was happening in her life. She knew very well that Clive didn't like her but was willing to get him at any cost.

Clive and Julie were childhood friends, but their friendship started fading away in their early twenties. It was because Clive had noticed that Julie was really into this arrangement between the two fathers.

After meeting with Gordon, Clive went back to his office. He could not take the name Candice Walters out of his mind. His marriage to this twenty-four-year-old Candice had been registered eight months ago. All details on the marriage certificate including his address were correct so it was definitely him. His deep thoughts were disturbed by the knock on his door.

"Mr. Stevens you have a visitor." Cindy Clive's secretary announced. It's Miss Marson should I let her in." Cindy knew that her boss was not interested in Julie, but she was just doing her job.

Before he could give a response Julie pushed her way into Clive's office. Clive was now typing on his laptop not even looking at her.

"Hello Clive." She greeted him before taking a seat opposite to him.

"What brings you here Julie?" He asked without looking up. He could not hide his annoyance with this woman's presence.

"Just wanted to check how my fiancée is doing. You have not been answering my calls or replying to my messages." Julie said in a polite voice and had a smile on her face.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not your fiancée?" Clive asked with a stern voice.

Clive had stopped answering Julie's calls and did not bother to read her messages. He had been polite to Julie but decided to be firm with her when he realised how clingy she was becoming. He was suspecting that she was up to something that is why he had asked his friend to investigate her.

"Clive, everything was decided a long time ago so whether you like it or not I will be your wife." She said confidently.

Clive sighed and then spoke. "Julie I am very busy, and I am sure you have other things to do." He stood up and opened the door for her to leave.

"I am having dinner with your parents to finilise the wedding. You can join us if you want." Julie said and walked out.

Clive was dumbfounded. He could not understand why Julie was so eager to marry someone who clearly was not attracted to her. He was angry with his father for trying to honor such a stupid promise. His mother had tried and failed to reason with his father after Clive had told them that he was not interested in Julie.

Clive decided to go home early. His day had been shuttered by the emergence of Julie in his office. After she had left, he could not concentrate on his work. He kept on replaying the conversation he had with Julie. He knew she was very manipulative, and he was not sure what her next move was. She was no longer the Julie he had been friends with in his teens.

He was about to take a shower when he got a call. Checking the caller, he noticed it was his father. He knew want he wanted so he let the phone ring. Within a few seconds another call came through and this time it was his mother.

He hesitantly took the call. "Mum if it is about your dinner with Julie I'm not interested. You planned without consulting me so the three of you should enjoy."

Although he was aware that his mother supported him, Clive was not in the mood to entertain any discussion that involved Julie.

"Son, at least you should come and then we can talk about it in a civil way." Jane tried to reason with her son.

"There is nothing to talk about mum, dad has made up his mind and all I can say is that I am not part of that." He was firm with his response. He felt sorry for his mother who was also an unwilling participant. The mother and son briefly talked, and they concluded their conversation. He took a shower and ordered takeaway ate and retired to bed early.

Thursday afternoon Candice was happy to receive a call from his best friend Trevor. He was in town and asked her to meet at a bar in town. She could not wait for her friend to talk about the latest women in his life. They had been friends since primary school. Candice was not popular with girls in high school as they saw her as an obstacle to getting near Trevor.

She got to her two-bedroom apartment and quickly rushed upstairs. She threw her bag on her bed, took off her clothes and got into the bathroom to take a shower. She changed into a red dress and matched it with a pair of heels. She set in front of the mirror and did her make up.

She looked at her perfect self and smiled with satisfaction. She took her purse and phone and went out and waited for a taxi to take her to the bar.

The taxi stopped in front of Hunter's bar and Candice paid the fare and got out. She walked elegantly into the bar and made herself comfortable on the stool in front of the counter. She ordered herself a drink and sent a message to Trevor.

"Where are you dude?" She was now uncomfortable with the eyes glaring at her in the bar.

"Two minutes." Trevor replied with a short message. Candice continued to take sips from her glass and still was not comfortable being on her own in that bar.

"Hey beautiful, good to see you." Trevor arrived and circled his arms around Candice's neck from behind. He let go of her and she stood up and Trevor gave his friend a bone crushing hug. Candice sat down and looked at her friend who was looking around.

"Hey, put your ass down and tell me what you have been up to." Candice said as she pulled her friend's hand making his sit next to her. Trevor sat next to his friend but continued to look around.

"What is it?" Candice asked as she also looked around trying to spot whatever her best friend was looking at. She knew her friend very well and she could tell from the expression on his face that he might have seen something or someone that he was not expecting.

"Nothing I just thought I saw someone I guess I was wrong." Trevor said as he signaled Jack, the young guy behind the counter to come to him.

"Trevor good to see you around. Where have you been hiding?" Jack asked as he had not seen Trevor for some time.

Hunter's bar was Trevor and Candice's place when the two were together. Candice rarely went out when Trevor was not available.

"Should I give you your usual Trevor?" Jack asked as he had noticed that Trevor was consumed with something. Trevor nodded and Jack went back to get him his usual beer. Jack came back and placed the beer in front of Trevor.

"Jack, who is that guy over there?" Trevor discreetly pointed at a guy sitting with two girls. "He seemed to be very much interested in us?" Trevor continued to speak with a worried voice. He could not clearly see what the man looked like from the angle he was sitting.

Jack looked at the direction of the guy and looked back at Trevor and Candice. "It's my first time seeing him here. I think he is into Candice; he has been admiring her for a long time." Jack said smiling at Candice.

"Why would he be interested in me when he has got two ladies with him?" Candice chuckled and continued drinking her beer.

Candice had seen the man coming in alone a few minutes when she got into the bar. He was later joined by the two women but continued to eye Candice. She just took him as one of those guys who just look at other women despite having other women by their side.

"Cheer up my friend. Tell me how long you are going to be in town?" Candice could see the worry in her friend's face and was now wondering why.

"Two months, and this time you will have to send me away. You will be fed up with me because I will be following you around." Trevor said playfully pulling Candice's cheek.

"Trevor, that is why you do not have a girlfriend. You can't keep using me as your stupid shield." Candice giggled as she pulled her face away from Trevor who wanted to continue pulling her cheek.

Trevor was a successful software designer and was not interested in serious relationships. Each time when a girl wanted to be closer to him, he would create a misunderstanding making it look like Candice was his girlfriend. He also spent most of his time visiting his company's branches in different states.

The two friends enjoyed their night out in Hunter's bar and later discovered that the other man had left with his two women.

"You haven't got a boyfriend yet Candice?" Trevor asked.

"Do you want to hook me up with those nerds that you hang around with?" Candice teased her friend. The expression on Trevor's face changed to a serious one.

"You know you can't have a boyfriend, yet right?" Trevor asked looking at Candice in the eye.

"Of course, ... not, Trevor!" Candice put her arm around Trevor's shoulder and assured him. Jack came over and stood in front of the two.

"Candice your boyfriend is gone now." Jack smiled at Candice as he looked at the empty seats left by the other man and the two women.

"I don't think he needed me tonight. I think two women should be fine. Three would kill him." Candice said jokingly and the three burst into laughter.

Candice and Trevor had a few more drinks before they called it a night. Trevor could see that Candice was a bit drunk, so he insisted on taking her home. He hailed for a taxi and helped Candice get in.

"Lyric Heights please." Trevor gave the taxi driver Candice's address. The journey took twenty minutes and Candice had fallen asleep halfway through the journey. Trevor helped his friend out and took her to her apartment which was on the first floor of the building. He took the keys from Candice's bag and opened the door.

Trevor took Candice into her bedroom and placed her on her bed. He removed her shoes and covered her with a quilt and left for the spare bedroom. It was not the first time that he had stayed over at his friend's two-bedroom apartment. He also kept a few clothes there for situations like these.

When Trevor woke up his friend was still asleep. He decided not to wake her up and so he left her a note on the kitchen counter and left for his mothers place.

Clive woke up in his luxurious three-bedroom apartment still thinking about what Julie had said to him. He went into the bathroom and had a bath. He took longer than usual to get ready for work. Normally he enjoyed his breakfast but today was different. He did not feel like eating at all, so he just grabbed his car keys and his laptop and left for his office.

Clive was in his office going over the documents for the new deal that he was working on when his secretary informed him about Gordon's arrival.

"Let him in Cindy." He knew Gordon had some sort of news for him only that he didn't know if the news was good or bad. He rubbed his hand over his face just to relieve stress that had been weighing him down.

Gordon got into Clive's office and placed a sealed envelope in front of him before he sat himself down. It contained everything he had gathered about Candice.

"Thank you, Gordon." Clive muttered and he immediately opened the envelope. He looked at the photos and put them on the table and started reading the document.

"Is the guy in the photo her boyfriend?" Clive asked still reading the document.

"No that is the guy who created this situation.?" Gordon replied.

Candice's mother died when she was ten. Her father remarried a wife who had her own daughter Lisa from a previous marriage. Sherry, Candice's stepmother was very extravagant and her father's business of almost got bust. Sherry wanted to marry Candice to an older guy who had promised to help with their debts.

Candice produced a marriage certificate to show that she had married her secret boyfriend. This prompted her father to chase her away from home. He did not bother that Candice needed his assistance to complete medical school.

Trevor had organized everything, and Candice never bothered to look at who her husband was since it was for show. Trevor had promised that everything will be deleted in a year's time. She had only less than four months for this to go away.

"Very interesting, Gordon I want to meet this girl." Clive said after reading all the documents that his friend had brought with him.

"Do you want to press charges?" Gordon asked his friend who surprisingly was calm about the whole situation.

"No, I have other plans. Thank you Gordon I'm sure you noticed that I have already transferred your payment." He smiled and put everything back in the brown envelope.

Gordon could tell that Clive did not want him involved in the next stage of what he wanted to do. He did not insist on helping since he had got his payment for the job that he had done. However deep down he was curious to know but would not dare to ask.

"You know where to find me Clive." Gordon could tell that his friend no longer required him, so he decided to go.

The moment Gordon left, Clive opened the envelope again and gazed at Candice's photo. He smiled and put it back in the envelope.

Clive phoned his lawyer David and asked him to come over. He showed him all the documents and asked for his opinion.

"This is a tricky situation Clive. Did you notice any illegal activities in your company finances?" David asked his client. Clive had IT specialists who monitored his company activities all the time. They would have discovered any anomalies if there were any.

"I don't think so. The boys have not reported anything." He replied and all were quiet for a few minutes.

"You never know what these people are planning since this Trevor guy is a computer expert." David said and the expression on Clive's face was that of someone who was already worried about what might happen next.

Clive started running his fingers in his hair. He was confused. Gordon had said that Candice and Trevor were not an item, but he was not sure as some of the photos seemed to contradict this.

"David, I think I should go and see this Candice girl and observe the situation. She might be useful for my other problem." Clive said to his lawyer.

The two agreed and David left for his office. Clive started to prepare for him to leave that same day. He planned to spend two nights and return on Sunday. He called on his secretary Cindy to come to his office.

"Cancel all my afternoon appointments. I will be travelling out of town." Clive informed his assistant who seemed shocked with the sudden news. She normally would know well in advance if her boss was going out of town.

"Am I travelling with you?" She was hoping not since it was Friday and she had plans for the weekend.

"No...no Cindy I am going on private business." Clive assured his secretary. He could see the relief on her face.

Cindy left her boss and went on to cancel the two meetings that were scheduled for that afternoon. She could not help but notice that her boss was now suddenly happy. His face was gloomy when he came in the morning.

Clive planned to leave at 1pm so he worked on completing the documents for the new deal. He wanted it to be complete by Monday. The journey to Candice's small town would take him about three hours.

He planned to go home and pack since he was planning to stay for the weekend. When he got back to his apartment he changed into casual clothes. He packed a small suitcase and put it into the trunk of his black Mercedes.

He was not sure how he was going to handle this woman who had violated him. He could press charges if he wanted to but that was going to be the last resort. He was hoping that he would not meet Trevor since he was not yet ready to deal with him.