CLAIRE'S POV;
After visiting the fridge for a bottle of whiskey, I walk into my room. Ready to drown myself for the night.
The door opens and Segun walks in. Making sure to close it gently. After that drama at the table, I guess he joined Sophia in washing the dishes.
He does that sometimes; help the kids out with chores when he's around. Neither of us have a problem with helping out in this house. It is afterall, a family home. Shouldn't we all work together?
"Give it." he says striking a pose with his hands on his waist.
"You want some?"
The glowering look I get says it all I shrug and proceed to take along sip when the bottle is snatched from my hand.
"Segun, give it back to me. Now." I raise my voice. I can't have my problem preventing me from drinking it away.
"Not until you tell me what happened in your store today." he puts forth.
I arc a brow but when he doesn't budge, I sigh and immediately relax. "Your girlfriend-" making sure to stress that word, I continue.
"...came to my office and I did what I had to do." I eye him. "You bought her the birkin bag, right?"
"Well, why would I do that? I gave her part of the money for the job i asked her to do. You have birkin bags too. Bought by yours truly. But what did you do with them? You sold them! I can see only one out of the 6 birkin bags I bought for you."
I wince at the accusations in his tone.
"So who is she?" I ignore his blabberings and go straight to the point.
He doesn't answer and I snicker. What was I expecting anyways?
"She called you 'Daddy'" I point out. "Surely, she's not your long lost daughter of some kind." I stiffle a laugh.
"Does that upset you, Claire, hmm?" he asks and i straighten up. "Is that jealousy I see in your eyes and is it jealousy I hear you sigh over ten times before falling asleep?"
My face drops and I just stare at him. "You stooped so low just to-"
"Say it!" he barks but I shut up. I won't entertain his childish act.
"There! There it is!" he says with humour that I have to give my attention.
There's a wide smile on his never aging face and my heart all but warms up.
"There's that 'I don't care' look. That 'I'm okay. It's fine' look." he gives a mirthless laugh.
"You act okay, you're always fine. You have me but you act like I don't exist but when I do something you don't like, you act emotional, feeling like I betrayed you. Do you know what that is, Claire? That's toxicity at its peak!"
His words slices my heart but my face all but manages to give a little smile. That upsets him even more because he balls his hands into fists by his side and the vein on his head seems like it's about to burst!
"After everything! You act like nothing happened! Like I'm not our here fathering some strangers child! Like me acting this way isn't justified-"
"Según-"
"Quit acting like you're a saint-"
"They can hear you. Lower your voice-"
"That's all you ever care about! Yourself! Your name! What the kids think of you! It's no surprise why I always have to play the bad guy! You won't ever try to take the fall for it-"
"Please, now is not the time-" but he goes on and on.
"Just to make you jealous, I hired that...that...ugh!" he growls and begins to pace.
"Well now that you know I get jealous, what's next?"
He stops walking and turns to face me. A look of disbelief on his face.
"What?" I ask with a slight rise of my shoulders.
"Out of all I said? Really, Claire?"
With a sigh, I rise to my feet and walk towards him. Still holding his gaze, I reach down and hold his thick hands.
"Baby, stop doing this to yourself. We are fine. When the time is right, the truth will come to light. It's as they say; nothing can be hidden under the sun forever." I coo whilst giving the puppy eyes. The same ones he claimed were irresistible.
It's either he's a terrible liar or oldage alters ones special abilities because all he does, is look at me like I'm the worst human he has ever met.
"Please, let's forget about it for now." I beg instead.
Segun leans forward and places a gentle kiss on my head and quietly leaves the room, sipping my bottle of whisky on his way out.
YOU ARE READING
Petite
Teen FictionSophia, a seventeen-year-old girl, struggles with her body image because she's slim and feels like she doesn't look as good as other people. Even after graduating from high school and starting college, her dissatisfaction with her appearance continu...
