My CEO Bestie And Me

20, Waking up late

Lerisa looked at Martha in surprise, shaking her head as she replied, "How do I admit to Anthony that I love him? Isn’t it the man’s role to take the lead? Anthony may seem nice and calm to us, but he can be mean and difficult at times in the office. I’m really afraid to tell him that I love him; it would make me seem desperate, don’t you think?" Lerisa looked at Martha hopefully as she awaited her response.

"I don’t know, but I think Anthony likes you. Maybe if you open up about your feelings, he will reciprocate them," Martha suggested.

"No. I’m not going to beg a man to love me. That’s not appropriate. I’ll wait for Anthony to fall in love with me first, and if he doesn’t, then I’ll move on with my life. We shouldn’t date; maybe we aren’t destined to be together, just like our parents want us to be. I admire him, but..."

Martha sighed, "Well, sister, I’m already tired. Let’s go back to our rooms to rest. Maybe we can discuss this later."

Lerisa agreed and replied, "Okay."

She rounded up her work in the kitchen, and once she was finished, she stepped out, closed the living room curtains, and finally went back to her room to sleep. Their house was quite large, with six rooms.

Lerisa had her own room, as did Martha, and their elder brother James, along with their parents who shared a room, and there was also a guest room.

Lerisa walked into her bedroom, shut the door, and went to freshen up before returning to her bed to sleep.

Sleep was elusive, and she rolled around in bed several times before sitting up again to check her phone for any missed calls from Anthony or anyone else.

Instead, she saw several missed calls from Ben, but she wasn’t ready to call him back.

Lerisa plugged her phone in to charge, and by the time she was done, it was already past midnight, and she drifted off to sleep.

++++

The following morning, Lerisa didn’t wake up on time; she lay in bed sleeping.

Her family grew concerned about her and decided to let her rest while they went to church early.

By the time Lerisa woke up, it was already past 10 AM.

She sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched while looking around her room before her eyes landed on the clock.

She gasped, "Oh no! I’ve slept for so long!"

Lerisa knew the church would close around 11 AM, but she didn’t want her parents to think she was sad or upset about something.

Quickly, she rushed into her bathroom, brushed her teeth, and hurriedly took a shower. Once she finished bathing, she stepped out and walked into her closet to grab a dress to wear.

She put on a brown gown, quickly styled her hair, and applied cream to her body after getting dressed.

Knowing she was already late, she slipped on a pair of flat-heeled shoes and grabbed her black handbag, where she kept her phone and car keys.

When she arrived at the Catholic church in their area, it was already 10:30 AM.

Lerisa rushed into the church hall and took a seat, listening to the holy sermon.

After the service concluded, her family was surprised to see her in church, as they had thought she was still sick, which is why they hadn’t woken her.

When Lerisa saw Anthony's parents, she felt a rush of happiness knowing that Anthony's relationship with Clara had ended. Her spirits lifted as she hurried over to greet Anthony's parents before they got into their car.

She happily greeted Mrs. Beatrice, who wore a blue suit and a black hat, along with black shoes similar to Lerisa’s.

"Good morning, ma'am," Lerisa said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Lerisa! It’s so nice to see you today. How was your night? Why didn’t you wait to wish my son a happy birthday yesterday?" Mrs. Beatrice asked.

Lerisa noticed that Anthony hadn’t arrived at the church in his Lexus.

She smiled at Anthony's mother while his father was already seated in the car.

"I’m sorry, ma'am. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I asked Martha to give Anthony the present I bought for him. Can I come see him at home? I didn’t see him around," Lerisa nervously inquired.

"Of course, my dear. You’re always welcome in our home. I have to head home now, okay? Take care of yourself," Mrs. Beatrice replied.

"Okay, ma'am," Lerisa smiled, walking back to her small red car. The car was a gift from Anthony for her 24th birthday, and she couldn’t believe she had only given him pants and boxers.

She wondered how Anthony would feel when he unwrapped her present and discovered it was men’s clothing.

"My goodness! I’m so embarrassed right now; I shouldn’t have listened to Martha’s advice," Lerisa lamented in her car as she started the engine.

Ignoring her ringing phone, she drove out of the church premises and headed straight to Anthony’s family mansion.

Feeling nervous, she arrived at the garage and parked her car.

Lerisa stepped out elegantly and walked toward the front door of the mansion, ringing the doorbell once.

+++

Anthony was standing on the balcony of his sitting room upstairs, having received numerous missed calls from Clara.

She was crying and begging for his forgiveness, wanting to meet and discuss things, but he wasn’t interested in taking her back.

Anthony wasn’t the type to easily forgive a cheater; even in his father’s company, he didn’t take chances and fired anyone who stole or defaulted in any way.

He couldn’t bring himself to forgive anyone who betrayed him. Although he acknowledged the need to forgive for his own peace of mind, he couldn’t accept the person back into his life as a friend.

As Anthony watched Lerisa arrive at his family home, he noticed how elegantly she stepped out of her car.

He recalled his mother telling him the previous night that she wanted him to date Lerisa and that she hoped he would marry her.

"Hmm, how could my mom even think that? Lerisa is like my sister; I can’t date her or kiss her... No way," Anthony shook his head as he heard the doorbell ring.

Their mansion was large, and he knew Lerisa had access to their home since she often came upstairs to see him.

Unbeknownst to Anthony, he was wearing one of the white singlet tops that Lerisa had given him as a birthday gift, paired with blue trousers. He hadn’t paid attention to what he picked out.

He had just finished taking a morning bath and having his tea before deciding to stand on the balcony and gaze at the surroundings to relax his mind.