CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: A FRIEND OR A FOE

Christy’s POV

I stared at the girl’s face in shock and it took me a few seconds to finally snap out of it.

"Kara? What are you doing here?" I asked and quickly helped her up.

Her eyes were swollen and it seemed like she had been crying for quite a while now.

"Is it really you? You look so different" she said while observing my face thoroughly.

"It’s me" I said as I pulled her into a hug.

I noticed that she has lost weight and was now a little skinny compared to a month ago.

"What happened to you?" I asked her with a worried expression and she started sobbing again.

"My...my Mom passed away" she said amidst sobs and I pulled her into a hug again.

I slowly rubbed her back until she became a little calm before pulling away from the hug.

"How did you end up here?" I asked her after sitting down on the garden bench.

"My cousin works here, I came to see her but I saw a scene of a girl crying over the boy of her dead mother and it kinda brought back memories of mine" she said while trying hard to stop her tears from spilling out.

I felt extremely sorry for her and didn’t even know what to say to console her at the moment.

"After you got Madam Collete arrested, we all lost our source of income" she said with a sigh.

It sounded like she was blaming me for her mother’s death or maybe I am the one that is reading a different meaning to her words.

"Don’t get me wrong Christy, I am not blaming you for anything. She deserved what she got" she quickly added when she noticed my silence.

"I didn’t get her arrested, she and Benjamin plotted against me, unfortunately for them, things didn’t go accordingly to their plans and that’s why they ended up in jail" I corrected and she nodded.

"Let’s not talk about Colette anymore" she said with a smile and I agreed.

I remembered the food Curtis got me and quickly opened it.

"Have something to eat first, we will talk more later" I said and handed her one of the packed food.

"Thanks" she said before quietly eating.

We ate in silence, there were a lot of questions I wanted to ask her but now didn’t seem like the appropriate time to do so.

"So, what have you been up to ever since" she asked me with an inquisitive expression.

" Well, I..."

"There are rumors of you dating a very rich man and that he was the one that got Benjamin and Celeste locked up with his connection" she said with a gossipy expression.

I stared at her face and decided to tell her the truth, she will find out sooner or later.

"My relationship with the rich guy is true, remember when I came to you to borrow an outfit for a private dance?" I asked her and she nodded excitedly.

"When I got there, he told me he likes me and would love to date me, I agreed because I had nothing to lose if he turned out to be a fraud" I narrated and she seems genuinely happy for me.

I felt guilty about not telling her about the contract but on second thought, it was better I didn’t.The fewer people that know, the better for me.

"You are so lucky...congratulations" she said while laughing excitedly.

"Thank you" I said with a slight smile.

"So, how is he like? Does he treat you well?" She asked with a curious expression.

"You know him, he was the one I slapped on our last outing with madam Collete" I revealed and her eyes opened wide in shock.

"Girl, that’s crazy. If I was in your position I would have definitely rejected his proposal. What if he only wants you to let your guard down before getting his revenge?" She asked different questions at once, she looked extremely worried.

"Nothing like that is going to happen" I assured her with a smile..

"Okay, as long as you are safe" she said with a deep sigh.

If someone has told me that one day, Kara and I will get along and have a civilized conversation, I wouldn’t have believed.

"So, what about you?" I asked her and she sighed deeply.

"After my mom’s death, I decided to move to the capital to start a new life. My cousin took me in and I have been staying with her ever since" she said and I gave her a gentle pat on the back.

Ring Ring!

Her phone suddenly started ringing and she quickly brought it out of her pocket. She picked up without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello"

"Okay, I will be there soon"

The call was very short and when she was done, she got up from the bench.

"My cousin is waiting for me outside, so I have to go now" she said to me, I hugged her and offered to escort her to the outside of the hospital but she declined.

"Give me your number, we will go out and talk properly next time" she said before pulling me into another warm hug.

I bade her farewell and she hurried away, she probably didn’t want to delay her cousin.

I sat back down on the bench with a smile. It was good to meet someone that I know. I felt much better compared to when I left Grandpa’s room earlier.

*****

Kara’s POV

I turned back one more time to look at Christy. She was smiling happily and all I felt was hatred.

I want to make sure she never smiles ever again. She is the reason my mother died.

Why does she deserve to live in luxury while I suffered?

Seeing the expensive clothes on her body and the way she was glowing made me so upset that I could hear my blood boiling.

I glance at her one more time before walking out of the hospital.

I quickly spotted the black Lexus that had brought me here earlier and got into it.

"How did it go? Did she believe you?" Mark asked as soon as I sat down.

"Of course, I told you it was a piece of cake" I replied to him with a lopsided smirk.

Mark came to me after my mother’s burial and promised to help me get my revenge on Christy.

"That’s good, now you can sabotage her and she will never be able to guess that you are the culprit" he said with an excited expression.

"Miss Celeste, has promised to reward us handsomely if we are able to create issues between the rich guy and Christy" he reminded me and I nodded.

Christy, the more miserable your life becomes, the richer I will be.