It wasn't until thirty minutes after Kelvin was done bathing and dressing up that Leila stepped into the study. Kelvin could barely focus on his work. He wasn't mad at her but he wasn't happy with her either. Mia sent those pictures. A short visit to his sister's friend revealed that. The next time that would happen, Mia would be spending some time in prison. He made that crystal clear to her before ending their conversation.
"Hey."
Kelvin didn't look up but his back was straight. "Hi."
Leila came closer to him, her hand on his shoulder felt like lead. On a different day, he might have pulled her into his lap. They seemed to take one step forward and ten steps backward. Kelvin was growing tired of it.
"What do I need to do to earn your forgiveness?"
Her question made him look up. He dropped his pen and motioned for her to sit. She dragged the swivel chair close to him, sat near enough that he could touch her if he stretched his hand.
"I'm not mad at you, Leila."
Longing flickered through him when she pursed her lips. If he had let things go, they would have had sex. She tried to use sex to against him. It almost made him laugh. Bad move. Self-control and discipline were the reasons he didn't have a long list of baby mamas.
Women were always trying to latch onto him because of his wealth. Most of them had nothing to offer but sex. When he would have sex with his wife, it had to be because she trusted him enough with her body, not because she was hoping to get something out of it.
"You are." She swiped her hands over her knees. She had changed into something more decent and less revealing. He preferred her in that lingerie but oh well. "You are not being nice to me. Just tell me what to do. I don't like this."
"This what?" he asked. Leila's hand swept over the room and her shoulders sagged with defeat. "Why did you ask me to leave the room?"
Kelvin had been worried. A lot of worse case scenarios played in his mind, what if she had injured herself? He had a meeting in an hour's time but his thoughts were about her. If she took her phone into the bathroom, he would have assumed she went in to make a call.
His wife swayed lightly in the seat. "My period came," she whispered. Kelvin nearly laughed at how quiet she became. He had two sisters so he knew enough about periods. Madonna used to cramp a lot. Did she cramp too? She looked okay to him. "Now, please tell me what I can do to make you not so mad at me? Please."
One thing Kelvin had come to realise about Leila was her stubbornness. She might act shy but she could be rigid. He didn't need her to do anything. All he wanted from her was a little space to forget those horrible labels. Granted, he had not forgotten them. Heck, he could never forget them but he was no longer upset at the sight of her. Her presence didn't remind him of those words. But he was having a hard time because he didn't know if he could count on her in the future. She didn't have his back like he did when Samantha was involved. Leila failed him.
The lines embedded on Leila's forehead was the reason he said, "Fine. Write 'I'm sorry' one thousand times."
"Okay."
Okay? Kelvin expected an argument from her. An argument he hoped would lead to him letting her realise a punishment wasn't necessary. He was cool with her.
Kelvin jumped to his feet but she was already at the door. "I was kidding." Scribbling was a silly punishment his parents used to enforce on them as kids. "Leila, I don't need you to do that."
She closed the door on him and his shoulders fell in resignation.
Stubborn woman. He smiled thinking of her. What happened to her after all those years? Kelvin grabbed his ringing phone from the desk. His assistant was calling.
"Yes?" He grunted into the call. "Have you done it?"
The silence from the other end told him more than he wanted to know. Kelvin had asked his assistant to inform the other sponsors they would be continuing the Stars Glow project without Charles Black. He was convinced whatever upset Leila had to do with Charles.
"They are refusing to move forward without him, Sir."
Kelvin scoffed. They couldn't be serious. He massaged his forehead and sighed. They left him no choice. No matter the state of things between them, Leila would always come first. "Stars Glow will move forward without them."
"Sir?"
"Did I stutter the first time?"
"No, Sir."
He walked the length and breadth of the study, the wheels in his head doing a 180 turn. Amara's silence was louder than his thoughts and her worries seeped into him. The implication of this decision might cause a rift between him and Charles but he would be fine. They were not the closest cousins anyway.
"What are you thinking?" he asked his assistant.
Amara paused. Kelvin knew immediately he wouldn't like what she had to say but he needed to hear it. His assistant was the best at her job.
"If word gets out that we lost the investors of this project, it might be difficult for us to get other partners in the future." Kelvin stopped pacing, he opened the curtains and basked in the sight outside. Flowers lined the sides of the complex opposite theirs, two pots of flowers stood at the entrance. He hadn't gifted his wife flowers in days. That was how much her words upset him. "It will be a big dent on our reputation, Sir."
She had a fair point, a very good point but Leila was involved. The only two times he had seen her scared was the day they had the meeting with the investors and that afternoon at the restaurant. In both cases, one person was present. Charles Black. Something wasn't right and the lack of information was frustrating him.
"Are you asking me to risk my wife's wellbeing?" His comeback was irrational. He paid his assistant to think logically and she was doing that right now. But since it concerned Leila, emotions beat logic. He continued to the door of the study, opened it. "For the company?"
"No, Sir."
The corridor was empty, he closed the door without stepping out and returned to his seat. He didn't want Leila to know about this. Stars Glow made her happy. He wanted her to be happy. To be the biggest reason she smiled.
"If Charles Black makes her uncomfortable, then we don't need him. If the other investors are not fine with that, cancel them. I'll handle the project's finances and we will figure out something for the future."
"Okay, Sir."
"One more thing, Amara." He hit a random key on his keyboard, nervous to make his request. "Do all women cramp during their period?" He blushed when the other end of the phone went silent. This was unchartered territory for him and his assistant. "Amara? Are you there?"
"Yes, Sir." He nodded. "Not all women cramp. It's different for every woman. Will that be all, Sir?"
"No." Kelvin's cheeks were pinker now. He closed his eyes like it would make the words easier to come out. "I need a heating pad delivered to the house." It was something Madonna always used to help with her cramps. In case Leila cramped, he wanted to be there for her and also prepared. "The meeting, adjourn it."
Kelvin ended the call before his assistant could utter a word. They had been preparing for this meeting for months. He would regret moving it but he would regret leaving Leila alone more. He stalked to their room to check on her and his lips moved into a frown.
"What are you doing?"
Leila was bent over the vanity, furiously scribbling on a sheet. He snatched the pen from her and she pouted. On the note were the words he jokingly asked her to write. Kelvin's heart melted at the silly gesture.
"I told you not to do that," he said, tone devoid of emotion.
Leila collected the pen from him but she didn't continue writing. "I know. I wanted to. I'm really sorry."
His fingers ran through her hair. "It's fine," he replied. Another heavy sigh from her echoed in the room, she wrapped her arms around her belly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Kelvin could tell she was lying. They stayed there for minutes without speaking to each other. The doorbell rang and Kelvin's eyes narrowed at his wife. He excused himself. The delivery guy was about to ring the bell again when Kelvin opened the door. They showed up faster than he expected.
"I have a package for Mr Kelvin McKenna?"
"That's me."
The guy pushed a notepad to him. "Sign here. And here."
Kelvin did as instructed. The door closed after he accepted his package and he leaned against it. His heart was beating too fast. He was making Leila the centre of his life but could she do the same for him?