Chapter 71

Ma Cleopatra POV


Immediately I left Kharis to settle down, I headed straight to my room to change my clothes and go make dinner. I saw Chris inside, looking out through the window.

"Hey babe, is everything okay", I asked him, surprised and also curious at what was taking his attention…

"How long would Kharis Carter stay here", he asked, still looking outside.


"Is everything okay?. Are you so uncomfortable already? She hasn't been here for up to 30 minutes'', I said, laughing at how baby-like he was.

He left the window and went to bed.


"You do too much for these New York people. I hope you are happy and are not feeling inconvenienced by her presence", he said.


I gave him a stare for a long time.

"Frederick is family. You have always known that. Kharis is in Frederick's life because of me and if she didn't know him, she probably wouldn't have gotten into this mess", I said, holding my clothes in my hands.


"What mess"?, He asked and adjusted himself into the bed.


I looked to the ceiling, back to the floor, and rolled my eyes.

"Now isn't the right time to tell you, Chris. I have to make dinner", I answered, walking to the wardrobe to drop off my clothes.


"You bring a stranger into my house. Unconsciously tell me that she is in a mess and you do not want to disclose the mess she got herself into", he said.


I looked at him and didn't know what to say yet.

"What if the police come knocking on her door? What if she is a criminal"?. Chris said lots of what-ifs.


"I know her and she is certainly not a criminal", I said, in Kharis's defense.


"And how long have you known her? Is it the same as the length of time you have known the Hudsons?", He asked.


Well, that's true. I had not even known Kharis for two weeks. I only knew her based on the information she gave me. Her name, her life story, especially with her parents. What if she was actually capable of so many terrible things.


"Humm. Kharis is humm…", I didn't know how to introduce her or what to say about her.


"What mess did she get into"?Chris asked again, this time, the look on his face could prove that he was serious.


"There is a video and pictures of her all over social media. These pictures prove that she cheated on her boyfriend with his driver. Do you know who her boyfriend is"?, I asked him.


He rolled his eyes and said ", certainly not".


"Her boyfriend is Frederick. Frederick Hudson"!


"How did she even get to date Frederick? She doesn't seem like the affluent or famous kind", Chris said. And he was right.


"Kharis was his maid. On the day I was meant to come to Canada, I introduced her to Frederick as the perfect replacement for me. I think from then, they fell in love", I explained.


"Hasn't it just been almost 2 weeks since you left Canada"?, He asked.


I dragged the yes answer and looked at him, trying to figure out his question and what he was driving at.


"So, they fall in love in just a week"?, I asked.


"Hmm. I think they had met already before I introduced them", I said.

"Do you understand?", I asked him.


"So the mess she got herself into wouldn't land her or us in jail"? Chris asked.


"Don't you get it? She was the maid to a billionaire and then later became his girlfriend. Later on, she cheated on the billionaire with his driver. A sex video of her and the driver is out", I explained impatiently.


"Do you think she's innocent?" he asked me.


I thought about it for a while.

"But what if those pictures and videos are photoshopped?'' He asked me.


"Photoshopped"?

"Who would want to photoshop a video of Kharis and Lois having sex together? I asked out loud.


"Someone who is jealous of her or someone who wants to sabotage her relationship with Frederick or someone who wants to ruin Frederick", Chris answered.


I looked at him and walked to the bed. He was beginning to make a whole lot of sense.


"Who is jealous of Kharis"?.

I had no idea. Kharis had nothing. Yeah, she was pretty and smart but she didn't have anything that could trigger jealousy. Maybe, the women in Frederick's life must have been jealous that she was closer to him.


"But hold up babe, the only woman in Frederick's life right now is Ivy", I whispered.


"How are you so sure?'', He asked.


"I am very sure. She must have wanted to sabotage their relationship. Especially when some news surfaced on Instagram about Kharis switching from Frederick's maid to his girlfriend. The wedding is in two days. It's only normal for her to want to ruin their relationship so her marriage with Frederick will work out.


"It's crazy how people would go the extra mile just to be with a man. She has ruined Kharis's reputation. And if Kharis's name is not cleared those photoshopped videos and pictures will live on forever", Chris said.


I think he was beginning to be concerned. I sat thinking about everything. Was it really possible for Ivy to do such wickedness to Kharis? I know how much Frederick loved Kharis. After his first heartbreak, he steered clear of women.


When Kharis came along, all of that changed. He took care of himself more. Traveled more and smiled more often.


"I have to go make dinner", I said and kissed him on the cheek.


"Do you need help in the kitchen", he asked, biting his fingers.

.

"Stop biting your fingers", I ordered, pointing and looking at him with a frown on my face.

"And besides, I do not need any help in the kitchen", I said and shut the room door.


I walked to the kitchen and thought of the easiest dinner to make. I decided to make poutine, a Canadian traditional dish to specially welcome Kharis to Canada.


I took out all the ingredients including potatoes for the fries and other things for the brown gravy. It took me only 30 minutes to get dinner ready. I peeped into the living room and I didn't see Kharis. She wasn't down yet.


"Kharis, dinner is ready", I yelled so she could hear me. I entered the room where Chris stayed to take another bath. I didn't like smelling like a cooked meal every time I cooked in the kitchen.


The shower was quick and not too serious. I just needed the scent of fresh soap to grace my skin.

"Dinner is ready. Can you come out? I asked him.


"Of course 😊", he said.


I came out of the room and saw Kharis walking to the dining table.

"You took so long up there", I said to her.


"I was trying to arrange my clothes. I missed your food. The aroma came all the way to my room", she said and hugged me.


"Help me fix the table", I said, smiling at her.


"Of course", she answered and began arranging the plates.


"Do you have friends in New York?'' I asked her.


"Not at all. Is everything okay"?, She paused the table setup while asking.


"Yes. Everything is all good", I eased her curiosity. She went back to setting the table.


"Tell me, what happened on the last day of your stay at Frederick's house", I asked her again.


"Ookkaayy!! I prepared a dish for Frederick and wanted to take it to his office. He permitted me to bring it over. Just while I was making preparations to follow Lois, a woman showed up at the door. Her name is Ivy. She is a famous model though".


And then it hit me. Ivy had always known about Frederick's relationship with Kharis. She was always threatened by it and that is why she spoke to Frederick's mother about Kharis. No wonder Mrs. Hudson called me to send Kharis away.


"She asked about Frederick and I told her I was going to meet him at the office. I saw her move in with a piece of mini luggage. I told Frederick about the woman. I know for a fact that Frederick has been avoiding the model and I don't know why but I never bothered asking him about it", she said, standing still and just talking.


Chris came out of the room and it made Kharis keep shut.

"No, go on", I said to her.

Chris was already aware of most of the things that had gone wrong.


"I and Frederick did not go back home that day and the next day. We lodged in a big suite. The next morning, Frederick woke me up and began talking about the videos and photos. He was really mad and scary. I have never seen him like that", she said, already sobbing.


"How about we eat and continue this conversation later", Chris suggested, in a bid to clear the tension in the room.