Chapter 9

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months.

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Daniel was making a lot of preparations while his friend sent invitations across. The surprise party was going to take place in the great Hall of Calendar. The hall was massive and grand, big in size. Whitney's birthday was around the corner but she seemed less interested in celebrating it. She did not even bother to inform anyone about it, well that was how she had always celebrated her birthday. A day off from work, alone in her house, eating and drinking whatever was available and wishing her self many more birthday celebrations in loneliness and sorrow. Most times she would use that opportunity to go to the orphanage where she had grown up in to share gifts and money among themselves. Then she would cut her cake in their presence and they would all enjoy it. This time around she had already concluded that her birthday wasn't going to be special. One cool thing about Whitney was that even though she had a rich boyfriend, she wasn't expecting anything from him.

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Whitney'sphone rang, she pulled out her phone, stared at the phone to see who the caller was before accepting the call.

"Hey Daniel."

"Good morning love," Daniel greeted in a romantic tone. "Will you be free throughout this.."

"Sorry, I forgot to wish you a happy New year," Whitney interrupted him in a bit of haste.

"You should not be sorry, I too had forgotten to wish you a happy New year," Daniel replied.

"Happy new year my darling boyfriend," she romantically let those words out of her mouth.

"I wish you the very best my darling girlfriend and my love."

"You were asking me something earlier on, what was it?"

"Yes true. I wanted to ask if you would be free throughout the week?" He asked, crossing his fingers and hoping she was going to give him a positive answer.

Whitney released a sigh. "This week will be a pretty busy one for me. Remember it is a new year and so I have to be at the bar, organizing things. Apart from that I also need to visit some places like the orphanage home. I have to do my new year cleaning in my new apartment and I have to go shopping for new groceries. These and many more, there a lot of things I have to do that I didn't mention."

Daniel breathed out the air he had been holding in for long, "you mean you are going to do all these?"

Whitney frowned her face, "not like I have a choice, if I did have an option, trust me I would go for the latter."

"Okay fine. Take care, I will come around," Daniel rushed his words as if someone was forcing him to say them. "Bye for now," he told her and hung up immediately.

"Clinton, hope you can see for yourself, she acts all might every time, pretending like I don't exist," Daniel's eyes was squinting in anger.

"Calm down Dan but come to think of it, today is Sunday and her birthday is coming up on the Friday of this week. Was she not the one that told you about her upcoming birthday?" Clinton asked in a surprised tone.

"She didn't, I don't even think she remembers.. I got the information from her manager.

"Ohh I see, you have a workaholic as a girlfriend, that's so sweet."

"Enough of your nonsense talks, what's sweet about having a workaholic girlfriend?"

"I don't want to argue with you, so I'm letting this topic off. Why not call her and ask her if she will be free on Friday," Clinton suggested.

"No," Daniel rejected, he didn't like the idea.

"Why?"

"I do not want her to feel too important. She might just get stuck with the idea that I'm way too interested in her."

"I thought you wanted to make her fall deep for you.. So why are you complaining? This type of things are what would help you achieve your goals," Clinton advised, widely using Daniel's strategy to convince him.

"She loves me already."

"Yes she loves you but she doesn't love you enough to give you time in her life."

"Shut up, she's just a work maniac."

"Stop with your unnecessary argument and just give her a call," Clinton spoke to him, "and ask her if she will be free the day after Thursday, so it won't arouse any suspicions."

Daniel looked at his phone and then at Clint, then he squeaked, "fine."

He dialed her number, "hey Whitney," he spoke up, immediately the call was answered.

"Yes, is there any problem?" Whitney's melodious voice asked. "Did you forget to tell me something?" She added with another question.

"Yes," Daniel replied, his eyes solely on Clinton.

"Go on, ask her," Clinton murmured and gesturing with his hand. 

"Ehem," Daniel cleared his throat. "Will you be free the day after Thursday?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because I will be free on that day and I would love to spend it with you," Daniel replied her hastily.

"Well," Whitney spoke in a worried tone, "no. I will be visiting a lot of places on that day but if you are free on that day, you could hang out with friends, I don't really need to be with you, right?"

"Yeah," Daniel answered her without thinking.

"No," Clinton corrected him.

"I meant no, you are my girlfriend, I want to spend that day with you."

"Em," Whitney said thinking of what to tell him. "That day is..

Daniel did not let her finish whatever she wanted to say, "if you feel that your work is way more important than I am, I won't mind at all, what I'm trying to say is, if that day will be pretty occupied for you, then don't bother coming, maybe some other day would work out for us."

"Daniel, I just wanted to tell you that I will be going over to the orphanage to celebrate with the kids on Friday," Whitney tried to justify herself.

"I would really love to see you on Friday, why not go over to the orphanage on Thursday? It will not affect much if you rescheduled for my sake, I am your boyfriend after all."

"You mean a lot to me Daniel and I am sorry for giving you petty excuses. Since you want to spend time with me on Friday, I will cancel every other thing. You and I are going to spend quality time together," Whitney realized that declining him was a bit selfish, so she changed her mind and assured him that she was going to go out with him.

"I feel satisfied hearing all this from you and I hope you are not mad at me for ruining in your plans?" Daniel asked her.

"No, I am not upset. You are the person that should be angry and not me, you always put in effort to make me happy and I on the other hand, always tries to screw it up. I am sorry Dan," Whitney apologized.

"You do not have to be sorry for anything, to me you are never wrong," Daniel lied in gritted teeth, only Clinton could see the anger in his face.

Clinton was looking at the reactions on Daniel's face and listening to the choice of words he was using to impress Whitney, all the drama made him to almost choke in laughter.

"Okay, I have to go now, see you soon." 

"Yeah, till Friday."

"Whitney do not forget to put on a beautiful dress," Daniel added and after which he cut the call.

"For your sake I will dress beautifully," Whitney muttered to herself, clinging her cell phone to her chest and blushing non stop.

She had refused to go out with Daniel because she was tryna play hard to get, I guess.

Clinton laughed out, he had been holding himself from laughing all through but as soon as the call went off, he laughed out his lung.

"Why are you laughing, what's so funny?" Daniel asked him in anger.

 "Take a good look at your face." Clinton replied.

"Why, what is wrong with my face?" Daniel asked him.

"You look like a love sick puppy," Clinton continued to laugh but softly this time around.

"Hey man, just accept that you have fallen for that beauty," Clinton added, causing the anger in Daniel to boil the more.

"Stop deceiving yourself Clinton," Daniel shouted.

"You know that was all an act, I don't blame you for thinking I meant those words, I am a professional actor anyways."

"Who are you trying to convince, your self or me?" Clinton continued to anger his friend.

"Lie to yourself all you want, very soon I will prove to you just how much I hate that slut."

"Take it easy bro, she is not a slut."

"I do not care to know."

"Daniel seeing how far you are going with this plan of yours, I do not think anything or anyone is going to make you change your mind," Clinton voiced out, then cleared his throat.

"So what is your point?"  

"That I am heartless," Daniel rhetorically answered his own question.

"Not really. If your dad decided to will you all of his inheritance without letting you go through with the condition of getting a wife, will you stop this madness?" Clinton asked him, desperately thinking of a way to help the woman whom his friend was trying to ruin.

"Yes I guess," clearly, guilty could be seen in his eyes.

"Wow Daniel. Your eyes tells me that you have really fallen head over hills for this girl," Clinton snapped.

"I understand that you are still in your wonderland but I am going to do you a favor, by waking you up from your slumber. That girl will be the last person on Earth I will ever want to fall in love with. I hate to see her, for someone who acted so highly of herself, I never knew my money could tame her so easily. She is so cheap," Daniel retorted, in a offensive tone.

"Has she ever allowed you to touch her sexually, even now that you both are in a relationship? Has she ever initiated a kiss to you?"

"No."

"So why are you calling her cheap and a slut. Your money was not what shut her up, it was your love or rather you fake love. Can't you see how she tries her best to make you feel happy?"

"Why do I have this feeling that you are the one that is so madly in love with Whitney.." Daniel paused.. "if you really love her, I don't mind at all, just be patient and soon I will done with her for good," Daniel snarled.

"I do not care about your allegations on me, all you have to know is that I will at her doorstep, waiting to take her in my arms, the day you throw her out of your life."

"Like I said, I do not mind at all. I promise you that I will divorce her immediately the property is transferred into my name. Do not worry," Daniel spoke wryly to him.

"You are such a stubborn, dick head. All I can say to you is that in eleven months time, I will be hanging around your neck, forcing you to divorce her and also remember that you will always remain restless, whenever you remember how you ruined the life of an innocent girl," Clinton clearly stated.

"I will keep to my words, that girl means nothing to me. If I could never have felt any positive feelings for my mom, why would I love a wrench like her?"

"Because that wrench is different and deserves to be showered with love," Clinton answered back.

"Listen Dan, I do not want to sound like an enemy but I am your friend and I can't stand and watch you ruin your life. That girl is your destiny."

"No you listen up Clint, if you weren't my best friend, I would not have wasted any time in digging my fist into your face. So just stay within your limits and respect the fact that we have been friends for ages," Daniel spoke out in a provoked tone.

"Alright I have heard all you said but by next year if you there think of getting her back into your life, when she has already become mine, then you can forget about us being best of friends. I mean every single word of what I just said," Clinton clearly stated to him, then he stood up.

"I think it is time to leave, we would not want things to escalate."

He walked to the door, as he was about to leave, Daniel called out to him.

"Clinton!" Daniel called out his name, "sorry bro, I did not mean to take things too far and I am sorry for talking to you in that manner."

"Are you for real?" Clinton asked, walking back to him.

"I am, we are best friends and we should not be fighting over a girl who we just met last year?" Daniel tried to reason to him. Inwardly his anger for Whitney drastically increased, yet again she was the reason he was arguing with his best friend.

"You are to blame for all of it. If you had not decided to use her as a pawn or if you had not decided to take things too far, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We would be somewhere lavishing our selves with drinks and chilling as usual. I am just glad about one thing, you haven't broken any heart for the past two months now."

Daniel let out a low laugh, "well I will begin my operation break girl's heart when I have successfully taken over my dad's properties."

Clinton laughed out, "you will never change man."

Daniel sneered at him, "why would I change?

They both laughed and drank till the curtain drew.