Village Girl And The CEO

Chapter 10

Sharon left the house earlier, and when she returned, she found Patrick with some business visitors. Some of them were close friends, and they were all discussing and laughing.

“Good evening, everyone,” Sharon greeted as she walked past them toward her room. Patrick couldn't ask her about where she had been the previous night. He let it slide because he wasn't in the mood to confront her.

After seeing off his friends and business partners, Patrick decided to rest in his room. Just as he stepped into the parlor and made his way down the corridor to their rooms, Sharon emerged from her room and stopped him.

“Brother, what happened between you and Tina last night while I was away?” Sharon asked. Patrick paused but remained silent as he turned to face her. Sharon continued, “I just want to know what happened between you and that yellow wench.”

“Yellow wench?” Patrick frowned at her, meeting her questioning gaze. He replied coldly, “Nothing happened.”

“Really? You say nothing happened? Oh my! Please, that's a lie! I saw fresh blood stains on your bedsheet this morning when I went into your room to see for myself. You broke her virginity—how did you do it?”

“Shut up! And don’t ever say that nonsense again!” Patrick cut Sharon off and walked away angrily. Sharon gulped down everything she had wanted to say and exclaimed, “He just told me to shut up, really?” She smirked and returned to her room.

Patrick couldn’t believe his sister saw the dried stain on the mattress and already knew what had transpired between him and Tina. He murmured, “What was Sharon doing in my room? Oh! I forgot to lock the door because I rushed out to catch up with Tina.”

Shaking his head sadly, Patrick walked to his bed and sat down. He had already changed the bedspread and then fell asleep.

Mama Tina returned home from the market with Jude, and they sat in the parlor discussing as they enjoyed dinner together. After dinner, Mama Tina called Tina to join her and shared stories about what had happened earlier at the market. However, she noticed that Tina wasn’t responding as she usually did—Tina seemed quiet and struggled to laugh, even when her two brothers laughed loudly while recounting their market experiences. Tina forced a smile but remained unhappy.

Mama Tina sighed, unhappy with Tina's silence. She asked, “Tina, why aren’t you laughing with us? Are you still thinking about where you went to enjoy yourself last night, leaving us all worried?”

Mama Tina laughed, but Tina quietly shook her head, unable to speak. “Well, since you won't tell us where you went to spend the night, we've decided to share our news with you." Mama Tina laughed again, and Tina could only manage a weak smile.

Richmond then spoke up, “Mom, I’ve told you to come and officially register me so I can learn Alex father's craft.”

“Hmph. I will see him, my son. But you know the apprenticeship program with Alex's father costs a lot, and I can’t afford it right now. Besides, you're still young and going to school. You have plenty of time to learn. Don’t worry; I will register you later, okay? Try to understand.”

“Okay, Mom,” Richmond replied softly, and Mama Tina added, “Good. First, focus on your studies. Once you finish high school, we can gather enough money to send you through the apprenticeship program. By then, you won’t be distracted like you are now while still in school.” Mama Tina explained, noticing Richmond’s frown.

“Okay, Mom,” Richmond finally agreed. Mama Tina said, “Fine, go inside with your brother and sleep; it’s already late.” She dismissed Richmond and sleepy Jude. Mama Tina checked on them as they went inside, finding them peacefully asleep on their bed.

Sighing, Mama Tina returned to the parlor to check on Tina. “Tina, are you sure you’re okay? Is something troubling you? You don’t seem happy. What’s wrong?”

Mama Tina stepped closer to Tina and touched her face and neck to check her temperature, but Tina quickly responded, “Nothing, Mom. I’m fine.”

“Hmmm…” Mama Tina sighed, still not convinced. She said, “Alright. Go check if the parlor door is locked properly, then come inside to sleep.”

“Okay, Mom,” Tina replied, standing up from the parlor couch to lock the door. As Mama Tina sighed, she decided to let the matter go since Tina had refused to talk about it. They both returned to their room to sleep on the large bed they shared.

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A few months later, while Mama Tina was attending to customers in the market, a fine young man parked his car along the other side of the road. He got out and walked up to her stall.

Patrick had often passed by, hoping to see Tina again, especially when visiting his parents in the village. However, he hadn’t seen her since that night, and he couldn’t bear to pass by without stopping. He pretended to want to buy some fruits from Mama Tina just to inquire about Tina's whereabouts and how she was doing.

After parking his car, Patrick waited a moment before stepping down and walking over to Mama Tina's stall to greet her.

“Good afternoon, ma,” Patrick said, standing in front of Mama Tina's stall. Mama Tina paused from arranging the fruits and replied, “Welcome, sir. What would you like to buy?”

Patrick hesitated as he looked at the fruits and asked, “How much are these?”

“100 cash,” Mama Tina replied. Patrick bought a few fruits as Mama Tina packaged them. Sensing an opportunity, he asked, “Excuse me, ma, what happened to that fair-skinned, pretty lady who used to help you here? I assume she's your daughter, right? I haven't seen her around; I hope she's fine.”

Mama Tina looked at Patrick, smiling as she replied, “Yes, she’s my daughter, and she's fine. She's preparing for her senior school scholarship exams to earn a free university scholarship for the course of her choice, as she’s among the best graduating students. I advised her not to come to the market anymore so she could stay home and study. That’s why she hasn’t been coming with me.”

“Oh!” Patrick exclaimed, surprised and pleased to hear that Tina was excelling in her studies. He smiled back at Mama Tina, saying, “That’s great, ma. I was just curious about how she was doing.”

“Okay,” Mama Tina replied as Patrick completed his purchase and left.

A few days later, Tina had just finished her last exam paper when she felt a wave of nausea, as if she was going to vomit. She quickly submitted her last answer sheet and dashed out of the exam hall, heading straight to the school restroom to vomit all the food she had eaten that morning.

This marked the third time Tina had thrown up that week. After washing her face with tap water, she left, bid farewell to her teachers, and awaited the school scholarship results.

On her way home, Tina spotted Prisca and some other girls from the neighborhood laughing and chatting loudly, seemingly making jokes at her expense. Ignoring them, she walked past quickly, but one girl shouted, “Pretender!”

Tina didn’t stop or respond. She had cut ties with Prisca after their falling out on the night of the incident and the following morning’s confrontation.

Avoiding Prisca like the plague, Tina had learned from another classmate that Prisca had told many of their peers and anyone who would listen that Tina had been deflowered and was no longer the “Holy Mary” they once knew. According to Prisca, “Tina had slept with a man,” and she claimed to know the man responsible.

Some classmates believed Prisca, while others did not. They speculated that Prisca was simply trying to tarnish Tina’s reputation out of jealousy since they hadn’t spoken since the incident.

When Tina got home, she felt exhausted and fell asleep without removing her uniform. When she woke up, it was already evening, and Mama Tina had returned.

Entering the parlor, Mama Tina was surprised to find Tina still in her school uniform. "Good evening, Tina," she said.

“Good evening, Mom,” Tina replied.

“Why are you still in your uniform? Did school just end, or did you go somewhere else?” Mama Tina inquired, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“No, Mom. I was just tired and fell asleep without knowing it,” Tina explained, yawning and stretching.

“Hmmm,” Mama Tina sighed, still skeptical. “How did your exams go? I hope you did well.”

“Yes, Mom, I did. But I think I’m not feeling well. I vomited at school today and a few times this week,” Tina admitted.

Mama Tina stared at her and asked, “Are you sure? Or could it just be malaria? I pray you pass the scholarship exam and win it.”

Mama Tina smiled at Tina, then left for the kitchen in the backyard to prepare dinner before nightfall.