21. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARIAN.

Thelma waltzed into Darian's office with sluggish gaits, she donned a long red skirt that stopped after her knees, a shirt that fully covered her chest and there was a blazer hanging on her shoulders.

"Good morning, sir." She greeted, scoffing as she gaped at Darian who had his head buried in a file.

"Thelma, have your seat." He motioned to the chair before him. "Have you seen the proposal of Derrick's Firm?" He asked her.

"Yes, I have and I have gone through it too." She affirmed, trying as much as possible to avoid his gaze. He had been mean to her since the day he warned her about her revealing dresses. She had tried to seduce him into sleeping with her like he used to do, but her efforts had been futile and she wondered what kind of woman his wife was that he chose to remain faithful to her.

"What's your take on them?" He demanded, ruffling the papers in his hands. "Good or bad?" He stared at her.

"They've been existing for twelve years now and they'd transacted with big firms," she dropped the tab in her hand on the table and leaned forward. "They've done many transactions with big companies and those transactions have been successful, their staff are trustworthy and very intelligent, and they offer a good customer relationship…" She paused and looked at him.

"Go on," He nudged her with his head. "What else?" He scrunched up his face like he wasn't impressed with everything she had listed before. "Do they have more?"

"Yes, they do. They won the Tesla stock bid last year." She read out from the tablet.

"What? The one we couldn't get?" He asked her, surprised.

"Yes, the one we lost. The company won it but chose to remain anonymous." Thelma explained. "You might ask how I got to know this," she stared up and their eyes met. Darian blinked his eyes, quickly staring away. Thelma smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Let's just say that I have my way of knowing things." She put it simply and leaned back on the armchair.

"I know you do. So, let's sign the contract with them. They are good ones and partnering with them will yield our company more profits." He finalized.

Thelma nodded her head, noting his decision. She penned it down and looked up at him.

"Happy birthday to you, Darian." She smiled at him. "You won't get mad at me, will you?"

Darian stared at her, reminiscing back to how she was always the only one who knew about his birthday in the company. She always made herself available after work, took her to the club, and spent the night with him.

He looked at her, guilt eating deep in his insides. She had always tried to make him happy but all he did was disregard her, not recognizing her efforts.

"Thelma," he called her name swiftly and firmly.

"Darian," she smiled.

"Thank you," he said in a gentle voice. "I see all that you do but I want you to know that I am married now and…"

"Darian, I am not asking that you cheat on your wife. Maybe I was just one of your regular flings who thought something more could happen between us." She said with a shrug. "Yes, I was stupid to think there would ever be something more with you. I knew well that you don't date women but I still made myself available for you whenever you needed someone to sleep with." She smiled, twirling the pen in her fingers.

"And now, do you regret it?" He asked, wondering why he was concerned about how she felt.

"I don't, the times I spent with you were the best moments of my life and I won't deny that, but, I am curious." She narrowed her eyes down on him, and they gazed at each other for a split second.

"About what?" He questioned her.

"The woman you married, how did she manage to capture and melt your stony heart?"

"She didn't capture my heart but sometimes, some things have to be done." He looked away, his mind drifting to Lena. He had no idea why he asked her father for her hand in marriage instead of the money he owed him. He tried hard to wrap his head around what made her special but he couldn't get a hold of something. Perhaps, it was her stubbornness since the first day he met her on the road. He chuckled lightly. "And maybe I am just doing one of the things that need to be done." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"You should treat her well, Darian. Don't be so cold to her the way you are to me and some other ladies I have seen you with." Thelma smiled again. "I think I should stop boring you with my talks." She picked the file on the table and straightened up. "I will look into the company's proposal thoroughly and make sure we don't have a reason to regret working with them."

"Yeah, you should do that and get back to me as soon as possible."

"I will," she edged toward the door but Darian called her back. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "Is there something else you want me to do for you?" She asked.

"Yeah, I want you to accept my thank you." He emphasized.

Thelma smiled, Darian's face was handsome, and staring at him always sent her senses amuck. But too bad he now belonged to someone else and she didn't matter to him anymore. She nodded her head and waved at him.

"Have a nice day." With that said, she dashed out of his office.

Darian shook his head when Thelma was out, he clamped his hands above his head, and thoughts of Lena crept into his mind. He smiled, wondering if she knew today was his birthday, but a scowl quickly replaced the smile when he remembered he didn't tell her about it, and he hardly told her things about himself. He flared up whenever she asked him questions. Sometimes he wanted to give her answers but he didn't want her to see him as weak, he was strong and would always be even when he was dying inside to talk to someone about how he felt.

-

-

"Is there any news from the Dawson family in Dallas?" Darian asked Jay as they walked into his mansion.

"Not something to bother about, they need new weapons and I have made arrangements for some to be sent over," Jay responded, the hefty bodyguards who stood at the entrance bowed their heads to acknowledge Darian's presence. 

"Good," he walked into the foyer with Jay. "Why are the lights out?" He queried as he tried to trail his steps into the living room. 

Jay stayed back, finding the switch to flip it on but the lights came again before he could find it.

Lena and Tina were standing in front of him.

"Welcome home," Lena said in a sing-song voice, "And Happy birthday to you," she smiled, wiggling the cake in her hands in front of him. Darian sighed, "Guess I suck at surprises," Lena smiled. She looked at Jay and quickly dropped the cake on the table. She went back to where Darian was standing, took his hands, and led him into the living room. "Today is your birthday and you are not allowed to have a scowl on that face." She looked at him with so much admiration in her eyes.

Jay and Tina exchanged a knowing glance; Darian had never celebrated his birthday since they'd been working for him. On one of his previous birthdays, Tina once asked if he'd like something special to be prepared but he had declined and told her never to talk about it anymore.

"Now blow off the lights," Lena clapped her hands eagerly. "Wait, you will make a wish before you do that. Do you know how these things work?" She sat him down and took his hand. "You will make a wish after which you will blow out the candles and cut the cake." She explained. Darian nodded his head, Lena smiled, thankful he was also in a good mood because there was no scowl on his face and he looked brighter.

She had planned a surprise since Tina told her about his birthday three days ago. She had wanted to ignore it and not make it special because she was still mad at him and was trying to keep her promises to Lisa. But she couldn't ignore the fact that it was her husband's birthday. He might be the coldest human she'd met but he was still her husband and he deserved to be happy on his birthday.

"Now close your eyes and make a wish," Lena said, handling the small knife in her hands. Darian looked at her, "Please, just do it." She begged.

He closed his eyes briefly, opened them back, and looked at Lena. "What next?" He asked.

"Tina, Jay, and I will sing for you while you cut the cake." She responded. 

"No, I am not doing this." Darian shook his head, feeling like a small boy under Lena's care. "Why would you sing for me?" He queried, his eyes squinting.

"Because it's your birthday," Lena sighed, rubbing her forehead in worry. 

"I'm not a kid," Darian stated.

"Oh my God," Lena snatched the knife and grabbed his hand. "Happy birthday to you," she said in a hurried tone and cut the cake. She already told Tina to snap photos of them while cutting the cake and the camera was already set when she held Darian's hand. "Now, you will eat from the cake." She cut it in half and held it up. "Ah," she said, Darian mimicked and she shoved the cake into his mouth. 

Her hand lingered on his mouth, they gazed deeply at each other. She had never fed him, that was her first time and the feeling was electrifying. 

Jay and Tina looked away with sly smiles masking their faces.

"I should freshen up and get some rest." Darian got off the couch.

Lena bowed her head, she hated the awkwardness between them now. "No, you will rest after we finish for the day." She said, smiling.

"Is there something else that I have to do?" He asked, impatience laced in his voice. He didn't understand why he was being obedient to her, but he knew well that Lena would not give up until he did whatever she wanted him to do. 

"Yes, Tina and I prepared an amazing dinner for you. I came back very early from the Casino, Amy let me off easily when I told her today is your birthday." Lena cut the cake and shoved it in her mouth.

"You told her?" Darian narrowed his eyes at her.

"I had to, she wasn't letting me off the hook easily and I had to come to cook for you," Lena whined. "Now, go in and take a bath after which you will come back to the dining room and eat the food we made for you." 

"Is there something else after that?" Darian looked at his wife; she was beautiful and innocent. He felt horrible for always treating her like she was some stranger. Maybe she was a stranger to him, but he felt he wanted to know her better. She did things that made him want to know her more.

"Movie night!" She squealed. "Jay, Tina, and the other bodyguards will join us for the dinner. Do you consent to that?"

"The bodyguards have to look after the house," Darian said in a tired voice of disapproval.

"Then I will serve them the food myself," Lena noted mentally. Darian didn't argue with her, he let her do it.

Jay went back outside while Tina resumed to the kitchen.

"What movie night are you talking about?" He slowly grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to his chest.

"We will see a movie together tonight. What kind of movies do you watch?" She asked him, trying so hard to avoid his gaze that was burning her.

"I don't watch movies," he tucked in a strand of hair behind her ear. "How did you know today is my birthday?"

"Tina told me. Don't blame her though, I asked her things about you since you refused to tell me yourself." She said.

He let go of her and looked away. "So, why?"

"Why what?" Lena was confused.

"Why did you do all these for me?"

"Because you are my husband, Darian. Even though you are stone cold, you are human and you deserve happiness too." She replied swiftly, staring intently into his bloodshot eyes. She tried to read what those eyes held but she saw nothing. She sighed and took his hands in hers. "You should go in, have your bath and come out for dinner." 

"I will," Darian said sharply; he couldn't hesitate, that woman was doing more than he could take. The more he tried to drift away from her, the more she came closer and he wanted her more.

"I will be back." He pulled Lena into a tight embrace, kissed her forehead, and hurried into the room. He couldn't resist the charms her eyes held when she stared at him and said those words that melted his heart.

Lena fell on the couch, running her fingers on the part Darian kissed on her forehead. The things he did to her were unexplainable and as much as she loathed to be with him she couldn't stop yearning for him, his touch, his gazes at her, and the light kisses on her forehead. She wanted him more.

Faithy💓