CHAPTER 109: WHITE LIE II
James watched his wife as she was about to get out of the car. A pang of disappointment shot through him. "No kiss or anything? Not even a goodbye?"
Diana turned back and smiled. "Thanks, darling. Goodbye."
James blinked as he watched her step out. He was tempted to get out and pull her back inside to kiss her senseless, but he held back when he saw her secretary immediately approaching.
Diana's secretary, Vanessa, was already waiting on the steps leading to the office. The moment she saw Diana get out, she rushed to take her things.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Vani, what's up? Fine, I hope?" Diana greeted cheerfully.
"Yes, I'm good. And you?" Vanessa asked.
"I'm fine," Diana replied.
"Your friends have been waiting," Vanessa informed her.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting any longer, then."
As soon as Diana walked into her office, her friends anxiously stood up, their faces etched with concern that only served to amplify her own earlier unease.
"Diana! Are you alright?" Grace, the most expressive, blurted out first, her voice laced with a motherly worry.
Valerie chimed in, "Your husband said you had a stomach ache this morning, which is why you were late."
"Do you know what might have caused it?" Monica added, her voice full of concern.
Diana raised an eyebrow, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face. James's white lie stung. "Wait, hold on, ladies." Diana held up her hands, her expression incredulous. "My husband said what?"
"He said you had a stomach ache," Sandra repeated.
'That lying bastard,' Diana thought, giving a wry smile and nodding.
She chose not to call out his lie otherwise, that would mean exposing herself too and the crazy thing they did that morning. She couldn't bare the embarrassment plus her friends might look at her differently.
"Don't worry, ladies," she said, her voice betraying a hint of impatience that surprised even her. "I'm perfectly fine. Please, let's get down to our meeting."
Leading them to a seating area, Diana launched into her plan, her voice regaining its usual strength and composure. "I think I've found a way for us to achieve our goals. It's a simple idea, but the execution will be tough and it will also require cunning and audacity. I'm talking about planning an event for the second richest actor in London."
A collective gasp filled the room. The air crackled with nervous excitement and a hint of disbelief. This was a bold move, unlike anything they had ever attempted before. "What?!" They Chorused.
Diana laughed and nodded. "Yes, it's true."
"Wait, by 'second,' do you mean the one and only Toby Champion?" Monica asked, nearly jumping out of her seat, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and exhilaration.
Diana met their gazes, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Despite the weight of the plan, a spark of excitement flickered within her. Was this the answer to the restlessness she felt?
"The one and only Toby Champion?" she confirmed, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
A squeal erupted from Monica, who practically vibrated in her seat. Diana chuckled, her amusement tinged with a hint of steel. "Monica, if your husband saw you now, what would he think?"
Monica grinned, unabashedly. "Well, our husbands have their reputations; don't you think we should have ours?"
Grace nodded. "She's got a point Diana."
"Point taken, Grace," she conceded.
"Well we still have to be careful, we don't want to attract unwanted attention" Sandra interjected albeit feeling a little ashamed at their earlier outburst.
Grace, ever the voice of reason, interjected with a sly smirk. "Speaking of unwanted attention, our husbands certainly have a way of attracting it. Don't we deserve a little excitement too?"
"Hear! Hear!" Diana responded grinning.
"How did you manage to clinch that deal?" Sandra asked, eyes wide.
"We met at an event my dad invited me to a few months back. We got to talking, and I think he had a little crush on me. A few weeks later, he offered me the contract."
Diana stood up and went to her desk drawer. She pulled out the document and displayed it proudly.
"Here it is: signed, sealed, and about to be delivered of course ," she said, beaming as she showed the contract to the girls.
They laughed and cheered as they passed the document around, examining it excitedly. Diana resumed her seat and continued.
Diana's smile widened, a conspiratorial gleam sparkling in her eyes. This audacious plan, fueled by a mix of frustration, ambition, and a yearning for something more, felt like a chance to reclaim a part of herself.