Love is the Sunshine novel Chapter 24

Carla was about to step into the elevator, when she heard a familiar voice from behind. She froze and couldn't move.

"I told you to wait for me. Why didn't you listen to me?"

he said as he walked quickly towards her.

"Just stay away from me!"

She turned her back to him and faced the elevator not having the courage to look him in the eyes. Before she entered she said in a shaky voice, "Terence, since your grandfather has traveled all the way here to see you, so please spend more time with him and don't come to my house tonight."

She then went in the elevator and began to press the close button quickly so the door shut before he had time to join her.

"Sean and I will take care of ourselves. As for you, take care," she said just before they closed.

She felt a sense of relief when the doors shut separating her and Terence. Carla leaned against the wall feebly. It seemed like there were thousands of bees buzzing inside her head. She felt numb and confused and had trouble thinking straight.

Carla was overwhelmed with emotions.

She didn't know how to face Terence.

Terence stood silently staring at the closed elevator doors. He could have stopped her, but he thought it was best to just let it all sink in. It was a lot for her to accept all at once.

It was hard for her to bear so much in such a short time, so he let her go. Terence closed his eyes helplessly.

"Race, arrange a car for Carla and take her home. Make sure she gets home safely and wait until she is inside her home before you leave,"

Terence told his grandfather's most trusted man, Race, who followed him.

When Carla reached the bottom floor of the hotel and left the building, a Rolls-Royce limousine was waiting out the front for her.

The parking boy stood by the limousine and immediately stepped forward to open the door when he saw Carla. With white-gloved hands, he ushered her towards the limo.

"Miss Carla, this way please," he said formally.

Carla was taken aback by the formality of the situation. She stepped back frightened, she was way out of her depth. For all of her twenty years, she had never once experienced such extravagance.

"No, no, I can go back by taxi. Thank you all the same," she waved her hand as if to shoo him away. As a poor citizen, she couldn't afford such a luxury.

Race had just stepped out of the elevator and noticed Carla's reluctance to get into the limousine. He approached her and said respectfully, "Miss Carla, Mr. Terence has given them instructions to take you home safely.

Please, be compliant and allow them to drive you home. Otherwise, they will have to answer to Mr. Terence."

She understood now, that it was Terence who had given the orders. Carla sighed and got into the limousine awkwardly. She knew what it was like when Karen yelled at her for doing something wrong, so she didn't want to get the men that worked for Terence into trouble either.

Once inside, Carla sat quietly in the luxuriously leather upholstered seats. She felt intimidated by all of the pomp and extravagance that surrounded her, from the leather seats, expensive crystal wine goblets, flat-screen television, and so the list went on. Carla dared not touch anything, and she felt way out of her comfort zone. But nothing had attracted her attention, because she was too shaken and dismayed to notice.

When they had arrived at her home, the limousine pulled into the curb and the chauffeur opened the door for Carla. She got out in a daze.

Carla trudged up the stairs. The chauffeur first made sure that Carla was safely inside the building, just as Terence had instructed and then slowly drove away.

'It was a dream, just a dream. Yes, it must be my dream. It was an illusion which couldn't possibly be true.

It must be! Wake up, Carla!' she thought.

"Carla? I heard a noise from behind the door and it turns out that it was you. Why didn't you come in?" Sean said when he opened the door and saw Carla just standing there with a blank look on her face.

"By the way, where's Terence?"

he asked scratching his head and looking behind her and then down the corridor.

Carla went inside silently, with her shoulders slumped and her head down.

"Carla, why don't you answer me? Where's Terence? Aren't you two together?"

Sean followed her and kept asking questions.

Carla was becoming annoyed by his endless bombardment of questions. She gave him a cold stare, "Sean, don't mention him to me.

Not even a word. Do you hear me?"

"But why? Why can't I speak of him? Everything was fine when you left. What happened? Why didn't Terence come back with you? I want to know the truth."

Sean was unwilling to give up, so he kept persisting with his questions. Although he could tell that Carla was unhappy, he still wanted to know where Terence was.

"He's fine. He isn't coming back because he will be staying with his family. That's it!"