Chapter 67: Ladyboy.
From the scent of the person who was behind, Charles could tell that it was none other than Augustine Wales.
’What the hell!’ Charles thought, biting down on his lower lip. "Augustine, Freda is behind us," Charles mumbled, his teeth clenched, his heart racing.
Charles felt a wave of uncertainty, pondering on how he would have to explain the situation to Freda and he was extremely scared of how Freda would react.
Augustine who had heard the mumbled word of Charles instantly swallowed his saliva hard while taking in a deep breath.
Augustine wore a face cap on his head, and his office attire consisted of a sharp black suit paired with black trousers.
Beneath the suit, a crisp white long-sleeve shirt added to the formal look.
"What am I going to do?" Charles was being questioned by Augustine in a low voice that was barely above a whisper.
"Hey, Charles, do you know him?" Freda asked, her voice tinged with confusion as she tried to make sense of the situation.
The mysterious stranger had his back turned to her.
She wanted to make sure Charles wasn’t being hugged by a random stranger, but by someone he was actually familiar with.
Charles opened his mouth to speak but they shivered in fright, scared of allowing gibberish to roll out of his mouth.
Freda sighed, her frustration palpable as she took several determined steps toward Charles and Augustine, her gaze fixed on the two of them standing there in silence.
Without missing a beat, she slammed her fist into Augustine’s back, causing him to flinch.
"You! Do you know my friend?" she demanded, her voice cold and sharp, each word cutting through the air.
Her other hand was clenched into a fist, hovering in the air, ready to strike at the man in front of her if he said anything she didn’t like.
"Umm... umm," Augustine purred as he tried to clear his throat. "Hello, sorry I mistook your friend for someone else," Augustine said, his voice adopting a higher, more feminine tone.
He sounded like a lady with deep voice.
Freda blinked rapidly for some seconds.
’What a strange deep voice.’ She thought to herself.
"Well, since you mistook my friend for someone else, can I at least see your face?" She questioned, wanting to make sure the person in front of her doesn’t seem suspicious.
Charles who was still immobile began to panic even more.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to turn around and face Freda.
Charles could feel his heart racing as he inhaled and exhaled sharply, trying to calm his nerves. "I... I don’t think he is a bad guy," he stuttered, his voice trailing off as he glanced at Augustine.
Augustine’s eyes were cast down, his posture tense, and his fingers fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, betraying his unease.
Augustine’s jaw clenched as he suppressed the frustration bubbling inside him.
He hate the fact that he was pretending that he doesn’t know Charles, but he knew it was for the best—for now.
The thought of keeping their connection hidden gnawed at him, but he wasn’t ready to reveal everything.
’I need to be sure,’ Augustine mused, his eyes closing momentarily. ’I need to know if Charles has feelings for me before taking things any further.’
Freda’s suspicion deepened as she eyed Augustine closely. "Charles, remember how you warned me about bad people lurking around here?" she began, her voice colder than before. "I don’t know what to think anymore, but this guy—he doesn’t feel right."
She paused, her eyes narrowing. "Or are you some woman pretending to be a man?" Freda added, the thought suddenly striking her.
Freda recalled how his voice had a strange blend of masculine and feminine undertones, making her even more confused.
Augustine scoffed, shaking his head sideways as he opened his eyes. "I... I already told you that I mistook Charles for someone else," he said, his voice trying to sound more ladylike, though it still carried a deeper, masculine undertone that didn’t go unnoticed.
Despite his best effort to soften his tone, Freda could still catch the hint of a deep muscular voice.
"Can you please remove your hands from my back? You’re hurting me already," Augustine added, and as he spoke, he placed his hands on his hips, shifting his weight from one side to the other in a fluid motion, trying to behave... like what he perceived to be the behaviour of ladies.
Charles smirked, biting onto his lower lips as he tried to compose himself from not laughing out loud.
"How the hell do you know the name of my friend you bitch?" Freda asked with a furious tone as her hand on Augustine’s suit firmly grabbed the fabric of his suit. "Who sent you here? And what is your propose for this mission?" Freda seethed in rage.
Her tone was so furious that it was clear she wasn’t joking; she was determined to ensure Charles’s safety.
Charles stifled a laugh, his nose scrunching slightly as he sighed. "Freda, he’s just an old friend of mine, and he has this habit of joking around all the time," Charles said, his voice warm but laced with a hint of nervousness.
He stepped away from Augustine, slowly making his way toward Freda.
"Please, just let go of him... I mean, her," he pleaded, his voice more urgent now as he glanced back at Freda, flustered.
Freda’s frown deepened, but before she could say anything, Charles placed his hands on hers as he forcefully tried to release Freda’s grip from Augustine.
Freda’s grip was strong but as Charles put more effort, in no time he freed Freda’s hand from Augustine’s suit. "Now turn around so that I can see your face and know if you are truly a girl—"
"Bye!" Augustine exclaimed with a deep male voice, sounding far different from his actual male voice and with swift motion he began to run away, not bothering to turn around and spare a glance at Freda and Charles.
At first, Freda, noticing how the mysterious young man had interrupted her, was determined to chase after him and confront him.
But before she could take a step, Charles swiftly grabbed her wrist, pulling her back gently.
He stopped her from pursuing her intended plan, his grip firm yet calming.
"Why the hell are you stopping me!"
Charles released Freda’s wrist and quickly stepped in front of her, spreading his arms wide to block her path. "If you chase after him and he leads you to a group of bad guys, what do you think you’ll do next?" he asked, his tone serious but laced with concern.
Silence...
Freda stood there in silence for a few seconds, her brows furrowing as she processed Charles’s words.
Finally, she let out a loud hiss, frustration evident in her voice. "I thought you said that person was a lady?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Charles. "And is your friend dating some bad boy from around here? Is that why she’s dressed like a guy? What’s going on, Charles?"
Freda stormed forward, throwing question after question at Charles, her tone sharp and filled with confusion.
Charles exhale, his shoulder dropping down in frustration. "I—well, she is a boy—No! I mean she is a girl who wears trousers and—she is a girl!" Charles exclaimed, his words trailing one after the other.
He was so nervous that his words came out in a rush, almost a shout, as if he was desperately trying to impose his lies on Freda.
"Freda, I... I swear that my friend is not like that!" Charles blurted, his voice wavering with panic. "She’s not like those badguys, I promise! It’s just... it’s complicated."
"Charles you have to chill, okay," Freda states, placing her hands on Charles’s chest as she gently massaged it. "You don’t have to be so worked out to the extent of yelling at me just because of a simple question." She added, gazing into the eyes of Charles.
Exhaling!
Charles exhaled loudly as he dug his finger deep inside his hair. "I... I am sorry for shouting." He mumbled under his breath. "I think I am extremely exhausted from having a very stressful day so it’s best I head back home," Charles suggests.
Freda nodded. "I think you should," she said. "I also need some alone time to clear my head, so it’s best you head home to rest. We have another stressful day ahead of us tomorrow." She added, stretching her hand toward the street to hail a cab for Charles.
Charles sat down in the cab and waved at Freda before shutting the door.
As the car drove down the road, Freda crossed her arms over her stomach and let out a heavy sigh. ’I think Charles is lying to me,’ Freda thought. ’It seems like he has a girlfriend, someone who dresses like a tomboy, and he’s trying to hide her from me.’
Pfft!
The thought weighed heavily on Freda’s mind, and as much as she tried to dismiss it, it made too much sense. ’Or could it be that the friend of Charles is a ladyboy?’