Please break my heart

BRING it on. we ready.

Seated... Bring it on

OYA NA

....

....

nawa ooh

sorry ooh but does this story ends at links to available episodes

next episode please

Right here

ride on

Am seated with my popcorn and juice

Next cos i cant break ur heart o.

Oya let me be breaking everybody's heart...following

EPISODE 2 My new office mate is a real pain! I murmured underneath my breath as Mrs Small ate her burger lousily. Do you care for some honey? She asked. No, thanks, I replied staring at my plate. We had to go to the firm’s cafeteria to grab our lunch. Mrs Toni (aka Mrs Small) had offered to take me. There is nothing small about Mrs Toni, she is extremely large, and she would rather be called the opposite of her name, so Mrs Small. I gulped my Red Bull drink and had to wait for Mrs Small. It is an honour to work for Dare, she said as we took the stairs. This is the hundredth time you are mentioning that Toni, I said, obviously bored. I am so sorry girl, but Dare is the cutest boss ever. I sighed. How long have you been working for him? I asked, trying to get into the discussion. I have been at Ade Cole Firm for about three years, she replied. A mean smile lurked round my lips. Seriously, why don’t you have an office of yours? Or have you been incompetent for three years? I asked. No dear, she replied smiling. You are the incompetent one, she added. What do you mean? I asked. I have had about thirty people share that office with me until Dare felt that they deserved a place of their own, I own that office, others come and go, I stay, she replied and walked into the office leaving my speechless. You are going with me to attend a case at the city mall by four pm tomorrow, Mrs Small said as she cleared her desk for the day. Is that my first assignment? I asked. No dear, more like a tutorial, you are going to watch me work tomorrow, she replied. Do I have to go? I asked. It is not like you have a choice, it is part of what you are here for, she replied. I sank into my seat. I watched her drag her briefcase as she reached for the door. Make sure to be on time tomorrow Ms Williams, she added and left. The traffic in the city is usually crazy at this time, I protested as Mr Ade-Cole arranged his desk. That is why you work here, you are not to protest about the traffic or anything else, he replied. I have to get home early so as to able to accompany Mrs Small to the City Mall tomorrow, I replied. He let out a mean laughter. It is not like you have a choice Ms Williams, whether you like it or not, you are going to the City Mall, that is, if you want to continue working here, he replied. I yanked the documents from his hands and hurried out of the building. Dare Ade-Cole ordered me to run some errands before I left the office. Taxi! I yelled as I emerged from the front door. No one was ready to take me to Broad Way; the traffic on the way is always alarming at this time. I returned into the office and straight to my boss’s office. There is no taxi going to Broad Way now Sir, I said. That is none of my business, you have a duty to fulfil and you have got to do that. He replied angrily. You will have to provide me a means to get there or better still, you drive me there, I replied. He leaned back in his chair and smiled. I was taken to Broad Way by Dare’s driver. He didn’t say a word as he called his driver to take me there.

THIS Story is a hit... one of my best story ever read somewhere.... Hope u guys will enjoy it...

but you're too rude for my liking o

Nice start

You are stubborn o

Is like u mah sef u ar naughty.

ride on

Continue

seated

Right Here

Following jejely

Kwantinue

NXT

Please Break My Heart EPISODE 3 You must have really got on Dare’s nerves yesterday, Mrs Small said as I walked in. What did he say? I asked. She shrugged. Anyways, good morning, I said. I don’t think the morning will be so good after you get to your desk, she replied. I hurried to my desk and found a large note tagged “QUERY”. No way! I said and reached for the door with the note in my hand. I won’t confront him if I were you, Mrs Small advised. He is going to hear me, I replied and walked out. What does this mean? I asked as I walked into Dare’s office. The last time I checked, you have a first class degree, and a first class product will know the meaning of a query, he replied. What did I do to deserve the query? I asked. Unprofessional conduct and disrespect to your boss is an offence in this firm, he replied. I have only spent one day in this firm and I am already receiving a query, I guess I will be fired at the end of the week, I said, aggressively. I doubt if you would last a week with this attitude of yours, he replied. I am not scared, I said. I know, he replied, opening the door. I walked out angrily. Not a word, I said as I walked into my office. Mrs Small smiled. I think you should just chill young lady, Dare could get very offended, she advised. He already nauseates me, I replied. She sighed and leaned over my shoulders. This attitude will take you nowhere in this firm, Ade-Cole Firm is built on a lot of reputation and integrity and Dare would not let you jeopardize his family’s long standing empire. I get it, I replied with a grin. I waited anxiously for four pm. At last, it came! Mrs Small and I left in her car to the City Mall. The case was a divorce case. The husband isn’t willing to give his wife what she demands. I watched Mrs Small argue that Mrs Ex’s demands were outrageous and shouldn’t be granted. After sessions of debates and arguments, the judge ruled in favour of Mr Ex and his wife didn’t get all what she wanted, but she did get a decent share from the divorce. Mrs Small had won a case. Congratulations! I said as we headed for the car. Thanks dear, you know these cases could be really unrealistic, she replied. Why? I asked. I see no reason why a woman should be interested in breaking a marriage when she should actually think of making it, she replied. And, not forgetting that today is Val’s day, she added quickly. Who gets divorced on Valentine’s Day? I murmured. I had totally forgotten about Val’s day, I said to Mrs Small. Why is that honey? She asked. Don’t you have a boyfriend? She added as she opened the doors to the car. Mrs Small’s questions reminded me of Paul. Val’s day was always enterprising with Paul. We would take a walk into the night and stare at the stars. He loved doing that and I thought that it was girly, but Paul was a devote romantic. Do you have any boyfriends? Mrs Small asked as she sat in the car. I smiled, but didn’t respond. I won’t push it, she replied. I would like us to drive to the central market; I need to get some groceries for the house, she said. It is fine by me, I replied. Mrs Small headed for the grocery section as I took a look round the boutiques. We agreed to meet at the car in thirty minutes. Nice Heels here, the sellers called out to me. I smiled as I headed for one of the stores. I love heels! After bargaining, I ended up getting a LV heel for around ten thousand naira. I had to hurry to the car; I had three minutes to go. Darlene! Someone called out. I turned round to face my past.

EPISODE 4 ‘’ NOT AGAIN!’’, I thought as I approached Paul. Paul was the last person that I expected to see, at least not in the market. Hi, happy Val’s day, he said; As if I cared , those words almost escaped from my lips as I nodded back. How have you been? He asked. ‘Never been better’ I replied with a sarcastic smile lurked round my face; we were together for almost two years and it never worked, I replied. ‘That’s not true, Darlene, you never put in any effort to love me’, he said.’ You can’t force love’, I replied smiling. ‘You were in a haste to get rid of me’, he said. ‘You told me that you regret ever knowing me, why then are you stalking me?’ I asked. ‘I can’t just let go of you yet, I want to try, I want to fight for your love’, he replied. ‘That is if I have any to offer’, I replied bluntly. I could hear the disappointment in his voice as he said, ‘You will find the man you will love someday, how will you feel if he treated you this way?’ He asked. I grinned. Love is cliché; I replied and turned to meet Mrs Small staring at us, YES, I know that stare. ‘The overprotective Dad look’ ‘You were very harsh on Paul’, Mrs Small said as she drove. ‘He was becoming a pain and he really needed to hear the truth from me’, I replied. ‘Don’t you believe in love at all?’ She asked. I scoffed. Is it a religion? I asked smiling but Mrs Small didn’t seem to find it funny, Listen Toni, Love is not what it used to be, maybe if I was born in the Romeo and Juliet days or maybe if I was loved by Shakespeare, I wouldn’t mind falling in love, but not in this generation, I replied, trying to sound convincing, even to myself. Why did you agree to date Paul in the first place? She asked with curiosity in her voice. To prove a point to my father, he but called me an ‘Amazon’ and said that it would be impossible for any man to want to date me, but on the day he said this, Paul took me out and asked me out, I really wanted my father to know that I could have any man at my beck and call and so I agreed, I replied. Congratulations Toni, Dare said as he walked into our office. Thank you Dare, she replied. How is your intern doing? He asked staring at me. She is doing just fine, she replied taking a quick glance at me. I looked disgusted. Did he call me an intern? I said to myself silently. Good night ladies, and enjoy the lovers frenzy he said and walked out. ‘‘I couldn’t help but wish my boss could just fall and break a leg’’. ‘Let me give you a ride?’ Mrs Small offered. Sorry, I will be working a little late, I replied. Later honey, she replied with a smile and left. Unfortunately, that happened to be a lie, one of the ‘’skills’’ I had to pick up from dating Paul, so it comes naturally. I picked up my phone and called Jake. ‘’911’’What is the emergency please? Jake asked with a very familiar smile as he ‘’rolled up’’ in his car. Why did you choose to humiliate me in this ‘’Jalopy’’ especially on Val’s day, I asked sarcastically. Jalopy, he replied. This is a limited edition ‘’1992 Audi 80 avante’’ , only a hundred of this was manufactured and I happen to have the only one in this town, he bragged. And you should be ‘’honoured’’ to ride in one, he added sarcastically ‘’especially on Val’s day’’, he said with so much pride lurking around his face, as if he bought the car with his own money, the previous owner of the car, his dad probably got so sick of the car and passed it to him, and I am yet to find out what is so special about the car. ‘Whatever’, I replied. I ran into Paul today at the Central Market. He laughed. It is not funny, I think he is going to be stalking me all my life, I replied. Hey Miss Cinderella, the world doesn’t revolve around you, he said sarcastically. I clenched my fists and punched him hard. Is that the best you can do? He asked laughing, but seriously, is that what you are worried about? He asked. Of course, I replied. What else can I be worried about? I asked. I thought you would feel remorse about the message sent to him, it was a really irritating message, if you sent that to me, I would have driven you off a cliff, he replied with a smile. I could never send such to you, you are my best friend, I said. Hi Darlene, Dad said as I walked in. Hello, I replied coldly. When are you going to stop resenting me for not putting you in the family’s firm? He asked. When I survive my first week at Ade-Cole, I replied, pouring myself lemonade. It is for your own good, he replied. Yeah yeah yeah here we go again, I replied angrily. I am a first class material from Harvard Dad! What else do you want from me? I deserve to be in your chambers not working for some ‘’slave driver’’ and you know it. Everyone knows that Williams Firm is the best in the continent; I yelled angrily and left for my room. I know you would get in on merits, but it is for your good, he called out as I slammed my door angrily.

Hmm next plz

U sound so rude cos ur dad have his own firm

U are rude even with ur dad mmm

Mr ade Cole knew who u r dat y he was just looking at u bt wit Mrs small by urside,,ur pride will surely calm down

Nawa 4 dis darlene of a gal, she's just too rude 4 my liking

following

U ar so rude

wow! dat was rude

Hmm... Nxt

nice

Check ursef very well gal.

This girl is rude

TOO RUDE FOR MY LIKING

sited nice one

EPISODE 5 “Do you want me to give you a ride?” Dad asked as he came downstairs. There we go again, i knew the peace and quiet had been too perfect to last but thank God we didn’t have to go the through the ‘good morning-good morning routine’. No, thanks, I already called Jake, I replied. “When are you going to get your own car?” He asked. “Maybe when I start earning my salary”, I replied, sipping my coffee. “Jake can’t continue to do everything for you; he has got his own life”, he said, slipping into his Suit. He is not complaining Dad; I replied and carried my briefcase. See you later, I added and walked out. Jake pulled up seconds after I walked out of the house. “Are you satisfied with ‘the new golden carriage’? Jake asked as rolled down the tinted window with a grin on his face. “It is okay,” I replied. So you call my new ‘beamer’ okay? How many of this have you seen around,” Jake added raising an eyebrow with his “leery eyes” peering from under his dark glasses. Jake and I had been friends from as far back as I could recall, we went to the same schools, even Harvard, Jake bagged a degree in Architecture. He is very artistic and creative, that is my favourite quality in him, apart from his heavy masculine physique and cute face. Jake is the perfect listener. I rant about all my fears and pains to him, and he lends me the listening ear that I require. “Jake please don’t get me started this morning” I replied, ”wow, someone’s pissed, why didn’t you turn up for the party last night?” Jake replied with a queer, choked voice, “unlike you some of us have to go to work’’ I replied shifting my weight from the middle arm-rest, I was angry but not too angry to notice the comfy leather interior of the new BMW X6, Jake is self-employed with really no reason to work, He is the only son of the owner of the biggest construction company in west Africa. Be a good girl, he said as he pulled up in front of Ade-Cole Law Firm. I smiled and hurried off. Good morning Toni, I said as I walked in. Hello Darlene, she replied smiling. Dare wants to see you in his office, she added quickly. A stream of anger and fatigue flew through my whole body; I immediately left for his office. “Good morning Sir,” I said. The name is Dare, he replied with a grin which he rarely did. We do a first name here, you should have read that in the handbook, he added. Yes Dare, I replied, feeling comfortable. I went through your credentials last night and I must say, it is top class, he said, “thanks”, I replied. He was too engrossed in he’s speech to notice the irony in my voice Does that mean that I get my office? I asked. No, at least not yet, the personal office thing comes when the firm feels that you are certified by all standards to be an office owner, he replied still with the strange and annoying grin. Why then did he call me here? I said to myself inaudibly. “Darlene, I would like you to accompany me to a press conference by 2pm, it is for the firm”, he said. I glanced at my watch. “It won’t take your time and you don’t need to say a thing, in fact, you have nothing to say, you are just going to be a figure there”, he continued. I wore a weird gaze at him. I am actually taking you because I think you are beautiful and would make for a good cover page standing by me, he added, why don’t you just a hire a Model? I asked bluntly. He laughed. Hiring will mean me paying her and I am not interested in paying for a thirty minutes interview. He replied. I wasn’t aware that that was part of our professional agreement…I can check with my colleagues to be certain, I replied, looking uninterested. “Could you really check?” he asked. I frowned at his Sarcasm. Look Darlene, you are my staff and you do what I say, he replied. Dare forced me to a press conference, God knows what he would do to me next before this week runs out, I complained bitterly to Jake as he drove me home later in the evening. Who is Dare? He asked. My boss, Dare Ade-Cole, I replied. Do I sense a “beauty and the beast story” in the offing? He asked with a sarcastic smile. Yeah yeah…very funny Jake, I replied probably not impressed with one of Jake’s casual Jokes. “The firm operates on a first name basis between the staffs”, I replied. You will be fine babe, you are very strong and you will come out well there, he said.” Do you know why my Dad doesn’t want me at his firm”? I asked, with no provocation. If you work at Williams Firm, people will say that your Dad planted you there, they will disregard your merits, he replied. Jake that is so “flat”, I worked hard for my degree, I replied with a deep breath. Prove it at Ade-Cole and you will see that your father will be dying to have you at his firm, he said. I sighed. Cheer up babe, do you care for chicken? KFC is just right around the corner, he said. Thanks Jake, I replied. What would I do without you? I asked with a smile. Nothing, you couldn’t do anything without me, he replied with a grin.

EPISODE 6 “Do you think that Dare would grant me the opportunity to attend the programme?” I asked Toni waving an invitation card before her. Toni raised her head slightly and took a quick peek at the card. “You will have to see for yourself, you are very new here and a function would be regarded as inappropriate”, she replied. “I have never missed it and I don’t intend to now”, I replied and left for Dare’s office. “Morning Dare” I said. He nodded. “I would like to be excused from work tomorrow”, I said. “Are you feeling ill?” He asked without looking up, his gaze was totally fixed to his laptop, who does he think he is? He should have at least looked at me. “No, but I have a very important function to attend”, I replied. “What function can be more important than your job here”? He asked staring at my hand. At least, he is looking at me now. “It is a service for my mother”, I replied. His look was now very stern. “Is she a clown?” Why would she want a service? He asked, looking irritated. Listen to me, if you go for it, you can kiss your job goodbye, he added and faced his laptop. I flung the card at him in utter disgust, “it is a remembrance service for my late mother, and I quit”! I yelled and walked out. “Cheer up honey”, Jake said as he wiped my tears. “He called my mother a clown”, I mumbled. That Jerk! “He doesn’t deserve your tears”, he replied. “I don’t want to work here again, take me away from here Jake”, I said. “We would clear your desk tomorrow”, he replied, opening the door for me. I sat in the car feeling awful; Jake smiled at me. Jake’s smile came as a relief, there was something “kind” about his smile. We left for his place. I will get you something to drink; he said and left for his kitchen. I stared at a picture of Jake and I on our graduation from High School. “How could he still keep such a picture?” I thought. I had no idea where mine was, and moreover, I thought the picture looked boring. We were just two youngsters leaving High School and looked quite nervous. I snapped out of my thoughts as he returned with a can of soda. “I want to start my driving lessons this weekend”, I said. “I am not tired of driving you around”, he replied handing me the soda. I know, but I want to be able to drive myself around and not wait on my office stairs for about twenty minutes like I did today, I said. “That was an emergency, if you had called me prior to the time, you know that I would have been there”, he replied. That is the typical Jake Martin-Oje reply. I have to put an end to his “over protectiveness”; although I can’t really say that Jake is over protective. “But I don’t want you running here and there for me”, I said.” Moreover, I don’t like your new ‘beamer’”, I added with a light smile. “What will ever satisfy you”? He asked with a wide smile. “Brethren, we are gathered here today for the 20th remembrance service of late Mrs Danielle Williams…” I watched the priest go over the formalities. I found it hard to shed a tear, maybe it was because I never really knew her, but as I stare at her grave like the past years, I feel drawn to her. She died on my 1stbirthday, she was trying to bake my cake when she heard me cry, she rushed to me but on her way, she slipped and hit her head and that was the end of my mother and my birthdays. My father never celebrated any of my birthdays and when he told me how she died, I vowed never to have fun on my birthday, anyways, and today is my birthday, my 24th birthday. My mother’s remembrance service has always been held on my birthday, so that was enough for me to feel sad and forget ever having fun. “What is fun by the way without a mother?” “Happy birthday”, Jake whispered into my ear. I nodded without a smile. Jake always tried to make me happy on my birthdays; he always baked me a cake, which I always dropped at the cemetery after the service. The cemetery was soon empty, Dad and his guests had left, leaving Jake and I and some anonymous figures paying their last respects. I stared at my mother’s grave; my mum would have been 50 if not for her unfortunate death. I dropped the cake and tears flowed down my eyes. That is the part where I always had to shed the tears, it felt special in a sad way to present the cake we never baked on my 1stbirthday. “Would she eat the cake?” I asked Jake with a smile. His amused grin broadens and he put his hand on my shoulder. I faced the grave and dropped a flower. “I am sorry for your loss”, a thick voice said with a musical British accent. I turned round to see Dare Ade-Cole in a tightly fitted black suit; I nodded and faced her grave. “Take the week off, see you on Monday”, he said and walked away. I turned back and watched him leave. “You might need a minute alone” Jake said. “I will be by the car”, he added and left. “A 24thbirthday needs to be cherished and spent well”, Jake said as he drove. “That rule doesn’t apply to me”, I replied. “Here we go again Darlene, for how long will you allow this to continue?” He asked. I gave no answer to his “rhetorical question”. He obviously knew my answer, why was he asking? “You cry every time on your birthday, I honestly think that you should tell your Dad to change the remembrance date”, he said. “I want the remembrance left on this date”, I replied. He sighed deeply. “I get it”, he said and drove on.

Sorry for ur loss

sorry 4 ur lost

I feel your pains

Interesting

Sorry 4 ur loss o

Ineresting

too bad

Eyah...sorry oo

EPISODE 7 I could hear the sound of slow hip-hop pulsing behind the closed windows of the Beamer as I approached. But Jake killed the music as soon as I reached for the door handle. I slid into the front seat next to Jake and told him to take me home. “Who was that you were listening to?” I asked him. “Um, that was Lil Wayne.” “How to love?” “That’s right.” Over the years, I had become knowledgeable in the subtle distinctions, regional and otherwise, in rap and hip-hop. Across the board, most of my friends listened to it. Some of them fashion their life styles from them. I wouldn’t think of being totally tuned to music, especially rap. I reached for the disk rack and chose one at random. I noted the handwritten ‘Dido’ on the disk. I handed the disk over to Jake and he slid it into the dashboard stereo. I didn’t have to tell him to play it at a volume so low that it would amount to little more than background noise. Jake knew I hated noise. I turned my phone on, checked my voice mail and had two unread messages. One from my great aunt, Aunt Sally, she was apologizing for missing my mom’s remembrance service, this is the fifth consecutive time she was missing the service, so I was used to her constant apology messages. The other message was from Mrs Small. I called Mrs Small back first; I was uninterested in returning Aunt Sally’s message. “Hi Toni”, I said, signalling to Jake to totally kill the music. “Hey Honey, how are you holding up?” she asked. “I have been holding up well for the past twenty four years”, I replied sarcastically. Honestly, why would Toni ask how I have been holding up? My mom has been long dead. “I just thought you might need comfort”, she said sounding a bit defensive. “Oh Toni, where is your sense of humour?” I asked. At this junction, she burst into a mean laughter. “I do not like the sound of your laughter,” I said into the receiver. “Dare came for the service”, I said. “Oh! That’s nice to know”, she replied. “I am happy to know that he at least has one human bone in him,” I said. “And speaking of Dare coming to my mom’s service, how did he get the address?” I asked quickly. “Apart from the fact that you in your rude behaviour flung the card at him, I gave him the address”, she replied. “Did he ask for the address?” I asked smiling impressively. “Yes, he did”, she replied. The line started to break as we spoke and so I had to end my call with Toni. The traffic heading downtown bottle necked on the third mainland bridge. I spent the time in the car ‘tweeting’ and trying not to think about going back to Ade-Cole and the argument I had with my Dad about resenting him, My Dad was right and that’s what hurts. For a long time, I had been angry with the old man for a lot of reasons. It was something I had thought about changing myself. In a few minutes, we broke free of the bottleneck. I looked out of the window and saw no accident, I saw nobody with a flat Tyre and no high way patrol cruiser parked on the shoulder. I saw nothing to explain the traffic. It was often like that. Freeway traffic in Lagos was as mysterious as the dark side of the moon. It moved and flowed, then stalled, crawled and stopped for no easily explainable reason. “ Always thought that I would love to live by the sea…” Dido’s lyrics titled straight into my thoughts or rather interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t vision my life to be this complicated, never knew that Lagos could shrink so much that I would have to run into Mr Ex every other day of the week. I tried not to think about work. There are so many assholes to think about and so little time. Then solid bass blaring from the custom beamer speaker almost sent my head into the window glass, I turned swiftly to look at Jake with my hands covering both ears, I frowned at Jake who seemed to derive so much pleasure from the noise he had created, noticing the swift movement, he turned in my direction. “What?” he asked with a smile. Then he noticed the frown and the hand to ear gesture it made, he let the volume down from the media control on the steering wheels. Then he looked back at me and noticed that I hadn’t looked away and still had the frown on, I spotted his fumy smile spreading across his face, showing his white but broken canine. “That was M.I”, had to play him out loud. I shrugged and thought, what it was with Ex BHS boys and M.I….he is like a super hero to them. No disrespect to the Lagos superstar, but I wouldn’t even have him on my rack. “Why do you hate M.I so much?” Jake asked as if he read my thoughts. “I have never liked him, even knowing that he is an alumnus of our high school,” I replied coolly applying my lip gloss. “What will you rather have me play?” “Adele?” he asked with a grimace. “More like it”, I replied smiling. “I will not play such music in this royal stereo of mine”, he replied proudly. “And I suppose M.I is royalty?” I asked mockingly. Jake and I were very used to banters, especially on our favourites; we basically didn’t like the same things. I can’t stand M.I, and Jake thinks that Adele is a pathetic musician. When it comes to our choices in Football, I love Chelsea Football Club, and Jake can go on everyday about Arsenal Football Club. To worsen our usual Footie outburst, Jake hates my best footballer, Didier Drogba. Why would anyone hate Didier Drogba? I couldn’t really blame Jake, Drogba is known for “ripping the brakes out of Arsenal’s Car” whenever the London derby arises. Jake drove on into the night as I remained glued to my smashing new blackberry I had several “pings” to reply and of course, have fun “tweeting”. The journey to my house was taking longer than expected, but I couldn’t be bothered, I was with Jake! I feel very safe with my “big bear” as I love to call Jake. Speaking about Jake’s physique, he had been working out since high school when I had problem with seniors boys coming at me because of the “so-called attitude” they said I posed at them whenever they wanted to go out with me. Jake got into fights in school because of me, I always got on people’s nerves and then I rush to Jake for help, he has always been there, and nothing has changed. “Here we are”, Jake said as he pulled up. I stared at the very familiar environment, then turned and punched Jake hard on the shoulder. “What are we doing at the galleria?” I asked as I peered out of the tinted glass windows. “We are here to celebrate your first ever birthday and put an end to your annoying birthdays”, he replied turning his phone off. “Jake, my mom’s remembrance service started when I was four years old, so I don’t think it’s that bad, and beside I like hanging with my mom at the cemetery” I replied. “It is horrible you know what?, you’re hanging out with me today and we are having fun even if I have to drag you along screaming and kicking all the way” he said smiling, “Jake, am I crazy?” I said smiling back at him. “No you’re not crazy, and I’m the crazy one in case you forgot”, he replied closing the doors of the car.

EPISODE 8 Jake walked towards me waving two movie tickets with a big smile on his face,“I got us the last two tickets for Cars”. “Cars, are you kidding me?” “The movie is a sell-out and a tip was necessary to get the last two tickets, so let me rephrase your last sentence, Oh thanks a lot Jake, you’re the best ” Jake replied sounding like Minnie mouse. “I do not sound like that you retard” I replied hitting him on his shoulder. “I bet we’ll be the only adults in the cinema” And apparently, we were the only adults in the cinema and to worsen matters, Jake got us seats in the midsection of the hall. Making our way to the seats, was like hurdling over the legs of the kids who wouldn’t adjust and let us pass because they were so glued to the screen. Then we finally took a seat beside a grumpy kid who apparently had some problem locating where his mouth was, he had pop corn flying on his shirt, the chairs, Jake’s shoes, but Jake didn’t seem to mind, he actually got a “kind” shove from me when threw his pop corn in my face. “Now let’s get you home” Jake said as the KFC attendant handed me a bucket of half-wings and some fries. “Not quite”, I replied with my mouth full. “Then what?” “The day is still young, it’s just like 8pm and besides, it’s my birthday” We exchanged the knowing look, “are you thinking what I am thinking?” Jake asked. I nodded. “So where is it going to be?; Q-lounge, Koko lounge, Rehab…” “Club du retard” I replied cutting him off “And where is that?” “Ebute-Metta” “You are joking right” he replied with a raised eye brow. “Do you know the number of cars that get jacked in that side of town?” “Just tell me you are joking” “You chicken, come on its not that bad and beside I have got friends in that side of town, you’ll be just fine” “Are you sure about this?” Jake asked as he pulled up into a noisy neighbourhood. “Yes, I just want to have fun, isn’t that what you want?” I asked. “I want you to have fun but we at a pub”, he replied. “Don’t be a silly girl”, I said and jumped out of the car. The local pubs downtown had the best fun loving people. I danced into the night with Jake all around me before I knew it, I knew nothing. What does that mean? I guess I got drunk! “Morning D”, Jake said handing me a cup of coffee. I had to shield my eyes; at least I knew where I was. Jane’s room always let in too much light early in the morning. By the way, Jane is Jake’s twin. “Thanks”, I said as I took the cup. “You went overboard and got drunk last night at the Pub”, he started as he raised the curtains. I sipped the coffee gently. A large smile danced round Jake’s face. “What?” I asked. He jumped at me and tickled me hard. “I had never seen you dance until last night”, he said. “That was my birthday”, I replied. “I am so happy to see you happy”, he said. “Thank you Jake”, I said warmly. He smiled, acknowledging me. “I owe it to you, if you didn’t help me, I would have never known how to enjoy a birthday”, I added. “Thank you”, I said again and hugged him. “Time to go home”, he said releasing me. “Jake, how much did I drink last night?” I asked as we approached the door. “Somewhere between a lot and too much” “Hi Jake”, Dad said as we walked in. “Good morning sir”, he replied. “Where did you kidnap my girl to yesterday?” He asked. “We just hung out”, he replied scratching his head. “Why are you asking him questions Dad when I am right here?” I asked angrily. “Darlene”, Jake whispered under his breath. “I just wanted to know because I wanted to have a quiet night with you yesterday for your birthday”, Dad replied. “Am I supposed to celebrate that”? I asked rudely. “When are you going to stop resenting me”? He asked. “I am going to take my leave now”, Jake said excusing himself. “Why are you so pissed about not getting the job at my firm?” Dad asked. I scoffed. “You are working at Ade-Cole, anyone will kill to have that job”, he replied. “Anyone except me”, I said. “I will not continue to take your petty insults”, he replied. “I am not done yet; I want to know why you employed a certain Dora Oluwole in your company as your Personal Assistant”? I asked. “That is my personal business and why are you digging into my business?” He asked angrily. “Don’t you think that she is too young for an affair, she is only 22 Dad”, I yelled. “Why would I date my own daughter?” He asked. I was shocked! “Listen Darlene, I wanted to talk to you about it yesterday, I am very sorry”, he said. I ran upstairs and shut the door angrily. “Hi”, I heard a thin voice say. “I am Dora”, she said. “What”! I yelled.

Sorry for your loss... But is that why you behave coldly towards everybody?

U need to change that rude attitude of urs

Hmm...she has a step sis

House of drama and commotion

You're just a thorn in fresh

Just passing

Sorry

He couldn't employ u in his company but can do dt for ur step kid sis.

Ride on

Sorry for ur lost

This u have great problem...

Nxt

ride on

Sorry for your loss dear

Why is your dad behaving like this

EPISODE 9 Earth is a place for living people. But why does it seem like I am dead or am I hearing things? I tried to spring back to life as I stared to the petite brunette in a polka dotted pink gown. “Who are you?” “I am Dora, your step sister”, she replied with her hands stretched out at me. What was she expecting? Handshake or hug? Technically there was only one thing on my mind. “Get out!” I yelled pointing at the door. “I am so sorry if this is a bad timing”, she said lifting her bag from my lamp stand. “Do you call this “timing”? There is never timing! You will never be welcome by me, I yelled. I stared at her as she approached the door with a fury written all over my face. My glance raced to her hand bag and I yanked it furiously. “What!” “I have to be sure that you haven’t stolen anything else” “Are you disillusioned? I have never stolen a thing from you” “Liar”! “You stole my Dad” “You are pathetic”, she replied and pulled her bag from me. “Get Out”, I yelled. I picked my phone and dialled Jake. “Thanks for getting me out of there”, I said as I sank into the sofa. “I will get you a drink” “Don’t go Jake”, I said pulling him back. I cuddled into Jake’s arm. That was exactly where I wanted to be. It felt strange to know that I had a step-sister. I really couldn’t know why I got worse. Was it the fact that I had a step-sister? Or, was it because my father put her in his firm and he wouldn’t even have me anywhere near the firm? Thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to place where I would fit into in my new family. It would be a whole new setting for me with a step-sister and probably, a step-mother might be looming. I had to be ready for any surprise. Who wouldn’t be with a father like Sir Williams? “You have a visitor”, Jake said as he tapped me lightly. “Where am I”? I asked trying to access my environment. “Jane’s room, you slept off in the living room so I decided to bring you in”, he replied. “Who is my guest”? I asked slipping into my slippers. “You should see for yourself”, he replied opening the door. “Thanks” I walked into the living room to meet my father holding a picture frame of Jake and me. “That is one special person that I have always had in my life, where do you fit in Sir Williams?” Dad sighed. Jake left for the kitchen. “Where do I start?” he asked. “Anywhere, you know the story best, and please be truthful Dad” “I was never unfaithful to your mother when she was alive, I have always loved Danielle” “Spare me the introduction”, I said cutting him off. “I met Dora’s mother two years after Danielle passed away”, he started as he clenched his fists nervously. “It was just a night stand; I never expected it to be so complicated” “Are you trying to tell me that you just hooked up with some random woman and she presented you a kid?” I asked. “I went to a club and I met her there, she was very attractive and we just hooked up that night and it was all, I never saw her again”. “So how did you get to know about this now?” I asked. “I met her in Las Vegas five years ago; she walked up to me and blurted out about my kid. I was shocked. I even called the cops on her. After a night in police custody, she told me about our last meeting that led to Dora; I didn’t believe her because I thought that she just wanted to pin a kid on me because of my status. She kept following me around and after persuasion from my friends; I decided to have a paternity test. It turns out that I am Dora’s father, so I had to man up to my responsibility” “How long have you accepted Dora?” “It’s been five years” I scoffed. “You mean to tell me that you have known that I have had a step-sister for five years now and you never said a word”, I said shaking my head in disdain. “How could I have told you? “You are 24 and are handling things this bad, how would you have reacted five years ago?” Yeah right…the protective Dad in action. “The fact remains that you hid important information like this from me and you expect me to welcome her with open arms, and coupled with the fact that you gave a position at your firm and I can’t even work there” “I am sorry Darlene” There are some things that “sorry” doesn’t fix. Hasn’t any one told Sir Williams? I was silent. “Don’t you have anything to say?” “I have nothing to say” “I want you to forgive me and try to accept Dora; she has been through a lot” “Oh yeah…now am I to play the big sister role? Thanks Dad, I am touched!” “I would appreciate less of the sarcasm Darlene; you were unfair to Dora and spoke to her rudely” “I met a stranger in my room. That could amount to trespassing and possibly robbery, considering the fact that she already stole my father, it was rude of her to be in my room” “Regardless, you shouldn’t have called her a thief; she was only trying to be friendly” “Friendly? Is that your definition if being friendly? I can’t wait to see her being unfriendly” My eyes were wet. I was having a step-sister out of the blues and the next thing my father could think of was the fact that I might have been too harsh on her while talking. I ran up to Jane’s room. I had to cry. At times, I think that it’s best to cry away your pain. “Your dad just left” Jake said as he walked in. I sighed. “How did he expect me to react?” “Listen Darlene, it is not about you anymore, whether you like it or not, you have a step-sister which you already got off on the wrong foot with” “Why are you talking like my Dad?” “Darlene, let me be frank, this girl is innocent and I don’t think that she likes to be caught up in the Williams’ family mess”. “How do you want me to act like everything is normal when it feels otherwise?” “D, you have a life ahead of you that you have to concentrate your efforts into making it work, which includes your job at Ade-Cole which you have to ensure is a success” Jake was right! It would be hard and quite tasking on my part but I had to understand that Dora is my step-sister and I had to accept it or her. I might have to start with accepting it first, it might be difficult to accept her at this initial stage, but I guess with a little trial on my part, I would make it work. I have to make the first step. “Could you please take me home Jake?” I asked. 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Please Break My Heart EPISODE 10 “Dora is going to be using the guest room”, Dad said. “She is your daughter, she shouldn’t be using the guest room, maybe you should set up the room opposite mine for her”, I replied staring at my laptop. Dad sighed. “If you are not okay with it, she could leave”, he replied. Who was he trying to fool? “Don’t make me laugh Sir Williams, she will obviously stay here, you gave her a job at your firm and won’t allow me to work there, definitely, she will have a room here”, I said sternly. “I will have the maids set up the room”, he said and left. I stared at the door as it shut quietly. Dora would be moving in today and that obviously isn’t going down well with me. I have been trying to adhere to Jake’s advice about trying to accept Dora, but it hadn’t played well in my memory. I reached for my travel bag and packed for the weekend. “I want to spend the weekend with Jake”, I said as I came downstairs with my bag. “Are you running away from Dora”? Dad asked staring at the bag dangling carelessly from my shoulder. “Why should I run from her”? I asked with a frown. “You know she is moving in today”, he replied. “I am giving her time to settle down, it won’t be easy for us to get along”, I replied. “Make an effort D”, he said. “I am already making one and please tell her to stay away from my room, I don’t want to see her around it when I get back”, I replied and left. Going over to Jake’s for weekends might just be my new habit in my bid to avoid Dora. I know that we both will be busy during the week days. My escape route found! “Good morning Darlene”, Dare said as he walked into my office. “Good morning Dare”, I replied with a smile. “I want to apologize for my behaviour last week; I was in a very bad mood when you brought in your request”, he said closing the door. “I understand Dare”. I replied with no real conviction in my tone. “Can I take you out to lunch to make up for it”? He asked leaning over my table. “What is that going to do for me”? I asked trying not to sound interested in a date. “Nothing really, but maybe that will be a nice way of saying sorry and possibly we just try to celebrate your birthday”, he replied with a smile revealing his teeth. A smile like that from Dare Ade-Cole seemed expensive. I was impressed with a smile like that; I wouldn’t imagine myself smiling like that. “By the way, how did you know about my birthday”? I asked, looking stunned. “You work for me and so you have a file here, your file said so”, he replied, grinning. “So, I suppose you go through your staff’s files everyday to know their birthdays” I said with a grin. “Not exactly” he replied staring at me closely. “So, is it a deal?” he asked. “See you at lunch”, I replied. Going for lunch with Dare seemed awkward, we don’t seem to get along well and I am certainly not his biggest fan. We didn’t really have a conversation as Dare drove his Black New Edition Toyota Corolla except for the occasional “ What’s with Lagos Traffic at this time?” and “Should we take this route?” At a point I started to feel that accepting the offer was such a bad idea, but I snapped out of it soon because, the simple truth is that my lunch isn’t from my pocket today. “Golden Gate is a fantastic place to eat”, Dare said as he pulled up at one of Lagos’s Posh restaurants. “I agree with you”, I replied as I released my seat belt. We had a lunch of Fried rice and Chicken, with a bottle of Champagne. Dare appeared boring to me as we spoke about the law firm and when it started operations. I tried to sound interested in the discussion as I smiled even when I knew that it was unnecessary. The truth is that I felt like bringing out my Blackberry Phone and chatting with Jake, at least he would have something interesting to say other work matters. I know that I am quite the official type, but shouldn’t work matters stay at the office? I finally got a relief when Dare signalled to the waiter for the bill. My afternoon of misery was about to be over. “I must have really bored you this afternoon”, he said opening the door of the car. “You bet!” I replied with so much effort underneath my breath. “I am sorry” “It’s alright, not everyone can be fun-oriented”, I replied trying to sound like the fun-type of person. Up until my last birthday, I hadn’t really had any fun. “Do you mind if we stroll into the park?” he asked That seemed like an unlikely Dare Ade-Cole type of question, it felt tempting and so I didn’t mind as I nodded in agreement. The park was quiet as kids were all out at school, there were just a few adults in pairs trying to catch up on lost times. “Do you want to run?” he asked. “Run?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Yes, I mean it is for the fun, I do that whenever I come to the park” This isn’t Dare! Or, is this a part of him that I was yet to see. This felt like Jake. But, just that this would be a Jake in an Armani suit, not my type of Jake. Jake would never wear a tie. “I am not sure about this”, I replied raising a leg slightly to show him my heeled-shoe. “It doesn’t matter, you can take them off” “What about dress? It’s quite fitted in case you haven’t noticed” “Excuses upon excuses” “But, are you really serious?” He wasn’t joking. He took off his Jacket and removed his Italian Suede Shoes “Come on Dare, you can’t be serious” “Watch me” He joined up with a group of young men challenging for a race. I joined the ladies who sat at the sidelines holding his Jacket and shoes. He sent his shirt and tie to me as he couldn’t run in them. “Your man is too sophisticated to run, I trust my baby to beat him”, a lady said as she jabbed me in the shoulder. “He is doing it for her, they both look Sophisticated” another lady said staring at my Chanel Handbag. I couldn’t get a chance to explain who Dare was to me when the whistle went and the race started. I watched carefully as the men took off. It was fiercely contested and I found myself cheering for Dare as the other ladies did. He finished 2nd! “Not bad for an office boy”, I said as I handed him a Face towel. “Thanks” “You are welcome” He cleaned his face and broad masculine chest which had been hidden under a suit with the tiny towel. “How were you able to get a towel?” “Not like it is any of your business, but I bought it from a hawker who came around” “Thanks, that was quite thoughtful of you” “Nice race honey”, one of the ladies that I sat beside said as she pecked Dare on the cheek. “Thank you’, he replied with a smile. “Hope you aren’t jealous honey?” She asked looking at me. “I won’t steal your man, you are way too hot for him to look elsewhere” she added and jogged off. “What was that all about?” Dare asked smiling. “The ladies think that we are together”, I replied shaking my head. I handed him his shirt and tie, and he carefully slipped into them, adjusting his tie. One wouldn’t guess that he had just been in a race where he had come 2nd out of 10 men. We stopped at a tuck shop for drinks before we set off for work. “I haven’t gotten you anything for your birthday yet” he said as he drove. “Forget it; you just turned a boring date into quite an enterprising one” “That still doesn’t mean that you won’t get a birthday gift from me” “I don’t want it, so just drop the issue” “If you say so”, he replied and drove into the firm. “You must have fallen for Dare already”, Toni said as I walked in. “Why is that?’ I asked, sitting down. “Lunch time is for an hour and you are back after two hours”, she replied. “That is pointless”, I replied. “Isn’t he cute?” She asked. “That is undeniable, but it doesn’t mean a thing”, I replied as I switched on my laptop. “Anyways, I ran into Paul at the Central Market at lunch today”, she started. “Does he work at the market now?” I asked, mockingly. “He has been looking everywhere for you Darlene, he looked really disorganized when I saw him”. “He has my address and I am sure that he didn’t delete my number”. “He gave me this note to you”, she said stretching a letter across to me. “Love notes are so High School”, I mocked and opened it. “What”! I yelled. “What does it say”? She asked. I couldn’t put the words together, “ Paul must have committed suicide by the time I would have reached him” I thought as I grabbed my handbag and rushed out. I bumped into Dare at the elevator. “Why the rush”? He asked. “I have an emergency”, I replied. “Let me take you”, he said. “I will call a cab”, I replied. “I insist”! He said.

Hmmm.....SUICIDE?

Suicide khe

I'm loving every bit of this story

Suicide bawo

Yoooh, but why will he do that? Sometimes we just have to let things go

suicide for what?

Why did he commit suicide?

suicide???

U are always rude to ur daddy an others can u clam down, Another child

Hmmm suicide for what an!!!

What?

Suicide?..on top wetin

EPISODE 11 Dare pounded on the front door heavily. The expression on my face was tense as I watched Dare drum on the door. I went round the house to see if the back door was open. Dogs barked in the quiet neighbourhood as the noise Dare and I made seemed to gain attentions from the neighbours. Windows flung open and I could hear screams like, “Baby’s sleeping”, “Can we have it quiet here?” “Any luck?” Dare asked as I approached from the backyard. “He has all the doors locked” “Let’s call the police” “This is a personal matter” “Suicide might be involved” I was clueless. “Could Paul be dead?” my thoughts were muddled up. The thought of Paul’s death sent cold shivers down my spine. I raced to the door and drummed desperately on it. Dare and I exchanged a knowing look and then he hit the door with a strong kick. I held on to Dare as we tried to make our way through the dark passage. “Don’t move!” A gun corked behind our heads. “With your hands behind your heads, kneel down!” Paul ordered strictly. Slowly, Dare and I got on our knees. Then, the lights came on. “Who is this?” Paul asked pointing his gun at Dare. I could never have imagined Paul with a gun. He has a very timid heart, or rather, he had. This is Paul with a gun and I really do not know what to make out of it. I got a suicide-threatening message and the case seemed more like an arrest situation. “Turns out our little chicken learnt to fly”, I murmured underneath my breath. “Answer the question!” He yelled with fury in his eyes. This is the first time Paul yelled at me. Guess there is always a first time. “And what do you care?” I answered in confidence trying to remain calm. “Hey, who are you?” he yelled at Dare. “I thought you would never ask”, Dare replied. “What is that supposed to mean?” Paul retorted angrily. “You should have directed the question to me, unless, you are scared of me” Paul’s eyes blinked repeatedly. He did not like Dare’s confidence. “Shut up!” “That’s rude” “Do you know what this is?” he asked displaying the gun proudly at Dare. “Fortunately Yes, but I am shocked that you have no idea of what to do with it” Paul corked the gun. “Please Paul” I interfered desperately. “Is this the man you left me for?” “Stop being cynical” “You should be proud, he is a man!” “Paul, we weren’t working out fine” “You never put in an effort to love me” “You can’t force love” Dare scoffed. “What is your problem?” Paul yelled. “I am touched by your story” “Stay out of this Dare” I interfered. Paul did not have a good way of dealing with his emotions; Dare’s confrontations seemed to make matters worse. “You need to get over me” “I can’t” “Of course you can”, Dare interrupted. “Shut up!” Paul shouted. Paul seemed not to have control over this situation as “Shut up” got regular. I looked at my phone as its backlights went off, obviously from a missed call. I was running out of time. “Where are you going with all this Paul?” “I want to convince you of my love” “Putting a bullet through your head will be just fine”, Dare said. CLANK! The flower vase beside Dare shattered. “I have had enough! I will not miss next time! I eye balled Dare coldly. “How did you ever date this Potato” Dare murmured. “Paul, you need to get help” “You are all the help I need, let’s try again” “Never” Paul stared at my phone as the lights came on for the second time. “Toni, right?” “Yea” “She is a good woman” “Is this the part where we take our seats?” Dare asked. Dare really started to scare me. “How couldn’t he be startled?” I thought. Before us was a loaded gun which I feel is enough to put anyone off balance, but not Dare, he could not be bothered. “Or was he pretending?” “You guys would make a cute couple,” Paul said as he wiped a sweat from his forehead. “Is that coming from you?” Dare asked. “Please Dare,” I murmured. “You had a failed relationship, how could you know a cute couple?” he continued, ignoring me. “You are just the type of guy that suits Darlene” “I am honoured” Paul reached for a seat. That was my chance; I raced to him and knelt before him. “I am sorry for hurting you” “You can make it right” “I don’t love you” I have always been honest with Paul throughout our relationship. I told him that I did not love him from the onset. Dating him was wrong. “I know” he replied. Paul rose and cleaned the tears that were slowly gathering in his eyes and placed the gun on the table. “You guys should leave” “Not until you agree to see a doctor,” I said. “Do you want to put me away for loving you?” “I just want to help you” “I don’t need it” Dare stood up and dusted the ceramic dusts from his Jacket. “Please leave” “Get some help Paul” “Just go Darlene” I sighed. “I will send you a text message in about forty-five minutes,” he said looking at his wristwatch. “What will you do afterwards?” “It’s my business” I cleaned the tears in his eyes and pecked him on his cheek. It meant good-bye. I walked out of his house and life. Dare closed the door slightly as we walked out. “Are you okay?” Dare asked as he started the engine. “I’ll be fine” I replied staring at my wristwatch. The journey back to the office was mute and immediately it was forty-five minutes, Paul’s text read: “Paul is gone!”

EPISODE 12 Paul was gone! My eyes raced through his bedroom and I found his Phone, I flung his closet open to find it empty. He really was gone! I do not know if this means good news for me, or otherwise. I walked out of his room to meet Dare speaking with the Estate Police. “The neighbours alerted us when they heard gunshots,” The Local Chief said. This boils down to the efficiency of the cops in my dear country, Nigeria. If memory serves me correctly, Paul’s riffle went off almost an hour ago, and with the Police arriving at this time, just shows how “efficient” they are. “It was nothing serious I guess” Dare replied. “What are you doing in Paul’s apartment?” The Chief asked. “Checking on a friend,” I said stepping in. “Miss Darlene, you do know you are trespassing, right?” He asked, bringing out his notepad. “Come on Chief, I am friends with Paul and I can check on him” I replied, peering at his paper. “Paul drove out not too long after you left the Estate”, he replied, as he closed the notepad. “He never told me” I shrugged. “I will let you go on the grounds that there are no obvious damages in his apartment, but should he report any damage, you will be liable”, he said and beckoned to the other officers. How did he know that there were no damages in Paul’s apartment, he did not even check in. Thoughts floated through my mind as I tried to think of Paul’s getaway. I know that his father is a shareholder at the famous Calabar Resort, “Obudu Cattle Ranch” so that was my best bet. Paul must have left the city. I pushed myself into the leather seat of Dare’s Car and pulled the seatbelt across my chest. I tried not to think too much about Paul as I shut my eyes. I could not sleep! I would have called Paul if not that I found his Phone on the bed while searching for him. It was a clear indication that he did not want to be found. My mind was so muddled up that I almost forgot to appreciate Dare’s support. “I am so sorry for putting you through this entire mess,” I said trying to avoid his gaze. “Its fine” he smiled. I was not comfortable with the smile. It had the “ I got you in the bag” revelation. I sighed. “Give me your home address,” he said, slipping a disc into the Disc Player. “You have done more than enough for me; I will be fine at the next stop” I replied. The thought of listening to Neyo in his car made me sick to the stomach. “The next Bus won’t be arriving until 5pm, let me save you the stress”, he said, adjusting the volume. “I will be fine, please let me off at the next stop”, I insisted. “I insist”, he sounded firm. “But Dare…” “No Buts! I will take you home” Dare pulled up in front of my gate. “Thanks Dare” I said, releasing the seat belt. “You are welcome”, he replied, turning off the engine. “Do you mind coming in for some refreshment?” I said, stepping out. “Sir Williams house?” he asked with his eyebrow fully raised. “My Dad is really cool; you should meet him outside the courtroom,” I said, stuttering between the sentences. I didn’t sound convincing. “I’ll take a pass on that today, maybe some other time”, he replied, and drove off. I sent an SOS message to Jake as soon as I walked into the house. I tripped as I opened the door; there were bags here and there. What was going on? I thought. “Hey Darlene” Dad said as he joined me in the hallway. “Hello” I replied, staring at the bags before me. “They belong to Dora”, he replied, taking a bag out of my way. “How much luggage does she have?” I asked, as I pushed one aside. “They just got here today, I guess she didn’t bring all at first”, he replied, moving the bags aside. “Already getting comfortable I presume,” I said and climbed the stairs. “I need you to plan Dora’s coming-out party,” Dad said. “What!” What was Sir Williams thinking? That I would plan a party for his long lost daughter, hell no! I was not ready to be treated like the Prodigal Son’s brother, maybe I will make for the sister version. I returned to the hallway. “I have work to do Sir” I replied showing off my briefcase. “I understand the fact that you are busy but you just have to take time out of your schedule” he replied with a smile. “I recently joined Ade-Cole and I haven’t been the best staff in their records, do you think I will easily get a day or two off?” I asked bemused. “You can do this if you want to” he replied, leaving me standing in the hallway. I did not like the “ if you want to” position. It felt impulsive. I retired to my bedroom hoping to hear from Jake soon. I was lost in wonderland until I heard my phone buzz me back to reality. “Hello” I said into the receiver. I had a brief conversation with Jake. He would not be available; he had to leave for Bahamas urgently. The news saddened me. Who would plan Dora’s party with me? I thought. Maybe I was selfish, but Jake said he wanted to go on a personal retreat. “What a freak!” I almost heard myself say as I dropped the phone. What sort of a retreat would be done in the Bahamas? Jake is such a fun-freak! He would have had no retreat if he were a busy man! I almost screamed in disappointment. What unsettled me was my best friend was going away for some “retreat” and I had a party to plan, loneliness around the corner. I was saved from my sorrow by “sleep”. “Hi” I heard a soft voice and a light tap. Why did Dora seem like an angel? I strained my eyes as I stared at her. “What do you want?” I asked, pushing myself against the pillow. “Dad sent me to fetch you for dinner” she replied. It was almost 8pm; I had fallen asleep thinking about Jake. I just realized Dora said “Dad”. My eyes popped. “Tell him I’ll pass” “But, you must be hungry”, she insisted. “I’ll be fine, I lost my appetite”, I replied honestly. The truth is, I have been feeling bad since coming from Paul’s and to cap up a disappointing day, Jake disappeared to Bahamas. How more messed up could my day get? All I wanted was for a new day to come. I sighed as Dora shut the door after her. I slumped back into my bed waiting for tomorrow. “Morning Toni”, I said as I slid into my chair. “Morning Hun” she replied as she handed me a cup of coffee. “Thanks Toni, you are the best,” I said as I sipped. “Rough day yesterday?” she asked, staring at the wall clock. “You don’t wanna know.” I arrived at work some minutes to nine this morning, makes me officially late. “Lagos traffic hit me” I replied, carefully placing the coffee cup on my desk. “Didn’t your chauffeur get you here?” she asked, with a grin. By chauffeur, she meant Jake. “He left for Bahamas this morning” I replied, turning on my laptop. Not having Jake around didn’t help me, I have not completed my driving lessons, really hadn’t put much effort to it, been busy here and there. I had to join the Lagos City Bus “BRT” this morning, and to make matters worse; I had to stand up for the elderly woman who joined the bus late. “Bahamas?” she echoed. “He must be a very busy guy,” she said peering through her glasses. Toni meant to mock Jake by saying he is a “ busy guy” . “Have fun mocking” I said, as I smiled. “Oh! Dare said you should report to his office when you arrived” she said, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry for saying it a bit late,” she added. “Now what am in for?” I asked, looking concerned. I knew better than to expect any response from Toni. Dare had witnessed the entire fiasco with Paul, and I sincerely prayed that it would not affect my professional ratings. I mean, personal life should stay personal. Right? “Good morning Dare,” I said, as I stepped in. “Morning Darlene, Please sit,” he said, motioning to a chair. “I don’t know if you are aware of this yet, but the firm is having its annual meeting with the board and CEO next week Friday”, he started. Now, I could be relaxed. It did not involve the incident with Paul from yesterday. “I was wondering if you would mind reading the opening speech at the ceremony,” he suggested. I did not know if I was up for it, which included meeting all the forces that controlled the Ade-Cole dynasty. It was not as if I had any problem relating with the society’s top guns, because I also came from the city’s elites but I had a feeling that I am been rushed into major duties. “Don’t you think there are more qualifying people to handle such?” I asked. “Are you questioning my judging skills?” he asked, sounding offended. “No, but I feel that it’s happening so early, I am just an intern here” I replied. “Nothing is happening so early here, I make the decisions around here”, he resounded. “Okay.” Now Dare was acting so firm, and that was something about him that I did not understand, he was able to switch from “normal to annoying” in a split. “Is that all?” I asked, standing up. “Yes” he replied, staring at his laptop. I reached for the door. “Hey! I hope you don’t think I am trying to hit on you,” he asked, staring at me. I scoffed. “Never” I replied and walked out. It was obvious that Dare Ade-Cole liked me! As in ‘like-like’, if you know what I mean.

Am sure its more than likeness

Hmmm.. Next please

suicide for what. that was able big joke

Yeah, like-like thing

Darlene! Jst kip ur cool nd stop being rude!

Okay naa, ride on.

hmm, i can percieve luv in d air

He likes you a lot or more than like

i understand

EPISODE 13 “Dare is making me do the opening speech at next week’s Annual event” I said as I walked into my office. Toni looked up with surprise written all over her face. “An intern is never chosen to make such speeches,” she said. “You must be special” “Special?” I asked, as I sat down. What did Toni mean by special? I could argue that I am talented, but my skills haven’t been put to test, so how could Dare guess that I was special? It all boiled down to the thought that Dare liked me. “I think he likes me,” I said. “Oh, well, if you say so” she said, smiling. Why did Toni reply with so much surprise? I hope for my sake that she did not think I was below his standard. “Do you think it’s impossible?” “Not that” she said, swirling her chair. “I thought you took so long to notice” The Intercom phone rang and Toni picked it. “It’s for you,” she said staring at me. “Dare”. I looked at her strangely; I was just returning from Dare’s office, why would he call? “Hello” I said into the receiver. My eyeball widened as I dropped the phone. “Dare has a very important information for me” I said as I walked out smiling. I met Dare outside my office. “I was just on my way to see you,” I said, adjusting my loose collar. “Its fine, I am here anyways” he replied. “Shall we?” I asked. “This way please,” he replied, and motioned to the elevator. “In preparation for the Annual meeting with the board and all, I want to show you to your new office,” he said, as we stepped out of the elevator. “New Office?” I asked. The thought of the new office sent my brain buzzing. Why was he taking me upstairs? The offices upstairs were executive; Dare’s, The Board Room, and an unused office. Every promoted intern had their office on the second floor, why was mine different? “Yes, I know it seems early but I feel that you deserve an office of your own” he started. He stopped in front of the unused office. “Oh…well” I said. I was not excited about the office as I should have been. I was going to miss Mrs Small; she made everything fun for me. “Why is my office on the top floor?” I asked perplexed. “I should be on the second floor with every other promoted intern” Dare sighed. “Darlene…can’t you just stop protesting for once, and follow instructions.” “What instructions?” I asked. “I will miss Toni” “Come on Darlene…This is your office, your responsibility! Don’t shirk it!” he said opening the door. I sighed. “Welcome to your office” he said, turning on the lights. The office was spacious. I walked over to the large window. “Wow!” I said, staring out of the window. “The view from here is amazing!” “What is it about this office and its view?” Dare asked, as he joined me at the window. “Those were the exact words of Reina when she got this office back then” he added. “Who is Reina?” I asked. “My ex-girlfriend” he replied scratching his head. “She used to own this office,” he added, leaning against the table. “Oh…sorry about that” I replied. “Sorry about what?” he asked. He sighed as he took his seat. “There is nothing to be sorry about, you didn’t even meet her,” he added. He was right about that and my pretence spotted. I never met his ex, so why was I pretending to be sorry? I guess I was caught up in the traditional way of saying “ sorry” to every unfortunate incident whether one had a good knowledge of it or not. “But why then are you giving me this office?” I asked. “It must remind you of her” “This is business, and in business, personal matters are set aside, this office is yours and it is as far as business goes,” he said, doing his jacket buttons. I am not ready to move here. It meant Dare and I would be on the top floor except for board meetings. “Is this office not meant to signify a level of ranking here?” I asked. “And I have just been promoted from my intern status, it doesn’t seem appropriate” I added quickly. Dare scoffed. “This is the second time you are challenging my judgmental skills today Darlene,” he stressed. “You are so inquisitive…I am giving you this office because I have always respected you and your records from Law School, I believe you are in the best position to occupy this office,” he answered clenching his teeth. Respect? My records from Law School? Where did all that come to play? How did Dare know about my records from Law School? Was he tracking my records? He has the rights to; I am his employee. “Oh…Ok”, I said. Dare smiled and walked out of the office. I looked at the office and the thought that Dare might be seeing me as a replacement for his ex struck me. “Why did he give me her office?” I thought aloud. “Who is Reina?” I asked Toni as soon as I returned to my office; at least, I have not moved out. “Dare told you about Reina?” she asked looking surprised. “No, he just mentioned her name when he showed me to my new office” I replied taking my seat. “OMG!” Toni exclaimed. “Did Dare give you his ex’s office?” she asked as she came over to my table. “Yes” I replied, staring at my laptop. “You are so lucky girl, every staff in this firm can only dream of being in that office” she started excitedly. At that moment, it seemed as though I was the only one who was not impressed with the office. “It has this amazing view that will take you into another world, the city’s lights come alive in the night and will take you to cloud 9!” “Toni, why did Dare give me his ex’s office?” I asked, cutting off her excitement. “Maybe, he felt it was time that the office got occupied, it had been vacant for more than a year since Reina left the firm” she shrugged. “But, I don’t want to leave here” I said, looking sad. “Oh, Come on…you have to move on, I have to build up new interns, it’s my job” she said hugging me. We remained in the hug until Toni broke away. “Mushy stuff, right?” I said. We laughed. “Why don’t I buy you lunch?” I offered. “For sure, with the way things are going, you will be having your first practice Court session in a bit, and before you know it, you are out there battling in our playgrounds” she said grabbing her handbag. “Shall we?” she said. “And to be frank, I am in the mood for some crispy KFC chicken” We hung out at KFC until after lunchtime. Toni gave me tips on how to survive with Dare on the top floor. She did admit that Dare could get annoying and I just had to either put on a tough skin or rebuff him. She avoided discussions about Reina; I was interested in knowing the reason why Reina broke up with Dare even though I guessed that he must have put her off with his attitude. On getting back to the office, I decided that I would move to the new office early next week, I wanted a bit of repairs carried out there, like changing the wallpaper and all that. I did not want to smell Reina’s ghost in there.

EPISODE 14 Paul’s disappearance, Jake’s trip to the Bahamas and a new office all in one week has summarised my week. I reached for my bathrobe as I turned off the shower. The weekend for me would be busy with Dora’s coming-out party around the corner. I fetched my laptop and got ready to tidy up my office duties from the week, I would take the time to chat with Jake, if it would not disturb his personal retreat. “Here we go,” I said excitedly as I logged on. There was a light tap on the door. What did Dora want? I thought. “It’s open” “Hi Darlene” she said as she closed the door slightly. “Hello” I replied closing my laptop. She stared at me with a kind smile. “Please sit,” I said quickly. “Thanks” she replied. Dora cleared her throat. “Dad said that I could see you concerning a coming-out event, I really didn’t understand him.” In this case, I did not know how to answer Dora’s question without offending her. “No offence meant, but in this case a coming-out event is for a newly accepted child,” I said touching my nose. Dora swallowed. “I didn’t mean any harm with that,” I said. Dora did not seem to mind too much, she just smiled. Moreover, with every smile of Dora, I felt like an evil big sister who was unwilling to accept my younger sister. “Dora…your coming-out event is to introduce you to other elite families, let me just say what people on the outside will call the top shots” I started. “up until now, I have been Sir Williams’ only child and the socialite only knows me as his daughter, but with recent events, you are also his daughter” I stuttered. I just found it impossible to call Dora ‘sister’. I sighed. Dora cleared her throat as if she meant I should continue with the explanation. “So, that means, you have to be officially recognised by the public so that if in recent times, you are spotted with him, you won’t be regarded as a younger lover, if you know what I mean” I concluded, taking a deep breath. “You are having a tough time accepting me” she started. She got me! I am having a hell of time with that fact. “I won’t say that I don’t understand how you feel, because, I were in Dad’s shoes, I won’t bring me to the house yet.” My Point! If Sir Williams had any iota of kindness, he would not have rubbed Dora on me so early. It seems like my ‘little sister’ skipped on that bad gene from my Dad. “Dora, I will make an effort,” I said honestly. “It might just take a little while” “I understand that you are not the type that lets in on people to soon, but I will be patient because I know that you have got a great person inside that I can’t wait to meet,” she said, standing up. Needless to say, Dora could have knocked me over with a feather. She knew how to put those words together. Now I feel like the villain, and the only thing I can think about is getting in her good books. “Look Dora, about the coming-out event, you just tell me when you want it and I will organise it” She smiled. “All I need is for you to accept me, who cares about the society?” she replied and left. Who is Dora? What is she doing to me? She is inside my head and trying to make me feel bad. I could not work anymore so I turned off the lights and slept. “Breakfast is ready,” Dora announced as she came in. This felt too good to be true. Dora was everywhere in my life, I really could not understand why. “Is it morning already?” I asked. “Yup!” she replied. I stared at her with my eyebrows raised. “Potatoes and Scrambled eggs” That wowed me. “I will be down in fifteen minutes” I replied, slipping into my slippers. It did not take me ten minutes to join them at the dining hall. Hail the power of Potato and Scrambled eggs! “Morning Dad” I said as I took my seat. “Hey Dora” “How is the plan for the coming-out party?” Dad asked. “I am quite busy in the coming week, we have got a very important meeting this week, so the coming-out party might be next week” I replied, taking a bite of the Potato. “Well…ok…so the Ade-Cole Annual meeting is this week, right?” he asked. “Yes, and I happen to be actively involved, so I am occupied” I replied. “But I will ensure that Dora’s party is a success, you can be sure of that” “You left for work pretty late yesterday, what happened?” Dad asked. Did he have to ask me such a question now? I thought. “I work up late” I replied shabbily. If I told Dad that Jake was away at the Bahamas, he would make a joke out of it, and I did not want that done before Dora. He was always of the opinion that I should be detached from Jake. I hurried my breakfast as I was trying to avoid Dad’s next question which I felt was lurking around his mouth. “Why didn’t Jake pick you?” he asked. This is what I did not want. I was immediately saved by my phone, which rang out loudly to interrupt our breakfast. I dashed into the hallway to pick the call. It was Dare’s. “Morning Darlene” he said. “Good morning” I replied. “If it is not too much of a trouble I will like to meet you over lunch,” he said. That sounded forthright. “Is it really important?” I asked. “It’s just lunch, but you can cancel out if you want to, I thought you might want to hang out” he replied. “No thanks, I would be busy around that time” I retired to my bedroom and got ready to have my bath. Why did Dare want to have lunch with me anyway? “ I thought you might want to hang out” I mimicked. Whom did he think would be his amusement instrument or play toy? I have to start my driving lessons effectively. Jake’s absence made me feel useless, and I have to put an end to it. I called a driving school in the neighbourhood and set up an appointment for twelve noon. By twelve noon, I stood before my teacher. “Welcome to our driving school” he said, leading me to the car. “Thank you” I replied, trying to catch up with his pace. “Could you please slow down?” “I am sorry, forgive my negligence.” He said, stopping abruptly. “This is your new ride” The car was simply an embarrassment. I remember calling Jake’s former car a jalopy, I admit to have exaggerated about the state of Jake’s car, but this car looked all wobbly and afraid to get on the road. “Are you sure about this?” I asked as I paced round the Volkswagen beetle car of the oldest edition. The Yoruba people of Nigeria called the car ‘Ijapa’ because of its resemblance to the animal-Tortoise and its slow movement. “I know you may not like this car because of your status,” he said looking at me. “Excuse me? What do you mean by status?” I asked feeling offended. “It is no news that you are Sir Williams’ daughter and I know that this car might look ridiculous for you to be taking your lessons in, also…” “Look Mr…” I shouted, cutting him off. “Dan, as in Daniel” he replied. “I don’t care whatever your name is, you don’t know me and so you have no right to judge me,” I yelled angrily. “I did not mean to offend you, I am sorry” he replied. “Whatever your intentions were, it didn’t go down well” I replied furiously. My noise must have attracted other teachers at Badmus Driving School that people stared at us. I saw a man approaching us. Daniel’s face looked disturbed. “I am so sorry Ms. Williams, what has this boy done?” he asked. I looked at Daniel’s face that wore fear of being punished by his boss. At that moment, I knew I had to make a choice that might either jeopardise his job or keep him there. Yet still, I was genuinely offended and uninterested to continue with the lessons. “I will be back later for my lessons” I replied, clutching my bag to my arm. “Please Ms. Williams, let me send for another teacher,” He begged. “No, I will be back tomorrow, I have to be somewhere else” I replied and left hastily. Status or no status I could ride in any car, I was only concerned about the type of car used for training, and I did not feel comfortable with it. Why did he have to talk about my family? I tried not to think about it as I strolled home, but it was almost impossible. As I approached the gate, I saw a tall man speaking to Dora, I could not see him clearly, but I thought he looked familiar. Is that Dare? I thought.

yes maybe love u

no I don't

He's in love

Hahahahahaha nice

Is only u dat can answer the question

maybe he is d one

You don't need to be hash towards the man.... As for Dare, he's in love

hope dora wont fall in love with dare cos na there wahala go burst o

He is definitely inlove

I think Dare likes u

u giv dare charm chop

people can be annoying

yes dats Dare

EPISODE 15 “Hey Darlene” Dora called as I walked in. I turned with a fake smile but it was enough to convince Dora and her guest. He did not look familiar after all; I do not know him. “Meet Kolapo, my boyfriend” she introduced. ‘Boyfriend,’ I thought. “Hello, I am Darlene” I said, stretching out my hand. “Nice to meet you, I am Kolapo, but I’d rather you call me KP” he replied, coolly taking the handshake. “Alright KP” I replied with a smile. “Are you guys heading out?” I asked, staring at the car, which had its front door open. “Yeah, we are going over to Shoprite to pick a few things for the house, wanna come?” she asked. ‘Now Dora is taking over the grocery duties’, I thought. I guess I am being negligent of my traditional duties and it was due to Jake’s absence, if he were available, we would have picked the groceries together. I was not in the mood to tag along. “No, I have to work, see you when you return” I replied and left them. I was going to have the house to myself for the rest of the afternoon. Dad has joined up with his friends for a day golf-tourney, and with Dora and KP out to the grocery; it meant the house was available for me. It is not as though the availability of the house would add anything to my ‘boring lifestyle’, but I would take the opportunity to drown myself. I am not an alcoholic, so drowning will not imply ‘boozing’. I was in dire need of a swim. As the water touched my skin, it took away my thoughts. Such therapy! I said aloud as I swam across the pool. “Ms Darlene, you have a visitor,” the house cleaner said as she approached. “Visitor?” I asked. I was not expecting anyone. I racked my brain thinking of who could be visiting. “His name is Daniel,” she said. “He says he is your teacher from the driving school” “Yea…right” I scoffed. “Now what does he want?” “Keep him in the living room, will be with him soon”. I could almost let out a scream. I decided to swim to refresh my thought, but Daniel’s reappearance might just add some fuel to it. I hurried to my room to get dressed before returning to the living room to meet him. “Sorry about what happened earlier ma’am” he said. Seemed to me as if Daniel now knew his place, the ‘ma’am’ in his greeting signified it. “Its fine” I replied taking my seat. “How may I help you?” “I want you to please return for your lessons,” he said “I am no longer in the mood today, maybe next week” I replied. “Please ma’am, I will be fired if you do not return and I will be ruined,” he begged, getting on his knees. I have never liked a compromising position. “I will just grab my bag” I said and left for my room. We strolled down the street, the driving school was just five minutes from the house so we could just take a walk, and I guessed my teacher could start to shove the ‘status’ thought aside. He pushed the gate open and led me to a Range Rover SUV. “I’ll be right back” he said and dashed into the building. I stared at the car and shook my head in disdain. “You are such an extremist,” I said as he approached me. “I don’t understand you” he replied, opening the door. “Who uses a Range Rover Sport for driving lessons?” I asked. “I can see that you are still on about the status thing” “No ma’am, I just felt that the Volkswagen Beetle might be faulty” he replied. Daniel did not have to explain any further. It was obvious that he was trying to make up what happened earlier, but what did a Range Rover SUV have to do with this. I understand that we humans are of insatiable wants, but was an SUV not too glamorous for learning. “I will need you to move to the driver’s seat,” he said. I obeyed. Learning had to start with obedience. I trained for about two hours and when it was over, I had a good knowledge of the basics. “Thanks a lot,” I said as I handed him the key. “Can I take you out to dinner to make up for what happened?” he asked, biting his lips. JESUS! I could not believe what I just heard. Daniel was asking me out to dinner. I stared at him with the ‘are you serious’ look. “Dinner?” I asked. “Yes Dinner, but I must warn you, it won’t be at Golden gate or any one of those fancy places, but it will be cool” he replied smiling. “I don’t think I am up for an adventure” I replied. “It will be spontaneous, something different from what you are used to” he replied. “Just think about it” I could say Daniel had so much nerve. Going out to dinner with Daniel might not be such a bad idea even though I really did not know him, he cannot be worse than the guys I already know. I took a quick glance at my wristwatch. “7pm” he said smiling. Now I was sceptical, if I go out by 7pm, I might be too tired to go to Church tomorrow and I already got a text from the Church that I have skipped Service in the last few weeks. “I am not sure, maybe some other time” I replied, with squinted eyeballs. “I will fetch you by 7pm” he replied. “We won’t be long” he assured. I gave him no reply and walked out of the driving school. My phone beeped. I had a message from Jake. “What does he want?” I said aloud as I scrolled through. ‘Hope I am not missed? Love you! Jake x’, his message read. I smiled as I returned the Phone to my bag. Jake had no idea of what I had been through in his absence and I could not wait to fill him in on his return from the Bahamas. I had dinner with the family. I left instructions that Daniel shouldn’t be allowed in; I was not ready for any silly adventures. He might have been disappointed but I am not ready to miss Church for the fifth consecutive week. I might not be God’s perfect daughter, but I still have to be in his good books. “I am happy to see that you came to Church today, Praise God,” Pastor Ben said. “Hallelujah Pastor” I replied, nodding my head casually. I wished Pastor Ben could spare me the after service sermon, I was on my way out of Church when he stopped me. “Do you remember when you were still a little girl and you used to lead the Choir?” he asked. Now I officially stuck with Pastor Ben. It has been years since I was responsible in the Church; this has been my Church since I was a little girl. If Pastor Ben did not remind me, I had actually forgotten that I used to sing, even though it has been a while. “Did I have a good voice?” “Oh my child, it was the best I heard in the Church those days” he replied. “I think you should do it again,” he added quickly. It felt good to hear that I used to have a good voice, but all that is in the past. “I am not sure Pastor” “You need to use your talent for God child, and now that you are still young. The day is still young and you can work for God, night cometh when no one will be able to work. I know you may have the world at your feet now, you are beautiful, young, and with so much power and cash at your disposal, but you still need God in your game plan” he concluded, patting me lightly on the shoulder and returned into the Church. Pastor Ben’s last words struck me and it felt as though those were the words meant for me from the Church today. I hailed a cab and rode home ruminating over Pastor Ben’s word. I am not sure if I am up to the task that Pastor Ben posed.

EPISODE 16 “What did you think of KP?” Dora asked as we ironed our clothes. I stared at her as I pressed the iron firmly to my shirt collar, the shirt needed a great deal of aggressiveness, just as Dora’s question might require. I did not have any real encounter with her boyfriend so why was she asking my opinion. I guess it boils down to one of those traditional questions that require an answer whether it was appropriate or not. “I think he is cute”. I replied, trying to avoid her gaze. “Cute? Oh…whatever, I don’t need you to make me feel good about KP” she replied, sounding unimpressed with my replied. ‘This girl is such a wonder’, I thought. I decided to switch the topic. “Hope you guys had fun yesterday?” I asked, smiling at her. “Come on Darlene, is there any real fun in picking groceries?” she asked, looking straight-faced. Now Dora had stunned me. Here I was trying to make an effort in being friendly, but she was bent on rebuffing my efforts. I was now wearing a frown. “Oh no!” she yelled as she caught sight of my face. She then burst into a cold laughter as she tried to cover her mouth with her hands. ‘Now what did my evil stepsister consider funny?’ I thought. “You really need to develop a sense of humour,” she said, as she smiled. “You shouldn’t take life too serious, it’s too short, and we ain’t going back alive,” she concluded with her eyebrow raised. I must admit that I did treat life with a great deal of seriousness. That is my nature and I shouldn’t be crucified for it. Nevertheless, Does Dora’s definition of ‘sense of humour’ imply replying me meanly? I would rather not have a ‘sense of humour’. “I would say that your jokes are wacked” I replied, sounding offended. Only yesterday, she was an angel and now all I can see are the traces of ‘ Cinderella’s evil stepsisters’, but I honestly, I can’t be bothered. “I will have to improve on them in the nearest future” she replied. “I am taking lessons from Chuck Norris,” she added. “Let’s talk about you Darlene,” she said, clapping her hands excitedly. She looked like a middle school gossip ready to hear anything. I turned off the iron as I hung my cloth. “Tell me about your love life” “I don’t have a ‘love life’” I replied, taking my seat. “But, I used to have a boyfriend.” I said. “Are you single?” she asked. “Yes” “Wow!” she sighed. “I have never pictured you as the single type even for a day. You have everything a guy wants.” She said. “Well…almost everything.” I sighed. “Why are you single?” she asked as she put aside her iron. “This is Lagos and single guys are like flies here, I can get you a real man in a snap,” she said, snapping in my face. I jerked. Dora smiled at me and trotted out the old cliché that ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’. “I don’t have a problem,” I said, standing up. “You do Sister” she replied, following me. “You are still single and that is uncomfortable” “I recently broke up with my ex!” I yelled. “Is that comfortable” A grin danced round her lips. “Now we are getting to somewhere” she started, taking her seat. I leaned against the door and watched Dora ‘psychoanalyse’ me. “The real problem is that you haven’t met a real man,” she said. “Just look at KP, he’s a real man, he has all the packs in the right places.” “Are we going to talk about me or KP?” I asked. “I am so sorry” she replied. “What was your ex like?” “Well…Paul is the one way guy, not really funny, but he tries to bring up some wacked jokes like you” I replied, wiping a sweat off my brow. “I think he loved me” Dora sighed. “Did you love him?” she asked, with her eyebrow raised. I stared at Dora and shook my head. It felt too heavy to say ‘I never loved him’. I had started to feel guilty about my break up with Paul. “Why did you date him?” I smiled. “To keep my pride and prove a point to Sir Williams.” I replied, taking my seat. “Dating Paul was my decision and I accept full responsibility for it, but I wish I never did”. Dora stared at me carefully; she opened her mouth and then swallowed. “Don’t swallow it Dora. I’d rather you spit out what you think about me.” “How could play with a man just to appease your ego?” she asked. I buried my head in my hand. “Did you at anytime fall in love with him?” I wish I could have had an affirmative response. “No. Dora, we broke off on very weird circumstances. He threatened to commit suicide, and I was lucky to have my boss around to help.” I stressed. ‘Did Dare really help?’ I thought. “Where is Paul now?” she asked, as she sat beside me. “Honestly, I have no idea. He disappeared after he threatened to commit suicide,” “Do you think that he could have carried out his threat?” she asked. ‘Oops!’ I had never thought of the possibilities of Paul actually committing suicide because he packed some clothes. “I don’t think he could have, he packed some of his clothes and left his phone behind as he left town.” “I think it is important that we carry out a detailed investigation on his whereabouts. I don’t think you will feel comfortable until you are sure that he is alive,” she said. ‘Paul couldn’t have committed suicide’ I thought. Dora inhaled deeply. “Let’s talk about Jake,” she said. “Jake?” “Yes…Dad calls him your ‘guardian angel’,” she replied. “I am dying to meet him” If Dad could mention Jake to Dora as my ‘guardian angel’, it meant that he held him in high regards, maybe not as high as I might imagine, but Dad must have him in his heart. “He is in the Bahamas” I replied, with a smile. “Personal retreat” I added quickly. “Is it a body and soul retreat?” she asked. I nodded in agreement, not knowing how to explain Jake’s ‘personal retreat’. “Is he fun to be around?” she probed. I laughed. “He makes everything fun, I have missed his presence.” I replied, with a large smile. “I have not been able to communicate with him and that makes me so upset,” I added, with a frown. “You must like Jake a lot.” “I love Jake. He has been my friend and brother, I miss him”. I yawned. “We have got work to do tomorrow” “Yes, we are going to have a busy day tomorrow in the office, Dad always require alertness of me” she replied. I smiled at her. “Do we continue this tomorrow?” she asked. I looked at Dora as a lady who was throwing in every effort to make friends with me, the least I could do was to come down from my high cloud. “Sure Sis”

Hope everything goes well with u guys oo

you have to give Jake a chance....he would make a good companion to you

hmm we are going somewhere

BLENDING

Continue abeg

You really need to mellow down... Dora is really nice to be with

Give him chance ok?

Give him a chance

wow dat was nice

Atleast you managed to say sis

cntinue

EPISODE 17 “Why did you turn down my lunch request on Saturday?” Dare asked as took his seat. I rolled my eyes. “I was under no obligation to accept your invitation, was I?” I asked. “No.” he replied. “How is your speech for the Annual Meeting coming?” “I have something drafted up, but I will check with Toni later in the evening” I replied. Dare cleared his throat. “Is there any problem?” I asked. “No, just make sure that the speech is fabulous” he replied, as he walked out. It was lonely on the top floor. I could understand why the top floor used to be for Dare and his ex. They would have some cherished moments on the top floor. I couldn’t doubt the fact that Dare must have taken interest in me. Why else would he bring me to the top floor? He claims it is professional, but cheap tales will not buy me. I stared through the large window that provided me an amazing view into the city. ‘Looking might help ease the boredom’ I thought. “How is the lady on the top floor doing?” Toni asked, barging in. I was so excited to see her that I could not rebuke her for barging in. “Take me away from here” I said, hugging her. I did not like being away from Toni; it was boring. “I miss you Mrs Small” “Oh please…”she stressed, releasing me from the embrace. “You have a beautiful office here. I can see you changed the wall papers, Reina liked it Turquoise” “Toni, you know so much about Reina, why is that?” I asked. She sighed and took her seat. “Reina attended the same high school as Dare and I” “Wow! You were Dare’s school mate?” I asked, taking my seat. She smiled and nodded her head in agreement. “We attended virtually all the same schools”. It sounded like ‘Jake and I’ to me. “Reina was in love with Dare since we were kids and she did not stop until she was finally his prom date. The whole school rocked when they won Prom King and Queen as a couple. They were a cute couple.” “Why did they split?” I asked curiously. “Reina had her excesses. I am not saying that Dare is a saint, but Reina always pushed him too far. She always wanted to be the captain of the relationship; she took decisions on Dare’s behalf, especially concerning this firm” “Hold on Toni, I can’t believe that Dare would have allowed anyone ‘boss’ him.” I said, interrupting. Toni scoffed. “Anything is possible when you are in love. He loved her but their break up was inevitable. She took swipes at every lady around Dare, including myself, and I guess she also got bored of him.” Toni paused and smiled. I raised my eyebrows in anticipation. “You are so into Dare right?” she asked. “Oh, come on… why do you say so?” Toni knelt before me and held my hands. “Don’t fall in love with him”. I immediately released myself from her grip. “He’ll make you suffer”. She then took her seat and smiled. “Did I act like a mother?” I shook my head. “Are you also taking lessons from Chuck Norris?” I asked. “My step…umh…My sister also spits out some unbelievable jokes, and she is a Chuck Norris ardent. I am not in the least attracted to Dare, I am only interested in a few details about him, and maybe I could psychoanalyze him” “If you want to analyze him, you can meet him in person. But, I think there is more to your interest in Dare, anyways he and Reina ended things maturely.” She said. Mrs Small was taking a swipe at the way my relationship ended with Paul. “How did you know that they ended their relationship on good terms?” I asked with a grin. “I think I was well informed with that relationship, maybe I skipped out on the bedroom details. Anyways, to your question, Reina still sends Dare monthly good will messages, and don’t ask me how I know that” she replied, standing up. “By the ways, how are things with you and Dora?” “I think we are coming along well, she is very sweet, except on her dry days when she dishes out what she calls ‘jokes’.” I replied, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “Do you care?” I asked. Toni nodded in affirmative and I handed her a cup. “Here you go.” “Thanks dear, is there any news on Paul yet?” she asked. I had no answer to Toni’s question. Dora and I haven’t started our investigations yet. “There is no news yet. I am going to contract a detective on his case before the week runs out; hopefully I can find him alive.” I wiped the tears that were soon gathering in my eyes. “I’ll find him Toni.” I said, trying to assure myself. “Don’t worry Darlene, I am sure that Paul won’t hurt himself.” She replied She was right! If Paul should commit suicide, he won’t be hurting himself because he’d already be dead. The only person he could hurt directly would be me, as I will feel guilty about his death. “Toni, I need you to help me look at my speech for the annual meeting,” I said, trying to divert from my current sorrow. “I’ll check it over lunch. Do you want to go with me to Chinese?” she asked, approaching the door. I nodded my head in agreement. She winked at me and closed the door gently. Thoughts of Paul flowed through my mind as soon as Mrs Small left. There was a light tap on the door. “Please come in” “How are you finding your new environment?” Dare asked. I had to be professional about my duties and start ‘compromising the truth’ when necessary. “It’s been wonderful here,” I replied, with a large smile. “You don’t have to tell a lie Darlene,” he said taking his seat. “By the way, you look beautiful when you smile,” he said. I smiled. “I was teasing,” he said, quickly. I frowned. “I like it when you frown, your attitude is enchanting” he replied, with a grin. I shook my head. “Do you mind joining me for lunch this afternoon?” he asked. I smiled. “I am booked for lunch.” I replied, as I opened my laptop. “You turned down my request on Saturday, and you are doing it again today, why?” I shrugged. “I am booked today, just like I was on Saturday. I am having lunch with Mrs Small, I don’t know if she will appreciate a third party” Dare laughed. “Third party?” he asked. I didn’t need to give him an answer. “I am no third party to Toni, not that I want to tag along, but she won’t refuse me” I grinned. “I’ll have to check with her,” I replied, lifting the receiver of the intercom. Dare was all smiles as soon as I dropped the receiver. I don’t have to tell you how the conversation went. Toni said, ‘I’ll be honoured to have him with us, yaayyy!’ What a woman! Couldn’t she have guessed by the tone of my voice that I didn’t want Dare with us at lunch? “So, do you want me?” he asked. I drew a dry hiss. “Do I have a choice?” I asked. “Oh…yeah, you are also the boss!” Dare stood up. “I will not come if you don’t want me there.” He then reached for the door. “See you later” “Please join us.” I said, almost sounding desperate.

EPISODE 18 “Fond memories, right?” Dare asked Toni as we ate. She gave a sheepish smile. I flashed at her in annoyance. How could they be talking of fond memories when I had no idea of what their discussion was about. Toni would not bulge. “Except, that we are replacing a face here,” she replied. “For our sakes, I wouldn’t call it replacing, more of changing.” He said. ‘How is replacing different from changing?’ I thought. My salad was going cold as I drummed my fork effortlessly on the plate. It was not responsible for any of my problems yet I could genuinely dish my anger out on the plate. “I hope you don’t feel lost, we were just catching up on old memories.” Dare said, as if he had read my thoughts. I scoffed. ‘Why were they acting as though they did not work in the same office, or as if they were just meeting for the first time?’ I had no idea of what they were discussing and what they should have done was to save their discussion for later, maybe in the car when I could distract myself with my Blackberry. Reaching for my phone now will seem inappropriate; it is called lunch, not talk time! “Not lost!” I replied, almost too sharply. Toni immediately cleared her throat to cover up what could have been likened to a ‘jealous housewife reaction’ if noticed by other customers. “I meant, I am not lost, something caught my throat,” I lied. “Sorry about that. You have barely touched your salad, do you want to re-order?” Dare asked. If Salad could be cold on my tongue, I wondered what wouldn’t be at this junction. “No, thank you.” I replied. “Toni and I used to frequent this place with Reina when she still worked with us.” He said, sipping his wine. “She loves very classy environments, I won’t be surprised to find her here,” he added. I remained mute. “Are you sure you don’t want to re-order?” he asked, staring at me. I smiled as I swallowed some salad. That felt like a bitter pill to swallow. “I am fine, you see.” Who was I trying to convince? I guess more of myself. I snapped out of my thoughts and sipped my wine. “When is my first practice session?” I asked. “You are quite eager about getting into our playground.” He replied. “It will take a while, after the annual meeting this Friday, we will look into the date.” That meant good news for me. “Do you guys mind visiting the park with me?” he asked. ‘Now he feels like running and he needs company,’ I thought. I looked at Toni, who had no objection as she flashed a smile. “It’s okay by me.” The rest of the lunch was a bit quiet, except for the occasional, ‘hope you aren’t offended with my presence?’ question asked by Dare. I remained mute. I did not give any answer to Dare’s questions. A smile was enough. We strolled into the central park. I walked by Toni’s side putting her in the middle, I did not want to walk beside Dare. “I will just sit over there while you get on tracks.” I said, approaching a bench. “Who said anything about me running?” he asked. I shrugged. “You don’t have to.” “I brought us here to see you run,” he replied, staring at me. “Yeah…right!” I drew a dry hiss and sat on a bench. Dare left with Toni. ‘Who does he think he is’ I asked myself. ‘This isn’t the office and he can’t be dishing out orders to me. If he misses Reina so much, he could send for her to amuse him by running round the park, but certainly not me!’ I said aloud. Dare returned with Toni and some clothes. “Here you go dear, just change in the bathroom over there,” he said, pointing at the bathroom on the far left. “Hurry, those ladies are waiting for you,” he waved at some ladies who waved back. “You can’t be serious.” I replied. “It’s just for the fun,” Toni said. “Fun? I think you should enter for the contest Toni.” I replied, standing up. “I am sorry that you both wasted your time going to get me clothes, but I am not interested in a race” Dare sighed. “It’s fine Darlene. I was just pulling your legs anyways,” he replied. “Thanks for the scare.” I replied, clutching my bag to my arm. “You are such a chicken Darlene,” Toni said. “I can’t believe that you are scared of the crowd here,” she added quickly. I scoffed. “I am only being cautious, not scared” I replied. “Well, I suppose we are done here.” “Apparently, since you refused to partake in a challenge, we have nothing else to do here; we will be heading back to the office.” He replied. “I will go and get the car.” He added and left. I flashed at Toni in annoyance. “What were you thinking?” I asked. “It’s not that much of a big deal Darlene; we just wanted you to compete with the other women in the race. I felt that you will do well in the race.” She replied, smiling. “Really? And you didn’t figure that you would fare better in the race? If Dare wants amusement, there are better ways to get it, not through me!” I replied. Toni shook her head. “It’s all over now, you can calm down. You look worked up. I think you were more scared of not impressing Dare than not getting on the tracks.” She added with a smile. “Come on Toni, I have no reason to impress him.” I replied, with my eyebrows raised. “Here comes Dare.” I said, as I sighted him. “Shall we?” The journey to the office continued with Dare and Toni chattering about high school days, especially the Prom event, with Dare likening himself to a Prince on that night. I forced myself to listen to my I-Pod as I struggled with making selections from Owl City to Adele, they would play low, and I was still interested in listening to Dare and Toni. I was the first to hop out of the car when we arrived at the office. “Darlene, a postman came here looking for you at lunch.” My secretary said, as I approached her. “He left this note for you.” She stretched out a paper to me. “Thanks Bola.” I replied, and walked into my office. I opened the note slowly. “Let’s see who we have here.” I raced to the address. It came from Bahamas. “Jake is such a kid. What happened to emails?” I said aloud. Since it was from Jake, I could read it on my way home. I folded it and dropped it in my bag. I turned on my laptop and started reading law tips. I had to prepare for my practise session. I called an Events House to book a meeting with them after work; Dora’s coming out party had to be planned. I would have had Jake plan it if he was available, but due to his absence, I had to plan it. I was glad when the clock struck 5pm. I had to catch the bus at Broad Street. I hurried to the elevator. “Darlene, can you spare a minute?” Dare said as he stuck his head out of his door. ‘You have to be kidding me,’ I thought. “Yes Boss.” I replied and left for his office. “Sorry to delay you but I need you to take a look at a few files for me.” I placed my bag on a seat. “Where are the files?” “I am sorry I lied, I need to talk to you.” He said, looking worried.

I Hope u are safe

What did he want and why will he lied to you

you already know what he want

Lying just to get your attention?

Darlene take it easy o

you called her sis?

Maybe some feelings expression

Y is Dare looking worried

I guess its love talk

EPISODE 19 “Is there a problem?” I asked, taking my seat. Dare sighed. “I need a favour from you.” He said. “I won’t like you to refuse me this one” “It depends on what you want from me.” He cleared his throat. “I want you to go out with me tonight, I am meeting up with some friends tonight, and I want you to accompany me.” I let out a horrid laugh. “Dare, what do take me for?” I asked. “I don’t understand your question.” I sighed. “You entered me for a competition unannounced earlier today, and now you want me to accompany you to see your friends. Don’t you think you are taking me for granted?” “Do you feel offended by my actions?” “Of course!” He shook his head. “It was not my intention.” He replied. “You may leave.” I stood up and reached from the door. “What do you want from me?” I asked. “Your friendship.” He replied. I smiled. “You have it.” I opened the door. “Will you go out with me tonight? To a movie? I will cancel with my friends.” He asked. “Why will you cancel with your friends for me?” He stood up and approached me. “They have been friends forever, they will understand. So, will you?” “Okay.” “I will pick you by 7.” “See you later,” I replied, and left. What was I thinking? Agreeing to go to the movies with Dare on a Monday night implied lateness to work on Tuesday. I joined the bus and left for home. I had to cancel my apartment earlier scheduled with the Events House. I was lost in thoughts on the bus that I did not hear a man calling at me to move to the next seat. “I am so sorry.” I said as I moved over to the next seat. He took his seat and smiled at me. “Darlene, right?” I stared at him and then realised that it was Daniel from my driving school. “Oh, how are you Daniel?” “Why did you stand me up?” I bit my lips. “What a nice way to respond to a greeting. Anyways, I was busy.” “But we agreed on going out.” I smiled. “I never agreed. I was wise enough not to give any concrete answer on that, you assumed.” “Whatever, it’s in the past now.” He replied, with a smile. “Can we hang out this weekend?” I rolled my eyeballs. “Unfortunately, I am busy at work this weekend.” I then paused and realised the need to put Daniel in his place. “And just so we are clear, you are my teacher and I do not appreciate your unnecessary warming up to me.” He inhaled deeply. “Fine by me, I will stick to my role henceforth.” “Thank you.” I said carelessly. Daniel said nothing to me as the journey continued. I could guess that he could not wait for the bus to stop. We dropped off at our stop. Daniel maintained a courteous approach and let me off the bus first. “Have a good night.” He said, walking away. “You too.” I called back. Dora stood up as soon as I walked in. “I have been waiting for you forever.” “Hi. How was your day?” she asked, holding out a muffin. “I baked it for you.” I collected it and took a bite. “This is good. Are there anymore?” I asked, taking my seat. “Yes, I had the luxury of baking some after work today.” I smiled. “Thanks Dora.” “I got some news for you. I spoke with a detective earlier in the day, and he said that if we can give concrete information on Paul, they would get to work as soon as possible.” I sighed. “Thanks for everything Dora, I am very grateful.” “What are sisters for? I will do anything to help you. If you can drop the details with me before going to work tomorrow, I will stop at the Police Station.” “Thanks Dora.” I replied and left for my room. I flung my closet open and started my search for a dress to wear out with Dare. I choose a polka dotted short gown and hurried into the bathroom. i hoped that Dare would make it for 7 sharp, as I have not been a fan of late nights. I applied my lip-gloss coolly as I checked my wristwatch for what I hoped would be the last time. “Knock knock,” Dora said as she walked in. “Hi” I replied adjusting my powder. “There is a guy named Dare here for you.” She cleared her throat. “You look good sis.” She added. I smiled. “Thanks Dora. Tell Dad that I might be in a bit late tonight.” I said, grabbing my purse. “I sure will.” She replied with a grin. I hurried downstairs to meet Dare. “You look hot.” He said, staring at me. I looked at myself with a grimace. ‘What was ‘hot’ about the appearance?’ I thought. I smiled politely. “Thank you.” “Shall we?” he asked. “Yes Please.” I replied, leading the way. Dare started the engine. “Where do you want to go?” “You are the one taking me out, so I am with you.” “What do you say we drive into the night till we have nowhere else to go in Lagos?” I popped my eyeballs. “That sounds adventurous, but I say NO! It’s ridiculous, especially on a Monday night, more of irresponsible.” “I am the boss, remember?” he said, smiling. “I call the shots at Ade-Cole, so if we are drooling into the night, no one can bother us, if you want to.” I smiled. “I will pass on your offer. Make another choice, there are lots of places to go to on a Monday night, maybe we see a movie.” “Alright, we are off to the movies.” I left to get some pop corn and drinks as Dare joined the queue to get us tickets. “I got us tickets to see The Hunger games” Dare said approaching. “Sounds like fun.” “It would be fun, haven’t you seen the adverts? It is awesome! The movie is a complete sell out, I was lucky to grab these tickets.” He said, flashing the tickets in my face. “Let’s go then.” After two hours, we were through with the movie. “Thanks Dare, I wasn’t disappointed.” He smiled. “You are welcome.” He took a quick glance at his wristwatch. “We have to get to the town square before it is 10.” He said. “Why?” “At around that time, there is always a street dance at that end, and the kids are totally awesome, you need to see it.” “Okay.” I replied, dumbly. “We are going to run because Cars can’t go through this route,” he said. Dare grabbed my hand and before I could say Jack Robinson, we were already running. A teeming crowd running from the east and west joined us. It seemed as though everyone knew that it was time to run towards the town square. Dare was all jumpy as he grooved to the music as the dance competition went on. He was lost in the dance competition that he did not see me wander off into the streets. I wanted to get a drink badly as my throat was all-dry. CLOSED tags were on almost all stores in the street. I was in dire need of a drink and it looked almost impossible to get any. The road was dark and lonely ahead, so I decided to turn back. I was grabbed at the arm. I yelled. “Why are you making so much noise?” I turned round as I released myself. “Why are you stalking me Daniel?” I asked. “I was just fortunate to be in the environment and I saw you leaving the dance ground so I thought that I should follow you.” He replied. “Why were you wandering?” I looked at him carefully. “I don’t like you being everywhere around me.” “This is Lagos. It is a free City, I can be anywhere I choose to be.” He replied. Daniel scared me. It was dark and lonely and I felt that I was standing before a nightmare. “I’ll just go back to the ground.” I replied. He held me back. “Wait!” He held my hand so tightly that it hurt. “Leave me alone Daniel.” “Why?” “The lady told you to leave her alone.” A voice said from the dark. The scene terrified me the more. The next thing I heard was a blow landing heavily on Daniel. He crashed to the ground. “Are you alright Darlene?” “Yes I am.” I replied, with my voice all shaky. “Why did you leave the town square? It is not safe for you to be wandering all by yourself.” He then turned to Daniel. “Who is this riff-raff?” I sighed. Daniel was struggling to get up from the ground. He must have felt a serious impact from the blow Daniel gave him. “He is my teacher from a driving school.” “This is no teacher.” Dare replied, kicking Daniel hard in the belly. “Please Dare, let him be. I am fine now, let’s just go.” I begged. Dare was more interested in Daniel than in my plea as he struck him hard to the ground. “Hold it up there! This is the Police, your hands right behind your head.”

EPISODE 20 “Wonderful end to your evening, right?” Dad asked, as he signed my bail papers. I collected my wristwatch and purse from the Police officer. “I also signed bail for the thug who helped you in attacking an innocent man.” I laughed. “That is my boss. He is no thug Dad, and your so-called innocent man is a stalker. He has been following me all around and if not for Dare’s timely intervention, I might be dead.” “I see. So, Ade-Cole’s boy was your Jackie Chan out there.” Dare came out with a police officer. He was handed his wallet and other properties. “Thank you Sir.” He said to my Dad. “You are welcome Ade-Cole.” “You guys have to report here tomorrow around 10 in the morning to file a formal report against your so-called stalker.” The Police Chief said. Dad dropped Dare off at his house before we left for ours. “Hope you weren’t mistreated at the station?” Dora asked as we walked in. “They acted nice.” I replied slumping into the sofa. “Go to your room Dora, I have to talk to your step sister.” Dad ordered. “Sister.” I corrected. Dad smiled. “Nice to hear that from you Darlene, Please go to your room Dora.” Dora pecked Dad and I and left for her room. Dad sighed and I guessed that it could only mean trouble. His sermons might just be too much for me to bear. “Dad please, I don’t want you scolding me on this issue. Daniel is the stalker and Dare was just helping out.” “It didn’t seem like that to the Police; else, you both wouldn’t have been locked up. Listen Darlene, I understand that Daniel might be into you.” He paused and cleared his throat. “But I don’t think he is a stalker, I got him a job at Badmus because I have known him as a good kid.” “Do you believe Daniel over me?” I asked feeling offended. “Don’t take it that way honey, but I know Daniel can never hurt you, he won’t dare it.” “Why do you trust him so much? Is he also your kid, maybe my step brother?” I yelled. Dad sighed as he sunk into the sofa. “Are you ever going to accept Dora?” “How does this involve Dora? Dad, you trust a man that has been stalking me, how am I sure that he doesn’t mean a lot to you?” I asked, raising my voice. “I think you should keep your voice low, I am not dissuading you from pressing charges against him if you want to, I just think that you should be patient. Those meetings might have been mere coincidences like Daniel explained, and it’s not like he has forced himself on you.” “Stop it Dad!” I yelled. “If you want to protect him, you can. I am taking him to court and that is final!” I retorted and left for my room. I stopped at the Police Station early the next day. “Would you like us to take this case to the court?” The DPO asked. “Yes. I want a restraining order on him. The best way is to go to Court.” I replied. “What if you are not granted your request?” he asked. “I’ll push for it. I don’t want that man anywhere around me.” “You are a lawyer, it shouldn’t be that difficult.” He replied, smiling. I bumped into Daniel on my way out of the DPO’s office. “Look at who we have here.” I said stepping aside. “Are you taking me to Court?” he asked. “I have no business with you Daniel. You have shown that you are very unpredictable and I can’t stand you, so please leave me alone.” Daniel shook his head. “You don’t get it, do you?” he paused. “This world is not all about you, I wasn’t stalking you. I thought it was unsafe for you to walk alone into the night and so I tried to follow you, I was at the dance, like every other person.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. I am not comfortable with your presence, and I have to put a stop to you. You grabbed me by the arm, which was rude.” “I didn’t want you wandering off again. That hood is filled with thugs who would do anything to feed their belly.” He replied. “There is no point discussing this Daniel, Excuse me.” I replied and left. Dare told me that I could skip work today, so I took the time to visit the Events House for Dora’s coming out party. We agreed on the decorators to visit our house during the weekend to plan for its arrangement. I had it fast at the Events House, so I took the opportunity to search for a new driving school. If I was to avoid Daniel, I had to close all possible avenues of us ever meeting again. “When do you want to start your lessons ma’am?” Mr Tobi asked. Mr Tobi owned the driving school. I intended to continue my driving lessons with him. “I wouldn’t mind having it every Friday, and probably, some Saturdays.” I replied. “That’s fine by me. Do you want to start this week?” “No, I will be busy this week, but from next week, I will be starting my lessons.” We finalized arrangements for my driving lessons. Mr Tobi’s driving School was quite a distance from home, but that is one of the few sacrifices to pay to escape Daniel. It was lonely at home when I returned, so I took the time to tidy up my speech for the Annual Meetings. It was a huge relief for me when Kolapo drove in with Dora. “Hey Darlene.” He called. “Hi KP, How was work today?” I asked. I rose to hug Dora. “Hey sis” Dora sipped my drink and sat down. “I have huge news for you.” “I’ll be in the living room.” Kolapo said leaving for the house. “What is it?” Dora sat upright. “The detective has been able to track Paul’s initial location when he left his house. Paul did not go to Obudu like you thought, he left Nigeria.” “I guess we can say that he is safe?” “I don’t know if I can agree with you totally. The other issue is that Paul is in the Bahamas. That is, if your descriptions were accurate.” “Of Course they were, but what I don’t understand is what Paul is doing in the Bahamas? Or could he be with Jake?” I thought aloud. Suddenly, I remembered the letter that I received from work thinking that it was from Jake. “I’ll be right back!” I said and dashed into the house. I turned my bag over and searched for the letter. ‘It has to be somewhere’ I thought. I finally found the letter and left for the compound. “What is that in your hand?” Dora asked. “I received this letter from the Bahamas yesterday, I didn’t open it as I thought that he would be from Jake, but I can’t be so sure that it is from Jake .” I replied, opening the letter carefully. “Hurry sis, what does it say?” she asked.

He really likes you but you're making things difficult for him

maybe the letter is from Paul

reconsider your stand on Paul

hmmmn

Its definitely Paul and I just hope he is not threatening Jake

That is definitely from Paul

The letter is from Paul

following

continue

IT'S FROM PAUL

what did he say?

EPISODE 21 PAUL’S LETTER “I would not be surprised if you are just reading this letter 2 to 3 days after getting it. It shows that you are still the Darlene that I have always known, always jumping into conclusions, the letter is from ME, not Jake. I would like to ask a favour from you. Do not hate Jake for bringing me to the Bahamas. I know you are shocked to read that Jake took me to the Bahamas, but he knows what to do for a friend, well, not really friends. I apologize for the show that I put up with the gun and all. I was clueless and scared of loosing you. I apologize once again, and I hope that you forgive me. Breaking up with you has been hard, but I am moving on fine. It has been slow, but I am determined to put you aside and move on. I know that it would be impossible to forget you. Before you hear the last of me, permit me to tell you all that I was not able to say when we last met. I never lied to you when I said I love you. I have always loved you since the first day I set my eyes on you, but I cannot say that I will always love you because I intend to move on, just as I know you have. Darlene, you were very special to me. You were my first special girl. You are nothing like every other girl I know, and that is why I will always respect you. You are the woman that every man wants, but not every part of you is what a man wants. You do not always have to be so FORTHRIGHT. From the first day we started our relationship, you were so straight with me that ‘you never loved me’, you did not have to put it that way. Not every man can cope with your being so forthright. I could not, and I am sorry. Darlene, you never TRIED to love me. You did not appreciate my love; I worked hard towards making myself a man worthy of you, but you were not ready to see him. Darlene, not every man can be exactly the type of man that you want, but you could have made me better, I was willing to try. U never was. D, about that guy you brought to my place, your boss, right? Look, I know that he is exactly your type-Elegant, and a perfect debonair, but I think I am going to be the first to slam the relationship before it happens, he will never make you happy. Love is everywhere around you, be open to it. Okay, I am done writing you, I still miss you, and I had a nice time with Jacob to be honest, he enrolled me here for a retreat in order to help me ‘find myself. Darlene, you are a perfect woman for any man, maybe, I am not just the perfect man for you. However, I believe that I deserve better. I will find someone else when the time is right and move on properly. Once again, don’t forget all that I have said. I may not be the perfect advisor, but I don’t think that your boss will ever make you happy. He might be your fantasy but he is not your Prince. PAUL I sighed. I read the letter for the second time, but this time, not aloud. Dora patted me on the back and left to join Kolapo in the house. I folded the letter and placed it carefully beside me. My Juice was now cold and it almost felt impossible to take another gulp. Paul’s words were more scratchy than scary. At first, I thought that he might have carried out his threats and committed suicide, but thanks to Jake, Paul is aiming at moving forward and even admonishing me on my next relationship. He even feels that Dare might be my next! “Darlene…D” I almost couldn’t hear Dora call until she tapped me. “Hey, I am sorry. Is there a problem?” “Are you so sure of Jake’s safety? Paul could be dangerous.” She said, taking her seat. “Jake will be fine. If he took Paul with him to the Bahamas, he must be aware of his actions. I am only curious as to why Jake didn’t tell me, he would never hide a thing from me.” “Here is a first” she shrugged. Dora was right. There is always a first time, but I never had imagined that Jake would hide a thing like this from me. “Yes.” I replied coolly. “Let’s imagine that both are safe. What do you intend to do about Daniel?” I stared at her. “The stalker” “He claims he is no stalker.” “They never tell. Why is he everywhere? Coincidence?” “I really don’t know, but I will get a restraining order, I won’t be taking any chances with that guy. By the way, Does KP work at Williams too?” Dora raised her eyebrows. “No. Why do you ask?” “He is always bringing you home, so I thought you guys might work together, and you know, I have never really asked him where he works.” “I think you guys should chat a little, he is inside and bored. Do you mind keeping him company?” “I am a bit stressed out now, maybe some other time.” I replied, standing. “Really? Are you going to deny my boyfriend the opportunity of having a chat with you? Don’t be mean sis, it won’t take forever, you know.” “Okay.” Kolapo smiled. “How are you today?” “Good. And you?” I replied casually. “Fine.” He cleared his throat. “I am happy to learn that you are getting along well with Dora. She’s a good girl” I smiled. “I know that. I am also pleased to have a good relationship with her.” “So, how is law going for you?” “I am at the initials, so I can’t say that I have really started the court cases and all, but I am doing pretty fine.” I sprawled out into the sofa. I was exhausted, and with this interview with KP, I might just get more exhausted. Kolapo stared at me for a while and said. “I think you are naturally boring.” My eyes popped open like a shotgun. “Do you have any fun at all? Anything spontaneous about you?” “I do have fun, but only when necessary, I try to keep the balance.” I replied. “Necessary doesn’t imply that you strike a balance, it sounds like only 5% of your life. I think you should hang out with me on maybe one or two occasions, I bet you will have fun.” “I do have fun.” I argued. “Only yesterday night, I was at the movies, and then at the Central Town square. I do have fun.” I insisted. “Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or yourself?” KP was right. I was trying to convince myself. Fun isn’t for me, or is it? I sighed, and diverted from our discussion. “Where do you work?” “I run a beauty parlour.” “Seriously?” I asked, looking surprised. He winked. “Yes. ‘KP’s Place’ is the name. You will get every treatment to bring life to the body and soul.” “KP’s place? I have heard of it in South Africa. When was it established?” “Yes. It’s been for over two years. I have the head office in Johannesburg; I just started the Lagos Outfit six months ago.” He replied, handing me a business card. “I will definitely check it out.” I said. “If you can come to my Beauty Parlour, you will get a fabulous treatment and then we could hang out a little. We could do that this weekend.” “I am very busy this weekend, maybe some other time, but we will fix an appropriate date for that.” I left Kolapo in the Living room and left for my bedroom. “I have missed you.” I said, slumping into my bed. All I could think about was sleeping. I sprawled out on the bed without eve taking off my clothes. I could sleep in shoes in this condition. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Jake. “I am in Nigeria.” It read.

EPISODE 22 “Good morning Darlene.” Bola, my secretary said, flashing a smile at me. “Hi Bola. Hope you had a nice rest.” I called back. I dropped my handbag beside my chair and lifted the Dailies from the table. I widened my eyes as I lifted another paper; all the headlines read the same news. “HEIR TO MARTIN-OJE DYNASTY, JACOB MARTIN-OJE IN A BRAWL AT 11:45 CLUB ” ‘Magnificent way for Jake to announce his arrival’ I thought as I grabbed my phone. There was a light tap on the door. “Please come in.” “Good morning Darlene.” “Good morning Dare” I stared at his wrapped fist. “Did you break a bone?” He smiled. “Daniel is a whole lot, his face broke my bone.” He took his seat. “How are you doing?” “I am fine. I appreciate what you did for me with Daniel.” I said, staring at his fist. He shrugged. “It was nothing. I hope you have Friday under control.” “Yes, I do.” Dare rose to his feet. “I will be in my office.” He replied, and left. I dialled Jake’s phone, but he didn’t answer it. ‘Maybe cooling off at the Police Station’ I thought. Jake must have been tipsy and gotten into an unreasonable fight. I concluded my thoughts and wrapped up my speech for Friday. I started rehearsing my speech. I stuttered over a few lines, but I had a conviction that I would still do fine on Friday. “Knock knock,” Toni said, as she walked in. “Good morning Mrs Small.” I said, rising to my feet. “Please sit,” I said, pointing at a seat. “Already feeling like an office owner,” Toni said, taking her seat. “Anyways, Case 1, I heard you were arrested, along with Dare. That’s romantic, did you share a cell?” she asked clapping her hands with glee. “Sorry to disappoint you, we were locked up for only thirty minutes, and also, we had separate cells.” Toni laughed. “Case 2, Have you seen the papers this morning? Your Jake is such a wonder. He was reported to have gotten into a fight at 11:45 last night; the papers said he was tipsy.” “Tipsy? Oh, come on, Jake does whatever he likes.” I said, sounding uninterested. I still felt hurt by Jake not telling me about taking Paul to the Bahamas. “He will be alright; the highest punishment he will get will be a fine for causing an upset in a public place.” Toni shrugged. “How do you plan to take care of your so-called stalker, I heard about the man.” “I have no idea of what to make of the whole thing now. He claims not to be a stalker, but I cannot trust him totally. He is everywhere.” “Maybe coincidental meetings, but just to be safe, get a restraining order on him. That won’t hurt.” I nodded. “I am processing that. I hope I can have it as soon as possible.” Toni stared at me for a while, as though she had something to say. She then swallowed. “What is it Toni?” “Nothing.” She rose to her feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow; I have a case this evening.” She replied and left. Jake’s phone was unreachable. ‘Must be having a nice time with the police’ I thought. The Police won’t miss on the opportunity to arrest a celebrity’s kid, especially one who can dish out enough money for his bail, but by the look of things, it seemed like Jake didn’t want to pay any bail, as his phone was unreachable. There was a knock on the door. “Please come in.” “Excuse me Darlene. Dare said that you should get ready to accompany him to the City Mall.” Bola said. “Thank you.” We arrived at the City mall an hour later. Dare walked briskly into the building and I followed without asking any questions. I started getting used to the idea that Dare might just want me to be anywhere he was. What could I do to stop that? He is the boss! “Darlene, meet Carl Frampton from London, he is going to be helping you with your first practise session.” “Hello Mr. Frampton.” I greeted courteously, exchanging pecks. I stared at Dare without a clue. He didn’t tell me that he had organised a meeting for me. “I guess you will be fine. Let’s see you battle out the initials in the courtroom. The first session is always a surprise.” I walked into a room that had some audience and a top Lagos Activist as the Judge. ‘Dare wants me roasted’ I thought. The Clerk went through the formalities and he called the case. “The State Vs Mr Jacob Martin-Oje.” He called. I turned round and watched my best friend walk in guarded by a police. He flashed a smile at me. “It’s your first test, but if you do well, he will be free to go home with you, if not, your friend will start community service tomorrow.” Carl whispered into my ears. I smiled back at Jake, and I could not wait to defend my best friend, of which I knew nothing about his actions. “Ms Williams, you are the defendant to Jacob Martin-Oje, it should be a mere test case, but if you score even a 79 point by my rating, Mr Martin-Oje will start community service. You need 80 points to get him discharged and acquitted.” The judge announced. Jake stuck his tongue out at me as I rose to my feet. I smiled. ‘Community service won’t be a bad idea.’ I thought smiling at him. He frowned at me. “Ms Williams and Mr Martin-Oje, this is no circus. Do proceed.” The judge ordered. I had a good knowledge of the basics from Law school, so I went through it swiftly and then defended Jake based on being ‘drunk and provoked to anger’. Jake, when asked of his weekly alcohol intake replied: “I am sober Judge; I don’t know who told my incompetent lawyer that I was drunk.” The courtroom let out a laugh, including the Judge and myself. I shook my head. ‘Jake had just ruined his chance of getting free. Community service for sure!’ I thought. “This court is aware of the relationship between Mr Martin-Oje and Ms Williams outside this courtroom and so I won’t drag the case any further,” the judge started. “Darlene, you did well using those points in his defence even though he rubbished them. We ensured that you couldn’t communicate to know anything from him, but I am pleased with your work, good job girl.” He said. “Bravo.” Carl said to me. The judge cleared his throat. “Nevertheless, it is community service for Jacob Martin-Oje” The Clerk called. “Court! Arise” We all rose to our feet until the Judge left the room. I rushed at Jake. “You nit-wit!” I said, jabbing his shoulders. He swirled me round and round. “I missed you love.” “Me too.” We locked in a tight embrace. “Community service for you tomorrow.’ I said, releasing myself from the hug. Now I was the one sticking my tongue out. “Whatever. It will be fun.” He replied. Dare and Carl joined us. “Good job Darlene, you are good.” Dare said. “Thanks Dare.” I replied. “See you in the office.” he replied and left with Carl. I winked at Jake. “You are dropping me at work, right?” “Seriously? I came in a police truck.” He replied, laughing.

I just love this guy behaviour So cool @Jacob

this Jake eee u wan fall Darlene hand

Can't you date Jake? I mean, you guys understand each other

Its like this story fey burst my brain... Nice work

Nexxt

EPISODE 23 “Jake, come on…do you think that I am ready to be driven round the city in a police van?” Jake laughed. “It’s not a big deal, and this won’t be your first time. You were arrested with your boss, remember?” “Oh…so you have gotten the gist already? Who told you?” “It doesn’t matter. The police station is still reeling with excitement from the arrest of two of the most powerful people in the city. Just take it as, you are a celebrated villain.” I smiled. “I have a stalker problem.” Jake stuck his tongue out. “That’s what you get for leading people on.” He said, adjusting his sunglasses. I yanked the sunglasses off his face that he let out a cry. “Lead? I did not even know the dude until I met him at my driving school. He followed me around ever since.” I protested. “Okay.” He replied, forcefully taking his sunglasses. “This cost much, they are royal.” He said kissing the frame of the sunglass. “I could care less about your stalker problem; all you need is a restraining order. But if my sunglasses got damaged, I can’t get it fixed.” Jake is back! Everything had to be fun for him. I smiled as I stared at the way he caressed the sunglasses. ‘Much ado about nothing!’ Jake made silly things count. An example was the car he had inherited from his grandfather before getting a new one. “How do you intend getting back to the office?” he asked, as a police officer approached us. “I will go with you as far as Broad Street.” I replied. The Police officer stood before us. “Hello” he said quietly. “He is my supervisor for the community service; just to ensure that I am a good boy.” Jake said. “My name is Philip.” He replied. “Hi Philip.” I said, as we exchanged handshake. Jake cleared his throat. “Philip, I would love if we could drop this pretty little miss at Ade-Cole firm before we return to the Station.” “Anything for a beautiful woman,” he smiled at me. “I will be by the Truck.” He said, taking his leave. Jake nudged me. “Officer Philip on your radar now…ha-ha” “Oh Please Jacob, did I even smile back?” “Whatever! He is cute Policeman; he is tall, athletic and handsome. You should consider him.” The Policeman had all the qualities that Jake said, but how could he think of a Policeman and me? “Jake, you should date a Policewoman. Let’s go” “Thanks for the ride Philip.” I said as I got off the Truck. “Anytime Miss. Just come to my division.” He called back. Jake winked at me. “Bye Love” “Later…” Bola held out a note at me as soon as I got back. “It came from the Court.” “Thank you.” I read the letter and sighed. The Court was requesting my presence to follow up the restraining order I requested for on Daniel. I turned to Dare’s office. “Welcome back.” He said, as I walked in. “Thank you.” He gestured to a chair. “Please sit.” I complied. “I hope you didn’t come here to tear me apart about your Practise session.” He said, smiling. “Not at all, on the contrary, I am very grateful.” “You are welcome.” I smiled. “I am to appear at Court tomorrow over Daniel’s restraining order.” “Okay. I got the letter also to be a witness,” he said looking at his wrapped fist. “Does it still hurt?” I asked, looking concerned. I nodded. “I am not going to lie about that, it bloody hurts. His face is so hard” I chuckled. “I think you are the one with the lazy bones. Jake would tear anyone apart and his hands would still be intact. He is as fit as fiddle” “You should have called Jake that night, you know.” “Aww…I am not ridiculing your efforts, I am just saying that maybe you are paying too much attention to the fist and that’s why it won’t heal.” He smiled. “Okay,” he replied, taking off the bandage. “Maybe if I stretch the fist a bit, it will get better.” “You don’t have to remove it.” “I’ll be fine.” He replied. “I don’t want to appear with it on Friday before my father.” I rose to my feet. “If you say so, I have to return to my office. I have a few paper works to tidy.” “See you later.” He replied. I got an e-mail from Dora that read: “I have gotten more information on Paul. You cannot guess. See U at home.” ‘Now what’s new about Paul?’ I thought. I typed back; “Thanks” “Knock Knock” Toni said, as she walked in. I smiled at her. “You sly! Why didn’t you tell me about my practise session? Now I why you stuttered before leaving my office.” “But I heard that you did fine. You can blame me, those are office secrets.” “Or secrets between Dare and you?” Toni smiled. “He told me not to tell you, I am sorry.” She walked over to the window. “If you ever get bored, just stare through this window, and it will bubble you back to life. Reina never took her eyes off this place.” “Toni, if you miss Reina so much, you can phone her or just mail her.” I said, sharply. “I was just teasing.” She replied. I raised my eyebrows. “Teasing? I think you were in awe of Reina. You have to forget her, you know, and if you can’t, limit it around me, thanks.” “I have known Reina all my life, and she always made me miserable because of my size. You know what she tagged me at high school? She called me a ‘Balloon’! I could never like her.” I grinned. “I think you should work out during the weekends.” “I have regular sit ups, but I can’t diet to look like a strand of spaghetti like you. Do you even eat at all?” I laughed. “Of course, I do. You will shocked by my consumption rate.” “Please don’t make me laugh. If you eat well, it will show honey.” “You can believe whatever you like, but I eat well.” Toni flipped through a magazine on my table. “Friday is only two days away, what are going to wear?” she asked. “I haven’t really given it a thought. It’s a dinner, so I will take time off in the morning to get to the store, that is if my wardrobe is devoid of evening wears, but I don’t think it will come to that.” Toni pointed at a gown in the magazine. “This goes for twenty thousand naira, we can buy it online and it will be delivered tomorrow.” She said, going through the details. “Oh, it is M&S” “Let me see.” I said, collecting the magazine. I have a rich taste for English dresses, so I was willing to check out the dress. “Should we browse it?” “Oh yes,” Toni said as she leaned over the table. “What is this?” I laughed. “The gown goes for #21,000 naira. A thousand must go for delivery service.” I replied. “Why didn’t they place that in the magazine? Rogues! Always trying to exploit people.” I smiled. “It’s just normal that you pay a delivery fee for your goods. They have to make some profits.” Toni shrugged. “I know that they should have been honest with the actual price, but what can they do?” “Whatever, are you still going to buy?” I grinned. “I will just check my wardrobe when I get home. If I am not comfortable, I will place the order.” “Okay. See you at closing hour; I have to put a few things together for the Friday dinner.” “See you.” I joined the staff bus after work. “What’s new about Paul?” I asked as soon as I walked in. “ Hi Dora, how was your day ? I think that is a better way to ask your question” she replied, as she watered the flowers. I sighed. “I must have lost my manners. Good evening.” “That’s better.” She replied, with a smile. She continued with the watering of the flowers. ‘Damn Dora!’ I thought. She knew that I was dying to know what she had found out about Paul, yet she was not saying a word. I raised my eyebrows at her, hoping to gain her attention. It worked. “Oh that…about Paul, right? She asked smiling. At that moment, I wished that I could force the gist out of her mouth. A horrid grin lurked around her lips as she tried to conceal something that I was too interested in, she ended the smile and stared at me sternly. “Spill it!” I ordered.

EPISODE 24 Dora removed her hand gloves and flashed a smile at me. “I’ll be right back,” she said, strolling into the house. I stared at her as she jogged off into the house. Her wicked grin put me off. She made me anxious to hear some news and then she disappeared into the house. ‘What did she take me for?’ Thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to imagine what Dora could have found out. Dora seemed to be a busy type. Cutting the garden right after work is something I will not think of, not even for a second. The flowers had been properly trimmed, and I have to admit, Dora is a great person. I stared at her as she approached with a chair. “Comfy, right?” she asked with a smile. “Please sit.” “What are you doing, Dora? You have something for me, don’t you?” She smiled. “Please don’t get all arrogant with me. I have big news for you, but first, you have to use the chair.” I frowned. “Oh please, let me have your bag.” She said, collecting my bag with a grin. ‘What could Dora have to say?’ I thought I sat reluctantly. “Speak.” “I think you should start taking lectures on manners.” Dora could go comic on almost everything, although I admit to being rude. “Please Dora.” “That’s more like it.” She flashed her teeth at me. I tried to be patient as I stared at her. “Oops! Sorry love, I have something for you.” She said and returned to the house. I could kill Dora honestly. I clenched my fists in frustration. Why didn’t she just break the ice and save me the suspense? “I am so sorry sis.” She said clutching a brown envelope to her arms. “I have a question for you and I want an honest response.” At this junction, I could tell Dora a frank ‘yes’ just to know what she had found out about Paul. “YES” “Oh Darlene…I don’t know how to ask you this question.” She said clenching her teeth. “Just say it Dora, I will take no offence.” I pleaded. She shut her eyes tightly and said, “Have you ever had sex with Paul?” “WHAT!” I could almost puke at the thought. “Paul and I? No ways.” She sighed. “Be honest.” “Never! How could I sleep with a guy that I don’t even love?” “Okay then…” By the way she sighed; I could tell that she was relieved with my response. “Why the question?” “I just want to be sure that there were no intimate ties between yourself and Paul.” I smiled. “There you have it sis, I am clean, so break the ice.” “PAUL IS GETTING MARRIED.” I let out a laugh. “Chuck Norris must be getting poor in his lectures; this joke is as bad as it can get.” “I am serious.” She replied, straight faced. Dora looked serious. “You can’t be serious. Are you sure, you do know Paul, right? There are over a million men by the name Paul and any of them could be in the Bahamas.” I said, trying to convince myself. “I was equally upset when the detective brought me the news, but there was nothing I could do about it. He had proofs.” “What proofs?” I asked. She handed me the brown envelope. “There are pictures of Paul and his fiancée in them. There is also an upset” I flipped through the pictures. “What is Jake doing in them?” I asked widening my eyes. “That’s your upset. Jake is aware of the whole thing.” I shook my head as I returned the pictures to the envelope. “I am more shocked than upset.” “I guess you can be relieved.” I sighed. “Bottom line is that, he has moved on. I am only surprised at the speed and at his action.” “Now that he has moved on, I officially certify you free to hook up with any Lagos guy. So should I call KP to hook us?” “Chill sis…you have to slow down. I still need time to recover from this news that you’ve hit me with.” Dora sighed. “Come on Darlene, isn’t this what we both wanted? Paul is out of your life for good and he his moving on. So, why not be happy?” “I am worried for him. I am not too sure that he is making the best decision.” “I don’t get you Darlene, Paul is out of your life, he is an adult and he has decided to move on, why draw him back?” Dora was now wearing a frown. “Dora, I appreciate your efforts, but I want to be sure that what Paul is doing is right. If Jake was with him, I can’t be so sure of his decisions. Jake believes that the best way to get on with life is to do something sporadic, and I guess he stuffed the idea in Paul’s head.” “If Paul is stupid enough to let Jake decide for him, then let it be. He will live with the consequences. However, I honestly think that you should let this go and be satisfied that Paul is out of your life for good. ” “You think?” “I am sure, sis. Let him go.” She replied, and returned into the house. I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Paul was moving on with his life. ‘Paul is getting married!’ I yelled. This should be good news for me, but I couldn’t help feeling bad about it. “Is there a problem ma’am?” the security officer asked. He heard me scream. “I’ll be fine.” I replied and hurried into the house to avoid further comments from the house workers. I tried calling Jake to no avail. His phone was turned off. “Dora, I need your help.” I said as I walked into the kitchen. She sliced some onions into a plate and chewed. “How?” “I need a flight ticket to the Bahamas.” She burst into a crooked laughter. “Are you going to start chasing shadows at this stage of your life? You are too much for that sis.” She replied. “If I want to be embarrassed, that’s my decision.” I replied, taking some onions from the plate. “What do you see in Onions?” She yanked the Onions from me. “I didn’t slice them for you. You are way too fresh to want more, and that’s the same case with Paul, you are too much for what you intend to do.” “All I need is the Ticket. I leave on Friday night.” She grinned. “You have a dinner at Ade-Cole, may I remind.” “Oh no!” “Look Darlene, I think you should let go. Paul has made a decision and you have to respect it. You dumped him. ” Paul had a right to move on, but not in this way. “Marriage after a supposed heart break is just not right, maybe that’s how I see it, but logically, he can’t love the poor girl.” “ He can’t love the poor girl. ” She mocked. “I am serious Dora; he won’t be able to love her.” She hissed. “Really? That’s rich coming from you. You were guilty of the same.” “Oh please Dora, cut me some slack. I was honest from the start. I am not sure that Paul will do the same with his Bahamas chic. He shouldn’t punish her because of me.” Dora groaned heavily. “Wake up sis! The world doesn’t revolve around you.” That was blunt! I had never heard Dora that blunt. I widened my eyes in shock. “If you keep widening your eyes in that manner, your balls will be out of its sockets soon.” I chuckled. “Thank you Dora.” I said. “Why?” “For everything Dora.” I replied as I took some onions from the plate. “You have helped me in every way to put Paul in the past. Most importantly, you blazed a very harsh truth on me.” She smiled, and placed the plate of onions right before me. “Here you go, eat them all.” she replied and returned with two glasses and a bottle of Martini. “It’s good that you admit that you are not Ms World, everyone must bow. Care for Martini?” she asked. “No. I have so much to do tonight, I don’t want a hangover.” She laughed. “You are being a chicken you know, a cup won’t kill you.” “A bottle will kill you. See you in the morning, if you make it.” I replied, and rushed upstairs. I could hear Dora shout, “You should have waited!” I flung my wardrobe open and searched for a gown. I had a tough time selecting from my wardrobe. I would not have “ MILLAROCA WEEKLY” ridicule me as they did 10 years ago. I had shown up at my father’s charity event in a checked top, Turquoise blue trouser and some weird grey loafers that Jake said were ‘meant to kill’. I needed no one to tell me that I looked horrible as my Ponytail golden brown hair summed up my unimpressive appearance. The tabloid read boldly, “ 14-year old DARLENE WILLIAMS COMMITS ‘HORRIFYING’ FASHION BLUNDER!” A light tag was added to it with made me the object of ridicule at school on Monday, “…and they say that money can buy looks!” Millaroca Weekly is anywhere that Top events took place and I would not miss a chance to re-write my image in their history books. I have been able to make a statement in the fashion world over the years. Therefore, this year, and most importantly, at Ade-Cole, there will not be an exception.

funny

I like that Dora She is full of life

You don't intend to break Paul's heart the more, do you? You better respect his decision... Listen to Dora

Move it Jake

just listen to Dora

Nice.... Still following

Okay..let move on

Community Service Anyway Not Bad

I like Jake and Dora they are full of life

Let Paul be na

nice one.,. ride on

I so much luv dora ways

EPISODE 25 ‘Good morning Lagosians. Its 5am this morning and it is all about the early morning traffic in the Metropolis. Ring us up and let’s know how it is in your region.’ I turned the volume of the radio down as I slipped into my bathroom slippers. I had rung a taxi to pick me up to work and then Dare and I would go to the City Mall together. Shower would not take forever, and especially when trying to beat Lagos’s ever busy traffic. Things only got worse when the Lagos State Government ordered the closure of the Third Mainland Bridge that linked into the City’s busiest parts. “We will be moving against the traffic.” The Taxi driver said, as I stepped in. That was a relief to me. I fetched my Phone from my bag and tweeted, ‘ I will be moving against Traffic. Third Mainland can’t stop me.’ The driver raced against the traffic as we delved into the road recklessly, shoving other road users aside. I kicked, screamed and fumed to no avail, but the driver could not be moved. He kept bumping into every pothole. “Ade-Cole Firm…we don dey check,” he said in his broken English accent as we highlighted at work. I arrived at work for 6:47AM. That was a record! However, I had to pay for my early arrival. My head hurt! The security officers greeted me as I approached the building. I immediately left for my office. Arriving that early would mean that I would be the only one in the office, official duties starts by 8am. I turned on my office lights. “Why are you here so early?” “WHAT!” Dare shifted his weight from the swivel chair and leaned on the table. “Good morning.” “What are you doing here?” I asked, staring at him. He stretched his body and his bones cracked violently. He must have slept in a position of discomfort. “This is my firm.” “MY OFFICE! You broke into my office, which is punishable by the law. There’s a legal term for that, um…” He smiled and picked his Jacket from the table. “Trespassing, it is called trespassing. I had a lot to do in preparation for tomorrow’s event, when I was done, the city’s traffic held me up. Satisfied?” “Are you going home now?” “Yes. I will be heading home against the traffic so that we’ll make it in time for City Mall.” I nodded my head. “You have to be careful, because, if you get apprehended by the cops, you won’t go cheap.” “It won’t be my first time in lock up, remember?” I nodded. “What are you doing here this early anyways?” he asked, opening the door. “I had to beat traffic.” He closed the door quietly after him. “Why not his office?” I thought aloud. I bent down and saw a Picture faced down. It was a picture of Dare and a little boy, probably around the age of four to five. ‘Who could this be?’ I thought. The door flung open as Dare rushed in. I stretched the picture to him. His eyes burned with fury. He took the picture from me without saying a word and walked out. “Who could that be?” I asked myself. Dare seemed upset about me looking at the picture, so it had to be important to him. It was still early in the morning and Toni could not help me with any answers yet, so I turned on my laptop and searched Paul’s Facebook Account. ‘Marital Status: Engaged to Marie Branson’

 I sighed as I went over his recent posts. Paul’s recent post read, ‘ ‘I’ll be happy with Marie.” I was not convinced with the post, but I became the 37 friend to LIKE the Post. Paul had posted several pictures of himself and Marie Branson. I had cold chills down my spine. At that moment, I had to admit to a slight jealousy. I logged off from the Internet and returned to thoughts about Dare’s picture. I got lost in the thought that I didn’t notice Toni before me.
“Darlene!” she yelled. “I have been here for almost five minutes.”
I popped my eyes open. “I am sorry Toni. Please sit.”
“Why do you look so worried?” she asked, as she took her seat.
I cleaned my brows. “It’s nothing Toni. I was lost in thoughts.” I replied, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “You care?”
“Yes please. Black, low fat.”
I smiled. “You should try more slimming down techniques, coffee isn’t really the best.”
She eyeballed me coldly. “Humans are so insatiable! You told me to try to work out, only last night, I saw an Indian movie ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ and Priyanka Chopra was going on about Black Coffee…Low fat. If I continue like that, I will be as fit and hot as Priyanka Chopra in a year.”
“Toni, you make me laugh. You will get there in five years, if you promise to reduce an intake on your Pepsi and burger.”
She scoffed. “I won’t take hunger as a substitute for good living.” She sipped her coffee lightly. “That aside, why did you look very sad?”
“Paul is getting married.”
                She dropped the coffee on the table. “Paul?”
“Yes, and it will be soon. I don’t understand how it happened. He just decided to get married to some random girl I am sure he met while in the Bahamas.”
Toni sighed. “I still find it hard to believe. That guy was so much in love with you.”
“Jake must have planted that idea in his head. I bet he made Paul think of something weird.”
                She shrugged. Toni finished the last bit of the coffee and passed the cup to me. “I think Paul is mature to take any decision he so wishes. Jake isn’t responsible for his actions.”
“If you say so, I have a question for you.”
She adjusted her weight against the chair. “Go ahead.”
“Is Dare hurt emotionally?”
                She laughed. “I always knew that you care for him, why the question?”
“He slept in my office last night. He claimed that he had so much to do at work, so the traffic held him up, but I don’t believe it?”
Toni shrugged carelessly.
“I don’t know if he is hurt. He is so over Reina, so I know that she’s not responsible for whatever shape he might be in. maybe, he’s having issues with his father.” She started. “Old Ade-Cole doesn’t miss a chance to take constant swipes at his son. He wants him to be HIM.”
“Almost every father wants that from his son. Do you think that’s the reason why he could be unstable?”
She nodded in agreement. “At the moment, I think so. He is under a lot of pressure to deliver tomorrow. Top members of the state will be in attendance, so everything has to go on well.”
“Okay. Is there anything special or sensitive about Dare that you know?” I asked.
Toni stared at me carefully. “Dare isn’t gay. He is a straight guy.”
“Shut up Toni. Who said a thing about Dare being gay?”
“Then why are you probing into his life without a destination? If you have something that needs to be cleared up, all you have to do is say what you know.” She replied with a bit of harshness in her tone.
I stared at her. “So much attitude for a simple enquiry.”
“It’s not a simple enquiry Darlene; you are beating around the bush. I bet you found out something that you want me to confirm, all I need is for you to say what it is, and then I will ease your suspicions.”
                I was a bit skeptical about dropping the news. I am afraid of being seen as nosy by Dare and as impulsive by Toni. If I should mention it to Toni and she wasn’t aware of it previously, I would have leaked out something that I wasn’t sure of the import.
“Darlene, I have seen you as a close friend ever since you got here, you can try to see me as a friend. Dare means a lot to me, if there is something that should be known for his good, I’d rather you say.”
                My eyes blinked repeatedly. “I would like an honest answer to the question, and a very direct one.”
“Go ahead.”
I took a deep breath. “Does Dare have a son?”
“Darlene, I have never refused you a question about Dare, but on this one, if Dare has anything to tell you, he will. You won’t hear it from me.”
I sighed. “I just want a YES or NO”
“Sorry Darlene, you won’t get that from me.” She replied, standing up. She adjusted her grey jacket. “There are some matters that stay personal, and are rather not discussed for the good of us all. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“That word weighs, if you don’t understand, just shrug.” She replied with a smile as she headed for the door. “Later hun, and best of luck with the stalker’s case.” She added and left.

Bola came in. “Morning Darlene.” “Hi Bola.” She handed me the Dailies. “Dare called in and said that you should meet him in the Car garage in five minutes. He’s parked at the executives.” “Thank you Bola.” I replied. She smiled as she left. I flipped through the back pages and stumbled on a remembrance column that read: “IN LOVING MEMORY OF TOBI ADE-COLE…It’s been 3 years since you’ve gone and I still miss you – Dad”

EPISODE 26 Dare was silent as he drove from the office. The atmosphere was tense, and I guess it was because he saw me with the picture. I couldn’t wait to get to the City Mall and as soon as we approached, I heaved a sigh of relief. “Are you that tired of me?” Dare asked as he parked. Atta boy! At last he was talking. He pulled the hand break and smiled. “Get ready to put your stalker away.” He said as he got down. Dare stuns me. One moment he is negligent and indifferent, the other moment, he is caring and lively. His life was a piece of work to study. “Here we are.” He said opening my door. I smiled. “Thank you.” A police man was on hand to escort us into the building. As soon as the judge mounted, the case begun. The Clerk ran through the formalities and when Daniel was asked to plead his case, he stated; “Not Guilty, your honour.” The Judge cleared his throat. “Mr Daniel, the charge of stalking levied against you by Ms. Darlene Williams has an incident of you stalking her at an event in the dark, and you had a firm grip on her, which could have resulted in an assault, if Mr Dare Ade-Cole hadn’t shown up. You had also been on the same bus with her once. What do you have to say for yourself?” “Your honour, it was a public event and anyone could have been anywhere, the Bus is also a city transit and so anyone can be on a bus. I never tried to assault her, I noticed that she was scared, so I tried to pull her back to prevent her from running away and probably end up with the wrong guys. I was trying to defend her, not hurt her.” “Why take special interest in defending Ms. Williams?” Daniel sighed. “There was no special interest your honour. I saw a lady walking away in the dark, it was only logical that I followed.” “There is nothing logical about following a lady walking away from a public event in the dark. She could have been tired of the event and have decided to leave. Be specific Mr Daniel, Why did you follow Ms. Williams?” Daniel swallowed. I noticed how nervous he was, and I started to get uneasy with the trial. “No reason in particular.” He replied. “Ms. Williams, what do you have to say about this?” the judge asked. I rose to my feet. “I can’t say for sure that Daniel is a stalker, but I am not comfortable around him.” “And you Mr Ade-Cole?” Dare stood. “You are in the best position to give a verdict your honour, but Ms Williams isn’t comfortable with this man, and I had to rescue her from him on one occasion.” “After all that has been said, this is my verdict, a restraining order is granted on Mr Daniel Obi, you are not to be found within 100 metres of Ms. Williams in walking space. Case closed!” The judge rose. A policeman escorted Dare and I out of the building so as to ensure the 100 metres distance from Daniel. “I hope this is safe.” The Policeman said. Dare nodded in agreement. “The guy can’t be trusted, I think things are better this way. Or what do you say Darlene?” “It’s fine.” I replied, squinting my eye balls trying to locate Daniel and another Police Officer afar off. Dare motioned towards the car. “Shall we?” “Yes please.” I replied, following him to the Car. He opened the door for me and shut it gently after me. “So, are you all set for tomorrow?” he asked, as he started the engine. I nodded. “I am.” “I hope you don’t mind if I drop you off at the next stop, I have to be somewhere depressing, not sure you might want to come along.” I shrugged. “I don’t mind if you drop me off at the next stop, but I won’t be reluctant to see your son’s grave.” Dare pulled the brakes so hard that I almost hit my head on the dash board. “Am sorry.” He said. Honks pressed violently behind us. Dare pulled over at the side. “I’ll be right back.” He said. He apologized to some angry men who had bumped into each other when he suddenly pulled the break. The apology was quickly accepted when Dare tendered his Business Card to the men. The Power of wealth. “How did you know about my son?” he asked as he shut the door. “The Picture, and the papers.” Dare buried his head in his hands. By the time he lifted his face, he was in tears. “Dare, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you with it.” I said, almost trembling in fear. Paul, for me, seemed to be the only man that could cry. Here was a Dare shedding tears of his late son’s death before me. “He was only five years old.” He struggled to say amidst tears. “I killed him.” He said as he wailed. I was scared. I got down and turned to his side. “Dare, let me drive.” I said in a shaky voice. I was sure that I couldn’t drive, but I wasn’t ready to allow him in his state. “No, I will be fine. Let’s just pick up some flowers and we’ll be on our way to the Cemetery.” He said, cleaning his face. “Dare, let’s call a cab. You are not doing fine.” I pleaded. He shook his head in disagreement. “Please Darlene; don’t make this harder for me. Let’s go.” “Okay.” We arrived at Ikoyi Cemetery later. We stood before Tobi Ade-Cole’s graveyard. Dare dropped the flowers he had bought, I also dropped mine. I watched him whisper something indistinct to his grave. “Tobi, I am sorry.” He started in tears. I patted him lightly on the back. “It’s okay Dare. Let’s go, we can talk about this.” “He was only five.” He said, as he rubbed the grave. “I had promised to pick Tobi up after school, but within the day, Reina and I got into a very heated argument and I decided not to pick Tobi up. I told her to do it.” He said as he sobbed. “Reina was just learning to drive; I should never have acted that irresponsible.” “Oh my God!” I exclaimed as I dropped on my knees beside him. Dare wiped his face. “Reina had an accident. Tobi couldn’t survive.” Dare broke down in tears. “Reina has never forgiven me. I can’t even forgive myself. The boy was so little; he didn’t deserve to be caught up in our mess.” “I am so sorry.” I said, as I wiped a tear that dropped from my eyes. “It’s not your fault. It was meant to be.” Dare laughed in spite of himself. “Are you saying that Tobi was meant to die? Tobi died because I didn’t pick him up from school. That was entirely my fault. I am responsible for Tobi.” I don’t know if I will ever be a good mother, I stared at Dare as he spoke about his late son. I felt so much blood rush within me. “Dare, forgive yourself first. Tobi has forgiven you.” “How can you tell? I still miss him.” I nodded my head. “It’s okay to miss him. I still miss my mom from over 20 years, and I never really knew her, yet I used to feel responsible for her death, until Jake told me some truth. If she could see me, she will never be happy that I still weep over her. Same with Tobi, he is in a better place, and he wants you to be happy for him.” “How can I be happy Darlene? Reina and I had a very horrible relationship afterwards, until we finally broke up. She hated me, and I bet she still does.” I sighed. ‘The Reina Sermon’ I thought. “Everyone can be hit by pain; you also feel the pain of Tobi’s loss. Don’t make yourself look like the Villain here. God gives, and God takes.” “Thank you.” We returned to the car some minutes later. We waited in the car listening to some Rock Music by BLINK 182 before Dare started the car. I felt it was safe for us not to drive off instantly, not sure I was ready to be buried soon. “Thanks for coming with me Darlene.” Dare said, as he parked. “I could never have been better without you there. I am grateful.” I smiled faintly. “You are welcome. I think you take the day off, so as to be in proper shape for tomorrow.” “Now you are going Boss on me.” He joked. “I’ll pass though, I have to be here to ensure that everything is all set for tomorrow.” I returned to my office. “Hi Bola, did anyone come looking for me?” I asked. “You have an envelope from the Post office.” She said, stretching out the envelope. I opened it carefully. It read: “You are cordially invited to the Holy Matrimony between Paul Davis and Marie Branson.” I hissed. ‘What was Paul thinking?’ Did he expect me to make his wedding? I guess he wanted to rub it in my face that he was getting married. “I can’t be bothered.” I yelled. “Is there a problem Darlene?” Bola asked. “No.” I replied, and returned to my office. I tore the card to shreds as soon as I entered my office and disposed it into the thrash. I had too many encounters in one day. I just discovered that Dare used to be a father, and now Paul is getting married. Where are the men in town anyways? How was Dora planning to hook me up? Are there single men anymore?

they are and am even available ooo

There is still single and responsible men out there

of course there is

So after all the forming... U now want a man in ur life

Of course there are more than ten folds of them, not just single but responsible also

Lol..now u're looking for a single man

What is it with all this your discomfort abt Paul's marriage? Does it mean you were secretly loving him & deceived yourself that you didn't? I think Daniel loves you though

of kus

There ar plenty of them nd very soon u will ve ur heart desire.

Following

EPISODE 27 A Cool breeze blew from the South East as I rolled over on my bed. ‘Who wouldn’t respond well to mother nature?’ I thought as I stretched out. Mavis, our gardener had pleaded with Dad to have the Giant coconut tree opposite my room’s window cut down for security reasons, but I stood firm against it. I went Green! We should conserve nature, shouldn’t we? The leaves of the tree danced and its careless whisper buzzed in my ears. Welcome to the good life, Darlene. I flung my window open and the heavy wind pushed my hair back. I spread my arms out as the tiny drops of rain trickled on my face. TGIF! I smiled. “Stop this, Dad.” Dora yelled as Sir Williams pushed my door open. My splendid moment was short lived. “Whoever dubbed you with the ‘Sir’ tag should be here to witness your barging in on your daughter at 5 in the morning. Insomnia?” I asked. Sir Williams is such a ‘joy killer’. I thought. The Oba of Lagos dubbed him ‘Sir’. The King deemed it fit to recognize Dad because of his numerous achievements and additions to the society. “You got a restraining order on Daniel, how could you?” Dad asked. I widened my eyes in surprise. “Dad, I can’t believe you came all the way here to challenge me on a closed case.” I said with a grin. “Quit the Sarcasm, Darlene. That was pure injustice. Is it because the kid has no one to defend him?” he asked angrily. “I was defenseless when he attacked me that night.” Dad hissed. “You should have awaited my orders.” He said, taking his seat. I screamed so loud that Dad had to cover his eyes, yes, his eyes. “Can you hear yourself Sir Williams? I didn’t trust him, it was up to the judge to decide, and after hearing our sides, he granted it. That was the Judge’s decision, not mine.” I replied. “Oh come off it Darlene, the Judge decided based on your background.” ‘Background?!’ Sir Williams baffled me. “That should be your fault, not mine. I never requested to be born to you, God decided. Why are you so interested in this case? Is he also your son?” I asked, raising my voice. “I only want some justice for a young man who tried to get close to you and you used your status to kick him away.” I groaned. “Stop sounding like this Dad. Everything I am and I have, I have earned. I don’t get my salary from you or your firm. I work. If you feel so attached to him, adopt him, or rather, acknowledge him. He could be your son and I could care less.” I said, glancing at Dora. She swallowed. “I am sorry Dora. I didn’t mean it that way” “It’s Okay.” She replied. Dad shook his head. “Darlene, you need to be a better person. The fact that you are in a position of advantage doesn’t mean you should lock up everyone against you.” “Sir, I didn’t lock up that truant, he is a stalker!” Dad threw his hand back in anger and I missed been hit by an inch. I sunk into my bed. “What is it with you Dad?” Dora yelled. He turned to her in anger. “Stay out of this.” He replied. “Why should I? I watched you yell at my sister for no genuine reason. Daniel is a stalker and he got restrained, so what?” she shouted. “You too?” She rolled her eyes. “I think D is right. Who is Daniel to you? Alternatively, who is Daniel to us? Is he our brother?” “Daniel isn’t your brother. He is a young man with no one, he is good and he is my friend.” Dora scoffed. “It turns out that you know little about your friend, he is not safe!” I was shocked. I watched Dad and Dora talk and raise voices at each other while I nursed my cheek softly. If only Dad had hit me… “You,” Dad shouted pointing at me. “And you too,” he added, widening his eyes at Dora. “I won’t let any of my kids victimize innocent people because they can the shots.” He shouted. I stared at him carefully. “Have you been drinking too much Vodka?” I asked. “Wow!” Dora burst into laughter. Dad stared angrily. “What’s funny Dora? D…” he cursed silently and stormed out. “Never touch alcohol Dora.” I said, sprawling out on the bed. She sat down on the bedside. “He is not drunk. At least, it is not as bad as you think.” “You think? How else can you explain a man of Dad’s age not being able to sleep and then he decided to visit an issue that had been closed since lunch time yesterday.” I said, rubbing my cheek. Dora sighed. “Much ado about nada! He did not hit you!” I dropped my hand from my face and grimaced. “Dad couldn’t sleep. He read about Daniel’s case in the local feeds.” “I’ll say there’s more to Daniel and Dad than what meets the eye.” She nodded. “There is, but I don’t know if he was completely honest with me when he said that Daniel is the son of a late close friend.” I fetched my bathrobe. “So, it’s the traditional dying wish of ‘Please take of my son ’ and your Dad must be trying to do just that, right? Isn’t Daniel too old for ‘babysitting’? I said, turning on the shower. “You don’t have your bath this early.” Dora said, closing the windows. “Dad has ruined my morning. So I’ll just have my bath, and surf the Internet for a while before heading out.” I replied. “I’ll be back by noon to prepare for the dinner.” I slipped into my bathrobe. “Want to see my dress?” “Yes, please.” She replied. I opened the closet and dropped the dress on the bed. “Wow!” she turned the dress to its back. “This is a statement. I’ll put your make up on.” I stared at her. “Don’t be scared. I had my make-up classes at The House of Tara; you do know what it is to have Tara Durotoye take your make-up classes, right? She said, proudly. I rolled my eyes. Undoubtedly, Tara Durotoye is a force to reckon with in the country when it came to events, she couldn’t get it wrong. Did Dora have to brag about going to her make-up school? Next thing, she will be telling me that she is dancing at Kaffy’s School. “I don’t want a make-over. The dress is good enough.” I warned. She curtsied. “As your lordship pleases” “Thank you.” I dashed into the Bathroom to avoid my hot water bath going cold. I was about shutting the elevator doors when Dare stepped in. “Morning Darlene,” “Morning Dare.” He smiled. “Thanks for yesterday.” “For nothing, hope you feel a lot better?” I asked. He nodded. “Couldn’t be any better. Big night ahead, you set?” “I am.” I replied. ‘It is just an opening speech’ I thought. Why so much fuss? Anyone could read an opening speech, well not anyone, especially at an event of huge magnitude. Dare cleared his throat as the elevator door opened to the last floor. “Darlene, please be my date tonight.” He said, with a smile.

EPISODE 28 Dora brushed my hair backwards. “So Prince Charming will be here to pick you,” She started. “I would really love to see him when he arrives.” I nodded as I coolly applied my strawberry flavoured lip-gloss. Something to lick when the going gets tough. My phone buzzed and Jake’s message came up. It read: “Heard there’s a dinner, need a date? Jake x” Dora and I exchanged a knowing look. I knew better than to reply Jake’s message. He could go from Amazing to Bad in a split if he knew that I was going with Dare to the dinner. Well, what can a pretty girl do? Moreover, I have already disappointed Dare once on a date, or twice. “This will be the first time that I will turn Jacob down. I can’t tell him why.” “Why not?” She asked applying the spray gel to my hair. I titled my head to the back to allow for ease. “He might get upset.” Dora rolled her eyes. “Is there anything between Jake and you aside from being best pals?” “Nope. Why?” I asked, although I could guess why she asked the question. Dora let out a deep breath. “You can hang out with whosoever you please. Jake does, so why won’t you?” I sighed. I could not see things in the same light as Dora, Jake and I have come a long way so I see this as turning him down. Dare asked me out first, right? “Just forget it, Dora. You don’t understand.” “Tada!” Dora said as she turned the Giant Mirror towards me. Dora had me looking simply gorgeous! I am not one to flatter myself, but on this occasion, I cannot help it. “Omg!” “You are looking good sis.” I smiled. “Thank you Dora.” “You are welcome.” She replied, as she brushed off some hair from my dress. “I am going to have to cut your hair; it makes me think you aren’t Negro.” I laughed. “Dad has a short hair. Your mom’s hair must have been really long.” I smiled faintly. Dora had succeeded in sending memories of my mom into my head, but I had outgrown the part where I always had to cry, especially not tonight. I smiled again, but this time, a tear dropped. Can you really stop those moments? “D…if you wanna cry, you’ll have to choose your moments. I am not about to have you mess up my hard work.” She said wiping the tears off delicately. “Its okay baby, momma’s here…,” she whispered. I laughed. Dora could switch moods. Bless you Dora. The doorbells chimed. My heart skipped a beat. It had to be Dare Ade-Cole. “Smile now.” Dora said, and dashed out. I could hear the trumping on the stairs; Dora did not want the house cleaner to open the door. She had sworn that she must have an en counter with the elegant Dare Ade-Cole. “Please wait here for here, she will be down in a moment.” Dora said, leading Dare to the hallway. I took a deep breath, grabbed my purse, and descended the stairs. “Oh my God,” Dare muttered. “You are beautiful.” “Thank you.” I replied, with a casual smile. “May I?” Dare asked as he lifted his arms. I nodded. “Please do.” I replied. I winked at Dora before we stepped out. The Grand floor of Ade-Cole firm wore an elegant look. There was a chandelier in the centre. The staffs and attendants moved around with a smile that was rare on a normal working day. So much for a function. I walked round with Dare as we welcomed the guests. “Immediately the meeting is over. There will be dinner, cannot wait. I am starving.” Dare whispered. I chuckled softly. “You are the host, remember?” “So much for being my father’s son.” About thirty minutes later, the MC mounted and everyone had their seat. He read out my name to take the opening speech. I picked up my purse; it had turned out to be my companion for the night and mounted the podium, with radiant smiles. ‘ You mustn’t forget to smile,’ Dora had warned. I went through the formalities, acknowledging the executives and board members, before I went ahead with the speech. The speech was clear and crisp. I tried my best to avoid stuttering, or ceasing, I also didn’t clear my throat, as I tried to sound vibrant and audible. I occasionally stopped to put a smile on my face. I swallowed while doing that, but not that it was obvious to the audience. As soon as I stepped down, there was a thunder of applause. I cast a quick glance at the Ade-Cole board just to ensure that I had their nod, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were all smiles. The claps continued until I had taken my seat beside Dare and the MC returned. Other important details followed, more guests were introduced and statements were read. Just like Dare, I soon started to feel hungry. I glanced at my wristwatch occasionally. The cameras would not permit me to ease my boredom by touching my phone, in addition that will just imply bad manners. There was a flat screen which had the visuals from the camera on. I couldn’t be caught ‘Pinging’ or even dozing. These functions made me weary. Dinner Time . Now we could have a less formal function. I glanced at my wristwatch; it was “10:45pm” “You are with me, remember?” Dare said with a smile. Dare and I walked over to meet his father. “Darlene, I want you to meet the head of Ade-Cole Law Firm, Mr Ayodeji Ade-Cole, my father.” Dare started. “Dad, meet Darlene Williams.” I smiled. “Good evening Sir.” “Beautiful speech from a beautiful lady,” He started, staring at me. “You go for the best, son.” He said, turning to Dare, peering underneath his half mooned spectacles. Dare frowned slightly. “Thank you Sir.” His response was firm. Mr Ayodeji Ade-Cole cleared his throat. “You are Sir Williams’s daughter, right?” he asked. I nodded confidently. “Yes, I am.” He shot a quick glance at his companion and they exchanged a knowing look. “Meet my brother, Dare’s uncle, Femi Ade-Cole.” He introduced quickly. We exchanged greetings. “Why are you not working for your father?” he asked. Behold the much awaited question. It just had to be asked, but by Dare’s uncle? Didn’t know Ade-Cole was a family dynasty. I looked at Femi Ade-Cole with a slight grimace, didn’t want to appear rude. His question needed a very intelligent response. I didn’t want my father to appear weak before his biggest rivals. “It won’t hurt gathering a new experience, except if there’s nothing new to learn her Sirs.” “Ahem!” Dare cleared his throat, standing closer to me. That could only mean one thing, ‘Shut up, D!’ “Of course, there are many things to learn from here.”Mr Ayodeji Ade-Cole replied, grinning. I frowned slightly. His grin put me off. “Could you please excuse us Ms. Williams? I would like a word with this gentleman here,” he said patting Dare on the back. I nodded. “Yes, please…” I walked away briskly. I could bet my inheritance that Dare was about to hear the Why are you ‘sleeping with the enemy’ sermon? I joined Toni and Bola at their Table. “Looking good tonight ladies,” I said, as I slid into a chair. “You are beautiful.” Bola said. “She’s always been. Tonight is just with a difference.” Toni added. I blushed. All through the night I had listened to compliments and had some heavy stares on me. Dora had made me ‘Simply Gorgeous’. I owe her a Chicken. ‘Will foil a drumstick for her’ I thought. “Thanks ladies.” I appreciated. Bola smiled. “Beautiful speech, can’t say anything less about the giver.” “Easy Bola, you are passing compliments like a man.” We all laughed. We joked about the Steaks that were being served and Toni bragged to cook them better. “I’d make onions cry with a perfect steak.” She started. “You pay huge amount of money and steak still tastes like this.” She said, swallowing another spoon. “Fries, please.” She said to the attendant that passed our table. Bola and I exchanged quick glances. “Mrs Small, you have complained all night about the food and yet your consumption rate is so high, how is that?” I asked. She smiled. “I am managing it. I can’t wait for the attendant to return with the Fries, and maybe, I could get some fish pepper soup too.” “I don’t know who’s going to carry you out of here, but certainly not me.” I replied. She rolled her eyes. “I don’t get why people with a size 8 frame still want to be size 0. You should eat well. Or, do you have an interest in modelling in the nearest future?” “Good evening ladies.” Dare said, joining us at the table. He looked elegant in his tux. He shaved clean, and for the first time, I saw how perfectly rounded his lips well. ‘Wasn’t I in the car with him?’ he was also wearing a smart bow tie. Dare, sure knows how to look good. Debonair! “Excuse us ladies, but Darlene and I will have to meet with the other guests now. We still have them pouring in, seems like they came for the food.” He joked. I smiled at Toni and Bola and left with Dare. ‘ They look so cute together, don’t they?’ ‘She’s beautiful, and I think he’s very handsome’ I couldn’t help but pick conversations as they littered around with people talking about Dare and I. “You had a long talk with your Dad. Hope he’s impressed with the firm?” Dare smiled. “He couldn’t feel any better. He’s overwhelmed.” He replied, and shook hands with a couple that approached us. I stared at Mr Ade-Cole and his brother who seemed to have their reservations about me. “Are they comfortable with me?” I asked. Dare swallowed. “Obviously.” Who was he trying to convince? “If you say so,” He smiled. “I know so.” “Darlene Williams?” I heard my name. Dare and I turned round. He widened his eyes. “Reina?”

Darelene, that was a very intelligent you gave Mr Ade-Cole... I think Dare is silently telling the world that he've hooked up with you. Be careful with him ooo

And lest i forget, I thing Dora is really a good and sweet lady... She's making a good sister.. I think Sir Williams has more to do with Daniel

Riena finally out in the picture, sounds like the next episode is gonna be thrilling

Next episode

Next

Interesting... Reina what is she doing here

Riena you mean Dare ex-girlfriend That doesn't sounds good

Continue o

Reina Is there?..

Now the devil herself is here..... Anyways, that was a good performance there

hmm, reina is back

Reina is back .. This gonna be fun

EPISODE 29 “Reina, what are you doing here?” Dare asked. She smiled as she approached us. “Attending the dinner,” She touched my cheeks. “I was wowed by your speech. You speak as though you have been in this firm for years.” I stepped back a little. “Come on honey. Don’t run away from me.” Dare held my hands and stepped forward. “Why are you here Reina?” he asked. “You can’t ban me from coming to the firm, can you?” she asked with a smile, and turned back towards me. “I am Reina. Dare still has horrible manners, so he won’t introduce us. Let me.” I immediately cut her short. “If Dare won’t introduce us, I don’t think I like to meet you.” She grinned. “I like her attitude, Dare. Was I tougher than this? I think you’ll have a hard time with pretty little Miss here.” She said, addressing Dare. Dare stared at her and then swallowed. “Darlene, I will like you to meet Reina Martins. She used to work with us here.” “Don’t forget to tell her that I was your ex-girlfriend.” She added, with a smile. I swallowed. “Yes, Reina is also my ex.” He cleared his throat nervously. “Reina, meet Darlene Williams.” “You didn’t add that she is your girlfriend.” She interrupted with a smile. I cursed softly. “That’s because I am not.” I replied, with a grimace. I couldn’t help but eyeball her coldly. “That’s good to know.” She laughed. I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of a lady Reina Martins was. She cleared her throat and stared at Dare lovingly. “I have missed you, Dare.” Dare didn’t reply. “Make yourself comfortable, Reina. I will see you later.” He turned towards me. “Please let meet the other guests.” “Oh no, we can’t just abandon your guest here,” I replied, looking at Reina. “You stay here, you can find me later.” I added and disappeared. I knew better than to go with Dare. I watched Dare and Reina leave for the elevator. “Omg! You finally got to meet Reina Martins.” Toni said, nudging me in the waist. “Horrible experience, I know right.” “Not really.” I replied. “It was weird though.” I added, quickly. “When I saw her approach yourself and Dare, I got scared. Did Dare go with her?” I nodded. “I excused him. He was going to abandon her there for me.” “Wow! That’s not Dare-like. Reina used to be his life; she meant everything to him.” I picked up a glass of wine from the table. “Could we sit over there? I like to sit for a while.” I said, gesturing to a table. “Bola already left. She said I should wish you the best of the night.” I smiled. “I will thank her later.” Toni sighed deeply. “How often does Mr. Ade-Cole come here?” I asked. “Not very much. However, his brother, Femi does. Expect to see much of him in the coming weeks, there’s a huge case around and I expect the old dogs back in the ring, maybe your Dad too.” I laughed. “Like getting the Old robbers back for one last bank job?” “It’s going to be war. When those men battle out, it’s a clash of the best. You don’t want to be the loser.” I could only imagine Sir Williams losing that case. Dad would bury his head in Dubai for a month. The first time he lost a case, he disappeared to Australia. He said, “I can’t bear to have the press corner me in every street with questions.” Dad has always been a winner. “Who is going against whom?” I asked. “Rumour has it that it is Ade-Cole versus Williams” I smiled. “That will be fun. It will be more like battle of supremacy.” “Yeah, I am looking forward to it. The ring gets ugly sometimes.” She stared at the elevator door as it opened. “Dare and Reina are back.” I glanced at them, as they approached us. “What could she want?” Toni swallowed. “Don’t let her shake you.” I said. “Hi ladies, Is that you Toni? How many pounds have you lost since we last met?” she asked with a smile. Toni blinked. “How many pounds have you gained since we last met?” It had turned into a battle of words. “Enough ladies” Dare interrupted, before Reina could say another word. “I’ll say we all go and get a drink.” “I won’t be on the same table with Reina.” Toni said. Reina grinned. “Have it your way honey, the floor is ever welcoming.” Toni clenched her fists. “Bad idea to bring this lady here.” She said, looking at Reina. “Can you stop this Dare?” I asked. He wiped some perspiration off his brow. “Reina, please be nice.” Dare was acting like a puppet, I cannot deny that it is quite fun to see him like this. He slid into a chair and Reina took her seat. “I’ll just leave. It’s getting late anyways, and I have a family.” Toni said and grabbed her purse. I shot a quick glance at my watch. ‘11:45PM’ “Are you driving?” “Yes, I am. Want a ride? The bus to Ikoyi leaves by midnight, we’ll get to the station in ten minutes.” Reina widened her eyes. “Doesn’t Darlene drive?” “I’ll take you home Darlene,” Dare interrupted. Reina smiled. “That makes two of us.” “You?” Dare shot a glance at her. Toni pulled me aside. “Are you sure you want to share a ride with Reina? She’s a witch!” “Not so sure.” I replied. Dare stood up. “I came here with you D, no way am I letting you go with Toni.” “Let her. She’s not 18.” Reina said I grabbed my purse. “Let’s leave, Toni.” “That’s not right.” Dare said, grabbing my hands. Reina hissed. “You don’t want the press thinking you are holding her against her wish.” She said. “She’s right, Dare. Let’s not create a scene here. We have made a good impression so far, won’t want it ruined.” Dare held his forehead. “Why are you doing this Reina?” “What have I done?” she asked. He groaned. “Showing up in my life.” “She’s a menace. Deal with it.” Toni said. Reina smiled. “Balloon, did you just say something?” “Let’s leave.” I said, leading Toni to the elevator. Toni grumbled as we strolled to the Parking space. “She’s a devil. Why did she have to show up and ruin everything for us?” “I think you are just exaggerating Reina’s presence. She’s not the most interesting person to deal with, but she really doesn’t disgust me.” Toni hissed. “You think? Wait until you have a proper encounter with her. The fact that she’s shown up can only mean that she’s back to ruin everything here.” “Toni, we’ll have to wait and see.” Toni opened the doors and started the engine. “Here we go.” “Wait!” Dare shouted as he raced into the Parking space. I peered through the side mirror. “Keep driving Toni.” “Yeah!” she said and zoomed off. I watched through the mirror as Dare gave up the chase. We drove out of the building and Toni turned the stereo down. “Why did you say that I keep driving?” “Why didn’t you stop?” She smiled. “I was in no mood to listen to Dare.” “Same here.” I replied.

EPISODE 30 “Did Prince Charming forget to pick up Cinderella?” Dad asked as he turned on the lights. I cursed softly. I had tried to tip-toe into the house so he won’t see me when I walked in. “Morning Dad.” “Dare didn’t drop you off, why?” he asked. I sighed. “I told him not to.” Dad stared at me with a knowing look. “I insisted.” I said, firmly. “And he just left you to yourself in the dark? He is less than a man; I think he’s erm…a veggie.” He replied, dropping his wine glass. I stared at him with disgust. “You look sad, D?” he chuckled. “There is something you must know dear, Dare is just as weak as his Dad.” I groaned. “Dad!” he stared at me and laughed. “This is the result of taking excess Vodka.” “This is Irish Cream.” He corrected, caressing the bottle. I was put off. I headed for the stairs. “Stop coming to my house late.” I hissed dryly and ascended the stairs. “Darlene, I am flying Daniel out of the country, I am taking the money from you.” “This is serious Dad. I think you should resume your counseling classes in London. You have relapsed greatly.” He hurled the bottle at me. “Get back here.” I stuck my tongue out and raced upstairs. “How did it go?” Dora asked, as she turned on the light. I was startled. “What are you doing here?” “Waiting for you,” She replied. “So gist me, how did it go?” I sunk into the bed. “There was a shocker. If not for that, I’ll say, it went fine.” I replied, taking off my wrist watch. “Jake showed up?” I grimaced. “It would have been a disaster. Reina Martins made her grand return to Lagos today.” “Who’s Reina Martins?” she asked. I picked my bath robe and left for the shower. “Reina used to be Dare’s ex, and the mother of his child.” I said, as I turned on the shower. “Are you kidding me?” Dora shouted. I laughed. “Come on Dora, nothing should surprise you in Lagos. You are the wonderful sorceress who understands Lagos’s men, why then are you stunned?” “So a father took you out today?” she asked. My face fell. I came out of the bathroom and wrapped a towel around my head. “His son is late.” “I am sorry about that.” She replied as she took her seat. “Was he ill?” I shook my head. “Moment of irresponsibility from Dare and Reina cost the kid.” I sighed. “Got time?” I asked. “Always.” She replied, and took her seat. She clapped her hand into her laps like my grandmother used to when I was living with her. She had to said to me when I was 5 and asked for my mother: “Yo Momma is me.” She said in her broken African American accent. “You are too old to be my mama.” I replied. She frowned, clapping her hands into her laps. “You are one real smarty, so I might as well tell you the truth, yo momma is never gonna be with you. She died!” “Granma, but she isn’t old.” Grandma had told me all about death that day. I cried and sought solace in my grandma’s arm. She was always a listener and at this moment, Dora seemed just like her. “Dare and Reina got into an argument, so he refused to pick their son up from school.” I started, as I sat besides Dora. “She had to pick him up and she was just learning to drive. You know the rest.” Dora’s eyes shot angrily. “What’s a kid got to do with their problems?” “It’s all history anyways,” I replied. Dora smiled. “So, Reina showed up at the meeting. Was she invited?” “I don’t think so. Dare was surprised to see her. She’s been out of town for over a year.” Dora grinned. “Ghost returns to town and chooses the perfect way to announce her arrival.” “I guess.” Dora hugged me tightly. “What was that for?” I asked, releasing myself. She smiled. “Evil step sister stole Prince Charming.” I grimaced and threw a pillow at her. She threw it back, and I engaged in my first pillow fight in almost 15 years. I had my last pillow fight with Grandma. Today is Saturday, not my favourite day of the week anyways. I slipped into my slippers. Dora was still sleeping. I left for the kitchen; I saw it as my perfect opportunity to make breakfast and show my skills in the kitchen. I can cook! “What’s for breakfast Dora?” Dad asked as he stepped into the kitchen “Poison for you.” I replied. Dad laughed. “You are such a pain D. sorry about yesterday.” He said, opening the fridge. He poured some milk. “You care?” he asked. “No.” He sipped. “Still watching your weight? You are a size 8.” I smiled. “I am fine Dad; you know I don’t want to blow up.” I turned on the gas cooker. “What’s for breakfast? BLT?” I laughed. “Potatoes and scrambled eggs. I could add some broccoli for you; Dora bought them from the grocery yesterday.” “Broccoli will do. Are you going for your driving lessons today?” he asked. I nodded. “Yes, Dad. I’ll call to schedule for noon.” I replied, not taking my eyes off the Frying Pan. “Do you want Daniel to take you?” he asked. I smiled. “He’s restrained from me, Dad.” I replied. “I don’t want us to argue this morning because of Daniel, so let’s just forget it.” “If you say so.” He replied and returned the Milk Jar to the fridge. “I’ll be in the garden. Have to talk to Mavis about the Tulips; they are growing faster these days.” He added and left through the back door. I stared at him as he walked out. I am so sure that Sir Williams would soon return with a plea for Daniel. “Morning Sis,” Dora said as she opened the fridge and fetched the milk jar. I smiled. “I like the love between you and Dad. He also likes Milk” “Hmm…and you?” I shook my head. “Not a fan.” “You are not missing anything. So, did you tell Jake why you turned him down?” I widened my eyes. “Oh no! I ought to have called him. Please watch over the Potatoes, I’ll just get my phone.” “My pleasure.” I left for my room to get my phone. I had to come up with something as to why I didn’t reply Jake. It was still early in the morning, Jake isn’t the early riser, but it’s not so bad to call at 6:45AM, Is it? I rung Jake’s phone to avail and I finally sent a text. “Sorry Jake, I was booked.” I returned to the kitchen, but Dora wasn’t there. I heard her voice down the hall way and I was sure that Dad must be saying something to her, maybe about Daniel. I left for the hallway. “Hi Darlene,” Dare said. I was surprised. Dare was in my house so early. He wore a grey V-necked sweater, Denim and a Supra Hi-top. For a moment, I thought I was seeing Jake. “I’ll leave you two. The Potatoes are calling.” Dora said and disappeared into the hallway. I sighed. “So, what do you want?” “Aren’t you gonna let me in? I am still standing in the doorway.” He replied, with a smile dancing around the corner of his lips. I shrugged and shut the half opened door. “This way please,” I said, leading him into the guest living room. Dad would have a fit if he saw Dare in his luxury living room. Dad would rant about the 1908 Chandelier ball and all the antiques that his house posed. “Make yourself comfortable.” I said and left for the bar. Dare stared round the living room. “Nice Guest waiting room.” I ignored his comments. Dad had me put the wallpapers for the guest living room and I chose the other designs. I returned with a glass of water. “Here you go.” I said, handing him the glass. Dare stared at me and sipped the water cautiously. “It’s alright, drink up. You must be tired.” I said carelessly and sank a chair. “What do you want here, Dare?” He dropped the glass and smiled. “I want to apologize for last night.” “What happened last night?” I asked, pretending not to care. “Please Dare, forget whatever you came here to apologize for, because to me, there was no sin.” I said. Dare sighed. “That aside, I came to take you to the movies.” “You are kidding me, right?” I asked, as I folded my arms. “What responsible lady goes to the movie early in the morning?” I asked, glancing at the clock. Dare raised his eyebrows in a teenager’s way. “It’s Saturday.” “I am occupied for the day. I have to take my driving lessons, and I have to be home in time because I must go to church tomorrow.” “I thought I already apologized.” He said, pulling a sad face. I smiled. Dare had turned ‘babyish’. “I have to take my lessons, its important.” I replied. “Make an exception please, I’ll teach you.” He begged, holding on to my cloth. He was acting like a baby who waned something from his mom. “Not sure.” I replied. “Morning D…” Jake said, clearing his throat.

Next o

u met her finally

trouble around the corner

This is bad

Did you say Jake?

Yesterday, shock happened; now is the real disaster gonna happen

This won't be good but I hope nothing bad happens

Ur boo of life is here

ok continue

Ur dad and Daniel have hidden agenda

Trouble Looming

EPISODE 31 Jake stared at us for a while. There was this awkward silence among us, and for a while, it seemed as though no one was interested in saying a word. Jake then broke the silence. “I could just go.” He said, pointing at the door. I rolled my eyes. This is a situation where I would not want to be, but at this moment, I could not help it. “I am sorry I didn’t reply your message last night, Jake.” I said dumbly. He smiled. “You mind introducing us.” He said staring at Dare. I immediately rose to my feet. “Jake, meet my boss, Dare Ade-Cole, and Dare, meet Jake, my friend.” Jake nodded with a smile. “Boss?” he extended his hand to Dare and they shook firmly. “Why are you here so early Sir, did you forget some documents with Darlene?” he asked. “I don’t think I have to answer that question.” Dare replied, withdrawing from the handshake. “Break it off guys, will you?” I immediately cut in. Jake clutched his I-Pod to his sweatpants. “I can’t recall us starting a fight. You just lack a complete sense of humour D.,” he said, grinning. “Jacob, why are you here?” I asked. He smiled. “You never used to ask me that.” “Well, she is now.” Dare interrupted. Jake’s eyes shot blood red in anger. “Hey Tough guy, I wasn’t talking to you.” “Someone’s getting touchy, Darlene, you seem to have a lot of Pauls in your life.” Dare replied, casting a quick glance at me. I froze as all I could think of was Jake’s fist landing in Dare’s face, but to my surprise, Jake smiled and walked out. “Jake, Jacob…Jake” I yelled, as I headed after him. “Security, Please stop him.” I alerted. He was in no mood to listen as he shoved the security man out of his way. He got into his car and immediately drove off. I stared at the dusts that Jake’s car pushed at me as he left. “Jake…Jake…Jake…” I murmured softly, as I held on to my Pyjamas. “Don’t make yourself a dummy for dusts.” Dare said as he touched my shoulder. I turned to him angrily. “It seems as though you have a talent for disgusting people, you successfully pissed Paul off, and you have just done that with Jake.” “It turned out well with Paul; at least he is out of your life.” I rolled my eyes. “Really? At what expense? He is married to a woman he hooked up with at the Bahamas.” I replied. “That makes it safe,” he said, smiling. I hissed. “You think this is funny. It isn’t!” “He started it, turns out he wasn’t man enough to take the heat.” I laughed so hard that Dare had to stand back. “What’s funny?” he asked. I stopped laughing and smiled. “Jake would have smashed you to bits if he had waited one extra second.” He bit his lips. “So, are we still going out?” “I never agreed to go out with you. Moreover, even if I did, you have done an awful lot this morning. So, please leave.” Dad rubbed his chin. “That’s a bit too hard to swallow. Are you kicking me out?” he asked. “You are already outside my house; I’ll just shut the gate after you.” I replied. Dare adjusted his shirt. “You are on weird girl. Ok…Bye.” he said and left. “You have a lot of mess to clean up.” Dora said, as soon as I returned into the house. I rubbed my forehead. “You bet.” I leaned on the sink for support. I have always said that I am not a huge fan of Saturdays and today just show why. Jake and Dare showing up at my house unannounced, I would have made an exception for Jake on a normal situation. “I’ll say your boss is rude and offensive.” Dora said, dishing breakfast into the Chinas. I smiled. I knew better. “How do you cope with him? Well, it’s obvious he likes you, so he may be a bit nicer with you.” I had a hurried breakfast and left for Jakes. ‘Ding-Dong’ the doorbell to Jake’s apartment chimed softly. He co-shared a flat in his father’s estate with his sister, but now, she is out of town, so Jake practically owns the flat. A real Porsche flat, if you ask me. “Hey D.” Jake said, opening the door. I frowned at his niceness. ‘Jake could be up to no good.’ I thought. Jake shut the door quietly after me. “Do I get you some Ice Cream? I am treating myself to some.” “Um…I…” He winked. “Never mind, you will like it.” He said and dashed into the kitchen. ‘This is the Jake that I hate to see.’ He could just act as though everything was normal, or maybe, everything is normal. He returned with two cups of Ice Cream and handed me one with a spoon. I sniffed the edges of the cup. Jake chuckled. “You are safe with me, you have always been.” He said. I dropped the cup on the side table. “Jake…” I stressed. “I am sorry, love.” “Why are you sorry?” he asked, scooping his Ice cream coolly. I frowned. “Come on Jacob, I am sorry about what Dare did?” “Dare? I was not offended by his actions. He did the same to Paul; he should bag a degree in dehumanizing people.” “Jacob!” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to deny it?” “He didn’t dehumanize Paul. Paul was trying to kill us.” I protested. Jake scoffed. “Who are you trying to convince? We both know that Paul couldn’t hurt you.” “Can you hear yourself Jake? Paul was with a rifle, a loaded one. I was lucky to have Dare around me.” I replied. Jake hissed dryly. “I hate that guy.” “So why did you act all nice like nothing had happened when I walked in here?” I asked, grabbing my bag. Jake rubbed his forehead. “D, you fired up this discussion. It ended the minute I left your house.” “I apologize for that Jacob.” I replied. Jake finished his Ice cream and rose to his feet. “Darlene, I am sorry. I should have told you that I would be visiting, but I went for an early morning spin and decided to check on you.” “Jacob, you can always check on me.” He smiled. “No D, we are adults, not 6 anymore. I have to respect that.” He replied and left for the kitchen. Jake’s words sent cold chills down my spine. I left his house before he returned from the kitchen. I headed for my driving lessons. I spent two extra hours at the driving school; I wanted to be on the wheels by the end of the month. I stopped at the grocery to get some apples; I intend to make some apple juice. “How did your day go?” Dora asked as soon I walked into the kitchen. I sighed and dropped the apples. “Not too well. Jake has so much on his mind, and I guess I will not be able to take them when he starts pouring them. I don’t want to lose Jacob.” I said, and hugged Dora. “I’ll call this the Plight of women. Do you know what you want, honey? You want Jake to stick around forever; I’ll say you should marry him.” I released myself from the hug and stared at her. “Could we have a serious conversation for five minutes without your insensitive jokes interfering?” “The point with keeping best friends especially of the opposite sex is that you don’t realise that you live a life together. You should just make out and get married.” I stared at her. “Is that your idea of having a best friend?” “Naturally, opposite sex don’t do fantastically well as best friends, the attraction still come. Maybe you are blind, but it’s obvious that Jake can see what is coming ahead.” Dora held my hand like a mother. “Stop living a lie. Define your friendship with Jacob.” “That’s it Dora. I need to rest.” I replied and left for my room. I inhaled deeply as I closed my door. I clasped my hand on my head and sat by the door. I could not stop the tears that flowed down my cheeks afterwards. ‘Welcome to my moment of strength.’ “We can always talk about this Darlene.” Dora said from the other side. “Just go away.” I replied, amidst my tears. She tapped on the door lightly. “You don’t have to face this alone.” “Let me be Dora. I’ll be fine. I always have.”

EPISODE 32 “You don’t have to face your problems alone. It is like paying a debt you do not owe. Let God worry!” Pastor Ben shouted into the Microphone. “Let go…Let God! Choir Please…” he concluded as he left the Pulpit. The Choir led us into a praise session and for that moment; I was lost in God’s presence. It has been ages since I felt like that. “You age slowly Pastor Ben.” I said, catching up with Pastor Ben at the close of the service. He laughed. “It’s all about God’s grace on my life.” “Correct sir.” Pastor Ben started out as my Sunday school teacher when I was still a toddler. When I moved on to Junior Class, he was made my Sunday school teacher. Therefore, I had been very familiar with him. “You should come to church more often child. There’s a lot going on around here.” He said. I sighed. “I’ll try harder.” I replied. “God grant you the grace, Amen.” He said. I joined Dad for a ride home. “When is your sister’s coming-out party?” he asked, that was immediately the driver started the car. ‘Dad couldn’t even wait for us to get home. Did he think that I was not interested in Dora’s party?’ I thought. “I haven’t figured it out yet, Office work has me occupied.” “You have to find a way to arrange that event or get someone to do it, but by weekend, there must be a coming-out event for Dora. I have to acknowledge her.” He instructed. I nodded my head in agreement. “I will give you a credit card to cover all the expenses.” I smiled. “I’ll like to cover 50% of the expenses, Dad.” I said. “Really? Well, that’s good. That means you will be using your savings, and maybe your…” I immediately cut in. “Let me worry about my funds.” I replied. “Okay. Will do.” Dad dropped me at the gate and he left with the driver for the Country Club. Dora had gone to church with KP and they weren’t home yet, so I was the first to return home. The Maids had fixed lunch, so all I had to do was eat and leave for my room. I logged on to the internet to check my mailbox and to my greatest surprise, Paul had sent me his wedding pictures and he typed boldly; “I’LL BE HAPPY, I SWEAR I’LL. TRY FALLING IN LOVE!” I buried my head in my hand and replied his mails. “Congrats! ATB!” “Ms Darlene, Mr Jake is here to see you.” The Maid said as she tapped the door lightly. I closed my laptop. “I’ll be there soon.” I hurried downstairs to meet Jake. “Happy Sunday.” He said, handing me a tulip flower. I smiled and collected the tulip. “You too.” “Why did you leave yesterday? You didn’t even notify me.” I gestured to a Chair. “I had to leave.” “How is your driving lessoning going?” he asked, taking his seat. I took a deep breath. “Slow and steady. I should be driving by month end.” “Is that what your teacher told you?” I shook my head in disagreement. “I am optimistic about it. The hassles of Lagos City traffic is enough to deal with coupled with the long queues for mass transit vehicles. Its better I start riding myself.” “You’ll be fine. You are a very strong woman, once you start driving full time, you’ll do well.” I smiled. “Pending that time, I need your help with Dora’s coming-out event, Jake.” “That word is so 1900.” He replied, with a grin. ‘That’s my Jake!’ I thought. He was lively again. I grimaced. “What do you reckon I call it, Mr Classic?” I asked. “Um…will come up with the name later, till then, how’s it gonna be?” I smiled. “We intend to use the garden. The party is this weekend.” “Party to plan. Okay, I will get a couple to guys to handle the arrangements and decoration, and since I know Sir Williams has great taste for Wines, I will be ordering French. You can see to the food and just let me have a list of the invited socialites and press, and then you are all set.” He said briskly, as though he had the event all planned in his head. “Thanks Jacob, I knew I could always count on you.” I replied. Dad nudged me in the waist. “You know I will always be there for you.” “There’s something I would like to show you. Let’s go to my room.” I said and led Jake upstairs. Jake bounced on my bed immediately we got in. “Easy on that Jacob.” I said, turning on my laptop. “Paul sent me his wedding pictures, with that Marie Branson.” “Let’s see them.” He replied, smiling. In all honesty, Paul and Marie looked happy. The kisses and smiles were enough to convince anyone and at that moment, I could almost say that Paul had known Marie Branson forever. “I think he’s happy.” Jake said. I then stared at Jake. “How did he meet this woman?” I asked. “Are you interested in knowing the whole story? I must warn you, it’s not the perfect or epic love story, but I think it’s real between them.” I rolled my eyes. “Let me be the judge. I am all ears.” “Marie was also on the Body and Soul personal retreat that we attended.” He started. I immediately cut in. “I knew it, this is a situation of two blind men. Now who’s gonna lead who?” Jake smiled. “You sound jealous.” “Jealous? Oh, come on Jacob. I do not see how realistic this event between them is. I cannot call it marriage. I see it as a long term ensnaring bondage. On the other hand, short term, people get divorced in 2-3 weeks. Kim is a perfect example.” Jake laughed. “You can’t compare Kim Kardashians’s fancy wedding to Paul’s. Paul really wanted to move on with his life, and so did Marie. She is a divorcee, she was very interested in Paul, and they became close along the line.” He paused to catch his breath. “Let me understand this joke, two people coming out of bad relationships decide to get married after knowing each other for only 2 weeks, is that normal?” I asked. “They don’t even know each other.” Jake shrugged. “They must have felt that they can’t be worse than the people they know.” I swallowed. That was deep. Jake had just branded me ‘Bad’ indirectly. I frowned slightly. “Anyways, I know they won’t be happy.” “I think they will be. Marie is very understanding, and a kind lady.” I scoffed. “Oh really, yet she got divorced from her previous husband.” Jake smiled. “Who said a thing about her being married to a man?” “YUCK!” I could almost puke at a second thought. “You have to be joking, right?” Jake grinned. “Of course I was kidding.” He replied, laughing. “Don’t ever pull that one on me again, even as a joke.” I said and closed my laptop. Jake jumped down from the bed. “Don’t wanna be in your bed for too long.” “Why is that?” I asked, checking my bed. He laughed. “You don’t ever grab a thing, do you?” He punched the bed hard. “This is so feminine and will make me sleep in 5 minutes.” “You look like you can use some sleep.” I replied. “Did you go to church?” He covered his face. “You know how I feel about ‘God’s society’ I just don’t belong there.” “Why do think so?” He yawned. “I Club, I drink…and all the vices, why is he gonna open his house to me. I can’t go there.” “You need to see Pastor Ben. I think I’ll soon be a regular church-goer.” He laughed hard. “There you said it, Church goer. I do not want to be a churchgoer. I want to be a better person. Till then, let’s forget the topic.” “Do you mind joining me for a walk?” Jake yawned hard again. “I am so tired. Why do you want to take a walk?” he asked, slipping into his Supra. “It’s good for the body. The sun is a bit down now.” I replied, checking through my window. “It will be a perfect time to enjoy the breeze.” “I am ready.” He replied, heading for the door. Jake and I walked down the estate to a lonely and quiet road. “Darlene.” I heard my name so aggressively. I turned round to see Daniel. I clutched to Jake. Daniel stood before me with fiery eyes, and a dagger hung carelessly from his waist.

Wat is Daniel doing with a dagger?

Darlene! Are you now considering Dora's advice(or was it leading abi suggestion)? I do think in the same line with Dora.... Jake is more than a friend & it wldn't be a bad thing looking at him differently... Dare doesn't look good for you. I dnt he's a good person. Now, i don't understand Daniel... Is he that he doesn't understand when he's not wanted? He's now gonna land in some more trouble

Fiery eyes and dagger?

U might be leading people on indirectly oo

But what is Daniel doing there with a dagger

Daniel? He violated the restraining order.... Don't take decisions in your angry mood and there's no how you would be with Jake forever except through marriage

make up your mind and marry Jake

jail don dey call some people oo, Daniel i just dey pity u

Jake u better tell D if u love her and stop waisting her time

continue

DAGGER??.....just watching

why

Hmmm..I tink Dora is right. Why shld Daniel do dat? I thought he was restrained 4rm u?

Probably ur imagination playing tricks on you

EPISODE 33 Jake’s eyes blinked. I held on to him firmly. “Stay close, D.” he whispered. “I have no business with you dude. Let her come to me.” Jake laughed. “Where do you think you are? This is no Spartacus. This is real life! ” “Seems like you wanna get arrogant with me,” He pulled the dagger from his belt. “I’d have wished to hurt Dare with this, not you, but since she has a lot of guys who don’t mind taking bullets for her, be my guest.” He replied, holding the dagger firmly. Jake watched his eyes and hand carefully. It was a lonely street, and if I attempted to run, there might be an ambush. “You are going to jail, Daniel. This isn’t 100metre.” I shouted from behind Jake, I didn’t have the nerves to look at Daniel’s fierce eyes. It’s true when they say ‘talk is cheap.’ Daniel laughed. “So you think I’ll spare your life to watch me go to jail? Even if I do, I won’t give you the pleasure of seeing that.” “You are demented! What was my Dad thinking anyways?” Daniel stepped forward and Jake and I stepped backwards. “Why are you running? You have such a loud mouth; you should be able to take what’s coming to you.” He replied, admiring the dagger. “Enough of this, twat! It is obvious you are a stalker, and I am not going to let you threaten Darlene’s life, so you have a choice. Drop that Dagger and run from me now.” Jake said. Daniel stared at him hard. “Never.” “We will have it your way then.” Jake said stepping forward. I was scared. I knew my big bear could take on him; my fear was Jake killing him. Jake has actually killed for me before. Well, that’s a story for another day. At this moment, I had a threat. Jake approached Daniel fearlessly. Daniel stuck the dagger out. “This is no toy, Mr.” Daniel stuttered, stepping back. Jake was in no mood to discuss. He ducked the dagger and sent Daniel crashing to the graveled floor. He hit Daniel with so much aggression that I feared he might kill him. I rushed to Jake. “Pleas Jake, let him be.” I shouted, holding Jake’s shirt. Daniel was in a pool of blood. His face was all red and beaten. He sprawled out in pain, letting out a cry. “He doesn’t look good.” I said, scared. Jake sighed. “He was warned.” Jake wiped some blood off his forehead. “Guys like this take away the tranquility of one’s mind.” Jake hissed. “Where do you think you are, Daniel? Miami Vice?” “I can’t feel my waist.” Daniel cried. Jake laughed. “It’s right there man.” “Should we get the medics?” I asked, clenching my fists in fear. Jake smiled and kicked Daniel in the belly hard. “That’s for scaring my friend.” “He gets it.” I shouted, holding Jacob back. “He’s in a bad shape Jake, let’s get him to the medics.” I was wearing a worrying look. Jake laughed. “You worry too much munchkin. Anyways, we don’t have to. Security is approaching us.” “What is this?” The Security officer asked touching Daniel’s neck. I sighed. “A case of a chronic stalker that broke the rules and got what he deserved.” I replied, sounding a little confident. “Are you alright, Ms. Williams?” he asked. I nodded. “I am fine.” “I’ll need you both to accompany me to the security post so as to officially document this.” He said. An ambulance arrived shortly and conveyed Daniel to the clinic, while Jake and I left for the security post. “Did you have to beat him so bad, Jake?” The C.S.O asked. Jake smiled. “Considering the fact that he had a dagger and could have killed Darlene, I think I did justice to his pour soul.” The C.S.O read through a file. “I understand that the court placed a restriction on his movement around Ms. Williams,” he started. “And he broke it Sir.” I immediately cut in. The C.S.O closed the file. “I will have a copy of your report filed to the court and maybe we can have Daniel checked into an institution, probably, a solitary prison.” He stood up and gestured at the door. “Sorry for the inconvenience, I’ll have one of my boys drop you off at home if you don’t mind.” “That won’t be necessary. We’ll walk.” I replied. Dora was standing akimbo at the gate as we approached. “What war are you fighting?” I asked, with a cynical smile. “Dad is going to have your head for lunch. He is at the clinic visiting Daniel.” She replied. I smiled. “Have I officially introduced you to Jake?” “I don’t think so.” She replied, smiling. I nodded and turned to Jake. “Meet Dora, my sister.” “Hi senorita.” He said, taking her hand coolly. They exchanged greetings with smiles. There was so much warmth around them. “Hearts meets hearts.” I said, breaking off the handshake. “You have been holding her hand for a while, Jake.” “I didn’t notice. My hand is quite insensitive to touch from the other species.” She interrupted. I grimaced. “HeHe…that’s funny.” By the tone of my voice, Dora could bet that her joke fell flat, but being the Dora that I know, she would try another joke. “I’d say you’re jealous. Jake is already warming up to me, I am fun and you are not.” She replied with her teeth all out. Jake smiled. “I can’t help feeling like Brad Pitt at the moment, two beautiful ladies falling over me. Can a man be more blessed?” he asked, looking at the sky. “Wow Jake, that’s the biggest joke I have heard in years. Are you really feeling like Brad? I always thought you could do better.” I replied. Jake widened his eyes. “What are you saying, Williams? Brad Pitt is like the biggest household name. He is an enigma.” “Yeah yeah…” I replied with a smile. If I didn’t put an end to Jake’s throttle, he could go on and on about all of Brad Pitt’s achievements. Jake, to me is Brad’s biggest fan. Jake knew almost everything about him, well, as much as news and the paparazzi could provide. Dad pulled up aggressively behind us. “Are you satisfied, Darlene?” he shouted. “Daniel is going to have a surgery.” “And after that, he is going to Jail.” I added. Dad hissed. “Never! He said he only came to talk to you about relieving his restriction, and then John Cena here, pounced on him.” He said, eyeballing Jake coldly. “It turns out Daniel is a liar. He has to be worst after Satan.” I replied, angrily. “I have already filed his report Dad, and there is an evidence of a dagger which he used in threatening me which has his finger prints on it.” “What hold has this junkie on you, Sir Williams?” Jake asked, smiling. Dad leaned against his car and inhaled deeply. “I am responsible for Daniel. All I ever wanted was for Darlene and Dora to see him as their brother.” “Dad, there was no proper introduction. Daniel showed up in my life as a threat.” I replied. He rubbed his forehead. “Daniel is in a bad shape.” He started. He stared at Jake hard. “You should never have returned to Nigeria, WWE awaits your kind.” He added and tapped him lightly on the back. “I’ll get Daniel out of our lives forever.” “I know a great rehab facility in the Bahamas, it helps to get the body and soul together.” Jake suggested. I hissed. “Pay him no mind, Dad. Daniel might return gay.” I interrupted. “That ‘facility’ of Jake’s sent Paul to the altar on Saturday.” I said. “Paul is married? I thought you were Paul’s girlfriend.” Dad said, surprised. I shrugged. “We broke up.” “Darlene, I am sure that you smashed that man’s heart to bits. I have to speak with his father.” I groaned. “Come on, Dad! Paul is an adult, and so is Daniel. You have to stop worrying about what isn’t really your business.” I said, stressing the statement. Dad shook his head pitifully. “You know, in my generation we were in awe of our parents. It was like fear and admiration, but now, it’s just the admiration, you ain’t got any respect.” “Woooaaahh!!! Daddy is speaking like a real nigga.” Jake teased We all laughed and returned into the house. I felt relaxed, because, Dad had cooled down on his ‘obsession’ for Daniel, well, it seems like it at the moment. “I have news for you guys.” Dad said, as he opened a bottle of champagne. I stretched out my wine glass to him and he poured it gently. “What’s it, Dad?” I asked, sipping my wine. He smiled. “I want to get married.” Ever had your wine taste like Vinegar? Mine just did!

EPISODE 34 I Stared at Sir Williams as he ate his lunch. Jake had joined Dora in the Kitchen. Dad ate his food with joy and couldn’t care that I was eyeballing his meal hoping he could choke slightly on it. “I thought I was going to choke.” Dad said, smiling at me. I sighed. “Are you serious about getting married?” I asked. Dad chewed his chicken triumphantly. “Yes. You and Dora could use a mother.” “Really? I grew up without a mother. You whisked me off to Grandma, if I ever needed a mother, it was then.” I said, angrily. Dad smiled and sipped his wine carefully. It was as if he wanted to hurt me. “I am sorry you feel bad about my decision.” He started as he wiped his mouth carefully with the napkin. “I have a right to be happy. Sooner or later, Dora will marry KP, and you will settle with either Jake or Ade-Cole’s son…” “What is that supposed to mean, Dad?” I asked. This time, I was livid with rage. Dad sipped his wine. “You should really watch your temper, young lady.” He sighed and pulled his chair back. “You and I know that it is either of those men.” He added with a grin. The grin could only mean one thing. Dad was about to say something that could fire me up again. “Or do you have interest in Daniel?” he asked, laughing. “Easy does it…” I muttered under my breath and cursed softly in Spanish. I was lucky to have enrolled in Spanish lessons while living with Grandma; I know Dad could never guess what I had just said. It all boils down to the advantage of knowing another language. Dad laughed. “Darlene, your Spanish is still as weak as the last time.” I opened my mouth in shock. “It’s a shame there are no flies in the house for you to swallow.” He added and left for the stairs. “Make sure she is as old as you are…I don’t want another sister.” I yelled after him. Dad laughed wickedly and blew me a kiss. He laughed all the way to his room. It was a relief when I heard his door shut. “Can you guys imagine?” I asked, joining Jake and Dora in the kitchen. Jake and Dora seemed to care less. They were drinking Apple juice and having some toast bread. I stared at them with so much anger rushing through me. “You are too serious for life D, the old man must be lacking comfort in his bed and I don’t see you or Dora giving that to him.” Jake said, eating his toast bread. Dora chuckled softly. “I am trying not to laugh too much Darlene, but what is the problem with Dad wanting a wife?” “Oh, really? It seems as though I am the only one who can’t see the big picture. Of what use is his wife to us?” I asked. Jake smirked. “You are being selfish D, someday; you and Dora will go away. He will be all alone in this house with maybe the maids, drivers, gardeners, security and the dogs. No family. He deserves a companion.” “And what type of woman is going to fall in love with my dad?” I asked, trying to flush disappointment off my face from Jake’s accusation. Maybe he is right about my being selfish. Dora smiled. “Any woman will fall for him. Sir Williams has got class; he is cuter than George Clooney and has a greater dress sense than him. Sir Williams still makes the top 20 best dressed men in the country. He will fit any available lady.” Dora just exaggerated the George Clooney factor. I could still date George Clooney; my dad can’t stand near George. “You are forgetting the cash factor; I think that’s what speaks for him.” I said, sounding defiant. Dora and Jake exchanged glances. “What?” I asked. They shrugged and laughed. “You are jealous D, Dad will always love us.” Dora replied. I looked up to force the tears that were slowly gathering up in my eyes. “I am not Jealous.” I said. “Are those tears I see in your eyes?” Jake said and nudged me in the waist. I hugged him tightly as the tears flowed freely. “You are a real façade, Darlene.” Dora said, wiping my tears. “And to think that the society sees you as Amazon, you are a baby.” I stuck my tongue out at Dora. She winked at me and took her seat. “So, who is our dad getting married to?” “I can’t even guess. Maybe your mom.” I replied, taking a seat. She shook her head in disagreement. “Nah, I don’t think so. She would have told me. They really didn’t have a relationship, except for me.” “Would you love to see them married?” I asked. She shrugged. “I am indifferent, it’s their life. This is not a stage in my life when I need a mommy.” “You always need a mom.” I replied. I could speak from experience. Dora always had her mom, but not me. She nodded. “Not the way you see it, at this stage, it’s more about Dad and his future partner.” She started. “She has to be a woman that will make him happy. He must miss your mom a lot.” “So where is he getting his wife from?” Jake sighed. “Why don’t you wait for the bonny bride and save yourselves the guessing game?” “Thanks.” Dora replied. Jake dropped his cup of juice and clapped his hands together. “Okay ladies, I have to prepare for a very important event. I’ll see you later in the week.” He said, rising to his feet. “I’ll walk you outside.” Dora and I said almost together. I smiled. “Its okay, Dora you can walk him out.” Jake laughed. “It’s not your fault, I have a serious effect on ladies.” He said as he approached the door with Dora. I watched Jake and Dora walk out and chatter about something. I felt some heat flush through my body and I leaned against the chair for support. “You should define your friendship with Jacob.” Dad said, joining me in the hallway. “That lad is free-spirited and might just flow into Dora’s hand. I don’t want sisters at logger heads over a man.” He added. I sighed. “Jacob and I are friends. Nothing more, Dad.” “If you say so.” He replied and walked out. Dad had just set me off into thinking again. I fetched my swim suit and left for the pool. The pool had served as a refuge for me, I found it convenient to drown myself there, especially when my head and heart was all muddled up. I swam across the pool furiously. I am so sure that if the pool could react, it would throw me out. We just had the water changed, and here I was fluttering across it. I couldn’t stay in the pool any longer. I decided to take a nap. Monday is another monster looming I stepped out of the elevator. I flashed a huge smile at Bola as I walked towards my office door. “Not now please,” she said, standing before my door. I wore a frown. “And why is that?” I asked, trying to grab the door handle. “I suggest you get a cup of coffee before you walk in.” Bola said, trembling with fear. I swallowed and stood straight. “This is my office, Bola. Let me through now.” I ordered. Bola wore a worried look as she hesitated stepping aside. “Let me through.” I ordered. This time, my voice was more firm. Bola sighed and stepped aside. I stared at her cautiously. I was now feeling uncomfortable trying to open the door. Nevertheless, I turned the handle and stepped in. “Didn’t you get orders from Bola not to come in?” I stared at Reina with some fury and dropped my bag on the table. “What are you doing here?” I asked, calmly. “I have been taking a good look at my office; I see you changed the wallpapers. I love Turquoise.” She said, with a smile. I inhaled deeply and counted from one to ten in my heart. I smiled lavishly at Reina. “It is now my office.” I replied. “I am aware. The only problem is that I think I would want this office back. I am returning to work and I still like the view from this window. It’s a delight into the city at night, I know right?” I was rattled by Reina Martins to be honest, but I tried to appear calm. “Until I receive an official order from above, I think you are trespassing, and if you don’t take your leave, I will have security whisk you out of here.” She smiled mischievously. “You think you can have me thrown out of my office.” She scoffed. “Let me see you try.” ‘Talk is cheap’ they say. It was time for me to put my threat into action. I picked up the intercom and dialled the Security unit. “They will be here for you in no time. Leave honourably.” I said, dropping the phone. She laughed. “I want to see you try, honey. You seem to be exercising your rights in no time. You haven’t been here for long, and I don’t think you will be here for too long.” Two security men walked in. “Yes ma’am. Where is the intruder?” he asked. “I met this lady here in my office.” I replied, pointing at Reina, The security man stepped up to Reina. “You were found trespassing in this office. Please leave.” He said, courteously. “Are you a fool?” she asked. “I am Reina Martins, and this is my office. The intruder here is Ms. Williams” The second security man seemed to be the impatient type. He grabbed Reina in a not gentlemanly fashion by the arm and whisked her out of the office. She screamed and yelled all the way. “Be gentle with her.” I said to the security officer and shut my door.

Darlene! Don't come back lamenting that Dora stole your Dad and now, your man.. The advice now keeps coming, "define your friendship with Jake b4 someone else whisks him away from you" Yr Dad, i dnt really understand what it was with him & Daniel.. To crown it all, i think Dan ain't a good person owing 2 d fact that he's a big liar & deceiver. You just drew a big battleline btwn you & Reina.

U'll hve to started dealing with Reina often o

Really nice to see that u will soon lose jake to dora

I wonder what is wrong with this Reina.. Why don't she go to Dare and leave you alone... Darlene, Jacob is the ladies' man make your decisions now or your enemies will I REP TEAM LADYG @ladyg FOR MISS COOLVAL2017

You Are Losing Jake already

I think ur dad wants to make Daniel ur half brother if u understand what I mean. and be careful wir Reina and pls I join them to say' define yr relationship with jake'

observing

Abeg come drop something o

EPISODE 35 There was so much noise outside. Reina was resisting the security officers and she was screaming at the top of her voice. I became uncomfortable and so I stepped out to the incident. She was struggling with them in front of the elevator. “This is an office, Reina. It’s not like you are being arrested, just co-operate with the security guys and you’ll be outside in no time.” Reina snarled. “You think you are funny, right? I was here before you, and I know how it is here. You won’t survive here.” “Why all these noise?” Dare yelled furiously popping his head from his office door. “Why is Ms. Martins making so much noise?” he asked. Reina straightened her ruffled hair. “Ms. Williams had me kicked out of her office.” She replied. Dare stared at us. “Both of you in my office, NOW!” he ordered. Reina and I sat before Dare like two high school girls before the principal. Dare kept quiet waiting for one of us to speak. I was never going to be the first to speak and Reina made it very easy. “You know I am not one to start troubles.” She started. I rolled my eyes. “She threatened to throw me out of her office. I thought it was all a joke until she made good of them.” Dare took his gaze to me excepting me to speak. “She was found in my office. I can’t believe I didn’t call the cops” “You had me dragged out of the office and erm…um” she bumbled over a few words and then hissed. “She humiliated me, Dare.” Dare relaxed in his seat. “When you told me that you were going to look around, you never said it included sneaking into people’s offices. I can’t blame Darlene for being hard on you.” “That is my office, Dare. You said it will always be mine.” ‘Never believe a man’s promise while in bed’. I stared at Dare waiting for his response. “That office belongs to Darlene. You no longer work here, remember?” “I think I have embarrassed myself enough. See you at home, Dare.” She said, and grabbed her bag. “Have a nice day, Darlene.” Reina Martins smiled at me. “Ever since I lost my son, I have been going through a lot. I’ll see my psychiatrist on my way home.” “I am so sorry, Reina.” I said as I sprung to my feet. Her face had fallen. I couldn’t tell who she was again. She had gone from arrogant to humble and now I felt like the bad person. “Never mind, Darlene. That office brings back memories, I guess it got me all fired up in the wrong direction.” She added, reaching for the door. I held her back feeling very confused. “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked. “This is an office.” Dare sounded. Reina smiled. “Duty calls. We’ll see some other time.” “How about lunch?” I offered. Reina nodded in agreement. “I’ll pick you up for lunch.” She said, and walked out. I closed my eyes and leaned against the door. “I don’t understand you, Darlene.” Dare started. “You are going out with Reina for lunch. You don’t even know her, she just tripped you with our late son and you are getting all Mother Theresa over it.” I stared at him. At this moment, I didn’t know who confused me more. Dare seemed indifferent about Reina, and Reina just performed a world class play which I have fallen for and I am not sure that I want to believe Dare over a grieving mother. “There could be no harm.” I replied. He smiled and grabbed his grey jackets. “Of course not, I have a meeting now. When I get back, I’ll send for you.” He replied and walked out. “‘ When I get back, I’ll send for you’ Who does he think he is?” I mimicked, and returned to my office. I was eager for lunch. I was so delighted when the clocked ticked 1pm. I rushed downstairs. Reina leaned in front of a Porsche car. She was dressed in a cream top, brown leather shorts and a black tip toe heels, her hair was now made and loosely around her shoulder. To cap up her impressive show-off, she wore dark sunshades. For the first time, I felt out-classed. REINA MARTINS IS SMASHING! There was this smile lurking around her lips as she approached me. She looked nothing like a lawyer, more of a model. “Hi Darlene,” she said, taking off the sunglasses. I smiled back. “Hi Reina.” We headed for ‘Harbour Point’ . Craig David’s ‘officially yours’ pulsed slowly beneath the stereo as Reina drove. I stole glances at her as she maintained a steady smile. Rather too calm for this current situation, she smiled back. I was relieved as soon as we got to Harbour’s Point. We took our seat near the ocean. “Isn’t it lovely from here?” she heaved a sigh of relief as she removed her sunglasses. The waiter approached us. “I think it’s a nice view.” I replied, cautiously. “Martinis please,” she said to the waiter. “What would you have Darlene?” I was having a tough time picking my drink, so I opted for Lemon. “Are you really going to drink Lemon?” she asked. “Please bring two glasses of Martinis.” Reina said, dismissing the waiter. I smiled. “I don’t take alcohol.” “Really? What part of this earth are you from?” she asked. Seeing that my countenance was still stern, she continued. “I’ll have him get you the Lemon.” I nodded. “Thank you.” Reina didn’t look to me like the lady who wanted me out of the office earlier, and she also didn’t appear like one who had lost her son. I was beginning to think that coming out with her was a mistake. “You might think that it was a mistake for you to be here with me because I haven’t been wailing about my kid, but all I want is a calm atmosphere before we talk.” She said, flipping her hair back. “Sometimes, it just gets into my mouth.” She said, and laughed. I didn’t know if I was to laugh with her, because it didn’t seem funny. Or maybe I just totally lacked a sense of humour like Dora and Jake had said. I did manage a smirk. I finally got my lemon. Reina and I were about to have our conversation. “Dare killed my son.” She said, bluntly. I had to act to surprised. It would have seemed out of place if I was aware of her son’s death before now. “How do you mean?” I asked. “Dare never liked our son. He was very mean to the little boy.” I had to stop her there. “Reina, why would he hate his own son?” She sighed. “Dare is a troubled man. I stood by him because of love, after his parents got separated; he took out his anger on everyone including that balloon, Toni. You can ask her.” “I take exceptions to my friends being called names.” I said, cutting her off again. I smiled. “I am sorry.” She adjusted her hair. “Tobi came to us under very weird circumstances, I gave birth to him in Paris because Dare didn’t want the news out.” She paused to sip her drink. “When I decided to return to Nigeria, he kicked against it, but I refused and with his father’s help, I was able to return to the country with our kid.” Her face was now stern and I guessed that we had gotten to the real discussion. “Tobi died because Dare refused to pick his son from school. I was just learning to drive and then my teacher said I couldn’t go on the express yet. Dare claimed to be too tired of the boy and made me do it.” “If Dare had done so much harm to you, why not let go? You seem to me a desperate woman for his love.” I said, bluntly. She stared at me carefully and smiled. She adjusted my hair from my face. “You remind me of the passion I had for Dare.” She then straightened up. “As funny as it might sound, Dare is mine.” Reina sounded like a possessive house wife. ‘Why would she call Dare hers?’ “I don’t understand you. Why would you want to be with him so badly?” She sighed. “He is my bad habit. I can never let go.” “Reina, I don’t see where this discussion is going. What do you want from me?” I asked. She smiled. “You are as smart as I thought. Probably, even smarter,” she said, searching through her hand bag. My face was now stern. Woman to woman, I could match Reina. She could be sophisticated and classy, but my simplicity would pass for the ultimate form of sophistication. She dropped a paper before me and a pen. “I’d like you to hand in your resignation from Ade-Cole Law Firm.”

EPISODE 36 She stared at me. I looked at the empty A4 paper and held the pen. “Go on. I will be nice to hand it to Dare. Your father has a firm of his, it’s even bigger than Ade-Cole, and you will do fine there.” She said. I smiled, looked at the sky and then faced her sternly. “When last did you see your psychiatrist? Your health problem has worsened.” She laughed. “I am very sane, Darlene. I am doing this for your good. You need to get out of Ade-Cole while you have the time.” “If I get your point, you want me out of Ade-Cole because you believe that it’s safe for me, who am I to be scared off? You?” She smiled. “I am the least of your problems. Dare will be your nightmare.” I hit the table furiously. “That’s it Reina! I have had enough of this Dare talk. He is my boss and that’s as far as our relationship goes. If you have a problem with Dare, you both should deal with it, but don’t drag me into your mess.” I stopped to catch my breath and stare at the other customers who had turned their attention to Reina and I. “You love scenes, don’t you?” she asked, rubbing edge of her glass. I gulped the rest of the lemon. “Thanks for the lemon.” I said, and left. I was lucky to see a taxi as soon as I stepped out of Harbour’s Point. “Ade-Cole, please.” I said, shutting the door. “That would cost you like 1000 Naira.” He said peering into the mirror. I widened my eye balls. “Ade-Cole is like 30 minutes from here.” “You could wait for buses.” He said, stopping the taxi. I honestly didn’t have a problem paying the money but should everything have to be expensive? To my surprise, I opened the door and stepped out to the pavements. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all, because Reina pulled up. “Get in Darlene.” She ordered I chose to ignore her, and look away. She pulled over and walked up to me. “Darlene, let me give you a ride.” She offered. “I’ll be fine.” I replied, looking ahead. Cars horned violently. Staffs were returning to their respective offices from lunch, and I had to do the same. Dare had sent me a message. “Don’t be stubborn. I brought you out here; let me drop you back at work. I promise not to say a word to you on the way back.” I hesitated and looked at my wrist watch. “I don’t ooze evil. Just get in, let me get you back to work. If you exceed your lunch time, you might be getting into trouble with the Ade-Cole part of Dare.” She cautioned. I followed her to the car and we returned to Ade-Cole firm. She did keep to her word and didn’t even utter a word. “Thank you.” I said, as soon as I highlighted from her car. She didn’t reply, she just smiled and drove off. I stared at her car as she drove out of the firm. ‘Why did I have to meet this lady?’ I thought. “You and Reina went out?” Toni asked, as she approached me. I raised one eyebrow. “Dare has a really loud mouth.” “Dare? I just saw you get out of her car. It didn’t take so long for Reina’s charms to have an effect on you, did it?” I shot at Mrs. Small. “Toni, I decided to hang out with Reina; I am not a kid, alright. Please, let me be.” I replied and returned into the firm. Mrs. Small caught up with me at the elevator door. “Darlene, don’t do this to yourself. Reina doesn’t play around, if she wants something, she gets it.” She cautioned with fear in her eyes. I rolled my eyes. “Am I dealing with Nikita? I understand your concern Toni, but the truth is, there is so much worry for nothing.” I pressed the elevator door open and stepped in. “There you are Darlene, meet me in my office.” Dare said, from popping his head from his door.” I dropped my bag in my office and left for Dare’s. “Please have your seat.” He said. I obliged and waited for his next utterance. He adjusted his tie and stood up from his swivel chair. He leaned across the table, and smiled. “Relax Darlene, I don’t bite.” He said, and sighed. “What do you want?” I asked. He smiled and fetched a file from his table. “I’d like you to check out this document.” He stretched out the file to me. I opened the file. “The case is up in two weeks. If you ask me, the man is guilty and he deserves to rot in hell, but life as we know it, is about the lawyers.” He paused to catch his breath. I was flattered. The file in my hand was for one of the city’s biggest business men, Chidi Obi. “So, we are in his defense. This man is a rogue.” I said. “I know that.” Dare nodded. “It’s your job to make him look clean.” I shook my head in disagreement. “I don’t think I want to do this.” “Moral aside, Darlene. First Rule.” He said, biting an apple. I dropped the file on the table. “Have you agreed to take up the case?” “This is a first class case, the whole world wants to see this Chidi Obi behind bars, and we can stop it.” I rose to my feet. “I am sorry, Dare. If I have to start my career by making the innocent suffer, I’d rather not.” “Darlene, this is a First class case. There’s a lot involved, and at stake. Save your morals.” He said. I sighed. “I won’t compromise, and if you are displeased, I’ll hand in my resignation first thing in the morning.” “You are a disappointment.” He said and hurled the apple into the trash can. Heat flushed across my face. ‘Maybe Reina was right after all about Dare, he might be my worst nightmare.’ I inhaled deeply and approached the door. “You can still change your mind, Darlene.” He said, not even looking at me. I smiled. “NO!” “Have it your way. Leave now!” As I opened the door, Femi Ade-Cole and some other Ade-Cole top board members stood before me. “We are proud to have you here, Ms. Williams.” He said. Dare patted me on the shoulders. “Congratulations,” he said with a smile. The other board members were now clapping. I was on a test! Passed! “Nice to have you here, I can see that you also have a strong moral up bringing in our world.” Mr. Femi Ade-Cole said. I grinned. Dare dismissed everybody except me from his office. “What were you thinking, Dare? Anyone could have failed this test.” He smiled. “But you didn’t. You put your morals first.” “To be honest with you, this is no appropriate test for a lawyer; it’s more like a test for a wife.” I retorted. “Any lawyer can take this case; it’s a matter of winning. I am not happy with it.” He frowned. “My firm, my rules!” “It happens that I have a problem with your methods.” He sighed. “Do you always have to reply me? Sometimes, I just like you quiet and obedient. You don’t always have to revolt.” “If you want a mute, buy a puppet. You can always control it.” I replied. He stared at me. “Are you always like this?” he asked. I didn’t reply. “Anyways, congratulations on your first case, it’s in two weeks. All the contacts you need are in that file and you will have to meet with your client tonight at Priddy’s place after work.” I picked up the file and left for the door. “Darlene,” Dare called softly. “For the record, you are good.” He said. I smiled and left. “Well done Darlene.” Bola said as I approached my door. I nodded. “Thanks Bola.” I stared at my office and wondered if I was going to lose it anytime soon to Reina, it didn’t seem likely at the moment. I made a call to my new client. He was taking his former business partner, and oil magnate, Chidi Obi to court. Chidi Obi owns several Oil rigs in the eastern part of Nigeria but he had settled in the south west. Chidi Obi used to be close friends with Tunji Davis, but now Tunji Davis, my client had taken Chidi Obi to court. I arrived at Priddy’s Place by 7pm. “Mr. Davis is at the bar.” The security officer said. I walked over to the bar. “Mr. Davis?” “Darlene Williams.” He replied, with so much excitement. I stared at Mr. Davis carefully, I didn’t seem to know him, he even looked younger than who I expected to see, and he acted all familiar. “I am Darlene Williams.” I replied, stretching out my hands. He stared at my hand. “You really want to shake my hands? Gimme a hug babes!” he said, and hugged me tightly. “Am sorry, maybe I am meeting the wrong person” I said, releasing myself from the hug. He smiled. “My Dad sent me here, he will join us shortly. My Dad is Tunji Davis; I was the one who referred you to him. It’s funny you don’t remember me.” He said, taking off his glasses. “Maybe this will help. Can you place the face now?” he asked, almost laughing. “I am sorry, no.” He sighed. “Okay, how’s Jake? You guy still hang out well, right?” he asked, putting back his glasses. “Who are you?” I asked, firmly. He swallowed. “I am Dotun Davis. We went to high school together.” He said, with a smile. My eyes popped out. I was standing before my first crush!

Hmm small world and I hope Reina doesn't do anything out of desperation

Small world

wow, what a small world, so you meet again

Next please......... glued here

Your first crush Uhnmmmm

Small world....

wat a world

EPISODE 37 I stood speechless before Dotun. He blinked. I felt he was expecting me to say something, but there was nothing coming from my end. While at high school, I thought Dotun was the hottest boy and I once slid a note into his back pack, although it was printed so as not to get into trouble with my handwriting. I had told him in the note to meet me at the school’s basket ball court by lunch that I would be waiting for him in the stands. He showed up but I lacked total courage to come out of hiding. I remember him pacing up and down the court and at a time; he started throwing the balls into the ring, until the school coach came into the gym and whisked him out. Here he was standing before me, I felt like fifteen again and I tried to hide the nervousness in my eyes. “Hi Dotun,” He smiled. “I always knew I will see you again, and as a success.” “How are you, Dotun?” He motioned to the chair. “I am doing fine. I won’t mind if you can say another word to me apart from ‘How are you, Dotun?’” he said. I laughed. “Why is that?” “That’s the only thing you ever said to me in our six years at high school.” I was stunned. “Are you serious?” He smiled, revealing his dimples. ‘Ouch! That’s what I think I fell for’ . “Darlene, there was this day I hurt my knee in JS3, and everyone was comforting me, but you didn’t. I stared at you, but you looked away.” He started. “I felt really bad, and then the magical moment came when my driver came to get me.” He said with a smile. “You were standing near the gate, and when I limped across, you held me back and said, ‘How are you, Dotun?’” he stopped, and we both laughed. “That was the best moment of my high school life.” I was so embarrassed; I had to cover my face. “You were my first crush, Darlene. I could never forget that moment.” He concluded, straightening his glasses. ‘Why do we live complicated lives? If you love someone, or rather, if you have a crush, JUST SAY! Things were mutual between Dotun and I then, but no one could man-up. Did he expect me to?’ I thought. “Okay, how’s work?” I asked, smiling. “It was fun until Chidi Obi decided to wreck my dad’s business.” He replied. “What would you have?” he asked, ordering drinks. “Soda will be fine.” I replied. “There are many competent lawyers in the city, why me?” Dotun handed me the soda and smiled. “You are one of the best persons I know when it comes to arguing, judging by your high school debating skills. So, when I heard that you were practicing law, I knew that it had to be you for this case.” “Did you attend debates at high school?” I asked, sipping the soda. He nodded. “I have never really been a fan of debates, but I just loved seeing you tear your opponents apart.” “I see you had this all planned.” He smiled. “Apart from that, I had to see you.” He sipped his drink carefully. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dotun” I replied. He laughed. “It’s nothing. By the way, how is Jacob?” “He’s good.” He nodded. “Do you guys till hang out like before?” “Even better.” He smiled. “You guys always made a cute couple, never seen such committed friendship. Are you guys together?” he asked. “No. we are just friends.” He batted his eyelashes. “Soon you will be lovers.” He stood up and gestured to his Dad who was approaching. “Darlene Williams, right?” Mr. Davis said firmly offering his hand. I took the hand. “At your service, Sir.” “Thanks for keeping our lawyer here company, Dotun. It’s getting late; you might want to go home now.” I grinned. “Okay Dad. Can I have your card, Darlene?” he asked, turning towards me. “Yes, please.” I replied, and fetched a card from my purse. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow.” He said and pecked me on the cheek. “Good night, Darlene.” I smiled. “Night, Dotun.” Mr. Tunji Davis cleared his throat and Dotun scampered off. “You guys got along real good.” “We go way back.” I replied. He smiled. “That’s good. So, that aside, Chidi Obi has robbed me off an oil rig and I don’t want him to get away with it.” He started. “The society thinks that he has achieved something, not knowing that he robbed me off it, I bought that rig, but I don’t know how he was able to upturn the Dubai guys on me.” “Do you have any document to prove your ownership?” I asked. He nodded in agreement. “Yes, I do. But Obi also has the same documents with his name on them, it’s all messed up at the moment and I am sure that he did something shady.” “Do you have any of the Dubai agents on your side?” I asked. He nodded. “Sameer has promised to be in court for me. I will fly him in a week before the case.” “That will be fine by me. Since Oil is involved, I would advise you not to reveal the identity of your witness at the moment, we don’t want Sameer compromised or killed.” I said, fetching my phone. “Can I have a copy of the deed?” He opened his brief case and handed me the document. “That is a photocopy of it, I have the original in the bank.” “This will do.” I said, putting the document in my bag. We exchanged phone numbers. “I will set up a meeting with you tomorrow.” “Be careful kid.” He said. I nodded. “I’ll be.” I replied and left. I boarded the BRT bus. I was lucky enough to get a seat, so that I wouldn’t have to stand for the next twenty minutes before getting to my bus station. The advantage of having a bag with you is that you can boss people to get a seat by putting it before you. I plugged my ear phones in my ears as the bus drove off. I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I raised my head and an old man in a torn leather jacket and almost no teeth flashed a wide smile at me. You know what that means. I stood up and leaned for support until I got off the bus. As I strolled into the estate, I watched teenagers riding their bicycles and enjoying an evening after school. Some were locked around in corners; well you know what they could have been doing. Work had officially begun for me at Ade-Cole, I held in my hand a file that would see me go up against a renowned lawyer. “Dad, I am going up against Subomi Bankole in two weeks.” I said, standing by the door. Dad’s eyes shot open. “Subomi?” Subomi Bankole meant doom to my dad. His first lose was attributed to him. I nodded to affirm it. “Yes Dad, Subomi Bankole.” Dad sipped his Red Wine. “I’ll have the boys in Sydney prepare the house when you fail, or is it Miami you would love to cool off.” I managed a soft chuckle as I joined Dad on the sofa. “I haven’t even gone up against him, Dad.” I stressed. “Don’t be so negative.” I added, retrieving the documents from my bag. “I am going to attack him like a careless rookie; I won’t try to play professional.” Dad laughed. “Tricks from your professor’s class at Harvard? Professor Dean told me the same thing when I was about to start my career.” He replied. “Things were a lot different for you, Dad. You and Subomi were on the same level then, and you have been able to rise above him ever since.” I retorted, opening the file. Dad smirked. “The first cut is always the deepest. Time has not been able to heal the wound. Subomi downed me in court that day. In this game, it’s about the lawyers, not the clients.” He paused to add more wine. “After this case, you are going to start taking alcohol, because, I know you can’t beat Subomi.” He concluded and gulped the wine. “That’s not encouraging, father.” I said, frowning. He looked at me. “Father?” he smiled. “Since when did I become father?” “That’s what you are to me, isn’t it?” He nodded. “Of course, I am your father, and it hurts that you don’t want to face reality. It’s harsh, but I can’t see you beating Subomi, you will be frustrated in five minutes.” “Give it up, Dad!” I said, putting the file in my bag. He smiled. “And the tabloids are going to read: ‘HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF AS SUBOMI BANKOLE TAKES DOWN DARLENE WILLIAMS’” he paused and smiled at me. “Drop the case before the world laughs at the Williams family a second time.” “I will beat Subomi.” I said, and left for my room. I slammed my door angrily and burst into tears. Dad made me feel incompetent. There was a light tap on the door. I could guess. “Go away, Dora.” I sobbed. “Why try to deal with this alone?” I stood up like a zombie and opened the door for her. She hugged me tightly. I didn’t want to let go off the hug, at that moment, I needed it. “Quit working for Dad.” I said to her. Dora chuckled. “Dad is great man, you know.” “I have lived with him for years, and I still am. His ego above everything and everyone else,” I retorted. Dora patted me lightly. “I resigned from the firm today.” She said. “Really?” I said, wiping my tears. “I am not surprised. Did Dad throw one of his tantrums at you?” She smiled. “Nothing of such, I am going into Photography.” She went on and on about how she wanted to view the world through pictures. She wanted to represent every vein in a leaf, wool on a sheep and all. I watched Dora talk with passion about something she loved to do, and I knew that all I needed was the passion I had when I went into law school, and I was sure to beat Subomi Bankole, not only for me, but for my Dad. God willing!

EPISODE 38 “And with all these, I think I am satisfied with your statement. I will try my best to speak with Sameer on Skype tonight.” I said, closing my laptop. Mr. Davis cleared his throat. “How do you fancy your chances against Subomi?” Mr. Davis looked worried. At the moment, it seemed as though, my father was right. Subomi Bankole is a real lion in the ring. I was opportune to watch him once. “That man is a smart crook. I guess you must have a lot of respect for him considering his age and his time in the field. I hope that will not affect you.” “Never mind Mr. Davis, let me worry about those petty issues. All that matters is that we strongly have a case against Chidi Obi, and it will take a lot of Subomi Bankole’s nerves to beat it.” I said, tapping the file. He smiled. “I love your confidence kid. I hope to see more of it in two weeks.” He said, standing up. We shook hands firmly. “I will call in the evening to get a feedback of your conversation with Sameer.” He added, and left. The case which would see me take on Subomi Bankole meant a lot to me more than people could understand. I reveled in excitement of battling Subomi Bankole, for Dad and me. It reminded me of high school when I was the president of the Arts society and we had a debate against our rival school. I totally ‘outclassed’ Jumoke Bankole according to my mates. “You think you are smart, right?” Jumoke had said, accosting me after the competition.” I smiled. “Come on Jumoke, you did well too.” I replied, adjusting my collar. “I have to admit, you are good. How did you do it?” she asked, with a smile. I grinned. “I don’t tell my little secrets to rivals.” I replied, adjusting my hair. “You are so full of yourself, aren’t you? Are you taking a revenge on me for my Dad beating your father last week?” I remember saying to her, “I could care less, and all that matters is that, in this world of ours, I am the boss!” I turned in my swivel chair as I played Enya’s Orinoco flow . It happened to inspire me at this moment. I was provided with a bunch of documents by Mr. Davis which was to help me in my preparation for the case. He had spent around three hours in my office briefing me on how things were between himself and Chidi Obi before they decided to go their separate ways. I had no doubt that if there was going to be a jury, Chidi Obi would be condemned, the ‘masses’ would reel in excitement if he ended up behind bars. Chidi Obi had channeled electricity to two of his plants in the remote region of the country and had deprived them of electricity in the time past. This made the people hate him so much, but it didn’t make him restore power to them until government had stepped in. I continued my work until Dare walked in. “Darlene, its 3pm. Have you had lunch?” he asked, holding the door. At that moment, I realized that I hadn’t eaten. “I have been so engrossed in this work. I’ll sort that out when I get home.” “Come on, you have to eat. Don’t you think you are skinny enough?” he asked, approaching me. I rolled my eyes. “I am not on a diet, Dare. I am just caught up here.” I said staring at the documents on my table. “If you say so, I will have a steward get you some food. Kentucky?” I nodded. “Thanks.” “See you soon.” He replied, and left. I was starving, but I hadn’t realized it until Dare showed up. I was totally engrossed in the case. I checked my mail box and Dora had sent me some pictures from her first shots. “How do you like them? They are from KP’s, will send you some more when I take them later.” Dora had passion for what she did, honestly, I could relate to Dora’s photos. It came from a passionate angle, and for me, anything done with passion always had a Midas touch. “Ta-da!” Dare said, as he walked in carrying two KFC packs. I stared at him. “And I guess, you are the steward, right?” “You should be grateful,” he said, dropping one bag on the table. I smiled. “Thank you.” I said, checking the contents of the bag. “I hope you like fries.” He said, approaching the door. “Why don’t you join me for lunch here?” I asked, politely. He raised one eye brow. “We could talk about the case against Subomi Bankole.” He laughed as he dropped his pack on the table. “The case is against Chidi Obi.” “I know, but when you are in the inside, you can only relate to your opposing lawyer.” I replied. He sat on the rug. “I’d rather we use the rug. You don’t want to mess up the documents.” “Oh yes!” I replied, and joined him on the rug. We sat close to the giant window. “Lovely view from here, isn’t it?” I asked. “I can’t seem to relate with the awesomeness of this view.” He replied, eating his fries. I nudged him. “Try to be artistic in heart, and you will see it.” I replied. “So how is the preparation coming?” he asked. I nodded. “So far so good, I think I have Chidi Obi in a tight corner based on all the documents that Tunji Davis provided me,” I said, taking a chunk of the chicken. I rattled on about the court case to Dare who listened with rapt attention. I was filled with so much excitement. If I should beat Subomi, I was starting my career on the high, and I couldn’t wish for a better start. I chattered on to Dare about how much I would love to win this case, he didn’t say a word but he kept on gazing, so I guessed he wasn’t listening. “Dare! Dare!!…Dare!!!” I called furiously. He snapped out of his thoughts. “Did you hear anything I said?” I asked. He laughed. “Of course, it’s just that, you have tomato sauce on your mouth.” I stared at him with caution. “You could have just said that.” I grabbed a wipe and cleaned my mouth. “Now back to our discussion,” I said as I continued. “There’s no discussion here, you were the only one doing the talking.” He said, sipping his Pepsi. My eyes popped in shock. “Are you saying I was just talking to the wind?” “That’s if the wind was listening.” He replied. I punched him hard. “Don’t do that.” He said, almost sounding angry. “I will and I will again.” I replied and punched him again. He frowned a bit. “I am too much of a strong man to be affected by those weak punches of yours.” “You think?” I asked and hit him again. He smirked. “Miss, that’s your last punch. Should you hit me again, I’ll fire you!” I laughed. “I’d like to see you try. I am about to have my first case and I am sure that you are scared of Subomi so you were willing to pass the case to me.” I said laughing. “You are a joker! You were specifically requested for by Tunji Davis. I couldn’t turn him down, and by the way, the pay is high. Too high to turn down.” I bit my lip. “To you, I am facing Subomi because of what you will make out of it, right?” “You conclude easily.” He said, cleaning his hands. I nodded. “Now I know why you were eager to get me food. You wouldn’t want your ‘lottery ticket’ feeling ill, right?” I asked, feigning seriousness. Dare fell for it. “Darlene, forget about what I said previously. Tunji Davis specifically asked for you. He already told you, didn’t he?” “Nope.” I replied, closing the pack. “He said nothing of such to me, except that you had nominated me for it.” I continued, teasing him. Dare felt uneasy and reached for his phone. “That man lied to you, and he’s going to hear from me.” He said, punching in some digits. Game up! I yanked the phone from him and aborted the call. He had already dialed Tunji Davis and it took some speed from me to stop the call. “Why did you?” he asked. I smiled. “I was teasing you. Tunji Davis wanted me.” “What am I going to do with you?” Dare stressed. He reached for my hand to get his phone, but I dodged his hand. He swiftly pinned my hands and back to the floor. He stared at me and my heart raced fast. For once, I felt like a prey in a lion’s den. He leaned closer and closer, my heart beat didn’t slow down. I felt my resistance breaking as his lips touched mine, and then, I kissed back. I was the first to withdraw from the kiss. “I am sorry.” He said, ruffling his hair. I swallowed and I tried to hide the embarrassment in my face. I threw the pack into the trash can. “I didn’t see that coming.” I managed to say, amidst the embarrassment welling in my face. “Damn it!” I cursed softly, as I bowed my head. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, we are adults, I guess I shouldn’t have kissed you, but I just couldn’t resist you. It’s my fault.” He said, apologizing. He adjusted his tie and approached the door. I faced the window sternly and didn’t turn towards him. “Darlene, I am sorry. It was just an impulse, I shouldn’t have.” He said, and walked out. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. The best Paul had gotten from me was a peck. This is my first kiss. Did it have to be Dare’s. Could I be in love with him?

Hmm I pray u win the case but I don't know but I don't fully trust Dare

Hmm..maybe

I don't fink xo

Oh my

I pray u win the Case, that will mean u do what ur father cannot do and also eill earn u some respect

Pray that you beat you.

I hope Darlene understands what she's doing

EPISODE 39 I drummed on Jacob’s door. The sound from his woofer blasted loudly. ‘I doubt if Jake would hear’ I thought. I drummed on it again, this time harder than before. “Easy” Jake said, as he opened the door. He stared at me. “Why the look?” he asked. I wasn’t here to tell Jake about Dare and I. “The server is down at my place and I need to Skype.” “Liar! Sir Williams has a routed network, why are you really here?” he asked, standing in the doorway. I smirked. “Who’s in there?” I asked, trying to peer underneath his arm. “No one. I am planning for Dora’s party.” He replied, folding his arms. “Also, I don’t think it’s good for you to have an idea of what I am planning.” I pushed him out of the way. “This is no wedding.” I strolled into his living room and stared at a familiar face. “Jane?” I asked with a smile. “Williams!” she said, and rushed to me. We hugged tightly. We hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. Jake came in brushing his chin “D, you actually hurt my chin.” “Come off it Jake, you are a baby.” Jane said. “Tell me about Dora, Darlene.” She said, excitedly. I raised my eyebrow and stared at Jake. “What did this ‘chatter box’ tell you?” I asked. “Nothing yet.” She said, pushing the telephone away. “This place is a mess; we were calling some event parlours.” She added. Jake didn’t lie about the preparation for Dora’s coming out event. ‘My manners!’ “When did you get back from Pretoria?” I asked. “This morning.” She replied with a knowing smile. Jane worked in her father’s companies. She shuttled from all over the shores while her idle twin, Jake partied round the shores. She spent more of her time in South Africa, her boyfriend is South African, at least that’s the last I knew of them. “When are you going back? I know you will miss being away from Jason.” She laughed. “Jason got married last week. The dude is actually bisexual. I had to give him up.” She said, fetching her phone. “Here are photos from the wedding.” “Are you nuts?” I shouted, staring at the phone. “You had the nerve to take pictures with them; you are a wonder, Jane!” She shrugged. “Jason was bisexual! That’s something I hadn’t seen before, a record! Sleeping with a bisexual!” “Just shut up Jane, your story is pathetic! You should see the Doctor and then Pastor Ben for cleansing.” Jake said, handing me a can of Fayrouz. We all laughed. “I hear Pastor Ben is now heading the church, I miss that man.” Jane said, opening her drink. Jake stared at me. “What brings you here anyways?” he asked. “Can’t a girl see her friend anymore?” I asked, sipping the drink. I choked slightly. He cleared his throat. “Sorry.” He turned down the music player. “Some sanity at last! We have been spared of M.I!” I said. Jane nodded in agreement. “I told him to play Adele, but he said she is as pathetic as my relationship with Jason.” I stared at Jake in disbelief. “You are unfair.” Jane’s phone rang and she left for her room. “Thanks Jake.” I said. He smiled. “What are you thanking me for?” “Dora’s party. You really are working.” I replied, staring at the list he made. He had already checked seven of the ten on the list. He winked. “Anything for you.” He replied. “I’ll just get my laptop.” He added, and left for his room. I touched my lips. It reminded me of the first time Jake had to kill for me. I was so frightened back then in summer camp. I was only fifteen. I was in stables admiring the newly born horses when I heard some noises, I tried to hide from the sound because I couldn’t see who or what was making the noise. I then saw movements on the hay. I screamed. Jake rushed into the stables when heard me scream. “What is it, Darlene?” “SSsssnnakke!” I managed to say trembling. His eyeballs widened and he reached for the door. “Don’t leave me here.” I begged in tears. He gestured to a stick at the door and held it firmly. My heart raced quickly as the snake approached me. “I’ll never come for summer camp again if I survive this.” I said to myself. Jake struck the snake in the head. He held the stick firmly in the snake’s head and I watched in terror, as it wriggled hard for survival. I feared that the snake might turn towards Jake as the snake seemed to be gathering some strength. “Run out of here now!” Jake ordered. I ran towards the door, but I couldn’t leave Jake alone. “I am not leaving you here.” “Get out!” he shouted. By then the noise had attracted some other campers and the horsemen around joined us in the stable. A bullet was enough to sink the snake dead. I rushed to Jake and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” I whispered softly. Our heads were locked and we came close to an unexpected kiss, I couldn’t remember who initiated it, but all I could remember is that Jake’s girlfriend came in. “My hero!” she said, as she hugged him. ‘My hero?’ I thought. I should have been the one saying that. I snapped out of my thoughts, maybe Jake truly owned my first kiss, if I was to give it, but now Dare got it. “Here you go.” He said, handing me his laptop. I left for the kitchen with the laptop. I wanted privacy with Sameer. Sameer and I spoke for about two hours before I decided to retire home. “Let me drop you off.” Jake offered, wearing a shirt. I smiled. “Never mind, I’ll be fine. The day is still young.” I replied, checking my watch. “Ya…right! This is 8pm. I will be fine when I know you are home.” He said, leading me to his car. I nodded. “Thanks. Is Jane returning to Pretoria anytime soon? I’d like to invite her for Dora’s coming-out.” I said, drawing the seat belt across my chest. “I don’t think she’ll be returning to Pretoria. She’s devastated from her break up with Jason; she has just been putting up a façade since she returned.” I sighed. “It’s pretty disgusting to have a bisexual as a boyfriend.” I said. Jake laughed. “What do you know? You don’t even have a boyfriend.” “I used to have.” I replied, rolling my eyes. He nodded. “But not anymore, anyways, I think Jane will be joining my parents in Canada next month.” “Is she running away?” He smiled. “Not really, but she wants to take a break from work before she resumes to the new company at Dubai.” “JAKE!!!” I screamed. He swerved off the road and screeched the tyres so hard. “What!” he asked frightened. I managed a soft chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I am surprised that your sister is the one doing all the family’s job, while you are so idle.” “I hate work. I don’t like someone yelling at me in the office like Dare does to you.” I wore a frown. “Okay, I know he has changed, but he really used to frustrate you then and I don’t want anyone doing that, and if you work with my Dad for a while, you’ll understand how annoying he can be on the job.” “Jake, soon you’ll be a family man, and you will need to provide for your household, how will you do that? I want you to know that soon your dad will be tired of giving you money and then with the recent happenings in the stock market, you will be broke. Who are you gonna run to when that happens? Jane?” He laughed. “You!” I sighed. “Does everything have to be a joke with you?” He nodded and stuck his tongue out as he drove on. “Thanks for the ride, Jacob.” I said, as he pulled up. He cleared his throat. “D…erm, good night.” “What is it Jake?” I asked. He shook his head. “Nothing, do you have anything to tell me?” he asked. “Of course not.” I replied and stepped out of the car. “Thanks Jake.” He nodded and started his car. “Good evening Dad.” I said, as I climbed the stairs. He sipped his drink soberly and didn’t reply. James Blunt’s ‘Cry’ pulsed slowly from his CD player. “Don’t take on Subomi.” He said quietly, and wiped a tear from his face. “I’ll beat him Dad.” I replied softly and left.

EPISODE 40 I tapped on Dora’s door. She opened almost immediately. “Hi dear.” She said, closing the door after me. I sank into the chair. “I kissed Dare.” “Whoa!” she said grinning. “Was it good?” she asked. I sighed. “Do I sound like I am proud of it?” I asked. “You don’t exactly have to sound proud of it to be proud of it.” She replied, applying her facial mask. She stared at me and then sighed. “Come on Darlene, it’s not like this is your first kiss.” She said and then paused. “Or not?” Since I didn’t reply, she could guess. “I can’t believe this! So you just had your first kiss in 24 years, whoa!!!” she laughed. “Seriously, how did it feel?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Dora, this hurts more than you can imagine.” “You must be right, because, I don’t understand where the hurt is coming from. To be honest, I always knew that Dare is going to be the next man in your life.” She replied, dancing round the room. I shook my head in disagreement. “It was an accident.” I replied. “ Yeah yeah… honey, it’s Dare for you!” she said laughing. I smiled. “I’ll be in my room,” I said, grabbing my bag. “Come on… I’ll be serious from now. Let’s talk about it, or you could just cry on my shoulder.” She said with a smile. “Let’s talk.” Dora smiled waiting for me to start. “How did it happen?” “It happened so fast. We were struggling for his phone and then, I guess you can imagine the rest.” Dora sighed. “If it’s what I am thinking, I would say he always had the intention, you are totally kissable.” She said. I smiled faintly. “Dare likes you, but I think he has an aggressive or maybe let me say, an arrogant way of loving.” “Maybe I’ll disagree with you on that, you don’t know him.” She nodded. “I am speculating. But, I can’t be wrong.” “How do I handle this?” She laughed. “Treat it as though it never happened. I know you can do it, all you have to do is show that you are stronger than it, it might be difficult, but you have to, else you are completely his.” “It’s going to be difficult. I am going to see this guy every day.” She nodded. “Of course, many secretaries sleep with their bosses, yet they still act as though everything were normal, this is just a kiss.” “Not just a kiss for me, it is my first!” I said through my teeth. Dora sighed and slipped into her bathrobe. “You claim that it was just an accident, so why is going to be difficult? Honey, you can handle this, I know you have the strength.” Dora’s speech for the first time was largely uninspiring. “Thanks, but you are so unhelpful tonight.” I said, standing up. “You are welcome.” I sank into my bed. A new chapter in my life had just been opened. A high class court case around the corner and my kiss with Dare set me off into thoughts. Flashes from the kiss with Dare strayed into my thoughts as I tried to go through my books for the pending court case. If I was to put the incident with Dare behind me, I had to start from somewhere, and at the moment, preparing for my first court session seemed to be a great idea. I rushed to join the 6am bus. You don’t want to dare Lagos city traffic. I had slowly relieved Jake of his chauffeur duties, and I seem to be doing fine joining buses and tunneling the stations with Daniel on his way to solitary in Abuja. He was also going to join a reformatory class there. Dad had arranged his movement to Abuja. “Good morning.” I said with a smile to the security officers as I walked into the firm. I had a special smile for everyone at Ade-Cole. I greeted some with a ‘fake smile’, technically, it’s not ‘fake’, but what do you call flashing your teeth at the fifty year old counsellorat the firm? She needed the fake smile as she was always talking about everybody to somebody. “Did you sleep well, Darlene?” Mrs. Abu asked as I headed for the elevator. I nodded in the affirmative. “Yes ma’am.” “Honey,” she started, stopping me from punching the elevator button. “Toni will be off duty for the rest of the week, you heard about what happened last night?” I smirked. “Not at all.” I was about to be let in on some juicy information by Mrs. Abu. “Oh well, you know I am not one to talk too much about people’s private matters, but when I hear something that is of priority and it needs to be told, I do my job.” She started. ‘Counselling, I suppose.’ I said to myself. She adjusted her glasses and continued. “It so happened last night that…Oh my God, I am not sure that I should be letting you in on this information.” She said, with a grin. “Oh come on Mrs. Abu, if it really is important and it concerns Toni, you should just say.” I replied reaching for the elevator. She sighed. “Honey, how do I start? Okay…the thing is that Toni felt ill yesterday and Dare told her to see the doctor.” I drew a dry hiss and punched the elevator door hard. “Thanks.” I said, not without a frown. I bumped into Dare as soon as I stepped out of the elevator. My heart skipped a beat. “Good morning.” I said. He smiled without saying a word and stepped into the elevator. ‘Exactly the Dare I know!’ “Good morning Bola.” I said, approaching my office door She stood up courteously. “Good morning Darlene. You have a meeting with the board of directors later this afternoon.” She said, handing me an envelope. “What’s the subject?” I asked, collecting the envelope. She glanced through her file. “The case against Chidi Obi” “Okay, thanks.” The case against Chidi Obi seemed to be gathering momentum. The ‘Masses Advocate’ a popular daily journal read, “CAN DARLENE WILLIAMS LAND CHIDI OBI BEHIND BARS?” I inhaled deeply and went through the article. It had news on my personal record from law school at Harvard, but it was nothing compared to Subomi Bankole’s gigantic profile which had several conquests in them. My father’s loss to Subomi Bankole was mentioned in the concluding paragraph and I could bet a million that it would break my father’s heart if he saw that journal. I stashed it away in my cabinet and fetched my laptop. I fetched my phone and dialed Toni but the answering machine answered it. Toni couldn’t come to the phone; I dropped a ‘get well soon’ wish for her and promised to call in the evening. I dropped my phone on the table and turned on my laptop. Just then, my phone buzzed, It wasn’t Toni returning the call, it was Jake calling. “Hi Jake.” “Hi babes. I got news for you, I am going over to you house with some guys to start the decorations for Dora’s event.” I smiled. “Thanks a lot Jake.” “Never mind.” He replied, and hung up. I designed a ‘get well soon’ card on my laptop and sent it to Toni’s email. I had acquired Photoshop skills from my days at high school when it was made a compulsory course for us. I took the course serious and it has become an advantage to me. Toni replied my mail almost immediately with the address to her house. I anticipated lunch time as the meeting with the board was fixed for noon. “I hear you are challenging Subomi Bankole, how are you preparing for it?” Femi Ade-Cole asked. The board room was filled with the top officials except for Ayo Ade-Cole; Femi Ade-Cole had taken the stand-in position for his brother pending the time of his arrival. Femi Ade-Cole didn’t give me much room to breathe when we first met. He stared at me from an acute angle. “Relax kid.” He said, trying to ease my nervousness. “I am coming along well; it’s a matter of time before I take on Subomi.” He smiled. “How do you fancy your chances?” “That’s a tough one to answer.” I replied with a smile. Dare shifted in his seat and I guess he felt uneasy with my response. Dare scoffed. “Make it easy for us Ms. Williams, there is a firm fee of six million, and a personal fee of four million if you win, so I hope you know that there is a lot at stake.” He said carelessly. I stared at him with a bit of fury in my eyes. ‘Business or Personal?’ I thought. “Do you have a problem with my response, Mr. Ade-Cole?” “Of course not.” He replied, straightening his jacket. “I am only concerned about the lethargy shown towards this case from your end.” he added. I shot my eyes in fury. “Where is this coming from Mr. Ade-Cole?” “Save the attitude, Dare. Money comes second here!” Femi Ade-Cole added. Dare hissed. I stared at the other board members and smiled. “I am a professional, this might be my first case, but I will not be bossed by anyone here.” “Ms. Williams, I understand your frustration,” Mr. Femi started. “If I will have two-third votes, I will like Dare Ade-Cole to excuse us for the rest of the meeting.” Dare stared at his uncle. “Are you throwing me out of the meeting?” “Two-third votes, and Dare leaves” he re-affirmed. It wasn’t difficult to get the votes. Dare grabbed his file and stepped out. “Now Ms. Williams, I know you are good, but I want you to know that Bankole has been in this game forever, he will be hoping to take advantage of your first, so I hope you won’t crack.” I nodded my head. “I will try my best.” “That’s all that’s needed from you at this stage, but you have to understand that Tunji Davis trusts you to recover his oil rig from Chidi Obi, and we all are banking on you to put one of the city’s worst crooks behind bars.” The board room was filled a lot of hopefuls and it seemed as though hopes hinged on my beating Subomi Bankole.

U will come out conqueror

Wow! Why i didn't see this story since yesterday is what i don't know.. Darlene! I don't like the fact that Dare is already kissing you. I don't seem to like that guy as it looks as if he has many secrets locked up in his closet. I wish you well in your case against Subomi. I'd be happy you win him and let your Dad respect your more. Where's Jake please!!!!!!!!!!

What's Dares problem? It's a good thing he was wisely thrown out of the meeting.. Dare! the case would be tough as perceived but if you could take your Dad's distrust of your capabilities and Dares attitudes as a challenge, You'd come out of that case a victor......... On the other matter...... Isn't it obvious that Jake loves you more than a friend and wanna take this relationship to the next level. Don't let it turn out like that of you and Dotun.

I just hope u win the contest

I just hope u win d case

if u ask me na who I go ask

Darlene! am sure of dis dat u gonna win d case nd earn lots of exquisite respect in disguise

I hope u win

For sure i know its either Jake or Dare for you Darlene. Make your choice before its too late baby

Am I the only one who want Jarlene to Darelena

Go and be victorious Darlene

You'll sure defeat him

EPISODE 41 I strolled out of the office as soon as the meeting with other board members was over. Dare hung around the office door. “You!” he said, accusingly. In my heart, I was reeling with excitement for having kicked Dare out of the board meeting, “Yes,” I replied, casually. He waited for the other board members to leave the floor before he continued. “What did you do that for?” he asked, fumbling with his tie. “What did I do?” I replied. In all honesty, Dare was the one who wanted to make me look bad before the other board members. “Refresh my memory sir.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I am sorry, Darlene. I acted like a real jerk in there. I really don’t know why I acted in that manner.” He smiled revealing his teeth. “Do you forgive me?” I ignored him. “I would love to see Toni, I hear she’s unwell.” He nodded. “I also want to see her. If you don’t mind, we could just go together.” He offered. “I will just get my bag.” It was roughly thirty minutes drive to Toni’s. The bells chimed softly as Dare pressed the bell for a second bell. The door creaked as a young man wearing a v-necked white shirt and a camouflage trouser opened. “Hi Dare.” He said, as they exchanged handshakes. He ran his eyes through me and I found myself hiding behind Dare’s jacket. “Are we in the right place?” I whispered. “She’s Darlene, a colleague of Toni.” Dare introduced. The man smiled. “Toni speaks highly of you. Please come in.” he said, leading the way. Dare and I followed him into the house. “Make yourselves comfortable.” He said, going upstairs. Dare and I took our seats. I took a quick look around the living room. “Is that Toni’s husband?” I asked Dare. He nodded. “YUP!” he sunk into the sofa. I smiled. “Whoa! She never said her hubby is in the army.” I said, staring at the frame on the wall. “You have a lot to ask her then. Gideon never really comes home; he was deployed to Southern Sudan last month. I am beginning to think she feigned her illness.” He said, joining me near the picture frame.” Gideon returned with Toni. “Hi Darlene.” She said throwing her arms around me. “Are you feeling better now?” I asked, touching her forehead. She smiled and whispered into my ears. “I missed Gideon.” She then pinched me lightly. We all burst into a hearty laughter. Toni and I left for the kitchen. “There are some fresh cabbages in the fridge, please pass them to me.” Toni said cleaning the board. I opened the fridge and fetched the cabbages. “Are we making vegetable salad?” She nodded. “Yes, there’s some coconut rice to go along.” “Did you feign illness?” I asked, chopping the cabbages. They looked healthy and needed slight cooking. In this part of the world, diets like these seemed continental as the normal or average Nigerian family might settle for a conventional Rice and Beans lunch. But due to the exposure I had as a child, which I guessed Toni must also have been exposed to, we didn’t do the traditional African dishes, although nothing could take the place of my beloved ‘Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup’, I’d be condemned to European or semi-American dishes on several occasions. She winked. “Was it a bad idea? Gideon will be home until after the weekend. It has been a year since I last saw him” she said rinsing the carrots she had chopped. “I guess you want to make some babies,” I said, laughing. She nodded and tried to hide the embarrassment in her face. “It’s all the gold I have got.” She replied and swiftly collected the cabbages from me; they had to be saved as I had already started munching them. Toni and I hurried over the vegetable salad while Dare and Gideon grilled the barbeque. I couldn’t be so sure that some of the barbeque might not have suffered body damage, two men and meat is meat! “I expect your illness to be over when Gideon leaves.” I started, as I dished the salad into the Chinas. She smiled. “You are a really lucky lawyer. You have a high profile case as your first case; I hope you know that if you land this one well, you will become an automatic force to reckon with.” “The pressure is high.” I replied, taking off my apron. She nodded in agreement. She hung her apron carefully. “I know you can handle the pressure, all you have to do is to be you against Subomi.” “Ladies, barbeque time” Gideon roared from the backyard. Toni smiled at me and left for the backyard. She returned almost immediately. “The boys want us to have lunch at the backyard.” She said as she gathered the Chinas. “We will also have lemonade; we have some left from the last mix, check it in the fridge.” She briefed, leaving for the backyard. There was a huge jar of lemonade juice in the fridge; there was also a huge jar of milk. The fridge had some pizza, half eaten. Burger packs from Kentucky adorned the fridge. It made me think of how much food went down Toni’s throat. The woman can eat! End of story. I fetched a tray and joined the trio in the backyard. Gideon and Dare had laid a huge picnic mat. The sizzle from the grill sounded delightful. Dare had removed his jacket and loosened his tie. Toni took her seat beside Gideon, Dare cleared some space beside him and I took my seat. “Are you guys going out?” Gideon asked staring at Dare and I, chewing his drum stick. Toni cleared her throat. “We should say our prayers first, Gideon.” She said, collecting the chicken from her husband. “Do we really have to?” he murmured. Gideon must be like one of those men who didn’t see the need for blessing meals, could I blame him? The man is practically a ‘killer’, well people in the army don’t like to be addressed as murderers, but there is no lighter way to say that ‘you take someone’s life for a good cause.’ Toni started the prayers and then I felt we were never going to stop. I opened my eyes to be sure it was only a prayer for lunch, Toni kept on ‘binding and casting’ every Escherichia coli that might have made its way into the vegetable salad or the barbeque. Gideon and Dare cleared their throats intermittently. Time up, Mrs. Small. “Amen!” Gideon shrieked. Toni stopped the prayer abruptly; she took a quick glance at us all and bowed her head. She was far from finished with her prayers. Few minutes later, she thundered “In Jesus name we pray”. “Amen.” We all chorused. Even in Pastor Ben’s church, ‘Amen’ never sounded that loud. Toni’s neighbor from the next terraced flat flung her window open; eye balled us coldly, kept her nose in the air and slammed the window shut. We all let out a loud laugh. “Back to my question,” Gideon started, mouthful. “Dare, are you dating Darlene?” Dare smiled and cast a weird glance on me. “Shamefully not” “Really? I think you guys make a wonderful couple.” Gideon said. I blushed a bit. Did I blush? Okay…I think I flushed across my face, must have been embarrassing. Dare laughed. “You said the same about Reina and me.” Gideon shook his head in disagreement with a stern look. “I said you and Reina make a ‘sophisticated’ couple.” He corrected. “More like the Brad Pitt and Jolie thingy, but you and Darlene would be more of Bonnie and Clyde.” He paused and sipped his drink. “Did I just say Bonnie and Clyde? Well, I don’t know, but it will be more of ‘Dare and Darlene’, something beautiful.” He concluded, gulping the rest of his lemonade. Was Gideon trying to say that I was less sophisticated? He almost had me looking at myself. I tried to avoid Toni’s questioning gaze as we had lunch. “Gideon, your speculations don’t even apply here, Darlene is uninterested.” She said, wiping some mayonnaise from Gideon’s mouth. “You think? He asked, ruffling her hair. “Babe, they are shy and are afraid to admit. That’s what I call real love.” At this junction, it was time for the traditional cough and it was done by Dare and me at the same time. Gideon spoke as though Dare and I were in absence, that’s some nerve! I couldn’t expect less from a man in the army. “They even make the same sounds.” Gideon said, and laughed. “Let’s give them some space honey.” He said, kissing Toni’s forehead. He placed some chickens in a bowl and pulled Toni by the arm. “Have a good time guys.” He said, and pulled Toni along who grumbled all the way. An awkward silence continued between Dare and I. I got pretty uncomfortable and rose to my feet. “Why are you leaving?” he asked, without raising his head. What did Dare want from me? “It’s not like we have anything to say, or do we?” Dare rose to his feet and stared at me. His gaze was set out to make me very uncomfortable but I did well to reply with a firm gaze. When a boy stares at you in order to trip you, you just have to stare back, and of course, in the most convenient fashion for you, as a lady. But not the seducing type of stare. The purpose will be defeated and possibly, the sheets might end up rumpled. Dare was taking forever to answer my question. “We have nothing to say.” I said, avoiding any eye contact between Dare and me. Dare squinted his eye balls avoiding the rays from the evening sun that seemed to flash so sharp at the moment. He rubbed his chin and then grabbed his jacket from the mat. Okay…this seemed to me like the part where both parties said their official good-byes. “I would like to go home from here Dare.” I announced, clutching my bag to my arm. He nodded. “That’s fine by me.” “Okay, see you tomorrow. Tell Gideon and Toni that I said bye.” I said and turned from him. Dare gripped me by the arm and dropped his jacket. He forced his mouth against mine and this time the kiss didn’t sink, he got a slap from me. “Let go!” I yelled furiously. He rubbed his chin softly as I caressed my hand from the hit. “You have no right to disrespect me.” I added aggressively, pulling back some hair from my face. He smiled faintly. “I don’t regret stealing that kiss.” Pervert! Dare had gotten out of hand. I admit that I consented to the first kiss between us, but not again, I made a mistake. Didn’t I? “Dare, I won’t have you do that with me again.” I said, adjusting my hair. “If there is a next time…” “What would you do?” he yelled. “Slap me harder? Hand in your resignation?” he shouted. Toni’s neighbor’s window opened again, but this time, she put her head back in almost immediately. I swallowed and adjusted my collar. “Dare, you can never get close to me again. I forbid you to!” He nodded. “I am not sorry Darlene Williams. And I will not have you forbid me, you have no right to.” “Who do you think you are? You can’t play boss over my emotions!” He nodded. “I am not trying to play boss, did you think our first kiss was accidental? I saw everything in your eyes, it was the same in mine.” He said, staring at me. Curse those eyes! “ If there was anything in my eyes, it had to be pity for your soul Dare, It was an accident to me.” “Yeah…and you kissed back? Forget it, Darlene, there is something between us and I think it’s time we worked it out.” I scoffed. “The only thing that we’ll be working out is my severance pay after I am done with Subomi.” I said. “I love you.” He said, looking down.

EPISODE 42 I hailed a cab. “Osborne.” I said to the driver hastily. “#5000 naira, nothing less” he said, staring at my LV Handbag. I hissed. “Just drive!” I looked through the mirror and saw Dare give up the chase. I gasped and sent an SOS message to Dora. She called back almost immediately. “Are you home?” I asked. “Yes. Are you alright?” I sobbed. “Please stay at home, I’ll be there soon.” I replied and hung up. I handed the cab driver his fare and raced upstairs. Dora made herself available for a bear hug as soon as I ascended the stairs. We left for the kitchen; it seemed to be Dora’s office these days when she wasn’t taking pictures of the leaves and animals in the house. “Tell me everything.” She said, as she handed me a glass of water. I took a heavy gulp of the water. “Dare loves me.” She stared at me for a while and then laughed. “Why then are you making it look as though you just had someone maimed? You can’t tell me that you didn’t see this coming.” She said, collecting the glass from me. “And to think I thought you just got fired.” She sipped the rest of the water. I hissed. “You don’t understand, Dora. He can’t love me. I don’t want him to; I am already in love with him.” “I am confused.” Dora said seriously. A proud girl always has a lot going on in her life that she never lets anyone in on. For me, the case wasn’t any different. The day I ended things with Paul in the most ‘non-classy’ fashion ever paved way for a new beginning in my life. I felt disturbed about how I ended things with Paul, but it never got to me until Valentine’s Day when I met Paul at the central market. Paul had said to me, “One day you will meet the man you will love, how would you feel if he treated you this way.” The first day I stepped into Ade-Cole firm and met Dare, I had liked him. Well, it was just the ‘like’ factor. Then after the suicide threat by Paul, I was consumed with the idea of getting my heart broken. All through my high school days, I had been seen as the ‘Amazon’ lady. I found it hard to ‘love’ or care with the extra attention. I crushed like every normal girl, but it faded almost immediately. I understand that crushes are meant to fade especially when it was just for the natural attraction, but I never really saw a guy as special. No HOMO! I really wanted to be in love. Dare Ade-Cole had all the features of my dream man-Athletic, Good physique, Handsome, and most of all, Classy! I would be well represented. That’s was what I saw him as initially, a good representation! Who wouldn’t want such a man? So it was easy to fall in love with him, but I only didn’t want it reciprocated. I wanted to feel hurt. Not normal for any girl, but absolutely perfect for Darlene Williams. Dora shifted her weight against the sink. “Ezra Pound was so right when he said ‘we humans are the most complicated beings’. I can’t believe you have this wish.” She started. I inhaled deeply. She paused a bit and continued, “You are beautiful, smart, professional and everything a man would be proud to have as a wife. Why would you want something less than love? You deserve to be in love, it’s the most perfect feeling.” She stopped with a smile. I was about to speak and then she put her fingers on my mouth. “Just in case you care to counter me, even Modupe Ozolua says she’ll love if her object of affection loves her return.” We both laughed. Modupe Ozolua is typically the envy of any Nigerian woman. I’ll take that back. She’s the envy of any woman who wants to go under the knife. She is also a true definition of class, so I could relate to Dora’s statement. “I am not really Ozolua’s fan.” I said, cleaning a pear. “You care?” I asked, reaching for another. She nodded. “Here you go.” I choked slightly on the pear. “All I wanted was for Dare to break my heart, is that too much to ask for?” “It’s not going to happen the way you want it.” She replied. “Moreover, it’s a strange and complicated wish. You don’t expect that to happen so directly, it won’t come to you when you want.” She said, eating her Pear. “Oh my dear, you can’t be faster than life.” I nodded. “I guess I always wanted to be.” “Don’t be afraid of a little bit of pain, it won’t hurt to let down your guard a little. You are too serious for life.” She added. The land phone rang. “Dad should move this thing to his room.” I said. “I agree with you. The calls are always from the firm about one case or other. I say we don’t answer it.” She suggested, cleaning the dishes in the sink. I nodded in agreement. The phone rang for the second time and then went to the answering machine. “I know you girls are at the phone.” Dad breathed into the machine. Dora and I exchanged a look and chuckled softly. “I now know why some clients can’t get across, you choose to ignore calls. In any case, Darlene, I want you to meet me at the country club in thirty minutes. No excuses, no apologies.” He said and hung up. Dora held my hand firmly. “You’ll be fine my dear. We’ll talk about Dare later.” “Sir Williams is calling for my head.” The Country club was roughly twenty minutes away from home. I was lucky to have a driver drop me off at the club. Dad had instructed him to change the car tyres so he helped me to the country club. Dad and I have been long standing members of the Ikoyi Country Club since I was a kid. Getting past the security was no hassle. I just had to say, “Darlene Williams.” “Welcome ma’am. It’s been a while since you last visited.” The receptionist said as she clicked my name on the system. I made my way to the bar looking for Dad but he wasn’t there. The other place where I could find him had to be the squash. He must have been playing squash with friends if he wasn’t at the bar. I stood outside the door and signaled to him. He dried his face and joined me outside with Mr. Tobi Shodipo. “You are now a fine woman, Darlene.” Mr. Shodipo said, running his eyes through me. I stared at Dad. He immediately cleared his throat. “You remember Tobi Shodipo, don’t you?” he asked. “Yes, I do. Thank you.” I replied, staring at Mr. Shodipo I had never liked the Shodipo family. His daughter, Wura, was best friends with Jumoke Bankole and they always tried to make life hell for me at high school, and Wura was once Jake’s girlfriend. His son wasn’t any better, Wole Shodipo, picked up fights with Jake. It has been around nine years since I last saw any member of the family. “Tobi just returned to the country with Wole and Wura. I thought you guys might want to catch up on old times.” I rolled my eyes. “I was never really friends with them.” “It doesn’t seem that way with my kids, they speak highly of you.” Mr. Shodipo interrupted. Dad smirked. “I was thinking that you might want to invite them for Dora’s coming out this weekend. It will help everyone to socialize. They are just returning to the country, probably, yourself and Jake could find some of your high school mates and you all could kick back old times.” “Thanks Dad, but I’ll have to talk about this with Dora. The guest list for the event is full and is just a few days away; I can’t possibly cancel out on one of our guests.” Dad shook his head. “Two of your guests” He corrected. “Wole and Wura” He added with a smile. “See who ever you have to eject from the list, but make room for Wole and Wura.” “Thanks a lot Darlene, you are such an angel.” Mr. Shodipo said as he turned away. I stared at Dad angrily. “What was that for? You didn’t have to call me here. You have already made up your mind.” I said in a fit. “Mind your tone, young lady.” I nodded. “I am a busy person. I have a high profile case in roughly a week; I won’t have you pulling me around the city to make room for some ghost friends. Dora doesn’t even know them.” “I know. But you are to help Dora know them. I am good friends with Tobi Shodipo and you know I enjoy continuity.” I nodded in agreement. “Of course, just like you are enemies with Ayodeji Ade-Cole and you won’t mind if I continue that with his son.” “Darlene, I am not going over this issue with you. All I need is 2 spaces for Shodipo’s kids, make it happen, will you?” he concluded and joined his friend at the bar. I immediately dialed Jake as soon as I stepped out of the club. “SOS! Wole and Wura Shodipo to be added to Dora’s invite.” I could feel Jake’s groan. “No!” “Sir Williams made the rule; we have to stick to it.” I said, flagging down a cab. I paused to give the driver the directions and then continued the call. Taxis are perfect for calls. “I really hate those guys.” “Me too, Jane just seconded that.” He said, laughing. “Don’t worry; we’ll have them included in the list.” I hissed. Jake just reacted momentarily to the news. I expected a fit, maybe that’s the difference with a guy and a girl. “Are you gonna be cool with them around?” “I have no choice Darlene. It’s your Dad’s rule, and Dora’s party, not mine. Let me call you later babes, I have to wrap up the payments for the event planners.” I nodded and handed the driver his money as he turned in front of the house. “Bye, we’ll talk later.” I hung up and stepped out of the taxi. I leaned on the giant coconut tree beside the gate and sighed deeply. Wole and Wura? Oh no…although I expect a mature showing from them, I couldn’t be relaxed. “Hey Darlene” I turned swiftly to see Dare.

Hmm ur dad is like a dictator he sets rule anytime he feels like

hmm nxt pls

what an interesting story continue please

hmmm

EPISODE 43 Dare removed his hands from his pockets. “I don’t know what you did to me, Darlene. But, all I know is that I need you.” Ouch! There are two words that according to my romance books a man shouldn’t use, ‘NEED and WANT’ when a man says he wants you, he is after your body and when a man says he needs you, he has some needs to satisfy in which you are the only one with the cure. Or not? I can’t say my theory is a 100% for every man, but I could make a 95%, right? “Say something Darlene.” He said, with his eyeballs squinted. I pressed the bell for a second time. Dare touched my hand and I yanked out of it furiously. “What is it, Dare?” “Let me take you out for a proper dinner tomorrow.” I laughed. “Proper dinner?” If Dare meant ‘proper dinner’, I couldn’t fault him. Most of our outings had ended up badly. Daniel, Reina and all… The security man came out. “Welcome Ms. Williams.” He said. I nodded and dismissed him almost immediately. I turned to Dare. “Mr. Ade-Cole, you have disrespected me enough and now you are trying to buy into my privacy. This is my house, not your firm.” “Darlene, can we not go over that. I apologize for all what happened, but I have been a little bit of balance of late and you have consumed me to my thoughts.” I have had enough. “DARE! What are you talking about? You are all over me; just give me a break from all these lousy jokes.” “I admit to have gone a bit over the edge with you, I have been very aggressive, but you can’t fault me totally. You led me.” My head spanned! All the blood flowing through my veins paused and for one moment, my spines went cold. I stared at Dare coldly. ‘How could he accuse me of his feelings?’ I thought. He fumbled over a few statements and wiped his forehead. “Darlene, I am not saying it’s entirely your fault that I love you, but…” I cut in immediately. “Dare, can you just hear yourself? Am I to share in the blame of how you feel? That’s not my business, it’s entirely yours.” “I know Darlene, but you can’t say you are totally indifferent to me. I can see it in your eyes.” I laughed sarcastically. “The only thing you can see in my eyes is my contact lens, and that is if I wear any.” He smiled faintly. “I never believed that I could have love scorned to my face,” he said reaching for his breast pocket. He stretched an envelope before me. “Sack letter, right?” I asked, collecting the envelope. He shrugged. “You might just want to read that. I bet you will know what to do next.” He said and walked away into the sunset. I immediately joined Dora in the kitchen. She was assisting the maids to have dinner set up. “Guess who I saw by the gate?” “Before we go into your guessing games, you had a call on the land phone from Dotun Davis and he is expecting you to return the call.” I nodded. “I’ll be in my room then. We’ll talk later.” I replied and rushed upstairs. I returned Dotun’s call and we set up a lunch meeting for tomorrow. I went over a few notes for the court case and did a rehearsal before my mirror. I had placed Dare’s envelope beside the mirror. It was giving me some sort of motivation irrespective of its content. If he dared to fire me, his firm would be at a loss. I could bet that the Ade-Cole board would not joke with a Firm fee of 6 million naira, so Dare would not dare to have me fired. I had dinner with Dora and KP. Dad had called that he would be having dinner with the Shodipo’s and his new fiancée. “I can’t wait to meet my new friends.” Dora said, sipping her wine. I scoffed. “Hopefully Wole and Wura are no longer the monsters they used to be at high school; else this excitement of yours will die in an instant once you meet them.” “They can’t really be that bad.” Kolapo interrupted. He gestured to Dora to pass the soup bowl to him. She passed the bowl quickly across the table. I nodded my head sarcastically. “Wait till you meet them. The person I can’t wait to meet is dad’s fiancée.” I said, wiping my mouth. “Are you sure that you mom isn’t playing hanky panky?” Kolapo said, staring at Dora. Dora looked slightly irritated at the term used by KP. “I don’t know.” She said, carelessly. Kolapo hit the table hard. “I suggest we play detective on her.” “I am not gonna watch my mom, KP. She’s an adult.” He nodded in agreement. “She might be an adult, but it’s not a crime if we try to know who she’s dating at the moment, and my heart tells me that it is Sir Williams.” Dora hissed. “She would have told me.” “She might have decided to keep it secret at least until something concrete comes up.” I chipped in. Kolapo stuck his tongue out at Dora. “For your mind KP…” she said in Pidgin English and cleared her plates to the kitchen. I stared at Kolapo. “Are you guys having issues?” He shook his head in disagreement. “None that I am aware of. But she’s been distant of late.” “I guess it’s about the change of jobs. She has more thinking to do; she even has less time for her wacked jokes these days.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I guess she’s nervous about her coming out event. That’s not so much concern for me like the Jake guy she’s always speaking to these days. I am a bit jealous.” I swallowed hard. More like lumps! Jake and Dora??? Okay…it couldn’t happen, right? I mean, she has Kolapo and they seem happy together. She wouldn’t dare date Jacob. Or could she? Why couldn’t she? What have they been speaking about? “But she says Jake is a cool guy and they are just friends. I think they hung out last week.” Hung out??? Now that’s a real hit for me below the belt. “I’ll be right back.” I said to Kolapo and joined Dora in the kitchen. She was drinking water by the sink looking at bit disturbed. “Are you alright, Dora? I mean you and KP?” I asked, fetching a glass of milk. I kept an eagle-eye gaze on her as I poured the milk. I wouldn’t want her thinking I wanted to analyze their relationship, especially now that Jake might just be lurking around. She nodded without looking up. I frowned slightly at her response. Dora was acting weird. ‘Could she be in love with Jake?’ I thought. God please, don’t let that happen! “We are good.” She said and laughed. “Why are you so bothered? We should be talking about you and Dare, not KP and I. We have a very healthy relationship.” I scoffed. “I hope it’s as healthy as you say.” “Of course it is sis.” She said, smiling. I rinsed the glass and then fired up the JAKE subject in a cool manner. “You and Jake hanging out of late?” She nodded in the affirmative almost confidently. “We went to see an event planner earlier in the week. I was able to meet his twin just last night.” “That’s cool. Hope you found Jane interesting.” I said, leaning against the sink for support. If by any chance something would happen between Jake and Dora, it would throw me off balance and not even the sink would be enough to keep me upright, but for now I would gladly savour the moment. She nodded. “Jane is okay, but she’s not as fun as Jake. I think she is more business oriented.” I nodded also. “Anyways, that’s by the way, let’s go and join KP, I don’t want him feeling lonely. He is already jealous of my outing with Jake for me to steer further thoughts in his heart.” She added and left the kitchen. I left Dora and KP downstairs and left for my room. They had a lot of issues to sort out, if by chance, Jake might be lurking around in Dora’s heart, she would need to flush him out quickly else she’ll risk losing Kolapo. Kolapo seems a fine man to me, nice, warm and everything appreciable in a man, but the truth is that, Jacob is a charmer. He could knock anyone over with a feather. And it seems to me that Dora might not even need the feather before she will be ‘wowed’ by him. I snapped out of my thoughts and reached for Dare’s envelope. I was relaxed that he wouldn’t dare to sack me without the consent of the board, and most especially with a high profile case around the corner. Dare and I have said everything we had to say to each other except that I have not been honest about my feelings. At this moment, everything looked glaring, but more confusing. Dare loves me, and yes, I love him. But, I now beginning to feel that I don’t want him, but what if I lose him. I loosened the ribbon around the envelope carefully, just in case it had to be returned. I wouldn’t want to change the wrap. I inhaled deeply. At the moment, there was a slight tap on the door and Dora stepped in. “KP is gone. Could we continue our discussion?” she asked, taking her seat. I stared at the envelope in my hand. “Our discussion might just be subject to what I read in this.” I stretching it forward, but not in her reach. “You might want some privacy in reading your letter.” She said, standing up. I nodded in agreement. Dora seemed a bit disturbed this evening. I fear she already likes Jacob a bit too much and that’s not convenient for me, as I feel she’ll be betraying Kolapo. Is that my only reason? Maybe I was scared of losing Jacob to her. “I’ll ping you when I am through” I replied. She nodded and exited quietly. I sighed and straightened out the letter.

EPISODE 44 JUST BEFORE YOU SAY NO I really don’t know how to start this. If I am gonna write it like a poem, it will be a mess. So, I crave your indulgence to let me write in the way I can. Darlene, I apologize for how aggressive I have been in approaching you. This is because I have never really learnt the proper way to love like Romeo or Shakespeare. I have been more like Othello Darlene, I have never met anyone so forthright with me, so honest, so true. All those attributes in you turned me on and it has made me see everything I need in a woman in you. Forgive me if these tenses are not the way you would appreciate, but I would love you to see the sincerity in my words. I am a man who has loved and lost. Or maybe, I loved wrongly. But now, I am ready to do it right, if you will let me. I can’t find the words to express how much I was trapped by your simple beauty the first day you stepped into my office. The way you retorted at me when I dished out orders made me feel wrong for the first time. I never had anyone talk to me so ‘rude’ but with honesty in it. The first day we went to the park together was memorable for me. It brought back loving memories into my heart. I felt loved. The first time I raced in the park was with my mom. Darlene, I love being perfect, but with you, I don’t fear being wrong. You are all the gold I have got. Even if you will refuse me, don’t leave Ade-Cole, I don’t mind living with you and another man. I’ll be a wreck if you leave. I know you’ll say, ‘you were existing before I walked by’, but what am I to do when I have built everything around you? Darlene, I can’t live with my feelings heavy in my heart. This has been the hardest thing to do for me because I have tried to hide this part of me. I love you Darlene. I know you are disappointed with me, but if you can give me this opportunity, I am willing to make the best out of it. I want to love you Darlene. Please give me a chance. Dare I sighed and read the letter over again for the second time. I relaxed against the giant mirror and let some air down my stream. “Don’t make this any harder for me, Dare.” I murmured and left for the living room “Welcome Ms. Williams.” One of the maids greeted as she met me on the stairs. I flashed at her angrily. “You already did that when I came in! How many times do you want to say ‘welcome’?” She bowed apologetically. “I am sorry ma’am, but I can’t remember seeing you today.” “I reckon. I am sorry.” I replied and walked away. Dora dropped the phone as soon as I walked into the living room. “What a temper sis, what did the poor girl do to you?” she asked. I folded Dare’s letter carefully and joined her on the sofa. “Dad wants two guests added to your invite. They are mates from high school” “You already told me that when we had dinner.” She replied with a grin. “Anyways, aren’t you guys close?” I shrugged. “We weren’t close. They were mean chaps.” “So why does Dad want them around us?” she asked as she jotted something into a paper and folded it carefully. I maintained a firm look. “I really have no idea but all I know is that I expect a better behavior from them. I saw them last at high school.” I noticed Dora wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying; she was more interested in tucking the paper into her purse. I sat down and said, “One of them used to date Jake; I think old flames would spark. He really liked her.” Dora jolted. Exactly what I wanted and where I wanted her, Dora seemed to like Jacob. She managed a light smile. “I have to run now. There’s this place I should be taking photos now.” She said, clutching her Nikon Digital Camera to her neck. She looked smart in her black polo shirt and denim jeans. She had an All Star snickers to match. “Is there something you are hiding from me?” I asked, trying not to look at her. I stole a quick glance as she rolled her eyes and held the door handle. “I am fine Darlene.” She smiled faintly and walked out. “Damn it!” I yelled as she walked out. Dora is falling for Jake. Who wouldn’t? The idiot is single, hot and idle! I was tempted to dial Jake and ask him about Dora but I restrained myself from it as I didn’t want to appear like the ‘jealous housewife’. In the end, I didn’t have to call Jake because as soon as I finished ruminating over Jake and Dora, he appeared at my doorstep with Jane. So I didn’t have to worry about him and Dora being together. “Halo Jane.” I said as we air kissed. Jake hissed as he stepped inside. “Why do ladies always deceive themselves with this ‘air kissing’ thing? You guys are really not close.” “We used to be before Jane became business oriented and started travelling around the world, unlike you.” He nodded, not convinced. “Where’s Dora?” he asked, slumping into the sofa. “She had some photo sessions to do this evening. I guess she was targeting the sunset.” He frowned slightly. “She didn’t tell me. I told her I was coming over.” “Why? Does she have to tell you anything?” I asked, staring at Jane worryingly. He shrugged. “I just thought she would tell Me.” he said and left for the kitchen. “What’s with Jacob?” I asked her as we sat down. “Frankly, I don’t know. All I know is that he is busy with Dora’s event like it’s his, which I think is a good attitude, maybe he should take up a job as an event planner.” I laughed. “Jake is a graduate of Architecture.” “Yes, but he hasn’t even sketched a kennel in years.” She adjusted on the sofa. “I think he has lost touch of his passion.” I nodded in agreement. “Jake has some catching up on life to do. Do you want anything from the fridge?” I asked, standing up. “Fayrouz please, I have slowly begun to like that drink.” I nodded with all smiles. “You are in the right house. That’s my best drink.” I said and left for the kitchen. Jake was in the kitchen making himself some noodles. “You could have asked me to do it.” I said, getting two bottles of Fayrouz from the fridge. “I didn’t want to disturb you.” He said and grinned wickedly. “Besides, it’s not like you can cook it the way I want.” He said, flashing his teeth. “And Dora isn’t also here to cook it.” Much-a-do about a noodle. Now it turns out that my sister would cook noodles better. “What else can she do better?” I asked and walked out. “Here you go.” I said, handing Jane the bottle of Fayrouz. She gulped heavily. “Forgive my manners; I prefer going direct on the bottle.” “It’s alright. It makes two people.” I joked as I drank. She sighed. “Are you ever going to date Jake?” she asked looking serious. Gladly, the kitchen was not too close to the living room. I took a quick check at the hallway to be sure that Jake wasn’t in sight. “What are you saying, Jane?” “Come on Darlene, at least you can be real with me about your feelings for Jacob. Ever since you guys have been friends since we were little, I know you had a special place for him in your heart, even Granma says so.” Granma! Jane just reminded me of my grandmother. When Jake and Jane used to come over for Tea and Cookies on Sunday evenings, Granma would tell us all stories and then she always said, she knew I would end up with Jake. One day she had said: “You guys are gonna make a great couple. You like each other genuinely.” “Jane, things have changed.” I started. “We were kids then and besides, Jake has never said anything about this.” She rolled her eyes. “What about you, Darlene?” she asked with a questioning look waiting for an answer that I was in no mood to give. “Look Darlene, in a matter of weeks I will be off to Germany or New York and who knows where, and I will want to know that my brother is fine. Jake is a man who seems to solve a lot of problems but he is a case of an unanswered question with you.” She started. “You know Jane; let’s not push this discussion any further. Jake is a grown man and he knows want he wants.” She nodded. “Of course Darlene, but the question is, “Are you good for him?” Darlene, you are the most simple girl that has made herself complicated and I fear that it might just rub off on Jake’s emotions.” Now I was silent. Jane’s words seem to be sending an arrow into my body and I wasn’t even trying to dodge any. “You and Jake would be a match made in heaven, how much I would love to see that day if you let it happen, but I don’t want you to break my brother’s heart.” She said, standing up. Jane’s last statement was one arrow I just dodged. “Jane, Jake and I are adults and if anything would happen between us, it would be mature, not based on impulse. All you have for now about Jake and I are just impulses and assumptions. Just forget about it and finish your Fayrouz.” I said, smiling. She nodded in agreement. “You are still the same old Darlene, always finding ways to avoid the inevitable. It will catch up with you someday, you know.” “Till then, allow me enjoy the free ride.” I replied, with a grin. Jake joined us in the living room with his bowl of noodles. “Anyone wants some?” he asked dipping his fork into the bowl. “It’s better than drinking on Fayrouz ladies.” “Bon appetite!” Jane said and strolled out. I followed her. I tried catching up with Jane who walked hastily. “Wait up Jane, what’s with the speed?” “Forgive me Darlene, there’s this place I have got to be now.” She said, adjusting her top. I sighed. “Aren’t you leaving with Jake?” “Nah, he’ll find his way; besides you guys have to talk about Dora’s event.” She said and we hugged. I returned into the house. Jake was finishing up his noodles and watching highlights from the English Premiership. “Chelsea is doing good this season, I missed out on last week’s game and with Hazard and Oscar in that team, they are running everyone ragged.” I rolled my eyes as he chattered. I am a Chelsea fan, but at this moment, I was in no mood to discuss sports. I saw the last EPL game, he didn’t have to remind me. “Jake, I saw the game. If you mind, we can talk about you getting a job.” He laughed. “What do I need a job for? I am not broke.” “Jacob, you don’t have to be broke before you need a job. I know you have tones of investment in the stock market, but the market isn’t faring well these days and you know it.” He nodded. “Dad will loan me.” “JAKE!!! Can you hear yourself? You are lazy! Jane is doing all the work and what do you do? You wake up, drive around town, go to the club, get drunk, and hook up with some call girl downtown so you don’t get daddy’s name soiled and all. That’s no way to live Jake.” Jake stared at me hard and wiped a tear from his face. He swallowed hard and sighed. “I don’t hook up with call girls.” He said firmly. There was so much tear welling in his eyes. “Jake, you don’t have to do this, I am sorry.” “Where is this coming from, Darlene?” he asked and walked out. Where is this coming from, Darlene? Isn’t it obvious? It is from a girl who just said what she has been meaning to say in years just because she’s jealous!

Hmmm next plz

Darlene accept Jake

Cnt wait

Darlene! Just be there deceiving yourself and Jake will slip out of your grip. Bad thing also is that Dora is even into him now. Though the blame isn't solely yours........ Jake is the guy who should be bold enough to go after the girl of her dreams

let's see Hw dey end up

hmmm complication things

You love Dare, you wouldn't want to loose Jake.. Oya na, lias with the duo so that you can have them to yourself! Wait until you loose Jake

She'd just as confused as hell.... She doesn't know what she wants

Hmm mm.

hmmmmm I guess both of you don't want to loss you friendship for love....pls nxt

Waooo

Darlene don't know what she wants and Jake can't man up and tell Darlene his feelings. oga o

Darlene doesnt know what she wants

wat is happening to this story?

@chimmy where are u

@chimmy where are u??

Nest episode pls

She's just as confused as d Nigerian Minister for youth and sports

help us look for the Author oooooo...... Pls come n continue oooo

Send in the update please

bring it on

episode 45 “I would like to welcome you all to the coming out event of my second daughter.” Dad started. “For 24 year, Darlene Williams has been the only recognized daughter I have to the spotlight, but now, I would love to introduce my younger daughter, Dora Williams.” The crowd cheered as Dora stepped out. She was accompanied to the mini podium by her mother. Dora wore a black velvet evening gown, she had her hair beautifully styled and she was looking more radiant than ever. I cheered as she stepped forward. She smiled at me. The paparazzi did what they were known for; they started taking her pictures with Dad. I maintained a heavy smile as I feared that if a frown was spotted, I would be tagged as the ‘unhappy step sister’ in the morning tabloids. Especially now that Millaroca was at the event, you don’t to be dubbed twice by those guys. I had my first wash when I appeared like a clown at fifteen. “Before we go further, I would love to acknowledge the presence of Dora’s mother, Dami Oluwole.” Dad introduced. She received applauds from some people and I could hear some indistinct chatters from the crowd. ‘I hear she was a prostitute’ ‘yeah, I heard that story too.’ ‘It only means that he was unfaithful to Danielle.’ ‘I think it was after her death.’ Okay! I had heard enough from the crowd about my sister’s mother and probably my step mother, if my guess about Dad was right. I stepped away from the pool side where the party was being held to get a glass of champagne. “You look beautiful tonight.” I turned swiftly to see Wole Shodipo standing behind me. “Thank you. Wole Shodipo, right?” “Yes, I am.” He replied, adjusting his tie. “So how does it feel not to be an only child anymore?” he asked, smiling. I smiled, trying to hide my anger. Anything that would pull the press had to be avoided including Wole Shodipo. “Where’s Wura?” “She’s somewhere around the corner with her husband.” “Wura is married?” He nodded in agreement. “Yes, and to a loser for that matter. I hate the guy; I guess you know him,” he said rubbing his beards. “Dotun Davis from high school?” I almost dropped my glass. “Dotun?” Dotun Davis never told me he was married, well I never asked. “Why do you hate him?” “Nothing in particular, the guy has always been a fool. First, he drooled over you in silence at high school and later, he was kicking it with my sister after she left Jacob.” He said and paused. I could guess he was about to mention Jake. “Where’s Jacob? I guess you guys are still fooling yourselves about being best friends. Better get real.” He said and gulped his drink. I swallowed hard. “Wole, Jake and I are friends like we have always been.” “And I bet you fools are still single.” I frowned. “Wole, we are not fools. We are friends and that is it.” “Don’t get worked up beautiful, your being single is good news for me.” He sighed and continued. “Where is Jake? I haven’t seen that loser around.” I clenched my teeth. “Jacob isn’t a loser!” “Did somebody mention my name?” Jake asked as he joined us smiling. Wole smiled and stretched out his hand. “Hey man. You are still alive.” “I’ll survive.” Jake replied and shook his hand firmly. Wole was the first to withdraw from the handshake. “There was a lot of tension in your hand man. How is Jane?” “She is doing fine.” Wole and Jake seemed to be engaging themselves in some cheap discussion so I set out to find Wura and Dotun. Well as they say, a bundle of joy is a bundle is joy. Things change a lot after high school, especially when you don’t see some friends until later. I didn’t meet Wura and Dotun alone, they were with a baby. That makes the bundle of joy! “Hi Dotun.” I said with a sly grin He smiled. “Hi Darlene, erm…meet my wife, Wura.” “Hi Wura Shodipo, oh, Wura Davis.” I said, almost mockingly. She smiled. “I know you are not happy to see me here. But it’s okay; your dad said its fine. Meet my daughter, Temi Davis.” I bent over and touched the baby’s cheek. It brought back a lot of memories. I thought of my childhood and being without a mother for the larger part of it and about Dare losing his child due to his irresponsibility. “Be a good mother, oh, I mean be good parents.” I said and walked away. Dotun chased behind. He pulled my hand. “Darlene, I should have told you about Wura and I. I am sorry.” “Why are you sorry? I never asked. And it doesn’t matter, does it?” I asked. Dotun wore a tensed look. “Never mind, Have yourself a good evening. I have to meet up with my family.” I joined the rest of the audience at the pool. “Special recognition to my daughter and pride, Darlene Williams.” I raised my glass in acknowledgement and joined them for a group photograph. I didn’t join in the photo session for long as I went over to Toni and Gideon. “So Dare managed to man up to you, I think he has finally done what a man should do.” Toni started. Gideon nodded in agreement. “I think it’s time you ‘woman up’ to him and both of you should end this suspense. Or isn’t it getting too boring for you both?” he asked. I laughed. “I have no idea of what you are saying Gideon” “Sure you do baby. You are just trying to hide it.” He added, as he sipped his drink. “Been long since I experienced a normal gathering apart from being with the boys, so glad to be here.” I could understand Gideon’s joy. It took me back to when I was done with law school and Dad had a party thrown in my honor. I had been watched by Dad’s protocol to ensure I worked hard and got s first class honors. I had to maintain the family’s standards. “It’s always been a first class honors for the Williams” Dad had said. “Thanks for keeping the lineage intact.” He added patting me on the back at my convocation ceremony. Jake was the only friend I had at Harvard. People were too scared to come around. Dad made me untouchable. My thoughts were interrupted as Gideon continued. “You should search your heart more honey, I really don’t know if Dare is the perfect guy for you, as there’s no such thing as perfect for me, but I believe you guys will do fine.” I nodded, not in agreement, but because I was tired of the ‘Dare sermon’. I needed a break from myself. I looked round and saw Kolapo drinking alone so I went over to him. “Hi KP, are you having a good evening?” He smiled faintly. “Not really. Can you believe that Dora hasn’t said a word to me all night?” “Why is that? Are you guys having problems?” He shrugged. “I don’t know, she’s been distant of late. I guess her job has her attention. It’s been a while since we had a decent conversation.” “Have you guys tried talking?” He shook his head. “She won’t talk. She’s always too busy to talk. I am frustrated.” He said, drinking his whisky. Dora was committing a crime. She was neglecting KP for Jake, and things were going to get worse if I didn’t step in. Jake joined us almost immediately. “KP, are you acting the lonely boy script tonight?” he asked, patting KP’s back. KP smiled faintly. “What can a man do? His woman is busy with the spotlight and when she isn’t busy with the spotlight, she’s busy with her job.” “Man, she just changed jobs; you just have to grab her fast.” Jake replied, reaching for a glass of champagne from the waiter. KP laughed. “You are doing that well, aren’t you?” “What are you saying, KP?” Jake asked, sipping his drink. KP hissed. “Don’t pretend with me man, Dora is all drawn to you of late, have you guys started sleeping together?” “You are drunk, you need to go home.” Jake said, dropping the glass. Honestly, I wanted to hear the truth but I wouldn’t have Dora’s party ruined by two guys, so I did what a big sister would do, STEP IN! “Cool it guys, KP, let’s get some air.” “You are not going anywhere with him.” Jake said, pulling my hand. I yanked my hand from him. “Jacob, let me handle this.” “KP is just drunk, let him clear his head, but not with you.” KP threw his whisky can to the floor. “Then let’s settle it Jake.” “Okay Jacob, I don’t want a scene. KP, please let’s go.” I said, pulling KP out of the party. Jake followed us. We stepped out of the house and walked down the estate. KP stopped abruptly and tried to hit Jake but stuttered to the floor. He was dead drunk. “Darlene, just go in. I will handle this.” Jake said. “What are you going to fix, Jacob?” I flashed angrily at him. Jake sighed. “You can’t fix everything Darlene, your life is a mess too. This is a guy who thinks I am going out with his girlfriend.” “Are you not?” I asked dumbly. “DARLENE??? Even if you don’t trust me, what about Dora?” he said with a tone of anger in his voice. “Dora and I are just friends, just like you and I.” KP sprawled out on the floor. I turned round to see some pressmen gathering. “Pressmen! Jake, do something.” Jake joined KP on the floor and I brought out my digital camera from my purse and started a joke. “You guys look so cute, don’t you?”I said. Jake laughed and tickled KP a bit. The pressmen around joined in the foolish joke. “Is this a surprise for Dora?” one of them asked me. “Of course, we are trying to make a fun video so she can remember today.” I replied, laughing. He sighed. “If this video gets on YouTube, you guys are gonna go rated, because these are top socialites sprawling on the floor in the estate.” “We would do anything for love, won’t we?” I asked Jake and KP. “Yeah, we would.” They both replied. We dismissed the pressmen almost immediately and Jake helped KP into his car. “I will take him home, if Dora asks, he’s at my place.” “Don’t beat him Jake.” I said smiling. Jake smiled faintly. “We are good. I am not sleeping with Dora, Darlene.” I sighed and nodded. “It’s okay; you don’t have to explain this to me. You are an adult.” “Darlene…erm…even I was, are you jealous?” he asked. I coughed slightly and said. “Why should I be? It’s not like we are more than friends.” “I understand.” He replied, and drove off. tbc

episode 46 Dora was sitting with Toni and Gideon when I returned. “Hi sis, having a good evening?” I asked, taking a seat. “It couldn’t be better. Jake did a great job.” She said. She paused and swallowed. “Where is Jake?” I sighed. “He’s gone home.” “Why? He didn’t even say he was leaving.” I rolled my eyes. “It was an emergency; he had to take KP home.” “KP came?” Gideon and Toni gasped. “Isn’t KP your man?” they chorused. “Ya…but he told me that he couldn’t make it, and it turns out he showed up without even letting me know.” She replied dumbly. I yanked Dora by the arm away from the table out of the crowd. “KP is your boyfriend and you are having a breach in your relationship, what effort are you doing to salvage it?” She threw her hand away furiously and pulled her hair back from her mouth. “KP and I are fine. I don’t know where he is getting his silly ideas from but we are fine. I’ll talk to him. I chose him because I love him.” “I hope so.” I replied and started to walk away. She hissed. “Why are you concerned with our relationship? Or is it because of Jake?” I paused momentarily and rubbed my forehead. I had to think intelligently, I didn’t want Dora to think that Jake didn’t matter so much, when he did. “What does Jake have to do with this?” “Kolapo thinks I am seeing Jake and I feel you are on KP’s side on this matter, or aren’t you?” I smiled and shrugged. “Jake is an adult, you are also an adult, you know what is best for you. I just think Kolapo is a good guy, and he doesn’t deserve to be pushed aside.” “Is that all what concerns you? Are you not scared of losing Jake?” A fake smile lurked around my lips. “Why should I be? Jake is not my possession.” I smiled. “Let’s get party.” “Darlene, are you jealous?” she asked seriously. I didn’t turn to face her. “I’ll be with Gideon and Toni.” I said and walked away. “You guys were taking forever.” Gideon said, pouring himself a drink. Toni made the hand to the ear gesture. “Gideon says a lot of blabber….blabber” “Honey, why do you love to humiliate me?” he asked with a smile. She smiled. “You are so adorable when you speak like that.” They kissed and I admired the passion in it. They were young and so in love. Dora’s return to the table interrupted the kiss. Gideon cleared his throat. “Hi Dora, Hope you are having a good evening.” He said, cleaning his collar. Toni’s lip-stick had stained it. Toni laughed. “Gideon, you are so silly honey. You think I love to humiliate you, but here you are smearing lip stick all over your shirt in a bid to clean it.” We all laughed. “Can I share in the joke?” We turned to see Dare standing behind us. ‘Just what I needed to ruin my evening’ “Hi Dare” Toni said. He smiled and took his seat. “Toni, good to see you tonight” He said. He turned towards Gideon. “Hey Man, how are you doing?” he said, offering his hand. “Good. Good food, Good music, Good beer and a Good wife. Of course, I am doing good.” He replied taking the handshake. Dare smiled at Dora. “Congratulations, you are looking beautiful tonight.” She smiled courteously. “Thank you Dare, you look smart.” He nodded in appreciation and took a deep breath. “Darlene, good evening” “I am no monster.” I replied with a smile. “Good evening, Dare.” I said and left the table for the house. Dare caught up with me on my way to the house. “Darlene…erm…ah….” He sighed and tried to compose himself. “Darlene, you look beautiful tonight.” “Is that what you chased me down here for?” He frowned slightly. “A ‘thank you’ won’t hurt.” He replied. “Thank you.” I said hastily. In my heart, I was in no hurry. He sighed. “I am done here.” He said and walked away. I refrained from almost calling his name. I left for my room and started to read some journals for the case against Chidi Obi. It was late into midnight before I retired to bed. I punched my pillows hard as I struggled to find some sleep, still I couldn’t. I tried to play some Enya music on my deck but it wasn’t working tonight. So I decided to take a walk to the kitchen. Maybe I could resume my eating disorder like when I was still a lonely teenager. I had battled with my emotions as a teenager. I did a lot of thinking on my own and it made me mature so early. Grandma had said to me one day, “Ya growing too fast. You need to slow down kiddo, and live with your mates.” I had resulted into eating so much after bedtime, it had helped my loneliness. I opened the fridge and fetched a loaf of bread and a jar of Jam. I had almost gotten to half of the loaf when I stated to doze in the kitchen. “Do you miss your Mom?” I raised my head almost immediately. “What did you say?” I asked, staring at Dora’s mother. “I meant, when you saw me taking Dora up the podium, did you miss your mother?” I sighed and put the bread back into the fridge. “I don’t have to discuss this with you.” She scoffed. “Who else could you talk to?” “I didn’t have a mother for 24 years, why would I need one now?” She smiled cautiously. “You are just like Danielle.” She said, and turned away. “Excuse me? How did you know my mother’s name?” I asked, abruptly. She smirked. “My bad! I almost forgot you are a lawyer, how dare I put your detective skills to test?” “Woman, how do you know my mother?” I asked aggressively. She smiled. “I like this position where you are. Danielle always got aggressive; it won’t help you against Subomi.” “Are you now stalking my life?” She took her seat. “The case against Subomi is public, everyone knows. I am not one to stalk lives; you already had ‘Daniel the psycho’ around you for long.” “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” I yelled. She shook her head in disagreement. “Take it easy young lady; you would soon start swearing when you take on Bankole. You need to persevere, Profession up against Passion.” “Get out of here.” She smiled. “Am I in your head, Darlene?” I had few drops of perspiration gathering on my forehead. I could feel hot sweat trickle down my back. “I don’t want to see you again. How do you know my mother?” “I don’t have to lie to you. I have always liked your Dad, Dora was the emergence of a one night stand to him, but to me, it was something I had all planned in my head. I had envisioned my life with him for a very long time.” She replied, fetching an apple from the fruit bowl. I snarled. “You wanted my mom’s life! I always knew something about Dora was wrong, now it’s all clear, and to think I love that girl. I will make you both pay for coming into our lives.” “Forget about Dora. The tiny idiot is innocent, she was so excited to know that you were her step-sister, she has so much respect for you, don’t lose it on my account.” She hurried and paused. “Darlene, I always wanted your mom’s life and I won’t lie about that. I got a child, that was fair, but I never got Williams’s love, that was bad.” I broke down in tears. “Cry harder, that’s the only way to get it all out. Fight for justice, you really want to hit me, what is restraining you?” I yelled louder. “Composure Darlene, Composure. That’s all you need against Subomi.” I screamed out in fear and crawled up near the sink. I was trembling now. “Leave me alone….” I yelled out in fear. “Subomi won’t leave you alone, he is gonna fight till he tears you apart, you are a rookie and he’ll prove it before the whole world. A rookie can’t beat a pro, you will be a testimony to that fact.” I cried harder. “I’ll beat Subomi.” I said weakly. “I didn’t hear you. Is the fire of determination burning right in you?” I cried out. “I’ll beat Subomi.” “I see fear, frail and anger. Give me the passion that beat Jumoke Bankole, show me the Darlene Williams who breezed through almighty Professor Dean’s class at Harvard University. Show me the Darlene who puts aside her emotions and fights like a real winner. Give me the attitude of a winner!!!” she yelled furiously. “I WILL BEAT SUBOMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII” I screamed out in tears. She hugged me tightly. “You’ll be fine by God’s grace.” I woke up in my bed with Dad by my side. As soon as I saw Dora’s mother, I jumped up in fear. “She’s dangerous. She hypnotized me.” I shouted out. “For all the right reasons.” She said, raising the curtains. Dad stared at me. “Will she be fine?” he asked. “She will.” She replied. I stared at them. “What is going on here?” “She is a psychologist. I want you to be in the right frame of mind before you take on Subomi.” I gasped. “So you knew she was hurting me? Dad, she always wanted my mom’s life. She made you sleep with her.” He nodded in agreement. “She told me all that too. Let’s put it aside and get you together.” “Why are you interested in the case now?” He shrugged. “My fiancée made me understand how badly I have treated you. She has been talking to me and now I understand that I have been a bad father to you, so I just felt that this is the least I can do.” I stared at Dora’s mother and she smiled. Was she expecting a thank-you for giving me my father’s attention? “So do you think I am stable to take on Subomi?” I asked. “Not yet, but I feel fire in you. You have a burning desire that can’t be quenched. If you attack Subomi without respect, you will do fine.” I nodded and grabbed my bathing suit. “I have to finalize my driving lessons today. I will see you all later.” I said, and stepped into the bathroom. Tbc

I just pray the next episode doesn't take forever

Hmmn next o

Since all this while

I know that Dora's mum has been a bad woman but I think you need to get more closer to her if you must win the case

Wow interesting as ever

Go on

That's nice... I guess Dora's mum will help you a lot in the case against Subomi.... I love that Jake guy.. So sweet and knows how to save every situation.. Darlene! Dnt loose that guy

i can imagine

episode 47 “You are welcome to church.” An Usher greeted as I stepped into the ‘House of God’. Pastor Ben, the church parishioner was standing in the alley. He greeted me with a warm smile. “Hello Darlene” “You age slowly Pastor Ben.” I said full of commendation. He nodded, ruffling his grey beards. “It’s the lord’s doing.” He smiled. “I hear your step sister had her coming out yesterday.” “Yes Pastor. And I’d rather you call her my sister.” I replied with my tongue out. He smiled. “I always knew you would be this tough. Accepting a step sister as a ‘sister’ is tough.” He said, patting me on the shoulder. He stared hard ahead of me with a great deal of surprise in his eyes. “I see you brought a ‘lost sheep’ along.” I turned round to see Jake. He was wearing grey pants, pink checked shirt and a black shoe. Jake looked funny trying to dress official, his shirt had made a mess of everything. “Happy Sunday Pastor, I hope I still fit into ‘God’s society’.” He said, with his hands in his pockets. Pastor Ben was all smiles. “You are always welcome into ‘God’s society’; this is the only place you won’t be rejected.” He reached for Jake and hugged him. “I have missed you son.” “Me too, the church is all different. It’s been how many years since I last came here.” He said. They walked over to the instruments. “The Organ is all rusty.” Pastor Ben. “No one has played her in a while. She’s been here for years; we thought we would keep her as an antique.” He blew some dust away from the Organ’s Top with his mouth. “A church antique will do, right?” Jake dusted the Organ and tapped the chords gently. “They still come out good.” “You remind me of when you were fifteen Jake; you were so zealous for Christ. You would be here as early as six in the morning to play the Organ. Where did those years go?” Pastor Ben asked with a questioning look. I had tried to stay close to them as they talked. I watched as Jake bowed his head. He rose it, but not without tears in them. I was tempted to run to him. “It feels good to be back, Pastor Ben.” The tension between Jake and Pastor Ben pricked me so I stepped out for some air. I took a walk round the church. Children rushed into their classes for the Sunday school and adults strolled into the main auditorium. I took a quick peek into the church and Pastor Ben and Jake were no longer at the Organ. They had probably left for the parish office. I took my seat beside an elderly woman. Typically, as a youth, you dread seating beside an elderly Nigerian woman during a church service or any function that has a mixed audience in ages. I ‘technically’ regretted my choice to seat beside Mama Adeoti, one of the elderly women in the church. I had known her since I was a kid. She was the chief ‘Mrs. Nosy’ then; no information could pass without her noticing it. She criticized the lady who led the Praises and Worship; she said her skirt was too tight and that her rhythmic movements were to appease the congregation. I then said to her. “But Mama Adeoti, Lucy is wearing a robe. It is to reduce the effect of what you are saying.” She hissed. “Lucy is Lucifer’s daughter. Her skirt is too tight, and I can notice, FINAL.” She adjusted her half-mooned spectacles and peered further into the church. Mama Adeoti made me wonder if we weren’t committing more sin by talking about people’s dresses than ‘catching the sermon’. She shifted grounds to attacking Jake. “That honey Jake has changed. He used to wear suspender jeans when he was a kid, now I know he has a striped boxer under his pants.” I felt very uncomfortable. “And those biceps are too big, ‘Omo buruku’ she said in Yoruba, an indigenous Nigerian language meaning ‘Bad Child’. “I can see through his shirt. He should wear shirt sizes like Bishop Olu.” “BISHOP OLU???” I asked with a questioning gaze. Bishop Olu wore XXXL shirt. That man has his own seat in the church; Jake could kill Mama Adeoti for that! She snorted. “And then his hair is too full. He should have a clean cut; else I will be doing that for him with Veet removal cream.” “VEET???” I had had enough. I prayed earnestly for the service to come to a close as Mama Adeoti continued taking swipes at everyone including Pastor Ben. She nudged me in the waist when she noticed I was trying to ignore her. “Doesn’t Pastor Ben know he is getting old? He still wears fitted shirts. Last evangelism, he wore a Lacrosse Polo. My grandson isn’t allowed to wear Lacrosse yet.” She shoved her hand up. “We all need Jesus.” “You sure are right!” I said with a relief thinking she had halted her sermon and would give me room to listen to Pastor Ben preach. She smiled revealing her broken teeth. “Glad to have touched your life.” Yeah right! After Pastor Ben’s sermon which I struggled to listen to, no thanks to Mama Adeoti, I joined him outside the church. “You were heavily distracted by Mama Adeoti today. You should choose your seat properly next time.” He said. I nodded. He waved to some members as they exited the church. “So how is the case against Chidi Obi coming? The whole community is rooting for you to land that man behind bars, maybe justice can get served.” Chidi Obi had been involved in many illegal take-overs in the country. If not for being a clergy man, Pastor Ben might have led a riot against Chidi Obi in the event of an old people’s home donated by the church which Chidi Obi had bought several years ago and converted to a Strip Club. The Church didn’t have enough funds to put up a resistance to Chidi Obi, and it really hurt Pastor Ben who was a youth Pastor at that time. “I am optimistic, but everything seems to be going for Subomi. He has a very vast resume; I might have to wait some more years to top that.” Pastor Ben snapped. “Never mind, you’ve got God on your side, if you believe in him and learn to love and trust him more. Maybe you should come around more often.” I rolled my eyes. Pastor Ben was trying to lure me to church. “I am a busy lady.” “Too busy to serve God? Darlene, you might be beautiful, smart and a hot prospect, but without God, my dear, you are a waste.” WASTE!!! Now, that did hurt! Pastor Ben just ridiculed my standings. Humble pie swallowed! “I’ll see you around Pastor Ben.” “Speaking of which, there is a youth camp around the corner, I was thinking of inviting you to speak to some aspirants, they are really looking forward to having you minister to their lives, in the best way you can.” He said. I shrugged. “I’ll look at my schedule as soon as I get the invite. I have a busy week ahead, I am up against Subomi on Wednesday, and I have to take my leave now.” I said hastily. “God be with you child. All the best” I nodded in agreement. “Later sir” I joined Jake close to the car park. “Brother Jacob” I teased softly. “Sister Darlene” he replied laughing. I stared at him carefully. “Did you really come to church today? That’s a miracle.” He nodded. “I needed to talk to God.” “You can always do that in your room. Anyways, I appreciate your effort towards Dora’s coming out. It was special.” He smiled. “It was the least I could do.” “Hope you didn’t hit KP?” I asked, with a smile. He shrugged. “I didn’t have a reason to, except that the guy has a wrong impression about me, I like him.” He opened the door of his car. “Let’s go.” “I don’t want to go in your car.” He looked surprised. “Why is that?” he asked. “We came separately. I suggest we return in like.” He maintained the look. “Darlene, you are beginning to surprise me these days in your actions and words. What is the big deal if I drop you home? You never seemed to mind.” “Oh well, things change Jacob.” Jake sighed. “Okay, do you mind if I give you a ride?” he asked. “Gotcha! Look at your face, Jake. I was just kidding you.” He sighed and opened the door. “Okay then.” I got into the car and he closed the door after me. “Your joke was flat.” He started. “So, how’s the case against Subomi coming?” he asked as he started the engine. “Slowly, but surely” He smiled and drove off. “How about your driving lessons?” “Cetris paribus, I will be fit to carry a learner’s tag by tomorrow.” I replied, proudly. My smile was a large one. Jake laughed sarcastically. “Every artist was first an apprentice!” I retorted sharply, as I got the notion that Jake was trying to mock me. He nodded. “I know that. It’s just that this apprentice seems to me like an expert in every other thing. Do you really want to use a learner’s tag?” “Of course, I am a learner and I will use it until I am a professional. I intend to drive to the court on Wednesday.” Jake laughed. “You are such a joke! I guess you want to fail that case before you step up to Subomi.” He replied. I was surprised at his comment so I shot at him. “First, you WILL arrive late because you will be busy driving with a manual preset in your head from your driving school.” He continued. He swerved past a truck swiftly. “That’s something you won’t be able to do yet.” He said, sticking his tongue out at me. “Second, that will be social suicide; you don’t want the press seeing an ‘L’ tag behind your ride.” “What do I care about the press? I am only bothered about getting to the court late. I might leave the office two hours earlier.” Jake laughed harder. “If I get you right, you are gonna be driving for 2 hours for a 30-45 minutes journey. Darlene, swallow your pride and ask me to chauffeur you, I don’t charge much.” He said, revealing his teeth. I wore a grimace. “Dare might drop me off.” “Oh really, I see you guys are really getting close. Is he less offensive now?” I nodded in agreement. “Yes, he is a changed man.” ‘Changed man?’ Did I just say that? “Good for you. That will make your work much easier.” He said, as he turned into my street. He parked in front of the gate and opened the car door for me. “Here you go madam. I’ll call you later.” He said. Jake appeared not to care too much about me saying that Dare might be taking me to the court house. That bothered me. He dropped me off and didn’t even suggest wanting to come in and that seemed totally unlike Jacob. I could place a bet now that something was under the rocks between him and Dora. “Jake…erm…um….it’s okay. Later.” He smiled. “Darlene, you don’t stutter with me. What’s up?” “Nothing, I am just a bit tired. Thanks for dropping me home.” He jumped into the car. “I’ll see you later then.” Was that all? “Won’t you say ‘hello’ to Dora?” I asked dumbly. First sign of obvious jealousy! Jake grinned as though he had ‘got me’. “We talk all the time. I’ll call her.” He replied and drove off. “ We talk all the time. I’ll call her” I mimicked as I pressed the bell.

episode 48 KP and Dora were having lunch in the garden. They looked happy. At least, that’s what I think I saw. “Did you guys go to church?” I asked as I approached them. “We did. Please join us for lunch.” KP offered. I smiled faintly. “I have a lot to do. Have fun guys.” I replied. Dora didn’t say a word as she returned to her lunch. “Hi Dora” “Hi sis.” She replied quietly. I probed her with my look. “Are you alright?” “Yes, I am good” she replied with a quick nod. I shrugged and walked away. I immediately turned on my laptop and sent a message to the manager of the hotel where I intended to lodge Sameer. In the spirit of Muslim festive season, Sameer had insisted in wearing his turban into the country. I was trying to hide him from Chidi Obi’s guys. He wouldn’t bulge. He had said on our conversation on Skype. “Insha Allah, I will be in this Turban.” He said, displaying his Red and White Turban. “It’s for your safety, Sameer.” I pleaded. He smiled. “If I die because of this, it’s for a good cause. Barka da Sallah” A staunch Muslim faithful can’t be unnerved. I immediately dialed Tom Frost, the American that owned the exquisite ‘Emerald Hotels and Suites’ he had been a friend of the family for a while now. So I had asked him for a favour to bring Sameer in from Dubai from his trip as an escort. Sameer was dressed like a Muslim lady as he had insisted that he wanted his Turban on. Fifteen minutes later, Tom’s call came in. “Emerald Hotels Check! Suite 105.” “Copy.” I replied and cut the call. I was a bit skeptical about Sameer’s safety. I didn’t want his location compromised. I was going to meet up with them at the hotel in about an hour. I trusted Tom Frost to be a good host, but I wanted to see Sameer. I called a cab to pick me up. I arrived at the hotel in about 45 minutes and went up to Suite 501. Tom Frost had told me the Suite in reverse as 105 just in case we had a situation. “Darlene Williams.” Sameer said as I stepped in with Tom Frost. “Good friend Tom here has been helpful.” He said, smiling at Tom. We ordered a bottle of champagne as we started our discussion. “How was your flight?” “Swift. Thanks for the first class treatment.” I smiled. “You are welcome. All I want is for the truth to be told.” “Obi is a bad man. He robbed Mr. Davis and I want to see him pay for his crimes.” We spoke at length before I decided to leave the hotel. “Please I want you to stay safe Sameer. No wanderings and please do your prayers indoors. After Wednesday, you’ll be free to return to Dubai.” “Thanks a lot, Darlene.” He said. “I’ll be careful.” He added. I left for the bar where Mr. Davis was waiting. “How is the witness?” he asked. I took a seat. “He is in good spirits. I advise we stay away from this hotel till the case is over; I don’t want us traced to Sameer. He is our only lifeline.” “In that case, I suggest we take our leave. I am scared of my grand daughter’s life being in danger.” He said, standing up. “I just want my family safe.” I could understand Mr. Davis’s plight. Dotun and Wura had a baby girl, any crook would go after the weak link and probably have the child kidnapped or harmed. “Why don’t you fly them out?” “I already made arrangements for them to love the country tomorrow, but I am concerned, there’s a lot of hours from tonight till tomorrow for Obi to strike.” He said as we strolled out. “How tight is Sameer’s security?” I rubbed my chin. “A guy is sharing his suite; two guys are staying opposite his Suite. I have some guys opposite the hotel watching from a distance. There’s a standby get-away vehicle just in case we get compromised.” I continued as I briefed him on the security details. “Safe to say, Sameer is well guarded.” I nodded in agreement. “I have the best guys in the country guarding him. Just keep your family safe, Sameer will be fine, Insha Allah.” We chuckled softly and approached his Car. Gunshots went off immediately from the pent suite of the hotel. Tunji Davis and I ducked quickly behind his car as we tried to hide. I stared at the shattered blood stain glass and it could only mean one thing, Sameer had been killed. Now we had to take cover. Tunji Davis and I tried to get into the car and he sped off. “We are been chased, Mr. Davis.” I bleated. He took a quick peek through his mirror. “Reach for the glove box and get my gun. That should distract them a bit, I guess.” I tried reaching for the gun. “Here” I pointed it at him. “Shoot at them” I shook my head in disagreement. “I don’t know how to use a gun.” I begged. “Oh my God.” He sighed. “Please dial Dotun and tell him to vacate the house as soon as possible.” I immediately delivered the message to Mr. Davis’s son. Oil money is no joke! People kill for Oil. I sent a distress call to the police and tried calling my Dad. “What is it, Darlene?” he asked desperately. “Dad, we are being chased by some assassins.” I cried into the receiver. “Your location.” I immediately provided him with the location and dropped the call. I slid over to the back seat and watched the vehicles chasing us frantically. Mr. Davis maintained a speed of 200km/hr and above and he was doing fine. Two vehicles were soon catching up and then we received a call from the police instructing us to lead them into an ambush. We drove right into the lonely dark street where the police men were in waiting and then turned off the engine. The vehicles stopped behind us. I said the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ repeatedly as some men approached Mr. Davis car from the parked vehicles. Mr. Davis smiled. “It was nice working with you.” I smiled back boldly. Gunshots went off bodies dropped like Dead birds that were hunted down. After there was calm, there was a light tap on the window. “It’s the police here. You can come out.” We remained in the car and didn’t unlock it. If they were police indeed, there had to be a proof. My phone vibrated. I had put it on the vibrating mode immediately the chase started. Dad was calling. “It is the Police honey, you guys can come out.” I wasn’t convinced. “How can you be so sure?” “I just got a call from them that you are refusing to step out of the car.” He replied. I stared through the tinted glass and saw Police officers surrounding the vehicle and some taking notes of the killed men. Mr. Davis held his rifle boldly and pushed the door open. He shot into the air and the Police scrambled to the floor. I joined him outside staring at dead bodies of the assassins who chased us. “Hi Darlene.” One of the police officers said. I turned to see his face. “Hey, I remember you. Officer Philip, right?” He nodded with a smile. “Ya. How’s Jake Behaving?” “He’s been good since community service.” He raised an eyebrow. “For real? That guy doesn’t seem to me like one to change from his ways. He is a trouble shooter.” We both laughed. We were escorted home in the Police Van by Officer Philip. We dropped Mr. Davis off first, luckily, Dotun and his family had fled instantly on his Dad’s order. They had a chopper on their pent house so fleeing wasn’t a big deal for them. I rushed into Dad’s arm as soon as I got down from the truck. “It’s okay my angel, this is just a few of the slight things you might face as a lawyer.” I released myself from the hug. “Dad???” He smiled. “Of course D, what did you expect? We are talking about Oil here, that’s a demon on its own. So much money is involved baby.” I frowned. “Okay, I am sorry. Are you alright?” I nodded. “Yes I am. Thanks Dad.” Jake pulled up in his car and rushed to me. “Are you okay?” “How did you hear about it?” He hissed and hugged me. “What do you care?” Jake and I left for the house while Dad spoke to the Policemen. Dora was waiting in the hallway. “Darlene!” she said ecstatically and hugged me. “You had me scared to death.” ‘Yeah yeah…perfect chance to have my life in total, Jake would be all yours if I had died’ I thought. I released myself from the hug. “I am fine now. I need to take a shower.” I said, leaving for the stairs. “I will make you something to drink.” I shrugged. “I don’t think I want anything.” “Come on D, you need to take something.” She urged. I rolled my eyes. “I am too terrified to eat.” I replied. “Darlene, you need something.” Jake said. I raise my hand up in defeat. “Fine.” I said and left for my room. I knelt down and offered a prayer to God for keeping me alive. I then put a call through to Tom’s phone. It went to the answering machine. “Sameer…” I murmured softly and broke down in tears. I had grown fond of my Arabian Witness. I loved his faith, will and strength and now he was no more. I remember him saying that if he died for this cause, it would be noble. How more noble could a man be? I thought. There was a light knock on my door. I opened it and saw Dare standing before me. I hugged him tightly. “I am sorry.” He said, as he wiped my tears. “I was so scared.” I confessed to him. Jake cleared his throat as he placed a glass of juice on the table. He had brought Dare upstairs and was standing behind Dare when I hugged him. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” He said, and closed the door after him. I led Dare to a seat. He cleared his throat and started, “Sameer is…” “Don’t bother.” I said, sniffling. He took a deep breath. “Sameer is in my house.” I widened my eyes and smiled with so much joy. “Are you sure?” He nodded smiling. “Yes, Tom brought him over. They killed some guys and had to flee, luckily, they called the Firm and I picked them up.” I hugged Dare again. “Thank you” I whispered. “Darlene, I love you and I don’t want you to get hurt.” He said. I slowly released myself from the hug and cleared my throat. “Could you please pass the juice?” I requested. Dare nodded and passed the glass of juice. “I’ll be downstairs.” He said and left for the door. “Dare.” I called. He paused as he held the door knob. “Please don’t go.” He stared at me. “At least not now, I am a bit scared. Everything freaks me out now.” He sighed and took his seat. I stayed close to him and leaned on his shoulder into the night.

this is critical

hmmm Mr. obi u won't go scot free, u will surely pay for ur deeds

Hmmm..obi will pay for this

Next plz

But I dint understand stand u U said u dong love Jacob why are u jealous see Dora and him together

U need to believe in God now and with little effort chidi Obi will be in jail

Mr obi will surely pay for this.

That was scary.... Dat case is gonna be tough

U are too confused for my liking, u don't want to date jake and u don't want him with another person :g

The beginning of this episode is kinda confusing

interesting next

This episode Is confusing

I am confuse

I understand perfectly well

Dare's Mum sudden return is suspicious to me.... Hope she doesn't have any connection with Chidi Obi & she's being used to bring up some emotions that will disrupt Darlene's coordination

episode 49 What a Sunday! Well, it’s Monday now. I had slept off on Dare’s Shoulder. I turned off the alarm. It had been buzzing since 5am, but I remained in bed until 6am. After my experience last night with those Assassins, I wouldn’t be maimed for sleeping till 8am. Should I? I grabbed my laptop and hurried for the kitchen. I was desperate to eat. Noodles, Oats, or Bread? I had to make a choice. I grabbed the Oats and immediately made a meal. 7:45AM!!! Now Dare would have my head for his own breakfast. I hurried downstairs and flung the gate open. “Hi D.” Jake said, as I stepped out. I smiled. My Guardian Angel. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Waiting for you.” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? You don’t always have to wait for me.” “I can’t let you walk the streets on your own. Come in.” he said, opening the door. I stared at him till he gestured to the car. “Come on Darlene. It’s me, your Jake. You are safe.” I smiled and stepped in. “Thank you.” I said as he started the engine. I hurried into the elevator. It was already 9am. I had arrived late for work. I ignored Bola’s greetings and dropped my bag in the office. “There’s a conference meeting.” She managed to say as I rushed towards the conference room. Dare was in the meeting with all the board members, this time, Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole was in attendance. “Good morning sirs.” I said as I pushed the door open. The board room was silent as they all stared at me. Dare was giving a presentation as I walked in. “I am so sorry.” I said, clumsily. Dare rubbed his hair to indicate that I had my hair a bit ruffled. I immediately adjusted my hair and slid into a seat. “Where were we?” I asked indicating that the meeting continued. Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole cleared his throat. “Ms. Williams, this is totally unacceptable! You can’t stroll in for a board meeting at 9am and you know that this concerns the court case on Wednesday. I am not happy.” “Ahem!” Dare stuttered into the discussion. “Dad, erm…” Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole shot at Dare. “No DAD, its Sir!” “I am sorry Sir, but, Ms. Williams here has been through a lot in the last 24 hours, she was chased by gun men and I fear it is relating to this case, so we might excuse her lateness a bit.” Dare said. There was a lot of murmuring among the board members. Dare’s Dad beckoned to him and then Dare came over to me. “Please step outside, I’ll send for you.” I nodded and exited the board room. I leaned against the door and took a deep breath. I just hoped that the board members might be a bit considerate. Dare joined me outside almost immediately. “What did they say?” I asked. He took my hand and smiled. “Everything is okay.” He took me by the hand and we walked into the board room. He ushered me to a seat. “I am sorry.” I apologized again. Mr. Ayodeji smiled. “Its fine Ms. Williams, I am sorry too.” The board meeting continued for the next hour and then all the members left the room leaving Dare and I. “Thanks for standing up for me.” He smiled at walked over to me. “Darlene, even if I didn’t do that for you, you would still find your way around them.” He said, taking my hand with a smile. “Now what does that mean?” I asked, smiling in a sheepish manner. He looked at me with a great deal of seriousness. “You are a charmer.” The next few moments felt sensual in my stomach. “Ahem! I’ll say you said so.” I said, leaving for the door. “Why do you keep running away from the truth?” he asked, taking a seat. I paused and held the door handle. “What truth, Dare?” “I know you care about me.” I smirked. “In your dreams.” “That’s a start.” He said with a corny laughter. I shook my head and opened the door. Reina stood before me. “We meet again.” She said with a cynical laugh. I rolled my eyes and tried to step out of the way but she stood in my way. “Not too fast, I thought I told you to leave Ade-Cole Firm.” She started. I hissed. “I thought I would never see you again too.” I said. Dare joined us at the door. “Easy ladies, can we talk about this inside and not start up anything here.” He said ushering Reina and I into the board room. “What do you want here, Reina?” Dare asked. She stared at him and smiled. “Baby, you know I come around anytime I feel like it.” “Baby, you know I come around anytime I feel like it.” I mimicked sounding like a cartoon character. Reina covered her mouth in some sort of mocking laugh. “Did Ade-Cole’s Firm executive just sound like that?” she said as she laughed. “Honey, you need to grow up.” She said, laughing at me. “I thought she sounded cute.” Dare said, defending me. Reina scoffed. “Baby, I am not surprised you are taking her side, it’s your first approach towards getting any girl you want, then you get her pregnant and then you kill her kid.” She said and wiped a tear from her eye. JEEZ!!! Reina is the world’s biggest hypocrite! Now she was set on making Dare feel bad. Dare raised his eye up. “Reina, I thought we have passed this issue on Tobi’s death.” “Really? Every night I sleep and think of my son. He would still be alive if you had been a man and done what a man should do.” She shouted angrily. I stood up. “I think I should leave.” Reina laughed. “Oh please Darlene, you have to stay and know the kind of man you are going to be working and sleeping with, Slut.” “I beg your pardon.” I said. NO ONE DARES THE WILLIAMS IN ME! Reina smiled. “The man you are going to be working AND sleeping with, SLUT!” she emphasized. She didn’t have to finish her line before I hit her in a school girl’s way - A SLAP! Reina rubbed her cheek. “That really hurt, Ms. Williams.” She said, as she took a seat. “But I am not gonna react, because I am classy and you are thrash.” “Really?” Dare held his head. “STOP THIS!” “You stop it Dare, this is your girlfriend or wife or whatever coming to the office to harass me, I am just a staff, is this also office policy?” I raged in anger. Dare stared at me and then smiled. “You care Darlene, you just called her my wife, and it shows that you care.” “Why are men so dumb?” I asked as I cursed in Spanish. Reina swallowed. “Dare, are you really gonna end up with this girl?” Dare took his seat. “Reina, it’s not your business and I think you have overstayed.” “It is my business! We shared a child together, Dare. I am concerned for you. This kid is rude.” She said, staring at me. I officially brand Reina a ‘Psycho’. She just called me a ‘KID’ “Reina, I won’t have you talk to Darlene in that manner.” Dare replied. She laughed and fetched her whisky from her bag. “Reina, classy women don’t carry whisky around.” I said. She nodded as she gulped. “Dare is responsible for everything. Ever since Tobi left us, Dare became a monster, he stopped seeing me .” She said, as she drank. She choked slightly and continued. “This guy is not a man.” Dare bowed his head. “I thought you went for a reformation. Nothing has changed, Reina.” She laughed. “So you were expecting a change from a woman you destroyed.” I stared at them, not sure if it was pity or spite in my eyes. They both needed to sort themselves out. Dare stared at me. “She’s drunk.” He said. I smiled. “For all the right reasons, I guess.” He scoffed and stared at Reina. “Reina, this is a board room, not some brothel downtown, so if you don’t mind, stop drinking.” She laughed. “Now, you want me to stop drinking. You used to like me drink, you said I was hotter when I drank. Why are you making me look bad before Cinderella here?” She said, staring at me. “Or are you not Cinderella?” she asked, laughing. “This is not looking good. Do I call a Doctor?” I asked. She let out a loud laugh and threw the can towards my direction. I dodged it swiftly and avoided a scar on my face. “You are lucky, Cinderella. Are you trying to say I am insane?” she said, stuttering. “It’s obvious that you are a bit on the down side and you need to get help as soon as possible.” Dare said as he approached her. She held her hair and screamed. “I don’t need any help. All I need is Tobi, my son, our son!” she said, and sobbed gently. “Tobi is dead, and he’s not coming back to us. Please understand that Reina. You can’t keep flogging yourself over this.” He said, and hugged her. She held on to him tightly. “Please don’t let me go, Dare. Marry me please; I want you in my life. I will die if you leave me, please baby.” She said, and kissed his neck. This is officially a psycho case. Dare has his hand full with Reina, probably he’ll forget about whatever love he claims to feel for me. Reina needed help, not Dare’s love. If she claimed that Dare hurt her so much, I couldn’t understand why she wanted him so bad. “Dare is mine. He is mine…go away Cinderella.” She said. I smiled faintly and headed for the door. “Darlene, you know Dare and I made our son in this board room and on this floor, this might just be our second baby. The rebirth of Tobi” I was disgusted. There was an awful grimace on my face as I stared at them. Dare angrily pushed her away. “I have had enough!” he yelled. “Tobi was not even MY SON!”

episode 50 An awkward silence filled the room. Dare held his head as he stepped away from Reina. Reina wiped her eyes clean. “You don’t mean it Dare.” She fumbled as she held her hair. “Enough of us fooling ourselves, Reina. I loved Tobi as though he was mine, but you know he’s not my son.” He replied, straightening out his jacket. Reina had it rumpled when she held on to him. It was time for me to exit the scene, so I reached for the door. Reina rushed towards me and closed the door. “Stay and hear the whole story. I know you are interested in knowing everything.” She yelled holding my blouse. “Let go. Sort yourselves out, I have work to do.” I shouted and shoved her away. I closed the door after me and left for my office. Toni joined me as I approached my door. “Hey love.” She said as we hugged. “Is Gideon gone?” I asked as I pushed the door open. She strolled over to the side table and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Is that your first cup this morning?” She shrugged and took her seat. “No. I already had the office steward bring me some from Latte’s shop but I know this is freshly prepared. I am a bit covetous.” She said, taking her seat. “So has Gideon returned to military camp?” She dropped the coffee cup on the table. “Why are you so interested in that?” I shrugged. “You called me ‘Love’. Probably, you miss him.” She smiled faintly. “I dropped him off at the airport last night. He has been deployed to Israel.” “Israel? That’s some place. Anyways, he’ll be fine by God’s grace.” She nodded. “That reminds me; I heard you had a confrontation last night. How was it?” she asked with a smile. I jerked in my seat. “Are you crazy? I was almost killed last night, and you call it a confrontation?” She laughed. “I am sorry dear, but it is one of those things.” ONE OF THOSE THINGS??? “I would give an arm not to have a repeat.” She shrugged. “Hopefully.” She finished up the coffee. “For what it’s worth, I think you should take more security measures, at least until this case is over.” “In other news, Reina is with Dare.” She nodded. “I saw her come into the building. What does that lady want?” “Tobi wasn’t Dare’s son.” Toni took a deep breath. “Who gave you the news?” “Dare blurted out angrily at her. They had an argument; the lady needs to get checked. She is a handful.” I said, as I turned on my laptop. My phone vibrated. The caller ID was restricted. “I don’t do ‘Restricted IDs’” Toni looked at me curiously. “You should pick the call. You have a case around the corner, anything could be useful.” She said. “Or dangerous…” I chipped in carefully. I picked the call but didn’t say anything. I waited for the caller. “Tom Frost here” The caller said. I stood up and approached the window. “Tom??? Is anything the matter?” “Not really. We are having a handful with Dare’s mother. The woman is causing a lot of trouble here. She has threatened to call the cops.” I grabbed my purse immediately. “I will get back to you soon.” I said and hung up. “Toni, I gotta go. My witness is having problems with Dare’s mom. What’s the woman like anyways?” “Dare’s mom? Are you sure?” she said, sounding almost confused. Seeing that Toni was lost I hurried for the door and bumped into Dare. “I was coming to see you.” we both said at once. “You first.” He said, with a smile. I bet his smile would disappear when he heard my news. I sighed. “I need to get to your house. Your mom is giving Sameer and Tom trouble.” I said clutching my purse to my arm. “My mom???” he asked looking surprised. I nodded in agreement. “Tom just called me on restricted ID and said they were having problems with your mom.” I said hurriedly. “My mom isn’t in the country. She doesn’t even know my place. I last saw her when I was erm….. 18, I guess.” He said, sounding surprised. I gasped. “OH MY GOD!!!” I said and rushed towards the elevator. Dare chased after me and we left for the garage. “Officer Philip. Please I need your help.” I said and rattled into the phone to Officer Philip. Dare immediately gave his address to me and I said it to the cop. Dare pulled up swiftly. “Stay in the car. If you don’t see me in 5 minutes, get away from here as fast as you can.” “You can go in there alone.” I said, holding his hand. He held my face. “I love you too much to take a risk, just do as I have said, Darlene. Please.” He said and got out of the car. I jumped out of the car and followed him. “Please Dare, don’t go in there. Let’s wait for Phillip.” “Darlene, just go back to the car. Please….” He begged. The door flung open and Tom came out. “Thank God you are here, could you help us calm your mom?” he said. We rushed inside immediately and locked the door. “Dare.” An elderly woman said. He stared at her carefully. “MOM??? When did you get back?” he asked. “Last night. Your dad gave me your address. Sorry I crashed in here, but who are these men, American and Arabian?” Dare sighed and sank into a chair. “Mom, I don’t appreciate you showing up here out of the blues.” “That’s no way to talk to your mom, Dare. You haven’t seen me in like 10 years. Give me a hug, boy.” Dare reluctantly hugged his mom. I couldn’t understand. I would give anything to have my own mother. “You are so grown now. You are looking good my love.” She said as she tip toed to kiss his head. “I am sorry for everything Dare. The divorce and all.” He shrugged and stood by my side. “Who is this beauty?” she asked. “The woman in your life?” I flushed embarrassingly. He smiled faintly. “This is Darlene Williams. She works at Ade-Cole with me.” “Nice to meet you.” she said, stretching her hands out at me. I took it coolly. “Nice to meet you too.” I tried to bow courteously. “You remind me of someone I used to know. Are you Sir Williams’ daughter?” she asked, taking off her jacket. I nodded in agreement. “At your service.” “You look so much like Danielle, may her soul rest in peace.” “You knew my mom?” I asked. She nodded with a smile. “We used to be best of friends, we hung out together before we got married to men we didn’t love and did love in reverse.” “I don’t understand.” I said. Dare’s mom stepped away to the bar. I followed her quickly. She paused and smiled as she poured herself a drink. “You care?” she said. “I don’t drink.” She smiled. “I never used to drink until I became Dare’s father’s wife.” Dare stepped outside to attend to Officer Philip who had pulled up. “Dare even has cops visit him?” she asked, peering through the window. “We had a tiny situation.” I replied, as I took my seat. I was eager to learn about my mother. I barely knew her, so any information on her would be soothing. She gulped her drink and sighed. “Where do I start from? Let me introduce myself, I am Olamide Ojo.” She obviously didn’t expect me to call her by her name. Nigeria is rich in tradition and ‘respect’ which danced round the ‘thank you ma-sir’ relationship and the No-first name rules for those that hadn’t been colonized at heart. Just to be on the safe side, you start with the ‘ma’. If you are cautioned, you try to adapt, but never do first names with ‘elders’. “Nice to meet you ma.” I greeted. “I am Darlene.” She nodded. “So, Darlene, I won’t waste your time dancing around the bush and mincing words. I married Ayodeji Ade-Cole but he was the one your mother wanted, and I, I was madly attracted to Williams, your father. But they saw us differently.” She started. “I’ll need more of this drink.” She said, as she poured another glass. “Are you sure you don’t want some? Dare might just turn out like Ayodeji and turn you into an alcoholic.” She joked as she drank. “Thank you ma, but Dare and I aren’t a couple.” I replied staring out of the window as Dare dismissed Officer Philip. She rolled her eyes. “Ayodeji and your Dad, Kunle used to be best friends. They had just completed law school when we met them.” She continued. “The irony of the whole thing is that Danielle hung out with Ayodeji most of the time and I with Kunle but we were busy hooking ourselves up in reverse. Kunle liked Danielle and so I helped him with Danielle and Ayodeji liked me, so it was Danielle’s responsibility to hook us up” she said and sighed. “I regret.” Dare joined us at the bar. “What are you two talking about?” he asked with a smile. “Ladies stuffs.” His mother replied. He scoffed. “Really? Since when did you become friendly with younger girls? You used to say my generation was filth.” He said as he took off his jacket. Olamide Ojo smiled. “This is one lady with a smart blood in her. She is Kunle Williams’ daughter, we just had to blend.” “Where’s Sameer and Tom?” I asked. His mom cut in. “The Arabian and American?” “Yes mom. They are friends.” Dare replied. “I’ll go check on them.” He said and left the bar. Olamide smiled at me. “So how is Dare?” “He is doing well.” She smiled. “It’s been 10 years since I last saw him. The divorce affected him really much, but the truth is that Ayodeji and I were not made for each other. After a while, our life was over.” She said. I could understand Ms. Olamide’s plight. A relationship with someone you don’t love could be frustrating especially when you are not putting in any effort to try. “Dare hated me after I divorced his father. He used to reverence his Dad. Ayodeji is a good man, but he has made so many mistakes, first of which was marrying me.” I smiled. “You should have gotten over it by now.” She nodded. “Definitely.” She said. “I am quite a happy woman now. I have more time for the spa, clubs and functions.” ‘Is that the definition of a happy woman?’ I thought. “Oh well…I can’t say I envy you. A lawyer is a busy lady.” “Hmmm….did you really ever want to be a lawyer or is that what Kunle wants for you?” I shook my head in disagreement. “It’s my first love. My Dad only made it better.” “Why then are you working for Ade-Cole, you do know that Kunle and Ayodeji are no longer pals.” I nodded. “I know, but I really have no idea as to why they are enemies and rivals.” I replied. “It was Ayodeji’s fault, after we got all got married, I told him that I didn’t love him and that I loved Kunle. Danielle had already agreed things with Kunle after your birth that she would leave him and start her life afresh, but Ayodeji wasn’t going to let me be. He fought Kunle for my feelings and then they cut off the partnership they were supposed to have in building a law firm together.” I listened as she continued. “I’ll say Kunle is better off for it, Ayodeji would have made an arrogant partner.” “Are you calling a man arrogant based on the fact that he wanted to fight for your love?” She smiled. “You are indeed a smart girl. But the truth is, Darlene, we know how these things end, one of which is the divorce. Dare was on the receiving end of our separation. The poor boy didn’t deserve to see his dad and mom so far away.” A slight thought dropped in my heart. ‘Could my Dad be seeing Olamide Ojo now?’ I smiled and then said, “Is there any man in your life at the moment?” “Of course! I am a happy woman, remember?” she said smiling. BINGO! I could guess my father’s next wife. It had to between Olamide Ojo and Dami Oluwole. She straightened up in her chair. “I am currently dating the owner of the spa were I go to.” She said with a smile. “Not letting you in on that spa name. He is a young man.” She said grinning. OR NOT, Olamide Ojo definitely wasn’t seeing my father.

episode 51 I returned to the office with Dare. We agreed that we won’t have anyone watch over Dare’s house so as not to draw attention to him. Probably, Tom and Sameer would be safe. Dare turned off the car’s engine. “Let me take you to lunch.” He offered. Lunch? What ‘role’ is Dare trying to play in my life? I thought. “Dare, you don’t have to.” “But I want to.” He said, taking off his seat belt. “I just want us to talk; we really haven’t been able to talk about us.” US??? “Dare, you are boring.” I said, laughing. He smiled faintly. “I have never enjoyed an outing with you. It’s like routine, too business like. So, I can guess what ‘talking about us’ would sound like over lunch. The typical Dare Ade-Cole, right?” “I’ll try to be spontaneous.” He said. I grinned. “I’ll pass. Some other time.” I said, and left for my office. I met Jake standing at Bola’s desk. “Hey beautiful.” He said, as I approached. I smiled. “Hi Jacob, what are you doing here?” “I came to check out your castle. I have never seen this new office of yours,” he said as we stepped in. “Wow! This is so cool.” He said, taking a seat. I took my seat and stared at him. “Why are you here?” He pulled a face, one of those faces that a spoilt kid would do. “I am here to take you for lunch.” I laughed. “Are you for real?” “Of course. I am starving.” I stared at my desk. “I am busy, Jacob.” “Oh no…that’s not gonna work with me.” He said and pulled me, practically almost dragging me out of my office. I struggled to close the door as he forced me out. Jake bumped into Dare. “Sorry Boss, but I am taking your staff here for lunch. Lunch time, right? Thank you…thank you.” He said and shoved Dare aside kindly. I managed to avoid Dare’s glare, but it was impossible not to notice his face when he heard that I was going out with Jake for lunch. Jake and I stepped into the elevator. He tickled me so hard that it was impossible not to giggle. “This is an office!” Dare shouted after us. Jake pulled up in front of the water parks. “You do know that I have an hour break, right?” I asked. “Of course.” He nodded, excitedly. “Let’s make it memorable.” I scoffed, but not with any form of disdain. “Jacob, I don’t know, but I don’t think I should be found here.” “And why is that? D, you have to loosen it up a bit. Life is to be enjoyed, why make it so stoic?” I nodded. “I agree, but everything has its time. And this is for lunch and not for fun. I have a court case around the corner.” “Okay ma’am.” He said and jumped down from the car. Jake was out of sight. I looked out of the car but he was nowhere to be found. Jake, don’t play with me. I strolled into the park in search of Jake. Mothers and kids were having fun in the sun. For any adult who experienced a proper growing up unlike me, it would bring back memories. My childhood was spent in the libraries as I had no mom to play with me or braid my hair. I experienced a little fun when Dad moved me to my granny. My teachers at school said I was overstressing my brain and knew too much. Dad had argued, “How is that a syndrome?” he yelled. “If a kid is dull, you have a problem with it, and here you have a genie, and you say she has a syndrome! Human beings are of insatiable wants!” He hissed and dragged me out of class. That was my last class in junior high. After much persuasion, I was shipped off to granny for some fun. Oh what an experience. My grandma is a talker! I checked behind the trees, but I didn’t see Jake. Someone pulled my cloth and I turned round swiftly. “Jake?” A little boy stared at me with a paper in his hand. “Now what did he send you to give me?” I asked, collecting the paper. “DARLENE, WHEN LAST DID YOU VISIT THIS PARK WITH ME? IF YOU GET IT, FIND ME, IF NOT, BYE!” I leaned against a giant tree and racked my brain. What was so special about the last time I came to this park? And with Jake to be precise? I hissed effortlessly and returned to the car. ‘Jake had better return here in five minutes else I’ll be going to the Firm by myself.’ I thought. To ease the boredom of waiting for ‘5 minutes’, I fetched my phone from my purse. A reminder buzzed on my phone from my Facebook profile. ‘JAKE’S BIRTHDAY’ “JESUS!!!!” I yelled and jumped out of the car. I raced into the park. “Jake, Jake, Jacob!!!” I yelled. “I am so sorry love. Jake!!!” The last time I came to the water parks with Jacob was on his birthday, this time last year. “Jake!!!” I yelled. Suddenly he jumped out of the bush at me. “Darlene. This is the first time you forget my birthday.” He shouted. I dropped to my knees. “Forgive me Jake. There’s been so much on my mind. The court case and all, you know how it is.” “Of course, I know how it is.” He replied and gave me a cone of ice cream. Jake is so sweet! We strolled into the park. “So how are we gonna celebrate this day?” I asked. “Really?” he asked, with a smile. “You really want to see some fun in it. That’s un-Darlene.” I smirked. “I choose to have fun when I want to.” I stressed. Jake made the ‘who are you trying to convince?’ type of face and stopped in front of a tuck shop. “Tuck Shop? Jake, please don’t ‘go Dare on me’, I want some real fun!” He laughed. “Isn’t ‘Mr. Sophisticated’ fun?” I rolled my eyes “He is, in his own way. But I want the ‘Jake’ way.” Jake grinned happily. “You do know what that means, right? Booze might be involved.” He suggested. “I don’t do alcohol.” I replied. He nodded. “I have the perfect substitute for alcohol. I know you adore Fayrouz, so I have it.” He said, as we approached a chair. “Jake, aren’t you bored? I mean your birthday is practically gonna be a drag if we don’t make it spontaneous.” Jake laughed. I could guess why he did. “What do you know about being spontaneous? D, its lunch time so we can’t really catch much fun, but if you are up to it, weekend would be a great one.” “If I beat Subomi in two days.” I replied. He shrugged. “Don’t they adjourn cases? This case might drag. It’s oil money, my dear.” That’s true. I had never really thought of the possibility of dragging the case against Chidi Obi. “Okay, how are you spending this night? He raised an eyebrow. “I baked a cake, so I guess I’ll be eating it alone.” “Are you trying to make me feel bad?” I asked, as I tossed the cone into the bin. He shrugged. “It’s your choice senorita. But the doors of my house will be open. I will invite Dora, I hope she will come.” Ya, Dora! Exactly the name I needed to hear. “What is it with you and Dora, anyways?” First Official Confrontation! He scoffed. “I don’t understand. Dora is your sister, and we are just hanging out.” I frowned. “My step-sister” I corrected. “Jeez!!! Where is that coming from, Darlene?” What a question! It was coming from the ‘human’ part of me. I rolled my eyes. “We better get going. It’s past my lunch time.” I replied, and started to walk away. “What has Dora done to you?” he asked pulling my hand back. His eyes burned. I yanked my hand away. “Let go!” I eyeballed him. “She’s done nothing. What’s wrong with the obvious reality?” “The fact is that you sounded cold about her.” He said putting his hand in his pockets. I feigned a smile. “We are good. The point is, I am a little bit unimpressed with her relationship with Kolapo and I think it’s suffering thanks to you.” He scoffed. “How’s that my fault? Kolapo is a stupid guy. He just needs to calm down, Dora is always there.” “You think? How would you feel if someone was always hanging out with your girlfriend?” He took a deep breath. “Do you think Dora and I are doing anything that is not proper?” “Of course you are!” I blurted. Jake stepped back. “What are you saying, Darlene? Dora loves you, I can’t believe you are saying this, even if you don’t trust me, you should try to trust her.” I rolled my eyes. “I just think you and Darlene might want to be a little bit less ‘lovey-dovey’, she has a boyfriend.” “You do know how to make people feel bad, don’t you? Especially on their birthdays.” He stressed and walked away. “I’ll be in the car!” he shouted. Jake didn’t say a word to me in the car as he drove back to the firm. He dropped me off and sped off. The effect of his screeching off blew some dust into my face. I watched until the car disappeared into thin space. Was I harsh on Jake? My jealousy had overridden my objectiveness; hence I had spoken in a bad manner to Jacob. I felt bad. I hurried into the elevator to the top floor. It was two hours past my lunch time. As soon as I highlighted from the elevator, I met Dare standing in the hallway. “TO MY OFFICE NOW.” He ordered and turned into his office. I sighed and followed him. I closed the door after us and took my seat. “Now what?” I asked. “Darlene, this is no proper way to act. You left the office for lunch hours ago, and you are returning at this time?” he asked pulling up his sleeves to confirm the time. “Ah…it’s past three.” I sighed. “Just take it out of my pay.” I replied. I was too sad about offending Jake than to allow Dare start me on his mood. “You think this is a circus?” he said, hitting the table. “I am not your payroll manager and it isn’t my work to take your cash. You have done something which is against office rules.” I put my hands up in surrender. “Dare, please don’t start with me this afternoon. It won’t happen again.” I said, standing up. “Ms. Williams!” he shouted. “This is an office and we have rules here. When you err, you apologize to the appropriate persons.” I stared at him and managed a smile. “I am sorry, Mr. Ade-Cole.” He buttoned his jacket and took his seat. “Don’t take advantage of the fact that I love you, Darlene.” He said and turned on his laptop. “You may go.” Was I taking advantage of Dare? I fumbled with the door handle and then paused. Here comes the part where you practically ‘turn the tables’. “How did you find out about Tobi?” I asked. “Excuse me?” I returned into the office and took my seat. “When did you get to know that you weren’t Tobi’s legit Dad?” I asked. He shook his head and closed his Mac book. “She told me when she got pregnant. She didn’t even hide it.” I probed him with my look. He then walked over to the fridge. “A drink?” I nodded humbly. He then smiled and brought out a can of Coke. I frowned slightly. “Fayrouz, please.” “I don’t have Fayrouz here, but there’s Valentino Grape.” He said, showing the grape juice. I nodded and he passed me a bottle. We opened the bottles and then he continued. “Reina was in love with modeling, but because of family ties, Dad put her in Ade-Cole.” He started. “I was in support of her dreams to be a Model and so when a runway opportunity came up. I encouraged her to go for it. She made her way through the pageant that year and was selected for a fashion week in Paris.” He paused and took a deep breath. He raised his head and walked towards the Window Blinds. “After Paris, She came to my house and told me that she wanted to end the relationship.” He continued. “At first, I thought that she wanted to pursue her career in modeling and maybe she won’t have time for me anymore.” He returned to his seat. “She was quick to tell me that she wanted to start a new life with her baby. I was so disappointed, especially when she told me that the father won’t have the baby.” “So, you just took up the responsibility?” He nodded with a smile. “We do stupid things when we are in love. But, I don’t regret it. I loved Tobi.” He returned to the window. “I am sorry.” “The kid really was adorable. I agreed with Reina to be his father, the only person apart from Reina and I who knew about Tobi was Toni, she knows almost everything.” He sniffed a bit; I could guess he was trying not to feel bad. “I am responsible for Reina’s problems.” I stood up and joined him at the window. “If I had picked Tobi up, that accident would never have happened. Reina won’t be this psychologically damaged.” Did he think Reina was damaged because of Tobi? I’ll say the woman was totally obsessed with him. “Don’t beat yourself over Reina. I’ll say she should just see a psychologist. Probably a rehab for body and soul. ” I thought about the facility that Paul and Jake attended. “Maybe she’ll come back married.” Dare smiled. The statement was meant to make him smile, which he did. “Thanks Darlene.” “You are welcome.” I replied, and stretched out my hand to hug him. There was this sensual smile on his face as we hugged. Cheers to the man I love!

To the man u love!

He is the man you love What of Jake

Wow.. Finally am here

MAN YOU LUV?

many things really happened in the past o

you this Darlene...

This girl is very confused

episode 52 I stopped at a gift shop to pick up something for Jake. It’s his birthday anyways. “What kind of a man is he?” the shop attendant asked as we walked through the men’s section. I stopped to think. Did she expect me to tell her about his personality? “What are you? Some sort of pixie? My telling you about him doesn’t automatically tell you what to give me for him.” I replied. “But it could help.” She replied politely and with a smile. What is it with all these polite people? I thought. Dora came to me in a subtle form and now she is practically tearing my world apart ‘politely’. “I will help myself.” She bowed courteously and walked over to another customer. After some minutes of sight-seeing, I settled for some TM shirts, Pants and Neck Ties. I got a shoe to match. You don’t want to know how much they cost me. Whatever the case might be, my credit card is capable. My gift might seem weird to Jake as I was sure that they weren’t his types of wears, but there wasn’t any harm in trying. I got off the bus at Jake’s stop and took a stroll into the street. The door to Jake’s flat was open, so I helped myself inside. ‘A better way to surprise him’ I thought. I headed for the bedroom, I would just leave the clothes there and head home and then he would have to come and see me. That way, I won’t have to apologize for being rude to him earlier in the day. As I ascended the stairs, I heard chuckles from the bedroom. I stopped abruptly and tried to listen to the voices. I heard Jacob’s voice clearly, but I couldn’t hear who the other person was, but it was a female’s. As I tip-toed towards the door, I saw Jake engage in a fun-filled, laughter abundant pillow fight with Dora Williams . My hands shivered cold. I returned to the living room and dropped the gift on his cushion with a birthday card and left. I walked all the way home thinking about Jake and Dora. Dora had succeeded in taking everything from me, or am I thinking of Jake as my property? The streets were lonely and cold. I felt alone. I leaned against a side bench for support before I finally took my seat. Why was I feeling hurt about seeing Jake and Dora together? I mean, if you can’t love the boy, leave him alone. Or wait, do I love him? Songs streamed into my thoughts and I had a tough time filtering them. It was as though I was waging a war with my heart. The only solution was to use my I-pod. I was in no mood to listen to sad music, so I played ‘Blink 182’. Kicking back rock, right? Unfortunately, I was playing, ‘I Miss you’. Thoughts from high school strayed into my heart. Jake had promised me during our Valedictory Service that he would be there for me always, those weren’t exactly his terms. He had said, “Darlene, I will always be there IF YOU NEED ME.” And I had always needed him and I still do, but at the moment, it seemed as though Dora was dear to his heart. My phone buzzed and a message popped up. It was from Kolapo. It read, “Dora and I broke up, we need to talk.” “Oh my God!” Did Dora have to do this to Kolapo? I dialed him back almost immediately. “Darlene, I want her back.” He said as soon as he picked. I closed my eyes as a tear rolled down my cheek. “KP, I am sorry.” “I don’t want the sorry, Darlene. I just want her.” I sighed. “Where are you?” “At the beauty parlour.” He replied. I nodded. “Give me one hour.” I replied and hung up. I walked home in the next twenty minutes. As I hurried into the house, I almost pushed Dad aside. “I am sorry, Sir.” He stopped and adjusted his glasses. “Why are you in such a hurry?” “There’s this place I have to be.” I replied. He raised an eyebrow. “Jake’s birthday?” he asked. Great! Even Dad remembered Jake’s birthday. “I sent him a message earlier today.” “Nice of you, Dad!” I replied and hurried up the stairs. I had a hurried shower and slipped into a jean trouser, polo shirt and an All-star shoe. Time to loosen up and put my driving skills to test . I picked the keys to Dad’s Range Rover sport and started the car. I rode on a 40km/hr out of the estate and when I finally got on the road, I kept to one lane and at the same driving speed. I watched the speedometer religiously as I tried to keep my eyes on the road too. “Get off the road, Kid!” “U no fit drive?” Insults were hurled at me as I tried to switch lanes. I focused on the steering and didn’t reply the insults. “And you dey drive SUV? The insults continued in Pidgin English, Local languages and all sort. I could care less. I had to start from somewhere. Now more than ever, I was set on driving to the court house on Wednesday. I heaved a sigh of relief as I pulled up at KP’s Place. He was waiting outside. He probably didn’t know that I was the one in the car; maybe he would have come to meet me. I got down from the car and approached him. “Wow! You now drive?” he asked staring at the car. ‘Why do people always ask obvious questions?’ I thought. I agree to have spent forty-five minutes in getting to KP’s beauty parlour rather than the normal fifteen minutes, and that puts me in the black book of Lagos city riders. I nodded in agreement. “Well, it’s a start for me.” As a learner with a name to protect, you should drive at night like I just did. It will help avoid the gaze from people, but if you have a tinted glass like me, you won’t be bothered. We strolled into the beauty parlour. “Beautiful place here.” I said as we walked in. “Thank you.” he replied, and beckoned at a steward as we took our seat. “What would you have?” he asked. “I’ll be ordering from Mama Cass. It’s just next block.” Yes, I was desperate to eat! Seeing Jake and Dora had upped my appetite. Today, I would do ‘non-Nigerian’. “Maybe Ham and some roast.” I replied. “I’ll have the same.” He said to the steward and handed him some cash. “I hope I didn’t cause you much trouble.” He said. I smiled. “Not at all, we all have problems.” I replied. He nodded and then started. “Dora ended things with me today.” “What happened?” I asked. He wiped his forehead. “We were supposed to have lunch together today; I sent her a text to remind her.” He paused and swallowed. “She didn’t reply, so I had lunch alone, later in the evening I called her and then she said she would be coming over to see me.” He paused to probably catch his breath and say the real deal. “When she got here she said, ‘I am not sure of my feelings anymore, I think we should take a break.’” COLD!!! How could Dora be so cold??? “I am sorry, Kolapo.” I said. There were cold chills running down my spines. Everything had to be COLD. The steward returned and handed us the food packs. I was hungry. I opened my pack and started to eat. I hoped for my sake that my ‘eating disorder’ was returning. The Doctors back then told my Dad that I was an emotionally disturbed kid when I had started eating too much. Grandma thought I had a large appetite. I reckon with Grandma. “I was so shocked. I couldn’t say that I didn’t see it coming but it was all too sudden.” He continued. “I was giving her time to arrange her feelings. We have been together for years now, and it’s been the most magical feeling to me. Dora’s been everything to me.” I listened to Kolapo rattle on about his feelings for Dora and it was obvious that the dude was hurt. Back in high school, I used to be the counselor for most girls when their relationship suffered. I guess my calling was playing again. Kolapo looked shattered. He finished his food before I could say Jack! On a second thought, the eating disorder might be real for some people. I had to come up with something. “Let’s take a walk.” I suggested. He nodded and we walked into the night. “The stars come out pretty in the night.” I laughed. “Of course KP, that’s the only time they come out.” We both chuckled and sat on the grass. I was about to play the psychologist on him. To be honest, I needed help too. “Do you love Jake?” he asked. OKAY!!! I guess I was being ‘called to bar’. In this love court, you have to be ‘not-forthright’; I won’t call anything a lie. “Excuse me?” I asked. I wanted to be sure that I heard him right. “I know you heard me right. Are you in love with Jacob?” he asked. I took a deep breath. “You do know that Jake and I are friends and that’s all between us. I do not love him.” I said, trying to sound blunt. “Then you won’t be having many problems with Dora. I think that’s the man she loves.” HERE COMES TROUBLE!!! Even Kolapo could feel it. I sighed. “Please be patient with her, KP. She just needs to realize herself.” “I always knew Jake was trouble. From the first day that she told me about him with so much joy in her eyes, I was scared.” The obvious reality! “Kolapo, you need to calm down. Probably, you guys need time. Maybe after a while, you can try again.” “You don’t believe that, do you? Once a girl says she needs a break, it’s officially over!” he replied. I shrugged. “KP, you may be right, but at the same time, maybe we should pay some importance to English. ‘WE SHOULD TAKE A BREAK…literally meant PAUSE…not STOP.’” “Darlene, even you do not believe what you just said.” He said, sprawling out on the grass. I sprawled out too on the grass. “Darlene, there’s so much about Dora and I that I can’t believe we are falling apart. No one else loved me, it was just Dora.” I listened as he continued about how he met Dora and how they became close friends and from there they realized themselves and then something ‘magical’ started. Those were his terms. Kolapo went on and on about the ‘magical’ feeling of love and for once I listened to a man talk about what he felt for a woman. It sounded beautiful. Dare had written me something from his heart too, but I swear that if I had this atmosphere with Dare and he could say the nicest words, I would be his that night. I shifted against Kolapo. “Do you mind reading the stars?” “I don’t understand.” I smiled. “Stare at that star far away,” I started, as I pointed to a star afar off. It wasn’t in the clusters. “Even if you are that ‘star’ adrift in nothingness, your spark isn’t worthless, somewhere, somehow, somebody is thankful for your light.” “Wow! That’s some word.” He said, with a smile. I nodded. “Glad to see you smile. Someone loves you, Kolapo.” “And you too, Darlene.” I nodded with a smile. “That I am sure of.” We chuckled. “You are quite confident of that.” He said, nudging me in the waist. “I think you should just be patient with her. Dora would definitely come around.” He shrugged. “I hope. When a lady sets her eyes on another man, she may never come around and if she eventually does, it might be too late.” He said. “I may be hooked.” “Won’t you wait on her?” “I will try, but sometimes, some things are meant to happen. Maybe Jake is for Dora. Maybe I will find someone else. Maybe I have just loved and lost!” He said, staring at me. Kolapo’s words, especially the ‘Maybe Jake is for Dora’ made my heart pound. Was I ready to lose Jacob? Maybe we had been fooling ourselves about being BFF – Best Friends Forever! Or not? Maybe it was time to let go of the friendship and let him experience love.

hmmm

hmmm

Hmmm

Hmm Darlene u love Jake and now u are losing him

Hmmmm Darlene

People are just hurting...... Hearts are being shattered.... Love is being broken and is going cold.. Pals! You guys shld define your friendship

following

Darlene you love Jake but you kept deceiving yourself. Since you said you don't love him, please allow him to be

Darlene is really confused and i wish i could slap some sense into her head

enough of all these love play and bring the court case on...

episode 53 The lights came on as soon as I opened the door to my room. “Ta-da!!! The Lord said, let there be awesomeness and here I am” Dora said as she curtsied. I hissed and sank into my bed. “What brings you here?” I asked, taking off my snickers. I hurled the shoe towards the door, and the jeans soon joined it as I slipped into my Bum short. Don’t ask about the size of my Bum, I am a figure 8, or hour glass like they say…so you can guess what the backside is like. Dora joined me on the bed. “It’s been a while since we had a tête-à-tête.” She was right! Our closeness had suffered a great deal and as far as I am concerned, she only made it worse. I stared at her as she smiled. What a smile! Enough to fool anyone like me, I fell for it once, and I won’t. I stood up from the bed and approached the door. “I am a little bit tired. I have work to do tonight.” I said, holding the door knob. She stared at me with concern. “Chill sis…are you kicking me out?” I laughed. “Literally, NO. I am holding my door knob and suggesting that if it is not a great deal of trouble, you should stand up from that bed, take a maximum of 7 steps and…” I paused to catch my breath. “Get OUT!” She obeyed. I slammed the door hard and returned to my bed. I started my rehearsals. It was hard to concentrate as there was so much noise coming from outside. Drags, screeches and shattering! “Can we have it quiet here?” I yelled. How sorry I was for calling for some quiet…A very uncharacteristic thing in Sir. Williams’ house then happened. LOUD MUSIC!!! Rock to be precise. Dad could kill if he heard anyone blasting music so loud. I jumped out of my room and the distraction just had to be from Dora’s room. I drummed heavily on the door. “Dora!!!” “Leave me alone.” She had turned down to reply me and then she hit it again. I fumbled with the door knob. A maid soon joined me upstairs. “Is there any problem, Ms. Williams?” she asked. “Isn’t it obvious?” I asked, eyeballing her. “Just get me one of the security guys to bring down this door.” I ordered. She nodded and left. “I am going to bring this door down and pull you by your hair to the zoo!” I ranted as I kicked the door angrily. The door knob turned gently and I walked in. “What the heck is your problem, Dora Williams?” I asked as I stared into the room. The chairs were scattered, she had broken a portion of the mirror and her bed was unmade. She sat before the mirror and painted her nails. I scoffed. “Are you throwing tantrums? I think you are too old to throw tantrums, and I hope you are not ignorant of the fact that this Sir. Williams' house, you have to live by the rules here.” Now I had given her room to laugh with the ‘Sir Williams’ house’ talk. She caught her breath after a wild laugh. “You know the problem with you, Sis? You grew up with too many rules! You are stoic and you don’t appreciate the good things around you. Open the window and feel alive!” she yelled. I stared at her confusingly. “How does that correlate with the issue on ground? I can’t relate, Dora.” “Darlene…you think everyone hates you! I am a huge fan of you, I adore you, but you don’t even care about me. Do you even know what’s going on in my life? I had to end things with KP today, I wanted to talk to you about it, but you sent me out of your room.” She sniffed a bit and cleaned her eyes. I didn’t know what to believe. Was I supposed to hug her and find out her problem? The pure case of reverse psychology! Dora deserved an Oscar for this act. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you that you broke up with Kolapo because you want Jake?” “WHAT???” She looked stunned. At least, that’s what her look portrayed to me. “Don’t play innocent with me, Dora.” I scoffed and gathered some scattered clothes from the floor. I dumped them on the bed. “Darlene, I can’t believe that you could think that I would break up with Kolapo for Jake.” I continued tidying the room as she rattled on. ‘Show-me-something-about-life’ “Dora!” I shouted abruptly. “Enough of all this façade, It isn’t working with me, Honey.” She dried her eyes. “Things weren’t working fine between Kolapo and I. He accuses me of having an affair with Jacob, and I can’t believe you are taking his side too.” I rolled my eyes. “Dora, take care of yourself, I just hope you know what you are doing.” I said and headed for the door. A dart hit the door and I stopped abruptly. “What?” I yelled as I faced her. She sobbed. “Darlene, I won’t have you think of me in that way. I love Kolapo and I miss us. We have both changed!” I laughed. “Dora, isn’t your mom a psychologist? I think you should see her.” “At least, that’s someone you will NEVER have!” I swallowed hard and walked out closing the door gently. I left for the kitchen and gently poured myself a cup of grape juice. “You really hit that well, Dora.” I said, talking to myself. I fought back the tears welling in my eyes as I drank. “First, you took my father, now it’s Jake, and to cap up a brilliant display, you remind me that I have no mother.” I continued, as I talked to myself. In a matter of minutes, I had downed the whole content of the Juice bottle. I left for the garden. Dad was also in the garden, he was surfing the internet. “Is the server in the house down?” I asked, taking my seat. “Not at all, I just wanted a break from all the noise that Dora was making. I am chatting with Shodipo and so we are having this important discussion, I don’t want to be distracted.” He replied. I nodded. “Why is she causing so much noise?” he asked. I shrugged. “Dad, she’s your daughter, you could ask her.” I replied. He sighed. “I thought we were past this issue, love. Why are you finding it so hard to accept Dora?” he said, placing his Tab on the side table. “I have no problems with her; I just think that you should ask her such questions yourself, you know it will mean more to her when you do that.” I said, trying not to sound spiteful. He smiled. “I am proud of you, honey. You learnt the ropes pretty fast. Do you think I believe you?” he relaxed in his chair and sipped his wine. “Is she taking Jacob from you?” “Dad???” I asked, as I sipped his wine. He nodded with a wide grin. “There’s a weird blush on your face.” He said. “Blacks don’t blush!” I replied, dropping the glass. He nodded. “I think I have heard that sh*t before from your generation. A girl in love is a girl in love, simple!” “DAD!!! I am not in love with Jake.” He smiled. “You can talk about it with me. I am very much experienced in this field, you know.” I raised an eyebrow. “Of course.” He said, as he chuckled. “Look, no disrespect to my loving wife, Danielle wasn’t the woman I loved.” I found myself smiling mischievously. “Was it Olamide Ojo by any chance?” Dad probed me. “Have you gone detective on my life?” he smiled and then bowed his head and raised it. “Yes, I loved Olamide.” “Give me the full gist, Pa.” I said, tickling him. We laughed out loud. “You haven’t called me ‘Pa’ in years, nor have you tickled me. I miss us, Darlene.” I rushed into his arms. The smell of Dad’s cologne hadn’t changed. Dad still had the same Cologne like when I was a little girl and when we were still friends. Adulthood robs you of a lot. Dad smiled and ruffled his beard gently. “For years, I have lived a sad man’s life, and it was because I chose ‘Classy and Sophisticated over Love’. My blood bled for Olamide, but Danielle was just pitch perfect. She made me look good, my Dad was proud of me when I brought her home.” He paused to re-fill his glass. “Dad loved the way she held her glass, crossed her legs, her etiquettes displayed made one proud. Her smile was for everyone. Danielle was divine!” he sipped and sighed. “I loved her personality.” I swallowed. “And Olamide?” Dad smiled. He flushed, bit his lip and smiled again. “That was the woman I loved.” He took a deep breath. “She wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t classy, but she was simple. She loved to have fun. There was this time she made me go Mountain Climbing with her. Olamide was so adventurous.” He rubbed his forehead and continued. “She had always been in love with me, but the way I always rattled about Danielle’s class and all made Olamide propose that she talk to Danielle for me. I loved the idea. I would look good in the Magazines and all with Danielle.” Dad shifted his weight against the chair. “When I started dating Danielle, my friendship with Olamide slowly started to suffer and then I knew that I would miss her, but not as I did. We eventually broke ties completely.” “Do you still love her?” I asked. Dad stared at the skies and smiled. “Come on Dad, it’s never too late. If you love a woman, you can fight for it. It’s never too late.” He sighed. “Things have changed between us. Olamide is probably hooked with some guy in the Bahamas now or maybe just bashing cars in Vegas.” I laughed. “Ho-ho Dad!!! She’s probably too old for that now. Maybe some twenty years ago, she could have been that way, but now everything is different.” “If you say so, but I don’t think she’ll ever let go of that part. She was always happy.” I took a deep breath. “Ms. Olamide is in Nigeria.” He jerked up. “Really? Are you sure about that?” “Yes Dad. I met her at Dare’s place.” “Ade-Cole’s boy?” I nodded. “Oh well…do you have her contact or anything?” I shrugged. “I can get it from Dare for you.” “Never mind.” I sat up. “Why Dad? Dare is not responsible for this. It’s between you and Ayodeji Ade-Cole, not his son.” “Exactly my point.” He said as he cleared his throat. “That is why I won’t get her contact from him. I will just send Shodipo a text, I am sure he will have a link.” I sighed. Old dogs do tricks! “Back to you Darlene, are you in love with Jake?” “Dad, I like Jake. I don’t think love is involved.” He scoffed. “Even though I am not in your heart, I can tell that you are not honest with yourself, or maybe you are yet to realize it.” “Dad…I am sure.” I said, winking at him. He smiled. “Do you know what it feels like not to be with the man you love in the end?” “Come on Dad…I’ll be fine. Jake isn’t the man I love.” I replied, standing up. He nodded as he rose to his feet. “Have you ever given time for the thought to know what you are doing with Jacob?” “We are best friends.” He smiled. “Honey, that’s interesting. Anyway, we would have dinner with the Shodipo’s by weekend. Wole wants to introduce his new business to the family.” I rolled my eyes. “Do we have to attend it? I mean it has nothing to do with me.” “Darlene, you know it’s only normal that you attend these functions. You are a Williams.” He said and left. I stared at him as he walked away. He had left his Tab behind. I tapped the screen lightly and then saw his last e-mail. ‘TWO TICKETS BOOKED FOR A FLIGHT TO BAHAMAS.’ I enlarged the mail. Flight due for Wednesday and My court case starts on Wednesday. Was Dad running away because he was scared that I would lose the case? And if he was, who would be accompanying him on that trip? “Young lady, that’s my stuff!” Dad said from behind as I tried to check the booking details. The use of reverse psychology! It wasn’t only Dora who knew how to play the game. “Are you running away to avoid my court case, Dad?” “That isn’t the case, honey. You were going through my mail. That’s improper.” He said, snatching his ipad from me. “I am not avoiding your case.” I scoffed. “You don’t think I am capable, right?” I shouted angrily. “If you would just tame that temper of yours honey, you might stand a chance against Subomi. It’s barely two days away.” I hissed. “Dad, for a moment, I thought you and I had bonded again like before and we were going to be friends again, but now all I see is a bitter old man who has lost once and is not going to face the present.” “Easy does it…young lady” Dad said, stepping backward. I raised my voice. “Calm down, Darlene Williams!” he yelled. I scoffed. “Make me! This is the beginning of my career and it is throwing my father’s fears before me. I won’t allow your fears derail me.” “I fear for you, Darlene.” he said. I nodded. “I am not afraid. I am angry!” I said, storming into the house. “Sometimes that fear is necessary, child.” He called after me.

Everybody knows you love Jake but it's unfortunate that you are yet to admit to it. Nne, don't be like your Dad who ended up with yr Mum whom he wasn't really in love with

Every one is pointing out the obvious to u about jake but u keep denying it... I can't wait to see u hurt and emotionally unstable bcos u lost jake

You gonna Win

you don't love Jake yet you accuse Dora of taking him away from you... let me ask you, can someone take away something that is not yours? am sure you understand what I mean.... STOP DECEIVING YOURSELF DARLENE

Cont...

episode 54 “I am ready for you, Subomi…Ready! Ready!! Ready!!!” I chanted as I washed in the bathroom. I slid carefully into the tub and ‘drowned’ in my thoughts. In less than 24 hours I was going to be seeing Wednesday. As the clock ticked, my heart raced in accordance. Wednesdays, to me, used to be my ‘I can’t wait’ day of the week; it was in between all the hassles of work. Nothing in particular to ‘torment me’ on my Wednesdays. Mondays would bring the heavy duties, and Tuesdays followed suit. Wednesday is always neutral, but tomorrow didn’t seem neutral, it felt like ‘Make or Break’. I soothed myself to some music by Marc Anthony…for all the right and wrong reasons. I stepped out of the tub and let the water drip from my body as I walked into my room. I had sent myself into some sort of ‘trance’. I wanted to feel great. As I wiped my body, I fell back into thoughts of my victory over a popular chatter box at Law school, Madison Taylor. “Darlene Williams is making us believe that Frank Terrence has nothing to do with the murder of Howard Smith, but we all know that Frank Terrence had threatened the Late Howard Smith outside the Campus lane for not helping him with the Final year exam papers. A threat on Howard Smith’s life eventually led to his death after Frank Terrence failed his final papers, who else would have done that?” I wanted to eat Madison like a club sandwich. She had just spoken like a rookie with no experience. Even though we were all rookies, but you know those rookie-rookies. That’s my term though… Professor Dean stared at us. Even before I stepped up I wanted to hit her for such a lame point. “Over to you, Ms. Williams.” Professor Dean said. I smiled confidently. “It is true that Frank Terrence threatened the Late Howard Smith, but that was in the wake of an unbalance in the mind and soul. Anyone could be triggered by emotions especially after failing the same exams two times consecutively.” I paused to stare at Madison’s face and of course catch Professor Dean give a nod for my point. “Frank Terrence had threatened Late Mr. Smith with the words that , ‘If I fail this exam the third time in a row, I would ensure that you have a lonely summer break. ’” I swayed confidently in our Law class which had been converted to a court room. “Come to think of it, Terrence’s tirade was directed at poor Mr. Smith’s family since he had said he will make him lonely, not take his life, but it turned out that Howard lost his life. It is therefore of importance to note that Late Howard Smith became the new custodian to the Exam papers just this semester, and there was no way that he could have been responsible for Terrence’s past failures.” I was slowly getting the ‘Hmm…she may be right…’ ‘I beg to disagree…Terrence is evil.’ I immediately jumped in to play on their emotions. “To allay any doubts, there are forensic results to prove that Howard Smith wasn’t murdered by Mr. Terrence as Frank Terrence had retired to his room to study for the exam, but as you know it, Frank is so dull, a ray of light would be too much for him. He failed yet again.” A section of the court room chuckled. Even Professor Dean laughed. Frank Terrence was the ‘worst’ of us all in Law School, so when we chose our plots, he just had to be the accused. “Hold it right there, Ms. Williams. Are you so sure Terrence is dull?” Professor Dean asked, wiping his palms Frank Terrence was now laughing. The whole room had exuded in laughter. “Professor Dean...sorry…Judge, I ran a quick scan on his brain and he still is as dull as ever.” Frank nudged me in the waist. “I am smarter than Madison; she came up with something lame against me. Ms. Throttle” he said, sticking out his tongue at Madison Taylor. “Okay, class dismissed! Howard Smith, hope you don’t feel dead?” Professor Dean asked. He smiled. “I am just fine.” Howard Smith was the second best student in our class. He didn’t speak much. “You don’t call that a case, do you?” Madison asked as she joined me in the hallway. “It was a joke. I let you win!” I shook my head. “Of course not, I should have been given the opportunity to chew you like a squid. Do you ever do your homework?” I asked, fetching my bag. “You are too full of yourself, aren’t you? I would love to see you on the big scene. You aren’t really that good, you know.” She said and walked away, almost swaying like a pendulum in her Caribbean skirt . At least she could sway her skirt to confidence! I laughed and left for the next class. It would be a lot different taking on Subomi but I could beat him. I knew it! I grabbed my laptop bag and headed downstairs. “Morning Darlene.” Dad said as he sipped his coffee. “Morning Dad.” He stretched out the Dailies at me. “They are talking about you.” I collected one from him coolly, and placed the rest on the table. “Have a good day.” I said, and left. “Hi D…” Jake said, standing in front of the gate. I felt a bit repulsive. He probably must have slept with Dora last night . “What are you doing here?” I asked. ` “You shouldn’t be giving me any attitude after what you did yesterday. You got me pissed on my birthday; anyway, my day was saved.” I nodded. “Of course, it was saveddddd…” I dragged the ‘Saved’ for emphasis. “I am running late for work. If you don’t mind, we could talk later. Probably online.” I said, stepping aside. “Let me drop you off.” He offered. I smiled. “I will be fine.” I said, and walked away. Jake caught up with me by foot. “What is it with you, Darlene? You dropped a package in my house without saying a word and now you are giving this entire attitude. I can’t deal.” I shrugged. “You don’t have to. I already relieved you of your duties.” I said, with a smile. “Chauffeur?” “I am fine by the tag. It suits me right! If that makes you happy, I want to be your chauffeur by all means. Let me drive you.” I smiled. “Jacob Martin-Oje, you don’t read in between the lines, do you?” “That’s why I am a happy man. I wait for it to be a BOLD SENTENCE. I don’t stress.” I nodded with a smile. “Here’s the BOLD STATEMENT: I don’t want to see you ever again!” I said firmly. “You could never mean that.” He replied, with a smile. I rubbed his cheek and smiled. “This time it’s real. Bye Jake.” “Why, Darlene?” he asked, holding my hand with a firm grip. I scoffed, releasing myself from his grip. “Jake, I want you to be free. Have your own life. You are always coming here, checking on me, and all. Jake I want to set you free.” “Are you crazy, Darlene? Do you think you have a hold on me? I choose to be here because I want to.” I nodded. “The moment I don’t want you to anymore, I indirectly help you to stop caring. So, I want you to stay away, Jacob.” I said and re-adjusted my dangling laptop bag. Jake stepped backward as he stared at my eyes. I blinked and walked away. The Mass Transit was a real case. I had to join the commuters standing; I joined the 7am bus late. Cute High School Boys and Girls flooded the bus, Men of the Stock Market and Banks could easily be identified in their suits, some sitting, and some standing. I wore a gorgeous smile to the Men in Blazers hoping that it would gain me a pass on their seat, but who knows Jack in Lagos? No gentleman on my bus today . Who cares? Okay…I did! I had roughly twenty minutes to go on the bus and I would have to stand all through the journey if someone didn’t get off at the next stop, but the next stop was mine. So standing is a must! “Hey Ms.” A voice said. ‘What is it with me and guys?’ I didn’t turn. ‘Hey Ms.’ this time I was tapped lightly. I turned around to see a young guy of probably 17 or 18 in his School Uniform; probably a senior at school. Clean face, nice lush low black hair, pretty dimples. By God, this guy is beautiful. Yes, I used the ‘B’ word for him. “You can have my seat.” He said with a smile. Some girls giggled and I felt a little bit embarrassed. It seemed to me like a dare to get to me sit in his place. “No, thank you.” He frowned slightly. “I’ll feel bad. And probably, it means I’ll be having a black Tuesday, A fine woman shouldn’t tell a hopeful, ‘I’ll pass’ on a day like this.” We all laughed. Some of the men that were all ‘suited up’ looked back trying to place the joke. Why were they interested in the joke? A boy had done what men couldn’t do! I took my seat kindly, but it wasn’t for too long. I was soon at Ade-Cole. I smiled at them all as I got off the bus. There was a huge cheer as I walked away into the Giant Firm. Poor boy with his heart in his hand. “Darlene…how are you this morning?” Mrs. Abu asked as we met in the reception. I nodded with a smile. “I am doing fine, ma’am.” I replied, courteously. I didn’t expect Mrs. Abu to let me go easily. You don’t just barge into ‘Mrs. Nosy’ without a reason. “Young Dare won’t be coming in today from what I gathered yesterday.” She started. I stared at her. She puffed some powder on her face and then gasped. “Dear Lord, I can’t believe you love gossip.” I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I will tell you why he isn’t coming to work today.” I was joined by Toni at the reception. “Good morning, Mrs. Abu.” She said without even looking at her. “Darlene, let’s go upstairs.” “How is your preparation for tomorrow coming?” Mrs. Abu shouted as I stepped into the elevator with Toni. Toni punched the buttons to the last floor. “How are you today?” “I am feeling okay. A bit nervous…” I confessed. She smiled. “You will do fine.” “Why won’t Dare be here today?” I asked. She stared at her phone. “He will call you later to inform you on that.” She replied. Mrs. Small knew the polite way to offend me. I practically didn’t say anything to her again as I replied with the casual ‘Um...hmm’ “Hi Bola.” I said as I greeted my ever dutiful secretary. She responded with a smile and helped Mrs. Small with her bag into the office. I drew the blinds and took my seat. Toni took hers too. Immediately the door closed after Bola, she sat straight. “Dare had to leave the city urgently last night.” I swallowed a bit. “Really?” I feigned being uninterested in the matter as I turned on my laptop. “He is the boss; he could do what he wishes.” “Dare won’t just miss work, he told me that there is something that he had to do.” I shrugged. “If it is important that I know, he would let me know.” I replied. “Toni, I have a case before me tomorrow and that to me is more important than whatsoever might be the reason for why Dare decided to take a trip.” I paused to catch my breath and then I recollected the fact that Dad was also going away on an ‘important’ trip. “Seems like everyone is running away from the case, I am not scared.” She sighed. “Darlene, I don’t think Dare is running away from your case.” I hissed dryly. The intercom rang. “Yes, Bola” I kept it on loudspeaker. Picking up the receiver is a big deal to me. “Mr. Tunji Davis wants to have lunch with you; he says he will be here to get you himself.” I nodded. “Book it.” I replied and ended the call. “I’d be careful with whatever I eat in the next 24 hours if I was you.” Toni said, pouring herself a glass of water. I smiled. “Tunji Davis is my client.” She scoffed. “You are naïve.” She took a gulp of water. “Anyone could be used to plot your downfall, probably the chef at the restaurant or the waiters, anyone.” She sounded so confident. I nodded. “Thanks for the heads up. I will be having only water then.” I said and smiled. She frowned. “That’s not meant to be a joke, so I am surprised at your face. You think it’s funny.” She hissed. “I had diarrhoea on my first court case.” I laughed. “If anyone would have diarrhoea, it has to be you. Toni, you eat too much. You deserve it.” I flipped through the pages of the City People’s Magazine. She rolled her eyes. “Honey, the Doctor diagnosed me with food poisoning. Can you imagine I was poisoned with the Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ?” she said proudly. “My opponents went too far!” she concluded flipping her hair backwards with pride. I widened my eyes and burst into a mocking laughter that the magazine fell from my hand. My eyes soon got wet. “Toni, you are a clear case of illiteracy!” I said as I tried to catch my breath. “Illiteracy in the Microbiology field, I mean.” I bent over to pick my magazine. “What do you mean?” she asked, sounding offended. I managed to be a bit civil with my laughter and then I continued. “Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a microorganism, it is a strain of the Escherichia coli and it is responsible for diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is thanks to what you eat.” I paused to laugh. “My dear , Escherichia coli is no sprayed powder into your food .” I returned to reading my magazine. She frowned. “Whatever! I didn’t graduate with a summa cum laude so you shouldn’t expect me to know everything.” I laughed harder. “I am summa cum laude in Law. Whatever I know about microorganisms is from personal study and interest.” I replied. “Oh dear…did you think you had stored up a poison in your memory bank? Madam, please erase it!” Toni raised her eye brows in defeat with a smile. “Hahaha…Toni, you are just so full of wonders. I just love you, poisoning?” I laughed more. I just couldn’t get a grip of myself. Probably if I didn’t know about it, I would have let her sway me. Mrs. Small laughed in spite of herself. “Mock all you want today. We’ll see who would be laughing after tomorrow.” She said, with a grin. My laughter slowly started to fade into a wry smile and then a grimace. She burped a bit and laughed. “We’ll see by tomorrow.” Oh my…tomorrow!!! Tomorrow!!! Subomi…Tomorrow!!! My summa cum laude versus Years of Experience!!! Tomorrow and tomorrow again!!! I would wait patiently. Did I say patiently? Nope! Impatiently!!!

Becareful gal

Let this tomorrow come very quickly

i wish you well tomorrow

I cant wait for the next episode

Tomorrow will be the real deal

Wish you the best

He who the enemy is after always guards his life.. That you're being careful doesn't mehn that you are afraid

waiting patiently

episode 55 Tunji Davis handed over the bill to the waiter and the waiter left. “Ms. Williams, I would love to salute your courage on far on this case.” I responded with a smile. He sighed and then continued. “Well, after all is said and done, we would be starting the proceedings tomorrow, how do you feel?” I couldn’t understand Tunji Davis. I am his lawyer, yet he kept asking about my state of mind every now and then. I could understand that maybe my age and inexperience was responsible for everyone ‘caring excessively’, but I am a professional and I should be given a free hand, shouldn’t I? “I am in high spirits.” I replied, slightly cocky. He smiled. That was satisfying to him on any level. “Have you seen the Dailies today?” he asked, placing on before me. “I have read this exact one.” I said, tapping the paper. The tabloids were boldly written: “IN WHAT MIGHT JUST MAKE FOR THE CASE OF THE YEAR, DARLENE WILLIAMS, DAUGHTER TO RENOWNED LAWYER, SIR. KUNLE WILLIAMS TAKES ON THE EVERGREEN SUBOMI BANKOLE TOMORROW!!!” “These Press People have a way of hyping Subomi. What’s evergreen about him? Is that layer of grey hair that he has?” Tunji Davis asked. I guess he wanted to start a joke, but it fell flat. I couldn’t even manage a chuckle. We both knew that Subomi was no child’s play. I stared at the paper. Subomi Bankole’s picture almost stole the show. An almost-passport size of mine was used as my picture and placed below his. At the back page of the paper, people from all works of life had sent in their thoughts on the case and the most probable winner. Subomi Bankole, all the way! It could kill one’s spirit. “I believe in you.” he said, collecting the paper. I smiled. He didn’t have a choice. His money was on me. “Thank for the vote of confidence.” “We could take our leave now.” He said, standing up. I picked up my purse. “Excuse me Ms.,” a voice said behind me and I turned around. “Do you remember me?” he asked. I stared him from head to toe and smiled. “Bus boy, right?” he nodded in the affirmative. “Thanks for what you did earlier today.” “The name is Bobby.” He said. I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Bobby, I am Darlene.” Mr. Tunji Davis cleared his throat. “Meet my friend here, Mr. Davis.” Tunji Davis stretched out his hand to him. Bobby bowed taking the hand of Mr. Davis. “Honored to meet you, Mr. Davis.” Tunji Davis smiled and patted him on the back. “Shouldn’t you be in school, Bobby?” I asked. He smiled. “Yes, I am on assignment. I have a term paper to submit and I am writing on ‘The Fall of Chidi Obi – a modern day tyrant.’” He said confidently. Goose pimples flooded my skin. “Are you sure about the title of that Paper? He nodded in the affirmative. “A lot of us are banking on you to put him away forever.” I stared at the Newspaper. “Of course, we don’t have the money to get heard in the papers.” I swallowed. “Bobby, I appreciate the vote of confidence.” I said, clutching my purse to my arm indicating that I was on my way out of the restaurant. “Could we take a picture together?” he asked. “The three of us.” He said with a smile. Tunji Davis shrugged and joined us. Bobby gave his camera to an attendant who took our picture. “Thank you Sir and Ma.” He said. I smiled. “Can you take a joke?” I asked. “Of course.” He replied with a smile. I grinned and said. “Submit that paper when the whole case is over.” I winked and left. “I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!” He called after me. It seemed as though I was part of the majority who didn’t believe in me. We tried to avoid any conversation the case. ‘Let tomorrow take care of itself.’ He dropped me off at the Firm and I returned into my office. Toni was just returning from lunch too so we met at the door. “Hope you had a nice and poison free lunch?” she asked with a smile. The Escherichia coli thought flooded back in my head and I managed a laugh. “It was decent. I have something to tell you.” I said as we walked into her office. “No intern yet?” I asked, as I stared at picture of Toni and me on her desk. “It gets lonely here sometimes.” She said with a faint smile. I dusted what used to be my seat some months back and took my seat. “I am scared of losing tomorrow.” My eyes were full. Toni came over to me and hugged me. “I don’t want to lose.” I said in tears. “You are a fighter, Darlene. I have seen you stand up for what you believe in. You will succeed, by God’s grace.” I Squeezed out of her embrace. “Toni, you don’t understand, If I fail, I will be failing a lot of hopefuls.” She sighed and shook me up. “You can’t fail.” “There’s this young guy, Bobby. I met him on the bus this morning.” I started with a smile. “He gave me his seat. At first, I thought it was a bet of a sort with his classmates, but I later saw the reason for his gesture today at lunch.” I paused to clean my face. “Bobby is writing a term paper on: ‘The Fall of Chidi Obi – a modern day tyrant’.” Toni let out a breath. ‘Whew’ She bit her lips. “Just like Bobby believes in you, I also do.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I said and smiled. Slowly I started chuckling. I realized I had been saying ‘thanks for the vote of confidence’ all day. It got to my heart, I slowly started to cry. What if their confidence wasn’t enough? What if I really wasn’t ‘good enough’? Maybe I was just good for the small stages. “I could step down now.” I said in tears. “I am afraid.” Toni looked worried. “No Darlene, you can’t give up now. I am going to call Jake, maybe he can shake things up around here.” She said, reaching for her phone. “Don’t!” I said, grabbing her hand. She scoffed. “Why is that? There’s nothing about you that Jacob hasn’t seen. So this isn’t strange.” She said, trying to dial his number. “We are no more friends!” She dropped her phone. “When did that happen?” she asked, slowly taking her seat. “This morning, Jake is now with Dora and this will soon be official between them; I need him to be free.” Toni looked at me for a while and then laughed. “All this time you were pretending, you are meant to be with Jake! See you without him for few hours and you are like a vegetable.” “This is not because of Jacob. I have a court case around the corner. I am worried.” She shot angrily at me. “Just shut up! Why don’t you work out your emotions first? Today, I think you love Dare, tomorrow; it looks like your life would end without Jacob. What is it going to be? Make a choice! Stop playing with every man’s emotions. You are not the first ‘hot-beautiful-amazing-brilliant-and-bitchy’ in all of a girl !” she rambled angrily and stormed out. My tears dried instantly. What did Toni just say??? I couldn’t place the last words. ‘Hot-beautiful-amazing-brilliant-and-bitchy in all of a girl???’ I left for my office. Toni had rubbed everything in my face all at once- good, bad and ugly truth! I read the proceeding for the court case from the mail sent to me. I struggled to keep my eyes on the laptop screen. The intercom rang. “Yes Bola.” “Mrs. Toni here ma’am.” I sighed. “I won’t be having any visitors today.’ I replied and hung up. I shut Toni out. The intercom rand a second time and then there was a bang on the door. I listened to the drum on the door. It soon stopped and then I had time to reply my mails. Aunt Sally and Grandma had sent me a mail wishing me the best against Subomi. Aunt Sally’s mail surprised me as she had never really cared about me whilst growing up, and she always made it a habit to avoid Mom’s memorial services. Well, people change-some good, some bad, others good and not-so-good. After thirty minutes, I had gone through all my mails thoroughly and replied the deserving messages while the ‘SPAM’ messages went where they deserved, the thrash! My phone buzzed and it was Jake calling. ‘What does he want?’ I didn’t pick his call. He then sent me a text. “I know you don’t want to see me again, and honestly, I won’t see you but if you could just come to the door and listen to what I have to say…thanks.” He tapped the door softly, but I refused to go near the door. “OKAY, I’LL JUST SAY WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.” He said, in a loud voice. “D…, I don’t want to be away from you. I’ll miss you.” he started. “We don’t need this rift between us. If you can handle it, I can’t. I need you, Darlene.” I slowly approached the door. I took my seat on the floor and leaned against the door, I could guess he was leaning against the door also. “I am sorry if I have ever disappointed you, but I want you to know that I would never want to hurt you.” he paused and let out a breath. I could hear him breath from the other end. “Darlene, if you feel that the best thing is for never to talk anymore, I would accept and respect it, it’s your wish, but I want you to know that above every other thing, I care about you a lot and would always be there would you need me.” A silence followed. He didn’t say anything again, and when I was almost scared that he had gone and was about to open the door to confirm, he said, “Darlene, you will beat Subomi Bankole. You may not look big and have all the top credentials, but I trust in your brave heart that you will fight through this. I believe in you, Darlene Williams.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” A huge sigh followed from the other end and then footsteps. Jake left. I opened the door slightly to confirm my suspicions. Yes…he had taken his leave. I returned to my seat and focused better on the details for the arraignment. The case was to start by 4pm. What a time to start a case. I wasn’t going to wait till evening before leaving the Firm. I took my leave as soon as the time clocked 4pm. As I stepped out of the Firm, I ran into Mrs. Abu. “Ms. Williams, I can see you are taking advantage of the absence of the young Ade-Cole to leave work early.” She said, with a smile. I stared at her carefully. She smiled at me. “It’s okay Ms. Williams, no one would know.” She said, tapping her steering. I smiled. “Makes two of us.” “I’ll give you a ride.” She said. I joined her car. “I’ll make a quick stop to pick up my nephew. He is in Montessori.” Children swarmed out of their classes. It was the close of the day for them. I saw kids run to their moms for hugs, and for those that had the drivers pick them up; they just handed their bag to the driver and walked into the car. It reminded me of my childhood. Drivers and guards for me. No mom or Dad to pick me from school. It was really lonely until Jake came along. I would miss Jacob, but I need to let go. I pray I realize myself. A boy holding a canvas walked up to Mrs. Abu. “Aunty.” He said, with a smile. The boy had dimples. Beautiful! Mrs. Abu rubbed his Thick lush black hair. “How was class today?” she asked, placing the canvas in the trunk. “Good. I made a painting for you.” he said, pointing at the canvas. Mrs. Abu showed no interest, he then tilted towards me. “I am Gregory, but everyone calls me Greg.” I smiled. “Nice to meet you, honey. I am Darlene.” “Nice to meet you, Darlene.” he said with a wide smile. Mrs. Abu eyeballed him coldly and shoved him lightly. “Ms. Williams, not Darlene!” She corrected in an instant. “Are you mates?” she asked. ‘ Omo buruku ’ she added in a native Nigerian tongue-Yoruba, which meant ‘a bad child’ “I am sorry, Ms. Williams.” He said with his head bowed. She pushed him ahead. “Into the car, you rude tramp!” “Mrs. Abu! Its fine, I am okay with it.” She nodded. “Of course, I am not surprised.” She said with a grimace. “Get into the car, you too.” She ordered. I grinned and obeyed. “I am into Art.” Greg started. I peered slightly into the mirror. “I am making a painting of an Opera night for the end of the year.” He continued. Mrs. Abu hissed. “Can you spare us of your Art nonsense?” she asked, shutting him up. “I wonder who does Art these days?” she murmured and cursed in Yoruba. I shook my head. “Mrs. Abu, Art is noble too.” I started. She stared at me. “On a serious note, I wish I could paint.” She hissed. “What is wrong with this generation? How can you wish you could Paint? You have the best type of profession and now you wish to paint, how silly!” she scoffed. “Mrs. Abu, this is not silly. Greg has a talent. That’s something beautiful, you should encourage him.” She laughed sarcastically. “Darlene, why do you guys want to throw everything away? Sorry to draw you to this, but, your step sister, Dora Williams had life going for her and now she’s retired into Photography. Isn’t that foolish?” “How do you know about Dora?” She grinned wickedly. “Williams is a rival firm. When they lose workers, it is to our delight at Ade-Cole.” “I am a Williams!” I said, shooting at her. She smiled again. “You work for Ade-Cole and may end up as an Ade-Cole. Don’t think we aren’t watching.” She said, turning into the next block. Home was close. “Greg’s mom is just so full of herself. She thinks her boy is special and that’s why he is at Montessori.” “Gregory has ability. You should learn to appreciate that. That’s something that some people would never have.” She swallowed. I knew it was time to pounce on her emotions. “Gregory has something that some people are envious of and would never have. He is representing life in another dimension, something that brings out the beauty that we can’t see normally. Some people could write so well and string out those words in a way that you are seeing and believing at the same time. This is because they can work on your imagination and make you see it from their view. It is life made so simple.” “What are you trying to tell me?” I was slowly convincing her. “Gregory is a bright kid. I would love you to believe in him.” Gregory smiled. She pulled up in front of the block before my street. “Thank you ma.” She smiled. “Well ‘sold’, Darlene. I will think about it.” I smiled as I stepped out of the car. I was able to ‘sell’ into Mrs. Abu’s life; I hoped she would let Gregory enjoy painting. As I walked down the Estate, I saw the church gate open. When is it ever closed? I walked into the church and thought of saying a prayer. You know we have ‘these moments’ when we feel we should be closer to God. I sat on one of the pews at the back and said my prayers. ‘Dear God, it’s Darlene. I know I might not be right with you, but I don’t want to lose to Mr. Subomi Bankole, so help me.’ “Amen.” I stared up at Pastor Ben. “Good evening Pastor Ben.” I took a quick peek at my wrist watch to be sure that the time was around the evening range. It was around 5pm, so I could call it evening. “Big day tomorrow, isn’t it?” he said, taking his seat beside me. I nodded with a wry smile. “I thought God should know about it.” I said. He scoffed with some sarcasm. “God has always known about this date even before you were conceived.” I rolled my eyes. “I would appreciate if you rolled your head too.” He said and we laughed. “What is with youths and rolling of the eyes? Is that a sign of unbelief?” “Probably, doubt inclusive.” He adjusted his weight against the chair. “Darlene, right from when you were a toddler, I have always admired you. You have a strong will and confidence which is impeccable for anyone at your level.” He paused to give me the room to revel in my heart. “I know this case is within your reach, in fact, I believe if anyone will shut Subomi down, it has to be you, but I want you to know that you can’t do this on your own.” Oh no…the God factor! Subomi doesn’t go to church yet he wins almost every case! “I know you might feel that some bad people get away with everything looking good, but there is always a day when it will all be exposed.” I cleared my throat. “I want you to trust God more. Love him more. Darlene, you used to be zealous for God. I know things change, but I believe you should give him more attention.” “Pastor Ben, I would try harder.” I said, clutching my bag to my arm. He smiled. “I would be praying for you.” “Thank you.”

I always love to read this story.. Firstly, i think the break btwn you and Jake wld make you realize how much you love and needed him though my fears is that he might have moved on b4 you come back. Just like everyother person, i believe you will defeat Subomi but the God factor is needed to achieve that. Argue it all you want

All the best in ur case

But u also have to figure ur emotions out and stop pushing people away

Darlene, i also believe in you

At this period of the case you don't need to suffer emotional trauma, keep your body and mind together, add 'God factor' and winning will be yours

na d court episode I d wait for Naw o

I wish you the best in this case

I'm so anxious for the next episode...

tomorrow no va still reach oooo

WISH YOU THE BEST IN THE CASE

nice one dear

U can do it darlene

i trust you D"

EPISODE 56 Tuesday (6:00PM) I leaned against the stairs as I walked upstairs. One of the maids halted as she was pulling a bag down the stairs. “What is this?” I asked, looking at the bag. “It is for Ms. Dora Williams. She asked me to take it to the cab.” I eyed the bag and continued up to my room. I met Dora in the hall way upstairs. “Where is it that you are going to?” I asked with sarcasm in my tone. She clutched her pouch to her neck. “Or are you going with Dad to the Bahamas? You really want my life, don’t you?” She sighed and shook her head. Dora looked sad. “Darlene, I came to this house with so much admiration for you.” here we go again with the reverse psychology, get to the point! “But, like they say, things change. I don’t know how much of you I admire anymore, maybe just your decisiveness. And that, I don’t think you have anymore because if you did you would know who you are in love with.” YOU KNOW HOW SUCH STATEMENTS END; I HIT HER WITH A THUNDEROUS SLAP! “Are you by any chance out of your mind?” I asked. My eyes were burning hot now. “You are shameless enough to be jumping around Jake when you have a boyfriend and here you are preaching to me about not knowing who I love. What has love got to do with this?” I shouted. “Everything, Darlene. EVERYTHING! Darlene, you are burning in jealousy and pride because Jake prefers me to you.” She stopped to caress her cheek. “Never hit me again!” It was as though a bell had hit my head, and it was still resounding from the reverberation. “Dora, wake up and smell the coffee. I have been with Jake forever; he could never choose you over me!” I was talking defensive. “You sound so confident. I would be sending you a wedding Invite soon.” I swallowed HARD. My eyes blinked carelessly as I tried to place Dora’s statement. “Is that a threat?” I asked. “Why would I threaten you, big sister? You are in real denial of who you truly love, Darlene and this is making you see the evil in everyone, and I care about you a lot.” “Dora, you are selfish. You just want everything that I have and own. Well you have it all now, Get out of here.” She smiled with one of the worst defiance I had ever seen. “Darlene, back to your initial question, I am leaving this house for a while, I need to understand what family means again. I love you, Darlene and I wish you the best against Subomi.” She then moved aside carefully with her bag and left. I watched her as she walked away, I couldn’t say a word to her. I sighed and turned around to see Dad. He had a muffler wrapped around his neck. He was wearing a jean and a polo white shirt. “My flight is tomorrow morning.” I sighed and stepped out of his way. “Safe journey.” He held my hand back. “For a moment Darlene, I had thought that we were connecting again yesterday and that I could tell you a deep secret, but now I really don’t know.” I rolled my eyes. “Dad, keep your secret. Sooner or later we will all know. After all, I found out about Dora. This won’t be an exception.” I said and left for my room. Where could be Dora be going? Could she be travelling with Dad to the Bahamas? OR WAS SHE GOING TO JAKES??? I hurried to my phone and then paused. I was restrained with the thought that I might be stirring up enough things in Jacob’s heart. I would take a nap. It’s so necessary. Dare still hasn’t called. TUESDAY (9:00PM) I rolled over my sheets and turned on the wireless route. I would have a Skype chat with Sameer. It is important to check the welfare of your witness. “Hey Sameer.” He smiled as he adjusted himself before the web cam. “Ms. Williams, are you having a good evening?” I smiled. “Yes, it is fine. Where did Dare go to?” “He told us that he had something important to attend to.” I nodded with the typical look of ‘whatever he had to do could wait’ “So how are you doing?” “I am doing okay. I can’t wait for tomorrow. I will be happy to see the end of Obi.” I sighed. I wanted Sameer to go back to his family as soon as possible. “Get some sleep, Sameer. Tomorrow means War.” I checked the usual the popular lawyers’ website to check what was going on. “SUBOMI BANKOLE SALUTES DARLENE WILLIAMS COURAGE.” I read aloud and then went to the commentary. The punch line in the commentary was Subomi saying… ‘I think Darlene Williams is good, at least, my baby girl Jumoke used to cry because of her during their high school days, but law is more than school debates. Court rooms are bigger than class rooms, and definitely Subomi is bigger than Darlene Williams!” I read the punch line over and over again. It was dampening. There was this heat rushing through my body. I turned on the A.C; it was getting hotter and hotter . I rushed into the shower in my clothes and sat in the tub. I ran the water open and started to rehearse. The conditions for my rehearsal to any sane lawyer was harsh, but when you are already written off before you step into the court room, you might want to hype yourself in any appealing manner. “Knock knock” I hurried out of the bath. I was wet from head to toe yet I didn’t mind and I sloppily opened the door. “What do you want? You should be long gone.” I said, returning into the room. “I can’t leave you alone. You have a court case tomorrow, you need family.” I smiled. “Isn’t that what you said you were going after?” I asked, staring at Dora. “I couldn’t leave.” She handed me a towel. “Do you still care about me?” I collected the towel and wrapped it around me. “No.” “Then I’ll leave.” She replied and left for the door. “You may not see me again.” I smiled. “It’s about time.” She nodded and opened the door. “Bye Darlene. I hope you win.” She then left. “WHY DID YOU COME BACK?” I yelled! I dried my body and had a change of clothes. I then left for the kitchen. Food was of the essence. I had starved myself and it was beginning to wear me out. I settled for some noodles. After a while, I dialed Dare’s phone to no avail. I got the traditional, ‘NO ANSWER’ response. Dare wasn’t answering his phone. I was in no mood to drop any message for him so I didn’t go to the answering machine. As I ate my dinner, I read the papers and soothed myself to a hot mug of chocolate. All the papers were with the same story, ‘Subomi versus Darlene Williams’. I got tired of the same thing and left for my room. I plugged my I-pod into my ears and started playing some country music. I needed to talk to someone. I resulted to my Skype contacts. Even though Jake was offline I wasn’t sure I would have called him, I tried to put a call through to Toni but she was also offline. I tried to sleep but it was almost impossible. WEDNESDAY (12:15AM) I was taken aback by my first court case in Law school. I didn’t sleep all through the night. I was nervous. My colleagues then used to say that ‘I was obsessed with successes but I wouldn’t have it the other way. Losing was never an option. I knew people who lived by the philosophy but still couldn’t point out to success. I wasn’t lucky, I was blessed. I had spent hours reading all night and then Jake was with me all through that night. “I know you will win this case.” he had said. I smiled as I closed one of the text books. “Jake, it’s my first.” He shrugged. “With you, it just comes.” he stretched out on my bed. Jake came around often, we were inseparable. “Jake, I am sleepy.” He smiled. “Then sleep.” He replied, yawning. “I don’t want to. I want to round off this section…” I rattled about how important it was for me to master the composure. He left the room and returned with a mug of hot chocolate. “This should keep you awake.” He said. I snapped out of my thoughts as I caressed my mug of hot chocolate. There is no Jake here today and I have to fight it through this night. Wednesday had arrived now and I knew it was time for me to confront Subomi. It might still be the early hours of Wednesday, but it was still Wednesday and I could bet that Subomi was having a time of his life after he had made me look weak in the press through his mind games. A message popped up on my phone. It was from Jake. I opened it and it read: “Darlene, I don’t know how the road before you is, But I am sure that you are coming out top in the end. Love, Jake x” I read the message for the 2ndtime and then replied. “Thanks!” I heard noise from downstairs so I went down to check, but not without a base ball stick. “Hi Darlene.” Dad said, sloppily. He was tipsy-drunk. I shook my head. “Are you feeling convicted and now you have taken to drinking?” I asked, collecting the bottle of vodka. He snarled. I placed the bottle carefully on the side table and helped him to a chair. The maids instantly took their leave. He grunted a bit. I was irritated by the sound. “Dad!” “Whattttttttttt?” he asked, turning on the television. I relaxed in my seat. “It’s in the news. It’s on the internet. Everyone is talking about you, Darlene.” I rolled my eyes. “Dad, it’s expected. I know what’s coming.” He scoffed. “You have no idea yet.” He dragged himself into an upright position. “The case is against Subomi Bankole. Not his daughter!” I hissed dryly. “The alcohol is really something, Dad. Am I ignorant that I am up against Subomi?” I paused a bit. “Is that why you are running away?” “I have urgent matters to attend to.” I charged at him. “It could wait, DAD!” I scoffed. “This is my first case and you are not even going to be around to witness it. How fair is that?” “I warned you.” I nodded. “I agree! But I want your support. You are the only family I have got!” “You sent Dora away.” I scoffed. “Here we go again! I knew you before Dora.” “That’s no explanation for hurting Dora I warned you to sort things out with Jacob, you let it get out of hands and you want Dora to share in the blame, that’s unfair.” I smiled. “What does Sir Kunle Williams know about being fair?” He shook his head. “Darlene Williams, I want to take some blame in making you grow up too fast, but it’s your life, rescue it!” he said, sloppily. “Cheers Dad. I chose this life.” I said and left for my room. Dad might have thickened me right from my cradle. I used to frequent Soldier’s camps. Dad had lot of friends in the force. So we practically hung out together all the time whilst I grew up. I spent most of my holidays living like a Soldier. I had troop hang outs from a tender age. I was the youngest in my class, my dad was dissuaded from putting me there, but he refused and through influence I had plenty of experience with the soldiers. Dad might also be right about me needing to rescue my life. Perhaps, that’s why I had Jake, but I had practically kicked him away. The next stop for me had to be the internet, sleep was impossible. Nervousness had taken over and my saving grace might be the social networks-twitter, preferably. I had good will messages on my TimeLine. People really wanted to see Subomi fail, but at the moment, I feel I am not the right person to take him down. WEDNESDAY (5:45AM) Sleep did come and it took me unawares. I jumped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. My alarm had been on since 5am, but I didn’t respond to it. ‘Traffic…BRT bus…Standing….Subomi…Oh God!’ My thoughts were disoriented as I had my bath. I spent roughly 15 minutes in the bathroom and then rushed to my mirror. I rubbed my body elegantly with my lotion; I then sprayed my most expensive cologne. I was ‘enchanting’ myself. I had a new dress for today. I brushed my hair backward. I slipped into my shoes and clutched my laptop bag to my hand. I stood before my Giant Mirror elegantly and stared at myself from head to toe. “Ready…Set…Go!” I said, as I took a quick glance at my wrist watch. “6:35AM” I hurried downstairs and headed for the kitchen. Dad was having himself a glass of wine. “Good morning, Dad.” I said, pecking him and picking up an apple. “Good morning, Darlene.” he replied and swirled he chair towards me. “You look beautiful.” I took the time to stare at me again. “Thank you Dad.” He was all suited up and a muffler dangled around his neck. “I want you to know that I love you, and I wish you the best in this case. You are special, Darlene.” I smiled faintly. “Thank you Dad.” I crossed my fingers. “I wish you could come, but I know you have important matters to attend to.” I blinked carefully and pursed my lips for some air. He nodded. “I would follow the case.” Was that meant to comfort me? Even the retarded ones would follow the case. This is a chance for Chidi Obi to be damned. Who wouldn’t follow? “Dad, safe journey. I would see you later.” He grabbed his keys. “Let me drop you off.” He offered. “Never mind, Dad. You have a flight to catch.” He smiled. “The Firm is on the road to the Airport. Don’t be stubborn. You shouldn’t be caught in a Mass Transit today.” He smiled leading the way. “Darlene, I am running away from your court case.” Dad said, as he drove out of the Estate. I nodded with the ‘ who are you trying to convince’ look. “I understand. You have been saying this forever.” “I just want you to believe me. This matter is very urgent and it has to be resolved. If it comes out unresolved, I am finished.” I smiled. “You are always in trouble, Dad. Must you always have secrets?” “Everyone has their secrets. It’s just that I have made too many mistakes in my life and I need to sort them out.” I nodded. “We all need to sort ourselves out. So are you going to Bahamas to sort it out or to run away from it?” “I am going to sort it. It’s about time.” The next minutes was quiet as Dad played ‘Call your name’ by Daughtry. Dad also had a similar taste in music. The music was sober and I anticipated getting off the car. Dad pulled up in front of the Firm and took a deep breath. “Darlene Williams, no matter what happens, I am proud to be your father.” He said, and kissed me on the forehead. I watched Dad drive off and then walked into the Firm. Lawyers stood in clusters. Some smiled at me while others whispered. It was obvious that they were discussing about today’s later showdown. ‘I hear she is 24…I have been in this Firm for 15 years and I have not been giving the opportunity to represent Ade-Cole Firm in any high profile case,’ ‘She must be sleeping with Dare Ade-Cole to get her hands on Chidi Obi’s case…she will definitely lose’ ‘I think she has got courage…but I am afraid for her, even Kunle Williams couldn’t beat Subomi. He is a tiger in the ring!’ ‘I am afraid that she will have a low self esteem after this case…poor girl’ ‘Something tells me she will win’ I had heard enough! The lobby was busy with my name filtering from mouth to mouth! Even people from my own Firm doubted me. I had the urge to run into the elevator but it was busy, so I headed for the stairs. “Good morning, Darlene.” “All the best, Ms. Williams.” I was greeted as I tried making my way to the top floor. Bola greeted me with a smile as I got to the top floor. “Good morning, Ms. Williams.” “Darlene…” I corrected with a smile. “God morning, Bola.” She collected my bag and took it into my office. “Here are your mails.” She said dropping a bundle of envelopes on my desk. “You have had calls from four newspaper houses and two Television stations. They want you for interviews. I told them that I will get back to them at noon.” I smiled. “Thank you.” I had not even been to court yet and they want interviews. Press and their snooping around!!! I checked the mails. Half of the mails were to wish me ‘Success’ in the case. Interestingly, Bobby had sent me a mail too. “That boy…” I said and sank into my chair. “Knock knock.” Toni said as she entered. I smiled. At least, she would take away my fears. “Good morning, Toni.” “You are beautiful.” I smiled faintly. “Thank you.” I rose to hug her. “I am scared.” “You will be fine.” We took our seats. “Dare still hasn’t called me.” I said. She shrugged. “I tried his cell but he isn’t answering. Do you think he is fine?” She shrugged. “I think Dare is fine.” “Are you hiding something?” I asked, probing Toni. “Or is he back with Reina?” Toni sighed. “Don’t be so paranoid. Dare had something very important to deal with.” Everybody had something important to deal with, especially on a Day like this. “I understand.” WEDNESDAY (12:45PM) Toni strode into the office. “Do you want to grab lunch before we leave for City Hall?” I stared at my phone. “Dare hasn’t called.” “Oh boy…is that the question I asked?” she hissed dryly and took her seat. “Dare couldn’t have called yet. He is still attending to serious matters.” I nodded. “Would you drive me to City Hall?” She rolled her eyes. “Of course Darlene, moreover it’s not like I have a choice here.” She winked at me. “Let’s get you something to eat, honey.” She said, taking my hand. Bola rose to her feet as soon as we stepped out of my office. “Ma’am…There’s been a call from the Court to re-inform you.” “Subomi could forget he has a case because he is a pro…but this rookie here is as anxious as ever.” Toni blurted. I stared at her. “Thank you, Bola.” I pinched Toni. “Shall we?” “Yes of course, my lady.” We had our lunch at a snacks shop just few blocks away from the Firm. I wasn’t in the mood for heavy food. “I would have a Sausage please…” I said. “And a can of Fayrouz.” Toni smiled proudly as she was about to order. “A double-decker club sandwich, please.” She paused and smiled. “A diet coke too…I won’t like to add to my weight.” I chuckled. What did Toni think a Diet Coke would do for her? CITY HALL (venue for the court case) (2:30PM) Toni pulled up and turned off the stereo. “These rats…they are everywhere.” She said, taking a swipe at the Press Men and Women who were lurking around. I sighed and bowed my head. She rubbed my back. “Its okay, Honey. You see, I would have killed to have these people follow me around on my first case, I’ll say you are lucky.” “This isn’t funny.” I said, looking through the mirror. The Pressmen were teeming in numbers and some pointed to Toni’s Range Rover. “I think they are coming.” I slid down in my seat and ensured the doors were locked. “Can these people just get away?” Toni laughed. “I think it’s cool. You just have to be yourself and don’t say anything that you don’t want to. It would be worse once you step out of the court room.” She sighed. “I think you should just soak it up.” I sat up. “The case doesn’t start until 4pm. What do we do to avoid these ‘rats’?” She started the engine. “We would drive to Shoprite, it’s just a block away but be careful not to pick a teddy else the headlines would be that, ‘Darlene Williams picks out a teddy to hug at night as she loses to Subomi.’ We both laughed. “You are beginning to sound like Dora when she first arrived at our home. She was everything called ‘funny’. She made my life ‘spontaneous.’” Toni nodded. “Sweet talk about your sister, you should just hug her when you get home.” “She already left.” Toni sighed and drove. “You must have frustrated that little girl. Do you think she has a connection with Jake?” “Yes. I think she is in love with him and I feel he likes her too.” Toni smiled. “What did you expect, Darlene? You struck the match; you are bound to feel the flame.” “I didn’t push her to Jake.” I retorted, defensively. She nodded and pulled up at Shoprite. “But you pushed Jake to her.” She turned off the engine. “Hurry and meet me here by 3:15pm.” I stepped out of the car and hurried into the mall. I didn’t know what to buy, but I had to occupy myself, I was nervous. After few minutes of walking round, I bought myself a Digital Camera I didn’t need. “3:15PM…SPOT ON! Shall we?” I asked as I joined Toni in the car. She started the engine. “Okay…my sources report that Tunji Davis just got to the court house, and Chidi Obi is also present. We all await Subomi.” Toni hurried back to the City Hall “Here we are…” she said. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Yes…the ‘rats’ rushed at me. “Ms. Williams, this is your first case, how are you going to handle it? “You are up against a veteran, it’s no child’s play, are you confident? Can you tell us how you fancy your chances?” the questions poured in as I tried to make my way through them into the Court room. Toni rescued me. “No comments…no comments….no comments….” She dragged me by the arm into the court room. Some sanity, at last! There was an uproar and running around followed. Toni and I stood up and rushed towards the window. Toni sighed. “Subomi Bankole arrives.”

Hmm all the best

U need to be decisive and stop blaming everyone for ur own mistake

Taming that pride of urs will help u great deal

let get him behind bar.....

I'm sure you gonna beat Subomi Bankole ....

Hmmmm! Even as I read thru, i'm just scared that you may not be able to contain the heat this case will generate... Darlene.... I wish you'd just be decisive as regards yr love life and emotions. You are pushing too many people out of your life; That's improper

The devil arrives

OMG.this story is something else,please continue

Interesting...

The much awaited day is here. Your performance today will either make or mar your image.... Goodluck, Darlene Williams

Goodluck on ur first case, Ms Williams

Dora u deserve an award for ur answers to the confused Darlene

Darlene I just pray u win this case next episode pls

I'm solidly at your back,Darlene

All the best sha

Darlene should understand that Jake only loves her as his sis not as a gf. Jake and Dora loves each other so, allow them be and don't try to put asunder

EPISODE 57 The court clerk started the proceeding with the traditional “May the Court Please Rise.” We all took to our feet as the Judge came in. The Judge, David Fatoye is a man of high standing. He had been in the business for over twenty years, and his records were impeccable. I smiled as I felt justice was definitely going to play his course. As soon as Judge Fatoye took his seat, we all sat. The clerk stood up to read the case. “On this day, Wednesday 25 April, 2012, Tunji Davis versus Chidi Obi for fraudulent acts.” The clerk ran through all the pros and cons. “For the interrogation, Defense counsel, Subomi Bankole against Tunji Davis. Mr. Tunji Davis to the seat, please.” Tunji Davis adjusted his Suit and put on a smile. He shot a glance at Chidi Obi and then took his seat. The Clerk had him do the swearing and then it was ‘Subomi time’.” Subomi Bankole cleared his throat. “Mr. Davis, I can tell this has been a grueling time for you. You lost your bid for the land to my client, Chidi Obi, and after a hard time with having your company suffer a dip in the stocks and you seeing the honorable Mr. Obi’s rise, you decided to take him to court.” Subomi was trying to wrap Tunji Davis psychologically. Professor Dean had warned us against such lawyers, he called them, ‘potential losers’. They would try to bring out relevantly-irrelevant facts and disturb the minds of others, a sort of psychological distortion so as to make the jury see reasons with them when the heat is on. “Objection, my lord.” I interfered swiftly. Judge Fatoye peered through his half-mooned spectacles. “Granted.” “My Lord, my fellow lawyer, Mr. Bankole is leading us off course. This is supposed to be an interrogation, not a conclusion.” Judge Fatoye cleared his throat. “Mr. Bankole, I advise you stick to asking questions.” Subomi Bankole smiled defiantly. There was arrogance in his smile. He shot one at me. “Of course…my Lord.” He cleared his throat and faced Tunji Davis. “Sorry if I made you a bit uncomfortable, but you see my friend, when the truth stares us in the face; it’s hard to run from it, no matter how hard my counterpart here tries.” He said, looking at me. He unbuttoned his jacket. “Mr. Davis, where did the alleged sale of the land take place?” “It took place in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates.” He replied, confidently. Tunji Davis was now getting comfortable. Just like we had rehearsed, Subomi Bankole was bound to play into our zone. Subomi smiled. “Where is that land and rig located?” “It’s in here in Nigeria…located in Cross River.” Subomi scoffed. “Dubai and Cross River are miles apart. Why did you choose Dubai as the point of sale?” “The sale of a land can be done anywhere as far as there are papers to be signed.” Tunji Davis replied. “Moreover, we were on vacation and the previous owner of the land, Late Sheik Ali had sent his son, Sameer Ali to complete the sale to me upon his death.” Subomi adjusted his jacket. “Why was Chidi Obi present at the point of sale?” “Chidi Obi and I used to be acquaintances, so I just felt secure going with a friend, not knowing that he had ulterior motives.” Subomi nodded and probed him. “What do you suggest were Mr. Obi’s motives?” “Chidi Obi had a document saying that Late Sheik Ali sold that land to him, meanwhile I was the legit buyer of the land from Late Sheik Ali.” Subomi cleared his throat. “So if I understand you, you are telling this court that you have an original document of the sale of the land and Mr. Obi also has his own copy, right?” “Exactly!” Subomi fired on. “Describe your relationship with the Late Sheik.” “I knew the Late Sheik when he lived in Cross River, he was a business man that helped my company with sales in the U.A.E, business went bad for him and he needed a huge sum, he had a number of ships sabotaged by pirates whilst at sea. So you can imagine the extent of damage that was caused to his business. To him, the land wasn’t of much use in Nigeria to him so he decided to sell and then I was his best option, first as close friends and second as a business man.” Subomi pounced in. “Could it be said that you killed the Late Sheik for the Land?” I interfered. “Objection, your honour!” The Judge cleared his throat. “Overruled. Please continue, Mr. Bankole.” I swallowed Humble pie and took my seat. Tunji Davis smiled. “Sheik and I were good friends, I love my friends, and I won’t hurt them. I am not Chidi Obi, moreover, Sheik was struggling with Prostate Cancer for almost ten years, and he died due to it.” Subomi Bankole cleared his throat. “Is there a quick check for those facts of yours?” “The Late Sheik was a powerful man; even a Google search would give you answers.” Subomi nodded. “Away from that issue, Mr. Davis. Are you aware that the land sold to Mr. Obi was done by a relative of the late Sheik, his own son, Sameer Ali?” Tunji Davis stared at me. “That is a blatant lie. Sameer himself told me that I was the only buyer of the land.” “How then do you explain my client’s possession of the original copies of the land document?” Tunji shrugged. “I also have the original copies which I can tell you are genuine.” “Do you have those documents here?” Tunji Davis nodded confidently. “Most definitely.” Dotun Davis whispered to me. “Sorry am late, how’s Dad doing?” “He’s doing fine against Subomi, hopefully we can have it all sorted out soon.” I replied with a whisper. Toni grinned at me. I tried to peek around if Dad or Dare was in court but no of them was. Subomi bit his lip. “Could the Court attendant please verify those documents?” I passed the documents to the Court attendant who ran a quick scan on the seal and nodded in the affirmative. “Positive. They are authentic.” Subomi had a wry smile lurking his lips as though he still had one last card to play. “That would be all for now your honour.” The clerk stood up. “Mr. Obi, Please move to the witness seat.” Chidi Obi complied. He then turned to me. “Prosecuting counsel.” I took a deep sigh and strode across towards Chidi Obi. “How is business these days?” I asked. “What do you care, Ms. Williams?” he asked back with a bit of arrogance. “Stop with the cynics and get to the point.” I smiled and stepped back. “Such a temper, Mr. Obi. I won’t mind though.” I took a breath and fired the first gun. “How are you involved in this Oil land tangle?” Chidi Obi frowned. “It is my land. The person in the tangle is Davis. I bought the land from Sameer Ali.” “How did you meet Sameer?” Chidi Obi sat upright. “I went to Dubai with Tunji Davis and then I met Sameer who told me that he had a land to sell. I then agreed to pay and then he sold the land to me.” “How is it then possible that you went with Tunji Davis to meet with Sameer Ali and you didn’t tell your friend that you had already bought the land from Sameer?” He blinked and then cleared his throat. “I never went with him to see Sameer.” A section of the court murmured. I bit my lips and stared hard at Chidi Obi. “Mr. Obi, are you suggesting that you don’t know who Mr. Same her claims is Sameer Ali?” “Objection!” Subomi had jumped to his feet. The Judge stared at him. “Overruled.” Subomi fumed and took his seat. Judge Fatoye turned to me. “Ms. Williams, please continue.” I smiled. “So, you allege not to have met with Sameer Ali in Mr. Davis’s presence, right?” Chidi Obi nodded. I continued. “Mr. Davis told this court clearly that he went with you to buy the land, what have you to say to that?” I charged. “It’s my word against his.” He replied confidently. I smiled. “Not if we have a witness. I call for cross examination, your honour.” I said. Chidi Obi relaxed in his chair. “Who would you like to call?” I pursed my lips and let out some air. “Mr. Sameer Ali, the Witness for the Prosecution.” The clerk looked at his register and looked up. He then cleared his throat. “Please bring in a certain Sameer Ali as the Witness for the Prosecution.” He said to the Court Officer. The court officer immediately took his leave. We stared at the door as we awaited Sameer’s grand entrance. ‘Oh…what a beauty’ I thought in my heart. ‘I was about to put the case to bed’ ********************************************************************************************************************************************************* A Black Ford Truck raced down the road. Sameer bumped from side to side in the Truck as he struggled for light. It was not forthcoming. His hands, legs and mouth had been tied with strong twine. “You would be in the Far-East soon. You should never have agreed to come here.” Akume howled from the Front seat. Sameer forced his weight against the door. “Relax man, relax…Can’t you put him to sleep, Obaro?” Akume shouted. He was tired of Sameer’s resistance. It had been going on for hours. Obaro snarled angrily. “This Arab fool resisted the sedative we used for him in Lagos; I don’t how we want to put him to sleep.” Akume hissed dryly. “I wish we could kill him.” “The boss wants him alive.” Obaro hummed. “This man is strong though.” He said, touching Sameer’s face. Sameer pushed him back. Obaro fell on his bum and laughed. “You are stuck with me till we get to the East.” Sameer’s eyes were red and hot tears burned through them. ‘Poor Darlene.’ He thought. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** I stared at the door. The Court Officer had been gone for almost five minutes. Toni headed out of the Courtroom. I blinked effortless. There were murmurings in the Court room as we awaited the return of the Court Officer and Sameer. I watched as Toni slid into her seat. Fear was written all over her face, she wiped some perspiration off her forehead and then the Court officer returned. He whispered to the Clerk and returned to his seat. The clerk walked over to the Judge and they chattered indistinctly. Judge Fatoye wore a surprised look and sighed. “The named witness, Sameer Ali is not present for this case.” The clerk announced to the Court. My eyes almost popped out of its socket. I held my forehead. “And that’s not all, your Honour. After running some check from the Airport and all the city’s transit terminals, no one with the name Sameer Ali is present in this country.” I struggled for balance as I leaned against the dock. The Clerk was right when he said that there were no records of Sameer in the country. We had smuggled Sameer in to avoid him being seen, unfortunately our plans seemed to have backfired. Subomi Bankole leapt into the case. “Your Honour, it is quite unfortunate that this prestigious court and Jury have been misled by an ambitious 24 year old lawyer who would come up with anything to make a good man look bad. It turns out that Sameer Ali hasn’t set foot in this country and she made us believe that she had a Witness.” I had taken my seat. I was sweating profusely. ‘Sameer…Sameer…Where are you? Please show up and tell me that this is a nightmare.’ Subomi proceeded. “Your Honour, I suggest that in the good name of the law that we discharge this case, we have virtually no case against my client.” It was as though I had cold water running through my body. I watched helplessly from my seat as I drank the water that Toni had provided me. I looked like I would faint. Judge Fatoye cleared his throat. “It is my decision to say if the case would be discharged or not.” He said. Subomi bowed courteously. “I apologize for that, your Honour.” He said. ‘Sly Old Fox’ “Ms. Williams, What are we to believe about this issue of your witness not showing up in court?” I stood up. My legs were now shaking. “I am sorry, your Honour. It was due to some negligence on my part. I would sort it out.” Subomi had a sly grin. “You have a week to present us a case; else the suit would be dismissed. This case is therefore adjourned to Next Week Wednesday, at noon.” The Clerk adjourned the proceedings and we all rose to our feet till Judge Fatoye left the Court room. Mrs. Small rushed over to me. “Are you alright, honey?” “Where’s Sameer?” I struggled to say. She hugged me. “We’ll find him.” I struggled to pick up my Purse and walk with Toni. We met Subomi Bankole and Chidi Obi outside the Court Room. They flashed smiles at us. Tunji Davis had left furiously with his Son. I fumed helplessly and braced for the worst- The Press. The Security Men pushed the giant door open and Toni tried to shield me from the swarming press. “Ms. Williams…is it true that you feigned Sameer Ali’s presence in the country?”… “Ms. Williams, how did your first case go?”… “Ms. Williams, look over here!” “Ms. Williams, Is this a repeat of failure for the Williams Dynasty to Subomi Bankole?” I stopped angrily. “It’s not over yet!” I screamed at the teeming reporters. They would be glad to have that statement from me. Toni and I left for her Range Rover. “Where do I take you to?” she asked. I sighed as I clutched the seat belt to my chest. “Take me home.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** The ray of light shone into Sameer’s eyes. “Turn it down.” He begged. Akume shrugged. “You are an ingrate. I thought you would want the light.” He said, deeming the light. “Let me die!” he said and started his prayers. Obaro shook his head. “We would grant your wish, but not yet. You still have to sign some documents for us.” “NEVER!” Akume raised his hand in defeat. “Stubborn fool.” “I would still die anyway.” Sameer replied. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Toni pulled up inside the house. I pushed the door open. “Don’t follow me, please I want to be alone.” I begged. “But…Darlene, you are not in the right frame of mind. Let me stay the night.” I scoffed. “I can handle it.” I beckoned to the Security Man. “Please help Mrs. Toni out.” I said. “Thanks Toni.” “Take care, love.” She said and stepped into her car. I dropped my brief case on the floor in the hallway as I entered the house. I dialed Tom Frost immediately. “Frost, where is Sameer?” I yelled into the phone. He sighed at the receiver. “Darlene, please calm down. Can we talk about this over coffee?” “COFFEE??? My life is almost over and you are suggesting Coffee. Tell me where Sameer is!” I shouted. He sighed. “Sameer left for his morning prayers and never returned.” “Why didn’t you call me immediately?” I asked. “I didn’t want you to panic.” I screamed. “Panic??? You killed me out there!” I shouted and hung up. I threw the phone angrily at the wall smashing it to bits. I slumped into the sofa and started pulling my hair. I turned on the Television. The Media houses were no slackers; I was already making the rounds on TV. The land phone rang from the Kitchen. I could guess that the Press People were at it again, they probably wanted a feed from my father. I rushed outside, took off my clothes and jumped into the pool in my underwear with a hard splash. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** SPLASH! The sound of ‘ultra cold’ water. Sameer’s teeth chattered. Akume hit him with the bucket. “Are you going to sign it now?” “NEVER!” He continued his prayers. Obaro came in with the Phone. “The Boss is on the line” “Sir!” Chidi Obi cleared his throat. “How is our hostage?” he asked. “He’s doing fine. He won’t sign the papers however.” Chidi sighed. “Get the nurse over there at midnight. You have to keep him properly for the next one week; anything or anyone that comes within 50m of that perimeter should be hunted down and killed.” “Sir, when are we getting the backup guards? It’s just Obaro and I here for now with the driver.” “They would arrive at midnight with the Nurse. I have made arrangement for all that. I would see you probably by weekend.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “She has been swimming for over 30 minutes this hard. If she continues this way, she might just faint.” One of the maids said to a security officer. He sighed. “Ms. Williams is devastated.” He shook his head. “Those treacherous criminals have gotten away with another crime. The society will still be rotten thanks to people like Chidi Obi.” “She will fight back. The boss doesn’t give up.” “What do you suggest we do? We can’t let her continue swimming this hard.” The maid fidgeted. “Maybe I should call Sir. Williams, he left the number for the house in the Bahamas.” She said and left. The security officer left with her into the house. I pushed my weight on the water angrily as I screamed. As I raised my head with every stroke, I shouted. I was negligent. I ought to have checked on Sameer. I assumed everything was fine. I screamed harder as I thought of my error which might have compromised Sameer or put him in danger. I started to think. I was hurt and disappointed. Dad’s Déjà vu was reverberating in my heart. I was drowning in my thoughts and it soon became physical. SPLASH!!! There was another body in my pool. “Come on D…” Jake said as he dragged me out. “It’s okay baby.” He said as he hugged me tightly. My eyes were hazy. I struggled to see Jake but amidst my weakness, I still found the strength to resist him. I hit him with the last punches my fist had to offer. “Leave me alone, Jake. Go away…” I mumbled softly. My eyes blinked as I tried to see Jake’s companion who had passed him a clean white towel. He wrapped me in the Towel. “Get me another Towel.” He said. He then doubled the towel and swept me off the floor. He carried me up into my bedroom. “What were you thinking, Darlene? You could have hurt yourself in that pool.” He shouted as he tucked me carefully. “It’s okay Jake, she’ll be fine. Thankfully we got here in time.” Dora said as she got clothes out of my wardrobe. It was Dora. A maid came in. “What should I make for her?” she asked. Dora sighed. “I’ll take care of that.” She said and left with the maid. I was left with Jake. He stared at me and he stroked my hair. “Darlene, you don’t have to go through this alone.” “Jacob, my life is over.” I said in tears. “Sameer didn’t show up at court. Maybe he was killed or maybe he ran away.” Jake sighed and looked up to force back the tears that were welling in his eyes. “Darlene…I am sorry.” He said and hugged me tightly. I screamed out and cried harder. “Dad was right. I am no match for Subomi.”

hmmmmm....

chidi obi you will go behind bar, so don't think this is over yet.........

huh,painful darlene I know you will win the case,you need God now.

Subomi Bankole, a potential loser, so you n your client kidnapped the witness inorder to force him sign the papers? Hahaha no matter what you do, you will lose this case

This is where you need the God factor Darlene. For Sameer to get out of Chidi Obi's custody requires God to sway in and make things go wrong for them; If not, the case is likely o be struck out and the Criminals having the game. Hang on dear.......... It's not the end

ohhh nooo ,this cant be happening

Honey don't worry u definitely win this case

Hmmm people can go to all extent just to get away with their crimes

I believe you will win this case D

I believe ypu win this case

Interesting... Ur relationship wahala deprived u from checking on sameer anf the idiot sameer shouldn't have stepped out on the day of the court case

Don't give up, Darlene

intresting

Chidi Obi, you're really a veteran in this game but, this time around, you will be disappointed

I am sorry dear

after TARASHA this is my another best story on this forum...

Darlene it is not over yet...

EPISODE 20 “What’s the situation outside?” Jake asked a security guard as he came into the room. He firmed up. “Nothing less than ten press buses around the perimeter, they practically slept there.” I forced the oatmeal Dora had made into my mouth. “What do they want me to say?” I said, almost inaudibly. A text message popped on my phone. It was from Ade-Cole Firm, ‘REPORT AT WORK, MS. WILLIAMS. BOARD MEETING BY NOON.’ “How could they want a report from me so fast?” I said to myself and stood up from the bed. Jake hissed. “You don’t have to go.” He said, holding my hand. “Looks urgent, I can’t run away.” I replied, getting my bathrobe. Jake rose up. “I’ll be downstairs. Dora has been down alone.” He said and walked out. ‘ Dora has been down alone’. Jake really did care about Dora after all. Who was I fooling? I felt some heat flush across my face as I thought about Jake and Dora. It was the perfect disappointment after Subomi. I took a deep breath and entered into the bathroom. Jake pulled up in front of the Firm. “I’ll be right here.” I shook my head. “No, please go home. I will call a cab after work.” “What about the Press? And I feel you are still too stressed to be jumping around in taxis.” I smiled. “It’s just a Cab, I would be fine. Take care of yourself and Dora too.” I said and walked into the Firm. I went straight to Mrs. Small’s office. “Hi.” I said, standing at the door. Her face fell. “Honey….you look so pale.” She said, rising up to meet me. “Why have you come to work?” she asked. I hugged her tightly. “The board wants to see me.” I took a deep sigh. “I guess I should have remained an intern.” I whispered. She chuckled. “You had to grow one way or the other.” She led me to a seat. “When is the meeting?” “At noon.” I replied, flashing at my wristwatch. “Have you heard from Dare, yet?” She shook her head. “Not yet. I really don’t know where that guy is. He is not picking his calls or replying the texts or mails.” “Do you think he was kidnapped?” I asked. Toni popped here eyes out. “How could you think such? God forbid! He told me that he was going to sort out some things.” She said and did the crucifix sign repeatedly. I laughed in spite of myself. My phone buzzed and I stared at the screen, the call was from Bola, My secretary. I ignored the call. “I have to go, Toni. Bola is calling.” “Okay, do take care.” Bola rose up to greet me as I approached. “Good morning…” she inhaled deeply. “Bad luck yesterday, keep fighting boss.” I wore a wry smile. “Thanks Bola.” “The Board members have arrived. It’s 45 minutes to the meeting.” I looked at my wristwatch. “That’s fine. Take down any message for me.” I entered into the office and stared at my desk. I waited anxiously for noon and when it was time, I left for the Board room. “Hard Luck yesterday, right?” Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole started. I cleared my throat lightly. “It’s not over, Sir. “ I replied. Femi Ade-Cole burst into a hysterical laugh. “You have brought shame to us, Darlene Williams.” He said, raising his voice. “That’s something typical of a Williams.” He said, almost inaudibly, but loud enough for all the Board Members to give the ‘yes…Hmmm’ approval. I slammed the table in anger. “Don’t drag my father into this. Mr. Davis trusted me with this case, and I am not going to stop until I do a good job.” Femi Ade-Cole rose in anger. “Really? Tell me how you intend to upturn Subomi! You are over Darlene Williams.” “I think we should go easy on the kid.” A board member said. Femi Ade-Cole shot at him furiously. “Director Adewole, how do you expect us to feel?” he grabbed the controller for the Flat screen and turned it on. “It’s everywhere, the news, the papers, radios, blogs and even in the sky. Darlene Williams, rookie from ADE-COLE LAW FIRM shows up with false witness. No witness! Did Sameer even exist?” At that moment, I was lost if Dare’s Dad, Ayodeji, had more power over his company like his brother, Femi did. Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole cleared his throat stepping into the matter. “Femi, please calm down. I think we are all disappointed, but I want to know why your witness ran away.” At the moment, the Board room door opened and Dare stepped in. He had his head faced down. “Good Afternoon, everyone.” He said, slipping into a seat. “Dare, how was the Bahamas?” His father asked. BAHAMAS??? DARE WENT TO THE BAHAMAS??? My head spun like a carousel at the thought that Dare travelled to the Bahamas while I was getting embarrassed in court. AND HE CLAIMED TO LOVE ME??? Dare cleared his throat. “Can we talk about that later, Sir?” “Of course. Have you heard about how Darlene Williams showed up without a witness in court?” he asked. I tried to avoid contact with Dare. He nodded casually. “I read about it in the papers.” “And what do you have to say?” Femi Ade-Cole jumped in. “Nothing.” Femi Ade-Cole banged the Table. “Nothing? You are Director here, a lawyer under you appears in court fooling the whole country and you have nothing to say?” Dare jumped to his feet. “I have nothing to say, Uncle Femi. What do you want me to say?” “Could you both calm down? This won’t solve anything.” Director Adewole interrupted. I was tired of the whole thing. “What are we here for?” I asked. Femi Ade-Cole looked at me. “Is that even a question? You should know why you are here, you desperate child.” “Desperate? Excuse me, I am a professional, this might be my First Case, but I won’t allow anyone to tramp on me.” He hissed dryly. “Have some respect, Kid. This is a high profile case deserving of long standing lawyers, not a careless rookie like you with a clue. Did you think you were match for Subomi?” he shouted. I rose to my feet. “I was hired personally by Mr. Davis.” “How ignorant of you not to check on the welfare of your witness before a suit! You are a total failure.” He yelled. I snarled angrily. “I have had enough. Are you here to yell at me? It’s my case, my business! I have one week left, don’t bury me yet!” I raged. “Hand in your resignation, Ms. Williams.” Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole said, coolly. My eyes blinked. “W…What are you saying? It’s not over yet, Sir.” “That’s impossible, Dad.” Dare interfered. Mr. Ayodeji took a deep breath and took his seat. “It’s Mr. Ade-Cole here.” “Whatever, Father…you can’t fire her, she’s my employee.” Femi Ade-Cole slammed the table. “Our Firm is at stake here. We are now being targeted as bringing a desperate lawyer who lies to place a case.” “I have a say in this Firm too… and stay out of this, Uncle Femi. Dad…Mr. Ade-Cole, please reconsider.” Mr. Ayodeji shook his head in disagreement. “We already made a decision. Moreover, it’s not like we have a right to take her of the case, she was hired personally, so she might as well work as an individual, she doesn’t need this Firm.” He paused to drink some water. “We already know that she’s finished, there’s no need to drag Ade-Cole Law Firm with her.” “That’s enough!” I shouted. “I am NOT FINISHED! Even if it is the last thing I do, I will ensure that I disgrace you all.” I said and stormed out of the room. I ran into my office and locked the door. Bola banged on the door. “Open up…Ms. Williams, are you alright?” I fumbled with the desk turning it over. I held my head in frustration and fell to the ground in tears. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “What do you think happened to Sameer?” Dora asked Jake as they ate. Jake shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think he was kidnapped.” “Or compromised? Maybe they paid him so much and he decided to run away or not show up for the case.” Jake sighed. “I think we should look into it, Dora. Darlene said he was staying at Dare’s house. Maybe we should look for Dare’s house and gather some information, no matter how little.” She nodded. “I agree with you, I would get the address from Inspector Philip, I have his phone number upstairs.” She said and disappeared upstairs. Jake sighed as he pulled up in front of Dare’s gate. A security man came outside. “What do you want?” he asked staring at Jake and Dora. “We are here to see Dare.” The Security man stared at them. “Dare isn’t home. You should know that if you know him, now leave.” “Okay man…I would just go straight to the point. Do you know the Arabian man that stayed in this house?” Jake asked. Jake wore a questioning look. The security man blinked. “No.” “Please sir, help us. He is a friend.” Dora intercepted. Jake was turning it into a confrontation. The security man sighed. “You should have come easy. Yes, I know him, but he went out for his morning walk since yesterday morning like he usually does and he hasn’t returned.” “What direction did he go?” she asked. The security man looked ahead. “He always goes up north.” “Thank you.” she replied. “Come on Jake, let’s go.” They journeyed up north. “This place is almost perfect for a walk.” Jake said as he pulled up across the road. “I think we should walk. We might find clues.” They got out of the car and took a stroll. “If Sameer was kidnapped, the Kidnappers probably packed their car and walked, they couldn’t have driven a car in this place.” Dora suggested looking at the trees and vegetations. “This place is almost a wood.” “Hmmm…that’s correct.” Jake said walking ahead. “You would make a good detective, Dora.” She blushed and took out her camera. “Let me take a picture of you.” she said. Jake smiled. “We are on a mission; you should be paying attention to the details.” “Oh come on…it’s just a picture, and who knows, I might draw inspiration from this place.” She said, clicking the camera. Jake walked on. “Alright run away, I would just keep taking pictures of the trees and vegetation.” “Okay, have fun. Catch up with me.” he said, and walked on. Dora angled her camera and took shots of the beautiful trees. “Wow…I love this flowers.” She said looking at some flowers. She angled again and zoomed it to a focus, “Oh…never knew a flower had this nice patterns and edges.” She then took another click. “Hey Jake! What did you find?” she asked. He shrugged. “Nothing, I think we should just return home.” “I want you to look at this flower, I know you won’t understand because it’s nature, but it’s beautiful and I would like you to see it. ” she said, showing him the picture. “It’s a little weird; it is yellow and has a brown to black edge with a weird pattern.” Jake stared at the camera firmly. “The patterns are like Arabic.” She nodded. “You are correct. They look like Arabic, but can a flower have Arabic patterns?” “It is not a flower.” Jake said as his popped his eyes. “It is among the flowers, looks camouflaged, but it’s not a flower. Where is this flower?” he asked. Dora took Jake over to the plant. He took the bushes apart and fetched a Koran. “This must be Sameer’s.” “Then it’s sure that he was kidnapped.” ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ I opened my door with a box in my hand. “Bola, take care of yourself.” I said, staring at my dutiful secretary. “What is this?” Toni said as she came upstairs. “Were you fired?” I scoffed. “Well…I guess my adventure here came to a halt too soon.” Dare came out of his office with a box in his hand too. He walked over to me. “I am sorry, Darlene.” “Were you fired?” I asked, softly. He took a deep breath. “I resigned. If you won’t be here, neither would I. I take responsibility for the case against Subomi.” I dropped the box. “D…Dare, you don’t have to do this, it’s my fight.” He dropped his box. “Darlene, I won’t let you go through this alone. We have a week to finish Obi.” He held my hand. “I am sorry. I didn’t run away, I had to sort something very urgent, please forgive me for not being there.” “Okay, break it up, you two…” Toni interrupted. “Are you both leaving me in this Firm? It’s not fair.” Dare sighed. “I am sorry, Toni. I need you here to look after the Firm for me. Please look after my Dad too. I am not comfortable with Uncle Femi.” He said. He turned towards me. “Let’s go, Darlene. I will drop you at home.” Bola hugged me tight. “I would miss you.” she said, wiping a tear off her face. Dare stacked the two boxes together. I turned to Toni and hugged her. “I will miss you, Mrs. Small. Thanks for everything.” I said, in tears. “Why did you go the Bahamas?” I asked, as Dare drove. He sighed. “It was quite urgent and it had to be sorted out.” “You are evasive of my question. I won’t pressure you.” I replied. Dare pulled up in front of the house. “Thanks Dare.” I said, as I grabbed my box. “Do you want to come in for a drink?” He smiled. “I would love that.” I handed the box over to a maid as we stepped in. “Thank you.” I led Dare to the kitchen and poured him a glass of Wine. “Here you go.” I poured mine. “Thanks.” He said. “You are a tough woman; you don’t look like someone who got fired.” I smiled. “My eyes are empty.” He stood up and came to me. “Darlene, I wish I was there with you. I know, it sounds ridiculous that I missed the case, but Bahamas was urgent. It came up and I thought I would make it in time, but I was too late, I am sorry.” I smiled faintly. “It’s fine. I have been through worse. My father had missed almost every important event in my life, and he also missed this, so I am not shocked.” Dare swallowed. “Yes, your father.” “Are you not comfortable with hearing about my father? Oh…that reminds me, he also went to the Bahamas.” Dare cleared his throat and returned to his drink. “Why are you acting all up? Did you meet my father there?” Dare dropped his glass on the table. “Me??? No…” he laughed and tried to avoid my stare. “What are you hiding, Dare?” Jake and Dora walked in. “Hello…” Jake said. “Hi Jake. Hey Dora.” I said. Dare waved his hand and rose to his feet. “I would be on my way.” He said, adjusting his jacket. “You don’t have to leave. Let’s have lunch together, after all, we have both been fired from work, we could celebrate that.” “WHAT???” Jake and Dora said almost immediately. Jake stared hard. “Is it because of the case?” “Let’s go and talk outside.” I suggested. Dora dropped the grocery bag on the table. “I would make lunch, you guys can go ahead.” “Jake, please show Dare where the grill is, you guys should make the barbeque. I will send the meat through a maid soon.” I said. Jake rubbed his hand triumphantly. “Meat and Men is Meat!” “Oh…please Jake, you picked that phrase from me. Be careful with it this time, I don’t think you have really learned how to grill properly.” I called as they walked out. I stared at Dora. “Thank you, Dora.” She rushed at me and hugged me. “I have missed you sis” she said, amidst tears. “I never meant to hurt you.” I sighed and patted her lightly. “It’s okay. I was also being stupid. I am sorry for the times I hit you. I am so stupid. Forgive me.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Jake wore his apron proudly and rubbed the knife proudly. “Pretty boy, I know you don’t know how these things are done, so just watch and learn.” He turned on the grill and cut the meat into sizes. “Here we go….” He racked his brain for the next step; he tried not to make it obvious to Dare. ‘Oil or water’ he thought. He then flashed a smile at Dare. “I know what I am doing.” He sprinkled some water on the grill. “You are kidding?” Dare guffawed. “Move aside and let the pro have a go. Give me some oil…” he yanked the Apron off his body. “Give me that. Who ever gave you the license to wear an Apron?” Jake grinned and fetched some oil. He watched Dare dice the onions carefully and season the meat. “You are good, man.” He sniffed the air. “I suggest we finish the meat before those ladies get here.” Dare smiled and chopped a tiny bit and gave it to him. “Oh boy…you are good. Where ever did you learn to grill meat this fine.” “Men and Meat is Meat, remember? We can’t keep eating the meat without knowing the recipe. If we did, we would look like complete fools if the ladies decide to strike. My ex taught me how to grill. She is really good with meat.” Jake smiled. “And I am sure that it did tell on your pocket.” Dare nodded with a smile. “We would have Barbeque parties almost every weekend.” “I should keep the drinks iced.” Jake said, covering the cooler. “If they don’t hurry up, we have the right to eat the meat, right?” Dare nodded in agreement. “They shouldn’t keep men waiting.” “Do you follow the English Premiership? I support Arsenal.” Jake said happily. Dare hissed. “Loser. I am a Chelsea supporter.” “You and Darlene are just blabber mouths! I hate all Chelsea supporters.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dora served the noodles into Chinas. “I think we are set.” We had made a delicacy with the noodle-carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and the rest. You can be sure that we were going to have a treat. Jake and Dare were laughing and eating some Barbeque. “Hey you two!!! Just what do you think you are doing?” Dora shouted. I wasn’t bothered about the meat. I was concerned as to why Dare and Jake were forming such a union, not that I wanted them to break each other’s heads, but isn’t it strange? “Sorry, but you guys took too long.” Dare replied, wiping his mouth. I cut a slice and widened my eyes. “Jacob, you learn fast. You used to be horrible with this thing.” “Don’t be too quick to appraise me, Dare did it.” I dropped the Fork and smiled at Dare. “Really?” He didn’t reply, he just smiled. After our lunch. Jake cleared his throat. “I think there something Dora and I have to share.” My heart raced fast. Were they engaged and about to drop the bomb? I would be devastated. My heart raced fast as Jake took a deep breath and sighed. “Dora and I….erm….we think Sameer was kidnapped.” “How can you guys be so sure?” Dare asked. Jake sat upright. “We did some investigation and we found Sameer’s Koran in the Woods around your house.” “He must have gone for his early walks and then was picked up by Obi’s men.” Dora added. I took a deep breath. “What are we going to do? I just have one week else the case is dismissed.” “We have to find Sameer.” Dare said. I nodded in agreement. “But how do we find him? I have no idea of where he could be. Should we involve the police?” I asked. “No. But we can have Philip help us, we don’t want anything to slip or anyone compromised. We would devise a plan and then look for him.” And here we have it. Dare, Jake, Dora and I were coming together to find Sameer.

EPISODE 58 “What’s the situation outside?” Jake asked a security guard as he came into the room. He firmed up. “Nothing less than ten press buses around the perimeter, they practically slept there.” I forced the oatmeal Dora had made into my mouth. “What do they want me to say?” I said, almost inaudibly. A text message popped on my phone. It was from Ade-Cole Firm, ‘REPORT AT WORK, MS. WILLIAMS. BOARD MEETING BY NOON.’ “How could they want a report from me so fast?” I said to myself and stood up from the bed. Jake hissed. “You don’t have to go.” He said, holding my hand. “Looks urgent, I can’t run away.” I replied, getting my bathrobe. Jake rose up. “I’ll be downstairs. Dora has been down alone.” He said and walked out. ‘ Dora has been down alone’. Jake really did care about Dora after all. Who was I fooling? I felt some heat flush across my face as I thought about Jake and Dora. It was the perfect disappointment after Subomi. I took a deep breath and entered into the bathroom. Jake pulled up in front of the Firm. “I’ll be right here.” I shook my head. “No, please go home. I will call a cab after work.” “What about the Press? And I feel you are still too stressed to be jumping around in taxis.” I smiled. “It’s just a Cab, I would be fine. Take care of yourself and Dora too.” I said and walked into the Firm. I went straight to Mrs. Small’s office. “Hi.” I said, standing at the door. Her face fell. “Honey….you look so pale.” She said, rising up to meet me. “Why have you come to work?” she asked. I hugged her tightly. “The board wants to see me.” I took a deep sigh. “I guess I should have remained an intern.” I whispered. She chuckled. “You had to grow one way or the other.” She led me to a seat. “When is the meeting?” “At noon.” I replied, flashing at my wristwatch. “Have you heard from Dare, yet?” She shook her head. “Not yet. I really don’t know where that guy is. He is not picking his calls or replying the texts or mails.” “Do you think he was kidnapped?” I asked. Toni popped here eyes out. “How could you think such? God forbid! He told me that he was going to sort out some things.” She said and did the crucifix sign repeatedly. I laughed in spite of myself. My phone buzzed and I stared at the screen, the call was from Bola, My secretary. I ignored the call. “I have to go, Toni. Bola is calling.” “Okay, do take care.” Bola rose up to greet me as I approached. “Good morning…” she inhaled deeply. “Bad luck yesterday, keep fighting boss.” I wore a wry smile. “Thanks Bola.” “The Board members have arrived. It’s 45 minutes to the meeting.” I looked at my wristwatch. “That’s fine. Take down any message for me.” I entered into the office and stared at my desk. I waited anxiously for noon and when it was time, I left for the Board room. “Hard Luck yesterday, right?” Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole started. I cleared my throat lightly. “It’s not over, Sir. “ I replied. Femi Ade-Cole burst into a hysterical laugh. “You have brought shame to us, Darlene Williams.” He said, raising his voice. “That’s something typical of a Williams.” He said, almost inaudibly, but loud enough for all the Board Members to give the ‘yes…Hmmm’ approval. I slammed the table in anger. “Don’t drag my father into this. Mr. Davis trusted me with this case, and I am not going to stop until I do a good job.” Femi Ade-Cole rose in anger. “Really? Tell me how you intend to upturn Subomi! You are over Darlene Williams.” “I think we should go easy on the kid.” A board member said. Femi Ade-Cole shot at him furiously. “Director Adewole, how do you expect us to feel?” he grabbed the controller for the Flat screen and turned it on. “It’s everywhere, the news, the papers, radios, blogs and even in the sky. Darlene Williams, rookie from ADE-COLE LAW FIRM shows up with false witness. No witness! Did Sameer even exist?” At that moment, I was lost if Dare’s Dad, Ayodeji, had more power over his company like his brother, Femi did. Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole cleared his throat stepping into the matter. “Femi, please calm down. I think we are all disappointed, but I want to know why your witness ran away.” At the moment, the Board room door opened and Dare stepped in. He had his head faced down. “Good Afternoon, everyone.” He said, slipping into a seat. “Dare, how was the Bahamas?” His father asked. BAHAMAS??? DARE WENT TO THE BAHAMAS??? My head spun like a carousel at the thought that Dare travelled to the Bahamas while I was getting embarrassed in court. AND HE CLAIMED TO LOVE ME??? Dare cleared his throat. “Can we talk about that later, Sir?” “Of course. Have you heard about how Darlene Williams showed up without a witness in court?” he asked. I tried to avoid contact with Dare. He nodded casually. “I read about it in the papers.” “And what do you have to say?” Femi Ade-Cole jumped in. “Nothing.” Femi Ade-Cole banged the Table. “Nothing? You are Director here, a lawyer under you appears in court fooling the whole country and you have nothing to say?” Dare jumped to his feet. “I have nothing to say, Uncle Femi. What do you want me to say?” “Could you both calm down? This won’t solve anything.” Director Adewole interrupted. I was tired of the whole thing. “What are we here for?” I asked. Femi Ade-Cole looked at me. “Is that even a question? You should know why you are here, you desperate child.” “Desperate? Excuse me, I am a professional, this might be my First Case, but I won’t allow anyone to tramp on me.” He hissed dryly. “Have some respect, Kid. This is a high profile case deserving of long standing lawyers, not a careless rookie like you with a clue. Did you think you were match for Subomi?” he shouted. I rose to my feet. “I was hired personally by Mr. Davis.” “How ignorant of you not to check on the welfare of your witness before a suit! You are a total failure.” He yelled. I snarled angrily. “I have had enough. Are you here to yell at me? It’s my case, my business! I have one week left, don’t bury me yet!” I raged. “Hand in your resignation, Ms. Williams.” Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole said, coolly. My eyes blinked. “W…What are you saying? It’s not over yet, Sir.” “That’s impossible, Dad.” Dare interfered. Mr. Ayodeji took a deep breath and took his seat. “It’s Mr. Ade-Cole here.” “Whatever, Father…you can’t fire her, she’s my employee.” Femi Ade-Cole slammed the table. “Our Firm is at stake here. We are now being targeted as bringing a desperate lawyer who lies to place a case.” “I have a say in this Firm too… and stay out of this, Uncle Femi. Dad…Mr. Ade-Cole, please reconsider.” Mr. Ayodeji shook his head in disagreement. “We already made a decision. Moreover, it’s not like we have a right to take her of the case, she was hired personally, so she might as well work as an individual, she doesn’t need this Firm.” He paused to drink some water. “We already know that she’s finished, there’s no need to drag Ade-Cole Law Firm with her.” “That’s enough!” I shouted. “I am NOT FINISHED! Even if it is the last thing I do, I will ensure that I disgrace you all.” I said and stormed out of the room. I ran into my office and locked the door. Bola banged on the door. “Open up…Ms. Williams, are you alright?” I fumbled with the desk turning it over. I held my head in frustration and fell to the ground in tears. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “What do you think happened to Sameer?” Dora asked Jake as they ate. Jake shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think he was kidnapped.” “Or compromised? Maybe they paid him so much and he decided to run away or not show up for the case.” Jake sighed. “I think we should look into it, Dora. Darlene said he was staying at Dare’s house. Maybe we should look for Dare’s house and gather some information, no matter how little.” She nodded. “I agree with you, I would get the address from Inspector Philip, I have his phone number upstairs.” She said and disappeared upstairs. Jake sighed as he pulled up in front of Dare’s gate. A security man came outside. “What do you want?” he asked staring at Jake and Dora. “We are here to see Dare.” The Security man stared at them. “Dare isn’t home. You should know that if you know him, now leave.” “Okay man…I would just go straight to the point. Do you know the Arabian man that stayed in this house?” Jake asked. Jake wore a questioning look. The security man blinked. “No.” “Please sir, help us. He is a friend.” Dora intercepted. Jake was turning it into a confrontation. The security man sighed. “You should have come easy. Yes, I know him, but he went out for his morning walk since yesterday morning like he usually does and he hasn’t returned.” “What direction did he go?” she asked. The security man looked ahead. “He always goes up north.” “Thank you.” she replied. “Come on Jake, let’s go.” They journeyed up north. “This place is almost perfect for a walk.” Jake said as he pulled up across the road. “I think we should walk. We might find clues.” They got out of the car and took a stroll. “If Sameer was kidnapped, the Kidnappers probably packed their car and walked, they couldn’t have driven a car in this place.” Dora suggested looking at the trees and vegetations. “This place is almost a wood.” “Hmmm…that’s correct.” Jake said walking ahead. “You would make a good detective, Dora.” She blushed and took out her camera. “Let me take a picture of you.” she said. Jake smiled. “We are on a mission; you should be paying attention to the details.” “Oh come on…it’s just a picture, and who knows, I might draw inspiration from this place.” She said, clicking the camera. Jake walked on. “Alright run away, I would just keep taking pictures of the trees and vegetation.” “Okay, have fun. Catch up with me.” he said, and walked on. Dora angled her camera and took shots of the beautiful trees. “Wow…I love this flowers.” She said looking at some flowers. She angled again and zoomed it to a focus, “Oh…never knew a flower had this nice patterns and edges.” She then took another click. “Hey Jake! What did you find?” she asked. He shrugged. “Nothing, I think we should just return home.” “I want you to look at this flower, I know you won’t understand because it’s nature, but it’s beautiful and I would like you to see it. ” she said, showing him the picture. “It’s a little weird; it is yellow and has a brown to black edge with a weird pattern.” Jake stared at the camera firmly. “The patterns are like Arabic.” She nodded. “You are correct. They look like Arabic, but can a flower have Arabic patterns?” “It is not a flower.” Jake said as his popped his eyes. “It is among the flowers, looks camouflaged, but it’s not a flower. Where is this flower?” he asked. Dora took Jake over to the plant. He took the bushes apart and fetched a Koran. “This must be Sameer’s.” “Then it’s sure that he was kidnapped.” ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ I opened my door with a box in my hand. “Bola, take care of yourself.” I said, staring at my dutiful secretary. “What is this?” Toni said as she came upstairs. “Were you fired?” I scoffed. “Well…I guess my adventure here came to a halt too soon.” Dare came out of his office with a box in his hand too. He walked over to me. “I am sorry, Darlene.” “Were you fired?” I asked, softly. He took a deep breath. “I resigned. If you won’t be here, neither would I. I take responsibility for the case against Subomi.” I dropped the box. “D…Dare, you don’t have to do this, it’s my fight.” He dropped his box. “Darlene, I won’t let you go through this alone. We have a week to finish Obi.” He held my hand. “I am sorry. I didn’t run away, I had to sort something very urgent, please forgive me for not being there.” “Okay, break it up, you two…” Toni interrupted. “Are you both leaving me in this Firm? It’s not fair.” Dare sighed. “I am sorry, Toni. I need you here to look after the Firm for me. Please look after my Dad too. I am not comfortable with Uncle Femi.” He said. He turned towards me. “Let’s go, Darlene. I will drop you at home.” Bola hugged me tight. “I would miss you.” she said, wiping a tear off her face. Dare stacked the two boxes together. I turned to Toni and hugged her. “I will miss you, Mrs. Small. Thanks for everything.” I said, in tears. “Why did you go the Bahamas?” I asked, as Dare drove. He sighed. “It was quite urgent and it had to be sorted out.” “You are evasive of my question. I won’t pressure you.” I replied. Dare pulled up in front of the house. “Thanks Dare.” I said, as I grabbed my box. “Do you want to come in for a drink?” He smiled. “I would love that.” I handed the box over to a maid as we stepped in. “Thank you.” I led Dare to the kitchen and poured him a glass of Wine. “Here you go.” I poured mine. “Thanks.” He said. “You are a tough woman; you don’t look like someone who got fired.” I smiled. “My eyes are empty.” He stood up and came to me. “Darlene, I wish I was there with you. I know, it sounds ridiculous that I missed the case, but Bahamas was urgent. It came up and I thought I would make it in time, but I was too late, I am sorry.” I smiled faintly. “It’s fine. I have been through worse. My father had missed almost every important event in my life, and he also missed this, so I am not shocked.” Dare swallowed. “Yes, your father.” “Are you not comfortable with hearing about my father? Oh…that reminds me, he also went to the Bahamas.” Dare cleared his throat and returned to his drink. “Why are you acting all up? Did you meet my father there?” Dare dropped his glass on the table. “Me??? No…” he laughed and tried to avoid my stare. “What are you hiding, Dare?” Jake and Dora walked in. “Hello…” Jake said. “Hi Jake. Hey Dora.” I said. Dare waved his hand and rose to his feet. “I would be on my way.” He said, adjusting his jacket. “You don’t have to leave. Let’s have lunch together, after all, we have both been fired from work, we could celebrate that.” “WHAT???” Jake and Dora said almost immediately. Jake stared hard. “Is it because of the case?” “Let’s go and talk outside.” I suggested. Dora dropped the grocery bag on the table. “I would make lunch, you guys can go ahead.” “Jake, please show Dare where the grill is, you guys should make the barbeque. I will send the meat through a maid soon.” I said. Jake rubbed his hand triumphantly. “Meat and Men is Meat!” “Oh…please Jake, you picked that phrase from me. Be careful with it this time, I don’t think you have really learned how to grill properly.” I called as they walked out. I stared at Dora. “Thank you, Dora.” She rushed at me and hugged me. “I have missed you sis” she said, amidst tears. “I never meant to hurt you.” I sighed and patted her lightly. “It’s okay. I was also being stupid. I am sorry for the times I hit you. I am so stupid. Forgive me.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Jake wore his apron proudly and rubbed the knife proudly. “Pretty boy, I know you don’t know how these things are done, so just watch and learn.” He turned on the grill and cut the meat into sizes. “Here we go….” He racked his brain for the next step; he tried not to make it obvious to Dare. ‘Oil or water’ he thought. He then flashed a smile at Dare. “I know what I am doing.” He sprinkled some water on the grill. “You are kidding?” gifts wed Dared guffaw guffawed. “Move aside and let the pro have a go. Give me some oil…” he yanked the Apron off his body. “Give me that. Who ever gave you the license to wear an Apron?” Jake grinned and fetched some oil. He watched Dare dice the onions carefully and season the meat. “You are good, man.” He sniffed the air. “I suggest we finish the meat before those ladies get here.” Dare smiled and chopped a tiny bit and gave it to him. “Oh boy…you are good. Where ever did you learn to grill meat this fine.” “Men and Meat is Meat, remember? We can’t keep eating the meat without knowing the recipe. If we did, we would look like complete fools if the ladies decide to strike. My ex taught me how to grill. She is really good with meat.” Jake smiled. “And I am sure that it did tell on your pocket.” Dare nodded with a smile. “We would have Barbeque parties almost every weekend.” “I should keep the drinks iced.” Jake said, covering the cooler. “If they don’t hurry up, we have the right to eat the meat, right?” Dare nodded in agreement. “They shouldn’t keep men waiting.” “Do you follow the English Premiership? I support Arsenal.” Jake said happily. Dare hissed. “Loser. I am a Chelsea supporter.” “You and Darlene are just blabber mouths! I hate all Chelsea supporters.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dora served the noodles into Chinas. “I think we are set.” We had made a delicacy with the noodle-carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and the rest. You can be sure that we were going to have a treat. Jake and Dare were laughing and eating some Barbeque. “Hey you two!!! Just what do you think you are doing?” Dora shouted. I wasn’t bothered about the meat. I was concerned as to why Dare and Jake were forming such a union, not that I wanted them to break each other’s heads, but isn’t it strange? “Sorry, but you guys took too long.” Dare replied, wiping his mouth. I cut a slice and widened my eyes. “Jacob, you learn fast. You used to be horrible with this thing.” “Don’t be too quick to appraise me, Dare did it.” I dropped the Fork and smiled at Dare. “Really?” He didn’t reply, he just smiled. After our lunch. Jake cleared his throat. “I think there something Dora and I have to share.” My heart raced fast. Were they engaged and about to drop the bomb? I would be devastated. My heart raced fast as Jake took a deep breath and sighed. “Dora and I….erm….we think Sameer was kidnapped.” “How can you guys be so sure?” Dare asked. Jake sat upright. “We did some investigation and we found Sameer’s Koran in the Woods around your house.” “He must have gone for his early walks and then was picked up by Obi’s men.” Dora added. I took a deep breath. “What are we going to do? I just have one week else the case is dismissed.”guffaw “We have to find Sameer.” Dare said. I nodded in agreement. “But how do we find him? I have no idea of where he could be. Should we involve the police?” I asked. “No. But we can have Philip help us, we don’t want anything to slip or anyone compromised. We would devise a plan and then look for him.” And here we have it. Dare, Jake, Dora and I were coming together to find Sameer.

nice .... thank you for the update

Darlene! you will surely win this case

You guys need to act fast

sorry Darlene I feel ur pain nd am hurt jus lyk u r

Really nice

Dare's uncle never liked you 4 once & it seems he has more power that the Dad. Its strange that they were quick to dismiss Darlene instead of rallying around her to help her win her case. There's still hope.. Darlene, remember the God factor.... Finding Samear depends on how He help you.

Hmm it us well

ultimate search

more interesting

You have to find the man unless all your hard work are gone

This story is becoming interesting each and every episode. More fire lady. Waiting for the next episode. I can see love in the air here, Dare-Darlene, Jacob-Dora. Just a suggestion though

Team work

You Gonna find him

Where's today's update nah........

Next oo

EPISODE 59 “Let me get this straight, you want me to work for you.” Jake nodded in the affirmative. “Exactly!” he adjusted in his chair and stared at Philip. “I want you to get a sick leave for a week or more, starting today if possible.” He stretched out some papers. “These are the Doctor’s report.” “Slow down, Man. You already have my sickness decided.” Philip ran his eyes through the paper. “I don’t have Bloody Diarrhoea.” Jake smirked. “Is that a yes? You will be heavily compensated.” “When do we start?” Jake wore a wide grin. “Now! Our first assignment is to visit the scene of the Kidnapping and see if we can gather any other evidence.” “But I thought you said you have already visited the site, why waste more time on it?” Jake smiled. “We need more clues. Yes, we have a Koran, but at the same time, we need to see if anyone saw Sameer being whisked off.” “Are we the only ones on this case?” Jake shook his head in disagreement. “As we speak, Dora should be at Chidi Obi’s house.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dora adjusted her baseball hat and approached the Security man. “I told you, I need to go in, I am from the Press.” “What unit are you from?” She smiled. “ The Indomitable ones.” She said, almost lamely. “What kind of name is that? I haven’t heard of it.” She shrugged. “It’s a blog. We are ardent supporters of Chidi Obi in his aim to sweep the country clean of liars and frauds; we support his cause which has been to provide for people. I wish to have an interview with him, even if it is for five minutes.” The security man, obviously bamboozled by Dora’s speech, sighed. “Just give me few minutes, Mr. Obi is with a very close associate and he doesn’t like to see anyone when they are together.” Dora smiled; it was obvious that the Security man had a thing for talking too much if impressed. She crossed her leg and took her seat. She had bought a baseball hat and a Nerd glasses so as to put up a disguise. She was on a fringe hairstyle in case she was asked to take off the hat . ‘This Fringe though…makes me look like a toddler’ she said to herself. “What did you say is the name of your unit?” The security man asked. She relaxed in her seat. “ The Indomitable ones .” “Mr. Obi would be a huge fan. He loves calling himself the ‘ Indomitable ’.” Dora grinned. She had chosen the name after a deep search on Chidi Obi and Dare had worked all night to build a blog on it, so if backgrounds check was to be run, they would look clean. “That’s a good thing. We are totally dedicated to the Obi cause.” “You are a strong Fanatic.” The security man said, checking the site on the laptop. Just as Dora had guessed, he was running the check to be sure that it existed. “This is amazing; you even have a followership of over a hundred thousand. Director Obi would be pleased to meet you.” he said, excitedly. Dora grinned. “Dare, you genius.” She said to herself. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dare sprawled out on the chair. “I bought Dora some virtual followers for her blog. Hopefully, it would fool Obi and maybe he could trust her with winning the public, from there she would get us juicy information.” I nodded. “I hope she doesn’t get caught.” “I don’t think so. She is safe.” I got Dare a cup of coffee. “Here you go. Aren’t you going home to have a change of clothes?” I asked. “I would be fine. We just need to have the necessary information and then I would head home, let’s just be sure that all is fine with Dora.” I nodded. The phone rang. “Hi Bola, what did you find out.” “There is really no new development. The Ade-Cole board members today issued a report to a local paper on your dismissal, so don’t be surprised when it starts making the rounds. Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole has been really down all day, his brother did the report to the Press and left. So he is just alone in the office.” I nodded. “Thanks. Just keep me updated.” I said and hung up. I turned to Dare. “Very soon the world would know that I have been dismissed from work.” “I am sorry.” He sighed. “Should I call Jake? We haven’t heard from him since he left.” My phone rang again. “We have combed the entire area, we didn’t find any other clue, but someone told us that she did see an Arab go into the Wood.” “That’s nothing special from what we already know. Is that all she saw?” I asked, unimpressed. Jake scoffed. “Yes. We would be heading to Chidi Obi’s to give Dora a back up.” He said and hung up. “Nothing special.” I said to Dare as I dropped the phone. Dare turned on the laptop. “I am increasing the blog readers and faking the comments. That man has to be impressed.” “Well done.” I said with a smile and turned on the Television. “Subomi in the news.” I announced. Dare looked up. Subomi was standing with his daughter, Jumoke Bankole. “I think it’s a thing of shame that a lawyer shows up in court without a witness, yet she made the world believed that there was a witness. We should rid the society of frauds like her.” “But, she claimed that she had a witness.” Subomi smiled. “My hardworking reporter, that lady is just 24, she is a desperate person, my daughter here went to school with her and she always knew her way around things.” Jumoke smiled proudly. “Bastard.” I cursed softly. Subomi continued. “If you want to climb the ropes, you should be ready for hard work, not for dubious means.” Dare turned off the TV. “We must shut these people up for good.” He said, angrily. “I will call Dora.” ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ “Can I take some beautiful pictures?” Dora asked as she walked into the compound. The security man smiled. “Of course, but only the flowers.” He said and walked on. “I will get the Boss.” Dora focused the camera as she used it to view the environment. The front door opened and Chidi Obi walked out with his associate. She immediately took a picture of them both. It was clean and clear. She immediately removed the Memory Card and slipped it into her pocket. While trying to replace the Memory card, Chidi Obi yelled. “Who are you? What are you doing with that Camera?” Her heart raced fast as she stepped forward. “My name is Sandra Jite. I am from the Indomitable Ones blog.” His face relaxed. “Hand me that Camera.” He said. “Of course, Sir.” She said and stretched it out to him. “What were you doing with this?” he asked. She smiled. “I am a huge fan; I was trying to get a glimpse of the flowers that present you with the amazing scent that sets you off to work dutifully.” She paused to catch some air. “In your last interview with the Encomium magazine, you said that you are a huge respecter of nature and that a flower just sets you off with its awesome scent.” “Wow…I see you have a good check on me. What blog are you from?” She smiled. “ The Indomitable ones .” “Hmmm…I love that name. I should make a donation.” He said, searching for his cheque book in his suit jacket. “Where did I keep this book?” he said, fumbling with the jacket. The Associate stared at Dora. She felt a bit uneasy and tried to bow her head. “You! Aren’t you familiar?” he asked. Her eyes blinked. ‘He must have seen me at my coming out event’ she thought. ‘Geez!’ “Not at all, sir.” She said with a smile. He nodded. “Forgive me. I just thought you look like a face I have seen in the papers.” “Come on…the kid is just a blogger.” he said, looking through his I-pad. “Her site is well rated. Would love to see more of you, Sandra.” Chidi Obi dropped the I-pad and called out. “Where’s my Cheque book? Akume…Akume…Obaro…Obaro…” The Security Man that attended to Dora re-appeared. “Sir, you sent Akume and Obaro to the East, remember?” “Ah…I almost forgot.” He said with a dry hiss. “I have to be with them by weekend. Have the other guys joined them with the Nurse?” Chidi Obi’s Associate tapped him. “Easy with the mouth.” “It’s alright. You are so distrustful” he whispered to him. Dora pretended to be ignorant of their discussion as she clicked on with her camera. “Beautiful flowers, Sir.” She said as she turned towards them. “I would send a donation to your blog; can I have your contact?” She nodded and handed out the Business Card Dare had designed for her. Designing a card was the last thing they had thought of, but Dare just printed it in case and it turned out handy. “I would be expecting your call, Sir. And maybe an interview at our studio.” “Most definitely, Sandra. But that would be after next week, I have some urgent matters to take care of. The court case is really tiring.” She smiled. “Keep fighting sir, we believe in you.” she said and stepped out. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Dora hopped in. “You guys won’t believe how much news I gathered.” She shouted and suddenly paused on seeing Kolapo. “What is he doing here?” she asked. “I asked KP to join us. We are a little short in some areas and if this plan is to be executed, I think we should put sentiments apart and use the best men for the job. Right?” I asked. Dora grinned and left for the Kitchen. Jake and Philip walked in after her. “Tired Men in the house.” Jake said, slumping into a seat. Philip folded his arms. “We found nothing.” “So the cutest Policeman in Lag (short form for Lagos city) isn’t tired?” I asked, staring at Philip with acute eyes. Philip smiled. “Are you flirting with me, Darlene?” I stared at his physique. “What did you think, you fool? I have an idea for the use of your body. I hear Chidi Obi is gay.” Dare coughed. “Okay! Your joke is even flat.” Flat??? So, I am not even as funny as Dora. “I am not gay.” Philip replied. I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I was just messing with you all. We need to get lively. Dora says she has news. Dora!” I called out. “I am sorry.” She said, taking her seat. We all took our seats. KP handed everyone each a bottle of Coke. “Okay people, Chidi Obi got fooled. He thinks I am Sandra Jite.” KP scoffed. “Lame name.” “What did you just say?” Dora swung at him. Jake stepped in. “Calm down guys, could we continue?” Dora sighed. “Well, he would be granting me an interview after the court case next week, hopefully, he would be behind bars. Anyway, to the real business, I think Chidi Obi has two trusted employees that may know Sameer’s whereabouts. Their names are Akume and Obaro.” Philip jotted down quickly. She took a deep breath and continued. “But they are currently in the East.” “Chidi Obi is from Abia. That’s in the East, right?” Dare asked. We all nodded. “What if they took Sameer to Abia?” KP chipped in. “Chidi Obi would be in the East by weekend.” Dora continued. She then smiled impressively. “The news is that Obi sent some guys there to join Obaro and Akume along with a Nurse.” I clapped my hand. “Brilliant! You are good, Dora. Obi has Sameer in the East.” I announced. “We just have to search what properties Obi has in Abia and we would invade them.” “Don’t be in a hurry, Darlene.” Dare said. “Dora, was it really easy for you to pick up all these information without Chidi Obi getting suspicious? I don’t want to believe that he is that daft.” Dora smiled triumphantly. “He is that daft. The snag is just that he has this friend that is so distrustful and he almost discovered me.” “I knew it. There had to be a hitch. How did you get away from him?” Dora shrugged. “Chidi Obi saved me; he was so buoyed by my reference for him that he won’t have his friend talk bad at me. I gathered from the security man that he and his associate are very close and he doesn’t let anyone into the house when they are together.” “Even if it was a joke, I told you the man is gay.” I said, dropping some humour. We all laughed, but then Dora fetched her camera and fixed in a memory card. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling about this his associate, I believe he must know something about Sameer’s kidnapping, we might have to watch him closely.” She said, as she turned on the camera. “Have a look.” She said, showing the picture. “UNCLE FEMI???” Dare shouted. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Akume poured himself some liquor. “Watching this man is pretty frustrating. Obi should just save us the stress and kill him.” “The time is not right. He still has to sign those papers, so that there would be something authentic for the case.” Obaro replied, staring at Sameer. Sameer had been tied up. He looked fragile. The beatings had made him weak, yet he refused to bulge. “Insha Allah, Darlene will win.” Akume and Obaro laughed. “Is that the only thing you can say, Sameer? You have been repeating the same phrase since you got here.” Akume asked. The door opened and Nurse Caro walked in. “Get out boys. It’s time for his injection.” “Are you sure those injections are working properly? He still remembers Darlene Williams, they are meant to make him forget everything, right?” Nurse Caro shot at them. “Are you going to teach me my job?” she asked angrily. Akume and Obaro knew better than to get the Nurse angry. “We’ll leave, come on Obaro.” Akume said and led the way. The door closed gently. Nurse Caro lifted Sameer’s head up gently. He spat on her face. “Kill me!” he shouted. She wiped it off. “You nasty man! You have been doing this forever. I have warned you not to mess around with me; I could end your life.” “Do it!!!!!!!!!!” he shouted. “I will NEVER SIGN!” He said and dropped his head. Caro stared at him and took her seat. “Listen to me, Sameer. Why are you bent on hurting yourself? You could just sign and walk away.” Sameer laughed wickedly. “It’s a shame that you are pretty and dumb. Do you actually think that I would leave here alive? I am going to die even if I sign, and that goes for you to, you will be killed. They won’t let you go free.” Caro swallowed. “You have said enough. Time for your injection.” She said and stabbed him. Sameer wriggled letting out a scream. The scream soon died down and he fell asleep. Caro touched his head. “I am sorry.” She said and left. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Dare paced round the living room. “Stop pacing, Dare. You are making me nervous.” I said. “Uncle Femi is a bastard. All this while, he has been ‘sleeping with the enemy’ and making us think that he loved us. I always thought that he had the Firm’s best interest at heart and would fight for its success. He wants to destroy my family.” Jake shrugged. “You shouldn’t be shocked man, it happens! I know it’s not right, but it’s just life.” “What are going to do to him?” Philip asked. I rubbed my forehead. “I’d suggest that we watch them for a while, maybe we would be led to Sameer, and I think it’s time Dora started video recording.” “What? That’s too dangerous. She could get hurt.” Jake jumped in. I swallowed. The way Jacob reacted was like a man fighting for HIS woman, or not? Or did I exaggerate? Whatever! He appeared to like her. Dora smiled faintly. “It’s not dangerous. I would be careful.” “There’s no way you are doing that. I won’t let you.” he replied. Kolapo hissed and I eyeballed Jake coldly. “Okay. Since we have no one to do the recording, I think I would just handle that myself, I have my own camera.” “If Chidi Obi is going to Abia this weekend, I should probably accompany him.” Philip said. I stared at him. “How do you intend to?” I asked. “I’ll tail them.” I shook my head. “It’s dangerous.” “I’ll accompany him.” Kolapo said. “I know how to use a gun.” He said, turning to Philip. “It’s our only chance.” Dora stared at him. “Are you really going, Kolapo?” He ignored her and stared at me. “We should get the date and time of departure.” “What if they decide to go through the Local flight?” Dare asked. None of us had thought that Chidi Obi might just be boarding a flight. Driving might be around 5 to 6 hours. “I think we should keep an eye on him to know their means of transport. If it is by flight or road, we would know.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** FRIDAY 01:00 AM Dare pushed Jake’s head. “Hey man, you are drooling all over me.” Jake rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. “I am sorry; I didn’t know I would fall asleep so soon.” “I have been watching for an hour now. It’s time for me to sleep, so you should stay awake.” Dare said, slipping down in his seat. Jake scoffed. “Really? Don’t be so mean. Let me do one more hour of sleep and then I would be fully awake.” “Shut up, Jake. Just watch the house.” Jake removed his seat belt. “Chidi Obi’s room light still hasn’t gone off. What could that Old man be doing up this late?” Dare was beginning to fall asleep. “Do you really love Darlene?” “What?” Jake sat upright. “You heard me, Dare. Are you in love with Darlene?” “Yes I am.” He replied, sharply facing Jake. “Are you also in love with her? And you are just hiding behind the best friend’s cloak?” Jake turned away. “What do you know?” Dare pulled him. “Stop fooling yourself. It is obvious that you love Darlene, but you have been foolish enough to hide it for a long time.” Jake held him by his jacket. “Calm down…I think you should exercise that aggression and try to love Darlene, not as a friend, but as A MAN!” Jake threw a punch into his face. “SHUT UP! What do you know about being a man?” Dare nursed his face tenderly. “I am withholding the urge to return the favour because I don’t want us to be found out by Chidi Obi, but I promise to rip your bones out once we get a battlefield.” “I have always loved her as a Man.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dora opened her bag on the bed. She had packed a small bag. “Don’t worry we’ll find Sameer.” “I hope.” I said as I scooped my Ice-Cream. She smiled. “I really missed you, Darlene, and how you used to tease me about Chuck Norris.” I chuckled. “You are less funny these days. How is Jake?” I asked. She scoffed. “But you saw him not too long. Why asking me?” she stared at me and then smiled. “Are you guys happy?” I asked. She smirked and rolled her eyes. “We are.” Was I stupid or just too dump? Did I expect her to say that they weren’t happy? I sighed and helped her in unpacking her bag. “Wow…I love this gown.” I said, taking out a polka dotted gown. “You seem to have a thing for Polka dotted gowns. On our first encounter, you wore a polka dotted gown. That day I met you in my room.” Dora shook her head with a smile. “Darlene, you are a wonder, so you remember that clearly, yet you act as though you don’t care.” I chuckled softly. “You had called me a ‘Thief’, you had this grimace like my grandma.” “Grandma? What?” I threw a pillow at her. She nodded. “Yes, Grandma.” She replied, and threw the pillow back. I reached out to hit her with the pillow again and then her bag fell with all its contents coming out. “I am sorry.” I said laughing; I got down helping her pick them up. “Wow…what is this?” I said, picking up a tiny ruby colored box. Before she could look at it, I had opened it; there was a tiny card in it with handwritten ‘Jake loves you’. I carefully lifted the card and saw a beautiful ring. Dora was now looking at me. “Did J…J…Jake propose to you?” I asked, almost trembling. She was silent. And you know what they say, Silence is affirmation!

Darlene don't worry about jake, I'm sure the both of you will end up marrying each other.

I can't wait to see Chidi Obi behind bar.

And who told you that silence is always the affirmative, Darlene?

I love dis story next pls.

Am speechless

I guess u will find out its meant for u

It going to be hard but u guys will bring down chidi Obi

I thought no it's just a prank to know Darlene real feelings

Chidi Obi, your end is nigh

next..

This is getting so down

EPISODE 60 Things might not be completely awkward between Dora and me but I could say it wouldn’t be easy, especially now that she would ne marrying the man I love. Yes, I said it, I love Jacob. Maybe our close ties had made me too blinded to it, but immediately I saw the ring, I knew I would die if he married Dora. She stole him from me. Several thoughts flooded my mind as I watched Dora and Jake whisper to themselves in the garden. I watched from the kitchen. I felt a light tap. “You don’t have to torture yourself.” KP said, handing me a glass of wine. I sighed. “How are you coping?” he was Dora’s ex and he seemed to be getting along just fine. “Kolapo, you are really a strong man.” I said, nudging his arm. “You love Jake, right?” he asked. “Not as a friend, but as a Man?” he asked. I blushed. “I have always seen Jake as a man since we were teenagers. But, maybe, I have not seen him as my Man.” “What do you mean?” he asked, getting a seat. “Darlene, from what I have gathered about you, you strike me as a lady who wants a perfect man. Truly, Jake is a perfect man. How come you haven’t seen it?” I scoffed. “KP, Jake stole your girlfriend, and now they are going to get married, why are you bringing up a dead issue.” Kolapo blinked and swallowed. “It’s difficult to accept the fact that the woman I love is going to be with someone else, but at the same time, this is the man that you truly love. I know you might think you love Dare because he fits your perfect description of the man in the fairy tale book, he is tall, handsome, sophisticated and an arrogant charmer, but really, can you go on without Jacob?” “Dare loves me.” I replied, quietly. Kolapo nodded. “How do you know?” “He said so; Jake has never said he loved me as a woman, as his woman. It’s just been friends for him, and I don’t want to be the fool who sees him differently.” KP smiled. “But you already see him differently.” I clasped my hand in my laps. “What difference does it make? He will marry Dora, and maybe Dare would ask me to marry him, and I would too. It seems like I got more than what I wanted, all I wanted was a heartbreak from Dare because I hurt Paul so much, and maybe then I won’t feel guilty being happy with Jacob, but it’s like I am going to get a heart wreck. ” “Would you be happy?” I nodded. “Dare still has his moments.” “Wow! You are willing to be with a guy who has his moments, but not willing to fight for a man you love.” “Jake doesn’t love me!” I yelled. “Let it be.” I said and walked out bumping into Dare. He bowed his head and walked away. “Dare… Dare….” I called after him. He stopped and turned sharply. “What?” “What did you hear?” He scoffed. “Nothing.” He turned away. “Nothing I didn’t already know.” He added and walked away. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dora stared at Jake. “There’s a slight chance that Chidi Obi would send for me soon. He is over impressed with the blog. He even believes that I dedicated it to him.” Jake scoffed. “Idiot.” “I am a bit concerned with the fact that Dare’s Uncle is an associate of Chidi and he looked at me as suspicious. He might run a check on me.” Jake nodded. “It’s all been covered up. There’s a record for Sandra Jite. I think we just have to keep tabs on his movements. Speaking of which, I should call Philip to know if he has discovered anything.” He said, fetching his phone. “How’s your heart, Jake?” she asked, staring at him lovingly. Jake blinked. “I’d rather not talk about that for now.” He replied and dialed Philip. “What’s up, man?” “I am sorry, should have called. Chidi Obi is going by road, the court has ordered that he doesn’t leave town, so he would be going by road. At least, records won’t have any idea of his movement.” Jake nodded. “That’s alright. When do they head out?” “Tomorrow, I guess. But I guess it would be very early in the morning, he sent someone to the Bank for him. The Banks don’t operate on Saturdays. So how are we going to tail him?” Jake sighed. “Come home first. We would decide how to make the trip, speaking of which, I would have to go to the Bank to get some money for the trip.” He said and hung up. Dora cleared her throat. “There’s something I have to tell you.” “Can’t it wait? I need to withdraw a huge sum, so I don’t want the bank queue on me.” She probed him. “Why not just use the ATM tomorrow?” “I’d rather do that now.” She closed her eyes and opened them. “Darlene saw the ring.” “What? How did she see it?” he asked, livid in anger. She sighed. “It dropped.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** I sat at the pool beside Dare. “So I just have my moments?” he asked. I sighed. “Dare, I didn’t mean it that way.” He smiled. “Why are you trying to comfort me? Just spill it.” He said, nudging me in the waist. “You are really boring!” I said. He scoffed. “You are really mean! I give you just one minute to say what you really think of me and you blurt out so violently.” “But you said I could spill. Dare, do you really love me?” He sighed and relaxed his body. “I have said it to you before, haven’t I?” I nodded. “The question is do you love me?” I blinked. “I am not sure of my feelings. Sometimes I think I can’t go a day without you, other times, I know I can’t go a day without Jake.” Dare took a deep sigh. “That’s all I needed to hear. It’s Jacob, right? Why then do I think you see everything you want in me?” “You are right. You meet my description of a perfect man. Paul was too sweet, I guess I preferred the more mean person, I wanted a man who would make me feel hurt, I guess I got all that from you.” Dare stared at me. “Did you like me so that you could get heartbroken? Wait….are you saying you fancied me because you felt I won’t love you back, and that you would feel the same way Paul felt?” I bowed my head down. “You are unbelievable, Darlene Williams.” I sighed and turned my face away. “I fell in love with you, Darlene.” he said, holding my hand. “Everything you did, the way you spoke back at me, the way you stared at me, yelled at me, everything you did was perfect to me.” “Dare, I am messed up. I think I love Jake. When I am not with him, I feel like my world is over, his absence is my weakness, I don’t want to go on without him.” Dare’s hand slowly slipped away from mine. “Then why are you not with him? Why is it Dora?” “He doesn’t love me. He only sees me as his friend.” I replied, and wiped a tear from my eyes. Dare sighed and turned away. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Have something to eat.” Sameer put his head on the table. “I am not hungry. I just want to die.” “What if you have the option of running away?” Sameer looked at Nurse Caro. “That would never happen.” “I can help you, but you need to eat first, you need your strength to run.” She said. Sameer picked up the spoon and forced the Rice into his mouth. “Why are you helping me? I haven’t forgotten a thing yet.” Caro blinked. “Sameer, every time I give you an injection to forget, I give an antidote.” She whispered. “I can’t bring myself to turning another person into a vegetable.” “What do you mean?” She raised her head to avoid the tears in her eyes from falling. “You are not the first man to be hidden here during a court proceeding. I usually take them out with injections, it always turn out bad. I need you to pretend so that I am not discovered.” Sameer nodded. “Okay.” There was a knock on the door. “Is he eating?” Akume called. “Of course. How long can a weakling hold?” Caro replied and opened the door. “He is slowly beginning to lose his memory, he even said, he didn’t know who you are.” Akume laughed wickedly. “That’s good news. Chidi Obi would be pleased. Our income from this job is huge. Oil is involved.” He said, smiling. Sameer rushed his food. The thought of escape made him stronger; he wanted to be ready when the time came. Who wouldn’t? *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Philip stared at us. “There’s a plan. I have thought that enough hands are needed on this job. There would be enough men watching wherever Chidi Obi has Sameer, so it would be wise if we all went.” Jake cut in. “What are you saying, Man? Let the ladies stay behind. We would follow him.” “Forget about the gender, they are useful for us.” Philip retorted. Jake rose to his feet. “Hey! You are a Policeman and I guess it has eroded your thoughts; these ladies are not members of your force. They are not cops.” “Calm down Jacob, at least give us the option of deciding for ourselves.” Dora interrupted. Kolapo sighed. “I agree with Philip, let’s forget about the gender, I think we need them, probably they would handle the driving while we invade wherever it is, or maybe they would get us back up or something. I took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s all go. What vehicle would accommodate the six of us?” “And Sameer, when we find him?” Dare chipped in. I smiled faintly. “Let’s take the Nissan Quest Space bus.” I suggested. “The keys? Time to go and fuel it.” Kolapo said. I left for the kitchen and got the key from the rack and handed it to Kolapo. “Let’s go Dare; we’ll buy extra tyres too.” Kolapo said, heading out. Dare stood up and joined him. “Later folks.” “I have to head home to pack a bag.” Philip said. “I’ll join them for a ride.” Jake also rose to his feet and grabbed his car keys, “I would be going over to Chidi Obi’s. We have to monitor the situation there.” He said walking out. I was left alone with Dora. “I suggest we pack too, so that we could all go over there by midnight.” She said, heading for the stairs. I nodded. “I’ll be back soon. There’s somewhere I have to be at.” I said and walked out. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Kunle Williams pressed his weight firmly against the door. “If you continue like this, you are not going to get better, dear.” The Doctor stared at him. “Kunle, we’ve been friends for a while, and I think you are doing the right thing by attending to her.” He said staring at his patient. “But this is something you should have done a long time ago; unfortunately, the person who needs your attention is Darlene.” Sir Williams sighed. “Do you think I don’t know? I feel bad that I can’t be with my daughter, even though I didn’t expect her to knock Subomi out, but I should have at least been there to witness the moment. Darlene is probably devastated now and she doesn’t even want to talk to me.” “Then go to your daughter. Look, you already brought my patient, let me take care of her, you don’t have to put Darlene at the receiving end of your past mistakes. Remember, the truth would be revealed soon and you don’t want your daughter to completely shut you out when she knows about her.” He said, looking at the patient. Sir Williams took his seat. “I have to tell Darlene the truth, but I am scared that if after Wednesday when the final verdict is passed on the Chidi Obi saga and Darlene loses, I might not be able to tell her.” “Kunle, you made those mistakes after your wife died, but you can’t deny Darlene the truth else she would never forgive you if she found out on her own.” “So you are suggesting that I tell her?” He nodded. “Yes, she deserves to know. And she needs you more than ever. Your connections are needed to find her witness. You should go back home.” “But I can’t leave her here. Everything she went through was because of me, if I had acted like a man from the beginning, all these wouldn’t have happened. I will be here till she’s completely fine.” He said staring at the Patient’s bed. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** I walked into the church and took my seat at the back pew. “Dear God, I know I am not worthy of your presence, just few days ago, I ran off thinking I could handle it, but God, I am devastated, not only because people don’t know the truth, but because I have failed. Please forgive me if I didn’t trust you enough.” I sniffled a bit. “God, I want you to please make a way for us, we want to tail Chidi Obi, please grant us the wisdom needed.” I paused to catch my breath, “Father, I also want you to help me sort out my emotions in Christ name, Amen.” “Darlene Williams, how are you?” Pastor Ben asked with a smile. I returned the smile. “I have been holding up fine.” “I hope you do remember that it’s not over yet.” I nodded in agreement. “Yes Pastor, I have faith.” “I will be praying for you.” he said. I smiled. “Thank you Pastor.” Pastor Ben smiled. “I have teenagers class to take later on, it’s a special, do you want to come to look around?” “I would have loved to, but I have to leave town tonight, so I am very busy, I am so sorry.” He nodded. “It’s okay. All would be well; I strongly believe that the time is now.” He said, standing up. I also rose to my feet. “God be with you, child.” He said and walked away. I had a genuine smile on my face as he called me ‘Child’. I took a deep breath and I felt relaxed. My phone rang. “Hey Jake, what’s up?” “I think we have to double up. Chidi Obi is leaving by midnight, I guess some things arose there.” He said and hung up. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Akume and Obaro untied Sameer. “What are we going to do now, Nurse Caro?” “We have to get him to a hospital. He is burning hot, and he is of no use if he falls recklessly ill.” She replied. Akume sighed. “The boss said we shouldn’t move him out of this place. I suggest you go and get him some medicine, the hospital would ask questions we can’t answer and it could get to the Police, and you know what would happen if the police discovers this.” Caro stared at Sameer. “What then do you suggest we do? Remember, he has forgotten so many things, we just have to take him to the hospital and give him a new identity.” “He is Arabian. How do we disguise that? The country knows that Darlene Williams claimed that her witness is Arabian.” Caro scoffed. “Is this the only Arabian man in Nigeria? You guys should quit being sissies and let’s take care of this man. If his nerves become damaged, he won’t be able to lift a finger not to talk of signing the deeds. Look, we would keep a close watch on him and all would be fine.” “I don’t think it’s wise to take him out of here, Chidi Obi instructed that he shouldn’t be taken away, and that’s why he would even be leaving Lagos tonight, let’s just be patient guys. It won’t hurt if he gets worse, we could die by Chidi’s gun; remember what happened to our buddy, Bruno. The Boss killed him without hesitating. After Obaro’s persuasion, he walked out with Akume. Caro hissed as she stared at Sameer. “Plan A failed. We would bring up something else.” Sameer sighed. “I hope we do soon. I know that after Wednesday, they may just use any means to have the signature.” “I will keep trying. If this is the only good I do before I die, I would make sure that you show up in court on Wednesday.” She said and left. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Could Sameer be dead?” I asked as I dropped my bag in the trunk. Jake sighed. “Don’t be a pessimist; let’s just hope he is still alive.” Kolapo got behind the wheel. “Okay people, let’s go.” We all got into the space bus and the security man shut the gate after us. Philip took his seat in front beside Kolapo. Jake and Dora shared the next row, while Dare and I took the back seat. Kolapo pulled up in front of Chidi Obi’s house. “We are right in time.” He said as the gate opened and Chidi Obi tucked his head out to give the final instruction to the security man. “Follow closely. Not too fast and not too slow, but once we are on the high way, be super fast. We could lose him.” Philip ordered. Kolapo smiled. “Yes boss!” As soon as Chidi Obi’s Range Rover moved, Dora took a picture of the car’s registration number. “Just in case we lose him, we have a car to follow.” She said triumphantly. Kolapo did well to keep a distance from Chidi Obi’s car, but he ensured that we weren’t lost on the high way. My phone rang. “Hello.” I said. “Hi D. how are you feeling?” It was Dad. “I am okay.” I replied. “Where are you, it’s a bit windy.” I scoffed. “What do you care? Anyway, I am on my way out.” “That’s good. I can see you are shaking it off really fast.” I sighed. “Is that why you called, Dad?” “Yes…and just to know how you’re faring.” I nodded. “Okay, I have to hang up now. Bye.” I said and hung up. “You don’t have to be so cold to the old man.” Dare said. I stared at him. “Really? What kind of a father abandons his daughter on important events in her life?” “Maybe he had something really urgent to attend to.” He suggested, I nodded. “Like what? You should have an idea; after all, you went to the Bahamas.” Dare scoffed. “The Bahamas is a big place; I don’t necessarily have to bump into your Dad to do my business.” “Look Dare, I don’t want to argue with you, okay?” Kolapo suddenly pulled up. “I think the tyre on my side is flat.” “No way, Man.” I said. KP grinned. “Yes way, Man.” He opened the door and headed for the trunk. “Come out everyone.” We all got down and watched KP and Philip change the Car tyres. “Time to get back on the road,” KP announced as soon as they were through with changing the tyres. I sighed as I took my seat. “How do we catch up now?” I asked. “There’s this thing called GPS…come across it?” Philip said with a grin. “We actually fixed one to that Range Rover. We work hard you know.” He added. We tailed the car comfortably now. “Could we have a holiday like this where we would do a road trip without having to tail anyone? We would stop at road side canteens and eat and sleep at the motels and we would have so much fun.” Dora said, resting her head on Jake’s shoulder. “Quit dreaming!” I said. At that moment, I wished that Kolapo was more like me and that he would swerve the car so that she could take her head off Jake. My face was burning with some jealousy. I turned my face away. Dare held my hand and smiled. “Thank you.” I whispered and made his arm my solace. We finally arrived at the hotel where Chidi Obi had lodged. We waited about for about 20 minutes in the car before Kolapo and Philip left for the hotel. Jake jumped at the steering. Kolapo and Philip would be lodging in the same hotel with Chidi Obi to monitor him. We headed for another hotel which was just ten minutes away by car. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************ “Are you trying to get Darlene jealous?” Dare asked as he dropped his bag on the bed. Jake scoffed. “Why would I do that?” “I know you are probably thinking that you can make Darlene get jealous with Dora, but I want you to know that you are only going to hurt yourself.” He replied, slipping into his pajamas. Jake sighed. “I am not making her jealous. If she is jealous, then maybe she probably sees me differently from the best friends that we used to be, which would make me happier.” “Jake, I have to be honest with you. I think you are right for Darlene, you are everything she really needs.” Jake stared at him. “And you? Are you giving up so easily?” “I have never really been a competitor. Naturally, I go for what I want. I wanted Darlene, she was tough, exciting, but even if I was to give her my heart, she would never give me hers. I think she like me for the Charisma, Appearance and of course,” he paused to smile. “My good looks.” Jake scoffed. “You really are full of yourself.” “Look here Jacob; there are some things that a man must do to appear as a man. It’s not all about the love. Sometimes, you have to act like a man.” He said, tapping his shoulder. Dare jumped on the bed. “Don’t think too much, try to sleep. We have to rise early.” Jake sighed and changed into his Pajamas. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “So when are you guys getting married?” I asked. Dora flipped over her shoulder. “As soon as this case is over.” She said with a smile. I nodded and turned off the light. “Is Jacob happy?” Dora rolled her eyes. “I am good in the kitchen, good in bed.” I swallowed. She continued. “Why won’t he be happy?” “Jake slept with you?” I asked. She nodded. “Come on, I am the WOMAN he is going to marry, and he is no wood, he has to appreciate the good things of life.” “SHUT UP!” She smiled. “Of course. Sweet Dreams, sister. Although I strongly doubt that you would have sweet dreams.” I smiled and hit her with the pillow. “You thief!” “You never said you loved Jacob, you said you were ‘best friends forever’” she said with a grin. “We can always share that.” I rolled my eyes. “Why haven’t I killed you yet, Dora?” “Because you love me.” she replied, with her tongue out. I stared at her hard. “Just one question, how did you manage to get rid of Kolapo from your feelings?” “That’s a special secret.”

You guys guys don't need all these relationship stuffs now, else your mission will be disrupted

Jake is not going to marry Dora, they just want Darlene to realise his feeling for Jake

base on my observation KP will get Dora back.... can't you see he's not even worrying? ........ team work , Chidi Obi enjoy yourself B'cus you'll soon go behind bar..........

Romantic

Hagahahah mind game, Jake n Dora, they are playing mind game, they want to make Darlene think that they are dating. The truth is, they are not. And I think KP know about this plan too

Darlene is getting it all wrong...... The ring is not for Dora but for her... Both Dora and Jake ain't in any relationship whatsoever; They are just fooling you just to get you jealous and maybe affirm that you really love Jake which you've already done to Dare and KP. It's a good thing you are turning back to God. You surely needs His help to pull out of this happenings successfully. Of course, He's gone ahead to use Nurse Caro to initiate help for you guys. With time, Chidi Obi and cohorts will be exposed Good luck!

I won't be surprised to find out that jakr and Dora are really playing smart to get u to profess ur love for jake

dare and reina... Jake and Darlene... Dora and kp... kunle Williams and dare mum...

both DARE & DARLENE dad both went to Bahamas to visit Dare mum...

Your plans are really going as planned

Face your mission first

Dare&jane jake&darlene kunle&reina kp&dora caro&phillip mr obi&mrs olamide.

Think Jake nd Dora are just acting up

EPISODE 61 Chidi Obi’s Range Rover pulled up in front of ‘CHIDI TYRES WAREHOUSE.’ Philip and Kolapo hid around the fence far away from the security guards. “This must be where they are keeping Sameer. Wise choice.” Philip said and sent a message to Darlene. Kolapo sighed. “So what do we do now?” “We can’t take any action now; it’s like going into a death trap. I suggest we go back and come up with a plan on how to take down this warehouse.” Kolapo nodded. “I hope Sameer is fine.” “We can find that out.” Kolapo and Philip waited for some minutes to see if anyone would come out of the warehouse, but no one did. “I suggest we take our leave now. We have to come up with a plan.” Philip whispered. “Hey…bend down.” Kolapo said as the warehouse gate opened. Chidi Obi came out with Nurse Caro. Chidi Obi cleared his throat. “Caro, I am paying you to take care of the man, not to come up with suggestions. I don’t want him leaving for the hospital. It is as simple as that.” “Boss, I understand. But, this man is gravely ill and could die at any time if he doesn’t get proper medical attention, that’s why I suggested that we take him to the hospital and watch him carefully.” She replied. Chidi Obi snarled angrily. “No hospital!” he hissed. “Now run along and get all that he needs for proper medical attention, I gave you my card, right? Use it well.” He instructed and returned into the warehouse. Caro hissed. “Foolish man.” She said and walked along the path. “Let’s follow her.” Kolapo said and they walked slowly behind Caro until they got to the highway. Philip grabbed her. “Hey.” “What do you want from me? I already said told the boss that I would go get him drugs.” Kolapo shook his head. “You are such a fool, aren’t you? Blurting out information like that, not knowing if we are the police. Anyway, get into the car.” He instructed. Philip grabbed her and put her into the car while Kolapo drove. “My name is Philip, and we don’t intend to hurt you, but if you don’t cooperate with us, you may leave us no choice.” She nodded. “What do you want?” “The Arab man, Sameer. Is he really sick like you told Chidi Obi?” She shook her head in disagreement. “No, I am trying to get him out of there.” “Well…in that case, you have to help us. We also want to get Sameer out, so how do you think you can help us.” Kolapo stared at her from the mirror “You are safe. Talk.” “I can give you the description of what the warehouse looks like on the inside and the room where they have Sameer guarded. There are about ten guards in all in the warehouse, so it might be difficult to take him out unnoticed.” Philip nodded. “Hmm…so, we have to prepare to kill if we have to, KP.” “Of course man, we just have to draw up a proper plan. Hey, you are the nurse, right?” he asked. Caro nodded. “What drugs have you given to him?” She bowed her head. “They are meant to make him forget everything, but I also inject the antidote so that his memory isn’t faded. Sameer is aware.” “Where are you going to get him drugs?” She raised her head. “It’s a Pharmacy not too far from here. Just take the right turn.” She said. Philip grabbed her phone and dialed his number on it. “We would keep in touch with you on our plans, we promise not to hurt your old father, just cooperate with us.” “Please don’t tell my father about this job, please.” She begged. Kolapo pulled up some meters away from the Pharmacy. “Thank you, Caro. Don’t call if anything comes up, just send a message.” He said. She nodded and left. KP stared at Philip. “How did you know about her father?” “I just took a wild guess.” He said, grinning. KP grinned and drove off. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “So you found the Nurse that treats Sameer?” I asked as we ate breakfast. Philip nodded. “Yes, she would help us. The place is heavily guarded and it is a warehouse.” “When can we strike?” Jake asked. Dare smiled. “The later the better.” “I don’t follow.” I said. Dare sat up. “I suggest we move him out of there on Tuesday night, so that nothing is noticed before the court case. It would be a huge shock to Subomi and co.” he said with a smile. “Payback.” “How do we deal with the guards?” Dora asked. Philip took a deep breath. “KP and I can use guns, and if anyone is ready to join us, we would kill if we have to.” “Hey man, we don’t want blood on our hands. We are not cops like you.” Jake interrupted. I smiled. “Jake, why are you scared of killing all of a sudden? It’s not like you haven’t killed before.” “I haven’t killed human beings.” Philip nodded. “It’s okay. I have a few friends in the police district there. I would talk to them to help us.” “We would ensure that there’s no contact between Chidi Obi’s men and Chidi and if there would be, we would intercept it on their behalf, so that they don’t smell a thing.” Dare added. Jake clapped his hand. “Smart plan guys, now we have to watch over the warehouse. You never can tell.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Jake pulled up fences away from the warehouse. “Here we are.” We were taking turns to watch the warehouse and it was Jake and I first. “Hmmm…hopefully we find things worthy.” I said as I adjusted by baseball hat. Jake smiled. “You look good in that hat.” He said, hitting it. I smiled. I knew I had to straighten things with Jake, so I took the lead. “Jake, why did I have to find out from Dora about your marriage? I mean we are very close, you should have told me.” He scoffed. “She’s your sister.” I nodded. “Are you happy for us?” I nodded. “Of course. Anything that makes you happy makes me happy.” “Thanks D.” I took a deep breath. “So when are you going to do the proposal, as in the official proposal?” “Immediately after the court case, I would love to have a rehearsal with you first so that I could be sure of whatever I am going to say to her.” I nodded my head. “Just the environment perfect, I would love to see your proposal.” We stared at the gate waiting for any movements from the warehouse, but there seemed to none. There was silence in the car. “Darlene, I got a job.” Jake said, breaking the silence. I stared at him. “What job?” I said, almost laughing. He smiled. “Someone hired me to draw up a plan for his building, so I am more like a contact architect.” I smiled, obviously bemused. “That’s fantastic.” I said, hugging him. “So how did you get the contract?” “Well, Dora introduced me to the man, and the he had me do a few sketches on the spot, thankfully, I haven’t lost my touch, so it went well.” I nodded. “So, for how long have you hidden this from me?” I asked. “It’s not been too long, I wanted to be sure that I was doing the job right, before telling you a thing. I have my first earned paycheck. I have another Job after this case is over too.” I smiled. “Jacob, that’s good to know. Now, you are a salary earner.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dare’s phone rang. “Hello Dad.” “Where are you, Son?” he asked. Dare moved away from the window and took his seat. “I am on a holiday.” “Holiday? Dare, how could you walk out on what you have labored to build because of a woman?” Dare sighed. “Darlene is not just any woman. Darlene Williams has been a pillar to the Firm, and it’s a shame that you allow Uncle Femi to influence you so much.” “Don’t speak about your Uncle like that. He has the Firm’s best interest at heart; he works tirelessly to ensure that we attain a proper standard.” He said. “Thanks to the mess that Williams’ daughter made, we would have had our name smeared if not for your Uncle who issued a public statement in our defense.” Dare scoffed. “That’s enough, Father. You and Uncle Femi can go ahead and ruin the Firm, I am not coming back.” “What do you mean by that, Dare? I won’t have you talk bad about my brother.” Dare hissed. “Father, Uncle Femi is the reason you divorced my mother, he is the reason you are in the shadows of Sir Kunle Williams, he is the reason why Darlene is out of the Firm and he is the reason why your Firm, would Crumble.” Dare said and hung up. Dora walked in. “You really gave it to your old man, Dare. Are things that bad?” “Look Dora, it’s not a big deal. It’s something that I should have said to him a long time ago. Just bottled it up too long.” He replied and fetched himself a drink from the Fridge. “You care?” She shook her head. “No, thank you.” she replied as she took her seat. Dare and Dora refused to say a word to each other and then the silence was broken together. “Do you love…” they said, and laughed. “You go first.” Dare said, laughing. Dora smiled. “Do you love Darlene?” Dare took a deep breath and smiled. “Yes, I do.” “Define your feelings for her.” She said, smiling. Dare chuckled. “I really can’t explain it, all I know is that she made me better, and she definitely is the woman that makes me happy.” “Happy? What if her happiness lies with someone else?” she asked. He nodded. “Then, I would give her up.” “That easy? You won’t even fight for her?” He smiled. “I may be in love with her, but as long as she won’t be happy with me, what’s the essence of keeping her?” Dora looked at him carefully. “Really?” “Yes, and that leads to my own question. Do you love Jacob?” Dora blinked. “I can’t discuss that with you.” Dare scoffed. “I just told you about my feelings for Darlene. Why won’t you say about yours?” “It’s a bit complicated.” Dare adjusted in his chair. “Face it like a grown-up. If you love the guy, admit it. If not, leave him alone, and let him be with Darlene.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Chidi Obi sank in his chair and dialed Femi Ade-Cole. “Femi, Sameer is sick.” “You can’t take him to the hospital; you know what would happen, Chidi.” Chidi sighed. “Femi, but if he dies, he is of no use to us.” “Hey, I don’t care what you do, but I must have my 40% on the land stake intact.” “But he has to sign the documents before we can claim the property, for now, the property is in a serious contention, if he becomes worse, he might die.” Femi hissed. “CHIDI, force him to sign then, cut off his legs or pull out his eyes, make him SIGN!” “Femi, when you talk like that, it scares me. Anyway, how is Williams’ daughter doing? Has she been to the court of recent?” Femi laughed. “That little loser is buried indoors, and from what I gathered from a few sources, she might be joining her Father outside the country soon. Probably after Wednesday, but she has conceded defeat.” “How do you know?” Femi sighed. “I have my sources. Now finish your own end of the deal, and if you have to kill that Arab man, do it.” “Bye Femi.” Chidi said, hanging up. Chidi rang Caro up. “Caro, how much effect have those injections had yet?” “Sameer is about to forget everything, but he still has vague memories.” He sighed. “How many more days would he need before he is totally zapped out. I need us to make him sign; I believe that once he has forgotten all, he won’t hesitate to sign.” “Erm…with the way that the drugs have been administered, he can only lose everything by Next week Saturday.” He snarled. “WHAT??? That’s too far, the case is on Wednesday. Can’t you increase the dosage?” “No boss. If the dosage is increased, he would die. And our mission won’t be accomplished.” He sighed. “I would get back to you, but I would make sure that he signs before I return to Lagos on Monday.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** MONDAY (10:30pm) “You have to sign else we would wipe your whole family out.” Chidi Obi shouted. “And of course, you would still sign when we have killed them.” Sameer gasped for air. “I WON’T SIGN.” Akume hit him with a log of wood on the back. “AARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Sameer let out a loud scream. Chidi Obi held his head up. “Would you sign?” “NO!” Chidi took a deep breath. “Cut off his legs.” “Boss, there would be no need for that.” Caro interrupted. “I swear to make him sign; we have to be careful not to provoke him. He would never sign with Torture. I have better means.” Chidi Obi sighed. “Can I trust your methods? “Have I ever failed?” Chidi Obi took a deep breath. “Alright then. Erm…I would take some of the boys with me back to Lagos, we need to keep an eye on Williams’ daughter.” “Sir, how many would you need?” Akume asked. Chidi shrugged. “Four would be fine, so you guys would be six here.” He said, and approached the door. “I would keep in touch with you frequently. Thanks Caro.” He said and walked out. Akume and Obaro walked out after him. Caro lifted Sameer’s blood stained face. “I am so sorry.” “We have to hurry, Caro. It’s almost Wednesday.” She nodded. “There’s a big plan, we need more patience.” Akume and Obaro returned. “The Boss is heading for Lagos now. So we are going to be here, trying to get this idiot to sign.” Akume announced. “Were you deaf? I told the Boss that I would use my own means to get Sameer to sign. I don’t need intruders.” Obaro stared at her. “Do you now have special powers that would make Sameer sign?” “You are so daft. It is called the Power of seduction.” Akume and Obaro laughed. “Seduction?” Obaro asked. “Even if I am a foolish man, a man like Sameer, in his state can never fall for you.” Caro loosened her button a bit. “Really? I think Sameer is into me?” Akume cleared his throat. “Erm…Obaro, let the lady do her job. I think she’s really going to make him sign.” They headed for the door and Caro accompanied them. Akume turned sharply. “Erm…Caro, do you think we can get some special treatment too?” he said, smiling sheepishly. “Of course boys…you just have to be good and let me use my means to get those papers signed.” Akume clapped his hand. “Yes her majesty. Get out, Obaro.” He said and they walked out. Caro stared at Sameer. “First we have to get you cleaned up.” She said and started to dress his wounds. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** TUESDAY (11:30PM) “All units check in.” Philip called over the radio. I watched from the Laptop in the Police vehicle. Philip had arranged some policemen to accompany us to the warehouse. My crossed my fingers as I watched Jake and Kolapo take out two guards from behind with sleeping injections on their necks. Dare and a Police man immediately tied them up and dumped them aside. “Four more.” Philip announced and drummed on the warehouse door. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Akume hissed. “Didn’t I tell those fools to get enough water and food for watching over the warehouse? What do they want now?” he said, standing up. Obaro shrugged. “Never mind, I will tell Bozzo to check. Bozzo! Bozzo!” Bozzo rushed in. “Yes Boss.” “Check what those two fools want. Tonight is our night with Nurse Caro and they are about to ruin it.” He ordered. Bozzo nodded and disappeared. Nurse Caro walked into their room and unbuttoned her gown. Akume cleared his throat. “Erm…Caro, please go easy on us.” “Of course.” She replied, with a sly grin. “Gents, please come together, we would have a threesome.” Obaro nodded. “Perfecto! It means we get to share together, not Akume going ahead of me. Oh Lord…have mercy.” Caro smiled and flung the door open. “We are going to need so much air. Someone might die.” “Definitely, Obaro.” Akume said, grinning. “I am a power horse.” She nodded. “Let’s see who the power horse in the both of you is” she said. “Start Caro…please Start.” Akume said. She smiled. “Patience boys…patience.” “I am losing it. You can’t keep scintillating us and telling us to have patience.” Caro looked over her shoulder but there was no sign of Kolapo or Philip yet, she knew she had to delay them the more. “I am wearing perfect lingerie. Do you mind a lap dance?” she said, fetching a chair. “Anything….” Akume said letting out some air. “Just give it to me.” Akume and Obaro drooled over Caro as they watched her strip to her Lingerie. Gunshots went off. “What’s that? Obaro asked, jumping to his feet. “It’s nothing. The hunters are probably gunning down animals.” Caro said, immediately. Akume nodded. “Ya…sure, Eh….Caro…I am coming for you now…” he said, rushing over to her. “GET DOWN EVERYBODY!” Philip shouted as he rushed in with the Policemen. Akume and Obaro laid flat and Caro also did. The policemen cuffed the three of them. Philip opened the door to the room where Sameer was kept hostage. “Sameer?” “Yes. Is it Wednesday, yet?” he asked. Philip smiled. “We’ll get you out of here now.” I waited anxiously for the warehouse door to open. And yes it did…Jake and Dare were helping Sameer out and the Policemen pushed Akume and Obaro out with Caro. “Hey, give me the girl.” Philip said, and put Caro into a separate vehicle. Akume shouted. “She’s with us. She’s not innocent.” Philip nodded. “I know. I want to complete what you guys never did.” He said, and winked at them. Philip ensured that all of Chidi Obi’s men were loaded into the Police trucks and then he walked over to the Policemen. “Thanks guys. We would head for the district in Lagos. I have the phones of Chidi’s main men, we would ensure that there’s no contact and that if there would be, we would be speaking as Akume and Obaro.” “Its okay, Philip. You have got your hands on a big case. Congrats man. We would get these ones locked up for sure, and the big fishes would join soon.” Philip smiled and watched the truck move. Caro was now dressed. “You are one hot Policeman, I won’t mind flirting with you.” she said, as Philip approached. “I guess my work is done here.” “I have one favour to ask, Could you please come with us, as another witness?” he asked. Caro’s face fell. “I can’t. I don’t want to walk into my own trap.” “I would ensure you don’t go to jail.” He said, holding her hand. She shook her head. “I am sorry.” She said, and walked away. I could feel Caro’s fear and Pain. She had done everything for her sick old father and now she was scared of losing him. If he knew that she committed such horrendous crimes or that she went to jail, the old man would be devastated. “Philip…do you think she would go to jail?” I asked as Philip as he approached the Car. He nodded. “You are a lawyer, you should know better. She has big crimes, she would be charged as an accomplice. She might just get minimal.” “If we pull strings, right?” I asked. He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a bit cold out here, let’s get going.” He said, and hopped into the front seat with Kolapo. I took my seat with Sameer. “I am sorry, Darlene.” he said I smiled. “I am the one who is sorry. I should have taken care of you.” “Must Caro go to jail? She really helped me.” he asked. “She even treated my wounds.” He said. Sameer looked awful. I bet he was worse before he was treated. I let Sameer sleep off on my lap. I couldn’t wait for noon. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Toni showed me Sameer and me a grey suit. “This should fit him perfectly.” “Thank you.” he said. “The bathroom is right around the corner, do hurry up.” She said, looking at her wristwatch “8:45am” I sighed and took my seat. “Toni, now I understand what it is to be in this game.” “You really have some nerves going to fetch Sameer by yourselves. You guys should form a detective team. You guys did well.” I smiled. “Thank you. I have some bad news though.” I said. Toni straightened up in her seat. “Jake is going to marry Dora.” “What? That’s impossible!” I nodded. “It is. After all, Paul married Marie in less than 2 weeks, I guess.” I said, smiling. “How are you holding up about that?” I took a deep breath. “I am devastated. I even saw the ring. I can describe it in my sleep.” Toni reached out for me and hugged me tightly. “It’s okay, honey. Maybe, you just deserve this for being so indecisive.” We both laughed and tears started to flow from my eyes. “It’s okay, love.”

Thank God this nightmare is going to be over

Can't wait to see chidi obi behind bars

Thank God

Time to defeat the enemy for good

My only happiness is that, in less than 12 hours Chidi Obi and Femi Ade-Cole will be smelling rod and Subomi will be publicly disgraced for losing to a ''24 years old desperate girl''

Wow!!! That's great and some good news........ Congrats to this amazing team of detectives. You guys did so well. Now, the real case is gonna start. It's not yet over till it's over. Chidi Obi could still arrange some guys to attack you people so I'd suggest you guys heed to the court in the company of escort

Time for Mr Obi to go behind bars

Lovely episode... Jake u are the man

WOW.....You Guys did a great job

EPISODE 62 The Court Clerk ran through the proceedings. “Resuming the case from Wednesday 25 April, 2012, Tunji Davis versus Chidi Obi for Fraudulent Acts.” He started. I stared at Mr. Davis who seemed relaxed in his seat. Jumoke Bankole came to court with her Father. Subomi Bankole was all smiles. The Jury was seated. Dora, Kolapo, Dare and Jacob were also seated. Judge Fatoye adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “This case was adjourned because the alleged witness of Ms. Darlene Williams didn’t show up in court last week. So, the case resumes with Ms. Williams. Over to you, Ms. Williams.” As I stood up, the Court door flung open. I turned round to see Sir Kunle Williams in court. “Dad.” I whispered, with a smile. He winked back and took his seat. I took a deep breath and faced the judge. “Your Honour, I would love to apologize to this honorable court for not being able to present my witness at the case last week. This was due to circumstances beyond my control. To that effect, I have prepared a fresh file and submitted to your office, Please accept my apologies.” “Enough of the apologies, you little liar! Just end the sham here!” Subomi Bankole shouted. Judge Fatoye cleared his throat. “There would be order in my court, Mr. Bankole.” “I am sorry, your Honour. I just can’t stand this little girl deceive the Nation.” Judge Fatoye hit the deck. “That’s your Final warning, Mr. Bankole. No slandering!” A wry smile lurked around my lips. “I apologize to my learned colleague, Mr. Bankole. I promise to put an end to the ‘sham’ now.” I said and swayed in confidence around the court room. “Last week, I told this court that Mr. Davis had bought the Land from Mr. Sameer Ali, the son of the Late Sheik Ali, and I am still standing by that.” There were murmurings around the court. “Everything would be revealed in due time.” I said, as I continued. “There are legit documents belonging to Mr. Davis showing that he is the sole owner of the land as they were signed duly by Sameer Ali. “Objection, your honour!” Subomi said, as he sprang to his feet. Judge Fatoye declined his request. I smiled and continued. “On that ground, I would say I smell Forgery around the corner from Chidi Obi’s camp.” “Objection, you honour!” Subomi interrupted. Judge Fatoye’s patience was growing lean. “Mr. Bankole, please contain yourself.” I smiled confidently. “Sameer Ali couldn’t show up in court last week, but today, I present to you the Witness, Mr. Sameer Ali.” Everyone watched the door carefully for Sameer Ali to show up. I stared at it patiently. My patience was soon rewarded as two Policemen flung the door open and SAMEER ALI walked in. “IMPOSSIBLE!” Chidi Obi shouted. “I just spoke to Akume and he said you were with them.” Chidi Obi tried to rush at Sameer who made a grand walk up the aisle to the dock. Chidi Obi was restrained by Policemen. I smiled triumphantly. Subomi scratched his head. GAME UP! “This is Sameer Ali, son of Sheik Ali.” I said, passing Sameer’s documents to the Court Attendant. Judge Fatoye nodded. “Now we have a case. Mr. Ali, could you tell this court the reason for your absence last week?” “Thank you, your Honour. Last week Wednesday, I went for my early morning walk, but I was abducted by two goons from Mr. Obi so that I won’t be present in court.” The Judge stared at him. “How are you sure that they were from Mr. Obi?” “Mr. Obi showed up himself at the place where I was kidnapped.” Judge Fatoye nodded. “Tell us all you know about the Land case.” “My late father instructed that on his passing away I sell the land to his good friend, Mr. Davis. After my father passed, Mr. Davis came with Mr. Obi to see me about the land. I sold it off to Mr. Davis in the presence of Mr. Obi at Dubai. Later in the evening, Mr. Obi came to me asking me to sell the same land to him, I explained to him that I had already sold it to his friend before his very eyes, but he begged that I retract it. I refused.” Sameer paused to drink some water. “The next morning, I noticed that the duplicate of the land deeds was missing from my safe, it was evident that Mr. Obi took them. I believe he must be parading this court with it as his own. I never sold any land to Mr. Chidi Obi.” The Judge sighed. “But the documents also look authentic?” Sameer nodded. “Yes, your honour. There’s a blue seal on the document, because he was able to imprint it from the duplicate, but there’s no signature on it, and that’s the main reason why I was abducted. But I can assure you that I have still not signed the documents.” Chidi Obi screamed. “He is lying. He is lying.” He yelled. “Mr. Obi, last warning, or you are out of this place.” Judge Fatoye warned. Judge Fatoye looked over towards me. “Ms. Williams?” “I would love to call Mr. Chidi Obi to the dock your honour.” Chidi Obi took his seat. “I AM NOT GUILTY.” He shouted I nodded with a smile. “Mr. Obi, you have been accused by Mr. Ali for Kidnapping him and Fraudulent Acts. It might please you to know that your two goons- Akume and Obaro have confessed to the Kidnapping and I have their statements here.” I said, handing it over to the Court Attendant. “I…I don’t know those names.” He said, fidgeting. I smiled. “Of course…you do, Mr. Obi. Anyway, I would love to know the reason why you tried to rob your friend, Mr. Davis?” “I said I am INNOCENT!” He shouted. “Of course you are not!” Caro said, as she flung the court door open. Mr. Obi sank in his seat. “You too?” he shouted. “Who are you?” Judge Fatoye asked. Caro straightened up. “My name is Caroline James, and I am a Nurse by profession, your Honour.” “And what do you have connected to this case?” he probed. She sighed. “I come here as a Witness for the prosecution against Mr. Chidi Obi.” “Please register as a Witness and come over to the dock.” Caro immediately obliged and walked over to the dock. She went through the swearing formalities and it was time for examination. “Tell this Court how you are connected to the case, Ms. James.” I started. She took a deep breath. “I am Caroline James; I was employed by Chidi Obi to administer drugs that would make Sameer Ali lose his memory during the time of his kidnap. I did as instructed, but I always administered an anti-dote because I couldn’t bring myself to reducing Sameer Ali to a vegetable. I have with me statements from Chidi Obi’s credit cards which I used to buy the drugs and doses that I administered.” She said, and the court attendant collected them from her. Chidi Obi was now sweating. He had been provided with a bottle of cold water. “That would be all from me, your Honour.” I said. Judge Fatoye took a deep breath. “Mr. Chidi Obi to the dock, please.” “With all the charges counted against you and evidences laid down, do you claim to be INNOCENT or are you GUILTY?” he asked. Chidi Obi took a deep sigh. “Your Honour, I have a family and two lovely grandkids.” He started. I smiled. VICTORY TIME, CHIDI OBI WAS CONCEEDING DEFEAT. “Please have mercy on my good name, I am sorry.” He continued, shedding some tears that I didn’t know if they were real or fake. Old people shouldn’t cry, it sounds like chuckles! Judge Fatoye nodded. “ARE YOU GUILTY OR INNOCENT?” “Guilty as charged.” He said, with his head down. The court roared in victory. And the Clerk immediately restored order. Judge Fatoye looked up. “We would have a brief Adjournment for just thirty minutes, after which I shall pass my verdict.” He said, and walked in. The Court remained silent as the Jury clustered for their verdict and we waited anxiously for Judge Fatoye’s return. The Appointed time soon came. “Before I pass my final verdict, have you anything to say, Counsels?” “I am satisfied, your Honour,” I said, with a radiant smile. He looked at Subomi. Subomi Bankole struggled up to his feet. “Since my client…erm…has pleaded guilty…erm…I plead for minimal sentence for him, taking into consideration that he is a family man, with grandkids.” Judge Fatoye straightened up. “The society has become ridiculous thanks to people like Mr. Chidi Obi making use of dubious means to have whatever they want. This has got to stop; I want to hail the character and determination of the young and brilliant Ms. Darlene Williams, who took the pain to find her witness against all odds. This is something worthy of emulation. Our country needs more people like you.” I bowed courteously. Judge Fatoye cleared his throat. “This is my verdict. To Akume and Obaro, and other goons of Mr. Chidi Obi, they are to appear in court at a later date. Ms. Caroline James is also to be arraigned in court at a later date; all are accomplices of Mr. Chidi Obi and would be dealt with appropriately. Surprisingly, at the break, Mr. Obi sent in the name of Mr. Femi Ade-Cole as his close accomplice, an arrest warrant should be issued for him and he would be tried accordingly.” He said. He took a deep breath. “Mr. Chidi Obi has been charged with Kidnapping and Fraudulent Acts, HE IS FOUND GUILTY AS CHARGED and is hereby sentenced to 50 years imprisonment, not subject to trials. This is my Judgment!” “May the Court please rise.” We all waited the exit of Judge Fatoye. Philip saw Caro out of the courtroom. The court erupted in celebrations as soon as Judge Fatoye left. “Dad!” I said as I hugged him. He was full of smiles. “Congratulations, Darlene. Thanks for sparing our family’s blushes.” He said, as we laughed. A policeman man handcuffed Chidi Obi and moved him along. Chidi Obi stopped when he got to us. He saw Dora. “Sandra Jite, right?” he asked. “No, it’s Dora Williams.” She replied, with a smile. Chidi Obi looked stunned. “What? Oh no…it was you who did her coming-out recently, right? You fooled me.” Dora nodded. “Yes, you wanted to make a fool of my family, so we found out everything and here you are Old man.” Chidi Obi sighed and the Policemen escorted him out. We all laughed. I hugged Dora. “Thanks Sis. You are the best.” Toni came rushing. “Hi darling…” she shouted. We hugged tightly. “I am so proud of you, the Press is massive outside, and they are waiting for you.” “Let them wait.” I replied, with a smile. Kolapo came over. “Hi Darlene, Congratulations. You did it.” “We all did. I am so proud of you. Thanks a lot.” I said, hugging him. I turned around to see Dare. “Hey…Thanks, Dare.” He smiled. “I am so proud of you, Darlene.” he said, as we hugged. “And I am sorry that I am not the man you love.” He whispered. I smiled. “Oh well…and still I didn’t get my heartbreak from you.” I replied, with a smile. “The Press really just wants to have a picture of you, right now.” He said, with a smile. I nodded. “I know, but they would wait to see to smile a little more.” I replied and walked over to Jacob who was sitting by the window. “Hi wedding boy.” I said, trying to be funny. “Really, Darlene?” he gave a questioning look with his eyebrow raised. I nudged him in the waist. “Have a sense of humour.” “Darlene, I am so proud of you.” he started. I was all smiles. Jake never had to say much to tickle me. “I just wished you knew how much I love you.” my eyes lit up with excitement. “I mean, right now.” He said, and stuck his tongue out. I hit him on his shoulder. “You are so mean.” “Yet…you just love me, don’t you?” he said, smiling. I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned round to see Subomi Bankole. “Congratulations, Ms. Williams, I guess I couldn’t get another one over a Williams.” “If my Dad lost to you based on your lies, I would like that case revisited, you never won.” I said, standing up to him. He nodded. “Of course, I can’t say much right now. But Congratulations, all the same.” He said and walked away. Jake nudged me. “Darlene, you are mean.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Ms. Williams…look over here. Ms. Williams, How did you mastermind the finding of your witness? Are you going to Charge Subomi Bankole too as an Accomplice?” Dad suddenly halted and whispered to me. “Try to answer the press for once. You deserve it.” I smiled and stared at them. “Three questions only.” “My name is Peju Adeoye from BABSS WORLDWIDE… Ms. Williams, how do you want to describe your achievement? Against all odds you have successfully locked up one of the city’s biggest tyrant.” I nodded. “ALL THANKS TO GOD.” “I am Gbenro Adejare. Ms. Williams, it is a big shock to the city that you beat Subomi Bankole, is this revenge for your Father’s losing to Subomi years ago?” I sighed. “Erm…when the facts are right and the truth is obvious, it is not a matter of revenge, it is a matter of Justice.” “Ms. Williams, Me!!! Ms…Williams…Over here….Please Ms. Williams” I turned round to see Bobby from the BRT bus. “Hey Bobby.” I said with a smile. “Congratulations.” He said. “Would you take my question?” I nodded. “Most definitely.” “My name is Bobby, and for my school term paper on- ‘The Fall of Chidi Obi – a modern day tyrant’, Can I submit it now?” he asked, with a sly smile. I nodded with tears in my eyes. I had told Bobby to submit after the Case just in case I didn’t win, so that his paper won’t seem ridiculous. Journalists immediately turned to Bobby requesting for his piece. It was obvious that Bobby was on his way to being popular. Some journalists murmured about how Bobby wasted their opportunity to ask a ‘killer question’. Do they ever get tired? I walked away from the crowd to the Car where Dad was waiting. “Thanks Dad.” “For what?” he asked. I smiled. “I always wanted to see you at something important to me.” “Come here.” He said, and hugged me. “I am so sorry, and for the record, I am proud of you.” I looked up. “Dad, do you forgive me for Mom’s death?” I asked. Mom had died while running to attend to me when she heard me scream. I had always felt responsible for it ever since I knew the story. Dad sighed. “I have never held you responsible, Darlene Williams.” He said. “I am sorry.” He said, and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Can we be friends again?” he asked. “Were we ever friends?” I asked with a grin. He ruffled my hair. “You little rascal!” he smiled. “Let’s go, the others are waiting.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Sameer would be on the next flight to Dubai. I have arranged for Protection for him on his way there.” Dad said as he drove. I smiled. “Thanks Dad.” “It’s nothing. It’s something I should do for you.” I nodded. “Dad, you know, for the first time in my life, I am glad we are doing something together.” “Come off it, Williams. Now, I have a special proposal for you. Are you going to join my Firm?” I scoffed. “Really? NO!” I laughed, mockingly. “Oh come on Darlene, it’s a rare opportunity. It won’t affect your salary or your monthly stipends as my daughter. I won’t have a say on your contract fees.” I rolled my eyes. “NOOOOOOOO…..” “Darlene, don’t be a mean child. You can still live in my house till you get married, eat my food, and drive any car you want, since you can drive. Use my credit card if you wish, just work for me.” I stuck out my tongue. “I didn’t need your credit card before, why would I now?” “Are you turning down your old man?” he asked, making a sad face. I nodded. “I want to work as a contract lawyer, not tied to anyone.” He sighed. “I understand, anyway, I would hire you frequently. I would make you my employee by all means.” He said, smiling. “I want you to close your eyes.” Dad said, as we walked in. I obliged and then he covered them with his eyes. “Ta-da!!!!!!” he said, and opened it. There was a victory party in the house. “CONGRATULATIONS!” Everyone shouted. “Thank you everyone. This victory is not mine, but ours. I hope we have a nice time together. Cheers everyone.” I said, raising my glass. I walked away from the Party as my friends seemed to be having more fun than myself. I took my seat at the Pool, my usual spot. I had time to reflect on my defeat where I almost drowned myself in the same pool. I took a deep breath and smiled. I felt fulfilled. “Should you be alone?” Jake asked. I turned round and smiled. “Come.” He joined me by the pool. “Darlene, I am so happy for you.” he said, with a smile. I placed my head on his shoulder. I would take advantage of my last moments with the man I love before he got married. “I missed you, Jake. I am so sorry.” I said. “It’s alright. It was my fault. I guess I babied you too much.” He said, giving me a kiss on the forehead. I stayed in his arms until it was night. We talked about our childhood and laughed about memories. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** A week after the court case I joined Jake to carry a glass table into the living room. “Be careful.” He said as we dropped the table in the centre. “I think this would look good here.” I nodded. “And the Plasma would look good right there.” I said, pointing at the wall. “Or not?” Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. This place would be temporary though, probably a year after the wedding, we would move into my own designed house.” “Is Dora aware of this place? I get the feeling I am playing her role here. You should be doing this with her.” He shrugged. “She doesn’t know. It should be a surprise.” “But, couples usually pick out their things together, I even picked the sheets for the bed and kitchen wares, I don’t feel right about it. I don’t want to hurt her.” Jake sighed. “Come on Darlene, don’t be such a pain. I am here with you, simple. Why are you so stressed?” “I won’t feel good if my man picked out our house things with another woman.” He nodded. “Sorry. Tell your man that. I do what I please.” He said, and left to fetch the wallpapers. Jake had bought a Porsche Bungalow on the Banana Island, it cost him a lot, but it is a beautiful flat. We had chosen wallpapers to decorate the Flat. Jake had returned his BMW to his father’s house and bought himself a Car from his Paycheck. He was really bent on being ‘his own man’. “Darlene…” he called from outside. I joined him as we brought in the rest of the house furniture. The best part of our shopping was helping him pick out some Neck Ties, I had always wanted to do that forever. My Jake was going to wear a Suit. Jake left for the Bedroom. “This is beautiful.” I nodded in agreement. The Bedroom had a verandah. It exposed one to the beautiful trees. I took a deep breath and felt the rush of air from the sea breeze. “This is beautiful.” Jake stood behind me. At that moment, I was tempted to tell him that he shouldn’t marry Dora, but I couldn’t stop him. “Erm…I want to check the backyard. There’s a pool and a space for a grill there. Wanna come?” he asked pulling my hand. I smiled. “You leave me no choice.” I said, and followed him. The backyard looked spacious. The pool wasn’t as big as the one at Dad’s house but it was a decent size. There was a field for proper grilling. Jake’s house looked good. I only hoped that it would be a home with Dora.

At last chidi Obi got what he deserve

After answering my examination question wrongly, its now I know that witnesses are examined kkkkkk this life

Jake and Darlene deciv ursef well ooo... You are ending up together

Nice startup

Being rude to ur boss...hmm

Congrats Darlene and congrats in advance again cos soonest, Jake's gonna pop the big question

Soft work

let's go

Jake u are the main man... I dey feel ur plans

I think he is in love with you..... you've said "a man and his patner must do the choosing and arranging of their home". i'm sure that's what in his mind .

Congratulations darlene

A big Congrats to you Darlene am so happy for you

Victory at last!!!! Hmmmmm I smell something fishy on Jacob's side. I will not say it out until I see the outcome

nice story

I think jake and dora where playing game

Congrat darlene

Hmm,a pitty

EPISODE 63 “Jake…come on Jake…” I said, as I held my purse. I couldn’t see anything. Jake had covered my eyes with a blindfold. “It’s okay. I want everything to look real, just bear with me.” he giggled. “That why you are my best friend.” He led me along gently and then he stopped. He carefully took off the cloth from me eyes. And Behold! There were candles lit beautifully in the Park. The atmosphere was totally romantic, the moon was out. The table was perfectly dressed with a bottle of champagne and two wine glasses. Jacob looked exceptionally gorgeous. He wore a grey suit. His thick lush black hair was trimmed low, he was clean shaven. We had agreed that he made the rehearsal perfect. He made the scene look so real. I wasn’t lacking too, I wore a short black gown, I took time to have my hair made at a choice saloon, and my manicure and pedicure too. In my heart, I wanted to witness a perfect proposal, it is what I would wish for with Jake, but unfortunately, it is for Dora. I just had to watch him do it. “Jake…this is beautiful” I said, softly. He smiled. He pulled my chair back. “Please sit.” He said, with a smile. He took his seat and loosened his first button of his jacket. “Can I pour your drink?” he asked. I blushed faintly. “Please do.” I said, staring at him. He poured the glasses kindly. “Darlene,” he started. “Dora.” I corrected, with a smile. He snapped. “Let me use Darlene, it’s easier that way.” “Okay. Please continue.” I said, with a faint smile. He smiled and sipped his drink. “As a man, this is not me.” he said, looking at his Jacket. “I would rather be in my T-shirt and Jeans, because, I feel better in it, and I feel more like me in it. But, there are many things you do when you are in love.” He smiled. “This might appear cool and mature to you, but I feel weird in it. But for the sake of the knight, the lady kisses the squire. Ever since I met you, I always knew that I wanted to be with you, whether married or not, I just wanted to be with you.” There was this smile on Jake’s face as he talked, he never smiled that much while talking. I stared at his eyes as he poured out his feelings. “I may not seem like the man with all the style and sophistication, but with you, I feel like a Prince.” He shrugged. “Who wouldn’t feel like a Prince when he has a princess with him?” He blinked a bit, looked at me and then continued. “Have I mentioned that you are beautiful, tonight?” he asked. I shook my head in disagreement with a smile. “No.” “I am sorry. Pardon my manners, I am already knocked over with your charm, can’t see anything else. You have always been beautiful, your words, your actions, your smile, very expensive smile. Your frown, your tears, everything has been beautiful to me.” I took a deep breath and blinked. Tears were welling in my eyes. Jake is really in love. How could you watch the man you love be in love with someone else? “You taught me to fall in love.” He continued. “You are perfect. I never really knew what love meant or felt like till I met you. You gave me every reason to live and times without you made me feel dead.” I swallowed a bit and continued. “I don’t want to spend a minute without you, I don’t want to go another day without you in my life, I don’t want to build my home without you. I don’t want to live without you. I wish you feel the same way too.” He got down on one knee and brought out a tiny box from his Jacket’s pocket. The box looked different from the one I had seen with Dora. He took my hand and opened the box. “Darlene Williams, would you take this Jake, and make him yours? Would you marry me?” he asked staring at me. I looked at his eyes and stared at the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life. The ring was different too from the previous one. I withdrew my hand and clapped. “Beautiful Jake.” He smiled and took his seat. “You did well.” He nodded. “Jake, those words were the most beautiful words I have ever heard. And I must tell you that you would make a perfect husband.” He smiled. “You think?” he asked, and sipped his drink. I nodded. “Of course Jacob, When are you going to do the proposal?” He smiled. “I just did.” He didn’t just say that! Did he? My eyes popped. “What?” I stared at him. Jake got down on one knee and I rose to me feet. He took my hand. “Darlene Williams, would you take this Jake, and make him yours? Would you marry me?” he asked, staring at me. I was lost. What was he doing? Jake was going to dump Dora for me. I shook my head in disagreement. “No…NO…NO Jake, You can’t do this Jake, you can’t do this to Dora, and you would destroy her.” He sighed. “I love you, Darlene Williams. I have loved you since I was a boy and I want to be your man, your husband, the father of you children. I want to be yours, it is you I love.” I turned my face away. “I can’t do this.” I snatched my hand from his grip and walked away. Jake stood behind me. “Did you really think I would pick my house furniture, beddings, and utensils with another woman except from the one I was going to marry?” I turned at him sharply. “What do you mean, Jake?” I asked. Jake was starting to confuse me. Pick his house furniture and all… He nodded. “It has always been you for me.” he said. “Darlene, I can’t go on without you.” his eyes were whispering to me. But at the same time, there were questions in my heart. I shook my head not knowing what to believe. “I saw the ring you gave to Dora, and you wrote in it that ‘Jake loves you’ to her. You said you were going to propose to her properly after the case, why is it me all of a sudden?” I asked, staring at his eyes. My eyes were soon wet. “Give me answers, Jake” He took a deep breath. “That ring you saw with Dora was yours.” He started. I stared at him. “After she told me that you had seen it, I had to get another one, and by myself. I picked the first ring with Dora for you.” he sighed. “I figured that you shouldn’t see your ring before the proposal.” I stared at him. “Are you…are you trying to tell me that the thing with you and Dora never existed?” I asked. He nodded. “Never. We never existed.” He sighed. “I am sorry, but I was madly in love with you and I just needed to win your heart. It was a plot between Dora, KP and I. When I didn’t know what else to do, Dora and KP offered to help me. I didn’t know what to do. I just needed you to see me.” I shook my head. “You fool! I have always loved you.” I said and a tear dropped from my eyes. He smiled and wiped the tear with his finger. “Jake, I can’t go on without you. I want to be your woman, your wife, the mother of your children. I want to be yours; it is you that I love.” I confessed. “This is my heart, Jake.” Jake smiled and drew me close for a kiss. It was deep and I felt safe. That’s the word, yes, I felt safe. I felt flashes of camera on our face as we kissed. We stopped to shield our faces. “HEY! FINISH THE PROPOSAL, YOU FOOL!” Dare shouted, as he came out of hiding with Dora and KP. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Jake dropped on one knee and lifted the ring before me. “Darlene Williams, would you take this Jake and make him yours? Would you marry me? I nodded excitedly with tears in my eyes. “Yes, I would.” I said. He smiled and slipped the ring into my finger. Dora’s camera clicked. Jake swirled me around and dropped me to kiss me. Definitely, I kissed back. Dare and co had to excuse us. Jake and I walked towards the end of the Park. “I am so happy, Jake.” I confessed. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around my back. “Jake, I was scared to death that you would marry Dora.” “Really? I could never think you would be scared.” I smiled. “Jake, couldn’t you just have made it simple and have told me from the start? You almost sent me into Cardiac.” He laughed as we took our seat on the sand. “Darlene, I have to confess that this is the best night of my life. I have always waited for this day.” I lay my head on his shoulder. “The feeling is mutual. I really can’t explain how much I love you. Jake, I love you.” He stared at me. “Really? You sound weird saying all those.” I nudged him in the waist. “I just love you, dude. I just love you.” He snarled. “Can I take this off?” he asked, staring at the Jacket. I stared at him and kissed him. “No, this is your punishment for being my man. You would make it through today.” I tapped his Jacket. “You look good anyway.” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Have you told, Darlene?” Bada asked, over the phone. Kunle Williams moved away from the door and walked into the garden. “Doctor Bada, She’s coming over for dinner tonight. I would have Dora and Darlene at home too. I would break the news then.” “Kunle, don’t procrastinate. Just do it. You are set on marrying her anyway.” Kunle sighed. “Bada, I am just getting to reconcile with my daughter. How would she take this one? She might hate me forever.” “Kunle, Darlene is a smart woman, it is normal that she would be angry but I want you to know that she would forgive you. It was a mistake that you regret and the good thing is that your fiancée forgives you, she loves you, has reconciled with her ex. Everything would be fine. Just take it easy and say the truth.” Kunle took a deep breath. “Okay, I will. Thanks.” He replied and hung up. Sir Kunle Williams paced round the living room and made a practice. “Hey Darlene, this is the woman I want to marry. I know it’s weird and this might hurt you, but I love her, and I want to be happy” he paused and took his seat. He turned on the Television. The News was all about Darlene Williams. “In what has become the biggest upset in the Chambers and among lawyers, young Darlene Williams came out tops where she clearly stated that it was all about JUSTICE, Is this a new dawn for the nation?” “Mary…Janet…” Sir Williams called. Two maids appeared before him. “Yes sir.” They chorused. “I want you to set the table for dinner, it’s a full house, so make it full.” He instructed and left for his room. They nodded and left. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Jake and I walked into the house. Dad was standing in the dining hall. “Over here, people. We have waiting for you.” We walked over to the table. “Wow! We can give you the big news then, Dad.” I said. Jake and I took our seat. Dare smiled at me. I smiled back. Dad cleared his throat. “Before we eat, we are going to have dinner with a special person, my fiancée.” We all cheered. Dad sat up and continued. “I would like us to please be patient, and not say anything offensive to my fiancée; please I crave your indulgence.” I scoffed. Dad was beginning to scare me. “DAD! It’s not like you are bring a vampire to the table, come on let’s meet our step mother to be.” I said, excitedly. Dad nodded with a smile and walked out. “Hey Darlene, you are too excited.” Dare said, sipping his wine. I smiled. “It should be fun to meet her, why is Dad making it look so horrible?” “Hmmm…you are right. It’s high time you guys met her.” He said, staring at Dora and me. He blinked a bit. Slow steps approached from the hallway. Dad was obviously coming with a female as we heard female shoe sounds-not particularly like heels, but you know when a lady is approaching. Dad stepped in. “Hey, I want you guys to meet my fiancée.” He said and stepped aside for her to walk in. she did. Silence filled the room. I kept on staring at her. I then scoffed. “Dad, if you said, she was my big sister, I won’t mind, but there’s absolutely no way that I am okay with you marrying her.” Dad sighed. “We could talk calmly over dinner.” He said, showing his guest a seat. “Talk? Dad! You are just full of it, aren’t you? How much more would you destroy me?” I asked, and stormed out of the Dining hall. I ran out to the garden and burst into tears. Dare and Jake came after me. Jake hugged me. “Its okay baby, shhh…don’t cry anymore.” “My father just hates me. He does everything to make me sad.” Dare scoffed. “It’s not always about you, Darlene.” I sprang to my feet. “Really? Why her? Why REINA MARTINS?” I shouted. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Dad looked over his shoulder and stared at Dora and KP. KP buried his head, Dad turned to Dora, he had to introduce her at least to his other daughter, provided she wouldn’t get the same treatment Darlene dished out. Dad sighed. “This is Reina Martins, and she is my fiancée.” KP and Dora nodded. “Nice to meet you.” Dora said, stretching out her hand to Reina. Reina took it with a smile. “Nice to meet you too, Dora.” She replied. “Your sister is pretty pissed at me, and with good reasons, but I hope I can try to win your hearts.” KP scoffed. “Erm…this is more like a mother-daughter talk, I would join the rest outside.” He said. “My name is Kolapo, most people call me KP and I am Dora’s Boyfriend.” he extended his hand out to her and she took it nicely. “Welcome.” He said, and headed out. “So, tell me what you have done to have Darlene hate you so much?” Dora started. Sir Williams interrupted. “Now is not the time, Dora. Whatever it was happened in the past, and it would all be sorted out soon.” He said and walked out. Reina adjusted in her seat. Dora probed her with her eyes. “Really, Reina? Why are you here?” She sighed. “Am I too messed up for love?” “No one is too messed for love, at least here you are.” Dora said, rolling her eyes. Reina scoffed. “I don’t know what your sister has said about me, but I want you to know that I made a lot of mistakes, but it has always been different with Kunle.” “My Dad, right?” Dora affirmed. She smiled. “Yes, your Dad. He is Kunle to me.” Dora nodded. “Of course, Reina, I don’t have a problem with you. If you make my Dad happy, I am okay with it. But if you piss my sister off, I would break your head.” She said with a smile. Reina smiled back. “Well, we’ll just wait for the others. Darlene is ‘a little bit’ stubborn.” She grinned. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Why did he have to choose Reina?” I asked. Dare rolled his eyes. “They go a long way back. Your father…” “I had a child with Reina. He is late now.” Dad intercepted. Dare stepped back. Dad blinked and stood before me. “I couldn’t tell you then on my return from Paris, it was all too sudden, I was just getting to bond with Dora’s mom.” I stood up shocked. “Dad??? Oh God…so you were responsible for Reina’s pregnancy then.” I held my forehead and took my seat. “Dad, how could you run away from your responsibility? You made an innocent child suffer Dad, you caused his death.” I said and walked away. “Darlene…” Jake called after me. I stopped abruptly. “What Jacob? My father is going to ruin my life.” Jake firmed up. “Excuse me babe, this is your father’s life. He made a mistake.” I stared at him. “Mistake? Mistake is when you kiss a woman and say sorry, not when you have a child with her and then you run away from your responsibility.” Jake nodded and held my hand. “Darlene, please forgive him.” He replied, calmly. I shook my head. “I just need to get away from Dad. I hate him.” “Come here.” Jake said, and pulled me into a tight embrace. “You remember the last time when you ran away after you found out about Dora; I can’t bear to see you like that, Darlene.” I cried in his arms. “Jake, why is my father like this?” “You just have to accept him for who he is. He is still your father.” He said. “Maybe your stalker was even his son.” I nudged Jake’s waist. “Don’t even go there.” Jake shrugged. “Just accept him.” He said. I pulled out of his embrace. “If you are taking things these hard, how do you think Dare felt when he found out?” I nodded. “It’s okay, baby.” “Reina is a real pain. I don’t know how Dad would cope with her.” I complained. “She acts so paranoid.” Jake nodded. “That is gonna be Sir Williams’ problem from now, I know he’s your Dad, but I know he can handle her. I mean, they dated once.” I scoffed. “I hope he can.” I said, and looked at Jake. “Why do I always act like this? Am I going to miss Dad?” “Yes you will, but don’t worry, you would be just fine.” We returned into the house. Reina stood up as soon as I entered into the dining room. “You don’t want me as a step mother, I get it. I totally don’t want you as my step daughter either.” “What?” I said, confused. Jake placed his hand on my shoulder, just in case was going to go ‘Tasha Smith’ on her. She smiled. “I got ya!” she said, laughing. Was that even a joke? I wore an awful grimace. “Darlene, I know I was so mean to you, but I want you to please forgive Me.” she continued. “Ya…right? Like when you were always coming after me thinking I was into Dare?” I asked, slipping into my seat. Dad cleared his throat. “Darlene and Dora, I know you are mad at me, but the honest truth is that, I never meant to hurt you, my angels.” He started. “I always knew that it would be difficult how things were Reina and I, that’s why I tried to hide it, but after I told her to marry me, I knew sooner or later, you would find out.” I nodded. “Of course, Dad. I would always find out.” Dad sighed and turned towards Dare. “I was a coward and so I ran away from my responsibility. I left it to be shouldered by a young man like you. I am sorry about that.” He said apologetically. Dare nodded. “It’s okay, Sir.” “I remain indebted to you for loving and protecting my son like yours until the time of his death.” Dare blinked to force back tears. “Tobi was my son. I am proud to have been his father. There’s no need to thank you.” he said and sighed. “All that is left is that you make Reina back into the woman that fell in love with you.” Dad nodded. “I would love her with all my heart.” Reina stood up and held Dad’s hand firmly. The whole thing appeared ridiculous to me in my heart, but it’s his happiness, what can I do? Reina nodded. “We ask for your forgiveness and ask that you bless our marriage.” She said. I burst into a mocking laugh. “What is this? Do we look like your parents?” I asked. Dora also laughed and before we knew it, we were all smiling. Dare stood up. “Darlene, I am sorry for not telling you earlier, but your Dad and I had to check Reina into a proper health facility in the Bahamas and that’s why we missed the first court case.” he said, and bowed. “I really didn’t think that you should know about such a thing at that time, please forgive me.” he added I smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive, Dare. You made a smart choice.” I replied. Kolapo raised his hand. “Could we all eat?” he asked. We all erupted in laughter. Jake and I whispered between us and then Jake cleared his throat. “Dad, and M…Mom, we have some news.” He said, laughing. “Darlene and I are getting married.” “Congratulations.” Dad replied. Jake went over to hug him. “You are officially welcome to the family. You have always been, but now, you are really legit.” They shook hands. “This is beautiful.” I went to Dad. He kissed my forehead. “My little princess is grown.” I hugged him. “I am proud of you.” he whispered. Reina also extended her congratulatory message, but with a smile. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “I don’t understand you, Dare. In the Bahamas, you told me you were going to make Darlene happy, is this it?” Reina asked. Dare leaned against his car. “Reina, Darlene would never be happy with me. She is going to think about Jake every 5 seconds, I don’t want that.” “So, you are just going to give up.” She asked, looking surprised. He nodded. “I already have.” “This is all messed up, Dare. You really liked that girl.” She said holding her head. “If it is because of me, I would talk to her.” He smiled and pinched her cheek. “It’s not about you babe, if you ask me, I would say Darlene would be very happy with Jake.” Reina shook her head. “You must be hurting, Dare. You told me off because of her, why let her go?” “I know, but there were sometimes I thought the feeling would be so mutual between us, but it just has to be Jake for her. I don’t want her to be unhappy with me.” Reina nodded. “I think you are right about the happiness part. I knew I won’t be happy with you; Kunle became my life after Paris. So what are you going to do?” He sighed. “I don’t know. I would go over to Toni’s, we would talk, and she would come up with something.” “Ya…that fat balloon. She always has ideas.” Dare grinned. “Don’t call her that.” Reina smiled. “Oh Dare…I wish you could be happy.” Dare shrugged. “I would be.” He replied and opened the door of the car. “It’s getting late; I have to be on my way.” “Oh…are you going back to the Firm?” Dare sighed. “I don’t know. There has to be changes for me to return there. Glad thing, Uncle Femi is going to go to jail, that means the Firm would be free of his venom.” Reina nodded. “Okay dear. Take your time and make the best decision for your Firm, you worked hard to put that place in shape. Don’t abandon it.” “I’ll access my options. Good night, Reina. And I wish you a happy life.” Reina smiled. “I hope I get along with the girls really well. Especially Darlene.” “You have no problems with Darlene; just let her see the part of you that fell in love with her Dad.” He replied with a wink. “And of course, help her out with the wedding preparations, your expertise is needed.” He replied and drove off. Rein watched Dare’s car drive off. She took a deep breath. “I am sorry, Dare, you really are hurting.” I joined Reina outside. “Hmmm…it’s going to be difficult to see you as my Mom.” Reina smiled. “I am not asking that you see me as your Mom.” She said, taking a sit in the garden. “I used to be a terrible mother, but at least, I have been a mother.” I scoffed and took my seat beside her. “Tell me what you like about my Dad?” I asked. She grinned. “Really?” I nodded. “Okay, I think he’s hot.” I stared at her with the ‘are you kidding me’ expression. “For real, I think he’d pass for a George Clooney type of man.” “George…what? Reina, don’t go there.” I replied with a smile. She shrugged. “I am serious, when we met in Paris, he said the funniest things ever, and I blurted out to him that I loved him. He told me that he had two daughters, but I couldn’t mind. I really did love him from that day.” “It’s all in the past, now.” I said, and sighed. Reina took my hand. “Your ring is beautiful. I wish you a happy marriage.” She said with a smile. I nodded. “I always wanted this.” She sighed. “I thought you loved Dare.” I nodded. “I thought I did too, but all I needed to realize was who going on won’t be possible without, and it is Jake.” “Smart choice.” I sighed. “I am just worried for Dare. I don’t know if he would be happy.” “Of course, he would be. He just has to find his better half.” She replied. “The one that it won’t be possible to go on without.” She added. I took a deep breath. “It’s cold out here, I would be going in.” I said, and walked away. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “Hi Jane…” Jane closed her laptop. “Hey Jacob, how are you?” “I am good. How’s Canada?” he asked. Jane leaned back. “Work is going fine here. So, how did the proposal go?” “She said YES.” Jane jumped up. “YES!!! I am so happy for you, baby. So when is the wedding?” “I don’t know yet. I have to see Dad and Mom first, and then we would set a date with Darlene’s family.” Jane adjusted in her seat. “Tell me how you did the proposal.” She said, with a smile. Jake ranted on to his sister about his famous proposal. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** 2 Weeks after the proposal “Hi Pastor Ben.” I said, stopping over at the church. Pastor Ben smiled as he ran through the Invitation; he was going to be coordinating Pastor. “This is nice; I am honored to be in charge of your wedding.” “You are the only Pastor I know.” I said, smiling. He nodded. “So, you and Jake would be couples.” He scoffed. “You always have been. It’s just going to be official.” I smiled. “Darlene…a smile has always been weird on you, but this is pure. You are going to be very happy, I am happy for you. You won your case and now, you’ve won a bigger lottery. Mama Adeoti strolled into the Church office. “I am sorry for not knocking, but Pastor Ben.” She rushed to say and stopped on seeing me. “Anyway, since you are here, I might as well confirm the rumours, is it true that you would be getting married to Jacob Martin-Oje?” she asked, adjusting her eye glasses. I reached for an Invitation card in my purse and stretched it to her. “You are invited.” I said, with a smile. “Really? This is so beautiful. Congratulations, my dear. Welcome to the league of married women, well almost welcome.” She said, forcing a hug. I was the first to release myself from the hug; she was going to rip my cloth. “Thank you ma.” She took a seat. “Now that you are getting married, and you attend this church, I think you should join us for the next hang out. The Married women association would be delighted to have you join us.” I nodded. She smiled widely. She faced Pastor Ben. “This is huge Pastor, we have our little girl getting married, I think I should tell the Married Women Association about this. It is time we started having young ladies join the association.” She smiled at me. “Honey, you are so welcome.” She said, and pecked me. “I would see you later, Pastor.” She said and walked out. Pastor Ben saw her off. EVEN IF I WAS GOING TO HANG OUT WITH MARRIED WOMEN…Mama Adeoti??? Come on, not in this life time.

I thought as much next!!!

CONGRAT DEAR

Wao wat an interesting episode

Hahahahaha... Jake u totally nailed it a mighty nail and hammer ?

nice one Jake

interesting

This is sweet. CONGRATULATIONS, DARLENE WILLIAMS

Married women association... Chai, u don enter am already.... Lol

Wow wow wow..darlene am happy for u dear

So niceeeeeeeeee

I saw Jake and Darlene together anyways

I saw it coming... Congrats Darlene Williams (Mrs Jacob Martins Oje to be)

Very good

64 (FINALE EPISODE) “My name is Darlene Martin-0je. I am a Lawyer and Mother. Happily married to the sweetest and kindest man in the world, Jake, my Lover and best friend. Jake and I have been friends since we were toddlers and I couldn’t have asked for anything better when my first love told me to marry him. Now I am his wife. We have our bundle of trouble (I meant our kids), David (5) and his baby sister, Wunmi (2). We celebrated her birthday only last month. We live in our home here in Lagos, Nigeria. This house was designed by my love, Jacob. Although Jake argues that I am clueless about houses, I think my touch was necessary to make this place ‘divine’. Our closest friends are Dora and her husband, Kolapo. They are newlyweds, only six months. Within our families, we have so much fun. We have been on vacations together twice – the Obudu Cattle ranch (Nigeria), (We were invited to Obudu Cattle ranch, by my ex-boyfriend, Paul and his wife, Marie. Marie is a really sweet woman. She made us Chicken sauce and she says she’s really indebted to me for breaking up with Paul, well, what can I say?). They looked happy together, and have made a home for themselves. They have a kid; his name is Joshua (6). Our second vacation together was at Snowbird ski and Summer Resort in Utah. All Jake’s idea! He wanted to have fun and he made us feel the torture, he and Kolapo ended up liking it, didn’t seem like a bad idea after all. All these trips, we of course, had to exclude Dad and Reina. They are having a happy marriage. They preferred trips to Dubai and Kansas; they recently bought a country home at Kansas. Reina Williams is pregnant, so Dora and I would be having a step brother soon. The Doctors say the baby is going to be healthy. What won’t they say to have more money? (No apologies) “Mom! Mommy!!! Mom” Ah…yes! That deafening noise! David is a pain! I closed the Laptop and turned towards him. “What is it, my prince?” I asked, ruffling his hair. “Dad says we are gonna be late.” He said, pulling my dress. “Uncle Dare is gonna be mad, hurry mom.” I sighed. “I got it, honey. Go and tell your dad to hurry up.” I said, sending him back. David scampered off back upstairs. I watched him as he raced the stairs, young and full of energy. That was the trick that Jake and I played between David. We had fun tossing him around. I applied my lip gloss carefully. Jake showed up. “Really, Darlene?” Jake said with a questioning look. I wasn’t in my shoe yet. “You are so not ready, we are gonna be late.” He said, staring at his wristwatch. David grumbled. “I can’t be late.” I stared at his Neck Tie. “Jake, that tie doesn’t match.” I sighed and walked past him. “Let me pick you another.” I said, pulling him along. “It does match; D…you just want me to be the last at dressing up.” He said, as I pulled him. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “We gather here today for the Holy Matrimony between Dare Ade-Cole and Jane Martin-Oje. It is a thing of great joy that these two have decided to leave their father’s houses and become man and wife.” Ah…yes, I skipped on the juicy detail, right? Dare and Jake’s sister, Jane, hooked up at my wedding. Strange though, but it took them almost six years to get married. Come to think of it, how could they take so long? “Congratulations, Jane.” I said, hugging her. “You are marrying a fantastic man.” She smiled. “I know. Thank you.” Dare joined us. “Hey David, how are you, big man?” he said, ruffling his hair. “Hey…don’t do that!” David whined, looking around cautiously. Dare widened his eye. “Why?” David looked around. “You would make me look like a baby.” “But you are a baby.” Dare protested. David turned sharply. “I am not! I am 5. Wunmi is a baby, she is 2. And there are girls here!” Dare burst into a mocking laugh. “What are you teaching this kid, Jake?” Jake raised his hand in the air. “Not me man, these kids grow too fast.” He replied. Gideon smirked. “I would know.” He said, holding his son proudly. “This Gent here said to me that he would not have me call him baby in public.” We all laughed. Toni stared at Wunmi. “She is adorable.” She said. “Gideon, I wish you were as cute as Jake or Dare, I hope you don’t affect our daughter’s gene when she’s born.” She said. The mood got all hilarious. “Oh…really? You should be glad I married you.” he replied. “No man would want to share a bed with you, of course, your size.” He shot back. Toni and Gideon were fond of taking swipes at one another. “I lost three pounds already.” She replied, with a grin. “Come on guys.” Dare said, separating them. “You miss him a lot, Toni, you know.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t miss him.” She said. “Come here, Benedict.” She said, holding her son. We all went for the couples dance. I was glad to get on the dance floor once. We all partied but it couldn’t go late as the newlywed had to go to Paris for their Honeymoon, and of course some of us had kids to cater to. And when you have a kid like David who would sing with the kids’ choir group in Church on Sunday, you have to hurry. David was soon complaining about being tired. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** “We are back from the wedding. Well, Dare got married to Jake’s sister today. It was a beautiful day, I am happy for the couple. I wish them the best. Reina missed the wedding, said she had cramps. And when Reina misses, Dad is absent too. Our story is never complete without information on Caro…well Caroline James would be released from Jail tomorrow, best day of her life, I guess. Her nursing license was revoked, feel really sad for her. She has said that she would be going to Malaysia with Philip after her release; they want to start a new life there, happy for them. The ‘Big fishes’ are still behind bars – Chidi Obi and Femi Ade-Cole. Mr. Ayodeji Ade-Cole is trying to win Olamide Ojo’s heart back, I hope he succeeds. But I bet he is gonna have a hard time with Olamide Ojo; she really wants to just live free. Love to her was over, she made a mistake that she would never forget and has paid for times over. She just wanted to have fun. On my wedding day, she had said. ‘ Darlene, I am happy for your choice. There’s nothing better when you are in love, I am glad you found the one that you couldn’t go on without.’ Well, most of my life story, you know it. Thankfully, Paul isn’t mad at me anymore; I guess I mentioned that we even spent vacation together. Less I forget, George came home for the wedding, he had been all over the world in the last years. He made a real show at Dare’s wedding in his Army uniform, I mean, why would anyone wear that to a friend’s wedding? David did mention that he was a bit terrified on seeing Uncle Gideon’s uniform. The reason behind the ‘Please Break My Heart’ plea? As Darlene Williams, I was tough, rough around the edges and strong willed. I had a strong desire for success and there was no room for love. I dabbled into a relationship when my father said he didn’t see any reasonable man wanting to settle down with a ‘bull-head’ of a woman. Could you blame me for dating Paul? He was always around the corner. And I had to show that I could settle down. My relationship with Paul was out of ignorance, it made me think I had a heart of steel. When Paul was hurt, I felt responsible and this made me seek getting my ‘heart broken’. I had never had one before. (*sighs*…to my daughter, I hope you never do this stupid thing I did.) Falling in love with Dare was the plan; he appeared to me like a man that won’t love me back. (Lesson #1: Never Never Assume) I judged his heart too fast, and he even won my first kiss, more like he stole it, but I kissed back, so for that moment, I would agree that I ‘fell’ for Dare. Dare opened my eyes to ‘love’, although it wasn’t going to be him. The truth is, I loved a lot of things about Dare, his height, face, his style, sophistication and everything that would make me feel ‘represented’. Who won’t love a Debonair? And just like Paul had told me in his letter, ‘Dare was my fantasy, but not my prince.’ My Prince had always been Jake, though he didn’t appear Sophisticated, Elegant and all. He was all that in his heart. Love for me, is with Jake. I know that some feel I would be better off with Dare, like my step-mother Reina thinks. Truth is, we are all entitled to our opinions, but I am in love with my husband every day, I can’t ask for anything else. Together we have two wonderful kids, Everything here is beautiful. The real is truth is this… ‘Love is beautiful.’ I love you, Jacob. Signing out, Mrs. Darlene Martin-Oje (World’s hottest lawyer-momJ) I closed the laptop asDavid raced into the study. “Mommy…Daddy is pulling faces at me.” I turned round to see Jake with a mask on his face. “See…” “Give me my baby, Jake.” I said, taking Wunmi from his arms. I pulled the mask off and dropped it on the table. David hid behind me. “Mommy! Let’s go to bed. It’s Sunday tomorrow. I don’t want to be late.” He rattled. “If I am late, Bolu would lead the song and he would make fun of me.” I heaved a huge sigh. “I know, baby.” I said. I rose to my feet and reached one hand out to David. I was carrying Wunmi on the other hand. “Give me Wunmi” Jake said, reaching out for Wunmi. “I am helping out.” He said, with a smile. I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you take David?” Jake stuck his tongue out. “Lazy man.” He smiled. “He’s too troublesome. I can’t handle him.” He replied and quickly collected Wunmi. “Have fun, honey. Let’s race upstairs. The Loser tucks the kids in” he said, and ran upstairs. “Jake, you cheat!” I shouted. Jake was fond of that game, loser tucks the kid in, and he would always dash off with Wunmi who won’t give him any problem when taking her in. David stuck his tongue out. “You lose, Mommy. You tuck us in, again!” I dragged my ‘bundle of trouble’ along. David really was it. Wunmi had never been a trouble to tuck in; she slept most of the time. And tonight, wasn’t an exception. She was sleeping. But David…Oh no…David. He won’t just sleep. After several tuck in and out, I rubbed his hair and smiled at him. “Have I ever told you that you look good?” He frowned slightly. “Mom, the last time you said I was cuter than Dad.” He folded his hand. “Now you are saying ‘good’.” I smiled. “Don’t be jealous, David. Okay, you are cuter than your Dad.” I said, kissing his forehead. He flashed a smile at me. “Yes, that what I want to hear.” “Wow! This is the last time you would hear me say that then.” I said, adjusting his pillow. He frowned. “No!” “Yes!” I said, drawing the curtains. “Keep them closed.” I said, staring at the curtains. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.” After several pleas and face-makings, David was slowly starting to fall asleep. I turned off his light and approached the door. “Mom.” He called softly. I turned round. “Hey baby, what is it?” “I never want you to beat Dad in ‘who is going to tuck baby to sleep’ race.” He said, yawning. “I always want you to put me to bed.” I smiled. “Goodnight, my love.” I said, and closed the door gently. Jake was standing outside. “Don’t mind that chap. I could still beat you guys with my eyes closed.” He said, leaning against the door. I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away. Jake pulled me back swiftly and pinned me against the door gently and our lips locked. “Aren’t you being mean, Mom? Kissing the kids goodnight and ignoring your big baby?” he said with a sensual smile. I stared at him and smiled. “Should I also put you to bed?” I asked. He stared at me. “Most definitely” *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** THE END

Wow I love this story

I love this story wow nice one

Being rude can never pay u dear

Wow! finally Darlene, u avoid getting heartbroken

Heart this story so much

Most definitely

Fabulous story

I knew Jane will be Dare's Wife. I gbadun this story

WOW......LOVE THIS STORY

I really enjoyed dis story.A big thanks to d writter.

Wao nice story all the way .....it all sounds lyk a non-fictions

See what you would have missed if you had married Dare

Perfito excellento.... Waooo what a wonderful piece of work... I enjoyed every part of it, from the posting intervals to the gist of the story, everything was accurate.. Thumbup @chimmy

Wonderful story with great ending wow

Nice write-up bud, it rocks, more ink to ur pen.

[b][color=green]Wow! what a great ending. Thanks 4 d wonderful story writer, welldone[/color][/b]

U ar alwaz harsh

Something ar beta nt said dan don

Things are involvd

thank God you won the court case

thank God you won your court case

what a wonderful story we have here...

wow! i so much luv dis story

Hmm

Attension needed

Paul at work

Jake z very naughty

My Best story of the year

U lov paul bt u cant admit it

U neva tried to love paul bt u ar nw getin jealous

I sense trouble

Jake...hmm

Hhahhahaha...I love de story. Love is a beautiful thing.

Woaw,really loved this

Read it before

Be careful Daniel

I so much love dis story

wow never follen in love? irony

I love her spirit @youll have to provide me a means to get there or better still you drive me there..??

Only Cole's law firm can shapen and humble you I guess Cos going to your dad's firm will only bring out the beast in you..

Celebrate for the first time,,,,drunk,,,still resenting dad,,got a shocker and boom.... whaaaat ?? ????????

Rude girlie?

Issorit

Don't ever lie to.. Tell me the truth even if it will break my heart Ok.. I hate such play. Office romance

Wooooooooooooow ???... beautiful finishing...@chimmy thanks for your good heart..you took out time to post it..really nice of you May you marry your best friend ????

Beautiful bae.. thanks

DIS IS GONNA BE AN INTERESTING RIDE

ENJOYING DE RIDE VERY MUCH Z S

EPI 7 & 8 GETTING MORE INTERESTING

@EPI 17 & 18 DARLENE STOP ACTING LIKE A KID, GROW UP

@EPI 19 POLICE WHAT!! WHAT IS THE POLICE DOING THERE?? DIS IS SERIOUSLY SERIOUS

@EPI 27 & 28 AM IN LOVE WITH DIS STORY LIKE OMG I AM PREETY SURE HIS DAD AND UNCLE DONT QUIT LIKE U THO BUT I MUST WARN U HE CANT LOVE U JUST LIKE UR EX TOLD U EARLIER GH

@EPI 33 & 34 DORA MIGHT SNATCH JAKE FRM U, DARLENE. SO PLS MAKE A DECISION NOW ON WHO JAKE REALLY IS TO U. U LOVE HIN BUT U DNT KNOW. U KANT LET HIM GO, U WANT HIM ALWAYS BY UR SIDE. HAVE U ASK UR SELF WHY? DADY WANT TO REMARY AND I THINK DATS A GUD DECETION. U ALL WIL GET MARIED AND LEAVE HIM SOON AND HE WIL BE ALONE, AND SO HE NEEDS A WIFE. AND BESIDE BODY NO BE FIRE. HE NEED SEXUAL SATISFACTION AS A MAN DAT HE IS NAA. DANIEL IS SUCH A JAK ASS, AND NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON REINA U ARE BAK TO UR FORMAL OFICE, BUT ITS NO MORE UR OFICE AS U ALREADY KNOW LADY.,

@EPI 39 &40 UTHE BORD OF TRUSTY OF ADE-COLE GROUP OF COMPANY, U HAV TO TRUST IN HER. SHE WIL WIN THE CASE. HMMM THE KISS, I ALREADY SAW IT COMMING, SOONER OR LATER. BUT ITS CREASTAL CLEAR DAT U HAV FEALINGS 4 HIM. AND U ARE ALSO CONFUSED BABY M

EPI 49 & 50 HMM SOME HIDEN TRUITH HAV STARTED UNFOLDING GRADUALLY SO TOBI WAS NEVA DARE'S SON. AND DARLENE MOM NEVA LIKE WILLIAM DARE MOM AND DAT HAD DIVORSE CAUSE OF SAME ISSUE WAT A STORY

@EPI 52 HM NAWA O, I HATE DAT WORD "BEST FRIEND" BETWEEN A GUY AND A GIRL(OPOSIT SEX) THEY WIL JUST BE DECEIVING THEM SELF. DARLENE WILLIAMS, MAY I PUT IT TO U THAT YOU LOVE JACOB! BUT U ARE A CONFUSED CHARACTER, HOW KAN U BE LOVING 2 PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME? U LOVE DARE AND U HAVE ADMITED IT. U ALSO LOVE JAKE, BUT U DNT WANT TO ADMIT IT. NAWA 4 U O JUST CHOSE WHO U WANT BETWEEN JACOB AND DARE, AND GO 4 HIM. AND STOP THIS UR LACADESICAL ATTITUDE. I DONT LIKE WHAT I HATE, I HATE NONSENCE!!! ?U

@EPI 52 HM NAWA O, I HATE DAT WORD "BEST FRIEND" BETWEEN A GUY AND A GIRL(OPOSIT SEX) THEY WIL JUST BE DECEIVING THEM SELF. DARLENE WILLIAMS, MAY I PUT IT TO U THAT YOU LOVE JACOB! BUT U ARE A CONFUSED CHARACTER, HOW KAN U BE LOVING 2 PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME? U LOVE DARE AND U HAVE ADMITED IT. U ALSO LOVE JAKE, BUT U DNT WANT TO ADMIT IT. NAWA 4 U O JUST CHOSE WHO U WANT BETWEEN JACOB AND DARE, AND GO 4 HIM. AND STOP THIS UR LACADESICAL ATTITUDE. KOLAPO 4GET DORA, SHE HAS FOLLEN IN LOVE WITH JAKE AND OUT OF LOVE WITH U. FIND SOME1 BETTER!! I DONT LIKE WHAT I HATE, I HATE NONSENCE!!! ?U

@EPI 54 DARLENE U DIDN'T HAVE TO CHASE JAKE AWAY, U COULD HAVE AT LIST HERE FROM HIM. TOWOROW PLEASE COME O

@EPI 57 DARLENE U WIL WIN THE KASE!

@EPI 59 I RESERVE MY COMMENT, TOO SPEACHLESS TO COMMENT.

WAT A LOVELY STORY. U WONT UR COURT CARE, BY GIVEN THEM WHAT THEY DESERVED. U GOT MARRIED TO WHO U LOVE. DARE GOT MARIED TO JANE. DORA GOT MARIED TO KOLAPO. NICE ENDING... C

Chimamanda Adichie in the making.. I like your command of vocabularies, designers, celebrities, above all you re well informed! Your scriptwriting skils is superb, i learnt too much from this piece..Kudos to the author Tomi,You deserse a Nobel Price in literature