Novels by Shalom Makinde

FIORABefore I can say anything,loud footsteps approach us.My head whips up to stare at the devil still dressed in a grey suit and louboutin shoes.Darkness rolls off his shoulders like smoke crawling into my lungs.His face is a map of bruises and he has a massive black eye“You have a lot of guts to show your face here after what you've done”Eleana hisses as she turns to face Alder“Let me remind you…we're family now, and anything that involves my wife involves me too."“Don’t you dare take another step”Eleana steps in his way but she is no match for his brute strength..he pushes her with little effort and she stumbles backwards but I catch her just in time before she reaches the ground“Motherfucker! how dare you touch her!!”Uncle Ricardo raises his fist to strike Alder“I won't try that if I were you”Alder warns “unless you want to end up like your brother”“You are not going to get away with this,I will make sure you pay for ever even looking in my family's direction,see you in co

FIORA“Present day”NoJust No This can't be happeningSomeone wake me up from this nightmare before I lose my mindI don’t know how I end up on my knees. I don’t walk to where he fell l crawl.My vision is blind to all the people surrounding us and my ears are deafto the shouts and chaotic noise.The only sound I hear is a long buzz and the only thing I see is him and lots of redBlood redRed.Red.RedSomebody…Uncle Ricardo is applying pressure on the wound to stop more of his life essence from flowing out but it doesn't stopIt flows on and on till it forms a pool around his body ruining my wedding gown in the process but I couldn't care less,the only thing on my mind is the lifeless body before meI place my hands on his cheeks “Dad!dad!!....Open your eyes”I say between sobs “Please just open your eyes and look at me…There’s no response. I can fill his pulse under my fingers becoming weaker, his body heavier.His massive build is motionless and his skin is so pale…he looks nothin

FIORAThe very first time I met Alder he was nothing short of an infuriating asshole.It was my very first gig as a private chef.My big break after resigning from Dad's law firm and deciding that Law was not my passion, cooking was.I was hired by the Asher Williams family to cater for a small get-together they were having in honour of Asher's birthdayUnfortunately for me,Asher is Alder's best friend and clumsy little me decided the best person to accidentally spill a drink on was him.He in turn regarded me like a naive little brat and made the entire night miserable for me.Every other person loved my food but of course Alder thought it was mediocre.He complained that my entree was too salty and my dessert too sweet,made me serve him his dish personally which was not my job by the way because the party had waiters and complained that the bouillabaisse—which I so delicately prepared–had hair in itBut spilling a drink wasn't the biggest mistake I made,it was thinking he was just lik

FIORAAlder saved me? I can't believe a egotistic, sadistic billionaire will ever even think of saving meFor a second I think I'm dreaming, maybe this is just my brain's way of making me forget about this cruel incident..So I blink several times to make sure this is not a hallucination but he is still here…In the flesh!Under the blue light, his eyes are blank, emotionless. So empty I'm afraid I’ll fall into their pits.Dylan scraps himself off the concrete floor“who the fuck are you to tell me what to d–”before he can finish his sentence,Alder punches him in the jaw sending him flying right back to where he got up from“Fuck off! the next time I see you anywhere near her I will not only break the bones in your fingers but I will also server them off and feed them to my dogs”“This isn't over”Dylan says before he finally exits the room“Are you okay?”Alder asks with no emotions whatsoever as he finally focuses his icy gaze on meDespite the dim light,I can still make out his feature

FIORA“A month earlier”I'm not drunkYes,I'm a little dizzy and lightheaded but that only because of how suffocating this club is, because if I was really drunk,I won't be able to feel this pain that is eating me from the inside outMaybe if I drink some more i would be able to quench the fire that is threatening to burn me alive and I would be able to forget about “him”The idiot that had just stab my heart with a dozen splinters and broken it into a million piecesMy boyfriend or rather my stupid ex, Jonathan had the audacity to cheat on me,look me in the face and tell me I meant nothing to him and that we were just a fling.i caught him in bed with the supposed “love of his life”,a blonde who snarled at me and encouraged Jonathan to kick me out of his house“How dare they?” Moisture gathers in my eyes and I wipe it away with the back of my hand. As soon as I am able to gather myself,I'll get dad to make them both payTonight is to clear my head,to forgetI sway my hips to the loud

FIORAI've never liked weddings–or more specifically,small weddingsI mean what the essence of a wedding if it isn't loud and proud but this is differentThis is my wedding“You look so gorgeous mamita”my grandmother says has she watches my sister fix my veil on my head I stare at my Carolina Herrera dress in the mirror in front of me, it's simple yet elegant.The silk is soft against my skin.It has a gentle sweetheart neckline and thin straps rest on my shoulders, adding just a touch of delicacy. The skirt falls in a perfect A-line, flowing down to the floor with an easy grace and there's a small train that trails behindUnder normal circumstances,I would be overjoyed to be wearing my dream wedding dress but sadly nothing is normal about this wedding“Thank you, Abeula”I force a smile,when in fact happiness is far from what I feelRose,my best friend who was fixing my dress's train, stands up,places her hand on my shoulder and whispers “Fiora, are you