Finally the billionaire’s order was carried out. Brian refused to wear his cloths.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”He groaned and wailed at the tops of his voice and I perceived they were whipping him now.But why would a rightful thinking person refuse to wear his cloths? And why would they whip a grown up in his right senses. I was beginning to suspect mental derangement.“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”The wailing ravaged the entire mansion, and Opula was forced to go on her knees and pled on his behalf.“Father, please, I beg of you. Have mercy upon Brian you know his condition. If they continue to whip him with such callousness, they will hurt him and he doesn’t need to appear distraught since today is his day. I suggest we opt for gentler way of bringing him out…”Fanny interrupted her, “Enough of that!” his voice frisked. “That boy has cost me a lot pain and impairment. He has embarrassed me before Rio Hondo. He has dragged the name of my family in the mud and if he is not careful, I will disown him and
I returned to the hospital all tears and sucked into my gloom. My head heaved upon me and I felt withdrawn from this world. What was that? Can somebody remind me what just happened at the Fanny’s mansion?Am I dreaming or what? God forbid that I marry a mad man. How could they be so cruel and heartless? They knew I was in dire need of the money. They perceived the money meant the whole world to me right now and the only way they could rip me off it was to give me the condition of marrying their mad son.Who does that? Can you imagine! I can’t picture myself settling down for a mad man all in the name of marrying a billionaire’s son. I was often niggled by its impossibility whenever I thought of it.Mother’s health was plunging me into all this. I didn’t want my mother to die. Neither did I have money for burial. I was naïve and rudderless at the moment. I would be twenty two in few days and the last factor on my mind was marriage.What would become of me now?“You could still scuttle
“How would you feel if the son of a billionaire whose sanity is not impaired is given to you in marriage because his family sees you are in need of money and marrying their mad son is the only price to pay?” I almost chafed at Nurse Stella.At the time, I had taken my time to know most of the names of staff at the hospital.And it was the same Nurse Stella that took me to the Fanny’s villa some days ago to see if the billionaire could be of help. She was the only one I could complain to. I wanted to seek her opinion.All my life I have grown to be jaunty but this time I was losing it. What was going on in my life at the time was more than being trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea.“I would feel bad and even go crimson. Why would they do that to you?” she intoned, gritted her teeth and let a sullen look on her face.“The billionaire feels I can’t pay back half a million dollars so the only way I could do that was by signing to a contract marriage agreement with his mad son,
Nurse Stella and I stood staring at the Fanny’s villa while I was still all tears, with heavy sob which shook my entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt sadness cloud my features.I felt like a kid that was about to be sold for slavery. I was daunted, naive, stolen and abandoned to an impending fate. I gazed upon my scruffy self and swallowed hard at the thought of the decision I was about to make.Nurse Stella grabbed me into her embrace, only wishing she could really be of help to me at the time. Had it been she could afford the half a million dollars, I believed she would have given it to me without a tinge of rejection.Although I saw no sense in the advice yet there was an awakening that accompanied it. Yes. My thought was opened into an unfathomable recognition of the fact that once my mother ‘kicked the bucket,’ I would never set my eyes on her again.She was all I had at the time, my essence, my now and future. She may not know the sacrifice I was about getting to becaus
“Who do we have here?” Fanny, who was the first person to catch sight of me, said. His face lit with uncertainty, and he gave a lopsided grin.Instantly every eye came upon me and I lowered my gaze and pressed my lips tightly in exaggerated shame. I paused at the door post, shivering and fondling with the torn hem of my dress. Certainly my intention was stated and I wondered with which face I would used to behold this wealthy family to remind them I was eager to sign to the contract marriage now.The entire Fanny’s and their laborers were having a delightsome dinner at the time, so everywhere smelled of roasted prawn, almond and strawberry. Heavy chuckling and clattering hung over them too.The hotness that churned in my stomach wasn’t inspired by hunger but by thought of what awaited me. All my life I had lived with sane people; people that reasoned properly and behaved with absolute rationality. I never associated with the rich having such short coming.What was I getting myself int
I sat elegantly yet shyly as I was superbly decorated more than the former. This time diamond bracelets piled my neck and wrist. On my feet was a pair of Italian stiletto and my wedding gown was shapely made from the Royal Home of England. The tailor-made wedding gown caught my shape so invitingly that my curves and hour-glass shot out at the right edges and corners.“Wow this is so much for a wedding gown that would worn by the mad man’s wife,” one of the maidens gossiped with another by the corner as they gaped at the POS slip for the purchase of the wedding gown.“How much is it worth?” another asked cheerfully.“Eightmillion dollars!” the maiden replied, and cast an inspective gaze at me, probably expecting my reactions.My eyes almost burnt with tears at the thought of my attribute hence forth; mad man’s wife. That was what I was brooding about inwardly not even the worth of my wedding gown. I wondered how I was going to deal with the reserved emotional trauma this marriage was g
I halted my step and could hear voices whispering from ear to ear over the reason for my tears. Fanny Luis’s jaw dropped upon seeing my teary face and I doubted if it was for me or for his reputation.The voices were as the chirping of innumerable bees; they were murmuring about my fallen countenance. I just wish I could chin up and be matured before these gusts.“Why is she all tears?” a voice among the guest queried.“Isn’t she happy?” another replied coldly.“Oh it could be tears of joy,” another suggested.“Who wouldn’t be emotional? She is fortunate to marry the billionaire’s mad son,” that was another voice which sounded even more offensive than all the voices.The guests whispered among themselves, while the waited for the next line of action.I stood in my gloom, locked and pressed my hands in front, with my gaze lowered, at least with the intent to hide my sullen teary face from any careful onlooker.All of a sudden a lush silence hung over the entire building as piles of cha
“Why are you fidgety? Don’t you know you are married couples now, and soon you two would share same bed and roof?” Salsa snapped to me once I dared to withdraw to the wall as Brian advanced forward to sign on the agreement papers.Salsa’s words etched off every memory of what an ideal husband should look like and installed in me the belief that every husband was supposed to be insane; that I had no right to protest in this marriage.The two hefty men dragged him to come forth and he shuffled his legs, unwilling to make a move and throwing his face side ways to bite them since they seemed to be stronger than him. He was chuckling idly now and struggled violently with the two hefty men; to an extent the hefty men didn’t want to get much violent with him since this could result to hurting him.“Brian! Brian! You had better respect yourself and come forth to sign the papers. You are not going to keep us waiting. This is a time we have been anticipating as a family. You can’t ruin this mom
Kate watched as the family doctor, Doctor Bernard, treated Frank and dressed his skull of the bottle I burst on his head.“I guess the hoodlums that attacked you don’t know the family you belong.” Kate said in fury as she paced up and down the ward, “How could they do this to you for Christ sake?”Frank writhed in pain and clenched his teeth as the doctor tended to his wound. “I guess they know. That is the very reason they attacked me. They wanted to steal from me and when I struggled with them they unleashed their anger on my head. ,” he kept lying and wouldn’t tell them the truth behind the injury on his skull.“I am going to get the police involved in this,” Kate threatened and brought out her phone to dial the police, “Whether they are hoodlums or not, I don’t give a damn, they will regret ever harming a member of the Fannies. What arrant nonsense!”Frank protested, “No, don’t do that sweetie,” he gestured at her, “I have told you let us leave it to God. There is no need gettin
Opula was gradually regaining vigor after the transfusion of blood and when she heard the door creak and saw the doctor, she thought it was time for her to be discharged.“I guess I am fit to leave this drugs-smelling hospital now. The nurses showed me the state of my pregnancy and I am doing perfectly well,” Opula said to the family doctor who had the most unpredictable look on his face.“Perhaps you may want to tell me more about Rod Benson being responsible for the pregnancy,” Doctor Bernard intoned and sucked a huge grin when Opula scowled thoughtfully.Opula who had laid in bed all this while sat up and got burnt in her guts upon hearing that; she knew she couldn’t deny the fact that the doctor knew all about Ken testing positive to the paternity test result.“Listen up, doctor. I know you did the test and very much aware of the truth but please just pretend you know nothing and let Rod take responsibility for it. I have divorced ken. It is Rod that I love and perhaps you may
“Come on, sounds hilarious, but anytime I will always be there for you, the only thing you must do for me is to ensure no one sees the food.” Eva said.She was still in my chamber at the time.I shook my head in the negative, “Definitely no one will see them. Once again I appreciate for this loyalty and support.” I hugged her and sobbed on her shoulders.“It is okay, Melissa. Wipe your tears. Everything is going to be fine,” she said calmly.“How are Opula and her pregnancy? I hope she is fine now. I just wish nothing happened to her pregnancy,” I said expectantly.It was obvious it didn’t go down well with Eva because those eyes of hers rolled at me nastily.“She should have lost that pregnancy or better still be in the condition of your husband so that she can see the pains of being in a coma.”“Stop this Eva!” I rebuked her, “It is the wish of every pregnant woman to carry their babies. I am pregnant and I can tell you it is not easy to watch a suckling in your womb die miserably.”
After a while the doctor invited the Fannies into his office for some briefing. “Um my lab scientists have conducted some toxicity tests on the foods and there is no trace of poison in it, and you may have to applaud the chef for ever giving you the best of food with good hygiene. The foods are pure,” the doctor said.Salsa who had left earlier was smiling ear to ear as she eavesdropped at the door.No one would be able to trace the food poison she added to abort Opula’s pregnancy. Earlier when she got a phone call from Fanny to bring the samples of food to the hospital, she had brought freshly made food and not the ones they left at the dining.“You are lucky to have survived this Opula,” Salsa said in her mind, “I am not done with you. You must lose that baby. You can’t have that child for Rod. It is either you lose the baby or you die with it,” she threatened yet further in her mind.Inside the office the doctor had just told the Fannies there was urgent need for blood transfusion
“You escaped this ABORTION. You are not going to escape the next one; you can’t have this child for Rod Benson. Rod belongs to me. You had an opportunity to foster a sweet affair with him but you ruined it because he was poor. Now he is rich you want to snatch him away from me. I love Rod and not even you or that thing in your womb can deny me this happiness,” salsa said in her mind as she wept for Opula who was lying in the sick bed at the hospital.Salsa was a slow poison and a moving unpredictable time bomb. She had history of avenging her offenders and Opula might be battling with an unknown closer enemy.The Fanny’s had surrounded Opula and sympathized with her. Opula couldn’t stop shedding tears and she never knew mere sight of her pregnancy was making Salsa seethe and she was plotting yet another attack on her mind, one that would be more disastrous than the former.“Perk up, ma’am,” Salsa said in pretense as she wailed bitterly, and even louder than everyone else. “Most pertin
Fanny had given out an order to Salsa to bring samples of the recipes Opula had consumed at the banquet, so Salsa was on her way to the hospital when a salon car double-crossed her cab.“What is happening?” Salsa gasped, and turned to the cab driver who was as perplexed as she was. Salsa’s eyes darted and gazed upon a young man who was alighting from the salon car. If she hadn’t watched closely she wouldn’t have noticed it was Ken Patrick.“Okay just stay put. I will figure it out,” Salsa said to the driver, who was beginning to sweat nervously on his brow thinking they were in danger. Promptly, Salsa alighted and shot her thunderous frown at Ken, who came to a halt upon seeing her. Except, Ken that forced a smile, Salsa kept to her frown and noticed that Ken had lost some pounds and unshaven.It was obvious poverty was taking its pound of flesh on him since he got divorced by Opula and left the villa.“You know how busy I can be, Ken Patrick. Why have you decided to disrupt my moveme
At dusk the villa was calm and quiet, most especially in the absence of Fanny and Kate who were still at the hospital. Salsa had gone to visit her sick mother at the hospital after she got a bizarre phone call from the doctor.Eva had told me earlier she would be having extensive road walk and would be back at late hour. And more than a handful of security and aides had accompanied Fanny and Kate to the hospital.Later Tony, Eva’s husband had decided to join Fanny and Kate at the hospital. And since Fanny had denied me privileges of a family member, I had learnt to mark my boundaries and to see what fate had for me.These days I rarely got water supply into my chamber and I believed it was part of the strategies to frustrate me. I couldn’t recall the last time I washed myself in the mini pool in my chamber. Indeed, the Fannies were out to fuel frustration into me.Whenever water supply got into my chamber it was like Halloween to me. On such a day I would use water to my satisfaction
I knew Salsa could do the nastiest of things but not the most destructive of things. Who could have believed that Salsa had poisoned Opula with ancestral herbs that could abort the unborn child in Opula’s womb?Upon seeing the doctor walk out of the emergency unit, Fanny and Kate hastened to him, with their eyes filled with anxiety and uncertainty.“Doctor! Doctor!” they called indistinctly and shot longing gaze at him, “How is Opula, doing? How is she doing doctor?”The family doctor gestured at them to cheer up, “Please can we see in my office briefly?” he said and led them into an exquisite office with polished woods and ocean view sight.“Talk to me, doctor,” Fanny said coldly, with so much fear dominating his tone, “What happened to my daughter. I wonder what could have happened to her during an exciting banquet held in honor of her pregnancy.”Kate asked hastily, “Is she okay, doctor? What about her unborn child? I hope the baby is fine.”The doctor snorted and sucked an uneasy
Rod had visited Rio Hondo in his usual manner and phoned Salsa to come over and brief him on how she had convinced me to give him a chance to prove that he was a better lover than Brian.Whenever he visited Rio Hondo for such a cause, he usually invited Salsa to his private jet, waited in his jet until Salsa visited him to brief him on my accepting his proposal.Although Salsa had planned not to mention Opula’s pregnancy to Rod yet she had decided to teach Rod the lesson of his life.Right now Salsa was like an ocean and she wasn’t going to lose her salinity without causing destruction. Since she was going to lose, she wasn’t going to lose alone.Upon arrival, Rod had phoned Salsa to fix him some French fries and steak, which she would bring along when coming to visit him in his private jet.Salsa was done preparing, the French fries and steak and with eyes shut she picked up some portion of her killer poison to spread on the steak so that as soon as Rod ate it, he would throw up and