“Ser!”Serena looked up in the direction where the sound was coming from. She smiled as she saw Amara running to her as her husband told her to calm down as he tried to catch up with her while holding their toddler. He tried to carry the girl, but she cried “Daddy, walk.”Bo had no choice but to let her walk as he kept his hand on hers to guide the toddler after her mother, who paid her husband no heed as she continued to run toward her friend. A run would have been used liberally in terms of what Amara was doing though. Waddling was more the term.Amara was heavily pregnant.“Sweetheart, Serena is just right there. Take it easy”, Bo said, exasperated as he looked down at his daughter who had the same temper as her mother and would not take it kindly if he ignored her request and carried her. He really shouldn’t have let Amara run.“I will take it easy when I die” Amara called back at him.Serena laughed as she stood up to go meet Amara halfway. She knew her friend wouldn’t trade her h
“Whew! Finally got rid of the Hovery Lord!” Amara said dramatically as she adjusted the skirt of her gown, settling it around her legs in the shaded part of the park where Bo had insisted they have to sit if she wanted him to leave as his wife had asked. She looked over at Serena when her friend laughed. “What? What is it? Am I wrong? I swear that man hovers around me more than a mother hen would do whenever I am pregnant” she smiled. Serena tried to curb her laughter to reply to her friend with the minimal result “No, no, not that. When you said Hovery Lord it sounded like Ovary Lord” she snorted again. Amara was confused “Of course, that was what I me…oh” Her eyes widened and she laughed when she realised what her friend was talking about “You meant O-va-ry, whoever made up these words must be a rogue” then her smile turned lascivious as she patted her stomach and gave her friend a sideways look “Well, he is lord of that too. Hello? Proof right here” she smacked her lips. Serena
“To see your face of course. Do you see how beautiful you are? You are a damn gorgeous woman, sexy in fact. You know I would kill to have amazing hair like yours. Instead, all I have is this mop of dishwater hair” Amara said as she picked up a handful of her hair for emphasis. “You know your hair looked amazing. You are just saying that” Serena said in a miffed tone as she collected her ribbon back. Amara sighed then she smiled “Yes, I admit that. Moreover Bo loves it, his ash blonde hair coupled with mine seems to be what gave Tanya her platinum blond hair. I swear I can already picture how much of a fashion diva that girl will be” Serena tucked her hair beneath her ears and briefly pondered packing her hair up back into a bun “If she ended up as one, she would have gotten it from you. At least the diva part” she said cheekily. “Hey, I can be fashionable too,” Amara said in protest then she grinned as she remembered all her makeover flops in college. Serena had been the one that s
Serena laughed as she remembered how Amara used to talk to her like this when she wanted to get anything out of her. Angrov. It had been a while since anybody called her that. All she heard these days was that she was Jones now. Jones. Jones. Jones. One would have thought she never had an identity before that. She batted her friend’s hand from her face playfully “It is Serena Jones to you now, woman and you had better remember that” “Pfft. I don’t want to” Amara stuck out her tongue to her friend before she turned to face front “Anyways, even if you did not tell me, I can tell that you have not done it in a while, maybe not this month at all” she caught the expression in her friend’s eyes and turned to her sharply “I am right, ain't I? How long? One month? Two months?” Can she really tell? Does it show? Serena thought as she laughed at her friend “I am not discussing my sex life or the lack of it with you, you horny girl” Amara sighed dramatically as she shook her head at Serena “T
“You know I wouldn’t want to disrespect you or anything” Serena rolled her eyes in the vanity mirror after ensuring he couldn’t see her as she heard that sentence, he was somewhere to her right behind her and he was not looking straight at the mirror. She wondered briefly how she had gotten used to the fact that every single insult he doled out to her these days started with that sentence, he seemed to be taking his time as she was sure he was checking her out before he delivered whatever the special was for this evening. “But you look like a tart” “Well,” she thought “That was a new one,” she thought. She doubted if he had ever called her a promiscuous woman before, maybe something close but not directly like that. She held on tightly to the hurt that lanced through her and turned to face him with a smile. Her smile slipped when she saw the derisive look he had on his face. No, she would come out of this unscathed. He wouldn’t rattle her confidence. Hadn’t she given herself a pep ta
She left him behind. And took the car. “I know you are not about to go to that party without me” Mathew had said as he stood close to the doorway as Serena, face perfectly made up with a heavier hand on the makeup this time around walked towards him. She grinned as she stood close to him, and rolled her eyes at him. I just did that she thought as she wondered what came over her. Well, she was not about to analyse that now. For today at least she was going to enjoy this A****n woman spirit that seemed to have overtaken her body “Sweetheart, watch me” she said simply and passed beside him. He made a grab for her but he did not connect as she raised her hand at the exact time. Purely coincidental. “What has come over you?” He asked again “Are you supposed to leave the house when I am angry with you? You hit me on the head too and now I have a splitting headache. You are supposed to stay and take care of me as a…” “Good wife, yeah? I know. Dear husband of mine, as of today; I am on va
Sip and See are celebrations done in honour of newborn babies after birth and one would have expected that the child deserved to be celebrated in her own home at least but as usual, the Matriarch of the Jones family had her way when she suggested to her family that it would be better if the celebration was done at her place. “Seeing as I have a bigger yard compared to that small thing you children have at the back of your house. It would only be sensible that you do it here. That is if your wife would allow it. What does an old woman like me know anyway” she had said before she added that the decision was all up to them. They moved the Sip and See to her house. It was their idea, of course. Serena geared herself up for what she was about to face as she spotted her mother-in-law’s drive. It was a garden party and she knew there would be people all around the house. She just hoped she would have been able to adjust herself to the apparent stare she was bound to get from people when sh
She couldn’t go home. Serena knew she would probably do something she would regret later if she went home directly with the way her blood was boiling. Beneath the anger was trepidation about what would happen to her marriage as a result of her brash attitude but she ignored it and hold on to the anger. That felt better than the blame and guilt she knew she would feel if she focused on what she had done. “Who knew I could be so rude to anyone? Almost couldn’t understand me anymore” she thought as she neared the intersection that lead to her home. A home where Mathew would be seething as he waited for her to come and apologize for all her wrongdoings. She wouldn’t do it and that could only lead to more fights. She was sure that Eugenia would have called her son to give him well-edited highlights of what had happened at the party she never got to attend. Well, she was not about to fight. She didn’t want to. Nor would she be apologizing. She looked at the intersection she was supposed
The “room” was actually a suite on its own. Serena was sure that her entire house was just a bit bigger than the suite that was given to her. It has a large-sized bedroom, sitting room, dining room, dressing room, and a separate area furnished with sizeable cushions of varieties of colours. “That is the lounging area,” Lorraine said behind her. Serena turned to look at her and she was immediately annoyed by the sneer on the arrogant lady’s face. “Yes, yes, I know. Kincaid is rich and all a woman wants. Just don’t get too comfortable” she added as she gave the clothes bag beside the door a little kick. Serena had it with this pompous lady and she was about to lay on her when Lorraine pointed at the bag."As you might have expected" she added with a roll of her eyes and a put-upon smile. Yes, I acted the maid fit you and I purchased everything according to what I thought your size will be. Some of them are already in there" she said as she inclined her head towards the dressing ro
Serena was pissed, frustrated and also awed by the grandness of what she saw.When the man she went to meet for a lift in front of the hospital had agreed to carry her, Serenahe had been so hopeful that she would be able to get out of Kincaid’s annoying presence and as a result, leave the island and somehow find her way back home. But then just as she was going to the passenger’s side of the car. She heard the man clear his throat.And he said “Oh, I am sorry, miss. I will not be able to carry you again” Before Serena could even ask him anything, he hurriedly got into his car and drove off. “What the…” Serena had not completed her confused statement when she saw Basset standing in front of the hospital as he gave her a direct look.Serena realised what happened as she looked at him and back at the departing figure of the car hightailing it out of that place.“That was you, wasn’t it?” she asked as she stalked over to him in anger “You made that man run though I didn’t hear you say a
Serena entered Kincaid’s assigned room after she left Rayl’s bedside. The latter was eerily still on the bed as she was strewn up to the life-support machine and the only sound in the highly sterilised room was the constant beeping sound of the ECMO machine. Serena had to leave at last since the sound was only rattling her overstrung nerves too.The scene she met in Kincaid’s room was not unusual as doctors, nurses and even the directors of the hospital were always checking on him not to talk of his men. But what she found surprising was the content of the conversation that he was having with the director when she entered.He wanted his sister and Kevin transferred. The doctors had thought it was not a good idea for the patients who still needed intensive care to be away from the hospital and Serena seconded that thought so as well but then Kincaid had been so adamant about the fact that the patients are more in danger at the hospital than if they were at the mansion.“I have the faci
The door knob turned and Basset entered immediately Serena asked that question. Serena was curious to know what the lady’s answer would have been if Basset had not come in. she would never know now because instantly the lady saw the person that entered, her expression morphed into the very picture of innocence and pure affection. Her pearly whites and perfectly straight teeth went flashed in a beatific smile as she came forward to hug Basset.“Oh, you are here, Lorraine,” he said indifferently. A moment before she wrapped him in a warm hug. Serena could see the surprise on his face but then he patted her slightly on the back.The latter crooned “Oh, I am so sorry about this, Basset” she leaned back from his embrace. “I am sure y’all will get hold of those bastards and this will be properly avenged. The boys are working on strategies right now already” she said before she looked over at Kincaid’s unconscious form on the bed.She moved towards the bed with a sudden mistiness in her eyes
Basset looked at Serena as they waited in Kincaid’s newly assigned room and said “You are covered in blood” Serena looked down at her spandex gown and sighed “Yes, I look a mess alright but so do you” she nodded towards his blood-spattered yellow shirt and the dark splotches on his khaki trouser. “Yeah” he muttered nonchalantly. He stared into space for a while before he muttered “A lady shouldn’t look like that” Serena looked at him and he nodded even without looking back at her “Yeah, I know. I was an asshole. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this like that” Serena had no idea what he expected her to say. Especially when he added “But then I am sure I will do the same thing again if the situation repeats itself. So yeah, I am an asshole” “Uhh” Serena hummed as she find something to say even though she agreed with him. Basset looked back at her with a humourless smile that did not touch his eyes “At least let me make up for that by getting you out of that disgusting dress” he sm
Serena had to stay with Basset in the waiting room. She smarted at the fact that the nurses had not allowed her to go in with the victims. She had even told one of them personally that she was a certified nurse.“Really, in which unit are you practising?" the caucasian nurse had asked her. Serena had no choice but to tell her that she had never practised before. When she saw the look on the nurse’s face, she was about to explain to her that she had taken care of Kincaid on the way to the island though but the woman had hurried off after telling her to go sit in the waiting room.She was just getting to the waiting room when Basset passed her without a second look. “What the…” She saw where he was headed in a minute. A team of doctors were hurrying down the corridor and the way they all greeted Basset respectfully made it evident to Serena that they knew him. Basset hurriedly pointed towards the ICU where they took Rayla and the others and he hurriedly led him towards the unit.A nurs
The frenzy that followed was unlike anything that Serena had ever set her eyes on before. The intruders were all wiped out and then Basset dropped his gun as he ran with all his might towards where his brother lay. The irony of it was that Kincaid and Rayla were not far from each other. Basset looked torn as if he has no idea who to run to first. Then, he shook Kincaid hard “Don’t you dare! You can’t die on me, bro. You can’t. Who will avenge those bastards?! You….somebody checks Rayla. Check her! Fuck this” he cried.Serena jerked out of her shock as she rushed towards the lady she only met a few minutes ago. Serena was shaking so badly and her stomach seemed to be in a flip-flop contest. Yet she forced herself to look at the gory scene before her. It was messy, to say the least. The bullet had pierced Kev’s stomach from the side, taking out a chunk of flesh with it on its way out with a strip of his shirt. What was left of his blue shirt was soaked with blood and it was not showing
Rayla dragged her down with her as she ducked beside her car. "Those bastards!" She said in fury as she patted her body as if anything could be hidden in her skin-tight one-piece suit. She seemed to realize that her guns had been handed to someone else and she swore, long and hard. Profanities that Serena was sure would make her mother develop migraine and probably make Eugenia drop dead. "Illinois!" She hissed at one of the men returning fire to the men shooting at them with guns fitted with silencers. "Yes, miss" Illinois, a lanky young man that couldn't be more than in his early twenties replied to her even as he ducked behind the car and returned fire. "How many are they?!" She yelled. "About…." He shoot back as another silent ping hit the car, rocking it with a jarring sound that made Serena flinch "...Ten this time, miss" "Shit! Who are these people? How dare they…scoot down more, Serena! How dare they do this on Aslanov land?" "No idea, miss but they seemed intent on tak
Stupid, stupid shaking Serena thought to herself as she tried to atop the spasmodic reaction of her body yet no amount of “You are fine now" from Kincaid nor her determination to stop the shaking changed anything. It was as if her body was functioning independently from her will, so she just huddle there and shook like a leaf in the winter night. A whistle from Bassett had her looking up "Wow, babe. You look hot! No wonder the men couldn't shoot straight" Serena craned her head to see who he was referring to. A gorgeous redhead in a pink leotard with what seemed like mile-high leather heels on her tanned, dainty legs stood with a pistol in each of her hands as she rolled her eyes at Bassett. "Oh, hush. Remind the bad guys to give me some ample warnings next time they decided to strike and not do it when I am in the middle of my training, will you?" She leaned in to kiss his cheek soundly before shifting her gaze to Kincaid. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she saw Serena and she