"Shit!" I hissed as Jide eased into me and teased my core. My fingers made a burning path up his toned back, as I gripped him hard, urging him to go faster. And as we made sweet love into the night, I could not help but wonder how I had fallen. Fallen so deeply in love with him. **** Raised singlehandedly by her ruthless grandmother, after her father died and her mother eloped with a lover, Ivory Stone grew to be a strong and independent CEO who took over her family's legacy and company. She's had everyone and everything answer to her; and would definitely not take 'no' for an answer. And in came Jide. The farmer with the heart of gold who had little to nothing to his name. He was charming, pure, and he defied her in every possible way, testing her limit and questioning everything's she'd been taught. The minute she locked eyes with Jide, she least expected he was what she needed to turn her world upside down. She fell and she fell deeply.
View MoreIVORY
I nodded stiffly but satisfactorily at the black suit that was picked out for me by my chief maid. I sat quietly and looked into the mirror while my other maids did my hair and make up. My striking blue eyes took in the winged eyeliner, mascara and dark red lipstick. My porcelain skin was flawless and smooth.
"That became tighter," I mumbled to the maid who did my hair.
"I am sorry, Miss," she fidgeted and bowed to my reflection in the mirror.
I felt her loosen the braids she had done while I sipped the coffee on the vanity table. There was a knock on the door and a maid by the door opened it.
"Is the princess not ready for her first day?" Aunt Joan's voice rang excitedly.
My lips tugged in a tight smile and I turned stiffly to her. She was already by me, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
"Your father would be so proud of what you have become. We raised him a fine daughter," she said proudly, tears gleaming in her eyes.
My father had died three years ago, when I was seventeen, from heart failure. My mother eloped a week later with her lover without a second thought of how I was to survive alone. Thank God for Grandma and Aunt Joan. They trained and homeschooled me.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
She smiled and then her face turned serious, "I am sorry but I bring bad news."
My eyebrows shot up in curiosity but I was quiet.
"Your grandmother is furious. She says you should have been ready by now and asked me to come bring you down immediately," she informed me.
I rolled my eyes. Typical Grandma. I snapped my fingers at my maids.
"You all should be done in three minutes or you are fired," I commanded.
"Yes, Miss," they whispered and quickened their fingers.
Aunt Joan smiled at me and walked to the door. "I would be waiting in the hallway. Do not keep me waiting."
"Get my diamond nose ring, quick," I commanded and a maid obliged, fixing it on my thin nostrils.
My blonde hair was in a single long braid and tied in a bun. I stripped from my white robe, revealing the beautiful red and black vine tattoo on the length of my spine, and my maids quickly dressed me up in my black suit. A diamond necklace was clasped around my neck and a pair of diamond earrings dangled from my ears. Two fingers on each of my palms spotted dazzling diamond rings. A pair of black stiletto heels cladded my feet and I carried a black purse with black diamonds on them.
Taking one last satisfied look at the mirror, I exited my large bedroom. Aunt Joan was patiently standing by my door in the hallway, waiting for me.
She beamed at me, "You take my breath away."
I smiled at her, stiffly. She led the way down the long hall way and we climbed down the stairs. Grandma was pacing the patio, agitatedly waiting for me. Her guards and maids stood behind her, backing the exit. She looked up at us when she heard the click of our heels, flashing her furious eyes on me.
"Good morning, Grandma," I greeted.
"What time did I tell you we were leaving?" She asked in a low angered voice.
"Seven-thirty," I answered her.
She glanced at her golden wrist watch, "And you are two minutes late. What were you doing up there? Throwing a party?"
She was in front of me in an instant and gave me a resounding slap. My face turned to my side at the impact but I felt nothing. I was used to it now.
"What did I tell you about business?" She questioned again.
She told me a lot about business, but since I was late, I knew she wanted me to repeat a lesson she had taught me about lateness.
"'Arriving late is a way of saying that your time is more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you.' Karen Joy Fowler." I droned.
"And what is that?" She asked again.
"Disrespect," I replied mechanically, looking ahead of her.
"And what does that do?" She asked yet again.
"Is that not enough for the morning, Mother? She has learnt her lesson. You should be on your way now. You both are late already," Aunt Joan intervened.
Grandma fumed. "Let us go," she ordered.
She led the way while I, Aunt Joan and some guards trailed behind her. We all got into a blue tinted limousine while the guards escorted us in three cars. Grandma still gave me a smoldering look.
"On your first day," she mused, shaking her head and looking out the window.
Grandma looked quite young for her age of seventy three. My dad took after her features while Aunt Joan took after late Grandpa.
Grandma had always told me she was never in support of my parents' marriage and blamed my mother for the death of my father. Aunt Joan told me that I should not take her cold attitude towards me to heart, that she loved me and wanted the best for me.
Aunt Joan had somehow become my mother, even though I was still learning to warm up to her. She was quite cheerful and had sworn to bring a smile to my three years old rigid lips.
The car rolled to a stop in front of Stone Culturist, the family's company building. We entered the building and some employees stopped to greet us. The walls were adorned with paintings of crop plants and animals. We took the elevator to the 56th floor which happened to be the last and went into a conference room.
The Board of Directors and Stakeholders were already seated, awaiting our arrival. The conference room was a large room that looked like a stadium. A podium was located at the far end opposite the entrance, below the projector. A desk was in the middle of the room. Grandma sat at the desk while Aunt Joan stood by her right and me, by the left.
"I am sorry for keeping you all waiting," Grandma spoke into the mic on the desk. "Let us begin."
A woman descended from her desk at the top of the room to the podium. "Minutes of the last meeting..."
The woman read from a tablet, her presentation was displayed on the projector above her. After five minutes of reporting about who said what and which of the agenda was accomplished, she climbed down the stage and up to her seat.
"Good job," Grandma said. "Agenda for the day."
Aunt Joan mounted the stage and read out from her tablet. "The inauguration of the new CEO."
"My son, Rowland Stone served you all diligently but it was sad death had to take him away from us. I had to stand in for him because his heiress was not ready yet. Now, she is ready to serve. I have done my best in training her adequately in all that she needs to know and I can assure you she would not let you all down," Grandma inputed.
"Welcome the new CEO of Stone Culturist, Ivory Stone," Aunt Joan announced and there was an applause.
I bowed to the three corners of the room, flashing a smile I had mastered for these occasion. Aunt Joan beckoned on me and I walked to the podium.
"Give a good speech," she whispered to me and exited the podium.
I was nervous standing in front of so many people. I wiped my palm stealthily on my skirt and cleared my throat.
"My father had so much passion for this company. Mostly because it was a family business and he did not want to let us down. I am here to continue his legacy. I will put in as much, and even more effort as he and my grandmother have done in the past. I know I am inexperienced, but I promise to learn fast and not let you down. Thank you."
I smiled as everyone stood up and applauded, even Grandma. Aunt Joan smiled at me. I walked back to Grandma, who gestured that I sit on the chair she had just sat on. I wanted to question her but I knew better.
'No questions. Obey every last order.' I remembered her stern voice warning me some years ago.
I sat, still plastering that signature smile on my face.
JIDESeeing blood drip from her injured wrist brought back painful memories. Memories I had managed to tuck into the furthest part of my brain. I watched the blood trickle down and grimaced when she winced. "Jide," Ivory breathed out in a whisper. That drew me out of my frozen state and I hurriedly guided her to a low stool. I got a bowl of water and dipped her hand into it, the water immediately turned red. The cut was not deep but it drew a great amount of blood. I quickly dashed into Mama's room to search for a first aid kit. I checked her medicine compartment in her dresser and found the contents of a first aid kit laying around. I assembled a pair of scissors, a bottle of methylated spirit and a wrap of cotton wool and dashed back to the kitchen. I felt pained to see her fighting back her tears. I removed her hand from the water and let it drip dry before using cotton wool to dry it. She winced when the cotton wool dipped in methylated spirit came in contact with her skin. I
55JIDE I had woken up by 5:10am to find Ivory searching for something frantically in the sitting room. "Where the fuck did they keep it?" She muttered to herself. "What are you doing?" I asked and she whipped her head to the sound of my voice. She smacked her head childishly and I wanted to laugh at how cute she looked. "You were not supposed to find me here if I had found that key by now," she said frustrated. I was worried. "Why are you searching for the key?""I wanted to see the sun rise from here. I have never witnessed it. And I wanted to begin sweeping the front yard before Mama wakes," she confessed. I smiled. I walked up to the television stand and put my hand behind it. "It has been there. How did I miss that spot?" She screeched lowly. I chuckled at her bulging eyes. I unlocked the door and we strode out. It was dead silent and the morning wind teased our skins. She inhaled deeply and smiled. Watching her was enthralling. "It smells like wet sand," she commented.
54IVORYMama called me into her room later that night after we had had dinner. Jide had switched off the generator and it was dark. He had gone off to sleep then. "Ivory, my dear," she called me after she had been silent for over thirty minutes. The crickets chirped into the night while the owls hooted to the rhythm that was made. It was very hot but my shawl was over my shoulders. "Yes, ma'am," I replied uncertainly, wondering what this summon was about. "I know you will understand me. Even if Jide does not, you should because you are a woman like me," she said calmly. I nodded. "I have talked to Jide a lot of times on how he treats you. He is a good man, I know, but he still needs some touches here and there. I am trying my best, ma'am."She looked at me, then looked away, sighed heavily before shaking her head and making a tut sound with her throat. "You are a good person, Ivory. Very nice. Your mother must have brought you up well," she commended. I smiled. "My mother was
53IVORYThe market was rowdy and muddy. Mama led me through the tight spaces in between people and flying sputum. We got to an one storey building containing stalls. Mama walked to one on the ground floor and extracted some keys from her bag to unlock the huge padlocks. After opening the doors, we brought some wares in cartons and shelves out in front of the doors with a little passageway the customers could enter the shop from. Customers filed in and Mama attended to them while I watched closely, intent on learning quickly. If Mama thought Adanna was good, I needed to show her I was better. "Do you have Magi?" A woman asked me later that afternoon, after Mama had left to get something nearby. "Magi? The men who came to see baby Jesus?" I asked, bemused. The woman looked at me like I was psycho. "Wetin this one de talk now? Who leave oyibo inside shop?" The woman mumbled and turned to leave. Mama was coming in at that moment. Mama conversed with her in Igbo before giving me sco
52IVORYAfter washing my face that morning, I put on a pair of flip flops I had brought along with me and found my way to the front yard where Mama was sweeping. I watched her move the dried palm branch and was totally intrigued. "Let me help you, Mama," I offered, walking up to her. She smiled and nodded, letting me take the fronds. With one swift sweep, I scattered the dirt she had gathered. She burst out in laughter. She was like Jide, finding my ignorance quite amusing. "Come on, Mama. You should know this is my first time," I cajoled her. She smiled sweetly. "Let me show you."She retrieved the broom from me and showed me where to place my hands and how to apply pressure to gather the dirt. She returned the broom to my waiting fingers and I continued from where she stopped. There was progress but it was little. Mama watched me as I took baby steps sweeping the front yard. People who passed by shouted greetings to her in their language; some conversed with her longer. "You c
51JIDEI watched, just like everyone, as Ivory was led to the back row of the church hall."Attention, people of God. Do not let the devil distract you," the priest said in Igbo, returning the attention of the members back to him. Mama gave me a scowl before bowing her head in shame. I could imagine the storm she will brew once we got home. Some older members gave us disgusted glances while some hissed and gruntled. The younger members had excitement dancing in their eyes; they chattered happily and I could tell they admired Ivory's bravado. Ivory quietly followed the ushers who led her to the back. She looked exhausted and like she wanted to elope from here. The priest concluded the sermon and prayed to conclude the service. After the service, the congregation avoided me and Mama since Ivory approached us. "Mrs. Nwosu, I would like to see you, your son and your daughter in-law in my office," the priest said to us. We followed him into his office and sat down. The priest rested h
50IVORYThe number of kicks I received last night from Adanna's horrible sleeping positions were uncountable. When I finally got a peaceful sleep was in the early hours of the morning when I thought Adanna had awoken and left the bed for me. I slept until the sheets were pulled from underneath me and I landed on the floor. Why was this familiar? Oh. This was exactly what Makena did to me on my first day in the farm. I opened my eyes and rubbed my forehead. Adanna was standing above me with her feet wide apart. I looked at the time and it was 5:30am. "Is this how you use to sreeping in your fada house in ala oyibo?" I thought she asked me. "Can you just go away? The fuck." I swore and stood, rubbing my throbbing side. She exclaimed something in Igbo before referring to me. "I cannot goes away. You is a bad visitors. You is here sreeping while Mama Jide dey do the work. After you go come chop. There are a no food for a lazy mans."I can't possibly deal with this my whole stay her
49IVORYAfter Jide's mother showed me where to get water to bath and how to go about it in funny gimmicks, I had my bath. Even though it was much of a struggle, it was successful in the end. I wondered why they had taps that were dysfunctional when they could call a plumber to just fix it.I changed into the pyjama I had brought along with me to the bathroom. I was drying my hair with my towel when the lights went off. I hung my towel around my neck, blindly found the door and exited"Jide," I called, feeling around for anything that would give me a clue of where I was or where I was headed to. "Jide," I called again. I bumped into a slender form and landed on my butt. Squinting my eyes at the sudden flash of torchlight on my face. "Who be this one?" I heard a hoarse female voice ask. "Ivory," another flashlight from a distance called. The flashlight sprinted to me and I felt Jide's arms lift me up."Are you hurt?" He asked worried. "I am fine. What happened? The power suddenly
48IVORYWhen we got into the house, Jide's mother sat me on a sofa and said something to Jide in Igbo before disappearing into an adjoining door. Jide sat beside me with a heavy sigh and a warm smile. "What did she say?" I asked him. "She is preparing a meal for us," he said. "What did you tell her about me? She was excited to see me," I asked. "Told her you were a friend. People here really like whites. That is why you garner a lot of stares," he explained and I blushed. "I would really love to have a bath right now. I am all sweaty and sticky. God. How could they pack us all like sardines into that tiny space without enough ventilation or even an AC?" I complained. Jide laughed out loud and muttered something in his language. "Are you mocking me?" I asked him. He smiled and took me into his arms. "Of course not." He kissed my hair. "It was just an 'I told you so' statement."I leaned into his hold. "I have to say you were right on this one. Damn. What is with the roads? It
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