Chapter 1

Alar ringing

“Gringring! Totilayo phone rings, she picks up the her cellphone from the side drawer beside the bed.She raises her head and she lays back her head ok the bed while the alarm keep ringing from from her phone and her mum tap her

“ Titilayo!” her mum calls her out from her sleep.

“ Pease stop the alarm” her mum says and Titilayo raises her head and she stop the alarm.

Her mum raises her head and she looks at the time anfshe tap Titilayo from her sleep.

“ Aren't you going for the interview anymore?”Her mum ask and Titilayo open her eyes and she stood up from the bed and she picks up bet cellphone and checked the time.

“ Oh gosh! I am getting late already” Titayo says and she quickly slipped her legs into her slippers and she rushed into the bathroom.

By she came out of the bathroom, her mum was and sister Lisa was already awake.

She quickly picks out her best dress a yellow gown and she wears it and stared at herself in the mirror, she goes to the shoe rack and all her shoes are outdated and she picks up her one of her best sandals and she will quickly pull off the slippery from her feet and she slips legs into the sandals and she stood and turn around in front of the mirror in their one room apartment.

“ Do I look good? She asks her younger sister Lisa and Lisa raises her head up where she sat in the bed and said.

“ You look perfectly beautiful” Lisa says and Titilayo smiles.

“ Thank you” Titilayo says and she turn around and she takes her mini bag and ready to go and sue walks to her mum.

“ You should wish me luck mum” Titilayo tell her mum and her mum prays for her.

“ I pray, you get this job dear, I know that you will be lucky this time” her mum says and Titiayo smiles and she embrace her mum.

“ Amen mum and I know with prayers I will get this job” Titilayo says and she smiles.

“ It's time for you for you go now”Lisa says.

“ You should also wish me Luck Lisa” Titilayo says.

“ I wish good luck” Lisa says and Titilayo smiles and she walks to the doorstep and she atood and trumped back and ask again.

“ Are you sure, I am looking good?” Titilayo ask.

“ Yes, you are looking so good and nice dear” her mum says and she smiles and rushes out and she stop a bike and climbe.

Some minutes later the bike dropped in the garage, and she pays the bike man and she rushes and enter a bus to island.

Thirty minutes later, the bus dropped Titilayo to her destination and she rushes in and she met the receptionist.

“ Good morning, ma! How may I help you?” the receptionist ask and Titilayo get nervous.

“ I am here for the interview, for the personal assistant” Titilayo says and the receptions looks at the list.

“ Oh! Are you miss Titilayo the one that put in for this job” the receptionist says and Titilayo shine her teeth and said.

“ Yes, I am.” Titilayo says and she smiles.

“ Give me a minute let me inform, Mr King” the receptionist says and Titilayo smiles and the receptionist inform King on phone and Kong ask her tell Titilayo to come in and she drops the call.

“ You can go in now” The receptionist says and Titilayo smiles and happy.

“ Where is way to his to his office?” Titilayo ask and the receptionist show the way to King’s office and she walks to his office and she knocks.

“ Come in” King says and Titilayo opens the door and she enters anfshe walks to his office table and she stood and said.

“ Good morning sir!” She says and King starred at her from head to toe.

“ You should have your seat” King says and Titilayo sit.

“ What is your name?” King ask.

“ I am Titilayo sir” She replies and King continue starring at her.

“ Can I have your documents?” King ask and Titilayo brings them out from her mini bag and she gave them to King.

King goes through them and he gives the back to her and his cell phone rings and he walks aside to picks up the call and it was an urgent call and walls to his office chair and sit.

“ I got an urgent call and I need to go now, you can resume tomorrow, I went during your through your documents and it was nice, you can leave” King says and Titilayo gets shocked and she said.

“ Just like, I got the job” She says and King raise his head.

“ It seems you do not want the job right” King says.

“ No sir, I want the job, I was just surprised that the interview is over” Titilayo says.

“ Do you want me to fire you and look for another personal assistant, they are many people put there waiting for this opportunity” King says.

“ No sir, I will leave now and resume tomorrow” Titilayo says and she stood up and she walks to the doorstep and she looks back and King was still watching her going and she quickly turns front and she open the door and left and she gets happy.

“ I can't believe, I got this job just like that” Titilayo says and she gets happy and she step out of the company and she entered a bus.

An hour later she got back home and Lisa was surprised to see her home so early.

“ How was the interview?” Lisa ask and Titayo pretends not be happy and she shout and jumped and said.

“ I got the job” Titilayo says and Lisa gets happy and she embrace Titilayo.

“ I am very happy for you but that so fast ” Lisa says.

“ Yes, I was also surprised that I got the job just like that but my boss looks like a cold CEO but I hope he is good” Titilayo says.

“ I hope, he will be good” Lisa says and they both smilie.

The next morning Titilayo pull out one her hight waist skirt and a long sleeves top and she wear and she stared at herself in the mirror.

“ I hope I look good” Titilayo says.

“ You are looking good, on your first day on work”Her mum says.

“ Thank you, I think I need to go now because I don't maybe my boss is a cold one” She says and they laugh and she went to work.

An hour later she got to work and she met King in his office already and she gets nervous.

“ Good morning sir” Titilayo says.

“ Why are you late?” King ask.

“ It' was traffic, I am sorry to won't happen again”Titilayo says.

“ I will forgive you today but another day you will be fired” King says.

“ Thank you sir” Titilayo says.

Some weeks later King got a call that he needs a wife before he can get the business deal and he thinks of who to can get for married to on a contract and Titilayo knock on the door and he ask her come in.

“ Sir, this are the documents you asked for” Titilayo says.Instead of her boss collecting the files from her, he stare at her from head to toe and Titilayo saw him stare at him look at her from head to toe and she slowly adjust her skirt because she doesn't know if she wasn't properly dressed.

She tried to straighten herself up but her eyes met with that of her boss and she looks away.

“ Sir, the files are here” she says softly.

“ I heard you the first time” he replied.

“I need a wife? He said to her.

“ Sir? She asked in surprise.

“ A contract wife “ he says.

“ Our marriage will only be based on papers and when I am done we will get divorced” he replied.

“ Sir, I........I.....” she couldn't even continue talking.

“ Yeah, I will pay you the sum of Six million Naira in exchange of the contract marriage” he says.

“ Sir?! She exclaimed because she has not even handled Two hundred thousand Naira in her life on her own not to talk of Six million naira.

The offer even came at the point where she needed money for so much in her life.

Her younger sister who was in the university has been back home for two months now due to school fees, her younger brother high school final examination is fast approaching, her mom is only managing to go and sell at the road side, she is a diabetic patient that needs serious care, her mother's health has been getting worse for a while and she hasn’t been able to have a proper care but if she agreed to the contract she would be able to do all of this and also start a small business.

“ Are you in Miss Titilayo? He ask in a soft voice.

Titilayo stood and stare at him as if giving the whole opportunity a thought.

“ Seems you are not interested in the deal, you can drop the files and go to your office” he says.

“ I am in sir” she quickly replies.

“ You should get ready, I will take you the boutique so you can buy a dress and we are also going to the ikoyi registry “ he says and Titilayo gets nervous.

“ Al........aalright sir” Titilayo says and she walks out of his office.

King called his driver on phone and he said “ I want you to get the car ready soon “ he says and he ends the call.

Titilola walks to her small office and she gets nervous “ I hope I did the right thing, since it is a contract marriage I do not need to tell mum or my siblings about it, if he pay this six million naira I will take care of my sick mother and siblings as well then I will be able to open a small business for my self “ she says and she gets more nervous and she saw king walking out if his office and she gets more nervous and king work to her office.

“ Sir! You..u...u here already, I was about to....” she says and King shut her up.

“ We should get going now” King says and he walks forward and he turn back and Titilayo was still standing.

“ What are you still standing there doing?” he says and Titilayo nervously followed him and they both walk to the car.

The driver open the door for the both then ming entered and Titilayo entered as well.

Titilayo’s mum fainted in the middle of the road side and some people rushed to the her and a woman winkle water on her and she open her eyes and they people around lift her up and she sit back beside her table where she sell at the road side and a woman said.

“ I think you should go back home and take some rest madam” the woman says and Titilayo’s mum cough and the woman gave her water to drink.

“ Thank you for your help but I can't go back home I have not even sell anything yet, I have a family to feed, I will manage myself “ Titilayo’s mum says.

“ Health is wealth madam, I will still advice you go back home and take some rest” the woman says and Titilayo’s mum smiles.

“ Thank you I will go back home now and take some rest. Thank you for you help “ Titilayo’s mum says and she stood and pack the things she sell and keep it the place she use to them, she stop a tricycle and enter to go back home.

King tells the driver to driver to drive faster and he check his time.

Titilayo stare at King and King was about to look at her side and she look away and he King smiled.

“ Why are you starting at me that way?” he ask and Titilayo get shocked.

“ I..I....I was not starting at you sir, I was just looking at her outside through the window” She says nervously.

“ Why are you lying? You should not lie and listen you will move in to my house” he says.

“ Yes sure, I will but I feel like I should tell my mum about this contract marriage “ she says.

“ You do not need to tell your mum anything about this contract marriage “ he says and Titilayo smiles a little.

“ My mum will ask me where I am going to if I move out of the house “ Totilayo says.

“ You will have to lei to her. You stay at Abule Egba and you are working with me here on Island so you should use your sense, you can tell because of the transport money you have friend on the island you can stay with “ He says and Titlayo think.

“ I think he is right, I will have to tell my mum that” Titilayo thinks in her mind.

Tiitilayo's mum go down from the tricycle and she paid him and she walks to the doorstep and Tayo's younger sister Lisa rushes to the door and she open the door and she saw mum home early and she gets surprised.