Chapter 2: The Confrontation

The man walked towards Abeni and her mother. His gaze fixed on Abeni.

“My client doesn’t like noise, so we would like peace and quiet” he said, his gaze not leaving Abeni.

Abeni, who blushed at his intense gaze, tried to stand confident.

“Please make an exemption for my sister!” she said, trying to sound confident. “She is a cancer patient, and needs diligent care and attention.

He smirked “She can get that care and attention on the first floor” he said.

Abeni wanted to slap that smirk off his face.

“Do you think this is a joke?” Abeni asked.

“No…” he said, “But my client cannot stand being on the same floor as…poor people like you” he said.

Abeni took a step back shocked, Whilst he gave her an arrogant smile.

“Ṣe o ya were” shouted Abeni “Are you mad?” she translated.

{Are you mad?}

The man looked at her, his expression not readable.

“I am telling you that there is a cancer patient who needs to stay in this room, and you’re here telling me rubbish!” she shouted.

“Please respect yourself” he said arrogantly and coldly.

Abeni laughed “I should respect myself?” she asked “Says the fool who is occupying a whole floor for one man.”

The man was starting to get visibly angry, he walked towards Abeni, causing her to move backwards. He leaned towards her ears before saying

“I suggest you do as I say, or you’ll face the consequences” he whispered huskily.

Abeni’s ears became warm, but she tried to repress such feelings, as he moved backwards and looked up at him as he towered over her, as she was only 5’5, and he looked around 6’4. Annoyed, Abeni turned her back to him and went to the nurse.

“How much is it to put her on a higher floor?” she asked the nurse.

“To put her on a higher floor would cost an additional $1,500 per night,” she said.

Abeni sighed, she couldn’t afford that in the long term. “Put her on the first floor” she said.

“I’m sorry mama, but I can’t afford the higher floor long-term” she whispered into her mother's ears. Her mom sighed before patting Abeni on the shoulders and following the nurse to the first floor.

As they left, the man walked towards Abeni.

“See, people of your status should just follow rules” he said. Annoyed, Abeni turned around to face him. Then her hands flew across his face. She had slapped him…

Everyone stood there shocked.

"How dare you!" Abeni shouted. “were were!” {mad fool} Then she walked away into the elevator.

Everyone stood frozen in shock. No one had ever dared strike Dmitry Kuznetsov before.

Arriving at room 120, the nurse had just finished setting up Ada’s bed. Her mother was sitting next to Ada holding her hands. Ada had been given sleeping pills, as her mental health had deteriorated when she found out she had cancer, and she was no longer able to sleep. As Abeni entered, she heard people coughing, sneezing. This room was very contagious, but what could she do? She could only afford the fifth floor, as it cost an extra $500, but to go any higher would be extremely expensive for her to keep up. Although the first floor only had an extra $100 fee, it was unhygienic and unsafe for a cancer patient. She walked up to her mother and hugged her from behind.

"Mama, I'm so sorry I couldn't do more to keep Ada on the 5th floor." Abeni said, her voice filled with regret.

“O dara” said her mother, clearly upset.

{It’s okay}

“Awọn ọlọrọ ni awọn eniyan buburu julọ ni agbaye yii” she continued, as tears slowly forming in her eyes

{Rich people are the most wicked people in this world}

Abeni hugged her mother, feeling bad about what had happened. As Abeni exited the room to get a drink of water, she was suddenly dragged by someone. She turned around to see grace.

“Grace?” said Abeni, shocked

"Are you insane? Do you know who you slapped?" Grace whispered angrily.

"Apparently some rich jerk," Abeni replied.

"He's one of the most powerful men in the country!" Grace exclaimed.

“Wait, you heard about what happened?” asked Abeni.

“"Everyone heard!” continued Grace “Why would you do such a stupid thing!” she asked.

"He provoked me! I begged for Ada, but he said he doesn't like 'poor people' like us. Can you believe the audacity?" Abeni explained, getting worked up again.

Grace smacked her forehead. "Do you know who you hit? One of the most powerful men in the country!"

"I don't care who he is, he had no right to disrespect me," Abeni stated firmly.

"If you die, can I have some of your clothes?" Grace joked nervously.

"You can't be serious!" Abeni said, gently smacking her hands.

"Let's just hope he decides to forgive and forget," Grace said anxiously as they walked through the hallway together.

Abeni left the hospital, and arrived home. She entered her apartment and collapsed onto her couch. Today had been an exhausting day. Then her phone buzzed. Taking her phone from her pocket, she saw it was a group facetime.

“Hey guys” said Abeni.

“Hey” they all said in unison.

“So I wanted to talk about my wedding!” said Camillie.

“So what are you planning, ideas, themes –" said Naledi before she was cut off.

“¡Chica cálmate!!” said Elena

{girl calm down}

The girls laughed "So, wedding plans!" Camille jumped right in enthusiastically. "We're getting married in Russia in a few months after Andrei's business trip!"

"I'm flying you all out as my bridesmaids." Exclaimed Camillie

“Yess! Girl!” shouted Naledi.

“Okay chica!” said Elena

“Oh yeah by the way Abeni, do you want to be my maid of honour?” she asked,

Abeni was shocked as the others immediately protested.

“Hey what about me?” asked Naledi. “Why can’t I be your maid of honour?”

“You will be drunk on the dance floor before noon, so you're not that reliable!” said Camillie.

Naldei laughed, “On second thoughts it's too much responsibility.”

“Okay, what about me?” asked Elena.

“Girl, you hate public speaking more than Abeni, unless you wish to talk in front of 300 people, you can be my maid of honour” said Camillie

“Chica! Nevermind, Odio hablar en público y 300 personas! ¡Nunca!” she announced.

{I hate public speaking and 300 people! Never!}

They all laughed.

"So, what do you say?" Camille asked Abeni again.

“I would love to be your maid of honour!” declared Abeni.

"Thank you! And we'll find you a sexy Russian man," Camille teased.

"No, nope, absolutely not!" Abeni refused adamantly.

"Girl why?" asked Naledi. "You've been single forever!"

"Twenty-four years is not forever!" argued Abeni.

"Same thing, it's technically forever," insisted Elena.

"Guys, leave me alone, I don't want a relationship yet," Abeni maintained.

"More like you're too scared to talk to a man!" Naledi teased.

The girls continued poking fun at Abeni's lack of dating experience until she finally had to say goodnight. Exhausted, she got ready for bed after a long day.

The next day, Abeni woke up and decided to go shopping for clothes for her upcoming interview. Leaving her apartment, she walked into the busy town center. She browsed through various clothing stores, trying on different shirts, pants, and jackets. After finding two sharp yet affordable outfits, she stopped at a quaint coffee shop on the corner.

Ordering her usual coffee, Abeni was walking out of the shop when she suddenly bumped into a solid chest, spilling coffee all over the stranger.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Abeni exclaimed.

"What the-" the man snapped.

Looking up, Abeni realized it was the rude man from the hospital.

"You!" they both said in unison.

"On second thought, I'm not sorry at all," Abeni retorted, glaring at him.

"How dare you!" he shouted angrily.

Abeni laughed. "It's just coffee, not poison!"

"You did that on purpose!" he accused. "This is about the hospital room."

"Oh please," Abeni scoffed. "If I wanted revenge, I'd do much worse."

"Is that a threat?" he asked, stepping towards her.

"If the shoe fits," she shot back. "Now excuse me."

As she turned to leave, he called out "Aren't you going to pay for damages?"

Abeni rolled her eyes. "For a rich man, you seem very upset over a shirt! Consider it compensation for kicking out my sister."

With that, she walked away confidently, feeling his glare on her back. But she didn't look back once.