Frank walked to his cabinet and got one of the champagnes from his collection.“This calls for a drink”He filled the flutes and passed it to them. They clinked glasses and sat back. Ben told Tael everything that happened between him and Dana starting from their first meeting at Skylight up until yesterday’s dinner.“Wow!” Tael’s face was colourful. At a while he finally managed “I am truly impressed”.He sat back reminiscing all the details Ben just said and sighed “I don’t envy you anymore”“Ha…ha…ha” Frank and Shadow couldn’t hold it any longer. They had been watching Tael face from the moment Ben began recounting his interaction with Dana. His face went from shock to cynical to surprise to finally settle on a ‘deflated balloon’ look.“After Samantha, everyone had been worried about you… did you really have to find Dana?” Tael mumbled distractedly.“Don’t compare her to Dana!” Ben knitted his brows “there is no comparison” his tone had an irrefutable buzz!“I agree… I was comparing
“Dring …. Dring…. Dring”Ben’s phone rang. Ben looked at the clock and showing a gesture to be silent he picked up the phone.Ed mimed him to put the phone on speaker.Ben put the phone on speaker and muted the line.Tael’s laughter came from the other end.“Hur … hur… hur… everyone seems to be in good spirits. Of course it’s my department that’s under scrutiny, so why wouldn’t you all be?? Hur…hur…hur…” Tael walked in mocking his colleagues and sat in his usual spot.“Director Harrison, don’t take this personally. If they interfere with your department today, tomorrow it will be us. We are not fools not to recognize this. I will support you, just tell me what you need” A middle- aged tall man with springy hair and rimless glasses came up to Tael and sat beside him speaking in a soft voice.“Is Director
Lester nodded to indicate acquiescence. “Having looked at the presentation, I do feel guilty as the director for one of the department for not evenly distributing the workload. But I also feel outraged at myself for pointing fingers before the start of the meeting. I will take my time here to apologize to my colleague Director Harrison”He bowed towards Tael and then turned in the direction for Dana’s team “I will also apologize to this team for wrongly accusing your efficiency”He bowed towards them and then turned towards Dana “This will be a loss to our organization and I hope you will reconsider”.He then turned to face Lester and Thomas “Mr President, Mr Vice President, my performance is definitely not on par with this young lady and I would like to apologize to both of you and render my resignation effective immediately” Mark sat down humbly.
The waitresses were dressed in Belle dancer costumes. Food was ordered and served smoothly.“This is really a different experience. How come we’ve never heard of this place?” Sarah exclaimed as she looked around.Ben was lost in his own world staring at Dana. Frank served Sarah as he nodded acknowledging Sarah’s enthusiasm.“Look…. look they are starting” Phoebe pulled Dana’s arm excitedly.The lights dimmed and dancers gracefully entertained the dinners. The dancers held everyone except Ben mesmerized during their performance. Ben watched the excitement through Dana’s eyes.Halfway through, the dancers walked to different tables and pulled guests to join in. At Dana’s table, they pulled Richard. He hesitated with pursed lips as the rest of the team cheered him. Richard was not flamboyant but he was definitely not a shy person. Under peer pressure, he decided to take the challenge and walked to the center with the girls.After mucking around for a bit, Richard returned to his seat. Th
Dana was back to her old self the next day and sat chatting with Lara nibbling on her breakfast.“What are your plans for today?”“Nothing much. I have a shoot in at 11”“Remember to dress up before you go out. We don’t know when that scum is leaving today!”“Um” Lara looked up at Dana “What about you?”“The usual” Dana shrugged. After a minute she raised her head “Don’t wait up for me I just remembered, I have an appointment with Ms Parker”“Ms. Who?” Lara raised her eyebrows curiously“It’s one of my counselling clients- Eleanor Parker”“That’s good! I will pick you up from Dorsen Public Hospital. Would you finish by 6:30?”“I am driving, why would I need you to pick me up?” Dana scrunched her forehead and squinted her eyes.“I want your opinion on choosing my outfit for the bitch’s engagement party next month” Lara pursed her lips in displeasure.“Are you sure you want to go?”“Um… I don’t want them to think I am in pain or jealous”“That’s good. Do you have a plus one option?”“Ye
“Who is your target?”Jack scoffed as he looked around at the people in the room. He wasn’t scared anymore. He was about to meet his maker. This question was not the integral part of their mission. ‘Answering this might prevent them from looking deeper’ Jack calculated mentally. How could the Triad miss this calculating glint that flashed past Jack’s eyes? They pretended not to notice and indulged him. Ben signaled Shadow to continue.Shadow pressed on his pressure points on his forehead and Jack groaned from excruciating pain. His face paled and breathing became heavier yet he stubbornly pursed his lips. Shadow repeated the process; the third time he raised his hand, Jack mumbled “Major General”“Ha…. Ha… Ha…” Archer laughed and shook his head “You are either ill-informed or too big a fool.”Jack raised his head with difficulty to look at Archer. He was in too mu
The atmosphere in the study was heavy.Mrs. Bentley served tea and coffee as per their preference and withdrew from the study.Everyone in the room had their minds weighed down with their own thoughts. Danton fidgeted with the cup holder, sweating trickling down his spine as he waited… he couldn’t hold the pressure anymore…“Ahem… Mr Adalase, I know I was wrong to not follow protocol and insist on Ed taking on my man. But I swear on my forefathers, Jack is the son of my most honorable comrade who lost his life defending this country and he was no less a soldier than his father … I … I really don’t know how he got involved in this twisted business. I will take full responsibility and resign”“Danton, we have fought shoulder to shoulder, you can call be Ben. There are no outsiders here!” Ben loosened his aura once the haze in his mind regarding Danton was resolved.“Ben, I s
Ben leaned back against the chair with his eyes closed. Ed and Frank watched his taut face with a pained expression. They knew what was weighing down on his mind.Ed poured three tumblers of whiskey and handed it to the others “Here”Ben nosed his drink with pursed lips and sighed!“Do you suspect that this could be reason for Dana to approach you?” Frank decided to address the elephant in the room.“My gut feeling is to reject this possibility, but we can’t rule out anything” Ben pursed his lips into a thin line“Let’s consider the worst outcome, what are you going to do?” Ed questioned“I … I will not give up on her!” Ben faced Frank and Ed with a firm conviction that he himself couldn't explain.“Then??” Frank looked at Ben in shock“What if your choice is between her and Ed?” Frank asked in voice that he was sure he did not want to hear the answer.“I would never put either of you in danger.” There was no hesitation in Ben’s decision “I will choose to perish with her”“Are you as
“That is not up to you.” Marken, one of the high counsellors disdained. Adalases was not Ben’s to stake at will; There were other Adalases who could refute this stake.Sherman knew Marken’s ambition was no less than Herten, but he also knew that unlike Herten, Marken would never betray his country and was in a good mood for watching a show although he knew what decision he would ultimately make.“That is a fair point.” Sherman nodded thoughtfully before saying “If the entire Adalase can be staked on this man, then I agree.” Sherman chuckled “With resources greater than the reserve bank, it won’t be hard to rebuild our facilities even if we are compromised.”No one could refute this point.“The Weldons won’t shy away from responsibility either.” Frank didn’t know why the commander had changed his colors, but he stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.Shadow didn’t have anything to offer, but he stood beside Ben. His expression unwavering.Tyrell slowly got up from his chair and wal
Lara delivered a baby girl as her heart’s desire. She only saw her bundle of joy for a minute before her vision blurred. She also saw the joy in her man’s eyes. These were the two things she remembered before she fainted. She didn’t know if she would wake up again or whether this was eternal sleep, but she was gratified.The Evans and Burton elders had just returned when Amy came out holding the bundle of joy. They didn’t have time to process everything before they were handed the little bundle.“She is so sweet.” Megan smiled as looked over Marjorie shoulders.“My daughter-in-law is indeed pretty.” Dana laughed. She knew the minds of the elders were not calm. She was trying to lighten their moods.No one knew when Ben, Frank and Shadow appeared behind their women.“How can it be so easy to snatch my granddaughter?” Marjorie retorted proudly.“Yes…. yes…yes...” Abigail laughed happily as she let the little one hold her finger tightly. Dana’s retort had pulled the elders mind back to th
Ben and Dana’s days were filled with love and tranquility. Ben felt like he was in a dream; his life was everything he dreamed of; his beloved woman was his wife; she would cook and wait for him; his house was filled with the laughter of the precious treasures his wife had given him. He was truly grateful to the heavens.Ed’s days were getting hectic. Between the challenges of his official duty and a pregnant wife, he was almost ready to retire. He wanted to spend more time with his wife and child. Seeing Ben’s cute little babies, he couldn’t wait to have his own little treasure.Frank and Sarah didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; their little Lu would run almost every day to see his little wife, especially now that she was becoming prettier. The babies were becoming chubbier with fair skin and rosy cheeks. Their features were becoming more prominent and dashing, melting the hearts of everyone around them.Dan and Don were like a mother hen defending their younger siblings from everyo
The next day, the Williamses landed and rushed to the hospital. Dana had rested well and regained most of her vigor.Ben was changing nappies while Dana was sleeping peacefully when they arrived.“She can still sleep?” Dana’s younger sister asked in surprise as Ben gestured for them to lower their volume. He handed one baby each to the stunned Mr and Mrs Williams and led all of them to the adjacent room.“Sorry… Dana has just rested.” Ben apologized sincerely for his rudeness.Mrs Williams shook head, her eyes were misty. She was truly grateful to the heavens for her daughter’s fortune to have met such a man. Even though he was rich and powerful, he loved and doted on her without bounds…. This was truly her fortune. It would be a lie to say that they were not worried. On the way back after the wedding they had met a lady who was crying pitifully. Mrs Williams didn’t feel comfortable and lend her a shoulder to lean on; She didn’t know who they were and told them that she was fleeing fro
Ben sat next to Dana urging her to wake up. He was scared out of his wits as he had seen the amount of blood that she lost during the delivery… he feared that she wouldn’t wake up and all his happiness would disappear in the blink of an eye even though Steve repeatedly reassured him that she was fine and just sleeping from exhaustion. He sat next to her telling her how much he missed her.He told her how he felt that a portion of him was missing without her by his side; He told her how much he loved her…. He begged her to wake up… He sat by her side never taking his eyes of her pale face… holding her hand … and begging her to wake up….He started to tell her their story from his perspective. He told her how she disturbed him from their first encounter. How he thought that she had approached him with a purpose, He told her how he shamelessly wanted to see her even if he knew that she had approached him with a purpose.He told her how he used to follow her like a shadow just to feel her
Ben was on edge now that Dana was full term. He kept following her nervously like a shadow. One evening just as they finished dinner and were heading upstairs to retire, Dana stood still on the stairs and called weakly “Ben….”“What is it?” Ben looked affectionately at his wife who had stopped walking and became stiff.“I…. my …. I think my water broke.” Dana barely managed to mumble as she held on tightly to Ben.“You…. you….” Ben froze.Alexa was the first to react. She ran downstairs to alert Shadow and Mrs Bentley before running back upstairs to get the baby bag that Dana had prepared beforehand.“CEO” Alexa called out helplessly as she saw a frozen Ben.“Huh?” Ben looked at the panic-stricken Dana and came to his senses. He carried her and ran downstairs carefully. Alexa informed him that Shadow was waiting downstairs with the car. Shadow had informed Steve as soon as Alexa came running downstairs. Everything at the hospital would be set by Steve.Shadow sped towards the hospital;
Shadow had been getting along fabulously with Ruth and decided that he wanted to get married watching Ben’s bliss. He had decided on Ruth, then what was the point in delaying… but the problem was he had no idea how to…. he was also worried if Ruth didn’t have the same intention… then wouldn’t he be making a fool of himself?Shadow walked around with a constipated expression. He would have asked Dana’s help if his boss wasn’t so petty…. But what could he do… his boss was!“What’s wrong?” Dana finally asked as she couldn’t bear to watch his miserable face.“I …” Shadow suddenly felt tongue tied. He was waiting for Dana to ask…. But when she did, he didn’t know how to vocalize his problem. He lowered his head with a frown on his lips.“He wants to propose to Ruth but doesn’t know how to.” Ben didn’t give Shadow any face when he mercilessly pierced through his wall.“Oh….” Dana nodded perceptively “You are worried that she doesn’t have that intention and she will reject?”Shadow nodded alt
The ladies went shopping happily without realizing that none of their actions were missed by their men.Dana wanted to see how Ruth was going so she decided to stop by her shop. However, she changed her mind when she got to Ruth’s shop and pulled the others and ran. Granger was at the store pestering Ruth. It was most certainly a crime to stop someone’s fortune and she didn’t want her husband to have another enemy…..hehe…hehe… she was quite clever!“What are you laughing like a fool for?” Lara asked looking at Dana’s silly smile.Dana shrugged keeping her silly smile but didn’t enlighten the two.“Sister-in-law...” A sweet sound called from behind as the ladies were immersed in their world of freedom.The three turned in unison but Dana’s face darkened as she saw Lizzie walking towards her smiling like a flower. She had almost forgotten her promise to Bertie.“When did I become your sister-in-law?” Dana folded her hands looking arrogantly at Lizzie.“Soon… soon we will be family.” Lizz
In a condemned cell in B country, Pigle read the news of embezzlement of 10 million in public funds from Pigle enterprises. He begged the prison guards to let him see his son one last time.Jefferson indulged him considering he had inadvertently helped Ben get closure to the mystery that was haunting him for more than 15 years.Pigle junior arrived promptly to see his father once he was granted visitation rights.“Son, this is all Mr Adalase’s doing. You have to become strong and hit him hard.” Charles eyes were red with anger.“Dad, I know all about the cause and effect of this incident.” Pigle junior lowered his head in shame. His father was his pride. He looked up to his father but now…. looking at all the shameful things his father had done, he didn’t want any part in it. He wanted to take his mother and run far from all this shame.“Son…” Charles called; his eyes widened as he lifted in eyebrows.Pigle junior showed the video that was sent to him soon after the incident broke out.