Chapter 3
Brandon and his brother were able to avoid the upcoming crisis that was lurking around their company. Godson thought he was smart but like they said, two heads were better than one. Brandon wasn't even sure how accurate that was but Carson said it was something his Nigerian father had always said whenever he and Carson's mother passed a hurdle or created a new recipe together. Brandon was just about to leave the office to meet with his brother for lunch, when he heard a knock on the door. There was only one person with that much respect for him, Charlie, his assistant.
"Come in."
"What is it?" He asked him immediately as Charlie walked into his office.
"It's not a serious matter but I do not know how you will take this." Charlie said to him with a wince.
"Just tell me what it is. I have to meet with Kevin for lunch and I can't lie and say I'm not starving after all the work I've been through." Brandon said to him with a sigh.
"Right. Um….I'll just give you this then." Charlie said as he extended a white envelope to Brandon.
Brandon had no idea he had walked in with an envelope. How did he miss that? With a frown, Brandon took the envelope from Charlie. What the fuck was going on and why did Charlie looks so uncomfortable? Brandon wasn't curious but he needed to know what was in the envelope. He opened it and……
"What the fuck?!" He said out in outrage.
The envelope contained an invitation to Emma's engagement party. The fact that her family even thought to send him an invitation, was the least of his worries. Although he could not fathom why an invitation for an engagement party would be sent out, the Templetons were anything but normal. And he knew that Emma was getting married or engaged or something. He knew but she never told him it was to a man twenty years her senior. And even if the world saw him as some hot dilf, the man could hardly keep his rod in his pants and he had several baby mamas although the public wasn't aware.
Brandon could not believe that Emma would want to get married to someone like him. Was she into older men? Was that it? No, there was no way. He was sure of that. Emma did not like dilfs. She wasn't interested in them but why the fuck was she getting engaged to one and if the engagement went through, then marriage would be next. He was sure of it. Brandon felt irritated and felt like crumbling the invitation in his hand. The last time they had talked was that morning when they broke things off. It's been months already and he had difficulty moving on. Anytime he tried sleeping with someone else, he remembered her. How she tasted on his lips, her responses, her movements and how everything about her fit into his arms. He knew this wasn't supposed to happen. He did not like Emma and the least thing was feeling anything romantic towards her but their sex had been out of this world.
"Um, sir?" Charlie called out.
"Who delivered this?" Brandon asked him.
"Godson Templeton." Charlie replied to him.
Brandon frowned. "He came himself?" Brandon asked Charlie.
"Yes. I also checked the security footage just to be sure because it seemed unusual and it was him." Charlie said to him.
So that was why Charlie was uncomfortable, Brandon thought to himself. He could not understand what would make Godson come all the way to their company to deliver an engagement invitation. Was there something he was missing?
Brandon could not understand but he sure as hell was going to get to the bottom of this. He gave Charlie a nod and moved to put on his jacket before going out for lunch like he had planned.
—---------------------------------------------------------
"Come on brother, smile a bit. I know the sandwich is not your best but….." Kevin said to him with a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.
"Fuck off." Brandon replied to him with a growl.
"Something annoyed him." Benji said with a mouthful.
"Can you swallow before you talk?" Brandon asked him with a frown.
"It never bothered you with Alec." Benji pointed out.
"Alec is the youngest, the baby of the group. He can get away with some things." Brandon said to him.
"Don't let Alec hear that." Kevin said with a chuckle.
"What? He'll get angry? The kid loves hearing he is the baby of the group." Benji grumbled out making Kevin chuckle again.
"Um, did you guys get an invitation?" Brandon asked them.
"What invitation?" Kevin asked him with a frown.
"The Templetons. Emma is getting married….."
"Engaged." Kevin corrected him.
"I don't see any difference."
"But there is."
"Being engaged means you've already tried yourself to one person. It's the same as marriage." Brandon said to him.
"Where did you get that twisted information from? It's different. Being engaged is like a process to getting married." Kevin argued.
"But engaged couples do the same thing married couples do. The only difference is the white and walking down the aisle and maybe exchange of names or something. It's the same thing as being engaged." Brandon told his brother.
"How would you know? You've never been engaged nor married." Kevin said to him.
"Then, let's ask the person who has been through both." Brandon said as they both turned to Benji.
Benji stopped mid bite. He hated when the brothers brought him into their argument. And normally he would entertain them but he disliked the topic they were talking about. It reminded him of his failed relationship.
"If I give you guys an answer, that would take about ten minutes from the required time and don't forget I have a job protecting you guys." Benji pointed out.
"Protection, that's true. But you seem to have forgotten the fact that you have people working for you and with you." Kevin said to him.
"I don't want to give you guys a reply okay? I don't like talking about this." Benji said to them.
That was the last thing he said to them. He made no input in the discussion that came up. He was sure his friends noticed. There was no way his brilliant friends did not notice but they decided not to say anything.
"What do you mean Godson came to the company?" Kevin asked his brother after lunch.
It was just the two of them now. Benji headed back to his office which was just a little distance from Silver enterprise.
"Exactly what I said." Brandon replied to his brother.
"Did you do anything to spite him?" Kevin asked him.
"Seriously? You think I would do anything to spite him? If at all, he's the one who is getting on my nerves." Brandon told his brother.
"Fine, I'm sure but it doesn't make any sense for him to bring the invitation card to you, right? It just doesn't add up. If at all anyone should, then I expect it would be Emma but….I don't know. It's weird. You and Emma are the ones who hate each other. I thought maybe she would be the one to even try to get on your nerves."
"That's where you're wrong, brother. I hate Godson more than I hate Emma." Brandon said to his brother but he wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe he really did not hate Emma? He still found her irritating but he wasn't so sure he hated her….he wasn't so sure anymore.
"Are you serious?" Kevin asked him with wide eyes.
"There is no way I'm joking. Do I sound like I'm joking?" Brandon asked his brother.
"I never thought you would hate Godson."
"Why not? I always harbored a strong dislike for him. Even his movements irritated me. I don't like the fact that he's breathing also." Brandon said to his brother.
Kevin turned to take a good look at his brother. How was it that he never knew that Brandon hated Godson this much? Not that he was against it though. He also harboured a strong dislike for the person named Godson and what the fuck was up with his name? Who named their child Godson?
Brandon separated from his brother and moved back to his office. He thought of it for a moment but then, he picked up his phone and called Emma but like always, as it was, she never answered. Brandon had the inkling that something was going on. Something was wrong but he could not just find out what. It wasn't really surprising that Emma didn't pick up his calls. It's been over three months since their arrangement had come to an end. There was really no need for her to answer his calls anymore but why did he feel like something was wrong. It was a gut feeling and the feeling was never wrong.
Chapter 4THREE MONTHS AGO"You are getting married." Emma still remembered her grandfather's words to her. She hated the fact that he still had that much authority over her life and what annoyed her more was the fact that she could do absolutely nothing. She had to go with whatever her family said because of her mother. Her mother whose treatment relied on her grandfather. She hated it but she was also in a helpless situation. There was absolutely nothing she could do about it.When she was told she was getting married, she had no idea it would be someone twenty years her senior. He may be referred to as a dilf by the public but to her, he was nothing but trash. Emma had always hated him and nothing could change the fact. She tried to get her family to reconsider but her grandfather along with her cousin were dead set on it. Her father was anything but helpful. Just the mere sight of him disgusted Emma. She had just gotten back home that morning after her night out with Brandon but
Chapter 5THREE MONTHS AGO "Do you know who the father is?" Lydia asked Emma once they stepped out of the hospital."What? Oh, yeah. I do." Emma replied to her with an absent mind."Who is he?" Lydia asked her."What?""Who is he? I reckon you have to tell him." Lydia told her."Um, I….I'm not sure. I slept with some people these last few months." Emma replied to her as she averted her gaze.Lydia frowned. Emma wasn't being truthful and she knew it. "Emma, I know you are lying to me right now and just so you know, you gave yourself away. You have only been with one person right?" Lydia asked her "What? Absolutely not. I just told you I can't recall. I've been with a number of people this…""You definitely used the word 'we' when you were talking about sex with the father before we arrived at the hospital, Emma." Lydia pointed out."What?""Yeah. And you also just told me you know who the father of the baby is but now, you are denying it and claiming to have been with 'numerous peop
Chapter 6THREE MONTHS AGO"What are we doing here?" Emma asked Godson with a frown.She had woken up tired that morning feeling tired but she knew she had to show up at work but then, Godson showed up in front of her apartment with the excuse that their grandfather wanted to talk with both of them. It wasn't really surprising to Emma. Sometimes when their grandfather summoned both of them, Godson stopped by to take her to the meeting place which was usually his home or office so Emma went with him. She thought that their grandfather wanted to talk to her regarding the engagement which she refused to go ahead with but it seems Godson had other plans. The vehicle they were in, stopped in front of a hospital."Take a look, Emma. Do you recognise this place?" He asked her."It's a hospital and it's obviously on the way to grandfather's office so yeah, I do." She replied to him.Godson tsked."Look closely. I'm sure you stopped by this place some days ago." He said to her with a raised ey
Chapter 7PRESENT DAYEmma stood looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was dazzling but it wasn't something she would have picked herself if at all she was given the opportunity. It was a bit too much or maybe it was just her nerves speaking. Her engagement dress was sleeveless and had a floral lace design. It held her bust but spread from the waist down, sweeping the floor. The designer really took floor length to another level. Emma still wondered if she was making the right decision. She had doubts that this wasn't the best decision she could make. What if after everything, she loses her child and her mother? She looked outside the window. The weather looked dreary but even at that, she heard chatting and rejoicing from the guests. The hotel in which they were holding the engagement party happened to be one of the Templeton's hotels. It was one Emma had put in enough hard work to make it become what it was, now. She took in the dreary weather. Even the weather wasn't
Chapter 8"Enjoying the party?" Godson asked.Brandon turned to give him his attention. He hated people sneaking up on him especially when they were the likes of Godson. Brandon fought the urge to roll his eyes and punch Godson's face. What was he so smug about?"Seeing as you came all the way to my office to give me the invitation, I couldn't miss this." Brandon replied to him coolly."Of course you came here only because I gave you the invitation….""Um, no. That's wrong. You only delivered it individually. I had no idea we were that close. You came all the way to my office?" Brandon asked him."Ah, my apologies. You're right. Well, I hope the party is to your liking." Godson said to him."It's fairly okay. I have to say, I expected more from the Templeton's though." Brandon said to him."Oh? What exactly is not up to your expectations here?" Godson asked him."You don't really need me to spell it out for you now right?" Brandon asked him."Well, if it's not a bluff then I'm sure yo
Chapter 9"You can't use that on me forever. It will grow old at some point and you know it." Hugo said to him with mock bravery.Godson scoffed."Don't let people know of this." He said to Emma and walked out.Emma stood rooted to the ground. What just happened and why was Godson telling her not to fuck things up. Surely Godson knew the kind of person Hugo was before he and her grandfather went ahead with the engagement.Hugo released an annoyed sound and turned to Emma with eyes full of hatred. He held her shoulders in a tight grip and leaned close so she was within hearing distance and so that no one could hear what he was going to say to her. "You stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours or your grandfather finds out that you are holding the lowest of the low in your stomach." He told her.He released his hold on her and gave her a small smile."Smile, bride. The world can't know we don't really suit each other now, can they?" He asked her with that same smile plastered
Chapter 10"Emma? Can I come in? It's Lydia.""Oh." Emma said as she breathed out a sigh of relief."Come in." She called out.Lydia opened the door and walked in with a small smile on her face."Hey.""What's up?""I couldn't find you downstairs. You k ow the party is for you right?" Lydia asked her.Emma released a tired sigh and folded her arms across her chest. She wasn't so sure the party was for her. It felt more like it was for her family than it being for her."I'm not so sure that's right. There is no way that party…..this party is for me." Emma said to her."Then who is it for?" Lydia asked her. "I don't know. My family? Godson? My grandfather? I have no idea who it's for but it certainly does not feel like a party for me." Emma said to her."So what do you plan to do then?" Lydia asked her."I don't know now. I'm not sure but it still doesnt feel right to go on with this. Do you think I should go ahead with this engagement? I men, I know my family wants this and I can hard
Chapter 11Emma munched on a dry cracker as she busied herself with her work. Due to the plans of her engagement, her work had piled up and she had to catch up with it and make any due appointments as was necessary. She was getting used to dealing with her morning sickness. Eating dry crackers really helped a lot and also drinking ginger ale helped with the nausea. Her day was already planned. Everything was supposed to go according to plan. It was going according to plan except for one little mishap."Um, Miss. Templeton?" Emma heard her assistant ask as he walked into her office.She was about to reprimand him for not knocking before entering but then she saw the look on his face. He looked conflicted but she had no idea why he would be conflicted."Is something the matter?" She asked him.He hesitated as he adjusted his tie. The move irritated her."Can you just tell what the matter is, Timothy or do I have to figure it out myself?" She asked him,her voice was laced with every bit
Chapter 74"Hey," Emma said to the blonde woman as she took a seat next to her on the bench. She was lost in thought and it was obvious she had been crying. The woman wiped her tears and turned to Emma with a frown.Emma gave her a sad smile. " You are Victoria right?"The woman nodded but she still had a frown plastered on her face. "I knew Hunter. I was in the car with him...he protected me." Emma said to her.Victoria's eyes widened in recognition. "You are Emma? Brandon's fiancee?"Emma chuckled. "Fiancee is a stretch. We are not even dating.""What?""But it's not like I don't want to date him or anything. I do but…." Emma released a heavy sigh. " Can we just talk about the reason I'm here?""I'm all ears. We can talk about anything." Victoria said to her with a small smile."I'm sorry about Hunter."Victoria stared into space. It was clear that Hunter's situation affected her so much."I'm trying to be strong for him," Victoria replied.Emma nodded and they sat together for a w
Chapter 73Emma cried in relief when she saw Brandon. She wanted to move to him to give him a hug but her hands which were handcuffed limited her movement. Brandon wasted no time in getting it off her and then she was in Brandon's embrace. He held her close, taking in her scent and her face. He inspected for any signs of injury on her body and fussed over her. Emma did not imagine for once that Brandon fussing over her would be something she appreciated. It was obvious he was in love with her. She hated that it had to take a scare before she was finally able to admit to herself that she was also in love with him. She was immediately taken to the hospital and it wasn't until later that she found out that it was because of luck that Brandon had been able to find her. Lydia had been lying when she said the phone was in the building with them. It was a lie and after everything Emma had passed through at the hands of her supposed friend, she wasn't so sure she would be able to forgive Lyi
Chapter 72Kevin was over the moon. Zoey said yes. He was about to tell his friends when he received a call from Benji. The urgency in his voice was what made Kevin move. He had no idea if he would be able to make it in time but he was willing to try. After convincing Zoey to stay, he got into his car and drove towards the direction of Emma's previous home. He hoped he would be able to make it in time. Not just for him but for every single person in their circle who loved her.—--------------------------------------------------------------Emma had no idea how long she would be able to keep up the pretence. With every new information gotten from her ex-best friend, she fought the urge to throw up. How was she so evil and how had she been so blind to everything that had happened? Lydia had wanted everything about Emma. She was so obsessed with Emma that she slept with her cousin while screaming her name. Emma had no idea why Lydia had told her the information. If Lydia thought it was
Chapter 71Brandon had been so excited to get to Emma. He knew there was no way she would have been expecting him when he showed up at the prison that was if she was still there. He felt the meeting with Mr Chen had been a waste of time. The issues discussed were issues that could have been resolved over the phone but the man had wanted to see them. With every passing minute during their discussion, he had to fight the urge to punch the man's face. At least it is over now.He turned to Kevin who was no doubt texting Zoey."Walk fast, I need to meet Emma." Kevin ignored him and continued texting. Brandon was sure he was chatting with Zoey but he had no idea why his brother was so immersed so he sneaked up to his brother who did not notice and took a glimpse at the conversation."You are planning a surprise for her?""Holy fuck!" Kevin said in shock as he moved away putting some distance between him and his brother."Why are you so surprised?" Brandon asked him."I don't know…because y
Chapter 70Emma groaned. Her head ached badly. She tried touching her head, as if willing the pain to go away but she could not move her hands. She struggled and found out it was handcuffed to a bed. Emma was widely awake now. She observed her environment. She was on a bed in a very tiny room. She was sure this wasn't the place Hunter had been driving her to….wait, she thought to herself with a frown. What if Hunter had been behind this? She shook her head. That wasn't possible. From the way Hunter had spoken it was clear that he was very much into his wife and family and she was sure Benji wouldn't employ someone who wasn't trustworthy. After a few minutes of trying to determine where she was, she remembered the accident. A vehicle from nowhere had hit them. She had no idea what happened next because she blacked out. That was why her head hurt, she thought to herself. That could be the only explanation. But if there was an accident, what had happened with Hunter? The room in which s
Chapter 69Emma had no idea what had prompted her cousin to say that but it gave her something to ponder on. Was he talking about Brandon and his friends? No, she shook her head. She was not a good judge of character but she knew this had nothing to do with Brandon. Maybe it was something else? Someone in the future?"Watch where you're going." She heard a voice say to her which made her pause.She took in her surroundings and saw she was headed straight for a wall. The person jogged to meet up with her."The vehicle is the other way. You were so lost in thought." He said to her,Emma gave him an appreciative smile as he led her to the car which was parked on the other side. He entered the car also and turned to Emma."Am I to drive you back home or…."Emma smiled. "Benji said you have somewhere to be so I don't plan on wasting your time." He gave her an appreciative nod but then his phone rang. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."Emma gave him the go-ahead. But he wasn't being secret
Chapter 68"Thank you," Emma said to Brandon with a smile."It's the least I can do for you, especially after everything that has happened," Brandon replied to her.He massaged her swollen feet delicately and she sighed in appreciation. The last month has been hectic. Her grandfather put up a fight but she had won at the end. They had all won and she hoped that this moment would last forever. With Brandon, his family, and her new friends, everything is peaceful like this. Emma was about to pass out due to the comforting feeling but then the feeling stopped which resulted in her being wide awake."Why?""I heard about your plans. Did you…do you think it's the right thing to do?" Brandon asked her.Emma sighed. She knew Brandon was going to bring the topic up sooner or later. She had finally placed her grandfather in prison where he deserved along with her cousin. While Godson was the lesser of two evils, he was also evil himself and he had been involved in things that had brought him
Chapter 67 Everything Brandon had told France when he was being held hostage, came to pass. Although his wife and child were not involved in an accident, news about his father's gambling issue became known to the public. Also, the debts his father acquired were made known to the public. He had to admit that he was extremely lucky when he found out that the news regarding his affair with the underage girl wasn't made public. He was in his office, trying to deal with the huge blow against his own company when he received an email. He had no idea who it was from and he could not identify the address. But after going through the contents of the email, he was sure he knew who it was from. Brandon had sent him pictures of all his wrongdoings and he got the message. His life was in Brando's hands. One wrong move and he would be drowning in an open sea. Templeton had contacted him after the statement he had released. The man was furious but France wouldn't let that deter him. Templeton cou
Chapter 66France stared at Brandon with eyes widened in fear."No, no, no. She is the one who lured me into sleeping with her. I never lured her. It was nothing like that." He tried to reason with Brandon who just gave him a shake of his head and turned to his friend."From the video, it doesn't look like she was willing. This could also be considered rape right?" Brandon asked Benji who nodded with a smile plastered on his lips."Thing is, France, we can let all this disappear with just a snap of our fingers. Give us what we are looking for or it's your head on a platter." Benji said to him.France turned to Brandon. He had no idea why Benji was or maybe his memory wasn't just serving him right. "You think you can get away with this? I know who you are, I can leak this information to the public."Brandon laughed when he heard that. The man thought he was smart? No way. There is no way someone like France would even leak this to the public. For one, no one would believe him and again