Princess Tanya Darlington had never been good with bearing her thoughts to others as she had come to realize earlier in her life that most people don’t care anyway.The majority of them were just looking for the tidbit they could get about her just so they could trend online or so they could brag among their friends that they knew her or something they could use against her in the future.So she had learned to be very guarded about what she said to others. To filter her words before uttering them.And to check and recheck every action internally before doing it in public or in anybody’s presence.Stressful it might seem to others but that was the norm for Tanya. She had gotten so used to it that she didn’t give it much thought.Just as the moon and the stars are, that was how constant the realisation had been in her mind that nobody would know what she didn’t want them to know.She had thought of and believed in having a soulmate.Someone you could share everything with, who wouldn’t j
She had been so furious and believed there was nothing anyone could tell her to make her go back on her decision.She had also realised just how less efficient she had become in managing her own life and going through the motions every other person goes through.She gave up trying to call a cab after hailing the first two, one of whom asked for her autograph and proceeded to tell her how he had been a die-hard fan and how she was his fantasy woman. She had told him to leave and ran back to Martinez’s street, the latter still nowhere in sight.The other had asked her outright if she would like him to show her a good time.She had given up and had to call her manager at the end of the day to call her driver when she realised that she didn’t even have her driver’s number.Her manager had always dealt with that part.“So much for a day free of lights, managers, and cameras,” she thought to herself as her silent driver whisked her to her residence at her insistence that he drove fast.She
Ayodele couldn't believe his ears."What do you mean by it was your fault? You are the victim here," Ayodele said with anger lacing his voice.Tanya was amused yet touched that he was angry on her behalf."No, I meant that was what he said. That it was my fault that he hooked up with someone else," she said simply."The bastard," Ayodele said in anger."Exactly my sentiment. He wasn't even ashamed or repentant of what he did. I can still picture his smug face as he calmly covered himself and invited me to talk it out like the adults that we are," She shook her head as she recollected."And your friend?" Ayodele said softly to bring her out of her thoughts as he could already see her face getting gloomy."Ern, who?" She asked as he got her attention."Your so-called friend, what was her reaction?" Ayodele asked again."Oh, Vivian? No idea. I couldn't even listen to anything. All I could hear was this rushing sound in my ears like I was in the middle of the ocean. Believe me, I had a kin
If they want his body and were willing to pay for it?He gave them his body, gave them all the styles they wanted, and took them farther than their snotty boyfriends or sugar daddies ever had.When Ike shouted, "Brother, I love you!"Or Romola said "You are the best, best, best brother in the world"Or Kemisola piped "Thank you, brother,"And Jenrola, saying in her quiet voice "Thank you for all you do, brother,"Those were all the consolation he needed and whenever guilt wanted to creep in, he simply held on to the expressions on his sisters' faces if he could provide for them.At first, he would feel a bit hurt when a lady he had probably spent the night with or had a moment with, saw him the next day and pretended as if she didn't know him in the presence of her friends.But as time went on, he accepted it as the way things were, that way he didn't feel guilty anymore when they bought his time to give them a good time.That was when he dubbed it "The Transaction"But here was a woma
“What happened then? What happened? ” Tanya asked anxiously, standing up from the bed to face him.Ayodele smiled at her eagerness then the smile waned as he remembered how he had almost died. He had practically brushed death’s door.“I froze for a moment, stupidly thinking that they would probably not see me if I stayed silent where I was,” he shook his head as he remembered “What shock could do to a man. The next moment I realised the foolishness of that thought as the spot I was hiding was an open space so I quickly removed my palm slippers and started tiptoeing back. I had just rounded the corner that led to the garage when they got to the spot where I had been hiding. Then I heard their voices,” he recalled." I told you that nobody was there, why is it that you never listen?” One of them said.“Spare me the bullshit, man. I am sure that I heard something. Are you telling me now that I don’t know what I am saying?” The other one shouted at him.Ayodele paced back and forth as his
He let out a short laugh even as he was touched.“Really? Are you asking me that now?” He gave her back her words.She smiled and moved closer to him to hug him tightly. ”Well, not all men like to be hugged in comfort. Not macho enough, I think,” she joked.“Well, this guy here wouldn’t mind a loving hug especially if you are the one doing the hugging,” he said, hugging her back as the tension in him drained away.“I am so so happy that you escaped. I am joyous that I get to meet you and grateful to God that you were not killed,”He let out a short, nervous laugh. "I am grateful that I wasn’t killed as well,” he said as she loosened her hold on him and stood facing each other in that proximity. “I mean, what use would I have been to you if I was laying down cold and lifeless somewhere, probably with my mouth hanging open?” He tried to joke to relieve the tension.“Don’t even joke about that,” she playfully hit him in his arms.He sobered “And now I have totalled your car,”“Oh yes, tha
“You are joking,” Ayodele said, half hoping he was right and she was just pranking him.“No buddy, I am not!” Tanya replied, leaping up with renewed energy.“Yeah, right, who crashes their own wedding?” He asked incredulously.“This babe here!” Tanya replied nonchalantly.“Let me get you right here before my head explodes. You intend to go ahead with the wedding. I mean a wedding with a guy who cheated on you with your friend a day before your big day?”“Tanya’s smile dimmed but then she shrugged.She sighed and looked around before facing him.“You see that phone over there?” She pointed at where she had dropped the phone on the headboard.He nodded.“The only reason why this room had not been filled with back-to-back ringing is because that phone has been switched off. The moment I put it on now, tons of people would be calling starting with my mother, my age…… Lots of people, my daughter….”“You have a daughter?” Ayodele asked in surprise.“Yeah, adopted. The love of my life she is,
How had he seen through her so well? She thought.“Go ahead, it would be like ripping off a bandage. You can’t hide forever, you know and you have nothing to be guilty about. If there is someone who should be afraid, so much so that they wouldn’t be able to show their faces for days or months on end? It should be those callous people who fucked you up!”Tanya looked at him with tears misting her eyes. It’s been a while since someone had defended her so or taken her side.“Please don’t cry.” Ayodele thought as she kept looking at him with those mesmerizing eyes that made him want to hold on to her and never let go.Ayodele had never been the violent type but right then he wouldn’t mind knocking the shit out of that bastard.“Should I switch it on for you?” He asked as the silence became deafening and he got uncomfortable with the protective feeling he seemed to be developing for her.She shook her head as seemed to come to a decision.She inhaled deeply, squared her shoulders, and said
"Why is he here?" Tanya felt Ayo's hand tighten on hers.She turned her head to see Martinez down the hall surrounded by his new manager and his bodyguards.She noticed that the bodyguards were fewer than he normally had.She supposed he had to keep up pretenses because she of all people knew that he could no longer afford them.He could barely afford the clothes on his back as he was so neck-deep in debt that she was sure he wouldn't finish paying for them in a decade, even if he decided to straighten up and do better.Since that didn't seem to be in the cards anytime soon, she was sure even his pretences would crumble soon enough.She saw Derek, a heavyweight champion, pointedly snubbed Martinez and walked away.When he spotted them, he turned towards their direction, but Tanya looked at her security head before turning away.She knew he wasn't going to get to her family even if he became a fly."Ignore him," she told Ayo. "Some people still believed that his old music, Gangrene, des
“It will be fine,” she told herself firmly.She had to believe it.She told her men to stay out while she looked for him.She entered the hotel and was directed to the ballroom on the second floor, sectioned off separately from the main floor.Tanya took the stairs that led to the ballroom just as someone was coming down it.“Why must I always see you everywhere I go? Isn’t it enough that you ruined my life?!” Susan’s shrill voice dampened Tanya’s mood.She wondered what she was doing here, especially coming from that part where the receptionist said it was closed off to the public for the day.Despite her curiosity, Tanya decided to ignore the bitch so she could go away with her trouble. She had something better to deal with, and she was not going to allow her to ruin it for her. She continued up the stairs expecting Susan to shut her trap if she didn’t respond.She gasped when she suddenly felt a hand pull her from behind, and she slipped backwards.“Tanya!” she heard Ayo’s voice as
“I am pregnant?” Tanya started at the doctor in shock.“Yes, princess. That explains all those feelings you’ve been having. Congratulations.”Tanya couldn’t believe it.She stared blankly at Dr. Aguilar then looked down at her stomach.Cupping it, she stood up from the bed and walked slowly towards the door.She flung it open and Christianah almost tumbled in. She had her ears plastered to the door, while Meg leaned against the railing with a worried look on her face.Meg hurried forward while Christiana steadied herself, “Well?” she asked while peering into Tanya’s pale face. “What is it? You are fine? You are fine, right?”Her worried tone made Tanya nod automatically, and then she said quietly, “I am pregnant. He said I am pregnant.”“Pregnant?! That is good news!” Meg said excitedly, then “Come, you shouldn’t be standing. You are pregnant…”Tanya didn’t believe she could squeeze laughter past the ball lodged in her chest, yet it erupted as she looked at Meg’s face. “Pregnant, not s
In a theatrical whisper, he said, “It is that man I saw on the TV with you. I think he is your husband? Yes, that one. Such a wicked soul,” he said with disgust on his face right before he forked some lobsters into his mouth.“There are many men with me on the TV, many have acted as my husbands before too. Which one of them are you talking about?” Tanya asked with confusion on her face.“I mean the…” he cleared his throat and drank wine to wash down the hastily chewed food. “The real one. The one you married instead of Martinez. What is that name I hear people call him? Yes, Mr. Taiwo. That one.”With surprise evident on her face, Tanya leaned forward. “Are you sure about this? You must have been mistaken. After all, it was a dark street.”“I know it as sure as I know my name, princess. I won’t lie to you. If that killer wants to lie about it, I can say this right to his face!” he said firmly.“Oh? That means you wouldn’t mind repeating this anywhere?” Tanya asked.“Of course not! Mart
Tanya waved the man over as she saw him enter the restaurant.She had booked the whole restaurant for the evening and was seated alone, so it was easy for him to see her.He wore a blue windbreaker jacket that seemed to have seen better days, just like his jeans and shoes. He seemed to be in his thirties.Smiling broadly, he approached her table. "Hello, princess. I can't believe I am meeting you in the flesh. This is so surreal. May I have an autograph, please?" he said excitedly."Of course, why not?" Tanya answered with a smile. "Let's get down to business first. We can do that later.""Okay, okay," he said as he scraped the chair back loudly and sat eagerly while smiling at her.Tanya disliked his shifty eyes immediately, but she held her smile as she assessed him. Her eyes went towards the man behind the counter with his face turned away before focusing on the man giving her a once-over.She was sure she had never seen him before nor knew him with Martinez, but then it was easy to
She was ashamed.The better Ayo’s family treated her during their two-day visit, the more ashamed she felt about the way her mother had treated Ayo and was still treating him.The visit was meant to be a few hours' visit, but his sister had persuaded her to stay one more day.She could see that his mom loved the idea as well, so she immediately agreed.It had been the most relaxing and heart-filled visit she had ever had.Ayo’s mother did not treat her like a stranger at all. She treated her like she had known her for ages.Her care and compassion almost seemed alien to Tanya.It wasn’t that her mother wasn’t capable of love, she just couldn’t remember a time when things like her career and her standing in the family hadn’t overshadowed any bond they might have developed while spending time together.If she thought hard enough, maybe she could recall a time in her childhood when she had been allowed to just be a child or when her mother had just looked at her with love without thinking
She covered the distance between their hands and linked them together, saying, “I want to meet your family. It would be my honour to see your home.”Emotion clogged Ayo’s chest and thickened his voice as he said, “And after that?”“I want you back,” she said without hesitation.“Back? Like…?”“Forever,” she answered. “I don’t want to end this. I lied when I said this was just an arrangement. I want more.”Oh, baby. Ayo’s hands tightened on hers as his eyes swam with the blooming emotions in his heart. “I want more too, baby. I want it all. I don’t ever want to let you go. I will work hard to deserve you. I will…”She leaned forward to lay her finger on his lips, “Ssshh,” she said softly. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You are more than enough for me,” she said with glistening eyes.Ayo shot out of his chair and hauled her into his arms before he could stop himself.Enough. She believed he was enough.Apart from his family, no one had ever believed he was enough.E
Excitement and anxiety warred in Ayo as he entered Avery.Avery was one of the top restaurants in Lagos with full-course international cuisines. One could request any food from Asian delicacies to oriental cuisines.The restaurant was so famous that one had to book a reservation at the restaurant at least a week before the date.Ayo had decided to try his luck that afternoon when he called. He was disappointed when he was told they were booked for the next three months.He was thinking of another place he could invite Tanya to that would be just as phenomenal when he got a call back from the restaurant.“You are in luck, sir. Someone just cancelled their reservation now. Would you like to take it?”“Yes,” Ayo said immediately.Though the reservation had taken the bulk of the money he had left, he was happy to do it for her.The security guard greeted him cordially and opened the door for him, and he stepped into the cool interior.He was surprised when he saw three attendants waiting f
“You won’t believe this!” Tanya smiled as she readjusted on the bed and asked, “I can sense it is something exciting from your voice. What is it?”“Oh my God! Excitement is the least of what I am feeling right now. I am overwhelmed.” his exuberant voice made her smile widen.Oh, she missed him. She wished she could see him right now.Even better, she wished he could be beside her at that moment. She missed him badly, but she was determined to respect his decision.“Even if it kills me,” she thought as she rolled her eyes at herself, then focused firmly on his excitement.“Do you know James Beed? I mean, what am I even talking about? Of course, you know James Beed. Mr Beed called me!”“Oh?” she prompted while grinning from ear to ear.“He called me for my book! He wants to make it into a movie! Can you believe that?! He was even talking about series, collaborations, and some other things I couldn’t really focus on. Can you believe this, Tanya? My book will be turned into a movie. I wro