"Is..is she the Surprise?" Monica stammered. Her voice was almost a screech."Hell No," Sly said to Monica, then turned to his mum, "Mum! What are you doing here?" He uttered, displeased.Veronica was remorseful. One could not tell whether or not she was pretending. Her tone was laced with feigned humility. "I came to beg you to return home, please. You know Monica and I are just getting to know each other," her pleading eyes met Monicas'."Mum, I just want to spend some time with my wife," Sly said defensively."Sly, I know you were angry after what happened last night. If you just wanted to spend a little time together, five-star hotels would have been your option but, you got a penthouse with a closet full of clothes. You moved out of the villa," Veronica pointed out bitterly.Sly knew his mother was right. He didn't intend to return to the villa for as long as his mother continued to live there but under the present circumstance, he needed to w
Monica's insecurities resurfaced at the sight of Veronica. She was in a one-piece suit and appeared to be thirty or less in age. She was beginning to trust Veronica but at this point, she doubt has replaced the trust she so built. She began to regret not agreeing with Sly. Having another intimate moment ruined wasn't an accident, yet, she forced a smile and looked away, swimming to the end of the pool. Veronica purposely ignored Monica, focussing on Sly."Come on, Sly, it's just a coincidence. I've been dying for a swim since I returned. I hope you don't mind if I join you, right?" Veronica said, making herself comfortable at the edge of the pool with her legs in the water."Of course. We were done anyway," Sly said, swimming towards Monica when he heard Veronica's voice. "What happened to us spending time together?" She yelled after him."Yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that, if you want to spend time together, that has to be planned. You can't continue
Sly's gaze flew to his mum and as if on queue, Veronica's phone rang as well. Sly frowned and said, "I am in a meeting. I will call you back." He watched his mother stare at her phone, her face contouring into a frown."Is anything the matter son," Mr. Herbert Norman asked, shifting his glance from his son to his wife. His gaze was still focussed on Veronica, making everyone at the table station their gaze on her. She shifted uncomfortably, excused herself from the table, and answered her call.Sly and Herbert's gaze remained on her as she walked towards the door but did not step out. She spoke in a low tone, so nobody could hear her words. She perceived that going out would be too suspicious. "John Welbeck," she said with gritted teeth, "I can't talk now. I will call you later."John spoke before she lowered the phone, "Well, your son has gotten me arrested in Turkey through Interpol. I will confess everything if you don't convince him to let them leave m
Immediately Veronica heard Sly's instruction, she understood that Sly wasn't going to let it go and stormed out of the study, banging the door behind her. Sly did not show any remorse and told his father, "It's the right thing, dad."Mr. Herbert Norman breathed out a breath he did not know he was holding. "I know, but it's also dangerous. She's my wife and I still love her so I will not proceed with divorce until she asks for it. But you do what you have to do and watch your back. She might not be joking about Monica.""Leave Monica to me dad, and have some rest. Mum cannot keep her ex behind your back and keep defending him openly," Sly reiterated."What if she is involved in moving the funds? Or perhaps they were based on her instructions? That would mean she has to be prosecuted too?""Don't worry Dad, she is still my mum. If Mr. Welbeck confesses that she was involved in any way, I will withdraw the case against him. Please rest now," Sly said and tur
Veronica was sitting on Sly's seat, busy with the latter's computer. Her expression was solemn. One could not tell what she was doing. A wave of panic cascaded her when she locked eyes with Monica."What are you doing here?" Monica was quick to ask. Shills of shock clogged her. Veronica stuttered, "Nothing. I'm just waiting for Sly. He has a meeting with the managers in the conference room."Monica had a clear understanding of why Barbara wasn't seated but she still wasn't convinced that Veronica was just waiting for Sly. Why would she sit on Sly's chair and be working with his laptop? Monica wasn't buying that excuse. Her instincts kicked in as she veered towards the laptop and tried to see what Veronica was doing but the latter pushed her away.Monica was defiant and struggled with Veronica over the possession of the laptop. The door slid open and Sly walked in raged at the sight in front of him. A vicious frown crept onto his countenance as his eyes wid
Monica projected the screen of her laptop through the fifty-inch LED TV on the wall. Mr. Herbert Norman was anxious but Sly was embedded in confidence. As soon as the report appeared on the screen, Veronica's smile froze, a horrible look covering her facial features. At the last minute, the IT team had been able to recover Monica's files and sent them to Sly.Sly was proud of Monica's work, as it neared perfection. Monica's presentation was on point. She was clothed in confidence, her voice steady. Applause echoed through the room with cheers of congrats, as Monica took her seat beside Sly."I think Monica is perfect for the position. I vote," Mr. Lawson, a shareholder, exclaimed."I think so too," another board member spoke.Votes were ringing down Monica's name but the only one who remained silent was Veronica and Mr. Bruks. As every eye focussed on her expectantly, she got up and stormed out of the board room. The meeting went on as if she never
Monica paled at Veronica's words. 'Did I just fall into Veronica's trap? Where did she get that kind of money?' She couldn't understand what was happening to her. She had no intention of leaving. She just wanted to poke fun at Veronica but the latter seemed to have rather trapped her.Monica wore a firm resolve and announced, "Did you ever take those words seriously? I'm not leaving Sly."Veronica's voice was taunting as she said, "I knew you would say that, which is why I have this,"She tapped on the screen of her iPhone and Monica heard her own voice through the device. Waves of shock chastised her, as the video played.Veronica; ' "Name your price, Monica. I will give you anything for you to leave Sly.Monica; "You? What can you offer me? You have nothing,""Try me, Monica, name your price,""Fine, you want me to leave Sly, this is my price. Two billion dollars is all I ask from you. If you get that, then w
James was convinced that Sly was out of his mind but even more greatly, Sly had almost drunk too much.He knew it would be useless to reason with Sly but that didn't stop him from trying. His pathetic gaze landed on Sly's flushed face and bloodshot eyes, as Sly gulped down another drink. The girls cheered him on."Sly, you are still a married man. Stop it now," James expressed firmly, his voice a yell through the boisterous sound of the music in the background.Sly stared at James strangely with agitation, took off his ring, and threw it at him. James caught it in mid-air, as Sly ground his teeth and spoke irrationally, "that's it, I'm free. Now get me some condoms and a room," he said loudly."No," James said defiantly.Sly was agitated and asked the woman on his right, "Do you have condoms?""Yes," both of them said simultaneously. Sly stood up and staggered in the process, held the girls by the breast, pressing it simultaneously. They moa
"What is going on," Sly asked as soon as James ended the call. Somehow, he felt it concerned Monica therefore, his heart rate increased, his brow creased into a frown. The guests were beginning to murmur in displeasure and Dickson was taking care of the media, his friends trying to put up a show to calm the guests. "You will have to stand firm for what I’m about to tell you." James thoughtfully said, increasing Sly's frustration. "Tell me anything. Did Monica elope?" Sly asked of the worst. "No. Claudia scratched her face, and it's quite terrible. She held a gun to Monica's head when I got there but everything is under control and they are in police custody at the moment," James encouraged but Sly was so furious, he almost walked out to meet Claudia. "Make sure that she never leaves jail alive," he commanded. His voice was dangerously cold, even James feared. All Sly wanted was for Monica to be happy, therefore, it ached his heart that she had to go through this, right under his pro
"Sly, we met again. Isn't it wonderful?" Claudia was delighted to meet Sly again after a decade. From the last time she saw him, he was still attractive but more matured. He was still every woman's dream. He still walked as if he ruled the world. Claudia missed the time when she was the most important person in his life. Sly, on the other hand, was rather peaceful. He always thought that seeing Claudia again will make him angry but he was rather grateful. He understood that he wouldn't have had Monica if Claudia didn't leave him therefore, he shook his head and turned to leave. "Wait! Look, I'm sorry for everything. It wasn't my fault. Your mother paid me but if you want..." Sly walked away without a word before Claudia finished speaking. To him, it was a waste of time. Filled with envy and jealousy, she barged into Monica's room. Monica was waiting for Alisha and the girls to return. She held her gown admiringly, seemingly not able to wait to walk down the aisle. She th
Monica was vanquished with all the wedding preparations ongoing. For Sly’s surprise to be perfect, he put his pride aside and called Ben, interrupting his wonderful moment with Serena. Ben was astonished when he heard Sly’s voice on the line. "This is Sylvester Norman, can we talk?"Whichever way, he didn't hide his shock. "I must say it's a pleasant surprise but why not?" Ben responded, not taking his eyes off Serena."Great. I’m organizing a surprise for Monica and I want all her friends around. Our wedding would not be complete without you," Sly waited for Ben's next response. Ben was in good spirits and Sly has been in his good books since the mega proposal therefore, he said, "Who said I was going to miss your wedding? Even without an invitation, I would have still made an appearance whether you liked it or not."Sly's lips thinned into a smile, "Thank you then." He was about to end the call when Ben spoke, "if you must k
Thanks to Sly’s big surprise, news travelled around the world through the media. Of course, not everyone was happy for them, especially Sly’s whores but there were equally genuinely excited people, even when the news travelled to Atlanta Georgia. When Ben watched the whole thing on national television, tears formed in the corners of his eyes but fortunately, they were happy tears. He felt that Monica deserved to be honoured for all she faced with Sly and Veronica and even Dickson. Therefore, he internally admired Sly for this action. Still, he wanted to share the news with someone. Serena had taken the day off to take care of Jackie since her mother had travelled to another state. He knew that Serena must have not heard the news and called to inform her. Unfortunately, Serena didn’t answer the call after five dials. Naturally, Ben grew impatient and decided to drive over to her house. Before he got to her gate, a white Hyundai Elantra drove out at top speed. He felt
Sly and Monica retired to bed later than imagined because of the party. However, Sly woke up quite early to prepare for work. His movements woke Monica, who followed suit. Sly chose Monica's attire for the day and made her choose his. Things were almost perfect. When they went to the dining room, Sly made sure to feed her and fed on her leftovers. Mr Brown could neither hide nor wipe his smile. His eyes were cloudy with happy tears, seeing the couple in that way. When they got to the car, Sly opened the door, buckled Monica before he sat in the driver's side. He didn't want any third party. He treated her with so much care as if she was fragile and would break. He adored her. Monica couldn't stop blushing. Her heart was warmed. She was surprised that Kyle managed Norman Holdings in their absence when they arrived in the office. He was waiting for them to hand over his report before he left. "Welcome back. I prepared a report on everything and invited t
Monica's heart leapt with joy. She felt as if she was dreaming. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her mom and dad in the villa. They were equally excited to see her, pulling her into a warm embrace. Sly had called Christiana to arrange a surprise party for Monica with the help of Dickson before he left Atlanta for Dubai with Monica. He recalled that everyone at home had seen Meg when she came; therefore, he wanted them to know that Monica was the only woman for him. Not only Monica's parents were there but Mr Herbert Norman and Veronica had arrived as well. Dickson had taken over the entertainment bit with his friends after inviting Gertrude over. The music wasn't too loud, it was easy to communicate among themselves. Kyle was there and so was Elsie but the person Sly wanted to see was James, who had made sure to bring Barbara along since she was now in her second trimester and much more energetic. This was a reunion Monica never imagined and it brought happy tears
In Atlanta. "Uncle Ben," Jackie's anxious voice echoed through the room when he saw Ben's sleeping form on the couch. Ben hadn't slept in the guest room as Serena had suggested. He felt like keeping watch, just in case Monica returned. Jackie was excited because he liked Ben so much and anytime Ben visited in the past, he spent time playing with him as well. Ben groggily woke up, his eyes foggy at the energetic boy standing before him with a ball in hand, "Hey little man," he uttered in his deep velvety voice. "When did you get back and where is Auntie Monica? She isn't in her room and so is Auntie Elsie. Auntie Monica promised to take me to the park," Jackie rattled all at once. The last time he recalled, Ben was there to take Monica out to dinner so it was natural for him to expect Ben to return with his Auntie. However, Ben turned gloomy, regret and pain, beginning to wash over him all at once, "don't worry, little man, I will take you to the p
Monica gawked at the calm turquoise waters through the glass in amazement. She rubbed her eyes in unbelief. It couldn't be. She looked around eagerly for Sly but he wasn't there. She also realized that she wasn't in the dress she wore last night and recalled Sly saying he was going to rip it off her. Sly's fragrance was so strong around her. Reality revealed that she was wearing his shirt. She had mixed feelings of excitement, anger and rage. Suddenly, she thought that perhaps, it was a dream. Her two fingers grabbed a tiny bit of her skin, pressed in between them. A loud yelp eluded her, "ouch!" "Are you alright?" Sly's deep voice rang behind her. She turned to meet his concerned gaze. He dropped a tray of food on the nightstand table, the aroma of the food causing Monica's stomach to hum. "Is this real? I just pinched myself to see if I was dreaming." Sly forced a smile, Monica's frail form in his oversized shirt on her made him guilty. The fact that she withered r
Sly arrived at the jet hanger. A sense of accomplishment caressing him. Nonetheless, he was concerned about how Monica would react when she woke up. Still, he was determined to make it work and to never let her out of his sight again. Another jet arrived and James was waiting on Sly's instructions. When it didn't come, he dialled his number. "We have to go Sly," he said as soon as Sly answered the call. Sly had just finished tucking Monica in bed in the private jet. He thoughtfully said, "no, you take the other jet with the boys and don't leave Elsie behind." James couldn't understand the abrupt change of plans, "What about you?" "I have to go somewhere," Sly reiterated. Worry laced his tone. "Please Sly, I have to know. "James was wagging in another confusion. "It's nothing James, trust me. We're just going for a little vacation in Dubai." James was washed in solace. He agreed that it was best for the pair to take some t