Gabriella was at a lost on what to do..She stared blankly at Eleana and couldn't muster any other words, no one would blame her as she hadn't seen or talk to Eleana for three years now."Hey, I know that you are really surprised and probably shocked to see me but it's really cold out here in the rain, so if you don't mind........", Eleana said shivering in the rain."Gabby? Gabby?". Eleana called as she touched her.Coming to her senses, Gabriella finally responded; "Yeah, yeah, get in".A deafening silence reign inside the car as it moved forward and only the patter hit of the rain on the glass numbed the silence for Eleana. Eleana kept on staring at her friend. She was clad in casual wear, a pair of blue jeans and a white top and she donned a white cap.. Her light brown hair sitting gently on her shoulders and there's that, the thing she missed most, the dimples on those cheeks that shows with every little facial expression. Eleana didn't realise she missed her friend this much un
Eleana came out of the room all dressed but couldn't find Gabriella anywhere. "Gabby?, Gabby?". She called out her friend's name but didn't receive any response .Could she have left? Why didn't she let me know?. Eleana then walked to the living room and found a note on the table:"Didn't wanna disturb you so I left after tidying up, food is in the kitchen as you know and you can check the fridge if you want any juice or fruit to go with that. You will see a blue card and a yellow card on the table. The yellow card is a pass, you would need it since you are going to be staying here for a while , it is for non residents in the estate. The other card is a credit card the password is 2345, use it to get anything you want and don't worry, you can pay me back later. Have fun.. PS: I ordered for a cell phone and a registered sim for you , so that jerk can't contact you. It will arrive at 12 noon or early. Love, Gabby. [Sigh] you're always full of surprises Gabby. Eleana dished her foo
Eleana tried calling the Diamen's house telephone again hoping someone might pick up the phone. It rang a few times before it was answered. "Hello, who is this?". A chirpy voice sounded from the cell. When Eleana heard that voice it felt like it's been ages since she last spoke to her children, she didn't realized she missed them this much. "Hey baby". Eleana said in a whisper like voice. "Mommy....?". Georgina asked not that sure. "Yes baby, it's mommy". Eleana said as she burst into teary laughter. "Mommyyyyyy". Georgina shrieked. "How are you mommy? Have you eaten? Where are you now?". "Haha, slow down baby. I am fine and yes I have eaten, right now I'm staying with a friend. What about you? and Belle?". "We're good. Grandma made pasta for us and baby belle couldn't stop eating, her clothes were stained with sauce and even at that she didn't stop eating and also we finished designing the princess house and grandma was surprised at how fast we were and also........." Georgi
Two freshly cooked plates of jollof rice garnished with slices of tomato and cucumber with a piece of chicken on it and a plate of salad was the sight that greeted Gabriella when she walked into the dinner room while following the aroma that assaulted her nostrils as she stepped foot inside the house. "Hmmmmmm, this is the advantage of having someone else in the house", without taking off any of her clothes Gabriella sat on one side of the table and began devouring this sumptuous meal while moaning in sweetness. "You could not wait to ask for who cooked the food before jumping on it like an angry lion that haven't eaten for days". Eleana said with a laugh as she walked into the room holding a jug of pineapple juice. Gabriella paused and looked up with a guilty expression as she chewed slowly on the piece of meat in her mouth. She gulped and dropped the spoon in her hand then stood up, walked quickly to Eleana and gave her a big hug and a peck on the cheek. "Thank you my darling f
DIAMEN'S OIL FACTORY. Inside An Office: The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife as three individuals stood behind a huge mahogany desk with their heads bowed in front of an angry Dane. The words CEO Dane Diamen could be seen written boldly on the glass tag. Crash!!!!!!! The sound of Dane throwing a glass cup against the wall resounded round the room."You incompetent fools", his voice, which was laced with anger and detest was like a whip against their ear. "You couldn't find just one stupid woman who has no means of hiding for more than twenty-four hours and now you have the guts to come tell me she is impossible to find, what am I paying you for!!!!??". The three couldn't help but grumble internally, today was supposed to be their off day and their work wasn't in the investigation area. "Um, boss, we aren't professionals and the time frame you gave us was too little coupled with the fact that she hasn't used her mobile phone so there is no way to tra
Andrew had just set the table when the girls came out from their rooms. "Right on time ladies, breakfast is served", Andrew said as he took off the apron he was wearing, he then brought out a chair for Gabriella and sat down on another. Gabriella sat down and dived into her food without a second thought as for Eleana, well, she was still sceptical about how the meal will taste. Seeing that her friend was looking at the food warily, Gabriella burst into a round of laughter. "Just taste the food Eleana, it's not poison", Strengthening her resolve Eleana took a bold step and took a bit of the cheese and chewed slowly. Both Gabriella and Andrew were intently watching Eleana's expression after she took a bite. At first Eleana's expression was that of someone who is being forced to take a bitter pill but after taking a bite from the food her expression slowly changed to surprise and delight. "Hmmmmm, hmmmmm, this.....this taste really good. Wow!", Eleana couldn't form the words prop
At Jee Ne Pre-kindergarten Academy: It was twelve O'clock and the school was still in session. Dane had a look of contempt and impatience on his face as he looked at the closed gate. He checked his watch from time to time wondering why it was taking so long for his children to come out. Earlier he had told one of the teachers to let the children know someone was here to pick them up and he specifically asked her to tell them it was their mother, knowing the smartness of his eldest child it is wise to not tell her he is here. Taking another look at his watch, Dane turned his eyes back to the gate just in time to see both of his children, Georgina and Isabella running forward with their teacher strolling behind them, he was struck by the happy smiles on their faces, it has been a while since he last saw them this happy, he was hardly at home and well.... he took a few steps closer to them. The teacher had just told the children their mother was waiting for them at the gate a
At the city's general hospital: Dane, his mother and the school teacher were waiting for the doctor's diagnosis when Eleana rushed into the building. "Excuse me, where is Gerogina Diamen?", Eleana asked panting heavily. "Hold on a moment", the receptionist replied as she checked the records. "Second floor, room five ". Eleana rushed to the Elevator but it had gone up already, unable to wait she took the stairs and ran up as fast as she could. The doctor was speaking to Dane when Eleana got to where they were. Seeing the doctor talking to Dane, Eleana knew he must be the one that attended to Georgina. "Doctor, doctor, how is she? how is my daughter doing? Where is she?", she bombarded the doctor with questions as she grabbed him tightly. "Calm down Madam, she is fine. You are the mother?", "Yes, where is she? Can I see her now?", "She is currently unconscious, it seems she hit her head on the ground hard but she is fine, the young man on the other hand, not so much
Eleana's eyes locked onto Gabriella's, her heart warming at her friend's insistence on staying. The feeling of having someone who would stick with you through all trials, was amazing. To think she almost lost this person because of her foolish trust in Dane made her heart summerslam in agony. Thankfully, she regained herself before it was too late. "That's right, she's not going anywhere!", Eleana declared, her voice firm. "Like I said, she is my sister and she is part of my family, if you have anything to say to me, just say it". Despite her innate fear of Dane's father, she wouldn't let him bully one of the most important person in her life. "Is Shawn also part of your family?", this question came from Dane who had a calm expression on his face, but his eyes simmered with pain and jealousy. Eleana looked Dane straight in the eyes with a mocking expression. "Mr. Shawn you say? At the moment, he is more of a father figure to my children than you ever were, so yes! He is part o
"Mommy, do you know that, Isabelle called Uncle Shawn and he rushed to the house, she even said that he drove really fast so he could catch up with the ambulance I was in!", she paused for dramatic effect, a mischievous grin spreading across her beautiful face. "And you see this room......Uncle Shawn paid for it!".Eleana's eyes widened in surprise, while Gabriella's eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Georgina continued, her voice filled with excitement. "Isabelle said he called a doctor and had them prepare this room for me. He even bought me these yummy fruits when the doctor said I should eat more fruits and told the babysitter that she can leave if she wants to because the babysitter was scared of his stoic face and he....." "Georgina, that is enough", Shawn's interruption was swift, his voice low and gentle preventing her from saying what he knew she was going to say next. "Hehehe", Georgina giggled, her eyes sparkling with glee when she noticed Shawn's expression... he was shy
"Your Honour, these are the evidence to back up his claim", Attorney Baxter said as he handed a copy of the pictures to he Judge and the media tech. The images were displayed on the screen. The first one was kinda dark, but the face of Eleana in the embrace of a man who's face was bot taken, was clear for all to see, the picture even captured the children sitting inside the car. This changed the people opinions again, some that had believed Eleana was already jumping the fence. _How could she be so loose?__ That was the thought that passed through most of the people's mind. Eleana felt as if she was drenched in cold water. "Isn't that the stranger that was walking on the road", she thought, looking intently at the picture until realization dawned on her. "I see...So he was a setup?", she asked no one in particular as she muttered under her breathe. She didn't view the stranger as someone that was hired for a job like that, he looked too _mighty_ for that, in anyway the ph
AT THE SAME MOMENT IN THE COURTROOM: Attorney Baxter was already asking Dane questions they had practiced beforehand. It was of paramount importance to portray Dane as a father who thought providing everything his children could ever ask for was the best way to take care of them. "Mr Dane, Mrs Eleana here, accused you of being an abuser, what is your take on that?", Attorney Baxter's question elicit murmurs in the courtroom. "What's the lawyer trying to do, there's already evidence that he did lay his hands on her, isn't he just adding more salt to the room?", "Is this lawyer actually defending the man or offending him?", "This question won't be in his favour, no?". These were the words spoken in low tone as the gallery wondered what the lawyer was up to. "Order!!", the bailiff said, reminding them that the court was still in session. "Mr Dane please answer the question", Attorney Baxter said to Dane, giving him signals to repeat what they had practiced the day before.
Shawn was sorting through some documents in his office, with Andrew by his side, his baritone voice resounding in the quite space, as he discussed the latest construction update. The marketing manager was also there, waiting patiently to report on the latest marketing strategy that his team came up with , which will elevate the company's popularity, propelling it higher in the international stage. This atmosphere was broken by the weird ringtone coming out from Shawn's phone. It was a poem, a kid's poem, but Andrew was already used to this sound ever since the day Georgina added a special ringtone for her number so Shawn would know who was calling without having to see the number, unlike the marketing manager whose jaw dropped in shock. __Wha...? What the hell is this sound?? Did a bug enter the boss's phone?__He wondered, surprise etched on his face, but this was only the beginning. A smile escaped from Shawn's lips, a sight that Andrew was gradually getting used to but it
At Gabriella's House: The babysitter fell asleep watching the children play with their phone. They were so sensible and obedient fat she didn't have to do anything other than watch them play. It's been hours and they were still playing with their phone, she go so bored that she fell into the dream land. "Look, sister Ginny, the babysitter is asleep", Isabelle pointed out, informing her elder sister. "I guess she is tired, that's good, we can finally do that", Georgina said as she sprang up and kept the phone aside, but Isabelle took it along with her. "Sister Ginny are you sure mommy won't get angry?", Isabelle asked as she fiddled with her fingers, while looking at her elder sister with her natural puppy eyes. Over the past few weeks, Georgina has been having weird dreams, or visions, she wasn't sure. At first, she thought it was a dream since it only occurs when she is asleep, but, recently, she see flashes of images floating through her mind, trying to remind her of somet
Attorney Baxter stood up with a file in his hand; "Mrs.Eleana, you said, you and Mr. Dane has been married for seven years now, correct?", he asked. "Yes, we have", Eleana replied curtly. "And in these seven years, how much have you contributed to the growth of your family, financially?", the lawyer asked again. Eleana furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand", she stated. "Okay, let me rephrase that", the lawyer said as he walked closer to her. "In these past years, how much money have you contributed to foot your household bills?", "Objection your Honour, the question is irrelevant", Attorney Liana objected. "Your Honour, I am about to show it's relevance", "Sustained, the witness may answer the question", the Judge said to Eleana.Eleana realized where the lawyer was getting at, she hadn't spent a dime of her money on anything and that might give off the idea that she is irresponsible and incapable of taking proper care of her children. "None", she replied cu
“You may continue”, the Judge said. “Thank you, Your Honour. Mrs Eleana, many of us in the court may wonder, why didn’t you leave when the abuse began or was there something else that kept you there?”, “My children", Eleana replied without much thought. “I didn’t have a father while growing up and I know how that feels, I didn’t want my children to ever experience the pain of losing a father, so no matter how Dane treated me, I stayed, for my children” “And why did you decide to leave now?”, Attorney Liana further questioned. There was a little hesitance from Eleana when that questioned was asked. Attorney Liana noticed it and had to remind Eleana of an important fact; “Remember Mrs Eleana, you are bound by law and faith to answer every question truthfully". Eleana nodded in understanding and said; “I decided to leave when he brought home his side woman, over the years, no matter how much he fooled around outside, he never brought any of them close to his house and his c
"All rise! The Honourable Judge Kamren Jamison presiding", the bailiff spoke loudly as everyone stood up for the Judge to enter, and sat down after the Judge had taken his seat.“Your Honour this is the divorce hearing of Mr. Dane Diamen and Mrs. Eleana Diamen. We have child custody issues to resolve”, the bailiff informed."Very well. The court is now in session, Counsels state your case", the Judge said as he hit the gavel. Today was the first Saturday of May, the day of Dane and Eleana divorce hearing. All the proceedings for the past weeks has been preparing them for this day, this was a matter of who lives and dies at heart, for both parents. Speaking of which...Eleana would have given up on the case if she had been represented by a state given Counsel, but fortunately for her, the right lawyer found her, or so she thought...She met Liana a week to the hearing, all private lawyers she met didn’t want her case at all, she knew it had to do with the mysterious disappearance of