0004.

Dressed simply, Jerome reluctantly went to meet Debbie in the five-star hotel where they were to meet and finalize their upcoming marriage. At first, he had been unwilling to go, as he had been worried about Stacy.

It took a lot of time and coaxing before she agreed to come out of her room the previous day and even eat under Jerome’s supervision, who suddenly turned caring to her.

Even in her broken state, Stacy had shown surprise at seeing how Jerome cared for her which she noticed but because she thought he was only pitying her, she never gave it a lot of thought.

As he entered the hotel, he saw Debbie sitting at the table she reserved for them. She looked elegant and composed, a stark contrast to how he felt inside.

“Hello hubby, nice meeting you again,” Debbie said on seeing Jerome walking in her direction. As he got to the table she had reserved for them, he sat down.

“Good day Ms Debbie,” Jerome tried to be formal and at the same time polite, and a little frown settled on Debbie’s face.

“Please, call me Debbie,” she said, her voice softer than before. “We're going to be family, after all. And you came late, it had been an hour since I had been waiting for you,” Debbie pointed out, checking her wrist watch.

“Oh, about that,” Jerome started. “I'm sorry, I didn't want to come to the meeting at first, but I decided to come since I couldn't reach you to tell you I couldn't make it.”

“What happened? Are you encountering any difficulties?” Debbie asked, taking her hand to hold his but he retracted his hand which made her a little vexed. She smiled to cover up and withdrew her hand.

“My wife is seriously sick. I have to be by her side,” Jerome revealed, avoiding Debbie’s gaze.

“Wait! What wife, Jerome? Do you have a wife?” she asked him, looking at him as she tried not to laugh but Jerome remained silent.

“Don't tell me you are talking about Stacy? You have never referred to her as your wife or are you already married to another person? Did you end her marriage with you so quickly before the agreed month?” Debbie asked, wanting an explanation.

“Nothing of such happened. And yes she is my wife, if I had never referred to her as my wife, I want to apologize and let you know it had been a mistake. Stacy is my wife and from now on, I will be treating her as she deserves,” Jerome said, looking up at Debbie who had a ridiculous look on her face.

“What are you talking about Jerome, as I know, You made it clear to me that Stacy wasn't your wife. You only married her to get your company when it was on the verge of being taken by the board members who insisted you get married to take over your father’s company. So what do you mean?” Debbie asked, a serious look appearing on her face as she fidgeted with her nails.

Jerome took a deep breath, looking at Debbie, he said.

“I'm here to inform you that I will no longer end my marriage with Stacy. So our business ends here...”

“What are you talking about?” Debbie cut him off with a surprised look on her face.

“What are you saying? What makes our business end here? What about our business marriage? Are you ending the deal?” Stacy asked, trying to understand.

“Yes, I am ending the deal. I no longer want to push the business marriage with you. I'm sorry, I have to decline. I am choosing my family first,” Jerome said as calmly as he could and Debbie chuckled with an unbelievable look on her face.

“Family? When did you have a family Jerome? What you can only refer to your family is the children we agreed to make together. The children who will be worth calling a family? What do you mean by your family? Are you kidding me?” Debbie asked, staring intently at Jerome.

“Debbie, I know I'm not supposed to have an explanation to give you after breaking our agreement, but I feel like you and your family deserve to know,” Jerome began, taking a deep breath. “Stacy is pregnant.”

Debbie's eyes widened in shock. “Pregnant? How did that happen? You told me that you and Stacy would never be intimate, that your marriage will end without you touching her.” She was fighting to keep her voice steady, but it was clear that she was struggling to contain her emotions.

“I'm sorry but I don't have any answers to your questions,” Jerome said, rising to his feet. “I have to go.”

But Debbie was not ready to let him off the hook so easily. She stood up as well, her expression determined. “You can't just leave like that,” she said. “We had a deal, and you're breaking it. I won't let you do that.”

“You cannot just dump me because you feel you have to, no one has ever broken a deal if I didn't ask for it and you wouldn't do such. A deal is a deal, Jerome,” Stacy said to him, and quickly stood in front of him blocking his path.

“What makes you think I cannot end the deal? I don't want to continue the deal and you think I cannot back off because you ain't the one doing so? Where did we sign an agreement that such would happen? Did I sell my soul to you?” Jerome asked her and she became quiet.

“My wife is pregnant and I have decided to start my family with her. I'm choosing her and my unborn child over everything, and you cannot stop me,” Jerome added, trying to walk away but Debbie, who didn't move an inch, didn't let him do so.

“Jerome, are you sure you are in your right senses? You always wanted this, so what are you saying? There are a lot of benefits you will be getting from our business marriage, you will become one of the most powerful men in the country. We will be building a very powerful family together so why are you not thinking about it and deciding to act foolishly, huh?” Debbie asked him.

“Debbie, please allow me to leave. I have made my decision,” Jerome said, refusing to listen to what she was saying.

“Is it because of the baby you are choosing her? What has she done to you? Talk to me, let's find a way out of it. If she is holding you to herself because of the baby, we can arrange a deal with her and force her to abort the baby. There is no way we cannot fix it, what is it, Jerome,” Stacy asked, feeling frustrated.

“I'm sorry, I can never kill my child. Why are you acting like there is a string attached between us?

It was purely a business marriage with no strings attached so I don't feel like I'm doing any wrong by mentioning I want to be with my family,” Jerome said.

The meeting ends here, I hope you forgive me for breaking off the deal first,” Jerome added and pushed her away lightly to head on to his destination.

“Jerome stop, if you leave you are going to regret this,

I promise you. I will make you regret this,” Stacy called out to him, tears running down her cheeks as she became emotional but Jerome refused to look backward.

“Jerome, please don't do this to me,” she begged, calling after him but he was already out of sight.

She slumped on the floor and started sobbing. If the marriage doesn’t work, she is as good as dead because her parents wouldn’t let her off. She had a mission to accomplish which getting married to Jerome makes it possible. But it wasn't going to work again, another woman now has Jerome, and she had missed the chance to be with him, have him to herself, and achieve her aim.

“Shit!” Stacy cursed as she bit her lip until she tasted the metallic taste of blood while trying to stop her broken heart from hurting.

Debbie clenched her fists, a storm of emotion raging within her. She couldn't let Jerome go, not after all the time and effort she'd put into their relationship which was supposed to end in a marriage.

If she wanted to have Jerome back, she had to get rid of Stacy. She was the obstacle between her and Jerome.

“No, I won't let Stacy take Jerome from me,” Debbie whispered to herself.

“I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of her. Even if it means...” Her thoughts trailed off, but she knew what she had to do. She had to make sure Stacy was no longer in the picture, even if it meant going to extreme lengths.

Debbie stood up, her mind made up. She had to find a way to get rid of Stacy once and for all. But first, she had to plan her next move carefully. She couldn't make any mistakes, not if she wanted to succeed in her plan.

As she sat down to think, her mind raced with possibilities. She could try to talk to Jerome again, try to convince him that he was making a mistake, and if he doesn't hear her out, she will be left with no choice but to take the matters into her own hands.