Tessa
That morning following dad to his office reminded me of those days when I had messed up and he was going to give me a lecture, somewhere mum wasn't so he could go easy on me. There was no shame in bragging, I was my father's favorite creation. He led the way through the office and took his seat, pointed the clients seat. We had not exchanged a word since we left the crime scene. My father was getting old, I realized that morning he had these wrinkles or it was just the face of disappointment. We had always been on the same page...we always found a way to co-exist instead of tearing each other apart like mum and I did. And for that reason I owed him an apology."Dad, am sorry. Please don't look at me like that, you know it's just me and you, I count myself lucky to be your daughter""Why did you do that to him Tessa, you know love hurts more than physical pain?"How did he expect me to know when the only person that was busy breaking my heart was my mother? I haAfter two hours in the sky the pilot of the private jet that was carrying the Don and his family asked for landing on a private island. He was asked for a unique code that the Don read out loud and they were given permission to land on a tarmac runway, soot black with a yellow line. The jet touched the tarmac and rolled on the runway like a snake slithering in the grass and when it stopped they were in a painted all white warehouse, a couple of beautiful flight attendants were waiting for them, dressed in white and blue their curved lips red hot like chili's separated to flash a warm smile, their well shaved slender legs in a pair of black heels each."Welcome Don" they said in unison bowing in respect and immediately a white van came in."Thank you ladies" he said kissing their hands, Lilian could be seen boiling with jealousy behind them and Maria was holding her, giving her that support she really needed, "You two look more beautiful than last time""Thank you sir, yo
The ladies had gone to do what ladies do, talk in private and socialize with the best fashion designers, laugh and swim or gossip, for the men, the party was yet to start, Don and Carlos were seated by the tiki bar, sipping on their drinks while watching the others have fun."An update sir" Carlos said checking his phone when it beeped."Keep the bad news to yourself...have you noticed something?" He asked looking in the direction of the ladies. Maria and Lilian had already joined the flock of women, it was like a baby shower party."Noticed what boss?""The ladies have miraculously hit it off""It's a good thing right?" Carlos asked sounding surprised. He expected him to be happy that his plan to unite his family of three was working. It was hard to understand him."Yeah, but you know me"He knew him more than anyone else in his life. Carlos was one man the Don couldn't stand losing or being on the other side of the war front because then he wouldn't las
TessaSmoke from two wretched chimneys were almost choking me out so I took a seat am watched them play from a distance. Their relationship had not started that well when Gideon moved in. Gabriel kind of stuck to the script of being a butler and constantly taking Blake's side even while walking out on us at the dinner table. It had me worried a little bit say but as usual dad fixed it.Speaking of dad. Why on earth was he asking me to divorce Blake? I think he knew one topic he couldn't talk me out of was the Blake topic. Maybe he was just angry, that bastard was mine until I decided or I was convinced he was no longer useful."My little girl seated all alone, let me guess, the boys are rumbustious and smoky" mum said joining me with a chair of her own, the two of us seated watching the stars in the dark skies, as if she read my mind she had wine and a couple of glasses a maid brought a coffee stool."Your guess is right""Mama got you something kiddo" she said p
BlakeProfound sadness hit me from all corners. I was seated in my crib with a bottle of whiskey, the address Stewart gave to me on the table. His last words were still ringing in my head. Who were the people he was asking me to make them pay and how did he want me to make them do it? It was both confusing and scary.Why couldn't he give the information to his fellow detectives? The fact that he gave it to me confirmed my fears that perhaps his death had something to do with the evidence that I gave him. Which meant...."Am screwed!" I screamed smashing the glass on the wall.The house became too hot and I got rid of my coat, and went outside to grab a lungful of fresh air and hopefully watch some stars. In the course of my life I had lost a lot of people but none of them made me feel that empty and sad like John although we had not gotten to that level of deep friendship he was my ticket to freedom, as long as Gerald was rotting somewhere behind bars and Bailey spen
TessaA soft knock on the door made me spring out of bed, I was awake already with a slight headache after hours of sipping wine. I didn't even remember walking into my room and tucking under my sheets. It was one advantage of having fun with my brothers and not strangers because I could imagine what strangers were capable of especially with a wasted damsel like me.It was also one of those days I looked in the mirror and smiled at my own beauty before washing my face. I emerged and donned in my gym clothes, tied my hair into a pony and slid into a pair of sports shoes. Behind the door was my wicked mother that I had decided to love the way she was so I surprised her with an early morning hug....what was it, two three months since we last hugged each other? She seemed lost like a non-hugger. Took her time to hug me back."Are you okay kiddo?" She asked sounding uneasy you could tell from her constantly clearing her throat."Yeah am fine, just wanted to feel like this
BlakeMy mood was foul as usual but while working in the kitchen and ensuring everything was in place I managed a smile. Inside, it was disappointment mixed with loneliness. Losing the grip to my cool and what could really help me calm down was a chance to get in the middle of the forest and scream so loud, preferably the Amazon that's if the poisonous twigs and venomous snakes and insects didn't kill me first. My life was crumbling, nothing bad had happened to me yet but It was happening to those one around me. My pillars, the people I could count on and that did not feel right.Let's do a recap shall we? First it was Anita, lost her while trying to salvage what was left of Tessa and I. Turns out nothing was left. Then comes the irony, l lost the same Tessa that forced me to lose Anita followed by detective Stewart who was supposed to help me buy some time to run away with Tessa by keeping Gerald behind bars. That morning I lost my trust in the butler when he lied straight
AnitaDays after Blake stopped by I was feeling guilty for how I treated him. Careful analysis of his case led me to a conclusion that he was not aware of what he was doing, Blake was watching his life unfold in front of him and he had nothing to do about it. So instead of being mad at him and acting all mean I chose to let him be.Anyway, that midmorning I was on my way home. After another dose of critical thinking I didn't like the way things ended with mum it was time to fix it. Seated in a bus, closer to the window, watching the beautiful emerald vegetation. Amazing how it had bounced back to life merely months after it was razed down with random forest fires not to mention the massive human encroachment that had occurred on it. There were also abandoned roadside stalls, formerly occupied by women selling their groceries and foodstuffs. I longed for days when Christmas would come and we would enjoy watching soccer, walking on the roads testing every homemade food, and pl
The war of words between Gerald and his lovely wife Bailey Wallace was still on after their children left. Bailey had locked herself up in their bedroom and Gerald was standing in the hallway throwing accusations at each other and calling names. A truce they had managed to arrive at a few days back went down crumbling once again and it was time to rebuild or keep living like strangers and be a shame to their children as if they were not already. And he couldn't let that happen so he decided to be the adult in the entire situation, for once he chose to be wrong."I'm sorry alright, some things I don't tell you....""A lot of things""Because I don't want you to worry""When you said you had the Blake situation under control I believed you but not in my wildest dreams did I think that you were planning to give him money""It was worth a try wasn't it?""And Anita?"This time she opened the door wide and let him in. The anger had subsided to Gerald's relief.
BlakeIt was another beautiful morning at the Red crescent manor. In my silk robes with a cup of coffee I was standing at the balcony, watching over my family estates, employees moving from one direction to another going on with their duties, their children happily playing in the field waiting for school time. Mum and Lilian had dedicated much of their time to doing that, teaching and donating foodstuffs, rescuing colts from dangerous gangs. It was the good I could do.After messing up the first time when God showered me with blessings I wasn't going to repeat the same mistake. This time I was going to use my influence to make sure that nature wasn't going to raise another Blake. No kid was going to be a pauper and mistreated under my watch and what better way to start doing that than in my own home? Anita and her sister Beatrice helped with the teaching, her younger brother James was there too among the students. My family had become big when her sister and brother moved in. Her moth
Within two weeks, Gerald Wallace had lost the trust of his family, his friends and all his lands he acquired illegally. Beginning with the one in the outskirts of the war tone city, that used to be a children's home that he mercilessly grabbed and sent the kids to the streets. Fate was back to bite him in the ass because one of the kids he threw on the streets was Blake. He reclaimed the land using the manpower he had, a new building was being erected as the war continued. No one dared stand in his way days after he left a trail of bodies when he visited a rival mafia gang that for long had perfected the unholy act of human trafficking. As a result, all the other gangs that were doing illegal businesses were keeping their heads down and others were now even reaching out to be friends. And once again, the red crescent Mafia family was on everyone's radar and the name Blake send shivers down the spines of those who didn't not stand for what he believed. In a matter of days, he had acquir
BlakeTheir eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I got up with the gun at hand. Their guards rushed to the scene but they were just a handful of them. Forming a barrier between me and their bosses. It felt good to taunt them, but I had no intention of killing any of them I just wanted to see the family suffer and not feel safe, feel like everything they had could be taken from them anytime, feel afraid like I used to every time Bailey called out my name or when she slapped the taste out of my mouth."Let's see, you're ten and I have fourteen armed another three dozen just waiting for my call, plus myself and Carlos and Johnson we're seventeen bad asses here right now""What about me?" Anita asked feigning disappointment. She knew how to taunt people, our common goal, to make Gerald pay. She wanted him dead more than I did."You'll sit back and watch me slaughter all these bastards, then I'll bring you the head of the man who had your father killed"Now that was one way to send
A couple of days after Anita's controversial visit peace and cohesion had not been a regular visitor at the Wallace manor. It all started with Gideon and Tessa, that same day over dinner Gideon seemed to be in a foul mood, he avoided conversations and when Tessa became too inquisitive he blew up in anger. Asked for some air, got in his car and drove out of the compound. That was new, but there was something he wasn't telling them and they were yet to find out, too late though and the one carrying that news was a not so welcoming person.Anyway, Gideon left Tessa under a cloud of sadness that no one seemed to have a solution to and perhaps that was because each of them had problems of their own. Bailey had to divide her attention and look out for her family or watch them perish. Gerald had lost his smile and control of the home. He spent most of his time drinking in his office and conversing with the butler, Tessa was in her room doing whatever it was she was doing and Gabriel. He was
Anita was seated in the most hostile of environments she had ever been. All the Wallace's including the new one who was glued to Gabriel like a monkey on a tree were glaring through her and ironically it was only Gerald who seemed to want her there, he was the calm and relaxed, patient as Anita took her time to taunt them with her silence and tension. The problem is she didn't care much about Gerald's show of concern and mercy. I was all fake, had she known why he was too nice to offer her a job in the first place she wouldn't have taken it. He was a murderer and thank God he had no idea what was coming.Those couple of minutes she sat there, dozens of ways she could have strangled him to death had crossed her mind. It was surely taking every ounce of self-control for her not to jump on him and try it."Are you going to keep us waiting forever. Unlike you we have some things to do" Tessa was not a fan of waiting."Okay, I'll go straight to the point. Blake sends his rega
At eight in the evening, everyone in the Red crescent manor was gathered at the ceremonial grounds. Circular in shape with seats made of mortar almost like an ancient Roman arena, there was a podium decorate with high end seats where the elders and the family priest sat. No one from the family had arrived yet and there was confusion everywhere with rumors circulating among the employees."I think we're being sent packing, I don't even know where to start from my whole life is in this beautiful place" one said sounding disturbed."Who said we're being send packing?" Asked another."It's just a rumor. We don't have proof" argued someone from behind, they were all whispering as though it was a crime to talk. But generally, it was all quiet and the whole place was lit up with traditional lamps."Something else we don't have is a leader and we're going to be scattered all over"The banter would have continued were it not for the sight of the r
One Week laterIt's said that, you never know when your time will come, we all hope he'll delay. So, what are you doing with the little time you have left on this vast ticking time bomb called earth? Have you Imagined how you want your Eulogy to look like? Most of us haven't. The brutal angel of death paid the Red crescent Mafia family a visit again. It was Saturday afternoon, a gloomy day for real even the weather could attest, the sun was too afraid to come out, hidden behind the dark clouds and the rain was now ruling, beating the ground into a wet submission, all the family members were dressed in black with the servants holding umbrellas for them leaning on each other's shoulders their eyes bloodshot from prolonged crying. After an all-inclusive funeral service with the few invited guests and the world at large it was the turn of close family Members to say goodbye to one of their own, one last walk to the grave for a fabric that had woven them together, a pillar that had
The whole family swarmed in on Blake as they carefully forced him out of the venue without causing much alarm, the crowd was already alarmed but those who knew Wallace and his family so we were both surprised. What was a Wallace party without some drama?"I just want to talk to Tessa then we can see if this joke of a party goes on""You don't get to insult me" Growled Gideon, he even wanted to punch him lights out but Gabriel held his hand. No one was really in the mood for violence that day for Christ sake they were dressed to party and have fun, dance, drink and those who could even have sex!"Calm down Gideon" Bailey said rather politely, "what do you want?""To talk to Tessa nothing else""Okay go ahead, but not here and we're not leaving her sight for as much as I care you might have goons out there planning to take her" that was the condition and it was good for him to have an audience so that they could all hear him convince her to be his again.Funny
BlakeAfter a sleepless night of tossing on my bed, wishing morning would come and the doctor would do the checkup, allow me to go home and see the love of my life...it finally came and the energy in the air was stupendous, the birds singing and the whistling of the wind, my own heartbeat and some beeping of machines all connected to make a perfect rhythm. I lay in my bed my arms tucked, staring blankly in the white ceiling, a smile cracked on my face, mother nature had been kind to me and the supreme being had given us another chance to suffer, love, regret and make our stay on this borrowed planet worthwhile.That morning like all days I closed my eyes."Father lord, thank for another day in my life. A few days back I was in a comma beaten to a pulp but you turned my enemies into my friends and now the protect me. Father, today I don't want to stress you with much, please see me through the day and give me back the love of my life, you know her more than I do and you h