The couple left after barely saying goodbye to their friends. Racheal did not see Delbert again till they left.“Thank you for tonight.” She turned to Steffan as they sat in the backseat of the Cardillac. She could already perceive that he was disappointed that she did not enjoy the ball as he had planned.Steffan drew her close, and kissed her forehead. “I am sorry your experience was ruined.” He said, and turned to look out of the window. It had begun to rain, and the rain beat against the window with force, as their convoy sped on the road back to the hotel. It was almost midnight.“It wasn’t. I had a wonderful first ball.” Racheal replied, shaking her head. And she meant it. Despite all the confrontations she had had, that she was still forcing her mind not to think of, she did not want to think about what secrets Steffan was keeping just yet, that had been a wonderful party.She had laughed, danced, ate, and forgotten all her problems for a few hours,“Won any games?” She
Racheal could hear Steffan moving behind her, but she could not turn to look. Her chin was on a pillow, her belly pressed into her knees, as the rain continued to pour in torrents outside.She could only think of this moment. All her problems were temporarily at the bottom of her mind. She knew she was being careless, but she liked to forget everything, just for this moment.She wanted to be immersed in this world that she had just one day left in.It was way past midnight, and after today, she would return to the presidential villa to face her demons.She did not know when next she would be able to get away like this, or if it would ever happen again.Her mind returned to the present when she heard Steffan shut what sounded like the refrigerator door. Whatever he was doing, he was sure taking his sweet time.When she finally heard his steps drawing closer, her anticipation at the pleasure ahead made her forget how to breathe. What exactly was he planning to do? She felt him com
“Where are we going?” Racheal asked, unable to contain her excitement anymore.“For the 10th time, you will find out soon.” Steffan laughed. He was in a good mood. They both were.After a steamy shower session they had before they left the hotel, the day could not be any better.But as they got off the jet earlier, Steffan had reminded her of the surprise he had for her.He did not drive her back to his resort, instead they took the major highway, some back roads, and were now in a very quiet community. Gigantic houses stood alone on large acres of well-tended land. The whole area was extremely quiet and clean.What could he possibly want to show her here? She wondered as she relaxed back into her seat. Steffan drove out of the road onto a bridge, and as he circled up the spiral-like bridge, a mansion at the top of the hill came into view. The house was impeccably white and ridiculously large, even from a distance.He rode up to the gate, and the iron bars opened on their own.Sh
“What are you thinking about?” Steffan glanced briefly away from the road to look at Racheal on the passenger seat.“I wonder when next we will get to come here.” She replied.“Every other month?” He said with a smile.When she made no response, he said, “Hey, I would never let you feel trapped in that damned villa again.” He reached out to hold her hand. “Dates, getaways and vacations till I get you out of that place. You will spend more time out than in it.” He squeezed her hand. He was frowning now,This was the cold intimidating Steffan she was used to seeing.And something told her she would see more of this version of him as soon as they got back to the presidential capital. She turned to stare at the falling sun through the window. They had spent the whole afternoon at the mansion. Her mansion. She even spent time with the staff, when Steffan locked himself away in the study for about an hour on some business calls.Now, the day was drawing to a close. Tomorrow, she would
“Was there somewhere else?” Steffan asked softly.“What?”“I am curious about your life before me. Was there someone else?” He asked.Racheal looked at him, trying not to get angry.Was he going down this road of other-men nonsense again?“You are not going to ask me about my past sex life.” She said, a little irritation in her voice. “I had none, as you know.” ‘Your love life, you had one.”He was deliberately ignoring her irritation. Was he trying to ruin the night?“Why are you so certain?”“Even married, you have me contemplating getting a gun to keep these men off. The attention you must have gotten as a single woman would be beastly,” he said.She relaxed, and stared at him. She did not necessarily want to hide details about her ex. In fact, she did not mind telling him all about the ex who broke her heart. This could also be her opportunity to ask him about this Malorie woman, and the secret Delbert said he was keeping.“Will you tell me about Thalia too?”Steffan’s face we
“I have a surprise for you back at the villa,” Steffan said.Racheal looked at him. And looked away. She suspected he was just trying to cheer her up. Or maybe he really had a surprise for her. But she did not get any excitement from the thought. They were driving back home in the morning light. The sun was positioned in a way that it seemed they were riding into it. It bathed both their faces in light.She turned to look at him. He looked like a strong, Greek god, as he gripped the steering wheel.She wondered when next she would be able to have a peaceful drive with just him like this, without chauffeurs, bodyguards and nosy journalists.Just the both of them.She looked away, reminiscing back on the last few days, and all the fun they had despite the few hiccups. Why could their life not just be like that?Why did life with him have to be difficult?She knew the answer to her own question though. It was because people like his parents, her father, Thalia, Zuri, Delbert and all
Racheal looked out of the window to the familiar buildings of the city. She could not say why, but the city felt different from when she had left it. There were also more cops on the road, questioning drivers and pedestrians. Had it always been like this, and she had not just not noticed it? She glanced at Steffan. He was still quiet. She sighed and looked away. At least he no longer looked like he was in mental pain. She suddenly felt his hand on her’s. He raised it up to his lips, and kissed it.She turned to him, and his eyes were a plea. She felt herself melt within even though she did not want to. She relaxed and watched him kiss her hand again and again, before he lowered it to his thigh and held it there.She tried to stop herself from explaining away his behaviour, but she couldn’t.Maybe he had dirty secrets he was hiding. But now? He had only good intentions. He had told her he was trying to redeem himself. He was seeking redemption. He had to feel remorse at his pa
“You must be tired. You will see the rest of the house later, come rest.” Steffan said, releasing Racheal from his embrace.He was looking at her a little bit suspiciously, and it scared her a little. If she was going to avoid his questions, she had to act in a way that was not suspicious. If he even had any idea that she was keeping something back, that would make him furious.They went up the stairs, and she looked at the doors in the hallway that led to other rooms, as they strode to the door at the end, which she suspected was the masters bedroom.Like the rest of the house, this room was twice the size of her former room.But she could not admire the beauty or size of it just yet.She thought about the best way to get Steffan out of the room so she could check the closet in private.“Wait here, I won’t be long.” Steffan said. She nodded and gratefully watched him leave the room. She waited till she heard his heavy footsteps descending the stairs.She dove for the closet, and