Ella sat back on the seat as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. Tracy’s words sounded like they were proof that she was the biggest fool in the world.“So the rent has been paying off the loan all along?” Ella asked.“Yes. The agent has been very active in marketing so occupancy rate has been at 95% all along. Most times it has been at 100,” Tracy continued.“That means that the rent has been more than enough for the instalments. I probably finished paying it off right on schedule with some change left over,” Ella said in shock. This meant that Ella had not needed Blake’s help to regain her property. The only thing that Kevin had sold was her personal residence. So Ella would have had enough money to rent a place and sustain herself while fighting for her house against Kevin’s fraudulent activity. “You told me that the rent had already been directed to the new owner’s account,” Ella said with fury.“We used your documentation to open a new account and channel all yo
Ella was driven home by Victoria and the driver as she went through the file presented by Tracy. Victoria noticed her disturbed expression and waited until Ella was ready to talk. But when they got to the house, Victoria stayed in the car. Ella knew she had to tell her everything now because she felt like she would explode if she kept things to herself.“See you later,” Victoria said to a troubled looking Ella. “You have to go to work?” Ella asked.“Yes. Is anything the matter?” Victoria asked.“We can talk later,” Ella said as she glanced at the driver. “Don’t worry about that. Get in. He will bring you back when I get to work,” Victoria said. Ella told her all that Tracy had confessed and Victoria reacted with a mixture of shock and anger.“Don’t trust that woman for a single second Ella. why did she suddenly decide to come clean now?” Victoria asked. “She said she was doing this to make things right,” Ella said.“Let her give you this address and then we will send someone th
Several days had passed since Ella had abruptly ended her call with Eddie. He had tried to call and text her but she had not responded so he decided to give her some space. When two days went by without a word from her, he became impatient. Just as he was about to call her, a call from an unknown number came in. He quickly responded so as to get back to his main agenda.“Eddie, we need to talk,” the female caller said.“I thought that is what we are doing,” he said sarcastically. “I would take this more seriously if I were you,” she said. There was a trace of anger in her voice and she clicked her tongue when Eddie paused for a long time.“Please identify yourself and state your reason for calling,” Eddie said politely. He was not sure whether the caller was a client whose contact details he had not saved so he decided to reel back his impatience. “I’m Chantel,” she said. After a short pause, his impatience came rushing back but he forced himself to speak calmly.“How can I help yo
Susie sat in her office thinking about the last few weeks. Her partner Tracy had been behaving strangely for some time. She was always making mystery calls and it wasn’t once or twice when Susie found her wide awake in the middle of the night. Something had been bothering her but Tracy had kept quiet about it. No matter how hard Susie tried to get some information, she couldn’t get anything. Tracy was like a tight vault that would let nothing in or out without the access code. Susie had never been the jealous type but Tracy’s behaviour was beyond explanation. She was just thinking of how to approach her so that she could open up, when her secretary alerted her that her next client Ella had arrived. Ella was more emotional than before and she was eager to speak. She poured out her recent encounters with Tracy and expressed the amount of betrayal she felt. Susie listened with concern but was shocked by the amount of atrocities that Tracy had committed. For the first time in her career,
That night, Susie got home early in order to have ample time to confront Tracy on Ella’s revelation. Tracy assumed that the weight of Ella’s case was pressing down on her and causing her constant moodiness. Susie was determined to find out if Ella was likely to face more danger in the days to come. Tracy must have been facing unprecedented pressure from the wicked man Blake who was her boss. So Susie prepared a delicious four course meal and set the table in a delightful arrangement. She then chilled a bottle of wine and waited for Tracy to come home. Susie had just finished dressing after taking a bath when Tracy came back. She looked exhausted. They ate dinner in the midst of pointless banter and then Susie asked what was on her mind.“Did you really help your boss to deceive that poor woman to that extent?”“Let me guess. You ar
“Good morning,” Victoria said to Ella. Ella had just come out of the kitchen after helping with the general clean up chores. “Good morning Victoria. How was your night?”“Much better than yours.I know you have a lot on your mind,” she said.“More than you know,” Ella saidShe sat down for breakfast with Victoria and Lola. When they were almost done, Ella said what was on her mind. “I want to spend some time alone at my village house as I check how it has been.” Ella said. Victoria was quiet for some time and she stared at Ella without giving her an answer. “I was hoping I could go today.”“I think there is some misunderstanding between us Ella. I know I have given you some level of freedom over the last few weeks so you feel like things are back to normal. But nothing could be farther from the truth. You can’t move around as you please until some things are clarified,” Victoria said.“I don’t understand,” Ella asked as she sat up.“When you were released, you were put under my custo
It had been half an hour since Ella and Eddie began the drive to her village home. The conversation had started out as awkward but as the minutes went by, Ella and Eddie both relaxed. He began by telling her all sorts of stories about his hometown and how much fun he had growing up by the lakeside. After bouts of laughter from both of them, Ella loosened up considerably and shared about her childhood as well. She remembered how much her father had spoiled her and how she enjoyed life with her brothers. This was a stark contrast to the current circumstances she faced, and she found herself summarising her life’s story. Eddie listened intently, only interrupting once or twice for clarification. However, the mood changed drastically when Ella narrated her return from abroad. She was embarrassed about her gullibility when dealing with Blake so she lied and said that they had fallen in love and that she had moved in with him when she got pregnant. She also limited the details of her incar
“Maybe we should just tip off the police to keep an eye out for him here,” Eddie said.“The police are not interested in such a low profile case.”“I’ll make sure they pay attention,” Eddie said. He took out his cell phone and called someone. After a few minutes of playful banter, he had Ella give the details of her brother’s fraudulent activities and then they put up an alert for him. Ella took one last look around the house and then they closed the back door and walked back to the car.“What do you want to do now?” Eddie asked once she was strapped in.“Drive back to the city,” she said.“Alright. Maybe we can grab lunch somewhere on t
“Dad, if you were in my shoes what would you do to your parents?” Blake asked when they were left alone.“Son, it’s been a long day. Let me go and get checked by a real professional. We can discuss other things later,” Aurelia said.“Your daughter in law just saved your life yet you cannot give her the slightest bit of respect?” Mr Raymond asked.“I don’t have a daughter in law. Besides, I didn’t ask her to touch me with her filthy hands,” Aurelia said. Blake’s eyes turned ice cold.“Your stinking attitude just made things much easier for me mum. As of two hours ago, your passport has been recalled and you no longer have diplomatic immunity. There are some people outside who will escort you out
“What is the meaning of this?” Aurelia asked.‘Have a seat mum,” Blake said as he sat down and pulled Ella on the seat next to him. His parents sat down reluctantly while Blake dismissed the security personnel.“Mum, please meet the governor Richard and his girlfriend Jessica. I’m sure you have met Kevin before,” Blake said.“I have never seen that man in my life,” Aurelia said haughtily.“Well, let me play a little video that will help you jog your memory,” Blake said. The tv switched on to show Rose, Kevin and Aurelia in a luxury hotel having dinner in a private room. Their conversation revolved around building a solid case that would ensure that Ella was put behind bars. Ella was so shocked that s
The VIP lounge at the airport had suddenly turned to a buzz as a certain celebrity came into the country. Mrs Aurelia Raymond took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the lounge and into the company of Rose. Aurelia had spotted one of Blake’s men waiting for her but she wanted to bypass him so she could communicate with Rose without any interception.“Why did you take so long?” Rose asked irritably.“I think you have forgotten who I am, young lady. I don’t owe you any explanations,” Aurelia said. She took out her compact kit and began dusting her face.“I’m sorry madam. I’m just a little anxious,” Rose said as she rolled her eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had been unable to infiltrate the Raymonds finances then she wouldn
“What do you want to do today?” Richard asked Jessica. They had returned to the hotel room after the buffet breakfast and Jessica was reading a book.“I thought I would buy some gifts for the children,” Jessica said.“Ok. I’ll come with you,” Richard said.“Are you not going to visit Eddie?” Jessica asked.“We can go in the afternoon,” Richard said.“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jesssica said.“I’m listening.”“I was just wondering what you did with Kevin,” Jessica said. Richard’s face darkened and
It was the weekend and Tokodi and Tracy woke up mid morning. They showered together and changed, then packed all of Tracy’s things and headed home. Tracy was eager to open her gifts and she began to do so. Each gift was thoughtful and impressive and Tracy ended up showering Tokodi with many kisses. By the time she opened all the gifts, Tokodi was feeling like the king of the universe. He helped Tracy to unpack and arrange her jewellery, clothes and appliances that he had bought her. Tracy looked as happy as a child eating ice cream, and she even shed a few tears when Tokodi said that he had bought all those gifts to celebrate their engagement. Later that afternoon, Tokodi went out to buy some groceries and toiletries while Tracy cleaned up the house. He had been itching to leave the house so that he could attend a meeting with Blake.Tokodi had woken up that morning and taken Blake’s numb
Back at the Raymond residence, there was confusion and excitement amongst the staff. Only one driver was aware of when Ella had returned, and he explained how he had simply picked her up from an apartment complex. He had been with the Raymond family for years and he knew how to be discreet while releasing just enough information to generate some counter intelligence. The man could clearly recall the animated conversation which he had subsequently narrated to Blake.“Are you sure you picked her up from an apartment? I was there when the police dragged her out of the house. Blake must have picked her up from a police station,” Dora said. She had come downstairs with rage and explained to the other staff members how Blake’s criminal ex-wife had sneaked back into the house.“We picked her up at a middle class estate. I don&
“You are a really good dancer,” Tokodi said to Tracy when she returned from the dance floor. She took a large gulp of her drink and sat down.“You should join me for the next one,” Tracy said as she tapped her foot in rhythm to the music.“I have two left feet,” Tokodi said as he watched the flushed look on Tracy’s face. They had decided to enter this night club when Tracy heard the invigorating music from outside. He was accompanying her as she went to pick up her things from the serviced apartment she had been staying at.“How do you get sleep with this noise?” Tokodi asked. The serviced apartment was adjacent to the club and the walls were literally vibrating because of the beat.&ldqu
“Is everything okay?” Jessica asked Richard. He was staring at his phone during breakfast and had barely touched his food.“I’ve been trying to call Eddie since last night. The phone keeps ringing and he doesn’t respond,” Richard said.“That is odd. Do you think maybe he left the phone in his car? It’s still early in the morning and he may not have noticed,” Jessica said. Richard shook his head in disagreement.“He doesn’t usually leave his phone unattended. His work calls come in at all times of the day,” Richard said.“Maybe I should call Ella. She may know where it is since they work together and they are dating,” Jessica said. Richard nodded in approval and Jessica removed her phone f
Ella woke up feeling confused in her new home with Blake. She stirred out of sleep and looked around the elegant bedroom tastefully furnished with brown and white hues. She sat up wondering how she had ended up in bed while all she could remember was drinking milk and eating cookies at the sofa.Ella took a cold shower and dressed as she wondered If Eddie and Bryer were ok. She looked around and could not see any of the bloody clothes from the day before. Ella used the brand new toiletries that had been laid out and she finished getting ready.She was feeling a little hungry and wondered what time it was. There was no clock in the bedroom and she still had no idea where her phone was. Her phone had been in her handbag which had remained in Eddie’s car. Tracy felt tears fill her eyes when she remembered how Eddie had been shot. She had never known that Blake could be so violent and cruel. The mem