The end of Ella’s contract was drawing closer and closer. Her team was exceedingly efficient and it looked like they would be able to finish everything before schedule. Ella was feeling pensive about this because she was getting accustomed to Eddie’s company every evening. He would come over after work and they would have dinner together. Their conversations were long and intense and their friendship had blossomed further. Ella would miss these social interactions because they were rare. Her team only interacted socially during lunch breaks and the one time celebration once each contract was over. The other girls in the team sometimes went shopping together and Ella joined them once in a while. Ella always felt uncomfortable as the girls were younger than her and they displayed some youthful exuberance. Ella was also not interested in the nights out in the club. That was why Eddie’s wholesome company was precious to Eddie.
“Hallo,” Bryer said politely when Eddie walked into the house. Eddie looked at the woman who was seated in the middle of the living room working on her laptop. Her large protruding belly was the most prominent sight in the living room. It was mid morning and Eddie ignored her and headed to his bedroom to pick up some documents he had forgotten. He couldn’t find anything there so he came to the living room. Eddie glanced at Bryer as he looked for the documents on the dining table..“I put some files in that drawer,” Bryer said to Eddie. He ignored her for a while until the drawer was the only place left to search. He was thoroughly embarrassed when he found the files exactly where Bryer had said.“Don’t move my things around. You are a guest here,” Eddie said.
Ella was walking around a shopping mall picking out some clothes for the upcoming weekend. Her team had completed the contract successfully and she was in a good mood. They had even managed to finish two days earlier, hence why she was out shopping on a Friday afternoon. Eddie had given them a generous bonus each for cleaning up and leaving the building in immaculate condition. The team were also elated after finding out that they would be starting more work on monday. Ella then decided to spend her afternoon pampering herself in preparation for the evening date with Eddie. They had signed the new contract that morning, with Eddie creating a very generous package for Ella. The scope of work was considerably greater than the previous project so Ella’s team would take a longer time and earn more money. Ella thought that this was a great win worth celebrating. The afternoon flew by and Ella went back home to get ready. She showered and took a nap while waiting for the time Eddie would a
Tokodi and Tracy settled for dinner at a seafood restaurant. After enjoying the delightful starters, the couple were sipping on some white wine when a party of five arrived. They were laughing and talking loudly and they attracted the attention of the entire restaurant. “I thought this place was so serene until that bunch walked in,” Tracy said.“I think they will be seated soon and then it will be quiet again,” Tokodi said. The group burst into a loud bout of laughter and Tracy rolled her eyes in irritation. She looked up to check out the troublemakers clearly when she made eye contact with one of them right away. It was her friend Patty, whom Susie had introduced her to long ago. Tracy waved in greeting and looked away but to her dismay, Patty walked over instead of waving back. Her rowdy crowd followed closely.“Tracy, it’s so good to see you,” Patty said as she bent down to hug Tracy. Her tight miniskirt was stretched so tight that it almost burst. One of the men that accompanie
“What kind of food do you want to eat?” Eddie asked when he finally joined Ella in the car. He was very happy to see Tokodi and his girlfriend finally leaving.“Anything spicy,” Ella said as she watched the car drive away. “I hope I didn’t disturb your client.”“Actually, I think I’m the one who interrupted them. They were kissing when I went to lock up,” Eddie said. Ella laughed loudly and felt a twinge of jealousy and nostalgia. She and Blake had also been caught several times kissing in inappropriate places. She shook her head and brushed away thoughts of Blake. She had to get over him no matter what it took.“That’s adorable. It must be young love,” Ella said.“Sure. Tokod
Back at the apartment housing Tracy and Ella, Tokodi had ascertained the exact location of Tracy through the fictional receptionist whom he had hired to collect the data of each tenant. He would come to see Tracy tomorrow to try and work things out. He drove home in a gloomy mood and let himself into the house. He tried to call Tracy again but she did not pick up. He almost wished she could block him instead of ignoring him this way.The house felt strange without her because her presence was everywhere. He could see her fine touches in the soft furnishings and in the pleasant arrangement in the kitchen. The bedroom was the most unbearable for him. Tokodi got into bed and began to toss and turn. He could smell Tracy’s shampoo and bath gel in the sheets and he could almost touch her. He was surprised that he could clearly remember every detail about the first time they made love but not the last
“Stella, how much did you pay to hire these scaffolding materials? They are really good and I’m thinking of getting them for another project that will begin in two weeks,” Tim, her colleague, asked her.“It's a flat daily rate but remember we have the other one starting soon. I’ll retain them then but maybe I can try to get some for you from my supplier,” Ella said. She was getting the scaffolding for free from Eddie but she couldn’t tell her team that. They had made a deal to keep their relationship secret so as to avoid business conflicts.“I had forgotten about that. I think we will need to split up the crew for that,” Tim said.“Sure. We will wait and see which contractor will be ready first then maybe we will not need to split up,&r
“How was your night? I hope it wasn’t too rough?” Eddie asked Ella when they were finally back in the car“It was good. Your dad intimidated me a little but I understand where he is coming from,” Ella said. She was preoccupied with what she had overheard but she didn’t know how to bring it up.“I was surprised that you know Jessica,” he said as they drove away.“She is a really good person. I think she really loves your dad. She is one of those who love with all she is. I feel bad for her that she fell into my brother’s evil hands,” Ella said, smiling sadly.“She’s happy now. And the kids love dad so much. They make me a little jealous,” Eddie said with a chuckle.
Tokodi heard a knock at the door and he slammed the file he was perusing on his desk. “I said whoever comes near my door will get fired. Come in for your dismissal letter,” he barked.His mood was on an all time low after not seeing or hearing from Tracy for a week. The staff at his office had borne the brunt of his terrible disposition. Everyone had stayed away but it was now the end of day.“I’m not sure you can fire me,” Tracy said when she opened the door and peeped in. Tokodi almost tripped over himself as he walked to the door.“Sweetie,” he said as he rushed to her. He stopped short of hugging her and just stood in front of her.“Can I come in?” she asked.
“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