**
Never in Aria's wildest dreams did she imagined she'd be spending the night at the Okoji's resident and on such short notice.
No one mentioned she would be sleeping over on her very first day of visitation. At least she would have come prepared and not dressed in an alter necked chiffon with a high waisted skirt.
You'd think it was easy to just say no and that will be it. The moment the old lady turned on her charm and even sniff a few tears, she knew she couldn't say no even if she wanted to and just so you know_she even went down with a seizure at the very thought of Aria turning down her request and that my friends was how she ended up spending her very first night at the Okoji resident alongside her boyfriend,in his old bedroom.
Aria couldn't bear for them to leave her at that state she was in even though something told her, Frank was indifferent about it much to her disappointment.
She was his mom for Christ sake
**Aria realized she was snuggled up against Frank in bed the next morning the moment she opened her eyes.Frank on the other hand was still snoring away with his arm snaked around her waist and holding her in place.She leaned in a bit closely and tracing every features on his face with the tip of her finger. His full eyebrow was perfect, falling against each other in a well defined line. She caressed the bridge of his nose leading to his chiseled cheekbone before pecking him on the side of his lips."I would have really preferred that kiss on my lips you know?" Frank had told her before poking each eye open, one at a time.She jolted back a little at the sound of his voice."So you weren't sleeping?""I was actually waiting for you to kiss me out of my slumber" he replied with a smile."You will have to wait till I brush before you get that kiss"He grabbed hold of her before she could hurry o
Frank drove in the speed of light back to his house and found the course of his predicament waiting just like he had been informed by his butler Larry.His anger was evident at this point as his sight fell on the estranged figure waiting by the side porch leading up to his house.Each step he took towards the unwanted guest took him a step backward, and down memory lane before he finally came to a halt before her.Sandra BasseyThe woman who has cost him so much pain and distress was staring right back at him with the same intensity as he had once remembered.A little smile graced the side of her lip the moment their eyes met for a split second.Those eyes!Those were the same eyes that have lured his senses over the past years and caused him untold pain and even at that, she still has the nerve to show herself at his door step with that same smile on her face.What a hypocrite she truly is..Frank never thought a
"It's about your son!"Those were the only word she needed to grab his attention as Frank whirl around to meet the sly smile on her face."What did you just say to me?"She took the liberty to take two steps closer in order to stand just a breath away from him. Satisfaction evident on her face."You heard me" She gave a careless shrug"..You have a son_our son to be precise but I bet you don't want to hear about him so I will just leave"She began to walk away with a knowing grin on her face. Now she was sure she finally has his full attention if not his whole senses. She was counting on his weakness to do the needful and it did indeed."Wait!" His voice shaking with rage as he called at her.Stopping a few inches away from him, she turned and raised a brow at Frank who took two long stride to stand in front of her.His anger evide
*Frank wished he didn't have to subject the little boy standing before him to needles and pricking but Sandra Bassey has left him with no other choice but to request for a paternity test just to prove that he was indeed his.Frank could see the question in his searching eyes as he stood beside his mother. His brown eyes that was almost hazel was looking at him with keen interest which only reminded him of himself when he was little and very much curious indeed but other than that, he can't seem to find any other resemblance of his on the little boy.Daniel was brown skin and fairly handsome with full lips. He was not more than five, yet he looked like he was older than his actual age.Frank didn't bother to look at his birth certificate that he was presented with. All he wanted was the paternity test results.He walked over to wh
**"Hello lovebirds"Both Aria and Frank had raised a questioning brow at her direction not sure if she was referring to them or not.Sandra reached forward and pulled out a chair for herself and settled down beside them on the table with a smile sprayed across her face.Aria knew she was the same lady they had met at the book launch and also the same one who also happened to be Frank's ex fiancée. What she couldn't understand was her reason for inviting herself over to their table and even worst, acting as though she was welcomed.Frank on the other hand looked more than just bothered by Sandra's presence at their table. He was visibly enraged even though he hasn't said a word to her. The little twitch and unconscious tapping of his left foot against the tiles floor was like a ticking bomb waiting for explosion.Aria had noticed the cynical look in her eyes t
"I guess you have confirmed the test result for yourself as well?" Sandra's eye narrowed with amusement as she sat across from a fuming Frank who arrived at her table not long ago."Just cut the crab and tell me why!_why now? Why did you keep him a secret until now"She gave a careless shrug and just leaned back against the chair."You can say it's because Daniel has grown up to realize that Samuel is not his real Dad or that I want to be a good mother to our son by telling him the truth. It hasn't been easy keeping him a secret all these years you know?""A good mother you say? How did you raise him for five years while another man was claiming to be his father? That sound like a terrible mother to me if not despicable" Frank spat angrily at her.His eyes were bloodshot as he stared into her calculative ones.All he could see was the lies that lay bare behin
It was around 40:30pm when Aria got home that evening after all the things she had to endure earlier that day. She was mentally exhausted as her mind haven't had a single rest with the thought of Frank and that woman.She couldnt even get much work done at the office as she barely struggled through most of the manuscript she was overseeing. Thank God it was Friday_she could easily go through the rest at home before monday and so she took them along with her when she closed for that day.With her brown leather bag in one hand and the file containing the manuscript in the other, she stood facing her door while struggling to insert the key through the keyhole which was proving to be difficult due to the amount of load in her arms.Still faced with the task of unlocking the front door, she accidentally dropped the key in the process as well."You have got to be kidding me right now" she groaned out in frustration."Let me get it for you"
* Aria woke up the next morning with a splitting headache as she lazily reached for her medicated glasses seating across from her right on the lamp stand before dragging herself to the bathroom to do her morning routine. She couldn't sleep throughout that night as she kept turning and tossing the length and breadth of the bed. Aria was practically restless even when she finally thought she had closed her eyes and shut off her mind and was sleeping_she woke up with a scream. She had nightmares of that woman snatching Frank away. Staring at her reflection in the vanity fair mirror that hung facing her on the wall, she pulled off her glasses and squeezed her eye lids closed for a moment. Opening it again; she could see how disoriented she was looking. Her hair was packed into a messy bun in the middle of her head. Her eyes were pretty red and swollen, thanks to all the crying from last night. Dark visible bags circl
Seven years has gone by so quickly_and nothing has changed with the Okoji's as they seemed to be growing side by side and deeper in love with each other with each passing day.Frank was still the perfect husband and father to their daughter. Even his staffs at the office could swear that he was now a better boss than what he used to be. With the new promotional policy that include a fat cheque and family trip to vacation outside the country during the holiday season was enough to make him the best employer of each year.To say everything was moving on well was an understatement. Their lives was close to being perfect.Aria on the other hand would visit her parent occasionally with her daughter so she could get to meet her cousins and grandparent. She decided to quit her job at the publishing firm at some point just so she could focus more on spending as much time with her family as she possibly could while taking up writing as a side hobby.Her litt
Thirty minutes later, Frank walked into the private room where Aria was admitted and placed little Evergreen who was still sleeping in her carrier on the sofa right beside the bed.Feeling overwhelmed and emotional, he plopped down beside her on the bed before caressing the soft skin on her cheek.The heart monitor was beeping as if it was counting her heart beat on a steady repeat. Her oxygen tube was sticking out of her nose uncomfortably. Aria chest was barely rising and falling under the sheet she was nicely tucked into.Aria looked more asleep than in a coma. Her thick mass of brown hair was brushed backward and hidden under a blue hair net to avoid getting in the way.Her skin look really pale without getting much sunlight as she has been kept in that room for way too long now. The white curtains covering the window was half drawn to allow only a bit of air into the room.Frank took hold of her IV free hand in his and gave it a little s
*Frank felt awfully uncomfortable as he sat between his mother and best friend in the nearly filled courtroom with a clenched jaw that clearly expressed his dislike for being there.He rather be home with his daughter or at the hospital with Aria but that moment was because of her and missing out on the final court hearing against her captor was not an option he'd like to consider.To think that Henry was pleading not guilty to all the charges levied against him, causes every blood running through his vein to boil with anger and the hair on the back of his neck to stand on edge.Henry has no single act of remorse in his heart not even after all he has done.Aria was in a pitiful condition because of him and it would be over his dead body to see him walk out of there, a complete free man. He already made sure of that by hiring one of the best attorney he could find.His lawyer, barrister Roland_ has assured him that Henry wasn't gettin
Frank sat with blood shot eyes as he searched Sandra's face for anything that proofs that all she had told him was nothing but pure lies from the pit of hell but the more he looked at her, the more he realized it was nothing but the absolute truth.His hands was balled into a tight fist by his side with muscles trailing the walls of his neck at the shocking revelation.Frank was beyond livid at that point as he was struggling against whatever anger that was coursing through his veins at none other than himself."How?" He growl at her."It's all started when you left for London and your father offered me a job to be his secretary. I thought he did it because of how close we were but sooner than later_I found out his real reason for doing it" she took a pause before she continued. Her eyes barely meeting his due to the shame and guilt that was all too visible to the eyes."I tried everything possible to resist him but not for long because you were go
**It's been two whole month already and Aria still hasn't woken up from her coma. Even though the doctors had assured Frank over a month back, that her chances of waking up was pretty high but even at that, she still hasn't shown any sign of waking up other than the little twitching of her hand that had occurred more than twice during his frequent visit.The doctor had explained it to be her reflexes but Frank would rather not give up on her recovery_reflexes or not. That was the only proof that she was still in there and could also hear him talking to her too.Frank made sure to visit every single day as the hospital was practically his second home at that point. He spend most of his time there beside her bed and making sure she was getting the treatment she needed.He wanted to be right there when she wakes up. The first person she looks at and have her know how much he has missed her and finally be able to see her beam her charming smile at him
Frank had arrived with Aria back at the hospital some minutes later and refused to leave her side even for a second as he was mounted protectively by the door of the theatre.Both his mother and friends stood beside him in silent. No one was willing to say any word out loud as their head was hanging low in silent prayers for everything to turn out well.They had endured so much during this few days and couldn't bear to face any more than they already had been made to go through."She will be alright man" Kelvin had assured him with a gentle tap to his already tense shoulders.Frank only gave a small nod in acknowledgement. Probably too overwhelmed to say anything as he continued to glance ahead.Lizzy stood by the far left beside Frank's mother with tense shoulders. She could barely look Frank in the eyes when she was let in as well. Her guilt was eating away at her grief.Lizzy couldn't believe she had played a part in her friend's misfortu
**Frank continued to pull relentlessly at his restraint over and over again while trying to break free and reach for Aria who had passed out cold on the bed at this point.She hasn't lifted a finger since Henry had abruptly left her on the bed and hurried out the door without a word.Frank knew something has gone wrong and was dying to get to her and began dragging the chair he has been tied to across the floor in a bit to get to her. Even though he kept calling at her, he wasn't sure if she could even hear him which only fueled his need to break free.He was half way across to her when Henry returned and rushed over to her side on the bed and scooped her into his arms for a moment before placing her back gently against the bed."What's happening to her" Frank had hissed angrily at him but Henry gave no reply as his only focus was on Aria and getting her to respond somehow.He cursed under his breath a few times after he felt
*Aria has no idea how long Henry has been gone but she knew he'd be back soon and had to move faster. She hurried back to the bathroom and searched for anything sharp but found only an old toothbrush stuck at the trash can and quickly retrieved it.Breaking off the edge against the hard floor, she rushed over to the door and began to use the edge to pick the locks in hope it would come off.She could feel the hard imprint of the locks pressure, pressing against her palm but she was far from giving up.It was either now or never.She was half drenched in sweat and her own tears by the time the lock finally came off. Her joy was short lived when she felt another wave of pain shot through her and making sure to draw a wail of agony from her lips.The contraction was becoming more frequent than normal. She noticed the warm liquid trailing down her thighs and knew her water has broken.The inevitable was about to happen and
*"So where are we travelling to" Aria had asked Henry out of the blue still munching on her chicken.A little smile creep up across his face at her question. He wasn't expecting it but he was happy she was showing interest in his proposal.He was expecting her to resist some more and not agreed readily. But either way he was eager to give a reply."We can travel to anywhere you like. Just say the word and we are out of here" he spoke enthusiastically."So you are telling me that you'd throw away your career and whole life just to run away with me?""Not exactly but for now, yes!. We can always settle somewhere and I could start up a clinic there" he explained with a thoughtful look in his eyes.Aria only replied with a small nod. Still deep in thought. She was processing a lot at that moment without giving away anything.If Henry was willing to give up everything then it could only mean one thing. He won't hesita