Lola was being inquisitive again. Karis hated it when she got like that. He was going to have to break things up with her - this time for good. They had both enjoyed an open relationship for sometime now, but things were changing, she had started getting more jealous, more annoying.
''You want to launch a charity you say, but you have no idea what particular charity -'' She said. She was sitting on his laps and snorting coke from a pen, and he had the sudden urge to push her off.
He shrugged. '' The girl child education, or anything that sounds as stupid and as good as that. I don't really care. All this is a game, a game between my father, Adam chukwu and I.''
''And what about his daughter?'' Lola asked getting up suddenly from his lap, and dropping the pen on a table.
''What about whose daughter?'' Karis asked to stall for time.
''Oh don't play dumb with me Karis.'' Lola snapped. ''Adam's daughter - the beautiful Weruche.'' She raised a palm. ''And before you accuse me of getting jealous, try to understand I'm looking out for you, we are friends at least, are we not?''
Karis raised his head until his gaze was level with hers even though he was seated. ''We are not friends Lola, and will never be. We just this,'' he waived a hand. ''Nothing deep is going on here ok. You don't care about me, and I would never care about you.''
Lola's eyes stung, and she controlled her breathing with effort. ''Fine. But when it's too late, I hope you understand that I offered you friendship and you rejected it. It may not be much of an offer, but at least, it was sincere. Something you can't say about Weruche.'' She added, her voice thick with innuendo.
''If you want to say something, spit it out.'' Karia said unaware he had let the steel creap into his voice.
''Lola shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant. ''And why should I.... We are not friends, you've made that very clear?''
Karis got up, so quickly he unbalanced the rocking chair, yet so steathly he hardly appeared fast. He smiled, without bordering to turn up the charm, and the effect was cold, powerful and merciless. ''I wouldn't repeat myself again Lola.''
''I don't know it's just - we all know Adam doesn't like you.'' She said moving back until her feet caught on something and she tripped. Karis was there to catch her in a heartbeat, but the face starring down at hers wasn't one of a night in shining armor. No, he was the very dragon who had put her, and was going to put her in more distress.
''With his face inches away from hers, he asked. ''You were telling me about why I shouldn't trust Weruche.''
Lola raised her lips to his. If only she could make him kiss her, maybe he wouldn't remain so angry -she count tell he was angry... very angry. His lips remained unmoving under hers, and she finally gave up. ''I just think Adam doesn't have your best interests at heart, and he might have sent Weruche to spy on you... or perhaps nothing that drastic, but maybe she is working for her father against you. You yourself must have considered this.''
Karis nodded then straightened, helping her to her full height. ''You can go now Lola, and it's over. We are done.''
Lola nodded wordlessly and walked out. They were not done, she would make sure about that, but not now. She couldn't reason with him now.
Karis stood looking at the door long after she walked out. The truth was that she was only trying to look out for him, he was wrong to be angry with her - Weruche was not to be trusted. But then Lola had started getting on his nerves, and he was tired of her anyway.
The intercom rang, drawing his attention and he picked up. It was his security at the gates, he had an unexpected visitor -Weruche. ''Send her in, he said, trying to control his irritation. Of all the times for her to show up. Lola might actually be right, and it was time to take Weruche off his mind for good.
''Hi Karis'' The girl at his door said, but he couldn't recognize her, she wasn't Weruche.
''My security told me Weruche was coming to see me.'' He said stepping back a little, and allowing her to enter. ''While I'm surprised to that you are not her, I cannot say I am disappointed.'' And he wasn't, the girl standing in front of him didn't have the innocent beauty of Weruche, but it didn't hurt the eyes to look at her, and she looked more carefree, she didn't look like she would flee his sitting room when things got intense.
''Oh but you might be very surprised who I am.'' she said, in an accent he couldn't quite place, as she stepped in. She was small, barely five feet tall with small shoulders and the fingers that she placed ever so causally, yet seductively on his arm could have belonged to a twelve year old, but their was nothing childish about her full figure and curves that strained against the black dress she wore. There was nothing childish in her voice when she brought it up to his ear to whisper, ''I could be Weruche if you want me to, or I could be the best you've ever had.''
Karis brought her fully into his arms, and seized her lips with his. The kiss wasn't deep, and yet, it wasn't friendly. It was a kiss that asked questions, he was intrigued, he wanted to know more.
''What's your name?'' He finally asked, pulling his mouth away and stepping away from her.
''Weruche, Weruche Chukwu.'' She watched disbelieve register on his face before she continued. ''It seems someone has been impersonating me, and I wouldike to know who.''
Karis shook his head, then shrugged. ''I wouldn't know, I met her only once, she seemed a bit out of place with my kind of life, but nothing that raised my suspicion. Good luck finding her, and I'd like to know who she is too, and why she did it.''
''Just tell me what she's like.'' Weruche said digging her hand into her pocket and bringing out a photo. It was of the fake Weruche and him from his party last year, and even though the picture was taken at an odd angle, there was no denying her beauty. ''My girls got this for me... Is this her?''
Karis nodded, surprised at the anger he felt. He had thought Weruche was different - had hoped she was different. There was something so innocent and undefiled about her, and he had hoped she was as innocent as she seemed, a breath of fresh air in the stale world of money, lies and manipulation he lived in. But apparently he was wrong, and she was just another scheming female. He didn't even know what her real name was.
He nodded at the real Weruche. ''When you find her, you tell her I want to speak with her. She owes me one too for lying to my face.''
Weruche nodded and turned towards the door. ''I'll be back Karis'' she said over her shoulder, and then she was off.
Karis had just returned to his chair again and fished out a cigarette, when he had a slight knock on the door, and Weruche- or at least so she called herself. She was standing in front of him.
''Why Weruche Chukwu! If it isn't a pleasant surprise.'' Karis said from where he was sitted, and Weruche could feel her heart skip several beats. She shouldn't have run off to his house without second thoughts, she should have come up with a plan, but she had been naive enough to think they would continue off from where they had stopped the previous year.... she was even lucky they had let her in. ''I... I... Can I come in?'' Karis merely lifted a brow. She was already in. She had worn the flimsy dress Brenda gave her that put way too much of her creamy skin on display, and her flat ironed her was beginning to kink up again, curling into something mysterious and totally sexy. She was looking good... beautiful, if the reactions of the men she had passed on the road was anything to go by, why wasn't Karis affected by her now as he had been in the past. She smiled and tried to step up her acting game. ''I came because..'' because I couldn't stop thinking about you... that
Weruche stood in front of her wooden wardrobe the next morning, wondering what to wear. She didn't want to make a habit of borrowing clothes from Brenda, and most of Brenda's clothes were hardly appropriate, but hers were faded and worn out. She settled for a gray pencil skirt and a black v neck top that had seen better days, she was just picking up the only hand bag she owned when her brother's voice coming from behind startled her. ''Don't tell me you're going back to school and leaving mother like this - who's responsibility do you think she is?'' Weruche turned to face her brother. From the color of his eyes, he had been smoking a lot already - and it wasn't just cigarettes. ''She is our mother Justin, not just some - responsibility to be foisted on our shoulders.'' ''Skip the fancy English Uche. You put your mother in the state she is, she is yours, your responsibility..... milking her dry for a university degree when none of us ever went through with secondary school.''
The next few weeks we're very hectic ones for Weruche, and she was enjoying every moment. Karis had his her advice and sent out opinion poll to the people of Woodville. The people in the slums had a double vote, that had been very thoughtful of him, since it was the people from her side of the town that needed charity more, but when she and Karis had put together the options, she decided she was going to do a little campaigning on her own before the voting started Karis had asked the people to choose between scholarships and educational grants to skill acquisition and then provision of health facilities. The people in the slums might need charity more, but they were also the most prone to mis-using opportunities. This was one opportunity she wanted utilized. Weruche wondered if it was wrong that she wanted the people to choose education. It actually didn't make sense that you could get enough money to start a petty trade, and then you'd choose to read books instead, but there wa
''I hear you got a job at the West coast.'' Weruche's mother said immediately she stepped into he house. She was sitting in the living room, and she was looking much better, she was even looking like she had never fallen sick. A smile broke out on Weruche's face. It was all worth it, everything was worth it. She slowly sang down to her mother's level on the floor. ''Hello mama, how are you doing today.'' Her mother did not answer, and only then did Weruche notice how angry she was. ''Mama, what's the matter now? I am only happy that you are better, you're looking very healthy now, the doctors seem to have done their work well.'' Her mother's frawn deepened. ''I asked a question young woman, don't let's change the topic from the issue at hand.'' Exasperated, Weruche frowned. ''And what is the issue at hand if it's not your health mama.... The doctors seem to have done their work, you are well now, but for some reason, you want to be angry.'' ''The Issue is not my healt
Brenda was dressed in a strappy spaghetti top that exposed most of her cleavage, fake black leather pants, and she was holding a pair of stilettos she planned to wear. Humming a popular tune, she sat down to wear her heels when Weruche stormed into the house. Surprised, a smile broke out on her face, then it changed to a frown when she saw the look on her friend's face. ''Weruche, are you alright? Is you mother okay?'' She asked worried. ''I should be asking you if you are alright.'' Weruche spat. ''And quit acting like you care about mother when you're busy playing sick mind games that I don't understand.'' Brenda was more confused. ''Weruche are you alright? What has come over you?'' ''This has come over me.'' Weruche fired back, flinging the package at her friend. ''What kind of sick game are you playing Brenda?'' ''I should be asking you that.'' Brenda was finally getting annoyed. ''You come into my house with such an attitude, shouting accusations I don't even understan
Weruche woke up the next day with a slight headache, and she was feeling disoriented. Everything seemed a bit odd. To start with, the bed was empty. Normally, she got up wey before her mother, her mother wasn't even supposed to be up and about so early, she needed her rest. The room was too bright, the sunlight streaming in from the window blinding her. She snatched her phone and checked the time, it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. Weruche was up in an instant. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair and packed it up in a simple bun, then changed her clothes, hoping to heaven she didn't smell. In five minutes, she was out of the door. She got to Karis office with an apology on her lips, then she saw that he was not alone. There was an older man sitting on the sofa that was by the window. ''Hello Sir, I'm the new... the.. I work with Mr. Karis... That is Mr. Ilobi.'' Her eyes sent a plea for help to Karis who was sitting behind his desk, looking a bit uneasy. ''I work i
Weruche didn't bother to go to her own office when she left Karis'. Somehow, she knew she wasn't going to be missed. Instead, she headed straight to her house. It was a bit off being at home at that time in the morning, her mother had gone out to trade in the local market close by, and her brothers were not around. She thought about visiting Brenda, then she remembered that even her friend wouldn't be home, as she had recently gotten apprenticed to a seamstress. At a loss for what to do, she started pacing her room. Karis' voice kept ringing in her ear, he had asked her to get a pregnancy kit - and then to get back to him. He had no right. He couldn't just sit down and dictate her life to her like he owned her, just because he had money. Everything happening then would not have happened in the first place - she missed, if she hadn't attended his party last year, if she hadn't gotten hypnotized by his eyes, by the very core of his being, then she remembered her mother. She wouldn
Weruche couldn't sleep, her brother's men were arguing again. Usually the sharing of the money from whatever illegal business they had done ended before nightfall, allowing her to enjoy a night's rest without the sound of their riotous voices. That was when her brother didn't beat her mother. It was difficult to sleep through your mother's screams, especially when you didn't know if they would be her last, if your brother would finally end her life with the fists he had used to control it. She did not know how she had gotten to this point with her family, how all this had been happening but she did not know. Usually now, she just stayed away from her brother's path after a punch from him on her belly made her lose her pregnancy. She did not tell Karis, and he still believed she had his baby aborted, this led to him firing her.She wrapped her pillow around her head, trying her best to shut out the noise but it was no use. She could still hear the voices loud and clear, the threats.