TINAKaren and I had been friends for so long. For as long as I could remember. Men always desiring her wasn't a new thing. I was always the invisible one and yes, I felt jealous each time we walked together and men skipped me like a sour doughnut for her. Honestly it did hurt. But I held in and always wished for my own destined man. Not until the man I have always had eyes for fell for her too. And now in just one day I have had three men all approach me for one reason — to help them get my friend. Why don't no one ever see me? Was I a stone? It would have been bearable but to have the man I have had eyes for also ask me for such a thing, it hurt. As I was contemplating on what Collins Morgan said to me, I decided to go up the rooftop to cool off and figure out what path to take. But I was forced to a stop as I heard people talking on the stairs. I hid behind the staircase and listened. From the sound, I figured it was a man and a woman talking and for some reason the man's vo
Tina took a step towards Jay. “I have come to give my response to your question earlier today.”Jay inhaled and relaxed a bit. “Please have a seat.” She pointed to the arranged seats and a table in the centre of the room. “Was all this necessary?” Jay frowned, glancing around the room again. It reminded him of a memory he was trying to not recall. And that made it more discomforting. “Please sit. Actually, this will take time and I didn't want to keep you standing so I prepared here.”Jay shrugged reluctantly and finally sat down. Tina grabbed the wine she had ordered, walked to the table and began to pour in the glasses. “There's no need for this. Just go ahead and say—”She handed him the half-filled glass. “Don't rush. Let's take our time,” she whispered. Dazed, Jay's mouth parted. Tina lowered the bottle of wine, took a sip from her glass as she sat on the table, placing her leg on his body. Jay was utterly shocked. “You know, I have always had eyes for you but you someho
KAREN Tina was my best friend. She had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She had been there for me in my tough times and knew me better than anyone else. Infact, she was like family to me. Apart from my dad and Lily, she was the only one that knew me better. So entering the hotel room to meet her alone with Jay greatly surprised me. Although they were not in any suggestive or suspicious positions, still, it felt weird to me.“Ah. I didn't want to tell you first just in case you refused to show up. Chairman Jay here pleaded with me to have you meet him. I will leave you both to talk. See you at home,” she said and left. It made a bit of sense now after she said that and I relaxed. But the realisation hit me when she left and it dawned that I was in the room alone with Jay. Had he asked Tina to call me to speak to me privately so we could make up? My heart lurched. I gathered myself. “You wanted to talk to me. How have you been?” Being alone with him made me re
KAREN’S POVIt was finally D-day. Even though I had slept off late the previous night, I woke up the next day quite early. Both Tina and Lily were still asleep by the time I woke up and I didn't bother waking either of them up. It was too early to wake Tina and I couldn't wake Lily as it was the weekend. Recalling I still needed to sort out some computer work, I got right into it. When I finished, I selected the clothes I would be putting on. I settled for one of the few well tailored pantsuits I owned. I opted for the black closed-toe shoes and a black handbag. An envelope fell off as I was transferring my things from my bag I used the previous day to the new one. For several seconds, I stared down at the fallen envelope vividly remembering it's content. Jay's attitude was still so confusing. I just didn't understand why he was avoiding me. But I decided to think l was perhaps overthinking things.There were so many things I wanted to ask him and so many things I wanted to tell
KAREN ANDERSON "Boss, she is here."I heard the man that has led me in said to another man who was seated on a sofa. He was sipping from one of the glasses filled with liquor and ice. And it was he that I came to find. He was called Capon, a loan shark. He lowered the glass of wine back onto the table, reached for the saucer that held the remains of finished cigarettes and a fresh fat cigar stick and slipped into his mouth. His face roughened up more than it already was and his eyes pinched as the heavy smoke escaped his nostrils and mouth dancing randomly into space. All these while he acted like he never saw me, like I wasn't even standing before him. My teeth gritted but that was as much as it could go. "Capon hates to be interrupted. You must wait until he speaks to you before you speak." His man, the one that led me in had told me right at the door before we walked in. My eyes darted across the large room. It was the VIP section of the nightclub. Only the elites dared to
KAREN ANDERSONI refused to let myself get excited about her offer. All I smelt from it was danger. She scanned around the place looking for what I had no idea about. "How about you show me your skills… go ahead, seduce that man over there successfully and I will write off your debt," she said and as though she hadn't said the most ridiculous thing ever, she lifted the glass onto her lips and gulped down the entire content of it. I looked at her, hoping she would tell me she was joking. Only that she didn't look one bit like she was joking. "What are you doing? You won't do it? Oh, I thought you were desperate to write off your debt. I guess I thought wrong…""I will do it…" I blurted. Yes, I wasn't thinking straight. Anyone in my shoes had no right to be thinking straight."I will do it," I repeated as if she hadn't heard me the first time. She chuckled and lowered herself onto the sofa. Where her husband had stood from. Capon was still standing and with his eyes pleading, hop
KAREN ANDERSON"Sis! Wake up!"I heard my sister's voice in my dream. But It sounded too close. Too real to be just a dream. I rolled away, away from the sound. But it came again. This time, closer than the first time. Then I felt something spank my body and my eyes fluttered open from the sudden pain."Lily?" I mumbled, staring up at the brown eyes before me. "Do you know what the time is right now?" She asked with a deliberate frown. I rubbed my eyes. I still wanted to sleep. My eyes felt heavy. It was as though I had just shut my eyes to sleep only to be woken up. "Time? Why?" She sighed exasperatedly. "It's almost 8:00am. Aren't you going to work today? Big sis, don't tell me you have been fired?" She added with a suspicious frown. Work? "Work!" I jumped up from the bed. "Shit! How did I oversleep…" I dashed into the bathroom and turned on the shower and began to bathe. "I did the chores and helped dad take his bath and eat. Eat something before you leave for work! I'm
KAREN ANDERSON "Who are you?"I heard a commanding voice behind me. Startled, I turned sharply to see a pair of unfriendly dark eyes shooting right up at me."Shit!"I quickly started to climb down the ladder. But I mistakenly missed a step and my grip on the ladder went loose the next second. I heard the creaking sound from the ladder and felt my feet slipping away from the rungs of the ladder and next I saw my dear self flying in the air. My heart raced as a sense of dread enveloped me. And the only thing I imagined that moment as I fell was being moved around in a wheelchair. Just like Dad. The tears in Dad and Lilly's face. How Capon and every other debtee we owed will run riot in our home and our house would be taken. Lily would drop out of school. Father's treatment will stop and…"What are you doing? Won't you get down?""Huh…"My eyes flicked open and I was met with a scowling face and strong arms holding me up. Frightened, I jumped with my buttocks nearly landing roughly