Episode 22
âYou did what?â
Lara winced, moving the phone away from such close proximity to her eardrums. With a frustrated sigh, she put the phone against her ear again to continue listening to Teresaâs ranting. âExactly what you heardâ
âYou totally blew our plan?â Now Teresa was furious! Well, that was expected.
Lara turned on her side on the bed, adjusting the pillow beneath her head. âI only told him that I wanted his love, thatâs all. Besides, I have no regretsâ
âOf course you donâtâ she yelled back. âOh God! What did I do to deserve such brainless friends?â
âWhat did I do to deserve your consistent yelling?â she returned.
âIf you donât know, then you are even more brainless than I thoughtâ Lara sighed. âWhat changed? For more than two days, we have been polishing our plans. I hammered on discretion more times than I can remember and you were in step with me all the way, only for you to see Jack today and lose your head? What actually happened?â
Lara stared at the white ceiling above. She could not tell Teresa! Jack was not the reason for her sudden change but her mother was. She hadnât mentioned a thing about the kidnapping to Teresa and Bola and she knew she wouldnât be able to tell them. She would not have her friends talk ill about her mother, but even as she thought about it, she knew they would never do that. Still, she couldnât tell them. So what excuse would she give for suddenly changing their plans? She remembered Jackâs dark eyes in the garden and swallowed. She had no cause to regret what she had requested of him. If he was not ready to give her love, there was no reason why she should accept him. She would never have him think she was with him for personal gains⊠never!
âOf course you have no answerâ Teresa said and hissed when Lara gave no response. âFor Godâs sake Lara, we were supposed to make him fall in love with you, not ask him toâ Teresaâs frustration was eminent.
âYou cannot make someone fall in love with you; again, I refer to your relationship with Marvinâ
âDonât you dare! So, you are just realizing that now? After two days of endless planning?â
Lara sighed. Thoughts of her mother reminded her of the fact that her mother still hadnât called her. She should be there with her mother, not lying around, thinking about marriage to a stranger. âI have to go Terryâ
âPlease do, you have completely kissed my appetite this evening. Try not to do any other stupid thing, if you can; I would think of a way to salvage this already messy planâ
Lara rolled her eyes. âI wonder why I even called youâ
Lara hung up and sighed. Teresaâs anger was justified but that would not make her regret her actions. She pushed herself out of bed and hastened towards the door. Absently, she used her fingers to smooth the edges of her blouse before exiting the room. The small walk to her motherâs bedroom was spent on the phone, as she dialed her motherâs number. It rang endlessly without an answer. When she got to her motherâs bedroom door, she raised her hand and knocked softly. âMumâ she called.
No response came. Lara sighed and knocked again. âMuuumâŠâ she drawled. âI told you Iâll come to disturb you if I donât see your callâ she said through the closed door. She got no response. Lara swallowed. She was becoming increasingly worried. Something was wrong with her mum! Something went far beyond what she had been told and she still could not put her finger on it.
She knocked again. âMum, why donât we take a walk? The evening is still youngâ she coaxed even though her mum still hadnât answered. It was not a strange practice for her to be talking to her mother through the closed door. Her mother always did likewise whenever Lara was upset and locked herself up in her room. Maybe this was a good time to return the favour. âMuuumm⊠please open upâ she knocked again. Her knuckles were beginning to ache and her worry was beginning to heighten. âMumâ she called louder, increasing the force of her hand. With her other hand, she dialed her motherâs number. Her mother wasnât a deep sleeper, even if she was asleep; she would be awake by now. Fear was beginning to creep in. she b@nged on the door with all her might. âMuuuumâ she yelled.
She heard footsteps and turned, only to see the maid â Nora. Her face was askew as she looked in Laraâs direction. âIs everything alright Miss Banks?â
Lara shook her head and she b@nged on the door. âMy mother is not answeringâ she turned to her. âDid she leave her room? Please tell me she didâ
Nora frowned. âNo maâam, she didnât. Or maybe she did and I did not noticeâ
Lara b@nged on the door with more vigor. What if her mother had been kidnapped? Lara wiped sweat of perspiration off her forehead. âGet the bodyguardsâ she ordered over her shoulder and Nora took off immediately. âMumâ she yelled as she b@nged on the door noisily. She knew her mother. If she wasnât in the room, the door wouldnât be locked. The fact that it was locked was enough proof that she was in there; if she hadnât been kidnapped yet. Maybe the scarred man did not get enough money from the exchange and decided to kidnap her instead. She shook her head.
Oh no! She couldnât be thinking evil thoughts now⊠âMuuuumâ she turned the doorâs knob over and over again but it did not give in.
She didnât bother turning when she heard the quick approaching steps. She stepped out of the way immediately they got close enough. âBreak this door openâ she told them nervously, as she tapped rhythmically on her phone. It only took one kick from one bodyguard to send the door flying open. Laraâs feet became fear-paralyzed. Did she really want to see what was behind that door? Her heart was beating so fast, she was sure her blood pressure was way above the limit. The bodyguards walked in almost immediately but it took a gentle tap from Nora to get her legs walking. She walked into the room and the sight before her froze her in time.
âMumâ she gasped out. Her phone slipped out of her hand as she ran to the bed. Sewa lay on her back with her eyes closed as though she was sleeping; Lara had never seen anyone paler. It felt like one of those horror movies she often watched with Teresa. âMumâ she called shakily as she raised shivering fingers to touch her mother. Her heart was pounding wildly, threatening to break through the confinement of her chest. Tears rolled down her eyes as she touched her motherâs shoulder. âMumâ she did not answer. âMuuumâ she yelled as she held her motherâs shoulders and shook her.
âDonât just stand thereâ she turned and yelled at the bodyguards with chapped voice. âWe need to get her to a hospital fast. Carry herâ she commanded. Too much fear stopped her from checking her motherâs pulse or even placing her head against her heart. âOh God!â this was becoming too much for her. She watched as the bodyguards rushed towards Sewaâs body and one of them lifted her lifeless form into his arms. Her hands dangled, increasing Laraâs fears. No! Her mother couldnât leave her now! She rushed after the bodyguard carrying her mother and held onto her motherâs flying hand. âMumâ she called pensivelyâŠ
Jack put the cup of wine in his hand against his lips and drank the content deeply as he paced his bedroom. He should be celebrating now! He should be happy that Lara had accepted his proposal, gifting him with a measured level of her trust but no! He couldnât be rejoicing now because there was nothing to rejoice over. Lara had attached the âloveâ condition to it. And even though it did not affect his plans in the least, it had given him a pause. For the first time ever, it had occurred to him that he was probably doing something wrong. Maybe he was just as terrible as the man he was trying to get his revenge on. Maybe he was just as cold-hearted and inconsiderate as the governor himself. He shook his head. No!
He was giving his mother the vengeance she deserved. A parent for a child! That was what he had promised his mother even though he had been making the promise to her lifeless body. The governor had taken away what he loved the most and in response, he would take away what he loved the most. That had been the plan all along. That was why he had hit on the governorâs daughter. But now, recent events were making him have second thoughtsâŠ
Lara had asked for love! All along, he had the feeling that the governor loved his daughter and wanted the best for her despite the fact that all the things he was doing was impacting negatively on Lara. But then, maybe as always, the man actually preferred money to his own daughter. When he had paid the ransom for her release, he had felt that the governor valued his daughter more than money, but now, he was beginning to think otherwise.
Jack sighed. He knew he was just looking for excuses in his head to exclude Lara from his revenge plans. She looked so young!
So beautiful and innocent; it would be terrible to destroy her life the way he wanted to, in order to pay back Tunji Banks. And if he carried on with this, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to ruin Lara that way? He was heartless, he knew, but that time in the garden, as Lara gazed up at him with those dreamy and innocent eyes, something had clicked.
Jack walked to the only picture frame in his room and stared at the face of his mother. This was the only picture he had of her; the only memory he could summon. He had been so young when she had left him and many times, he often forgot what she looked like. This picture had always kept him on track; kept him focused on his mission. That lovely face had been ejected from life forcefully and brutally, in such a humiliating fashion. He closed his eyes as memories flashed. No!
He had to give his mother the vengeance she deserved, only then would his soul know peace.
Bola and Teresa rushed into the secluded part of the hospital where Lara was seated. Journalists were all over the waiting room, trying to get news to make headlines.
Only God knew how they got to know that something was amiss. Lara, who had been pacing rushed into the open arms of Bola, crying profusely. They were the only ones she could rely on now! Her father was nowhere to be found. He was never there when he was needed. It was so painful that her mother was married to someone like him. Pain ate at her insides as she thought of her mother! âI am a terrible daughterâ she sobbed into Bolaâs shoulder as Teresa rubbed her back with compassion.
âNow, donât say that nonsenseâ Bola scolded softly.
Teresa peeled Lara from Bolaâs hands and hugged her tight. âWe are here for you babeâ she whispered. Their earlier argument was forgotten as Teresa focused on consoling Lara. Finally, Lara stood on her own, with Bola wiping at her teary face.
âWhat actually happened?â Bola asked.
âI donât knowâ Lara raised her hands in the air, frustrated. âI knocked on her door endlessly but got no response, when I asked someone to break the door open, we found her lifeless on the bedâ she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
She looked like a frightened little kitten, her red eyes running wild. âI am really scared⊠You donât think she is ââ
âOf course not, donât even say itâ Teresa cut in. she sqÂŁÂŁzed Laraâs shoulder and pulled her in for a quick hug. âI am sure she would be fine, donât worryâ
âYes, I agree with Teresa, maybe she just had a relapse or something. She would be walking out in no timeâ Bola sounded so sure that Lara was tempted to believe her.
âSure?â
âAbsolutelyâ Teresa and Bola chorused.
A brief smile crept up Laraâs face but it was gone in no time. Her friends were the best. They were doing all they could to lessen her worry and she was so grateful, but she knew them enough to know they didnât mean what they were saying. She stared anxiously at the door, waiting for the doctor to emerge and hopefully give her some good news, but then, the waiting was better because she was no longer alone.
Teresa stepped into the toilet; her worry was at its peak. He loved Laraâs mother almost as much as she loved her own mother and she hoped nothing bad happened to her, but as she stood there, she dialed a number. Weirdly, her overactive brain had presented an idea when she stood with Lara. She ought to be in a sober mood but this was a very good opportunity and being the swine that she was, she couldnât let it slide.
She placed her phone against her ear and waited patiently. Immediately, it was answered, she smiled. âHello Jackâ she said into the mouthpiece and waited for Jackâs response. âThis is Teresa, Laraâs friendâŠâ she paused for his response before continuing. âActually, Lara is in a very bad state now. Her mother was rushed lifeless into the hospital and Lara has been all over the place ever since, I was hoping you could help console her maybe⊠I just donât want my friend to die of worry before we get news about her motherâ she finished and smiled when she got Jackâs anxious response. She hurriedly gave Jack the hospital details and hung up. She took a deep cleansing breath and exited the toilet to join her friends, still praying that the doctor would have good news for them.
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Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22 Episode 23 Episode 24 Episode 25 Episode 26 Episode 27 Episode 28 Episode 29 Episode 30 Episode 31 Episode 32 Episode 33
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