CHAPTER 5

She chuckled.

“ I should be the one to ask you such questions.” She countered.

“ It is my duty to look after you mum. And ensure you are fine….. since I’m the man of the house now.” He replied, giving her hand a light squeeze.

She became still and forced a smile, trying to avoid his gaze.

“ Talking of the man of the house….. there’s someone I want you to meet.” She said faintly.

Just then, the maid ushered in a tall semi built man.

“ Ife,… I want you to meet Mr Dele Coker…. A forex analyst, and a former manager in Leroy’s Splendour company…. We’ve been dating for a while now… and we are planning on taking it to the next level.” Mrs Selina Mike Davis informed her son.

Ife stood speechless rooted to the spot

To say he was stunned was an understatement. His mum was thinking of marriage just a year after his father’s demise!!

Mr Coker stretched out his hands to him with a grin.

“ Hi Ife,… it’s nice meeting you for the first time….. your mum has said a lot about you, including how you take up responsibilities so fast for your age.” Mr Coker said, still reaching out his hands for an handshake.

He looked from Mr Coker to his mother once again, with hurt and disappointment written on his face. He knew his mother was making a grave mistake.

“ The last time I checked…. She never told me a thing about you, which makes you an irrelevant item.” Ife challenged Mr Coker, leaving his stretched out hand hanging.

“ Ife…. Please be polite to your guest…. He’s going to be your step father soon.” His mother said pleadingly.

But lfe saw beyond the now. He saw a man with an agenda to plunge his father’s wealth,

the unspoken gold digging greed written in his eyes, spoke volumes.

But he needed a proof to show his mum. And that is what exactly he would do!.... he would dig deep, until he finds the dirty secrets of his past.

“ You are stranger here…. And that’s how it’s going to be…. Just bear in mind Mr…… you will never be welcomed in my home!!!.” Ife issued the warning, looking him straight in the eye, before walking out on them and ignoring his mother’s pleas.

He signalled to the bartender for another refill, and sighed as he resumed sipping the water. And feeling the cold liquid soothe his parched throat.

His phone began to ring from his trousers pocket.

It was Chima; his business associate and closest friend.

“ Hey man.” He voiced tiredly.

“ Guess what dude?” Chima's voice vibrated from the background.

“ You know I’m not good at guessing… whatever it is you want to say… be out with it.”

“ Fine!!.... We just found the perfect candidate for a contract wife.”

“ This is hilarious!!” Omar chuckled in disbelief, glancing from Kanayo to Chima, before she finally took a long look at Ife.

“ What is hilarious?” Kanayo inquired, trying to understand what Omar meant.

“ Can’t you see he is a child?.... he’s just too young to get married…. I mean, what does a 22 year old know about life?” Omar voiced, with an expression that showed she was visibly perplexed.

“ That shouldn’t be your concern Omar….. Have you forgotten this is a business deal?.... This is a contract marriage, that would only linger for a period of time….. isn’t that what we discussed?” Kanayo asked in agitation.

“ But you never told me he was a child….and”

“ Enough!!” Ife interrupted Omar before she could complete her statement.

“ I do not take kindly to insults and do not refer to me in the third person again, while I am present.” He cautioned her.

“ Hmm! Have you forgotten this is my office, and I will refer to you whichever way I deem fit!!” She fired back.

“ I can see you have a sharp tongue for a slay queen.”

“ And I can see you were not properly trained!!”

“ Please calm down everyone…. This shouldn’t be a topic for banter….” Chima said, and then turning to Omar, he continued.

“... This is a business deal,… you either accept it or decline….. you do not need to throw insults.” He corrected.

Omar fell silent for a while. She knew she was out of line. This was not what she expected, but she desperately needed the property in Banana Island.

“ I’m sorry….. please forgive my manners.” She apologized.

“ I wasn’t expecting you to be this young…. Cos I’ll be 32 years in a couple of months and that’s roughly ten years older.” She said calmly.

“ And I wasn’t expecting you to be this rude, considering the fact that you were aware of this contract before hand.” Ife replied.

“ I said I’m sorry…. I know I went overboard and I’m owning up to my mistakes.” Omar pleaded again.

He hesitated, then sighed.

“ Apology accepted.”

“ Thanks for accepting…. So can we get started?” She announced.

“ Yes…. Here are the terms and conditions for the contract.” He said, handing her two pieces of typed documents. One was containing the terms and conditions binding the contract, while the other was a prenuptial agreement form.

She reached out her hands and collected it, taking her time to read it’s content.

“ Fair enough.” she said in agreement.

“ Good I’ll send my lawyer to finalize the deal.” He replied, getting up on his feet.

“ Alright then… It will be a pleasure to finalize this business deal with you.” Omar said with a smile on her face.

“ The pleasure is all mine.” Ife replied and they shook hands before he left with Chima his friend.

Omar knew this man, who stood before her a while ago, may be young, but was a hard nut to crack.

“So what do you think about the offer?”