Kelvin Ikeduba

The pieces of evidence stared him in the face in the form of pictures and video recording of their time together. He was in a deep pool of trouble and he knew it.

What did she want from him? He panicked as he dialled her number, but it was switched off. Panic threatened to swamp him as he tried to contact his friends who anchored the party, but none of them remembered anything about her or how to contact her.

The soap lather dried on his body and he was sweating profusely inside the cold room when Evelyn stirred and woke up..

“Are you alright, darling? What is wrong?” Her voice was deep with concern.

“I am perfectly alright, baby. It was a crank call from an idiotic friend that got me out of the bathroom.” His laugh sounded forced, even to his ears. Her frown deepened as she studied him closely.

“If you say so. Please hurry up. We promised your parents we will be visiting them today.” She rolled out of bed and moved to her walk-in closet to select her outfit for the day.

“I will be out in 2 minutes.” He hurried into the bathroom, clutching his phone.

*****

The mystery lady called him again exactly two weeks after the first call. He was jittery with nerves and livid with rage. He had jumped each time his phone rang, and his wife was beginning to regard him with suspicion.

“How are you, Kelvin?” Her sultry voice stoked his temper. It was a Saturday evening. Evelyn was back home from wherever she had been going every Saturday and was lounging at the poolside. He headed for the gym room , just in case.

“Will you keep your niceness to yourself, bitch? For your information, those pictures meant nothing to me. It was my bachelor’s eve party, and I am entitled to do anything for that day.” He had discussed the issue extensively with his closest friend, Philip and the latter assured him there was nothing she could do with a bunch of pictures or videos that were illegally taken without his consent.

“Really? Do you think your father-in-law will think so too?” She paused. Sweat popped out on his forehead and his fingers tightened around the phone. “That is apart from the fact that I am carrying your baby. Do you remember how you carried on, even when we both realised the condom had broken?” 

“You are lying, bitch. You can’t be pregnant.” He screamed in panic and lowered his voice immediately as he glanced around furtively.

“I can send you the test result or better still, I can send it to your father-in-law if you prefer. The decisions are yours to make.” 

“What do you want?” His voice was subdued with defeat.

“You will pay me a sum of five million before four P.M. tomorrow. That is the first instalment.”

“Where do you want me to get that kind of money in twenty-four hours?” 

“That is none of my business. My name is Lydia Bach by the way. Talk to you later, baby.” The line went dead.

He sank to the floor in despair.

******

Evelyn Wright

Wrights Oil and Gas was acquiring another company, Legacy oil and Gas. The process had been ongoing for several months now and they were presenting their findings for the board of directors approval. A few members of the directors were a bit sceptical about the merger but Evelyn could see long-term potential in the merger and tried her best to convince the pessimist among the directors. Her father, Jonathan Wright  was among the directors and with his input, he was able to sway them to her side. She got the approval.

“Congratulations, Eve. You deserve the accolades.” Titilola hugged her the moment  they stepped out of the board room.

“Thank you, girl. Those old pessimistic men want to mess with months of hard work. I feel like knocking their coconut head together,” There was exasperation in her voice as she hugged her back. Somehow, the younger woman had snug under her aloof barrier and become a close friend, rather than a junior manager.

“Don’t mind them. That is the best way to exercise their brain. What else do they do all day other than watch CNN, check oil stock prices and read the newspaper? You can’t blame them nah.” Her face was so serious that Evelyn burst into gales of laughter before she realised where they were and clamped her palm over mouth as they walked to Evelyn’s office.

“You are crazy,girl but you are right. Now, I can delegate and focus on something else.” Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief as she dropped in her seat.

“How about we go and hang out at Ayoola’s bar and chill for the night?” Titilola grinned at her.

“Aunty, it is wednesday. How can we hang out on a weekday?” 

“That rule is for the married. We, singles ,can hang out whenever we like.” She teased but the smile drained from her face when she noted the expression on Evelyn’s face. “Have I said something wrong?”

Evelyn sighed heavily. How she wished she was still single because being married to Kelvin made no difference in her life except for the change in status. They were just strangers sharing the same bed. He barely talked to her and didn’t share his itinerary with her unless they were going out together. They pretended in front of their parents and it was killing her gradually. The only happy spots in her life these days were when she was at work and when she was with Ayoola. She had come to depend on him emotionally so much that she was scared that she would break down mentally if he ever left her life. 

“You don’t even know how lucky you are. You are single and free to do whatever you want.” A shrug lifted her shoulder as she fiddled with the files on her table.

“What is going on? Do you care to share with me?” There was concern in Titilola’s voice.

“Don’t worry about me. I will be fine. I think I need that drink at Ayo’s bar. Will you drive or should we call Ayo to come and pick us?” 

“I will drive. I am sure he will gladly take you home.” Titilola headed for the door. “Do you mind if I toast that fine man? He has been entering my eyes since oo.”

Evelyn saw red as she got to her feet and glared at her friend, “Don’t you dare? Do you want to break his heart?”

“How are you so sure he won’t be the one that will break my heart? Do you see how ladies flock around the bar whenever he is on duty?” Of course, Evelyn noticed and it always pissed her off, for whatever reasons. However, Ayoola didn’t give his attention to any of them except to serve them their drinks and it always gladdened her heart. How was it her concern what went on in Ayoola’s love life? They were just friends and she was a married woman. She had better guard her heart before she started entertaining unruly thoughts about her Cabman.

“Well, you are right. You are free to throw your shot at him.” She sat down slowly, avoiding her friend’s gaze.

Titilola gave an unladylike huff, “I hear you. He will throw it back in my face. The man has eyes for only one person and it is you. He is a goner. I will be right back.” She left her office with a dramatic flair.

Ayoola had eyes for her? Could it be true? Why did the information eased the knot of sadness in her heart? Oh, Eve, you were in trouble.

******

Ayoola Faleke

He noted the dark circles around Evelyn’s eyes and the lack of a smile in them as he opened the car door for her that morning . Had she finally caught on with her husband’s philandering activities? He hoped not for her sake because he couldn’t imagine the kind of emotional torture she must be suffering right now? How could any responsible sane man treat a beautiful, smart and wonderful woman this way? If he had the opportunity, he would beat the cheating bastard to a pulp.

“Good morning, Ayo. Pardon my manners.” Her smile was tired. She was always full of manners, no matter her mood. She sat at the backseat, obviously not in the mood to chat.

“Good morning, Eve. Did you sleep at all?” He watched her in the rear-view mirror as he turned the ignition key. 

She took a deep breath, stared out of the window before her gaze came back to meet his  own and held., “No, I didn’t.” Tears filled her eyes.

He hated seeing women in tears. It made him uneasy and uncomfortable.  “Please don’t cry. I will just leave the car and run far away.” He was half-jesting, but the humour worked, and she burst into watery laughter.

“You are not serious.” She used her finger to wipe a lone tear from her cheek.

“Do you want to talk about it? You are the boss. No one will query you if you didn’t come in or come in late.” He continued to watch her with deep concern.

“You are right. The problem is that I need to get away from home. Where do I go?” She gave a helpless smile.

“You can leave that to me if you don’t mind.”

“Let’s go.” She made a call to her Personal Assistant, Kelly and was unusually quiet afterwards.

He drove out of the compound and joined the usual Lekki traffic. They were soon moving against the traffic.

What could be wrong with his favourite girl?

Finding Solace is available for your reading pleasure on the blog shop.

The Blurb

Araire Falade, a beautiful, wealthy, and single woman in her 40s, is trying to slow down her ticking biological clock, and her boyfriend, Bamidele, has said he will only propose if she gets pregnant. 

Seeking help, she approaches the sexy, handsome but married fertility doctor, Chibuike Azuke, and they soon become great friends. 

Glowing and pregnant, her happiness doubles or so it seems when  Bamidele finally proposes.

All hell breaks loose when Araire discovers she has been duped, not only by the man she was engaged to, but also by the man she had come to trust and love with her whole heart.

Will love find her again or she is destined to remain single and alone forever?

The Chapter Seven of Hidden Desires will be posted next week Sunday, 02nd March.

Don’t miss it and don’t forget to leave a comment.

Thank you!