Chapter Ten

"Where's my wife?" She grinned and Aminat blushed hard in embarrassment, wishing she never came at that moment.

Her heart suddenly missed a beat immediately. It  was Christmas already, but she thought it'd be in late Christmas Yemisi's children would come home. Her greatest fear; was Yemisi's son around?!

Ayoola came to her view vividly and she saw a beautiful woman in late twenties with all womanly features completed on her.

She had a glittering human hair jelled at the scalp of her hair. She wasn't putting on any makeup but she could see money and luxurious lifestyle glowing on the skin. In a nutshell, she felt so intimidated to move closer to her.

"Good evening ma" she knelt down and that left Ayoola dumb and speechless. She rose a brow at her mother in confusion of what was happening.

"You don't have to do that!" Yemisi corrected her but she felt stiff. She nearly cried at the feeling her low self esteem was giving her.

Hassan was right, she thought aloud.

"Anyway.." Ayoola, who had suddenly seem to get her voice back said. "I'm Barr Ayoola Adedayo, your sister in-law" she threw an handshake gesture at Aminat.

Aminat kept feeling so low and little to get an handshake from a rich woman like that. She wondered she'd feel with Tlay himself. She gave her in eventually and giggled at the softness and coolness of Ayoola's palms.

Before she could pull her hand out, Ayoola pulled her closer for a hug. Her eyes popped out in shock before she hugged back.

"You're welcome to our family" Ayoola sweetened after pulling back from the hug.

"This marriage is your first asset mum" she noted with a smile and her mum gave her an agreement nod.

"You're now a married woman. I know you shouldn't be here though, but your husband is coming to sweep your feet to London" Ayoola kept whining as if Tlay was a prince charming.

Aminat couldn't still believe her ears that she was now married. Her parents had called her to her father's room to discuss the issue with her few hours before. Alhaji was sweetening things, saying she was his favourite child all along that was why he was being over protective.

Her mother called her again to remind her of the duties of a married woman towards  her husband and she chuckled in her mind if Tlay was that type of "married man" who needs his wife to be cooking and scrubbing. The main thing she was happy about was the camera flashlights and  how  her name won't vacate blogging sites.

Then she'd have his children and he'd fall in love with her. Life nor Tlay wasn't that easy though, but she she would definitely be smarter than him. She remembered how she usually manipulate things in her school days.

She hoped he wouldn't be so complicated to handle. He's an American bred, he'd only be emotional folk; easy to control with emotional blackmail.

Aminat came to deliver a message from her mother to Yemisi. It was nothing more than some traditional rites to complete the marriage

"Let  me find something to gift you first, I'll try to make it up to you when I come here fully for Christmas" Ayoola grabbed her hand and ran her inside.

Yemisi's children 'be dramatic. Ayoola took a bag out and poured some new things out. She selected some human hair wigs, jewels and clothes all brand new. She couldn't even wait to come back fully to give her those things.

Aminat knew heaven wasn't far again with new marriage. She felt it was her time to shine. She'd prove to Susana and Rachel who had the audacity to say dead things about her and came to get firewood that she's bigger than an ordinary video vixen.

Yemisi suddenly stopped her from taking the stuffs out once she was out of the sitting room.

"You'll be packing here before leaving for Lagos with your husband. Probably tomorrow or anytime you're ready from now"

The decision made her to feel a bit nervous. She'd be leaving her everything, Hassan behind to the claws of Azeez. She won't have to tell him immediately, else he might ruin her plans.

The marriage was a low key thing. That was why Yemisi hid her pictures from her son. He'd not be able to inform the media if he doesn't have a clue if who she is.

Their chemistry would start once he comes down to her house in a week or two time.

Aminat left the house with a mixture of feelings; optimism and pessimism. She felt chills all over her system and she nearly fell on way home thinking about what she has gotten herself into.

She have been trying to calm herself down since months ago. A part of her was warning her that she mustn't regret herself later. A marriage to a noble, good looking top African music artist.

"Aminat!" She heard a voice that she was sure to be Susan's voice calling her name from afar. After Hassan had claimed he heard them talking about  her in the farm, she had sworn to confront and fight them whenever she'd meet them again.

She looked back at once and smiled at the opportunity that came her way so fast. She moved so fast to Susan that the girl could sense that something was wrong.

"So you and Rachel  had the guts to be ranting lies about me abi?" She screamed so loud at Susan that it caught Rachel's ear and she came out to the scene at the mention of her name.

"What did you said happened to you?" Rachel dashed out at Aminat with half made hair from the nearby saloon, making her to look  like a mad person.

"I don't know for the Idiot ooh" Susan waved her hand at Aminat in gesture to indicate her irrelevance.

"What were you saying about me the day you came to fetch firewood from my farm. I promise not to spare you if you don't talk fast" she threatened and the two friends turned it to funny  joke by forcing laughter with their lungs.

One thing that surprised Aminat was that Rachel, who should side her because of their closeness was ganging up with Susana because of her influence with top music artists.

"Yes! We talked about you. Oya do your worst" Rachel dared her and she boiled aggressively inside.

"How dare you!" She thundered at them but they kept making jest of her.

"You know I'm not your mate in any way and you know it. In ten years to come, you can't achieved what I've achieved!" She swallowed before continuing.

"It because I don't want to seem arrogant that's why I'm still talking to you and you're messing up.  Yes, we were talking about you, I told Rachel how slutty you're during our high school, is that a lie?"

"Who's a slut?" Aminat clenched her fist in anger.

"You!" Rachel pointed directly at her and Aminat felt hurt and betrayed. She wished Mofe was still around.

Susan was a big girl, no caps. So why's she jealous of her who has nothing. If she was not her mate as she said, why's she bothering herself with her issues.

Then she remembered one of Yemisi's favourite quote;

If people you think they're higher you are still bothering themselves over you, then you're wrong about your perspective about their status and yours.

If her marriage to Ayo is real, she's not a mate to Susan at all levels. Besides she's married, it'd be disappointing for Yemisi to know about her fighting with those two girls that looked like devil's stools.

"You should thank your stars that I'm not in the mood that I'm not in for a fight this evening. Else! You'd know the stuff I'm made of" she hustled for an excuse to leave the girls, undefeated. 

They still laughed in triumph though when she left them to her plans.

*****

Ayo unplugged his phone and groaned at the unpleasant noise his phone was making by ringing.

"Wait!" He cautioned the phone, slamming his eyes tight at the screen rays that tortured his eyes. His manager had been calling him all along.

"What the hell does she want again" he hissed and sat up. He redialled her line and she picked up before the call went through.

"Ayo! Where the hell are you?" She exclaimed as if his life was in fire.

"I was sleeping, why are you shouting at me like your head is on fire?" He frowned and rested back on the bed stand.

"Are you through with what I told you to do!?" She ignored his question with another question.

"No"

"Why!?"

"I'm tired and weak. I don't even feel myself anymore and you won't allow me to rest a bit" he complained and she chuckled.

"Anyway, you've forgotten you have an interview again. We discussed the whole issue over and over again yesterday" she reminded him and his eyes popped out in shock. But he just shrugged off and said;

"I came home drunk yesterday and I'm still weak. I can't kill myself, I'm my mum's only son abeg"

"You promised to see Sophia and Rex today, or you've forgotten again?" She said and he laughed in shock.

"Look here Amy, it seems like my brain have been washed by a cabal, just keep reminding of things I need to do" he could her tension rising and he kept chuckling.

"Just come down here quickly" she said and he hung up without replying.

He tried his best to be quick a bit than usual. The D&G designer that he was meant to  wear gave him a bit problem while he was trying to be fast.

After looking murderous again, he ascended downstairs with a jog before one of the cook staff stopped him with the news of his breakfast that was ready.

He waved her off with a finger, indicating he'd come back for lunch. That was just an information, he might never come back for any meal again.

By the time his driver arrived the interview venue, Amy was already wearing a tattered and mad look.

"I'm sorry. Good morning" he pecked her cheeks before moving in.

After an hour he had told the interviewer he was married, the social media  was already in disarray. At that time he was at the studio with Sophia and Rex. It took them time trying to make Sophia blend with the instrumental.

A lot of people have mocked her to take over her mother's million dollar enterprises instead of dropping "bad vibes"

Immediately they finished work, Mal came for Rex. She came for business.

"Ayo, you said what?" She laughed and he understood what she meant so he replied him with a naughty smirk.

"We don't have to rush our wedding now, do we?" Sophia chuckled but she meant it in her mind.

"Noo! The boy is mine" Mal protested with a sweet smile and Rex and Ayo couldn't help but kept laughing.

"My wife mustn't hear all these" he warned and Mal tried to calm the tension.

"Ayo! You and your  pranks!" Mal exclaimed jokingly but Ayo bursted her bubbles.

"Who said I'm joking! Wait till I bring Mrs Fashola to you guys"

"Ayo, I'm very serious!" Sophia panicked but they all just thought she was just shocked.

"I swear with Tlay!" Swearing with his stage name meant it was no joke.

The room suddenly empty in Sophia's mind. A feeling of regret, betrayal, heartbreak flashed through her whole body swiftly. She had wanted to scream at him and hold his clothes to herself but she was just still.

"Sophia" Rex who just recovered from the shock following by series of hype and hailing, noticed a confused and angry Sophia.

"You know what I was trying to do?!" She suddenly jumped from her chair and tried to feign a perfect smile.

"Finally, the no time for sh*t Afro king is married. That calls for a live video!"

She took an excuse, hurried outside and wept.