Chapter Three

"Hey Daniel! I'm looking for something, a document sort of in an envelope. It was in my room earlier. Have you seen it?" Damian asked when he went over to the dinning and saw Daniel munching porridge. Duncan was sitting on one of the cushions and turned towards Damian observing his hysteria and then turned back to the screen where he continued his show.

"No! What's the document about?" Daniel asked, licking his lower lip.

"It's some personal work stuff. It's very important," Damian replied and then turned over to Duncan, "have you?" He asked.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about," Duncan replied firmly.

"Well someone went to my room and collected it," Damian added.

"Ask Laura, your fiancée. She's the only one who goes into your room," Duncan suggested and Daniel concurred.

"Laura has been out of town and you know it. She's preparing for the wedding and hasn't visited since she travelled. Wait a second... That girl," Damian said snapping his fingers. "There was a girl in my room yesterday. She must have been the one who took the document." He paced about having the sole of his shoe make sharp tap noises as it had contact with the floor.

"You must mean Theresa, Daniel employed her yesterday," Duncan replied fiddling with the remote control as he tossed the remote between both hands.

"Daniel you employed a total stranger? What happened to proper scrutiny before employment? Now someone has stolen something very important to me because you just let her into our house!" Damian's voice echoed about the room hitting the walls as he tapped the dinning table at whose end Daniel sat.

"I'm sorry OK? I felt for her. She needed that money for her mother's treatment. What was I supposed to do? Not help her? It's not her fault that she's not in school. No one deserves that," Daniel had replied.

"While you two bicker... As always. I think I have something that might solve our money problems," Duncan said walking over to where they were and handed over the card Celine had given him to Damian. "I met this lady yesterday and she gave me that card. She was willing to partner with us given the fact that we are makers of wine and she owns a hotel. We could supply enormous amounts of wine to the everyday guests that troop into her hotel. Plus she knew dad."

"Duncan, how could you keep this till now before telling us? This contract might be a life changer. It might be exactly what we need," Damian said observing the complementary card. "I'll go pay this woman a visit but for now, keep an eye out for a white envelope," he said and Duncan nodded as he watched him leave the house.

*****

Duncan too had a place he had to be. A place he felt he would get all the answers he sought for, his mother's house. She had dropped her address the last time she visited should hopefully one of them needed to visit. Damian of course had no plans of visiting ever but Duncan had to.

"I didn't think you'd visit after the other time at the house," she said as she offered him a seat. She lived in a small bungalow an hour drive from the Sunrise estate as according to her, she didn't want to be too far from her children. The house felt warm and yet surprisingly very neat. He didn't feel a speck of sand no matter how often he shuffled his feet on the floor. There was a flat screen television hung to the wall and a shaky cupboard by its right holding small pictures in its frames and some other papers protected by a large office file. A large black leather Bible graced a large portion of the shelf in the living room. There was a calendar by the right and behind those flowery curtains, he knew there was a room maybe two even and a kitchen by the side. "Would you like coffee or tea? You used to love your tea with so much milk in it as a baby," she added.

"Coffee please. I would prefer coffee," he said and she went into the kitchen to pour out the dark caffeinated liquid from the coffee maker. "I don't even know what to call you," he said when she arrived with the mug of hot richness.

"Mum. I'm your mother, please call me mum," she said and took a seat across him.

"I can't. It's hard you know? I haven't said those words in twenty-three years. I can't start now all of a sudden," he replied.

"I'll spend the rest of my life earning your forgiveness. Why have you come?" She asked as she watched him take a sip of the hot coffee and place it on the saucer in the centre table.

"I need to know more about my father. You said you knew all his secrets and that's why he sent you away?" He asked and she nodded in confirmation.

"Your dad was in one of the deadliest, one of the most powerful secret cults that ever existed. They gave him power, fame, wealth and he took the winery places. Everybody knew Stephen and I guess that's where the family reputation started. He had a street named after him. It was massive."

"Then what happened?" Duncan asked curiously letting the heat from the coffee burn his tongue as he took another long sip..

"The devil doesn't give you anything for free. Your father kept sacrificing to save his head. He killed his siblings and then they came for his mother and killed her. He tried to buy his way out by giving off all his wealth but they didn't want that. They wanted blood and they wanted that from his immediate family, so he gave himself up instead," Regina replied.

"Wow! Dad was in a cult! Still doesn't explain why you had to leave. You knew father was evil and left us in his cold hands?" Duncan asked as hot tears formed clouding his eyes.

Regina leaned closer and rubbed his thighs, "it was the only way to keep all of you alive. I had to be away from you since I knew it else we will all die." Her voice was firm, unwavering and somehow still comforting. Duncan lifted the mug to his lip and took another sip as he tried to comprehend everything he had just heard.

He brought out a white envelope and rubbed the skin hoping to clear off whatever doubts he was conceiving with that little piece of information in the paper. Regina had adjusted her self more comfortably peeping with interest as to what Duncan held.

"I found this with a girl that worked for us. She took it from Damian's room and now Damian is looking for it." He stopped again hoping the right words escaped from his lips. "Who is Diane Richards?" He finally asked.

Regina's eyes lit up like fire sparks sending fire balls from her eyes to Duncan's. Her lips quivered slightly it would almost be impossible to notice her fear. "Duncan you have to go now," she said lifting up the mug and making for the hidden rooms within.

"You know something, please tell me," he begged standing up but she emphasized on how he had to leave that second. "Mum!" He called out and she halted. "You wanted me to give you a second chance. This is me giving you a second chance. Do I have a sister? Is Diane Richards my sister?" He asked.

*****

Celine wrote down the hotel's budget and expenditure over the last few days as she intended keeping track of all the monetary expenses unless the running of the hotel crashes during her tenure. She had gotten to meet most of the company staffs and had started off on a good note by winning their hearts. One time on her arrival to work, they had organized a surprise welcome party for her with the cut ribbons that floated about when she stepped in, balloons and a tray of icy cupcakes. It was a warm invite but after the thud she heard through the phone from the night before, she kept having nightmares about Tessy. The uncertainty of whether she was alive or dead perturbed her even more.

Her pink silky body fitted gown stuck to her skin like it was an extra layer of skin. Her skin glistened like fresh oil on a baby's skin and her limbs were long enough to give off the slender look. Her thick entangled long natural hair was woven inwardly having hair pins hold the hair in place. She plasted a thick layer of red lipstick surrounding but not surpassing the edges of her lips. It was dry and not glossy and the pink parting of her lower lip served as the boundary stopping the red lipstick from leaking through.

Her pen stopped moving. She knew she had tried to calculate the total expenditure, but her fingers felt glued to the pen unable to move. She felt guilty for leading Tessy into the trap and ran thoughts on how to get her back.

"Morning ma! Someone is here to see you," Lilian said sauntering in after knocking on the door. Her high waist official skirt which was part of the dress code, had the rubber band tuck her tiny waist together. Two buttons from her shirt were undone revealing a pendant and she adjusted her glasses whenever she spoke.

"I don't want to see anyone right now," Celine replied.

"He said it's urgent and that his name is Damian Richards," she said staring into her clipboard.

"Richards you say? Let him in," she replied and pressed her fingers straightening supposed creases on her gown when apparently there was none. She waited for some minutes before she heard another knock come on. She let him in and the well built Damian walked in.

"I'm sorry, did you say to come in?" He asked as his shoe pushed its way through the door before the rest of his body.

"Yes. Celine Okafor," Celine said rising to offer him a handshake.

"It's Damian Richards." He extended his hands and returned the handshake. At her permission, he took a seat across her and she did too after him.

"I'm guessing you and Duncan had a little chat about my proposal," she started. Her hands feeling the pen she had so worriedly clung to when her mind raced about.

"Yes. You are heading this hotel and would want to partner with us seeing we are in great debt. What's in it for you? I don't see why you'd want to help us," Damian replied.

Celine laughed and a great portion of her teeth came into display. They were beautifully arranged. All even and equally spaced, "I'm not helping you, this is purely business inclined. I'd however want ten percent of all profits incurred from your sales here, that's the catch. I think this will benefit us all."

"Ten percent of all profits?"

"I'm sorry, did I stutter?" Celine asked.

"That's saving us from a debt and putting us into a life long one. I'm sorry but I don't feel very benefitted here. I think this was a mistake," he said standing to leave as he fastened the last button on his suit.

"You're just like him, your father," Celine said.

"You knew my father? I thought you said you were new to town," Damian asked staring hard at her eyeballs.

"Of course. Your father was a close business associate with my former boss. He visited quite often here and I can tell you took a remarkable trait from him," Celine replied and had Damian nod once as he opted to leave. "We're the ones your father owed," she added.

*****

Damian opened the front door to their house and caught Duncan and Daniel watching a show on TV. He noticed how they had always gotten along. How he had never fitted in. They laughed heartily at the moving images on the screen and he had known that he would never sit on the cold tiles and stare at the television for long hours. That wasn't just Damian.

"Hey bro you're back," Daniel said looking up causing Duncan to look too.

"Hey!" Damian replied weakly walking past them and up to his room. He held his suit jacket over his arm and had loosened his top buttons as he staggered like a drunkard.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Duncan asked whispering into Daniel's ears.

"I guess work and stuff. You know, how being the first born can be very exhausting," Daniel replied. There were still many secrets Regina wouldn't reveal. "Hey did you know that the family lawyer came over? He asked about some envelope. Do you think it's what Damian was looking for too?"

"I... I don't think so," Duncan replied.

Damian slotted his room key into the hole, but had the door open slowly on its own. After the last incident with the letter, he always made sure the room was consistently locked whenever he wasn't around. He pushed it further opening up the room and letting the cringing hinges give off an eerily sound.

"Who's in here?" He asked reaching his hands beside the cupboard close to the front door and grabbing the golf club. He slowly placed his fingers on the wall searching for the light switch and then turned it on.

He met Laura on the bed slowly sitting up and yawning. Half of her body was covered with the thick fluffy blanket that had soft tufts like hair rise and spread out as the large standing fan beside her blew and raised the tufts up. She wore a silky milky coloured nightdress with a thin strap and squinted when the lights came on.

"Damian? Why are you holding a golf club?" She asked rubbing off the dried scales that formed on her eyes.

"It's just... I thought you were.... When did you get back?" He asked dropping the club at the side of the cupboard.

"This afternoon. I met Daniel and Duncan when I arrived. Aren't you excited to see me? It's been weeks," she said.

"Yeah of course I am. It's just that I've had a lot on my mind lately," he replied dropping heavily on the bed.

"Well you don't seem very excited. What's the problem?" She quizzed forming a kneeling position and letting her fingers rub his back. "You know the lady sewing the asoebi? She charged twice as normal. We had to settle it in Lagos o. She requested for twenty thousand naira extra. Can you imagine?" She continued.

"That's the problem Laura. I don't have money," he replied standing up. "I don't have money, We are broke!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked disappointedly.

"Because you were so psyched about the whole wedding and stuff that I didn't want to break your heart," he replied.

"Damian I'm not with you because of your money and I won't leave you because it's gone." Her emotions poured out freely through her words. Damian smiled and drew her close enough for a long hug. He ran his hands in an up and down motion on her back and closed his eyes shut as he inhaled the strawberry fragrance cologne she had on. He opened his eyes and settled them on the white envelope at the top of the wardrobe beside his shoes.

He quickly pulled out from the hug and reached for the envelope at the top of the cupboard and tore it open but there was nothing inside.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed tossing the torn paper on the floor.

"Is everything OK?" Laura asked.

"Who dropped this envelope here?" Damian asked.

"I.. I don't know. I didn't even know there was an envelope there. What's going on Damian?" Laura asked.

"OK! You're my wife to be and I don't want to lie to you. This envelope held a secret that if it reaches the wrong hands, everything will be stripped away from me. I was looking for the contents but all I found is just the envelope. I'm scared Laura, I'm scared of losing everything."

*****

Regina poured out another cup of hot coffee for him as their meeting time was becoming constant and placed it on a saucer already on the glass table at their centre. The whole house was graced monotonously with brown as the seats and everything had a touch of it. Duncan saw something that drew him to the poorly wooden constructed cabinet. He moved closer to it and picked the glass frame with a picture on display. It was a baby with the most heart warming smile ever. Its fingers stuck out and opened widely as though it tried to reach out to something or someone. His cloth had a detailed drawing of a baby feeder and little pink lobe-like tongue stuck out in excitement.

"Is this me?" Duncan asked. Regina looked at the picture and walked over to him taking the picture slowly from his grasp.

"You've always been a handsome lad," she said running her fingers on the picture and trailing it down. She placed the frame back up on the cabinet and turned to him. Her hands rested on his firm shoulders before she continued, "listen son, if that letter was written by Stephen, it means that Diane might be alive and I would be scared if she was. Many things happened while you were across at the States studying. Many things you may never understand. Just stop searching for answers or you might hurt yourself."

"The letter," he said bringing it out from the back of his pocket and scanning through for clues. "Father wrote some numbers, 6086. What does 6086 mean to you?"

"Stephen was very fond of riddles. It is impossible to know for sure what he meant dear," Regina replied.

"He said something about an illegitimate son. Is that Damian? Was that why he was so bent on finding the letter?" He had asked again shoving his fingers into his slightly curly hair then to his chin lined with neat trail of fine hair by the sides.

Regina moved up closer to him placing her shaky hand over his firm one. She sighed weakly and had a tear drop right on the elevated part of her face. He looked into her eyes and those balls of vision demanded something. A reply. One that answered all his questions. One that uncovered all the mysteries.

"It's not Damian, It's you. You aren't the biological child of your father," she said.