Chapter Four

"Damian Richards, we meet again," Celine spoke up sipping a glass of red wine when she sighted Damian approaching her end of the table.

"When I said to pick a restaurant, I didn't expect you to pick your hotel." His voice was coherent and flawless just like every other part of him as he took the last button of his jacket off and slowly descended on his own end of the seat.

"Well... What can I say? We have a very great view here. Why go to a different place? The last time we met, you abruptly turned down my offer. Why now?" Celine asked picking up a menu list and waving her fingers in the air causing a waiter to rush to her service. "Jollof rice with chicken. You know how I like my moi-moi right? Hot and spicy and then small small orisirisi everyehere and oh yeah! more wine please," she said and stared at Damian pushing him to first say something as regards to his order then subsequently her question.

"Uhh- I'm good."

"Come on! Bills on me. This is my hotel remember?" She added lifting the side of her lips to a smile.

"Alright. I'll have the same thing as she," he replied and dismissed the waiter. "My wedding was to commence this Saturday and even though I can postpone it to a different time, I want Laura to have it now..."

"...but you don't have money to prepare for a wedding under three days. That's fine! Even though it's going to be very difficult, it's very possible. You supply the bottles of wine to the guests and we could hold the reception at the grand auditorium and invite people because hey! Who doesn't like weddings? Everything can be arranged and the ten percent cut will pay for everything in due time. How about that?" Celine asked.

"I- I don't know what to say," He replied.

"How about a thank you and I can't wait to work with you because that's what I'd like to hear. Then if that be the case, here's a pen to sign here, here, here and here," She added holding up a document and motioning with the pen. He took them from her when she added, "you might need a lawyer to review that." The waiter walked up to them holding well balanced on both palms, two trays that held their orders. He placed one on Celine's end and the other on Damian's end and brushed his vest as he turned to leave. He had his head held high and his elbow pushed to the side with a white napkin on his lower arm.

"Hold on a second. It says here that you'll move in with us?" Damian asked.

"Even though I am the CEO, there are some decisions I can't make on my own. The company your late father owed which I happen to share hold, insist I stay within close proximity and monitor the affairs of the winery." She reached out to her pair of cutlery wrapped with soft tissue paper and held them in position in both hands as she took slow bites from the orange coloured rice garnished skillfully with moi-moi at the left, next to the chopped carrots, peas and slim strips of cabbage dripping with milky sauce. She would occasionally deep a fork into the meal and with the aid of a knife, push its content up into the fork and slowly reach for her scarlet red coloured lips.

"This is absurd! You can't just move into our house! What sort of contract is this?" He asked.

"So you don't want the deal?" She asked savouring the taste of her meal intently.

"Well... I guess adjustments can be made to accommodate you," he replied slowly.

"I thought as much. Then I guess it's a deal Mr. Richards." The end of her lips curved into a smile as she watched him sign the last provided space for a signature and hand the documents over to her.

*****

Duncan had flashes of the last encounter with his mother swipe through his memory. He couldn't believe it! He was the illegitimate son Stephen spoke about. He stood behind the kitchen counter and grabbed an onion ball from the basket where it was in, and placed it on the chopping board as he attempted making lunch; noodles.

"How am I the illegitimate son mum?" He had asked in alternate frequency of a high and low pitch. He really wanted to scream at her, but for some reason kept his cool.

"I'm sorry. It was a mistake," she cried painfully placing her hands over her head.

"I was a mistake?" He had asked and the descending footsteps brought his thoughts back to reality.

He chopped off the fibrous ends and peeled out the scaly covering revealing a newer layer of purple colour and white stripes about it. He angrily diced the onion and accidentally had the sharp end of the knife slide into his skin. Trickles of blood stained the chopping board and knife as he turned to the running water from the sink to wash it off.

"Bro are you OK?" Daniel asked as he noticed blood wash into the sink's drain.

"I'm good. Minor kitchen accident," he replied as he opened up the salt container and sprinkled some salt over the injury and the sting it gave made him grit his teeth but he didn't stop. "What's up?"

"Damian is bringing Celine over and requests we get one of the rooms clean for her," Daniel said.

"Why would she want to stay over? Doesn't she have like a mansion or something?" Duncan asked covering the salt container.

"He said he would explain everything when he gets back.... Whatever. I'm just here to tell you that I had the room next to yours cleared for her," Daniel added.

"Why didn't you prepare the last room for her? It's so much more comfortable," Duncan said.

"You know why. That room is locked for a reason and it has been five years since we locked it... It stays that way for reasons best known to both of us. We can't risk exposing our secrets," he added taking his leave and Duncan nodded slowly watching his presence disappear into the living room.

The front door opened and Duncan could hear a lady's voice from where he stood and immediately, he recognized it. It was the same that lent him some money at the bank when he was stranded. He walked into the living room and exchanged warm pleasantries with her, when Laura came down to meet them.

"Oh and this is my fiancée, Laura. The same one I told you about," Damian said as he drew Laura close and kissed the middle of her head.

"Hi Laura! Damian said so much about you at lunch today," Celine replied and added, "we already have the wedding preparations in progress for Saturday."

"Thanks," Laura replied as she exchanged a knowing look with Damian.

"Umm... Why don't you let Daniel take you to your room so you could get settled in?" Damian suggested in reference to Celine.

"Actually, I think I would want to see the winery first. Business before pleasure as they fondly say," Celine replied grinning. Daniel succumbed and led her through the door as they left for the winery just behind their house.

"Lunch? Really?" Laura asked turning to face Damian and Duncan retired to his room. "Listen, I'm so happy you bagged this contract, but if it involves you having dinner with a strange lady then I'm not in!"

"Babe we can finally hold the wedding," Damian replied grabbing her smooth fingers.

"This isn't just about the wedding! I told you to take your time. I'd be here for you however long it takes. Why is she here again?" Laura asked, slipping out her fingers from his grip.

"It's part of the contract... For close monitoring. Babe you have nothing to worry about. No one is going to come in between us. I promise," he said and drew her to a hug and sniffled the shiny strands of her hair.

"I hope so."

*****

Behind the house, Daniel took Celine to the winery with the paths leading to it, filled with tall grasses and small shrubs making it difficult to properly see the earth without a green leaf obstructing the sight. Daniel stomped on the grasses and made the path clearer for Celine to pass through. They reached the winery with a rusty 'R' hanging on the front door. Daniel carefully opened the large door and an eerily sound welcomed them revealing a dark dusty interior.

"Wow so dusty," Celine said coughing intermittently as she blew the dust away with the wave of her hand.

"I apologize. It hasn't been opened for almost a year. We just finished the last supply from months ago," Daniel replied rubbing off the dust from a machine with his palm.

"What is that?" Celine asked.

"Oh! This is a winepress. It squashes the grapes," he replied.

"Not that, that." Her index finger rose with the other fingers curling up as she pointed to a large file on the top of a shelf with extra parts of the machine in it.

"Oh! They belonged to my father," he said reaching for it.

"How was he? Your father," Celine asked.

"Strict but somehow one of the best things that ever happened to me. Damian took after his firmness. Me on the other hand, I've always been too soft. He hated that you know? Always trying to make me hard. He felt a real man should be firm and void of pity. I always got flogged for crimes I never committed. I still forgave him however," Daniel replied opening up the book. "I think this is an album or a journal of some sort," he hinted as she peeped to see what's in it. "This is my great grandfather," he added.

"I'm sorry about your father. I'm sure he did everything with the best interest at heart," she replied rubbing his upper arm. "You're a wonderful man and I don't think you're weak. Mother?"

"Distant. She abandoned us when we were still children. Showed up days back to take her share of the property," he replied turning a page angrily.

"I used to have a mum too, but she went missing when I was just nine. I don't know if she's dead or alive now. If I had her alive and knew where she was, I'd want to make peace with her. Is this him?" Celine asked staring at the picture with Stephen Richards written underneath.

"Yes."

Celine turned the book towards herself and saw him fully. She noticed some remarkable traits she also shared with him like the deep bubbling eyeballs, complexion and the same jaw. He had mostly white than black beards under his nose and on his jawline clustering more on his jaw.

"I need to go," Celine said and left the winery as she held on to the tears that leaked from her lower lid and rained it all out when she was outside the winery. Thinking about how she already missed a man she never knew.

Daniel still went through the pictures and flipped the next page shortly afterwards. He saw the picture of Damian and then Duncan's right next to it. He flipped to the next pages, but saw blank pages. "Where is my picture?" He asked himself still flipping the pages of the journal but saw nothing. Until he reached the last page and saw names written in order of descent. He traced the names down to Duncan's and yet he didn't see his name. "Oh my God! Dad never recognized me as his son. Was I really his son?"