2. Introduction
Braden Nii Lantey Lartey reminisced about the past as he lay in his hospital bed and couldn't even move his leg.
He couldn't believe, he, the great Braden could lay in bed this long without doing anything. Even during his school days he worked on vacations. It was how he learnt how to be the successful business man he was now. He tripled the company's worth in just a year after taking over from his mother, who had been in control since his father passed on years back.
He is a well built young man of average height, broad chest, beautiful eyes, with his hair always trimmed down. Where ever he went he commanded respect from both the young and old. He never needed to speak to get attention, his demeanour did the talking for him.
He's the second child of Mr Braden Lartey Snr of blessed memory and Mrs Regina Thompson Lartey, with an older and younger sister. His father worked in the foreign affairs ministry until he was appointed by the government to represent the state in Australia. He also started B&B Ventures from scratch and passed it down to his children after his death, making his only son the heir to his entire wealth. His wife, Mrs Regina Lartey was to take control until her son was of legal age.
Braden's mum remained a director of the company until she resigned recently. She's usually out of the country. She has never seen eye to eye with his wife. He thinks she's just here because of his money, and never saw Alicia to be a perfect wife for her son.
Mrs Sylvia Naadu Affenyi is Braden's elder sister and has always treated her brother's wife very well. She's a financial analyst, who manages the various aspects of B&B's finances. she also owns a consulting firm, where she and her team specialize in acquisition and mergers and also offer investment advises to companies and individuals. She's married to an Oncologist who comes from a family of doctors with many hospitals and clinics scatered all over the country. She has two lovely Children in boarding school.
Esther Lartey is the name of Braden's younger sister, she's a couple of years older than her brother's wife and doesn't seem to like her because her childhood crush had feelings for her before she married her elder brother.
She's multi talented but is a designer by profession. She has also tried different careers, like hair styling, make-up, dressmaking, pedicure and manicure, beads making etc. Every morning comes with a different Esther. She's currently the personal stylist of one of the popular actresses in the country..
***
The rich melodious voices of the choir as they rehearsed seem to drown all her worries as she sat hidden from all in the far corner of the church auditorium. She wasn't praying, neither was she thinking.
She just listened to the choir as they sang songs after songs. They were good but it made her wonder if they were the same choir that minister every Sunday? They sound different or is it that she never paid attention to them during service?
"Alicia...?"
Busted! But how did she find her, no one came to this side of the auditorium not even during service.
She plastered a smile on her face as the caller walked towards her, "Mummy". The woman reached her and sat down in a chair beside hers.
She's the Pastor's wife and her adopted mother, since her whole family perished in a ghastly motor accident about 7yrs ago. No wonder she found her here.
"What are you doing here?"
She shrugged her shoulders and replied "Listening to the choir". "How's -"
"He's fine. His mum is with him and I don't want to be in the way. We don't get along very well, you know." Alicia cut in on her.
"Shouldn't you be by his side, so he knows you're there for him?"
"To him I don't exist, so why not stay invisible?"
"If that's suppose to be a joke, it's not funny at all"
"Mummy, I do my best but I've to hide from him until we figure out what to tell him about me, so I can only go there when he's fast asleep" Alicia explained to her.
"Don't ever lose hope my dear, he'll be back again. We were all witnesses to how much he loved and adored you." The woman advised and Alicia nod her head in understanding. Her phone rung at that moment and she took it from her purse and answered it. "Hello... Doctor... I'll be right there. Thank you"
"Is something wrong?"
"No mum, he just wants to talk with me. I've to go, please extend my greetings to daddy."
Alicia Tweneboah is petite, curvy, not too dark not too fair skin, nice eyebrows, cute eyes which shown beautifully when happy, with hair in braids most of the time.
She's bubbly, affectionate and loved by all who came in contact with her. She's intelligent, a professional nurse, also has a diploma in business administration, and currently studying Clinical Psychology at the country's premiere University.
She's the only surviving member of her family, who all died in an accident when returning from her elder brother's graduation in the central Region.
She is the last born of her parents, Mr Nicholas Ohene Tweneboah and Mrs Veronica Tweneboah who perished in a ghastly motor accident with their three other children, Albert, Phyllis and Junior, about 8years ago.
Her father was a professional government school teacher, who taught French in one of the Junior High schools in the city. He rose to the position of headmaster before his death.
Her mother was a caterer who owned a restaurant across the street from B&B Ventures.
Their eldest son, Albert, was an architect, eldest daughter, Phyllis worked in the bank and their third child graduated from the university with a Bsc in Chemistry. They were returning from the graduation when they were involved in the accident.
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