CHAPTER 2

Ten years later, Philip was driving from college back to his house. He was now grown and independent. His father had given him his own house and cars and for every contract that he signed, it was attached with money that would be released after he had performed the expected assignment.

He parked his car in the garage and walked into his house which were the very evidence of money. He sat down and kept his books aside. He had things to do including his class project. He had consistently kept up the good grades and he made sure not to miss any exams.

He pulled off his clothes and walked into the bathroom to shower. His phone rang from the room and when he had dressed up, he saw the missed call. It was from Enya. They attended the same University but studied different courses.

After looking at his phone for a while, Philip sighed and cut the call, he didn't feel like speaking to her or anyone. It was not the first time he was ignoring but that was because, he felt rather uncomfortable when she was near and he made sure that she got that impression from him anytime they were together yet she didn't stop trying to get close to him.

Philip jogged his way to a park that lively morning and when Enya saw him, she jogged her way to him. She knew that Philip was fond of avoiding her and her calls and day by day, she was getting weaker knowing that Philip did not like her as she liked him, all her attempts to get closer to him failed woefully, and not one of those plans survived the night.

He was so good at concealing himself and he found it very difficult to open up to anybody, he was always alone and never moved with friends since she knew him. He avoided talking to anyone but he was one of the best students that the school had ever known.

"Good morning," she said.

"Morning. It looks like you do enjoy exercise?" He replied, trying to tease her even though it was not his style.

Both of them knew that she didn't like going out for exercise, especially on a lively morning, she preferred quiet places. He knew her that well, they had attended the same basic school, high school and now they were in the same college. There was actually nothing that he didn't know about her and he knew all of it by watching her from afar.

"It's very good of you to remind me of what I enjoy." She said, not bothering to look at him.

"I have good reasons."

"Like?"

"Private reasons."

"I see," she said. As they jogged, Philip noticed three men staring at Enya and another different man was jogging behind him also.

He had also noticed that someone had been following him since he started jogging but he was careful not to turn back and pretended not to know anything.

"There is no need to talk to you Philip, I will just go back to my house." She said.

"Bye," he said to her as she turned and walked back to her house.

Shortly after she left Philip, the three men that had been watching her, were nowhere to be seen. Philip stopped for a moment and breathed in and out thinking of what he had seen just then he remembered that someone was following him from behind and He started walking not jogging this time.

If his father had sent someone to stalk him, then he would have known but the man behind him was not from his father. Therefore he knew that something was wrong.

~~~~~~~~

Enya walked to her house with disappointment. She didn't know what was wrong with her that Philip could not just have feelings for her after all her trials.

She went into her house and closed the door behind her. She had some school work to do so she took her bath, dressed up, and took her books to study. In the middle of her study, she got a call from Olivia one of her friends

"There's a party going on tonight, I hope you will be there? Then you can have an opportunity to meet new guys and forget about Philip." Olivia said.

"I don't want to attend any party, Olivia." Enya wasn't in the right mood to think about parties.

"Trust me, you are going to like it."

"That's what you said the last time and I almost got raped by the same guy you introduced me to." She said it was a terrible experience that she was constantly reminded and she didn't also miss reminding Olivia about it too.

"I didn't know that he was that type of guy. I thought he was cool and.... well, different." Olivia replied.

"I guessed so. You knew nothing about me but I know a lot about Philip. I have known him for years and I am not ready to give up on him just yet."

"What if you meet someone who likes you more than he does?"

Enya paused for a moment and replied "I don't know about that, just....let me be for now."

"Before I leave you, promise me that you're going to come for the party." "I will, I promise but I will spend only thirty minutes there and I am off. I've got work to do."

"Fine then. Okay by me." Olivia said and hung up.

Enya was not content with the fact that Olivia just agreed to her conditions. As close as they were, Enya did not know who Olivia was planning for her to see. She continued with her books. Waiting for Olivia to send the time and venue.

*************

The man following Philip went through a tunnel and searched some places but he couldn't find Philip. For a moment he thought he had Philip but now he was gone. He brought out his phone to call someone and just then he heard the crackling sound of a gun behind him.

"Who are you? Philip asked ready to pull the trigger. He was very sure that the man in front of him was suspicious. He had been trained by his father to perceive such things.

"So you finally found me." the man said turning to Philip with a smile. The gun didn't threaten him one bit, almost as if he thought that Philip won't dare pull the trigger.

"If I ever wanted someone to follow me, it won't be you."

"Richie sent me here to get you back in the game but it seems like, you are smarter than we thought." The man said with a mischievous grin.

"Richie has no right to threaten me by sending you. He should do it himself don't you think?" The man got a hold of Philip's gun and kicked it away then he lunged at Philip and punched him above his pelvis region and he didn't stop until Philip fell down to the ground coughing out blood.

"He actually sent me here to kill you," the man said with a smile as he turned to pick up Philip's gun but before he could turn back to the place where he left Philip lying down, Philip gripped his neck from behind tightly with his hands and before the man could struggle free from Philip's hold, he dropped down dead with blood gushing out of his open throat.

Meanwhile, Philip held a knife stained with blood in his hands. He threw the knife down and took the man's phone to see who was calling him and it was Richie. When he answered the call, Richie called the man's name but there was no answer so he knew that the man he had sent was dead.

"It has been a long time Philip. How about a drink for two?" Richie said. His voice was devoid of regret or hurt concerning the man that died.

"It would be fine, only that you are you are going to pay for the drinks, right?" Philip replied, definitely in a mood for killing not for drinking.

Richie smiled and nodded. "I am going to get you, Philip Hammond, I swear."

"And I will make you pay for what you did to me, how about that?" Philip hung up and threw the phone on the ground. He had succeeded in controlling himself for so long and today, he couldn't do so anymore. He had to get Richie or he would do something drastic.

**************

Enya got out of her car and went into the party, Olivia smiled as she led Enya to the table for two where she introduced Enya to a guy. She left the two of them to talk and Enya was forced to sit down and face the guy.

"It's nice to meet you," Martins said.

"You too." She replied with a smile.

"I know that you are uncomfortable and I also feel the same. It was Olivia that set me up to meet you. I didn't know what she was planning." Martins said and Enya was eased of her worries. "She is really so unpredictable at times. We have been close for eighteen years and yet, it seems as though I don't know her." She replied.

"You've known Olivia for eighteen years? How did your friendship last that long? I thought she was too picky to be a friend."

"She is too picky. To tell the truth, she didn't speak to me for nearly a month when we newly net each other, she just communicated with waves and smiles and hugs."

"That must have been hard for you," Martins said with a sympathetic voice.

"It was, especially when I really wanted to be her friend."

"I see." He said, finding it hard to take his eyes off her. The both of them discussed for a while drinking and they watched Olivia, dance.

She was surprised that Martins didn't ask her for a dance, he only sat and watched the party. He was just like her and she loved it. She was comfortable with him all through until the party ended early in the morning.

"So I will see you in college tomorrow...I mean today." He said.

"Yes. You will." Enya replied with a positive smile. She got into her car and drove off while Martins watched until the car was far away.

He had to confess that he liked her and he was happy that he was going to meet her again that day.

Enya laid down on her bed and closed her eyes to sleep but she could not, she found herself thinking about Philip.

Philip was one of the most handsome guys she had ever encountered and he had a sense of humor. He had this dark brown hair that was always brushed and neat when seen each day. He had natural grey eyes that she couldn't stop staring into any time they met.

Coupled with his grey eyes, he had faint red lips. No lipstick, no paint, the color of his lips was so natural. She had shaken hands with him on a few occasions and she found that his hands were slender, a little hard. He wasn't like the guys she had met before, he was different with this kind of atmosphere that seemed to weaken her knees anytime she saw him.

Martins was also handsome with dark hair and lively brown eyes, pink lips with soothing hands. They held hands before walking to her car that morning and she was very sensitive to his touch. Martins was lively in a way but he was usually very mellow. She was actually glad to spend time with him and she was equally happy that she was going to see him when the day breaks.

She didn't know whether her love for Philip was going to dissipate nevertheless she was willing to try because she was madly in love with him and he didn't even want to see her even for a day. There was no way that the two of them could work together.

Philip got a call from his mother, Claudia early that morning, it had been four years since they saw each other. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"You don't need to worry about me, I am okay." He replied, not genuinely in the mood to answer her questions.

"When last did you take your medications?" She asked.

"Last night." He never liked his answers to be longer than usual. He liked them short and straight to the point.

"Have you spoken to your father? He is proud to admit it but he misses you."

"I don't want to speak to him now..."

"Philip, he loves you as much as I do." Somehow, she could tell that she was lying to herself, not to Philip, but she found it helpful to say good things about his father to him.

"When last did he say such to me? I must have forgotten because he has not said that to me before." there was a moment of silence between them for a while before she spoke up.

"I'm sorry for my mistakes Philip" Claudia said with tears.

"I know, I will call you later. Greet Sandra for me." He said and hung up without hearing what she had to say next.

He had held bitterness and anger within him for so long, he despised people who had nothing to do with his life and he killed those who wanted to make his life miserable. His father was the real reason why he had so much bitterness for everyone. He was never taught to be nice to anyone, Paul would always tell him, "Nobody is going to be there when you are in trouble but they are always going to be there when you celebrate. This world is filled with selfish people who always want to take from you and in the end, they dump you for another." He would say with all seriousness and bitterness.

One time when he saw Philip talking with Enya as they walked home and then he waited for Philip to come into the house before grabbing the sixteen-year-old Philip by the throat. "I told you not to talk to her, didn't I? She is only looking for something to take from you and when she has had enough, she will leave you for another. She will make you hate your life and all your days, you will yearn for her to come back to you, but she won't. Is that what you want? A broken man chasing after a girl for the rest of your life?" Philip had remembered crying that day. The next day, he saw Enya with a popular guy at school, and at a night student's party, he saw her with the same guy. She had danced with him and they kissed; even when she saw him, she didn't say a word to him.

That was the day Philip believed what his father was telling him about love. His father was right and about her and at that rate, his feelings for her dissipated, and whatever he felt for her was locked up. He made sure to lock the door to his heart with the padlock of bitterness and he also made sure that the key to that door was hidden somewhere far away. He didn't talk frequently with her only once in a while. He hated everything about her and he wasn't willing to tell her why he despised her so much, even when she asked several times.

Philip got up from his bed and walked to the window, where he could see the darkness of the day. He tucked his hands into his pocket and stood there with so many things running through his mind.

*****************

That morning after the first class, Enya walked with Olivia to her locker. Olivia was as curious as a child and Enya satisfied her curiosity.

"So tell me the truth, is he not better than Philip?" She asked and Enya shook her head.

"I am trying to forget Philip okay? So stop treating me like I don't know what I am doing." Enya said with a frown.

"You certainly don't know what you are doing, you have to forget that guy. He doesn't love you. He has slept with about five girls from his class and he is not in a relationship with any one of them. Trust me, I am good at love matters. Take my advice and forget him." Olivia said.

Enya knew that Olivia was right and she was actually willing to forget Philip the fact was that she didn't know why Philip had become so bitter towards her. He used to be sweet to her, she had asked severally in anger but she seemed to get from him was silence.

Martins had watched Enya for a while and he took in her beautiful face and attractive structure. She was slim, brown hair with pink lips, and brown eyes. Her English was sharp and confident, everything about her made him excited but he knew that he had to control himself because Enya was not the type of person who wanted to be in a relationship with him but he had made up his mind to do anything that would make her fall in love with him.

Meanwhile, Philip had watched how Martins stared at Enya. That was the same way, the first guy that Olivia introduced her to stared at her. At the end of the day, he attempted to rape Enya because she wasn't ready to return his love. Philip had attended the party that night and had seen the guy carrying drunk Enya into the back seat of his car.

She didn't know what was happening until the guy pressed her down to the seat and kissed her, when she saw what was happening to her, she started hitting the guy on the chest. Her drunkenness had made her weak that her struggles did not affect the guy. He kissed her so hard that she could not breathe and slowly tried to control her but he couldn't.

The guy unbuttoned her shirt and his shirt and just when Enya thought she had finally succeeded to wade him off in her drunken state, he held her by her hair and kept her down then she screamed out of fear for someone to help her. The reality was being revealed to her slowly that the guy was not who she thought he was. "Ssh, I want you to give yourself to me now," he whispered into her ear, and just when he was about to kiss her again, a bullet shot through the window and hit his head causing the guy to fall back into the window, dead.

Philip opened the door and the guy fell down to the ground while Enya got up immediately and tried to button her shirt fast but Philip held out his hand to her. In her drunken state, she could still recognize Philip's face and the touch of his hands. Without buttoning her shirt, she took his hand, got out of the car, and buried her face in his shoulders with tears. He took her to her house and laid her in the bed, then he drew the duvet up to her neck as she slept peacefully. He locked the door and stayed with her till early in the morning when he eventually left the house.

Up till now, Enya did not know what had happened to the guy that night but she could remember clearly that Philip had driven her home and she had felt the warmth of his body. She had tried to thank him for the following morning but he ignored her throughout that day, she felt like she had betrayed him and didn't know why he chose to look after her and save her. She would have lost her dignity if not for him.

Philip watched as Martins approached Enya, and Olivia left both of them with a smile. She was always getting Enya into trouble with guys that she didn't care to know well. Enya's eyes caught Philip's grey eyes and her smile disappeared. He was the first to break that connection and he walked away meanwhile Enya got the message that Philip was trying to send across to her, yet she wanted to forget about him and if it meant forcing herself to love Martins, she would do it.