Chapter 4

Throughout the entire ride, Mr. Black Suit doesn't say anything to me. He just keeps going through numerous papers, and I'm starting to wonder what he is actually reading.

"Am I going to die?" I suddenly ask him, and he stops what he is doing and turns to me.

"Don't you get chills when you say that?" He asks me in bewilderment.

I shrug. "Not really."

He murmurs, "I see why he came for..."

I can't catch the rest of what he is saying, and I frown. Why do these people keep leaving me in suspense?

"You see why he came for what? Say it audibly so I can hear you..." I fold my arms across my chest, waiting for him to say something.

He scoffs, "Why do you think I will do what you say?"

I don't say anything but simply sigh and look away.

What am I expecting anyway?

"I don't want to scare you, but you have to be strong, Kemi because even I have no idea what's in store for you. He has never done something like this before."

I hear him say, and I turn to look at him. He sips from his drink and heaves a sigh.

I smile. "You aren't bad after all."

He turns to me with widening eyes as if in shock. "Trust me, Kemi; you don't wanna know about me."

I shrug. "At least you are talking to me."

He shrugs. "You made me talk. I don't usually talk much."

"The man from yesterday, are you related to him?"

He looks at me in surprise. "Related? Nah. Do we even look alike?"

I shake my head. "Not one bit, but you have a similar aura of mystery as him."

He chuckles. "Aura of mystery? Hmm. I can't really say that."

I squint my eyes at him. "Why? Is it because he's your boss?"

"He's not my boss, and I don't wish to say more." He suddenly frowns and sips his drink.

I sigh and look at my hands as the atmosphere is suddenly replaced with silence, but at least he even spoke to me. It actually calms my fear and nervousness.

A few minutes later, I can see "LEKKI PENINSULA SCHEME 1" written in bold letters on the welcome board in front of us.

"Lekki?" I say in a low voice, staring at the environment.

"Yeah," I hear him say beside me, but I keep looking around.

There are many nice and huge houses everywhere; it's clear that this is a place for the rich. Never did I think I would ever come to Lekki. After 30 minutes, the car comes to a stop in front of a huge gate.

"We're here," he says, and I turn to see him looking at me.

I swallow hard and sigh.

Two huge men in black suits are standing in front of the gate, armed. For goodness' sake, why are these men everywhere? What exactly do these people do? Is this accepted? Doesn't the federal government at least check things like this? I mean, they need to ask why a citizen is keeping armed people in his house, right?

One of the men twitches his head to take a good look at the car before he says something, placing his right hand on the security earpiece in his ear.

The gate suddenly opens on its own, revealing a huge mansion that makes me gape in awe. I knew I expected him to have a big house, but this is beyond what I expected. This isn't a house; it's paradise.

As the car drives into the compound, I stare at the large surroundings, which have a very wide space. There are 8 cars all parked in the garage and 7 more in free spaces in the compound, and I bet these are not even all. There is a water fountain in the middle, and I also notice some other armed men walking around the compound.

"I see you're checking the compound out. There's also a helipad, pools, gyms, and others just in case you're wondering," Mr. Black Suit winks at me.

"A helipad?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell me they also own a helicopter?"

He shakes his head, "Not 'they,' it belongs to one person."

"Your boss?"

He scoffs, "Shouldn't you be asking me what it is that they're going to make you do here?"

I sigh, "You said you don't know either."

He nods, "Yeah, right."

He turns to me and sighs.

"You wanna survive here, Kemi? Then mind your business."

I stare at him, starting to feel tense by his words.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugs, "I simply mean you should mind your business. Don't you know what that means?"

"What's your name?" I ask him.

He stares at me for a while. "George."

"George..." I repeat the name. I can't really say this man would be good, but I can tell that he's not like the man from yesterday. "Would you stop talking to me when we step out?"

He smirks, "We won't be seeing very often, so I don't even have to talk to you. I hope you're ready, Kemi?"

I gulp, "Alright."

He sighs and looks away.

The car comes to a stop, and I can see two men running to us, and of course, they are armed. One of them opens the door and bows to George.

"Welcome, Capo," the man says to him.

Capo? Is that a short form of captain?

George nods and steps out of the car. He turns to me with a serious look. "Come out."

I quickly come out of the car and stand close to him.

"Bring her," he says to the men.

They both nod, and before I know it, they each grab me by the sides.

Wait, what's going on?

George looks at them and sighs. "Are you crazy? Did I ask you to grab her?" He glares at them.

"We always do that, so we thought it's still the same," one of the men says, bowing his head.

They usually grab people like that?

"Just escort her into the mansion; she can't run away anyway. The consigliere?"

"He is in his quarters," the man replies.

George nods and starts walking away. I move to follow him, but the men stop me.

"You should come with us."

I stare at him in puzzlement. To where?

I nod and quietly follow them. They lead me through the same large entrance door George just went through. Why leave me with these people if he's going in too?

My eyes widen in awe as we step inside the mansion. Talking about where all the money in this country is going? It's definitely here. It's so huge with magnificent and expensive furniture. Everywhere is so quiet and in order.

"There are a few young women walking around, tending to the already pristine furniture. They're all dressed in what appears to be maid uniforms, likely serving as domestics.

As I glance around, I notice a fair-skinned woman heading our way. She's dressed in black leather leggings, adorned with chain embellishments, and wears a black crop top with ring chains along with a black leather jacket. I can make out tattoos on her exposed midriff. As she approaches the spot where I stand with the men, I can clearly see that she's wearing cat-eye makeup and has piercings on her lower lip, eyebrows, and I believe five or more on both her ears. Her exposed neck is also covered in tattoos, and I suspect there may be more hidden under her jacket. It's evident that she's a badass.

Please don't tell me she's here for me.

"Is this her?" She inquires of the men.

"Yes, Capo," the men respond with a bow.

She scrutinizes me from head to toe, wearing a scowl on her face. Do these people ever smile?

"George keeps assigning me his tasks..." She rolls her eyes. "Bring her," she instructs and begins to walk away.

The men bow and gesture for me to follow. Where are they taking me?

I follow them in silence. The formidable woman leads the way with great confidence and authority. I assume she must hold a significant position within the household. Her phone rings, and I watch her retrieve it and put it to her ear. Listening to the caller, she sighs.

"George, I shouldn't be bothered with trivial matters like this; I'm not as obedient and pleasant as you."

She pauses to listen before adding, "Do you even work for the boss or the consigliere?"

She scoffs dismissively and adds, "Whatever, where are they taking her? To the others?"

"To the others?" I inquire. Could you please explain, kind lady? Can someone clarify who this "consigliere" and the "boss" are? I suspect the man I encountered yesterday is one of them.

"Sure," she replies, putting her phone back into her pocket and turning toward us. "Your task here is complete; you may leave."

The men bow to her and exit hastily, leaving me alone with this stern woman who keeps scowling at me.

"Come with me now," she commands, eyeing me before walking away. I sigh and quickly follow her as she leads me to an elevator in a corner. She presses the button for the third floor. The door slides open, and she steps inside. I stand there, gazing at the elevator, wondering where she's taking me.

"You're already annoying enough; just get in," she scolds me with a deep frown.

I sigh and step in nervously, feeling tense. As soon as the elevator door closes, I swallow hard. The doors open again after a few seconds, and I step out anxiously alongside the tough woman. I look around and notice that this floor is as grand and spacious as the ground floor, but the men standing at every corner appear different from the armed ones downstairs.

Although they aren't armed, there's something about them that feels more intimidating than the armed men. Instead of suits, they all wear leather pants, jackets, and boots.

"Follow me," the formidable woman instructs, and I quickly walk alongside her. We pass by a few of the men, and she stops at a door at the end of the hallway. She places her hand on the security earpiece in her right ear before turning to me.

Then, the door slides open to the left.

"Go inside," she tells me.

"I should go inside?" I ask again.

She groans, "You ask a lot of questions. Just go inside already."

I gaze into the dark room and gulp. The room is shrouded in darkness, and I have no idea what's inside. How does she expect me to just enter?

"Is the power out? Can you turn on the lights?"

"Step in, or I'll make you step in," she threatens me, her serious expression leaving no doubt that she means it.

Don't blame me, I have to be cautious because I don't know anyone here, and I'm uncertain about what I'll encounter inside. I'm also quite frightened. I release a sigh and cautiously step into the room. The door abruptly slides shut, startling me.

I can't see anything now; it's pitch black. What or who is in this room?

Tears well up in my eyes as I move away from the door, afraid of the unknown. Why did she leave me in the dark? Perhaps I should search for a switch to turn on the lights. I run my hand along the wall, attempting to find a switch.

"I'm pleased you've finally joined us, darling," a voice says, making me jump. I recognize that voice; it's him, the man from yesterday.

"Relax," he reassures me.

What... What does he intend to do? Why did he summon me to this dark room?

"I'm here now. What should I do?" I manage to ask.

I hear him chuckle, "I told you to relax, darling. I don't bite. You were given a proper welcome, weren't you? I even sent an important person to escort you. Not everyone is that fortunate."

"Why... Why would you send an important person for me? I thought I was here to settle my father's debt."

"Of course you are darling, I..." He pauses and I wonder why. God, I'm so nervous, what's going to happen next? Suddenly, I feel a hand grip my waist.

My eyes grow wide, "What... What are you doing?" I struggle to get out of his hold.

"Shh darling, relax." I can feel his body pressing against mine, his breath close to my neck.

I start to panic.

"Don't... Don't do anything please..." He stops me by placing a finger on my lips.

"You're gonna make this hard for yourself, Kemi. So relax, and don't say a word." I purse my lips which tremble in fear. Is he going to force himself on me?

His lips meet the skin of my neck and my body freezes in panic and fear. He leaves wet kisses along my skin until he reaches my earlobe which he bites roughly and I jump in shock and pain.

Tears have already started to soak up my cheek. He stops biting my earlobe and starts sucking on it. Instead of pleasure, I can feel only disgust and frustration. I'm in a dark room where I can't see a thing and a stranger is touching and kissing my body as he likes. While I stand there trembling, his hands roams around my body and just can't take it any longer.

I start to struggle again and this time harder, trying to push him off. He groans loudly in annoyance and finally lets me go. From his voice, I can tell he's pissed.

"F**king bitch!" He screams at me. I'm trying to be f**king gentle with you but you're just pissing me off! Do you want this the hard way?" He growls at me.

I remain silent, tears streaming down my face as I hug myself tightly. Suddenly, the lights come on, but I can't bring myself to raise my head; I'm still in shock from what just transpired.

"You asked what you needed to do. Well, can't you see, this is it?" His voice startles me back to reality, and I reluctantly lift my head to see him staring at me.

Upon taking a closer look at him, he appears to be about 6'1" tall and... I hate to admit it, but he's handsome. It's almost infuriating that someone like him would have such good looks. What a jerk.

"Is this how I'm repaying the debt? Can't... Can't I do anything else?"

"You're not in a position to question me, darling. Just accept whatever comes your way," he responds as he walks away from me and takes a seat on the couch beside the king-size bed in the middle of the spacious room. He retrieves a lighter and a box of cigarettes from the table in front of him and starts to smoke. His eyes remain on me as wisps of smoke curl from his mouth. I avert my gaze, focusing my eyes on the floor.

I hear his footsteps drawing near, and I instinctively try to move away, but my back meets the wall. Before I can retreat any further, he reaches out, pressing his hand against the wall next to my head, causing me to jump slightly.

His face is now just inches from mine. "As you mentioned, you're here to settle your father's debt. This is how you'll do it. I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want with you, and you must comply. Do you understand?"

I remain silent, my gaze fixed on the floor. He takes my chin in his hands, forcing me to raise my head and look at him.

"I've always desired you, Kemi," he confesses in a whisper, his face drawing closer to mine. "I initially considered abducting you, but your father made it easier for me by gambling with my brother." He furrows his brow before continuing, "Although I wouldn't have been able to spare your father that day, as my brother doesn't hesitate once he makes a decision. Fortunately, I was able to convince him," he adds with a smirk.

Wait, he's been wanting me all along? Does that mean he's been stalking me?

"I've been observing you for quite some time now. The first time I saw you was at your place in Ajegunle. You were facing a crisis that day, and you surprisingly caught my attention. More importantly, you also captured my brother's interest. I immediately knew I had to have you. Don't blame me, though; blame your father, because if he hadn't gambled, I wouldn't have had to take you," he says with a smile.

I gaze at him, my mind filled with confusion. Is he speaking in riddles or something? I caught his brother's attention? What does that have to do with him attempting to impose himself on me?

"Do you just pick and choose people as you please? Am I some kind of plaything to you? Who do you think you are to manipulate my life like this? You're nothing more than a useless, heartless, despicable monster!"

And that does it, he drags me from the wall heading for the bed and I start kicking and screaming desperately. He roughly pulls my hair and turns to me. Damn, it hurts like hell. Why does my hair have to be so long?

"Shut that tramp of yours and kindly cooperate if you don't wanna get hurt, you hear me?"

Me? Shut up? Not Kemi.

I scream as loud as I can, "Leave me! Let me go you..." I didn't even see him raise his hand, I only feel the strong impact on my left cheek. It destabilizes me and sends me falling on the bed unhinging me. My left ear throbs and I can taste blood inside my mouth. He moves on top of me starts tearing off my clothes but I still manage to struggle with him. As he raises his hand to hit me again, his phone rings and he stops. He moves off from me and takes out his phone from his pocket.

"Yes, George? Go ahead. Clenching his fist, he listens to the voice on the other end of the call.

"I'm occupied at the moment!" His fist tightens further as he hears the voice speaking.

"Alright, I'm on my way," he responds, removing the phone from his ear. He growls in frustration and angrily hurls the phone to the floor, causing it to crack.

"Damn it! That damn brother of mine! Who does he think he is, ordering me around?" He curses loudly before turning his attention back to me.

He points at me, his voice seething, "You better stay in here and don't do anything foolish. Don't make a sound, or I'll end you."

He grabs his jacket from the couch and storms out of the room. I lie on the bed, tears streaming down my face. This is the sacrifice I've chosen to make. Do I even have the right to cry?

Xoxo