Spend your money

It was Liam who saw her first. There was shock on his face. He pushed Diana aside and ran to Clara.

'It is not what you think.' He begged. 

Clara looked him up and down, his zipper was still losing and his junior, which was now hanging low, was still visible. Diana saw Clara and sat on the bed. She didn't say anything. Clara looked at them both and walked out of the apartment. 

Diana tried to pull Liam to myself for the bed to continue what they were doing before Clara came in, but he refused to join in. He just stayed silent, as he wore his clothes and dressed up. 

'Do n't allow that girl to spoil the fun?' I said, trying desperately to diffuse the guilt he was feeling.

Liam stopped what he was doing, looked at me as if I was mad and continued what he was doing.

Diana got so irritated by his attitude, that she sat up and kneeling on the bed and barked at him. 'I mean, why do you keep going back to her? Does she satisfy you the way I do? Does she make you feel good, feel like a man? She doesn't even open her legs for you. All that poor wannabe does is to spend your money and give you nothing in return.'

Liam didn't respond. Oh I understand now, Diana thought to herself, I am now the bad person right? Wasn't he the one who decided to have an affair with me? Did I force him? Why am I looked at like the bad person here?

Liam wore his clothes; picked up his phone and coat. As he was about to cross the door, Diana rushed over to where he stood and blocked him. Diana wanted to know that things were cool between them. He might go to beg that bitch and reconcile with her so far he comes back to her; she needed this relationship to continue. This is the first guy in over five years to look at her like that and make her feel like a woman. His energy and artistry on bed has awoken the dead areas on her body and he cannot stop now.

'Why aren't you talking to me? Have I done anything wrong or is this thing of ours over?' Diana asked.

Liam looked at her and said in a low voice. 'It is over.' He willed his way out of the door and was now in the hallway. She ran after him, she didn't care if the neighbours heard or not. She will let him go like that.

'What do you mean? How can you say it is over?' she cried. She wanted him to see the way she felt about him, even feel her brokenness. She had a lot of questions on her mind. She wanted his reassurances; his calm, calculated voice to tell him that we can pretend to be quarrelling while continuing our affair. She held on his shoulder and when that was not enough, wrapped her hands around his chest, stopping him from moving forward. It didn't seem to work. 

He managed to wrest himself out of her clutch and walked away. As she stood watching him walk away, the scene from the breakup in her last relationship flashed back to her mind. Something in her melted and tears rolled down her eyes. Then she charged at him, determined to get him to come back to her. She was bent on not letting go of him, no matter what. He was already in his car when she found him. 

When she had caught up with his car, he was driving off. She cried aloud and beat the side of the car that her hands could reach. Then she stood crying and watched his car drive into the distance. It was then that she decided that she would not let go. And if Clara would be a hedge between me and him, then she will have to die. Yes, Clara could be her daughter, but she must die, because Liam belongs to her. 

The meeting felt long and tiring and it was not twenty minutes yet. Liam kept looking at my phone, hoping for a message from Clara. Nothing. 

'Liam, are you there?' It was his uncle on the phone. He was calling in from Switzerland on zoom and wanted to know how close we are to acquiring the Donaldation since his earlier plan didn't work out. He had asked his assistant to send his Judge Turner's ruling on the matter and the set court date for hearing on the case. His uncle wasn't pleased with the news, but at the moment, that was not what mattered to him.

The only thing that mattered to me now was the look on Clara's face when she saw me in that position. I had seen a tear or two roll down her face. The shock on her face still haunted me even when I slept. That look paralyzed me so much that I didn't go after her when she left the apartment. I don't feel any anger towards Diana. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted to have an affair with her. Diana may be twenty years older than I am, but she had a certain eccentric flavour to her personality that intrigued him. He was captivated by what an older woman could offer and after their first time together, he wouldn't stop, even after knowing he was sleeping with mother, while chasing after daughter. 

'We are going to make this case go away Liam. Are you listening to me?' my uncle asked from the other side.

'Yes uncle. I am sure the judge will listen to us and agree to the clause. The contract is clear and we have been lenient.' Liam responded.

'You are not listening to me son. I am saying that we have to do something that will take out the competition.'

"We don't have a competition uncle. It is just Micahel and he can be handled.'

'Then tell me how you are handling him, because I have heard that he has bought sixteen percent of the shares in your company? Is it until he gets to thirty or forty percent shares before you realise what he is trying to do?'

I was silent, still deep in my thoughts about Clara and Maya. There was no doubt in my heart that I wanted Clara; that I love Clara, but Maya is like old wine; she is sweet. Well, I haven't tasted Clara yet. My uncle wasn't going to let go of his argument no matter how much I had assured him that everything was under control. He always liked to have things his way.

'what he is doing now is to get a hold on what you have while struggling to keep his own, so that he wins from both sides and even if he loses his own, he has out to contend with. Don't you see?'

My mind was now following his train of thought but I didn't entirely believe that Michael was much of a threat to call him a competition.

'But I don't think Michael is a threat. We still own the majority shares of Arkland. Even the other shareholders are under our control too and listen to us. So he won't get any more shares.'

'Aren't you even listening to me, godammit? At sixteen percent he can walk into a board meeting and make demands. He can propose changes. He can even vote for a chairman.'

'And he is one person. He needs to have other people fall in line, before he can make a vote effective.'

'I am not going to argue this with you Liam. Take out the competition.'

'How do you propose I do that?'

'I have to tell you everything even at your age. What I mean is Michael has to die. Find a way to kill him.'

Liam's driver took the longer route back to my house, because of the rush hour New York traffic. He knew that the driver understands that keeping him in traffic will get him fired and since there was no alternative he decided to take the longer route. Liam still hasn't gotten over the words my uncle told me yesterday. 

'Michael has to die. Find a way to kill him.'

It is true that I have hated Michael since he took over his position as director of the park project. 

'There has to be another way uncle. We can't just decide to out a person because they pose a threat to us.' Liam had said.

He shouted back at Liam.

'This is the way our family has survived. Being born rich might have softened you but you have that warrior spirit in you. Make sure you get this done as quickly as possible, else, I will arrange for it to be done and mark my words, you will not be spared in the process. You have decided to put the other people's interest above family interest, endangering what we have built since the days of your grandfather; you are the type who will out us to the authorities. I will not have that as head of this family.'

I was shocked. My uncle just said he will kill his own blood. I am still in disbelief. He went further to say.

'That Michael boy has to die to stop him from taking over the position that is rightfully yours. Our family has not been rich all our lives but we have fought for what we wanted. And that is all that matters, fight for what you want. I repeat, do all it takes to get what you want.'

Liam had to agree to the plan, even though he doubted he could do it. His uncle does what he says. He is the reason his family had stayed afloat even in turbulent times. His hand pressed the button on the handle of the door and the dashboard dividing my side of the car from the driver's seat rolled downward.

'I want to stop at the mall to get some balm and methylated spirit.' I said. Ever since that day at Diana's place, I haven't treated the wounds on my face and on my body.

'Yes sir.' The driver responded.

Inside the mall, the crowd hadn't reached the mammoth size it usually is at this time of day, maybe it was because of the ongoing music festival in the city and many of those who would come to shop or look around had gone to see their favourite artists perform live on stage. I had just picked the balm and was looking for the methylated spirit when Clara accosted me out of nowhere.

'How could you? I thought you were different.'

Liam's guard wanted to push her away but he gave him a hard stare and he relented.

'Clara, please can we talk about him in some place that is less private?'

'Oh you want a place that is private but did you think about that when you were sleeping with her? Did you care how I will feel?'

I looked around. Some of the shoppers were already looking at us making a scene.

'Please Clara; it is not what you think. I did wrong. I made a mistake but let us meet somewhere private and talk about it. It is not right that you talk like this in public to make people think low of you.'

'You should have thought about that when you broke my heart.'

With that Clara left. The look on her face broke my heart into a thousand pieces.

'Please come back Clara. Please let's talk about this. I don't want to lose you.' But she has disappeared behind some stalls. I looked at the balm I had in my hand and lost interest in buying anything.

The phone rang three times before the hit man picked up.

'Hey mama. It has been a long time. What can I do for you?' His voice was as boyish as ever. It hadn't changed. 

'Felix, can we meet? I need you to eliminate someone.' I was in no mood to fraternise or crack jokes. My mind was made up.

Liam's driver was taking the highway as usual and because of the distance to their destination, he decided that it was best that we went over our plans between meeting Donaldation's lawyer about the hearing as scheduled by Judge Turner.

'Everything is in place, boss. I am glad everyone who has hurt you recently will soon have a taste of their own medicine.'

Liam smiled. He liked it when his driver gets excited like this. It means that he doesn't see any problems coming and he will get things done faster. He continued.

'Even that Clara babe will be eliminated.' 

Liam couldn't believe my ears.

'How do you mean eliminated?' Liam asked, no longer smiling.

'Word on the street says she has been billed to be killed. I don't know by whom.' The driver's countenance changed when he saw his boss's face through the rear mirror.

'When does the elimination take place?'

'Tonight boss.'

Liam commanded. 'Turn this car around and take me back to the city.'

Though he was looking at me, surprised, through the rearview mirror, his expert hands guided the car to a stop at a nearby gas station and did a u-turn back to Beaumont City.

'Tell me all you know about this. I want to know.' Liam didn't care that his driver was surprised at his demand. Like I said, it was a word on the street. A friend of mine told me that his friend had told him about it. The word got around so that anyone who was linked to the person marked for death could block the killing from happening or appeal to the person who ordered the killing. You know boss, that is how we from a friend whose friend had told him. He said he wanted me to know because I knew the lady in question.'

Liam nodded. Then said,

'Did he say who wanted the killing of Clara?'

'I didn't ask and he didn't say. When I told that I didn't mind the killing, considering what she had done to you, boss.'

I understand that he only had my interest at heart and thought that I hated Clara for what she did. He doesn't know that I don't hate her. Since that event, my heart has softened for her, more so when she called me the other day. She has come to have an effect on me when I think of her.

'Where are we going?' Liam's driver asked me.

'We are going to stop the killing. Take me to Clara's house.'

'But I don't know her house.'

'How do you mean you don't know?'

'Boss have you forgotten that she moved out of the previous apartment after the incident when she found you with her mother and has moved into a new house? I don't know where she lives now.'

'Make a call; find out who might know where she lives. Clara must not die tonight.'

Clara was coming out of her office when the lights went off. This has never happened before that the light in her office would go off. She tried to put on her phone light but an application didn't allow it. Then she heard a sound coming in from outside her office and the first gunshot rang. She knew had come for her. The light going off was not ordinary nor was it a power failure. She got afraid and hid under the table and began to crawl to get to the bathroom, but changed her mind and crawled to the door to lock it, and then find a way to get to the window and jump out from there. 

She was still on her way to the door when the person broke the door and walked. Due to the pitch darkness, the person could not see Clara and Clara too, could not see the person. They collided as both of them wanted to move forward and another shot rang out.