Chapter 8: Enter Leonard Udeh

Elsie Met Leonard

The nightclub was an overload on the senses, what with pulsing music, flashing lights, and a sea of bodies pulsating about. Elsie stood at the edge of the dance floor, a glass of champagne in her hand - brown cold eyes scanning the place so as to capture the faces in the crowd. Well, she came here with a group of women from university, but then she still felt out of place; she was in her head constantly thinking about the whisperings of her mother about power and control.

When she was sipping her drink, a man approached her. He was tall and handsome, with sharp features and a confident smile; as well, he had an aura of danger that made him almost impossible to ignore. He wore an impeccably fitted suit, hugging tight against his frame, and fixed her with a gaze, making her heart thump.

"You don't belong here," he said in a smooth, teasing voice.

Instantly, Elsie's eyebrow raised, and her defense mechanism sprang into action. "And what would give you that idea?"

He smirked, leaning in slightly. "Because you're too beautiful to blend in with this crowd. You're different, and that's quite a rare thing for a place like this."

That was a spark that Elsie had felt, but she tried to keep a straight face. "And who are you to judge?"

He stretched out an arm, his smile widening. "Leonard Udeh. But my friends call me Leo."

"Elsie Cole," she finally said after a momentary hesitation as she took the offered hand.

Leo's eyes brightened with recognition. "Oh, the famous Mrs. Cole. I've heard so much about you."

Elsie's heart raced. She couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

Leo could see through her Innocence

Over the course of the next few weeks, Leo would come glued to Elsie's life. With his charm, wit, and dangerously convincing ways, he took her to exclusive parties where she would rub elbows with influential personalities who opened her eyes to a section of the city she had never seen before. Life, at least for that time, was lived more than it had ever been with Damian, and it was easy for Elsie to find reasons to fall toward him and yet could not explain it.

On this particular day, after attending one of those lavish parties, Leo took Elsie to a nice secluded viewpoint where both enjoyed a scenic view of the city below. The twinkling city lights created a beautiful backdrop; the quiet night was punctured only with the din of the city's breath. Leo turned to Elsie and cleared his throat.

"Elsie," he said, voice at a low rumble, with a somewhat intimate edge. "You're too good for Damian. Hell, he doesn't appreciate you like I do. You're more than just his wife. You deserve to be adored, to be worshipped."

Every word of his made her heart vibrate, and she knew that she should have separated from him, told him to stop, but she just couldn't because there was something in Leo that made her feel most powerful, most desirable, and in control.

"Leo, I..." she began, but he cut her off, his hand gently cupping her face.

"You don't have to say anything," he whispered. "Just let me show you how much you mean to me."

And before she could protest, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a kiss filled with passion and danger, and Elsie felt herself giving in, her resolve crumbling under the weight of her desire.

Right from that moment, the grounds on which Elsie and Leo had built their relationship turned into a perilous ground of deceit and secrecy. They would meet at various clandestine spots around the city, their rendezvous laced with thrill and danger. Elsie knew she was gambling with fire at the moment but could not stop herself. Leo made her feel completely alive, something Damian had never done, and she was actually addicted to the thrill that such an affair gave. 

Leo had shown himself to be an expert in manipulation and really did know how to keep Elsie hitched to his spell. He flattered her, praised her, and generally treated her like she was his everything while at the same time fanning the flames that would cause doubt in her mind concerning Damian.

"You know Elsie," - one day when they both sat in a very dim bar, "Damian doesn't really love you. He loves the idea of you - the innocent village girl he can mold into his perfect wife. But you're so much more than that. You're a queen, and you're worthy of being treated as such. 

Tears began to well within Elsie's eyes as he poured out his words. She knew such things shouldn't have to be true, but deep down inside her, the truth was apparent. That is because since his eyes spotted her, Damian had wanted her as someone he could shape into an ideal woman for himself, a woman to make his ideal object. On the other hand, Leo looked at her as a woman within the present reality, who desired and cherished her own power, nonstop desires, and ambition.

Weeks turned into months, and Elsie found that she was more and more getting into Leo's trap. Risking everything - her marriage, reputation, and future - all these didn't even bother Elsie. She could really feel alive, almost for the first time in her life.