Damien's attraction

Chapter 7

October ran her sweaty hands on her jumpsuit before she pressed the doorbell. The gate man had already let her in and the guards at the corners of the huge compound already knew she was supposed to be here because they did not even move when she came in.

The Ekwegh mansion was luxurious. It was like you could literally smell money when you were driving into the compound.... especially when you had been in a taxi and you stuck your head out to breathe in fresh air; you could smell the difference in atmosphere. She wasn't exaggerating.

Yup, she came in here in a taxi. Did she want to further embarrass herself with her dead car?

The compound was as big as an estate. The mansion was a white five-storey building with glass windows, a glass roof and a huge glass door that October could literally see her reflection in.

She had been here with her mother so many times when she was young, that being when Damien was schooling abroad, but now she could really see its beauty. She could vividly remember that there was a large swimming pool behind the house, the garage was so big it could contain six cars and the garden was an understatement. It was one of her favourite places.

Now, the only thing she was afraid of was William Amaechi Ekwegh seeing her.

After what she did to his son, she didn't think he would be pleased to see her.

The door opened and October was met with a face she all too well recognised.

"Hello, angel."

"Good afternoon Matthew." October greeted the aged doorman. Matthew was a carefree but strict man who had a few noticeable strands of hair left on his head.

"It's been four years, I think?" He asked.
As always, he was smiling wide.

"Six." October corrected.

"You've grown so much. How time flies." He said and she walked in as he stepped away from the doorway. "The madam will see you in the parlour downstairs. You don't need directions, right?"

"Of course not. I remember the way." October smiled warmly. He returned the smile and then walked away while October made her way to the living room on the underground floor of the house.

She went down a series of stairs before she got to the underground living room. A lot of things had changed. She stood and admired the whole room. Her gaze moved to the pictures in frames hung on the wall. She sighed and sat on one of the sofas. There was a rather small TV there but she thought it had something to do with the fact that the underground living room was mostly used for business meetings. The other living rooms had huge TVs, the kind a family could hide behind and no one would be seen.

She scrunched her eyebrows when she heard footsteps. It sounded like someone was descending the stairs; more like some people. The sounds stopped so soon that she figured that they were still standing on the stairs.

She slowly moved beside the stairs and peeped. Her eyes widened at who she saw. She quickly turned away.

No way!
Damien Ekwegh was back. And he was at home, in the same room with her, and the worst part, he was not alone.

"Damien, why are you being like this? All of a sudden, you're engaged to Jessica, you stopped calling, receiving my calls or texting me back, what is this?"

October recognised the voice. It belonged to someone she hadn't spoken to in years- someone who had abandoned her the moment her life took a volte-face.

October scoffed.

And she was one to talk about abandoning.

"Look Stephanie, for one, I never called you like the way you are making it seem. And two, I just arrived in Nigeria. Can you please go elsewhere and be a burden to someone else? I'm already tired as it is."

"Are you asking me to leave?" Stephanie asked.

"No."

"Better." Stephanie said.

"I'm telling you to get out." Damien said.

Stephanie scoffed.
"Are you playing with me, Damien?"

"I shouldn't see you when I get back."

October heard the shuffling of feet and she guessed Damien was leaving. She walked to the stairs when she was sure she couldn't hear his footsteps any longer. Stephanie was so shocked when she saw October but she immediately masked her expression with a scowl.

"What are you doing...." Stephanie paused and inhaled. "How much of it did you hear?"

"All." October said after a moment of silence. Stephanie nodded and turned to go.

Was that it? Was that all she was going to say after everything? Sometime ago,  they had been best friends.

"Stephanie." October called her. Stephanie halted but didn't turn. "Until when are you going to keep avoiding me?"

"Until you stop caring." She answered and with that, she ascended the rest of the stairs till she went out of view.