Stolen Paradise: Perfection

Chapter Five

Two days later, Derek began an official visit to his friends' houses and hung out to catch up especially because he will be starting work officially at his father's work soon. Since he arrived, his father has not come home and he in turn decide to wait till he comes to surprise him. After helping his mother with lunch, Derek left to pay his brother in law a visit at his office.

When he got there, he found that Antonio was not there so he enquired about his whereabouts.

"He is on leave for a few days."

"Thank you. Please give me his number."

"And you are?"

Derek smiled at Antonio's secretary,

"Derek Bayo Olanrewaju, his brother in law."

"The Derek of Olanrewaju Group? Wow! It is my pleasure to meet you Sir. I am sorry I did not recognize you at first."

"That's not an issue, please spare me, it is not as if I'm some celebrity."

"It is just that your family, especially your sister is such an inspiring public figure."

"Thank you." He responded and collected Antonio's number.

***

As Derek drove to Antonio's home, he wondered why he has not heard anything about his sister especially from their mother who could rarely go a day without mentioning Funmi's name. He was about to get to Antonio's house when his mother called him and told him to come back home immediately. He argued that he was on his way to check Antonio but she called him off. He turned back and headed to the mansion.

A lot of things were strange to Derek. Since he came back, the joy he felt on arrival had disappeared, his mother looked unhappy most of the time and his brother and his wife whisper a lot to themselves and sometimes he heard Funmi's name being mentioned. To solidify his suspicions he called his sister's phone but found it was switched off. Nobody mentioned that she travelled out of the country so he knew for a fact that she did not leave the country. He decided he was going to break the silence once he got home.

As he drove inside, he found his father's car parked inside the reserved parking space for it. He parked his car and walked inside, only to find his parents seated across each other and giving each other the evil eye. Upon laying eyes on him, Chief Olanrewaju jumped out his seat in shock and embraced his son happily. After exchanging pleasantries and catching up, Mrs. Olanrewaju got up to prepare dinner because Dele and Kemi were coming to spend the evening with them. Unknown to them, it was her plan to disgrace and expose their father.

"I will join Mummy in the kitchen, please excuse me."

"Derek, the kitchen is a woman's place, I have told you that times without number."

"No Dad, anyone can cook and Mummy taught us well and even Funmi helped me too."

The sound of Funmi's name brought a sudden change in the atmosphere, giving him more reason to believe they were hiding some things from him about his sister and her husband.

Dele and Kemi arrived and joined the other members of the family for dinner. They talked at length about Derek's achievements and how very soon he would be joining the family business. After desserts were eaten and they were reclining at the living room, Derek saw the right time to get the ball rolling.

"So, where is the baby of the house? Why is she not here yet? I called Antonio earlier and he was so happy that I was back but he was shocked alright."

Nobody responded and soon they were saved by the doorbell. They all seemed to rise at once to escape the discussion about Funmi.

"What is going on? Are we all going to open the door? All I asked was a question about my sister and no one is willing to talk, not even her best friend."

"Derek, keep your voice down, we have a visitor." His mother reprimanded him and she went to the door. She opened and Antonio walked in with a weak smile plastered on his face. She gave him a cold look and turned away, walking back to the living room.

She sat down and Antonio came in and greeted them. Derek stood up happily, believing that his sister should not be far behind. He greeted Antonio but Funmi was not with him.

"How are you doing and where is my sister? I hope she is not giving you a hard time. You know what these independent and successful women are like sometimes; strong-willed and a little controlling at times. I hope she is not ordering you around like a house boy." Derek chuckled but no one else joined him.

"Derek, Funmi is gone." Dele broke the news.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Derek asked, confused.

"She packed her thing and disappeared. No one knows where she is because she left her phone behind, so we cannot get in touch with her. We emailed her severally but no response came."

Derek looked at his brother carefully and then at everyone else. By this time, Mrs. Olanrewaju was boiling in anger.

"Why would she do that? She just got married and what about her businesses and the orphanages?" Derek was appalled.

"She left them in the care of her lawyer." Dele supplied.

Mrs. Olanrewaju stood up and went to the kitchen. She a got a big bowl, filled it with water and poured in a lot of dish washing liquid. She brought it to the living room and poured it on her husband's head.

"Mum!" Derek and Dele gasped in shock.

"What is going on?" Derek asked, totally horrified by his mother's action.

Chief. Olanrewaju was dripping wet and Kemi stood up to help him but the look from her mother in law stopped her in her tracks.

"What is this madness Bunmi?" He bellowed as his expensive Brioni Vanquish II suit dripped to the floor.

Mrs. Olanrewaju busted into tears and with agony revealed the wickedness he was trying so hard to hide.

"Your father used your sister as a collateral for the loan he obtained from the Babalola family. He used her as a collateral through the marriage to Antonio. No wonder you forced her into a miserable marriage and convinced me to tag along on your journey of insanity."

"Wait Mummy. What loan? What collateral? Didn't Antonio ask her to marry him?" Derek's heart began to beat a little faster, nervous about the truth that could be dropped at his feet at any moment.

The next hour that followed, Mrs. Olanrewaju tabled down everything from the loan to the abusive marriage that Funmi was trapped in.

"So tell your father to bring back my daughter." She ordered and left the house, got inside her car and drove out.

Derek knew his father was no good with raising their sister but he never thought his hatred for his only daughter could generate so much disaster. Derek was upset and felt a mixture of emotions and in order to contain his grief, quickly asked Antonio to leave. He retired to his room and left his brother and his wife with their father behind. His heart was too sore to comprehend the news. The girl he helped to bring up. The daughter and princess of their home went missing and nobody bothered to ensure she was found just because she made an order to let her be. His heart ached harder as he thought about how and where he should look for her. These thoughts plagued his mind for hours until he fell asleep and escaped into the world of the night time and temporary bliss.