"Leo, are you still knowledgeable enough about law?"
"Yes, Boss." Leo smiled from ear to ear.
Ryxel checked his wrist watch and they were only two minutes left for his meeting with the French to commence.
"I don't like absent minded people, Leo! You loose your focus too fast for my liking."
"Yes, Boss?" He asked failing to register what Ryxel was saying.
Ryxel simply ignored and strode to his office with Leo right behind him.
__
"Morning."
"Morning Caramel. You are up so early." He noted with observation.
"Yeah."
"That too fully dressed." He added.
"Yeah. Thanks to you. Thank you for the new wardrobe collection."
"Do you like it?" He asked.
"I do. Thank you." She smiled.
He did not say anything. He just looked at her and his eyes spoke. They glowed like a moon on the eclipse night. They smiled.
He was content if she was.
"The leather did not escape my eyes." She winked and a slight chuckle escaped his plump bouncy lips.
"You haven't told me why you are up so early. It's only 6:18am." He authoritatively said bandaging up the amusement on his face caused by her flirtous action.
"And you have not replied to my gratitude." She angrily pouted.
When he still did not say anything, she decided to let him be, "Anyway, Ryxel, I went back to work after a long period of time so I have multiple tasks unattended to. A lot of paper work." She explained to him but his face wore rather a confused and cross look.
Karmale took the hint and said, "Ryxel, you may have told Mr. Jeopardenn to reduce on my work load for the first two days but some things are just inevitable. It's not like he can reduce it all to merely nothing. Impossible."
Her words left him astonished and lost for words.
"How did she read the look on my face? I never let anyone do that! Is she that swift with observation?" He wondered in more amazement.
"Ryxel, don't twitch your eyebrows. You don't look good." She said straightening them out with either of her thumbs.
It was easy for her to reach his face for he was sitted and she was standing.
"Better." She said contented with the improvement she had brought about on his exquisitive face.
"Ryxel allow me explain further so that you don't have to strain due to confusion. I was also assigned some tasks by a colleague of mine, Shaun."
"And who is this Shaun?"
"I said it already. He is my mate at office. Our employer promoted him so he cannot handle a lot at the moment. He asked me to help out hence handing me part of his responsibilities. I think me and him are going to be working more closely and often now."
"Is he the skinny guy who was desperate for your time the day to your office. On New year's?"
Caramel kept quiet that incident revisiting her mind.
"Oh I forgot!" Ryxel snapped.
"And you were flirting with him in my face." He laughed.
"No, I wasn't."
"Oh my Caramel." He pulled her down and she sat on his lap.
"You are not to be in close contact with that weaning cow."
"Are you going to start dictating who I keep company with, Ryxel?"
"I already do." He diabolically smirked. His harsh voice laced with sheer pride.
"It's just that I want to be more specific now." He added.
"That is rude and so intrusive of you, Ryxel."
"I don't care, Caramel." He locked his gaze with hers.
"But-" she tried to protest but she stopped not even mid-way.
"No, Caramel. Don't say anything. I know where that sentence is heading to. It's another one of your defiance things that I am not going to allow."
"You get me?" He coolly asked and she nodded.
"Speak."His right thumb touched her left temple to direct her speech. He soothingly stroked and her eyes closed in stimuli to his touch. Her head repelled the action to infinity but her body adored and warmly consented to it. She badly wanted to get off of him but she couldn't.
He leaned in and with all her senses in wild stance, her lips parted in invitation to his. Her palms sweaty on his trousers, she moved in a little bit. Only a thin inch was left between their lips.
"I don't want you communicating to that Shaun guy." Ryxel's rough voice coldly fanned her pinna.
Her face wore absolute disappointment as her eyes opened and her lips sealed.
"I'm I clear?"
"Professionally at least?" She asked.
"Okay." He agreed with a huff.
"Fair enough."
"Okay, get your big ass off me and get to work." Ryxel mindlessly said.
"You first remove your big hand from around my waist." She retorted.
"Oh." He said realisation hitting him that he was still holding her. He immediately let his hand fall to his side and she stood up.
Karmale grabbed the third dinning chair away from Ryxel and started off with her work.
In the middle of it all, her phone buzzed to indicate an incoming message. She looked at Ryxel who was engrossed in whatever was on his laptop then at her phone.
Just as she was stretching her hand to pick it up.
"Give me that phone, Caramel." Ryxel said with his eyes never leaving his device.
"What? Why?"
"You have a lot to do and you want to reply a text that will eventually lead to a conversation. Before you know it she would have called and you won't finish your work in time. Pass me your phone."
"Fudge!" She cursed from within. "Okay, let me bring it." She painfully smiled.
She slowly stood up from her chair and pressed the hollow button on her phone to light up the screen and there was a very long message from Ella.
She read it and excitedly screamed, "Oh my God. Ryxel can I please first reply to this?"
"Phone, Caramel." With a bored expression, he stretched out his hand and she reluctantly placed her phone in his wide palm.
"This is so unfair." She shrugged and went back to her seat."
Her phone buzzed again. She elongated her neck so as to steal a glance at the new message before the screen went black again but Ryxel removed it from her side and put it on his other side.
"Oh God, let him go somewhere and I can steal my phone." She silently prayed.
God listened to his believer's request. Ryxel got up and headed to the kitchen. Karmale watched as his figure retreated and walked over to his place to pick her phone. It was not there.
"Oh God, don't tell me he carried it with him as he was leaving!"she hopelessly prayed.
She heard his footsteps and run back to her chair. She picked up her pen and pretended to hit it against her temple as if in deep thought.
Ryxel came back with a glass of ice cold water and a mug of coffee.
He handed her the coffee and he drank the water.
"Thank you."
"No problem." He replied his attention back on his laptop.
"Ryxel.''
"Mmmmhn." He hummed in response.
She shifted from her seat to the chair that was nearest to Ryxel.
"How does someone take cold water very early in the morning? I mean it's chilly and you are taking ice cold water. Is it even healthy?" She asked with her eyes preying her phone.
"Those are very many questions in a row but I want to take it so I am taking it." He answered while he was typing away.
"Oh okay but why?"
"Caramel, stop this interrogation at once and go do your work."
"Okay." She said still eyeing her buzzing phone.
"Ryxel can I sit next to you as I do my work?"
"I don't mind."
"Thank you." She hurriedly carried all her files to Ryxel's other side where her phone was.
He was too focused on his own business that he did not notice the side on which she was sitted.
Karmale scattered her papers and eventually picked her phone.
"Caramel."
"Yes." She jumped up for Ryxel had startled her.
"Why are your eyes under the table yet your work is on the table?" He suspiciously eyed her.
"Ryxel, my pen had fallen down." She lied.
Ryxel picked up all her papers and put them together only to reveal her pen on the table and an empty side on the table where his laptop sat.
"Prove me wrong, please. Are you texting from under the table, Karmale?"
"No!" She denied and he raised one of his eyebrows in serious question.
"Okaaaaay. Fine." She shrugged.
"Give me the phone and move to that chair and do your work from there." He said pointing to the last chair that was opposite his.
At exactly 7:30am, breakfast was served. At 8:30am, Karmale and Ryxel left for their different destinations.
At 9:00am, Karmale arrived at her work place.
She entered the board room to find her colleagues settled but no new faces at all.
She sat down next to Karta and Oscar. Karta on her right and Oscar on her left.
"Guys, where are they?" She whispered.
Before they could respond someone else whispered in her ear.
"Karmale come and sit next to me."
"I am fine where I am sitted Shaun." She politely declined.
"It's Mr. Jeopardenn's order."
"I don't want the spotlight, Shaun."
"You are good, Karmale and you deserve it."
"I've not been so involved of recent so I'm not as good as I was."
"Come on, Karmale. Don't worry about that. Just come." He said helping her carry some of her files.
"We can even discuss different cases. We can share knowledge and help out each other."
"Okay."she followed.
It was not after twenty minutes that the awaited for people came.
Jeopardenn walked in with two older men and surprisingly a woman who looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She looked elegant and proud.
The smartly dressed lady looked at Karmale with recognition and the latter did the same just that her look her disgust laced to it.
"Good morning. These are Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Peterson and Miss-"
"Please, Mr. Jeopardenn, don't worry about it. I will introduce myself when the discussion furthers." She rudely interrupted but Mr. Jeopardenn did not take offence of any kind.
"Sure, miss."
"Good morning." Was heard everywhere in the room.
The two men and the lady sat.
"You will forgive us for the late coming. Actually, we are very time cautious people but no one can defy what the Almighty has brought into existence. Our friend here Mr. Hawkins is sick so, that held us back a bit. Nevertheless we are here.
Sincere apologies." The lady concluded registering all the somewhat familiar faces around her that attentively listened in.
"Most of you have seen me here before though for a very different purpose compared to the one I am here for this frigid morning." She warmed her palms and chuckled.
"My name is Marie. That is what they call me at home." She said looking at Karmale.
"Professionally, I'm Maria Kane."she smiled.
"But you can all call me Marie. I don't mind. You are like family and we are going to be seeing each other more often." She said fixing her gaze on Karmale.
"Traveling other faces she said, "I like to keep it brief so I will go straight to the point. Before we came in here, my colleagues and i, discussed with your boss. We are an external firm that has well trained and highly experienced lawyers and this City's law firm wishes to seek our assistance. Right, Mr. Jeopardenn?"
"Right, Miss Kane."
Karmale looked up from her phone that was under the table. She looked at her boss then at her elder sister then her concentration was back to her phone.
"So-- Hale, you still carry around that bad habit of texting from under the table?" Marie reprimanded in question and everyone shifted their eyes and attention from her to Karmale who hurriedly pressed the side of her phone to turn it off.
"Is that part of your discussion, Miss Kane?" Karmale asked her voice full of sour attitude and mockery. They stared at each other with unnamed bitterness.
"Marie, that's Karmale for all of us. We are used to it. Trust me, she is listening just that she is bored a bit." Karta said as if helping out with the situation.
"Well, I am not here to entertain anyone." Marie shouted at Karta but she was looking at Karmale instead.
" This is not a circus either way." Karmale retorted.
"Anyway, as I was saying. Mr. Jeopardenn and my team agreed on having seminars. We are going to host seminars to equip the lawyers of this firm with skill and more knowledge. They will last two days. Our very best lawyers will help out. Thank you." She concluded and took up her seat.
"The floor is open for interaction." Mr. Hawkins put forth. "Anything you young lawyers want to air out, we are open for question."
"Where exactly will the seminars be held?" A woman asked.
"That will be at our firm. It's fifty miles from here." Peterson answered.
"What will the schedule be like?" Shaun asked.
"The schedule will be emailed to you all later on this evening. Besides that, you guys will have to drive to our premises and the activities will be carried out effectively."
"When does the seminar start?" Karmale asked.
"Not until next-"Hawkins was interrupted.
"Tomorrow." Marie cut in."
"That early?" Oscar asked.
"Yes, Mister. Can't you make it?" Maria harshly inquired.
"I can." He said instantly detesting her rude behaviour.
"Okay, Councillor Oscar. The meeting ends here. Any other queries you would like to address?"
"No, thank you, Mr. Jeopardenn." He smiled.
"Okay."
Every one exchanged a handshake as they left the room but not Karmale and Marie.
Marie and her team stayed behind with Jeopardenn and Shaun to come to terms with somethings.
__
At midday, Marie and her team suggested that they two firms have lunch together. The bill was entirely on them. Jeopardenn, was in love with the idea. It was one that would ignite a strong bond. He unhesitatingly cast a vote for it.
"A meal wouldn't hurt." He said," but I would rather we split the bill."
"No, please. That won't be necessary. We want to have it all on us." Marie offered.
"Okay. If you chose to Miss Kane."
They went out for lunch. Karmale did not want to but Karta talked her into it.
__
It was at one of the fancy restaurants in the city where they sat together for a meal.
They had hardly started taking their food orders when Karmale excused herself and went to the washroom.
"Excuse me too." Someone else said and followed Karma to the lavatory.
"Hale!"
"Here comes drama! What do you want Marie?" Karmale said closing the tap in front of her. She wiped her face with a handkerchief from her purse
"I don't know if anyone was useful enough to inform you that I was literally hanging around your law firm like a fly on garbage." She said crossing her hands against her chest.
"Yeah, so?" Karmale, just like her sister crossed her hands across her chest.
"Hale, I don't like that stinking attitude of yours!" Marie shouted.
"I too loathe the rude judgemental description you have of me!" Karmale equally shouted.
"You don't just come up to me and call my attitude stinking. Yes, I am bitchy at times but that doesn't mean you are the holy Virgin Mary, bitch!" Karmale screamed.
"Regardless, my attitude is all I gat. So if you don't like it, you can jolly well go to hell!" That was Karmale again. She waved off her elder sister.
"Hale, you ought to give me respect." Marie coolly said. She was biting the inside of her cheek to hold back her lava hot rage.
"Suck it up! I will never!" Karmale rudely shouted.
"Karmale, you suck it and stop being a bitchy and ungrateful woman."
"I was never ungrateful, Marie. You guys are the ones who don't desire me enough. Anyway, you don't deserve someone as good as me." She motioned to her chest and let her hands lazily fall away.
"Hale, stop those stupid and selfish ideologies you have. Who the hell would never desire their own family? I think you are reading a lot of toxic stuff about child abuse."
"No, I am not. I don't have to even if I wanted to. I experienced it and that's enough to create the ideologies you call selfish and stupid. I am trying very hard to stay away from all of you. You are the toxic ones, not anything or anyone else. Just my so called family."
Marie swung her hand behind her and it landed on Karmale's cheek.
"Shut up, Karmale Hale Kane. Family is never toxic. Say it one more time and I will-."Marie warned with her index finger pointing to her young sister whose face was filled with wetness.
"What-what will you do? Hit me again?" She chuckled bitterly.
"You guys are ineffably toxic. Too toxic." She said it again but Marie did not slap her for the second time.
"Okay, fine. Yes, we are some poisonous stuff. Toxic you said, right? But you Karmale are selfish." She said poking her in the chest.
"You are so selfish, Karmale. So self-centred that you cannot see how much we all love you. Oh and before you say anything about that woman who mothered you, let me rather speak about her. I always came to your office to check on you by her request. She selflessly cares about her daughter who only thinks about herself. Karmale when she heard that you were not at office anymore, she almost lost it. She had the wildest thoughts but never lost hope in the one above. She knew her hatred filled daughter still existed."
"Don't say such things about me, Marie! Staying away from you guys is not termed as hate. That's so harsh."
"Keep it down, I'm talking. Yeah, I know you have not any respect for your elders whatsoever but keep quiet, I'm talking."
"Karmale we always begged you to come home but no, you always refused and that man, Ryxel, i don't know what he gave you and boom! You were going with him. I don't know but I don't think mum's suspicion is wrong."
"Don't drag Ryxel into this!"
"Don't worry. I am not going to do that. He is the least of my concern right now."
"Good! And please don't think you are going to drag me home with you."
"I am not here to take you home with. We are way past that. You are mature enough to decide where you want to stay and with whom." That statement somehow disappointed Karmale.
"I am here to talk some sense into your rigid brain. You should know that we are your family Karmale Hale 'Kane'. We are blood. We love you so if you think otherwise, wipe your poisoned mindset."
"I personally, pledged this meal so that I could talk to you. Had I come straight to you, you would have ridiculously shouted and embarrassed the both of us." She dismissively said.
"That's not true." Karmale defended.
"Don't act like you don't know your own actions when you are overwhelmed by resentment. Forget us, at least remember how you treat men who try wooing you by the street side." Marie scoffed.
"Whatever though! You are still saying we don't desire you enough, right?" Marie asked.
Karmale turned away but that did not stop Marie from talking.
"Karmale, I am the one who pressured my colleagues to allow to talk to your Boss. I realized it would be a good opportunity for me. That way I would come to see you for mum's satisfaction without having to look for some weird reason to present whenever I come to see you and you do not even want to see me. I suggested the seminar just so that my young sister would learn from me. I don't want to brag but I know how good I am. I wanted to be the one who tutored my own sister. I love you, Hale. I want the very best for We all do but I don't know where you get from those weird thoughts that we don't love you." Marie cried.
"Okay, I have listened and I am happy you asked that last question cause whenever we talk- no, wait, we never talk we just argue, quarrel with each other and fight whenever you turn up." She laughed a sad one.
"But that's okay. I am so accustomed to it. Marie, why would someone who loves another deny them what they need the most?"
"Don't use riddles, Karmale. Go straight to the point."
"Why? So that you know and ignore it like you always do? Actually all of you do. Everyone at home ignores it. It's weird don't you think so? Hmmmn. Whenever I talk about how mum used to treat me when I was young, the drowning and all that-" she flinched, "everyone acts like it's nothing. They all act like nothing ever happened. They just cover it up with some lame excuse. As for you, you dismiss it."
"Karmale."
"No, Marie, I gave you a chance to speak. Now I will talk and you will listen without interrupting me."
"You always say, "Karmale, that's an old story. It's history. Drop it and move on. But how am I supposed to drop something as traumatic as that. At times, I even fear to shower. Other times, I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself standing before a swimming pool. I sometimes fear the water and others I want to drown in it. I want to kill myself that way. It weird and disturbing. But you think it's all stupid and a memory I am trying to hold onto so that I cannot forgive mum."
"You said it yourself. Karmale, you are holding a grudge against mum. Let it go. That's all in the past." She consoled and extended to touch her sister.
"And what about me, Marie? What about what I go through? What about that? Doesn't it matter? There even reached a point whereby I had to sleep next to someone so that I don't have nightmares. Just to hold me at night so that I don't run out and try to drown myself! What about that, Marie?" Karmale blazed with fury.
"What did you say? Are you sleeping with someone, Karmale? Is it Ryxel? Are you staying at his place? Is that why you where never at your apartment? I also went there by the way!"
"That's none of your business, Marie."
"Yeah. I know. I am not that intrusive anyway. I just care to know where you are and if you are safe. Judging by your splendid appearance, he must be taking good care of you. That's all that matters."
"Yeah, he does."
"Now I know. Even the guys in black who follow you are around. At least your security is top notch. That is enough for us. You're safe and that comforting for us."
"But you should consider coming back home sometime, Hale. We are your people. We may have hurt you but we will never betray you like any friend may ever do.
"What are trying to insinuate?"
"Karmale, don't trust Ryxel too much."
"What do you know about him? You have not seen him before so you cannot say such harsh things about him."
"Don't get so defensive Karmale. His actions will speak for him."
"As for your best friend, Riella-"
"Marie, please."
"See you at the seminar, Karmale." Marie cleaned a stray tear and left the washroom.
Karmale stood before the bathroom mirror and took in her reflection. Gradually, something watery and salty escaped her organs for sight. The lawyer broke down and cried.
She bent over the sink to muffle her screams between the heavy sobbing.
She wailed for her family, for her best friend and for the...
Mafia Mobster.
#MADAM LAWYER.
This chapter just killed me 😭 Karmale is like my best friend so making her cry just killed me. 😭
Anyway, how did you all like Maria?
And how did you love this chapter?
I decided to update a day after I had just updated cause I hardly update. So there it is. I had actually thought about doing a marathon but...lazy me refuses to do that...😭💔💃
I'm sorry y'all for any disappointments and for unedited work. Please bare with me.
I'm so busy and when I'm free💃🧘, I'm lazy.🤦
Sorry. I love you guys.❤️
Have a great day/night.❤️✨❤️
Don't forget to vote.✨
Authoress
Andria 💋