☆Chioma
"I think my elder brother is coming. What about you?"
"No one is." I looked at Kris.
"Why?"
"No time. Everyone is busy. And I'm now the eldest child."
"Now?" I asked.
"My elder brother is late."
"Oh my. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay." Kris and I were silent as we kept walking. Buchi came running to us at that moment.
"Chioma, he's here." I smiled.
"Kris, come with me. To meet my eldest brother." I pulled him with me but Buchi, being Buchi, separated our hands and told him to follow us. I sighted the tall handsome young man from afar. I ran to him.
"Nedum!" I embraced my brother. I heard him laugh and I wrapped my legs around him. "Carry me."
"Big baby." He kissed my forehead. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." I saw Kris standing beside us and introduced them to each other. Nedum had a wide smile while Kris...
"He's your brother?"
"Yes." Kris did not look too happy. At all. "What's the matter?"
"Your brother?? Brian Igbokwe!"
"Nice to meet you, Kristopher." Nedum shook his hand. He went closer and whispered something into his ear. Kris tensed up, turned around, and walked away.
"What did you tell him?"
"His fly was kinda open." He was lying. I had, ahem, my eyes had crossed there not too long ago while we were talking. Nothing was wrong with it. Why was Nedum lying? Buchi was looking at the departing Kris.
"Nedum..."
"Forget it. Where do you want to go? I'll take you out."
" Brian." I turned around. What was Kenneth doing here? And how did he know my brother's name?
"Ah, Kenneth. Long time kid."
"I'm not a kid." Nedum laughed.
"Sure, whatever."
"How do you know each other."
"So my sister knows the heir. Nice." What heir? Heir to what?
"Your sister? Vivian is your sister?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, she is. My precious baby." I smiled. "How do you know him?"
"We were paired."
"Wow...that's great. I hope you are taking care of her Kenneth." He looked at me, full of guilt.
"Umm..."
"You're not. I see."
"Brian... I'm...I'm." Wow, the arrogant prince can look this nervous and scared. Shocking.
"Do you have any complaints, Vivian?" I shook my head.
"But I want to switch partners."
"To who?"
"Kristopher. "
"NO!" Both of them said at a time. Kenneth looked away.
"Unfortunately you can't. If you have any complaints tell me. I'll fix him. " I hooked my arms around my brother's. I didn't want to see Kenneth anymore. "Kenneth, later. Be good to her. I know it's difficult. At least for my sake."
"I will."
The fact that Nedum seemed to know Kristopher and Kenneth wasn't the only surprise I received that day. The moment Nedum told Buchi to follow us, we were blocked by someone else. His face was familiar. He looked like Kenneth. A lot. That wasn't the point though.
"Monica." He called me. That was my mom's name. I deduced he knew my mother. But...
"Uncle Kendrick, good day sir." One, Uncle? Two, he knew him too?
"You. Why do I always forget your name?"
"Yiu have not. We both know that."
"Brian. Right? Tch." He frowned them looked at me again. "You're so grown up. The last I saw you, you were so younger, still growing. Vivian. " He even knew my name. "You look exactly like Monica.
"Dad, enough. I didn't know you knew her mother."
"We go way back, Kenneth. Way back."
"Uncle Ken, how's work."
"So so. Tell Manuel I visited." That was dad's name.
"You didn't." The man smiled.
"Do you want to ask her?" Nedum frowned. Mr Kendrick looked at me one last time. "So alike. Very alike. But she's got Manuel's eyes. Kenneth, what do you think?"
"I don't know, dad."
"She'd make a great wi-"
"Uncle, hold it there. Excuse us please, we have to be somewhere." Kendrick smiled.
"Go on, go on. " We left.
"How do you know Kenneth's father? And why call him Uncle?"
"He's your godfather." Wait what? I didn't know. I looked at Buchi. He gave a light nod. He knew? "He gave you your names. Vivian and Jordan. "
"I didn't know." He smiled mysteriously at me.
"It's a good thing you didn't remember him. Jordan, you two should go change into outing clothes. Meet me here."
•••
✿𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓻𝓭 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓟𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓥𝓲𝓮𝔀 ✿
Kristopher was still in shock. Why couldn't her brother be a different person? He had to be one of the people he disliked the most. Brian Igbokwe. That guy ruined everything. "If I were you, I'd leave. You don't want to give a bad impression do you?" He had whispered. His eyes darted to Chioma before he left quickly.
"Kristopher Adeniji."
"Stay away from me! Heartless bas-" he held himself back. "Murderer."
"Murderer?" Brian stepped closer to him. "Me? Adeniji?"
"You took him from us. Because of you, Victor is dead. You killed him."
"And you hate me, don't you?" Kristopher didn't respond. His eyes were filled with anger. "I don't care. I want what belongs to me."
"No!"
"I want it, Kristopher."
"I won't give it to you. Never." Brian laughed sending shivers down his spine.
"Kristopher Ayomide Adeniji, I want Victor's diary."
"Why? So you'd burn it? So no one would know what you are? You're disgusting. You ruined my brother. How could you do that to him? What did Victor ever do to you? Why did you ruin his life?"
"I did not ruin Victor's life!"
"You did. You bent a perfectly straight man. Disgusting. "
"Kristopher!" If Chioma was to see the crazed look on her brother's face, she would think it was someone else. "Victor killed himself. I could never harm him. I loved your brother. A lot. I cared for him. I did everything I could to make him feel better, feel safe with me. "
"Including doing disgusting things, right? You fu- You kissed my brother! You bent him!"
"I'm not here to talk, hand it over."
"It's his. I can't." Nedum sighed, and his face reverted to its original calmness.
"Will you work with me in the future?"
"I will have nothing to do with you in future. Absolutely nothing."
"You really hate me. It breaks my heart."
"Like I care."
"My sister shouldn't know of anything." Kristopher looked at the young man. So she did not know how perverted her brother was. "Hate me all you want but don't say anything to any of my siblings. I beg of you."
----
She was very tense. She wasn't even listening to what her parents were saying. He had come. She knew he had come from his text. "So, how's the progress between you and Kenneth?"
"Mom, dad, I told you before. It can't happen. We're friends. We can't go further. Don't force it on us. I have a partner and he's betrothed to someone else."
"You're still with him? I told you to end that relationship!" Her father was angry but she did not care. He was there. He was approaching. He had arrived.
"Mr and Mrs Essien." He bowed to her parents before looking at her. "Jeiel." He took her hands and kissed them.
"Why are you still together with her?" Her boyfriend smiled.
"Don't you like us together, father-in-law?" Her mother coughed lightly. Even she was surprised. Her father could explode in anger. "Mother, are you alright?"
"I'll pay you as much as you want. Leave my daughter alone. She deserved better."
"No one can love her as much as I do."
"Bah! What love? You only want her money. You'll have it. Just let her be."
"You misunderstand. I don't need your wealth. It's not difficult for empires to fall. Your wealth might not even last that long the way I'm seeing. Am I right, sir?"
Jeiel looked at her boyfriend and then her father. What was he talking about? "If it's the Chukwurahs you are aiming for, I'm sure you know very well he is engaged to someone else. They might consider the bond their children shared but they won't help you."
"I don't want your talk boy, leave my daughter. She deserves better?"
"Example?" He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll be taking her away for some time. We'll be back."
⭑⭑⭑
She panted as she pulled away from the kiss. "What's been bothering you?"
"Me? Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Her heart leapt to her throat. His smile seemed especially wicked. "I'm waiting Jeiel."
"There's nothing."
"Really?" She nodded frantically. "You did it again didn't you?"
"I-I-" she couldn't form words. She was trembling under his gaze.
"Jeiel you promised me. I forgave you."
"I'm sorry."
"You're always sorry. You cheated on me for Christ's sake!" She flinched.
"I-I am v-very so-sorry. It-it won't happen again."
"I told you to stay away from him. Didn't I?" She nodded. "Do you love him?" She shook her head.
"No no. It's you. Only you."
"Then why?"
"It just happened. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She was crying.
"You aborted that thing?" She nodded.
"I won't do it again. I promise. It won't happen again. "
"I trust you." He placed his fingers on her lips. "Sweetheart, stop crying." She couldn't. He was too scary. "Why are you scared of me?"
"I-i'm not."
"Do I look scary? Do I look like I'll harm you? I love you Jeiel. I won't hurt you. I promise. Stop being scared." He hugged her. "Jeiel."
"Yes."
"I'll make you mine."
"I'm yours."
"I love you. I can't lose you."
"You won't."
"I hope so." Both of them didn't know that they were being spied on.
First long chapter in a while. So your thoughts?
Chioma's brother seems to know a lot of people.
You can refer back to Arc One for his case with Kristopher.
And Jeiel...
Well, see you soon. 😘 Thanks for reading.