She picked out several outfits. She picked a lounge dress to wear after her bath and a fancy sequence dress to wear to the party later at night.
She strolled into their large kitchen as Laila got off a call and turned to give her a big smile.
'Great, You are here...lets go over some plans ...so first we have drinks, pre dinner with the aunties, say bye to the aunties, welcome all the eligible guests, "Eligible" I do not throw around that word lightly' she said with a stern face before taking a deep breathe 'Then more drinks and then the final party which is basically like a pre engagement party that gives the eligible singles the opportunity to speed date. More like a ball type thing'
'that sounds very complicated for a hen night'
'Our world is very different, Remi and If I am being honest you might never get use to it' Laila added
'Everything takes time' A familiar voice said behind her and Laila rolled her eyes.
Ophelia.
'Ophelia'Laila said with a fake smile as she turned around to greet the other woman 'You look....eh...well'
'If I am going to be in Attendance I have to look my best'
'I don't remember sending an invite your way....' Remi said non chalantly before adding 'yet'
'Word travels fast Laila, that's enough for me.'
Remi stood aside quietly as she witnessed the tension between them
'well then, seems I have to make last minute changes' She said towards Ophelia
'You should' Ophelia clapped back which made Laila squint her eyes slightly. Ophelia let out a tiny smirk, she had gotten under her skin.
'Remi, I will see you at Grandfather's later tonight' she said before planting a kiss close to her cheeks. she threw a dirty look at Ophelia as she walked past her at the door.
They both stood in silence until Ophelia walked towards the pantry on the other side of the kitchen. Remi proceeded to leave the kitchen to find something to do in preparation for her parents arrival, not that Sarah needed any reminders. She had probably had more things done than her family would ever need or notice.
'You don't have to like me' Ophelia said loudly as Remi was about to step out of the kitchen doors and into the hallway
'Why would you think that' she tried to say without giving away her honest feeling.
'I am a woman, Remi and you have nothing to worry about'
Remi took in a deep breathe and proceeded to leave again
'Do you even know what game you are playing. You cant be a queen of an empty chess board'
Remi stopped in her stride to leave, she took a deep breathe as she finally agreed she would have to deal with Ophelia. The last thing she would ever do is get into a physical fight with another woman over any man. 'what is that suppose to mean'
'Everyone is against you and the people you think are your enemies are the ones with the greatest strength to protect you'
'Like you' Remi said sarcastically
'Like Tobi'
'He isn't my enemy' she replied a little to defensive than she wanted to sound
'but he was and still might be, you are letting your heart lead you Remi. You are in an unfamiliar world and you are not picking swordsmen. Your marriage is going to put you in a battlefield and you are going there with a mere title'
'If you truly want to help me, you will need to use plain words, Ophelia' Remi said walking back into the centre of the kitchen
'From Tomorrow you cant be Remi anymore, You are Mrs Adegeshin-Talabi, You become the most powerful woman in this country and you have no idea what power and enemies await you. The people who came after you are just a taste of the rest of your life'
'You know what, I have to get ready' Remi said, she was shaken and she knew that wouldn't stop Ophelia. She was afraid of the truth she perceived Ophelia was about to drop on her. The truth that gave her nightmares and made her believe in a fairytale even Tobi did not paint but shielded her from by not addressing it.
She turned to leave but Ophelia cornered her with a swift movement.
'You are going to put your self in a den tonight and you know it. You are worlds behind every one in attendance and I can try to help you catch up to speed' she said with a plain face
'It's not that serious' Remi denied as she tried to walk past and to her surprise Ophelia did not stop her
'You are letting yourself believe you are getting married to just any man but you aren't. Tobi is not a Man. You need to let yourself see that. You need to let yourself see the fear he commands from everyone' She said firmly as she took each step closer to Remi. 'He might pretend to be that to you and you can let yourself pick and choose who he is but you will find yourself lost in his ways'
'I am not picking and choosing who I see...' Remi said a bit loudly, making her self conscious
'Do you even know who I am to Tobi?'
she shook her head slowly from side to side
'Take a sit' she gestured but remi did not sit. Ophelia raised an eyebrow to question her choice which made Remi take a sit
'Good...At 10, my drug addicted father gave me up as a placeholder for his debt but he never came back for me. One day, i slept and woke up, found myself in Dubai, sold off to an adventurous sheik who wanted to expand his Haram. He had a business meeting with Grandfather who always took him everywhere, every killing, every blood bath name it. Tobi witnessed it since the age of four. Anyway the generous sheik thought I would be a good nightly gift for the 11 years old boy. When he opened the door to hotel room, I stood in the middle of it, shivering, Timid, scared ...I was naked' she said unshaken
Remi's eyes fluttered with tears
'you don't have to tell me...'
'Oh I do. You've been given the family's history. I need to tell you what you are up against because He would never tell you out of fear of you leaving so I need to give you his history. Everyone in His family would rather die than admit their selfishness for the sake of their legacy. He is the lamb, they call him'
Remi's mind flashed to when she met one of his grandaunts who was in a wheel chair. she had asked Remi 'Keep our lamb safe' at his cousin's, Ola's wedding
'oh grand aunty what are you saying. don't mind her. she's off her meds' Laila had quickly slipped in before taking a sip of her glass and ordering her carer to wheel her away to see her brother, Grandfather.
Remi found it odd but never questioned it. He had disappeared through out the wedding and she had people come up to her as if they were examining her. The event had made her conscious of her class in society.
People had introduced themselves superficially, like they didn't want to but had to and even more so when she and Tobi stood together.
'He is the lamb?' Remi muttered under her breathe'
'You sacrifice one for the greater good of the flock' Ophelia threw in as she handed Remi a cup of tea 'You don't have to drink it, I might have poisoned it'
'Thank you' Remi said, before taking a sip. At that moment Remi felt they had created some form of trust bond 'what happened afterwards'
Ophelia smiled softly as if to agree that Remi was now asking the right questions
'He covered me up. sat me down, said he had no interest in me. Bathed me because he hated the amount of perfume I had been drowned in. Put me to bed beside him. whispered the words, I would protect you. To me from a kid the word meant nothing but I was mistaken. I soon found out how much power he had. While I slept he had decided to take me back with him, on the flight home I got the worse stare from his grandfather. Since the age of 4 he lived with his grandfather and was allowed to go home for dinner 4 times a year. No one ever questioned or asked who I was. It was like a memo had been sent out and nobody questioned him. I still don't know how he let his grandfather agree to it'
'Laila...'
'She hates me'
'Why?'
'She believes I took her place'
'How'
'Because I am much closer to her brother who cant stand the sight of her'
Remi's mind flashed back to earlier in the morning, he had walked by her like she was a ghost.
'He believed If she had come as a male then he wouldn't have gone through what he had gone through. She also looked so much like their grandmother that she got even more love and care from grandfather and everyone else. Everybody thinks she's sweet and kind and she does a good job at it but I know the real her'
'Well, shee...' Remi stopped, she didn't have anything to say, she didn't think of Laila as anything more than a sister in law she didn't need to be close to as her husband never mentioned her.
'I can still picture her face from across the table, that Christmas dinner. Tobi had brought me along to visit his parents at their home for the fourth dinner of the year and she rushed to the door and saw me. The look she gave me for a 12 years old child scared me.At the next dinner at grandfather's to celebrate Christmas I got really sick and almost died'
'no..you dont think...'
'Nobody thought much of it but Tobi did which caused him to steer farther away from her. He never confronted her about it but I believe she knows he knew'
'I am so sorry'
'I owe Tobi my life, I do as he says without questions. He is my family and I can see he is letting his guard down because of you'
'What's wrong with that?'
'Nothing.. but he is doing it for someone who is unaware of what it takes to protect him'
'What does it take'
'Remi, you've seen what he has done to protect you' she said drawing closer to the counter remi sat at
'Yes' she said quickly as the memory of him shooting the men who had tried to kill her came to mind
'It's takes that and more' she said as she stared straight into Remi's eyes 'Let me ask you. Why do you think Grandfather let Tobi marry you and dont tell me its because it good for the press. Give the man some credit'