** Aoki - Ai Tominaga **
"Kerry, wake up!" Sumaya shook me out of my sleep. I had come home Friday night exhausted. This ad campaign was draining me physically, mentally and especially emotionally. Aoki had still not left the country. Like a good business woman, she stuck around and ensured everything went smoothly. Tomorrow, the billboards, magazine spreads and one minute commercials would all be released. My work was done. I came straight, went straight to my bed and fell asleep.
Sumaya was still shaking me, insisting I wake up so I rolled over and faced her.
"You might want to see this" she said and I could sense the urgency just seeing the troubled look on her face.
I got out of bed in my crumpled work clothes and followed her to the living room. We stopped behind the couch and faced the television. My mind was still foggy as I looked at the screen. Why was my photo on the TV screen?
My mind cleared as I heard the news host say my name then my nightmare began. "Yes people we have a love triangle" the news host said with enthusiasm that made me sick then a slide show of photos of me and Dom rolled by on the screen.
"In an interview earlier this evening, Aoki broke down and told everyone how an assistant at Chase Men stole Dom from her. The interview was about the upcoming collaboration between her, Dominic Chase and Lucas Wole, but when asked what it was like working with her ex fiancée so closely, Aoki lost composure which is rare and mentioned how Kerington Effah is the reason behind Dom breaking off their engagement"
I gripped the back of the couch for support.
The woman wasn't done yet. My nightmare continued.
"Now we checked into Miss Kerington Effah's background and what do you know? It runs in the family. Her name sounded familiar earlier? Here's why. Remember the scandal involving one of city's biggest lawyers Benjamin Effah cheating on his wife with a bar-hand while she was on military duty serving our dear country? Well Miss Effah is the product of that affair between Benjamin Effah and his then mistress Seli Kerington. You would think Kerington would learn from her mother's mistakes and keep away from other women's men"
I couldn't breathe. I watched as they replayed a snippet of Aoki's confession from the famous interview. She was lying! I started to cry and Sumaya just held me, trying to console me but I cried even harder.
The banging on our door snapped my attention to the door through my tears. If it was Dom, I did not want to see him now. Sumaya left me huddled on the floor behind the couch and went to open the door. I was so relieved to see my father and aunt Jamila come rushing in that I started to cry once more.
My dad crouched next to me and then pulled me up from the floor. He led me to the couch and held my trembling body there, stroking my back. Once I calmed down a little, Sumaya brought me a glass of water to drink.
"I will crush them, I will bury them under lawsuits" my dad's voice shook with anger.
"It's a lie, dad. She lied!" I managed to say before tearing up again.
"I know, baby. I know" he assured me.
"Your mother is on her way" aunt Jamila said to us.
Someone knocked loudly on the door and then I heard Dom's voice, "Kerry! Kerry, please let me in"
My dad was about to answer the door when aunt Jamila stopped him. She stood blocking the door when she opened it.
"Dominic, now is not a good time"
"Please let me just see her" he pleaded.
He walked in the minute she stood aside and tried to reach for me when my dad rose his hand to block him.
"You've seen her now leave. You let this happen. Now go" my dad said with a clenched jaw.
"Kerry?" Dom looked at me pleading me with his eyes to come to him.
I held my dad tighter as i looked away from him. My dad got up, pulling me up with him.
"Kerry, let's go before those people show up here to take photos. You're safer in my house" he said and it was more of a command than a suggestion.
I nodded meekly and did not look at Dom. He walked me out with aunt Jamila in tow and got me into his car. I curled up in the backseat and continued crying. My tear ducts were a bottomless well tonight, the tears just kept coming.
I lay quietly till we got to my dad's place. My mum's car was parked out from and she ran from the porch to me. She took me from my father and hugged me so tight then we silently cried together out here in front of my dad's house. Sumaya's car pulled up and my dad held my mum and I as we got into the house.
My mum and I shared a room that night. She held me as I slept. My mother rocked her twenty-six year old daughter to sleep and even then I had a restless night.
The next morning I woke up feeling so emotionally drained that I lay blankly staring at the wall. I heard my mother stir next to me.
"Kerry, are you awake"
I mechanically shook my head.
"Kerry, please look at me"
I turned over and looked at her. She was sitting up with her back on the headboard. She was watching every movement of my facial muscles.
"Are you okay to get out of bed now?" She asked slowly. I shook my head.
There was a soft knock on my door then the door opened by a crack. Sumaya stuck her head in first then let herself into the room when she saw we were awake. She said nothing as she walked up to the bed, climbed in and lay next to me. She held my hand and I just focused on that.
My mum left us and we lay like that till I drifted off to sleep once more. I woke up an hour later to find myself alone in my room. I needed water so I walked silently to the kitchen. I got close to the connecting door between the corridor and the living room and heard my dad yelling, "She attacked my daughter, my family!"
Then I heard a female voice which I recognized to be Mrs. Chase say calmly, "She came after my family too"
"What?" My dad said and I hid behind the wall listening in.
"Dominic called her and threatened to pull out of the campaign. He also exchanged some harsh words with her and then Nick went on air this morning slumming her too. She fired back, Benjamin. It's all over the news"
"We've kept the TV off because of Kerry" he informed her.
"That skeleton in the Chase family closet? She put it right out there for the world to see. Chris has refused to speak to us. She twisted the story and now let's just say either way, we don't come out winning" Mrs. Chase said and I could almost hear the sob caught in her throat.
"She is a freaking sociopath!" My dad said
"Kerry?" My mum's voice startled me. She had found me. I hadn't heard her coming.
I came out of my hiding place and came face to face with my dad and Mrs. Chase.
"Kerry, how are you feeling" my dad's voice softened as he held me.
"Not great" I mumbled.
"I heard you two talking" I admitted when I pulled away, "What is she telling the world now? I'm going to find out so please just tell me"
"Not now. Not when you're like this" my dad refused.
"We should meet. Both families. I'd call the crisis manager on our payroll and a publicist. We should deal with this head on but together. Benjamin, I need you to support me on this"
My dad nodded slowly.
"How is Dominic?" I spoke up. I needed to know.
"He is a wreck. He really needs to talk to you. Benjamin, you trust me. Dominic is like a son to me, when you first came to me about them I told you Dominic wouldn't hurt her. You have to trust me when I say he loves your daughter, this was out of his control and he is doing everything to fix it"
My dad looked at me then looked back at her, "We can meet at your house tonight. Is Nick in town?"
"He gets in this afternoon. Got on the first flight out"
Mrs. Chase left and my mum took me to the bathroom to shower. I stayed in there long enough crying under the shower as the hurtful words from last night's news replayed in my head. I got out of the shower and my skin was all shriveled like a prune.
Aunt Jamila forced me to eat a bread roll at noon, the mug of tea however was left to go cold. I woke up to find it had been removed from my room. My mum made me eat an apple for lunch after her attempts to cajole me into drinking soup failed.
When it was time to leave for the Chase residence, I didn't change out of my black dress and slippers. My mum brushed my hair while my dad drove us all to Mrs. Chase's house.
We parked and were greeted by Mrs. Chase who opened the door for us. I could see the worry lines on her face. She led us to the living room where the Chase clan sat. Chris was sitting in a chair frowning deeply. I could sense his rage from across the room. I wondered why Aoki would go after him too, after all wasn't Almara good friends with Aoki? Dom looked up and saw me. I could see all the emotions welling up in him just looking in his eyes. I watched him get up and came to me.
"Give us a minute" he said to the others before taking my hand leading us away from them.
We went out to the back garden and he hugged me, really closely and squeezed really tight.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that" he whispered.
"It's a lie. All of it. You are not who she says you are"
I stood silently, for the first time all cried out with no tear to shed.
"We need each other right now. Don't let her take you away from me, Kerry" I hugged him back and we stood there for a moment.
Then we went back inside. We sat together on the carpet since all the seats were taken. Chris had let Sumaya close to him, she currently had an arm around his tense shoulders as she sat on the arm of his chair.
"Okay, before we start. If you need my help, I have one cardinal rule. Do not lie to me. I cannot help you as effectively as I can if I'm blindsided. So lay it out bare. I'm going to ask questions, might make you queasy and a little uncomfortable but answer as truthfully as you can. Before we start do both parties need the other to sign confidentiality agreements?"
"No" Mrs. Chase spoke up.
"No" my dad confirmed.
"Good lets get started. Starting with the couple who are the centre of it all" the fixer faced Dom and I squarely.
"Did anything happen between you two while you and Aoki were together?"
"No"
"Kissing, any form of touching is included..."
"No" I responded this time.
"Now give the timeline of your relationship so I crush that soulless woman" the fixer smiled at us.
Then we began to narrate events, moments and everything relevant in the plot of our love story giving dates as required.
"Did Aoki at any point ask for a reconciliation?"
Dom hesitated and I turned to look sharply at him.
"She offered to let me stay at her house, I refused and told her about Kerry. Didn't mention Kerry by name but I told her I was seeing someone and it was serious. She popped up in South Africa while I was there with my dad and Lucas Wole. Lucas is my witness. She told me to stop 'this game I was playing' and stop giving the poor girl hope"
"But she never said the actual words, let's get back together?"
"No. I told her I was serious about Kerry. This time I named the girl I was seeing"
The fixer asked me a few questions about meeting Aoki after Dom and I started dating and if she had made any contact prior to that.
His assistant was furiously taking notes on her laptop. I almost asked how much information she was putting down and if she was quoting us on there too.
The fixer focused on my family next. It was pretty simple since it happened so long ago and my dad had handled it well. The only stuff he was interested in was how we were now and my mum's love life. He was satisfied with their responses knowing we were one big happy family who had moved past our painful past.
He focused his attention lastly on the Chase family. Mrs. Chase spoke for them and the rest remained unnaturally quiet.
"Daniel and I were young and struggling to have children. I had almost given up when Nick offered to help us. We went to a private clinic and had Nick donate sperm. The procedure worked, I got pregnant and had Chris. The doctors and nurses involved signed non disclosure agreements that Benjamin and I drew up. We bought off the silence of anyone else who even had a clue. Benjamin has copies of the non disclosure agreements and hospital tests and reports"
"So this explains why Dominic the son of the younger brother is older than Christopher, the son of the older brother not the story Miss Aoki wove for the public?"
"Yes. I did not sleep with my husband's brother to have a child" she said firmly.
I looked up at Chris who was shifting uncomfortably but still incensed all the same.
"I take it Chris found out by watching the news?"
"Yes. This secret already cost us in the past and we did what we thought was best. Nick may be his biological father but Daniel has loved Chris as his own because Chris is his son, he has always been his son"
"Mrs. Chase, I'm going to need you to be less vague about how this secret cost you. We won't like any surprises"
All eyes turned to Dom and I watched him tense up.
"I don't think the boys should be in the room for this" Nick Chase spoke up.
"Dominic and Christopher have been been through enough-" Daniel Chase added but Chris cut his father off.
"I'm not about to find out anything else from outside this house. I'm going to sit right here and hear what else there is to be said about this matter"
"Dominic?" Nick checked on his son.
"What my dad, my aunt and my uncle are so worried about saying aloud is my mum killed herself. She killed herself because she found out Chris was my dad's son and it tormented her over the years because she could not have any more children. The more Chris looked and acted like my dad, she saw him as a reminder of her body failing her"
"Dom, you don't have to be the one to tell this story" Nick said. I was sitting next to him not recognizing him from the cold black eyes with which he told the story. He had detached himself from the memory of it.
"So she started taking cocaine. My mum was a junkie and then she finally overdosed. I was the one who found her. She chose drugs over me and my dad"
The room became deadly still and the silence was deafening. Chris looked like he was about to lose it so Sumaya took him outside for some air.
"I'm sorry but we need to continue. Miss Aoki is unpredictable and taking out her wrath on you all. Dominic, what does Aoki know exactly about your mother, your dad and Chris?"
"On an anniversary of my mum's death, I was feeling tortured and I couldn't sleep. Aoki was there to listen. All I said to her was that my mother overdosed because she couldn't deal with knowing Chris was my father's son. That's all"
"How did you find out about Chris being your half brother and not your cousin?"
"My mum was high one time and told me"
"Okay this will do for now. Mr Effah and Mrs Chase you're trained to know what to say in public, I advise you school your families accordingly. I am going to work overnight with your publicist. Expect results starting tomorrow morning" the fixer said and rose from his seat, "If you think of anything that you shared privately with this Aoki woman, give me a call immediately. I repeat, do you want us to play dirty?"
"We refuse to sink to her level" Mrs. Chase said and you could hear her principles just in that statement.
"We are not going to lose, if that's what you're afraid of. Esi Chase and Benjamin Effah know how to play this game. Trust us. We would mute her, tarnish her reputation and she would regret taking on formidable enemies like us" my dad assured him. "No one touches our families and gets away unscathed"
"Your integrity can't be faked, all of you. I've worked with very few people like you. The public is going to respond to you and trust me, when they see you close ranks like this, they would identify with you."
"What are you suggesting?" Daniel Chase spoke up.
"I'm going to pair you and you're going to do interviews. So first up Monday morning, I need Benjamin, Jamila, Seli and her boyfriend, can you get him on board?"
He didn't wait for my mum to respond then continued, "Tuesday morning, Esi, Daniel and Nick are up next. Then on Wednesday Dom and Kerry you're up. All the questions would prepared so all of you would know what to expect during these interviews"
"Maybe we can have a video from Miss Kerington's boyfriend and a video from Sumaya that we will play during the Monday interview. Then if Chris and Dom are up to it, they can do a video together that will be played during the Tuesday interview. That leaves character witnesses for Dominic and Kerry on Wednesday"
"Lucas is in town. He can help me out"
"Alexa will speak for me" then I gasped and turned to face my dad as I reminded him of one little fact we forgot, "Damien. His girlfriend"
"And I see we have a problem" the fixer crossed his arms when he saw the looks on my family and Dom's faces.