Song: Case by Teni
"So, sta sicuramente succedendo (it's definitely happening). This wedding?" Tini asked as she bit her pancake at the weekly Sunday Brunch the Deliano children hosted at each of their houses after mass. Last week was Xante's turn to host and this week, Val and Rayleigh held the family in their home.
"Yes. But, the engagement party is being held next week because ChiChi's mom is leaving in two weeks," Xante replied, replaying what he and Chidinma discussed last night.
"Where?" Rayleigh asked, passed a sausage link to Isabelle, who adorably dipped it in ketchup and chewed it.
"The family home. Chidinma spoke to dad and he convinced her to do it in the rose garden. We're putting a tent. 200 to 250. If we don't know them, they're not invited. Any questions?" he answered, ticking the details off his fingers. Omarion smirked.
"Wow, the great Xante, taking orders. Damn, she did a damn number on you," he replied, his obnoxious smirk not leaving. Sometimes, Xante really hated his brother.
"Language," Rayleigh warned and Val nodded as he chewed his eggs.
"What she said," Val muffled with food in his mouth.
"How! Just, how am I married to you?" Rayleigh said exasperatedly, placing her hand on her round belly.
"Umm... I thought it was because you loved me," He replied with a dazzling grin and 2 deep dimples. Rayleigh scoffed as she passed another sausage link to Isabella.
"So, X, Non-sapevo che Chidinma facesse tutte quelle cose per sua Madre. È molto laboriosa," (Italian: I did not know Chidinma did all those things for her mom. She's very hardworking.) Tini spoke to Xante and he nodded. In all honesty, he did not know either.
"Uno de motivo per cui la amo," (One of the reasons I love her) Xante answered with a smirk.
"Lei è molto innocente. Sa che si sposerà con qualcuno coinvolto nella mafia?" (Italian: She's very innocent. Does she know she's getting married to someone involved in the Mafia?) Tini threw back with a pseudo-innocent smile on her face while Xante looked down at his food in silence, "I'll take that as a no,"
"I'm worried if I tell her, she'll leave," Xante replied slowly, eyes still on his food.
"But, it's best if she finds out from you," Rayleigh stated with a smile of sympathy. Xante nodded.
"I know,"
A few moments passed and Omarion's pancake landed on the dining table they were all eating on. Before he could pick it up and eat it, Val spoke;
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Omarion looked confused as he asked,
"Why not?"
"How do you think little James was made?" With a gesture to Rayleigh's bulged stomach and wiggled eyebrows, Val replied. A brief moment of silence passed as the other Deliano children thought over their brother's words. Then, as Rayleigh's cheeks turned bright crimson, they stood up with their plates.
"We've lost our appetite," They said at the same time.
"At least we know he's is hitting it right," Omarion whispered to Xante and Xante let out a strangled laugh as he watched Rayleigh swat her husband and apologize, while her cheeks were as red as the soles on his shoes.
*The next day at 9:15 am*
"Hello, mother," Xante spoke into his iPhone 11 Pro as he looked over some contacts Samuel brought him to sign, "You called me this morning,"
"Oh yes. How is your morning going?" She asked him while saying to another person in the background, 'Put it there'.
"You sound busy. I can always call you later,"
"Oh no. It's just preparations for the engagement party. Speaking of engagement, how is Chidinma?"
"She's good. She sends her regards, actually. You aren't in the office?" Xante was astonished; his mother practically lived at her office, a floor above him.
"I will be there at 12" Then, there was the sound of a door closing, "Xante, I received a call from Savore in Mexico. The shipments have been sent to our Sicily, London, Hong Kong and Madrid warehouses. They are huge. At the rate we're going, we can sell it but we can't clean the money fast enough. We need to expand A.Del,"
Xante took a breath and rubbed his temple, "But, we're already cleaning at Omarion's restaurants, Tini's jewellery stores and Val's car dealerships. And this is nationwide. L.A, New York, Orlando, Washington-"
"Πρέπει να επεκταθούμε," (We need to expand) His mother repeated, urgency pressed in her voice.
"You promised we wouldn't," He growled in a low voice, slamming his fist on the table, "εμείς θα πάμε ακόμη;" (Where would we even go?)
There was a brief pause as his mother pondered over the question.
"Africa,"
"Mother..."
"South Africa or even, Nigeria. Chidinma's family must have connections. Somewhere with access to the ocean,"
"I'm not getting Chidinma involved in this," Xante yelled, in anger and frustration.
"As long as she's marrying you, she's involved in this," His mother snarled, "Have you even told her?"
Xante remained silent and his mother, Athena, scoffed in disbelief.
"Well, you have until your engagement party to tell her. The Mafia is a part of you, Xante. All your siblings have accepted it. When you become CEO, you lead the Mafia as well. You cannot avoid it forever,"
"Bene, non-sei Ancora il Mio Don," (Well, you're not my Don yet) He responded rudely, then ended the call abruptly. He scrolled to his contacts, without even thinking about what he was doing, and dialled Chidinma.
"Hello?"
"Hey," he said softly with a small smile.
"Why are you calling me? Aren't you like a whole CEO or something?" Chidinma questioned confidently, and Xante could only imagine the cocky smirk her incredibly plump lips will be pulled in. The rise of her eyebrow as her false lashes hit her cheekbones with every blink. The adorable mole birthmark she had on the right side of her face was shaped in a tiny bean.
"Chidinma, I..." He started and then sighed, "Have you ever done something so bad that your guilt never goes away? And even though you know the consequences of doing it, you do it over and over again?"
"Xante?" She inquired cryptically and Xante grinned as he replied, slyly.
"Yes, Mio Regina?"
"Do not tell me you called me during the busiest shift of the day to vent about your problems? I'm a pediatrician, not a psychiatrist,"
Suddenly, Xante felt ashamed that he even called her in the first place as his grin dropped and his cheeks burned. What was he doing? Why was he getting feelings involved in this? Clearing his throat, he answered.
"Yeah, you are right. I apologize for disturbing you,"
Just as he was about to end the call in embarrassment, Chidinma gave a heavy sigh and to his shock, she slightly laughed, "Lord, you can't take a joke? Don't worry, doctors are so sarcastic, we're mean. It's how we cope,"
A smile grew on his face as Xante inquired, "Cope with what?"
"Watching our patients die."
While the mood had become slightly sombre as Xante could tell her mind had wandered off the conversation, he knew one or two things about coping with death. In the background of Chidinma's busy workplace, Xante heard the floor-wide pager call for staff of neonatal care.
"Anyways, that's me. I wish I could be more help, really, but..."
Her voice was soft and kind as if she could feel his dilemma from the phone and it warmed every cell within Xante. He wanted to hear more of the delightful sound, always.
"I know. You need to save lives,"
Silence.
"Xante, don't stress too much, you need to stay alive. For me, also for your money. We ain't married yet, so I get nothing," Chidinma joked and Xante grinned as he thought of the fake stern look on her face.
"Ah, I knew there was a reason you're saying yes,"
Snorting, she scoffed, "Boy, bye,"
Xante took a deep sigh, watching his phone return to its home page. Then, he dialled Omarion.
"Ho bisogno di erba," (I need weed) He whined and Omarion scoffed.
"I'll be in your office in ten. Don't die,"
"NAWA OH, THIS na the house our-in-law dey stay?" (Pidgin: This is the house our in-law stays in?) Lolade asked in amazement as she, Chidinma's best friends and family entered the doors of the Deliano family home, "He no get brother?" (Pidgin: He doesn't have a brother?)
Chidinma laughed, "No try am. Your kolo go kill am," (Don't try it. Your craziness will kill him)
They had arrived the day before the engagement party to sleep over as Chidinma's mom planned to cook early tomorrow. Though she knew Xante came from wealth, she couldn't help but marvel over the stunning mansion. She was getting married into a family of extreme wealth and prestige and she was terrified. Her thought was broken when she heard steps on the marble floor.
"Ladies. My name is Emmanuel, the head of butler of the Deliano estate. I'll show you to your rooms and by 7:30 pm, dinner will be served in the dining room," An old English man with an actual suit spoke. Before Chidinma could respond, her mother announced.
"Erm... For my own dinner, I have my food here," She shoved her coolers of fish pepper soup and white rice at the butler, who blinked profusely, "Eh thank you," The girls stifled laughs at her words. As the butler led them to the elevator to their rooms, the girls heard old Ms. Ndidi whisper;
"Because of all this your yama yama food, me I no fi chop am," (All this your weird food, I can't eat it)
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
"Thank you, Omarion. Dinner was amazing. You are a great chef," Fatima said in her soft calm voice. For an author who had a lot to say on paper, she didn't say much with her voice.
"Well, if you want to sample any more of my dishes, you can visit many of my Michelin star restaurants," Omarion replied, with a sly smile on this face as he watched Fatima with a hungry expression. The girl in question raised her eyebrows as she threw back;
"I'd rather spend my money on people who actually need it,"
"Omarion! Not at this table. She is our guest," Xante's mom scolded her son as she turned to Chidinma, who was sitting back, observing, "Don't worry, everything is ready for tomorrow. Just show your beautiful face,"
Chidinma looked at Xante, who sat next to her on his phone, his fingers typing away. Xante had been ignoring her since his office call on Monday and it was pissing her off. His texts were one-word replies and at dinner, she was the only one who received one-word answers.
"Thank you for everything you've done, ma'am," She said to Xante's mom, Athena who replied with a warm smile, "Xante, can I talk to you in private?" She asked her fiance, who only nodded.
"What's up with you?" Chidinma asked Xante, who cleared his throat, looked her in the eyes and lied;
"Nothing,"
"Hey," She scoffed, clapping her hands, "We have not even said 'I do' and you are lying. What would happen if we did?"
Xante rubbed his temple and grabbed Chidinma's hand and led her to his suite. Though Chidinma was boiling mad, she couldn't help but admire his room. The black and white decor was stunning, and she wanted to fall face-flat on the California bed. Her attraction for Xante was no longer just a crush and with that white tee that hugged his muscles, she wanted to throw that waiting till marriage rule out of the window.
"I promise, Chidinma, nothing is wrong,'
There he goes, lying again. She wasn't a fool. She could tell when a man was lying. After all, wasn't that how she found out her father got another woman pregnant? She had spent decades watching her father lie to her mother and she was not about to let Xante do the same thing to her.
"Is it because I have not shown you my mad side, shebi? Emi, Chidinma Adaobi Ndidi? You no get fear, abi? Or you dey mad for upstairs? I dey tell you say you dey lie, you kon look me, look me finish and open your mouth and talk that same thing. Make I no curse your lineage or your generations!" (Pidgin: Is it because I have not shown you my crazy side? Me-, I'm telling you that you're lying, and you took a look at me and said that same thing. I pray I don't curse your lineage) She yelled. In her fury, she didn't notice Xante's bright blue eyes blaze with rage and something else as he growled;
"You have five seconds to shut your mouth and sit down before I shut your mouth with something else. And trust me, I'll be the only one enjoying it,"
Reluctantly, Chidinma sat on the bed and looked straight ahead with a stoic expression as Xante sat too.
"Chidinma, I've been honest with you so far, right?" Xante began softly, placing his hand on her arm. She pulled away and his face revealed a wounded expression at her action.
"Okay, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow," She replied, her usually bubbly voice, flat and monotone. She got up and headed to the suite she was sharing with her friends and her sister. It was her fault. She had forgotten that this thing with Xante was nothing but a contract. Chidinma was getting too carried away; she got an amazing wedding, and he got a wife. Nothing more. And definitely not these feelings she had.
Before she could leave, a firm hand wrapped around her wrist and Xante pulled her into his torso. Chidinma placed her hands on his chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath the shirt, her heart racing and eyes downward toward the ground. She felt his piercing gaze on her face as his arms snaked around her waist.
"Chidinma," He murmured huskily, and her name had never sounded better with his European accent tainting it, "Bambina, look at me,"
Trembling at his touch, she shook her head. Chidinma hated this. She was supposed to be making his pockets hurt, not shaking like a mouse. But the way he made her feel, the desire she felt, Chidinma had never experienced before.
"Look at me," Xante commanded and Chidinma felt herself get wet at the dominance he eluded. God, this man could destroy her and put her back together again and she would thank him.
Chidinma gulped, and with a whisper, replied, "No,"
Chidinma could not look at him. She could not look into those alluring blue irises that always seemed to demand things. She could not look at him because she knew that all her anger would melt into nothing with a flutter of his lashes. Because that is what Xante Deliano did to her. He made her forget her past and her present. He made her dream of a world where marriage was not just words. He made her feel seen.
Xante took his pointer finger, placed it underneath her chin and forcefully but gently tilted her head up. Chidinma lifted her lashes to peek at him. At his chiselled jaw and nose. High cheekbones and full brows. Raven, messy curls. Perfectly placed stubble and that annoyingly endearing birthmark on his chin.
Then, their eyes met.
The hold this man has over me must be some kind of juju. There is no way her life has turned into some cheesy Nigerian movie.
Unconsciously, Chidinma felt her arms snake around his neck, pulling him down to eye level. Their lips were inches away from each other and all she wanted to do was close that distance. She was throwing every rule out of the window and had no care in the world as she stared into his eyes. The traitorous pointer finger of Xante had moved and his entire hand had taken to cupping her face, the pads of his fingers stroking her temple and her hair.
Time had stopped.
Then, Xante fucking Deliano decided to dart his pink tongue out to wet his lips.
Screw waiting till marriage.
Chidinma moved closer and was about to brush her lips on his when she remembered what she was angry about.
"Tell me what is wrong," She murmured against his lips, the gloss staining his.
Shock filled his features momentarily. Then, his eyes moved from hers to the floor with a guarded expression. Well, there is my answer. Chidinma pulled away from his hold, scoffing.
"Understood,"
Then, she walked out.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
*The next day*
"Damn, I look amazing," Chioma said, flaunting her makeup and outfit. She, Lolade and Imani were wearing fitted burgundy velvet dresses with gold heels, while Fatima was wearing a long sleeve, red maxi dress with a brown hijab.
"You have time for that," Lolade replied to Chioma, typing audits for her job as an economist at JP Morgan. Then she checked her watch, "Do you need help with your dress, ChiChi? Xante wants you to be down by-" She was cut off by Chidinma's arrival.
"So?" Chidinma asked shyly and all the girls dropped what they were doing in shock. Imani started tearing up and fanning her eyes, which in turn made Chidinma do the same.
"So, this is really happening? Our baby is getting married," Imani choked out with a sniff.
"And not to a douchebag," Lolade said, and Fatima nodded. Chidinma laughed.
"To the man of her dreams," Fatima finished with certainty. Chidinma's dress was remarkable and made her look like a queen. It was an illusion gown made of diamonds and at the waist with a flowing cape that touched the ground as she walked, while the actual material was fitted to her feet. Xante had sent it to her two days ago along with drop earrings and gold Louboutin's.
"You need to go downstairs," Fatima said softly, "Xante would flip when he sees you,"
"Okay," Chidinma replied, grabbing her gold purse and checking her reflection. She loved her nude makeup with a bold red lip and her light brown, wavy frontal that brought out her skin colour.
When she arrived downstairs, Xante was talking to the other groomsmen, Matteo, Daniel, Chigozie and Vladimir. He looked absolutely breathtaking with a body-hugging black suit with gold and diamond embroidering at the ends of his sleeves, coat and pants. Chidinma coughed to get his attention and he looked.
She wasn't even sure to call it 'looking' because it was more like eating, gazing and photographing all at once. The boys wolf-whistled as Xante's cheeks held a hint of blush.
"Stop," he said to them, eyes on her as he approached her, "There are no words to describe your ethereal beauty, mi amore, none,"
"Which kind yeye compliment be dat wan?" (Pidgin: What kind of nonsense compliment is that?) She replied with a hiss as Xante placed a kiss on her cheek.
"If you'll excuse us, we need to see everyone," Xante spoke to the groomsmen, who wiggled their eyebrows with their dark green velvet suit jackets. They went toward the rose garden and the tent and said hello to Tini, who was barking orders and Mr. Deliano, taking them. Then, they saw Rayleigh and Val who were briefing the servers and valet, while Isabella was playing with Daniel's son, Devon.
Finally, they went to the kitchen, where they saw Omarion occupying one side of the kitchen making Italian dishes and Ms. Ndidi occupying the other with Nigerian dishes that made her mouth water. After they saw everyone, Xante ushered her into his white Rolls Royce, and they began to drive.
"Where are we even going?" Chidinma asked in surprise as they passed the extravagant Bel Air homes.
"Somewhere,"
When they arrived at their destination, Xante turned the engine off and gave her a lazy smile. "The hospital?" Chidinma questioned, anxiously.
"When we were at the restaurant, last week, you told me that the hospital's neonatal ward was the only non-advanced one and you hated it. So, a few days ago, I called the director of the hospital and sent him a check for 1 million dollars for the improvement of the ward. The ward, which will be renovated and upgraded, will be called The Adaobi Lucas Ward. Our two middle names," He finished with a dimpled smile.
Chidinma wanted to cry. She looked up at the diamond roof of the Rolls Royce and blinked to keep the tears at bay, "You did this? For me?" She croaked, eyes blurry from tears. When he nodded, she reached over and hugged him. Tight, "No one has ever done anything like this for me. Thank you so much," She whispered into his warm shoulder.
He was taken aback by her hug, she felt, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. When they pulled away, Chidinma felt the burning urge to kiss him but he cleared his throat. "So, what's my engagement gift?" He mused curiously.
"You told me that you wanted to go worldwide with A.Del Inc but somehow you could not expand in Africa. I reached out to a friend of a friend and for a hefty price, he gave me an amazing piece of land in Victoria Island with an existing mall on it. You can demolish that. Here," Chidinma said as she passed him the file, "-is the deeds to the land and the permit to build a skyscraper. It's yours,"
Xante opened the file and with a troubled expression, he read the deed and the permits. She didn't understand why he was like this.
"You don't like it?"
"I love it," He replied with a shaky smile, then dropped the file on the dashboard as it burnt him, "Are you ready to head back? It's 15 past 2,"
"Well, you know what they say. African time is the best time,"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
The engagement party was beautiful and with the great job Lolade was doing as an emcee, it was very funny. Xante acted as a doting lover, feeding her chocolate cake and twirling her as they danced. Though she met many people, she felt a close connection to the close Deliano family members. She danced the night away with her husband-to-be, her family and her coworkers and felt giddy with joy.
As the night was coming to an end, a tall, white woman who emitted grace and pose walked up to her with two other women. She wore a deep red and short mini dress that was more 'club' than 'formal event'. her blonde hair cascaded in waves and her blue eyes twinkled in mischief.
"See-dima?" The woman asked, mispronouncing her name on purpose.
"Yes?" Chidinma responded with a small smile.
"My name is Angela Soliso, I grew up with Xante. We used to date. Well, we did a lot more than that," She mused, twirling her hair.
Chidinma looked at her from head to toe and smirked. "Firstly, thank you for attending my engagement party," She started, showing off the bright blue rock on her ring finger, "And lastly, you were the past, I am the future,"
Angela scoffed at her response. Then, her lips turned up in a sly smile, "And that's precisely why I wanted to tell you this," She took a step forward.
"Even in the dead of the night, if I was to call Xante, he would drop everything and come to me," She finished in an overconfident whisper, "So save yourself the trouble and return to whichever village you came from. Do you understand me?"
POSTED ON: TUESDAY 7 APRIL 2020
has this kind of situation actually happened to me? yes
does it make me mad when i think about it? yes
#RacismIsNotOkay
Period.
(Plus, I wanna see her beat Angela's ass)
stay alive by staying inside,
ada
*ALSO, THANK YOU FOR 1000 READS!!**
I was screaming so much, my mom told me to go sweep and mop the house since I was jobless, lmaoooo.