Daughters

Episode 16

“How bad was that?”,Pedro asked when he saw Tiara descending down the stairs
“I had a nightmare”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No,I wanna talk about the report”
“Okay. There are six members of the board. Robert holds 35% which is the highest, Mr Pascal holds 10%, Mr Toby holds 20%, Mr Mark holds 13%, Mr. Anthony holds 17% and Ms. Daisy holds 10%. There’s something I don’t understand about their board membership”
“What’s that?”
“Article 17″
“What does it say?”
“I don’t know what it says and that’s the problem, no Intel on it”
“Hmmm”
“Hmmm”
“Who’s our entry point?”
“Mr. Toby”
“It’s time to meet Toby then”
“Maybe you would like to fire me”
“That’s what you want but I’m not gonna please you”
“Even if I do this?”
His hand caught her waist and his lips crushed hers. For a second there, he felt Tiara’s resistance melt in his lips and he released her some minutes later.
“Whatever you say,boss. I’ll go set up the meeting with Mr. Toby”

It had been a long trying day for Fiona Michaels, managing the paper company hadn’t been what she had expected—maybe because she thought it had less work. She had been in meeting all through the day and the thought of going home to watch as Tiara pretend to be a good and caring sister made her stomach turn.
Tiara has been careful but she knows Tiara was bound to make a mistake and should be waiting to record it and at the end,Tiara would be paying for her crimes and Joshua and she would be happily married with three kids. Joshua had wanted four kids but she had insisted on two and the argument ended up at three. It felt so good to love and be loved,she inhaled and exhaled and began smiling and seconds later,she began humming.

She took the ‘U’ turn and within minutes, the gate was open and she was driving inside
“Fiona,welcome back”,Tiara said “Please come to the dining”
Fiona obliged
Tiara continued “I cooked. I figured you must be tired and hungry when you get back”
“Tiara,let’s talk”
“After you eat”
“No. You have been cooking since the hospital episode”
“Fiona,I told you that I trust you”
“Tiara,don’t you give that!!”
“Fine. The next time you try that again, the next time you to the police station, I’ll come for Joshua and it will worse than his father’s”

“Should I consider that a threat, Tiara?”
“Consider it whatever you wish to”
“Tia,what happened to you?”
“The next time you betray me or tell on me to the police, Joshua will pay”,she walked out

Mr . Toby Nwosu had ever wanted to be something or somebody in life. When he was six years old,he had dreamt of taking over his father’s company but was beyond shocked when at the age of thirteen, his father died and willed the company over to his uncle until his younger brother was of age twenty one and would be handed over to. He however, developed hatred for his family but then nobody bothered if they were hated by Toby,to them he was lazy,arrogant, he never worked to get what he wanted,he always depended on his father’s fortune to get him where he wanted. They suspected the reason why their father never left the company in the hands of Toby was because, even before his father’s death,he had paraded himself around the company as the proud owner.

At the age of nineteen, he entered the university to study Economics,it was there he met Bertha Obodo,the daughter of a known business tycoon and a multi millionaire. Bertha was short and pump but beautiful and the first girl to notice him even though he was penniless, the problem was he had felt nothing for Bertha–No,the problem was that he felt nothing for girls.

After he graduated from college, he married Bertha. Six years into the marriage, Bertha had realized Toby never loved her but married her because of money and her father’s name. She confronted him,saying if she finds out he’s cheating on her,she would divorce him and using her father’s influence, he would end up with not nothing–no job,no car,no house, not a dime,nothing.
But what Bertha never understood was that her husband was not into girls, he was into boys and that was why he went out of town two Fridays in a month to frequent a gay club.

It was on a Friday, the same out of town gay club was where Pedro and Sam sat sipping scotch, directly opposite them sat Toby. Pedro stood up and moved towards him.
“Can I sit?”,Pedro asked
“Please do”
Pedro sat and said “Thank you”
“You’re handsome, would you like to go home with me tonight?”
“No. I have another proposition”
“I like the sound of that,let’s hear it”,Toby said smiling
“I have somebody that wants to acquire your 20% shares for twenty million”
Toby wore a serious look “I am not selling”

“Okay. Does your wife know you’re gay?”
“Leave my wi….. leave Bertha out of this”
“You can’t even call her your wife,can you?”
“You’re insane”
“You have seven hours to decide”
“Or what!?”
“You really want me to answer that question?”
“What’s your name?”
“Consider me your partner”
“Like I said,I am not selling”
“You have seven hours or your wife sees these photos”,he said bringing out a big brown envelope. In the brown envelope, where pictures of Toby appeared almost unclad with a younger boy. Seeing these pictures, Toby became downcast.
Pedro continued “Seven hours,a minute later than that,your wife gets those picture. You reach me with a number at the back of the last picture”,he stood up to leave and turned like he had forgotten something “Oh and enjoy the night” but Toby knew his night was far from enjoyable.

“Jojo…..”,she touched Joshua
“Yes,love”,he turned and gathered her in his arms
“Did I tell you I’ll going to the clinic to take the rest results”
“Yes you did”
“Can you take me?”
“Sure”
“Okay, I’ll just get dressed”

Fifteen minutes later, they got into Joshua’s car and headed for the clinic
“How are you coping with the company?”,Fiona asked
“It’s not as I expected”
“Yep,I know that feeling”
“Are you having problems with the paper company, Fifi?”
“It’s just everything seems hard”
“I’m sorry,Fifi. Promise me you’ll take everything easy”
“I promise”
“Now,let’s talk business”
“What business”
“How about you a new contract with my company in order to be sole distributor of paper?”
“Jojo…..”
“Just say yes”
“Jojo……”
“Say yes”
“Okay”
“We’ll set it up,just come by the company tomorrow”
“I’ll have to check my schedule, you know I’m a busy woman”,she joked
He laughed

They had a little chit chat until they got to the clinic and Fiona went in while Joshua stayed in the car because Fiona had promised it wouldn’t take time.
Two minutes later,Fiona entered the car,her face pale. She didn’t wait for Joshua to ask, she said
“I’m pregnant”