She moved to the left side and peeped as she got to the entrance, she couldn't see anything. She picked her phone and dialled Sandra's phone number again. This time, the call was answered just after it rang once.
"Sandra, what's the matter with you? Why have you not been answering my calls since?" Ini blasted.
"I'm sorry, they left the place already" Sandra answered with less excitement, "I just tried to follow and see where they went. But I think they've gone separate ways"
"Where are you?" Ini snapped
"I just left there now. I'll get back to you later"
"You'll get back to me later? What about the pictures you were supposed to show me?"
"Ermm... I have a problem with my phone, I can't show you the pictures now"
"Oh! I see, what a fool am I to have responded to you." Ini ended the call angrily.
"Damn" Ini cursed under her breath, biting her teeth. "What kind of trash is this?"
She walked angrily to her car and started the car engine immediately, she drove off after fastening her seat belt. She first drove in the direction of her house but on a second thought, she took the next U-turn and went the opposite direction.
After few minutes of driving, she got to Kelvin's house. She stepped out of the car after parking properly by the fence and picked her phone from the back seat. She already had three missed calls from Kelvin.
She was kept waiting for long after she knocked on the door as Bode opened almost immediately. "Wow! See who we've got here" he exclaimed.
"Ini, what are you doing here?" Kelvin asked, clearly expressing his surprise as he opened his hands wide for an embrace.
"Am I not welcome here?" Ini asked as she took his warm embrace.
"Of course you are" Kelvin answered, motioning her to sit beside him.
He rubbed his hands on her cheeks, " You look so beautiful even without makeup"
"Oh! Thanks" Ini replied, a little bit surprised. She had forgotten to apply anything on her face before she left home.
"Your welcome" Kelvin replied and stood up. "What can I offer you?"
"Oh! Don't bother, I just came to get something and I decided to check on you. I'm leaving in some minutes"
"Of course, I'll bother" he walked away into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of nonalcoholic wine and a glass cup.
"I saw your missed calls and I tried returning the call, I guess you didn't pick because you were on your way here" he smiled as he dropped the bottle and the cup on a stool placed at her front.
"Not really" she replied. "Thanks"
She felt greatly relieved as she gulped down almost half of the cup's content. She felt the urge to ask Kelvin if he had gone out earlier to the Tribet's garden but changed her mind as his outlook was that of someone who hadn't gone out all day
"You look tired" Frank made a comment
"Yeah, I've been working all day"
"Eeyah, why didn't you call me to come and help you ?"
"You forgotten that you didn't pick?"
"Oh! Sorry. I was in Frank's room then, my phone was in the sitting room"
"Alright, how is Frank?"
"He's fine, he's sleeping inside"
And how is he..." She paused and glanced at Bode to see if he was listening to the conversation. "How is he preparing for the wedding? I saw Bola's post on Facebook about how soon her wedding ceremony will come up"
"There'll be no wedding between her and Frank, he's not getting married to her"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Come on Sandra, why you behaving like a kid? Mark is coming to fix the memory card for us tomorrow morning"
"Yes, I know but would Ini still give me audience?"
"Yes, she will. And if she doesn't, you'll just send the pictures to her via WhatsApp, she won't be able to ignore that"
"Everything is just messed up really" Sandra sighed
"No, it's not messed up yet. Don't give up to soon."
"Will the pictures really be enough to cause the damage that we intend to create"
"Not really, but at least it can create a small impact and we can do something else until they are finally separated"
"Oh God! So you mean we have to keep stalking them? Damn! I'm tired of all these already" Sandra got up angrily at no one in particular.
"What's the matter Sandra? Or don't you love Kelvin so much to fight for him"
"Off course I do" She replied in a low tone, "I've been fighting for his love ever since I met him but he doesn't seem to notice me anymore"
"You've been fighting for him a long time ago and now you want to give up?" Bola lifted up her head and looked straight into her eyes. "If you don't have him, then no one else deserves him"
Sandra was silent, her mood changed. A new kind of zeal grew in her heart. She became more desperate. "I'll send the pictures, Ini has no choice than to leave him for more I'll make her do it by force"
It was 7am in the morning when Ini woke up that Sunday morning. Service in her church starts by eight o'clock and she never liked getting to church late especially on Sundays
She rushed her bath and dressed up for service. As she dressed up, she wondered why she had not seen Ama that morning. On a normal day, Ama would have come to wake her from sleep by six thirty.
She headed straight to the living room immediately she finished dressing up.
"Amarachi" she called as she walked gently with her high heels.
"Amarachi, are you still... " she paused as she saw a strange rotating light on the centre table, she switched on the lights and was more flabbergasted with what the lights revealed.
"Wow! Amarachi" she screamed with joy as she admired the newly decorated sitting room and bent down to touch a set of rotating and illuminating beads vase
" how did you do this? Did you smuggle an interior decorator in last night?"
Amarachi came behind her smiling, already dressed for church.
"Come on, its not time for that. Else, we'll be late for service. Let's eat now" Amarachi replied and led her to the dinning room, where the food was served already.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*12 noon
"Are you sure it will work perfectly? " Sandra questioned Bola as they talked in whispers, in Bola's room.
"Yes, I'm sure. Trust me, we'll end their relationship with this" she replied
"Alright, let me send the pictures to her now"
"Oh! You've not sent the pictures since? I thought you already did that immediately Mark left here?"
"No, I didn't know if it would be necessary again"
"Yes, of course it would. It would her appetite for the bigger birthday gift we have for her"
"Okay", Sandra picked her phone and busied herself with it for some seconds. "It's done"
"Good one, wait and see. She'll call you soon"
++++++++++++++++++++++++
*12 noon
Ini felt relieved as she took off her high heeled shoes and settled into the sofa. Amarachi walked straight towards the room without waiting in the parlor.
"What do you think I can prepare now? " Ibi asked, halting Amarachi. "Kelvin is on his way here and I have to entertain him"
"Ermm... I don't know what kind of food he will like"
"I don't know too. I think... " she paused as her phone rang, she checked the screen and gave an undecided look. "Its been long I received calls from unsaved numbers"
"Answer it and know who it is. Calls from unknown numbers are expected on birthdays" She smiled and stood up, heading to the kitchen.
"Hello" Ini answered the call.
"Hello sweety" A lady voice message rang out from the other side. "Happy birthday to you
"Thank you so much, but may I know who I'm speaking with?"
"Haba! Ini, you've forgotten me so soon? It's Nike na"
"Nike? Which Nike?"
"Haba! Nike Adejumo"
"Wow!" Ini jumped up in excitement, "I'm very sorry, but your voice has really changed. How are you doing?"
"I'm good, you?"
"Fine o, thank God. How did you get my contact"
"I came into town some days ago and I've been trying to reach you. I just got your phone number from your facebook profile now"
"Eeyah! It's very kind of you to remember me. Where are you in the city? "
"I'm in a Hotel at Saro road"
"Oh! That's not far from my place, would you like to come over?"
"Ermm..." She hesitated before she replied, "I was planning to, I think you stay around Edi lane"
"Yes, it's not far from there. Just less than fifteen minutes drive"
"I'll come but I also want to drop an air conditioner for someone there"
"Air conditioner?"
"Yes, that's what I sell now"
"Wow! Come over, what's delaying you?"
"Ermm... I didn't bring my car and I've tried already but can't get a cab straight from here and I don't want to make it two drops"
"Oh!" Ini hissed, please do fast o"
"Or do you have a driver you can send to come pick me up?"
"Oh no! But don't worry, I'll come by myself"
"Thanks, I'll be very grateful"
"You're welcome, expect me in twenty minutes" she ended call.
"Who's that?" Amarachi who had returned from the kitchen with fruit juice and two glass cups asked.
"A long time friend, we did our IT in the same organization"
"Oh! I see, and you're going to pick her?"
"Yes, any problem?"
"No, nothing. Just be careful, it's better you ask her to meet you at the junction"
"Come on, what are you insinuating? I'll be back soon jor" Ini picked her car key on the table and made way to leave the house. "Kelvin should be here anytime from now. Please tell him I'll be back soon"
"Okay"
Amarachi served herself a cup of juice as she watched Ini drive out of the compound. She thought of something to do as she sipped on the juice slowly.
After gulping down the contents of the cup, she walked into her room to change her clothes after deciding to start baking snacks before Ini's return and Kelvin's arrival.
After about five minutes of changing into a more comfortable house wear, she return to the sitting room. She noticed that the main door was slightly opened and curtain was being blown by wind from outside. She walked to the door with, attempting to close it properly but she noticed that the doormat was unusually dirty. She took it up and dusted it outside, somewhere far away from the balcony.
She entered back into the house and placed down the doormat, making sure the door was properly closed. She didn't lock it because she was expecting Ini or Kelvin soon.
As she made her way to the kitchen, she took the pack of remaining fruit juice and her glass cup. She drank the remaining contents of the glass cup which was half full.
As she got to the kitchen, she suddenly remembered that she already finished the juice in the cup before she went into her room to change her clothes. Somebody else must have filled the cup again, she went back to the living room and looked around suspiciously but found traces of no one.
"Ini, are you back" she called out. There was no response. 'No, Ini could not be back yet, her car wasn't in the compound when she went to dust the doormat' she thought to herself.
"Kelvin" She called out again and got no response. She began to search carefully all corners, trying to fish out the intruder. She was sure it was a close person playing pranks on her.
She started to walk towards the door with the purpose of locking it after finding no one around, she concluded that Ini must have filled the cup before she left.
But she didn't get to door when her muscles and bones felt weak suddenly, she lost her strength within a split second and fell to the ground. Her eyes also lost the power to stay opened, it closed forcefully.
TBC.....
