CHAPTER 37: POTENTIAL BRIDE.
A FEW DAYS LATER,
The Theophilus family received Shaft and his niece into their home expectedly. The conversation Vegas had with Micheal was positive and so they saw no reason why they shouldn’t invite them over to process things out.
The men were busy talking with each other while Mandarin took Erica out on a tour of the mansion to give the men some space.
“Wow, you have achieved a lot, Micheal.” Shaft praised him.
“It’s all hard work, my dear friend. It hasn’t been easy and that’s why I try my best to instill these business values in my sons’ life and as you can see, they are doing extraordinarily well in it, especially Vegas.” Michael replied.
“Hmm, the stock market is going well for everyone but I do have a feeling that things might get more costly when it gets to a certain point especially now that some things are now going into seclusion with few being able to provide them.”
“I agree, Shaft but isn’t that going to be a great gain for us the sellers? Whether things on sale are expensive or not, we all are going to enjoy the benefits of being rich and that is the crux of the matter.” Micheal laughed dryly and clicked his glass of wine with that of Shaft.
“That aside, I haven’t been able to catch a glimpse of Raphael. Isn’t he home yet?” Shaft asked. Mandarin and Erica made their appearance, they were both holding hands with smiles on their faces.
“Oh, he went out a few minutes ago to jog. He should be back any time soon because he does not stay out that long.” Mandarin responded and Raphael stepped in with his earphones around his neck. He was wearing a black shirt and a black tank top.
His body was glistening due to his sweat and his hair was pretty wet too.
“Speak of the son,” Michael said and laughed for the second time dryly.
“Come over here, Raphael.” Micheal waved to him and Raphael’s eyes ran across the whole place in a brief second before walking over to meet them. It’s been a while since his father ever talked and smiled like this to him. Also, that only had the opportunity to happen if there was something that he had to do because he had thirty percent choice in it.
Erica sat still and wore a comfy smile on her face after sighting him. Her eyes couldn’t stop feasting on his tough manly body. She secretly wondered how it would feel to see him again shirtless because she was sure damn sure that he wouldn’t remain the same. Erica blushed when she realized her perverted thoughts and those around thought she was blushing because of Raphael’s presence.
Well, she was…but partly.
“Wow, we were just talking about you and then you arrived. This shows you are not a bastard.” Shaft cracked up happily.
“Is that supposed to make me happy or what?” Raphael asked with indifference and everyone’s smile dried up instantly. That was a cold reply that no one expected.
“You called me father.” He said when he got to his side.
“Yes, You must remember Shaft, our business partner whom you met many days ago, and his niece, Erica…do you still remember?” Michael asked.
“Yes, I do. I am actually handling one of their projects currently but whatever it was that they wanted to discuss, it could have been done in the office so far so good, there is no need for him to come to the mansion to speak. To add to this, there haven’t been any faults or complaints yet with the work so…” Raphael kept rambling.
“Hold on, Raphael. Don’t go ahead wasting your energy over something unnecessary at this point. They are here for a different cause, therefore, have your seat.” Micheal patted the space beside him, not the same as his and Vegas’s. Raphael felt reluctant to do so as he eyed the chair suspiciously.
“Come on…come on, have your seat. You have been jogging quite a lot these days.”
“Why am I being called here to sit?” Raphael couldn’t help but ask straightforwardly. Micheal saw how serious he was and felt no need to sugarcoat his words.
“You see something son, whatever I do is for a reason especially when it comes to my children. This is Erica, a niece of Shaft, and the two of you can really suit each other.“ Michael tried bearing his point indirectly.
“And what is that supposed to mean ?” Raphael raised his eyebrows.
“She is a good lady. Someone you can be with and spend time with, in short, she is a valuable lady for marriage.”
Raphael’s face turned gloomy when he heard this, of course, he could get the feeling of what they meant. He stood up with his hands inside his pockets.
“I am not interested in any lady, you can give her to Vegas. He is the eldest and should be the one to get married first.” He replied and walked away. This got Michael’s blood high.
“Raphael! Raphael, get back here!” Micheal yelled but Erica stood up quickly.
“Uncle, please be calm, let me speak with him.” She said gently and followed Raphael quickly to prevent him from going into his room before speaking to him.
Michael took a deep breath in and exhaled heavily as he looked away from everyone else. Shaft rubbed the tip of his nose and cleared his throat.
“Mr. Shaft, I apologize for my son’s behavior. He tends to behave in such a way when he is not in a good mood.” Mandarin said with a smile and he nodded.
“I understand.”
_*_*_*_*_
“Raphael, Raphael, hold on, please,” Erica said and he stopped walking, with his tongue pushing the edge of his mouth, he turned around to look at her.
“What can I do for you?” He asked. Erica blinked and gulped, she folded her arms and took three steps towards him. She looked into his eyes affectionately.
“I apologize for the way my uncle announced that to you…”
“Miss Erica, there is nothing worth apologizing for. You are not at fault here and you don’t belong here. You are an educated woman yourself, right? Well, you should know the implication of a relationship that someone is forced to be in.” He explained to her.
“Fine, I understand what you mean but you can’t just conclude yet. We can spend time with each other, try to be friends in the meantime to decide if we can move a step further in this.” She offered him her idea with her tone genuinely soft and calm. She had the hope of winning his heart over with that.
“I am not interested, Miss Erica.” He turned to leave.
“Why? Is it because you have someone that you love?” She couldn’t help but ask with pain visible on her face. Raphael moved his head above his shoulder but not in a 360-degree turn to look at her.
“Does that concern anyone? I have my business to focus on, not a woman.” After saying this, he walked away.
Erica sighed softly, “Why are you proving to be this stubborn?” She muttered as she watched his back. At least, it was good he had no one in his heart.
_*_*_*_*_
In Johnson’s office, it was as silent as a graveyard and didn’t give out the colorful vibe that it once exhibited years back. His wife was sitting calmly on the couch, reading a magazine while Johnson was staring at the wall, watching the other buildings in a daze. He looked leaner compared to before because he had been thinking a lot.
Someone knocked on the door and that got his attention. He glanced at it and ordered the person to come in. A man entered and shut the door behind him. He bowed to greet the chairman and his wife.
“How was it? Any leads?” Johnson asked eagerly.
“Not yet, Chairman. We have not been able to figure out where she stays. It’s hard figuring it out as the City is big and she could be anywhere. She might have even left after she met with Ruby.” The man replied.
“Why are you trying to implicate things more?” Jessica asked the man worriedly and he bowed as a form of apology.
“Should we perhaps announce it to the media?”
“That will make things worse, Chairman. It won’t work and might even make her run further from our reach.”
“What do you suggest we do then?” Johnson inquired of his assistant.
“We keep on searching for her.”
“We don’t have time, Jacob! Time is what we don’t have! My company is going down the drain and my reputation is being washed in the mud every second without the grace of being rinsed. How do you want me to keep on bearing that? I need you to find her as soon as possible, I don’t care the way you do so, find her location and tell me. Am I clear enough for your understanding?” Johnson instructed.
Jacob nodded, bowed, and left the office. Jessica stood up and strolled to her husband’s seat worriedly. She reached out to his shoulders and gently pressed them to somehow relieve him of the tension he was feeling.
“John, I understand how important and desperate this is but please, you should care for your health a bit. Don’t scream too much, if something bad happens to your health, it’s going to be another problem for us all and I don’t want to calm down.” She said into his ears and Johnson did as he was told. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily.
“Thank you, it is just that things are not working in the way that I expect them to. I need him to find out Evelyn’s whereabouts as quickly as possible if we don’t want to start from scratch.” He replied.
“I understand.”
“Damn it, even when she isn’t here, she keeps on tormenting me in different ways.” He whispered. Jessica didn’t say anything as she wasn’t sure if he meant the daughter or the mother. Whatever way it was, she would have to see how things were going to unfold between the father and daughter real soon.
TBC…