18

LUCAS was stunned for a moment. What the hell would Jeremy be asking his guard to follow Jasira for again? If not that he wanted to pick up this meat of his, if not that he was also interested in her.
He shook his head vigorously, never. Never would any other man apart from him have Jasira, never. If he can’t have her, then no one will.
“You may go, you may go”, he said to the guys and they bowed and left. Then pacing about, he finally walked away.
***
The office felt so tensed as Jeremy sat on his seat questioning his guard, the one whom he had asked to follow Jasira.
He was so much disappointed and disgusted that just this simple task, he couldn’t do it.
He looked at him, wanted to hear the nonsense from his mouth again.
“What did you say Gabe?”, he asked.
The guard bowed.
“I’m so sorry boss, but I lost track of her as soon as I got to the traffic. The cars mixed up and I missed hers”, he replied.
Huh? Jeremy’s mouth fell wide open, did you just hear that? That flimsy excuse his so called guard just gave?
“Now I know that you aren’t only daft, you are also stupid”, he said, “so stupid and insensible. Just this simple task I gave you Gabe, just this simple task, and you failed, woefully”, he said in pains.
How could he loose track of her again? A second time?
“I’m sorry boss, I’m really sorry”, he pleaded.
Normally if it was just any employee at the company, he or she would have long received a termination letter, even Gabe, the guard, knew, and so, the reason he kept pleading.
He kept quiet for a while, not knowing exactly what to do or say. Then after a while, he turned to the guard.
“You may go. Will call you back later on”, he said and dismissed her.
Carrie who had been standing by the office door and eavesdropping, immediately left the door side scurrying away.
She went into her office and flopped down on her seat. She sighed so deeply, in pains.
Okay, so this was the lady all along huh? The lady that has been occupying the loving part of his heart, making him ignore most ladies. Hmph.
Hold on, how was she even sure she is the one? She shook her head.
“She is the one, yes”, she said to herself, “if she isn’t, then why the hell was he staring at her that way? Or even asked his guard to follow her?”, she continued muttering, then she growled.
No, no other lady would have Jeremy, not in her lifetime. She must do something.
The Redford’s Mansion
Mr Redford sat on his study seat as he watched his first daughter through his small glasses, saunter in. He had sent for her, for a very important discussion.
Amelia walked up to her father, noisily shoved the seat opposite him and sat. She was noisily chewing on a gum.
As soon as she sat down, Mr Redford sighed and removed the glasses from his face, dropped it on the table and faced her.
“You sent for me Dad”, she said.
He nodded.
“Yeah, I did. I only have a question to ask”, he was looking intently at her.
“A question to ask? Go on, what question is that?”, she asked.
“Why is it taking you longer than expected to get this Jeremy guy to propose to you? And then take you to church and keep you at home as wife? Why? I need to know”, he asked, furrowing his brows.
Amelia froze, she wasn’t expecting this question from him at all, she wasn’t.
And for Jeremy, ahhh, she doesn’t know what the hell is wrong with him, why is it taking him all the years to do the needful? Gosh! It wasn’t her fault, she has tried all she could.
“Dad I’m trying”, she said, “I’m trying all I can, I’m really trying. But…”.
“But what?”, he interrupted her and she sighed.
“I don’t know what is wrong with him, I don’t know why it’s taking him so long to do the needful, I don’t know”, she cried out.
Mr Redford nodded.
“I see. So you are saying that the problem here is with Jeremy, and not you?”, he asked.
“Exactly, him”, she replied.
He kept silent for a while, to think. Then he spoke up.
“You are the lady here, you should do this thing. I know he doesn’t love you, everyone knows that, but you can get him to love you, seduce him, just do something”, he said.
She twisted her lips, assimilating all she just heard. Hasn’t she done all that already? Jeremy is just being too stubborn.
“I need to get an hold on this company. We built it together, his father and I, now he’s got the lion’s share of it, I need to get mine too, by linking you both up. Don’t you get it?”, he asked.
Well, she do. He has actually been saying that for all she can remember.
“I know Dad, and I will keep trying, I will”, she said.
He nodded.
“I would always count on you”, he waved her to leave.
She nodded and shoved back her seat.
“I will be going to the mall now, Zoey and I”, she said and got up.
“Zoey. Say me well to her”, he said picking up his glasses.
She nodded, smiling.
“I sure will. Bye Dad”, and she walked out of the study.
Zoey is her long time best friend, right from high school. She never uses her to joke.
From a rich family as well, although not as rich as Amelia’s, but they were well to do. Her three elder brothers are presently furthering their studies in Canada, studying health related subjects.
Bossy and rude just like Amelia, they flowed so well together.
Amelia quickly dashed into her bedroom and dressed up, she just couldn’t wait to get to Zoey’s house, pick her up and from there, they move to the mall.
They always visited the mall every Thursday, it was a routine. Either to really shop, or to do window shopping, but they must go to the mall.
She arrived her house few minutes later and picked her up, then they drove down to the mall.
“You never would believe what Dad called to tell me today, just before I began coming”, Amelia said to her friend, she was behind the wheels.
Zoey glanced at her and looked away, nodding her head to the beating of the song playing in the car stereo.
“What is it?”, she asked.
Amelia laughed.
“About Jeremy…”.
“Huh?”, Zoey turned to her this time, “what about him?”, she asked.
“Hmm, Dad asked me why I’m still yet to get him do the needful, imagine that?”.
Zoey scoffed.
“What you have been trying?”, she said.
“Please dear, please, help me tell him. He refuses to understand that that guy is just so stubborn, as stubborn as a mule”, she said and hissed.
Zoey made a face.
“Hmph. Jeremy himself, what is even wrong with him?”.
“Baby I can’t tell”, she shook her head sideways.
“Hold on, is that why he is yet to hand the company over to you?”, Zoey asked.
Amelia abruptly turned to her, and then back to the road.
“Mm. You know I have never thought towards that direction, who knows? It might be. Jeez!”, she exclaimed.
“Hmm, girl, you better do something to get hold of your man, do something”, she said.
Amelia nodded knowingly, saying nothing.
They arrived the mall and Amelia drove in, towards a particular spot to park her car. There was a car already parked there and she frowned.
“Who dares?”, she growled, trying to negotiate where to park.
Zoey looked at her.
“Who what? Are you okay Amelia? Can’t you see that there is a car already parked there, and you are still moving in”, she said.
“Never”, she shouted, “that’s my parking space, no one dares parks his or her whatever in my parking space”, she said and began honking, honking so loudly.
Zoey tried looking out and saw that someone was leaning on the car, a lady, but she wasn’t hearing all the commotion and noise Amelia was making, a headphone was on her ears.
She sighed and turned to Amelia.
“There are a lot of space to park your car, find one and let’s peacefully park”, she said.
Amelia shook her head in disagreement.
“No, whoever is there must have to leave that space for me”, she said and continued honking.
“She can’t hear all these noise you are creating, if you wanna talk, I think you should come down”, Zoey said and Amelia turned to her.
“She? Can you see the person? And how do you know she can’t hear?”, Amelia asked.
“I can see her. Come down, just come down if you do not want to park at another space”, she said.
Amelia frowned all the more.
“If I do come down from this car, whoever is there is just gonna get it hot from me this afternoon”, she said and removed her seat belt, turned off the car engine and alighted. Zoey alighted too.
Amelia briskly walked up to the car shouting and ranting at the top of her voice. She saw the lady Zoey had said was leaning on the car and instantly knew why she had said the lady can’t hear her.
She was looking into her phone and listening to music, a headphone was on her ears.
Angrily, she walked up to the lady and slapped her phone down, away from her hands. It fell to the floor and shattered.
What!
Zoey instantly stopped in her tracks and cupped her hands over her mouth in shock.
The lady looked up at her with a start, stood straight up, then removed the headphone and hung it on her neck.
“Hey? Are you alright?”, she asked, “what was that for?”.
“I am the one who is supposed to ask you that question you good for nothing woman. Why must you have this thing you call a car parked in my space? Huh?”, Amelia asked, shouting at the top of her voice.
The lady at first couldn’t comprehend what this mad dog was trying to say. Her eyelids flickered.
“Pardon? Come again”, she said.
That was when Zoey walked up to them, trying to calm her friend down. She had already done damage, just because of space.
“Alright dumb ass, since you can’t understand. You parked your car in my space, this is my space. I have been honking and honking, can’t you see the way I parked mine?”, she asked and pointed towards her car, which was actually parked wrongly.
The lady snorted, then laughed, and laughed out, startling Amelia.
“You must really be a mad dog. First you shattered my phone, and now you are talking of space, what space? Was any place assigned to any particular person here?”, she asked.
Amelia glanced at Zoey and laughed.
“I don’t think this lady knows me”, she laughed and turned to her.
“You have to calm down Ame”, Zoey said.
“You do not know who I am and that is why you are still standing there, waiting for me to tell you to take your car away, huh”, Amelia said.
“You must be out of your mind”, she retaliated, “if you can’t get into that car of yours and find somewhere else, then be prepared to stand here for hours, ranting like the mad dog that you are”, she said.
Amelia snorted.
“Hmm, I can see you have guts, you really do. Get out here before I call the cops on you now”, she ordered.
“What are you still waiting for? But before you do that, pick up my phone which you just shattered”, she said with an air of authority.
Amelia cringed, jeez! Seems this lady doesn’t really know who she is. Goodness!
By now, people had already gathered, watching and taking videos.
At this juncture, Amelia saw two guys walked up to the lady and began making enquiries about the situation.
“Boss what is going on here?”, they asked and Amelia marveled, did they just call her boss? This small girl?
“Calm down guys, just calm down”, the lady said to them.
“Boss just give us the go ahead and let us teach this woman a lesson”, the other guy said and Amelia flinched.
“You will do nothing you rats. Tell whoever she is to you to leave my space”, she shouted, clapping her hands and the guys scoffed.
“Oh! Is it because you have guards? You think I do not have guards as well?”, she continued.
Zoey in her own world did her little scrutiny within seconds, she looked into the faces of these two guys, then turned back to the lady and her eyes and mouth widened in surprise.
Jeez! It was her, it was really her.
She instantly began giving signs secretly to Amelia, quietly telling her that they should leave immediately.
“Ame let’s go, let’s just go. I don’t think you know who this lady is, let’s go”, she whispered to her, tugging at her cloth.
Amelia turned to her and flung her hand away.
“Let go off me. Who is she? Who the hell is she?”, she asked, still shouting.
The lady smiled and licked her lips.
“Get me my phone, I am saying this for the last time”, she said, her guys joined her in asking Amelia to pick up the phone.
Zoey instantly scuttled to the phone and picked it up, then handed it over to the lady, pleading.
What! Amelia went mad, her shouting increased, shouting at both Zoey, and the lady.
One of the guys with the lady took the phone and the other opened the car door for her to enter.
She looked at shouting Amelia for some seconds, smirking. Then she entered the car, the guys followed and they drove away.
Zoey had already left for the car, angrily. It was after few minutes, that Amelia turned and also got into the car.
Zoey was quiet for a while, she said nothing to Amelia, who was still ranting and trying to park well.
After parking, they alighted. The people who gathered had already dispersed.
“Do you know who that lady is Zoey?”, Amelia asked as soon as they alighted. They were now standing close to the car.
Zoey was taken aback, she thought she never cared to know. She waved her hand at her face, blinking her eyes.
“Really? You want to know? I thought you never cared”, she said.
Amelia sighed and began scratching her head.
“Err, you are right though. But I’m curious, the way she stood her ground, the way those guys were respecting her, and besides, how come she doesn’t know who I am?”, she rhetorically asked.
“Because you do not know who she is too”, Zoey replied and looked away.
Amelia’s mouth fell wide open.
“Who is she?”, she asked.
“Have you ever heard of Boss J?”, she asked and Amelia shook her head in the negation.
“No wonder, but you have heard of the Mambas Organisation?”, she asked.
Amelia nodded.
“Sure, I have, I know, a mafia organisation.”, she replied.
Zoey smiled.
“Good. You know Lord Lucario?”, she asked again.
Amelia nodded.
“Sure, he is the Lord of that organisation”, she replied.
She had heard so much about him, and have even read about him, very dangerous, and dreadful human being.
“That lady you just had an encounter with, that lady you had just smashed her phone, that lady you had just called names, is Lord Lucario’s right hand man, she is Boss J”, she dropped the bombshell.
“What!”, Amelia exclaimed.