CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWO.
“Jamal, don’t you think you should come take this call already? It might be important.” Said Adele from the bedroom as she looked at the ringing phone on the bed.
“Can you please read out the name on the caller ID?” Jamal asked from the closet. He was dressing up for work.
“It says Reid.”
Reid!
The moment the name registered in Jamal’s mind, he bolted out the closet and flew over to the bed to pick up the call. Adele was shocked.
“Reid!” He called the moment he swiped the green icon and pressed the phone against his ear.
“Jamal.” The person on the other end of the phone called and Jamal smiled. “Do I still have a betrothed?” He asked calmly and Jamal chuckled lightly and looked up at the ceiling.
He smiled hard and heaved out a heavy sigh. Confused, Adele could only stare and wonder what was going on.
“Yes, you do.” Jamal finally replied to the person. “When are you coming?”
“I’ll arrive on Sunday.” The Reid guy replied and Jamal smiled even wider.
“I’m get everything ready.” Jamal hung up and threw the phone on the bed. He was still smiling and Adele was still confused. He walked back into the closet without telling her what that was about and she was furious, but she didn’t want to pry into his business so she huffed in annoyance and sat on the bed. Her eyes went to the phone and she kept staring at it, wondering who had made her husband smile so brightly in the morning.
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After dressing up for work, Jamal did another thing that got Adele confused and furious again. He told her to wait for him in the bedroom and left without telling her where she was going.
When he left the bedroom he went straight to Shannelle’s.
The person who called earlier was Reid, the man he wanted her to marry.
“Shannelle.” He called and knocked, hoping she’d answer. After the night she insulted Adele, they had been on a pretty bad foot.
Moments later, the door opened up, revealing a very furious Shannelle.
“What are you doing here? I thought you hated me.”
“This will be the last time I’m telling you to fix that attitude!” He warned sternly, giving her a hard glare and fear took over her. She took a step backwards and heaved out a heavy sigh before looking up at him again. This time around, she wasn’t frowning.
“Good morning.” She greeted him grumpily.
“That’s better.”
“Why are you here at seven am in the morning?” Shannelle asked, curious.
“There’s something you need to know. Can I come in?” He asked and Shannelle stepped aside.
“It’s not like you’ll leave if I say no.” She grumbled under her breath as she closed the door behind her and followed him to the sitting area.
“I heard that.”
Shannelle rolled her eyes hard and made herself comfortable on the seat opposite his.
“So?” She asked impatiently. She was eager to know why he was in her bedroom at seven am in the morning to talk to her. It had to be something very serious.
“You are aware of the fact that I have men monitoring your every move, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am and I hate it! I just wish you could stop doing that!” She lamented and Jamal smiled at her.
“Well, luckily for you, I’m going to stop pretty soon.”
“What?” Shannelle was surprised.
“I’m going to stop my men from monitoring your every move. You will be free, just like you have always wanted.” He was smiling as he said those words to her and that caused her to smile as well.
“Really? You mean it? Are you really going to let me live on my own?” She still couldn’t believe what her ears were hearing. Jamal nodded his head and her smile widened, but soon faded when it struck her that there could be an awful reason behind his sudden change of heart.
“Wait.” She called out. “Why are you suddenly saying all this? There’s a catch, right?”
“You are smarter than I gave you credit for.” Jamal remarked with a smirk. Shannelle’s shoulders sagged in disappointment.
Nothing for nothing.
“What’s the catch?”
“Do you remember Reid Bradfords?” Asked Jamal and Shannelle creased her brows as she tried to search her mind for where she had heard that name before because it sounded very familiar to her. “He used to be the only friend I had in highschool.” Jamal gave her tip and it finally struck her.
“Ah yes!” She confirmed with a clap. “Now I remember. He’s the guy with the cute curls and cat eyes. He left for Havard to study medicine when you both graduated from college.”
“Perfect! Good memory you’ve got there.” He complimented and Shannelle smiled proudly.
“I’ll try not to brag about that.” A moment of silence. “So, what about him?”
“Remember I once told you the reason why I kept tabs on you? Especially when you were dating.”
“Uh… yeah you did. You Said it was because you already had someone you would want me to marry.”
“It’s him.”
“It’s him…what? What…what…” Shannelle stuttered in confusion. “It’s him?” She finally asked after swallowing hard. “Reid Bradfords is the guy you want me to marry?” She asked, shocked and Jamal nodded.
She had known her brother was definitely keeping a good man for her, but she didn’t know it was a man as good as Reid Bradfords. The man was a genius and it would be an honor to get married to him, but she was scared.
“Yes, it has been him all along.”
“Goodness!” Shannelle exclaimed in pure shock as she covered her mouth with her left palm. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about the situation.
She was flabbergasted!
“But…”
“Not buts. He has always had his eyes on you. Before leaving for college, he told me to take good care of you for him. He promised me he was going to come back and marry you after he was done with his studies and establishing his hospital. He has done that and now, he’s coming to marry you. That’s why I kept tabs on you, that’s why I prevented you from getting intimate with the guys you dated. Reid Bradfords is one of the most eligible bachelors in this country and you are going to be his wife. This is what I mean when I told you that I had everything mapped out for you.”
“Jamal, I’m scared.” Shannelle whispered with fear engraved on her face and swimming in her eyes.
Jamal rose to his feet and straightened up his tuxedo before looking down at her.
“You have no reason to be scared. You are a Dominick and a Dominick knows no fear. Prepare yourself, your wedding is around the corner.” Then he walked out of the bedroom, leaving his sister utterly and completely dumbfounded.
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“Where have you been?” Was the first question Adele asked when Jamal walked into the bedroom.
She was frowning.
Very seriously.
He smiled as he walked over to the bed where she was seated and sat beside her.
“First, you answer a call and smile like someone who just received a love confession from their crush, then you tell me to wait for you in here. What the hell is going on?” She agitated.
“Your head is going to explode from overthinking, love. You worry too much.”
“Oh… oh… now I’m overreacting huh?”
“I said no such thing, Adele. Stop being dramatic.”
“Ohh….” She wondered loudly and Jamal chuckled. “You know what? Fuck you!” She cursed angrily as she rose to her feet and carried her handbag, ready to leave.
“The person who called was Reid Bradfords. He is going to be your brother-in-law soon.” He explained and Adele stopped on her tracks.
After hearing a man’s name, a wave of guilt washed through her and she bit her lips hard as she wondered whether to turn and endure the shame or be more dramatic and walk out.
“He’s the guy I’ve arranged for Shannelle to be wedded to.”
“What?” She asked, aghast as she turned to look at him in awe. “What did you just say?” She asked just to be sure that she heard clearly.
“I believe you heard me clearly, wifey.” His response made her understand that she had heard clearly.
She walked back to the bed and sat by his side, putting her handbag aside.
“Arranged marriage? Why would you do that to her?” She asked, furious.
She was not at all happy with what she had just heard.
“Because it’s the best thing to do.”
“No, it is not! Don’t you remember what we went through because of an arranged marriage? They hardly know each other, that’s going to be a catastrophe.”
“Babe.” Jamal called as he took her hands in his. “When I made the match, I considered both parties. The guy loves my sister and I’m sure of that. Shannelle knows the guy, he’s the only friend I have. They might not know each other all too well, but they are not strangers.”
“How does she feel about this?” Adele asked.
“She’s scared.”
“Of course she is!”
“She’s only scared because she can’t believe I paired her with such a great guy. Love, Shannelle is my sister and I won’t force her into doing anything she doesn’t like. She’s interested in marrying him and that’s all that matters.” He further explained and Adele let out a heavy sigh.
No matter how upset she was about the arrangement, she knew she had to find a way to calm down and accept it because her opinion won’t count anyway.
“I just hope you know what you are doing.”
“Trust me, I do.”
“What if he treats her badly, have you ever thought about that possibility?” Adele asked worriedly.
“If he dares, I’ll find out and I’ll kill him! He knows that fact.”
“Goodness Jamal, you have everybody’s lives in your hands!” She lamented as she rose to her feet and what she said was nothing but the truth.
Jamal was the general overseer of almost everyone’s life around him.