It was past 11pm. The girls who entertained Jeff held him on either side and helped him out of the bar. They led him into his car and got him a designated driver.
One of the call girls described Jimmy Johnson’s residence to the driver who got the description right away.
The other lady dipped her hands into Jeff’s pockets in search of cash. She got his wallet which was filled with rows of dollars. They paid the driver and took some for themselves.
After about a 20 minute drive, the driver halted right in front of Jimmy Johnson’s residence. He walked out of the car and was struggling to move Jeff into the compound when two guards walked up to him. The driver left Jeff in their care and went his way.
******
It was dawn. Jeff woke up and held his head. “Yesterday was a mess,” he muttered as he got off the bed and made his way into the living room. He went to the fridge and got himself a bottle of chilled water and a glass cup.
“Are you sober now?” His father’s voice boomed from behind. Jeff gulped down his drink and nodded as he dropped his glass of water. “I am sure you ain’t thinking of anything funny,” Johnson said to his son. “What do you mean by anything funny?” Jeff asked cynically.
Johnson moved closer to Jeff. He pushed him into one of the seats and got one for himself.
“I told you clearly that I needed you in the Clinton’s household. Clinton has been my target for decades and now, I have finally got my hands on the trigger… Isn’t it obvious? Anyone that marries Janet Clinton did it for benefits. She is the only child of such a powerful man… Whoever marries her automatically rules the empire. I am sure you did your research thoroughly before going for her. I don’t know how things turned out this way but do not meddle in my plans. My company needs such alliances … I have planned this out for years,” Johnson said.
Jeff scoffed. “When did your business need such an alliance? You make other companies go down and you absorb them. Isn’t that your expertise? Things won’t go your way this time father. I got to Janet Clinton before you. She is my prize. She has fallen head over heels for me. It is obvious that she agreed to the betrothal because it was I. She did because of our ongoing relationship which I won by my sole capacity. Therefore father, do not meddle in my business,” Jeff said and his father landed a hard slap on his face. Jeff winced and smirked.
“How dare you challenge me?!” Johnson spat out.
“This is a niche I carved out carefully for myself. I won’t lose to you. I am winning this… I am the supposed groom, not you, father. Do you not get it? I am in charge of this,” Jeff roared.
“Do not tempt me son. If I don’t have my way, you can’t have your way either. This is gonna be a pact between us,” Johnson said.
“No father. You’re wrong. There is not going to be a pact… I do not like sharing. The sky is as wide as it is, it is wide enough to sustain our flights. Get your own gold mine and dig in yourself,” Jeff said with finality. He walked back into his room and bolted the door behind him.
He flung himself on the bed. He had sighted Jane a few years back at a famous shopping mall in the metropolis. Her simplicity and effervescence did not deceive his sharp eyes. He saw through her and knew she was a sophisticated young lady and of noble birth. He wondered why she decided to appear simple. This fed his curiosity and he carried out his investigation thoroughly.
He realized he was not only right about her nobility but the young lady was Clinton Cole’s only child. Clinton Cole was one of the big wigs in the country. He was a business magnate and a godfather to many political aspirants.
Jeff planned to leech off Jane as it was his culture. He never knew his foster father had his eyes on the Clinton’s family. When he told him about the betrothal, he was too angry to ask for details. He wasn’t interested in marriage and he wasn’t going to go through with his father’s demand. He used Jane as an excuse only to realize at the betrothal party that Jane was the same woman his father wanted him to marry.
Jeff heaved a sigh and searched the bed for his phone.
“A marriage of alliance? I won’t be bound by any useless marital vows. If you need her for an alliance, be prepared to marry her yourself,” Jeff muttered and brought up his phone. He scrolled through and realized he had numerous missed calls from Jane. He smirked and put a call through to her.