Lords of Underworld

The unexpected

Kim looked at the gold diamond dress Melly wore and opened her mouth. It was made like a wedding gown. It was armless with opened back, tight from the top to the laps then flowed from below. Mr Grant bought it for eighty thousand dollars. Her parents were really happy to see her and Steve get engaged and so proud of her for loving Steve.

" Oh my God!" Kim exclaimed.

 Samantha came at that point.

" If you put this on today, what will you wear on the wedding day?" Samantha said with admiration.

" You look gorgeous." Kim complimented. " If I was a man, I would right away kidnap Steve and marry you instead."

 They giggled.

Melly had never seen herself look so beautiful like that. There was something  that made her felt the night was going to be her most memorable day.

" The Secretary of State is around." Samantha gossiped " With his wife. I see a lot of high profile politicians, especially of the Republicans."

" I think....." Melly began.

" We know." Samantha cut in. " Our parents are all friends so little secret exist."

" Your mum is going to declare, unofficially her ambition to run for the presidency of the States." Kim said and sighed, " This is a good spot to do that. Awwwn, our parents will never seize to use social events for their businesses. "

" My mum announced the launching of her African business empire during my birthday party." Samantha said .

" Can you guys remember when my father was called for a speech in school, in our high school? He did not get off the alter until he talked about his new medical equipment."

They all laughed.

" I hope your mum makes it. I want a woman to rule." Kim said.

" Now we are doing what they do. Let's talk about this special night as we get our dear friend tied." Samantha said with a pout.

Melly smiled.

Mr Grant came in, checked Melly out and said she looked lovely.

He left before the three girls walked out. Melly could not believe her eyes when she saw the number of high profile  guests, mostly top government officials, business moguls, celebrities and the high society women. They stood in groups, drinking while servants moved about rendering services.

She was the c**k of the walk. Compliments and congratulatory salutations showered on her. It felt nice and made her very happy. She saw Steve standing with his friends. When he caught sight of her, he looked at her adoringly like he was going to swallow her up. He seemed to be proud to have her. Melly could see admiration on faces. Maybe it was true when people said her beauty was ethereal.

" I am the luckiest man on earth." He said as he came to her.

" Congratulations Steve." Steve said and touched his chest. He looked very handsome in his well-cut suit. They stood talking for a while when Melly saw him come in and felt a bang in her heart: Jeff.

She forgot that Kim said she sent him an invitation. She thought he would not come. She did not invite him knowing he may have felt humiliated. Why did he come? She pretended not to see him. It was the first time she saw him wear a suit. Even though she did not know what brand it was, it was obvious that he was a fashion icon. Their eyes met and he pretended not to see her. She did the same. She and Steve kept talking and after a while saw him walk out of the hall.

Jeff walked out of the hall, feeling sick. She saw him but ignored him. It was his fault. Kim invited him but  did not come for her. He wanted to see Melly, talk to her at least for the last time.

He had never seen her look more beautiful than she did tonight. Seeing her with Steve, looking so beautiful broke his heart. He had to change his mind and leave. Thank God Kim did not see me, he thought.

" Jeff."

It was her. The unmistaken mellifluous saccharine voice.

He turned and saw her behind him.

" Hey." He said.

" Hope you are good." She said as if studying him.

"I'm fine." He replied. " Congratulations."

" Thank you." She replied.

" You- you look beautiful."

" Thank you. I'm sorry I did not invite you. You know..."

" I understand. Kim did."

" But you are leaving."

" Yep. Actually, I just felt like leaving. I hope she doesn't see me."

" Why?"

" I came to tell you goodbye. You don't pick my calls and this happens to be my last chance so when she invited me, I was glad."

" You know why I stopped picking your calls."

"I do. I'm not reproaching you."

"But you were leaving without saying goodbye."

He paused, his face showed hesitation.

" When I saw you, I realised I could never say goodbye to you. I value my manhood and it would have been mawkish. Melly, you are leaving me for life and you expect me to have the heart to say goodbye? Tonight is the night I stop living because my heart is been plugged away. As you you leave, you go with my light and I'm left in darkess, the only part of my tongue that functions is the bitter tasting part. I wish there were two of you in the world but no, its just you so there can’t be another. They got maximum of six and you got minimum of twelve, so you got no competitor. I can never forget the first time I saw you, it was raining and you were the rainbow, adornig the sky with beautiful colours.

No one is perfect, but each time I see you, I ask, is there an exception? I may never see you again, but never think that a second will pass by without you deeply sitted in my thoughts. I can't say goodbye, you can bid me goodbye but permit me to at least tell you this....... I love you."

She stood without a word, just staring at him.

" I love you too."

She whispered then allowed tears roll down her face before she ran into his arms.

They had their second and longest kiss. She held him as if protecting him from being taking away by tsunami. She felt warm, and as he held her, he forgot the rest of the world. To hell with it. Only her mattered. Now emboldened, he let her go, knelt down, removed a diamond ring given to him by his mother. This looked crazy but he was already crazy.

" Melly, will you marry me ?"

She said nothing, creating a short hiatus which left him with a shaking liver.

" Yes! Yes, I will marry you, Jeff. " He had not expected that answer. He felt so overwhelmed, exhiliriated and elated. He got up  and they kissed again.

"Melly." Somebody called calmly and they disengaged to see Steve standing with folded hands glaring at them.

*****

Kim and Samantha stood beside Steve. Kim was speechless, her Eyes became larger as she gaped at them. Samantha folded her hands across her chest, and they all looked to have gotten the greatest shock of their lives. Steve was looking very calm, not showing anger, hands in pocket, looking at Melly.

" What is going on, Melly?" He asked in a cool manner which surprised Jeff. He had expected Steve to rake, kick him in the groin, hit her face and shout but he chose to stay pacific. Jeff admired his maturity.

" It's not what you think, Steve?" Melly said.

" I don't get it." Kim said. " Which part of the what-you-think am I missing? The kissing part or what?"

" Let me talk to her Kim." Steve said.

" She is right." Jeff said. " It's not what you think.."

The look Steve shot at Jeff sent a chill through him. He said no word, but the danger in his thin eyes radiated. Jeff understood with him. Having been with a girl for all your life and catching her kissing someone on your engagement night was tormenting.

Jeff could see fear on Melly's face. It seemed she just realised how bad what she did was and full of regrets and remorse.

Jeff felt he only came to exacerbate the whole thing. This would not work out. What was he thinking? Giving her a ring on her engagement night. There was no way it was going to work out. Her parents wanted Steve, a billionaire. Jeff had no good job, no big family name and was considered a criminal on the police watch list.

" Melly." Steve said calmly. " I am not insane. Even after the ocular proof, I am ready to believe you if you tell me that what I saw was just hallucination. I loved you and still do. I forgive you, for your sake I forgive him, and we can leave this behind. I just hope it does not repeat itself."

His kind words seemed to get into her. Her eyes were now watery, giving him a look of affection and compassion. She looked chastened, probably regretting her actions, finding a way to make it up to him.

" I am sorry, Steve. I am Sorry Kim. I need you guys to forgive me." She said apologetically.

" It's okay, sweetheart." Steve said.

" You know you have always been special to me, the only man I ever wanted to marry." Melly continued. The guilty conscience drifted out of me and jealousy took place. I did not want to witness a romantic reconciliation.

" I never cheated on you. You are one of the nicest person I ever met. Your patience and understanding is next to none. You went and will go to any length to make me happy. For your sake, I stopped picking his calls. I avoided him. I chose you and agreed to marry you. I did not invite him. Kim did. I thought I would never see him again. I'm sorry this is not the first time I kissed him. It was after the first kiss I decided not to see him again. What is between me and Jeff is unfathomable. Something strange I never felt. This night as he came here, it became clear to me that ....our bond is inexorable and esoteric. Steve, you are special to me but this is the guy I fell in love with. I'm sorry to tell you this."

What!

There was a deadly quietness as she said those words that not only shocked them but Jeff as well. He never imagined Melly loved him this much. This was a twist of event. He was filled with mixed feelings. A part of him was glad and overwhelmed she chose him but  also felt bad for Steve. He could imagined the calibre of guests inside, the anticipations of the parents and friends and realised it was a disaster.

"I'm sorry everyone but I have to follow my heart."Melly concluded.

Kim shook her head.

" I thought I had a best friend. I never knew you were a cheap, deceitful, heartless, cheap slot!" Kim vituperated angrily. " You used me as a cover for your clandestine adultery. I get it." She turned at Jeff." I hate you Jeff! You grubby, street urchin hooked up in a dirty hole! You knew I loved you even with your dirty butt but you guys used me." She was now raising her voice angrily. This was not the time for explanation.

" I am disappointed in you, Melly." Samantha said with disgust. " I never -ever want to see you again in my life. All we ever had just went down the drain."

Steve glared at Jeff and produced a dangerous smile.

" You can never have her." He said." We are getting engaged this night."

He left and walked inside angrily while Kim kept screaming and cursing. Kim and Samantha followed Steve.

Melly now looked agitated, tensed up and Jeff feared she was going to change her mind. She was loosing her friends, and this would not go well with the families too. She grabbed his hand.

" Come with me, quick!" The sharp note in her voice got him energized. They ran to her car, got in and she pulled out of the lot with an incredible speed. A gate keeper stopped her at the main gate.

" Get the door open!" She ordered.

The man seemed not to move.

" Are you crazy? Open the damn fu***** gate." She said angrily. Jeff had never seen her this nervous.

" I am sorry ma'am." Said the gate keeper. " Your mother instructed us not to let you pass through. They need you to get back."

Melly pushed the door open violently, told Jeff to get out of the car and made a move towards the gate but the gate keeper tried to stop her. When she insisted that he should get out of her way, he held her and tried to make a call. Jeff did not know where she wanted them to go, but it was obvious she wanted them to leave the vicinity at all cost. Jeff moved in and slammed his fist on the guard. He let her go as he dropped on the ground before they now broke into a run.

They were on the private lane. If there was going to be a chase, then catching them was going to be a doddle. Now that he had hit the guard, they had more to pin him with. They began to slow down as she began breathing laboriously having lost stamina.

The lane was a long stretch, a typical billionaire private area. Then a powerful beam of light from a headlight emerged from a car coming with a high velocity. They were coming for them and they had no way of escape. What next? Jeff would be sent to jail and Steve will forcefully marry her. Damn!

The car pulled up before them with the screeching sound of tyres. Fahad popped out his head from the car.

" Get in." He said. " We will do the fighting later."

Melly ran to the driver's side.

" Please, let me handle it."

Fahad knew when not to ask questions. He moved to the passenger's side, she got under the wheel while Jeff got on the back seat.

The manner at which she pulled the car out was enigmatic. Then he recalled that she once told him that they used to do car race with her friends using Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

" I never knew you were in there." Jeff said to Fahad.

Fahad turned to look at Jeff.

"Before you add to my sins by thinking I came to celebrate with Steve who was taking away your heartthrob, I must remind you that you guys kept your stuff clandestine and I never knew you had a thing. The CCTV cameras never showed you go beyond the living room or making out."

" What's happening in there?" Melly asked Fahad.

" A lot. Steve came in angrily and spoke to your mother who in turn spoke to your father. Then Kim came in like a wild cat and told them you guys left in your car. Your dad made a call, and later  said something to the police boss who happened to be a guest. The boss then talked to his man and a team was sent for. So I got out. Didn't know you guys were still out here though."

She sighed.

"Thank God you came." She said.

Fifteen minutes later, after all the suspense, she pulled up in front of a building and Jeff cringed. Was she serious? Was what he was thinking the reason they were there? No. It could not be. She couldn't go that far.

He saw Fahad looking at the sign post, also beffudled. It was the last thing he had on my mind.

She turned at Jeff, smiled then said," Shall we?"

Jeff got out of the car, opened the driver's door and she came out, closed the door and leaned on the car. He could feel her warm breath and fragnace.

" I don't get it." He said. " Do you know what you are doing?"

" I am sane, Jeff."

" I know but...I don't want you to regret this. I know you never planned it to go this way. Your status, your dreams, your family, and friends. I mean think of other things."

She looked straight into his eyes, a serious note on her pretty face.

" Which other thing is more important than been with you?"

Those words were priceless to him. His heart melted and solidified at once. Now, he was sure she knew what she was doing.

" We don't have time." She said. " They may come after us."

Jeff nodded at Fahad. He lighted.

" Phew!" Fahad grinned. " I can't believe this is about to take place. I don't know the full story but if I had a talent for writing, this will be a story for a novel. I am glad and proud to be an accomplice ."

Melly laughed and Jeff felt the whole world illuminated. He held her hand as they walked into the marriage registry.