BLOOD AND MONEY

BLOOD AND MONEY EPISODE TEN

This i***t had some nerves. Did she already forget the things she told me the day I confronted her about her sleeping around with Willis, okay it was stupid to go at her like that but I was so damn mad and I had s**t happening from left right and centre at least she could have lied to me about her affair and I couldn't have crashed the way I did.

I walked towards her, took off my jacket and tossed it on the couch. She stood there watching me like she was waiting for me to go off on her but I didn't. The truth is I badly wanted to see her again but now that I did I wasn't so sure about it anymore.

Della was beautiful but the mere fact that she didn't mind sleeping around with the enemy turned me off completely. I loved my woman to be my own woman and not be tossed from one man to another.

I sat down ready to listen to whatever she had to say or maybe I wasn't really but I was curious on why she would come back to my house...

She walked to my father's little bar and poured me some whiskey in a glass then came to me and stretched her hand to hand me the glass but I sat there staring at it then at her. What was she up to?

Della: its just a drink.

Me: just a drink has sent people to their graves. Have you spiked my drink?

Della: why would you even think that?

Me: Della you are not stupid so I'm damn sure you know why I'm asking you that.

She put the glass on the table then sat beside me. I leaned back and took a deep breath then turned to look at her and found her staring too.

Me: aren't you going to tell me why you are here?

Della: I miss you Owen.

I don't really know what hearing her say that really felt like but I wasn't intrigued.

She moved even closer and I sat up.

Me: whatever this is its not going to work. You told me it was over between us and you walked out on me remember?

Della: and I expected you to come running after me like most men do. You were supposed to fight for me if our relationship ever meant anything to you.

I looked at her and she had this desperate kind of a look on her face..

Me: you need to understand one thing Della, I'm not most men and I will never do what most men do. Isn't that why you left, because I wasn't man enough, isn't that why you have been sleeping around with Willis?

She looks at me as if I had said something that I wasn't supposed to say. She got up and took the glass of alcohol. Drunk the whiskey I had declined and went for another one as I sat there watching her every move.

She got the whiskey then came back and sat on the table in front of me.

Della: I did not sleep with Willis. I never have.

I wasn't convinced but I didn't say. She knew I needed an explanation and she was giving me one fo cover up everything she had been doing..

Della: Willis was attracted to me yes and we had some uncomfortable moments in his office but I never slept with him, I needed his help with something and after that he has been helping me with some projects which are work related and that has been pretty much it.

Me: and you never thought of coming to me with these projects be cause...

Della: I didn't want you thinking of me as a failure. You seemed to have had everything in order and I never thought you would understand.

I checked my watch and realised it was already 11:00pm. I wasn't sure I wanted Della in the house because her association with Willis worried me and who knows why she really came back, maybe to spy or maybe to pick something from my fathers home office, I just didn't feel like I wanted to trust her..... Not any more...

Me: its getting very late. You should go home.

She looked up at me like she didn't expect me to say that.

Della: well, can't I just sleep here?

Me: no. I will call you a cab.

There was that disappointing look on her face as she returned the glass to the kitchen and I showed her to the door.

Me: the pathologist still need the DNA test. We will be at the hospital tomorrow to have the tests done. If you really had nothing to do with my mothers death. You will show up...

Della: I will come to the hospital and have the DNA test done.

I didn't want to be rude to her but I needed to use my brains more than I used my feelings. I couldn't live with two traitors lest I ended up dead too..

"Baby you have been working late a lot lately" Willi's wife said as she got into bed while Willis changed from his towel that was wrapped around his waist to something he could sleep in.

Willis: I'm sorry baby but since Gerald died, there's been so much to do as I'm even the one organizing for his funeral.

Maggy: I get it but Serena and I barely see you at home. Its like we are still in Canada and the reason we didn't go back is so that.....

Willis: we can be a family again.. I know baby I know that...

He said walking up to her and sitting on the edge of the bed leaning in towards her and kissing her on the mouth.

Willis: I know what family means to you and I promise to make it up to you as soon as I'm done with Gerald's burial.

Maggy: when is the burial?

Willis: was thinking of making it this weekend.

Maggy: and how is Owen coping, we should visit him before the burial. His father was a good friend of the family.

Willis: I can give him a call and arrange for that.

Maggy nodded then slid into bed and pulled the duvet over her as Willis also got into bed..

THE VILLAGE...

The meeting for Mpasi's burial had gone up to later in the night with Sankara, his boys, a few elders and a few general public discussing and making funeral arrangements. Rosemary didn't have money left for her so she wanted Mpasi to be buried as soon as possible to avoid accumulation of mortuary bill so her together with everyone else settled for that week on Friday. A day before Gerald's alleged burial day.

When the meeting was over, Sankara and his boys left but makaveli decided to stay behind and have a word with Rosemary before he could leave. If you had not met Rosemary you wouldn't understand why that son of a b***h raped her. She was too beautiful to be living in the village. She had a dark shiny skin with an hour glass shape. She was Petit and no one could fail to notice how hot she looked. She knew how to dress and she wore a signature perfume that when she passed, women would gossip behind her but the thing is she didn't care. She married Mpasi, someone no one thought would be the one to marry her out of all the men that warmed up to her...

She was seated at the corner in her living room when the meeting was taking place and when everyone departed she was left seated there with her arms crossed to her chest and tears dropping from her eye. She noticed Makaveli walk up to her but she did not move an inch.

Makaveli: hi

Rosemary: hi

Makaveli: once again I'm sorry for your loss.

She nodded but didn't say a thing.

Makaveli reached for his wallet and pulled out three thousand shillings and gave it to her but she didn't take it.

Rosemary: what's the money for?

Makaveli: you can use it to buy the children some food and anything else you might need.

She still didn't take the money but makaveli took her hand pressed the money in her palm and folded it.

Makaveli: I will check on you tomorrow.

Rosemary: I don't need anyone to check on me. I will be fine.

Makaveli: says a woman who is seated in a dark corner shading some tears. I know what you are going through, but you don't have to go through it alone. We worked with your husband and it will be too bad if we left you to fight this alone.

She raised her face and looked at him and whispered a thanks before he got up and walked away.

Wednesday morning Adana woke up feeling better after a one week's bed rest and the first thing she wanted to do is to go back to work but she woke up to an email that left her rather shocked. She had just gotten fired as her employer stated well that she had already gotten a replacement. Adana worked in a boutique run by a very petty Korean woman. She was loud and very very complicated. Whenever Adana could get tips from generous customers for serving them well, she would claim Adana over charged the clients so that she could keep the rest of the money and she would take it all. The Korean woman had her eyes on her as a hawk and she wouldn't even allow her to go out for lunch because she believed Adana would make deals with clients out there and steal from her. Adana hated her presence but she badly needed the job to keep up.

After she read the email, she felt a pit in her stomach as she had no money and didn't know where to start from since she had rent to pay and other stuff to take care of.

She sat on her bed with her face buried in her hands deep in thought and her thoughts were interrupted by her very loud and creepy ringtone. It was Della..

Adana: its about time you called.

Della: good morning to you too. You are up early today.

Adana: yes, was to report to work.

Della: but?

Adana: just saw an email from my boss. She sucked me and already got a replacement.

Della: that flat ass, hot tempered, faceless b***h. Didn't she know you have been unwell?

Adana: its already done. I have to start looking for a job.

Della: you will find something soon. I will drop by as soon as I'm done running a few errands.

Adana: okay.

Della ended the call then lay back on her bed staring at the ceiling reminiscing on how her date with the older guy went the day he told her to go to the parking lot.

" you look amazing in that skirt" kizito said as Della unbuttoned a few buttons on her blouse, pulled her skirt above her thighs and sat on him holding his shoulders and burying his face in her chest and letting him feel her boobs.

He held her by the waist and pulled her even closer and planted tiny kisses on her chest as he unbuttoned the rest of her blouse.

Kizito: I swear you are beautiful and if I hadn't married my wife, you would be the one waking up in my bed.

That was a typical married guy lie and anyone would be stupid to believe that.

Della: where is she now?

Kizito: uuumh!

Della: in a comma in a hospital right?

Kizito stopped kissing her boobs and looked at her.

Della: your secretary told me so. She looked rather pissed off that I was going out with you.

Kizito: yes, my wife has been in a comma for a few months. She got into an accident and after months of being treated she slipped into a comma. I'm a man and I have needs Della. I can't just sit around and wait.

Della kissed him and pushed him to the bed....

"Damn it Della, don't you have sympathy on a dying woman at all?"

She told her subconscience getting up from the bed and finding her towel before stepping into the shower.

I woke up and got down stairs and I found out that Robert had already left after I checked the guest bedroom where he slept and realizing his stuff were still intact. I know he got mad for lying to him but I had to especially now that I didn't know what he was up to.

I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a few slices of bread and tea that Robert had prepared and left in the flask then walked back to the living room, switched on the TV and sat to have breakfast.

Seconds later I got a call from Willis and even though he is the last person I wanted to talk to, I had to. I had no plans or money as far as burying my dad was concerned so I needed him to keep his end of the promise

Me: yes uncle willis

I had to maintain the uncle bit so that he could know I was still the little boy he saw grow up over the years. That title would make him feel respected and he'd still think I'm dumb and that was okay. I needed to play cool just until the burden of burying my parents was lifted off my back...

Willis: how is the going Owen?

Me: it's tough but I'm hanging in there.

Willis: good.... There will be a board meeting at around 12:00 pm today and as Gerald's son you will be needed there. We will be discussing a few things regarding the company and your parents burial as well.

Me: that's okay uncle Willis I will be there.

Willis: okay and one more thing, my family would like to come over at your place to pay our respect, your parents were a part of our lives. Not just business wise but even before that.

Me: I will arrange for dinner then. See you later and your family is most welcomed in my home.

He ended the call and I was baffled at how ignorant he was. Did he even know I knew about him and Della or was he just acting dumb. Who in their right mind goes to an enemies home for dinner or maybe I wasn't an enemy yet but they had no idea what I had in store for them...

I called some girl who worked for us a while back before getting a more decent job. Her name was Rhoda and she was a great cook. I told her about my guests that evening and asked if she could be available that evening and make things happen and she said yes. I knew she couldn't say no because she left having a crush on me and the rich guy poor girl telenovela thing couldn't happen between us since I wasn't sure about settling yet but she was amazing and I had a soft spot for her. She found me irresistible and couldn't say no to me when i asked for favors which of cause i paid for so that she wouldn't feel like i was taking advantage of her kindness. Don't get me wrong, I never slept with her but there was one or two occasions I was really tempted to.

I asked Rhoda to give me a budget so that I could send her the money to take care of the situation and she did.

After I was done with Rhoda I told her where to find the keys then finished up my breakfast and called mark for our meeting. After I spoke to mark the previous day, I got alot of confidence in me. I was looking forward to working with him and I know I promised Robert to work with him but mark looked more like he was in control and from the look of things, he was my dad's right hand man and Robert was just another cover up.

Mark asked me to go to his place and again, he told me not to tell anyone where I was going and make sure no one followed me so I got off the phone with him, cleared the table and left. The day was going to be quite busy as it was also the day I would meet Della and Robert at the hospital for the DNA test and get it over and done with...

I left my house, not in my car because a classy car would be able to be seen from a distance and it would not be possible to hide from the guys that wanted me dead. I got cab and paid upfront. The guy drove off as I checked my mails, responded to some that I could and in the process a text from Della popped up. "I miss you Owen" I didn't bother to respond. Maybe I was playing hard to get but I wanted her to go insane missing me and that's if she really did.

We got to some place and I asked the cab to stop. I told the guy I needed to but some water and told him to wait for me for a few minutes and as he got busy parking the car and stuff, I disappeared along the blocks and got another cab without his knowledge and thats the cab that took me to my destination. Willis was powerful and he was the type that got what he wanted even if it meant killing the entire country. I was scared that he could have talked the cab guys into giving him information about me and if that was not the case, I was still being cautious. Willis had ridden inside the cabs a couple of times when he came home with my dad in his car and he would take a cab back to his home. Some of those guys even knew him personally.

I got to marks place, paid the cab guy then sounded the bell at the gate before I heard a voice from inside asking who I was. There was something like a speaker phone attached to the gate with a camera slightly above it. This guy was truly equipped just in case people came after him.

The gate opened and I walked in and headed towards the house and he met me half way.

Mark: you are early enough.

He said shaking my hand and inviting me inside. Mark had a wife whom he introduced me and together they had a baby boy who was seated on his chair having breakfast. Lilly was his wife. She welcomed me and offered me breakfast and even though I was full she insisted and so after a brief introduction mark asked her to Bring out breakfast to his study as he asked me to follow him which I did...

Me: nice home..

I said looking around noticing the well done interior decor..

Mark: thanks, I only bought the house, the furnishing and everything else is Lilly's doing..

Me: the speaker phone by the gate, that's such a brilliant move. You don't even have guards.

Mark: its called technology. The gate has a remote control system that is operated from inside. The camera shows who is at the gate and you introduce yourself from the gate before you are allowed in. I did that because of my wife and kid. Guards can get compromised too as far as money is concerned.

I nodded in an agreement...

Mark got the documents and put them on the table and handed some to me.

His wife knocked and brought in tea and some pancakes and placed it on the table, served us then walked away after asking us to enjoy the breakfast.

Mark: those are the financial reports from the finance department. That's a lot of money but its not all. Your father realised that Willis made a deal with the finance manager and he signed a few unauthorized cheques. Huge sum of money that was not accounted for.

I listened as I went through the documents.

Me: this is a huge sum of money.

Mark: yes but it should not worry you. Look here

He said handing me some more documents.

Mark: after your father found out what was going on, he replaced the finance manager and put a lady instead. He was the C.E.O of the company so no one would question if he wanted any amount signed.

Me: what's this figure 73 million?

Mark: yes, that's the money your father managed to moved after he had found out what Willis was up to. The company was left almost bankrupt and when Willis found out how much money was in the account, he confronted your dad and after that, things have not been good between them.

Me: yeah, they had differences and the last time Willis came home he was so furious.

Mark: I'm tempted to think he killed your parents because his agenda was to keep the company to himself. I don't have Proof yet but you need to be careful too. He might want to get rid of you so that you don't challenge him.

Me: this 73 million...

Mark: is right here.

He said placing an ATM card right infront of me and I still had not come into terms with what was going on.

Mark: your father had me open a bank account in your name and every time he would sign a cheque he would have me deposit the amount into that account. So these are the details to the account

He said handing me another document and true to his word, the account was in my name.

Me: wait, are you saying I am 73 million shillings richer?

Mark: yes, and you can earn more if you decide to take the fight to keep the company and work in your father's position. I'm here to tell you that you have a choice Owen, you can work in your father's company or be satisfied with the money and leave Willis the company. I don't need an answer now but if I were you, I would protect what your father worked so hard for.

I was quiet for a while not knowing what to say.

Mark cleared his throat and I looked up at him.

Mark: I'm here for you in whatever decision you make. Your father was like a father to me. He picked me from rugs and made me who I'm today. He gave me a roof over my head, paid me in huge sum and I only have one duty to him and that's to protect what's of interest to him....that's his son and his business. I owe him that much.

Me: thank you mark. Your loyalty will be greatly rewarded.

Mark: no. I don't need anything from you. I just need you to make the right decision. Your father wrote me a cheque of one million every time he wrote cheque to your name. He told me to make good use of that money so that when something happened to him and I didn't have a job anymore, I wouldn't suffer. Your father was a good man Owen and you need to keep that legacy alive.

I nodded in agreement then took a sip of tea..

Mark: the 73million is your money and your responsibility, you either be wise how you spend it or you will end up in the streets.

Mark was right, I needed to be wise on how I spent that money but that was something I had to think about..

I picked the ATM card and stuffed it into my wallet having known the pin and stuff. Mark told me to change the pin the moment I find out the entire money is there but as for the documents I decided to leave them with him. No one else needed to see the statistics so I guess it was going to be game over if whoever stole my fathers fingers got into his office and found the ATM card and the pin attached to it. I owed a lot to mark and I was impressed at how faithful he was with 73 million shillings.

Mark: is there anything else you need to know?

Me: no but I need to tell you something.

Mark : go ahead.

Me: Willis wants me at the company for a board meeting. He said they are going to discuss a few things and I need to be there as well.

Mark: he is making his desperate move. He wants to intimidate you before the board members and make you look like you are not yet ready to take the responsibility of being his partner.

Me: so what do I do?

Mark: mark, dress up in a suit, make sure you are looking good then show up there as confident as you can be. I will be guiding you through the meeting.

Me: how, are you allowed to be there?

Mark: no.

He moved his chair and pulled a drawer open and fished out some tiny ear listening and communicating device and handed it to me.

Mark: you stick this in your ears once in the boardroom and I will be able to listen to everything being discussed and I will guide you through. Just act very normal so that no one suspects I'm coaching you.

I took the thingy and put it in my pocket as I got up and shook marks hand with a brief smile on my face.

Me: thank you.

Mark: anytime. Now go and text me as soon as the meeting starts.

Me: I will.

When I left mark's place I got a cab to town, checked into the bank and withdrew like ten thousand shillings for a suit and the thing is, I had never worn a suit before not even when I was going for interviews and maybe that's why I was jobless so this, this was going to be really awkward but I was willing to take Mark's advice to the last bit..

Mark was right, the amount he mentioned was there and after I was done at the bank, I checked into a suit house or boutique and had the attendant find me a suit that fitted perfectly well and for the first time I looked like a serious guy. The lady found me some nice shoes and belt to go with it and out of my 10, 000 shilling, I was left with a thousand which I gave the lady to have lunch for the good job she did. My fathers taught me that it was okay to leave tips if you felt like you were well served and I saw him do that a lot especially in restaurants.

At exactly 11:45pm. A cab pulled over at the company's parking and I checked out in my new stunning suit. I texted mark before I got into the lift and put the device in my ear. It was tiny and it fit just fine that no one would even notice it was there.

Are you here for the meeting?

A receptionist asked and I nodded taking note of two policemen that were talking to some guy. It must have been in regard to what happened the previous night.

The receptionist showed me to the board room and when I opened the door and got in. Everyone turned to look at me including Willis and Robert who could not actually believe it was me who just walked in.

I noticed Willis swallow a hard lump looking around obvious irritated by a few individuals who were nodding in acknowledgment.

He cleared his throat and ushered me to a seat which I walked to with a broad smile on my face.

There was silence for a while, I'm not sure what the confusion was about but yes, I think I got Willis a little intimidated and he had no idea that this was just the beginning...