i hv lost track of dis movie and i cant go back and start all over again.. lemme just continue d way i see it ..
anyways welcome back from sambisa forest antie Angelesss

Thanks in trillion nice update. Hope all is well with you now, what the LORD has done for you shall be permanent IJN.

thanks for the update

Thanks for the update and welcome back

thanks Angelsss for d update.....really enjoyed it. BTW, welcome back!!

Angelss,au far.wht's happening.we need update o

anoda abandoned story

Hi Rose ,
What's up?Hope you're gud?
Pls what are the days of ur update?

it's good to have you back, angelsss

This Marian girl is just a witch... Please protect mmayen, there are just a whole lot of people after her life..... Beautiful story angelss

Rosey was up?
Hope you're alryt?
Abeg food don ready?

****
She had spent a week in the Oluwatosin mansion, which was just as beautiful as she remembered it. There were tall tropical palms all over the place, flowers in their numbers and a huge swimming pool.
She had never felt this loved, she had never felt this wanted; somehow, spending time with this beautiful family had made her forget all her pain and misery in the hands of Ifedayo. It seemed Damola and his family were angels, one that God had sent time after time to rescue her.
The night the house was on fire. And then now, when she had just lost her baby.
She flowed well with everyone in the house. Aunt Imisi’s face now took shape in her mind as she recognized her, she remembered seeing the woman in Iris’ garden, and the woman was Damola’s talkative aunt. Eniola was really kind to her, Damola’s mother treated her like a real pet, it even nauseated her sometimes, the way the woman treated her, like a real baby.
Was it Lila or Denzel? Everyone was nice to her, everyone...except the old man who kept his distance from her, which she found odd as he had been really playful and jovial when she was younger.
Mmayen had been swimming alone, dancing with her thoughts, analyzing the inhabitants of the mansion in her mind. This place felt like home, she was welcome, she was at peace.
‘Aren’t you tired of swimming; you are not a fish you know...’
Mmayen laughed and pulled her face out of the water at the sound of Lila’s voice; she had also noticed something odd about Lila.
While they were younger, Lila wasn’t that close to her, but right now? She seemed to show up everywhere Mmayen went, which she thought odd.
‘What if I was a fish in my former life?’ Mmayen replied with a high pitched laugh.
‘You wish! You were a monkey!’ Lila chuckled as she drew closer to the pool; there were three chairs next to the pool, so she settled into one.

‘A pretty monkey I guess...’ Mmayen could tell Lila wanted to discuss something with her, so she decided her little swimming exercise was over.
‘Where’s your brother by the way?’ Mmayen stepped out of the pool and quickly covered her body with a towel that she had placed on one of the chairs.
‘He left the house really early with Denzel. They went to supervise the building of the country brand of Marisoft’ Lila replied with a yawn.

‘I see...’ Mmayen took a seat next to her.
Her mind was now focused on the man that had rescued her from the beast she had thought loved her. Damola had brought light to her world, he had made her see things differently, see herself differently and she regretted the things she had done, had suffered all in the name of love.
It had been a week since she lost her pregnancy, the one Ifedayo had destroyed, a week since she had gotten over him, a week that marked her total healing.
‘You seem really happy here...’ Lila remarked as she ran her eyes over Mmayen’s pretty face.
‘And it seems that you are reading my thoughts’ Mmayen replied.
‘I am just happy you could get over it...’ Lila licked her lips nervously, not knowing how to begin.
‘Stop, it’s okay, I am fine Lila’ Mmayen rolled her eyes knowing what Damola’s sister was about to say.
‘No, let me say it. I have never been with child before, so I cannot fathom the pain you felt when you lost it. I am sorry for everything, I am glad Damola found you before it was too late’ Lila continued.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that fateful day; she had been too careless to notice the pretence that brimmed in his eyes as she had served her food, but it was too late to regret now.
‘I don’t know what happened, but Damola took away all my pain. I am happy I am alive, I will have other children as compensation for the ones I lost...’ she blinked away the tears.
Damola had been so kind to her, he had treated her like a queen and he always called her “angel”. It was impossible to resist this good mannered and caring man, over the days and nights she had spent in the Tosin mansion, she realized her adulation of him was rising stronger, and stronger like the pyramids of Egypt, and they baffled her greatly.
‘Enough about the past, let us talk about you and I, I want us to be close, we were never close as kids’ Lila said.
‘The reason is obvious...I am older than you’ Mmayen laughed and then winked.
‘Shut up! Age does not matter’ Lila sniggered.
‘It does Smallie!’ Mmayen tongued Lila, she was about to say more when her phone buzzed.
She raised a finger up and checked through her phone, her eyes gleamed with expectation as she read the text from Tolu, who had planned to visit her.
As she read the text, she thought of her cousin, Marian. Something was off about her, they had not spoken to each other for a weak, she had sent her cousin messages, called her but Marian had never returned either the calls or the messages.
‘Is that from your lover?’ Lila bit her lip.
‘I don’t have a lover, we both know that’ Mmayen sighed.
‘Oh...Damola does’ Lila replied.
Apart from her duty of watching Mmayen closely to protect her from her mischievous mother and aunt, she had come to the pool on errand.
Many people were not aware that the bold and very handsome Damola was also shy when it came to expressing his feelings. He couldn’t contain his joy since Mmayen had walked away from her abusive relationship with Ifedayo Legacy; it showed they were meant to be together.
He loved her very deeply, but he was scared of opening himself up. What if she still had feelings for her ex lover? What if she didn’t feel anything for him? This was the reason he’d sent his younger sister, who was good at making enquiries, to find the answers that his heart sought.
Her heart skipped as she heard that he had a lover.
‘Oh, he does have a girlfriend?’ Mmayen felt pain clog her throat, one that transformed her voice into a whisper. For some reason, she felt this sadness as she thought of him with another.
‘Yes...how can you even imagine a man like my brother being single? He is hot, sexy, hardworking and rich, all that a woman could ever dream of’ Lila watched her face the whole time.
‘Oh...’ Mmayen could hear her heart thumping; her feelings were strange to her. She was happy for him, no doubt, but, she was also sad as she imagined him being with someone else.
She found it difficult to push Damola out of her thoughts, she was convinced that he had felt the same way about her and she had caught him looking at her with so much longing, apparently, she had misread his stares.
‘Are you okay?’ Lila touched her shoulder lightly.
‘Of course I am, I just have a little headache, maybe I should go inside the house’ Mmayen touched her forehead lightly.

‘Um, no, let me get you some aspirin, sorry’ Lila quickly jumped to her feet, knowing her mother was right inside the house.
‘Okay, that would still be fine’ Mmayen accepted her help.
Lila rose to her feet and matched briskly away feeling accomplished. It was so glary, her body language couldn’t deny the way her heart beat, Mmayen was in love with her brother, so all Damola needed to do was confess his feelings to her.
‘So long’ she snorted as she hurried towards the house.
‘No, I have no right to feel this way about him. All he ever did was to care for me and rescue me from Ife...’ Mmayen shook her head, and decided she would kill whatever feelings she had for Damola.
She had been so deep in her thoughts that she failed to notice her friend, Tolu, who had just walked into the Oluwatosin mansion.
‘A penny for your thoughts...’ Tolu clutched tightly to her bag, wondering what was on Mmayen’s mind.
‘Geez! You scared me’ Mmayen almost jumped to her feet.
‘Sorry, you look...’Tolu held her breath; this new version of Mmayen was so beautiful and happy.
Her brown skin glowed attractively like pure honey; her eyes were totally relaxed and their brown pools glazed under the sunlight.
‘Astonishing...’ she found the words after few seconds of ransacking her brain.
‘Thank you...he...Da...Damola has been really nice to me, his family too’ she finally found the courage to say his name.
Tolu was no stranger to Mmayen’s moods, she could tell Mma was not comfortable about something.
‘Slow down, you are not okay, what is it?’ Tolu asked.
Mmayen took a deep breath, there was so much that she had on her mind, which she couldn’t discuss with anyone here.
‘I think I have feelings for Damola, I feel so stupid’ Mmayen felt defeated.
‘Stupid?’ Tolu’s eyes grew wide, why would her friend say something like that? It was obvious that Damola was nuts about her.
‘Yes, I just came out of an abusive relationship and here I am falling for another hot guy. Who does that? You know what’s worse? He has a lover, Lila confirmed it’ she explained.
‘Really?’ Tolu raised a brow.
She had a vast experience when it came to the things of the heart, one thing was for sure, and Damola was not seeing anyone. He was in love with Mmayen.
‘You don’t look like you believe me...’ Mmayen watched her friend closely.
‘Because it is not true, maybe his sister does not like you and wants another woman for her brother. That could be the reason that she is coming up with such a huge lie.’ Tolu replied.

‘Are you sure about this? Lila does not lie...I don’t think she would. Why would she do something like that?’ Mmayen wondered.
‘How close are you to Lila? What was she like as a kid?’ Tolu fingered her chin.
‘Truth be told, we were not that close during childhood.’ Mmayen replied.
‘Then you don’t know her that much, human beings are unpredictable. They are just like the chameleon, pink today, green the next, our job is to be watchful’ Tolu advised.
‘Thanks, I just don’t know how it happened...but I find myself thinking about him all the time. He has been so nice to me, he made me forget that bastard, I just wish...’ tears sprang up in her eyes.
She wished many things. She wished that her parents had never died in the fire; that Damola’s love would’ve found her earlier; if all those things had happened, there was no way she would have ended up with someone like Ifedayo.
‘We live in the real world and not one designed by the wishes of our heart. If what you feel for Damola is love, then take it, chase it and make him yours.’ Tolu reached for her hand and caressed it softly.
A bright smile spread across Mmayen’s face as she stared into Tolu’s eyes.
‘I always feel better after talking to you...’ she was about asking after Marian, her cousin who seemed to be mad at her for no just cause when Tolu’s phone rang, interrupting this special moment.

She pulled her hands away from Mmayen and took a quick look at it.
‘I am sorry; I have to take this right now’ Tolu placed the phone against her ears.
‘Go ahead, no problem’ Mma nodded.
‘Hello Ma, My name is Santos Elba and I am calling from Smookwich Medical Laboratory...’
‘Oh, Good afternoon Mr Elba, have you examined the sample I dropped in your lab?’
‘Yes Madam, it is a very poisonous substance. One that could destroy a pregnancy, harm anyone who comes in contact with it. I would like to pry a bit, where did you get this dangerous chemical from?’
Tolu’s mouth dropped, she quickly took the phone off her ears and stared at it.
Was this a dream? Could this be true?
‘Are you alright?’ Mmayen could see the look on her friend’s face, it was not one that accompanied good news.
‘No...’ Tolu’s voice was broken.
She knew Marian was not happy about Damola’s relationship with Mmayen, but she found it difficult to believe Marian was behind Mmayen’s miscarriage.
But to what end?
Tolu was afraid, for herself, for Mmayen. The amount of fluid in that syringe had been plenty, what if Marian had not just planned to terminate the pregnancy? What if she had other plans like killing Mmayen?
Trust was a luxury she could not afford. The laboratory had confirmed what the substance was, it was poisonous.
‘Mmayen, I don’t think Ifedayo was behind your miscarriage.’ Tolu said.
‘I don’t understand, what are you talking about? He did it! He poisoned me...’ Mmayen shook her head.
‘I don’t know what to believe...but I am very sure her hands are not clean’ Tolu closed her eyes firmly as she imagined a thousand ways to tell he friend that her cousin was plotting her own death.
‘Who are you talking about? Is this still about Lila?’ Mmayen was confused.
‘No...’ Tolu shook her head. She decided she had to do it, no matter what happened, even if she lost Mmayen’s friendship forever, she was prepared to do it.
‘Tell me, talk to me’ Mmayen was on her feet now.
‘I know it is going to be really hard for you to believe, but the results have just been sent in PDF form to my mailbox. There is something that I must tell you about Marian...’
*****

Hello angelsss, you repeated the last episode

It's a really great story, looking forward to updates

The two brothers stood side by side as they watched the men work on the site, the one where the Marisoft building would be erected.
‘They are trying really hard, it’s going to be awesome’ Denzel remarked, his voice full of great expectation.
He knew how much this company meant to his brother, and that was the reason he had agreed to confront Iris Legacy with Lila the other day.
‘These men are really living up to their name...’ Denzel continued, the men they had hired where the first black Africans to own a construction company and they had come highly recommended.
‘Hmm’ Damola nodded.
His mind was elsewhere. His mind was occupied with thoughts of his angel, his darling. He wondered what she was up to now, had she eaten? Was she sleeping? Was she thinking of Ife?
His heart jolted as he thought about that beast that had taken his angel for granted.
‘Are you okay bro?’ Denzel could tell his brother was absent minded, whatever he was thinking about had a stronger pull on him than the job they had both come to supervise.
‘Yes I am, let’s go back to the office, we still need to do some paperwork’ Damola suggested.
The construction workers had erected a glass made office which served as a temporary purpose.
‘Okay...’ Denzel agreed, still not comfortable with his brother’s silence.
He had noticed the way his family members had been acting of late, it baffled him but he decided to stay out of it. He had wanted to discuss their father’s behaviour with Damola, but it seemed the younger man had issues of his own to resolve.
‘I can’t help but wonder why Iris would be so confident in her attack of me, her records are not even clean’ Damola could feel his brother’s eyes boring into him, so he quickly spoke up. He couldn’t let anyone into what he was feeling inside. His heart was in turmoil, he was afraid of her not loving him, he was afraid of being rejected.

‘Oh, Iris is an ambitious woman like dad had rightly said. Now we know for sure that she has nothing against us, so we would ignore her like the non entity that she is’ Denzel retorted. He was still not comfortable with the look on his brother’s face; it was one of despair, like all hope was lost.

‘Damola...what is wrong? Did I say something to offend you?’ Denzel did a mental runback of the words he had spoken to his brother; Damola could be sensitive at times. So he needed to be sure his current mood had nothing to do with him.

Damola laughed, how could Denzel even ask him that? He was the best friend he never had. Damola was about to answer when his phone buzzed, he had been expecting Lila’s call the whole day, so he quickly took it hoping she would be the one.
He ran his eyes over the screen of his phone, realizing that he had a text.
“She loves you...you need to pay me for that Olivia Pope act. Cheers! Lila”
He couldn’t believe his eyes, could it be for real?
‘Okay bro, this is getting weird. If you were a lady, I’d think you pregnant, but, you are not, so why the mood swings? One minute your face is gloomy, the next, you’re all smiles’ Denzel found this really odd.
‘You’re funny’ Damola laughed then quickly replaced his phone in his pocket.
‘Okay...so what’s the problem, because I know there’s something you are not telling me’ Denzel asked.
‘Matters of the heart bro, matters of the heart’ Damola replied, still grinning.
He wondered briefly how Lila had managed to get the answer he’d desperately sought.
Did she confess to feeling the same way? Or, did Lila just assume?
‘Oh, I see’ Denzel winked, knowing how smitten his brother was by Mmayen.
It was difficult for a man in his right mind not love someone like Mma; she was homely and very friendly. Denzel couldn’t help but wonder how on earth she got to be with someone as beastly as Ifedayo.
‘That reminds me, how about Tolu? You guys had a thing right?’ Damola could remember the way his brother had fawned over Mmayen’s friend, the one he was comfortable with. For some reason, he resented Marian, he just didn’t like her.
‘I’ve had time to think about what I feel for her, and I think we should take a break and start over. I built everything on lies, I want her to trust me’ Denzel replied.
He was not in a rush, he totally adored Tolu; she was a very confident and smart woman and that was all he needed in a woman.
‘I am too embarrassed to tell you what I did, but I regret taking that decision’ Denzel sighed.
He had impersonated his brother, used his picture, deceived Tolu to believe the man she was in love with, was the man on the picture.
‘That’s a good one, there is nothing that kills love more than dishonesty’ Damola supported his decision.
‘Yes, so about you and Mmayen, Is there any chance for you both?’
‘I asked Lila to find out for me, I think she likes me too’ Damola replied, his heart still not fixed on his sister’s text.
‘Lila? Why couldn’t you just ask her yourself bro?’ Denzel shook his head; he knew how mischievous their younger sister could be at times.
The Lila he knew was a master twister, maybe Mmayen had denied having feelings for Damola, and however, to prevent Damola from feeling bad, she’d sent him a message to give him hope.
‘What? You think she’d lie to me?’ Damola didn’t like the way his brother was staring at him.
‘I don’t know, but it would’ve been best to find out yourself’ Denzel advised.
‘I was just scared, what if she rejected me? What if I put her in an awkward situation that would make her want to leave the mansion?’ Damola voiced out his fears.
‘Um, those are just probabilities, talk to her bro, and don’t send Lila to do your job for you’ Denzel moved closer and patted him on the shoulder.
‘Thanks, this means a lot’ Damola felt stronger and determined, he was going to win Mmayen’s love, no matter what happened.
They both trotted towards the glass building that had been erected by the engineers, they still needed to do a lot of things.
‘You’ll need a personal assistant, we can do all these alone’ Denzel dropped his thoughts once they’d stepped into the office.
‘Lila had already suggested that, I’d expected her to find me one’ Damola sank into his chair.
The Tosin brothers began working on the files on the desk, only to be interrupted minutes later by an unfamiliar face staring at them from outside.
‘Good morning Sirs’ the man greeted politely with smile spread wide across his face.
‘Good morning...’ Damola rose to his feet, straight to where his brother sat and whispered, ‘do you know him?’
They had to be security conscious, Iris was a foul player and she couldn’t do anything to bring them down.
Denzel focused on the young man’s face and slowly shook his head.
He was tall and lean, dark complexioned and seemed like one who was on a job hunt.
‘He seems harmless to me, let’s find out what he really wants. If he tries anything funny, just remember we have followed 007 all through our adult lives’ Denzel winked, taking the lead, he walked towards the door and pulled it open.
‘What can we do for you?’ He asked.
‘Good morning once again, my name is Ubong Peters and I would like to see the Chef Executive Officer of Marisoft Corporation’ the young man said.
‘Why?’ Denzel asked lazily.
‘I am a computer programmer, I have a B.sc in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Computer Programming, I would like to work for your establishment, I have a lot of things to offer should I be hired’ Ubong replied.
‘Hmm’ Denzel shrugged, he decided to let Damola handled this, after all, it was his company.
‘Let me see your files...’ Damola knew he needed workers for this Nigerian branch.
Ubong handed his files quickly to Damola, praying inwardly that he would not be turned down.
He knew Ife would feel betrayed once he found out that he was now with the Oluwatosin’s, but there was no friendship in business. Ubong had been the first to see the rumour that was circulating on media tabloids about the Legacy Empire.
He had not believed it at first, but his friend’s recent seclusion and refusal to show up at work made it a fact. He couldn’t be on the losing team, besides, it seemed Ife was being punished for the way he had treated Mmayen.
Damola ran his eyes over the files, briefly reading some of the things written on the man’s Curriculum Vitae, something caught his eye and he had to check it through, carefully this time.
‘You were working with Legacy...’ Damola peered at Ubong.
What was this about? Was he sent from Iris to spy on him?
‘Yes! But I resigned, I no longer work there’ this was the only thing that could ruin his chances.
‘Really? How long has it been since you resigned and has your resignation been honoured by your boss?’ Damola observed the man’s face carefully, to spot any trace of lies.
That did it! Fear crept slowly, till it covered Ubong’s face completely, he had not thought about these questions the moment he had tendered his resignation earlier that morning.
‘I just did today...I know you may think that I was sent to spy you and your family, but far from it. I believe so much in myself, I have potential and I can help you build your Nigerian brand’ Ubong tried to convince him.

‘Hmm, if I hire you Mr Ubong Peters, what guarantee do I have that you wouldn’t leave me high and dry when you get better offers?’ Damola asked.
From his qualifications, he was truly one with potential, and he had a lot of awards and recommendations attached to his name.
‘I don’t give up easily sir when I know something still has hope. Leaving Legacy was the best decision I made because it is dead. It is living in lost glory, sooner or later; the authorities would take over that building. Why don’t I pitch my tent in a place I believe in?
I am not a spy, just test me and see’ Ubong has not thought this would be so difficult.
‘Hmm, does Ifedayo Legacy, know about your resignation? Did he approve it?’ Damola asked, as he didn’t want any confrontation from that lunatic.
‘No...He has not been in the office for a week now.’ Ubong replied.

‘Okay...I’ll consider your application and get back to you.’
‘Thank you, I’d really appreciate if you hire me.’
Just as he was about leaving, there was a loud scream in the air, briefly followed by a gunshot.
‘What could that be?’ Denzel who’d been sitting down quickly rushed towards his brother.

‘I don’t know, I hope we are safe’ Damola remarked.
Seconds later, all the construction workers abandoned the site, running outside it, when Damola sighted six masked men running towards them.
‘No’ Denzel shook his head, someone wanted them dead.
‘We have to get out of here Damola, those men are after us!’ Denzel grabbed his brother’s hands at once as they ran quickly towards their car.
But they were not fast enough, “Kill him, the one in blue!”, one of the men shouted.
A bullet was quickly released, a loud scream followed. Damola had been the man in a blue shirt.

*******

Oh God please let nothing happen to damola o.

please nairalanders this baby needs your votes to qualify for top 500.please don't ignore her
www.cussonsbaby.com.ng/campaign/cbm5/entry?id=381034#

Oh God.... Nothing should happen to Damola.
Thanks for the update Angelss

welcome back ma.

God Spare damola's life from the hand of ifedayo,kudos ma'am.

hmmm
Angless please save damola

Mbanu, not my Damola

angel,wht's happening nw.hpe u're ok bah

Hello Angelsss, Hope u ar gud? it has been a while

wowwww...this is intrigue, God bless you my sis

*******
After his encounter with Marian, he’d decided to go visit Iris, she alone could confirm or debunk the rumours that flew carelessly around.
Ifedayo hoped the email message he’d received was a lie; he had been born and raised with money; how would he survive without it now?
Hurriedly, he stepped down from the car, he moved briskly towards the garden, knowing where his mother was going to be.
‘Mother!’ He called her sharply.
Iris Legacy had been waiting for this moment, sooner or later, she knew the truth was going to come out and that had been the reason she had wanted to get close to Eniola. She survived by feeding on people’s secret. Currently, Eniola’s son, Damola Tosin was the reigning billionaire, finding the family’s secret would have bought her some time, as she would’ve blackmailed them, a process to enrich herself and rebuild the fallen Legacy Empire.

‘Don’t tell me you have not heard the news that is going round.’ Ifedayo was appalled by the sight of his mother drinking brandy and sniffing some flowers.
Was she so heartless not to care about what their family would go through should they lose everything? Where was his father? He had so many questions, only his mother could answer them.
‘Talk to me! Where is father?’ Ifedayo’s tone rose higher. He was infuriated by her carefree attitude; she acted like she had everything under control.
‘Lila Oluwatosin threatened to tell the world that we are broke, somehow that news got out, I need to know if this is true mother...’ Ife folded his arms across his chest, while waiting for an answer.

Iris only sighed, she poured herself another glass of golden liquor, this was her own way of relaxing, of celebrating.
‘She is right...’ Iris answered after gulping the burning liquid.
She had been so terrified the day Lila and Denzel had accosted her, no one had ever put her in that situation before. She had always been the one to drive fear into people and not the other way round.
‘What do you mean, “she is right”’ Ife could hear his heart beating, sweat broke out on his forehead as he imagined a life without luxury.
‘We are broke Ifedayo, we have been for a long time and that was the reason your father ran away’ Iris fetched a rose flower and sniffed the fragrance.
There was thick silence in the garden. Ife had never been this confused as he stared into his mother’s face, what the hell was she talking about? Last he remembered, Chief Legacy, his father, had travelled for a summit of entrepreneurs all over the world.
‘Your father never went for any summit, he left. We started losing money two years back when he fell back into his old habit of gambling; I tried to stop him, I tried to reach out to him but he refused to listen...’ she paused.
‘That’s impossible, how come?’ Ife was going crazy.
‘How come you never knew about the company’s financial situation as the C.E.O? You were never serious with your position Ife, I and your father over pampered you and for that I hate myself’ Iris sighed.
His mother was right, he hardly had time to go through the files from the accounting department; he’d spent most of his time chasing after women and latest cars, sneaking around with Marian and partying.
‘No...’ he felt weak, so his father had abandoned them both? How were they going to survive? How would he face Mmayen who was now with Damola, the man that had stolen his shine?

‘Your father has always been a coward, I regret marrying him’ Iris shook her head in disappointment.
She had known this hour was going to come, when she would look back and realize they had nothing left, just like Lot had left the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.
‘So what are we going to do?’ Ife’s lips trembled.
‘I don’t know...we are in a huge debt. Soon, the debtors would come, soon my rose garden would be gone, soon our name would be covered in dust’ Iris angrily threw the rose flower to the ground.
‘Mother! We cannot lose it all, there must be a way out, you have rich friends, you can call them to help us’ Ife was so terrified of facing this new world.
‘Never...’ Iris pressed a shaky hand against her chest, she was too proud to beg anyone for help, to lofty to step down from her unseen throne.
‘I remain Iris Legacy, in riches and in poverty’ she stood her ground.
‘I will commit suicide, I cannot live a wretched life’ Ife threatened, he knew how powerful his mother was, he knew she could still salvage this situation, no matter how late it was. He just had to manipulate her a bit.
A crooked smile twisted Iris’ features; the smile faded quickly and was replaced by a great frown.
‘You are just as miserable as your father, I have been the one taking major decisions, why can’t you stand up and be a man for once? Damola Oluwatosin is your age mate; he is working wonders, breaking the software market. Yet, you stand like a little sissy, threatening to hang yourself. To what end Ifedayo? To what end?
My hands are tied as it seems, there is nothing I can do. We have lost everything. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose...’ she shrugged and rose to her feet.

‘Oh no, maybe God is punishing me for...what I did to that baby’ tears welled up in Ifedayo’s eyes.
‘What are you talking about?’ Iris’ brows knotted together in wonder.
‘Mmayen was actually pregnant for me, but I ...’ he couldn’t bring himself to speak the words.
‘You did what?’ Iris was eager to know.
Now she thought of the girl, she hated herself for the way she had acted; this reality of losing everything had a humbling effect on her.
‘I...I slipped in something poisonous into her food, it destroyed the pregnancy’ he wept bitterly.
‘What?’ Iris’ eyes grew wide as she had never imagined her son capable of murder.
‘I am sorry, I was so selfish. I treated Mmayen like she was scum, now I am paying for it.’
‘I don’t know what to say to you Ifedayo, we have all done evil things, maybe God is paying us back in our own coin’ Iris decided not to judge him, she was not so innocent herself.
‘Is there nothing we can do about this situation?’ He asked in a faint voice.
‘I don’t think there is, our debtors are coming for us. If I were you, I’d beg Damola to hire me’ those were her last words before she retreated towards the house where she had kept all her boxes.
Her heart had troubled her the day Lila Tosin and her brother had paid her a visit. She had known that her game was up.
The game of power was won, when the opponent had a secret about the other, only then was true power existent.
Ife watched with despair as his mother walked away, he felt like a loser. He was greatly ashamed of himself.
First, Marian had abandoned him, now his mother. Who was going to save him now?
He quickly took out his phone and dialled Ubong’s number, surely his best friend was not going to abandon him, only Ubong could advise him now.
‘Pick up, pick up’ Ifedayo waited patiently as the phone rang, but there was no answer.
Something was wrong, he was sure of it, Ubong rarely missed his calls.
****

Few minutes later, Lila returned to the swimming pool with a glass of water in her hand and two tables of aspirin, but she met no one at the pool.
‘What now?’ She rolled her eyes wondering where Mma had gone to.
She settled in on an empty seat and decided to tell her brother what she had learned, Mmayen was in love with him just as much as he was with her, it felt so beautiful as she imagined the two of them being together.
She took out her phone from the pocket of her trouser and texted him a message.
‘How wonderful, Mma and Dami together...’ she laughed, her eyes closing to the scenes that played out in her head.
Everything seemed so beautiful right now, somehow she had been able to discover Iris’ secret and had been able to tame her for some time. The thought about Iris pricked her and cracked her eyes wide open.
She had sent Ifedayo a threatening email, she had warned him to stay away from her brother else, she was going to unwind the window of their secrets and let the whole world know just how broke they were. They had been living an illusion and portraying same to the world at large; their loves were similar to the mirage that placed itself strategically at the middle of the road in a sunny afternoon.
‘Soon, she may bite back’ Lila rubbed her chin, deep in thought as to what Iris Legacy may plan next for her and her family.
She had failed to let her brother’s in on her plan, neither Denzel nor Damola knew about the email message she had sent to Ifedayo, she believed she could handle the Legacy’s alone, but now she thought about her own family and how weird her parents were both acting, she was starting to regret her actions.
Without looking back, she could sense that she was not alone; her father’s Malizia scent danced through her nostrils and awakened her to his presence.
‘Why are you out here alone...?’ The old man asked, narrowing his eyes on the chairs that were placed next to the pool and some novels which obviously didn’t belong to Lila as she was not an ardent reader.
‘Dad!’ She turned to have a look at his face.
‘Yes darling...’ he settled in one of the chairs.
A wave of sadness filled her as she stared into her father’s face; the man was a shadow of his old self; his beards were dishevelled; wrinkles pulled his cheeks together, he seemed to have aged overnight. His eyes were bloodshot from heavy drinking and his face was pale.
‘I just felt like being alone’ Lila replied.
‘You didn’t go to the office today, your brother’s left you behind...’ the man noticed.
‘I just felt like staying at home’ she answered.
‘Hmm’ he seemed to scrutinize her face with his reddened eyes, this made her uncomfortable, and so she quickly looked away.
She had been so quick to threaten Iris Legacy about her family secret; she had failed to search her family thoroughly. She hated that she had acted impulsively.
Her parents were definitely hiding something; she had overheard her mother plotting evil against Mmayen. Surely, that would have been proof enough that her family had its own fair share of secrets, one that seemed more deadly than that of the Legacy’s.

‘I’ve watched you grow Lila...you have always been the smartest of my three kids. You are just like me, kind and strong at the same time; considerate and fearless, you are a beautiful soul’ the man adored her with his lips.
Her father’s praise did not sink deep, she knew her father well, he rarely praised his children, this man sitting next to her was a total stranger, and something was eating him up.
‘Since when did you accept Denzel as your third child?’ Lila raised a brow.
‘Well...since I realized life is not a gift. It is a privilege. Gifts cannot be taken back, but a privilege is like a mat under a man’s feet, it can be pulled away at anytime. Denzel is my son, I accept him’ the man replied coolly.
‘Hmm’ Lila stared at him closely, something was not right.
She was not a bookworm like her brother’s, but she was a movie freak and with what she was seeing, her father looked suicidal, all the signs were there.
His sudden drinking bout, he was a lover of wine, no doubt but the rate he’d been drinking this past week was alarming and that was a sign of depression. But now he was talking about how life is a privilege and how easily it could be taken away, her fears were confirmed.
‘I want you to keep staying smart and take good care of your brothers. Don’t be like your mother, Eniola is a bad woman and I regret marrying her’ he shook his head sadly.
‘Dad! Please don’t talk like this, you are scaring me’ Lila held her beating chest with her left palm.
‘I am sorry dear, but carrying this burden is too great for me, seeing her walk in this same house that was meant for her saddens me. I was a monster, I let a woman control me...I failed you all!’ tears ran down his cheeks as he cried. He was really bitter about the past and there was nothing he could do to change it now.
Her face haunted him. Her innocent brown eyes disturbed his peace of mind and that was the reason he had carefully avoided her and spent all his time drinking away his sorrows. It baffled him, how Eniola and Imisi were able to sleep at night, knowing the girl’s parents they had all murdered was living with them.
‘Dad, I can tell that something is eating you up...please open up to me. I can handle it’ Lila rose to her feet and knelt beside him.
‘Can you?’ He asked in a shaky voice.
‘Yes, you are dying yet still alive. You are not happy. Please, whatever it is you did, tell me. We can handle this together. I know that you are scared of the way I may see you after that; I know you are most afraid of Damola and what he would think of you, but please, just let me in...Open up to me and you will feel better’ Lila rubbed his hand gently, her eyes were pleading.

The old man could see how scared Lila was for him, but he was more afraid for himself. Telling her the truth about what they had done, could tear their family apart. They could lose everything overnight and he didn’t want that for his children.

‘And when you keep saying “her”, who are you talking about? Who is haunting you?’ Lila was really terrified, was her father hallucinating now?

The moment of truth had come; the man could see his time of misery was up. His daughter was right, he was dying slowly, and all he needed was to confess even if it meant losing everything.
He had ruined another person’s life to be where he was today; his kids had inherited his cursed wealth, tainted by the blood of another man.
‘I can feel you dad, you want to open up badly, but something is holding

you back. I became suspicious when I saw you drinking so heavily in your study the other day. Also, I overheard mother and her sister planning to do something terrible to Mmayen, that is the reason I abandoned work to watch closely over her’ Lila decided to open up first, maybe that would give her father courage to do same.
The man tears slowly dried up, his eyes grew wide on hearing his daughter.
‘You mean, your mother and Imisi were still planning to hurt that innocent girl another time? Haven’t they done enough?’
‘Just talk to me...I promise to stand by you, no matter what’ Lila encouraged him.
‘It’s so difficult, I feel great shame thinking of the atrocity we committed that night...’ he paused and sniffed in a breath.
‘It does not matter, just tell me. I swear I wouldn’t forsake you. I can see that you are sorry, and you regret your decision and that is why I will by your side always’ Lila reassured him of her undying loyalty.
‘Talk to me father’ she whispered, her fingers curled tightly around his’.
More tears rushed down his cheeks, he just couldn’t keep it in anymore, and the guilt was too much for him to bear alone.
‘I and your mother did something really terrible many years back, our hands are soiled with human blood...’ he wiped his face with the back of his hands.
Lila waited patiently for him, with her fingers curling tightly to her phone.
‘We were not always rich, we had a lot of challenges and that was the reason I began to resent Denzel. I saw him as additional responsibility, one that I had not business dealing with, your mother saw my hatred for him and came up with a plan, one that would change our lives forever.’
‘What kind of plan was it father?’ Lila asked.
‘It was a very bad plan, one of betrayal and sabotage. Do you remember Engineer Brown?’ the man cast a look on his daughter’s face.
‘Yes, Mmayen’s father’ Lila nodded.
‘Well, back then we were richer than they were, but we wanted more. Your mother was quite close to the man’s wife, so one day during one of her visits, she found some papers on their dining table. Your mother is a very smart woman and she is well educated too, so she knew what was written on the papers.’
‘What was written on it?’ Lila’s ears itched for more.
‘Programs...which I and your mother stole, and turned to ours. We worked on it and sold it, which was the beginning of our expansion. For years we derived wealth from these programs which Damola finally inherited and named “Marisoft”. The program was never my idea, it was Engineer Brown’s, he worked day and night to create something different. I spoke to the man occasionally, but the few times that I’d met him, his face had radiated with so much hope, he believed he had what it took to take Nigeria and the world at large to the level in Software Marketing.’ The man felt slightly relieved as he poured his heart out, but that was not all, the hardest part was yet to come.

Tears welled up in Lila’s eyes as she imagined what happened next.
‘No, don’t tell me both of you were...’ her voice was shaky; she was terrified of what her mind whispered.
‘You promised not to judge me...I ...your mother was behind it’ he stuttered.
‘No, you burned Mmayen’s parents? That fire was set by you two!’ Lila jumped to her feet. Her eyes were filled with fear and disgust as she stared at the man she called father, how could her parents had done such a callous thing?
‘Lila, you don’t understand, your mother had been really persuasive’ the man rose to his feet.
‘Oh come off it! Don’t pin this on mother, you both are birds of the same feather. If you hated what you did so much, why did you build a company on another man’s sweat? Why do you feel suddenly guilty now?’ Lila fired at him.
‘I am sorry, I just couldn’t help it, I have carried this pain long enough’ he replied with a sombre face.
Lila was mortified as she never imagined her parents being capable of something so evil. The man and his wife had been burned to death, their house was totally destroyed, only Mmayen had been fortunate to escape alive.
‘You made her an orphan, you ruined her life! No wonder you are afraid of spending time with her. How could you father? I am terribly disappointed in you’ Lila felt disgusted at the sight of him, she hated her mother even more. She now understood why her mother was planning to destroy Mmayen; she wanted her secret to be buried forever.

‘I am sorry, please forgive me...’ the man’s knees sank into the concrete floor.
‘You are a very wicked man; because of you I and my brother’s would never be happy. We are going to face serious humiliation when the truth gets out, because unlike you, I would not keep something as grave as this within me’ she turned off the voice recording application on her phone and raised it upwards.
The man’s face beamed with realization as he realized Lila had recorded their conversation.
‘Lila, please, you don’t have to’ he begged.
‘You can’t tell me what to do. We have been living a lie all these years. I looked up to you as man of ambition and wisdom, you deceived us into believing that your riches were gotten from pure hard work, how foolish we had been!’ Lila scoffed.
How would Damola take this? Though he had created his own Softwares, but the rock upon which they were built was that of Engineer Brown.
‘No...’ tears ran down her face, this revelation was set to destroy a lot of things. How would Mmayen react once she found the truth? Surely, all her feelings for her brother would wax cold. She would hate them all; she would fight them with her last breath.
‘Please, just listen to me Lila, you don’t have to tell your brothers, at least not yet’ he begged.
‘This conversation is over dad, you cannot tell me what to do. I am off to see Damola and Denzel.’ Lila sighed and decided the best thing to do was to share her father’s confession with her brothers.

The chief had never felt this much afraid, with his own hands he had destroyed his life; with his hands he was destroyed his family. One thing was for sure; his children were going to hate him for a long time.
‘I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself together, now they will hate us all once they realize what we had done...’ Eniola’s cool voice startled the man.
He swirled round at once and faced her, his pale features were emboldened by rage and regret, ‘What are you doing here, you sick bitch?’
His insult meant nothing to her, it passed like the whisper of the wind in cool evening, and she had been searching the house for her husband when one of the security guards had informed her of his whereabouts.
She had found him sitting next to his daughter, from the look on his face, she knew their age long secret was about to be released into the world.
‘You have no right to speak to me; I can’t believe you plotted to kill her with that crazy sister of yours. Aren’t you two tired of doing evil? Don’t you have a conscience?’ He regarded her slowly, the woman was as firm as iron. Her features showed no emotion, it seemed she had no regrets about what they had done that night.
‘It was just a plan; we didn’t carry it out, so stop judging me. I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to absolve yourself of the guilt you feel, by playing the blame game. You cannot blame me for everything that happened that night, you could’ve said “no”, you could have dissuaded me, but you didn’t. You were silent, and we both know silence is not an answer. Even the good Book already said it, ‘Let your yes be yes and your no, no’ she replied sternly.
She had suspected the chief would say something about the event that had taken place some years back, but she reminded herself that he wouldn’t so something so foolish.
‘You acted foolishly by telling Lila about it, once she tells her brother’s, it is over for us. They are never going to believe in us, we could even go to jail’ her lips shook.
‘Maybe we deserve it, jail is not for the innocent’ the man replied.
‘Think of the scandal, the embarrassment that we will cause them. You made a terrible mistake! You should’ve let me handle this, our secret would’ve been buried forever, what you have done is disastrous!’
The man stared at his wife unbelievably, ‘I can’t believe you’d plan to kill her after what you did to her parents, and you are a sick woman...’

Her lips parted, giving way to a throaty chuckle, ‘I see, I am the devil and you are the saint, how ironic.’
‘I don’t have to be a saint to condemn an evil act, what we did was demonic. Those people didn’t deserve our cruelty. I don’t regret telling Lila about it, I feel better now...’ the man sighed.
‘What makes you think Engineer Brown was a saint?’ Eniola scoffed, she raised a brow which mocked her husband.
Just in time, Mmayen walked towards the swimming pool, she had forgotten some of her novels outside and she needed them to kill time and the anxiety she felt when Tolu had told her, ‘There is something that I must tell you about Marian.’
She froze as she heard her father’s name or was it another Engineer Brown?
‘Oh! Mma, you are here’ Eniola had failed to see her in time.
‘Good day Ma, Good day Sir’ she bent a knee as she greeted them.
‘Thank you Mmayen’ the chief acknowledged her with a nod and scurried away from the pool side, only his wife stayed behind.
‘How are you doing today?’ Eniola moved closer to Mmayen.
‘I am fine Ma, just that I feel bored. Damola left for the office and he refused to take me along’ she answered.
To this, the woman laughed, ‘My daughter, you just lost a pregnancy. He wants what is best for you. I thought my son how to be a responsible man.’
A smile curled on Mmayen’s lips as she thought of Damola, the name that gladdened her heart, she couldn’t wait to see him.
‘You are a very beautiful woman; you have your father’s eyes’ Eniola remarked.
She had heard this for the first time, no other person knew her parents the way the chief and the wife did. She couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful words.
‘Thank you’ Mmayen replied.
‘Welcome, stay safe, I need to catch some sleep’ she patted Mmayen on the back and moved quickly away.
Mmayen couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she thought about having her father’s eyes. While he was alive, people always compared them both, stating that they shared a striking resemblance, hearing it after many years made her miss her those old days.
‘I wish you both never died...’ she sighed.
Tonight she had a date with Tolu, who was going to tell her all about her cousin. She dismissed other thoughts while guessing what Tolu had to say about Marian.
‘Typical, I know she does married men’ Mmayen rolled her eyes. After packing her novels, she found it difficult to get the words she had stumbled upon out of her mind.
What if her father had been the subject of discussion? What did Mrs. Oluwatosin mean when she said her father was not a saint?
‘Research, kill boredom’ she shrugged and walked towards her room.
****
Her heart was pounding really fast against her chest. She couldn’t breathe as she was so nervous. She couldn’t believe Ife would issue her such a threat, she had seen his eyes, and they were fiery and full of determination.
‘No...’ she shook her head, Ife had meant what he had said. Undermining him would be a really foolish thing to do.
She was in a dilemma and she did not know a way out of it. How would she redeem herself, should the truth about their conspiracy and betrayal come to life?
‘I can’t let that happen...’ her hands shook.
She wanted Damola for herself; she deserved to have him and not her cousin. Mmayen was a tramp, a low life and a LovePeddler; she did not deserve a man like Damola.
‘If I can’t have him, then no one will’ she whispered to herself.
She had her plans, all she needed was to pay Damola a visit, and seduce him whenever her was alone, no man ever resisted her charms, he was not going to be the first.
She decided she would call her cousin, she had not spoken to her for a month now, and all she needed was to get closer to her that was the tactic she had applied while Mmayen had been dating Ife.
As for Ifedayo, she as going to deal with him in just one way; taking him down would solve that problem.
‘The syringe...’ she ran her slim fingers into her hair as she remembered the syringe that contained the poisonous substance that she was supposed to inject into Mmayen.
Now she thought about the object, she realized that she had not seen it after that day. No, she couldn’t be that careless.
Marian walked towards the area where she hung all of her bags. She took off the vintage black bag she had carried that day, the syringe had to be in there.
She unzipped it immediately and began to search, she opened all the inner compartments of the bag, yet she found nothing.
‘No...’ her heart raced, had she misplaced it? Had she thrown it out?
She pressed a finger against her lip as she tried to remember, but she couldn’t; her memory was a blur and this meant trouble.
She never shared things with Tolu, even if Tolu was home, she wouldn’t be able to ask her about the syringe.
She decided to search all of her bags which numbered twenty, maybe she had mistakenly dropped it in one of the bags.
Marian couldn’t wait to get her hands on that potent poison, she would inject Ifedayo with it and end him forever, no one had to know her secret especially Mmayen.
While on the third bag, she heard the doorbell ring.
‘Who could that be?’ She had not expected anyone; Tolu had gone to work and would return later at night.
She was not happy about the interruption, she moved towards the single window in the room and parted the curtains, there was a strange van in the driveway.
‘Tomato Island Laboratories...’ she read the words that were inscribed on the van. What did they want with her?
She hurried outside so she could get rid of them quickly and resume her search before Tolu returned. She knew how smart that donkey could be, she didn’t want Tolu watching her wide eyed.
‘I hope this is worth it’ Marian hissed, before pulling the door open and welcoming her visitor with a fake smile.
‘Good day Sir, how may I be of help?’ she beamed.
‘Thanks for the welcome, please I would like to see one Ms. Tolu Badagry’ the young man said.
‘Tolu Badagry? What do you want with her?’ Marian eyed him suspiciously; her eyes went to the package he clutched tightly to, like his life depended on it.
‘She brought sample to our lab, we ran a test and gave her a feedback but we had to return it. There is a breakdown of diseases in our lab right now and we are taking out all dangerous chemicals’ he explained carefully.

‘Oh, I am so sorry about that. Tolu is not around, but I am her sister, I live here with her. You could give me the package; I will deliver it to her.’ Marian wondered what this “sample” was.
The young man hesitated for a while as he had been given strict instructions to drop the sample with Tolu.
‘You don’t need to be afraid; I promise to deliver it to her.’ Marian could see he was not comfortable about that arrangement and that made her more curious about the package.
‘Okay...just get her to call our company once she receives it’ he decided he could leave it with her sister.
‘I sure will...’ Marian nodded and grabbed the package that seemed to be a wooden box from the young man.
‘Do I need to sign?’ She asked sweetly.
‘No, just make sure she calls’ he replied and left as the van driver started to horn incessantly.
‘Good riddance’ Marian shut the door immediately. She reminded herself of her syringe search; she had to find it before her friend returned.
She dropped the box carefully on the table, wondering what creepy stuff Tolu was up to...
‘On second thoughts, I should take a look at this.’ Marian decided to check it out.
She took off the aluminium paper that covered the package, like she had rightly assumed, it was a wooden box.
‘What could be inside?’ She thought to herself.
Slowly she pulled the little box open, her heart froze as she stood face to face with the syringe that she had been looking for.
This only meant one thing; her number of enemies was on the increase.
‘No’ Marian held her breath, she was quite sure the lab attendants must have run a test on the poison and told Tolu what it was before returning it. What if Tolu had connected the dots and realized she had an affair with Ife and had also planned to kill Mmayen?
She felt cold all over; goose bumps appeared on her creamy skin.

Thank you Ma for this update.

Wow... Thanks for the update

thanks for the update
pls save damola .
Marian you are too wicked oooo

Thanks for this update

Any story ur stable is a bomb. thanks

Well cooked update!
Tnx love