joseph1832:
It's the truth. This thread should have been titled Top 20 Story Tellers, not best writers.

Guys like us who didnt even make the list should go and delete our stories from the literature section then

DarkSavage:
Who ever added you on that list is plainly buttlicking. You're a tad below an average writer.

My honest and sincere opinion.

And agian I observed like the OP , most of the nominees are from literature section which is peopled by unoriginal copycats slogging to be like Achebe.

Their works are like an assignment taken home and aided by the works of professional writers and Phraseologists, they churn it out on the pages of NL for false recognition.

Most haven't proven their penmanship mettle in other section(s)

Wow.....that was quite harsh.

slimsue:
I am so glad I was in this ship with ironkurtain as my captain. Thanks for this it was awesome.

Appreciated

My advice, dont be in a rush. Just take your time so that the powers of ur imaginations can go to work.

melodyogonna:
mention me too o

Will do that bro.

jupitre:
How i didn't c dz great script on time is still baffling me.. Bro ironcurtain,you rock,thumbs up to u bro,,may God give u more wisdom...if u are starting another one,kindly mention me ooo..

Thanks bro

Samwell247:
bro i salute. this is awesome.
cant wait for the movie

melodyogonna:
so ironkurtain, i want to know if this story got part3 cos am ready to read endless of hours without stopping! this is one of the best storeys i have seen here on nairaland and saying am impressed is an understatement, so real!! pls try to make us part3.

Thanks bro......am still building up ideas for a third part. But i intend to do something different that's why i'm not really into writing the third part.

Luckymay:
Kudos to you Mr ironkurtain. I had an interesting read.

Thanks sis, i hope to entertain you more

holysin5683:

So many tins u left.we don't knw d next sossi we don't knw d plans of dat nun and new set of twins came out of no where
Broda I go do protest. O

I know. Well i will give u some clues. The twins are the daughters that Diana had from a relationship in italy. And just as Nina said, Diana wants to take her place in thr organization. As for the next Sosai, the last time i thought of Eric, he was still contemplating.

holysin5683:
Oga me no gree o
U beta end am well o

Lol..... why na?

calmie:
So once read a story nl .... captivating... n the writer was urged to continue after he 'ended' .... and so he continued but wrote rubbish n watered the the first intriguing part ..
What am i saying Ironkurtain pls if u dont have inspiration to continue kindly give it a FULL STOP, some people wey dey praise u will so abuse u if u give something lower than expectation. I for 1 love this story n how it ended . And will b sitting pretty waiting for another soon. Thank you for BLOODLINE!

Thanks for the advice.

holysin5683:
Oga curtin dis story no end here ooooo
Female twins came in and eric went on civil war
So just tell us wen u will continued story
Mayb part 3 BLOOD LINE :DOUBLE TWINS

I dont think there is a part 3

A good explanation

shegs2009:
Iro my nuba one foe, i once like u until my love turn to hate, i don't know how to express myself tru words cos u don't know how i feel...if i had d opportunity of meeting u one on one, i will beat u blue black and still carry u around d world on my shoulders to let the world know i love too much it has turn to hate
if u relax your brain 4 one century u deserve it just make sure u cal me when u continue

elpa which time i start to dey yarn oyinbo

Lol dude i'm trying to comprehend your comment and the situation

iAreMozelle:



My oga Kurtain well done....wow marvellous piec....awaiting another masterpiece from you

Thanks bro

SILENCER127:
is this the end?

Yes this is the end.

Thanks for all the comments......you guys are the ones that kept me going during some days i thought of abandoning this story due to my ever busy schedules and family matters. I hope to be able to put up another interesting piece like the ones i have written so far. Once again, thanks for the comments......and critics too

Wow!......after one year of thinking and writing, now i can rest. Pls dont mind the typos and wrong spellings. I will correct them tomorrow. Have a nice weekend.

EPILOGUE.


Somewhere in Congo.....


     "Why are you being so mad at me!", Lisa said irritatedly amidst the loud roaring engine of the Mercedes benz as Eric worked the steering wheel hard.

     Eric ignored her and brought the bullet-ridden car to a screeching halt a few metres away from a walled three storey duplex building, sending clouds of dusts and sand at its gate. He grabbed the Ak-47 assault rifle standing inbetween his legs and frantically got out of the car. With the weapon pointing at the gate that was slightly ajar, he went around the car and forcefully opened the front passenger to let Lisa out of the vehicle. Two other passengers that were sitting at the back seat also got out of the car. They did so and cautiously as Eric slowly pushed the gate open with his assault rifle in position and peered into the compound of the seemingly empty house.

One of the passenger was a middle aged man dressed in a formal senior military uniform that recognized him as a General in the army. The second was a regal looking woman in her late thirties. They were couples.

"And why are you being so dramatic?!", Lisa continued after seeing that Eric didnt sense any danger and followed him as he quickly entered the compound of the building.

"Me being dramatic?", Eric scoffed and stopped in his tracks to look at Lisa. "I had to dodge bullets from an anti-aircraft shooter and also took a bullet grazing wound to the arm just to save you from those men!",  he said irritatedly. "Now we have a feared cannibal warlord and his band of rebel savages on our heel cos i'm trying to save this corrupt military dictator with no explanation as to why i'm even doing it",  he continued and pointed at the General. "And you think i'm being so dramatic?",  he asked.

     "Well i dont like the tone of your voice",  Lisa replied; she quickening her steps and got hold of Eric's arm as he looked around the compound and at the building infront of them. "How will i know that the entire country would descend into total chaos?", she asked.

"Yeah....how will you know", Eric scoffed. "I warned you about the political instability. But you wouldn't listen cos you wanted to have some talk-show with their head of state", he fumed. "And of all days, why have it on the day his oppositions planned to launch a coup?",

"Well, i guess the oppositions forgot to put up a big sign that says, 'Coup will be launched on a bright Tuesday morning'...", Lisa said sarcastically as she too looked around the place. "It is an interview....not a talk show", she added.

Eric sneered at what Lisa said despite being quite angry at what he had to go through to save her. He had to killed six rebel soldiers that took her hostage. Only for her to make him kill eight more rebels that were holding the country's head of state and his wife captive and taking them to where they will be executed.

"Hey mister!", Eric said out loud to the General as he and his wife entered the compound of the duplex. "Are you sure this is your place?....cos i dont see any welcome parade going on here. So where the hell is everybody?", he asked.

"Do you really expect to see anyone here after hearing the announcement of a military coup?", Lisa scoffed.

"He said there is fuel...and better cars in one of his houses", Eric said. "I dont see any cars here", he glanced at the empty space meant for parking cars. "He can still show us the fuel so that we can fill up the available one and get the hell out of here", Eric said and looked at the General.

Then the woman who happens to be the General's wife, said something in french with a worried look on her face.

Eric understood what she said. "Missing?...what is she talking about?....what the hell is missing?", he asked.

"The fuel supply truck", the General sighed. "It is missing. They also took it", he shook his head.

"Aww for the love of.....", Eric said under his breath with a downcast gaze.

Lisa got closer to him. "Eric i'm very thirsty", she muttered weakly.

Eric glanced around the area wildly and dragged Lisa towards the entrance of duplex. He sent what was left of the broken door flying out of its hinges with a kick and led her into the building with the General and his wife following behind them.



"Damn!", Eric cursed when they entered the living room of the third floor of the building....or what was left of it. And just like the other floors in the whole build, it has been cleared of the properties. Looted.

Eric glanced around the place and looked at Lisa who has a dejected look on her face as she too looked around the place.

"Damn man", Eric began and looked at the General as he stepped into spacious room. "It's like the workers are really mad at you. Just a few hours after the announcement of you being deposed, they have already stripped your place down to its foundation. You must be one hell of a shitty boss....as well as a shitty ruler".

The General glared at Eric with anger. Seeing how weak Lisa looked, his wife rushed into one of the rooms that has no door, just like the some of the other rooms. After a few seconds, she came running back with a plastic container of water.

Lisa immediately grabbed it when the woman handed it to her and gulped down its content without even checking if it was drinkable. She heaved a deep sigh of relieve and drank some more. And she handed the container to Eric. The General came over and gestured at Eric to hand over the water; he did so with an air of authority. Eric slung his rifle as he stared at the General and raised the top of the container to his lips with both hands. He made sure that the man saw the middle finger he was showing as he drank some water.

"Oh that feels good", Eric sighed and handed the water container to the General's wife as her husband stepped forward to take the it.

The General started saying something in french to his wife with an angry voice as she drank from the container.

"You better shut your mouth old man", Eric interrupted the General. "Cos i'm not the type that sits and watch a man threaten a woman".

"And who gave you the right to dictate what goes on in my own house and country", the General asked Eric irritatedly.

"Well i'm the one with the firearm and doing the killings", Eric replied and slapped the butt of of the assault weapon he shouldered. "And you are just a man running for his dear life...like a scared bunny".

"Now look here young man!!",  the general began irritatedly. "I am General Thomas Kidiaba!. This country's head of states and the king of Djomo land!".

Eric smirked at the man's words as he peered through one of the broken windows of the livingroom with the binoculars hanging around his neck.

     "So you have to treat me with the utmost respect you fool!",  the General continued and angrily came over to where Eric was standing

    Eric lowered the binoculars with the smirk fading away. Then he looked at the fuming military dictator from head to toe and handed him the binoculars.

     "Go ahead, take a look",  Eric said and the man reluctantly accepted the binoculars.

     Then the General peered through the binoculars and his eyes saw alot of movements at a distance; a convoy of military vehicles raising dust clouds as they moved. And the convoy seems to be coming towards them.

     "Do you see that sh!t-storm over there?",  Eric asked the man who watched the vehicles. "That's one of the opposition's cheer-leading group coming at us. They are armed with heavy automatic weapons.....Bofor guns and probably a couple of anti-aircraft hammers",  Eric continued as the General lowered the binoculars and looked at his wife. There was fear and alot of concern written on their faces.

     Eric got closer to the General. "I dont think those guys give a rat's ass if you are General 'loud mouth' or king idiot",  he continued as he gave the man a hard gaze. "They are coming here for one purpose; to kill you and your beautiful wife. And i'm sure they werent given any specific instructions on how the deed should be carried out".

     The General heaved a deep sigh and looked at Eric.

     "So there are only two options for you in this f@cked up situation",  Eric said and unslinged his rifle. "It's either you keep dancing to my f@cking tune, no matter how boring it may sound while i look for a way to make today not to be our last day on earth". Then he pointed the rifle at the General and his wife. "Or.....i let those 'no-bullshit' war weapon packing berserkers get their hands on you and your 'Djimo land' queen. Either way, me and my friend here intend to leave your hell hole of a country in one piece. And dont make me choose the 'not-so-hard' option",  he warned.

     The General glanced at the automatic rifle and stared at Eric in silence while his wife said something to the General in french, probably begging him to comply with the man holding the rifle that was pointed at them.

     "Boys......",  Lisa began and held the barrel of the assault rifle. ".....This is not the time to contend on who should run the playground",  she said and lowered the weapon. "There are dangerous men out there coming to kill you guys and probably do terrible things to we the women before killing us......".

     "You should have thought about that before coming to this country",  Eric muttered quietly and slung the rifle on his shoulder.

     ".....So lets work together and see if we can make it out of here alive",  Lisa continued.


     Then the General's wife said something to in french and looked at the General. Eric who understood what she said, looked at the General too.

     "What big gun is she talking about?",  Eric asked the man.

     "Big gun?",  Lisa glanced at them with a confused look on her face.

     "There is an armoured tank in this building",  the General sighed.

     "With shells?",  Eric asked.

     The General nodded.

     "Then show me where it is",  Eric said eagerly.

     The General immediately headed towards the doorless exit of the livingroom and the rest followed him. They all descended the stairs to the ground floor and the General led them to a another door that was made of heavy steel. Then he ran his finger around the wall beside the door and hit a spot with his fist. The spot broke open easily and the General reached inside the hole on the wall. He took out a key and unlocked the door. He and Eric moved the heavy steel door and they saw themselves staring inside a somewhat big garage......and at the tank.

"You gotta be f@cking kidding me",  Eric muttered as he stared at the tank that looked quite new. Then he glanced at the four shells standing a few feet away from the tank and unprotected "Excuse me sir",  he began and looked at the General. "What the f@ck is this?", he scoffed.

     "The Tank",  the General replied.

     "I know it's a tank, i'm not f@cking blind!",  Eric retorted. "This is a self-propelled howitzer artillery tank, not a battle tank!".

     "What's the difference?",  Lisa asked as she stared at the huge and fear instilling war machine. "It can still be used to do a hell lot of damage to the enemy",  she continued and looked at Eric.

     "Yeah.....but not when the enemy is in your backyard",  Eric said as he examined the four 155mm howitzer artillery shells. "This tank is for hitting enemies that are twenty to thirty kilometres away", he continued and examined the tank.

"Well you have to stop complaining and think of a way of using it to hit an enemy that is closer", Lisa said. "You have to save the five of us from those rebel soldiers".

"Four of us", Eric corrected and opened the tank back door.

"Five of us", Lisa insisted. "One is yet to come", she added.

Eric stopped what he was doing and looked at Lisa with furrowed eyebrows. Lisa was staring at him with a faint smile. And also placed one hand on her tummy.

"Why the hell you didnt tell me?", Eric said and immediately went over to where Lisa was standing. "And why would you put yourself in danger when you know that you are pregnant?", he asked quietly.

"I didnt know i was", Lisa replied. "I just found out yesterday. So are you gonna save us or what?", she asked.

Eric glanced at the General and his wife. Both of them were smiling on hearing the news. Then he immediately rushed to where the artillery shells are and started loading them into the tank through the back door. The General joined Eric while his wife took hold of Lisa's hand and said something in french as she walked the young woman away from the tank.

"Do you know how to operate this beast?", the General asked as Eric dropped his weight on the driver's chair and ran his eyes on the buttons and control switches.

"Sure.....", Eric replied. "And we are lucky to have a full fuel tank", he said after checking the fuel tank gauge. Battery seems to have enough power.....so we will be able to bring life to the engine", then Eric hit a button and a loud roaring sound filled the place.

The General smiled and looked at Eric. "That's a good start", he said. "So what's next?", he asked and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Let's go get some fresh air first".

Eric hit the throttle and sent the huge tank roaring forward. He knocked down the garage door, almost taking some part of the walls as he did so and rode the tank through the compoud. He brought it to a halt after knocking down the gate of the duplex.

"We have to get a good shot at those men cos we only have four shells", the General noted.

Eric got out of the tank and climbed to its top.

"How are we going to do it?", the General asked as Eric viewed the rebel convoy that was getting closer with his binoculars.

"We switch to analog mode", Eric replied and grabbed one end of his shirt. "Since we dont have a satellite to give us GPS co-ordinates",

Then Eric ripped out a piece of cloth from his shirt. He glanced at Lisa as she came running towards the tank and held the piece of cloth up. He monitored the wind current for a few seconds and immediately got down from the tank.

"Here", Eric handed the binocular to the General. "I hope you have good eyesights cos we gonna need them", he said and then hurriedly dragged the man a few metres away from the tank. "Peer through that binoculars and look over there", Eric told the man.

The General did so.

"Do you see a tree that is larger than every other tree you can see", Eric asked.

"Yeah i see the tree", the General replied as he viewed with the binoculars.

"Good. Now this is what i want you to do, if you see the last vehicle in the convoy pass that tree, you let me know....scream if you have to".

"It is an affirmative!".

Eric rushed back into the tank. He hit a few more buttons and moved the barrel of the tank to a particular position. Then he lifted one of the heavy shells and hauled it into the firing mechanism and automatically loaded it with a press of a button.

"You shouldn't be here", Eric said without looking at Lisa as she entered the tank. "It really gets ungodly loud in here if this bad boy goes into business".

"So?", Lisa shrugged.

Eric sighed. "Are they there yet?!", he barked out at the General.

"Almost", the General barked back.

Eric took position and put his hand on the firing button.

"Hit it!!", the General then barked.

Eric pressed the button. The shell left the howitzer barrel with an earth shaking thunder and roared straight to the loaded military truck in the convoy. It made an accurate impact and turned the vehicle into a flaming tornado of scrap metals.

The smoking spent shell casing fell on tank floor with a loud clatter after Eric discharged it. And he hurriedly hauled in another one. Then he moved the tank barrel a bit, moved a finger to the firing button and a deafening sound coupled by a massive jolt, shook the tank as the 30kg high explosive death-package left the tank barrel.

The General watched as the second shell made another direct impact on the rebel convoy and dismembered everything within its blast range, both men and vehicles.

     The general could be heard screaming, "They have been neutralized!". But Eric was already mounting the third shell, cursing and sweating hard as he did so. Lisa stared at him with alot of admiration as he took position to rain another steel and smiled at him. Then she placed a hand on her tummy and rubbed it gently.

     "I know you cant wait to meet your father",  she murmured as she rubbed her tummy.

     Eric paused and looked at her. He must have heard what she said and it turned the grimey look on his face into a faint smile. He winked at Lisa and put another artillery shell in flight to properly take care of the business.



AND I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THE STORY. ONE LOVE.

Eric worked the wood-grain steering wheel smoothly as he drove the Genesis sedan along the highway, heading to his place. He seemed quite lost in thoughts with the look on his face. Probably thinking about what the old man had said to him. Then he put a foot on the brake as he approached a redlight and gently brought the car to a halt.

As Eric waited for the greenlight, he turned his gaze at the briefcase lying on the front seat. After staring at it for a short while, he reached for it with a sigh and opened it. He stared at the two files in it and took one out.....the second file. His eyes caught a few words as he glanced through the documents in the file carefully and dropped it on the seat. Then he looked inside the briefcase and noticed something else in it. He reached inside the case and saw a gold ring in his hand when he took it out.

Eric studied the ring carefully. It was made of gold....twenty four carats...and its head has the shape of a lion with a diamond in the eye.

Eric stared at the ring and then shifted his eyes to the highway sign infront of him. It has two arrows pointing at two directions and also showed how far he was from each place. One arrow was pointing to his destination and the other was pointing to the airport. Eric stared at the signboard for a while with a thoughtful gaze.

Then the motorist behind Eric blared the car horn to let him know that the traffic light ahead says go. Eric hit the gear and the gas pedal....and sent the car racing to one of the directions on the highway signboard.


THE END.

"So what's the real reason for coming to Metro-city?", Eric asked as he and the old man walked side by side towards the old man's car in a slow pace with the body guards following them.

"Business.....and restructuring the organization", the old man answered, staring ahead as they walked. "After all that had happened,...you know, with Bernard, your grandmother reappearing and Nina leaving the organization", he said quietly and glanced at Eric. "Alot of changes has to be made", he continued.

"I see", Eric nodded. "But why are you really here?", he asked. "Cos i dont see how coming to my mother's place is involved in your restructuring operation".

Then the old man stopped in his tracks and faced Eric. "Nina", he replied to the question. "I'm finding it quite difficult to convince her to come back to the organization", the old man sighed. "Now she doesn't even want to answer my messages...and phonecalls. So i'm here to ask you to help me do it".

"Me?", Eric snorted. "Why me?", he asked.

"I'm sure she will listen to you".

"And what makes you think so?".

"Well.....", the old man began with a thoughtful gaze. "You made her achieve what she had always wanted; a happy family life with the man she loved. I'm sure you will be able to convince her that she can have all that and still work for me. She doesn't have to be on field anymore....and will get all the top security she wants", he said and looked at Eric.

"So you are saying that she will be promoted if she comes back to the organization?", Eric asked.

"If that's how you see it", the old man replied.

Eric sighed. "Well, mother is done with you. She will never ever come back to the organization", he said. "No one, not even me or her husband or anybody, can convince her to think otherwise".

"And why is that? ", the old man demanded.

Eric scoffed. "You seem to have forgotten what you made her go through", he began, quite irritatedly. "Nina literally dedicated her life to the organization when she was serving you. She was always at the fore-front in everything you guys did....she lived and was always willing to die for the Family", he stated. "And if you had treated this woman who happened to be your daughter, a little bit better than a mere worker you always disregarded; if you had respected the one thing that you told me she always wanted, you and i wont be having this damn conversation".

The old man stared at Eric in silence.

"Anyway, what's the use of wasting my breath saying all these things to a ruthless man like you?", Eric muttered and looked away.

"I only wanted Nina to know that there are consequences for every actions we make. That's why i did what i did", the old man said.

"The same action that brought forth the person that saved you and the love of your life from certain death", Eric muttered. "Who would even wanna work for man who didnt show a single compassion for the person who spent almost her entire life trying to elevate your organization to greater heights?".

"Son.....", the old man began with an expressionless look on his face. "....Nina might have told you things about the organization. But there are alot of things you still dont know....and a man in my position in the organization cannot be compassionate with anybody",  he said with a cold tone of voice. "People will see it as a weakness and try to take advantage of it. You have already seen that because you were the one that saved me from the person that tried to do that".

Eric nodded with pursed lips.

"Anyway...", the old man glanced around the serene upper-middle class residential neighbourhood. "...There is a position in the organization that i have to fill in", he sighed.

"Well, that's hardly a problem for you", Eric said as they started walking towards the Rolls Royce phantom in slow paces. "You can always find someone else to take my mother's position. You have an abundant supply of well trained killing machines as bodyguards. Just groom the best among them and give him....or her the job.

The old man smirked. "I know i have well trained bodyguards", he agreed. "But none of them are anywhere close to Nina's level of efficiency....or even qualified to take her position".

"If my mother is the only person that can fill her position, then you will have to do something really extraordinary if you want my mother to reconsider her decision", Eric advised. "Like making an extraordinary offer that will make her come running back to the organization".

The old man smirk again and stopped in his tracks. "Son, i'm not talking about Nina's position in the family", he said and gestured at one of men guarding his car. "I'm talking about a position that even Nina herself is not worthy to fill in". Then the old man looked at Eric. "You wanted to know the real reason why i'm in Metro-city?".

Eric nodded his head and glanced at the bodyguard coming over with a slim black briefcase.

"I came here to meet the only one person who is worthy of this position that i'm talking about", the old man continued. He gave his walking stick to bodyguard when he came over and accepted the briefcase the big barrel chested man handed to him.

Eric glanced at the briefcase in the old man's hands and suspiciously stared at him for a short while. "And....who is this person that you are talking about", he then asked with furrowed eyebrows.

The question was unanswered. The old man just stared at Eric with both hands holding the briefcase close to his chest. A smirk formed in Eric's face......and he laughed as he stared at the old man.

"This is a joke right?", Eric snorted as he stared at the quiet but serious-faced old man. He looked at the bodyguard. "He is joking, right?,....tell me this old man is making an unpleasant joke", he said to the hard faced big man.

And just like his boss, the bodyguard remained silent.

"I see", Eric nodded. "So you are here to tell to me to come....work for you?",  he asked and looked at the old man.

"I'm here to tell you to come join your real family", the old man said and held the black briefcase infront of Eric. "Come to the place where you belong son,.....and be part of the team that runs this country. You dont belong here, you never belonged here", he added, still holding the briefcase infront of Eric.

"Eric thought for a while as he gazed at the old man, as if trying to decode what he just said. Then he sighed and looked at the building that housed Esther's apartment. The new apartment that Eric bought for her and her husband.

"But i like it here", Eric began quietly as he stared at the building. "And the people that are living in the tenth floor of that building are my family....the only family that i know", he continued as he raised his eyes to the balcony on the tenth floor of the building. "So you coming here is just a waste of time", he said and looked at the old man. "Cos i'm not interested", Eric concluded with an expressionless look on his face.

The old man lowered the briefcase he was holding up and nodded with a smile. He turned around and stood beside Eric with his eyes on the balcony of Esther's apartment.

"She is such a kind woman", he muttered to Eric as he stared at the balcony. "I was quite surprised to see how you obeyed her, no questions asked after she reprimanded you", the old man smiled. "I guess she must be very dear to you son".

Eric stared at the old man in silence.

"I also heard that you are alive today because a man she once loved and intended to get married to, gave his life to save yours", the old man continued. "And despite you being the one that made her lose that soul mate.....in a terrible way, she still gave everything to raise you right, despite your condition", he nodded. "I can see that what you have with that woman is very deep.....and i dont blame you for choosing her over Nina, your biological mother", the old man looked at Eric. "I respect that alot".

"You are right", Eric agreed. "But if this heartfelt talks of your is just a lead up to you threatening her so as to make me fill some 'f@ck-position' in your organization, then it gonna be the last threat you will ever make old man cos i'm gonna burn your entire organization.....and even this country that you run", Eric warned.

"I'm not threatening anyone, dont be too quick to pass your judgement on my words son", the old man sighed. "All i'm saying is, if that woman and the rest that live in that house are your family and the only family that you know, then why did you involve yourself in those past events that happened?", he asked. "Why drop all those bodies after an attempt was made on Nina's life....and save me from Dante?" .

"I did what i had to do", Eric replied. "Besides, you dont expect me to just standby and watch the men who murdered my best friend do the same thing to other people that i know".

"Perhaps.....that's what you should have done", the old man shrugged.

Eric furrowed his eyebrows and gazed at the old man "What do you mean?", he asked.

"If you really cared for that woman and her family, then you should have just stayed back here in Metro-city and let Alex, your brother, handle the situation", the old man replied.

Eric stared at the old man with a confused look on his face. "Why would i do that?", he asked.

"Well, you just made it clear that you dont want to be associated with us. But from the spectacular way you butchered those men that tried to kill Nina, it says otherwise. The oppositions would even see you as the Family war-hammer, especially if they get to hear how you killed Dante".

Eric smirked. "Like i said, i did what i had to do", he said to the old man. "We had a situation and we handled it the proper way. It had been over for months now and everyone have moved on with their lives", he stated.

Then old man nodded several times and turned to face Eric. "Son, let me give you a little hint of how things are in my world", the old man began quietly. "As long as there are more than one group of individuals who are bound by similar interests, someone from one group will always have a problem with someone in another group", he sighed. "It could be greed, money issues, turf control....or even a girlfriend being insulted", he smiled weakly. "In some occasions, it happens within members of the same group. And when these problems arises, so does conflicts that involves the use of deadly force", the old man looked over his shoulder. "You and i know very well that there is a greater tendency of.....collateral damages when it comes to the use of deadly force", he muttered as he stared at Esther's apartment.

Eric pursed his lips and looked away as he listened to the old man.

"But guess what", the old man continued and looked at Eric "After the killings and the maiming and over-the-top destructions, the victorious person or group dont go on to live a 'happy-ever-after' life cos such thing only exists in fairy tales. They get prepared for the next person or group that intends to bring the next blitz....because there will always be. It is an endless cycle son. But the painful part of all these, are the loved ones that get caught up in the conflicts, especially those that have nothing to do with it or even have no idea of what's going on".

"So you are saying that my actions in Easthill and me saving your life has likely put me and my mother in danger?", Eric asked.

"If i can predict future events, then i can give you the answer to that question", the old man replied.

Then the old man remained silent for a while. And slowly looked around the area and at the kids enjoying their saturday morning on the sandy playground. Eric did the same and stared at the little kids running around and shrilling with alot excitement.

"Bernard was a major player in our world", the old man then broke the silence. "And he was well connected. I wasn't surprised when Dante came for me", he looked at Eric. "But he being sent by Bernard still gives me alot of concerns till today. I made Bernard who he was and gave him everything. Infact, he was the one i intended to hand over the mantle of leadership because i saw him as the only person capable of handling that responsibility". Then the old man sighed. "Bernard knows alot about the organization, if not everything", he continued. "After he got kick out for his actions, we made alot of investigations and found out that he had been in contact with some other group and organizations; rival organizations. And these people are as resourceful and as efficient as we are. So the big question is, are they gonna decide to complete what Bernard started?".

"Will they?", Eric asked.

"I don't know", the old man replied. "That's why i'm restructuring the organization....preparing for all eventualities. And i think Nina is also doing the same.....cos Alex seems to be building some kind of relationships with alot of Easthill thugs....even the female ones".

Then the old man glanced at the briefcase he was carrying and held it up infront of Eric again. Eric stared at the black case for a short while and turned his expressionless gaze to the old man.

"Atleast help your old man carry his briefcase?", he said Eric with a smile. "My muscles are aching and my grip is no longer as strong as its used to be son".

Eric shifted his eyes to the briefcase and slowly moved his hand to reach for it.

"There", the old man smiled and handed the black case to Eric. Then he heaved a sigh and stared at Eric for a while. "It contains two files", the old man said and pointed at the briefcase he gave Eric. "One got the informations on all the individuals that Bernard had been in contact with. Everything you need to know about them, when they move and how they move......incase you start noticing strange things going on around you....or her", the old man glanced at Esther's apartment. "Everything in that file will serve as a heads-up incase you suspect any intricate plot being made".

Then the old man motioned at the bodyguard standing beside them and the man respectfully handed him his walking stick.

"My mission here is done", the old man said as he readjusted his clean white suit jacket. "Take care of yourself son and always keep your eyes wide open", he concluded.

"Wait!, what about the second file", Eric asked as the old man turned to leave.

The old man paused as he was being led by his bodyguards. He slowly turned around and looked at Eric.

"The second file contains everything about the position i told you that i wanted to fill in", the old man replied to the question. "If you happen to have a change of mind, there is a card in the file. Show it to any security operatives at the airport and they will take you to the hangar where my private jet is waiting. And i will be flying out of this city in two hours".

"One more thing,........why me?", Eric asked again.

"Because we are family, whether you like it or not. You have my blood running in your vein", the old man replied. "A lion will alway be a lion even if it was raised among sheeps.....and the earlier the lion realizes that, the better, before the sheeps it grew up with starts suffering".

Then the old man took a few steps as he left.....and paused again. "Son, i'm getting old", he said without looking at Eric. "And it's time for me to start grooming the next Sosai", he muttered and then headed towards the black Rolls Royce phantom.



Then old man dropped his weight in the back seat of his car with a grunt and sighed. After the bodyguard closed the door, he peered through the tinted glass and stared at Eric.

"I like that boy", he muttered as he stared at his grandson. Then he looked at the old woman who was sitting beside him. "But it gonna be difficult to make him join us", he said to her.

The old woman who was dressed in an all black suit with darkshades that made her expressionless face look more sinister, remained silent with her face staring ahead.

"Diana, do you think he will join us", he asked.

"Of course he will", Diana muttered quietly without looking at the old man. "If he don't, i will give him a reason to join".

"And if he joins, what do you intend to do?", the old man asked and looked at Eric as he walked away.

"I will break and remake him", Diana replied coldly. "Whatever our weak daughter taught him will be taken out. And i will teach him our own ways......the ultimate way.

"I hope so", the old man muttered and gestured at the chauffeur. "Cos i hate to be disappointed".

"You wont my dear.....you wont", Diana's voice said as the Rolls Royce and the convoy of cars rolled out of the apartment complex and into the traffic.

11:45 am Saturday morning in Metro-city. Three months after Nina's wedding.


Eric smoothly swung the black Hyundai Genesis sedan into the parking lot and killed the engine. Reaching for his cellphone on the car dashboard, he unbuckled the seatbelt and casually got out of the car. He adjusted the black tee shirt he wore and started walking towards one of the building of the several twelve floors apartment buildings around him. He glanced and waved at the kids waving at him and playing on the sandy playground. Then his eyes caught something that stopped him in his tracks.

Eric pursed his lips as he stood and stared at the black Rolls Royces phantom parked a few metres away from the building he was heading to. He recognized car and its plate number. It belonged to old man; the Sosai.

Eric studied the four big men in black suits.....bodyguards, standing near the car. He made a careful scan around the area and saw three three more cars; black chrysler 300 sedans parked at different positions. Then he looked up to the tenth floor of the building he was heading to; the floor where Esther lived with her husband and their son.

After not sensing anything siniter about the bodyguards, Eric ignored them and continued walking towards the apartment building. He stepped into the elevator when he got inside and pressed the button for the tenth floor. And he pulled out his Smith and Wesson pistol as the elevator began its journey to the destination to check on it.

Eric cocked the handgun and tucked it in his waistbelt when the elevator reached the floor. He casually and cautiously stepped into the corridor when the door slided open. He saw four other big men standing near the door of Esther's apartment. But he maintained his composure as he quietly approached them and stole a quick glance behind him as he analyzed the situation.

"Can i help you guys?", Eric began boldly to the men who were standing infront of the door.

The big men in black suits and dark shades stared at Eric in silence.

"Can i go inside my own house....or did your boss fail to tell you guys what happened to the guy that took out six of your co-workers?", Eric asked again.

One of the men gave Eric a smile and moved aside. The others followed suit and Eric sighed as he reached for the door handle.

"Oh you are such a funny man!".

Eric heard Esther's laughter as he cautiously stepped into the living-room with one hand close to his weapon. He craned his neck at the dining place and saw Esther sitting with the old man. Both of them were having a cup of coffee. And Esther was all smiles as the old man continued telling his jokes

Esther's eyes caught Eric as he slowly came over. "Oh Eric!", she began with a bright smile.

The old man looked over his shoulder with a smile. His eyes and that of Eric met.

"You are here on time. Come son,...come say hello to your grandfather", Esther continued and motioned at Eric to come over. "He is in town and decided to drop by", Esther said as Eric came over and stood beside her.

Eric said hello to Esther and gave her a peck on her forehead. Then he stared at the old man suspiciously.

"Hello Eric", the old man began coolly with the smile still on his face. "It's been a long time since we have seen each other", he grunted as he reached for the cup of coffee infront of him.

"Yeah...", Eric nodded and rested his hands on Esther's shoulders. "It's like you really missed me alot after our last meeting. But you shouldn't have come with a presidential level of security".

"Son, old habits are not that easy to change", the old man said and placed the coffee cup back on the table after taking a sip.

Then Esther got up and asked Eric if he wanted a cup of coffee or any other thing. Eric declined and told her that he was okay. Esther excused herself and went into the kitchen. But Eric knew very well that she left just to give him and the old man some privacy. And the old man was probably the reason why she called and told him to come to her apartment right away.

"So how is life treating you son", the old man asked Eric intently.

"Life is good", Eric replied and sat on the chair that Esther vacated.

"Hm...life is good", the old man murmured and smiled with his eyes on Eric.

"Yes...but i'm sure you didnt come here just to ask me how life is treating me", Eric said. "And i also know that you are reason why she called me".

"Oh she did?".

"Yeah old man.....so you better tell me why you are here. It cant just be about how life is treating me".

"You saved my life and that of your grand mother", the old man replied. "So why wont i even come here to ask you if you have had your breakfast?", he asked. "It's called being indebted to someone. Besides, cant a man come see his grandson?".

"Now listen here", Eric began in a low tone of voice and took a quick glanced at the door of the kitchen. "First, i saved your life because i had no other choice, so you can keep your indebtness to yourself. Secondly, the only grandfather i know is her father". Eric jerked his head at the kitchen door. "And he died years ago. So lets stop playing this family affair games".

The old man nodded. "Mrs Esther!", he then called out.

Esther came out of the kitchen.

"I think i have to go now", the old man said to Esther and got hold of his walking stick as he got up from his seat.

"Already?", Esther asked.

"Yes my dear. I have alot of things to run in this city before going back to Easthill", the old man said. "I'm sorry for my short stay.....but i really enjoyed it though".

"Oh we wish you stayed longer with us Mr Cantona", Esther said kindly to the old man. "I know how things are for a man of your caliber sir. And we wouldnt want to be an obstacle. But you are always welcomed in our house".

The old man nodded at Esther with a smile. "Eric, would you mind escorting your old man to his car?", he asked Eric.

"Well you have like four line-backers sized men outside to.....", Eric began.

"Eric!", Esther interrupted him. "Do as your grandfather said", she said to him in a reprimanding tone of voice.

Eric glanced at his mother and unwilling followed the old man who was already leaving the apartment.

CHAPTER NINTEEN.


One month later.

Allen took a sip of the expresso coffee and placed the coffee beside the files on the bench he was sitting on. He let out a light cough after swallowing the coffee and took a deep breath of the fresh air in the park. He glanced around the place with a somewhat happy look on his face and went back to the newspaper he had being reading.

After a few minutes of reading through the fine prints on the page and sipping his coffee, Allen turned his gaze at a man approaching him with quick strides. He folded the newspaper and left it on his lap when the man sat next to him.

"You better make it quick cos i'm in hurry", the man muttered without looking at Allen.

"Well this is new and quite unlike you", Allen began with smile. "What happened to the 'sneak-upon' moves you always pulled whenever we have a meeting?", he asked. "Perhaps, butchering Gus and his associates have gotten into you quite good i guess".

"Like i told you, i'm in a hurry. So just state the reason for wanting to see me", the man muttered quietly.

Allen stared at the man and wondered why he was so much in a hurry. "Anyway, talking about Gus and his associates, i have being doing alot of digging lately", he then said and reached for the cup of coffee.

"I thought that case had being closed about a month ago", the man muttered. "Why are you still on it?", he asked.

"Because i have alot of unanswered questions", Allen replied and picked up the files beside him. "But first i want you to take a look at these".

Allen handed the files that were four in number to the man. The man glanced at the files he was given and stared at Allen.

"Go ahead, go through them", Allen began with smirk.

The then man sighed and opened the first one.

"That's one hell of a team you got there", Allen continued. "Who would ever believe that it was a woman and her twin sons....and a nineteen years old girl, that were responsible for wiping out three of Easthill's most dangerous and violent gang. I mean, it will come as a shock to everyone. Though i know very well who you are and what you can do. But that young girl by the name Suzanne, gave me cold chills when i found out what she had done and what she can do".

The man glanced at Allen and continue going through the files and pictures.

"So i decided to take my time in preparing them", Allen pointed at the files he gave the man. "And i'm sure that the information in each and every one of those files are good enough to get an arrest warrant for the individuals in those pictures".

The man stopped what he was doing. He slowly turned his head and gazed at Allen with an expressionless look on his face. Allen took another sip of his coffee as he too gazed at the man.

"Eric i warned you, but you didn't listen", Allen then said. "I guess i will have to bring you and the others in.....especially Mrs Betty Smith whose real name is Nina", he scoffed. "But....if you are willing to co-operate, then it might lighten things a bit......for you".

The man sighed and remained silent for a while. "So what do you want me to do?", he then asked Allen.

"It's simple.....you just have to answer some question i intend to ask you", Allen elated. "And i want you to tell me everything you know about this woman that you claim is your real mother....and what she does for a living", he added.


The man sighed again and closed the file he opened. Then he stared ahead with a blank look on his face while Allen waited with the smirk of a man who just won a hard contest.

"I hope you know what you are doing and who you are dealing with?", the man asked quietly.

"We have a history together, so i know very well who i'm dealing with", Allen replied. "And i know that as long as i have all these information, the only option you have is to co-operate", he added.

The man stared at the files for a short while. "Do you really wanna push your luck with this?", he asked again and waved the files at Allen.

Allen laughed.

"You are the one that pushed your luck", Allen chuckled. Then he moved closer to the man", "Well i warned you, and you pushed it too far my friend", he muttered under his breath. "And your rampant killing days has to come to an end. No hard feeling, but i gotta play this by the book".

"I see", the man smirked at Allen.Then he took out all the four pictures in the documents and dropped the files on the ground. "Okay, lets say i refused to co-operate, you will definitely submitted all these information?", he asked.

Allen nodded.

"And you will get your warrants and for sure, you make the arrests".

Allen nodded again with a smirk.

"But one thing that i know and you dont know is, on the day you are playing your good cop bad cop interrogations,....", then the man picked out one of the pictures that has Nina's face and showed it to Allen. ".....this woman will make a brief phone call....and your boss will come inside the interrogation room, saying his apologies to your detainees and giving you the order to let them go", he stated.

Allen furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the man.

"And while you are in your office, thinking about what the f@ck just happened and where it all went wrong, some guys from the Internal Affair will walk into your office with your boss", the man continued with a smile and gazed at Allen. "They will present you with some files like these ones. But unlike these ones, the pictures in those files will have only one particular face, your face.....and some are quite graphic.

Allen furrowed his eyebrows. "what are you talking about?", he asked the man suspiciously.

"Well", the man began with a grunt and shifted his weight on the bench. "You know what they say about having skeletons in the closet..cos the ones in yours gonna be doing alot of talking, especially about some guy who is wasting away in jail because he was found guilty courtesy of the evidence that you wilfully planted on him", he said.

"Allen stared at the man in silence.

"That doesnt sound like a cop playing by the book", the man continued. "And what about the woman that was accidently shot dead in some alley when you were chasing a drug dealer?, a hidden camera showed that it wasnt the dealer that pulled the trigger according to the report you filed. Oh....and your lovely wife would probably enjoy watching the video clip of that 'police work' you did in room 237 at the Hilton hotel with your 'stripper' partner".

Allen swallowed hard. Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead.

"Now let me tell you how it gonna go down for you if you wanna push your luck with this sh!t", the man then said with a cold tone of voice and looked away. "We gonna f@cking ruin you. How?, first we gonna make you lose your job....and your reputation as one of the finest detective in this country. Then we will make sure that those bones in your closet talk loud enough to put your ass in jail. But it aint gonna be a 'long term' sentence, just enough to make your suffer", the man showed Allen another picture. The one with Alex's face. "And while you are doing time in prison, this guy gonna pay your beautiful wife a visit.....with all the video recordings of your adulteries".

Allen glanced at the picture and his breath quickened abit.

"You have to know that this guy is very good when it comes to seducing women, especially those going through some heartbreak", the man sneered. "Not only that, he also has friends who are inmates in the prison you will be doing time". The man leaned closer to Allen. "Those animals like f@cking their enemies in the ass when they catch them", he said to Allen in a quiet sinister voice. "And this guy gonna make sure that for every night he bangs your wife in your own matrimonial bed, those animals will take turns in pumping you hard in the ass.

Then the man showed Allen the third picture as Allen stared at him with a bitter look on his face.

"And after you get out of jail with no job, no wife....not even a f@cking broken pot to piss in; nothing but the shadow of the tough cop that you used to be, that's when this guy will come pay you a visit", the man gently placed the picture of Eric on Allen's laps. "You saw what he did to Santos in the massage parlour",  he said coldly with an expressionless look on his face. "I know you wouldnt want someone with the ability to re-arrange the bone structure of someone's face with little more than a clenched fist to come pay you a visit".

Allen stared at the picture on his lap for some moments and then looked at files lying on the ground. And thought about all those weeks....months of sleepless nights he spent gathering all the information. It just turned out that everything and all the efforts were for nothing.

"So you might wanna reconsider trying to arrest the people that did nothing but take out some of this city's most violent gangs", the man said. "My advise to you is to just look the other way and go after those that are the Real bad guys", then he got up and looked at Allen as the detective remained seated with a downcast gaze. "And my name is Alex", the man concluded and walked away, heading towards a black BMW that grinded to a halt infront of him. Its driver was a female with fierce tattoos on her arm.


**************************************** *****************

The guests filled elegant wedding reception was more than fantastic with the eclectic mix of party music that made the busy atmosphere of the party very lively. Alot of laughters and inter-mingling between the guests. Refreshments of expensive brands flowed like it was nothing and the bride and groom put up alot of memorable performance.....especially the bride.

Alex shook hands with the well built man he had been having a friendly discussion and the man left. He took a sip from his champagne glass and went over to Eric who was sitting alone under one of the umbrellas in the mansion's patio.

Despite the lively atmosphere around him, Eric doesn't seem to be enjoying himself. He just sat with his elbows on the table and his eyes on the party scene going on in the mansion.

"I thought this was suppose to be a very private wedding reception", Eric said as Alex sat on the vacant chair next to him.

"Yes of course", Alex answered and took another sip from his glass.

"This doesn't look like a private wedding reception", Eric gestured his fore-finger at the crowd infront of them. "I dont know half of the people here. The other half are mafians and the Sosai's affiliates".

"The mafians and the affiliates are here to pay their respect to mother", Alex said. "After that week-long insanity you and i perpetuated, the city's gangland big boys wants to align themselves with mother".

"And you think it is a good thing?", Eric asked and stared at his brother.

"Well.....", Alex began thoughtfully and not being sure of what to say. ".....we need to have some of these jack-boys on our team....incase another dumb individual decides to f@ck with us", he said.

"But what if 'these jack-boys' decides to come at us?".

"We take care of them bro".

"Yeah......", Eric nodded and looked away. "We take care of them bro", he mimicked Alex's response in a sarcastic manner. "And the cycle of fuckery starts again".

Then both of them looked at the crowd of guests that were enjoying the lively wedding reception. Their mother who was dancing alone and smoothly to the song being play caught their attention.

"Just look at her", Eric muttered and jerked his head at Nina after staring at her for some minutes. "She has being dancing there for like an hour.....like she has gone crazy", he sighed.

Alex smiled. "Well i dont see a woman who has gone crazy", he said. "I see a woman who is finally free.....and enjoying every moment of it".

"Free from what?", Eric asked, glancing at Alex and staring at Nina. "Even if she is free from whatever it is that was holding her down, she shouldn't be out here dancing like her mind is gone and embarrassing herself".

Alex smiled again and remained silent for a while. "You take everything too serious", he then began and looked at Eric. "And always extreme with everything you do. That's your problem bro. Maybe it's because of your psychological condition....or maybe you are just a born pain in the ass", he muttered. "Though i personally admire this unique character of yours because of all the sh!ts it had made you get us out from.....But if you just for a while.....let things be the way they are just like everybody else, you will see all the fun and enjoyments in life bro", Alex advised. "And people wont always be seeing you as a disrespectful douche", he added.

Eric sighed and stared at Nina as she continued to groove to the music being played. Alex stole glances at him and hoped that he didn't touch a nerve. It would be bad for their relationship.

"You are right about me", Eric then agreed to what Alex said with a nod. "But the problem i'm having with you guys is you all are judging me based of how you all think and feel", Eric turned to his brother. "You mentioned my psychological condition. So you already know that i am not wired to think and feel like you guys or like most of these other people walking around".

Alex stared at his brother and nodded slowly.

"Do you think i dont want to be like you guys?, to be able to feel.....to see all the enjoyments and fun in life", Eric continued. "Bro, i can't....cos that's how i am and i cant do anything about it. If i could, i would have done it long ago", he said with some pain in his voice. "But i can't", he muttered quietly with a downcast gaze. "Sometimes i see myself as nothing but an animal of human race. Animal that is only good at killing and inflicting harm".

Alex thought for a while and placed his hand on Eric shoulder. "Like i said, i admire your unique character....and envy you alot because you are special. Everyone that are very close to you just dont want to let go of you bro, because they know how special you are", he smiled and pat Eric on his back. "And i also wanna be the kind of animal you are bro......cos i have seen Lisa walking funny on several occasions", Alex laughed.

"F@ck you", Eric said under his breath with a weak smile on his face. "Oh by the way, two girls came to me few minutes ago. One of them said her name is Candice. Do you know her?", he asked Alex.

"Yeah....i'm her manager", Alex replied and eagerly glanced around the place. "Where is she?", he asked as he scanned the crowd

"I dismissed her", Eric replied.

"You what?!", Alex gasped and glared at Eric.

"Well she was calling me Lex gorilla", Eric muttered. "So i thought she mistook me for some porn movie actor. And i had to dismiss her".
"Aww!, you son of a....", Alex groaned. "I thought i once mentioned that Lex gorilla was my nickname you f@cking idiot!", he said irritatedly. "Now you just made me lose a client......and some fun night with two girls!".

"Haaa....i gotcha", Eric laughed and slapped his brother on his back. "I just told her to wait in your room".

Alex heaved a sigh of relieve. He immediately finished the content in his glass and got up.

Eric looked at Alex as he readjusted his suit. "Going for some business negotiations with your client and her friend or for some life's fun and enjoyments", he asked.

"The one that comes to mind first", Alex replied. "See you later bro.....or tomorrow", he muttered and turned to leave.

"Well you better be careful with the fun and enjoyments of life, before you start finding it difficult to do one of the simplest things of life......like taking a piss", Eric chuckled.

Alex waved his middle finger at Eric as he left. Eric shook his head as he watched his brother leave and reached for his cellphone that just vibrated in his pocket. He saw it was a notification for a new text message. He checked and saw it was from Lisa, asking him where he was. Eric proceeded to type a reply. He stopped midway with a thoughtful look on his face and then looked at the chair his brother just vacated.

"Well you did it before", he muttered to himself and continued typing the reply. "So you can as well keep on doing it". He sent the reply.

Within half a minute Eric got another text message. But he didnt bother to read it. He got up and started heading towards the entrance of the building. "i'm in the room.....alone", was the text message. Eric already knew that.



"......And do you know the funny thing about all this, the cycle just seems to continue", Chris continued in his tipsy voice while Suzanne continued to listen....or pretended to do so. "Your dad used to be the ladies man, now Alex is filling his shoes. Nina is not your real mother, but you are the younger and highly upgraded version of that woman", Chris continued.

"Oh really?", Suzanne muttered indifferently as she watched the party scene with a bottle of light beer in her hand. "So what about Eric", she asked.

"Eric.....", Chris murmured thoughtfully. "Well he is something else; a human-being who happens to be in a class of his own. His personality is the type that the society finds very difficult to understand", then Chris thought for a short while. "Indeed it is very difficult to understand that guy", he then said thoughtfully.

Suzanne smirked and shook head.

"So....", Chris looked at Suzanne. "....after all those men that you have sent to their early graves, have you finally found the one?", he asked intently.

"Found which one?", Suzanne asked without looking at Chris.

"You know,......the one that gives you that butterfly feelings".

Suzanne looked at Chris with funny look on her face. "Is this some kind of a pick-up line? Are you hitting on me?", she asked him.

Me....hitting on you?, no!...never"!, Chris replied but his facial expression says otherwise.

"Then why ask if i have a boyfriend?", Suzanne demanded.

"Well....you are my best friend's sister......and i also see you as my sister.....and.....", Chris stuttered.

Suzanne chuckled. "Well i dont have any.....if you wanna know", she said. "I dont really have any interest in relationships......for now".

"I see", Chris muttered with a downcast gaze.

"But i like computer games", Suzanne and smiled at Chris.

Chris looked at Suzanne and his face brightened up with a smile. "Me too", he said to her. "Online shooter game with alot of blood and gore right?", he asked.

"Are you game to go kill some online game noobs?", Suzanne asked. "

Chris picked himself up and helped Suzanne to her feet. "Forever game when it comes to the net", he replied. "This could be a good start for......".

"Nope", Suzanne interrupted him. "This is not a good start for whatever it is that you are thinking". She looked at him. "There will only be good start if you learn how to be brave enough".

"Brave enough?, i am brave enough", Chris protested as he followed Suzanne to the entrance door of the mansion.

"Oh please!, have you forget who i am?", Suzanne chuckled. "I know a guy who is about to piss his pants when i see one. In your case, you will also pass out".

"Oh yeah?, so how do i improve on my bravery?".

"I can teach you if you want, but it gonna take time.....and alot of great pain"


**********************************************************

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.


Nina remained still infront of the mirror and Esther moved behind her to make the final adjustments to the wedding dress. For a while, she stared at the image of herself wearing a wedding gown in the mirror with a faint smile while Esther worked on the dress. Then the faint smile turned into sneer.

Esther heard it and paused in what she was doing. "What is it?", she asked Nina.

"Oh...it's nothing", Nina replied with a laugh.

"Then what's so funny?".

Nina shook her head. "There used to be a time i would scoffed at the thought of me wearing a wedding dress", Nina said and looked at Esther. "You know, due to the kind of person i am and things i did".

Esther continued with the adjustments she was making on the wedding gown and said nothing.

"As time went by, i started wondering how i would look if i wore one.....then started wishing that i would wear one someday", Nina continued with the look in her eyes turning into a happy distant gaze.

"Then you started getting desperate to wear one and decided to strong arm another woman into giving up her husband for you", Esther added with a mutter.

Nina sighed. She remained silent for a few seconds and looked at Esther. "Even after a month of obediently taking all those sh!ts", Nina began quietly. "Sh!ts that you endlessly shoveled down my throat in the name of teaching me how to be a good wife and other things i never thought a woman must do if she gets married,.....", then Nina furrowed her eyebrow. ".....you still dont want to put an end to this cold war that is going on between us?", she asked, still furrowing her brows.

"But you were the one that came to me because you were about to get married and still dont know the difference between salt and sugar", Esther replied indifferently.

"There are lots of places i could have gone", Nina said. "Places where if i throw the right amount of money, i would be taught how to manage a home and also have my ass kissed as a bonus. But i still chose you.....because i saw you as role model....my role model. That's why i swallowed my pride and stayed unconditionally humble to you".

Esther was highly flattered by those words. And it coming out from the mouth of the woman she had always seen as a rival, made her feel quite elated.


"Well.....", Esther began, not knowing what to say. "It's.....anyway.....you did something.....something very wrong to that woman", she stammered.

"What is wrong in what i did?", Nina asked.

"The man you are about to marry, is the man you snatched from another woman", Esther scoffed. "And what i hate most is me taking part in it", she muttered and inspected the adjustments.

"I didnt snatch any man", Nina differed. "He just made the right choice between two bad choices. Besides, his so called wife was also cheating on him", then Nina frowned. "Not that i have forgotten what she did to Alex".

"But two wrongs doesnt make a right", Esther said.

"Yeah right.....i'm sure Hector would agree with you on that one", Nina chuckled. "Do you know that it is unlawful to participate in taking a man life.....especially if the person is not in a threatening position.....like being tied up".

"That's what i hate most about our relationship", Esther frowned. "Willingly or unwillingly taking part in some of your evil deeds. I hate the feelings i get afterwards", she shook her head.

"Welcome to the other side my dear.....and my advice to you is to learn how to get used to that feelings".

"Anyway........", Esther paused to make the final inspection on the wedding dress. "I hope you do change your lifestyle as you had promised", she said and turned Nina around to face her. "And be a very good woman and a good wife to your husband", she added and stared at Nina.

"A good woman, i can be. But i'm not sure about being a good wife", Nina said.

"Why say that?", Esther asked. "Didnt i teach you enough?", she furrowed her brows.

"You did very well and i learned alot", Nina replied. Then she showed Esther her hands. "It's just these hands are more acquainted to pulling triggers and putting blades in arteries. I'm afraid that cooking a meal in the kitchen could escalate to something else", Nina snorted.

Esther shook head. "Just.....just employ a cook", she sighed.

Nina looked at herself in the mirror one last time and beamed a satisfactory smile at Esther. Then Nina gave Esther a tight hug and murmured some words of gratitude to her. Esther responded with some final words of advice with a friendly pat on the back.

After about a minute of being in each others embrace, Nina broke away from the hug with a weak smile on her face and started heading towards the door. Then she paused in her tracks with her hand over the door handle. She let out a deep sigh with a downcaste gaze and then looked at Esther.

"One more thing", Nina began with a somewhat concerned tone of voice. "It's about that....strange old woman".

"You mean your mother?", Esther asked, quite surprised at the words Nina used in describing Diana.

"Yeah", Nina replied. "You have to be very careful with that woman".

"Her?", Esther chuckled. "That woman is a good person....and thanks to her, you are getting married to Barry. She is the only person related to you that is normal, as far as i'm concerned", she stated.

"You think so?", Nina asked.

"Yes of course", Esther replied confidently. "And she is a Nun", she added.

Nina looked away and shook her head with a smirk on her face . "After all these years with me, i thought you would have learned one or two things from me", she muttered as she continue shaking her head. "Dont let her kindness and soft spoken manner decieve you", she warned.

"Why do you say so?", Esther demanded.

Nina looked at her. "When i was still a fresh recruit in the Family organization, one of the original members told me of alot things. Tales about that woman", she said. "And from what i heard, that woman is a remorseless and horrible human being....a complete psycho beast".

"But....", Esther began with a confused look on her face. "......but what Lisa told me about her contradicts what you are telling me now", she said.

"I dont blame you if you believed that 'Wanting to leave so as to put an end to the organization' bullshit story", Nina laughed. "Being a gang leader and doing nothing other than to just sit back and watch the boys do the dirts in the field aint much fun at all, especially for someone who was once called, 'The blood countess', by the federal army during the civil war".

Esther was speechless as she stared at Nina.

"She was bored and wanted some actions. That's why she left", Nina continued. "She knew very well that the Sosai loved her so much as not to allow her have some of it cos he wouldnt want to risk putting her in danger".

"But she went to Rome and became a Nun", Esther muttered and still trying hard to doubt what Nina said about Diana.

"Yeah.....but she could have gone to other places", Nina said. "I mean, forty years is more than enough time to travel around the world, especially the war zones and the trouble spots under the guise of a Nun coming to do God's work in refugee camps.....and unleash a 'biblical proportion' level of whacking on the people or group she deemed as the enemy".

Esther remained silent with a thoughtful stare.

"Eric said he first met her in the cemetary where Ernest was buried before he found out that she was his grandmother", Nina said.

"Yes that's what he said", Esther agreed with a nod.

"Did she tell him the reason for her being in the cemetary?", Nina asked.

"He said that she was there to see a friend", Esther replied. "Why do you want to know the reason for your mother being there?", she asked.

Nina didnt reply the question. She just smirked and nodded her head slowly.

"Maybe she came to visit the grave of a friend who passed away while she was in Rome", Esther noted.

"The only person she knew apart from the Sosai is Mr Andrew Philips, my fiance's father.....and Mr Andrew wasnt buried in that cemetary", Nina said.

"Then why do you think she is there?", Esther asked.

"I dont really know....i'm still trying to figure it out", Nina replied. "Perhaps she is there to relive every moment of what happened there during the civil war", she sighed.

"What happened there during the civil war?", Esther asked.

For a moment Nina surprisingly stared at Esther for her asking that question. The next moment she remembered that Esther was originally a refugee from another country and decided to answer the question.

"That ground was the place where the federal army suffered one of their most devastating loss", Nina said. "So messed up that the entire place had to be turned into the cemetary that we are seeing today", then she smiled weakly and turned her eyes to the door knob. "One of the Sosai's undoings they said.....and believed. "But.....", Nina looked at Esther. ".......that original member of the organization told me that it was Diana that planned and executed it. That the Sosai wasnt even there when the real show went down". Nina smiled again. "In the man words, he said, Cantona and the reinforcements arrived at the battlefield and saw the young woman sitting on a pile of dead federal soldiers. The young woman, on seeing them calmly got up, kicked some limbs and guts that was on her way as she approached them and asked Cantona if he was hungry so that she can go prepare lunch for him", Nina concluded and laughed.

Esther didn't find it funny at all. What she heard so far was giving her alot of chills. And it was raising some questions in her mind, especially on how Eric met his grandmother for the first time. Could it be fate that made them cross path in the graveyard.....or could it be Ernest trying to tell her that it's time to let go of Eric?.

Then Nina sighed. "I may be wrong about that old woman", she said with a downcast gaze. "And the little informations about her that i have might be false. But one thing i know for sure is that woman is back to take her rightful position in the Sosai's Family". Nina looked at Esther. "That's the real reason why i'm leaving the organization".

"So, why are you telling me all these things?", Esther asked intently.

"It's because of Eric", Nina replied. "I know you love him alot. And if you really do, then dont let him get close to that woman. Dont let him get her attention. He might have done that with the show he put up when he was saving them from Dante. If he did, please try as much as you can to convince Eric not to go to that woman", Nina warned. Then she turned to leave the room

"So what are you saying?,....that your mother is evil?", Esther asked as Nina was about to leave.

"I'm not saying that she is evil....and neither am i saying that she is good", Nina replied. Then she looked over her shoulder. "All i'm just saying is, dont ever be on the opposing side when it comes to that woman", she concluded and walked out of the room after telling Esther that they will meet at the church wedding.

Esther sighed and stared at the door with a somewhat worried look on her face.


Nina closed the door and saw the twin boys and Suzanne talking among themselves and waiting for her in the corridor. She smiled and tried to compose herself as she majestically walked towards them.

"Mmh mmh!", Alex began delightfully on seeing his mother. "I really regret being your son. Cos if i wasn't, i aint gonna give up till.....".

"Aww shut up", Nina said to him with a smile. "Even if you weren't my son, you wont be able to handle someone like me. I could kill you in the first encounter....and i dont do inexperienced boys".

"Mom you are really underestimating me", Alex feigned being serious. "Ask Eric, he will tell you who i am and what i can do", Alex said intently and looked at his brother to see his reaction.

Nina laughed.

"This is the part where i suppose to be asking what you are talking about", Eric muttered indifferently without looking at Alex. "But i will just pretend like i didnt even hear it", he continued with a faint smile.

"Hm....someone seems to be in a good mood today", Alex smiled at his brother.

"Well he is just trying to tell you that he will straight smack horse-sh!t out of your mouth if you say that again", Suzanne said to Alex.

"Oh please, remember that 'i keeps clappers all the time'...bro", Alex said.

"I'm unable to translate the foul language", Suzanne murmured.

"Anyway, what about your father?", Nina asked them.

"Outside, waiting patiently", Eric replied.

"Okay then", Nina exhaled after one last check up on her wedding dress. "Let's go make this family a legit one", she gestured at her twins and step-daughter and they all started heading towards the door at the end of the brightly lit mansion corridor; the family's new mansion.


**********************************************************

Three weeks earlier....


Bernard swung the black Bmw sedan into the available parking space in the international airport car parking lot. He ended the phone conversation he was having and killed the car engine. Then he looked at his gold Rolex wristwatch.

Four-Fifteen pm.

He was a hour early for his flight to South Africa. The phonecall he made earlier was to inform a jeweler he was to meet in Johannesburg on his arrival time to the city.

Bernard sighed and shifted his eyes from the line of cars infront of him to the small black bag lying on the seat beside him. It contained his traveling documents......and the pouch given to him by his former boss; the old man. The pouch that contained the diamonds.

Grunting as he leaned towards the bag, Bernard opened it and took out the pouch. He loosely held the small bag infront of his face. And then shook his head with a bitter smile on his face after staring at it for a while.

Two years, Bernard thought with a distant gaze as he opened the pouch took out one of the diamonds. Two damn years of a well thought out plans and plots. And with his position in the organization, he never thought that anything could go wrong when he set the plan in motion.

Bernard sighed again. He was rolling one of the precious stone inbetween his thumb and index fingers as he continued staring ahead of him. To him, the game seemed tight and the entire plan, perfect. Everything was well in place. All Gus and Dante had to do was complete the tasks given to them and he would be the new Sosai. And he would run the Family 'the proper way' because the old man seems to be getting weak and getting too complacent with the way things should be done in the organization. Everything was set for a quick and smooth take-over, only for Nina's disrespectful bastard boy to throw a damn monkey wrench into his plans and derail the entire operation.

But to Bernard it's not yet over, not to him. Infact, to him, the Sosai had made a very terrible mistake of not getting rid of him immediately. A mistake that will soon come to hunt the old man. All he need is time; time to re-organize, make new strategies and meet a few contacts who wants the old man brought down by all means.

But before all that, he has something very important to do. To get rid of Nina's twin sons; both of them. After his business in Johannesburg, he intends to contact the few he knows that are more than capable of taking care of them, especially Eric. And the money he will earn from the sales of the diamonds will be more than enough to hire them......all of them.

The roaring sound of an aircraft landing interrupted Bernard in his thoughts. He glanced at the pouch he was holding and tucked it inside his pocket. Then he grabbed the bag on the seat beside him and hit the car trunk button as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He calmly got out from the car and stole a casual glance around the area with a sea of parked cars before moving to the car trunk to take out his baggages. Taking another quick glance behind him as he opened the trunk, Bernard bent over to grab his travelling bags. Then he paused with his hand over the handle of one of the baggages when he heard a sound behind him.

"Good day sir".

Bernard looked over his shoulder and stared at the woman standing behind him. She looked quite beautiful and probably in her early thirties. Her skin colour and face showed that she was of mixed black and white heritage, and probably a foreigner due to her accent. The outfit she wore says that she was a Catholic Nun.

"God bless you sir", the woman continued with a weak smile as Bernard straightened up and faced her. "Care to donate for the less privileged?", she asked and extended a pamphlet at Bernard.

Bernard glanced at the pamphlet and turned. "Sorry my dear", he grunted as he hauled out one of his travelling bags from the car trunk. "I'm not much of a religious guy.....besides, i'm quite in a hurry", he continued and reached for the second bag.

"But sir, you dont have to be a religious person to help the needy", the Nun said politely and paced closer to Bernard with the pamphlet in her hand still extended at Bernard.

"Oh really?", Bernard said indifferently and looked at the Nun with a mischievous smirk. "Then a woman like you can do alot of good for the needy. You could take off that clothing and get a proper job. And i know alots of places where females make fast cash", he chuckled. "A pretty woman like you wouldn't find it difficult getting work there".

"Really?", the Nun looked at Bernard with alot of interest. "Where can i.....get this job that you are talking about?", she asked.

Bernard smiled mischievously. "Well.....i've had quite a rough week", he began and glanced at his wristwatch. "But i think i'm still good for some.....action".

"Action?", the Nun furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah, some action before i leave the country", Bernard said and ran his eyes from the woman's head to toe. "So you can either get into my car and take off that blanket and soon be on your way with some money to take care of your less privileged.....or shove that pamphlet far up your ass and get out of my face".

"Sir no need to be.....", the Nun then heaved a sigh and looked away with a frustrated look on her face. Then she dipped her hand inside her pocket and took out a Bluetooth device. "Look, i'm getting tired of this f@cking charade", she spoke on the device. "Just bring the van....f@ck it if anybody sees us".

"What?", Bernard began.

Before he could say any other word, the Nun threw her head forward. The headbutt dazed and fell Bernard to the ground. He groaned and made an attempt to get up as fast as he could. But Nun's hands was already wrapped around his neck and her vice like grip almost choked him. Then another headbutt squarely impacted him on his face and made his vision go blurry. The last thing Bernard heard before another headbutt sent him into oblivion was the screeching of car tires.


*******************************************


"Wake up mister!", the woman blurted out and a loud smack to the face that rented the air of the room followed.

The smack woke Bernard up, then a big splash of cold water left him fully alert, shivering and gasping for air. He tried to move his limbs as he squinted his eyes to the fluorescent light shining on his face, but he couldn't. He tried again. Failing to move from his position on the second try and his eyes getting used to the light in room, he immediately remembered what happened at the airport car park and wildly glanced around room.

Bernard saw himself staring into the cold eyes of the young Nun that knocked him out cold. This time, she was only wearing a yellow sleeveless latex apron. Then he noticed that he was lying on his back, stark n@ked on a cold concrete slab. Both his arms and feet were spread apart and firmly tied. The air in the room was quite stale and the place smelled of something decaying.

Bernard took another glance around the place and then recognized where he was. He was in one of the meat cutting room of his ex boss' abandoned meat processing plant.

"Good boy". The young woman's voice and her palm patting his cheek, brought Bernard's attention back to her. She dropped the bucket she was holding and put the filter end of the burning cigarette inbetween her lips.

"Sorry for the...rude awakening", the woman continued, exhaling a cloud of cigarette smoke with a chuckle as she ran her eyes from Bernard's face down to his n@ked body. And stared at his waist with a mischievous smile.

"Who are you?", Bernard muttered the question quietly.

The woman gave him no response. She continued smoking and turned away. Bernard looked at her uncovered backside as she paced away and saw that the woman was only wearing a black pant under the apron.

"Who the hell are you!", Bernard asked again and abit louder.

"Good evening sir".

Another voice turned Bernard's attention to the other side of the room. He saw another young woman who briskly walked into the room with a tray in her hands and came toward the slab he was lying on. Bernard stared at her with furrowed eyebrows when she stood over him. She looked exactly like the first woman, definitely twin sisters. The only difference between them was the facial expressions and clothing; the second woman looked more friendlier and wore a clean white medical clothing.

"Good to see that you are already prepped up", the second woman continued politely with a friendly smile and placed the tray on the table beside the slab.

Bernard craned his neck to see the contents of the tray. He saw a ceramic mug of steaming coffee, a small clipboard, two syringes containing a clear liquid.....and scalpels of different sizes.

"We haven't stayed up to a week in this damn country", first woman said as she came over, carrying a small ice box on one hand. "We are already into 'Operation stab-stab' in a damn rotten meat factory", she grumbled and noisily dropped the box on the table. "By the way, who the f@ck is he?", she asked and stood beside the second woman; her twin sister.

"I don't know. And..i..dont..care", the second woman muttered coolly with a sigh and reached for the coffee mug as she ran her eyes on on the paper on the clipboard. "Mother superior gave an order....and we are here to carry it out", she continued and pursed her lips after taking a sip of the hot coffee.

"Who the f@ck are you women?", Bernard blurted the question at them.

"This is the third time you are asking that question honey", the first woman replied. "By now you should have known that we skipped the introductions cos we ain't interested in that part".

"The Sosai gave me a week to leave the country!", Bernard blurted out again.

The first woman looked at her sister. "What is he talking about?", she asked.

The second woman gave no reply.

"Is this Nina's set up?......are you also working for her?.....are you also her twin daughters?". Bernard was now sounding desperate and beginning to sweat.

"Yes we are twins. And no, we are not working for.....Nina or whoever that person's name is", the first woman replied coldly. "Seriously...do you have to read that....damn report card or whatever it is before we start?", she impatiently asked the second woman.

"Standard procedure", the second woman calmly replied with her eyes still on the clipboard.

"Aww f@ck the procedure. Let's just gut the f@cker and take whatever it is that she wants us to take", the first woman sighed and reached for one of the scalpel.

The second woman smacked her twin sister's adventurous hand and warned her not to contaminate her tools.

"She?", Bernard asked with alot of anxiety written on his face. "Who the f@ck is she....and what does she want to take from me?".

Both women ignored Bernard.

"Is it Nina?!", Bernard asked again. "The Sosai gave me an order to leave the country!. Nina knows the rules!......she cant do this to me!", he said desperately.

The second woman quietly placed the clipboard in its former position and sighed with downcast gaze. Then she looked at Bernard with a friendly smile on her beautiful face.

"Sir, we dont know any Nina or....the Sosai", the second woman began in a cool polite voice. "And neither are we aware of any rules. We were given the order to take a few things from you sir.....and that order, we intend to carry out",

"Few things?", Bernard gasped and took a quick glance at the razor sharp scalpels on the tray. "What few things?", he asked.

"Oh..", the second woman picked up the clipboard and cleared her throat. "Your liver, your kidneys and heart sir", she said and smiled at Bernard. "The rest will be properly disposed. That's what my sister will be doing", the second woman said and tapped the shoulder of the first woman who waved at Bernard and took out a pair of rubber gloves from the pocket of her latex apron.

"What?!", Bernard gasped, throwing glances at both women. "Hell no!", he shook his head. "You women got the wrong man!", he protested.

Bernards last words made the smile on the second woman's face to slowly fade away. She held the clipboard infront of her face and took a closer look at the scribblings on the paper. Then she took another sip from coffee mug and stared at Bernard with a sinister deadpan expression that made her look more scarier than the first woman.

"You think you are the wrong man?", the second woman began coldly.

The look on her face and the coldness in her voice made Bernard unable to answer the question.

"So you are saying.....that i'm wrong huh?.....that i don't know what i'm...Fucking...doing?", the second woman asked again in the same cold voice. Then she dropped the clipboard on the tray. "Your name is Mr Bernard Evans. Forty-two years of age, one-eighty two centimeters in height, eighty-five kilograms in weight, neither smokes nor drink, no known spouse and a few girlfriends....",

Bernard throat ran dry. He just stared at the woman just met for the first time give him a run-down on everything about him; everything about his life.

"......and your favourite colour is brown", the second woman concluded. "So do you still think i'm wrong?", she then asked with a hard look on her face.

Bernard gave no answer. He was dumbfounded as he stared at the woman. Then the woman raised the coffee mug and held it over Bernard's waist. And poured the blistering hot coffee on his manhood.

"No!...no!!", was the last words that came out of Bernard's mouth before his loud scream of agony filled the whole room.

The woman continued pouring the hot coffee on him, slowly, till the mug was empty of its content.

"When i'm right, no one says i'm wrong!!", the woman then barked at Bernard with alot of rage in her voice and held the ceramic coffee mug close to his face in a threatening way. "No one!!,.....do you f@cking understand?!!", she thundered and her voice echoed all over room.

Bernard nodded as he groaned with a lot of pain written on his face. The woman glared at him with a murderous look on her face for half a minute as he whined in pain. Then she took a deep breath and gently exhaled. She quietly placed the coffee mug on the tray and the friendly smile appeared on her face again.

"What's going on here?".

The third voice made Bernard to slowly and painfully turn his head to where it came from. He saw another woman walking inside the room. She looked old, but quite beautiful for her age. She was dressed in an all black suit outfit with a darkshade on her expressionless face.

"I thought your girls are done by now", the old woman said and stood inbetween the two young women. "By the way, did you get that thing?", she asked and looked at first woman.

The first woman dipped her hand inside the apron pocket and took out the pouch containing the diamonds. She handed it to the old woman.

"Good", the old woman muttered coldly. She collected the pouch and tucked it inside her suit jacket inner pocket. "Do you always have to be naked when doing this", she asked.

"I feel comfortable like this", the first woman replied.

"Comfortable indeed", the second woman scoffed and muttered something in italian as she looked away.

"Alright....", the old woman sighed and quickly glanced around the room. "You girls should hurry up, we have other things to do. Make sure he is totally erased after you all are done", she said to the first woman and pat her on her back.

"Who the hell are you people?", Bernard asked painfully and looked at the old woman.

The old woman stared at Bernard for a while and took off her shades. Then she bent closer to the man lying before them.

"You of all the members of the Family should have known better than going against the Sosai", the old woman muttered at Bernard. "He might be forgiving after what you have done.....but i'm not the forgiving type", she concluded and straightened up. Then she glanced at the twins and walked out of the room without saying any other word.

Who....who is she?", Bernard fearfully asked the young women.

"Oh...that woman?", the second woman asked and picked up the syringe on the tray. "I don't know the misunderstanding you have with her but she is the last human-being on earth you would wanna mess with", she said and nodded at the first woman who immediately went over to a bag lying on the floor.

"And she is our mother", the first woman added and took out a hacksaw from the bag.

Alex stood with his arms resting on the roof of the grey coloured 2015 C class Mercedes-Benz and stared at Agnes as she walked towards her car. Then he glanced at Eric who came over and stood beside him.

"You are late", Alex began and turned his eyes back at Agnes. "The hand over ceremony ended minutes ago", he continued.

"Yeah i know", Eric said and looked around. "Where is Suzanne?", he asked.

"She is with Nancy at her place", Alex replied. "She said she rather spend time with the cook than be here".

"How is Nancy doing?".

"Holding on quite well after Rogers funeral.....and very glad to know that those men who killed him, didnt go so easy".

Eric nodded and looked at Agnes. "So how did it go with her and father?", he asked.

"Dad did exactly what he said, he gave everything to that woman", Alex sighed and stared at Agnes as she boarded the car after giving her chauffeur some instructions. "Just look at her", he muttered with some anger in his voice.

Eric leaned against the car and watched Agne's car leave the premises.

"Probably rushing to go celebrate with her damn friends after bleeding father dry of everything he ever owned", Alex continued with a frustrated look on his face.

"Probably", Eric muttered and tucked his hands inside his jeans pockets.

"Man, i wish our mother didnt sanction any hit on that f@cking woman", Alex said and looked at his brother. "I would love to be the one to stick a knife slowly into that fat neck of hers", he fumed and glared at the car as it disappeared down the road.

"You gonna do that to a woman you called mother for almost twenty years?", Eric snorted and looked at Alex.

"Weren't you the one who almost knocked down the house with my laptop after spending just a week with her", Alex said and looked at Eric. "That woman is heartless. Everything about her is how to take advantage of other people", he continued. "I spent an entire week leaving corpses of countless men that i even barely know. But here i am, unable to do any goddamn thing to the one person that i hated the most in my life while she f@cks us over".

"Well, those men are murderers and remorseless criminals who were coming to kill you", Eric noted. "She is just a desperate woman. And neither is she worth the stress nor the effort of doing what you want to do to her fat neck with a knife".

"Dude dont just see that f@cking meat-sack as nothing but a desperate woman!", Alex said irritatedly. "I have lived with her for almost twenty years. She is the kind of person that would set you up with those murderers without even thinking twice. Atleast Gus did it for money. That woman will even do it just because she doesnt like your face".

Eric remained silent and looked ahead. He doesn't want to continue the debate on why woes should befall Agnes. Debates with his twin brother never ends.

Alex sighed. "Mother and i had to chip in so as to help father meet that woman's demand before she will sign the divorce papers", he muttered.

"How much?", Eric asked.

"Every f@cking penny in my bank account", Alex replied. "Mother sold her house and also gave the little money she had", he added.

"What about the old man?", Eric asked. "Mother could have contacted him and have him settle this....in the right way".

"Our grandfather made it clear that he had washed his hands off anything that has to do with our father", Alex replied. "Even if he wants to help, mother wont allow it cos she too has sworn never take anything from the old man".

Eric pursed his lips and nodded.

"Luckily......", Alex dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pouch; the pouch containing the diamonds. ".......grandma gave me this", he handed it to Eric. "Maybe she convinced grandpa not to give Bernard the diamonds", he said.

Eric stared at the pouch with a thoughtful gaze and then opened it to take a look at the diamonds in it.

"Atleast we can sell it for a few millions, pay off some of dad's outstanding loans and put my agency back on track", Alex continued as he slipped both hands inside his pockets of his black jean trouser. "Perhaps, sell a car or two to supplement what's left", he added and pursed his lips with a downcast gaze.

"Sell your cars?", Eric asked.

"Yeah", Alex nodded and looked at his twin brother. "Alot of clients paid money for some services and money is needed to render this services", he said.

Then he looked at Nina and Barry standing near the building and tightly hugging each other. "But i'm more worried about them bro", Alex said and jerked his head at their position. "You know how they used to live. Money runs sh!t in this world and i would forever hate to see the love they have for each other go sour because of lack of it".

Eric stared at the pouch for a while and handed the pouch back to Alex. "You know....", he began with a smile. "...Bringing that diamond into this country wasnt that easy", Eric said and pointed at the pouch.

"So what?", Alex muttered indifferently. "Even if you had to shove it so far up your ass that you almost lost it in an endless pile of sh!t, it aint gonna triple its worth", Alex sighed and looked away.

Eric smiled. "I'm not talking about only the ones in the pouch you fool, i'm talking about all of them", he said.

Alex furrowed his brows and looked at Eric. Then he held up the pouch and stared at it.

"How much worth of diamonds did you really take from Jacques?", Alex asked and looked at Eric.

Eric raised his hand and showed Alex three fingers.

"Three million dollars?", Alex asked.

Eric shook his head.

"Thirty million dollars?!", Alex almost exclaimed.

"Three hundred million dollars", Eric corrected.

Alex gasped and stared at Eric with his mouth and eyes wide open. After staying like that for almost half a minute, he then got closer to his brother.

"If this is....some kind of a joke", Alex began with a throaty voice. "Then it gonna be the last joke you ever made....cos i'm gonna kill you right here, right now", he said seriously.

Eric smirked and grabbed Alex by his arm. "Get your dumb-ass into the f@cking car", he said and pushed Alex towards the driver's door of the Mercedes. "I've got deliveries to make....to some jewelers who just came into the country", he continued and he went over to the front passenger door.

Alex saw that his brother wasnt joking. He stood and stared as Eric opened the front passenger and slided into seat. Then he turned his eyes to the driver door handle and remained still, as if wondering what to do with it.

"Dude are you going or not?!", Eric asked and blared the car horn.

Alex took a deep breath and exhaled with his eyes glancing around him to be sure that it wasnt a dream. Seeing that it was reality, he smiled and hurriedly got inside the car. He slammed the door and brought life to the Benz.

"Say we go grab a couple of drinks to celebrate before going for the business transactions", Alex voice suggested as the car rolled away.

"Isnt it the other way round?, celebrating 'after' the business transactions", Eric's voice said as the car joined the light traffic on the street.

"Yeah.....but i need a drink to be at the top of my game. You know,.... with the talks and negotiations we have to make during the business".

"I know.....but you might end up buying the entire bar".

"Perhaps......but.....okay just one beer. I promise to....."

"Just drive before you get pistol-whipped".



**********************************************************

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.


One month later.

The silence in the brightly lit office got umcomfortably longer as Barry quietly went through the pages of the documents. Except for the faintly heard ticking of the wall clock and the occasional shuffling of feet, the only sound that came out as Barry went through the divorce papers infront of him were the flipping of the papers and a few long sighs.

His lawyer, a glasses wearing middle aged man with an average frame, was sitting beside him. And the man seems to be unhappy with the way Barry was handling the situation at hand as he too stared at the documents. He expected more from him. Atleast a few protests to the demands Barry's wife was making. The lawyer had already gone through the documents and they were quite outrageous.

Agnes was seated on the other side of the table. Her daughter, Victoria, and her own lawyer, a plain looking woman in her mid thirties were sitting by her sides. The three of the stared at Barry in silence, waiting for any objections to which they were well prepared to counter.

After a few more minutes of silence, Barry dropped the last paper in the document and sighed with his hands folded under chin. Then he looked at the pen lying infront of him and reach for it to put it in use. His lawyer began to protest as Barry picked up the pen, but Barry motioned at the man to stop.

"I'm doing this for the sake of our kids", Barry began and looked at Agnes. "I know what i did was wrong and probably inexcusable. But you and i know the real truth about our marriage. We were not really happy together,......we were never really happy. Over the years we tried as much as we can to keep the union from falling apart. But doing so was the mistake we were making.....because we were never meant to be together".

Agnes remained silent ad stared at her clasped hands. Victoria pursed her lips with a look of disdain.

"I dont want to contest your demands because i want it all to end. I dont want our kids to suffer because of our mistakes", Barry continued. Then he scribbled his signature on the documents and slided the file to Agnes. "I trust your management skills", he said to Agnes as her lawyer glanced through the documents and handed it to her with a satisfactory smile. "I know you will be more than able to run the company very well", he concluded.

Then Agnes lawyer got up and thanked both Barry and his lawyer for their co-operation and motioned at Agnes. Agnes seemed unwilling to leave as she kept staring at the files handed to her. Victoria then got hold of her mother's arm and stood her up. And walked her out of the office.


****************************************


Agnes walked out of the building unaccompanied by her daughter. Her lawyer was the first to leave after giving some final advises. As she headed towards the spot where her chauffeur parked the car, she saw Nina standing near another car and staring at her. Agnes regarded the woman with alot of disdain and decided to go have some talk with her.

Nina saw the woman approaching her and shook her head with a sigh. Agnes came over and stood infront of Nina, staring at her for over a minute. Nina stared back at the woman with an expressionless look on her face.

"Before i leave the both of you alone, i want to ask you a question", Agnes began with a sigh. "What is it about you that made my husband to be so willing to abandon his family and to do something so foolish", she asked and held up the file infront of Nina's face.

"Why didnt you ask him that question when you were penning your signature in that document?", Nina replied indifferently to the question with another question.

"Well, i'm asking you the question now, and i expect to get an answer", Agnes said authoritatively.

Nina looked at Agnes from head to toe and laughed, despite having alot of anger for the woman standing infront her. She was having alot of urge to reach for the weapon concealed under skirt and add another number to the bodies she had dropped. But she knew better.

"Woman, its not about me", Nina said to Agnes. "Your husband just got tired of living with a manipulative c#nt. And a very greedy one for that matter". Then she looked at Agnes. "That's the answer to your question".

The answer left Agnes dumbfounded.

"I just happen to be the other person who is helping to set him free", Nina continued. "But you have to be forever grateful to him my dear, cos there are other ways he could have used to settle this matter. You know very well that he has the resourses.....and the people", Nina smiled and jerked her head at Alex who was standing some metres away and staring at them.

Then Nina looked ahead and saw Victoria striding towards them. Victoria eyed her condescendingly and turned to Agnes.

"Mom everything is done, we are ready to go", Victoria said to Agnes and eyed Nina again. "Is it her?....is she the woman?", she asked and rudely pointed at Nina.

Agnes sighed and said nothing.

"No wonder....just look at her. Quite pathetic", Victoria muttered and looked away.

"I know you think you're all grown up", Nina coolly said to Victoria without looking at her. "But you need to show the respect that your mother taught you to have for anyone......if at all she did so".

"Show some respect.....to who?, to a shameless woman who snatches husbands?", Victoria scoffed.

Nina looked at Victoria with a funny smile. "Excuse me young lady, but arent you and i riding the same wagon?", she asked Victoria. "Or do you want her to know about those visits to Allen Estate and who you are seeing?", Nina pointed at Agnes.

The angry look on Victoria's face immediately changed to a surprised stare. Agnes looked at Victoria with knitted eyebrows and asked her what Nina was talking about.

"Honey, let me give you a heads up about that game you are playing", Nina continued with a smirk. "There are about a dozen other girls like you that are also sneaking in and out of that house when the wife is not around. He is just rotating you fools like....cattles, so dont believe all those bullshits he is telling you".

Victoria stared at Nina with a thoughtful stare and then hanged her head up with a look of defiance. This made Agnes to get angry.

"Will you get inside the car!", Agnes barked at Victoria and glared at her daughter as she grumbled and left them, heading toward Agnes' car parked a few metres away. "Foolish girl!", she fumed and looked at Nina. "Anyway", Agnes sighed, she glanced at the file she was holding. "I'm glad we all came to an amicable agreement, even though deep down inside my heart, i hate to see it end this way", she said and looked at Nina. "Well i hope he gonna be alright".

Nina chuckled. "You wanted his company and everything he owns and got it all", she said and looked away. "Now you are hoping that he gonna be alright". Nina chuckled again. "Don't worry, he gonna be alright.....we all gonna be alright", she then said and ignored Agnes.

Agnes sighed. Seeing that Nina wasnt interested in saying any other words to her, she turned to leave.

"And i hope i dont see you again, woman", Nina said and looked at Agnes as the woman walked a few steps.

Agnes paused and looked over her shoulder. She could see the flame of anger in Nina's eyes as she stared at her.

"Barry did it his own way and you got everything that you wanted", Nina continued in a cold tone of voice. "But if you ever come to us again with your bullshits, i'm gonna do it my own way.....and it's gonna be me taking what i want......All of it", she warned.

Agnes slowly turned and silently walked away, heading towards her car.

"Any words from the Sosai?", Bernard asked his chauffeur as the car rolled into the compound after the gate slided open.

"No sir", the man behind the wheels replied and brought the car to a halt in the parking space of the walled mansion.

Bernard check his cellphone. It was probably his hundredth time of doing so. Even the car driver seems to have noticed the incessant checks as he stared at the man at the backseat through the rearview mirror.

"Sir is there any problem?", the chauffeur asked politely.

"Just expecting a call", Bernard replied and unbuckled his seatbelt.

Two sturdy men in black suits came out of the building and went straight to the car. They politely greeted Bernard when he stepped out of the car and lead him towards the entrance of the building.

"So how is the prisoner?", Bernard asked one of the men as they entered the lobby of the mansion.

"He refused to eat again", the man replied. "He hasn't eaten since yesterday", he continued.

"Well a man who is about to die wont have the appetite for anything.....even women", he chuckled as they ascended the stairs leading to the rooms.

Bernard checked his cellphone again as they headed towards the door that was manned by another bigger man in dark suit.

"Good day sir", the big man politely greeted Bernard when he came over.

"Good day.....", Bernard began and gave the man a curious glance from head to toe. "What happened to the other man guarding the door?", he asked and looked at the other men standing behind him.

"He called in sick and took the day off sir", one of them replied.

"Called in sick?", Bernard scoffed. "Anyway the Sosai gave an order to move the prisoner to a different location", he continued and reached for the door handle after gesturing at the big man to move aside. "And it's even better that i do it myself....since you guys are now calling in sick".

Then Bernard opened the door to enter the room.

"Good day Bernard".

The voice that greeted Bernard prompted him to freeze in his tracks. He remained still with his eyes wide as he stared inside the room and at the old man who was sitting on a single sized bed, reading a book.

The old man closed the book he was reading and looked at Bernard. "I'm surprised to see you here Bernard....", he continued. "....Because i remember very well that i gave all the members of the organization a clear and strict no-visitation order to my prisoner. So, why are you here?", the old man asked with furrowed brows.

"I......i...heard...", Bernard stammered and then got interrupted by a strong hand that grabbed his suit jacket from behind. He put up no resistance as the hand spun him around and he saw himself staring at the wicked glare of the big man.

Then the two sturdy men that escorted Bernard into the mansion stepped forward and gave him a rough pat down while the old man watched. They took his handgun, his cellphone and every other thing they could find on him, including the pen in breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"Anyway......", the old man began after the men were done searching Bernard. "......no need to answer that question", he sighed and got up from the single bed that was the only furniture in the room. "I have decided to listen to what that young man told me and let Mr Barry Philips to go. Nina is more than old enough to make any decision, no matter what anybody thinks, including me", So i let her boyfriend go", he smiled.

Bernard remained silent and stared with fear in his eyes as the old man paced around the room with his hands behind him.

"So", the old man quietly paced around the room with one hand holding the book behind him. "Arent you gonna ask me how the interview went?", the old man asked and stopped to inspect the iron bars used to seal the window of the room. "And why it seems that it kind of ended too early?", he asked again.

Bernard gave no response to the questions.

"Well no need to answer that question too...cos i'm sure you expected everything to go well......as planned", the old man muttered and continue pacing around the room. And me being here means that it indeed went well.....or maybe not".

The old man paced around in silence for about half a minute and then gazed at Bernard. "Apart from that, other interesting events unfolded in my office today", he said and quietly paced towards Bernard. "One was a miraculous one. The other, an eye opener and a grim reminder of how we should be watchful of the people around us". The old man stood infront of Bernard and glanced at him from head to toe. "And to never take anyone for granted, no matter how they present themselves".

Bernard sighed with a downcast gaze with beads of sweat on his forehead. And trying hard not to look the old man in the face.

Anyway.....", the old man dipped his hand inside the inner pocket of his white suit jacket and took out a small pouch. ".....i want to give you this", he showed it to Bernard. "The diamonds you were expecting to get today....and probably the reason why you are here", the old man grunted as he slipped the pouch inside Bernard's suit breast pocket and tapped the pocket with his fore and middle finger.

Bernard glanced at the pocket and swallowed hard as he stared at the old man.

"The young man who was suppose to give you this diamonds wanted to do it himself", the old man continued with his eyes on the pocket. "But he had done enough stressful work for today. And his emotions was....kind of really running high. You know,.....maiming and killing Dante....and blowing up a building full of hired mercenaries can take its toll on the human mind and body",

Bernard's mouth ran dry as both men stared at each other. Then the old man got closer to Bernard.

"So that's why i'm giving you one week to leave this country. And never ever think of coming back", the old man muttered into Bernard's ear. "It would be unwise to stick around and get a taste of what this individual can do, especially to someone who tried to harm his family". the old man added with a smile and backed away.

Then the old man's smile turned into a cold expression. "But it's gonna be a heavenly treatment compared to what i will do to you if i as much as hear that someone happened to get a whiff of something that smelled like Bernard", he concluded with the warning and gestured at the big man standing behind Bernard.

The big man immediately grabbed Bernard and roughly pulled him aside to make way for the old man. The old man nodded at the other two sturdy men who bowed respectfully and escorted him out of the room and away from the mansion.

Sorry fellow nairalanders....i have been under the weather; change of weather sickness. Anyway updates will be coming shortly.