STICK WITH ME

“What are you asking From him and who is Mia? Jay’s Mum asked as she bagged into the room.

“Nothing…. am not asking him anything” Leo stammered.

Jay sighed.

“Really… you aren’t asking him anything but I heard your conversation” Leo’s Mum said moving towards him as Leo shifted.

“Uhmm… there’s this girl in our school and am friends with her including Jay. Jay is also her friend. I have an assignment I need to send to her and I forget to collect her mobile number and Jay has it” Leo stuttered.

“Then why are you lying to me? What do you say is her name?”

“Mia!” Leo snapped.

“Mia?”

“Yeah. She’s pretty popular in our school. They just moved into this town and her Mum’s pub is located down the streets ”  Leo explained.

“I didn’t ask all those questions ” Leo’s Mum sighed leaving the room.

She closed the door immediately she left.

“Why does this Mia sound very familiar. Isn’t it the Dark girl from Leo’s former school?” She asked.

“Emma!” She called on her secretary.

“Yes Boss” Emma answered.

“Go get Chloe. Tell her to come home now. We have something important to discuss about ” Leo’s Mum instructed.

“Ok Ma” Emma answered leaving the house immediately.

Emma drove immediately to Chloe’s house. There’s too much noise in the building.

“What’s going on? Emma asked the security officer.

“Chloe and her husband are having a fight. That’s normal for them. This happens every night” The security officer whispered.

Emma gave the security officer $100. As a gratitude for telling her What’s happening.

“Remember no one outside this family should hear about this. Not even the public” Emma instructed.

“Yes am aware of that. Thank you so much” The security officer smiled earnestly.

“You’re nothing but a sick old man who is going to die in few years!” Chloe shouted at her husband pinying her fingers at him.

Chloe’s husband continued beating her and she was bleeding from the nose profusely.

“It’s okay. Enough!” Emma shouted as she entered the room.

“No. Am not gonn’ stop. If this Man doesn’t kill me. Am gon’ kill him first!” Chloe shouted at the top of her voice.

Richard (Chloe’s contracted husband) continued trying to beat her up.

Emma seperated them from each other.

“When is this contract coming to an end. If it doesn’t end. I’ll terminate it by myself. I don’t care about the damage it’ll cause the both companies. I’ll pay the fine!” Chloe’s husband shouted at the top of his voice.

“Yes! You better terminate it!” Chloe shouted.

“Chloe, let’s go. Your Mum needs you urgently” Emma whispered.

Chloe hissed.

“Why does she need me?” Chloe asked.

“I don’t know about that” Emma answered.

“Alright, let’s go” Chloe sneezed.

“won’t you change your clothes? Or at least clean the blood on your face” Emma suggested.

“No. I won’t! I want my Mum to see me this way. I want her to see what she’s making me go through!” Chloe shouted.

“Don’t come back here, this night!” Richard declared.

“hmph! Do I look like someone who’ll like to come back to this hell? Do I look like one?!” Chloe exclaimed.

Richard ignored her.

“Emma… Let’s go” Chloe declared.

“Sister Chloe what happened to you? Why are you bleeding profusely from the nose?” Riah asked Chloe.

“Am not your sister!” Chloe retorted.

“I shouldn’t have asked. Besides, it’s none of my business” Riah sighed and continued cleaning the surface.

“You asked for me?” Chloe asked her Mum.

She made a signal for Emma to leave. Emma left immediately.

“Why didn’t you, at least clean the blood stains before coming out?” She asked Chloe.

“That’s because I wanted you to see this state you put me in. Look at my dress! All torned by that useless man!” Chloe shouted.

“Hey! Calm down. You’re not talking to your husband. Take this tissue, wipe your nose” She instructed.

Chloe did exactly as she was instructed.

“He wants to terminate the contract” Chloe sniffed.

“What?”

“He wants to end the marriage. He said he’ll take the blame for anything that happenes to the company and would also pay the fine required” Chloe explained.

“Oh God. Chloe this isn’t easy as you think. What are we going to tell the public about this?” She sighed.

“I think it’s for the better. Am also tired too” Chloe cried.

“Can’t you calm down a little bit. It’s just in two months time. The work is done and you guys can break up then, sorry, I meant divorce” She convinced Chloe.

“Mum am tired. I can’t take this anymore” Chloe cried.

“Be strong. Wait, just a little while longer” She said patting Chloe’s back.

“What did you call me for” Chloe asked wiping her tears with a tissue.

She stood up and walked up to the window side.

“Chloe, do you remember who is Mia?” She asked.

“Mia… the name sounds kinda familiar. Isn’t she the one that got into trouble with Leo, uhmm…. The one who was accused of pushing Leo and he fell. The reason why Leo temporarily lost his memory” Chloe snapped her hands.

Her Mum remained silent and continued staring at the city.

“Why are you suddenly asking about her? Any problems?” Chloe asked.

“Maybe this Mia is different. Leo said she’s popular in school and they’re close friends. The Mia we know wasn’t popular in school but always gets bullied” She sighed.

“Is that even a problem?” Chloe asked.

“It might be”

“Why?” Chloe asked

“Immediately, Leo is graduating from high school, he’s getting married immediately, so he could take over his Dad’s business. Am aging you know. I want him to marry someone from a rich family. Just like ours or in same business with others. A marriage that will benefit our business” She replied.

“Why are you currently bothering yourself? I think he’s still has a long way to go in the business. He’s a guy so he mustn’t marry early” Chloe adviced.

“I just don’t want him to fall in love with a low class girl” She sighed.

“You love bothering yourself. If there’s anyone we need to talk about now, it should be Riah” Chloe insisted.

“The date of the wedding was fixed to be next week but I further extended it a little bit. I’ll like both of them to meets before the wedding takes place. The guy just graduated from high school last year. He’s 20 years old…”

“Pretty young” Chloe sighed

“Exactly. He’s still young, very young. So they’ll both be getting married. And the contract is a 2 years marriage..”

“2years? That’s a very long time. Are you sure they’ll be able to stay up to that time?” Chloe asked eargerly.

“I just hope so. She’ll be getting married to the son of the CEO of Taila Group…”

“Nice… I heard there pretty popular and there business is doing so fine” Chloe nodded her head in approval.

“Yes, they are popular. Henry’s parents have also agreed to the marriage. It will help the both companies to work together especially now that our business is facing some challenges” She concluded.

“That’s nice. Since both families are happy about it” Chloe agreed.

“So you’ll call Riah for me as you are leaving” She said.

“Alright. Am not going home tonight. I’ll sleep over. Thank you” Chloe gushed leaving the room.

“Hey, Riah!” Chloe called.

“Yes”

“Mum need you in her room now. She wants you to clean up her room” Chloe lied.

“Alright” Riah agreed.

She walked into the room with her cleaning equipment.

Leo’s Mum laughed earnestly.

“Chloe asked me to clean your room” Riah bluttered squizzing her gown with her hands.

“That’s not what I called you for and you shouldn’t be afraid. Am not harming you. C’mon sit down here” She reassured Riah.

Riah did as she was instructed.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

She gave a picture to Riah.

“Who is this?” Riah asked as she glanced at the picture.

“Your husband” She smiled.

“He’s quite handsome” Riah said in her mind.

“He’s handsome… Isn’t it? Well…. I want you to meet him before your marriage. This is the address” She gave out the address to Riah.

Riah collected the paper.

“When am I meeting him?” Riah asked.

“Tomorrow” She soothed.

“Okay… I will be going now!” Riah exclaimed as she left the room.

“He is very young and handsome” Riah gushed over the photo of Henry.

*.               *.              *.               *

“So Henry you are going to meet her by 2pm tomorrow. At our hotel” Henry’s father said to him.

“She’s still young” Henry admired.

“Yeah, of course. I once liked her Mum” Henry’s father laughed.

“Really?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, we were friends. Her Mum eventually married someone else but died few years ago” Henry’s Father explained.

“That’s sad”

“Her step Mum doesn’t treat her well. She’s getting her married off for a business purpose but that’s not what I have in mind for her. Son, I know you want to marry someone you love from your heart. I just hope you could love her” Henry’s Father lamented.

“Until I meet her then” Henry sighed.

“I promised to help her during her Mum’s burial but I couldn’t take care of her because her step Mum refused. I think this is the only way I can help her out” Henry’s Father further lamented.

“It’s alright. Don’t blame yourself. At least, you tried to help her out” Henry assured his father.

*.          *.            *.                 *.        *

“Are you giving me Mia’s mobile digits or not?” Leo asked Jay.

“Leo… I have always wanted to ask you something very important” Jay bellowed.

“What’s that?”

“What happened to Hans?” Jay asked.

“Why are you bringing him up now? He obviously commited suicide which everyone knows about” Leo sighed.

“Are you sure you didn’t kill him!” Jay shouted.