Marked ( Nigerian) #4

CHAPTER 33

Remi felt fear

'He gave you a crazy deal and you planned to take it' she said as she searched Remi's eyes for a hint of admittance about a truth she knew was a fact 'didn't you Remi?'

Remi tried to protest but Ophelia raised a finger to stop her and she immediately kept quiet

'He is the grandfather he always offers a deal to everyone'

'What was yours'

'Home. My life and more. He would give me a home and ensure we were well taken care of if I just left one day and never came back'

'Did he know?....Tobi'

'The man is his grandfather.Remi. He expected it. He just didn't expect me to be smart enough not to take it'

'Tempting....the idea of home'

'Yes it was but grandfather hates loose ends. If I had left I would have been killed. It didn't matter if I promised or signed in blood not to tell anyone about anything. A loose end is and always will be a loose end to grandfather. So I stayed and Tobi trusted me, more than he did his family, I got enrolled into the whole islanders society gig and his family hated me even more. The kids didn't like me either but soon as their parent knew how close I was to Tobi, their parents insisted they all had to be nice to me and they were pretentious little monsters' Ophelia said with so much passion. It was like she was in a movie delivering the dialogue that would give her an Oscar award.

'Ophelia you...' Remi tried to put her racing thoughts into words, she worried she wasn't doing a good job at hiding her fear. If Grandfather was going to do this to Ophelia, what was his plan for her.

Her mind raced through the conversation she had with the man. He had wiggled her freedom in front of her eyes. He was going to set her and her family free and all she had to do was get married and get divorced after six months.

She was so happy about the deal she had promised to tolerate her husband for the rest of the time she needed to call him her husband.

Remi thought it was a reasonable deal after all she had talked him down from giving him a grandchild.

'Okay, no grandchild' the old man said unimpressed by her faint decline of his request '6 months and you and your family will never need worry again for the rest of your lives' she was going to take a deal for once in her life, she had decided to take the easy way out.

The day she saw Chima, she finally admitted to herself that everything was her fault. If she had taken chima's offer and never drove the bus, she wouldn't have found herself in the situation she was in.

She would still be with her family and her life would have remained oblivious to the existence of the islanders and the psychopath in charge of it.

'Grandfather can't know how Tobi feels about you, I bet he has his suspicions but He can't be 100% sure yet '

'The maids...He slept in my room last night and Laila walked in this morning' Remi said worriedly

'The maids love him. Despite being cold their loyalty lies with him. He is next in line and they want to be carried along. Laila on the other hand plays her cards right, she won't spit it out just....yet'

'Thats good news' Remi said tiredly, she was getting drained by the load of information.

'Tobi can only protect you so much but you need to accept your reality, the life and the society you are now in fully. It's brutal'

'What about Timi and his wife....'the question had been lurking in Remi's mind since she met them. Dara was different.

'They are nothing like you both' Ophelia said cutting her off  'grandfather would realign the universe if he could to make Tobi the one directly in line. Timi is not the first male grandchild, Tobi is'

'And His wife'

'She's is wife. They handle the family business but Someone has to do the dirty work to keep the family where it is in the world. Its up to you and him. Nobody else. So you have to both do the work and protect each other from everyone else'

'Why are you telling me all of these....'

'He saved me, I might as well help you save him'

'Thank you...' Remi said as she stood to leave. They smiled at each-other and she walked towards the exit

'Remi, you need to understand your power, the people and the politics. You need to always question everyone and .....kill or be killed'