Marked ( Nigerian) #4

Chapter 45

'Cameras ready in 5' the director yelled as they set up the green screen behind a couch remi had never seen before in their foyer.

She strolled in quietly before Ife spotted her and waved to call her over. She searched the room for Tobi but he was nowhere to be found.

She walked over to Ife as each person that noticed her tilted their heads in respect.

'Good you are here. I haven't seen the governor yet and he is not picking my calls' ife said with a smile as she tried to not panic despite the situation.

'Give me a moment I will find him' Remi said before swallowing hard.

They were yet to talk, to have a proper conversation about that night. Remi blamed herself but she didn't want to play the victim.

Remi tried to build her confidence as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the down button after entering a code into the keypad in the elevator.

She looked at the number count down to the third floor below ground.

She strolled past the hallway and stopped at the steel door. She stepped into it as it made a noise but he did not turn back to look at who had just walked in.

Ophelia laid in the bed with a breathing tube over her mouth and nose connected to several machines surrounding her as Tobi sat next to her bed holding her hand watching her, waiting for her to wake up so they could throw banter at each other.

He did not leave Ophelia's side. He watched through the glass as they operated on her in the theatre that night. He supervised her transfer to the room they were in now.

Tobi had thanked the doctor for performing the surgery on her before embracing him to whisper his promise to kill his entire family if anything happened to her. Then and only then did he let himself change from his blood soaked cloths

Remi walked in on him taking off his clothes and led him to the bathroom. She ran a bath and let him soak in it. Within minutes the bath water turned partially red. He rested his hands on the edge of the tub as remi washed him with a clothe in silence.

After the shower, he got dressed and dragged himself down to where she was only coming up to change or have meetings in his study.

'Tobi' remi called out but he didn't reply 'you need to address the situation. We need you upstairs'

He held on to Ophelia's hand and placed his hand on her head before turning to look at her

'Of course yes. You are right' he said slowly as he tried to brave a smile. His eyes were dark and tired. His nights were hunted by the eternal loyalty Ophelia was willing to show him, The childhood they shared and the fear of her dying.

His blood family could go through the same fate and he wouldn't shed a tear. He was just a tool to them.

He reached out for Remi's hand before pushing her hair back from her face, his touch made her cold.

'I am sorry, Tobi. It's all my fault. I should have listened to her. If you were home, this wouldn't have happened' remi managed to say as her eyes blurred with tears. She wasn't sure if he was angry at her or blames her. His touch sent chills down her spine, she was scared of his reaction if he blamed her.