Novels by Oxfordsmith

THE ENDCaleb went to DeZ Cosmetics the next day with some men from the ministry to reopen the place. He still remembered a few of the staff there and began to call them one by one.Mr Apollo, the company's supervisor, was the first person he called. "Hello Mr Apollo, this is Caleb. Caleb Dezani. I'm calling from DeZ Cosmetics and I am in the office right now. Do you mind reporting to work?"The man grunted in disbelief. "But the company was closed down two days ago. And you no longer work there. Last I asked, I was told you took over as the CEO of another company." Caleb laughed. "Well, that last part is true. However, the company was under dispute and has now been resolved. I have reclaimed it as the rightful CEO and want you to return to work. Please while coming, do well to call others to report to work too. I shall be waiting at the reception hall."But Mr Apollo didn't call anyone until he got to the company and found out for himself that the place was indeed reopened. It was a

THE TRUTH IS OUT It felt like a nightmare as the black police Hilux which carried Madam Rebecca drove into the ministry. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She didn't know what to expect. She was ushered into the office by the officers who brought her with specific instructions from the inspector. Meanwhile, Caleb hadn't joined them. When the inspector asked whether he was going to the ministry from the station, he replied that he wanted his grandfather to be present during the meeting. "I need to go and pick him up at home." The two men shook hands, "Well, whatever happens, do not hesitate to ring me." "Thank you so much, Inspector. I hope we shall be able to meet and have that drink soon." The man laughed. "I will count the hours till I hear from you. Good luck!" he added. Caleb drove back home and lord Diego joined him to the ministry. Abhi couldn't follow because he had already left for work. But his stepmother, Leah, insisted on being a part of it. Caleb obliged her.

The FINAL NAIL The next man to interrogate him was the meanest of them. His face was cold and unfeeling."Why did you abandon your textile business?""I didn't abandon it.""Excuse me?""I did not abandon the business. I was defrauded and the business collapsed." "That means you went bankrupt after that?" He didn't answer. "Please can you speak up so the next person can take over?" "Not really. I had people who pulled resources together to loan me the capital I needed to rebuild my business." "And yet you didn't. Or did you?" Again he swallowed hard. "Okay, let me rephrase the question. As a businessman who was into textile, after you were defrauded and people loaned you money, did you rebuild your textile business?" "No." "So what did you do? "I went into partnership with someone in another line of business." "And what business was that?" "Cosmetics. I went into cosmetics." "Good. That will be all from me."By the time the rest of the members had interrogated him, El-Za

MAKING CONCESSIONEl-Zaki woke up for the third time since he was shot and realised he was in a different atmosphere.This new place smelled of drugs and drip water. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular. A male nurse who was attached to him was sitting by a desk writing. He looked up and said, "You are in an infirmary. You were shot but now recovering." El-Zaki tried to look around and the effort made his head hurt. "Who shot me and which infirmary is this?" The nurse was instructed not to answer any questions past introducing himself and offering medical care. "I'm sorry sir but you shouldn't be concerned about that. You are responding well to treatment and your wound is drying up faster than expected. Please tell me if you feel any pain or want anything." The man stubbornly tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain on his side." Oh gosh! My rib!" he grunted. "Lie still," the nurse advised. He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time for your midnight draught. It will

SLIPPING AWAYIt was Mr Ramirez calling back Caleb to tell him the men at the checkpoint said the truck was merely carrying items for charity.But Caleb knew better than to buy that lie. He remembered his own travel adventure with Pedro. How he had to hide at the bottom of Grandpa Carlos' truck loaded with cow refuse and feed for hours until they got to Woodward Valley from Greenville."But did they offload the entire truck to search?" he probed."I doubt that they did." "Okay. You should get to your hotel and remain inside. I just got info that the police team from yesterday may be visiting Cholula this afternoon." "Is that right?" "So I heard. Or better still, do not go to any hotel. Find somewhere else to lodge until you hear from me again." "But where else is safer than a hotel?" he asked feeling desperate. "I know a place. It's an old farmhouse occupied by an old couple. Fabian's grandparents." "Oh ho! Don't tell me this was your grand plan all along to make your friend see

DISCOVEREDIt was lunchtime and Caleb realised he was starving. All he had eaten the previous day was toasted bread and salad prepared by Hannah and Bella. Then in the afternoon, he didn't have time to eat as he spent it trying to help them settle down at the new place he got for them. Later that evening, he was called to be at Primo Palace and all he took was a bottle of the most expensive wine which he shared with Mr Ramirez. And later on in the night, he drank French wine as they talked.He felt his stomach growling in protest. Even Abhi heard it from his office and teased him. "When Madam Leah was begging you to have breakfast at home you said food was the least of your worries. Now the worms can't bear it anymore that they want to cause a volcanic eruption in your stomach." Caleb didn't know when he let out a burst of laughter. "You're crazy, man!" "I swear I've been so busy that I can't wait for all of this to be over so I can take a month-long vacation." "Sure. You will ne

The Torture"Is this not the same criminal we were called upon for his arrest yesterday?" one of the officers said casually to his other two colleagues as they drove.Brian was kept at the back of the van with one policeman to guide him. Not that he could escape even if he was left alone. His hands were bound behind his back like a common criminal. "Please officers, I can assure you, I'm not a criminal," Brian stuttered in his defence. "it's a simple misunderstanding. Please allow me to explain myself..."Whack! The sound of a heavy slap reverberated in Brian's left ear causing the words to cease from his mouth. His ear began burning like someone had poured acid on him. It was made worse by the headache returning in that instant. He had not yet taken his pain relief medication that morning. Brian blinked hard to clear his vision, wishing his hands were freed to hold his head as he felt a tingling sensation around his injury site. "You dare to cross Miss Charlie? Do you not know h

The Arrest "Oh no! Why is this patient in here?" demanded doctor Philip as he recognised Brian. Lucia frowned and averted her gaze from the doctor. Helen looked like she might pee on herself too. "It's an awkward situation doctor Philip," began Helen, "but I assure you there's a good enough explanation." Apprehension was written all over her face. "Liar!" Lucia shot at her. "Why not tell the doctor the actual truth?" "Mmph,” Brian groaned out loud. It was all he could do to deflect the attention from nurse Helen even though he was beyond embarrassed himself. Doctor Philip who was about to probe Lucia for more explanation changed his mind and instead ordered, "Help the patient at once, you can explain yourselves later." He started moving towards Brian followed by nurse Helen. However, nurse Lucia remained rooted to the spot, irritation written all over her face. Brian had never felt so humiliated like he was at that moment. He kept his face down wishing the floor should open an

Caught Brian's gaze focused on the face, it didn't seem familiar. He sat up instantly and greeted her. "Good morning, ma'am." It was the A&E nurse from yesterday morning when Brian was first rushed to the hospital unconsious. "You? What are you doing here?" she demanded, ignoring Brian's greeting and pointing her pinkie finger to the floor, indicating she meant that particular room. Brian stared at her, his mind suddenly going blank. During the drive back to the hospital, his intention was to find his doctor and explain what had happened and then plead for a readmission at least for that night. But Aleya's devastating WhatsApp message got in the way, causing him to nearly suffer another medical emergency. Thankfully, the kind nurse at the reception came to his rescue. The lady's cold piercing eyes unnerved Brian. In that instant, he had a flashback to what the nurse had muttered under her breath: "I'm taking a lot of risk doing this." His forehead furrowed as he thought of a g

Unexpected Fortune Brian's blood pressure shot up after seeing Aleya's photo upload and reading her humiliating chat which caused his injury site to begin bleeding. A lady nurse leaning against the reception counter noticed his bloodied gauze and hastily walked up to him. "How may I help you, sir?" she said. Brian shook his head, not knowing where to start. The tears that had gathered in his eyes found their way down his cheeks. "This is a hospital and we're here to help those in need of medical care," the nurse prodded him. Brian heaved, dabbed his eyes and narrated his ordeal. The nurse listened patiently, not interrupting him until he was finished. Afterwards she said, "Give me a few seconds, I want to check our records." She walked back to the counter and imputed Brian's details into one of the computers. Staring at the screen awhile, she finally nodded. Apparently satisfied that he was telling the truth. Then she marched back to where Brian was seated. "I will help you,

HomelessBrian's heart began to thump violently like a legion of soldiers were on parade. He nervously pressed down the receiver button. "Mr Macpherson!” the angry voice of his landlord boomed over the speaker almost instantly. Brian knew that tone, it meant trouble. “Good evening, Mr Howard,” he said, trying to sound confident. “I just found out…” “It's a good thing you've finally answered your phone,” the man carried on sarcastically, not letting Brian explain himself. “The tow truck is just pulling out of your apartment this minute. Do not bother returning home because all your worthless properties have been moved out and the locks changed." "Oh no! Please sir, don't do this to me. I'm just leaving the hosp..." "I warned you that the deadline for remittance was today at noon,” he fired on without listening to Brian's pleas, “and this is already evening. If you're seen anywhere near my apartment building, I'm calling the police to arrest you for breaking and entering. “Nonsens

At the HospitalBrian remained on the ground panting in agony and exhaustion. But even more agonising was the sound of Aleya's high-heeled sandals against the marble floor as she climbed the front steps into the hotel. The thought of what his girlfriend was about to do with another man hurt his pride more than the shame of being openly assaulted. As he lay there, he recollected their 10-month relationship. Aleya never allowed him to touch her even once. She always gave the excuse of waiting for a special occasion like on her birthday - which was eleven months away from the day that Brian and Aleya met. Then when he persisted, she promised to let him make love to her on the day she'd mark the first anniversary of her company - City Fashion and Decor. Incidentally, the anniversary was coming up in a week's time which Brian was really looking forward to. As a mark of his undying love for Aleya, Brian had made a special arrangement to surprise her by announcing their engagement durin