The next Monday, Harlan was okay and the effect of the alcohol in his system seemed to have worn off. Mr Smith had teased him of being the first person he would meet with a hangover of more than three days. All Harlan's effort to get to Mr Smith what Mr Smith was hiding from him about the Alberts proved abortive, he has plainly told him to mind his business which has fueled Harlan's curiosity more.
He checked his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted the tie. Thirty minutes of YouTube videos had helped him get the annoying thing fixed.He texted Jack and asked if he was ready. He got a reply some seconds later: 'I'm ready'.Harlan took a deep breath before going to the car outside."Any news about Kelvin?" Harlan asked as Jack opened the car's back door for him."He is still comatose," Harlan could notice the indifference in Jack's voice. He sighed.Jack got inside the car and drove to the Keith aBefore Mr Albert could say any other thing, the elevator opened and Harlan stepped out. The shock on Mr Albert's face was evident. Harlan smiled at him."I know more than I'm telling. For now, I am going to make one of the Alberts go to jail for the first time in a long time. It's thrilling to break such histories," Harlan waved at Mr Albert as the door closed.Harlan sighed. He wondered if what he just did was going to get him anywhere. He stopped by at his father's secretary's office and said hello before going back to the park. A few meters to the park, Harlan heard footsteps behind him and stopped. He turned around to see the man who had been walking behind Mr Albert earlier come toward him."Mr Albert said to collect your phone number," the man said, soundly slightly irritated that he had to go after someone as unimportant as Harlan just to have his number. A lot of influential people would offer their phone numbers to Mr
Harlan was slightly surprised. He had expected that the security men would try to drag him away and he would have a fist fight with them before Jack… yeah, that is if he is not sulking somewhere, would come and help him. His hands ache as he thought about that opportunity he just missed to use them."Am I supposed to know you?" He asked the man kneeling in front of him."I was there the day you came for a Camry, I still remember you well, Sir," the man said."Oh, get up," he wasn't aware someone had been taking notice of him when he came with Jack to get the car he is using presently.The woman looked from the security men to Harlan in surprise. A swear form in her forehead, as she tried to clean it off and make it oblivious, it became a mess, making her look more of the monster Harlan had thought she was when he first saw her."And, who is she?" Harlan asked, directing his question to the security men.<
"You could have let my miserable life end, Harlan," more tears flowed down his face as his voice was still faint. "Hey, man, don't talk that way. I'm happy to see you again.""You don't understand what I did to you. I almost killed you. Don't you get it? Harlan, I could have killed you!""I know you would never do that to me. We are far too close for you to do something as horrible as that," Harlan said softly."Harlan, why did you spare my life?"Harlan sighed and stood up. He turned his back on Kelvin and sighed again."Because I can't think of life without you.""But, Harlan…""Shh. We can find something to do about your jealousy. I want you in my life, you sure as hell know that, man. Don't make yourself look pitiful by thinking you are bad. You aren't, you get that?" He turned around to look at Kelvin.Kelvin shook his head, "Harlan, you are making a mi
"Lydia, will you just get straight to the point and stop making things difficult for us!" Grandfather bellowed, running out of patience."I swear, I saw him. I saw Harlan Smith. He told me that he is Harlan Smith… He told me that I should warn everyone because we are pissing him off. I swear, father, I saw him with my two eyes," Lydia said, her make-up had been smeared with her constant use of her handkerchief to wipe her face."Then just tell the artist how he looks, what you remember about his face so that he can make a sketch for us," grandfather said, this time, he tried not to shout.Lydia turned to the artist, he is one of the Alberts too, he had a pencil in his hand but had not been able to draw more than a human hair."Did he have a mustache?" The frustrated artist asked the bewildered Lydia."No. He looks very young. He doesn't seem like someone who had started growing a beard," Lydia said, she pulled at
The four hour lecture seemed like eternity to Elizabeth. She sighed in relief when the professor went out. Unlike before when Harlan was there and she would steal glances at him, she has been looking in space all the time. She sighed again and grabbed her pulse as she made to head out of the hall. Someone waved a hand in front of her face. She glanced at the person. Jason. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to have things to do with him, Harlan's death was still fresh in her memory and she wondered if she would be able to get past it. It's been three weeks."Hi," Jason said.Elizabeth nodded her head, hoping Jason would get the hint that she was avoiding a conversation with him but he didn't."Where is your boyfriend?" She caught a glimpse of mockery in his voice.She glared at him, "get out of my way.""Has he ditched you? It's too early for that," Jason thrust his hand in his pocket and continued looking at her.Elizabeth brushed past him and hurried off. Tears were starti
She ran out of the library, toward the direction of the voice. He was wearing a black T-shirt over black jeans trousers, as always, his face was calm, one of his hands was in his pocket as he stared at her. He was leaning on the wall. He stared at her."Harlan?" Elizabeth couldn't believe the faint voice was coming from her. She rushed to him. His hands are wide open now. The next moment, she was thrown against the wall. She looked up quickly. There was no one. No Harlan. Slowly, she stood up and tried to process what just happened. She looked around the place in search of Harlan but there was no one in the area. She went back to the library. She met the library attendant preparing to lock the door."Elizabeth?" The woman was taken aback by Elizabeth's appearance, her hair was rough and her eyes swollen. "Did you see anyone here just now?" Elizabeth asked."No.""No one? You didn't see anyone wearing black?" Elizabeth probed wishing the library attendant would just confirm that she
Harlan trashed out the paper he had scribbled his ideas on. What is the use of everything if Elizabeth is neither answering his calls or being at home? For a moment, he imagined Elizabeth going to night parties. He shook his head at the imagination but it didn't help. Without thinking, he sent a message to Jack: find out the number of parties going on tonight.Since their argument on the day he went to meet Simon, they had rarely spoken. Occasionally, Harlan would call Jack only to bark out orders at him and the latter would do whatever he was asked to do without demanding explanations.His phone beeped. Jack had replied: 56.Harlan's eyes widened at the number. What if Elizabeth were in one of them? Probably with Jason.He stood up and walked briskly to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and drank everything in a gulp. He belched. Elizabeth would never go to a night party and at least, not with someone like Jason. He had gone to her house an hour ago when she wouldn't answer
Kelvin bumped into his parents as they were about to go out of the gate. He looked from his mother to his father. His mother seemed to have aged and his father had several wrinkles on his face. They must have been worried about him."Mom?" His voice cracked.He saw relief mixed with love and something else… fright in his mother's eyes as his father pulled her protectively behind him."You were at a hospital?" His father asked.He looked sharply at his father. He had not informed them about it. Unless Harlan told them, there was no way they would have known."Yes. I've been discharged already," he said."We were about to come see you," his mother said behind his father."I guess it is good that I arrived on time. How have you been, dad?"He saw a hint of fear in his father's eyes too. He almost frowned as he wondered what was happening. They were acting so out of it. Before now, his mother would have pulled him in a hug immediately she saw him especially when he was coming from the hos
"The award of the best student in this graduating set goes to… before I call his name, I would like to add that he is the most handsome guy I have ever seen on earth —because I see a lot of things in my imagination. Combine his handsomeness with his being a genius and you have…" "Harlan Smith!" The audience and the graduating students shouted, completing the MC's sentence for him. Harlan came on to the stage, dressed in an academic gown. "Hey, Harlan, where is your cap?" Mr Healy asked in a whisper as he was about to hand over the prize to him. "Mrs Smith is wearing it," he said. "Now, you have to snap this picture without the cap," Mr Healy pretended to sulk. "Even with that, I still stand out," Harlan said and smiled. Mr Healy smiled and handed him the prize as camera light flashed on him. The MC called on Mr Healy to give his speech after prizes had been handed over to students that merits it. Mr Healy was given a standing ovation as he stood up from his seat in t
Harlan dropped the envelope containing all the cards on the table. On the same table was his car key, his ATM card and a note which read: goodbye. Thank you.He remembered the exciting feeling that he felt on the day Mr Smith gave him those cards. He shook his head quickly to get rid of the thought. This isn't time to be emotional. He just cannot forgive his parents for what they did. He had always hoped that his father would never have peace, just look what happened. All these while, he had been Harlan Smith without knowing it.He opened the door and went outside. He only took four clothes and a extra pants. He would start from scratch and go back to living the life he used to live before Mr Smith came into his life.The light in the compound made it a very beautiful sight to behold. The first time he had come here, he had almost thought he was imagining things. Funny how those days had passed really quickly."Sir, where are you going early in the morning?" Jack asked as Harlan was
Harlan almost choked on his food. He grabbed a cup of water and drank from it. She made a tsk tsk sound. "You are just like your father. Your face is flushed.""I am eating mo… Mrs Smith!" He almost called her 'Mom'."Does that mean you are studying law?" She asked."Yes. I am in my final year.""Wow! I can't wait to wear your graduation cap."Harlan found himself laughing in between eating. Throughout the rest of the day, he and Mrs Smith were discussing. She told him about her perfume company about how much she loved what she was doing. Harlan found out that she was a very easy going person. He had missed having her in his life all these years and he found himself wondering how great life would have been if she had been part of his childhood days.Later in the evening, Mr Smith came back home and the first thing he did was to turn on the television. The case had been a really fast one. Harlan would bet that everything was possible only by Mr Smith's influence. All the people that
"I just wanted to check on you to see if you are getting it, Sir," the Cctv footage officer said. He could not help thinking the CEO had come to check on his girlfriend who had come here with another man.Harlan stood up and left. The footage officer stared at his back. The CEO doesn't seem to be in the same mood he had been when he came in. He shrugged.****Harlan found himself at the large field where he already went whenever he was overwhelmed. He had had a lot of surprises in the past six months but none of them has even been as shocking as this. He rolled on the field and faced the sky. He heard the sounds of birds nearby and wondered if he would have any problem if he were a bird.He replayed all he heard from some hours ago in his head. The conversation between Mr Smith and Mrs Smith. His father and mother… he closed his eyes. So all these while, he had those two people's blood flowing in his veins and he wasn't aware of it.He took his phone from where it was lying beside him
Harlan crossed over to where he had parked his car. He got inside and looked out through the window. In the next seventy two hours, he would be buying up all what the Alberts had. Through the help of Mr Smith, he had been able to refile the cases that the Alberts had been guilty of but had won. Mr Smith had told him how difficult that was, but he had not taken no for an answer.He took a deep breath and silently prayed that all these would be over. He had been able to get the victims of the Alberts and had convinced them that they would be duly compensated if they came back for their cases again.As he was about to turn on the car. He saw someone familiar pass him by. Mrs Smith? The fact that she was alone, with no bodyguard, made him more curious to know why she was at the hotel. He waited for some seconds before coming down from the car. He walked in the direction she had passed and saw her enter the hotel.When got inside, he could see the receptionist go pale as he walked toward
Harlan's phone beeped. It was his personal assistant from the 'where talent glows' calling. He answered it."Hello?""Is there any problem?" Harlan asked."Not really. Mr Richard Albert has been meaning to see you all these while. He asked for your number but I didn't want to give him until I asked for your permission first.""Tell him to meet me at the Jay Team lounge," Harlan said and hung up."Drive to Jay Team," Harlan told Jack."I checked into the company where you made your friend the manager, things have gone really wrong there. Lot of workers have quit," Jack said as he turned the car in another direction."So?""He has done worse things than you are aware of," Jack said."Whatever he has done to me is none of your business," Harlan said.Harlan searched for his personal assistant's number of the company where he made Kelvin the manager and sent him a message to call in the evening.Harlan had informed his personal assistant at the Jay Team hotel to make sure no one other tha
The Alberts were in a pensive mood as everyone of them sat in the family hall. Unlike the other meetings where there would be chatters before the meeting started, today, everyone was focused on the phone, reading the various posts on social media that had managed to circulate around in the last three days. "Richard, how many companies don't want to partner with us anymore?" Grandfather asked."Seventeen."Grandfather sighed. "Let them go." "What are the updates about those riffraffs?" Grandfather asked."The TV station where they went refused to disclose anything about their identity. I have met with the owner of the station but he isn't saying anything," someone said."I have a friend there but he is more clueless than we are about the matter," someone else added."I have checked into it but there is really no one I suspect to have done this among our business rivals," another person said.Richard felt a feeling that he had missed something out... Funny how he seemed not to have th
Another movie had begun on the television and they both watched it as they ate the pizza Elizabeth had ordered. She kept stealing glances at Harlan. She had a lot of questions to ask him but she didn't know which one to ask first. "Stop staring at me," Harlan said without taking his eyes off the television."Huh?" She blushed and looked away.She looked back at the television and reached out to take a slice of pizza. At that same time was when Harlan was going to take one too. Because he was looking at the television too, he grabbed Elizabeth's hand. He glanced at her and for some unexplainable reasons, her face flushed."Hmm, I need to get something inside," she stood up and almost ran to her room. She locked the door behind her and held her fast beating chest. "Darn!"Harlan is in the sitting room… Why the heck is she over-thinking it? She shook her head and turned on the light in her room. She glanced at her face in the mirror. It was flushed. "No. This can't be happening!" She
Elizabeth didn't know how long she had been staring at Harlan's picture on the poster that had been placed in different places all over the campus. In the poster, the pictures of the six of them that had won the competition were there. When Harlan and Roger wouldn't show up, herself, Jason, Cecilia and Adrian had taken the picture. Roger had sent his picture and she had given Harlan's picture from the ones posted on the group chat when the gossip about their dates first started. Some skillful graphic designer had managed to put the pictures of the six of them together. In the picture, Harlan was the only person that stood out to Elizabeth.She looked around to be sure no one had been looking at her. There was no one. She sighed.Her phone beeped. It was a message from Harlan... No, a message from Jack because he is the one with Harlan's phone now. She checked it and saw a picture of some guy in a suit and tattoo on his neck. Under the picture, it read : would you recognize me if you s