ANOTHER CONFRONTATION Caleb called the number the next day and the voice that answered at the other end was that of a little girl. She said, "My mother is not around. Who is on the line?""I am a friend," he said. Then he thought to spice it up a bit. "I am someone very important in society. I want to meet with your mother."He heard voices in the background but couldn't make out what they were saying. "If that is the case, can you tell me your name?" "Caleb. My name is Caleb Dezani," he replied. There was a pregnant pause. Then he heard the little girl scream, "You are the man whose name was mentioned on TV?" Caleb chuckled. "I guess so." "You are a very great man. I will tell my mommy to call you back." "Who are you talking with?" a female voice echoed in the background. That must be Bella's mother, Caleb thought. The little girl answered, "You won't believe it, Mama, the great man we saw on TV wants to speak with you." Caleb listened and heard muffled voices. Then the female
THE FACE-OFFThe other three men knelt down in front of Caleb and began to plead. The one he cracked his forehead had blood dripping into his eyes. It caused those who were queuing to get gas to wonder who he really was. One of them was a lady alongside her teenage daughter sitting in front of the car. She whispered as the mother wound down her side window to speak to the pump attendant, "Is he a taekwondo trainer, Mom?""Hush," the mother cautioned. "He looks like a Mafia leader," she mouthed. Caleb ordered them to stand up and get into their vehicle. They scrambled to their feet and ran to the car. Their dramatic shuffling of feet made the pump attendant chuckle quietly. Meanwhile, he was still holding the driver by the collar. The guy choked and coughed, he was struggling to say something."You will take a message to whoever sent you to stalk me but, before then, I'm going to make you pay for daring to accept such a bad deal," Caleb said. He folded his hand and punched him hard i
DREDGE UP THE PAST"Now this is getting more intriguing," thought Caleb. "If the story goes the way I'm thinking it might, then I'm going to enjoy watching El-Zaki and Madam Rebecca engage in a slugfest."The thought made him feel lighter. So many odds were against the former don and his family. And at this rate, he didn't need to do much to get his revenge. Circumstances were already aligning themselves to deal them a hard blow."Would he recognise you if he saw you today?" was the next question that popped out of Caleb's mouth. Hannah shrugged."I really doubt that. I was a young, naive, and impressionable young girl. He might not even recall my face. We were more than 9 of us working as domestic staff at that time." "I see," Caleb sighed. "Please continue." Hannah's face had turned red and Caleb didn't know whether it was due to sadness or embarrassment. "I'm sorry if this is a little bit hard for you," he empathised. Aunt Regina drew closer and placed a comforting hand on her
UNPLANNED VISIT "So, Miguel El-Zaki is not just a murderer; he's also a rapist!" Lord Dezani exclaimed after Caleb got home and narrated what he learned from Bella's mother to him. "And only God knows how many other naive girls he has taken advantage of in his capacity as a don," added Caleb. Then he said, "Grandpa, we have everything we need to go after him now."The old man considered his statement and replied, "Yes we do. However, we must make certain that the said woman will be willing to testify if the case gets to court.""I'm sure she would," he echoed. But another thought crossed his mind. He remembered Aunt Regina and Mama saying that Hannah was having a hard time letting go of her past even when she married her late husband. That might be the only little challenge he has to deal with. "Although I may need to persuade her to come forth when that time comes."His grandfather too seemed to be having something on his mind. "By the way, have you heard from Mr Ramirez since you
A SETUP GONE WRONG "I don't want to repeat myself, get dressed and leave my office," Caleb said raising his voice. He did that deliberately so that Mia won't stage a scene and accuse him of rape afterwards.When she continued to undress, he threatened her that he was going to call the police."Don't tell me you haven't missed all this." She ran her fingers seductively on her breasts and threw her shirt to the floor, leaving only her briefs on. "And don't even think about lying because I know you haven't been with any other woman since the last time you were with me."Caleb's face flushed with embarrassment. He hated the fact that she was right on that note. But his reason for staying away from women had nothing to do with Mia altogether. Or did it? He wondered within. Whatever, he wasn't going to let her continue to think she still held so much power over him. He replied, "I have several women who are dying to have me in their bed, Mia. One of them is within this building as we spe
MOMENT OF DECISIONMia stared at the door and then turned her face back at Caleb, a look of sheer confusion mixed with panic filled her eyes.If she opened the door, everyone would catch her red-handed and when the video comes out, the evidence will be irrefutable. On the other hand, if she refused to open it, Caleb's security guards would break it down and get her arrested.None of those two options was preferable to her. Or maybe it was better to go to jail where she wouldn't have to face anyone she knows than suffer the ignominy of being called a loose woman. "You are wasting valuable time, Miss Thompson. Open the door before it's too late." "Thump! Thump!! Thump!!!" came the continuous banging on the door. "Sir, shall we break it down?" his chief security officer enquired. He was trying to peek inside through the security hole in the door. Before Caleb could say yes, Mia staggered up to her feet with the keys and rushed to open the door. "Whack!" the sound of the door smacki
DEMANDING THE TRUTHMia woke up with a start. "Where am I?" she demanded when she looked around the strange room, not understanding a thing."You are in the company clinic. The boss asked for you to be brought here after you..."The realisation hit her as the woman was talking. "Oh, my God!" Mia exclaimed and touched the back of her head. "My head. I remember now. The door..." she kept muttering.She tried to get up but the nurse stopped her. "You might want to relax a bit because of the ba..."The door to the clinic burst open. Caleb rushed in and every colour drained out of Mia's face."Is it true?" he aside staring at Mia."What is true?" she feigned ignorance."Is it true that you're pregnant?" he repeated. "And don't even think about playing dumb with me because I'm sure you already knew about it."Mia swallowed hard, eyeing Caleb. "So what if it's true?" she shot back. "I was in the hospital for weeks. And after I was discharged, I barely had the chance to have a conversation wi
VOILA!"What is this all about?" Liliana queried as Caleb bounced into his office. She was still there waiting to find out what the shocking news was about which made his phone slip out of his grasp."You have to go home now Liliana. I'm having a very surprising day and I need to gather my thoughts together to know how best to handle things."She opened her mouth to say something but had a change of heart. "Right, Caleb. I shall be at my old apartment if you wish to talk." Liliana picked up her handbag and headed for the dog. Then paused but without turning back. She said, "You have to address what happened today in this office with members of your staff. There have been whispers and murmurings."Having said that, she gently opened the door and shut it.Outside the afternoon sun was high as Liliana made her way to her car. She saw two men holding the same lady that caused the commotion in Caleb's office."Get moving or else we would have to use force," one of them was saying."Let go