“So this is about your pride and ego?” She scoffed “no this is about your own pride and ego” he replied “what the hell do you want from me, Kenneth. Tell me what you want… tell me what to do to make you leave me alone” “I… want… YOU”
There was a long silence after he dropped those three words; he stood slowly and walked to Biola, he held her hand and she whispered “you can’t have me” “why not?” he whispered back, kissing her hand softly.
“Because…” he interrupted her with a kiss on her cheek “because…” he interrupted again with another kiss on her neck “because… I am seeing someone” she forced herself to speak
“I don’t care” he replied and before she could say her next words, he covered her lips with his. Biola fought herself but she couldn’t help but kiss him back; the moment he lifted her up, an excited moan escaped her lips and he smiled at her. “You are mine and I am yours” were the words he said to her right before they made love.
The coming days after President Kenneth’s visit were filled with burning guilt; she thought about confessing her actions to Seyi but it didn’t feel like a good idea.
“My parents are getting a divorce” Biola and Efe were at a rooftop restaurant where they often had lunch together “I know that you are happy about it” Efe suggested “why would your parents’ divorce make me happy? Divorce is not a good thing but your mother deserves better” “I know… she does. I feel like she realized it because of you” “how?” Biola leaned forward; she wanted to hear Efe’s next words.
Efe told her that ever since she gave her and her mother twenty five billion each from the sale of their father’s company; her mother has felt what it was like to be independent and that made her realize that she didn’t need to take all the bullshit she took from Efe’s father all these years.
“Well, it’s not because of me… it’s because of the power that comes with money” Biola alleged “but you still had something to do with it” Efe smiled “I’m glad that she knows what she wants and she is going for it”.
“Knowing what you want is the best” Biola agreed with a sad look on her face. It took a lot of cajoling for her to admit to Efe that something was wrong; she told her about Kenneth and how aggressive he was in trying to get with her but she left out one small detail… she deliberately forgot to tell Efe that Kenneth is the President of the Nigerian Republic.
“Where did you say you met this Kenneth guy again?” Efe asked “in Abuja while I was teaching” Biola replied, she never told her friend about Father Samson and she never planned to.
“I am tired of all these… I just want a simple life… all I want is to be happy” Biola’s eyes were glossy with tears; the sight of her friend battling internal demons broke her heart. “Is there anything you are not telling me?” Efe asked putting her hand on Biola’s to calm her down.
“Yes a lot. I want to tell you that I am a demon and I poisoned two people who meant a lot to me, I want to tell you that I seduced a reverend father into dating me and committing suicide, I want to tell you that Kenneth is not a guy I met in Abuja… he is the president of this country and I want to tell you that I am shit scared of hurting Seyi again… but I can’t… I can’t” Biola thought and shook her head “nah… you know everything”
On her way home that day, she thought about how life was different when she was living in Abuja and still dating Gregory Lar; she remembered how simple her thoughts and emotions were. But all that Biola wanted back then was to be beautiful and now that she had what she wanted; she was starting to realize that she made the wrong ask the day she visited Madame Deloris by accident.
“You will have the beauty of seven mermaids combined but you will have no soul” the voice of Madame Deloris played over and over again in her mind. It was then she understood that she was currently paying the price of the physical beauty she had been given.
