When Bruno Met Dakore... Episode 8.

Episode Seven
******
Bayomi stood at the window side of his hotel room. Anger had absorbed every angle of his good-looking face. It was in the evening and Uchenna sat on the bed, looking at his direction. He didn’t offer Uchenna anything or kissed her back when she did.

“I still don’t understand what I have done.” Uchenna said in a worried tone. She wore an unhappy facial expression.

Bayomi scowled at her. “You don’t know what you have done?”

 I have done what I can for now and it is not my fault that Mr. Bruno employed a female personal assistant. The lady has been avoiding me for weeks, if not, I would have taken her to lunch and try to get information of all his whereabouts.”

“Are you so dull?! You want to ask Bruno’s whereabouts from his P.A. Does that not sound suspicious to you?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Stop talking and let me think! If you have done that, you would not have brought the lady to the company. You would have waited for me to get someone else."

“I had no choice. Mr. Bruno didn’t give me enough time and if I had waited he would have employed one of the girls Miss Caroline brought.”

Bayomi gazed at her dazed and moved a bit closer to her. “Caroline brought her own candidates.”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you?”

He looked at her for few seconds and hissed. “You did not!”

“I thought I did.”

He stepped away from her and sat on the couch at the right side of the bed. “Despite the fact that Caroline and I were never close, I suspected her to be a shady bitch. She is up to something but I will carry out mine first. Everything that my father built with his money belongs to me. I want everything!”

“But your brother has…”

He pointed at Uchenna with furious eyes. “Don’t call him my brother!”

“I don’t know what Mr. Bruno did that you are so angry with him. I’m sorry. So what do we do now?”

Bayomi thought for a moment and answered. “I can’t kill Bruno for now because I will be the number one suspect. Even if the police do not suspect me, my mother would surely point me as one because I know she loves Bruno more than me. I wanted to have all information about him until I eliminate him by organizing a fake robbery.”

“What is the next thing to do?”

He looked at her. “Make sure Bruno does not locate Gabriel’s family.”

Uchenna nodded. “That is sorted out.”

He raised his head and bit his upper lip. Bayomi shrugged and rubbed his hands together and folded them on his chest. “I think I should return home.”

She widened her eyes and rose on her feet. “You want to do what?!”

His eyes returned to her. “To return home.”

“After what you did?”

“I know what I did was childish. I believe my father would accept me back but might not give me anything.”

“Were you expecting something?”

“No.”

“Good because your parents already know you have leased out the fillings stations allocated to you.”

“I don’t care.”

“Why can’t we get married and leave this country? You still have money and I do too. I have been saving.”

“We will get married Uchenna, okay. Just give me time to successfully acquire what I want.”

She moved away from the bed and sat beside him. “Even if it takes up to five years, is that what you are saying?”

“It won’t my love, just give me a year. It might not even be up to that. I think I need four to five months.”

Uchenna asked. “After that, are we going to get married?”

“Yes.” Bayomi replied with a smile.

She grinned and pecked him on the lips. He stood, raised her up and put his hands round her waist. Bayomi kissed Uchenna’s mouth and carried her on top of the bed.

*****

The next day, Dakore was assisting Bruno to search for a particular file on his shelf when his door burst opened and a very light complexioned young woman entered with a grin on her face. Jimoh ran after her and met Bruno looking surprised and excited to see her.

“Sir, I told…” Jimoh tried to explain.

“Don’t worry, you can go.”

“Sorry sir.” Jimoh went away.

The young woman hugged Bruno tightly.

“Catherina!” He uttered and pecked her left cheek. “I miss you!”

“I miss you too!”

“You look amazing!”

“And you look amazing too.” She said cheerfully. “You always look amazing.”

Catherina was tall, had long natural hair and the makeup on her face suited her skin. She wore a beautiful outfit that matched the color of her handbag and shoes. Dakore was curious to find out who the woman was specifically as her presence made Bruno very happy.

He directed his hand at a couch. “Please, sit.”

“You are always acting as a gentleman when you see me and yet you treat me like an outsider.”

“What are you talking about?”

She looked at Dakore’s direction and smiled brightly at her. “Hello beautiful.”

Bruno rolled his eyes and returned to his chair. He put his hand under his jaw.

“Good afternoon ma.” Dakore greeted her.

“And good afternoon ma since you have turned me into an old woman.”

Dakore giggled faintly and Catherina laughed and sat down.

“You haven’t told me how I treat you as an outsider.” Bruno said to Catherina.

“Do you know how many times I heard you came to Abuja and you refused to check up on me! It’s so unfair! Even if pussy brought you there, it’ won’t run away if you see me for few minutes.”

“I didn’t know you were in Abuja. I thought you haven’t returned from Canada.”

“Bruno! Don’t you have my number again? I purposely refused to call you because I have been waiting for your call. Well, I came on a business trip and I am through. My flight is tomorrow so I decided to check on my uncle and his lovely wife before coming here.”

“Any message from them?”

Catherina beamed. “Get married Bruno, get married! My dearest uncle is no longer bothered but your mom is quite worried about it. Even my own father has been asking me when his favorite nephew is getting hooked by a woman so that he can come to Nigeria.”

Dakore had no clue why she felt relieved as it occurred to her that the woman sitting opposite her boss turned out to be his cousin. Even before that, she already liked her.

“Marriage is overrated. I will marry when I find the one.” He peered at Dakore. “You can check for the file later. Leave here.”

“Okay sir.” Dakore said.

“She can still do that.” Catherine told Bruno. “I don’t think me being here should stop her from doing whatever she is doing or you don’t want her to hear our conversation.”

Bruno glanced at his cousin. “She is my personal assistant. She can listen to any conversation of mine. I don’t see any big deal in it.”

“Then let her stay!”

“No.” He returned his gaze to her. “You can leave.”

“Yes sir. Nice to meet you.” Dakore said to Catherina as she walked towards the entrance.

“Nice to meet you too despite you didn’t tell me your name.”

“Dakore Roberts.”

“I’m Catherina Kingston.”

“Look at this babe.” Bruno said to her. “So you haven’t gotten married. You and Bayomi are the same age.”

“So you expect me to get married and not invite you?”

“I thought you got married without informing anyone.”

Catherina gave him a sarcastic look. “You must be joking!” She turned to Dakore with a smile. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Dakore smiled back and left the office.

“Your P.A is beautiful.” She told him.

“You can tell her on your way out.”

“I will. I want you to retire from your playboy lifestyle and marry her!”

Bruno began to laugh that he almost choked. When he finally got hold of himself, he said. “You must be joking too. Let’s go out, have a wonderful meal, come back here or we go to my place and drink ourselves to stupor.”

“That’s a good idea. We will have time to talk.”

“Not about marriage.”

“So what else do we talk about?”

Bruno rose. “We will talk about when you are getting married.”

“It seems you don’t want us to talk about anything.” Catherina stood.

He laughed. “I think we have come to a conclusion that we should talk about the weather and Obasanjo.”

“Better!” Catherina giggled and indeed, it was a happy one.

*****

On a Thursday afternoon, in a calm weather, Dakore came out from company’s vehicle and Uchenna rushed to the side of the car to block her from stepping away.

“I know you have been avoiding me.” Uchenna said with her hands on her waist.

“Avoiding you?” Dakore said in a surprised voice. “If it’s about you taking me to lunch, you would have noticed I don’t have time and these days, I rarely eat lunch.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have appetite.”

“Is it about your mother’s condition?”

Dakore nodded.

“You better take things easy, remember, you are very young.”

She smiled faintly. “I know; thanks. I have to go inside now and report to the boss.”

Uchenna stared at the file in her hand. “It seems he sent you to somewhere important.”

“You are right and I have to give him a feedback now. I will see you later.”

Dakore quickly marched away from her and entered through the entrance, looked back and saw Uchenna still staring at her way. She tried to smile before walking out of her sight. She reached the reception; Jimoh welcomed her and informed her there was no need to knock on Bruno’s door. She should wait for some time before going inside. Dakore and Jimoh had become friendly with each other.

“Why?” She asked him.

“He has a visitor.”

“But he told me I could come in even if he had a guest.”

“That’s because he wasn’t’ expecting this particular guest. Miss Tracy Bassey is with him.”

The name sounded familiar to her. “I think I have heard that name before.”

“Tracy Bassey is the former Miss Tourism.”

“Now I remember!” She moved very close to him. “Mr. Bruno is dating her?”

“Don’t be surprise. He even dated 2015 Miss Nigeria.”

“Wow. He really has a type.” Her voice was low. She went and sat down.

“Are you okay?” Jimoh asked her.

Dakore gazed into his eyes and smiled. “Yes.”

The office’s phone rang and he picked. After he ended the call, he looked at Dakore. 
“Mr. Bruno wants you in his office now. He asked if you were back.”

She lifted up. “Are you sure I am not in trouble because you are the one that told me not to go in.”

“Please, I beg you; don’t put the blame on me.”

She gave him a look, knocked on the door and entered. “Good afternoon sir.” Bruno didn’t answer but stretched his hand towards her. She gave him the file and turned to Tracy who was dressed in a tight red gown. “Good afternoon ma.”

Tracy accessed her outfit and looked at Dakore. “Afternoon.”

Bruno went through the file for a while and made a call, stating he had gotten the documents. After the call, his eyes went to Dakore and asked in a harsh tone. “What stopped you from coming to see me immediately you returned?”

“I..I wanted to… I….”

He raised his hand. “Bingo, there is no need to stammer.” Tracy gazed at Dakore. Bruno added. “Next time, you knock and when you hear my voice, you come in.”

“Yes sir.” Dakore said and walked out of the office feeling embarrassed.

Tracy burst out into a long laugh.

Bruno stared at her puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”

“Did you just call her a bingo?”

“That’s not the issue here.” He smiled lustfully and strolled to his door. He locked it and went to meet Tracy. “Now it’s time to lift your dress up.” he winked at her. “I am in a very horny mood.”

Tracy giggled, licked her lower lip seductively and rose. “I’m ready baby.”

******

“If you think quitting your job is the right thing to do, you better do it before you will regret it later.” Mrs. Roberts told her daughter in the hospital room in the evening. She spoke as Dakore stayed quiet with an anger appearance on her face. “I noticed you have been unhappy since you have been coming here this week. You refused to say what your boss did.”

“He did not do anything.”

“Why do you keep defending him? Isn’t he the one that has been calling you a bingo and all you do is smile at him?”

“And who told you I smile whenever he calls me that?”

“No one needs to tell me that because you don’t see anything wrong in it.”

“It makes me mad whenever he calls me that but I don’t have a choice.”

“You have a choice Dakore. You have a choice to tell him to shut up and you quit the job!”

“Just like that?”

Her mother coughed and cleared her throat.

“Sorry mom.”

“Thanks. I cannot allow him insult you while I am still alive. Quit the job. Didn’t you tell me you have been paid your monthly salary yesterday? You told me Pascal sold the car too and he will pay the money into your account tomorrow.”

“I have received an alert. Three million naira.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s not even half of the money I bought the car.”

“Use the money and open a business.”

“I have informed the doctor I will make part payment for the surgery.”

“You want to pay the three million naira?” She gazed at her daughter shocked.

Dakore rose. “This is where I do not have a choice.“

“You have….”

“Mom! I want you to be better. Right now, you are the only one I have. If you die, I will be all alone, all by myself. I do not have anyone apart from you. Think about that.”

“Your brother will come back.”

“When? We don’t even know if he will ever come back. I just want time, time to know when I can open up to my boss about your condition. I don’t want to look like an ingrate that’s why I have not told him yet.”

“He can help?”

“I think so. Just because he is badmouthed that does not mean he cannot help. He is nice and I want to help him.”

“Help him?”

“I think there is a mystery surrounding the death of his former personal assistant and I believe the senior office assistant is involved in a way. I have been trying to locate the woman I saw her with but I can’t because anytime I follow the lady, she is either going to a hotel or to her house.”

“You have been following her?”

“Yes and I have no idea who she goes to see in that hotel. Whenever she comes out, she is very observant. The person she visits there doesn’t follow her outside. I don’t know if it is the wife of the former P.A that she lodged a room for.”

“My daughter, don’t put yourself in trouble for a man that will never appreciate you.”

Dakore motioned closer to her and touched her hand gently. She said in a softened tone. “Mom, Bruno Kingston will give me money for the surgery if I can locate the wife of his former P.A.”

Mrs. Roberts appeared puzzled with the look in her face. “Kingston.”

“Oh, I have never told you my boss’s name.”

“What is the name of the company you work with?”

“Kingston Petroleum Enterprise.”

She opened her eyes and mouth in surprise. “You work for that company?”

“Yes mom. Is everything alright?”

She stared at her daughter for a minute before she could offer a reply. “Oh yes. I…I am.” She cleared her throat. “I am just surprise you work for such company. I heard it’s very big but that is not the name I heard is the owner. It’s supposed to be Adebanjo Kingston, right?”

“He retired and gave everything to his son.”

“Which of them? I heard he has two sons.”

“That’s true. He gave his first son.”

“He gave his first son his company and the wife agreed?”

“Yes mom.” She said in a suspicious tone, dragged the white plastic chair near the bed and relaxed on it. “Do you know them?”

“Not at all!” She forced a smile. “Remember I used to be a nurse, we hear many stories.”

“What kind of stories?”

“They are stories that are no longer relevant and besides it’s a long time ago and I can’t really remember.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She swallowed and sighed. “Have you met his second son?”

“No.”

Mrs. Roberts wanted to open her mouth but decided to keep shut. It was better she doesn’t reveal anything to her daughter. It was to keep her safe and for the best. A nurse came and requested to see Dakore privately. When she left and shut the door behind her, Mrs. Roberts shut her eyes tightly.

“What have I done? What have I done? Adebanjo Kingston and his wife must not know I am Dakore’s mother. Her life and mine would be in danger. God forgive me. If Dakore finds out what I did, she might never forgive me. My past is here to hunt me.”

******
To be Continued....