Chapter 4 Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

'She was waiting on a miracle, she didn't realize she'd already found the miracle but was yet to claim it'

**************

Mid February.

Ikota

Lagos

Amanda.

She checked her watch impatiently. Where was Koro? He'd left her here by the road side promising to go bring a buyer but it had already been thirty minutes and Koro was yet to show up.

She tried dialing his number again but he didn't pick up.  "Ohhh what kind of nonsense is this?" she asked herself frustrated.

She was already having second thoughts about selling the car. If she and Davina weren't already root deep in debts she would never have considered selling her car.

The car was all she had left,  she and Davina had been unable to secure another contract   after that epic fail at the beginning of the month.

Davina had paid off the staffs with the remaining money in their joint account and now they had no money to pay their rent.  What a disaster!

While she was here waiting for a buyer,  Davina was also trying to secure a loan from a few of her friends. Their lives at the moment and their chances of survival depended on the selling of her car and Davina's Loan.

Amanda waited for twenty more minutes and was on the verge of entering her car and driving off when Koro showed up.

"Koro what kind of nonsense is this now? You kept me waiting here for hours, only for you to show up alone.  Where is the buyer?"  Amanda asked angrily.

"Madam Chilax, dem no dey call me Obanikoro for nothing. As I commot now, I don get one omo babalowo wey go buy your motor" Koro said excitedly.

Amanda sighed "Mhmm, Oya where the person dey, why he no follow you waka come?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Right now,  the man dey for one bar for Lekki. Na there we go drive go now. When you reach, abeg make you talk better price oh.  You know say my cut go dey inside" Koro advised.

Amanda nodded "Don't worry you'll get your cut. Enter the car, time don dey go.  Where for Lekki the club dey?" Amanda asked getting into her car.  "Madam e go better make I drive" Koro suggested.

"Alright" Amanda said throwing the car keys to Koro. She kept her fingers crossed and hoped that she wouldn't meet a stingy buyer.

*

Risque bar!  Just a few weeks ago she'd been here with this same car.  The car had been dented by an irresponsible worker and the owner of the club had paid for the repair.

Amanda mentally face palmed herself as she followed Koro out of the car.  Koro led her to a lounge that was right outside the bar. There were three men laughing and drinking, she recognized two of them but the third man she'd never seen before.

Koro rushed to the trio. "Oga I don land with the car" Koro announced. For a really short man,  Koro had the energy and enthusiasm of all three of them in the room.  Denola, Hakeem and Austin turned to the man.

"Ehen Koro....my nigga. How you dey, you don bring the seller?" Austin asked taking little sips from his scotch.

Amanda came forward landing all eyes on her. She ignored the two pairs of eyes looking at her curiously. "Hello gentlemen" she said.

"Wow,  I never expected the seller to be this beautiful" Austin said flirtatiously.  Amanda sent him a warm smile before sitting down on an available chair.

Denola fingered his goatee. "Amanda, we meet again" he said and stretched forth his hand. Amanda took his hand in hers "Demola, it's very nice to meet you again" Amanda said.

Hakeem grinned "So you two have been meeting privately after that incident at the club. Wow" Hakeem said and winked at Amanda.

Amanda didn't bother to correct his assumptions, he could think whatever. Denola however wasn't on the same page.

"I met Amanda again just outside my office, she was in a hurry and almost tripped on her way into the building. I was on my way out of the building,  just in time to catch her" Denola explained.

"Ahhh, the stunning knight in shiny armour. Did you two catch up then?" Hakeem asked with a wide smile.

"No we didn't...I had an appointment and he...." she paused. "Wait...did you say your office, as in you work in Mayfair towers?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, what of it?" Denola asked studying her intently.

Amanda huffed "Well first things first, the front desk receptionist is rude as hell" She complained.

"Bisi? That can't be true. Bisi is one of the most polite employees at MT" Denola said a little amused. It couldn't be Bisi.

"Well unless you've hired a new receptionist, the one I met at the front desk the other day was very rude to me" Amanda insisted.

Austin raised up his hand to interrupt the duo but Hakeem nudged him to keep silent.  He wanted to watch the exchange between the duo. Koro on the hand kept on checking his wrist watch, time was money. He couldn't wait to sell this car, get his cut and find another client.

"What exactly did she say to you?" Denola asked. "It doesn't matter what she said, she was rude to me.  I had an appointment with a potential client, I was late due to traffic and she all but blasted me for my lateness" Ananda shook her head furiously.

"Did you at least make another appointment?" Denola asked.

"No, I didn't make another appointment. The rude receptionist threatened to have me thrown out by security" Amanda said.

"I'm sorry about that, who were you going to see?  Maybe I could put in a good word for you.  I'm familiar with everyone at Mayfair Towers" Denola said.

Amanda smiled gratefully, she didn't think it was possible for her to secure that client again but perhaps him putting in a good word for her could help.

"I was supposed to meet Mayfair junior...." Amanda said, she couldn't remember his name but that was how Davina referred to him.

Denola looked at her incredulously "Why, what for?" he asked.

"I'm an interior designer, I was supposed to meet him to discuss about redecorating his house" Amanda said.

Denola nodded "Do you know him?" Amanda asked. Denola was about shaking his head when Hakeem laughed.

"You're looking at him, Denola Mayfair junior" Hakeem replied.

Amanda's eyes went wide. "You?" she asked surprised. Denola nodded.

"Ohhh...um. Wow... if I had known you were the person I was meeting  I wouldn't have bothered going in to the building to meet with the rude receptionist. We would have had our meeting outside" Amanda joked.

"Maybe" Denola said staring into her light brown eyes. Amanda shifted a little uncomfortable but Denola didn't stop staring.

Hakeem smirked, the duo had just awakened his matchmaking skills.  He had to get them together.

*

"The car looks quite old, I can't buy it for anything more that three point for five" Austin said.

Amanda gasped "What? No, listen to me sir this car is in good condition. I'm  selling it for five million" She frowned. Koro nudged her but she refused to change her mind.

"Look,  this car is second hand. If I buy it for five million, how much will I buy brand new? Please be reasonable, let me take it for three point eight" Austin said taking a tour round the car again.

Hakeem and Denola simply watched from a distance.

"She seems like a nice girl,  beautiful, feisty and very determined" Hakeem observed.

"I know. What's your point?" Denola asked.

"I like her" Hakeem said. Denola rolled his eyes.

"Teniola and I are having issues now,  I'm not going to handle it by chasing after another woman" Denola said.

"Who said anything about chasing another woman?" Hakeem asked. "Okay, what are you saying?" Denola asked exasperated.

"I'm only saying I think redecorating is a good idea.  I think you should let Amanda redecorate your house. If you're going to forget Teniola you have to get every trace of her out of your house" Hakeem advised.

Denola sighed "Who says I want to forget Teniola?" Denola asked.

"You have to, she betrayed you. Never take betrayal lightly. I suggest you give Amanda your card,  something tells me she'll make you a happy man" Hakeem said before walking away. He told Denola he was leaving to take care of a few things in the club before he walked back into his club.

Denola sighed and took in Amanda's stoic expression. Where would she even fit into his life? He didn't need another woman in his life.

"Excuse me sir, this is no auction. If you won't buy it for four point six million then I'm leaving" Amanda said crossing her arms against her chest.

The man was damn stingy and greedy, he wanted the car for three point eight.  That was stealing not buying. Amanda refused to back down from her final price.

"Fine! Do I at least get a receipt?" Austin asked frowning. Amanda turned to Koro and smiled. Sold, why hadn't she gone into marketing instead?

"Sold?" Denola asked coming towards her. Amanda nodded.

"Still want that job?" Denola asked. Amanda smiled gratefully "If it's still up for grabs" She responded.

Denola nodded before handing her his card. "This card has my personal number and home address. I'll see you on monday" Denola said.

Amanda almost jumped for joy, she couldn't wait to tell Davina the good news. Finally everything will fall into place

•••

'The remedy for heart break is a good friend. One who is honest, trustworthy and kind. '

**********

Victoria Island

Lagos.

Mid February.

Denola.

The look on Amanda's face when she walked into his apartment made his heart skip.  He couldn't understand why and he didn't question it. It was nothing compared to how Teniola made him feel.

She was awed, he lived in a simple three room condo. It was big enough for an entire family because he liked his space.  Teniola had made touches of her own when she moved in, the blend of both their tastes had been perfect.

Perfect....but now...he was hurt.  He couldn't look at a furniture and not think of Teniola. He still listened to her voice note every day but he still hadn't replied her.

He wanted to know why she had betrayed him, he wanted to speak to her but he was afraid to see her face to face. He knew if he looked at her, he'd forgive her instantly. He'd overlook her mistake and he'd be labelled a fool by his friends and family.

Amanda looked around awed by the decor in the apartment. She walked around taking in the interior design, the furniture, the wallpaper. "Wow...you have great taste" She complimented.

Denola smiled bitterly, his ex girlfriend had good taste. Was she even his ex,  they hadn't broken up officially.

"I'm quite surprised you want to redecorate" Amanda smiled at him.

"Well,  when I contacted your company....it was my girlfriend who wanted me to redecorate. She'd wanted it done early this month, before Valentine." Denola explained and sat down on the couch.

He was able to look at Amanda properly. Today she was looking radiant in a light blue, turtle neck dress. The dress was loose around her body and grazing her ankle.

He wondered if she knew just how beautiful she was, he also wondered if like Teniola she liked to use it as an advantage.

"Wow, you have a lovely apartment" Amanda looked around again before finally settling down opposite Denola.

"Excuse my unprofessionalism. I've been out of practice for a while" Amanda cleared her throat. Denola chuckled "It's fine, so shall we begin?" he asked.

"I think we should begin with a tour, I'll like to see all of what I'll be dealing with. After the tour, we'll discuss a budget. Then I'll go home to discuss with my team and partner. Tomorrow I'll be back and we'll discuss more" Amanda said.

Denola nodded "Tomorrow, we'll have to meet at my office. I don't really have a lot of time to spare at home, I'll be expecting you by ten." Denola said.

"Hopefully your receptionist wouldn't kick me out this time" Amanda said.

Denola shook his head "I apologize for that,  I will personally come to the reception to get you" Denola replied clasping his hand together. "Shall we begin the tour?" Denola asked getting up.

"Lead the way" Amanda said following suit.

*

Davina had been super excited about the project, she offered to drive Amanda with her boyfriend's car to Mayfair Towers the following day.

Luckily for her,  she missed the morning rush and was able to make it in time.

"You show them what a pro you are and they'll be calling you back for more" Davina encouraged.

"I know right, I can't believe we got this contract again. Vina Decors is on the right track" Amanda was saying, just then her phone rang.

Amanda looked at the unknown number, she hadn't given out her number to anyone she didn't know so she declined the call.

"Who is that?" Davina asked. Amanda faked a smile "Probably a network operator, you know how they can be" she lied.

Something told her she knew the caller,  it was the same person whose texts and calls she'd been avoiding.

"Alright Amanda, see you later.  I'm going over to see Tim to return the car. I'll see you in the evening" Davina said. Amanda kissed Davina's cheeks, picked up her bag and got out of the car.

Her phone pinged as she stepped out of the car, a message notification was on her screen.

She clicked on the message icon to read the message.  'Answer the fücking call!'.

Her heart beat escalated as she deleted the text. She blocked the number that had sent the message.

After composing herself and taking in deep breaths, she walked into Mayfair towers.

The same receptionist  she'd met the other day was still seated at the front desk, this time she sent Amanda a radiant smile.

"Welcome Miss, the boss has been expecting you" the so called Bisi said politely.

Amanda eyed her "Cut the nice girl crap out and show me to his office" Amanda said. Her statement wiped Bisi's smile off her face but she didn't care. The rude receptionist deserved it.

"I'm very sorry miss. Mr Denola's office is on the third floor. You'll see the secretary's office the minute you get out of the elevator. She is Mr Denola's secretary, she'll show you to his office " Bisi answered looking slightly embarrassed.

Amanda nodded before finding her way to the elevator, once in the elevator, she tried composing herself and tried to forget about the text messages she'd been getting.

As she stepped out of the elevator, she headed straight to the secretary's office.

She found the secretary sitting behind a silver colored metallic desk. Unlike the receptionist, the secretary was quite older and she had a warm smile on her face.

"How may I help you?" The secretary asked.

"Good morning, I'm Amanda Arinze. I have an appointment with Mr Denola Mayfair" Amanda answered.

"Mr Mayfair has been expecting you, his office is at the extreme of the hallway. I'll ring him to let him know you're on your way" The secretary said.

"Alright, thanks a lot" Amanda said leaving the office. "You're welcome" she heard the secretary say right before she walked out of the office.

She passed a few offices before she got to the end of the hallway. The double doors with the logo 'MF' imprinted on it came open before she had the chance to knock.

Denola came into view and she was about to say hi when he kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock, why the hell was he kissing her and what the hell was happening?

Amanda was about to push him away when he pulled away. "Sweetie,  what took you so long?" he asked loudly as he pulled her into a hug. 'Please try to play along' he muttered.

Amanda was still confused when he released her from his bone crushing hug, she saw a plea in his eyes but she didn't still understand till she heard a feminine voice clear her throat.

Amanda looked into the office and saw a fair, tall and beautiful woman with a hurt look on her face. "Hi" she muttered.

Denola took her hand and pulled her into the office. "Baby this is Teniola Bade. Teni this is Amanda. My girlfriend." Denola introduced.

Amanda swallowed before turning to Teniola. "Hello" she said with her hand outstretched to Teniola. Teniola ignored the hand and turned to Denola.

"I'm not impressed, listen to me.  I'm not letting you get away easily. You and I know this thing is just a distraction, you'll never love her like you love me.  You know where to find me" Teniola hissed and pushed past Amanda who was still reeling in shock.

"Shït!" Denola cussed as Teniola walked out of the office. She'd caught him off guard by coming into his office today. He'd been thinking of how to get rid of her when Mrs Tony,  his secretary had called to tell him that Amanda was around.

Kissing Amanda hadn't even been on his mind, far from it.  He'd just opened the door, seen how beautiful and big her doe eyes looked and lost all reasoning.

He'd done it to make Teni jealous and it had worked. Amanda was definitely beautiful but she wasn't his type. He still loved Teni but he knew it would be foolishness on his part to just forgive her and accept her back.

"What the hell just happened?" Amanda asked looking pissed. "I'm sorry about that...I wasn't thinking..." Denola finished turning to look at Amanda's angry face.

"You kissed me" Amanda stated. "It was a mistake, I don't know how to explain this to you but that was my ex and I just...i wanted to get rid of her" Denola tried to explain.

"You can't just use me that way,  I'm not an object, I'm a person" Amanda hissed at him before turning on her heels.

Denola tried to stop her by catching her hand as she brushed past him. "Amanda, I'm sorry. Please let me explain, it wasn't my intention to do that" Denola said.

"What was your intention then?" Amanda asked angrily. She fixed him an angry glare. "Just let me explain over breakfast,  I know a restaurant by the corner. Please, let me apologize to you" Denola begged.

Amanda sighed before nodding, even if she wanted to be angry at the man. She couldn't, she needed the job. She couldn't let Davina down.

"Alright" she agreed. "Thank you" Denola said and rushed back to his desk to get his car keys and phone.

As Amanda watched him organize his desk she hoped she wasn't making a mistake by associating with him.

She couldn't get into another mess,  not when she just escaped one.