Chapter 22 II

SEGUN

Pulling at the collar of my jacket, I wonder not for the first time, why its itchy as fuck. There's an ill-at-ease feeling in my chest, probably resulting from the fact that I'm sitting with my loose - tongued colleagues and listening to their chattering about who is getting what award.

Their gossip is giving me the creeps. I'm partly drawn to it, and at the same time repulsed by it. Trying my best to divert my attention, I look around the hall. Mr. Faseun really went all out today. I thought it was going to be a small affair, but what I see before me is something extra.

T.v cameras are set up in front, recording the process of the awards, while journalists pay attention with their phones and recording devices in their hands.

I heard earlier from a chatty colleague, that I might be getting an award for outstanding head of HR - onus on the 'might.' That annoys me, 'cause I've practically given seven years of my life and counting, to Deuce manufacturing company, almost breaking my back in the process too, so I better damn well get an award tonight - no mights, ifs or buts!

As I keep looking around, I do a double take as I catch sight of Feyi, Tola, Anita and other nameless faces that have worked in the company before.

What is this? A place for rejected Deuce staff?

"Ah! I see you've caught sight of them too." Gbenga, my colleague from another department draws my attention away from them. "Mr. Faseun decided they also needed to be here for the awards. He said he felt it wasn't right they should be side lined, that they also need to get awards too for the period they worked, that is, if they deserved it."

I'm shocked into silence as I gaze at him. How come I wasn't told about this? I'm the head of HR for crying out loud, I should have been the one to send out mails to them, not get to know about it from someone else.

Gbenga shakes his head - probably in pity, I don't know but I'm not about to sit still to find out. I'm going in search of Mr. Faseun, better to talk this out once and for all. Standing up, I cut through the tightly - packed tables and chairs and avoid the looks coming from the ex - staff of Deuce. I walk past them with my head straight up. Some female calls out my name, but unfortunately for her, I don't give her the time of day.

Someone clamps a hand on my shoulder and I stiffen and turn around, coming face to face with Feyi. She has a cheesy smile stamped on her face as she keeps her hand on my shoulder and moves closer to me.

"Hiiiii!" She drawls throatily.

She's wearing a glazed look.

Is she tipsy?

"I missed you Segun, we had soooo much fun some years back, remember?" She jabs my mid riff with her arm and I almost topple over.

Damn girl, you carry a mean punch!

She burps loudly, giggling and almost toppling into me in the process but I steady her with my hand.

She's roaring drunk!

Looking around for help, I catch sight of Tola looking at us and trying to suppress a giggle.

Shit!

Am I going to have to ask that floozy for help now?

Feyi laughs and moves dangerously close to me. She rests her head on my shoulder and I stiffen. The evening dress she has on shows an extremely deep plunging neckline exposing lots of skin as she gets comfy on my shoulder. Part of me thinks she knows what she's doing and is enjoying making me squirm. I groan and look up to see interested stares from the other staff around me.

Feyi snuggles even closer to me, reminding me of the predicament I'm facing. She's so close that her boobs push against my chest. I try to take my mind of the feeling this is eliciting by prying her away from me, but she's suddenly turned into super glue. People are openly staring and whispering now, and I'm getting quite uncomfortable, plus Feyi is like a log of wood as she leans all her weight on me.

Sweat beads breaks out on my face in spite of the extreme coolness of the hall and my collar begins to itch me again. I'm still trying to figure out how to get her off me when I feel someone's hands on my other shoulder.

"Here, let me take her off your hands." Anita materializes in front of me, thankfully. She takes Feyi from me, who has begun mumbling nonsensical words, and gently leads her away.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

That was close!

Whew!

I continue my walk, moving in between the tightly packed tables until I'm able to get free of them completely. Just when I think I've gotten home free, I stumble into someone, but steady myself by holding onto the edge of a chair as I gaze annoyingly into his face.

"Watch where you're ----"

"Oh this is getting better and better. First Eve, now you. "If it isn't the destroyer himself." The man taps the side of his nose and continues speaking. "It took a lot of stitches to get this nose fixed." He comes close to me and taps me hard on my chest.

"Do I know you?" I gaze at the enraged look on his face and the crooked nose he's still tapping. That's when I remember him. It's the same joker that was trying to molest Eve at Femi's wedding - her bully of an ex.

Why does she have to follow me everywhere? It's bad enough that I can't get her out of my head and now this joker is here to remind me of her once again?

"Hey I'm talking to you!" He taps me on the chest again, harder this time. I decide to niggle him a bit, not about to let this fucker go scott free.

Throwing my head back, I laugh heartily.

"Why the fuck are you laughing, dick head?" Deep furrows appear on his forehead as he frowns and his hands are balled into fists at his side. I take in all this with rising pleasure. I'm going to try to push him over the edge knowing it would give me a lot of satisfaction to break his nose all over again. Maybe this time he'll need to do reconstructive surgery on it.

"Oh I'm so sorry captain hook, I'm laughing at how ugly you look with that crooked nose. Catch any girl lately? I doubt that very much, 'cause one look at your nose and they'll run in the opposite direction, as if the hounds of hell are after them, and it will entirely be the fault of this crooked nose of yours," I finish, tapping the tip of his nose and chuckling at my own joke.

His face is twisted into an ugly mask of fury. I can practically see the clogs in his brain working, trying to debate if it makes sense for him to take a swing at my face.

Looks like common sense wins, because he sets his face into an almost neutral mask - but with great difficulty.

Too bad for me!

I wouldn't have minded a scuffle at this point. It would have definitely taken my mind off the fact that two ex-female staff of Deuce I slept with are both sitting in the same room and at the same table too, probably plotting my demise right about now.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, pardon me - like women scorned, more like.

I honestly don't have the time to play super hero with Eve's ex, AKA captain hook the villain.

"Ta ta mister... never mind, I'll just keep calling you captain hook. It's quite fitting, don't you think?" And I walk off, still chuckling slightly, leaving him breathing loudly like a bull.

We can play catch up some other time, right now I need to talk to Mr. Faseun and find out why he didn't inform me of the ex-staff showing up today.

Why he thinks Gbenga, a logistics officer from another department is the best person to know this and not me, the head HR is quite bothersome. Guess I'll find out soon as I stride purposefully towards where I saw him last.

"And now for the category of best head of HR department for the past seven years, I'd like to call on no other person but the handsome, aloof, enigmatic and sometimes brash ... Mr. Segun Scott."

The man's voice gets louder as he mentions the person's name.

It takes me five seconds to realise I'm the one that's being called upon.

Resounding claps ring out in the hall as I force myself to turn back. I walk past Eve's ex and give him a thumbs down. His sour face is enough to put me in a good mood once again.

When I get to the stage, I collect my award, say a brief speech thanking God and then my mum who isn't able to be here today, and lastly Mr. Faseun for giving me the opportunity to work with him. He materialises beside me as I come down from the podium and shakes my hand as cameras flash in our faces.

Some of my colleagues come to congratulate me and we all take pictures to the side, as the awards continue.

And then I see her.

She's standing at the back, looking breathtaking as usual.

She's a non - conformist in her jeans and blouse. She looks laid back, yet sexy as hell.

I can't help it when I feel my lips tilt upwards in a smile.

I'm still smiling ... until I see the person standing beside her and the smile slides right off my face.

She's animatedly talking with her toy boy - a spark in her eyes.

What the fuck is she doing here anyway? It's not like she's a staff.

But then it dawns on me that Mr. Faseun probably invited her.

And then I see her dip shit of an ex slide in between them. He grabs a hold of her arm and begins to drag her away.

This makes me literally see red - I'm filled with so much anger now.

"Smile for the camera, big man, it's your day." One of my colleague says as cameras continue to flash in my face.

I wave them all away with a smile and some apologies and begin to make my way towards Eve.

EVE

I honestly don't know why, but I feel like laughing my head off at this juncture. What are the odds? Dee is Mr. Faseun's son? How old is Mr. Faseun anyway? Methuselah's age mate? Or did he have Dee when he was 16 years old.

Instead I smile sweetly, stick out a hand to Dee. "Pleased to meet you, asshole." I lower my voice at the end and lean close to him so only he can hear my words.

Mr. Faseun turns to his son. "Her name is Eve, she's a project manager and she trained the whole staff at Deuce. She's very good at what she does if I might add."

Dee's jaw clenches and un clenches, most probably in anger, and I smile at him, giving him a small wink.

His jaw clenches some more and I smile wider, and turn to Mr. Faseun who pats Dee on the back and whisks Tomide and I away, leaving his son standing and gaping after us like a bloody fool.

A part of me kind of feels sorry for him, but the other part - the more vindictive part feels gleeful. Who would have thought that I, Eve Olaitan would be able to best Dee, and under the watchful eyes of his father too.

But I did it.

And now I feel like celebrating.

Mr. Faseun excuses himself because his presence is needed up front but not before extricating a promise from me that I won't leave before the award is over, leaving Tomide and I in an awkward silence.

He breaks it first.

"Let me guess. You and his son have history." I groan and nod. "And Mr. Faseun doesn't know this?" He asks.

"Geez Tom, I didn't even know he was Mr. Faseun's son until some seconds ago." I echo, stung by his words.

He looks a bit pensive. "Seems like an upcoming love triangle."

"Excuse you! Love triangle my ass. I've got nothing to do with Dee anymore. We were once upon a time an item, but things didn't work out so it's null and void, plus he's a terrible bully and I want nothing to do with him." I finish heatedly.

"Well it certainly looks like his father wants something to do with you."

I roll my eyes for added effect.

"He's just being nice Tom, he's actually a really nice person."

Tomide shakes his head in disappointment at me. "Oh Eve, for an adult, you're terribly naive."

"Oh really?! If I'm so naive, what can we say about you? You didn't even know that your girlfriend is actually your step sister. Now that's not even being naive - that's just plain foolishness." The words are out before I know it - quite like a broken tap, leaking water.

I clamp my hand across my mouth but it's too late, the eggs have already been broken.

I brave a glance at Tomide's face and see the extreme hurt in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't ..." He puts a hand up to stop my flow of words and walks off in the direction of our recently abandoned seats.

I stalk off after him, calling out to him but he doesn't answer. Loud cheers sound off in the hall and I'm momentarily dazed when I see Batman standing on the podium making a speech, a long bronze plaque in his hand.

He smiles enigmatically and steps down from the stage as his colleagues and friends surround him, taking pictures and cheering.

I keep looking at him and walking, not looking where I'm going, completely under his spell, until I bump into Tomide who is also staring at Batman.

Strange, right?

I grudgingly wrench my eyes away from him and turn to Tomide who is already looking at me with a sad look on his face. "You're right you know; I'm quite foolish for not realising the fact."

"Don't say that Tom, please. I'm the foolish one who lashed out unknowingly without thinking. Please forgive me!"

"There's nothing to forgive Eve, you're correct, you're..."

"Excuse me love birds, I'm gonna borrow her for a minute." Dee inserts himself in between us and begins dragging me away with extreme force, his finger nails digging ridges in the tender underside of my arms.

"What! You can't just drag me away like that." I sputter.

He doesn't reply - if anything his finger nails dig deeper into my skin and this sends searing pain racing across my arm. I turn round to look at Tomide who is staring open mouthed in shock and getting smaller by the second as Dee keeps dragging me away.

"Are you just gonna stand there and do nothing? Help me!" I shout at him, flailing my free arm. This spurs him into movement and loosens the bonds of shock from his limbs as he bounds after us.

Dee drags me outside, his fingers, a vice - like clamp around my hand. I can hear Tomide very close to us now, but Dee anticipates his arrival, throws me behind him and kicks Tomide's legs from under him and he lands flat on the ground on his face.

He turns round towards me and fear snakes into my heart, making it beat a tango. I begin walking backwards. "Stop! Don't come near me, stay far away from me."

"So now you want to sleep with my dad now, you bitch? Poor man's been talking 'bout some lady who he thinks the stars begin and end in her eyes. He thinks you're some wonder woman who can't do no wrong."

He keeps talking and advancing towards me. I shake my head in denial. "I said not to come near me, didn't you hear or have you suddenly gone deaf now?"

He growls and lunges at me, but someone holds him, stopping any further movement towards me.

"Seems you can't keep your hands away from my girlfriend. I warned you before captain hook, now I'm just going to have to do something drastic to make it stick." Batman stands tall and strong, like an avenging angel. He cuts a dashing figure in his tuxedo. Looks like he also got a trim on his beard this morning, because it's lower than it was yesterday.

Dee begins to laugh hysterically, bringing me back to the situation at hand. "Oh! So she's your girlfriend too? Damn girl, you really do get around." He turns to look at me with a smirk on his face. "I'm sensing some threesome shit going down amongst the three of you." He points to Tomide who is still struggling to get up from the floor, then to Batman and finally to me.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, captain hook. You don't get to talk crap about my girlfriend, get it. Otherwise, I'll be rearranging your features and this time you'll be walking around with a mask on instead of some crooked nose."

"Who the fuck are you anyway?" Dee spits. "Why you always interfering in our affair?"

"You want to know who I am? My name is Segun Scott. Unfortunately, I'm not pleased to meet you. Now walk away before this gets even uglier than it already is." There's a quiet warning in Batman's voice and I know he's trying to control himself so as to avoid a scene.

"Oh oh, so you're the Segun Scott I've heard a lot about, from my dad?"

"Who the fuck is your father?" Batman asks. I see the fury mounting in his eyes and it scares me at the direction this is taking.

"You really want to know who he is?" Dee asks, smirking widely now.

"That's what I said, captain hook, WHO THE FUCK IS YOUR FATHER?" He's loosing patience now and I'm worried this is going south real fast.

"My father is your boss, dick head." Dee is full on laughing now, unable to hold back anymore.

Neither is Batman too, because he swings his fist at his face and it lands somewhere I don't know. What I do know is I move from behind them - far away from the heat and rush to stand beside Tomide who is cradling his jaw and looking pained.

Segun hits Dee on the face two more times and then stops. He turns around to us and addresses Tomide. "Get her out of here!" He looks sternly at him, but we make no move to go. My eyes stray to Dee who is slumped on the ground, looking unresponsive.

Putting more force into his voice, he shouts. "I said get her out of here. I'll fix this, don't worry."

But how can I leave him in this kind of situation? He just beat up his boss's son a second time. I can understand the first time he didn't know, but this time...

I think Batman's in a real fix now!

"But I can't..."

"Let's go now Eve. Let's just do as he says." Tomide takes a hold of my hand but I wrench it away and walk close to Batman.

"Princess, please just go with him. I promise I'll be fine. Nothing will happen to me, I promise! I'll come find you after this is over, okay?" He puts a hand on my face - the hand that's all bloody with Dee's blood.

I nod my head dumbly, not able to speak. A large ball seems to be stuck in my throat. I turn around and walk past Tomide in the direction of the car.

He catches up with me as we continue walking silently.

Once we're on our way, a sob escapes my lips and I break into tears.

Tomide sighs beside me. "Please don't cry."

"Trouble seems to follow me everywhere, Tom." I sob, pitifully.

Tom keeps quiet, but I know he silently concurs with me.

How am I going to face Mr. Faseun knowing fully well he is Dee's father?

How did he even give birth to such a terror?

And if what Tom said is true about Mr. Faseun liking me, where is that going to lead?

Hot mess?

And... Batman called me his girlfriend?

A slow smile finds its way to my lips but wipes away when I realise he said that just to get me out of Dee's grasp.

A heavy sadness settles in my heart at this realisation.