“Could it have been her ex-boyfriend that did this?” Fola asked with deep concern.
“You guys have to go home now. It is getting too late and if you get stuck in this Lagos traffic, it wouldn’t be too good.” Feire told him.
Fola looked at his phone and back at Feire. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Me too.” She replied quietly. “I think you guys should go get some rest. We should see tomorrow. Fola, please keep me updated on the issue.”
Fola sighed. “Okay.”
Kike turned on the mattress and memories of the time she spent with Fola rushed back into her head.
They were best friends and he truly cared about her.
Sometimes she wished she never left him to fall into the hands of the good-for-nothing Uche, but it was already too late.
She never deleted Fola’s contact even though he deleted hers, yet she never forgot his number.
That was the first time they had spoken since they separated.
Kike knew it couldn’t have been Fola.
He wasn’t that type of person and wouldn’t have done something as grievous as that.
Her mind drifted back to where Fola sat during the wedding as she tried to recall anyone seated close to him, but she could only remember Stella.
She felt at least the person who gave them the invitation card — or whose invitation they used — should have been seated close to him, but she couldn’t remember anything clearly at that moment.
She heaved a sigh and her mind returned to Uche again.
She imagined if the truth about the baby eventually slipped out, her father would never forgive her and he would deal with Desmond too.
She didn’t know what else to do, but she felt she must conceal the truth till her last breath.
“It can’t be any other person, Bayo. I’m convinced it is that lady.”
Bayo dropped his legs from the table before him. He was confused as he thought about who could have kidnapped his friend.
He hit the table angrily and hissed.
“What has this guy gotten himself into? What exactly?”
“Just calm down. This is not the time to be angry with that idiot. It is the time to find him before they do something bad to him.”
“Like killing him, right?”
Subby shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just saying the best thing right now is to look for a solution, not blame him. Would you call Kike again and ask if there is any suspect?”
“Okay.”
Feire shut the door and walked quietly to a seat. She could see Mosun cleaning up the dining area. She had already arranged the living room and looked almost done with everything she was doing.
Feire called her name as she searched around for her phone but couldn’t remember where she dropped it.
“I’m coming, babes. What is happening?” She heard Mosun’s voice from the kitchen after taking some things there.
“Come here.”
Mosun walked towards her almost immediately.
“Kilo shele?” she asked in Yoruba.
“Don’t start this Yoruba thing tonight.”
“You’ve stayed with me for how long? You understand the language, so don’t behave like I just said nonsense.”
“Desmond is missing.” Feire announced.
Mosun’s eyes widened. “He is missing? How? When?”
Feire shrugged. “I don’t know.” She explained how Kike called Fola to break the news.
Mosun sat beside her immediately. “Could it have been Uche?”
Feire looked at her. “You feel the same too, right? Considering how he came to scatter the wedding today, I also feel he might be the one.”
Mosun hissed softly.
“I actually told him to come and do what he did, Feire.” She broke the news while avoiding eye contact.
“Huh?”
“I did. I was angry, that’s why I gave him the invitation card to come and scatter everything.”
“Why did you do that? You should have just left them to their issue, Mosun. I honestly don’t think that was the best thing to do.”
“I did it for you. I was angry with them. But could it be that Uche now planned a kidnap after he was thrown out?”
Feire shrugged. “What else would it be?”
Mosun hissed again. “This is painful.”
“Can you contact him again and ask him questions?”
Mosun held the tip of her hair bouncing on her shoulder. “What if he is not the one?”
“You better call him and ask. You better end what you started.”
Mosun picked up her phone and dropped it again.
“Don’t let me lie, I’m the one.” She finally spat out.
Feire froze. “You?”
“I actually planned it with my cousin to help me out and he did.”
“Mosun, are you okay?”
“Calm down, Feire. I only did it because I wanted him to open up. I don’t mean to kill him or do anything, dear. I just want him to confess.”
“Confess what?”
“That the child is not his own! He can’t ruin you and still be walking around happily. I only want him to confess to her family that he is not the father of the child Kike is carrying and ruin all this nonsense they call love.”
Feire sprang to her feet. “You are not serious, Mosun!”
Mosun crossed her legs and pressed some buttons on her phone.
“I knew you would react like this, that’s why I never carried you along.”
“You can’t be serious. You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not. Caleb handled everything for me. I don’t know the guys he used, I only hinted him and he assured me he would take care of it.”
“Caleb?”
“That my cousin. See, never mind.”
“Mosun, please free him right now.”
“Just calm down!” she shouted at Feire. “Do you think I’m wicked and heartless too? Is that what you feel? What benefit would it be for that child to come into this world and meet the wrong father? For someone who could do this to you, only God knows what he would do to a child that isn’t his.” She sprang to her feet too.
“What is your business with that, babe? What is your business?”
“That is exactly what is causing problems in this world. That phrase — ‘what is my business?’ or ‘I have nothing to gain’ or ‘all men are the same so leave them like that.’ Huh? I do not plan to kill Desmond. I do not plan to harm him at all. I only need him to promise that once he leaves that place, he would go and confess that he is not the father of the child. That’s all.”
“Okay. Can you get the men to free him then?”
“After we strike the deal. Don’t worry.”
“So you’re planning to let him see you, right?”
“No. I’ll just pass the message through the right source and he will be freed.”
“Good. I will not tell anyone about it, not even Fola.”
“Better.” Mosun hissed.
Mosun did as Feire requested and it didn’t take long before the kidnappers returned to where they left Desmond.
Everywhere was already dark and they didn’t want to waste time before dropping him off by the roadside.
She had instructed them to ask Desmond whether he was truly the father of the child Kike was carrying and if he confessed otherwise, he must agree to go back to her parents and confess before he would be released.
Desmond didn’t hesitate considering the pain he was already going through.
He confessed about the pregnancy immediately they asked and agreed to every condition given to him.
The men called their boss to inform him that Desmond had agreed, while the information eventually got passed to Mosun too.
Desmond was taken into the vehicle and dropped off along the road without knowing who was behind the kidnap.
They warned him that if he failed to confess and they had to come for him again, they would kill him.
Desmond still considered that a far better option than dying in the place they kept him.
After they dropped him and uncuffed his hands, it took several minutes before he could finally pull his hands forward and stand properly.
He removed the mask covering his face and staggered towards the road so he could head straight to Kike’s house immediately.
“But why do you think Desmond agreed to claim a child that isn’t his?” Feire asked, puzzled.
Mosun chuckled. “I honestly don’t even know what to call him, dear. Could it be that he was forced?”
“Forced? A full-grown man forced to lie that he owns a pregnancy he has no business with? I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Or maybe Kike promised him a huge amount of money or something? I just don’t want to imagine Kike using jazz or charm on him.”
Feire chuckled. “That is weird. It’s not possible, please.”
They laughed.
“I’m still in the dark, Mosun. I find it difficult believing Desmond could marry another woman carrying another man’s child — and the man is still alive — maybe because of money.”
Mosun shrugged. “At least let’s watch the drama unfold. He is going to confess tonight.”
“And might want to come back to me. You know I’m going to become the suspect here.”
Mosun laughed. “Of course.”
“You are mad. I know nothing about all this and before anything else, he would think I did everything just to get him back.”
“At least by the time he comes back, he would discover you’ve already moved on with Fola.” She winked and stuck out her tongue.
“What if he doesn’t confess?”
Mosun suddenly lost words.
The gatekeeper opened the gate immediately he heard it was Desmond.
He helped him pay the bike rider who dropped him off and assisted him towards the main building.
It was very late and the whole house looked asleep already.
Desmond knocked repeatedly but got no response.
He kept knocking while the gatekeeper sympathized with him until they finally heard footsteps approaching the door.
It was Kike’s father.