Chapter 4

FEHINTOLA

What were the odds of running into familiar faces from those days? A hundred Apparently!

And I hated that my heart still skipped a beat for him.

•

“Ayo, is this the new occupant you mentioned?” Dami’s voice was low and with a small scoff, his sharp gaze cutting straight to me. I froze, clutching my bag tighter as I instinctively took a step back, trying to steady my racing thoughts.

“Yes, she’ll be staying for ten days,” Ayo replied, his tone casual.

“Ten days?” Dami echoed with raised brows, his lips curving into a smirk as his eyes flicked from his brother to me, the taunt unmistakable.

“T-This is your brother?” I managed to stammer, turning to Ayo, even though I was afraid of hearing the confirmation.

“He is,” Ayo answered simply, his expression unreadable as he looked between the two of us. My heart sank.

“Can I… can I get another apartment?” The words tumbled out, and Ayo’s brows furrowed in surprise.

“Another apartment? You seemed fine with this one just a few minutes ago,” he said, studying me as if trying to figure out what had changed.

“Umm… I changed my mind,” I said quickly, forcing an awkward smile.

“I think I’d prefer something else.” Dami let out a soft, mocking laugh, drawing both of our attention.

“Good luck with that. All the other apartments were just booked on the app,” he said with a shrug. “Unless you’re ready to move somewhere outside Ikorodu.”

I sighed, defeated. “Well… on second thought, maybe this place isn’t so bad,” I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else. Ayo nodded, his expression softening.

“If you need anything, we’re just next door.”

“Wait, what?!” My voice rose in disbelief as I gawked at him, my gaze darting between Ayo and Dami. Ayo gave me small smile, clearly amused by my discomfort.

“I’m sorry, but I have to run,” Ayo said apologetically, stepping toward the door.

“Dami will show you around.”

“Wait—” I started to protest, but he was already halfway out.

“This boy!” Dami called after him, shaking his head. “One of these days, you’ll start paying me for all my services!”

“I love you, bro!” Ayo sang, pushing open the gate and turning to blow his brother a kiss.

“God forbid!” Dami shot back, his tone dripping with mock disgust.

“Why are you gay?”

Ayo’s laughter echoed in response as the gate slammed shut behind him.

I let out a shaky breath as Dami turned back to me, his smirk returning.

“Come in,” he said flatly, stepping aside to let me enter. I nodded hesitantly, avoiding his eyes as I shuffled past him.

“You’re not usually this quiet,” he said suddenly, and I looked up, startled. His smile was small but smug.

“Stop pretending.”

“I’m not pretending,” I shot back, scowling at him.

“Sure,” he replied, clearly unconvinced. He motioned down the hallway.

“It’s a one-bedroom and parlor setup. Kitchen’s here. Bathroom’s attached to the bedroom, and there’s a guest bathroom on the other side.” He led me around briefly before returning to the living room.

“You never liked this neighborhood. Why are you back?”

I folded my arms, trying to mask my nerves. “Don’t get any ideas. I didn’t come back because of you. Just ignore me and stay out of my way.”

“Ignore you and avoid you?” He raised a brow. “That should be my line, don’t you think?”

I rolled my eyes. “Dami, I’ve had a long day, and I just want to rest. It’s been years, Can we not do this?” He held his hands up in surrender.

“Fair enough. Enjoy your stay,” he said, turning on his heel and walking out.

I sank onto the sofa the moment the door closed, exhaling deeply. “God,” I whispered, pressing my fingers to my temples. Ten days in this house with him? How on earth was I going to survive?

Shaking my head, I reached into my bag and pulled out the file I’d been working on. *D&A’s Winery.* The bold letters stared back at me, reminding me of the real reason I came.

“I need to speak to him,” I murmured to myself. The winery’s owner was notoriously private—no social media presence, no photos, nothing. Even my dad hadn’t been able to find out who he was. But his consistent refusal of every proposal we’d sent had brought me here.

I slipped the file back into my bag and sighed. “First thing Monday morning,” I muttered. “I’ll figure it out.”

For now, I just needed to get through the night—and the week.

***

Next day.

Monday 2nd December.

Day 2 in Ikorodu

“We’re here,” the driver announced, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced up at the building before us. D&A’s Winery was boldly etched across the facade in beautiful lettering.

The building wasn’t what I expected. Compared to the huge factories where I come from, this place was modest. Small, even. Yet, it didn’t seem miserable; rather, it was quaint and had a certain charm, like it had carved out its own niche. No wonder my father had his eyes on it.

The trip had been shorter than I anticipated—only about a twenty-minute drive. Maybe I could have walked here instead.

“Here,” I said, stretching out cash toward the driver. He counted the bills, his eyes meeting mine through the rearview mirror.

“Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice day,” he said, his tone courteous.

“You too,” I replied, stepping out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, I turned toward the building. This was it. The first step in my plan. Pushing the gate open, I walked inside.

“Good morning, ma’am!” a cheery voice greeted me before I could fully take in my surroundings. A young woman with an enthusiastic smile approached, her energy infectious.

I nodded at her and smiled back, although mine felt a little forced.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’ve stopped taking retail orders for now. All our retailers and wholesale were notified via email,” she explained. Her tone was apologetic yet firm, like she had rehearsed this line a hundred times.

Her words gave me pause. I hadn’t come here for an order, she continued anyway not giving me a word in.

“We’re planning a big sale for the town’s Christmas festival,” she continued brightly.

“You can get our wines there!”

“Christmas festival?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

“Since when?”

“Oh, for the last five years! My boss and a few other community leaders host a twenty-five-day Christmas festival every December. It’s amazing—you’ll see the whole town decorated for the season. It starts tonight!” she gushed, her excitement practically bouncing off her.

“I can’t wait to deck the streets with boughs of holly!”

I gave her a polite nod, trying to process this new information. So much had changed since I left. No wonder the receptionist at the hotel said it was peak season.

“So—”

“Fehintola?!”

The voice, sharp and familiar, cut through the air, making my stomach drop. There was only one person who called my name like that.

I turned slowly, already knowing who it was. Sure enough, there he stood—Dami. Of all places, why did he have to be here?

“Oh, there he is!” the woman exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she noticed him. She bowed slightly.

“Good morning, sir.”

Sir? Wait, what?!

“This is our boss,” she said, turning to me with a polite smile.

“You can speak to him directly. He’ll explain everything.” With another bow, she excused herself, leaving me alone with him.

“What are you doing here?” Dami demanded, his steps steady as he closed the distance between us.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. Why was he everywhere I turned? God Abeg! Who had I offended in a past life to deserve this?

“Fehintola,” he called again, his tone a little louder now although still soft.

“How did you find this place?”

“I…” My mind raced, desperate for an excuse.

“I-I’m actually here for… For a —”

“For a what?” he pressed, his brows furrowing as he tilted his head sideways.

“A job!” The words spilled out before I could stop them.

“A job?” he echoed, his disbelief evident.

I nodded, forcing myself to meet his gaze even though I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Internally, I groaned. A job? Really, Fehintola? That was the best you could come up with?

“You’re looking for a job?” His tone was doubtful, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t let him know the real reason I was here. There was no way he’d listen to me, not yet.

If I’d known Dami was the owner of this place, I would’ve begged my father to reconsider partnering with D&A. Now, I was stuck.

Dami crossed his arms, staring me down. “You’re terrible at lying,” he said flatly.

My heart sank. This was going to be harder than I thought.