Kamara Hermes desired a life of stardom. A place in the fashion world that would resonate her name. However, her dreams seemed to have come to an abrupt halt when her father fell into debt owing Diego Sanchez, Atlanta's renowned Mafia who would terminate anyone who was stupid enough to cross his way. She would do anything to protect her family from becoming homeless as the ruthless Mafia insists on taking their only home away. When there appears to be no way out. Diego decided to offer her a deal, only if she takes it would he let go of the debt and her family home. He wants her to become his surrogate. Something Kamara considers outrageous. However, she has to choose between birthing a child for the Mafia or having her family live on the streets of Atlanta. One had to be a better option.
Lihat lebih banyakKamara's POV
I stared at the mannequin, dazzled by my piece of art. I can feel it in my heart that I would go far and become a brand name soon. Hyping my works doesn't come in the form of gloating. It's a mere fact without any opposition.
“Damn!” My friend Chantelle exclaimed from behind. “you my friend are a genius. How do you do this?”
“I don't know, Chan. I just love every bit of creating. Do you think this would fit into the designs I intend to submit for the fashion school?”
“All of your designs are remarkable, girl. Whichever one you chose to submit would get you in.”
Exhaling loudly, I slumped into the couch next to me. “I don't know if this would work out. I feel so anxious. Now that the day is coming closer, I have practically lost sleep.”
My head ached at the mere thought of my hopes shattering. For some unknown reason, I keep getting a bad feeling that something might happen and end my career. All my life, I have dreamt of becoming a household name in the fashion world. But that requires learning from the best, and interning in a fashion school is the only way forward for me.
A reference letter would have been a problem, but luck seemed to be on my side as my lecturer, Dr. Scott, offered to do so on my behalf. Everything seems perfect and looks too good to be true. In a month's time, my fate would be sealed. I just rounded up my final exams in college. Six months is all I need to intern and get certified from the New York fashion school and I would be out in the world winning.
Chantelle pulled at my hand, “stop zoning out. You need to believe in yourself. You have worked hard, Kamara. Now is your time to shine. Let's go clubbing tonight. I really have to get some dick.”
Snorting out a laugh, I rolled my eyes. “You are always so extra. How many dicks do you think you would get? Also, I don't think I want to step out of this house today. I would prefer we watch movies and eat junks.”
“I hate you.” She pouted, folding her arms against her chest as she walked out of the room.
Laughing at her silliness, I reached for my phone on the bed. As if on cue, a call from my sister, Ciara, came in.
“What's up, C.” I hollered, twirling the tip of my hair with my finger.
Ciara sniffed on the other end. “You need to come home now, Kamara.”
“What's going on? Are you crying?” I inquired, furrowing her face in worry.
“It's dad. He slumped.”
“What!”
“He is at the hospital. Please come home.”
“I will be right there in no time. Just hang on.” I bellowed, ending the call as I searched through my closet for a decent cloth to wear.
Chantelle rushed back into the room. “is everything okay?”
“Nothing is okay. My dad is at the hospital.”
“Oh, my God! We need to go now. I will grab the car keys while you dress up.”
I had a grateful look on my face. “thank you so much, Chantelle.”
Like a maniac, not caring that she might get fined, Chantelle drove through the busy roads of Atlanta to get me to the hospital. Ciara ran towards me the moment we left the reception.
“Where is mum?” I asked.
“She is with dad.”
The both of us, alongside Chantelle, made our way to the room. I let out a loud breath of relief when I saw my father breathing calmly without tubes attached to him. I had thought of the worst scenario on the way to the hospital.
“Mum.” I called out, hugging my mother. “Where are the rest?” I asked after my two other siblings.
Mum exhaled slowly, “they are at home. I had to ask Mrs. Jones to help look after them.”
“What's going on? What happened to him?”
“We need to talk, baby.” She said, holding my gaze.
“Okay.” I replied hesitantly as my heart thumped at what she intended to reveal to me. Mum hardly asks for a private talk unless there is something serious going on. “I will be right back, Chantelle.”
“Thanks for coming, Chantelle.” Mum motioned at her.
Chantelle smiled lightly, “it's okay, Shellie. He would be fine.”
I opened the door to let mum out into the hallway, “is everything okay with dad? What did the doctor say?”
“He will be fine. He only went into shock and fainted.”
“Does dad have an underlying sickness that I do not know about?”
“Listen, Kamara. Your dad and I have been holding back to sharing something's with you because we thought we could keep it under control. However, it's all out of hand now.”
“Mum can you not talk in parables, please. What did you both do?”
“The bakery fell short of money last year due to the fire that gutted half of the shop. Also, sales went down because a new pastry shop opened up opposite us with nice aesthetics. I didn't know when your father used all of his savings, including your siblings' college money, to keep the business afloat and restructure the shop and buy new modern equipment. However, the storehouse had been leaking, unknown to us. Rain drops got in and ruined all the flour bags. Causing us to incur more loss while we were still trying to gather enough money to pay off other debts.”
My mouth was wide, agape. I am trying not to react to the realization of my sibling's dreams drowning. “When did all of this happen, and I wasn't aware?”
“You were having the mock fashion show at the college and we both saw how much you had to do. It was just right for us as your parents to keep you from worrying unnecessarily. We are the adults.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
“Because we couldn't keep up with the payment and now everything we own is at stake.” She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.
“How much is it? And which bank did he take the loan from? Probably we can ask for more time.”
Letting out a long breath, she bit on her lower lip. “the bank didn't lend Andrew the money. In fact, I thought he had borrowed from the bank. The truth is he indulged in some gambling which an old friend introduced to him, assuring him he would win. In the process, he took money from the men at the casino with the hope of winning. Our mortgage on the bake shop was due, and he needed to get the college money back. Turns out he ran a deal with the mafia. And now they insist on taking the house if we don't pay back in a week time. Our mortgage is finally due, and it has been sealed.”
A loud noise echoed in my ears as I blinked slowly. "M....mafia? How is that even possible? Dad doesn't involve himself with criminals. Why now?”
“I don't know, baby. He must have been so desperate to save the one place he spent his entire youth working on. That bakery is dear to his heart. He just couldn't watch it go into ruins. And there was the future of your siblings. All of their college funds were gone. I was angry at first when he eventually told me the truth. But then I had to see it from his perspective. It would have worked out if sales went as expected.”
Grabbing a fistful of my hair, I groaned inwardly, unable to decipher the emotions running through me.
“How much are we talking about?” I asked, hoping it wouldn't be an enormous amount.
Mum inhaled sharply, staring right into my soul, “One hundred and fifty thousand dollars!”
Kamara’s POV“Here you go.” Diego handed me a berry bliss-filled smoothie cup. I received it with my nose scrunched up in suspicion. “I didn’t poison it.” He said as if reading my mind. Sniffing, I took a long sip. Trying not to moan in satisfaction. It tastes so good. After all the injections and tests, I do feel entitled to some berry blast. We entered the car and he drove onto the street. I was beyond shocked when he insisted on following me to my doctor’s appointments. I am almost six months into my pregnancy, and aside the early days of me being pregnant, Diego hasn’t followed me to the hospital. Nana was always doing that. He must have been instructed by her to do so. The man I know wouldn’t have thought it essential to act on his own. “The doctor says you and the baby are in good health. I can’t believe it’s a boy.” He uttered, smiling lightly. Wow! Diego is having light conversations? Did he hit his head? Since I wasn’t sure how to respond, I kept mute. To my surprise, he k
Diego’s POVThe morning sun burned my eyes as I opened them slowly. My body ached like I had a fever. It’s been a while since I felt like that. My memory was a bit blurry as I glanced around the room, trying to figure out why I was still in my work clothes. Rubbing my face, I jumped back at the full, long, dark hair that splashed over the sheet. It took me a second to realize it was Kamara. She was seated on the side of the bed, must have fallen asleep while looking after me. Coughing lightly, I flipped her hair from her face, and there it was, innocent and beautiful. Sleeping peacefully. Who would have thought she could emit this sort of aura, considering how she is always ready to go toe to toe with me? She stirred a little, causing me to jump back. Last night had been hectic, I didn’t even know when I fell asleep. Despite Kamara’s condition, she still got me to my room in one piece without falling on each other. Oh my goodness! Her condition. Cursing at my forgetfulness. I tried
Diego’s POV“Welcome, Sir Diego.” The nurse greeted her as she stepped out of the kitchen. I grunted in response, just as she was about to leave i asked. “Where is Kamara?” Her face turned ashen out of nowhere. The words came out in a stutter. “I promise you sir, i tried to stop her. But she hardly listens to me when it comes to her work. She is in the working room making clothes. Has been actively busy for the past one week now.”Exhaling slowly, i tugged at my ear lightly. I have been away for over a week now, it’s no surprise that Kamara already moved on to doing what she knows best ignoring all of my instructions. “Has she been keeping to her diets and medications?” The nurse bobbed her head so quickly, i fear it would roll off the neck. “Yes, sir. She has kept to it without any complaint.” “That’s good enough. We can’t exactly stop her from doing her job.” I mumbled, surprising myself. “You can go.”“Yes, sir.” She muttered, hurrying off. I probably would be mad hearing that
Kamara “This makes no sense, and I am disappointed.” Chantelle sucked her teeth, slurping on her milkshake with a frown. Meeting with my dad after the first confrontation I had with both parents in Diego had meddled in made me feel hopeful. I thought he was meeting to tell me that he understood why I would make such a decision, and also to apologize for putting me through so much trouble. In my head, I had envisioned us crying in each other’s arms. Embrace ourselves, and he reassures me that he has got my back. But I was wrong. He had come once again to judge and condemn me. The pain I have had to endure because of my family in the past few months is immeasurable. Didn’t realize I was just wasting my life. There is Ciara, who is living a double life and is unbothered about anyone. I blame myself for being so considerate. To make matters worse, that dumb Diego keeps poking my fresh scar. Reminding me of my woeful decisions. I don’t know how long I can take the pressure. I have consi
DiegoMy neck aches really badly. Today was quite hectic. I detest dealing with folks who think the mafia business is something they can joke around with. Rubbing the back of my neck slowly, i let out a delightful sigh as I entered the kitchen and caught a whiff of chicken. Nana must have made her special chicken casserole. I love every bit of it. Would have to warm some for myself to eat. Didn’t even realize I haven’t eaten since noon until now. Found the soup and was about to scoop some of it onto a plate when I heard a loud sniff. I tried to ignore it, thinking I must have heard wrong, but it came again. This time it was followed by a sob. Someone is crying. My heart thumped at the thought of the person being Nana. I hurried towards the room and yanked the door open. I felt a bit relieved that it wasn’t Nana. Still, it was bothersome to see Kamara bent over a mannequin with her growing belly, working on a dress, and crying. The position can harm the child. I wonder where the nurse
Kamara“Ma’am, don’t you think it will be best if you get an assistant? It isn’t advisable for you to keep working yourself out.” The nurse whined in my ear as i knelt by the foot of the mannequin to pin down a dress. I don’t know if her complaints are Diego’s instructions or if they are true medical advice. I am the one with the body and I am not complaining. But she is always finding some fault in the activities I indulge in like it is okay to also just lie down all day doing nothing. I can’t afford to miss out on creating designs that could aid my entry into the fashion school in the next session. I would be done with the pregnancy and everyone else here. The only one I would miss is Nana. “Miss Kamara.” She interrupted my thoughts. Letting out a curse under my breath, I sat down and huffed. “What do you want with me? As you can see this is also an exercise. Why are you stressing me out?” “Sir Diego doesn’t……” “That’s enough!” I stopped her with a stern glare. “As long as I am
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