CHAPTER TWO

She stared at the envelope; she immediately remembered the times her parents always wrote letters to her on her birthday.

"This handwriting seems familiar to me," she said to herself as she looked carefully at the handwriting on the envelope.

My Remi, the envelope read. It reminded her of the birthday notes always sent to her by her father with the same caption.

"Don't touch that cake; it especially belongs to the only treasure in this house. I don't know how this family would have survived without her. Her birth has always been a blessing to this family and always will." The voice in her heart spoke, and that was her father's.

The surprise which was always given to her at every birthday was hung on her wall. Then she looked at the picture of Kola, which was perfectly hung on the wall.

She was told a lot about him: how smart he was, how stubborn and how very handsome. They were all right; she looked like Kola in a way, and that was why the comforter name suited her the most.

She remembered when her mum told her of the dream Kola had of her.

"Kola was the first to prophesy your birth," her mother joked with a light eyebrow movement.

"Kola is very important to this house, as you are. I remember Kola; when I see you, I do not feel any loss, just gain."

Remi exhaled and moved involuntarily to her left; she felt a sharp pain in her foot.

"Ouch!" she shouted. She had hit her leg against the wall. All memories were gone so soon; she now felt the reality again of what was happening.

She looked at her hand and saw the envelope.

Still with a frown she said, "What is inside this envelope, and why is it important at this point?"

She opened the envelope. She could not believe her eyes; it was a picture of a young, handsome man in his thirties.

"He is handsome, masculine and sweet," she said, blushing. "What does this young man have for me, and why is his picture here?"

Still finding out how and why it has to do with her, she looked back into the envelope and saw a write up again.

It read: This is the Billionaire's son; be well-behaved when you see him. Our family wants more, and this is an opportunity.

"Hey, you bastard. How can you want to marry a girl you haven't seen? Do you know how old I am? You should be in your late thirties, and I'm just in my early twenties!" she yelled at the picture, pointing at the face repeatedly.

Remi was smart enough to know what was actually happening; she knew it was her husband in the picture, the one she is getting married to tonight. She never knew he was the Billionaire's son.

"I can't imagine myself getting married to the billionaire's son. I hate this twist, and I am not sure I will like him so soon," she said.

The house downstairs was so calm as they were all preparing for the Billionaire's visit. It was said to be midnight, and they could not wait. Remi's mother prepared all the special dishes for her guest. It was going to be a memorable one for the family.

"Chief Bolaji," Remi's mother called. She fondly calls him that to get his full attention and, most times, to change his mood.

"What is it?" he answered.

"What if our daughter does something stupid to herself before the billionaire's son arrives?" she questioned.

"No, she cannot do such a thing; never will she, because I will make sure I deal with her personally, dead or alive," he said, stammering.

"I know how long I have waited for this day, and she will not treat us this way. She forgets to understand that she is still loved, but we want more in this family," he said, moving his legs left and right, avoiding contact with his wife.

At this moment, he was pained by how his daughter sees him as a bad father who will give his daughter away without remorse.

"She is so stubborn," he said in a broken voice. His wife jerked because she was not expecting the next word from him.

"Chief Bolaji," she called him with a smile. "Do not worry, she will understand later on. I know the Billionaire's son will take good care of her and give her all she wants."

"The good thing is that she is in her twenties and not a minor; she will definitely cope with marriage as she is smart."

"It is almost 12:00am," she whispered to her husband. "Let us prepare ourselves and dress well to receive our guest."

They moved to their room and dressed beautifully for their guest, the Billionaire's son. He moved out of the room in a well-tailored agbada attire with a cap and walking stick.

"I'm good to go," he said, checking on his wife for a response.

"Remi, Remi, she has to be dressed properly; we do not want disappointment. We have to let her know I have a beautiful dress for her here for this special visit," she updated.

"You do the work; I'm tired of that stubborn girl. You're her mother, you know?" Chief Bolaji spoke cleverly.

"Okay, if you say so, help me tell the maids to prepare the table and the chairs. They should also decorate the sitting room immediately," she instructed.

"I will do so," he answered while moving down the stairs to the sitting room.

Funke is a woman with so much energy and life; there is no dull moment for her. She sought an opportunity to prove it to her daughter.

"Remi, Remi," she called as she went downstairs, holding a beautiful dress. She moved into Remi's room and saw her on the bed; she couldn't believe her eyes.

It is almost time for our visitors to arrive, and here Remi is. Why is she so lifeless? she thought as the dress dropped from her hand due to shock.