Questioned Loyalty

It's been over ten minutes since Ciara questioned her father's loyalty to George Cooper, and he hasn't uttered a word in his defence. He spent the last couple of minutes looking at the ground like a lost hen. The question hit him hard, making it difficult for him to recover. 

Ciara was scared. She felt guilty for putting her father In such a complicated situation. All she ever wanted to do was clarify the question that had been bothering her for a while. 

It all started when Kelly returned home with a huge amount of money. 

When Ciara asked him about it, Kelly claimed that his long-lost best friend, George Cooper, gave it to him. 

In Ciara's words, "Your friend gave you the money for no reason? This is hard for me to believe. I think there must be a reason for this. Is he so wealthy that he now goes about sharing money with anyone he comes in contact with? I wonder how he acquired his wealth. 

Since that moment, Ciara's mind had been restless. On several occasions, she took her time to understand the relationship between her father and George, yet she failed to conclude. 

She's waiting for the perfect time to ask and it finally did. However, she never knew her father would feel so attacked that he couldn't even say a word in his defense. 

 "Dad, did I say anything wrong? If I did, can you please forgive me? It wasn't intentional." Ciara spoke softly as she aimed to amend the damages she caused her father. 

That was the only time she was confident enough to speak after watching her father languish in pain

She made a move to embrace her father, but somehow, she finds herself retracting back. She wasn't holding anything, yet her hands were too heavy to be moved. 

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. 

I can see that you are not comfortable with my question and I take responsibility for that. I don't want you to feel bad anymore. I guess my question hit you deep, deep," Ciara was forced to retreat. She gave up ever finding out about her father's loyalty to George. She had no choice but to erase the thought in her head. Seeing her father looking so helpless hurts her deeply more than her father who was kept in the hot seat. 

"No, I will tell you about it. I am sick and tired of hiding this away from you. You deserve to know the truth and that's precisely what I want to do right now." Like magic, Kelly lifted his head. 

Ciara couldn't believe her eyes. 

A while ago, it appeared that her father's head would be stuck to the ground for a long time. How he managed to raise his head immediately still wasn't clear to him. 

"Dad, your eyes; what happened to them? Have you been crying lately?" 

 She asked Kelly after noticing how red his eyes had become. Not just red, they were also swollen as though he got stung by a bee. 

"Crying?

Of course not. I guess it's my sweat," Kelly denied and wiped the tiny tears that were stored in his eyes. 

"I will tell you everything you need to know about myself and George. I would also reveal why I want you to be married into his family," Kelly initiated. His voice was breaking. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? Just like I said, you don't have to hurt yourself just to prove a point to me. Something's better left unsaid and this is just one of them," Ciara warned Kelly and gave him a second chance to change his mind.

Don't worry about me. 

I am good. Perhaps I would put a stop to this torment today, and everyone would go home happy," Kelly remained adamant. No one could stop changing his mind. 

It became difficult for Ciara to understand what he was talking about, but she had no choice. Her desperation to satisfy her curiosity forced her to endure. 

"I am listening, Dad. Your mind has been made up. No matter how hard I try, it still won't change anything," Ciara accepted her father's decision while she paid rapid attention. She got her ears to the ground as she vowed never to miss important information. 

"George Cooper is the reason I had an educational background,". Kelly revealed. He spoke for a few minutes and paused again to catch his breath. He had vowed to take the secret to his grave before Ciara decided to act like an investigative journalist. 

"How was George the reason you had an education? Did he pay your tuition f*e? And why did he offer to do that? I am sure there's a reason for that," Ciara added another intelligent question that made Kelly shiver.

He never wanted to reveal it all. But now, Ciara is going to make him break his vow more than he least expected. 

"Before I proceed, do you promise not to get mad at me? You will also assure me that what I did was in the best interest of the family?" Kelly pleaded for forgiveness even before he started talking. 

Ciara got confused as she said, "What has this got to do with me? Did you have me during your college days?" 

"Of course not

Just answer the question. 

You won't be mad at me right?" 

Kelly repeated the question. The assurance meant a lot to him than anything else In the world. 

You have got my assurance. 

I promise not to get mad at you," 

Ciara guaranteed her father In a tone. 

However, traces of doubt were still found lingering on her face. She reportedly said that just to make her father feel happy and proceed with his narration. 

"So here's what's happened. 

I met your Mom in college. She, George, and I used to be best friends until we became lovers. Something led to another and she got pregnant. I was pressured by my father to get married to your mother. Confused about what to do, I ran to George Cooper for financial support. He offered to help but on the condition that I help him write his exam. According to him, his father had threatened to wipe out his name from the family's inheritance if he didn't graduate with good grades," Kelly paused to clean up the tears dropping from his eyes.