Chapter 5: I love him

Chapter 5

I LOVE HIM.

“Total bull shit!” Grey barked.

“She must be insane to think that I'll agree to all these conditions!” he exploded, throwing the paper on the bedside table while pounding the walls with his hands.

The sound of his scream was so loud that it scared Cynthia, who was in the kitchen with his mother.

“Son,” his mother called out.

“Honey.” Cynthia called out swiftly in panic..

“What is wrong with you?” Their voices echoed as they both ran up the stairs.Grey held his breath and slouched to the bed before responding.

“She’s trying my patience and pushing me to the wall. Just take a look at what she's demanding before she'll sign the damn papers! I know her plan is to render me bankrupt, but that will never happen.

Just take a look at the conditions she's giving!” He ranted as he handed the document to Cynthia.

“I can't believe that poor ass has the resources to hire a lawyer! I thought she was supposed to be crawling on her knees and pleading with me for a second chance, but now, this?” He exploded.

Margaret's eyes widened as she read through the conditions.

“What!” Cynthia exclaimed after a glance at the first condition.Her hands immediately flew to her mouth to suppress her scream.

“But… how possible can this be?” Margaret stuttered, exchanging glances between the paper and her son.

“She demands to take over the company as well? I thought the company was in your name, right?” she asked, her hands trembling in fear.

“Absolutely, Mother.” Grey replied firmly.

“That's why I said it must be unreasonable to think that I'll just give her what she demands on a platter of gold. The company is mine and will forever be mine,” Grey ranted, hitting the table with his hands.

Margaret shifted her gaze towards Cynthia. She couldn't contain her anger arising from the abrupt silence of Cynthia after reading everything.

“Cynthia, are you just going to stay quiet and watch us like some crew members on the movie set? Come on, this is your sister we're talking about here! You need to say something!” Margaret yelled.

Cynthia pursed her lips in a silent mockery with a light sniff.

“I never loved your son, by the way. If only I could get him to put his possessions under my name, you both would regret ever accepting me into your home.” she thought to herself and giggled.

They were altogether in the room, still digesting Lila's heavy conditions, before a message beep from Grey's phone broke the silence.

“I need your response before the break of day tomorrow. And if you fail to agree to my conditions, be ready to watch all the tapes of your domestic violence tomorrow on the screen, which led to my first miscarriage. And you know what that means, right? You can be jailed for attempted murder.” It was a message from Lila.

Grey began to feel the hairs of his body standing tall.

His heart slammed against his ribs as those words sunk deep into his mind, not because he was terrified, but because they were unexpected from a calm woman such as Lila.

“What the fuck! She's now threatening me?” He exploded while he threw his phone on the bed, and sat down, covering his face with his palms; he sweated profusely in the cold evening.

Lila pursed her lips in a mocking manner as she sighted the two blue ticks on her last W******p message to Grey.

“Wow!” She huffed a sigh of relief and slouched to the large mirror on the wall, her eyes red and burning with anger as her lips curled up in a mockery smile.

“I can only imagine how the fool must be breaking things now at the sight of this message. But, just so you know, Grey, this is just the beginning of your frustration.” She murmured to herself with a dark smile.

“The only foolishness on my path was being too blind to suspect and correlate your kindness and love towards Cynthia and her baby with being responsible for her pregnancy!” Gosh! Lila, you fucked up big time!” She mumbled angrily as she ran her fingers over her long, coily hair.

She continued to scroll over Cynthia's F******k page through her phone until she unbelievably came across a picture of Cynthia with a man and her daughter; cropping the man's face out, the caption reads, “my complete world.” Even without seeing the face from the statue, Lila could clearly know that the man in the picture is her ex-husband.

“Come on, girl, don't tell me you're still drenched in thought about these two crazy humans!” Eucharia interrupted as she angrily intercepted the phone from Lila.

“Going through her pictures and posts is nothing close to the solution we're looking for, Lila!” She suggested, her hands wrapped around her chest.

“What I expected from you now is to…” Charia paused as soon as Lila's phone began to ring.

“You can have your phone. I'm sure your stepmother wants to apologize for her evil daughter’s behavior.” She mumbled as she handed the phone to Lila.

“If that's actually why she's calling, then to hell with her and her fucked-up daughter and granddaughter!” Lila exploded before picking up the call hesitantly.

“Oh, Lila, thank God you picked up my call.” Elena's panicking voice echoed from the other end of the phone. Surprised, Lila's brows knitted as she took the phone off her ear to take a second glance at the caller ID.

Not because she wasn't sure of the caller, but because she had never heard Ma'am Elena's voice so down and worried.

“Please, Lila, we need you in the hospital right now! Your father is dying! He was shot by a stray bullet.” Elena lamented over the phone.

“Father, nooooo!!!. You can't die and leave me alone!” Lila screamed as uncontrollable tears rallied around her eyes.

It took Lila and Charia less than thirty minutes to be at the hospital.

“Good evening, ma'am, my name is Lila Sims. Can…can you please direct me to where that gunshot victim is admitted?” Lila stuttered as she greeted the attendant at the reception.

“We have many victims of gunshots that were rushed in today. May I know which of them in particular?”

“Here. That's his picture. He's my father.” Lila pulled out her phone immediately and showed her a picture of her dad before she could even finish her statement.”

Seeing the picture, the receptionist lowered her head, and after a deep sigh, she muttered, “He's in the ICU, ma'am.” Her voice, barely above a whisper.

The sight of Grey and Cynthia seated under the canopy beside the ICU from afar made Lila's heart beat speed up.

“If only I could lay my hands on a gun right now, I don't see anything that'll stop me from ending these two idiots!” Lila mumbled.

“Come on, Lila!” Charia cut in.

“Your father should be your focus right now, and I don't think it's nice of you to take the law into your hands!” she added.

As soon as they stepped into the ICU, the tears she had been trying to force back strolled down her cheeks as she sighted the red line on the beeping monitor.

“If only I could turn back the hands of time, Father. I'll never leave you out of my sight. Please, don't leave me alone in this world, Father. You're all that I have left!” Lila cried, holding her father's weak hands in her palms.

“Finally, the long-awaited witch is here!” Elena's firm voice echoed as the door flung open.

“Surprised to see your father in this condition?” She continued, rendering Lila speechless.

“You killed your mother, and that wasn't enough for you; you still made an attempt to end your father's life as well! But you came too late, Lila. If this man should die without putting down a will for me and my daughter, trust me, you'll…”

“Enough, Elena!” Lila cut in angrily.

“So, this is it. You eliminated my mother so you could take over her husband because of material wealth, and you still have the nerve to call me names?...” Lila cried.

“If only you did your womanly duties, your father wouldn't be in this situation right now! Lila! Elena shouted back.

“Your unproductive womb failed to perform its task, and yet instead of you lying low and being appreciative to Cynthia for giving your husband a daughter and making you an aunt, you're busy setting conditions of divorce! Now, do you understand why I said you killed your father?”

“Stop!” Lila screamed.

“My father is not dead!” She added.

“But he's half gone!” Elena retorted.

“And it's all because of you! He left the house to plead with you to forgive your sister! And now, he's in this condition because of your stupid reaction towards the divorce that you ought to appreciate!”

Lila remained mute until they left the ICU, her feet stuck to the ground as she gently walked out of the hospital.

“Look who's running towards you.” Charia said as she sighted Jannel from afar.

“Big Mummy, I've missed you. Why haven't you been at the house since the day my mummy and I came to your house?”

The little Jannel demanded as she ran towards Lila, hugging her tightly from behind.

“I've missed you too, little angel.” Lila said with a forced smile.

Although she despises Cynthia, Janell is still innocent, and she's such a lovely child everyone will like her at first sight.

“She’s right, Lila. Please, I'm sorry!” A calm voice echoed from behind as Lila and Eucharia were about to start off in their car.

It was Cynthia.

“Can you just punish me and leave Grey out of your anger? You're demanding too much, Lila.” Cynthia pleaded.

Lila's lips curled up in a weak smile.

“I hate you, Cynthia! That's all I can tell you for now.” Lila muttered firmly, and slammed the door immediately.

Before she could wind up the glasses, Cynthia threw a paper to her.

Lila read.

“You can hate me, but please, try and get a second thought about the divorce conditions you gave Grey. I still love him, and I'm carrying his second child already. They need their father's inheritance, Lila. Besides, would you love to paint your image as a terrible aunt to your nieces?”