CHAPTER 1

Tina remembered how her friend, Prisca, came to her house and deceived her into following her to see a friend, claiming that they wouldn’t stay long, just for a few minutes.

Prisca begged, “Please, Tina, come with me. Let us go see Sharon. I promise you, we won’t stay long, just for a few minutes. Please, don’t say no.”

Tina agreed, and she followed Prisca out of her father’s house. They went to see Sharon.

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Prisca knew that if she had told Tina the truth about considering dating Patrick, Tina would not have agreed.

Tina had kept saying that she didn’t want to have a boyfriend. She didn’t want to lose her virginity or disappoint her poor mother, who had been struggling to feed her and her two younger brothers ever since their father abandoned them all and ran away with another woman, leaving them without any knowledge of his whereabouts.

As they stepped onto the village road, Prisca stopped a bike man and dragged Tina onto the bike with her, before Tina could change her mind.

When they got to the said apartment, where Sharon lived with her elder brother, Tina scanned the front of the house with her eyes. She felt uncomfortable when she saw a tall, dark-skinned man stepping out of the house. He walked up to the compound’s exit gate to meet them.

Tina felt her heart beating loudly in her chest as the man approached them. He hugged Prisca excitedly, and they greeted each other before he left.

Tina became very uncomfortable when she saw the way the man had stared at her before leaving. She told Prisca, “Prisca… Why don’t you just call Sharon on the phone instead of us going into the house? Just tell Sharon that we’re outside waiting for her.”

Prisca already knew that Sharon was not yet at home, and she replied to Tina, “No, Tina. We have to go inside the house and wait for Sharon to arrive first.”

Prisca ignored calling Sharon. She walked up to the front door and unlocked it without even knocking for the house owners to come out.

Tina gulped as she stood aside, staring at Prisca. She blamed herself for following her without even knowing the way back to her village.

Prisca opened the house door and went inside. It was a beautiful bungalow.

She paused at the door and said to Tina, “It’s not safe to stay out here alone, Tina. Come inside. It’s Sharon’s brother’s house. Let’s wait for Sharon to arrive.”

“Sharon’s brother’s house?” Tina frowned as she repeated Prisca’s words.

To the very best of her knowledge, Prisca had never told her that they were going to Sharon’s brother’s house.

Tina had thought they were going to Sharon’s family house to see her.

Tina frowned and subtly blamed herself for following Prisca. She didn’t even know the way back home to her father’s house. She finally followed Prisca into the beautiful house.

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Prisca was thrilled to see Sharon’s brother, Patrick Scott, a handsome Black man around twenty-five years old, wearing only black shorts as he stepped out of the kitchen and into his living room, not expecting to see Prisca.

Patrick’s eyes lit up when he saw Tina, too. He hadn’t expected Prisca to visit his house with Tina.

Patrick remembered that he had tried wooing Tina several times, all to no avail.

Tina kept rejecting him and told him that she wasn’t interested in a relationship.

Prisca swiftly rushed up to give Patrick a hug. This made him fall backward with her onto the nearest blue couch behind him, causing Prisca to sit on his thighs as she stared at him sweetly.

Patrick’s eyes were fixed on Tina, who was standing nervously beside the entrance door. Tina refused to move away from the door.

Patrick subtly excused himself from Prisca.

“Prisca… Why not sit on the couch? Let me properly welcome you and your friend. She looks so uncomfortable, and I’m still cooking, too.”

“Okay, Patrick,” Prisca replied.

She moved away from his thighs and sat on the blue couch beside him.

Patrick stood up from the blue couch. There were about seven blue couches in his living room. He smiled and walked up to meet Tina, who would rather not look at him.

Patrick remembered how he had tried to woo Tina on his own several times, but she refused and ran away from him.

Patrick had spoken to one of his younger sisters, Sharon Scott, asking her to talk to Tina on his behalf, as Sharon attended the same government-owned school as Tina. However, Sharon refused.

Sharon was only sixteen and looked more mature than her age, even though she was slim.

Sharon bluntly told Patrick, “Tina and I are not friends, and you don’t expect me to be walking around with that local champion. So, I cannot speak to her for you.”

Patrick remembered that he had begged and bribed Sharon, and she finally introduced Prisca to him. But in Prisca’s mind, she thought maybe he wanted a relationship with her.

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Patrick remembered that he had seen Prisca with Tina several times, walking down their village road together whenever he was travelling home in his car to see his parents in his village.

Patrick lived outside their village, in a nearby city, and his village was different from Tina’s.

Patrick had even asked Prisca, “Prisca, I want to ask you. How about that fair-in-complexion friend of yours whom I used to see you walking with on the village road?”

Prisca had thought that Patrick was just asking, so she told him, “You mean Tina Praise? Tina doesn’t have time for guys or any relationship. So, just forget about her. Tina is always at home taking care of her brothers or doing her homework, so I cannot come here with her to see you.”

Patrick knew that Prisca thought he wanted a relationship with her, but he knew that Prisca was a cheat, and she was like Sharon, always looking for men who would give her money.

Patrick didn’t bother asking Prisca any further questions about Tina, but he kept giving Prisca gifts to give to her friend whenever she visited. He asked her to try to bring Tina around whenever she visited his home again to see Sharon.

And here she was.

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Patrick finally walked up to Tina and spoke to her.

“Hi, pretty lady. So sorry that your friend doesn’t want to introduce us so we can get to know each other better. I’m Patrick Scott. Come and have a seat.”

Patrick gestured for Tina to have a seat on one of the blue seven living-room couches, but Tina remained rooted at the door.

Tina stared at Patrick’s face and remembered that she had seen him before. He was among the guys who had been disturbing her about a relationship.

Tina looked at Prisca’s face, but Prisca stared away from her jealously. She rolled her eyes away before staring back at Patrick.

Patrick gestured for Tina to have a seat, but she still stood rooted by the door without replying to him until she heard Patrick repeat, “Have a seat, please…”

Tina finally moved away from the door and walked over to sit on one of the blue couches closer to the exit door. She was afraid to be in a man’s house.

Patrick smiled as he watched Tina sit on one of his blue couches. He was still wearing only his black boxers, leaving his chiseled, masculine chest bare.

Prisca then stood up from the blue couch she was sitting on and walked over to Patrick. She held his right arm with both hands and told him, “Patrick, why not leave my friend alone? Let us go inside and enjoy ourselves since Sharon isn’t home yet.”

Patrick frowned and stared at Prisca’s face. He knew that he was a rich guy and was doing well for his age of twenty-five.

Patrick owned the house, and he knew that all Prisca ever wanted from him was sex and money. He had refused her advances several times, asking only for Tina. Yet, Prisca didn’t want to give up hope that he would date her.

Patrick pulled his arm away from Prisca’s hold and told her, “No, Prisca. Why not make your friend feel comfortable? Let me go inside and get you both some drinks.”

Patrick hastily excused himself from Prisca and went into the corridor to put on his top and get them some drinks.