All Chapters of LOVE AND CRIME: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Regina stared at the blank screen of her computer, her thoughts were all over her. She was thinking about her family, her education, her life in general, this is her first time experiencing exams in the university, so all emotions cowered her. While at it, she took up the wallet she picked from the library, it won’t be very difficult getting to the owner, unless there was no personal details. As expected, the owner had his student ID in it, “Michael Riley” she read out. She dialled the mobile number on the ID and the recipient picked up almost immediately, “Hello.”“Hi, am I unto Michael” Regina asked.“Yes, this is him.”“Well, it seems I am in possession of your wallet, I picked it up at the library yesterday.”“Oh my god!” Michael exclaimed, “I thought I’ve lost it, see I have a very important item in that wallet. How do I get it now, how much do your need? Name your price, I will pay.”“Excuse you?” Regina was taken aback, “I picked up your wallet and called you, I didn’t introduc

Leaving Mother’s home, Regina thought it necessary to Visit Barr. John. Barrister John Odion was not merely a name spoken in courtrooms, he was a presence that arrived in Regina’s life when stability seemed to have vanished with her father’s death. In the chaos that followed the burial, when distant kinsmen emerged with entitled voices and idle hands, it was John who stood firmly between grief and exploitation. Calm, meticulous, and unyielding, he fought for Regina’s mother with a resolve that went beyond professional obligation. He challenged forged claims, dismantled manipulative arguments, and ensured that the family’s property and dignity were preserved. In those early days, his voice became a shield, steady and reassuring amid hostility.Overtime, his relationship with the family deepened. He checked in regularly, not just to update legal matters, but to ask after Regina’s schooling, her health and her emotional state. There were afternoons when he would sit their modest living r

Michael didn’t return straight to his condo, he went to his mother’s instead, a proper clarification of what he heard is needed.Karen Riley is a woman of quiet wisdom, disciplined values and deep faith- cowered with secrets and prayers of breakthrough- one who had raised her son with honesty, humility and resilience after the loss of her husband. Years of single motherhood had etched strength into her character, though her softness remained untouched. To Michael, she was not just a mother but a confidant, the one person whose counsel he trusted without question.He settled into the familiar living room, cool and moderate standard for an average home, waiting for his mother. Moments later, he heard voices- a familiar heart-warming feminine voice, and a not nice baritone voice. It dawned on him that must be his Uncle, but it’s too late to make any effort to escape.“Who the hell are you?!” Karen raised her head to notice the cause of Raymond’s outburst, and surprisingly, it was her bel

December, 1996. Nathan just returned back to his home from his older brother’s. They were brothers only bond by blood, but each carrying an unsettling scores against each other. To Raymond, Nathan was the golden son who had inherited a throne and immediately let it slip through his fingers. To Nathan, Raymond was the reason their father’s hair had turned white overnight- a man so blinded by his own bitterness that he couldn’t see the ghost of the debt Nathan had paid to keep him out of a cage.In the early 90s, their father publicly announced that the younger son, Nathan, would inherit the head of the family business over Raymond. Shortly after, the business suffered a devastating blow- a massive amount of cash disappeared, and their father was nearly ruined.Raymond believes the father showed favouritism to a son who didn’t deserve it. He is convinced that Nathan was so overwhelmed by the responsibility that he lost the money through sheer incompetence or a secret debt. Raymond feels

Michael visited his mother’s home again after a very long time since the encounter he had with Raymond.“Michael,” she breathed, happy and grateful to this moment her son came before her.“Hi Mom.”She didn’t ask any questions. She simply stepped forward and pulled him into a hug that smelled of home. For a moment, Michael wasn’t a man carrying a secret about a murder or the nephew of a man like Raymond, he was just a son.They spent the afternoon at the kitchen. Karen moved with a grace that hid the scars of her past, preparing a meal while Michael sat at the same wooden table where he used to do his homework. They talked about small things- the neighbourhood, the books she was reading, the way the light hit the backyard in the evenings.“You look so much like your father,” Karen said softly, pausing as she diced vegetables. "But you have a peace in you that he never quite found.”“Reasons why Raymond recognized me immediately.”“Yes.”Michael lifted his chin, “I’ve decided to contin