Chapter Twenty-Eight

She had gotten Chief's address from Kate, who apparently knew everything about the company. For over a week, she had thought and thought of what she was to do. Was it the right thing to ignore the fact that Tade's father had been involved in illegal practices? Wasn't it right to report all she knew to the police? Still, her feelings for Tade betrayed the common sense she was supposed to have. On the one hand, she wanted to forget the fact that Tade would hate her forever if she took everything she knew to the police, and just report him, while on the other hand, she just wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong and stay with Tade, because she loved him. Still, the problem was how she could turn a blind eye and pretend that everything was okay, when she knew deep down that everything wasn't. How could she ignore the guilt she felt when she looked at her father's picture every morning she woke up? All her life, she had wanted something desperately, and that was justice for her father. She finally got the chance to get the justice she so desperately wanted, but how could she throw all that in the air for the sake of someone who was partially responsible for the death of her father? Tade would do anything for his father despite knowing what kind of despicable man his father was, so, why couldn't she do anything for her own father? He may have been a bad person, but he wasn't all that bad. She remembered thinking when she was younger that her dad worked for Welling Fam Heights as an accountant, and she had never mentioned a word to anyone that she knew that they had a hand in her father's death, because she didn't have any proof, and her mother was worried that she may have a hard time dealing with the trauma of losing her father, so they might have probably thought that she was slowly losing her mind. She had wished things had turned out differently, but now, she was in the middle of nowhere, without any slight idea on what to do. Lately, Tade had become sweeter, spoiled her with gifts, and they had had sex twice in one week already, but even though she enjoyed having him around her, she wasn't okay with betraying her conscience. Now, she stood in front of Chief Alade Wellington's magnificent four-storeyed apartment in Banana Island, Lagos, wondering why she had gone there in the first place. Tade wasn't even aware that she had gone to see his father, and she wanted to just turn around, but she felt that it was pointless, since she was already there. She rang the bell, and adjusted her collar as she waited for someone to come and open the gate. She had come to the house straight from the office, and was wearing a black shirt, matched with yellow cotton trousers, and beige coloured heels, with a black bag. As usual, her hair was tied in a bun. A bodyguard dressed in black suit, shirt and trousers, with black glasses, came out of the gate, staring at her from head to toe. 'Who are you, and what do you want?" He asked, in a thick baritone voice, which sent Bukunmi's heart beating with fear. 'Is Chief around?" She asked, ignoring his question. 'Why do you want to see him?" He asked. Bukunmi sighed. 'Tell him the daughter of Thomas Jibawo Ketu, the same one he had seen at the conference in Ogun State, wants to have a word or two with him," She said. The bodyguard appeared to be in thoughts. Without saying a word, he went back in, and came back two minutes later, asking her to come with him. Bukunmi picked up her phone, and sent a message to Nneoma, informing her of her location, and told her to get help if she didn't give her a call in two hours from then. When the message had been successfully sent, she followed the bodyguard closely, inside the apartment. It was a beautiful mansion, painted in shiny white, with glitters all over. There was a swimming pool at the end of the entrance, and all over, there were bodyguards dressed in the same manner the one she was with was dressed. They neither had a smile on their faces, nor responded to any of her greetings. She muttered a silent prayer, before stepping into the luxurious living room, where she saw Chief Alade Wellington in person for the second time in her life. He stood by a window, and on noticing that someone had entered, turned around, and removed his reading glasses in the most dramatic fashion, upon seeing Bukunmi, the exact replica of her father. 'Good evening, Chief," She said. 'So, you're Ketu's daughter?" He asked, not bothering to respond to her greeting. 'Yes, I am," She replied, as modestly as she could. 'Are you here to kill me like you promised?" He asked, wearing a smile. 'Then, your men will kill me, and I'm not ready to die yet," She responded. He gave a hearty chuckle. 'You have a good sense of humour, just like your father. That's why I was very fond of him," He said. 'You were fond of him, and you killed him?" She asked. He shrugged. 'At the time, I really didn't have a choice. He was going to turn me in, and that made him a snitch; snitches die, you know that, right?" 'Do they all die? I doubt that," Bukunmi said. Chief rolled his eyes. 'Why are you here? What is it that you want?" He asked. 'You have so much money, why don't you stop what you're doing?" She asked. 'How do you know I'm still into that business? How did you even find my house? Are you a spy? Who sent you?" He asked, not giving her a chance to answer any of his questions. 'Calm down, I'm not a spy. I work for Welling Fam Heights. As a matter of fact, I'm your son's personal assistant," She said. 'What? Does he know who you are?" He asked. 'Yes, he knew who I was from the very beginning, but still employed me," She replied. 'But why would he do that?" He asked, puzzled. Bukunmi responded with a small smile. 'He was looking out for me. Ever since the day my dad died, Tade always looked out for me. He used to send me money and gifts anonymously, and when I needed a job, he got me one. I recently found out who he was, and even though I started working at your company to get evidence to bring the people who had killed my father to book, I don't know if I want to do that anymore," She said. It was then that Chief Alade seemed interested in the conversation. 'Why is that so?" 'I love your son, Chief. All I had wanted from the get-go was justice for my father, but Tade has shown that he has a good heart and he keeps doing your bidding against his own will, and inasmuch as I want to pay you all back in your own coin, I love Tade too much to do that. Why then can't you just stop all these? Let the past be in the past. You have more than enough wealth. Why can't you just be satisfied?" She asked. Chief Alade smirked. 'The word, ‘satisfaction', is the most useless word in the world. Man, naturally, is an insatiable being. When you get something, even though you had thought that was your ultimate aim, you'd find yourself wanting more. That's how it is for me," He replied. 'Can't you consider Tade at least? Isn't he your son? Why do you have to drag him into your own mess?' She fired. He raised his hands. 'God bears witness with me that I have never dragged Tade into any of the things I am involved in..." 'You think asking a little child to train in martial arts daily and asking him to do your dirty work in order to make you proud, isn't dragging him into the things you're involved in?" She asked, quite alarmed. 'I don't think. I know," He responded. Bukunmi scoffed. 'Instead of stressing yourself over something you cannot change, why don't you join me for a drink? I'm indeed pleased that you have feelings for my son. At least, now, I won't have anything to worry about," He said. She was taken aback. 'Why would you say such a thing?" She asked. He gave a sly smile. 'Why wouldn't I say such a thing?" He retorted, before proceeding to give a reply to her question. 'Love is the strongest feeling a man could ever possess. Once someone falls in love, he is overtaken with the will to do only things that are in favour of the one he loves, no matter how hard he tries to fight it. For example, despite being fully aware of the fact that I am responsible for the death of your father, you cannot bring yourself to report the matter to the police, because not only will Tade be imprisoned, he'd also lose his father, and you cannot afford to hurt him, because you love him, and you are hell bent on doing only things that are in his favour," He explained. Bukunmi exhaled. The man wasn't wrong, and she didn't know the response to give to him, now that he had been right about everything. 'You know, my wife was a good woman and because she loved me dearly, she didn't disclose to anyone that I had been responsible for her father's death, neither did she let anyone find out about the practices I was involved in. While I did my loan business, she started a fashion business, and on discovering how lucrative it was, I decided to make it a better place, especially since eyes were starting to inquire into how I was so wealthy. I wanted them to believe that I had made my money from the business, and with that, got many investors to invest in Welling Fam Heights, and grew it into what it has become today," He said. 'So, your wife let you get away with killing her own father?" She asked, feeling disgusted. 'Don't sound that way, when you're doing the exact thing as well," Chief said. That was when she suddenly began to realise what she had to do. Just like she had felt that Tade's mum was stupid to have covered up her father's murderer and had even married him, her child was going to feel the same way someday if he or she discovered the truth. After all, there was nothing which was hidden under the sun. 'I have one final question for you, sir," Bukunmi said, almost in a yell. 'What could that be?" 'You seem to know a lot about love, so you should definitely know the answer to this question. Love, is it good or bad? Is it a right or wrong feeling?" She asked, waiting eagerly for his response. Chief Alade Wellington heaved a deep thoughtful sigh, cleared his throat, before giving an answer to the question. 'Love is a good feeling. It cannot be wrong, it is right," He responded. She nodded her head in agreement, with a small smile plastered on the corners of her mouth. 'You're right. Love can definitely not be wrong," She affirmed. 'Of course. Since what you feel for Tade isn't wrong at all, just ignore anything going on. After all, those debtors signed a contract, and apart from that, you wouldn't want Tade to hate you forever, would you?" She shook her head. 'No, I wouldn't. Are you happy though? Are you pleased that Tade is treading the same path as you?" She inquired. 'A goat can not give birth to a sheep. I couldn't have been more pleased that Tade is doing the things I do," He replied, with a broad smile. 'I've heard all I need to hear. I think I should get going now," She said, with a bow. 'Why? Just sit here. Maybe we could discuss about some things," He said. 'No. I have a date with Tade," She said, declining his offer politely. 'Have a nice evening then," He said, with a smile. She returned his smile, then turned around, and began walking out of the living room. If she didn't turn Tade and his father in, history would repeat itself. Just like Tade's mother had failed to report him to the police for killing her dad, she was going to fail as well. What if she then had a son, who took after Tade and his father, and killed a girl's father? Never! That would be one hell of a messy generation. Someone had to stop that cycle, and if she could just control her feelings, she would be that someone. Like Tade's father had said, love is a good feeling; it is right, and to her understanding, what that meant was that she had to do the right thing. Her father once said on a day when she was angry that had mother had pulled her ears when she had done something bad, 'Only those who truly love you correct you when you do something which is wrong." Love wasn't foolishness; it was beautiful. A hand pulled her arm just before she stepped out of the corridor, and she spun around quickly, with her heart thumping loudly, apprehensive and afraid of the unknown. The person who had pulled her arm turned out to be the monster who had ended her father's life untimely. He had deep cuts and scars on his face, and he looked like a beast that had escaped from a dungeon far off in the forest. He had large sized teeth, and although she was taller than he was, he was bigger than she was due to his muscular build, which made him look like a WWE fighter. Struggling unsuccessfully to wriggle out of his grasp, she spat on his face, which made him hiss in disgust, and he let her go, using his jacket to clean his face. 'Bitch!" He thundered. 'You deserve worse than that," Bukunmi said, rubbing her arm, which still hurt from the strong hold he had had on her. 'I know who you are, you're the daughter of Thomas Jibawo Ketu," He said, making it seem like it was a secret she had been trying to hide, but which he had discovered. She scoffed. 'Well, I know who you are as well. You are the criminal who murdered my father," She yelled. A smirk played around his lips. 'I only did what your lover's father instructed me to do. Did you know the part your so-called lover played in it though? Trust me, if you knew, you'd hate him more than you even detest me," Drago said. She rolled her eyes. 'And what makes you think I'm not aware of the part he played in the murder of my father? I know he disclosed his location, and I know that you all work to obtain kidneys in exchange for the money owed to you by your debtors," She revealed. 'Wait, what?" Drago asked, taken aback by her calm composure, being fully aware of everything going on. 'You heard me right," She retorted. 'Whoa!" He exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise. 'Yeah. So, why did you stop me in the manner you did?" She asked. He shrugged. 'I saw you at the anniversary party, and asked my men to look into you. We have full information on who you are, where you live, and the work you do for Welling Fam Heights. I was informed by one of my most trusted men that you were in Chief's house, and quickly came down here. I wanted to warn you not to try any funny business, because you'd just end up the same way your father ended," He revealed. Anger surged within her, and she clenched her fists, calming herself mentally to maintain her composure, and not let anger ruin the calmness that she had presently. 'Why did you come here today?" He asked, perplexed. She forced a smile. 'Why don't you ask Chief that question?" She asked. 'Sorry?" 'I had a nice conversation with Chief just a moment ago. Since you've been working for him for many years, he'd be willing to share that information with you. I have a date with Tade, see you," She said as politely as she could, then excused herself, walking away. She could feel Drago's eyes still on her, but she ignored the urge to turn around and tell him to mind his business, and just walked out of the compound. When she had first come to the apartment, she had wondered what she was doing showing up there in the first place, and thought to herself that she was probably wasting her time, and was going to leave there very much disappointed, if she even made it out alive. She took her phone out of her bag, and stopped the voice recording. Thankfully, Chief Alade Wellington hadn't suspected anything, and had actually trusted her, much to her surprise. It couldn't be that he didn't have common sense and just trusted her blindly. He seemed to have so much confidence that there was nothing she could do since she was head over heels in love with his son. A week ago, she hadn't known what to do, or which path to take after knowing of the truth, but with more evidence on her hands and with what Chief had said concerning love being right, she finally knew what to do. She wasn't sure if she had the courage to actually go ahead with the plan she had in mind, and the affair she had with Tade was so blissful that she didn't want anything to ruin it, but like her father had always said, 'Do the right thing, even if you're the only one who's doing it." Tears slid down her face, as time passed, and it started dawning slowly on her that soon, everything would be over. She wanted so badly to do what was right, but no one ever said it was easy to do what is right.