The Wedding Night

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you are living?”

Bob Marley

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Giovanni POV

Normal people relaxed on Sunday evening but that is not the case for me because my Sunday is like any other miserable day but today didn’t turn out like my other miserable Sundays because Dennis visited me and told me a shocking fact about my past.

“I couldn’t get much information boss but here is what I got,” Dennis handed me a brown folder.

I took it from him and anxiously tear the paper to see the content inside. The news inside the paper came as a shock to me because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked and Dennis nodded.

“This came from a reliable source”

I looked at the paper in my hands and couldn’t help but wondered how I got married without me knowing. I’m sure my parent were hiding something from me and I needed to find out.

“Dennis, I’ll like it if you could dig deeper into my past and also try digging into my personal assistant’s life”

“You think she could be related to this?” Dennis asked but I didn’t give him a reply instead I gave him an order.

“I need you to find any information on her. From her childhood till now.”

“But sir, that’s won’t be easy”

“I do not care Dennis. Get me the information in two weeks and…..” I didn’t get to finish because my phone rang in my pocket and I was curious to find out who was calling me. When I saw the caller’s name, I almost threw my phone on the wall. I ignored the call and continue speaking with Dennis but everything time the ringing stopped, it didn’t take seconds for it to start ringing. What was Lorenzo calling me for?

“That’s would be all Dennis,” I told my bodyguard who didn’t say anything but bow and left the room.

Few seconds after Dennis left, Lorenzo stopped calling and I thought it was all over until his message popped up on the screen on my phone.

“Uncle Benjamin got released today, that was why I kept calling you. I wanted to make sure you were fine.”

I reread the message over and over again. Could today get worst? I just found out that I was married in my past and now my estranged and crazy uncle is free from prison. Why do I always get to be unlucky?

I didn’t wait time in dialing Lorenzo’s number. He picked at the first ring and I could hear the fear in his voice

“Glad to see you calling me after I called you for like thirty times, brother.” I could hear the sarcasm in my brother’s tone as he spoke.

“What do you mean uncle Benjamin got released?” I asked him the question I needed answers to.

“It just happened alright. I heard from dad and he told me to call you.”

“As if he cares,” I scoffed at the thought of my father caring about someone. He was a selfish man who cares about himself and that was the reason the company collapsed in his care.

“Giovanni, father cares alright because if he doesn’t…”

“Who do you think got uncle Ben out of prison?” I questioned not bothering anymore thing about father. It old story to me.

“I don’t know Gio but from what I heard from Father, it seems it was Lucas who got him out.”

“Lucas? I haven’t seen Lucas in twenty years ever since uncle Ben went to prison. How is he here in mecianda?”

Lucas Aderemi was our cousin and the son of uncle Benjamin. The last time I saw Lucas was when his father was arrested for murder twenty years ago. Uncle Ben and my father were twins but, they hated each other. I didn’t know the reason for their hatred but I knew it had something to do with the inheritance.

Twenty years ago when my father became the chairman of the company, uncle Benjamin got greedy and tried to kill my father but instead, my father’s Driver and bodyguard got hit and uncle Benjamin was sent to prison. I could still remember the looks Lucas, his son gave to my father that day. He threatened to kill my family and that was the last time I heard from him. I was just ten years old at that time and now twenty years later, they were back and only God knows what they had in plan.

“Giovanni! are you there?” Lorenzo asked over the phone. We were still talking but I had zoned out already. “Giovanni!” Lorenzo called again.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“This is the time for us to reunite and stand together as brothers because….”

I didn’t let him finish before I hung up the phone. Stand together as brothers? Maybe in another lifetime. All I could think of throughout the whole Sunday was how to get uncle Benjamin and his son away from my family.

“What was I to do?”

That was the question I asked myself until the next morning. I couldn’t even sleep that night because I couldn’t get the thought of my uncle and his son off my head.

When Monday came, I prepared myself for work and got to the company before anybody else. I got there around 6:00 am which was too early but not for me.

*****~~~~~Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Melody POV

It’s Monday and another new week. By Friday, my boss and the directors would be expecting our proposals and I didn’t know if I was going to get the position because I haven’t started working on it.

When I got to the office that morning, I could sense something wrong. The boss was early and it was the first time I witness him resuming so early ever since I started working in the company.

Even when I knocked and entered his office, he didn’t acknowledge my presence because he was engrossed In his computer. When I informed him about his schedules, he just waved me off without saying anything.

“He isn’t in a good mood but who I’m I to ask”

Those were thoughts as I turned to leave his office but before I did, I looked at him closely and shook my head at how arrogant the man was. His eyes were all bloodshot like he hasn’t had asleep in a while. He looked fatigued but I knew his arrogance wasn’t going to let him admit it. When I was done looking at him, I walked out of his office and went to my desk.

The rest of the day went on like that until I heard something from Lindsey and the manager. I didn’t want to eavesdrop on their conversation but I couldn’t help it because they were whispering close to my desk.

“I heard the former chairman had a brother and he just got out of prison yesterday,” the manager, Samuel whispered to Lindsey.

“The former chairman had a brother?” Lindsey asked in shock. It seems she never expected it.

“Yes. I think that is why the boss is in a foul mood. This could result in inheritance fights,” he muttered.

“Terrible, really terrible.” Lindsey shook her head in pity.

I didn’t bother to listen to the rest of their conversation because they had changed the topic to something else.

“An uncle? He has an uncle?” I questioned myself because it wasn’t something I was expecting. I felt like I have heard someone tell me about their uncle before but I didn’t know who did. Why do my memories erase themselves when I needed them the most?

“Ugh, damn you stupid memories.”

When I got summoned by my boss later in the day, I could still see how fatigued he looked so I decided to say something ill probably regret.

“Sir,” I called his attention and I felt his bloodshot eyes glaring at me.

“What? I just told you to leave.” He said in his harsh tone that I was used to.

“Erm, I know you might probably hate me or fire me because of what I want to say but it’s the truth. John Lennon once said that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. Whatever you think is too hard now is going to end one day.”

“What makes you think that I want to hear all of this?”He asked with authority in his tone.

“Because I know that deep down, you are hurt and you are afraid to show it because you felt people will think you are weak but that’s not the case because what you felt is wrong now is all going to end soon,” when I finished talking, I took a deep breath and waited for my boss’s next actions. I expected him to yell and probably tell me to fuck off but after minutes of waiting for him to talk and he didn’t, I bow my head and quickly left his office.

When I got to my desk, I punched my head and yell at myself.

“You are stupid melody,” I said to myself.

After scolding myself, I looked up to watch my boss through the transparent glass and I found him looking back at me. We both stared at each other for a while but what I didn’t expect was the smile on his face.