Paul was certain he understood nothing, no matter how little, out of the unfolding drama. He couldn’t draw out any meaning from the drama.

Who was the man that rendered the belle that had so much held him spellbound effectless within seconds?

The man sure looked innocent. He never seemed intimidating nor eerie. He felt he could deduce the quack demeanour the man was aiming to exhibit. He felt the intense need to shield his lady from whatever hurt the man aimed to shoot.
He was prepared to defend Jolade.

But a distraction had begun to pop in his head.

The moment he saw Anabelle, he was starting to realize that old feelings hardly stay down. She never seemed to forget her charms, did she!
She looked edgy. But unlike Jolade didn’t seemed scared, her edginess was like that of an adorable little puppy. She looked like she had betrayed someone.

---

Anabelle walked hastily towards the door almost breaking to a run, maybe she thought Jolade would lock herself in.

“I’m sorry,” she started on getting close to her and spread her arms like to explain. “I really am. I had no choice.”

Jolade hesistated. She knew she needed a shoulder to lift her spirit. A body to lean on. She had expected Paul to come running after her. But she saw it might not happen. He hadn’t know what was amiss yet, and he no longer cared, she thought. She felt like eating up Anabelle. She felt she was just acting things up. Like she had intentionally brought in Timi.

Anabelle made to draw her closer. And she dodged. “Don’t you dare. You devil!” she snapped. “You’re always looking out for an opportunity to ruin things. You are evil. It’s you,” she screamed. And in a bid to dodge Anabelle’s advancing hand she tripped over a piece of stool she forgot was there.

So fragile and d!cky she had turned that on hitting the heaving hard floor she passed out.

Horror filled Anabelle’s eyes. Her body went limp.
She turned motionless. She just stared on like a döpe. Her intellects told her she needed to act urgently but she couldn’t. She knew she was being silly but she had no choice. She then seemed like a fatalist.

---

Paul tried to speak responsibly to Timi once more. He had tried for a number of times without success.

“Hello, Sir,” he modested. “What exactly’s wrong?”

Timi’s mouth opened in disgust. He shut it back on a second impulse. It seemed the man before him was alien to who he was.

“Sir?” Paul raised his voice a notch. He was almost getting on the edge.

Timi sq££zed his hands. He had had enough.
His military person had got to him. He wished his ‘boys’ had flanked him along.

He looked at Paul closely and smile irritably. Paul was handsome and well dressed. His hairstyle was impressive too.

“Okay,” Paul heard Timi’s voice after some seconds. “She’s had a daughter for me,” the rest came out like he was enjoying hiself.

Paul’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

He refused to believe what he heard. “Come again!”

Just then he heard a terror stricken voice from inside. He knew whose voice. It was Anabelle’s.

He turned to run only to find Timi halfway in, already.
It seemed Timi still loved Jolade.