ENJOY....
★
'Mommy is here' Arabella yelled happily and then Damon turned around and to his greatest surprise, he saw her. The person he never thought he would see again.
'Ixora...' Damon called out in shock.
'Damon.' Her voice was so low that she could barely hear what she said. Her heart stopped as she stood rooted to her place. Her stomach twisted. She felt her breathing change as she saw Damon.
She then felt a sharp pain in her chest as her muscles constricted. She felt time seeming to slow down. Not being able to comprehend what she was seeing.
Was this Damon with her kids in his arms? She felt numb.
'Mommy' her kids called out, jolting Ixora out of her thoughts.
'Come here kids,' Ixora said and the kids turned to Damon who put them down immediately.
'Mommy, you know him?' Isabella asked.
'You and your sisters go to the car and wait for me there,' Ixora said as she swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down. She felt like putting a knife in this man's chest for touching her kids at all.
'Yes mommy,' the kids said as they helped Isabella and walked towards the car.
Ixora swallowed hard as she stared at Damon. She wanted to be sure it was him, and it was him. Her greatest nightmare. The memories of everything he did to her came running into her head like a flash.
She stared at him with raw hatred in her eyes before walking away.
Meanwhile, Damon stood numb, still shocked. When he was back to reality, he rushed toward Ixora but it was already too late because she had ignited the engine of the car and zoomed off.
'Damon, are you alright?' he heard Mr. Luke call from behind and he turned to him.
'Yes, I'm fine' he responded and forced himself to smile.
'Come on, let's go. You should go rest at your motel, the funding party is tomorrow.'
The car screeched to a halt in front of Ixora's compound. The drive was a silent one as the air felt so hot. Ixora opened the car door and alighted. She opened the door for the kids and helped them out. She closed the door and walked inside the house.
'Mommy' Isabella called.
'Go to your room, Isabella,' Ixora said as she dropped her bag on the couch in the sitting room. Ixora didn't know how she was feeling but what she knew was that she was trying to suppress the anger she was feeling so she would not unleash it on her kids.
'Mommy, are you alright?' Annabella asked. They knew their mommy had been acting weird since she saw Damon Kings. They began to wonder if their mommy knew the man because he called their mommy's name, Ixora.
'I'm not fine, Annabella. I'm not. Where did you guys meet that man you were talking with? Where?' Ixora yelled at the kids who flinched at her.
The kids were so scared. They had never seen their mommy this angry before.
'Mommy, we met him at the school and Isabella introduced him to us,' Arabella said as she burst into tears.
Ixora turned to Isabella.
'Where did you meet that man? Huh? Answer me' Ixora yelled as she moved towards Isabella, gripping her hands. Isabella joined her lips together as she stared at Ixora with tears in her eyes.
'I met him at our restaurant yesterday,' Isabella cried out.
'Didn't I warn you guys not to talk to strangers? Huh?' she yelled.
'Uh, answer me. Didn't I tell you not to speak with strangers?' Ixora yelled as she held her wrist tightly.
'Mommy, you're hurting her,' Clarabella said and Ixora stared at Isabella and quickly let go of her hands. Her wrist was already red.
Ixora put her hands on her chest as tears gathered in her eyes. What was she doing? She let the thought of the past cloud her mind that she didn't know she was hurting her daughter, Ixora thought as tears slipped down her cheeks.
She stared at her kids who were already in tears.
'Oh my God!! Isabella, I'm sorry, I'm sorry' Ixora said as she bent to her level and hugged her so tight. She pulled away from the hug and stared at her wrist. She kissed it and blew some air on it.
'I'm sorry baby, mommy is sorry for hurting you' Ixora cried as she hugged her again and told the rest of the kids to come too and they hugged each other. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
She pulled away from the hug and wiped each of their tears.
'I brought some food from the restaurant. Come on, let's go eat. It's your favorite' Ixora said as more tears slipped down her cheeks.
She wiped her tears and helped her kids sit on the dining chair. She served the food. She stared at them and noticed they had sad faces on. More tears slipped down her cheeks. She felt so sad and heartbroken that her kids were sad and it was all her fault. She had let her emotions get the better of her. She blamed herself.
Ixora wiped her tears and smiled at the kids.
'Mommy is going to feed you guys today. It's been a while since I did that and tomorrow I'm going to give you guys your iPad so you can play your favorite games' Ixora said and their faces brightened except for Isabella who was still in tears.
Ixora stood up and moved towards Isabella and kissed her cheeks.
'Sweetheart, mommy is sorry,' Ixora said as more tears slipped down her cheeks as she wiped her daughter's tears.
Isabella turned to her mommy and wiped Ixora's tears.
'I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry for making you cry,' Isabella said and Ixora smiled out of tears. She quickly laughed and wiped the tears.
'Let's eat before it gets cold,' Ixora said. She carried a spoon filled with food and put it in Isabella's mouth. She carried another spoon filled with food and put it in Clarabella's mouth. She fed the four of them till they were filled up.
She carried them to their room and helped them take their bath. After that, she helped them lay on their bed. She told them a bedtime story till they drifted to sleep.
By the time she was done, she was already exhausted.
★
She stood up from the chair she was sitting on and moved towards her daughters who were asleep. She kissed their forehead and walked out of the room.
She walked inside her room and locked the door. She then sat on the ground and put her hands on her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. Memories of everything Damon did to her came running into her head like flash.
How it had all started, the ambush, how her mom was killed by her uncle. How she was sold out and Damon had told her she was paying for her father's sin even though she had no clue then of what her father did to him. He tortured her and made life a living hell for her. She never thought she would survive but she did and now when she thought she was never going to see him again, when she thought she and her children were going to be happy, he showed up.
When she thought she was finally letting go of her past and moving on, he shows out of the blue bringing back those traumatized memories, and worst of all she had seen her kids playing with him, that monster, she thought.
She still could not believe it was him she saw. He had made her remember the past and she almost hurt her daughter. Must he make her life miserable and make things go wrong for her, she thought.
Isabella had told her she met him at the restaurant, and she began to wonder what he wanted this time. Had he known about her and the restaurant and her kids? Had he come to find her so he could make life miserable for her again? But he was wrong, Ixora thought.
She is no longer the weak woman he had made life miserable for years ago. She is different now, she is strong now, she will make him pay and fight him back even though it means death. She will do just anything to protect her kids.
She sighed softly and stood up from the ground. She brought out her phone wondering if she should call Daniel but on a second thought, she dropped her phone on her bed. She was not going to call him. This is her fight and she will fight it alone.
She walked inside the bathroom and removed her clothes. She took a cold bath and walked out of the bathroom with a towel tied around her chest.
She stood in front of her dressing mirror and let go of the towel. She was now standing naked in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She stared at the scars on her body. She remembered the day Damon had beaten the hell out of her. She touched the scars on her stomach. 'I will never forgive you for this Damon, never,' she thought as tears gathered in her eyes.
She moved away from the mirror and lay on the bed naked, covering herself up with the duvet. She sighed softly as she stared at the ceiling, a lot of thoughts going through her mind. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
Meanwhile, after Damon had gotten to the motel, he said Mr. Luke goodbye because he was the one who dropped him off. He walked inside his motel room and locked his door and sat on the bed.
He could not believe he had seen Ixora. He thought it was a dream but he realized it was her. It was Ixora. She was alive. He did not know what to think anymore. He was still in shock.
And the kids, they had called Ixora mommy. Does that mean Ixora is the mother of those kids and they are his? Is that the reason they have the same eyes as his? He asked no one in particular.
He had first met Isabella in the restaurant. Does that mean Ixora owns the restaurant too? He had a lot of thoughts and questions going through his mind and he needed answers.
He did not know if he should feel happy or sad that he had finally seen Ixora after all these years. He sighed softly and sat on the ground. If eyes could kill, Ixora's eyes would have killed him the moment she saw him. He had seen the shock in Ixora's eyes when he saw her but there was something else he saw. Hatred.
The hatred was so real and raw that she would kill him instantly if she was given a gun. He could feel her hatred towards him. He could sense it. He felt so sad. He had never seen that kind of hatred before.
He deserved to be hated after everything he did to her. After all the torture and everything. It is all his fault, he blamed himself as tears gathered in his eyes.
He wished he could undo everything he had done and do something different but he could not because it was already too late. Ixora would never forgive him for what he did. She hated him so much. Tears slipped down his cheeks.
He regrets everything he has done to her. He wiped his tears and lay on the ground, a lot of thoughts going through his mind.
He was so lost in thought that he did not know his phone was ringing. Andrew had given him six missed calls and he did not know.
He closed his eyes and suddenly drifted to sleep.
It was morning again and Ixora had woken up so early. She prepared breakfast for her kids and packaged their lunch boxes.
She went upstairs to their room and woke them up. She helped them take their bath and get dressed for school.
She served them their breakfast at the dining table and asked them to eat while she went upstairs and got dressed for work.
By the time she was done getting dressed the kids had already finished breakfast.
She carried their lunch boxes and bags and put them in the car and the children entered the car too. She dropped them at school and then zoomed off to work.
Today was the funding party day. She needed to get to the restaurant in time to make sure everything was okay and well arranged.
★
After Ixora had gotten to the restaurant, she went straight to her office and dropped her things off. Just then Dina walked inside her office.
'Hey' Dina smiled at Ixora.
'Hey,' Ixora managed to smile as she brought her phone from inside her bag.
'Is everything in place? Is there anything you would want me to tell Andrea to bring in?' Ixora asked.
'Yes, everything is in order. We just need a few chafing dishes' Dina said and Ixora nodded in response.
'They will be delivering a new T-shirt with the restaurant name written on it. All the staff and the people who will serve must put it on. It's a must' Ixora said as she dialed Andrea's number on her phone.
'But Ixora I thought you said no T-shirt, just cooperate, black and white?' Dina asked, wondering why the change of plan was all of a sudden.
'I changed my mind Dina and that's my final decision,' Ixora said as Andrea answered the phone call.
'Andrea, I'll be needing some chafing dishes urgently...' Ixora said on the phone as she walked out of her office leaving Dina all alone. Dina began to wonder what was wrong with her.
Why the strange attitude all of a sudden? This wasn't the Ixora she saw yesterday before she went home. Something must have happened. She wondered what it was.
It was already 10 am and the party had already begun. Expensive cars could be seen driving inside the compound of the restaurant. Elegant men in suits could be seen with their wives, most of them with their concubines, as they entered the restaurant which was now looking more like a hall.
They had removed all the tables and chairs inside the restaurant and rearranged everything making it look more magnificent. Waiters could be seen in their black T-shirts with a mixture of yellow and the name Bella's boldly written on them.
'Wow, this is beautiful,' people who entered the restaurant said in admiration. They were not just any people, they were CEOs.
Not quite long, the hall was almost filled with people. Just then Mr. Luke walked inside the restaurant.
He smiled as he saw the setting and everything. He had never felt so satisfied with the way he was feeling now. When the CEOs saw him, they smiled at him while some walked toward him and shook hands with him.
He walked towards the stage and the mic was given to him.
'Welcome everyone, welcome and thank you for coming,' he said smiling as he spoke.
'As we all know what this party is about. We CEOs in and outside of town come together, donate money or whatever we have, and bring them together. We then give the money to the homeless, the widow, the orphanage, and so on. This party is held every sixth month of each year.
I'm grateful and appreciate everyone who made time to come. This funding party was first organized by my grandfather, late Mr. John Adams, in the year 1880. After my grandfather passed away in the year 1960, my father became the host but unfortunately, my father died in the year 1990 and I took over from there.' He paused and smiled, then continued.
'When I step down we're going to find another host, although it was supposed to be from a bloodline. As you all know I have no child. But that doesn't mean I don't have a child.' He laughed and the crowd laughed too.
'I have someone who is like a son to me. He's a man of honor and he would be the one to take over when I'm gone. He'll be my successor. He's a man of his word and a man of authority.' He paused and smiled and the crowd hummed, staring at each other wondering who he was going to call.
'Let's welcome Damon Kings,' Mr. Luke said and just then Damon walked inside the hall with two hefty men in black behind him. Immediately the crowd saw him they clapped their hands.
Damon smiled and waved to them as he walked to the stage.
'I love this man,' Mr. Luke said as he hugged Damon. He then gave the mic to Damon.
Damon smiled and waved at the crowd who was cheering and just as he was about to speak he caught a glimpse of Ixora standing at the corner of the hall, staring at him with pure hatred in her eyes. He swallowed hard as both eyes came in contact.
If only looks could kill. Ixora gave him one more stare before walking out of the hall.
Damon swallowed into nothing and smiled at the crowd.
'Thank you all, thank you, Mr. Luke. It's an honor,' Damon said and gave the mic to Mr. Luke.
'That will be all for now. So enjoy the party and have fun. Thank you,' Mr. Luke said as he dropped the mic and walked toward one of his business partners who he just saw.
'Landon,' Mr. Luke smiled at him.
'Hey, Luke,' Mr. Landon, who was almost the same age as Mr. Luke, smiled.
'Landon, meet Damon Kings. Damon, this is my business partner, Landon,' Mr. Luke said.
'Hello Damon,' Mr. Landon said and Damon smiled at him. He was physically present there but his mind wasn't there. All his thoughts were about Ixora. He wondered where she had gone just now. He just hoped he could see her so they could talk.
Ixora was seen in her office standing by her window, staring outside. A lot of thoughts going through her mind.
'Ixora, I was looking for you,' Dina said as she walked inside the office.
'I'm here. Just taking some fresh air,' Ixora said as she moved from the window and sat on her chair.
'Are you alright, Ixora? You've been acting strange since morning and now you're here all alone in your office when you should be at the party,' Dina said and Ixora sighed softly.
'I saw him, Dina. I saw him,' Ixora said as she felt tears gather in her eyes.
'Who?' Dina asked, not understanding what she was saying.
'That monster,' Ixora said, almost yelling and Dina quickly closed the open door.
★
'Oh my goodness! Where? When?' Dina asked, surprised.
'I saw him at my kid's school yesterday and now he's at the party,' Ixora said as she scratched her head.
Dina stared at Ixora, whose eyes were now filled with tears.
'The moment I saw him those memories I have been trying to bury, they came back. I can't sleep at night, Dina. I keep remembering all the things he's done to me. It makes me so angry that I hurt Isabella last night,' Ixora cried, and Dina exhaled deeply, not knowing what to say. She moved towards her and helped her stand up from the chair, then hugged her.
'You gonna be fine. Everything will be fine,' Dina consoled as she patted her back. Just then they heard a knock on the door. Dina moved away from the hug and cleaned her tears.
'Come in,' Dina said, and the manager, Aria, opened the door and walked in.
'Ma'am, your attention is needed outside,' Aria said.
'Hope everything is fine out there?' Dina asked.
'Yes, some few people want to see her. I think they wanna discuss business with you,' Aria said as she stared at Ixora, who didn't say a word. She wondered what was wrong with Ixora, she's been acting strange, she thought, but then she quickly shook off the thoughts and told herself it was none of her business.
'I'll be out shortly,' Ixora finally spoke, and Aria nodded before walking out and closing the door behind her.
'You don't need to go out there if you don't want to,' Dina said.
'It's fine,' Ixora said.
'What if you run into him?' Dina asked worriedly.
'I can handle myself, Dina. I'll be fine,' Ixora said, and Dina nodded in response as they both walked out of her office.
By the time Ixora came out of her office, she met lots of crowds still in the hall, but it seemed like most of them were outside. She scrutinized the hall, searching for Damon, but he wasn't there. She sighed softly. She just hopes he's left.