"I can't let you get married to such a man!" my father roared.
I stood frozen, unable to believe my ears. Just a few hours ago, my boyfriend Abel had proposed to me. I was over the moon. I couldn't wait to share the news.
The entire ride home, I was so giddy with excitement I kept squealing and chatting non-stop with my driver. The poor man looked stunned. Me—usually bossy and sassy, as people liked to say—was suddenly acting polite and cheerful like a teenage girl in love.
Abel and I had been dating for two years. And truth be told, I had started to worry the proposal might never come. But it did—finally—and in the most romantic way possible!
Unlike the other men I had dated, who only wanted my money, Abel was different. He's the heir to a multi-million naira empire, a company his father built from the ground up. So no, he wasn't after my wealth—he loved me. And it mattered to me that our love felt genuine.
My own father is the CEO of one of the largest production companies in the East. Wealth runs in both families—money was never the issue.
But what I didn't see coming was my father's outright rejection of the marriage. "Abel Danladi?" he repeated with venom. "As long as he is a Danladi, he is not coming into my family!"
"Dad!" I exclaimed, frustrated and confused. "I know he's your competitor in the global market, but that doesn't mean I can't marry him. In fact, if you two joined forces, you could take over the entire production sector!" I was pleading, desperate to make him see reason. But he wouldn't budge.
"Danladi is a d@ngerous man," he snapped. "He has made too many enemies. If he becomes my in-law, then his enemies become mine—and I want no part in that mess."
I turned to my mother for support, clinging to a shred of hope.
"Mum, please—say something. I'm talking about my happiness here," I begged.
But she didn't even flinch or defend me.
"You heard your father, Amanda. We can't let you marry a Danladi. And that's final."
Anger exploded inside me. I stomped my foot in rage and shouted words I immediately regretted. I was so furious, I felt like my body temperature could fry plantain. And in that moment of heat, I said it—I told them I wished I was never born an Evans! Because why can't I marry the love of my life because of power tussle?!
I stormed out and went back to Abel's place with tears in my eyes. I begged him to let me spend the night there. I ended up staying till the next evening, before deciding to return home.
I wanted to apologize. I thought maybe—just maybe—I could get my father to see reason. I even asked Abel to call his father and arrange a conversation between them. Maybe a calm discussion would change things.
Abel agreed. He even offered to drive me back himself, knowing how drained I was. I couldn't bear the thought of calling my driver to take me home.
When we got to the house, I said goodbye to Abel and walked straight to my father's room.
But nothing—nothing—could have prepared me for what I saw.
A figure was jumping out through the window. I froze in fear and shock. I tried to get a glimpse of his face, but no matter how much I stretched my neck, I couldn't. All I saw was his build—definitely a man—wearing a dark sweater with a Nike logo at the back.
Before I could react, he was gone.
That's when I looked ahead—and saw my father. He was lying in a pool of blood on the bed. A knife was l0dged deep in his chest.
Who… did this? How?
I fainted.
To be continued...
Complicated
Episode 1
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