2 CHAPTER TWO

Eight months ago, l lost the love of my life, my one true soul mate. The death and ultimate end of my world really caused more damage than l had ever anticipated. No one saw it coming but that's just how life is, unexpected. Death is like a thief, you never see it coming but you always feel its impact and the death of Keira had a tremendous impact on the world at large, my world in the least. Keira being the thoughtful human being she is, left me with the best gift in the whole wide world, her daughter Akai.

It eats me up and tears my soul apart each and every single day that l am the cause of her death. Had l not convinced her to go to the club with me because l felt she was "too tense" and she needed to "loosen up" none of what happened would have happened. I would still have my best friend by my side. She really was as good as they come and this may be totally unjustified but the word pure was made solely for her. She had been keeping her purity for her wedding night however ended up having a very forgettable drunken one night stand with Akai's sperm donor. When she found out she was pregnant, she didn't have the heart to regret her decisions but with a heart of gratitude got on her knees to thank the Lord for her biggest blessing yet.

To this day l do not know who got her pregnant but according to her, she went to his office to inform him of the good news but the idiot didn't even remember her nor did he take responsibility for the pregnancy. Devastated, Keira almost had a miscarriage which led to the revelation of her cervical insufficiency which would ultimately either lead to premature death or a miscarriage. She decided to make me the sole guardian of her baby should anything happen to her, such foreshadowing.

The person who was dealt unjustly is Akai because she will never know the wonderful woman her late mother was. Keira was many things but the best thing about her was her heart, so kind, so forgiving, so thoughtful, always quick to lend a helping hand and not expect anything in return. Her generosity was very attractive and could be felt from a distance which is why people being the selfish human beings they are, always took advantage of her, not that she minded. As long as she in her heart knew that she was doing a good thing, nothing else mattered. Most would never expect that from her, having being raised with the world at her feet. Being the heiress of one of the biggest empires in the world would have turned just about anyone into an arrogant, conceited mess but not my Keira. She never let trivial things such as money corrupt her soul.

She was the first of her kind. To me, she was more than a friend but the sister l never knew l needed. She was always there to pick me up, when the world chewed me up and spit me out like a piece of trash, ready to give me the encouragement l needed to chase my dreams. She never once judged me and accepted me wholeheartedly with all my never ending drama. That is why l did not hesitate to be the best mother l possibly could be to Akai.

At eight months old, the little fire cracker is a healthy bouncing baby girl. She stole my heart the very first time l laid eyes on her, when the doctors put her in my arms right after her introduction to the world and her mother's departure. That memory will forever be engraved in my mind, the best yet worst day of my life. She is my new world gifted to me by my very own soulmate. Keira's parents did not agree with me being their only grandchild's guardian because they felt Akai was their blood and that somehow meant that she is their responsibility.

I can confidently say that Mr and Mrs Keys have never really liked me because of my ethnicity. They are proud racists and have always hated their daughter's association with the 'scum' of the earth that is me, worse of, of my complexion. They felt that my friendship with Keira was degrading and damaging for their reputation. Time and time again, they tried to pit us against each other not realizing that it made our relationship stronger.

When l was fresh out of university, Keira had convinced me to apply for a job at her parents company, HOUSE OF MEDIA thinking my work ethic would lead to a breakthrough in our relationship and they would finally give me the respect l deserved. Having graduated at the top of my class, l was able to land the position of Mr Keys personal assistant but unfortunately for me, he was only made aware of this on my first day of work.

He found me sitting at the desk outside his office, only to have the security guards drag me outside the office building by my hair. Due to this, l found myself trending on youtube for a whole month. Keira tried to convince her father to give me a chance because she had such great faith in me and went as far as telling him about how good it would be for the compay's image to have a female black employee. The arrogant man simply gave instructions to the security guards to call the police the next time they saw me try to enter the building.

The first three months of Akai's life were spent in a courtroom because her grandparents and l were in a custody battle. They hired the very best lawyers money can buy knowing very well that my financial situation could only afford mediocrity and used that to their advantage, going as far as telling the judge that because of my ethnicity their granddaughter will grow up in poverty and will become a low income stripper, not realizing that they had handed me Akai on silver platter. I could have easily forbade the from seeing their granddaughter but l wanted Akai to know her mothers side of the family, so l organised for Akai to spend the weekends with her grandparents fortnightly. Gratitude does not run in the Keys blood with the exception of the late Keira because the second l turned my back, they tried to run away with Akai.