Chapter Twenty-three

"I thought you mentioned you had a business meeting in Sicily, Italy?"

Darin settled into an empty chair across from her desk, placing a coffee mug right in front of her. "Actually," he said, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, "I still have some unfinished meetings here in Nigeria that I need to wrap up first. I'll probably head out of the country this weekend."

Without looking up from the files she was signing, Ronke replied, "I was surprised to see you in the office today. You hardly ever come here. I think this is only the second time since you were born." She glanced around, "And why are you the one bringing me coffee? Where is that—"

"Mom, I sent her on an errand," Darin interrupted, covering for Adesua. But since when did he start sending her on errands? The truth is, Adesua was somewhere in the building, waiting for him. "And I don't like how you order her around like a puppet."

Ronke chuckled dryly, rolling her eyes as she tossed one file aside and picked up another. "As if that's not part of her daily duties? Besides, you just said it yourself, 'like a puppet,' which is like saying she's a nobody—"

Darin slammed the desk, almost spilling the coffee, causing his mother to look up at him in shock as if she'd just seen a ghost. "For the last time, stop addressing her that way, Mother. For the love of God, she's a person with potential. Working for you isn't her life's calling, so lay off!"

For a full twenty seconds, Ronke struggled to process what she had just heard.

Could it be that something's going on that she doesn't know about?

She hoped not because if there was, she'd take drastic action.

Later, at 9:30 PM, at Ayomide's Mansion...

Ronke sat in front of her vanity mirror, applying her nighttime skincare routine after a cold shower.

The incident at the office earlier kept replaying in her mind. She couldn't keep it to herself any longer and needed someone to talk to. Her husband was just in bed, reading the latest news on his Samsung S23 Ultra.

A sense of unease grew in her stomach. Clutching the edges of the table, she cursed under her breath, her eyes fixed on the mirror. She called out to her husband, "Darling?"

"Hmm?" he replied, not looking up from his phone.

"Have you noticed anything suspicious lately between our son Darin and that girl—Adesua?"

Her husband was momentarily distracted by a suggested article on his phone, "Which Adesua are you referring to?"

The question nearly made Ronke lose her patience. "Do we have another Adesua in this house?" she snapped.

He finally glanced up, giving her partial attention. "Oh, Adesua. What's going on with her?"

Ronke grew more frustrated. It seemed her husband hadn't been paying attention to anything she'd said. "Kunle, I think Darin is involved with Adesua. I suspect they're getting close. You should have seen how he defended her at the office today and how he brought coffee for her, just like the other day when he fetched the salt on her behalf." She rattled off everything quickly.

Kunle looked at her for a moment as if processing her words before adjusting his reading glasses. "Ronke, Darin is a grown man now. He has his own life to live. That little boy we once knew is now a man capable of making his own choices and understanding right from wrong. So, if you believe he's dating Adesua or that they have something going on...let them be. What's the problem?"

"NEVER!!!!!!!!!" she exclaimed, throwing herself onto the bed in frustration. She turned away from her husband and pulled the duvet closer around her.

Kunle just looked at her, staring into space.