OF LOVE AND HATE 1

5 days to the wedding....

Nancy rushed downstairs at the sound of the honking of the car that she knew was Mara's. It was the day for her gown fitting and she was more than excited. She had spent so much time choosing that gown and she couldn't wait to have her friends 'wow' at it when they saw it. She ran down the last flight of stairs with ease despite the height of her heels and looked around then frowned a little before turning to Miss Joyce who was waiting for her.

"Isn't Martha down yet?" she asked,

Miss Joyce only shook her head, "I haven't seen her today, miss."

Nancy's frown deepened as she turned around to look up the stairs wondering what had happened.

"Alright, I'd go see what's up. Could you t me Mara to give me a few minutes?"

"Yes, Miss. I would do that." Miss Joyce replied and walked towards the door while Nancy turned around and climbed up the flight of stairs to Martha's room. She knocked on Martha's door but received no response.

"Could she still be asleep?" Nancy murmured to herself biting her lips a little in worry before she raised her hand and knock again. This time she heard the sound of the door unlocking before it opened and Martha surfaced from behind it.

"Nancy!" Martha exclaimed with a smile laced with a pleasant surprise.

"Hey, Martha." Nancy said with a smile that turned into surprise when she saw Martha in her night robe.

"Martha, what happened? Did you forget about the bridal fitting today?" Nancy asked.

"Oh no! I am so sorry I totally forgot to tell you, I have an impromptu meeting at the microbial research institute today." Martha said innocently as she rested against the door frame folding her arm around her chest after wrapping the night robe around herself.

"....but, you are my bridesmaid and you have to also try on your dress? Can't you postpone or better still, just come over and try on your dress first?" Nancy asked with a fallen face while Martha shook her head,

"I am so sorry Nancy. I have to be there or else things might get pretty bad if my boss finds out I didn't attend the meeting. Please you have to understand." Martha said in her softest tone taking one of Nancy's hands and Nancy nodded thoughtfully.

To her, she was important but she couldn't put herself above a job she was sure Martha worked hard to get. If Martha lost her job she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She looked at Martha and gave her best smile in return.

"I'll bring your dress home for you, you can just have it fitted here and if there is anything that needs adjustment, we can just have the maker do it here. What do you think about that?" Nancy asked enthusiastically and Martha immediately hugged her.

"I would love that. Thank you so much for understanding Nancy, you are the best."

Nancy smiled happy that she could do that little thing for her friend, her father has always thought her to be selfless. She heard the angry honk of the car again and immediately pulls away then hurried toward the stairs while shouting. "See you later Martha. Tell the driver to take you when you leave!"

Martha stood there and sized her up as she watched her leave, the sweet smile disappearing from her face as she did. The moment Nancy was out of sight, Martha left the door and walked to the nearest window leaning against it with her arms folded over her chest again while she watched Nancy rush into the car parked outside the mansion.

The moment the car zoomed off, Martha immediately rushed to her room and took off the nightgown she was wearing, changing into a skimpy blue gown with heels then left her curls bouncing down her shoulders just the way she liked it. She rushed downstairs.

Miss Joyce who was busy supervising the cleaning of the house turned around at the sound of heels clacking on the stairs and saw Martha. Her brows immediately rose in a surprise she couldn't conceal. She had been told by Nancy that Martha would be attending an official meeting and she was to call the driver to take her when she was ready, but looking at Martha now, Martha looked nothing like someone who fitted that description, she looked more like someone who would be attending a dinner or shall she say a night club?

Martha eyed and ignored her stares as she headed for the door, while Miss Joyce immediately came to her senses.

"Miss Martha, please hold on, I will call the driver to take you to your dinner..... Sorry I meant meeting." Miss Joyce said as she hurriedly followed Martha who had a face full of makeup. Something that was different from what she usually had on.

"Never mind, I called a cab over already." Martha said as she walked to the door not even acknowledging the maid who she felt was a busybody.

"But Miss Nancy said...."

"I said never mind!" Martha said sternly turning to Miss Joyce, with her hand on the doorknob.

Miss Joyce swallowed her protest in embarrassment and left immediately. Since she had been working for the Blooms, this was the first time anyone had ever embarrassed her but she couldn't complain, not everyone was like the Blooms after all.

Martha watched Miss Joyce leave, to ensure that she wouldn't be followed, she then turned to open the door but she remembered something. She turned around to the retreating Miss Joyce,

"Oh and Miss Joyce?"

Miss Joyce turned around and looked at her,

"Don't tell Nancy the driver didn't take me okay?" Martha said with a sweet smile on her face and the embarrassed Miss Joyce could only nod in confusion. Which satisfied Martha as she left the house immediately.

......................................

Richmond, who had just ended the early morning meeting he had been stuck in, walked out in a hurry with his phone in his hands. He was trying to set things right with Martha and the thought of ruining it with the first impression of lateness was just frustrating but there was nothing much he could do about it. He couldn't refuse to attend the meeting, he couldn't leave any loose ends when his wedding was just around the corner.

He glanced at his wristwatch, he was five minutes late to his meeting with Martha already and he had made sure that they would be meeting at a place on the outskirt of town where no one could recognize him or where his fiancée and her busybody friends would never suddenly appear, which meant it would take longer time to drive there.

As he walked hurriedly both pleased with his meticulous planning and frustrated at his inability to stop the ticking time from making him further late, he bumped shoulders with a man dressed in a suit similar to his and their phones fell to the ground.

"I am so sorry," The man said quickly as he picked up the two similar phones and handed Richmond's phone back to him.

The annoyed Richmond snatched his phone from the man and tucked it into his pants pocket, he was annoyed at the man but he wasn't in the mood to scold him. The man must be there for a meeting and since he had never seen his face, he was most likely a prospective business partner. Richmond thought as he walked towards the elevator.

The man also walked away after apologizing continuously, apologizes which Richmond didn't respond to as he hurried away.

The man rounded a corner, looked around then turned on the phone that had Nancy bloom's picture as its screensaver. Satisfied that the Phone he held was not his but was Richmond's, he turned it to the back, opened its case, and pulled out a tiny box from inside his own suit pocket. In the tiny box was a microchip which quickly he attached it to Richmond's phone before closing it up and running after Richmond.

He caught up with Richmond outside the building, about to enter his car,

"Excuse me sir!" The man shouted as he ran up to Richmond who turned to him with an irritated look on his face.

"Is there a problem?" Richmond asked

"Yes, I am sorry. It seems like we swapped phones. This isn't mine." The man said politely as he handed the phone over to Richmond. Richmond looked at the picture of Nancy that was his screensaver and immediately pulled out the one in his pocket to see that it was really not his. He sighed and murmured a thank you before exchanging it, then got into his car and drove off without giving it a second thought.

The unknown man, whose physic resembles the one who had raided Richmond's office the night before stood rooted at that spot and watched the car drive out of sight before he walked to another car parked not far away from him. He knocked on the tinted glasses then opened it and got in when he felt it get unlocked.

In the driver's seat, Ramon who had been waiting patiently for the arrival of the other man looked at him.

"Did you succeed?" Ramon asked and the man who goes by the name Draco smiled.

"Have I ever failed?" Draco asked as he pulled a laptop from the back seat onto his lap and switched it on.

He quickly got busy with it, clicking away buttons as fast as he could. Soon he punches the enter button and just immediately, Richmond's movement appeared on the screen. Draco smiled and rubbed his palms together in excitement then looked at Ramon with a smile.

"Let the hunt begin."