10 CHAPTER NINE

Carly sat on the lawyer's office beside Mrs. Pauline. Charlie sat opposite to them without giving them a look. She burned inside as he looked so relaxed and carefree. They sat on the chair opposite each other waiting for the solicitor to join them. She glared away towards the door of which the solicitor was meant to come in from. She turned out to be under pressure. She glared at Mrs. Pauline who seems not so bothered, and then back to the door. She seemed tensed and would not tolerate any public disgrace again; but she trusted her father so much and he should have at least told her even if there was such thing of him signing a useless document with the mad fellow. She glared at Charlie once more, he was not tensed, and his facial expression depicts a man about to be promoted in an office or so. He was the same as the devil; an evil bird that does not know its roost. With the way he talks, perhaps he could kill anybody that blocks his way, and that's what Carly does not want to tolerate; never, not from him. Carly shook off her anxiety and focused on the door again; really expectant.

A second later, the solicitor walked towards them with a document. Carly's heart sank deep down her belle, she stood up and the latter did same. The solicitor came a bit close and shook their hands in turn, and then he moved back and sat on his desk fingering his moustache.

"-we are through with the proofing…" the solicitor glared at them and Carly's heart sank.

"Here Miss," the solicitor extended a document to her. She collected the file trying as hard as she could to not let her emotions betray her. The journalists were there just in time to air whatever there may be. After the ups and downs in her father's company, the journalists had made her their companion.

She opened the file and slowly, she slipped the paper out of it.

Quietly, she read its content. Everything was a match. Everything confirms that she had no stand in the claim.

Carly glared around in dismay at everybody present including Charlie. Her eyes ran through the file again; searching for a space that might have borne her name, she found none.

"This can't be! This is scam! Damn it, I can't believe this mister…" She directed her gaze at the solicitor and threw the paper at Charlie. Charlie glared at the paper in front of him and smirked making her heart to burn the more.

She ran out of the office and cried along. She didn't stop, she ran like an athlete still crying. She could hear Mrs. Pauline's voice calling out to her persistently.

The press team didn't spare anything out of the scene; all was live.

She continued running until she was out of the premises. She didn't want to ride in her car; it seems another man's property.

She almost ran into a vehicle, as she ran out of the premises. The driver stopped and glared at her.

"-miss, you want to get yourself killed, huh?"

"-get me out of this place…" Carly pretends not to have heard him.

"-what…?" the driver bellowed.

"Please…anywhere safe, now!" Carly snapped.

The man held his car door open and Carly ran in shutting the door immediately. The man sped of crazily as the situation suggested.

∆∆∆

Carly came down, now sober. She took out a naira note and tossed it over to the driver, instead of receiving the money, the driver shrank his face suggesting that he was not pleased.

"-I'm not a taxi driver ma'am…" the driver spoke and fixed at Carly.

Carly adjusted backward and observed the vehicle; it was a Lamborghini. She stood few meters away from the vehicle glaring at the man who seem familiar.

"-who are you please?" Carly spoke unheard.

"I'm the guy that helped you the other day that you were down in front of the local eatery; Antonia Empire to be precise."

"-so what do you want!" Carly snapped.

"-my thank you, miss…"

"I see; thank you then."

The young man glared at her, swerved the vehicle and drove off.

With that Carly turned and advanced into the building adjacent to her, her mood was a bit lightened up; it was a church yard.

∆∆∆

At home, Mrs. Pauline sat at the front porch worried. Carly had not returned and the sky was already giving way for darkness to set in. she seems tired and a bit angry. After the tragedy at the solicitor's office, she could hardly term the event a genuine one since she believes so much in her master's intellectual behavior; she knew that he can't do what will leave her daughter grieving all the days of her life. She expected Carly to return soon.

"Just where are you?" She paced to and from.

She had tried calling the girl several times but her phone was switched off. So there was no point trying again, she was even the one that drove Carly's vehicle home and had imagined where on earth she went.

She stood at the balcony peering down at the gate; expecting Carly's return.

Mrs. Pauline peered at a vehicle approaching and prayed that it should be a vehicle conveying Carly. True to her thought, the vehicle approached and halted at the gate front honking mildly. Mrs. Pauline ran downstairs and few minutes later she was at the gate. She held the gate ajar, walked outside and shot it behind her; still looking confused. A young man stepped out of the car. He greeted her with a bow, she did the same. She saw him turn over to the other side of the door, dragged it open, entered with his head and slowly came out carrying Carly who seem enchanted in her sleep.

Mrs. Pauline glared at the man bemused; she didn't utter a word but kept on glaring at the man suspiciously.

"-found her lying beside the road…" the young man glanced at the woman.

Worried Mrs. Pauline pushed the gate open, leading the way as the young man carried Carly in. She pushed the door to the sitting room open; and stood at the door as the man walked past her. She came in and let the door ajar, after directing the man on where to lay Carly; she went and stood by him overlooking Carly. Without uttering a word, the young man turned to go after dropping Carly on the couch.

"Wait a minute dear," She walked up to him. "Thank you." She said sniffling. "The young girl is going through a lot; she's not habitually like this." She pointed at Carly as she spoke.

"I understand…" the young man glared at her sympathetically.

"You do...?" the woman's gaze narrowed at him.

"-yeah of course," he turned to go.

"Wait! Name…your name, what's your name?" the woman stammered

"Eddy Bernard ma'am," He smiled warmly.

"Okay, Thank you, son." Mrs. Pauline smiled also.

With that the young man went out of the door without looking back. She turned back and glared at Carly.

"Poor child…" she approached and sat beside her looking at her thoroughly; trying to know if she needs any urgent attention.

She looked at Carly and sorrow seems much visible on her face, she ran her hand though her chin overlooking the picture of her father that hung on the wall.

"It is okay child, everything's going to be fine," she sobbed. "Just hang in there, never give up; and you'd see things turning out great…" her voice broke off in tears. She wailed; dabbing her hands on anything they could touch. She patted Carly, stood and left.

Carly lay on the couch with her facial expression so dull and paler than usual; her eyes closed into a deep slumber.

∆∆∆

On the road, Eddy deliberated blankly on what took place previously. Why did he meet the ungrateful girl again? The one that regard all men as dogs, she ought to be ignored by all men as well; perhaps that will teach her to at least appreciate a stranger. But after seeing her drink and cry alone at the bar, he couldn't just leave her alone. Something tells him that the girl needs protection; but she hates men and is too rude to be approached formally. He was never going to interfere in her matters again. He'll wait until she could be approached; and there is the risk of not ever meeting her again. He can't just let her walk around in pain, he ought to interfere.

Eddy drove all the while muttering to himself. It seems there was something greater that just living for him; because one would not be in the highway riding without attention. His leg was hard against the accelerator the same way his thought was hard on Carly.

The over engrossed Eddy ran out of track and headed for the woods beside the road without his awareness. He soon got to know when he began to bump over potholes in the wood. He tried as hard as he could to get the car in control; swerving from right to left, but the vehicle was heading for a crash. So therefore, he smashed the Lamborghini against a giant tree trunk and got knocked off.

Few seconds later he jerked to reality. He struggled to set himself free but to no avail. He was too disturbed to think; he couldn't figure out that he was suspended by the seat belt; of which hung him upside-down. He gave the car a hard blow and it honked madly.

From where he was kept suspended, he could see someone's feet approaching. He couldn't measure up who it was; he peered on the legs of the intruder and hoped it was a helper. The intruder appeared more clearly as he came and stood over the car. Eddy feeling impatient called out for help; his fear was that the vehicle might catch fire and that will be the worst tragedy for him.

The latter stood not the least bordered, he was not giving a thought to what Eddy had realized, the vehicle catching fire was not at all his problem; all he needed was…

"-hey...!" Eddy shot at the standing man, removing his thought from his realizations.

The man bent low and peered at him; he seemed troubled also but didn't make much display of it.

"-do you mind giving me a little help here…?" Eddy said and he was tempted to laugh.

"Little help, huh?"

"-not really, but just help me outer here…please." Eddy said again and the latter beamed.

The man stood to his full height, he turned around and went out of sight; walking behind the vehicle. Eddy became helpless again after screaming at the latter for his rescue. Eddy feeling dejected coursed under his breath for ever not concentrating while he drove, but the deed is done; only he or God is in the position of rescuing him. Eddy was left in hubbub; he couldn't gather much power to set himself free. Eddy would have given up on the thought of being rescued, but Carly really need his help.

He looked around if he'd get a helping hand from whosoever but no one was in sight, feeling frustrated, he relapsed against the car; with his head dangling. Just then, the door to the vehicle opened at the other end, a firm hard hand reached out to him unlocking the seat belt that suspended him.

Eddy came out of the crashed vehicle weakly; panting altogether. He came and stood over his vehicle.

"-what were you thinking before you almost got yourself killed?" His rescuer shot at him, now in front of him with both hands buried in his pocket. Eddy lowered his breath; looking the latter carelessly.

"Who the hell are you…?"

"-but I asked you a question first…" the latter beamed.

Eddy smiled and stretched his hand towards the gentleman.

"Eddy Bernard."

"Leonard Antonio." the latter took hold of Eddy's hand firmly.

They beamed at each other. Leonard moved and inspected the vehicle and then came and stood in front of Eddy once more.

"You've done a pretty damage to the vehicle, need at least 5000 pounds to repair the damage." Leonard glared at him. "So tell me, how did it happen…?"

Eddy moved close to him, he didn't beam as usual. He slowly lowered his lips into Leonard's ear, the latter waited patiently without a word.

"-it's about a girl," Eddy said and peered at his face, "she is in deep trouble, I'm not sure but I often see her around always dejected." Eddy said and moved three feet away from Leonard; standing behind him.

Leonard whom seems taken aback turned to face the latter, he seems a bit tensed. He thinks maybe Eddy knew everything about his father's death, he stretched his hand; resting it on Eddy's shoulder.

"How much do you know about Carly…?" Leonard questioned, still resting his arm on Eddy.

"-you know about Carly also?"

"-the news is everywhere, besides, who will not know the daughter of an influential man like Ben Antonio?"

Eddy laughed slightly and refocused his gaze on Leonard. The latter made a little movement of a worried man, but in the inside, he was cool.

"So you are really interested in that girl…?" it was Eddy who spoke.

"I'll tell you more on what you need to know about the girl." Leonard closed in on him. "We could be allies you know…?"

Eddy glared at the man before him, his anger welled up at it brim in his heart. He draws a flimsy breath and let out a jet of air from his lungs through his mouth. Of all the while, Leonard didn't spare him a look, but stood adjacent to him; with his back to him.

"-allies, for what...?" Eddy found his voice.

As he spoke, he observed the sudden brisk movement of Leonard. The latter turned around and faced him.

"-you know what, let get you outer here first." With that, Leonard walked out of the scene with Eddy still behind.

What is wrong with the man? He hadn't agreed to be his ally, why should he follow him? Eddy kept watching Leonard, and shortly, he followed him slowly.