CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: MARRY MY DAUGHTER.

'George, meet me at home right now!' George Isaac II roared on the phone and cut off the call. George was in his gym working out as usual when his phone rang. He looked at the time, five o'clock in the morning. Immediately he saw his grandpa's name, he smiled thinking the old man wanted to know how far he had gone with his wedding arrangement.

'Hello grandpa.' His grandpa didn't even allow him to talk before he instructed him to come. Infact he had never heard his grandpa sound so angry like that to him. He went upstairs to see that Sheila was still sleeping. For the past two days, he had pleaded with her to stay in his hoise since she was the only one at home and with a call to her parents, the permission was granted. He went to take his bath as quickly as possible before he woke her up.

'Sweetheart, grandpa ordered that I should see him immediately.

'Is everything alright?' She asked still fuzzy with sleep.

'I don't know what happened, he sounded so angry on the phone.'

'Do you want me to accompany you?' She was already removing the duvet and heading toward0 the bathroom.

'Do you think it's necessary?'

'You said he sounded very angry on the phone, maybe it has something to do with both of us.'

'You may be right honey, how soon can you be ready?'

'Give me ten minutes.'

'Remind me to give you Tara's number. It's time you went for real shopping with mum.'

'With mum?' She stepped back from the bathroom door to confirm what he said.

'Yes, with our mum, Mrs. Cherry Banks.'

'Oh, when did you start calling my mum your mum?'

'Go and take your bath we are running out of time. She might be your biological mother, but she is also a mother to me.'

Sheila smiled to herself as she went into the bathroom. What an unpredictable man!

'Tell me George, who is Christabel?' His grandpa demanded when they were both standing in his study.

'Christabel is a girl I knew who I used to sleep with but with no string attached.' He explained looking nervous.

'You said no string attached, but the girl said she's carrying your child with your consent and that you now want to abandon her for Sheila.'

'What?! Where did you hear that grandpa?'

His grandpa pulled out his drawer and brought out a newspaper. 'This is one of today's daily that carried the news.' He said slamming the daily on the table.

George picked it up and glanced through the news. 'What of the others, do they carry the same news?'

'No. This is the only paper that carried it.'

'Then it's a paid job. Grandpa you know me like the back of your hand, I'm always very careful. More over, I still slept with her over a week ago and there was nothing like that. I swear, this girl was paid to tarnish my image and I suspect the opposition party.'

'Now how will Sheila feel when she hears this?'

'I'm confused on this issue. Who could have stooped so low to do this?'

'First, I want you to call in Sheila and explain how irresponsible you are, having such a beautiful and intelligent girl in your life and you went after a slut like this.'

'I'm sorry grandpa. I never knew I was being monitored.'

'That's a very stupid statement from you. You were not born yesterday that you don't know that politics is a dirty game. Everyone is careful and covers his tracks once you're a public figure in the society. This is number one lesson you must learn by heart.'

'Now what do we do to get out of this?'

'I need to think carefully on this so that we would not play into their net.'

George sat dejectedly, starring at nothing in particular as his thoughts were in jumble. His grandpa left him in this state as he summoned Sheila.

'Sheila, there is something important little George would like to discuss with you.'

'George, are you okay?' She asked as she saw the way he was looking. The blood had drained from his face.

He stretched his hand and clung unto her.

'I'll be in the living room if you need me.' He went out of the study.

'Sheila, someone has caught up with me.' He said with tears in his eyes. 'I never wanted this but my grandpa pushed me to it.'

'Darling, please talk to me.' She held his hand in a tight grip. George pushed the newspaper to her to read and released her hand. Silently, she read the news and sighed. She felt a pang of jealousy that someone was carrying George's child but, she stayed calm to know the action they will take first before she would throw her tantrum.

'Do you know her?'

'Yes. She was one if my fuck buddies.'

'Is the story in this newspaper true?'

'I'm not sure but the last time I slept with her, there was no hint of her being pregnant. Also, I'm a very careful person when it comes to sex.'

'So what do you think about this story?'

'I believe someone paid her to destroy me.'

'Now, did you sleep with her after the proposal?'

'No, I slept with her last the day I met you. I remember after I had a drink with Gary, I felt like relieving myself and I sent for her.'

'So you cheated on me the day you said I should marry you?'

'Sheila, I'm sorry. I have no excuse please forgive me and I promise you, it would never happen again.' Sheila looked at him with tears in her eyes and realized that if she had not fallen in love with him, then she was so close to it. She wrapped her arms round him and cried. 'George you hurt my feeling.''

'Yes I know and I'm very sorry please forgive me.' They stayed like that for a long time and that's how his grandpa met them. He coughed so they would know that he was around.

'Grandpa, I'm very sorry.' George apologized as he untangled himself from Sheila and pur his arm on her shoulders.

'What have you resolved?'

'We want all of us to put heads together sir.' Sheila said looking at George for affirmation.

'Since it's like the writer was paid, why don't I buy the news off stand?'

'That's a good idea but who knows how many people have read it?'

'It doesn't matter so far it's off the news stand people will forget easily.'

'We need to get Gary to swing into action immediately and know the person that paid the writer.'

'No grandpa.' Sheila spoke.

'What do you mean?'

'We would not buy it off. That's confirming that the story is true and what do you expect from the populace? All George said would be questioned. We will make use of this news to our advantage. This will make George to win interest of the people. This is our strategy, we get four well watched TV stations, four well read newspapers and popular bloggers and have a network interview with them. Once we have these on our side, people would look at this newspaper as paparazzi type of newspaper. That means doom for the writer, newspaper and the person behind it.'

There was a long silence before George II held Sheila in a bone crushing hug.

'George, you've got yourself a mentor. Thank you so much Sheila, you have lifted a load of lead off my shoulders.'

'Now let's get to work.' Sheila said after she was released from the hug. 'Call Gary, Stuart, Bernard and Felix to report ASAP.'

Within thirty minutes, all of them were there and each was given assignment to be carried out within two hours. Various media outfits were called to carry out the interview and while the makeup artist was working on Sheila, George's phone rang. He saw Green's name and told everyone. Sheila told him to pick and put it on the phone speaker and also record the conversation.

'Hello little George.'

'Good morning Mr. Green. To what do I owe this early morning call?'

'I'll go straight to the point. I presume you have read the story about you and one Christabel, we see the story as a stain on us in the party and decided to withdraw your candidacy.'

'How many of you made the decision without hearing my side of the story first?'

'As the party chair person, I have the autonomy to call for the executive meeting in an emergency situation and the executives have sat and decided.'

'So who is my replacement?'

'We shall get that across to you soonest.'

'And you think such an action is the best within a few hours?'

'Little George, I have been in the politics before you knew how to pronounce your name. You know what I want and once it's given, I'll make the news disappear without a trace.'

'Are you the one behind it?'

'Let's just say I know how to step up my game. I'm always two steps ahead of you.'

'So what do you want me to do?'

'Break up your engagement with that nobody and marry Allison, my daughter.'

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