1 CHAPTER 1: An Unusual Homecoming
"This sunset is magical," Ella said as they drove through a large grill gate. The gate led to an estate which hosted about 50 houses in their individual compounds. The estate had a large sign reading Green Valley Estate and there was a notice board with a list of rules that governed the occupants of this estate. The taxi driver who was driving Ella nodded politely but did not say anything about the sunset. He had been driving her all day and he was already doing the math in his head. He was going to make good money today. On the other hand, Ella was very excited about this location. This was her last stop of the day and it was the one that she was anticipating the most.
"Take the next left turn. It's the seventh house on your right,"Ella said as they ventured into the middle class estate. Ella admired the developments that had taken place since she had last been here. There were a lot of new houses and there were only a few empty lots left. Almost everyone had developed their properties. The taxi driver parked on one of the empty lots close to the seventh house. Ella stepped out and walked around with a big smile.
"Welcome home Ella," she said to herself as she stood in front of her house. It looked just as it did in the pictures she had received from Karl. He had supervised this project well and had updated her on every step of the construction. She had not spoken to him since she returned on the previous day as her calls were not connecting. She had decided to come by her house and look around before she could get the keys from Karl. Ella looked at the windows on the top floor and noticed that they were dressed with curtains. This took her by surprise because she had planned on furnishing the house herself. However, before she could think what this meant, there was a loud hoot behind her. She turned quickly to find a car inches away from her. The car seemed ready to access her house.
"I'm sorry. Do you have the wrong address?" Ella asked the handsome man behind the wheel. He smiled at her in amusement and pointed behind him. Ella watched in confusion as the gate was opened from the inside and the car started to drive in. Ella, who had stepped aside to let the car in, managed to slip into the compound just before the gate was locked again. She was walking towards the parked car when she was restrained.
"Who are you?" a fierce looking burly man in a black suit asked her. He grabbed her arm and restrained her from further movement. Ella did not fight him because she assumed he was the security guard.
"I should be asking you that. What are you people doing on my property?" Ella asked. The handsome man who had just driven in walked over to them. An attractive woman also stepped out of the car and walked into the house. She glanced at Ella and the two men with the barest of interest.
"What's going on?" the handsome man who had just parked the car asked. Ella could not help but notice that the man who had just arrived had a very light complexion. It was as though he was of mixed ancestry.
"She claims that we are encroaching on her property," the burly man said.
"You've got to be kidding me," the handsome man said. "Who are you?"
"Ella Koome. I don't understand how you can just move into someone's house without their consent. Who are you?,"Ella asked with anger. The man was quiet for a few minutes as he looked at Ella. Her name sounded vaguely familiar but he could not remember where he had heard it before.
"Miss Koome, my name is Blake Lennon. I finalized the purchase of this house two months ago. I have all the relevant paperwork. If you come to my office tomorrow, I will show you all the proof you need," the handsome man said politely.
"I never put my house up for sale," Ella said. The shock on her face was clear and the two men could tell that she was genuinely surprised.
"I'm really sorry madam, but please listen to the boss. Here are his contact details," the security man said as he handed her a business card. He then gestured to the open gate so that Ella could leave.
"Please come to my office at 10 am. I'll explain everything to you," Blake said as a little boy ran out of the house to hug him.
"Hi daddy," the boy said as he hugged Blake.
"Hi buddy," Blake replied. Ella saw how much the boy resembled Blake in appearance but she was too shaken to think much of this. She couldn't believe what this man was saying. Ella was half way out the gate when the little boy started walking towards her. Blake restrained him.
"Pretty aunty is sad," the little boy said.
"I know Jason but you shouldn't talk to strangers," Blake said to Jason.
As they headed to the house, Ella walked back to the taxi and sat in the back seat. She took out her cell phone and tried to call her brother Karl. His line was not connecting at all. His wife's number was also not going through. Her other brother's call connected, but he claimed to be in a noisy place. He promised to call her back after saying that Karl was out of town. Ella's drive back to the hotel was filled with confusion and panic as she remembered what the stranger in her house had just said.
Ella had come back to her hometown in the early hours of the previous day. Her plane had landed at some minutes past seven am. Ella had enjoyed the drive from the airport as she looked at the transformation that had turned her town into a functional city. She had not expected so much development to take place in just under six years. The Enkare she remembered was a green city that combined infrastructure with pockets of trees and grass. It was a site to behold. Ella had spent her first morning back resting in her hotel room. She had then set up various appointments in the afternoon, as she sampled various local meals that she had missed. She was happy to be back home. The next morning, Ella had visited one of her commercial properties that was already occupied. She then visited the last known address of her brothers but none was currently residing there. Her last stop was her residential house where she had been turned away by strangers. She wished that the night would fly by so that she could clarify this misunderstanding.
"Is everything ok madam?" the taxi driver asked.
"Nothing that should concern you. Just drive," Ella said. She was very irritable now and she was not in the mood for any chit chat.
"We are already at the hotel madam. Do you want to go somewhere else?," the driver asked.
"No. I'm sorry," Ella said as she looked outside the window and recognized the parking lot in the hotel. She took out some notes from her purse and paid the man before walking towards the hotel lobby.
"Should I come tomorrow morning?" the man asked after he had counted the cash.
"Yes. 9a.m." Ella said as she turned towards the taxi man. It took her a moment to realize that she was frozen to the spot for a while. She looked around and saw the taxi exiting the premises before she walked into the hotel. She had not touched alcohol in a long time but she felt like she needed a drink urgently. There was no other way she could handle the kind of stress she was feeling. Ella barely touched her dinner although she managed to empty a tall glass of wine. It was going to be a long night for her.
At 47 Green Valley Estate, Blake Lennon was on the phone to his lawyer. He was explaining the events that had just unfolded when he got home. After the lawyer agreed to avail herself for the morning meeting, Blake redirected his interest to his son.
"Come here buddy," Blake said to the child who had been driving his toy cars on the carpet. The boy jumped into his arms and began bouncing on his father's lap.
"Was that grandma?" Jason asked, referring to the just ended phone call.
"No. It was someone from work," Blake said. "Where is aunty Amanda?"
"She didn't say hi to me," Jason said as he took out a pen from his father's coat pocket. The nanny Persia came in just then.
"Madam Amanda is upstairs. She asked me to take her dinner to her there because she is not feeling well," Persia said. Blake nodded and then asked.
"How was the day?" He gestured towards Jason.
"We've been fine. Playing most of the day with the neighbors," Persia said. Persia was a security agent posing as a nanny. Blake had employed her after his wife's gruesome murder. She was to look after Jason around the clock and guarantee his safety. This was also the reason why Blake had moved to this neighborhood less than two months ago. They needed a fresh start where they could recover in safety.
"Alright. Is dinner ready?" Blake asked. He was satisfied with the response to his son's progress.
"Yes sir. Abby will serve as soon as you are ready," Persia said. Abby was the live-in chef who doubled up as the cleaner. Dinner was soon served and eaten and each of the parties retired to their respective rooms. The next morning, Blake was up early as usual. He often left for the office between 5a.m and 6a.m. This morning, he did some work in his office before heading out to the office. He had just grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the dining table when he heard Jason's voice. He had decided to forfeit breakfast and get to the office on time.
"Where are you going daddy?" Jason asked.
"To work buddy," Blake said.
"Can I come with you?" Jason asked, as he rushed to Blake and grabbed his leg.
"I'll be busy and you will get bored," Blake said. He suddenly regretted delaying his exit. Jason had become exceedingly clingy of late and it was difficult to leave him in the house. It was like he had developed separation anxiety.
"Morning darling," Amanda said as she walked into the dining room. "Morning Jason," she added when she realized that Blake had not responded.
"Morning," Blake said. Jason mumbled something incoherent and he held on to Blake's leg tighter. Blake then picked Jason up and tried to hand him to Amanda.
"Aunt Amanda will get you some milk and cake," Blake said to Jason. Jason clung onto Blake tightly and refused to let go of him.
"Don't leave me daddy," Jason cried.
"Eat something and then we can go," Blake said as he walked to the dining table. He tried to place Jason on the seat but Jason would not budge. Persia came in as Amanda and Blake were settling at the dining table.
"Come Jason. I made you some pancakes," Persia said gently. Despite her gentlest coaxing, Jason would not let go of his father.
"I guess we are going to work together," Blake said as he stood up. "Get him ready."
Jason smiled when he heard this but he was still not convinced that his father was not trying to trick him. He refused to be handed to Persia so his father had to go with him to the bedroom. He let Persia clean and dress him quickly as long as his father was within his line of vision. When they got back downstairs, Amanda was having her breakfast. Persia took Jason to the car and set up his car seat as Blake and Amanda talked in the house.
"Do you have to do everything that boy tells you? You are spoiling him," Amanda said,
"He's upset. Besides, he doesn't do this every day," Blake said.
"I wanted to go shopping today. I thought I could borrow your car," Amanda said.
"Maybe you can come with us and spend some time with Jason while I work. You can go shopping after you bring him home," Blake said.
"I thought that is why he has a nanny," Amanda said. She had no intention of babysitting.
"How do you expect him to bond with you if you keep avoiding him?" Blake asked.
He was getting tired of Amanda's indifference towards his son. Maybe she wasn't the right choice as a step mother. His mother had been insisting that he needed to get married again so that Jason could get over the death of his mother. Blake had taken her seriously and had been more inclined towards Amanda because they had a casual sexual relationship. She was also young and he thought she was easy to control. However, in the last few weeks, he had discovered that her interests were limited to alcohol, shopping and getting touch ups at beauty parlors. She had no interest in his son.
"We can do that some other time. You go with Persia," Amanda said.
Blake walked to the car feeling a tinge of anger. If Amanda could not take care of his son, then she was of no use in his house. Blake instructed Persia to accompany them and they were soon on the way to the office. It was a short drive and they were soon at the office complex. Blake frowned when he saw the time as they walked into the office complex. It was later than he had expected. He would have to meet the woman claiming his house before he could get anything else done. He did not like handling such issues but he had insisted on doing so in the presence of his lawyer, because this touched on his personal residence. He did not want to be bothered again in the future.
Blake, Persia and Jason alighted the lift together and walked right into his reception. His office was on the top floor and he shared the floor with a receptionist and two personal assistants to handle his workload. Ella, the lady from yesterday, was sitting in the waiting area. She stood up when Blake and his entourage walked in. Blake was struck by her appearance as though he was seeing her for the first time. The angelic face with a curvy figure was wearing a navy blue dress that accentuated her curves perfectly. Blake had had his share of women but he suddenly had to add her to his list of conquests!
