Chapter two: An Unwelcome feeling

"Daddy!!"

Maya sped into his arms. She locked herself in her dad's embrace. "How was your flight?" She asked, disentangling from his embrace. A smile crossed her face and her hand around his waist, while Mr O'Connors around her shoulders. "Sure hope they didn't confuse your bag for another drug smuggler again?" Maya asked widening her face into laughter, with Mr O'Connor joining in. Mr O'Connor's cheeks were not as chubby as his daughter's but his were not thin either. His side hairs, by his ears which had turned white by age was carefully carved to his moustache and down to his beards, which was trimmed neatly. His baldie head wore a nice fitting to his side-hairs, making him look like an Arabian businessman. His wrinkled eye socket had a blue cute eyes, and his nose wore a pointed shape, unlike Maya's. He was brawny built. His chest popped out, and his arm muscularly built. His total ou look gave out a gym instructor kind. 'Have you being thinking, dad? your eyes look sullen" Maya inquired, observing his eyes.

"I have being trying to stay fine, but you wouldn't allow me have the peace i so seek" Mr O'Connor replied, in a gruffy but calm tone.

"How? what did i do this time?" Maya asked as mild as a baby, shrugging in innocence. Staring at the air in thought, her finger placed on her lip, she continued. "Or is it about what i think it is?" she asked again. Mr O'Connor, tilted his eyes to her. "Yes, it's what you think it is" He replied, his voice a little coarse and loud. Maya sighed in exasperation. "Not again?" she exclaimed in exhaustion, falling to a sofa.

 "Oh! you do know after all?" Mr O'Connor replied sarcastically. He made for a seat, just opposite her with the gold glass table in the centre, dividing them both. "Dad!! Come on! how do i focus on your companies with a kid in the picture and an annoying husband to bear with?" She said lightly, as she swiped through her phone. She knew she was gradually coming out of age, but her dreams for her dad's companies wouldn't let her rise to the challenge of standing a man by her side, she could call her own.

"Maya!" Her father called back her attention from her phone. She had read the seriousness and graveness that was apparent in histone. "Yes dad!" she replied a immediately with rapt attention, tossing the phone to the other arm of the sofa. Her dad knows she might be a pigheaded, arrogant and prideful lady, but she never played as flimsy, her family, and those whom she loved at heart. She had an envious love that kindles an uncompromising loyalty for family. And Mr O'Connor knew how soft- hearted she was, even in the masking as a heartless bully. He had made his decision not to divulge to Maya his health condition eating him slowly. He had lied he took a travel for vacation, but he actually had gone to see his doctor who had told him he had only but two years and four months to live. He didn't want Maya breaking down or feeling de-spirited.

Since after his wife, Maya's mom had passed it took Maya two years to recover from her mom's death. It had broken her interest and vigor in her academics, social life and and psychology. Not until she had met pudgy Sharon who helped her get passed the past, through her influential extroverted self.

"Now, i can't let the past happen again!" He swore to himself.

"Maya, i love you and i know you do love your father too. I know you would bring down the moon for me, soar the space to find me, and i ask you this one thing my heart so desires" He said in a calm, but broken voice. "Make me a father in-law. Get me a heir to my legacy" He was sobbing already softly. He sighed , inhaling and exhaling. He wrapped his fingers together, while he bent forward. He wiped his tears with his hands. " I am no longer youthful. I can almost no longer do things i used to. Age has dealt a hard blow on me, Maya. The least you could do to brighten my spirit and help me live longer is make me happy" Mr O'Connor continued, locking sight with her.

"But who would see to your business daily, when i am pregnant?" she nodded in dissatisfaction, unaffected by her dad's tears earlier.

"Obviously, i can't bring in my "Husband" who could be probably a no-brainer in the field" She reasoned. jerking up to lean on the sofa. She jangled the bunch of keys on her palm carelessly with a lean scowl on her face. She was slightly bent out of shape.

 "Maya, if you will pay me heed, your husband will be put into the know of how the companies are run, even before you are pregnant. Besides, you wouldn't be pregnant all the years of you life now, would you?" Mr O'Connor asked calmly, taking a cursory gaze at her. Maya felt restive and upset, knowing her logic couldn't win her away from this one. Her dad was holistically right. She sat on the sofa, restive with a light scowl pervading her face.

"I will think on it, dad" She eventually said, after what seemed like some awkward seconds of silence. In an instant, Kendrick snuck in quietly, as quiet as a ninja that he had to clear his throat to get their attention. They both threw their gaze at him in reflex. Maya gazed at him in anger, her dad had cooked up in her, now she was going to pour it out on him.

"How dare you barge in here that way?" She stood up in anger. " You stupid or something? or didn't you see i and my dad were having atete a' tete" She continued, her mouth raced vociferously raining derogatory words on Kendrick whose face sat to the ground in a demeaning state. His two hands across his back. "I am terribly sorry Miss Maya" Kendrick apologized immediately. He turned his gaze on Mr O'Connor. "Sir, i sincerely apologize for my unaware entry, but if it wasn't urgent i wouldn't be here sir" Kendrick said. standing his gaze to MrO'Connor. But Maya's anger had not dwindled. "I can see how much of a throbbing twat you are. you...." Before she could continue Mr O'Connor who had being observing her daughter's drama cut-in. 

"That's enough, sunshine. The name-calling is unnecessary and disrespectful too" He said, gesticulating in a 'that wasn't necessary' way. His hands stretched out side by side, with his shoulder shrugging. "After all, he did mention it was urgent." He added, readjusting himself on the sofa. Maya tossed her sight to MrO'Connor and back to Kendrick three times. She suspected a liking to Kendrick her dad had. She saw how flawless she had lost this one to Kendrick . Her dad choosing Kendrick side to hers. She scoffed in disbelief, and with a nod of disappointment she prodded briskly out of the sitting room. Mr O'Connor smiled faintly. "Never mind her, Kendrick. Women will be women". He said gently.

"So what's so urgent?" Mr O'Connor asked inquisitively. "Oh! Yes sir. Mr Gregory, the MD of Gothman Holdings asked to see you. He did say it's quite urgent" Kendrick spoke in utter confidence.

"Oh! That's true did have an appointment with him. Let him in, please" Mr O'Connor replied. Kendrick exited solemnly.

Meanwhile, Maya stewed vigorously about her dad's choice of Kendrick over her side. She reclined to her bed, with crossed legs and her two hands at the back of her head, leaning to face the ceiling. Her mind travelled far.

"Who does this, driver thinks he is, stealing her dad's side from her?" Her jealousy was burning by the minute. "But what does dad like about him? he is so....trivial" Immediately, she heard a soft thud on her door. "Miss maya" Kendrick knock, startled her mind back to reality.

"Yeah! just a minute!" She jerked up, and swung on her black robe to cover her revealing crop-top and her stumpy short knicker. She buttoned it calmly as she approached the door. She peered into the small eye-shot hole on the door. She hissed with contempt. "What do you want , Kendrick ?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, miss Maya. I don't know if this means anything to you" Kendrick said without stuttering , but he gulped in nervousness, and his palms began sweating and he noticed he was beginning to get tensed. "I..i..jus...just..wan..want to..say...i am..so..so..sorry and i know how you feel about ..about your dad not choo..choosing your side when it matters" Kendrick stuttered copiously, his voice breaking down nervously. Maya sighed weakly. She was starting to feel emphatic towards Kendrick and how she treated him. However, her pride didn't let her emotions get the best of her into making an apology. Her consciousness of self made her unwaveringly stuck up.

"I just felt, you know, you should know. That's all" He dropped his last words, before he disappeared from Maya's door.

"Oh! i hate it when i feel this" She stressed, trodding around her room, her hand dancing her hair in a disordered way, that strands fell to cover her face. Her emotions had made her feel guilty which perturbs her, that she became restless.

"Oh christ! this is why i dislike letting my heart away to likeness and care" she blurted, still walking about aimlessly in her room. "I just can't get no peace of mind. I hope Kendrick image won't pop up in my dream, though". She joked lightly. Walking to her bed, she opened up her arms wide and allowed herself drop to the bed with a bounce. Her calm silent room made her to stultified of what else to do, She quickly grabbed her phone by the bed side desk where her timer and lamp stand stood. She swiped through her phone and dialed a number, putting it on her ear.

"Hello, your majesty, queen nosiness. What news doth thou have for thy today?" Maya said, in old English accent, widening her face to form a bright smile, then into an outburst of laughter. Pudgy Sharon was always her one and only friend she would call. Her friends circle was apparently small and she enjoyed it that way, but still, in the smallness of her friends circle, Sharon was always her go-to. "What are you up to, Sharon? one of your little emotional stunts with James, i presume?" Maya laughed hysterically. "Iam good. Though, i don't know why i felt unusually emphatic to Kendrick today?" She asked curiously, shrugging her shoulders in disbelief.

"It beats me, Sharon!' She exclaimed, in surprise. " No, no, no, no. There are just things that are impossible to to happen, apart from the seas swallowing the moon. I Can never get intimate with that twerp clown" She retorted bopping her head girlishly.

"Come on girl! come off it! It's never happening. Besides, he is not even in the leagues of men that speak to me" She added proudly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. He is cute, so what? He is still a doofus and not my type, Sharon" Maya argued jokingly.

" He could be your way out of this incessant bugging to get married" Sharon's voice reverberated from the phone's speaker. "Maya's attention dragged in. Her ears had stood up. She was really interested in finding a panacea to ending her dad's endless bugging about marriage.

"How?" Maya asked raptly. "Well, obviously, he is loyal, kind, goodhearted and calm dude. Use it to your advantage. He is controllable". Sharon said, her voice ringing of vigor and enthusiasm mixed with confidence.

"All you have to do is have a temporal marital contract with him, that should expire in two years. Just till you have your baby. Then he moves on his way and you can continue your life. You know. Just enough time for your dad to think you actually in a permanent marriage". Sharon said,. "Voila! you make your dad happy. Your dream for the company continues. Killing two birds with one stone" She ended her words, in a french-y accent. Maya could decipher how smart and sensible Sharon's plan was.

But, a little doubt crept in. "What if i fell i love with him?" She pondered. "Naah! she would make sure there was no room for intimacy and mushiness". "Maya! Maya! you still there?" Sharon asked, noticing the few seconds of silence.

"Yeah, yeah. Still here, Sharon" Maya answered in a swift, as if to conceal the few seconds of silence that existed in-between the call. "I will give it a think about, Sharon. Thanks a lot" Maya said, sighing weakly. She yawned hungrily. Just before she swung up from the bed to move to the kitchen. Her tummy rumbled, in consonance to the knock she heard at her door. "Yeah!. coming" She answered immediately. She was still on her robe, so she jumped out of bed and made for the door. She swung it open and it was Kendrick .

"Uhm. lunch is ready miss Maya" He spoke with a fine accent that caught Maya's attention. She had never paid so much close attention to Kendrick's speaking, that even the way he spoke was alien to her or perhaps might be her hatred for him that deafened her ears to his surprisingly charming accent.

" Okay!You can leave now!" She still was her typical rude and boorish self. She trodded calmly to the dining her fixated on her phone. Swiping up and down her screen. As she walked past Kendrick room, she put two steps back seeing his door half open. In curiosity, she took a peep into the room and her bulged in exciting wonder, by what she saw. She saw Kendrick well-built brawny looking body. His abs that made his tummy mesmerizing. His exercised biceps and his Chest that popped out, adding his curly hair and small blue eyes. His small pink lips with a pointed nose to his rounded face. He had got out of the bathroom to dry his body with another towel tied around his waist, unknowing to him, that his door was half open.

"Wow!! i didn't expect that" Maya said, as she doggo in silence from his door to the dining. She danced her mind around what she had seen, back in her room. Smiling sheepishly, something she had never done for a man before. A certain tingling crept in her heart. She was swallowed by a passionate feeling for him. "Nope, nope, nope! this is not happening" Maya nodded in refusal. She was trying to fight it off. She knew her feelings were playing her heart towards Kendrick.

"Stop!!" She yelled in dissatisfaction. She couldn't take it anymore. She was caught up in torment. She leaned up, sitting on the bed. Her back bent forward, and her hands covering her face. She sighed, scoffing in disbelief. She muttered unintelligible words. She ran her phone through to watch a video to help disabuse her mind from him, but Kendrick picture mistakenly popped up. "What do you want?" Maya asked in a tiring tone, sighing in exasperation. But her eyes couldn't stop staring at his picture with Mr O'Connor. She continued in her stare until her eyes became weary and her bones were tired. She didn't know when she closed her eyes to the dream world, with his picture still on her screen.