The Moment I Met You (Chapter 451)

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

 Minutes after, Robert walked over to them and handed Chioma the lounge card as Michael had ordered. Jessica, from where she stood was able to understand what was going on and the smile that she tried to maintain in front of Sharon and Erica disappeared.               

‘Isn’t that the card to the lounge?’Jessica mumbled. She wondered if Michael and Chioma were going there to have a good time. This was something she could never have, Michael’s attention and care.                  

Michael wanted to escort her but Chioma shook her head, indicating that she was going to be fine by herself. Holding her purse and the lounge card, she headed for the elevator.                                                  

Jessica who was burning with rage that was so hot to fry an egg, let her glass of wine hit on the table hard when she put it down, thereby causing both Sharon and Erica to turn to her.                                          

‘Jessica, is everything all right?’ Erica asked gently.                                 

‘Should I thank you for your concern or should I hate you for snatching Nathan from me?’ Jessica forced a smile, trying her best to suppress her rage.                                                                                                  

‘You misjudged…’ Erica tried to explain but Jessica stopped her from speaking on.                                                                                                      

‘I’ll rather go and rest than listen to more of your lies.’ Jessica left immediately, trying to catch up with Chioma. Stepping into the elevator, Michael who had been observing everything here, put down his glass of wine on a table, and quickly apologised to the guests beside him before he casually headed towards the elevator.

About seven elevators were available for anyone to take to the fifth floor of the building; Chioma took number two while Jessica took number six.                                                                                                  

Michael had seen them take different elevator, and as he was about reaching for the first elevator, a foreign guest came over to thank him for inviting him for this occasion.

Michael nodded, then said, ‘We’ll chat up next time.’ Michael immediately left the man and strolled towards the first elevator and pressed the up button. When the door open, Michael elegantly went inside and pushed the button for the fifth floor.                            

As soon as he exited the elevator, he rang Felix to monitor the situation around. Hanging up, he turned his gaze to Chioma who was unlocking the lounge and she went inside. After the door was closed, Michael looked around the several elevator, but Jessica seemed to be nowhere around, wondering where Jessica had disappeared to. Then, he headed back to the banquet hall to observe what was going on.  

Entering inside, Chioma placed her hands on her belly as she went straight to the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet to relief herself, she took out her phone and rang Andrew that she was in the fifth lounge of this building, should he be looking for her.                                                                   

‘Chioma, please, mum just called to tell us how worried she was. We should head home.’                                                                                           

‘I will…It’s just that my time of the month is here,’ Chioma muttered on the phone. ‘But I will be downstairs soon.’                                      

 ‘I will send Chisom to come get you.’

Just as she hung up, her phone rang again, she thought that it was Andrew and said, ‘Andrew, I will be there.’                                                         

‘This is Jessica,’ Jessica’s voice sounded coldly on the phone.          

‘Huh, Jessica…we have no business at all.’ Chioma quickly hung up. She took the pad that was in the bathroom, and after fixing up herself and washing her hands, she grabbed her purse and immediately tried to leave the lounge, but as soon as Chioma tried to step into the second elevator, she was quickly surrounded by a group of men dressed in navy blue suits. They dragged her to a corner and gave her a good beating.                                                                                                                 

Chioma didn’t even have enough strength to resist the men as she was very tired.                                                                                                 

Just then, Jessica appeared, pulling Chioma’s head. ‘Michael treated you like a queen…I should have been the one by his side but you shamelessly took my place,’ she laughed and added, ‘at this moment, I feel like a queen who have your fate in the palm of my hands. If I want you to suffer, then you would suffer. If I want you to die, you have no choice but to die! This feeling is just so exhilarating.’                         

‘Let her go, Jessica,’ Sharon yelled at Jessica.                                             

Jessica turned to Sharon. ‘Why should I? She stole my man from me. How can I sit back and watch them publicly display their PDA in front of everyone? I should have been the one. I should be the one. I deserve Michael.’                                                                                                       

Sharon shook her head. ‘Jess, I don’t know why I am still able to tolerate your nonsense. If I hadn’t pulled you back into another elevator and taken you right back to the hall, Michael would have got you. Instead of listening to me, you stupidly came back here to torture Chioma…What’s wrong with you, Jess? Michael doesn’t love you. You should learn to live with it. Did you think that you can chase away Chioma from Michael’s life, no? This is one mission that you’ll never complete. You’ll lose in this game no matter how many rounds you play.’                                                                                                                                     ‘Michael didn’t find out, why yelling at me,’ Jessica laughed. ‘This slummy girl stole my Michael. She stole him so that I will be in an unbearable pain.’    

 ‘Jessica, you are the most stupid person in the world. So stupid that you’ll end up in prison for hurting Chioma…All of you will end up in prison because I know that you don’t have enough money.’   

  ‘You’re stupid. Michael just hates me but will never hurt me.’            

‘Get back to your senses, Jess. Michael’s thoughts are too complex for others to figure out, and I am sure that you fell into his trap because you have been stupid.’                                                                               

‘Stop scaring yourself.’                                                                                      

Sharon laughed at Jessica’s stupidity. ‘Do you know that Chioma worth up to 100 million dollars?’                                                           

Hearing this, Chioma who was weak from the beating looked at Sharon, wondering what she was about to say.                                                                 

‘I knew it. This slummy girl was only good at blackmailing Michael to make her rich. She’s only after Michael’s money,’ Jessica said coldly, trying to grab Chioma’s face and hitting it on the wall.                                   

   ‘You’re wrong, Jessica. I just want a normal life. Over the years my family and I have been working very hard, and it’s really fulfilling,’ Chioma said gently.                                                                                 

  ‘Wow! The thought that I will believe this your sob story…You want a simple life yet you chose to be with Michael whose life isn’t simple like yours,’ Jessica scoffed.                                                                   

‘Jess, I wish you knew what you have gotten yourself into.’ Sharon held back Jessica’s hand and pulled her back from trying to hurt Chioma more. Staring into Jessica’s eyes, she said in a low voice, serious tone. ‘Michael will never forgive you this time.’

 ‘What do you mean?’ Jessica didn’t yet grasp the meaning of Sharon’s words. Her eyes were full of anxiety and anger.                                    

‘I told you that Chioma worth 100 million dollars and you think it’s a joke? Did you know that Michael signed Michael up for life insurance that’s worth 100 million dollars? Don’t tell me that you are too stupid not to have known.’                                                                                     

Chioma was shocked to hear this, even Jessica was surprised.           

‘A hundred million dollars insurance?’ Chioma mumbled, trying her best to process the news, which was still hard to sink inside her brain. Hundred million naira was too much money let alone when the insurance was purchased in dollars. How could she easily digest this news? Michael had done this to protect her. At this moment, tears stole into her eyes. 

Jessica looked at Sharon. ‘Are you sure of this?’                                   

‘Certainly sure, Jess.’Seeing that Jessica had absorbed what she just said, Sharon softened her tone and continued, ‘Michael will not let you off this time because as I speak he’s coming here…’                                

Before Sharon finished speaking, a group of security officers came dragging Jessica downstairs. Jessica was shocked at the sudden humiliation. She had thought that Michael would let her go just like before, but she was wrong because this time, Michael was extremely furious and would never listen to anyone’s plea.                                                             

‘Let me go!’ Jessica screamed. ‘Do you know who I am?’          

The men did not listen to her scream until they brought her in front of Michael who was already surrounded by a group of curious people.                                                                                                                            

   ‘Indeed, you attended this party just to hurt my woman? How dare you!’                                                                                                           

  ‘Michael you’re the only living fool. That slummy girl is only after your money. She’s a scheming bitch.’                                                        

  Michael smelled the fear on Jessica and smiled. ‘Why are you afraid? I haven’t announced your punishment yet.’                                                  

   ‘Who said I’m afraid? You think I’ll ever be afraid of you, Michael? Impossible!’ Jessica retorted.                                                                                   

‘Of course, you’re never afraid of me. But if I were you, I wouldn’t have carried such a stupid act here. A woman who could sneak in some men to meet a fellow woman isn’t afraid of anyone…But she can only cry.’ Michael’s words were so sharp that the onlookers knew that Jessica was in deep trouble.