"Who's in there?" My sister's voice follows, and I feel weak inside. It would have been preferable if it was one of the housemaids.

For goodness sake, it shouldn't be Olivia.

"What are we going to do?"  Tracy mouths in dread to me. I nod without saying anything and carefully hang the frame back up.

"The green led light is switched on, and the chief is left for the gubernatorial debate," She continues, and I shake my head in disbelief, knowing she will never back down.

"Open the door or I'll call my father right away," She adds, and I leap off the couch, veering to open the door.

Olivia is taken aback when she sees me.

"What in the world are you doing in my father's study?" She inquires and storms in.

I keep my eyes on the floor and notice Tracy standing next to me. My sister seems more shocked than before when she sees Tracy.

"The two of you?" She is in awe. "How did you get access to the study in the first place? Well, you took the key card from my father?" She continues, attacking Tracy while I swiftly defend her.

"I'm to be blamed,"

"I know you can't do that even if you and dad don't get along." She argues.

"I requested her to assist me in getting the key card, okay?" I explain clearly to her.

"Why?" She shrugs in confusion as I make every effort to come up with a quick response.

"I wanted my car back, I came to search for the key fob," I had to lie and she scoffs.

"You can't tell dad or anybody else," I add, imploring with my eyes as she sneers.

"She betrayed dad, and someone like her should not be around him,"

I fold my hands with my fingers pointing up, pleading,

"Please, for my sake."

"Fine!" She retorts, rolling her eyes, while I am relieved.

 "May I have the key card?" She then asks that my gaze is drawn to Tracy, anticipating her to hand Olivia the key.

"I have to return it myself," Tracy replies, and I can see where she's coming from.

"You have to give it to me if you don't want me to tell on you guys," Olivia objects, frowning her face.

"You can't possibly return the card without Dad finding out. Let her handle it on her own," I interfere, expressing myself

"Then I'm going to search you guys," She proclaims, and Tracy gasps in shock as she stares at me.

I'm sure she was concerned about the house key in my pocket.

"Why would you want to do that?" I remark, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't trust her." Olivia sputters.

"I was here with her and you should trust me, please," I firmly state and she sighs unfavorably.

"Can we get out of here?" She says, and we all walk outdoors. Tracy locks the door with the key card and walks downstairs, leaving us alone.

Olivia rambles as much as I anticipated, saying, "I don't know what you see in her that makes you become friends with her."

"She can't be trusted, she is only here for our father's wealth," She continues and I interrupt her by kissing her cheek.

I don't care what she says as long as she doesn't rat on us.

"How about we eat supper together if you haven't already?" I suggest, and she rolls her eyes.

"You can't buy me off with that," When she responds, I exhale deeply. "I'm simply trying not to snitch on you," She says.

"Of course, it's been a while since we've had dinner together, and would be nice since dad isn't here."

"I've already had dinner. I was about to watch the gubernatorial debate when I saw that the study had been opened,"

"I trust my darling sister," I remark, and we both chuckle as we walk downstairs.

Olivia enters the living room while I proceed to the kitchen to get my meal.

When I walked into the kitchen, Maria was washing some dishes. We greeted each other and chatted about how rarely we see each other these days.

Then she served me white rice and a spinach stew that had meat and smoked salmon in it. I give her a little nod of appreciation as she also offers me a glass of water, and I join Olivia in taking pleasure in this delicious meal.

This made me realize how much I had missed Ren's meals as well.

I bring a stool close so I can set my dish down on it before joining my sister on the couch as she watches TV. I also keep a close eye on the TV to see if the debate has started.

On the stage, Dad can be seen standing next to his three opponents.

The moderator is now in focus as the camera pans to him.

"To Mr. Anderson: The rising drug trafficking in the state is something I want to discuss with you. How could this be stopped in your government, given that we are all aware that the growing rate of illicit drug smuggling is one of the real hazards to human lives, national development, and human security?"

I clear my mouth as I am troubled to hear this sort of inquiry should be answered by my father who is the actual devil here. Regaining his attention, the camera now focuses on his upper torso as he starts to speak.

"The government's failure to provide the people with the most basic necessities of life is the real cause of illegal drug trafficking in our nation. The state's high rates of graduate unemployment, a deteriorating economy, and insecurity all contribute to the practice of drug trafficking. The first way I can prevent this from happening is to educate everyone, particularly our youths, about the consequences of drug trafficking..."

I hear Olivia remark, "I trust you, dad,"

As I turn to face her, I see that she is grinning at the Screen. Now that I can no longer stand it, I feel like smashing the TV to bits.

"This is crap," I sigh furiously to myself and I stand up, leaving the rest of my food on the stool.

"Is everything all right?" Olivia lets out as I move to leave.

Knowing who dad is and being unable to inform my sister about it is out of it, there is no way I can continue to listen to his deceit.

"I'm feeling woozy," I say, playing along as I turn around to her.

"It must be the effect of the restless nights you had when writing your papers," She explains and I nod in agreement. "You ought to get some sleep,"

"Of course,"  I reply. "Good night," I add and approach her for a hug.

She hugs me back and pats my back.

"Go and rest and let me concentrate on our father's great speech," She says as I released go of her and pretended to grin before leaving.

When I hurried upstairs, I overheard her say, "Maria, come clear this place."

As I get to my cluttered room, I pull off my clothes and slip into the bathroom to shower.

I can't stop thinking about it as the shower sprays water on me. I knew terrible things about my father but couldn't do anything about it. This reminds me that Ren's father will be out tomorrow and I have yet to make any progress in getting his money back.

With what my father did, I'm also afraid of losing Ren.

I let out a deep sigh, trying to collect my thoughts. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't known anything about him, at the very least, I'll have a clear conscience like my sister.

"Fuck!" I shout, smacking a fist against the wall tiles and I break down into tears. I can't imagine how tough it is for me to be emotional this way. I sniffle, trying hard to hold my tears while rinsing the ones rolling down my cheek with water.

Now I can see how best it is to be on air of innocence. I wish not to know more things about my father anymore.

I later get out of the bathroom with nothing on and I reach for my phone on the bed.

I slide to my WhatsApp to text Ren.

She is online, then I begin to type.

"Hey champ, It's going to be a great day tomorrow, so I hope you are feeling good."

I send that and tilting my head back as I exhale, my phone chimes for a notification. I check to see that she has replied to my text.

I can't sleep😔😩