Chapter Twenty eight of Ruthless 💔
Can it be easily forgotten?

"Hello...." The word lasted for more than a second from his mouth. His tall figure standing in the middle of Nathan's large room. His lastest expensive, heavy sneakers taking each step forward to where a smoke was being released loosely. "Whao! What a sight!" He jammed his two hands together as if awarding Nathan for a great act. He picked up a cigarette from the pack in front of Nathan and slowly turned to Tito to do the needful. "I thought he told me he stops smoking a long time ago." The cigarette loosely hanging in between his teeth as Tito brought the lighter closer to his mouth.

"He drinks and smokes whenever he's in a mess." Tito answered, her nose disgusted by the smell in the room. "Mr. Jamal, I think you and I should excuse him for a while to calm his head."

Nathan turned, his direction to the two people in his room. Jamal laughed. "I guess last night didn't go well."

"Mr. Jamal we shouldn't--"

"Have a problem with me?" Jamal slowly turned to Tito. "Nobody tells me what to do woman. Not you. Now get the hell out assistant Tito."

Tito took a deep breath, glaring at the notorious playboy who was known for his cute face and his reckless life. Birds of the same feathers. No manners. As much as Tito wanted to break his nose, she knew it wasn't the best option, so slowly she turned, eager to get away from the mess in the room. The two lost souls ladies should try to avoid.

Tito bent down removing her heels. The pain around her ankle had gotten severe. Something she had to wear all the time knowing how much her boss cared about looks. Always telling her it made her look professional. Barefooted, Tito climbed down the stairs, her eyes on her two feet until she couldn't help but look up to confirm the painful cries filling her ears. She gasped. The person before her had been seriously beaten up that he could barely breathe, his head hanging loosely, but Tito recognised him too well. "He found you. Oh my God! Mr. Frye, why do you have to hide. You shouldn't have. I waited at the front of your house for hours so I could tell you to turn yourself in."

His friend is a beast. He could plot something against you to have you lock up forever. Tacha wanted to add that to what she said earlier, but the two bulky men whose eyes were cold as ice wouldn't let her say them. Instead, she swallowed it. She stepped back. "You shouldn't have stolen from him. He puts you in that position because he trusted you. Whether he's always around or not, trust should never been broken. I'm sorry I can't help--" The loud noise that came suddenly from upstairs distracted Tacha who instantly turned her head away from Mr. Frye.

"Hey man, are you out of your mind!" Jamal said in his calmness as if nothing was going on. "Isn't she the girl that distracted you the night you were on a video call with me. Have you forgotten you changed the camera and zoomed her for me to see her dirty skirt you complained about. Who knows she was going to approach you? So what if you eventually fucked her! Are you not allowed to have some fun! It's her loss man. Didn't you give her some money to get the fuck out of your sight! But man, her sense of fashion is a total wack even if she looks hot! That you fuck her doesn't change the fact that she isn't your spec."

"Jamal!" Nathan glared at him. His eyes alone were terrifying, but he managed to stay calm  "Stop."

"Stop what!" Jamal moved closer to him. He didn't care. He was trying his best to keep calm as well, but not anymore. "Are you going to break your precious glass again or get back to your senses!"

"Are you mad!" Nathan stood up. His eyes fixed on his friend unable to sit still and let him run his mouth. He raised his index finger at him. "Stop. Insulting her. Jamal stop now." He said through his teeth, his eyes completely red, trying so hard not to hurt his ego.

Jamal gripped Nathan's shoulder. The two standing face to face to each other. They stared at each other, standing there for seconds before Jamal gripped his second shoulder. "Common bro! Get this head straight!" Jamal paused, hitting Nathan's shoulders all of a sudden. "Wake up man!" He yelled to his face. "I thought you were only having some fun. What has gotten over you? What has come over you man! Are you gonna cry over a girl? Are you really going to cry! You are Nathan Brown for fucking sake! You control every fucking space you walk into! Rich, handsome, classy, getting everything at the sole of your feet because you are a Brown! How can you stoop so low to that kind of girl. Lola or whatever you call that other girl, they are nothing but gold diggers! She's playing games. I can tell you she's playing a dangerous game and you better get back to your senses or we return back to the states. Where is the Nathan I used to know?"

Nathan looked at Jamal. Everything he said seemed to slowly changed Nathan's mind. He was really going to cry because he had been hurt. He had been badly hurt that Tacha instead wanted to be far away from him. Someone others wanted to be close with. He couldn't tell why he sudden showed interest in Tacha. What came over him truly? He doesn't get himself mixed up with these kind of girls or feelings. He wants them, and he discards them. It was always easy with a little amount on his paper check. What has come over him truly? He did like Tacha, but slowly, he could really get over her. He needed to stop being a fool. He had never been the one who chased. It had always been otherwise. Jamal was able to confuse him, making Nathan realised who he truly was before Tacha came into his life.

"Man, a woman should never control you. It should be the opposite. How come you don't learn from your Dad."

"Don't even talk about my Dad." Nathan moved away from Jamal. "I'm never proud of his behavior no matter how intelligent and hardworking he is. Do you know how many things I've covered for him since I got back here. I don't want to be that kind of husband, and a father."

Jamal chuckled, releasing the large smoke from his mouth and nose. "Why do you say that as if you are gonna become one soon."

Nathan rolled his eyes. It was becoming an habit, but he didn't try to stop. "Never! I always use protec--" he stopped in between his last word as if something flashed in his memory.

Jamal laughed. "Wait! Don't tell me you didn't?"

He came back to his senses after peeping into his waste bin. "I used."

"Better, or someone's gonna suck you dry to your last penny. Come I have a gift for you." Jamal threw him a wink. "You gonna love it. Don't you think you should try and throw some punches first."

Nathan laughed, his punch almost hitting Jamal's face. "I should start with you for insulting Tacha."

"What!" Jamal couldn't help laughing this time. "Are we still on this? This babe gat you so bad man. I will have to take you out to meet better chicks.You will forget your name this time around."

Nathan scoffed, heading out first. "I like it better when I forget my senses" He turned around. "Anyways, where is the surprise?" He handed his cigarette to Jamal. He was tired.

Nathan followed Jamal's direction, heading towards the staircase. When he was about to take the first step, he stopped. "Whao! You just brought us our eighty million naira."

"Oh! I thought it was about two hundred million naira plus."

"More than that if we calculate the contract he brought and collected twice the money from the company. This year, he robbed me from the security uniforms we tried to sew. Every monthly salary different companies paid my securities, he divides it fifty, fifty before he pays them."

"What! That's wickedness." Jamal stared at the pot belly kneeling. Old thief. He thought his stomach must have hidden him some money for how big it increased in just three years he had been working for Nathan. "Is it possible for you not to know."

"I was buying time hoping he would stop. But this time, I realised he was getting a certain percentage from workers that came through him to the company. Whether they are staff or the contract we give out."

"What the fuck!" Jamal rushed downstairs without waiting for Nathan to say the rest. "So, not only did you steal from the company, you even made life hard for people who are trying to survive in this country. Really!" The back of his hand rendered Mr. Frye on the tiles. "Get him up!" He yelled at the two men who left Mr. Frye to cry out in pain. "Look here old man! One thing I hate in my life is being cheated on. I hate gold diggers like you. I don't know how you gonna do it, but you see those two hundred securities, you gonna pay them back or you never gonna see the light of the day again. Man, how much do these companies pay them?"

"Some Ninety, hundred or even one hundred and twenty thousand naira." Nathan answered from where he stood.

"Shit!And you said eighty million naira." Jamal turned to his friend. "That's lot of money if he has been taking that for seven months now, talkless of past years. Is he the only one in charge?"

"He can't be bold enough to do that alone." Nathan walked up to Mr. Frye. He came down to his height, handed his hand out to Tito who placed his cellphone on his palm. He decided to call the only person who always solved his case for him.

"Hey big man, been long we saw. Is that Jamal behind you?"

"Hello Eric. Yes." Nathan replied quickly, switching to his back camera to show Mr. Frye. *Have got a new case. He needs to return an amount of eighty million naira back to me. I don't know how he's gonna do it, and if he doesn't pay, I would like to go to court. I'm sure he didn't do it alone. Should I have him arrested?"

"Have him treated first." Eric said. "Now that you are involving a lawyer, I will take it up. Jamal don't hit him anymore. He looks like he's about to die. He should pay the money first, and any other thing can happen later. Coming to the Lucas tonight. Will I see you guys?"

"Well, I'm not..."

"Be rest assured I won't be coming alone." Jamal said very quickly appearing in the video call. "Whatever has been keeping him away is gone now, so he's gonna join us anyways."

Eric laughed. "Okay. Be good guys. See you soon." The call dropped.

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Well, well 😄 what did you just read now?
Jamal is just another confused friend with lost priority. They think they are right because they haven't tasted light when they are also living in dark. Arrghhh 😄

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