"I think we should focus on finding the real truck that was used to convey the chemicals in the first place." Rafael told the man waking beside him, taking notes as they walked into the large office with Tony tagging along behind them.
"Let's focus on finding that witness our client said he bumped into on the way to bury the chemicals. Let's see if he can testify on what really happened that day. Also, regarding the warehouse, go to the location it used to be and find any evidence at all that can help us come to the bottom of all of this."

Rafael stopped walking the moment he got to his desk. He slowly turned to face the average man behind him with huge glasses on, wondering why he had not left already.

"Uh, " He chuckled nervously. "I'd get to it right away sir."

Rafael watched him turn around in a hurry and quickly head towards the door. He exhaled, lowering his head to meet halfway with his fingers so he could rub his temples.

"Tough case huh?" Tony walked to the sofa at the corner of the room and threw himself in it.

"I don't know man, it's like there's nothing to see, like I'm going around in circles at this point. This case is literally twenty three years old. I've never had to go this way back before. I don't even know where to start."

"Why don't you ask Olivia for help?" Tony sat straight, reaching for the small plastic ball on the center table and throwing it on the wall so he could catch it when it bounced back.
"I mean she works with Everyday news isn't it? Everyday news is like tens of years old. I'm sure they'd still have one or two leads concerning that case. I wish I could help but Someday is still young, we don't have any data from far back."

"I don't want to get Olivia involved in any of this Tony, she has a lot on her plate right now. Besides, I happen to be the least person she wants to talk to."

"You guys are still having your lovers quarrel?" Tony threw the ball at him. Rafael caught it. "She's still mad about you buying her the company?"

"To be honest man, I don't know anymore. It feels like something is wrong with her but she won't talk about it and she won't talk to me either." Rafael dropped the ball on his table. He was certainly in no mood to play hand ball.
"Amy says I shouldn't push it. I just have to wait for her to want to talk."

Tony exhaled. He was about to say something when the door flew open quickly, causing them to turn as Sommadina stormed into the office with a younger lady behind her sashaying under her red shirt dress that exposed the firmness of her thin long legs and black louboutin heels. Rafael watched her cling on tight to her shiny silver purse, her curly hair bouncing left and right with every step she took, pouting under her thick red lipstick.

Claudia Lawrence.

Rafael let out a weak exhale.

Of course he knew who she was. Who didn't know the famous and only child of the Minister of Finance? It wasn't just that, Rafael also knew how close his family was with hers. He could remember how his mother pushed for a marriage between them in the past and got really disappointed when it didn't work out in the end. He was sure he could guess why the both of them were there at that moment.

"Sir." He turned to the door as a smaller lady rushed in behind them, fear in her eyes as she glared at him. "Sir I tried to stop them from barging in but-"

Rafael exhaled. He knew it was no point trying to stop his mother from making a grand entrance anywhere she wanted. He also knew she wasn't the kind to book an appointment or wait outside the office for his consent to come in so there was no point in blaming his secretary for any of it.

"It's okay." He told her. "You can get back to work."

"Thank you sir." The lady hurried away from the room and then closed the door as fast as she could bringing everyone back to an awkward silence while Tony tried to adjust himself in his sofa watching the small crowd and wondering what was up.

"Mother," Rafael slouched his shoulders. He wished he was in the mood for guests at that time, especially ones he didn't invite into his office. "Mother what are you doing here?"

A smile appeared on Sommadina's face as she pushed herself back to the lady standing beside her.

"What does it look like? Someone really wanted to see you." She reached for the lady's arm just as Rafael moved his gaze to her. He noticed she had a nervous smile on her face.
"Claudia just flew in from the States yesterday and came to pay us a visit this morning. She wanted to see you too, so I brought her . You remember her, don't you?"

"Of course he does aunty," they could hear the sound of her heels knocking the ground as the lady made her way to Rafael, purposely swaying her hips from side to side.
"I doubt he can ever forget me." She was right in front of Rafael now, the smell her thick cologne mixing with his.
"I heard about what happened to your wife and daughter Rafael, " She slowly reached for his face and then placed her half on one of his checks as he glared at her, "I'm sorry I didn't reach out when it happened but believe me when I say I'm really sorry for your loss." She pouted.

Rafael drew a deep breath,

"Yeah um," he let out a nervous chuckle as he slowly reached for her hand and gently pulled it away from his face until it was resting back on the side of her thighs.
"Can you give me a minute?" He stood straight. "I just have to talk to my mum about something real quick."

The smile on Sommadina's face turned to a frown the moment she noticed Rafael turn back to glare at her, the frown on his face worsening as he walked away from the table even before the lady could say anything else. He was walking towards her.

"Rafael,"

Rafael grabbed her hand immediately and pulled her towards the thick glass door that demarcated the huge office in two parts. He wasn't joking about that alone time he wanted.

Rafael closed the door after them and quickly let go of her hand. He needed to take a deep breath first, trying to calm his nerves down. He didn't need this. He didn't need any of it.

He slowly turned to her while she maintained the look of confusion on her face. She watched him draw deep breaths and after the last one, he was ready to speak.

"Mum, what's the meaning of this?"

"Meaning of what?"

"This."

"Claudia?"

"No Solange Knowles," his sarcasm didn't hide his irritation. "of course Claudia." Rafael scoffed.
"Why did you bring her here? Why are you even here?"

"I don't understand Rafael. Since when did I need your consent to stop by at your office? Moreover, with your friend?"

"Claudia is not my friend, Mum."

"But she is your friend and she came all the way from the States for you, even after the way you rejected her the last time."

"I know what you're trying to do Mother. It's the same thing you've been trying to do for thirteen years now, get Claudia and I to be together."

"But you should be together. You could. You're single. Claudia is the perfect one for you. Her father's support is going to be highly beneficial for your father's presidential campaign. A marriage like yours would be extraordinary, the talk of the country-"

"That's the point Mother," Rafael cut her off.
"Nothing can happen between Claudia and I, I'm not going to marry someone I don't have feelings for just for some stupid political reasons that benefits a man that has never been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My life is not a game and I refuse to be a part of this madness you and Dad are trying to create all in the name of acquiring some meaningless power that has nothing to do with me. I'm already engaged to someone else, and I intend to spend a long time loving her and starting a family with her."

The irritation on Sommadina's face doubled.

"Who?" She asked him. "You're not talking about that ex-convict, are you?"

"I love Olivia mum, like it or not but she's the one I am going be with, the one I choose to be with."

"You must be delusional if you think I'm ever going to let you get married to that woman Rafael." Sommadina raised her tensed voice a little bit, glaring into his eyes with her frown getting worse.

Rafael exhaled.

"I'm not some teenager that needs your permission to get married mother. I'm a grown man and I practically can do whatever I want, and that includes not having you disrespect me or Olivia like this."

"You must want to see me dead before my time Rafael. You must want to kill me because that is what you would do if you insist on getting married to that woman."

"Come one mum." Rafael said in almost a whisper, rolling his eyes.

"She's not good for you." Sommadina continued, pushing herself closer to him. "She's a dangerous woman set to destroy this family-"

"Why? Because she's an ex convict?" Rafael snapped at her.
"Because she has a child? Because she was married into a family of psychopaths?" He scoffed.
"Well guess what mother, I'm a widower and I used to be sick in my mind and depressed before I met her. I prayed for death everyday and she gave me a reason to pray for life instead. You don't know anything about her, you don't know anything about what we've been through. I wouldn't even be here if not for her because while you were at the mountain praying and giving all your fake pastors and priests money for their fake prophesies, I had already purchased a one way ticket to Europe to euthanize myself."
Rafael glared into Sommadina's eyes.

She glared at him, with disbelief written all over her face at the same time . She couldn't believe it. She was having a hard time understanding what he had just said. He took the courage to help her out.

"You all said I would get better after my family died, that I would heal with time and I waited, I trusted your words but it never happened. Time didn't heal me, instead it made me suffer. I was always sick and in a lot of pain. My guilt was killing me and everyday I lived, I only thought of one thing, ending it all, until she came into my life, that woman you talk down on and hate so much, Olivia. She made it all better, she made me better and yet, all you've ever done is judge her when you don't even know her, you're not even making an effort to know her."

"So what if she saved your life?" Sommadina snapped. "You've done more than enough to show your gratitude to her. It's all part of her plan, can't you see it? That woman has plans to destroy you, to destroy us."

"To destroy me?" Rafael shook his head. He was extremely confused.

"Just how much do you think you know this woman Rafael? She's only letting you see what she wants you to see, she's only doing all of this to have you under her grasp, to turn you against your family, to confuse you and you're doing exactly what she wants you to do. You're playing her game."

"What are you even talking about mother? You have no idea what you're talking about. She loves me, Olivia loves me and she'd never do anything to hurt me or take advantage of me. Stop this nonsense."

"Are you sure?"

Rafael paused for a second taking notice of the sound of the affirmation in his mother's voice.
Sommadina took a deep breath. Now she had to explain further with hopes that he saw where she was coming from.

"Your father offered Olivia a fifty million cheque to leave you yesterday Rafael." She noticed Rafael scowl as he glared at her, not daring to blink for a second. "She took it."

Silence.

Rafael waited for about three seconds to be sure he heard right before he snorted.

"That's impossible mother, Olivia would never do anything like that."

"Okay, if you say so." Sommadina folded her arms. "I mean she could be on her way to the bank right now to cash that cheque, rob you of your valuables and leave you as we speak but what do I know? She loves you right? She probably just took the cheque to show you and profess her love for you so I guess she told you about it already." Sommadina paused and then gasped, pretending to be surprised when she noticed how Rafael's face was starting to lose its color.

"Oh, she didn't did she? That's because she's a liar and a witch." Sommadina clapped her hands thrice to prove her point.

Rafael took a deep breath as he rubbed his temples. He was barely listening to a thing Sommadina was saying. All he could think about was how Olivia had rushed into the house the day before with tears in her eyes. It had to be it. It had to be his father.

Rafael let out a weak sigh the moment he was able to put two and two together. How could he have been so clueless ? How could he have not been able to not see it coming. He let out an exasperated sigh and then turned to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sommadina went after him the moment he opened the door and stormed out, alerting Tony and Claudia too who watched him run to the front door with surprised looks on their faces.

Rafael ran out of the room.