When her recording was finally edited and done, she conveniently transferred it to a new phone, and had Sisi craftily drop it in Lilah's room. She didn't want to be tied to it, for fear that Lilah would disregard the recording and believe it a ploy.

There was no incident the next day, or the day after, and Gina was starting to lose hope. However, when Lilah declined hanging out with Monica yesterday afternoon, Gina had an inkling why, hence bracing herself for the explosion this morning.

Anthony wasn't around when she joined Monica for breakfast, which was surprising to her as she was certain his break had not ended, but she refrained from inquiring from the woman giving her the silent treatment.

Taking his absence as ordinary, she gulped down her fruit juice to wash down the pancakes drenched in maple syrup, smacking her lips noisily at the action. Ever since Monica and Lilah had insulted her eating habits, she had made it her duty to frustrate them every morning at breakfast. They never failed to comment on it everytime and she never forgot to annoy them the more, hoping to ignite one of them into erupting and incriminating either themself or their partner.

"Seriously, Gina. Eat with your mouth closed," Monica demanded, her eyes flashing in disgust.

Gina cast a glance at the slightly perturbed woman, and that was her cue to continue. "I'm eating for two, so I don't have time to slow down on the quantity of food I consume at each bite."

"The least you could do is eat with your mouth closed." She spat out, scrunching her face in disgust.

To incite her, she bit off a huge chunk of her toast before chewing with her mouth open. It was disgusting, and highly inappropriate, but for some reason, Monica was touchy and she was hoping to exploit that feeling expertly.

"You are such a pig. So classless, so ill-mannered. I don't know why my brother will date such an uncultured girl."

Unknown to her, Lilah was just stepping into the room, and Gina couldn't have prayed for better timing. To rile her up even further, she retorted sassily,

"You're just jealous he's not dating the kind of girls you want him to, like your friends. But truth is, he told me he tasted them and didn't like them, which shows your friends are filth."

"You're the filth here, dear. You and that girl that parades like a peacock, strutting about. I don't know what my brothers ever saw in either of you."

"Obviously something they liked. I mean, it's not my fault Gabriel can't use ordinary protection with me which is the only reason I'm being cordial with you. Watch how you call me names, or I'll show you my uncultured side."

Monica chuckled lowly, as though amused. "You know what? I'll leave you alone with your stupidity. I can't sit here and talk with you as if you're happy in this relationship we both know has no future. You alone know what scheme you've strung Gabriel up to by this pretense you have going on, but mark my words, I'll discover what you did to him and then I'll throw you out like the rabid dog that you are."

"To save you the trouble, I think you should ask your brother why he was so eager to get me pregnant. If anyone is running a pretense here, it's you for pretending you like Lilah when it's clear you can't stand her mere presence."

It was her sneer that gave off the location of their additional guest. Locking gaze with a puzzled Lilah, Monica adjusted slightly on her seat.

"You're trying to point accusing fingers at the wrong people when you're clearly the worst pretender ever." Her voice was shaky, and Gina was glad Lilah picked up on it when her eyes narrowed distinctively.

"Why do you keep calling her a pretender when she already told you your oh-so-perfect brother can't seem to keep his swimmers from her eggs, eh?"

Fighting to hold onto her facade, she feigned outrage."Why am I not surprised you're defending her? You both stem from the same disgusting brood of vipers. I can't believe this is what I have to live with!"

"What is wrong with us?" Lilah demanded, sounding upset. "We're human beings who have worked hard to get what we have unlike your rich, spoilt friends who live off of their father's wealth."

Now drawn into the brewing fight, Monica retorted. "You're a nobody compared to me and my friends, so don't you dare. You are just a bottom scum trying to climb the social ladder. Did you honestly think that by hanging out with me, you'd get accepted into our circle?"

"No, I didn't think that. But it's clear you thought by befriending me, you could get secrets about me and then use it against me. You must really think I'm dumb."

"Of course you're dumb. Why would I need your help? You're a shameless gold digger looking for easy money, and she's a tramp looking to secure baby mama spot. You guys disgust me. You're both disgraces to womanhood everywhere." She gestured to both Gina and Lilah, sneering at them.

"You're the one to talk when you can't even keep a man. At least she can keep Gabriel with a baby. What's the evidence that shows you can too?"

Bewildred by that statement, Gina felt the situation was spiralling out of control, and if she didn't stop it, a huge eruption of mess would occur.

"That's a mean thing to say, Lilah. You don't know what happened!"

"I know what happened but you don't, so I suggest you keep quiet," Lilah quickly rebuffed her. Pointing a finger at Monica, she sneered, "These people are full of shady things. They act all goody two shoes with you but deep down they're probably worse than your enemies!" She clarified, staring at Monica who was fighting to get a grip on her anger with the way her fists clenched and unclenched by her sides.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was gravely silent, a telltale sign that they were treading on forbidden territories now.

Clueless that she was stepping on murky waters, Lilah retorted sharply. "You sound as if your marriage was so perfect afterall. Tell me, who was the one that aborted her pregnancy just so she could maintain her perfect shape only to end up loosing her marriage as well?"

Gina felt shock ripple through her on hearing those words. She didn't know this truth, but it must have happened because Monica froze on the spot, her breath coming out in deep pants.

"Now you've gone deaf and mute, abi? Well, let's me spell out for you. You call us disgrace to womanhood, yet, you're the one who kept loosing a child in order to continue enjoying life? How many did you loose? Two, three, or was it more than that?" Lilah finished scathingly, smirking at her.

The silence was deafening. Too blaring for Gina to process what was just said. Lilah should have stopped talking after the boyfriend part, but, no, Monica had to push her.

It happened so fast that if Gina had blinked, she'd have surely missed it. One second, Monica was standing by her chair, the next she was on top of a screaming Lilah on the floor, delivering blows and trying to pluck her eyes out. Feeling lost on what to do, Gina eased away from the table and ran out of the room, frantically calling for help.

Anthony ran into the room a minute later where he struggled to pull his sister off the girl on the floor, and it took quite sometime to calm her down.

"Say it!" She spat out, her blood boiling. "Come here and say that nonsense again, let me see if I don't gouge out your eyes and those stupid fake eyelashes!"

Lilah scoffed, keeping her distance from the woman. Her face was filled with scratches and her top was torn to shreds. "I'm just saying it as it is. If you don't like hearing the truth and having your skeletons thrown at you, then don't expose someone else's secret. You can never know how they'd react."

"I will kill you if you ever talk about something you know absolutely nothing about. I promise you!" Monica vented, breathing hard.

"You can't do anything to me, or else Malcolm will have your head. I've got my dirt on you, as well, so be careful about what you attempt to do. Who knows? It might just blow up in your face."

After a futile struggle to ease out of the strong hold, Monica faced her barricade. "If you hold me back again, it's your ass I'm whooping. I don't care if you're my older brother," she declared coldly, before attempting again to pull away from the vice grip her brother had on her.

When he wouldn't budge, she looked up into his eyes, and as if passing on a silent message, she stopped struggling in his arms. Then, he released her and linking their arms together, they both left the room silently.

Gina didn't know what the exchange was all about, but she could sense the confrontation this morning wasn't going to end well. For someone whose loyalty lay with his family, Anthony was extremely collected, as if it was an everyday occurrence that Monicas' painful past was brought up at breakfast. She thought his impassive demeanour was too strange.

The huge whoosh of air that followed their departure was deafening, and Gina didn't know if the sound came from her, or from Lilah, but when her gaze landed on a slightly fuming girl in tatters, she knew she was the nervous wreck.

This was not what she had in mind when she made that recording, she thought in horror. This was way bigger than her.

"Nonsense!" The hissing sound snapped Gina out of her near-panic state, and she watched in plain bewilderment as Lilah began muttering under her breath. "Who does she think she is to be putting people down anyhow? What makes her think I'm not good enough for her brother? Gabriel chose you because he wanted to, and Malcolm did the same to me. So, because we're not part of her clique, we should go and die, abi?"

"But you shouldn't have thrown her past at her like that."

"You should have heard what she was discussing with her friends about you and me, especially me, as if I was made to be used all my life. Well, here's some news for her. I will not be used anymore by these people, and neither should you, Gina. From now on, be wary of these people."

Gina did not need to be told twice. A word was enough for the wise, she agreed.

Then Lilah turned and marched out of the room saying something along the lines of "he who sups with the devil...".

++++++++

Gina was apprehensive and with good reason. After the commotion downstairs, her alarmed state had risen dramatically, forcing her into an fidgety mode she knew was neither good for her nor the baby.

What if Lilah discovers she sent the recording? Wouldn't that mean those two witches would have more reason to gang up against her?

But then she remembered how maniac Monica had been when Lilah threw her horrible past at her, and consoled herself with the fact that they couldn't mend the bridges after this.

Tired of pacing around her room aimlessly, her mind drifted to her partner in crime, and she couldn't help wondering if Sisi had covered her tracks well. If someone, especially a maid, had seen her entering Lilah's room, the likelihood of them reporting to the true masters of this house was on the high side, and she was certain Sisi would sing like a canary when put under severe cross-examination. They might not do any physical damage to her cause she was Gabriel's baby mama, but she would be evicted from this house, and she was not ready to go yet, not when she was beginning to make a headway finally.

Feeling bored, and confused on what to do, and knowing she couldn't call on her partner in crime for fear of raising suspicions, she began tinkering with the furniture in the room. At first, perceiving the fragrance of her expensive brand of cosmetics had been fun, until she mistakenly broke off the cover of her cream while trying to close it.

Not satisfied, she left the vanity table and prodded into the closet, intent on playing dress up to take her mind off her present stress. Besides, she was planning to go shopping for maternity gowns next week, and knew she had to clear her wardrobe and send it over to her sister's new house. Even remembering Rissa was enjoying a paid vacation in Dubai nearly had in tears. She really was not enjoying being pregnant, she concluded, feeling dejected.

The display of her clothes had her in foolish tears when she understood more than half of them would be in a packed suitcase by next weekend. Dashing away the tears, she strolled to Gabriel's section of the closet, where she had more fun rippling through his expensive suits and crisp monochrome shirts and pants. His casual collection were limited though, but the man loved his shoes.

Done admiring them, she moved to coo over his collection of wristwatches. She was sure he didn't need more than half of them, but understood that her preference for a certain type of jewellery to go with a particular cloth probably pertained to his choice of a particular brand of wristwatch. A glimmering round face designer's watch caught her eye, and the love of all things shiny forced her to pull it out from the glass case. For a stupid moment, she thought about stealing it and stuffing it in her bag to pawn later believing it to be diamond, but she knew Gabriel would notice it was missing and she'd be a suspect.

Loosing the fun in looking at expensive items that could never be hers, she pulled out the case to place it back only for the reflection to hit the wall above her, giving off a sparkle. A grin caressed her face and she found herself tilting the watch to produce the reflection at different corners of the closet.

She was about to finally put it in its case after she grew bored of her childishness when she saw it. At first, it didn't stand out, being all black and blending into the colour of the shelves, but she had never taken notice of it before so she itched to find out what it was. There was only one problem. She wasn't tall.

It wasn't a feature she was about to develop anytime soon, although she promised herself her husband would be tall so her children could inherit some measure of height. The curiosity gnawed at her to find out what it was, and heeding to the voice, she strolled back into the room. Lifting the vanity chair, she dragged it into the closet before carefully positioning it near the shelves.

Shaking the chair to confirm its balance, she proceeded to climb on, only to realise she was a few inches short of reaching her target. Standing on tiptoes, she stretched her feet slightly higher before barely grasping the black material. As she tugged harder and it moved, she realised it was a portfolio, and she wondered what it contained. Her father had one of these and she had seen him pull out their farm deed from it a week before the Asikas' launched their farms. Shaking off the horrible memory from her mind, she climbed down to the ground before unziping it, to ruffle through the files inside.

The first file was some mumbo jumbo about a shipping merger she didn't understand. The second one caught her attention, though. It was their surrogacy agreement, and she giddily knew whatever file she found her must be important. The third was a bit confusing, so she decided to take her time to read through it.

This is the last will and testament of Jeremiah Zelugo Mezie dated on this day, the twentieth day of December, twenty fifteen.

Last year Christmas, she thought, wondering the connection, or why she thought there should be one. Didn't Gabriel tell her he was on a deadline when he proposed their contract back in January?

Ignoring the whirling questions that needed immediate de-puzzling, she continued to read.

In lieu of my aforementioned decision, I have decided to make some changes to the initial decision I had made due to personal reasons.

Not understanding the long words, she turned the pages hastily and paused on the third leaf when a familiar name stood out.

I hereby bequeath my entire shares to my first great grandchild on the occasion of their birth. The child must be born to either of my grandsons: Gabriel Asika, Malcolm Asika or Anthony Asika. However, the will shall only be transferable to the inheritor of this will on the occasion on their eighteenth birthday.

Wait, Gabriel has a grandfather?

"Gina?"

Like a bucket of ice had been dumped on her, Gina froze on the spot. Gabriel was here? She knew he came back on Fridays, but evenings were usually his gig and she was sure it was barely four in the afternoon.

"Gina, where are you?" He quizzed, his voice sounding closer.

Gina knew she was panicking when the files refused to stay still inside the portfolio so she could zip it back. Sweating like a turkey on Christmas morning, she nibbled on her fingers calculating if she could make it and return the portfolio exactly where she saw it, or use plan b. Which was pretty nonexistent at the moment. If she made the high climb again, she might fall, and the consequences would not be pretty.

Her eyes darted around the closet the minute his footsteps sounded close, thinking of the best place to hide it where he would have no reason to inspect. Of course, he would come in here first to drop his suitcase, change out of his clothes, and go take a shower alone if he couldn't convince her to join him. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, Gina took a daring drive.

Gabriel strolled into the closet and paused, his eyes widening at the scene he met. Gina was standing near his watch collection, fingering the diamond wristwatch. His frown was automatic.

"Gina?" She was giving him the silent treatment, and truthfully he deserved it when he didn't stay over last weekend. His explanation was vague, pretty much, and she had accepted it without a comment. When he called his brother to enquire about her, he confirmed she had been angry all weekend since after his lawyer's get-together.

"Gina, I told you I had spill over work that couldn't wait."

She looked up at him, a stoic expression on her face. "Remind me not to invite you to my antenatal checkups anymore. In fact, let's put it in recording that you will not ask me about the baby's progress until it is safely placed in your arms." Her phone was raised in front of her narrowed eyes, her lips pursed.

He felt like he had been punched in the gut as he suddenly felt winded. The checkups were done at the start of each pregnancy month, and last week was the beginning of her sixth month.

"Gina?"

She shook her head slightly interrupting him, before marching over to where he stood to pause. "I don't know why you want a child, but I'm certain you'll do a terrible job raising one." The exact words made his brows furrow.

With Gina gone, Gabriel eyed the exact spot she stood when he first entered critically, before his eyes picked up on the black material plastered against the wall at the side of the shelves. Cleverly done, he chuckled, amazed at the amount of shrewdness she possessed.

Pulling out his tablet from his briefcase, he open his notification app, clicking on a few keys to unlock it. He needed to update someone on what he just discovered. Once his messages loaded, he smiled sheepishly at the texts that appeared on the screen in succession. 

She knows about Cecelia.

She planted the divide between Lilah and Monica using a recording.

She knows about Monica's baby issue.

She's unto you. Tread carefully.

He nodded, agreeing with his informant that she was really unto him. He clicked on the screen and the keyboard appeared. Tapping quickly, he composed a text.

She saw the will. I need to make sure she doesn't talk.

A few minutes later, a pop up came in indicating he had a new message. Clicking it, he paused when he saw the string of sentences.

Don't worry. I have her on lock down for now. However, Lilah may have become a problem.

Should I take care of it?

Normally, his response would have been automatic, but he didn't want to take a drastic decision that would lead to a chain reaction he would ultimately never be able to control. He had worked so hard to be where he is now, he could not afford any mistake.

He eyed the letter Y with longing, debating on what to do. Perhaps, Malcolm needed to be taught a lesson.

He clicked the letters and hit send.

~~~~~~~~

We have a hundred shady people in this house, and Gabriel is ninety-nine of them.

On a lighter note, Gina saw the will. Do you think she'd use it wisely or will Gabriel beat her to it?

Vote, comment and share.

Thank you. 😮☺