Two hours before the vote...

Kora

"Good morning Nanny," I greeted as loud as I could when I popped my head into the room. I could hear the tapping sound of water from the bathroom so, besides the fact that the maid had told me the moment I walked into the house, I knew my Nanny was inside, taking a bath. The water stopped.

"Kora? Kora is that you?" Her voice echoed from inside the bathroom. I chuckled softly. I mean, who else would it be?

"Yes Nanny, it's Kora." I yelled. "And don't worry, I have no classes today plus, my mum knows I'm here." Just in case she tried to ask because I knew she was going to. I had lied. My mum had no idea I was there. Even if it was a Saturday, I had lied to my mum that I had pending assignments I had to take care of and that I needed books from our library to do so. That was the only excuse I could give her. If she knew I was there, helping Jeremiah and his family, she was going to freak out. It was a lie that was worth it. I truly had no idea what had come over me, I never saw any reason to lie to my mum about anything in the past and here I was, lying to her, and my nanny.

"Have you had breakfast yet? I made pancakes."

"Yes Nanny, don't worry about it." I told her. "I'd just check on Mr Benjamin."

"Thank you!"

I folded my sleeves one after the other as I approached the room. I got in, it felt so warm and the smell of roses filled the entire room. It made me smile a little bit as I packed my curly hair into a ponytail while I walked to the tiny bedside table. There were a few clothes on it. Nanny must have forgotten to fold them neatly into the laundry bag. I exhaled and got to it, humming Céline Dion's beauty and the beast from where I had stopped when I walked into nanny's room. I had spent the best parts of my night singing it to Micheal and now I couldn't get it out of my head. I sang some parts and hummed the parts I didn't know how. I picked up the tiny pile of clothes and turned to leave when I felt a hand grab on to mine.

I froze.

I could feel my heart racing. I was almost sure that I had closed the door and I didn't hear anyone open it behind me. It only meant one thing. I lowered my gaze so I could see the hand on mine and when I did, I almost lost my breath. I gasped, throwing the clothes on the ground so I could have my hands over my mouth.

"Y-you're-"

I watched him exhale and then let me go. He slowly turned to the needle in his hands and pulled it out like it was nothing. How was he awake and most importantly, acting like nothing happened? He didn't look like it was the first time he was waking up either. He looked...normal.

"What time is it?" He asked me.

I swallowed hard. I was still in so much shock to understand what was going on. He narrowed his gaze on me for a second.

"Don't be afraid Kora." That was my nanny, I turned to the door immediately she opened it and walked in with a towel tied around her body and another one on her head. What did she mean? Why didn't she look half as surprised as I was? Did she know? Did she already know he was awake?

"I don't- I don't understand, how is this possible?" I asked my Nanny totally giving her all my attention. "He's awake,"

"I always was."

Huh?!

I slowly turned back to him, I was shocked to my bones. He had always been awake? All along? How on earth was that possible? How on earth was he awake all along? What was he trying to do? Test everyone? How did my nanny know about this and managed to hide it from everyone?

"Kora," I turned back to her when she called me. "Kora," she reached for my hands, "I don't have the time to explain now but I will after all this is over. Right now, we need your help."

My help? How on earth was I supposed to help?

"T-the board meeting." I just remembered. "It's today." I turned to the chairman.

"I can't believe they didn't let me die first before they started to fight for my company." Benjamin said to himself and then exhaled. He raised his head to me. "Can you drive?"

"Ehn?"

"His arm isn't completely healed yet from the shooting." My nanny explained. "He can't drive and neither can I. Manny is on his way to the company as we speak. He can't drive all the way here and back there or he won't make it in time for the meeting. He'd meet you both halfway."

"I don't even-" I turned to him. "I don't have my license yet."

"That's not a problem." He told me. "That's not a problem at all."

Oh my goodness, Benjamin Ozor was awake. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Benjamin Ozor was awake and I wasn't seeing things.

                                ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Current time...
Lady K

The entire room was so quiet. So much so that if you had dropped a pin on the ground, you could hear it from outside the room. Jeremiah and Christian had their eyes fixed on him, wondering how any of it was possible, Luke and Susan could barely raise their heads and Benjamin had his eyes on all of them, sitting pretty comfortable in his wheelchair.

The board room was empty now as the entire meeting was canceled, Kora had left too.  She knew that they needed their privacy and Benjamin had specifically asked that she was taken home.

No one was going to break the silence and Benjamin looked like he was waiting for his cue. Manny walked into the room, his footsteps echoing around. He walked straight to Benjamin.

"Chief," he called for Benjamin's attention. "They are here." He said almost in a whisper.

"Bring him in!" Benjamin still had his eyes fixed on all of them making an arc in front of him and immediately he said those words, the door opened and a man in handcuffs, properly beaten and battered was pushed inside. A bodyguard walked in right after him. There was a look on the man's bloody face as he scanned the room with one eye half open, and the other shut from the huge swell on it. Susan gasped when her eyes met him, widening her eyes in shock. He bent his head slowly to avoid looking at her anymore, narrowing his gaze to his blood stained shirt.

What on earth was going on and who was that man?
Everyone had questions.

Benjamin drew a deep breath.

"Tell everyone here what you told my men." Benjamin started. "Tell them your confession, tell everyone here who ordered you to shoot me the other day."

The man was trembling from head to toe. His hands were shaking underneath the cuffs, he looked up a bit to where Susan stood, eying him and then turned back to his shaky hands. He was scared, really scared. He wasn't saying anything, Benjamin could see that. He tilted his head slowly towards Emmanuel's direction and then cleared his throat. Emmanuel knew exactly what he was trying to say. He turned to the bodyguard behind the man and then gave him a signal. The man got out his taser slowly and within a second, the room was filled with his loud scream, so loud that Nick's soul almost left his body. They all watched him to fall to the ground, shaking even harder and begging for mercy.

The bodyguard stopped, giving him a minute to resuscitate, Benjamin was patient. He had all the time in the world at that point. The man kept drawing loud deep breaths and letting out louder exhales. His body had been worn out from the extreme torture.

"Speak the truth and I might actually spare your life." Benjamin slowly got up from his wheelchair. He turned so he could face the bruised man, focusing all his attention on him then he slowly turned to Manuel and stretched his hand towards him. Manuel reached for the gun in his pocket and got it out, he handed it to Benjamin and he cocked it. "Lie to me and you lose your life right here, in this room."

"Th-th-" the man started to stammer immediately. It was obvious he was even more scared now. He gulped hard and went on his knees right after, balancing his hands on the floor and bowing his head in front of Benjamin's feet. "I'll speak." He said. "I'd talk."

"Don't you dare." Susan yelled at him from where she stood. "Don't you dare say a word-"

"It was the chairwoman!" The man blurted out. He really wasn't trying to lose his life. "It was your wife that ordered me to kill you."

"Shut up!" She yelled at him, her entire body starting to tremble. "Shut your lying mouth up!"

No matter how much she yelled, it didn't stop Benjamin a second. Everyone else in the room turned to her, disbelief on all their faces. Christian was most shocked.

"She offered me six million to get the job done. She gave me a time, place and a location."

"You liar," Susan started to rush to the man but Manny was fast. He grabbed on to her quickly, restraining her from taking another step. He  held her back. "Tell them the truth! Who did you say sent you?! How dare you lie against me? Do you not know who I am!"

The man knelt straight and raised his face to Benjamin's. He started to rub his hands together. "Forgive me sir. I was only doing what I was told, I was only trying to live." His voice broke. Was he about to cry now?

"Chief!" Susan's voice was trembling. "Chief you can not believe him. It wasn't me, I'm being framed. I could never have thought of doing that to you."

"Dad," Nicholas was shaking too. "Dad you have to believe mum, she's saying the truth. You know how faithful mum has been to you. Whoever is doing this is just trying to get rid of her, she didn't do this."

"You said you have evidence." Benjamin told the man. "A voice recording of the job, you keep one for all your clients."

"Yes sir. I have a voice recording of the chairwoman asking me to get the job done. I already handed it to your men."

"Chief!" Susan yelled at the top of the lungs this time, causing everything and everyone else to stand still. Benjamin exhaled and for the first time, he slowly turned to face her. "Chief," she pushed Manny out of her way and then took a step towards him. There was no way out of it now. There was no point in denying it anymore, it was over, she had been caught and if that recording ever sufficed, she knew she was done for. There was only one thing left, one way out of this mess. Susan went on her knees immediately and started to rub her hands together as tears formed in her eyes.

"Forgive me Chief." She pleaded. "I had no idea what came over me, forgive me I beg of you."

Christian let out a disbelief scoff because he was in a great shock of everything that was happening before his eyes.

"So you agree it was you who tried to kill me?" He asked her. "You sent this man to kill me?"

"It was the devil. The devil did this, it's his handwork, he manipulated me."

"The devil?"

"I was only trying to protect our children. I was doing it for them."

"I married you and let you into my house, into my home and you tried to betray me? Tried to kill me and steal my company from right under my nose?" He glared at her. "How dare you?" Susan started to cry. "Who do you think you are to murder me? Who are you to send men after me? To kill me?"

Benjamin slowly raised his gun to her, pointing it directly to her head.

"Chief." She whispered

"Shut up!" He ordered her and she forced her mouth shut immediately. Her trembling got worse. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, saying a short prayer in her head, hoping he didn't pull the trigger because she knew him. Her lips trembled like her joined hands were doing in a prayer position. She knew the man she married always lived up to his name. He never made empty threats and he never played with snakes and people that tried to betray him. If he ever pulled a gun to your head, he was going to use it. They all knew that for a fact.

Nicholas went on his knees immediately right beside his mother.

"Dad please calm your anger." He begged him. "Please don't hurt my Mother, please forgive her for her short comings."

"Dad," Jeremiah intervened. "Dad please, you don't have to do this. You don't have to get her blood on your hands. Think about Kodi, she's still Kodi's Mum."

Benjamin took a deep breath.

"Chief," Susan continued, trying to force words out of her trembling lips. "Think about the children, please don't make my children motherless. Think about your children, don't kill me please I beg you." You rubbed her hands desperately. "Don't kill me I beg you in God's name."

"Chief," Manny walked to him and slowly reached for his hand with the gun. "Chief, Jeremiah is right. Remember she's still your wife and the daughter of a very influential family. This would not be good for you or the company. Lower the gun please."

Their words were starting to get to him slowly. He was giving in.

"Dad please." Nicholas begged him. He was scared out of his mind now.

Benjamin slowly lowered the gun slowly but he didn't take his eyes off her. Susan fell to the ground as weakness, relief and shock filled her at once and Nick grabbed her immediately. It was almost like she had fainted.

"Give it to me." Benjamin told Manuel, stretching his hand with the gun towards him. Manuel bowed slowly and took the gun away from him, he placed it on safety and replaced it with an envelope Benjamin took from him. He threw it on the ground right in front of Susan and she summoned up strength immediately after cleaning her tears a hundred times and picked it up, she opened it. Her hands were still shaking. She got out the documents inside of it.

"Sign the divorce papers and have them submitted to the mansion by tomorrow morning."

Susan froze when she saw the heading of the paper in her hands.

"Chief."

"From today henceforth you have nothing to do with me, my family or my company. You would no longer become an active member of my board, you shall forfeit all your shares to our daughter and you shall no longer be allowed to set foot in or close to my house or my children. Your things would be sent to you as soon as you're settled wherever you find yourself."

"Chief," she slowly raised her head to him. "Chief don't do this please.

"Failure to comply with everything I've stated today would cause all your actions to be reported to the police along with the evidence of your involvement in my attempted murder. You'd face trial and spend the rest of your life in jail. This is as far as I can forgive. This is me showing you mercy, sparing your life for the sakes of our children, don't make me regret it. And you," he turned to Nicholas, Nicholas swallowed hard. "Be grateful you have my blood flowing through your veins. That is the only thing that kept you alive today."

"Chief," Susan went back on her knees, throwing the papers away from her hand. She grabbed on to his feet immediately as drops of her tears started to fall on his leather shoes. "Chief don't do this to me I beg you. Please have mercy on me."

"Let go." He kicked her off and then turned back to Nick. "Pack your bags." He told him. "You leave for Australia first thing tomorrow morning."

Nicholas froze for a second. Did he just hear correctly? Australia? Was he being banished?

"Dad-" Jeremiah started

"Dad." Nicholas started to cry too. "Dad please I don't want to, I don't want to leave. I don't want to go to Australia." He knew exactly what Benjamin meant by that. He was banishing him, sending him away just like he sent Jeremiah away all those years ago.

"Chief." Susan was crying even harder. "Chief don't do this to me, don't take my son away from me."

"You should have thought about that before you made your son a monster. It's either he leaves for Australia or he ceases to be my son. Either he leaves or he forfeits all his benefits of being my son including his shares in my company."

"Dad-"

"What's so good about it?" Everyone froze at the sound of the voice that interrupted Nicholas. No one made a sound except from Susan who just kept sobbing even as she managed to turn to Christian who just stood there, sick and tired of the whole drama. Benjamin turned to him too.

"What's so good about being your son?" He finally raised his head to face Benjamin's, glaring at him just as much as Benjamin returned the favor. "What's so good about having your blood flow through our veins?"

"What?"

"So you're going to send him away too? Banish another son just like you did years ago because you were so ashamed to accept your faults? To accept the truth about who you are? To accept the truth that all of this is your fault, that you did this? That you're the reason your own family tried to kill you and covert everything you have."

"B-big brother." Nick whispered, the tears falling from his face completely seizing. How was Christian so brave in front of their father after what just happened? Braver than everyone else.

"You're the reason all our lives are so messed up. When have you ever been a good father? When have you ever been a considerate father? You made us and then you made us who we are, what we are. You made us fight ourselves for everything just to prove ourselves to you. You were awake all along and you made us fight even when you knew how it was going to end. You were trying to test us, you made your seventeen year old son an accessory to murder, your nineteen year old an outcast, an illegitimate who grew up without the love of his mother or father or family, living his life in a total lie and in a home filled with hate and people that could never accept him and what did you make me? A monster, in your own image and likeness."

"Christian," Emmanuel tried to stop him.

"And now you're just going to appear in front of us and judge us for the choices we made? The choices you made for us? And brag about how special the blood we have running through our veins are? How dare you?"

"Christian that's enough." Manuel cut him off again.

"How dare you stand there and judge us? Judge us for doing exactly what you taught us to do?"

"Good." Benjamin told him. "Blame me. Blame me for everything, I'd take the blame for it all but my greatest regret is being too soft on you."

Christian scoffed.

"You're right about one thing, I caused this, I made you like me. I should have never tolerated your guts. I should have been harder on you, punished you every time you ran your mouth and played victim. You think you had it tough don't you? That you had it worse than everyone else. I might have caused this, I might have brought this upon myself but I never for once tried to kill my brother  or my father and I sure as hell didn't teach my sons to. I have not forgotten the big role you played in this event, I know you wanted me dead just as much. I know what your plans were and I don't blame you for it, I blame myself for doing this to you," he turned to all of them. "To all of you." He rested his gaze back on Christian.

"I might not have been able to teach you the right things then, to punish you whenever you made a mistake because I pitied you and felt guilty for what I put you through as a child but not anymore. It's not too late to get you in check. I can't forgive you for betraying me, conniving to get rid of me, hurting and trying to kill your own brother. From today henceforth, you are to step down from all positions you hold at Benoil enterprise and forbidden from taking any future appointments here until I say so."

"What?"

"You're to also give up ten percent of your shares."

Christian scoffed.

"Give up my shares? You can't force me to give up my shares."

"You're going to give up your shares or I'm going to let that police get back into this room and tell them everything they used to know. I'd also tell them how you laundered money illegally three years ago to pay up that loan you took from the bank."

"Laundered money? You knew what that money was for. I did it for you, to save this company from going bankrupt three years ago."

"For me? For my company? Do you have any proof?"

Christian frowned. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe he was being black mailed at that point. He let out an exhale, it was unbelievable. His own father was trying to blackmail him into giving up ten percent of his shares, of all he had worked for .

"It's either ten percent or all of them, all your houses, all your properties, flashy cars, your reputation, your freedom. Choose wisely."

"I can't believe this." Christian scoffed. "You set me up. You never go below my expectations father. The only thing I regret was not being able to pull the trigger on you that night myself." His anger was obvious, his hurt was visible.

"Good." He told him. "Manny would give you papers to sign. Do that before you leave this room."

He turned to walk away and started to head towards the door.

"Chief," Susan got up quickly, she knew she had to follow him as fast as she could, to stop him from leaving, to try to change his mind. "Chief please wait." Benjamin stormed out of the room the moment the door opened and she ran out behind him. Nicholas threw himself on the ground, trying to breathe.

It was over. It was all over.