They had been back for almost a week but Lucas could confirm that Freddie loved it here. He had made friends with the twins from next door, with the cook Camilla and with his nanny, Mathilda. Yesterday they had gone to enroll him in school despite it being middle of school year and Freddie had charmed his way into a few classmates hearts with his friendly aura and Lucas had been impressed. His initial fear that Freddie may not like it here being squashed out instantly.

Work to rebrand the company's image and full their pockets had started in earnest at the company with him meeting new prospective clients and interested shareholders. Right now, he was waiting for a new client, Mr. Priye Archibong, who had shown interest in the petrochemical business option he was in charge of.

Tentatively, he sipped his white wine as he scrolled through his pad searching online for the latest gossip albeit admitting quite frankly to himself that he wanted to find a story on his ex. She was a rich woman when they got divorced which should at least earn her a comment in the elite section but was greatly surprised and then disappointed when he found nothing on her. There were a few stories about her family though, living the life but then again during their married life, her family had always been more popular than her as she always hated being in the spotlight.

"I apologize for my tardiness. My previous engagement lasted longer than I expected," intoned a potbellied man coming to stand in front of him.

Lucas looked up in inquiry at the man before standing up.

"It's no problem at all, Mr. Archibong. I have a history of being overly punctual to events," he replied, stretching out his arm for a handshake.

Mr. Archibong accepted it with a smile and Lucas almost grimaced as a whiff of strong perfume hit his nose. The man had gone to see his mistress prior to coming. A disgusting character of the rich and sophisticated, Lucas mused.

"You can have a seat, sir." He invited, sitting back down.

"Thank you," the man replied making himself comfortable.

"This restaurant you recommended is quite lovely. I'm glad Lagos has improved in terms of hospitality," he commented, while glancing around the restaurant as if just seeing it.

His guest smiled looking around too. "Yes, it is. And Lagos has more potentials for the hospitality business if only some people would care to add their interest," he said slyly, hoping the billionaire would catch his meaning.

A waiter approached their table then and they made their orders before handing back the menu.

After the waiter had walked away, Lucas started off with the purpose of this lunch meeting.

"I must commend you for seeing the potential in this venture and offering your part in it. Frankly, I didn't expect the support after my dramatic disappearance five years ago."

The older man smiled at the memory. "It was a tough time for you, with your friend's betrayal, your infamous cheating scandal and your sudden divorce. It's a wonder you're still standing strong."

He grimaced at the man's words, his deep strong jaw set in a hard line. "Perhaps it all happened for a reason. Most people were opposed to my impulsive decisions back then, being younger than most CEOs."

The waiter arrived with their meal at that moment. Lucas had ordered a Caesar salad while Mr. Archibong had ordered steak with sauce. A red wine came with the meal courtesy of the billionaire to cement his new partnership.

Mr. Archibong continued after the waiter had left.

"You were barely a man, handling so much responsibilities. The betrayal comes with every business, the scandal is a scent attached to every successful young and handsome man. The divorce is merely the outcome of not managing your affairs better." He burst out laughing raucously at that.

The billionaire pursed his lips, reviewing the thought carefully.

"I heard you're staying in Lagos for the meantime, to oversee the production process before you leave?" Questioned the older man furiously cutting into his steak.

Lucas refrained from laughing at the action, as he took a bite of his salad. "Actually I've decided to stay longer, even after production has fully begun. I may have other business proposals to look into instead of petroleum."

Mr. Archibong nodded at that information. "It would be a good idea for you to stick around for a while. I have contacts who might be willing to partner with you on various business plans.

"If the famous Caspian-Asiegbu is in town for good, he should invite the elite out for dinner. At his house, and a private event will be most welcoming."

He nodded, deep in thought. "I heard it's quite customary among the elites to have a house warming party once you move into the neighborhood."

Mr. Archibong smiled broadly at that. "The sooner, the better, young man. A house warming party is just the sort of thing needed to introduce you back into the society."

+++++++++++++

A knock sounded at the door just as Sara was finishing lunch. Juliet her next door neighbor only sort her out in the morning during school runs or in the evenings after work for gist and gossips, so she ruled her out. She rarely had any friends who visited and her family were too content living in the family house and squandering her funds to bother about her living space.

Quickly, she stood up from her chair and went to drop her dishes in the sink. The doorbell was at the third ring by the time she reached it. Opening it, she was quite surprised to find Jeremy standing at the door, looking smug and smiling brightly at her.

"Jeremy, it's a surprise. I wasn't expecting you," she intoned clearly, barely hiding her astonishment.

"I know, right. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting it too but what can I do?" He asked rhetorically moving to go stand in center of the living room admiring the place again.

Her whole house was a self-contained apartment with a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen. The walls were painted mauve with alternations of light purple in the room. The heavy brown iron door opened into her living room which had three olive green sofas placed almost im a circle around a tinted round glass table. The LED television hung on the east side of the room with mini speakers. A fridge, a mini dinning table with two chairs, and a painting of various types of fruit occupied the western part.

Straight ahead was the door that opened to her kitchen on the left and her bedroom further down to the right. Her bedroom consisted of a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, a bedside table with lamp to the left, an inbuilt wardrobe that housed all her clothes and few shoes to the right. Adjoining the wardrobe was a full-length mirror and a drawer underneath which housed her feminine necessities. Most of her shoes lined the top of her wardrobe as she loved shoes and had a kinspirit who appreciated her obsession. A connecting door opposite her bed led to the fully tiled bathroom with the stand-in shower and toilet being separated by a shower curtain. The apartment was spacious and she loved it as it was her escape. From her family, from her past, from everything and everyone. Except of course, her neighbor. Even a bulldozer couldn't keep Jules away.

Sara closed the door to come sit on one of the sofas offering him one also. He obliged her. "You weren't expecting what?"

"A chance to become a millionaire overnight." He looked at her before amending, "Maybe not a millionaire but at least get my big break this easily."

She was confused and did nothing to hide it. "I'm confused."

"Don't be," he consoled, smiling at her. "What I'm trying to say is that I've found a way to get out from under my father's shadows and it's all thanks to Mr. Donald.

"He told me by way of confidentially that his client, the one we handled his house two weeks ago is throwing a house warming party and we are invited."

She frowned at that. "We are? I mean, did the client invite us because he liked our work?"

Jeremy looked lost but quickly masked it. "Not exactly. I mean he hired Mr. Donald of course but since we did the work, we can introduce ourselves. From what I know, he's a billionaire. He's swimming in money and wealth and contacts and he's having a party. Do you know what that means?"

She shrugged moving to go get him a drink from the fridge. "That we shouldn't gate crash a party?"

"No," he deadpanned before eyeing her. "It means we can make our mark tonight. Imagine it, every important person ever is going to be there to welcome him to this city. They'll be clamoring around him tonight and we too can clamor with them."

She handed him a glass of juice and sighed audibly in doubt. "I don't know, Jeremy. I've never been one to go uninvited to a party. It never ends well."

"Don't be a chicken, Sara. It's all for a good cause. Imagine how high we'll be on that social ladder if we manage to pull it off. We're starting a partnership and my partner cannot be afraid to take risks. It's the mark of a true businessman," he stated proudly, beaming at her.

She weighed the option and agreed that he was right. Waiting for rich customers to find them would take forever. They needed at least five of this particular client to really stand out in the decorations market and this party would definitely give them that. If Jeremy plan was to go over his father and Mr. Donald, then she had to help him. He always stood up for her, having her best interests at heart. She would still be living at her family house, receiving insults daily if it weren't for him. This was her time to prove her worth as a friend.

"What are you thinking about?" came Jeremy's loud voice, startling her out of her thoughts.

She eyed him now, scratching through her braids, deep in thought. "What's his name? We need to know who we're dealing with before we actually go there."

He shrugged in disinterest. "I have no idea. Like I said Mr. Donald is keeping him anonymous for reasons I know nothing about and that's why I don't want to continue working with him. But don't worry Sara, it doesn't matter. We will still get what we came for tonight."

She nodded wondering about Mr. Donald's actions. That is until her mind picked up on his words.

"Tonight? You said tonight?"

He chuckled at her bewildered expression. "Yes, and it's by 8. So that leaves barely two hours to get ready."

Alarmed, she scrambled from her seat and practically ran to her room. "I don't know what to wear!"

He chuckled again at that. "I kind of knew that would be your response, so don't worry. I got that covered," he announced, moving towards to the door, with a perplexed Sara at his heels.

Two hours later and draped in a V-necked mermaid blue gown that flayed at the bottom and highlighted her caramel skin with matching silver straps and clutch, Sara still felt uneasy at attending this party. Not knowing whose party it was kept her on edge.

All her life, she had always been one to have a well laid out plan reviewed thoroughly before stepping out of her door. That is until she met him and was swept into the impulsive whims and whirlwind romance he was known for. It irritated her to no end whenever he ruined her plans with his but they had learnt to compromise and that was one of the foundations of their marriage, their ability to fit perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. But that had been five years ago and she had retreated back into her shell the minute he was out of her life.

Nervously, she glanced out the window of Jeremy's jeep at the passing landscape, wondering why she was this nervous. It probably had something to do with the fact that she hadn't stepped into the elite circle since her divorce. Parties were a must when she was married. At first, she had detested it but soon enough warmed up to it, enjoying herself immensely with her charming husband by her side who took her happiness upon himself. Those were good times she admitted, smiling at the memory. But today was going to be different. He wouldn't be here today to calm her nerves or coax her into having a good time and then she frowned at the thought. They were here on a business date, not to enjoy herself. Besides since they were gate crashing, it would be better to not draw attention to herself.

The car pulled up into the driveway of the massive house and Sara smiled impressed at the memory of furnishing this house.

"We're here, Sara," Jeremy replied, climbing down from the jeep.

A valet opened her door and helped her climb down, smiling politely at her. She smiled back, blushing. He rounded the car to her side and linked his arms with hers.

Nodding at her, he said. "Let's go make our millions, Sara."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's a party going on and it's about to go down! (giggles nervously)

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