She walked into the conference hall of the hotel with light steps and heavy breaths. A wedding reception was just rounding off in the smaller hall towards the left and seeing the newlyweds happily greeting their guests and gazing lovingly into each others eyes gave Sara the confidence she needed.

She was searched at the sliding doors of the conference hall before being directed to her seat. Luckily, she had gotten through to Martin at the last minute and he had hesitantly reserved a chair at the event for her. Once she got to her chair, she became nervous.

She hadn't really revised what she would say to him once she saw him. He didn't answer her call when she dialled  his number earlier and so probably had no idea she was here.

Sara appraised the hall searching for familiar faces and soon she saw her. Her weaves were straight and long, falling off her bare back in waves. She was sitting in front, in the VIP section next to her father, smiling pleasantly at guests who approached their table. On her right however, was the billionaire playboy himself, Lucas Caspian-Asiegbu.

He was looking dashing in his traditional three piece black dinner tuxedo, and undoubtedly was the cynosure of all, especially the female population but his facial expressions said it all. He'd rather be elsewhere than here. She noticed he looked very uncomfortable and then watched as he stood from his chair excusing himself from the Hall and Sara realized she could use this to her advantage.

Slowly, she stood from her chair and made her way quickly to the left side of the hall towards the same doors Lucas had exited through earlier.

She had almost made it past the doors when a lady clad in shimmering green dress suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way. She looked up to find Karen smirking at her.

"Hello. Can I help you?" Sara asked, her eyes darting between the door and Karen's face.

Karen eyed her, noting the sarcasm in her voice. "Yes, Sara, you can help me. One, I want you to stay away from Lucas cause he's mine. And two, tell that your gold-digger of a sister to keep her hands off him. You, Amadi's disgust me," she explained, a delicate hand placed on her waist.

Sara nodded, distracted by her intent. She didn't have the time nor the patience for Karen's jealousy. "If he's yours, I won't take him from you. I'll expect the same courtesy if he's mine."

Karen turned red in an instant, her eyes brimming with fire. "He cannot be yours, you've already lost him once..."

"And so did you," Sara retorted, completely tuned in to the conversation. "Let's get one thing clear, Karen. Lucas is a free man which means anyone can have him. So, he's not yours until he marries you." She finished, giving Karen the victory smirk. Then she turned and walked away, leaving a fuming  Karen glaring daggers at her back.

She walked through the doors, strolling through the hallways while searching for Lucas. She reached the door written convenience to find Martin exit from the men's bathroom. He grinned at her before they met halfway.

"Sara, you really came. And you are looking gorgeous," he commented, admiring her spaghetti strap turquoise blue mermaid gown and her curly weave-on cascading down her shoulders. She had paired it with her black strap heels and a black clutch. She looked lovely.

She blushed at his compliment and gave him a pleasant smile. "Thank you, Martin. You're looking lovely too."

He chuckled over her words. "This old thing? Nah, I just suddenly picked out a suit with matching shirt and tie in a hurry. I think I wore the back even," he said, eyeing his white shirt and navy blue suit with ample concentration.

She smiled at his joke, feeling relaxed. "If it makes you feel better, I heard wearing the back of your clothes unknowingly, means you're likely to find money."

They both laughed at that. "That's old wives tales." He countered still chuckling.

She nodded admittedly while looking past him to the door. Wasn't he in here?

"Lucas left a while ago. He's getting ready for his presentations, you know," Martin added, assuaging her curiosity.

She felt her spirit fall along with her hope. Accepting defeat, she nodded, trying to make her way back to her chair.

"I can take you to him if you like. He has about five minutes before he gets on the podium," Martin informed, shrugging his shoulders as he glanced at his silver wristwatch.

Feeling elated, she nodded eagerly at him. "Please."

Hurriedly, they made their way to behind the stage where a makeup artist was putting finishing touches on Lucas, and James, his right hand man cum manager was dishing out last minute orders. Martin walked past her to get Lucas's attention and he turned to stare at her in shock which quickly reverted to utter perplexity. He obviously wasn't expecting her to be here today. Quickly, he excused himself and walked briskly to come stand in front of her.

"You're here!" He breathed, smiling like a child on Christmas morning. Then he suddenly remembered their fight and queried. "Did you come for me?"

She smiled back at him. "Yes, I had to come. There is something I have to tell you and it couldn't wait till you came back," she said, pushing courage into her with every breath she took.

"Okay, what is it?" He asked, his gaze boring into her eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak. "Lucas, I..."

"Sir, you're up on stage. Engineer Caspian-Asiegbu, you've been called up on stage," called the stage director, interrupting her.

Lucas frowned and then glared daggers at the man who gulped visibly before turning away. Returning his attention back to her, he asked. "What do you want to tell me?"

Sara opened her mouth again and clamped it shut when James indicated by gesturing with his hands that time was of the essence. She reached out to stroke his face, her eyes shinning with admiration. "You go on since the people are obviously waiting. I'll tell you later."

He frowned again before nodding. Bending slightly, he brushed his lips lightly over hers and she allowed him to deepen the kiss. They broke apart when James cried out in consternation. He couldn't fathom it!

"Lucas?!"

He grinned at her and said. "Hold that thought for later, alright. We can meet at the after party since I'll likely be held up here for a long time. Or we can meet later in my suite. Its in this hotel." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a key. Handing it to her, he continued.

"If you get there before me, please wait for me, alright?" She nodded, and he smiled before turning around walking towards the back of the stage.

An applause roared out as he entered on stage. He was a role model to a lot of science students and aspiring entrepreneurs. As well as to lots of chicks looking for wealthy digs.

"Our next speaker for the night is a well-known figure in the petroleum industry. Although born into a privileged family, he opted to make a name for himself anyways. Having earned a distinction as the best graduating student at age 20, he started work as a laboratory scientist where he used his knowledge in the chemical and petroleum fields to come up with revolutionary uses for the byproducts of crude oil. From that launch alone, he made his first millions at 22 and became a billionaire two years later which ranked him as one of the richest men in Nigeria, even as of today.

"Now aged 31, he has invested heavily in the automobile industry and in the agricultural sector with innovative projects for mechanized farming. Also, the tourism sector has benefitted a lot from his philanthropy. He has singlehandedly supported the Lagos annual carnival, the Abuja annual golf championships and the prestigious polo tournament in Abuja that brings thousands of investors yearly. Presently, he has plans to bring such ideas to Lagos in the nearest future.

"He won the title of the most handsome man in Nigeria for two consecutive years and has the unbeatable record of being able to make any woman swoon with just a smile. I don't know how true that is, as he's yet to smile at me," the female presenter joked, causing laughter to erupt around the hall.

"He has been a solid pillar for this pageant over the years and I heard backstage that he's also one of the supporters for this pageant this year. Please make welcome, Engineer Lucas .Caspian-Asiegbu!" Announced the presenter, Miss Abudu, just as Lucas walked up on stage amidst a clapping ovation.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and everyone for having me here for this year's Miss Nigeria pageant. I must say that I'm deeply honored and flattered by that speech, Miss Abudu," he said, smiling exuberantly at the audience.

Sara watched him gesture as he talked and a smile filtered on her face as she admitted that she loved him and was more than willing to try again with him. She was going to let him know about her resolve in the after party later tonight.

+++++++++++

Sara sighed in despair as she waited for the elevator to get to the tenth floor. She was unhappy with Lucas for so subtly standing her up at the after party.

First, it hadn't bothered her much that he was held back at the dinner convention talking shop and then later on went missing, but when she realized that Karen who was at his side the whole night was also missing, it made her fears rise.

Coming to Enugu to confess her feelings probably hadn't been the best idea seeing as she hardly found the right time to do so. He had been distracted the whole time and she knew why. He still believed she would reject him despite trying hard to win her back. Truth being she was already in love with him to not want to be with him. Trust was the leap of faith she had come here for.

The whole ride was silent as the couple who entered with her gazed lovingly into each other's eyes the whole time. They were probably the newlyweds from the reception that happened in the other hall. Soon, the elevator dinged its stop and Sara exited the lift together with the couple. They turned left down the hallway. The key he gave her indicated his room was 904 in the right wing, so she marched in that direction.

She didn't know what she'll say to him exactly when she got to his room, but she was certain of one thing. She would assure him that she loved and trusted him with all of her heart. A drunk couple exited room 906, two rooms before his, laughing and chatting. From all indications, it was a mistress affair, her sultry clothes giving her off. And then suddenly a dreadful feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

It wasn't possible, she breathed, briefly pausing in her steps. Even though they were both absent at roughly the same time, it didn't mean they would be together. Hadn't he sworn he felt nothing for her anymore?

Pushing confidence into her steps, she reached the door. She opted to knock but remembered he had given her a spare key and decided to use it. There was no need jumping to conclusions over simple mishaps just because they reminded her of the past. Didn't Lucas say she held too much to the past?

She slipped the key in the lock and slowly turned the knob opening it. Gently, she pushed open the door and walked in. The lights were on, the bed was unmade and clothes were strewn carelessly on the floor, male and female alike. She didn't have time to process what her eyes had seen, the image on the bed halting her in her strides.

"What are you doing?!" She heard herself croak out in disbelief. It just was not possible!

Lucas was lying face up on the bed, more like sprawled, considering that he was not moving. Karen in sheer stockings and garters, with matching red lace thong and bra was sitting down on his waist, straddling him. It looked like a very compromising situation to an onlooker but for some weird reason, Sara realized she remained unmoved.

Karen heard her voice and swung around rapidly to stare cat her openmouthed. She was definitely not expecting company. She quickly climbed off of him, coming to stand in front of Sara.

"What are you doing in here? You shouldn't be here."

Annoyed, Sara ignored her question as she pushed past her to move towards the bed. She reached out to touch him, only for Karen to pull her away blocking her view.

"Leave him alone. He's sleeping cause he's very tired."

Sara frowned at the obvious lie seeping from her lips. "And you're sleeping with him? Isn't that considered rape, Miss Thomas?" She quizzed, pushing her out of the way. The force was a little too much, and hence threw the unsuspecting girl halfway across the room.

She moved to the side of the bed again and sat down beside his sleeping form. He didn't, didn't even stir, despite their argument which was weird since he was always a light sleeper. She shook him hard attempting to rouse him, and when he didn't react, she knew something was amiss. Her eyes flickered around the room searching.

Her gaze found the opened bottle of champagne and the two glasses set nextbyo each other on the bedside table. One was drained, the other barely touched. It reminded her of a similar situation months ago. Instinctively, she reached for the drained glass and sniffed it. Her eyes popped open at the familiar smell. In sheer disbelief, her head whipped towards the woman who was standing in the middle of the room studying her.

"Why isn't he waking up? What did you do to him? What was in that drink?" That was the only plausible explanation.

Karen stood far from the bed but beside the center table in the room and regarded her in an amused fashion as royalty would regard its loyal subjects. When she saw Sara did not share her sentiments, she sighed audibly.

"Melatonin drops, you've heard of it, right?" When the woman furrowed her brows in confusion, she opted to explain. "Don't act all holy right now as if you don't know what I'm talking about. According to Donald, you guys used it on Lucas when you wanted to get your son back. I mean, I knew I was devious, but you are something else." She chuckled devilishly, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sara frowned, her gaze landing on immobile Lucas. "It isn't supposed to knock him out cold. What else did you give him?"

Karen scoffed. "You are not very smart, are you? It still beats my imagination how someone as intelligent as him could possibly fall in love with someone as dumb as you."

"Answer me this instant!" She growled at Karen who flinched and shifted slightly on her feet.

"Two drops can keep him half alert for about six hours. Anything higher than four drops can knock him out cold for close to twelve hours. Higher dosages might even send him to the other side through prolonged sleep."

"You drugged him!" It was more of a statement than a question, but when Karen smirked, she confirmed her suspicions.

"Why?" She cried, wondering why she felt like she knew its setup. It felt eerily like déjà vu.

Karen laughed cynically while eyeing her. "You must be very stupid for asking me that question," she retorted. "Tell me, really, why not?"

Sara frowned, her eyes scanning the room for any weapon she could use against the woman when she saw the blinking red light attached to the window pane. From that angle, the camera swept over the entire view of the room.

"Are you recording this? Were you planning to use this against him later on?"

She smirked, glancing at the camera before riveting her face back to Sara.

"Genius, don't you think so? It wasn't necessary the first time around seeing as I had outside help from my friends, but that stupid boy, Donald, can't help me anymore since he let himself get caught. So I knew I had to do this on my own."

Sara opted to ask if she had been in cohorts with Donald the whole time but decided to forgo it as it was not important right now. "It won't work on him just so you know. He'll sweep it under the rug," she explained, realizing that Karen sounded desperate right now.

She nodded in agreement, a knowing smile plastered on her face. "No, but it will work on you. It did the first time around, didn't it?"

~~~~~~~~

Ghen, Ghen, Ghen, Ghen! Kasala go soon burst. 😀

5k reads!! We are going there 💃

Please, don't kill me. 😅 At least not yet. Use Lucas's impressive biography above to chill out small, abeg. I promise, one more chapter and we're good to go. 🙏

(Kasala= Trouble)

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