Sara ran blindly down the huge steps leading out of his house, briefly wondering if the steps had been this many when she and Jeremy had climbed it earlier. Probably not if the strains she was getting from her heeled sandals were any indication, she reflected.

She knew she shouldn't have come uninvited to a party by anyone of the elite society, and especially not his but how could she have known he was back into town and was throwing a house warming party when he had been so secretive about his return? She was confused about the secrecy though. He was well-known and raised heads and dragged attention to himself wherever he went. Adding fame and wealth to a household family name did that for him but it was weird no one said anything about his return. Not even those damned nosy paparazzi. If they had done their jobs well, it could have saved her this humiliation.

She slowed down her sprint to climb down the rest of the steps, coming to stand abruptly in front of the swimming pool brightly lit by underwater lights and the various lampposts strategically placed around the massive backyard giving it a deep blue hue. She frowned, not remembering seeing the pool earlier, not even when they had decorated the interiors of this house, and then realized she had left through the nearest exit, not necessarily the front door. Damn, she grated out and double damn when she wondered if the exit from this house meant going back into the house to leave through the front door.

That thought brought her ultimately to what Lucas would say to her now if he found her in his backyard. Something probably along the lines of 'gate-crasher', 'gold-digger' and 'ghetto'. She cringed as she realized the name probably fit, if the looks in those pair of hazel brown eyes were anything to go by. She knew he hated her but that was low, very low even for him. He did not have to disgrace her in front of everyone, she cried painfully.

Furiously, she kicked at the small shrubs acting as a barrier around the lawn of the backyard area and huffed when the stubborn plant barely moved as though mocking her.

"Idiot!" She muttered in anger, most of it directed at the man who had humiliated her a few minutes ago.

"I don't think the poor plants deserve your ire," said a deep male voice, a few meters behind her.

Startled out of her wits, she let out a shriek as she swung around in response to the voice. "You scared me!"

He chuckled at her reaction. "It was definitely not my intention but I couldn't help myself," he replied, moving closer to her. "Mr. Donald Donalds at your service." He introduced, producing a palm.

He was handsome, tall and dark, in that husband-material sort of way but his smile looked sincere.

Sara eyed it warily before clasping her hands in his, surprised at the firmness. "Sara Amadi."

He nodded with a smile, holding her hands a little longer than necessary. "I know. I overheard Lucas mention your name."

She grimaced at the memory and withdrew her hands from his, before turning away. "That was definitely not my finest hour."

He chuckled, nodding again. "I admit it wasn't but Lucas was being an asshole. He didn't have to call you out like that as though you were a common thief." He scoffed at the memory.

"And I should not have gone to a party uninvited. The fault was mine," she pointed out.

"Even at that, his behavior was uncharacteristically childish if I must say. Just because he's a billionaire does not mean he can treat others like trash. If I were in your shoes, I'll probably do more than give him a slap."

"All falls into the perks of being rich, I guess," she sighed, eyeing the pool and wondering why she hadn't come to the backyard when they decorated the inside. This place was beautiful. She would have loved a swim or two and then frowned when memory reminded her that her last good swim was with Lucas.

"Forgive my curiosity but I couldn't help overhearing him say you two have a history. I randomly assumed you were one of his women." He chuckled dryly.

Sara frowned at him. He was obviously fishing for information about her and her relation to Lucas and she cringed at the fact that she was allowing him.

"Yes, we have a history together but I'm not one of his women. At least not in that sense. It was more of a mutual arrangement." She shivered slightly as a cold wind blew across. One of the peculiarities of the harmattan season was hot, scorching sun during the day and cold, bone-chilling winds during the nights.

He noticed her discomfort immediately. "I suppose you are getting cold. I myself am bored with the party. Not my usual sport, if I must say. I'm merely asking if you might be needing a ride out of the estate."

He was being friendly for a complete stranger and that had Sara's antenna clicking. He was after something and the curiosity gripped her instantly. Nodding at his offer, she replied.

"I will be needing that ride. My date seems pretty occupied and I'll rather be in my bed sleeping than in the garden of my enemy. Who knows what he'll do if he finds me here?"

They both laughed gaily at the memory. "Definitely worse than what he did inside, that's for sure," he commented, clasping her hands in his elbows like a gentleman.

Together they strolled round the house till they reached the car park. There were at least forty cars there, all new, classic and expensive and all screaming out at the importance of the people inside. Perks of being rich, Sara mused while she waited for Donald to drive towards where she stood waiting.

Soon, a black Toyota Prius pulled up in front of where she stood and she couldn't help admiring the sleek car. She reluctantly climbed in after a thorough look.

"You like it?" Donald asked, as he drove out of the compound.

She nodded, loving the smell of leather covering the interior of the car. It was obviously a new car. "It's beautiful. Toyota cars have a uniqueness to them."

He beamed at her comment. "I thought so too, that's why I knew I had to get this one the moment I saw it in the shop."

They elapsed into silence, each deep in thought until her curiosity gripped her firmly.

"If you were invited to the party, I suppose that means you're a business client or a member of the elite society."

He angled his head, deep in thought. "Not really. My family is well to do but we can't afford to rub shoulders with the likes of these people. I, on the other hand, am lucky enough to do so because I work for the man himself."

She was surprised. "You work for Lucas, really? But didn't he just get back into town?"

He glanced briefly at her, noting her response but he continued driving.

"Yeah, he did. Two weeks ago, actually. You see, Mr. Martin used to be in charge of everything while Mr. Lucas ran the company from Abuja office. But Mr. Martin had to go to Port Harcourt because of family issues and Mr. Lucas returned to take over reins of the company just last week."

"Oh," was her reply, processing the information. He just got back barely two weeks ago and had chosen to remain anonymous for reasons best known to him. But she supposed this party would definitely set him in the front page of every entertainment and news channel by tomorrow. She could already imagine the caption: 'billionaire playboy back in town after a five year hiatus' she assumed his reputation still precedes him.

"You don't know me, do you?" asked Donald in an amused tone, now looking at her since they were at a red light.

Sara's brows furrowed in thought. "Not really. Should I?"

He chuckled at that. "You should probably fire your boss. He's not doing a very good job," he joked.

The sarcasm was lost on Sara until suddenly the name clicked.

"You're Mr. Donalds! You helped us land that contract so easily. My apologies, Jeremy didn't have the time to introduce us."

He laughed at her reaction for the second time that evening. She was a character quite alright.

"Yes, that is me. Jeremy and I were roommates back in school and when my supervisor asked for a reliable interior design company, I thought I should recommend him. It was not a good time for the company as I came to know."

Sara sighed at the memory. He was referring to Jeremy's plans to bring the company back into the limelight. "It's just a rocky road which will eventually pass."

"So, how did you know me? Jeremy said anything about me?" Her attention was piped.

He nodded. "He mentioned how you were dedicated to your work even though your family seems to be against it. According to him, your wealth alone should allow you to live very comfortable on the island but you're pretty much giving it away to your family."

When he saw her frown, he amended. "It was probably not a good idea to tell you what he had rattled off while being intoxicated."

Sara scowled before shaking her head. "It's not your fault. Jeremy helped me get my own place, he helped me get out from under my family's shadows. And he's right. My wealth alone should get me a comfortable life but my family is my priority. And it would be unfair on my part to neglect them." The wine she had drank that night was now working in her system, relaxing her.

"I see," was the quiet reply and they both elapsed into silence. Again.

He still had lot of questions about her, like how she had money but didn't belong to the elite circle, or why she would agree to work for an average company like Valiant if she knew what wealth was, or perhaps her unexplained 'history' with the billionaire playboy. He knew who she was but it would raise her suspicions if he told her that. So he'd play it by ear and act ignorant, accepting her reply when she said she wasn't one of his women. It was obvious why Lucas would fall for her if her pictures in those old magazines he saw were anything to go by. She was very beautiful, a feature that was his weakness but unfortunately he wasn't that interested in her beauty.

He still had lot of questions about her, but he would wait. She had a  good connection to Lucas, that much was certain and he knew whatever it was would greatly benefit him in the end.

Soon, he pulled into the apartment complexes on the outskirts of Lekki. Her salary at Valiant could account for this place as any apartment inside Lekki costs a fortune. He offed the car, climbed out and rushed to her side to help her with the door. She smiled at him in appreciation as she stepped out but stumbled. He was quick and caught her easily before she landed face first on the concrete road. He held her arm to steady her as they walked into the compound. It was late already, considering the traffic on the Lekki expressway, so most apartments had settled for the night. He followed her till they reached her door, just to make sure she didn't fall. Once she inserted her key in the lock, he turned to leave.

"Please, stay," she said, and then hiccupped when she realized what she had said. "I mean, you can come in for a beer or a juice if you don't mind," she rushed out quickly. She wasn't used to inviting strange men into her apartment, but Donald gave her a friendly vibe. And a free car ride.

He contemplated the idea and nodded. "I'll have that beer, thank you."

And he followed her inside.

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

At least there is someone who thinks our billionaire was being an idiot. Go, Donald. Tell him.

So you've met Donald. You'll still see more of him, in fact he's the precursor for half of what will happen in this novel. And he's a friend, most especially. (winks).

Fact: In Nigeria, when we say 'husband-material' we refer to someone who has roughly 7/10 of what you want in a husband. It doesn't mean you'll marry them though but you'll definitely encourage your friends to date him. Same goes for 'wife-material'. Weird connotations if you ask me.

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Thank you 😙 😘