THIRD PERSON'S POV

Silence lingered for a while in the DPO's office as two policemen led Mayowa to a cell room. The woman seated had her head bowed, she couldn't believed what just unfolded right before her eyes. She still couldn't believe that she could have been duped by someone she loved and it wasn't easy for her to accept the truth.

She thought the day was going to open the doors to the beginning of a new life for her. She thought she'd be happily married and her life would be just like a fairytale with the kind of family she had.

All those things ran through her mind but there was something that was predominant in her heart and that was the thought that her daughter could be alive, her first fruit. "Thank you so much Officer." She said and the DPO shook his head with a smile.

"No, thank you madam. I'm glad we were able to get him, we need to get people like this behind bars to curb crime even faster." He said and she nodded with a sad smile.

"Can you do me a favour?" She asked again.

"If it's in my capacity then I will." He responded her.

"Could you please conduct a search for my daughter and keep all what went down a secret? I don't want it on the news or the internet."

"We had been told beforehand that we shouldn't get the media involved so you are safe and as for your daughter," he paused and put a call across to someone at the other end. The woman tensed up a bit saying a silent prayer for her daughter while hoping she was still alive.

A little while later, a policeman walked in with a young lady. After saluting the DPO, the policeman spoke. "I brought her with me just as you ordered."

"Thank you, you can leave." He said and the policeman left.

"Madam," the DPO called on the woman who had rested her head on the table. She turned to him. "Your daughter." He completed and that was when the woman noticed there was someone else in the room asides her and the DPO. Apparently, she was lost in thoughts just a while ago.

When she looked up, she broke into tears and she went ahead to embrace her daughter. It was quite a reunion, she couldn't believe she could see her daughter again even after mourning her. Both mother and daughter stayed in each other's embrace without any plans to leave and the DPO watched them, he was happy for them.

All eyes moved towards the entrance of the office when someone pushed opened the door. It was Irene.

IRENE

I had a policeman direct me to the DPO's office the moment I got to the station. Without knocking, I pushed open the door and walked in. I was literally boiling with vengeance but I knew there wasn't a thing I could do, it wasn't like I could take laws into my hands. Well, I could but that wasn't an option for me.

I came to sudden realization that Mayowa had been an enemy right from day one while he was taken away by the policemen and I was determined to make sure he gets what he truly deserved,

"Irene!" My mum called to me with teary eyes, she had Ivory in her embrace and they were both shedding tears, tears of joy but those tears only made angrier. The days Ivory and I shed tears together after my dad died and my mum locked us out suddenly seemed fresh in my memory.

I turned sharply to the DPO. "Mayowa killed my dad."

➪➪➪➪➪

At first it seemed like I was crazy or I was so mad at him that I put the blame on him. I mean, he only walked into our lives the previous year, and my dad's autopsy said he died a natural death so I should be wrong, right? That was why I took proof.

I sat beside a barely conscious Theodore when I turned to Mayowa whom I watched with contempt when I sighted something, it was barely visible but I saw it anyway. The dragon-esque tattoo that I last saw about eight years earlier on the very day my dad died, or should I say was murdered.

I could remember vividly that I was playing around with the little camera my dad got me the last Christmas. He was a photographer, it was something he did during his leisure time as he was originally a businessman. My dad brought up the model in me and for that, I'll forever remain grateful.

Walking into his study with my favorite thing then, I took pictures randomly. Being so eager to show my dad the pictures I had been taking, I didn't pay any attention to the man that walked past me and it did seem like he was in a hurry. I didn't even see his face, the only thing I saw was a dragon around his hip, it was a tattoo.

I rushed to my dad only to find out that he was fast asleep. I tried waking him up but he didn't wake up. In the end, I found out that he was dead, that he would not come back and that I won't get to see him again.

I was traumatized as he was my favorite person in the whole world. I put away everything that reminded me of his death and totally avoided the west wing of our house because the music room and his study were both located there. I hated to remember that he was once there even though I'd always go to his grave and cry my eyes out.

Finally walking into his study after so many years, it still looked the same. It was arranged just the way it was the last time I was in there. Nothing really changed except the fact that everywhere was dusty.

All I had to do was to walk to the table but as I did that, I began to reminisce on the things that had happened in the room. My first unofficial photo shoot with my dad was in that same room. I began to feel claustrophobic and it took the grace of God for me to not have slumped.

Finally getting to the table, I took the camera and went through it, there had to be some evidence, I was taking pictures randomly after all. I kept scrolling with the hopes of finding something and I did, I found a not so clear picture of the tattoo but it was good enough.

I took to the wheels of one of the cars just after the ambulance left with Theodore and drove straight to the police station.

"Wow Irene, this is great." The DPO said and I arched a brow.

"This evil doer will definitely pay for his sins." He said holding the camera like an award.

I couldn't imagine what my mum was passing through having to find out that her fiancé had killed her dead husband and that he was only after the family wealth. She must have been devastated.

My mum, Ivory and I were about to leave when Desmond and Kiki walked in. "They brought me here." Ivory said with a smile. I felt my eyes water. I was so glad that I told them everything that went down when I was last missing.

"Thank you so much for everything. I heard you guys engineered everything, including Mayowa's arrest." I'm really grateful." My mum said and hugged Desmond and Kiki.

"You don't have to thank us, you're like family. By the way, we only assisted, Osaze and Theodore brought up the idea and engineered everything."

Osaze and Theodore...

Osaze...

As we made our way out of the Station, I sighted Osaze, she had just written her statement. I took the bold step of walking up to her. She sighted me coming so she waited.

"Hi Osaze, I heard what you did. Thank you so much, I genuinely appreciate."

She shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I did what had to be done and it was all Theodore's idea. He made all of this possible." She replied with a small smile. She looked different, or maybe it was just me, maybe she didn't look different but I was just beginning to see her in a new light.

I pulled her into an embrace and I could tell from her stiff body that she was shocked. "Thank you so much." She eased up after a while and wrapped her hands around me also.

Maybe that was all we needed for our reconciliation.

➪➪➪➪➪

While mum and Ivory went home, myself and the rest of the guys including Osaze left the station for the hospital. The drive to the hospital was silent but I could tell it was a peaceful kind of silence. Desmond drove and Kiki sat beside him while Osaze and I were at the back seat.

The drive was short because the hospital wasn't really far from the station. When Desmond parked the car, we all got down and made for the ward where Theodore was taken to as directed by a nurse.

We were about to walk into the room when a nurse stopped us. "I'm sorry, you can only come in one at a time, he just regained consciousness."

Without wasting time, they let me in first. I was grateful because I was so eager to see him. It was my fault he was in that situation, he took the bullet for me.

As I walked in, I sighted him on the bed his body connected with wires to machines. When I walked closer, I noticed his eyes were wide open and he had a bandage around his torso. My heart wept for him.

I walked to the bed and stood beside it. "Theodore." I called softly. He didn't respond, I wasn't surprised, he seemed lost. "Theodore?" I called his name again with uncertainty.

He turned to me and his lips stretched up into a pretty smile. He looked too good to be true and my eyes began to water.

"Why are you crying?" He asked frowning.

I sniffed. "I don't like to see you this way, you're in pains."

He smiled softly and sat up straighter. "But I'm fine." He responded and couldn't help but find his positivity cute.

"Yeah, you'll be fine."

"No Irene, I'm fine." He said again disconnecting the pads connecting the wires to the machines.

What is he doing?!

"Theodore stop!" I called out.

"Nurse! Doctor!" I hollered even as I made to the door but no one was forth coming. I walked back to the bed only to see Theodore standing beside the bed like nothing happened, he looked very fine. He didn't even have the bandage anymore. I became confused.

"I told you I'm fine," He said walking towards me.

"But how?" I asked in bewilderment. Was I dreaming or was it just all in head?

"I wasn't shot." He said and I frowned. I became more confused. I was so sure I saw him fall down to the ground

"Mayowa's gun was swapped the moment foul play was noticed. The gun I was shot with contained fake bullets."

Wow! Just wow! And there I was thinking Theodore was in a critical condition.

"You don't really look happy that I'm fine." Theodore said and I shook my head.

"I am very happy that you're fine but I just don't understand the need to rush you to the hospital if you're fine. What is the reason behind all these?"

"This is the reason." He said, took my hand and started fiddling with it.

"Irene, words cannot express how happy I am that you're fine. You have no idea how devastated I would have been if anything had happened to you."

I looked down at our locked hands. I do know how that would feel, trust me if something had happened to you too, I would be devastated.

"Words can't express how I feel Irene," he said cupping my cheeks with one hand and making circles with his thumb on the other. "I love you so much Demilade."

I was certain my heart skipped multiple beats when he said that. "I love you just as much Theodore."

He wrapped his hands around my waist looking deep into my eyes. "Please be my girlfriend."

He finally did it, he finally asked me out. I couldn't contain my excitement and I broke into a smile, a big smile. "Please?"

I crashed into his frame and wrapped my hands around him. "I'll be your girlfriend Theodore, I will."

That was enough to begin the fireworks in my head. I had bagged my first boyfriend whom I loved so much. I couldn't believe we had moved so fast to this stage.

He placed a kiss on my lips and on my cheeks and on my jaw and on my forehead and on my head before pulling me into another embrace.

I began to hear movements, it was the guys, they cooed and I smiled. I stayed in his embrace for long, I didn't want to leave is arms, I wanted to remain with my boyfriend.

*
Thank God the whole Mayowa palava is over 🥱

Okayyyy guys, kindly tell me what you think of this chapter, we have 6 more chapters to go and this book will end.

Thanks for 11k reads and 5k+ votes on Runways and Deception, I appreciate your support guys.

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Word Count: 2223