Chapter 21

I took a quick shower after eating lunch with Marcus. It was the weekend and I was here as instructed. I didn't want him mad at me, so like the good girl I was, I followed instructions. He has been kind to me so far and has yet to force me to do anything I didn't want to do. Jokes on him, I wanted to do most of those things with him. I might have wanted our relationship to be different but nevertheless I was with him.

I wanted to be the only woman in his life and not as a mistress pinning for his affection but as his woman. Of course I didn't come right out and say it or confess my feelings for him, I was not stupid. I learnt from my last mistake. We were in a comfortable place and I wanted it to stay that way. Besides feelings brought about a lot of anger, fear and betrayal.

I tied the towel around my body and headed for the walk in closet where I stored my clothes in a locked closet. At first I didn't want to leave anything lying around on the account that we were adulterers but he insisted. We all know Marcus gets what he wants. So instead of arguing with him, I brought a few clothes that I could change into.

It made things easier for me as his cleaners, mixed my clothes in his laundry and clean them all together. I always have clean clothes to wear when I came around. It was a risky thing to do but he informed me that the people who clean the penthouse are handpicked by him and are extremely loyal to him. He pays them enough to buy their silence.

Well if he was not worried, I didn't see why I should. I dressed in record time and headed out. I found him sitting in the living room, looking larger than life while read over some papers which held all his attention, or so I thought. I started walking towards the elevator when he warned me.

" Make sure no one sees you" he said without breaking his attention from the papers.

" I am always careful" I argued.

" That was before we had Jake to worry about. " He said turning his stormy blue eyes at me.

" I will be"

" Bye" he said and went back to his task.

I rolled my eyes at the awful fair well and proceeded in the elevator. I pressed on the first floor button, where I take the stairs that lead to the back exit. I was as worried about Jake as he was. Jake was sneaky and cunning. He was also observant, always on the lookout on what was happening around him.

He noticed even the smallest things that none of us paid attention to. He should have been a detective, the job suited him perfectly. At least then he would put all his skills to good use instead of sabotaging his family. I underestimated his ability to manipulate me.

The elevator dinged on the chosen floor and when the door opened I took a step forward, checked left and right before I took the stairs. I ran down the stairs and slowed down when I reached at the bottom. It would have been highly suspicious seeing a woman running in a hotel.

I took quick steps towards the exit door that I could already see in front of me. My new found victory evaporated when I met with Jake at the exit door. I didn't have a corner to hide in as he had already spotted me. I knew his first question would be what I was doing here and I quickly thought about a possible answer .

He looked the same, nothing had changed. From the broad shoulders to the small waist and tall frame, still the man I remembered. A smile endorsed his face when he saw me. I smiled back and willed myself to stop shaking as it would ruin my cover.

" Hello Zawadi" he extended his hand for a handshake and I took it.

" Hi" I whispered.

His hold on my hand was tight as if he could sense that I wanted to flee. I pulled my hand back and he let go.

" It has been along time since I saw you" he commented

" Yea it has"

" How are you doing?"

" I am well as you can see"

" As beautiful as the last time I saw you" he stated.

I didn't have a response to that so I kept silent.

" What are you doing here?" He asked the dreaded question.

" I came to see John" I answered quickly without blinking.

He seemed confused at to who John was.

" John? Do I know him?"

" Probably not. He is my friend's fiancé"

" And what would you friend's fiancé be doing here?"

" He works here, as a legal counsel"

" Oh, I didn't know that this place has a legal counsel"

" It does"

" Does he work on Sunday?"

"No but we had an appointment for today" I summarized to ensure that I don't get caught on my lie.

" Ooh! Okay"

I didn't want to answer any more questions so I pretended that I was in a rush.

" I have to go, it's a long way home and I have work tomorrow"

" Yes ,I understand. See you around Zee"

I walked away quickly and got in my Uber.

' Whew! That was close'

***************************************

Jake POV

I left the house in the afternoon and requested the driver to take me to hotel Royale. I wanted to talk to my brother about the situation he was in with Katelyn. I had to make sure that he at the very least lived under the same roof as her.

I realize that, that was the last thing I wanted but we needed him to ensure our plans moved smoothly. I had a few days to get reacquainted with her body and I used every precious second worshiping her body. After spending some time with her, I felt better about having Marcus around.

I was a jealous man but I would swallow a lot of hate and disrespect for something I want.

When I arrived at the hotel ,I don't know what made me go to the back entrance. Was it my instincts or the cameras that would inform my brother of my presence. He had I stalled cameras everywhere, like a paranoid person.

The last person I expected to meet today was Zawadi. What the hell was she doing here? She told me she was here to see a friend but I was not buying it. Her voice shook when she mentioned her friend's name.

Was she here to see Marcus? Oh my lord! That explains Marcus sudden interest in staying at the penthouse. He was cheating on Katelyn with Zawadi. Shit! With all my planning, I didn't see that coming. He was not done with Zawadi.

Now that they were back in each others lives our plans were in jeopardy. How long have they been seeing each other? How far has their relationship progressed to? Does my brother know that Zawadi was the scapegoat?

I counted on my brother's hatred for Zawadi to keep him away from her. Clearly I was off the mark on that one by far. However what did any of us expect? Those two were in love. That kind of love doesn't just go away because you are angry and disappointed.

I couldn't speculate on what was going on. What I needed was to talk to his secretary Adeline. Ohh! You didn't know that she was on our side. Oh well surprise! She was on our side and has received her share of the money. She had as much to loose as any of us. I took my phone from my pocket and called her. She informed me that she was in her office.

I took the elevator to the floor that had only two offices and some other rooms I have never bothered to explore. I went quickly to her office and locked the door behind me. Luckily no one saw me. She rose from her desk and gave me a quick hug before we both settled in our seats.

" How are you Adeline?" I asked

" Good. What brings you here?" She asked always with no patience for small talk.

" I came to see my brother but I am glad to see you too" I teased

" Save the teasing for Katelyn" she frowned " what do you want Jake?"

" I was using the back exit and I ran into Zawadi"

" Zawadi?" She gasped

" Yes Zawadi"

" What was Zawadi doing here?" She asked herself

" She said she was here to see John, her friend"

" Ah! Yes, John works here now but he doesn't come to work on weekends"

" So she was lying?"

" Most probably"

" Is it possible that she was here to see Marcus?" I possed the question carefully

" That's impossible. The last time they met was at the baby shower that was held here for Zuri and John ,her friends"

" And did she talk to Marcus that day"

" They barely exchanged words "

" I don't think we have the whole picture of what is going on"

" I believe so" she said lost in her own thoughts.

" I don't want them together, she will make Marcus believe she didn't steal from him and then he will start his investigations all over again. We barely survived last time"

" I know. Do you think I would want this?" She asked furiously.

" You were supposed to be watching him! We gave you one job. One fucking job and you are failing at that too!"

She opened her mouth to talk but thought otherwise. I felt fear race down my body when I thought of getting caught.