Chapter 4: My Imade.


    JAMAL.


    "So she''s an intern?" I ask, failing woefully at masking my surprise.


    "Yes dear, but she seems very intelligent and trustworthy so I''ll do as you asked and keep her under my


    wings." My aunt Lydia, assures me and I sigh in relief. At least she was impressed by her.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Thanks a lot auntie. I owe you one but please do me another favour, take care of her and don''t let her


    get anywhere near Natasha. I don''t want her involved in Tasha''s jealous fits and I''d also prefer if this


    stays between us. You know how Tasha gets when she feels threatened." I tell her and she stares back


    at me with a bored expression on her face.


    "I think it''s high time you put a name on this weird rtionship you have with Natasha. Like I''ve always


    pointed out, I don''t like her attitude but she has being a part of your life for seven years now, following


    you everywhere like a housefly and yet you only tag her as just a friend."


    "I know for sure that you''re sexually involved with her and I know it''s none of my business as well but


    I''m your aunt and I wish the best for you. The rtionship you have with that youngdy needs a


    proper name before her obsession with you gets out of hand." She blurts out sternly and I bow my


    head slightly in embarrassment.


    "I''m not looking for anything serious with anybody auntie and as for Natasha, she and I are as you


    said lovers but it''s nothing too serious, at least to me. I genuinely care about her and would do anything


    for her but I''m not interested in putting a name on anything."


    "I like where we are and I already told her where I stand and we''re both cool with it. I don''t need to tell


    her I love her before she gets the memo, she already knows she''s my irreceable gem." I exin to


    her and she''s sighs defeatedly.


    "I will never understand that rtionship but if it makes you happy, then I have no problem. I''d just


    advice you to keep that rude girl on a leash. She needs to know her ce and stop going around


    throwing jealous fits and embarrassing herself. Talk to her." She advises and I nod in agreement.


    "I''ll do as you say ma but please don''t forget to help me with Imade and also keep this a secret from


    her, I don''t want her to get the wrong idea." I remind her and she furrows her brows.


    "You''re starting to confuse me o, young man. What''s your deal with this youngdy? Are you a secret


    admirer?" She inquires and I roll eyes.


    "She''s just someone I feel guilty towards and I feel the best way I can make it up to her is to protect her


    from the shadows. I don''t like her and I want nothing to do with her personally." I reply her and she


    shrugs.


    "Whatever you say my boy. Just make sure I see you at work tomorrow or else you''ll hear it from me."


    She warns and I chuckle quietly, engulfing her a quick hug before watching her get in her car and drive


    off.


    ***


    The next day...


    "Have you had lunch?" I ask Natasha, who simply ignores me and continues to admire her newly


    polished finger nails.


    "Are you for real Tasha? Are you really going to act like this?" I ask boredly, hoping she''d snap out of it


    but she didn''t and that partly infuriated me. She knew how much I hated the silent treatment and for


    whatever reason, she''s doing things I hate to taunt me.


    Firstly, she wore a yellow coloured dress, knowing how much I hated that colour and now she''s paying


    zero attention to me and focusing more on her stupid nails.


    "Fine, I''m leaving." I say in frustration, hoping to get a reaction from her but I got nothing. Absolutely


    nothing! Her eyes remained fixed on her nails and she didn''t even spare me a nce.


    "If you''re mad at me, you need to speak up and tell me what I did wrong. You can''t keep ignoring me


    like I''m some talkative parrot!" I yell at her in frustration and bam! That got her attention as expected.


    Knowing her like I did, I knew one thing she didn''t like was getting yelled at. Itpletely infuriated her.


    "Do I have to be mad at you Jamal? Did you do something that you think might annoy me? Do I look


    angry? Or is your guilty conscience catching up with you?" She retorted and I deadpanned. Is she


    joking with me?


    "I have being in your office for thest hour and you''ve said absolutely nothing to me. What exactly am


    I supposed to make of that?" I reply confusedly and sheughs, herughter irritating me beyond


    words.


    "You know what, I think you''re a little unwell. How about you take a break today to clear your head and


    when you''re much better upstairs, we''ll talk." I say to her angrily and turn to leave.


    "Wait Jamal!" She calls out but I ignore her and I leave. She can''t take out her anger on me and


    expect me to just ignore andply, I''m not her puppet.


    "Jamal!" A voice calls out and I turn around expecting to see Tasha but I''m beyond surprised when I


    see Imade instead walking towards me with an unreadable expression on her face.


    "You again?" I ask, attempting to sound upset and irritated.


    "Sorry for disturbing you Jamal but we need to talk and I know you supposedly don''t know me and


    you have no reason to actually talk to me but I promise I''ll make it quick." She says confidently and I''m


    stunned and at lost for words.


    "Jamal?" Another voice calls out my name again and this time, the voice belongs to Natasha and the


    stone cold expression on her face screams deadly jealousy.


    "Who are you?" Tasha asks as soon as she stood face to face with Imade who was noticeably shorter


    than Tasha.


    My eyes scan back and forth both women thinking of how best I could handle the situation without


    Imade getting hurt in anyway. I knew how Tasha got whenever her insecurities got the best of her and if


    I don''t interfere quickly, she might lose it.


    "Good afternoon Miss. I''m sorry if I''m interrupting but I need to speak with Mr Jamal for a few minutes."


    Imade replies her, still sounding as confident as she did earlier.


    "And what business do you have with him?" Tasha asks and that was my cue to chime in.


    "She''s a friend Tasha. I''ll let her say what she has to say and you and I can talkter." I tell her calmly


    and hurriedly try to drag Imade away.


    "No, I won''t allow that Jamal. She''s nothing but a mere employee and she needs to know her ce. I


    don''t care if she''s a friend or whatever but whatever she has to say, she can say it outside thepany


    but as long as she''s in here, she''s obligated to focus on work and work only. So as your boss and your


    employer, I''m demanding that you get back to work." She persists and I mentally roll my eyes at her


    flimsy excuse.


    Can she be any less annoying? I wonder to myself, thinking of a way to get out of here without


    drawing unwanted attention.


    "I''m on my lunch break miss, so I have the right to talk to an old friend. I promise I won''t take up much


    of his time." Imade tells her straight and I struggle to hold back augh when Tasha''s brows twitched in


    a funny looking way.


    "So Jamal, do you want to go with her?" Tasha asks, turning back to me and I shrug nonchntly.


    "Yeah sure. I''d like to hear what she has to say." I reply and she sighs calmly before turning back to


    an expressionless Imade.


    "Okay fine, but please make it quick cause he and I have some unfinished business. By the way, I''m


    Natasha Opara, his assistant CEO." She says directly to Imade and I was certain, that introduction was


    more like a warning in advance. It wasn''t exactly a new tactic from her.


    "I''m Imade Adeleye, and I''m new here. Hopefully, you can guide me through how things work." Imade


    replies with a small smile and I unconsciously smile a little at how rxed she looked. She was still as


    cool headed as I remembered. My forever patient and rxed Imade.


    "I would normally say, it''s nice to meet you but there''s nothing nice about this meeting. So if you''ll


    excuse me, I''ll see around. See youter babe." Tasha replied, nting a quick kiss on my lips before


    strutting away elegantly.


    For the first time ever, I wished she hadn''t kissed me so openly, especially not in front of Imade who still


    wore an unreadable expression on her face.


    "Did going abroad turn you into a coward? Or did I just never notice you were one?" She asks, and


    I''m immediately taken aback by her tone.


    "Let''s talk somewhere more private Imade. Follow me." I reply her through gritted teeth and I''m partly


    relieved when she obediently follows behind me.


    I walk her to the elevator and we head to my office, which was located on thest floor. The minute I


    step into my office, I offer her a seat and she quietly agrees and sits opposite me on the sofa.


    "What is it you want to say?" I ask her, trying to contain my anger from the previous remark she''d made


    earlier.


    "I know you don''t owe me any exnations Jamal and I''m not expecting anything from you but I need


    to find peace with this situation and to get that peace, I need to understand why in the world you''d deny


    knowing me. I even thought you had amnesia or something but it turned you were denying me on


    purpose. Why?" She asks and I''m only partly surprised that she figured out I lied. Although I knew


    she''d eventually find out, I didn''t want it to happen so soon.


    "If you are expecting an apology from me, then you''re wasting your time Imade. I have nothing to be


    sorry about. I didn''t acknowledge you because I didn''t want to and I''m not apologetic about it." I tell her


    straight and she lets out a bitterugh.


    "I don''t need you to apologise to me because you don''t owe me anything. I just wanted to see for


    myself, how the new you works and now I get it. You don''t want me in your life and Ipletely


    understand that but for the sake of our old friendship, I didn''t deserve to be denied and I just came here


    to end things on a proper note."


    "Thank you very much for making me worry about you for ten good years of my life. Thank you for


    denying me without any form of remorse andstly, thank you for finally showing me how much you


    don''t worth a second of my time. That is all I wanted to say, excuse me please." She says calmly with a


    curt nod before getting up to leave.


    "How did you find out? I ask the first question that popped in my head and she halts her steps


    temporarily.


    "That is, absolutely none of your business." She replies me and walks out of the office, leaving me to


    process everything that just went down in a matter of minutes.


    "What the hell just happened?" I wonder out loud, still trying to figure out how she found out I


    recognised her. I would have suspected my aunt but she was on her way to a business trip earlier and I


    doubt she would have had the time to chit chat with a mere employee. Well, I should be thankful to


    whoever it was cause I finally felt free and less guilty towards her.


    A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can only hope our paths never have to cross


    again.