Silent Seduction (31)

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A bad feeling,
burned through the ceiling
Leaving my healing heart with a new scar
A dead fire
rose and rose higher
Like a vampire,
up from the graveyard
When did the sky turn black?
And when will the light come back?
We all suffer but we recover
Just to discover life where we all are
Owl City (Beautiful Times)
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Tori wasn't really sure if she heard right. She surveyed Jo's expression for any possible post-effect of alcohol but the straight, serious and blank face doesn't look any sort of after-effect of any intoxicant she knew of. Not sure whether to trust the words from her cousin-boss, she stayed where she was. At a spot completely lost on what to do.
Tori wasn't sure what the expression on her own face looks like.
Stunned? surprised? Or even unreadable? She couldn't tell.
'You heard me, right?' Jo threw her eyes on her and she narrowed her gaze in detest.
Tori opened the door and climbed in wondering what the possible reason Jo had to stop to give her a ride, to even talk to her be. Hoping her curiosity would be satisfied immediately she settled in, it was rather disappointing Jo uttered no word ten minutes into the drive.
It was hard to swallow or even breath right next to Jo but Tori was less concerned about that. All she really had on her mind was that guilty feeling gnawing right at her heart and more than half her concentration and senses were in her head, helping with the collation of her thoughts.
Tori's attention was slammed back to reality when her body was thrown forward unexpectedly narrowly escaping banging her head on thein reflex to Jo suddenly stopping the car beside the road. Tori was completely taken by surprise by Jo's sudden, careless and somewhat intentional action.
Tori shot her a hurt stare while trying as hard as possible to hold in her anger. She maintained the stare like that would make Jo explode and catch fire. All the dramas occuring in her life these days have been rather too much for her to handle and she wasn't really ready to add Jo to her long list of armies of depression.
She wasn't in the mood to endure Jo's stewpid bullying.
Jo, not allowing Tori to show her dissatisfaction, shot her blazing glares.
'What exactly is your problem with me!' She started raising her voice.
'Are you some form of nemesis or something? Why can't you just stay away from me? Away from everything I hold dear?' Jo probably didn't realise she was screaming but Tori could feel the heat from her mouth on her own face.
And judging with the rhythmic rising and falling tone of Jo's chest and the almost panting sound she made while trying to catch her breath, Tori knew she..
Okay. Tori had no idea what Jo was talking about.
Or she did know but never knew that the boss she respected and feared so much could get herself all worked up by 'that'.
By everything she hold dear, did she mean her home?
'I don't understand y....' Tori wasn't allowed to finish her 'stammered out' statement before Jo came in unannounced.
'I hate your pretense!' She yelled into Tori's face. 'I immensely hate it! Stop trying to get to people by acting all innocent and helpless! You warmed your way into Tobi's home using one of those cunning tricks of yours and you also actually succeeded with Marcus. But must you really go after my mum too? Must everything I find important interest you?'
Right now, Tori wasn't sure what to feel.
Anger because Jo just called her helpless and threw false accusations at her or feel sorry for a daughter whose motherly appeared to have been stolen.
By her.
Tori really have to admit that she got more attention and care from Ebiere than Jo actually did.
Tori opened her mouth to say something but shut it almost immediately when she realised she really had nothing to say to a feisty, angry lady who sees her as the cause of her predicaments.
And especially because Jo was talking again.
'You started with Tobi.' Jo started trying fiercely to calm herself down.
'He was the only one I could talk to when there was no one around. He could be desperate and acts childish sometimes, but the most important thing is he was always there when I needed him. When no one was there to help. Not even my own mother. He was always there until you appeared on the scene like a scourge. Ruining everything. Right from him to Marcus. Now my mum when we just started building her relationship from the ground!' Tori was listening carefully to her until the last sentence when she switched from calm Jo to aggressive Jo.
'I did some research and I realised your situation was worse than I pictured. I understand it made you this desperate but I never knew you were so desperate to stick your fangs into any available wealthy person around you to suck the wealth out of them, rendering your pride and self respect useless even though that was the only thing you possessed when you moved in with a guy you barely knew!'
Tori grimaced with hurt while staring at the floor of the car. Jo's words hurt so badly she felt like a knife just sliced through her heart. She bit the inner part of her lower lip so hard she tore a piece of tissue out of it while trying to hold back the tears flooding her eyes.
Mustering all the courage she had, Tori raised her head shutting off Jo's voice to look right up her with a tomato red eye while she sniffed. Readying her lips for the impending speech, Tori opened her mouth only to leave them hanging to look at Jo's outstretched hands which held bales of naira notes.
'Stunned, right? Oh! This is your first time seeing this much money?' Jo laughed like she was amused even though all Tori could sense in her laughter was mockery.
' You don't have to start doing some calculations of how much this could be. It's two hundred and fifty thousand naira and it's all yours. Take it and never come to MY HOUSE nor contact MY MUM again!' Jo said, emphasizing the last word between gritted teeth.
Tori couldn't say nor feel anything. The only thing she felt was the twitching sensation in her eye, threatening to let go of the tears. But courageously and stubbornly she held it in.
'And also stay away from Tobi! My mum might start looking for you there and most importantly, stay away from Marcus. Just stay away from everything that links you to me! Dissapear from this place without a trace!' Jo yelled again into her face.
Tori glanced away from Jo and grinned sarcastically. Before steadying a hurt pride by huffing out a sigh.
'What? Considering your pride? You don't have to. Don't forget you left it right in Tobi's bedroom! And besides, you have no choice whatsoever. You just have to accept my offer because I know something you never know I do.' Jo smiled mischievously at Tori
'I know about you dating a patient's husband in the past. Oh, I know, she's dead now and somehow you are scared. Scared your ex boyfriend would come after you. If you are wondering how I ended up with such a wonderful information, I'd advice you to stop discussing your private matters with others right where anybody could hear you! Especially outside the wards!' Jo patted the bales after her speech.
'So, do we have a deal?' She finally said throwing the bales on Tori's lap while a few rolled off her lap to the floor of the car just beside her feet.
Tori appeared taken aback by Jo's discovery of her relationship with Richard but she was past caring. She had endured enough of Jo's crap and bullying for too long. It's time to let her have a piece of her mind.
'I never knew someone as respected and as important as your or, as you protrayed, would deign yourself with the responsibilty of researching a lowlife like me with that much accuracy. I have come to realise you see me as a giant opponent of a course I knew not. I avoided you, I made sure I didn't get in your way at work and at home hoping that by doing that, you'd realise l respect you and wouldn't want to annoy you in any way but right now, it's so relieving to discover you really don't deserve that much respect. It's relieving I wouldn't have to stay under the same roof with someone like you. So relieving I would be staying away from you and everything that links us together. And just so you know, I have no interest in Marcus. He is sweet and kind and everything but I just don't want him. Your 'cash offer' is tempting but I wouldn't be accepting your money. You can keep it, possibly to buy your self esteem back or something and before I go...' Tori threw her head backwards to look at Jo's shocked face.
'A little advice though, you should stop throwing yourself at a guy's feet. You are only doing so much damage to your self esteem that way...' Tori stopped talking when Jo snorted at her.
'So says the girl who sleeps at a male stranger's place.' Jo retorted.
'I guess this is goodbye then.' Tori ignored Jo's obvious method of annoying her and opened the door to step out. She slammed it closed and kept walking. She had no idea where she was going but kept walking anyway.
She let the tears flow freely, blurring her view as she crossed the road. Jo words hurt and Tori heart ached when of dawned on her that Jo had only seen her as a gold digger and a whoore.
Her phone started vibrated in her bag but she ignored it as she stepped off the zebra crossing onto the road.
She was deep in her thought, unconscious of her surrounding which was why she didn't notice the Jeep speeding towards the lane she was about to step on.
The honking of the Jeep drew her attention to the jeep but it was too late. She could feel the world spin around her at that spot within that milisecond.
She knew she had been in this situation before.
She knew she had been at this very spot before.
The Jeep hit her so hard, knocking her to the side of the road while she lay facedown on the ground,
numb to the pain...
...and slowly snapping out of consciousness...
...remembering this part of her dream before completely blacking out.