Akeem finished his meeting and headed back to the office. The meeting had gone well. Everyone seemed motivated and charged up about making Ka-Tell a household name.
Profits were at their highest yet. The network was expanding across the different states, and Ka-Tell was getting excellent reviews from the media. Life appeared good, so he should be in a good mood, but he was not. He had not been for a while.
Everything seemed flat and empty to him. What was it all for? The constant money spinning, the drug-like high of a new achievement. What did it all amount to when all he felt inside was nothing but emptiness?
"There is a delivery here for you, sir," his personal assistant said as he entered his office. "I left it on your desk."
"Thanks, Linda," he said, striding into his office.
He got out a bottle of flavoured water from the fridge and took a sip before opening the big brown envelope that Linda had placed on his desk.
The address of the legal firm caught his attention first. He stared at it before scanning through the rest of the letter.
Profits were at their highest yet. The network was expanding across the different states, and Ka-Tell was getting excellent reviews from the media. Life appeared good, so he should be in a good mood, but he was not. He had not been for a while.
Everything seemed flat and empty to him. What was it all for? The constant money spinning, the drug-like high of a new achievement. What did it all amount to when all he felt inside was nothing but emptiness?
"There is a delivery here for you, sir," his personal assistant said as he entered his office. "I left it on your desk."
"Thanks, Linda," he said, striding into his office.
He got out a bottle of flavoured water from the fridge and took a sip before opening the big brown envelope that Linda had placed on his desk.
The address of the legal firm caught his attention first. He stared at it before scanning through the rest of the letter.
Dear Mr. Kadiri,
My client has instructed us to file for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences…
My client has instructed us to file for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences…
Akeem felt a cold pressure run through his chest as he read through the letter.
"You've finally done it," he muttered through clenched teeth as he pushed the letter away from him. He balled his fist and stared into space. So this was it. The legal end of his marriage.
He placed a call to his personal assistant. "Linda, I'm going to be busy for the next couple of hours. Please take all calls, and I don't want to see anyone unless it's an emergency."
He stared at the letter again. His mind took him to the night when he had seen Yemi and the guy she had been with. Was that the reason she wanted a divorce? Freedom to marry again?
He knew he probably shouldn't have done what he did, but seeing her that night at Justin's restaurant with that man had rattled him more than he cared to admit. The cool look she had given him to indicate that his presence there did not bother her had made it worse. There he was, barely able to stop his eyes from straying to her every other minute, and she had appeared totally unfazed, smiling and flirting with her companion.
"I Knew I Loved You" playing shortly afterwards had unwittingly presented him with the weapon to put her coolness to the test. He had seen her reaction to the song when she had looked almost involuntarily towards him and knew that she remembered. Not that cool then, he had thought to himself as he saw her face.
When Justin had come over and asked him if there was anything he wanted, he had asked if the other songs they had both liked could be played.
Lois had looked at him curiously when he made the request.
"I didn't know you were such a romantic," she remarked after Justin had left.
He had smiled without saying anything. She had still not known then that Yemi was in the restaurant, but when his eyes kept straying in Yemi's direction, Lois had caught on that something was amiss. Her eyes followed his, and that was when she had seen Yemi sitting a few tables away. He had felt sorry as he saw the hurt expression that crossed Lois's face. She was a sweet girl, and he didn't want to hurt her, but obviously Yemi still had a way of getting to him and making him act uncharacteristically.
He took another sip of the flavoured water and then walked across the office to the window overlooking the busy Lagos street below.
The contents of the letter flashed through his mind again. He smiled bitterly to himself. "You aren't calling the shots on this one, Yemi," he muttered to himself. "The divorce will only happen when and if I want it to happen."
"You've finally done it," he muttered through clenched teeth as he pushed the letter away from him. He balled his fist and stared into space. So this was it. The legal end of his marriage.
He placed a call to his personal assistant. "Linda, I'm going to be busy for the next couple of hours. Please take all calls, and I don't want to see anyone unless it's an emergency."
He stared at the letter again. His mind took him to the night when he had seen Yemi and the guy she had been with. Was that the reason she wanted a divorce? Freedom to marry again?
He knew he probably shouldn't have done what he did, but seeing her that night at Justin's restaurant with that man had rattled him more than he cared to admit. The cool look she had given him to indicate that his presence there did not bother her had made it worse. There he was, barely able to stop his eyes from straying to her every other minute, and she had appeared totally unfazed, smiling and flirting with her companion.
"I Knew I Loved You" playing shortly afterwards had unwittingly presented him with the weapon to put her coolness to the test. He had seen her reaction to the song when she had looked almost involuntarily towards him and knew that she remembered. Not that cool then, he had thought to himself as he saw her face.
When Justin had come over and asked him if there was anything he wanted, he had asked if the other songs they had both liked could be played.
Lois had looked at him curiously when he made the request.
"I didn't know you were such a romantic," she remarked after Justin had left.
He had smiled without saying anything. She had still not known then that Yemi was in the restaurant, but when his eyes kept straying in Yemi's direction, Lois had caught on that something was amiss. Her eyes followed his, and that was when she had seen Yemi sitting a few tables away. He had felt sorry as he saw the hurt expression that crossed Lois's face. She was a sweet girl, and he didn't want to hurt her, but obviously Yemi still had a way of getting to him and making him act uncharacteristically.
He took another sip of the flavoured water and then walked across the office to the window overlooking the busy Lagos street below.
The contents of the letter flashed through his mind again. He smiled bitterly to himself. "You aren't calling the shots on this one, Yemi," he muttered to himself. "The divorce will only happen when and if I want it to happen."
