Underground
1467 Words
I was still processing the truths revealed to me two days ago when Nicholas hobbled onto the balcony where I sat, and kissed my cheek gently.
“I will be out for a couple of days, but will be back before you know it,” his voice was calm, but his excitement was palpable. I know he was up to no good.
“Be safe,” I smiled, after ensuring he had given me a round of reassurances. Satisfied with the reaction he got from me, he left swiftly. I didn’t care, I just sat, watching from my position until I saw him wave at me, enter his dark saloon car, and drive out of the compound.
Then, I moved.
I stood up for the first time in a while and headed for his study. I had his keys dandling between my fingers as I had plotted it for days. Barging in, I dived straight to his computer, the sacred object he never let me touch.
“Maya, huh?” My lips pulled up to a side. “Time to find proof.”
His password was easier than I thought. Not my name of course, but a simple four-letter word M-A-Y-A. I had been so perfect a wife that he didn’t bother to properly protect his secrets.
I kissed my teeth, scrolling through hidden folders and ransacking his email until I finally found their exchanged messages. The ‘love-yous’ were more intense, the photos of them in bed together heart-shattering. It was our matrimonial bed. All the while I was sick in the hospital he was busy sleeping with her in my house and pretending to care for me at the same time.
Tears dropped, and deep-seethed groans left me, but I maintained focus. I pulled out my phone and began to transfer the files into it, painstakingly. The legal documents and proof of his infidelity were my main concern although my face turned red when I saw the medical reports and signed agreements to transfer my kidney to Maya.
I died many deaths at that instant. He made me sign those documents!
“God, no,” I writhed in anguish as tears flooded my cheeks. I could feel the pain of the knives all over again. “Nicholas Harper, you will pay for this,” I swore.
As soon I was done, I packed up the original stocks and bonds signatories in the drawer and zoomed off. Before long, I had hopped into my emerald-colored sports car with my luggage in the trunk, heading to town at full speed.
In about an hour, I was sitting in a known legal attorney's office. I had done my research and found him to be the best in family law. He sank into his seat with his fingers crossed, studying me silently before his bushy brows quirked.
“Lady Harper, what do l owe this pleasure?”
I didn’t even bother exchanging pleasantries with him, since I was in no mood for that. I had even hidden my red eyes behind a wide sunshade. I slapped a file on his table.
“Fix it,” I said, with a straight face.
“Hmm…” He slowly picked it up, scanning through it. “Oh, this is a big task, I must say, a tough one.”
“I heard you are the best. Am I mistaken?”
“Not at all, Lady Harper. It’s just that a divorce case of this profile, the properties and bonds involved…”
“Should I take it elsewhere, Counsel Julius?” I cut in impatiently, and he went mute for a while.
He sighed and sat upright. “Do you have any solid evidence to aid the case?”
I pulled out my phone and typed in the password before handing it to him. “It’s all in there. I have backed them up elsewhere as well.”
“Okay.” He scrolled through for a bit, then glanced at me. “I’m afraid I might need more than this.”
“Fifteen million dollars.” I blurted out, and he froze for a bit, then chortled, shaking his head and adjusting his tie.
“You are not attempting to bribe a Legal Consul of my pedigree, are you?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I am merely paying for your services which I believe are in line with the law, no?”
He wore his rimless spectacles on his nose. “The price is just outrageous, I must admit.”
“Thirty million dollars. Perhaps you mistake my intentions.”
“You don’t understand. I—It is not just about the money…” He stuttered.
“Fifty million dollars. And that is final. I need it away from the public, signed, and concluded in forty-eight hours.” I added and watched his eyes widen.
“Oh… Uhm…” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, lowering his voice. “Hundred million, and I will get it signed by the Attorney General himself in forty-eight hours..”
“Eighty-four, for a presidential seal as well.”
“Ninety-five.”
“Don’t push it,” I warned sternly, and he sank back into his chair, kissing his teeth and cursing under his breath.
“Deal.” He nodded, and I quickly pulled out a pen and wrote him a check.
“Forty-eight hours. No more, no less.” I slapped it on the table and took my leave. I knew his gaze was still transfixed on me while I cat-walked away, but I was too lost in my head to pay attention to such frivolity.
Right on cue, I drove to an address I had written down on paper. It was an abandoned warehouse with an office in front. Although it looked eerie and dangerous, fear was the last thing on my mind. I parked my car and headed for the office, knocking impatiently.
“Please enter,” a feminine voice rang out, and I helped myself in, sliding into the rickety chair in the low-budget space.
The lanky teenage girl sitting in front of me had purple-dyed hair and lipstick. Her dark eyeliner gave her a grotesque look.
“Greetings, ma'am. Would you like to lease the warehouse?”
I didn't reply. I just glared at her with sunken eyes.
“We are giving a discount at the moment.” She ignored my mood, pressing a few buttons on her computer. “We also offer cleaning services amongst others.”
“I want to disappear,” I cut her off, and she froze for a bit, her brown eyes locked into mine.
“What?”
“You heard me. Can you do it or not?”
She leaned backward. “It seems to me that you speak of something illegal.”
I rolled my eyes and stood up to leave. “This is a waste of my time,” I said.
“Wait,” her words stopped me.
“That car outside. What do you reckon is the cost?” She asked, and I slowly turned my attention to her.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, they say knowledge is power.” She shrugged. My eyes narrowed.
“If you must know, I suppose it could be about half a million in the black market” I replied nonchalantly.
“Nice,” she smiled. “You seem to know too much for someone with your looks. It is troubling.”
“What can I say? I am a businesswoman.”
“I see.” She pursed her lips, gesturing for me to sit. I grudgingly obliged. “Maybe you should leave the car behind if you plan to disappear.”
“Not a problem. I might add a little something, for the warehouse of course, if you make it look so real that the best detectives won't even doubt it.”
“That would cost about triple the price of that car.” She grinned.
“Do you have a crypto wallet or what?”
“Now we are talking.” She chuckled. “You, my dear, will get a new identity. If you want, we could book a plastic surgery for you as well, your window to a new life.”
“Perfect. Just ensure it appears as a suicide. That's what I want. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma'am.” She handed me a piece of paper. “Kindy fill out this form and we will take it from there.”
“You have a pen?”
“Sure.” She paused, and passed me a cold gaze, her voice lowering into a whisper. “There is no going back from this…”
“I know.”
“Your car keys please.”
- Writer
