The Barbarian King

Chapter 55

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"Don't sound so surprised, I went to church with you two days ago, didn't I? Hopefully we won't have to say that prayer again this time." He told her dryly, making her laugh.

"It wasn't that bad." Kathleen said amidst her laughter.

"Yeah, right." Pete murmured with the hint of a smile on his face.

__________

"The food is ready, right? I think she is here." Kimberly told Prisca excitedly as she hurried to the door to open it for Wumi. She had invited Wumi over on her way back from the salon with Eric, and Wumi had jumped on the invitation happily.

"I hope she doesn't take my place in your heart." Prisca said dryly as Kimberly left the kitchen to answer the doorbell. Ever since Kimberly told her about the gossip she had heard at the hair dressing salon, alarm bells had started ringing in her head about Wumi. She couldn't help shaking off the feeling in her head that Wumi probably had an ulterior motive for approaching Kimberly. Why now? What did Wumi want from Kimberly? Or was she trying to get at Amaka through Kimberly? Why was everyone Kimberly meeting associated with the Obasans all of a sudden? First it was Eric, and now it was Wumi. Was it a coincidence or was Lagos that small now? How come Eric had said he didn't know Wumi when they first met? The whole thing seemed like a puzzle, and it wasn't adding up, and she intended to find out what she could as soon as she got the chance.

Kimberly had a smile on her face as she opened the door, and the smile broadened when she saw Wumi standing there with a bottle of wine in one hand, "Isn't that Dom Perignon champagne?" Kimberly asked curiously as she looked at the bottle in Wumi's hand.

"Yes it is. I couldn't come empty handed." Wumi explained as she handed the wine to Kimberly who stepped aside for her to get into the house.

"That is so thoughtful of you. Thank you." Kimberly said as she took the wine from her. She was very familiar with the expensive wine which was usually sold for over a hundred thousand naira per bottle.

Immediately Wumi stepped into the house she looked around for her brother. Their mother had told her Eric was upset with her for approaching Amaka so directly in public, and she had also told her their father had instructed Eric to finish up his business in two weeks. Hence she had been happy about Kimberly's sudden invitation and had jumped at it, so she could get to see Eric and know how he was doing.

"The house smells yummy. I suppose your husband is in the kitchen?" She asked as she sniffed the air.

Kimberly giggled, "He is a good cook though, but he isn't feeling too well, so he is resting in his... Our bedroom. My friend Prisca..."

"He isn't feeling well? What is wrong with him?" Wumi asked in alarm, startling Kimberly who she had cut off abruptly.

"He is having headache. But he has taken medicine, so I'm sure he will be okay soon. He says he just needs some time to rest." Kimberly explained, wondering why Wumi was overreacting.

"Oh! Okay." Wumi said, even though she was still very worried about her brother since he hardly had headaches. Maybe he was mentally stressed due to everything going on in his life at the moment, Wumi reasoned.

It wasn't until Prisca cleared her throat that they noticed her standing by the dining while watching them, "Hi! I'm Prisca, Kimberly's best friend." Prisca said as she moved forward to introduce herself to Wumi.

"Oh! It's good to meet you. Call me Mimi. I suppose you're the one responsible for the delicious aroma in the air?" Wumi asked with a polite smile.

"I'm afraid so." Prisca said with a polite smile of her own.

"Look what she brought us, champagne." Kimberly said as she extended the drink to Prisca who had little or no idea about wines.

"Thanks." Prisca said with a polite smile as she took the bottle from Kimberly and took it to the bar.

"Please excuse me." Wumi stopped Prisca, before turning to look at Kimberly, "Could we have that drink over dinner? My brother says it's your husband's favorite drink." Wumi said with a small smile, making Prisca narrow her eyes suspiciously, while Kimberly looked at her in disbelief.

"His favorite drink?" Kimberly repeated. How could someone like him have such an expensive taste? She had noticed his clothes were more of expensive designers too. Perhaps Tunde Obasan was responsible for his taste in clothes and drink? Being friends with a rich guy had probably rubbed of on him.

"Yes." Wumi said with a harmless smile, "I suppose he will join us for dinner, right?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Can you just let him know I'm here, and I have a message for him from my brother? So I would like to see him." Wumi suggested, cutting Kimberly off once again. She was worried about her brother and really wanted to see him and be sure he was okay. He hardly fell sick, but when he did it was usually very serious.

"Okay. Let me check on him." Kimberly said with a nod and headed for Eric's bedroom leaving Wumi alone with Prisca.

Immediately Kimberly disappeared from view Prisca turned to Wumi, "I was wondering something. Is it a coincidence that you're friends with Kim while having issues with her step mother?" She asked, watching Wumi closely.

Wumi was slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Prisca's tone, but flashed her a smile to conceal her surprise, "Of course I should have known that gossip travels fast around here."

"So?" Prisca asked, urging her to answer the question.

"Well, maybe it is a coincidence, and maybe not. Only time can tell." Wumi said with a shrug. She didn't want to lie, and neither was she going to tell her the truth.

"That is not an answer." Prisca reminded her.

"It is if I say it is. Besides, what happens if I choose not to answer your question?" Wumi asked irritably. On one hand she liked that Prisca was protective of Kim, but on the other hand she didn't like her nosiness. She knew that was hypocritical of her, being that she was currently being nosy in her brother's business, but she didn't like such attitude being directed at her.

"Why would you not want to answer it?" Prisca asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Because I don't like answering to peopIe. So maybe instead of worrying about my motive, you could be a good best friend and set the table for dinner. I'm so hungry." Wumi said with a yawn as she dropped on the couch and took out her phone, making it clear to Prisca that she was done with the conversation.

Prisca fumed silently as she watched Wumi scroll through different w******p status on her w******p contact list and scowled at her every time she giggled, "I really hope you're not here to cause any trouble for her, cause if you are, you'll have me to contend with." Prisca threatened.

"It's good to know that... I suppose." Wumi said without sparing her a glance.

Just as Prisca turned to return to the kitchen, Wumi raised her head, "Don't you think you're overdoing it though?" She asked, stopping Prisca.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't you think you're overdoing this whole best friend thing? It's little wonder she doesn't have other friends apart from you. I mean, why would she when you go around being suspicious and issuing threats to peopIe who come around her?" Wumi asked with a scoff.

"I don't issue threats to peopIe who come around her unless they seem suspicious." Prisca said defensively.

"And I bet everyone who has come around her has seemed suspicious to you at one point or the other. I wonder how you even managed to allow Eric get married to her. He must have been pretty determined." Wumi said with a faint smile.

"I'm not sure I appreciate that tone." Prisca warned.

"You don't have to. I am curious about something though, if you're this concerned and protective about Kim, how come she still gets into trouble?" Wumi asked with a snort.

"She is an adult... There is a limit to what I can do for her." Prisca said through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Sure. So don't cross that limit with me. Save your nosiness for the unwanted guys that come around her." Wumi warned before returning her attention to her phone once again.

Prisca said nothing as she turned around and returned to the kitchen to set the table. As soon as she left, Wumi dropped her phone and paused her lips thoughtfully... Perhaps Eric was right. Confronting Amaka so openly hadn't been necessary.

Meanwhile in Eric's bedroom, Kimberly sat down on the bed beside him as she reached out to feel his forehead, "How are you feeling now?" She asked him curiously.

"Better than before." Eric assured her with a smile.

"I'm glad. Mimi is here. She says she has a message for you from her brother." Kimberly explained.

"Alright. I will join you guys shortly." Eric said with a nod, and waited until he heard her shut his door behind her, and heard her open her own bedroom door before he sat up on the bed. He covered his face with both hands and took in a deep breath before picking up his phone. He had given it a lot of thought and had come to the conclusion that the earlier he did what he needed to do, the better for them all. The only way he could put an end to all the lies was by accomplishing his new purpose very fast. And that purpose was simple. He needed to find out if Kimberly loved him, and whether or not she would choose a wealthy guy over him regardless of her 'condition'. So he dialed Wumi's number first.

Back in the living room, Wumi was taken aback when her phone suddenly started ringing, and she noticed it was a call from Eric, why was he calling while she was inside the house? She wondered as she glanced around before quickly taking the call, "Are you okay?" She asked in a worried tone as she stood up from the couch and headed outside. The last thing she wanted was for the nosy Prisca to overhear their conversation.

"Yeah. You heard from mom, I suppose?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure you know she is going to ask you about your relationship with Amaka. What are you going to say?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it. I promise." Wumi promised him, "I'm very sorry I acted on impulse and made things difficult for you."

"It's okay. I think you should just tell her Amaka used to be your brother's ex girlfriend." Eric suggested, making Wumi pause in confusion.

"Why would I tell her that?"

"Because it's the truth. We don't want it to seem like all you've ever told her is a lie. So maybe it's time for you to start telling her some truths. She just doesn't need to know I'm the brother you're talking about yet." Eric explained.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

"And what would I tell her is the reason I'm warning her step mother publicly all of a sudden?" Wumi asked in a low tone.

"I told you. Tell her the truth. Tell her your brother is back in the country, and somehow Amaka is trying to get in touch with your brother again, and so you had to go warn her to stay away from him." Eric explained.

"Hmm... Okay then. That makes things much easier. You should come out and eat though, I need to be sure you're okay. By the way I picked up your favorite bottle of wine on my way." Wumi said with a smile before hanging up. She turned around to return inside the house, and jumped back when she saw Prisca standing there and watching her with both hands c