LUSTING TO HAVE HER WAY

TRUTH NUMBER ONE REVEALED

CHAPTER 5

Donald stood motionless.

Several moments passed before he slowly walked out into the garden, where the synthetic turf blended beautifully with the flowering shrubs. He took a seat, lost in thought, then beckoned to Bismarck.

When Bismarck approached, Donald studied him carefully.

"Bismarck, when did we first meet?"

The question caught him off guard.

"Yesterday, sir, when I started work here."

Donald shook his head.

"Don't lie to me."

Bismarck frowned.

"I don't understand."

"We met at Black Corks Hotel last year."

Bismarck looked genuinely puzzled.

"That's impossible, sir. I was in Owerri last year. I only moved to Lagos two months ago. I worked at Black Corks Hotel for just one week before resigning."

Donald watched Bismarck's face carefully.

The young man's confusion appeared genuine.

For a moment, Donald said nothing.

Bismarck's answer had created a contradiction he could not ignore.

He studied him for another few seconds, trying to determine whether the young man was lying or simply unaware of what Angela had told him.

Donald's expression softened slightly.

"Why did you resign?"

"A guest died in one of the rooms. The following day, some men tried to kidnap me. I decided the place wasn't safe."

Donald stared at him.

"Someone tried to kidnap you?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you do?"

"I ran."

Bismarck gave a faint, humourless smile.

"I didn't wait around to find out what they wanted."

Donald nodded slowly.

For the first time, he understood why Bismarck had left the hotel so quickly.

Whatever had happened there, it had clearly frightened him enough to abandon the job.

But another question remained in Donald's mind.

If Bismarck had only worked at Black Corks Hotel for one week, and if he had genuinely never met Donald before, then why had Angela reacted so strongly to seeing him?

Donald glanced towards the house.

There were now too many unanswered questions.

And every answer seemed to lead back to Angela.

Donald leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly.

He had entered the garden looking for clarity, but Bismarck's answers had only deepened the mystery.

The young man appeared to have no idea why Angela was so determined to keep him away from the police.

Donald wondered whether Angela had told him only part of the story.

Just then, Angela appeared, carrying a glass of whiskey.

She walked slowly towards the garden, her movements graceful and deliberately seductive. The confidence in her posture was unmistakable, and there was something calculated about the way she carried herself, as though she knew exactly what effect her presence could have on the man waiting for her.

Donald looked up as she approached.

She had been watching their conversation from inside the house.

"We'll continue later," Donald said.

Bismarck nodded and quietly walked away.

Angela watched until Bismarck was out of earshot.

Then she approached Donald.

The confidence in her expression suggested that she had already decided what she wanted him to know—and what she intended to keep hidden.

Angela sat opposite Donald.

"Calm down. I'll tell you everything."

Donald waited.

Angela took a slow sip of her whiskey and stared across the compound before speaking.

"I don't want Bismarck working for James because of the police investigation into Dozie's death."

Donald leaned forward.

"I was with Dozie that night... and Bismarck saw me."

Donald's throat suddenly went dry.

Silence settled between them.

Finally, he spoke.

"Did you kill him?"

Angela slowly shook her head.

"No."

"Then who did?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know. I even spoke to him an hour after I left his room."

Donald listened carefully.

He studied Angela's face.

"You're certain?"

"Yes."

"You spoke to him after you left?"

"Yes."

Donald rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Then whoever killed him must have done it after that conversation."

Angela nodded.

"Exactly."

For a few seconds, Donald said nothing.

The situation was beginning to look far more complicated than he had expected.

He glanced briefly towards the house.

Bismarck was no longer visible.

Donald lowered his voice.

"But if you didn't kill Dozie, why are you so desperate to keep Bismarck from identifying you?"

Angela's fingers tightened slightly around her glass.

"Because being innocent of murder doesn't mean I have nothing to lose."

Donald watched her carefully.

She had answered the question, but not quite in the way he expected.

"Then why are you afraid of the police?"

Angela sighed.

"Because the investigation will expose my relationship with Dozie. I'm engaged to James now. Dozie belonged to my past. He paid my bills. When James came into my life, I wanted to move on."

Donald frowned.

"If he belonged to your past, why did you spend the night with him?"

Angela lowered her eyes.

"To end the relationship properly. My wedding to James was already certain. I wanted to close that chapter forever."

Donald stared at her in disbelief.

"Angela... you're the most reckless woman I've ever met."

She lowered her head.

"I'm sorry."

Whether she truly meant it or was merely pretending, Donald could not tell.

He had always known Angela was flirtatious. What he had never imagined was that she would spend the night with another man only days before marrying his own brother.

He was beginning to see her differently.

For the first time, Donald wondered whether he had underestimated Angela.

She had always been confident, ambitious, and willing to take risks.

But this was different.

She was now asking him to help conceal something that could potentially destroy her relationship with James.

And somehow, he knew that refusing her would not be easy.

Angela reached across and gently took his hand.

"You have to help me, Donald. You're the only person who can."

Donald remained silent.

"Bismarck must never help the police identify me."

He sighed.

"This is complicated. Why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning?"

"Because I was afraid."

She squeezed his fingers.

"We'll solve this together."

Donald looked at her.

"How?"

Angela answered without hesitation.

"First, we'll take away Bismarck's phone. We'll keep him isolated and make sure no one feeds him. Within forty-eight hours, he'll become desperate enough to accept the money."

Donald stared at her.

"You've already thought this through?"

Angela nodded.

"I had to."

"And if he refuses?"

"Then we'll find another way."

Donald frowned.

"What other way?"

Angela's expression became unreadable.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Donald nodded slowly.

"It's a cruel plan."

Angela smiled.

"Cruel plans sometimes work."

She leaned back.

"Tonight, we'll stay together and think everything through. No s*x. Just planning."

Donald could not help smiling.

"Just planning?"

Angela feigned annoyance.

"Donald, something far more important is at stake. Don't touch me tonight."

"Understood," he replied.

For a moment, the two looked at each other.

Despite the seriousness of what they had just discussed, there was a familiarity between them that neither needed to explain. Their history had already crossed too many boundaries for either of them to pretend that their relationship was simple.

Angela slowly withdrew her hand from his.

For a brief moment, neither spoke.

The seriousness of the situation remained between them, but so did the familiarity created by their complicated history.

Donald finally looked away.

"Let's focus on Bismarck."

Angela nodded.

"That's exactly what we'll do."

Angela took another sip of her drink.

"Just make sure you don't change your mind."

Donald smiled faintly.

"About the plan?"

"About everything."

He said nothing.

The evening was still young, and neither of them knew how the night would end.

That evening, they took Bismarck's phone under the guise of security and confined him to his room.

Angela handed the phone to Joyce for safekeeping and instructed her not to give him any food.

Everything went exactly as planned.

Bismarck immediately realized that something was wrong.

He had not been given any explanation for the sudden restriction, and the loss of his phone meant he could no longer contact anyone outside the house.

He sat quietly in his room, replaying the events of the day in his mind.

Angela's fear.

Donald's questions.

The strange insistence that he remain isolated.

None of it made sense.

But Bismarck knew one thing.

He could not allow himself to panic.

However, the all-night strategy session quickly dissolved into intimacy. They spent the entire night making love.

The planning could wait.

Angela had once described herself as someone who "ran things."

Donald was beginning to believe her.

By then, whatever agreement they had made at the beginning of the evening had clearly been forgotten.

The matter they had intended to discuss until morning remained unresolved.

Yet Angela seemed convinced that they still had time.

Bismarck, meanwhile, remained unaware of just how far they were prepared to go to keep him silent.

By morning, James would call with instructions concerning his newly appointed personal assistant, Bismarck.