Beneath — Chapter 11 (Emotional trigger ahead)
Snippet
Emeka. That is my daughter you're talking about. Do you know I sent you to her thinking you were an uncle to her — a brother I never had?
*A larger organization just bought the land.
( Mr wokoma)
---
Kamara
Four sets of eyes stared at me as I went on narrating the story. I felt like I was in kindergarten, telling my parents about my crime.
"It started eleven years ago."
Their mouths dropped open. They didn't interrupt.
When I started to notice Mr. Umeh had a thing for me, it was at Dad's thirty-eighth birthday. That was the first time I noticed his eyes lingered longer on me than on the rest. Anytime there were open days, teacher-to-parent talks, Dad would always ask him to fill in.
Dad and Mum were good parents, but I grew up feeling neglected — somehow responsible for everyone. There was a lot of weight placed upon me, and somewhere along the line, I stopped existing. I stopped mattering to everyone, including myself. When I got my first period, it was Madam Eunice who found out first. She told Mum. I felt like Mum and Dad already had their hands full with Sophie, Somkele, Somebi. I could take the burden away from them by being the quiet child, by not disturbing them. It fast became a habit.
Mr. Umeh showed up at school, took me out before we went home. Sometimes he took me on what he called dates — then immediately said it wasn't a date. On the days I would sneak in with Adora and Doreen, he would drop us off. He wouldn't let me go until he'd finished scolding me, saying that was no place for a child, that those men were rotten.
"But let's not get into that—"
"Let's get into it," Somebi said.
Somkele nudged her. "Stop. Let's listen."
At some point he started acting like a caveman — pulling me out of blind dates. But he made me a promise. He said he wasn't going to touch me until I was twenty-five.
I was befuddled.
After I finished my masters at twenty-eight and came home, Dad sat me down and told me he had signed an agreement with the Oparahs. I was betrothed.
"Now, this is where it gets interesting," I said.
Somebi and Somkele chipped in at the same time. "I recall that dinner — you were frozen. You had the exact same reaction as Keside!"
"The red gown you had on," Somebi added. "I still remember."
Mr. Umeh was also there that night.
"That must have hurt like a bitch," Ugo said.
I shook my head slowly. "You have no idea."
I begged Dad. I told him I would stay at his company, run it for however many years it took — anything to get out of the arranged marriage. Dad was not having it. I paid people to act as my boyfriend, to fight for me, just anything to break free. Nothing worked.
We got married.
I had to change his name to Adora's name in my contacts so Jidekene wouldn't suspect a thing. Mr. Umeh and I always spoke on calls, over texts, at secret lavish dinners. Private jets flying out. All his employees had signed NDAs — they couldn't speak about what they were witnessing. Emeka can be both a scary man and a good man. He knew everyone's secrets, but no one knew his. He passed that trait down to Neato and Kes. Neato was more like his father than Kes ever was, and he gave his father a hard time too.
Mr. Umeh spoiled me. I did feel guilty about Jidekene, but there was no spark between us. I couldn't tell if it was because of Mr. Umeh, or if it simply wasn't there — no attraction, nothing. Jidekene planned a lot of romantic things. He was a good man with a lot of baggage. He loved me deeply, but for some reason he felt more like a best friend than a husband.
Ugo whistled low and hard. "Ouch. That hurt."
When Jidekene and I were intimate, I would imagine it was Mr. Umeh. Then one day I mistakenly called out the pet name I reserved only for him.
*My king.*
Jidekene stopped. He asked me about it right there, on the spot. I admitted I was having an affair.
He scoffed.
He looked torn that day — like I had bled him dry. He said I should have said so earlier, not given him hope that we could make it work. He didn't touch me again after that. Apparently what I had done was worse than anything else I could have done to his ego. To everything he was.
Jidekene had a side chick he'd been seeing to fill the gap I had left. She grew serious about him. He couldn't give her what she wanted. She got so angry that she released everything she had — pictures, conversations, everything. The media blamed him. When it was all me.
I spoke to him about it. He told me he understood. His father ordered the marriage dissolved after two years of trying.
I thought I had won.
Mr. Oparah senior hated me after that. For tarnishing their family name in the media.
I sat through dinner every time with Mrs. Umeh, dreading this day — because I knew she would hate me. Who wouldn't? I was a home wrecker. Not only did I wreck the house, I wrecked her emotionally. I heard her cries and turned a deaf ear. I heard her tell Mum how certain she was that Mr. Umeh had a side chick. Mum told her they would find the person and disgrace her — not knowing it was me.
I think that's what broke Mum's heart the most. She feels like she failed her best friend. Dad feels like he failed as a father.
Me and Jidekene slept together again after a tough night of crying. He didn't know how else to console me. We found out we were pregnant. Jidekene said he needed a DNA test to be sure of the father.
I had an accident, speeding to the hospital.
I lost the child on the spot.
I wish I had at least been able to give birth for him. He is a good man. Mr. Umeh would have been the father that changed everything. I begged Mr. Umeh to go public, to put his wife out of the misery she was living in. He kept giving excuses. But I knew — he was scared of destroying his perfect image. Scared of how Dad would see him.
He told me he was clueless on how to handle it, but he was not going public.
I have been begging since then, until now.
Jidekene found it suspicious that I didn't want to come forward. Adora, Doreen, and Ruby all cut ties with me — they knew it would blow up in my face. They were not in support of me being with someone three times my age.
Unknown to me, tears had been falling the entire time.
---
Kainene was the first to hug me, rubbing slow, soothing circles against my back.
Somkele's voice was quiet but firm. "I still don't forgive you. I don't get it — why couldn't you just hint at it, tell us? We lived in the same house our whole lives. Why? How could you carry all of this alone? I thought we were sisters. You always made us spill our guts to you, yet you kept this for eleven years?"
It was Somebi's turn to elbow her. "I think it's hard enough that she trusted us. Save it for later."
She looked visibly angry as she excused herself. Somkele trailed behind her.
Ugo walked up slowly and wrapped his arms around me. Kainene followed, looking uncomfortable, but she stayed.
We said our good nights.
---
Mr. Kene Wokoma
Lagos, Nigeria.
Walking into the F8 Den feels like walking into a battlefield with no gun for self-defense.
As soon as I arrive, I hear Mr. Daa-George (DG ) telling Emeka that what happened is a normal thing — they don't understand why he's freaked out. Bile rises in my throat. These guys are full of it.
Mr. DG stares at me. "You need to move past this. The whole idea is to keep you down with this news."
I move gently across the lawn and continue playing tennis. They would never accept me — never acknowledge me. Why do I even bother?
Mr. DG keeps talking to Emeka Umeh. I roll my eyes. The cars pass in straight lines while we bid on them. The Woks cars and motorcycles are leading again.
Pedro catches my eye. "Your new collection is sick. I want some of that — the new line. I felt the need to change mine. When do you think you could produce more?"
"We already have a thousand units produced," I said. "We're unveiling it soon."
"I'd like early access," he said. "And I want to buy shares."
I nodded. "Alright."
Pedro gripped my shoulder. "Don't play with me, boy."
I gritted my teeth. "Yup. Got it."
He tilted his head. "Kainene is really beautiful."
Emeka Umeh cleared his throat. "That is my son's wife. And the Woksman's daughter. Show some respect. Take your eyes off her."
Pedro smirked. "Are you sure she only likes men her age? Since Kamara liked this one over here—"
Emeka reached him before I could blink. He used his full gym-built frame to haul Pedro up by the collar.
"Don't stain her name with your filthy mouth, Pedro. Don't forget who you're messing with."
Al — Mr. Alzubair — stepped forward. "Pedro. Back off."
The group retreated quietly.
Mr. Oparah turned to me. "Your daughter could have saved my son the stress. Don't you think?"
"I genuinely apologize," I told him. He nodded.
I stood rooted in place, staring at Emeka in his gym wear.
"Thank you," I said.
Emeka was quiet for a beat. "Do you regret it?"
"The only thing I regret is not going about it properly. But I love Kam—"
"Please." I held up a hand. "Don't."
I took a breath. "Emeka. That is my daughter you're talking about. Do you know I sent you to her thinking you were an uncle to her — a brother I never had? Going for Kamara was out of line, and you know that."
A silent understanding passed between us.
"I need time," I told him. "I don't know if we can ever be friends."
He nodded. Didn't argue.
"I don't know if I can forgive you. You fucked up. Big time. You had every chance to say something — in any way. But you didn't. My daughter begged you. And you chose to protect your image over two women. Over your own children."
He moved to come closer.
I stepped back like I'd been burned.
---
I drove to Wilmer. Arrived shortly after.
I stopped by the warehouse. They greeted me — *the Woksman*. Ifeanyi greeted me with a grin.
"Bia parkson, ka anyi jee. Mama Blessing ga ta anyi nkwobi?"
I nodded as we settled in. Mama Blessing looked up. "Thank you, Parkson, for saving this whole estate." Mrs. Joy passed by and added her voice to it. "Because of you, my son — and many others. You're a good man, Parkson."
I gave them my best smile. "You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything."
Ifeanyi held my gaze. A silent message passed between us.
---
I ended up going back to that land.
I closed my eyes and let the nostalgia take me — the sacrifices, the years, all of it.
Was it worth it?
I pulled myself together and reached for my phone to text Keli boy.
It's time.
Ifeanyi's message came through a moment later.
*A larger organization just bought the land. You might need to re-buy it from them and build it up for rent.*
The chill that ran down my spine was sharp. I had paid a hefty amount to secure this place. And Pedro couldn't fight to protect his own clientele.
---
Barbie — Narrator
This chapter is heavy. It sits on me in a heavy way.
So Mr. Umeh was this person the whole time? Kamara being abandoned makes a lot of sense now. Why do most firstborns struggle with this? The savior mentality is real.
Somkele and Somebi's reaction was understandable — when you live together your whole lives, news like this makes you question whether you were ever truly a good sister to someone. Whether you missed things you should have caught.
Seems like Mr. Wokoma has a tough past. But that man is a gem.
So they bully him too? I suppose new money isn't always respected in certain rooms. But excuse me — Mr. Pedro? He built a jet. What exactly have you built?
Stupidity doesn't count.