NewStats: 3,263,944 , 8,181,994 topics. Date: Sunday, 08 June 2025 at 09:48 PM 6f6n1k

Lilly4endu:
This Jara remind me of Uti Nwachukwu Jara show. please ooh Yemi rethink before u rewrite!!

Hmmmm....

bossy512:
Thanks for the jara, God bless

You are welcome, bossy

becca2017:
Ehn!!! which chapter of his life does he want to rewrite??.. someone should borrow Yemi brain abeg..
Thanks for the jara sir

Abi oooo!

toyhin123:
Yemi please don't think like that o, abeg
Thanks for the update Oga James

Tell him ooooo!

EPISODE 24 (JARA ON TOP)

Three Days Later.

Yemi had been pondering over the story Sharon told him. He felt so much for her. The story touched him. Each time he ed it, he felt a splitting pain strike his heart. There was no doubt that Sharon had ed through a lot.

He ed when they were together in college. Sharon was loveable and highly intelligent but shy and withdrawn. She was a lady with a wonderful future ahead of her. They were close friends. Sharon kept to herself all the time and as a result, had only two friends—Yemi and one other lady. People thought she was weird. If only they got close they would have realised that her being an introvert was partly because of her painful experience in life and partly because of her shy personality.

However, Yemi saw what nobody else saw in her and moved close to her. He felt an urge to help her break free from her shell. And contrary to what everyone else believed, she embraced his friendship and did not push him away. For someone who had only two friends, there was so much love and attention to share between them and Yemi surely got an overdose. And because she spent so much time with him, it was not long before she started developing feelings for him.

When Yemi suddenly changed school, the void it left in her life could only be imagined. It was made worse by Yemi leaving her in a total state of incommunicado. In fact, it would have been better if he had not known her at all. The resultant effect of that action was the birth of the crazy Sharon Yemi now knew!

As he thought about it, he blamed himself for being responsible for creating the monster she had become. Why didn’t he think of her all those years his mother nagged him to get a wife? Simisola came into the picture and the rest was history.

But what could he do now? Could he rewrite that chapter of his life? Right his wrong? Should he consider Sharon’s option? A divorce?




To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
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JARA ON TOP LOADING...

EPISODE 24
(CHAPTER FOURTEEN)


Thirty minutes later, Yemi was brought to Sharon in the master bedroom. He had freshened up and looked much better. Sharon sat on a rocking chair close to the glass wall, watching what was happening below. Fluffy, her pet dog, sat by her feet, amused by the smoke dancing off the tip of the cigarette tucked between her master’s fingers. She wagged her tail.

“Please have your seat, Yemi,” she said, still looking outside.

Yemi sat down quietly on the sofa. She faced him now. “Yemi, do you think I have always been like this?”

“I didn’t know you to be like this. You were very loveable back in college. What happened, Shally Girl?”

“Hmmm ... Shally Girl?” She laughed. “Oh, that name ... It reminds me of our time in college.”

“Yeah, those days. I still how happy you always were whenever we called you by that nickname. ” The memory brought smiles to Yemi’s face too. “Good old days.”

“You know, that name goes beyond our college days. My dad actually gave it to me when I was little. It’s full of memories for me.” Her eyes shone at the mention of her dad, but Yemi saw the joy suddenly replaced by pain and sorrow. It brought back the bitter-sweet memories of her childhood no doubt.

“Shally Girl, what’s wrong?” Yemi was now relaxed. It was like the way they were back in college. The ‘animosity’ between them was forgotten, at least at the moment.

“You said you wanted to know how I got to this point.” She stubbed out the cigarette on the ashtray. “Well, let me tell you my story, at least, the part you don’t know ...”

Sharon Opemipo Adepoju was the last of four children born to billionaire Richard Adepoju. She was over pampered. Two things worked to her advantage: she was the last born child and the only girl. She loved her daddy to a fault and everybody—friends, neighbours, and teachers—loved her as much. She was highly intelligent and began displaying an astounding talent for drawing and painting at age six. She was also shy but amiable.

She didn’t know anything but love until a tragic event turned her life upside down when she was sixteen.

“I still cry whenever I that horrible day ...”

The entire family was travelling to the United Kingdom for vacation. She was to them a week later because she was writing her Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE). Unfortunately, that was the last time she ever saw them alive or at all. The plane had hardly left the Nigerian airspace when it crashed. Nobody survived. They couldn’t even identify the bodies of her parents and siblings.

“God!” Yemi’s hand flew to his mouth. “Damn! I’m sorry.”

“That was how I became the only surviving child.” She wiped her tears and sniffed. “My life never remained the same ever since I saw the images on national television. They were burnt beyond recognition. I was so much devastated that I spent the remaining period of the exams in the hospital! So, I had to move in with my uncle, my dad’s only brother. That was the beginning of my problem. My uncle and his wife maltreated me so much that I still believe up till this day that they wanted me dead so they could claim my father’s wealth for themselves.”

“That was wicked!” Yemi yelled.

“I lost everything thereafter. I could not concentrate on my studies any longer and I failed my exams year after year. In my period of trial, I met a young guy and we became friends. His name was Melvin. He showed me the love I never got at home. He was everything to me. As time went by, we became so much in love. We practically lived for each other. We prepared for exams together, even chose to study in the same college in the States.”

“The same college you and I eventually attended?”

“Yeah.”

“How come I didn’t know him?”

“He never made it. He died in my very hands on the day our results came out!”

Yemi jerked to the edge of the chair. “Died in your hands? How did it happen?”

“He had checked our results and we both did excellently well. He was rushing to my place to break the news to me. He could have used the phone but he wanted to break the news to me in person. I was on the other side of the road he wanted to cross. Unfortunately, he was knocked down by a reckless danfo driver who was trying to escape the police. He died instantly!”

“Good God!” Yemi jumped to his feet. His eyes too were now wet. “What did the police do?”

“Those idiots? They ran away immediately they saw what happened. That was the most painful part of it. They didn’t even wait to help.”

“That was ridiculous!”

“Well, that was the last straw. We had actually planned to get married someday and spend the rest of our lives together. I don’t even know how I survived after that. I closed my mind to love thereafter. I realised that life was unfair to me. It had a way of taking away everyone that meant so much to me during remarkable times in my life. I feared that if I fell in love again life might deal me another blow. I couldn’t and didn’t want to bear that pain again.”

“Wow!”

“I eventually got into college and I succeeded in warding off advances from men until I met you—or would I say you found me?”

Yemi’s eyes opened wide.

“You were different. You were caring, loving, and a good listener. You reminded me so much of Melvin. As much as I tried to block my heart from loving you, the heart remained adamant. Before I knew it, I was already in love with you.”

“But we were just friends, that was all!”

“To you maybe. But in my mind, I saw us as more than friends. I saw you as my future husband. Then you left for Harvard ...”

“But why didn’t you tell me you had feelings for me?”

“You know I was a very shy person.”

“You still are, just that ... hmm ... never mind.”

“After you left, you never looked back—no calls, no visits, no nothing. I felt abandoned. Even at that, I still loved you dearly and always dreamt of being your wife someday. I kept tab of your progress, every single one of them.”

Yemi felt bad. “I’m sorry, Sharon. I didn’t know.”

“Let me show you something.” She got up and went to a drawer. She unlocked it and brought out a folded canvas. She handed it over to him. “You are the only person seeing this apart from me. It’s been my secret for years now.”

Yemi unfolded the canvas. And by the time he fully opened it, a seizure held him. His jaw dropped and he felt like his eyes were going to dropped off their sockets too. He raised his head, looked at Sharon and returned his stare to the canvas.

“You painted this?” Yemi managed to ask.

“Yes. The year before you relocated to Nigeria.”

“This is wonderful! You are as talented as Da Vinci, I tell you!” Yemi ired the painting.

It was a painting of Yemi, herself, and their three children—two boys and a girl. One of the boys and the girl were carbon copies of Yemi while the other boy resembled her. At the background were the water fountain and the mansion! The painting looked so real that no one would have believed it was imaginary.

“That was the future I saw at that time. You and I and our children in this wonderful place. And I had not even built this place then.”

Yemi was speechless.

“That’s not all. Also, see this.” She moved closer to him and pulled down the neck of her top such that her left collar bone became visible. “Here.”

Yemi moved his eyes closer to get a better view of the tattoo just below the collar bone. They were three words, cursively written. It read: Mrs Sharon Williams! Yemi sank into the sofa.

“I got this tattoo same year I completed my Master's programme. It was my gift to myself for the success.”

“Sharon! You loved me this much?!” Yemi could not believe what he was seeing and hearing.

“Yes, I loved you that much and I still do!”

“You did all this and you didn’t say a thing?”

“I actually wanted to. When I eventually got the courage to tell you, I came looking for you and found out you had returned to Nigeria. I was happy since I had already started constructing this place. One of my biggest worries had been how to convince you to move back to Nigeria with me. But ...” She paused. Yemi saw the difficulty with which the next words came out. “But when I eventually got here, I discovered that you had married that ghetto girl called Simisola!” Her voice started shaking. She paused and struggled to put herself together. “That was the most shattering of all the tragedies I had faced. I returned to the States and spent the next three months in the hospital, in an intensive care unit! I prayed for death but death would not take me and I did not have the courage to commit suicide. After getting out of the hospital, I took to smoking and drinking. That was when my smoking habit started. I wanted a distraction from all the pain but no, they could not provide it! I continued to fight it until one day I realised I had to take the bull by the horn.”

“I’m so sorry,” was all Yemi could say. He did not know how else to console her.

“You don’t have to, sweetheart. I already have what I want. So, you now see why I am doing all this? It is because I can’t bear the pain of losing you again.”

“But, Shally Girl, I am already married—happily married at that—and I have a daughter now. How I wish I could turn back the hands of time!”

“Yemi, that marriage was not meant to be! I had known you before Simisola did. I had loved you before she did. And I had planned for our future before she ever dreamt of knowing you. I own you, Yemi. Not her!” Her voice started rising.

“But it’s too late now. Moreover, it wasn’t my fault and neither was it Simisola’s. Perhaps, Mother Nature didn’t want us together.”

“Yemi, leave Mother Nature out of this! And how could you say it wasn’t your fault? Whose fault was it then? Who left for Harvard and never looked back? YOU! Who ran down to Nigeria to marry? YOU! Perhaps, if you had called. Maybe just one call might have changed everything!” Her voice climbed higher. “By the way, what do you mean by too late?”

“What would you have me do?”

“Get a divorce, Yemi. GET A DIVORCE!”

“How could you ask that of me if you truly loved me as you claimed?!”

“This discussion is over.”

“Sharon, please don’t do this.”

She went back to her rocking chair. “Gee!” she called out. Gee opened the door and came in. “Get my sweetheart to his room.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She turned to Yemi. “Sir,” and nodded in the direction of the door.

Yemi wanted to hesitate but ed the last encounter with her. He wised up and complied at once.

Sharon slanted on the chair, closed her eyes in meditation, and rocked the chair slowly. Fluffy watched her.


* * *


To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
Website: https://okoosiqudus.wixsite.com/author

EPISODE 23
(CHAPTER FOURTEEN)


Sharon’s Garden of Eden.

YEMI LOOKED AROUND FRANTICALLY but could hardly see a thing. The noise grew closer and his heartbeat raced faster. The place was dark and the noise was eerie. He held his breath. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood in fright and cold sweats took over his forehead. Suddenly, the shrew came out from behind the metal container and the sound became normal. Yemi heaved a sigh of relieve. It was a tiny thing after all. This dingy room had a way of amplifying and distorting even the slightest sound. However, his distress was far from being over.

A strong damp smell hung in the air. The walls emitted cold air and he felt the chill in his bones. If the room was a little bit lit, he could have seen the cobwebs hanging all over the place and the junks lying all around. The irritating noise of shrews and mouse pierced his ears. He felt a spider crawled around his ear and down his neck. It tickled him. His natural instinct was to squash it but he could not move his hands. He had been tied to a chair at the centre of this dingy basement for the past six hours! The chair was hard and his buttocks now felt sore. He sat on one buttock at a time, alternating them every now and then. He had pushed Sharon over the edge again by refusing her fantasies.

A week had ed since Sharon held him captive. And it had been a week of frustration, emotional and physical pains. Sharon brought him here to rule as the king of this empire alongside her as his queen. However, Yemi had not cooperated one bit. That had caused him a lot and he had Sharon’s erratic nature to thank for it.

Sharon loved him dearly and would do anything to be with him. Each time he rejected her, either tacitly or outspokenly, he felt the full brunt of her anger. Thereafter she would come back to tend his injuries and literally cry for his forgiveness. That had an advantage, though it came at a painful cost—Sharon postponed the wedding with each injury he sustained in the process. She would not let an injury ruin her perfect wedding pictures!

The door opened and the sudden rush of light almost blinded him. He squinched. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light intensity. But when they did, he saw Sharon for the first time since he arrived here without her wig. Her hair was low rough curls, dyed blonde. She wore a pair of bum shorts and a tight-fitting round neck top that accentuated her bust. Her high heels added elegance to her long slender legs. Her earrings were round and big, the size of a pair of bangles. Under normal circumstances, her look would arouse the desire in any man. She carried Fluffy, her American Eskimo in one hand. Gee followed closely. Sharon switched on the lights and carried herself majestically down the stairs.

“Sha ... ron,” Yemi forced the words out weakly.

Sharon walked up to him and lifted his chin. She tilted his head left, right, and up. “Hmmm ...” She pulled up his eyelids one after the other like a doctor examining a patient. “You are alright, darling. Just a little weakness.” She turned to Gee. “Let’s go. He will be fine. Just get him some water.”

The two of them headed for the stairs.

“Sharon, why are you doing this?” Yemi drawled.

She stopped suddenly and turned back with a rage.

“Because I want to make you suffer!” she yelled. “I want to make your family suffer! I want your wife to feel the pains of not being with the one she dearly loves! Above all, I want you to suffer watching them suffer!” She threw her hands up and down aggressively.

“But what did I do to deserve this?”

“You lied to yourself, Yemi. You lied to everybody too that the reason you came back to Nigeria was that you loved your country; that you were proud of your black heritage while in actual fact you ran away because you wanted to ditch me!”

“But you know that is not true, Sharon.”

All of a sudden, her rage melted. She took short deep breaths to calm herself. Gradually, regret took over her face.

“No, Yemi. It’s not because I want you to suffer. No.” She shook her head slowly. “It’s because I love you. I love you so much I can’t live without you any longer.” She bit her lips gently as her eyes became moist. “Yemi, please return my love. I beg you.”

“You call this love? This is not love, Sharon. This is an obsession!” Yemi found the strength to yell.

“You won’t understand.”

“Then make me understand!”

She turned and walked up the stairs. When she got to the door, she paused. “Gee, bring him up.” And she went out of the basement.




To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
Website: https://okoosiqudus.wixsite.com/author

FRESH EPISODES LOADING...

Ann2012:


I believe she's innocent, na her mouth just put am for trouble

Hmmmmm!

izaray:
Free her ke, me ayam still suspecting that woman

Hmmmmm!

skubido:
Tanks for the update

Ann2012:
Oya....operation free Nicole's mum

Thanks for the update boss

rukidanty:
thanks for the update.. nice one but I pity for Nicole's mum but I know she's involved in the yemis woes

Hmmmm!

There is no madness like obsession and no hate like vengeance!

If you have read Jewel from the Ghetto and found it breathtaking and captivating, then think again! Because that was only the beginning! The real intrigue, nerve-wracking suspense, heart-pumping action, and the most unexpected twists and turns are just a book away.

After Yemi and Simisola weathered the storm and successfully surmounted every obstacle thrown at them in the first instalment, they settled for a ‘happily-ever-after’ life. Or so they thought. Because what happened next showed that such a life only existed in fairy tales!

Shakirah returned from prison solely driven by hate and vengeance. Mrs Abimbola threatened fire and brimstone. Only one thing drove her—Revenge! An obsessed woman suddenly showed up from nowhere and hell was let loose!

And at the centre of it all were Yemi and Simisola!

Now that their life and happiness were under threat again, would Yemi and Simisola find the strength to overcome the onslaught?

Find out in Jewel from the Ghetto 2: The Return of Shakirah.

EPISODE 22
(CHAPTER THIRTEEN)


State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos.


Nicole came in to see her mother who was being held in custody. She sat in the dimly lit interrogation room awaiting her mother to be brought in to her. She clasped and unclasped her fingers several times while shaking her legs vigorously.

She heard the creaking sound of the door and she jerked in her seat. A police officer brought her mother in. Immediately she came in, Nicole sprang to her feet. The sight she saw drew some drops of tears from her eyes. Mrs Abimbola was a sorry sight to behold. Trust Nigerian police, interrogation to them involved much more than question and answer sessions. Her hair was ruffled and her drooping eyes had bags beneath them. They were bloodshot and she had black patches at some places on her skin. Nicole rushed to her and hugged her.

Her mother grunted. The hug caused her pain. “Easy girl.”

“Sorry, mum.” The hairs on the nape of Nicole’s neck stood high.

“Madam, you have five minutes,” the officer announced as if to remind them that the allotted time should be better spent on more important matters than displays of affection.

Both mother and daughter sat down on opposite ends of the interrogation table. The officer excused them.

“Mummy, look at you. What have they done to you?!” Nicole exclaimed. Her glance hovered on every part of her mother.

“This?” Mrs Abimbola pointed to her face and a few sores on her body. “Well, they said it would have been a lot worse if not for my status in the society.”

“You must be kidding me, mum!”

“That’s the way it is, my dear.”

There was a long pause which Nicole eventually broke. She took a deep breath. She hardened her face in preparation for the question she was about to ask.

“Mummy, please tell me the truth. Did you do it?”

“Ah! Nicole, you too?” The question shook her mother to the depth of her soul. “If people do not believe me, even you, my own daughter don’t trust me too?” Her eyes became wet.

“It’s not like that, mum. It’s just that the evidence they have against you is too ... I don’t know.”

“Nicole, it is exactly like I already told the police. I am innocent. I didn’t do it.”

“But what of all those threats, mum? I understand that you have been doing that since when I was away. And the WhatsApp messages you sent on the night of my arrival?”

“See, Nicole, I didn’t mean any of that. They were only empty threats. I did it to shake Agnes up a little. I only wanted her to feel apprehensive too. That’s all. There was nothing more to it than that.”

“Mummy! How could you do such as thing?!”

Mrs Abimbola had no answer for her daughter. She scratched her head instead. She looked stupid and embarrassed at the same time.

“I overheard you telling a lady that you had a job for her. That was not long after you sent the WhatsApp threat on that night if I get the timing correctly.”

“Ah!” She held her own lips together with her hand and twisted them until they almost ruptured. “Ọ́lọ̀rún máa jẹ́ ki ẹ́nù mi pami!” she said in Yoruba, (May God not allow my mouth to kill me!) She continued, “Nicole, it’s not what you think. I was talking to Sharon, my tailor, and she came to the house the next day to pick the clothes I had for her.”

“Hmmmmmm!” Nicole let out a deep sigh. “And your presence at the crime scene?”

“I guess that was my stupidity.”

Nicole clasped her fingers together on the table so tightly that they hurt. She dropped her head, closed her eyes, and tapped the ground so hard that her mother felt they were drumming in her ears. Nicole remained like that for close to two minutes. Mrs Abimbola watched her and the two minutes felt like two years.

“Nicole, Nicole.” She tapped her gently, “You don’t believe me?” Her heart was shattered. Nothing pained more than not having the trust of one’s own daughter in the face of trials. She began to cry.

Nicole looked up and straight into her mother’s eyeballs. She stared so hard that her mother began to feel uncomfortable. She saw sincerity.

“Mum, I believe you!”

“Thank God you believe me. That is enough strength for me to carry on. Come here, my baby girl.”

Nicole went over to her and hugged her. Mrs Abimbola felt pain from her sores but she didn’t let go. She tightened her embrace instead. She didn’t know when next she would have the opportunity to hug her beautiful daughter again.

The door opened and the officer came in. “Time up!” He led Mrs Abimbola away.

“Mum, don’t worry, be strong. Dad and I are talking to some Senior Advocates to see how we can get you out of here as quickly as possible,” Nicole rushed the words as the officer led her mother away.

Mrs Abimbola turned as she was about stepping out, smiled and nodded. But the smile could not mask the tears crawling down her cheeks.

Nicole stood up and left. She got into her car but couldn’t find the strength to turn on the ignition. She slanted in her seat and looked out through the windscreen with a focused gaze. She was convinced of her mother’s innocence. She believed her mother when she said the threats were empty. One thing she knew too well about her mother was that her biggest asset was her mouth. What she could not do with her hands in ten years she could do with her mouth in ten seconds.

She ed back in the days when things were still rosy with the Williamses. She ed how Mrs Williams, on one occasion, had thrown a jape at her mother and had told her how her mother won several battles during their secondary school days without lifting a single finger; she won ninety-nine per cent of her battles with her mouth!

Unfortunately, that same mouth was now responsible for her woes. The evidence was so overwhelming and she knew that the police would still come up with more. It was a good thing that the forensic team had visited the place. But she knew that nothing concrete would come out of their examination. The Nigerian Police didn’t have the equipment to process fingerprints or any other forensic clues gathered. Even if they did, she was sure there was no database to compare the results with. So, she could not count on her mother being free on the basis of any forensic results. The only hope was either to find Yemi alive or catch the real criminals. Even at that, she would not allow her precious mum to go to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She vowed to herself to use all the resources within her power to get her mother out.



To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
Website: https://okoosiqudus.wixsite.com/author

EPISODE 21
(CHAPTER THIRTEEN)


Lagos State Police Command Head Quarters, Ikeja, Lagos. Office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.


INSPECTOR STEPHEN SAT IN the waiting room with a set of two manila files sitting on his laps. His eyes drifted to the wall clock again; he had been waiting for close to two hours for his turn to be called in. The Commissioner had summoned him to his office to give a progress report on the case. His eyes were locked on the door. And then, the door opened and a police officer with files tucked under his armpit came out. A few seconds later, the secretary informed him that he could go in.

He saluted and stood to attention while waiting for the Commissioner to wrap up his telephone conversation. His glance darted all over the beautifully furnished office. The police boss sat relaxed behind a well-arranged, shining mahogany desk and the Nigerian and Police flags stood behind him. On the wall above his head hung the portraits of the Nigerian President and the Lagos State Governor. The cosiness was crowned with a sweet scent that romanced his nose. More so, the air was cold and refreshing, unlike the burning heat the sun unleashed outside.

The five-feet-ten police boss ended his call and put him at ease. He offered him a seat. Inspector Stephen ired the man’s dress sense. Even at fifty-nine, he looked smart in his uniform and Inspector Stephen pictured himself taking after him if he ever made it to the rank of Police Commissioner someday.

“Stephen, fill me in.”

Inspector Stephen presented his boss with one of the files in his hands and a flash drive. “Here’s a copy of the case file, sir. It contains my report and the evidence we have gathered on the case so far.”

He opened the duplicate copy of the file in front of him and began his report. He explained that they had arrested the prime suspect, Mrs Ibironke Abimbola, who had not been cooperative. She maintained that she was innocent and had nothing to do with the attack on Yemi and his disappearance throughout all the interrogation sessions.

“Is it Mrs Abimbola, the wife of the billionaire business tycoon we are talking about here?” the Commissioner interrupted him.

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmmm.” The Commissioner moved to the edge of his seat. “Stephen, we need to be careful here. We can’t afford any boo-boos with this calibre of people. Are you sure you have your facts rights?”

“Yes, sir”. Inspector Stephen flipped to page four of the report. “We have overwhelming evidence against her, sir. She had threatened the Williams family both verbally and in written form over the years. What we noticed is that the threats became more frequent and audacious in the months leading to the crime, sir. You will find the evidence on pages four to ten of the report, sir.”

The Commissioner flipped through the pages of the report in his front. “I see.”

“Also sir, a recorded telephone conversation between Yemi and his friend put Mrs Abimbola at the crime scene just seconds before the incident.”

“Really?” The police boss seemed especially interested in that piece of evidence. “And did you confront her with the evidence?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And?”

“She agreed that she was actually at the crime scene at that particular time, sir.”

“And did she say what she was doing there at that time?”

“She said she was on her way to visit a friend when she saw Yemi’s car parked by the side of the road. So, she parked her car at the other side of the road and crossed over to approach him but stopped when two men suddenly walked towards his car and fired two shots at him. She said she ran away immediately she heard the gunshots.”

“Hmmm.” The Commissioner nodded. “Did she tell you why she approached him in the first place?”

“She said she just wanted to say ‘hi’ which I found very difficult to believe, sir.”

“Really? To say ‘hi’?”

“I find it ridiculous that she would park her car in the middle of the road just to say ‘hi’ to someone she had threatened brimstone and fire against, sir. And just seconds after that the victim was shot.”

“Could she identify any of the men or say what happened to the body?”

“She said she ran immediately she heard the gunshots and didn’t wait to see the faces of the attackers or what happened next. Sir, I believe that woman knows more than she is telling us.”

“Is there a motive?”

“Absolutely, sir. The more reason I believe she’s culpable. Her motive has always been vengeance for the purported wrong the Williams family did to her by sending her daughter to prison. And when the opportunity came, she struck. Motive plus opportunity: a perfect recipe for a crime, sir.”

“Did you send the forensic team to the scene?”

“Yes, sir. We still await their results.”

“Good. I will go through your report and let you know if I have any inputs. Stephen, we need to get to the bottom of this case as quickly as possible. This is a high profile case and I am already getting serious pressure from the IG. Get your men out there and comb every nook and cranny. Chances are that Yemi may still be alive out there.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You may leave now.”

Inspector Stephen got up, saluted his boss and headed for the door. As he was about turning the knob, he heard the Commissioner call his name. He turned around.

“Sir.”

“I want results and I want progress report every twenty-four hours.” These last words came out with a stern voice.

“Yes, sir.” He suddenly felt the coldness of the knob.
The door opened and he left.




To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
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izaray:
Thanks for the update

Izaray, UWC.

pweetygiftofGod:
It's gonna be a long day, what a nightmare

I agree with you, dear. A really really long day.

Lilly4endu:
wahala dey!! We go see danger

Yes oooo, wahala dey!

aprilwise:
The beginning of the story right from part1 Sharon was not in the picture . As it seems she is an ex. Pls give us more light on Sharon. Thanks for the update

Aprilwise, as you noted, Sharon is a new character introduced into the story but don't worry, you will get to really know her as the story unfolds.

Expect other newly introduced characters too but you will get to know them well before the story concludes.

Ann2012:
Sharon is just obsessed, hope Yemi will escape from her?

Thanks for the update

I hope and pray so oooo.

becca2017:
Thanks a lot for the update sir..

UWC, Dear.

moseph:
Thanks for the update.

UWC, my sister.

skubido:
Sincerity for her eyes, abeg who her sincerity wan EPP,
Make yemi no dey reason her eyes ooo. Her sincerity don die tay tay, yemi u better jara e..


Brotherly Tanks a lot for the update, jah bless

genius43:
Sharon is a special kind of crazy.

You can say that again

rukidanty:
thanks for the update and it's really intriguing

UWC, rukidanty

EPISODE 20
(CHAPTER TWELVE)

When Sharon came in to inform him that dinner was ready, it was only 7 p.m. but she found Yemi sprawled out in the bed. From where she stood by the bedside, the cotton wool and plaster on his temple were visible. She watched him for five full minutes and didn’t spot any movement, not even the slightest twitch of a muscle. Nonetheless, the sound of his deep breath was loud and clear. Her lips rewarded her feeling of satisfaction with a broad smile. She turned back and left. There was no need for disturbing his peaceful sleep. Tomorrow was another day.

The rays of the sun shone through the glass wall directly into Yemi’s face. He grimaced and stretched his extremities. He sat up and realised it was morning. The aches had subsided considerably. He got out of bed. Something on the wardrobe caught his attention and he walked up to it. He opened the wardrobe and was surprised to find it filled with different types of clothes—all his perfect size and taste! Sharon, no doubt, knew him more than he realised!

He walked to the glass wall and resting his head and armed on it, he watched the happenings below. The sun beautifully shone over the zoo, its rays also bouncing off the calm blue surface of the swimming pool bordering it. The zoo came to life with the animals getting ready for their daily routine while the pool calmly awaited the arrival of the first body that would agitate its water. Enhanced by the trees and flowers stretching as far as his eyes could see, the beauty was entrancing. But Yemi had more on his mind than the picturesqueness of the image staring at him.

He was deep in his thought when Sharon entered with two cups of coffee. She was still in her night robe. The flowing silky robe added a warm appeal to her beauty.

“You are awake, sweetheart. Hope you enjoyed your first night here?” Her voice startled him.

He turned around and she handed him one of the cups. He collected the coffee, stirred it and after looking at it thoughtfully for some seconds, he decided against taking it. He walked to the stool by the bed and placed the cup on it carefully.

Sharon watched him as she sipped hers. “You thought I would poison you?”

He cleared his throat and asked the question that had been on his mind since he woke up.

“Sharon, where am I?”

Sharon walked to the wall and looked outside through the glass, turning her back on him.

“Everywhere in the middle of nowhere,” she answered, her look trained on the animals in the zoo below. She took another sip.

“What do you mean by everywhere in the middle of nowhere?” He was confused.

“Simple.” She turned around and walked towards him. “Everywhere because you can be everywhere you want to be here—church, football pitch, golf course, zoo, amusement park, night club, cinema—just name it. This place is a world of its own, a miniature of the bigger world. A paradise even. It has everything you can ever think of except the rowdiness and craziness of the outside world, of course ...”

Yemi, however, found the last part difficult to believe. Sharon was enough craziness to nullify that assertion.

“And it is in the middle of nowhere,” she continued, “because it is completely cut off from the outside world!”

Yemi felt a surge of heat flushed through him. He swallowed. Sharon walked past him and headed for the door.

“Get dressed. We are taking a tour of this paradise. You have twenty-five minutes!” She stopped at the door. “Yemi,” she paused. “This is Garden of Eden.” She shut the door behind her.

Yemi sank into the bed and cupped his face in his hands.


Two hours later, Sharon and Yemi came back from the tour. Even Yemi agreed that the place was truly a paradisiac world of its own. But as wonderful as the place was, it was the last place he wanted to be right now. All he wanted was to be home with his wife and daughter.

They were now back in the glass-walled master bedroom. Gee stayed guard at the door. Yemi saw Sharon’s eyes glowed with excitement.

“You will love it here. Believe me, sweetheart.” The lilt of excitement in her voice complemented the one in her eyes. “There is something I want to show you. I’m sure you will love it.” She sashayed to the wardrobe.

Yemi shot her a quizzical look.

She brought out a wedding gown. She held it close to her body and swung left and right. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Yemi choked on the water he was drinking. He coughed. “What do you need a wedding gown for?”

“Our wedding, of course.” Next, she brought out a suit bag, unzipped it to reveal a bespoke wedding suit. “And here is your suit. I had it specially made for you. You should try it on. It will look fantastic on you.”

“What?!”

“We are getting married next week in the chapel. I have made all the arrangements already. It would have been earlier but I need to wait for your injury to heal. I can’t stand a plastered temple in our wedding pictures.”

“This is ridiculous, Sharon!”

Sharon walked to the glass wall. “What is ridiculous about living happily in a paradise home? See, I had this place designed for us—you, me, and our children. It took me six years and a great deal of artistic ingenuity to put it all together.” She pointed to the amusement park. “I had that built so that our kids can have a wonderful life.” A gentle smile lit up her face as she said the words.

Yemi watched her lips as if he was listening to the rantings of a mad woman. She walked back to the sofa and sat beside Yemi, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You see, sweetheart, this is the perfect life. Just like I have always wanted it—a blissful life with my Prince Charming in a fairy tale home. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“I already have a wife and a daughter. Don’t you get it, Sharon?!” Yemi yelled and shoved her away.

“A wife that stole you away for me! That marriage was not to be in the first place!” she yelled back.

“I can see that you are suffering from a chronic case of Illusion Psychosis, Sharon! Count me out of this madness.” Yemi got up and started walking towards the door.

Sharon flared up. She sprang up, stomped her feet on the ground, and screamed at the top of her voice, “Yemi, you dare not walk away from me!”

Yemi ignored her and continued walking to the door.
“Gee!” she yelled.

Her bodyguard emerged and blocked the doorway. “Please go back, sir.” Her voice was as gentle as her look.

Yemi felt insulted that of all the muscled guards all Sharon could do was to call a fragile lady to stop him from stepping out. He scoffed. “And if I don’t?” He flexed his muscles.

“Please, I repeat, go back, sir.”

“Will you—”

The words hung in his throat. He didn’t see what hit him. Gees leg flickered out and in swiftly like a cobra’s tongue. It was just too fast for him. The only thing he knew what that he felt something hit hard on his chest and he slid back into the room and fell at Sharon’s feet with a strong thud. He squinched his face, held his chest, and started coughing. He managed a glance at Gee and saw her standing with her hands behind her back and a straight face as if she had not moved a muscle at all. He looked up at Sharon. He could swear she was breathing fire.

“Get up, Yemi!”

He got on his feet and a slap from Sharon sent him back to the ground. He saw stars. The next few seconds, hell went loose. He had not seen such an enraged woman in his life.

“Now, time for a little introduction. Please meet Gee.” Sharon gestured towards Gee. “Like you must have noticed, she’s my personal bodyguard and Head of Security here. Don’t let her gentle look deceive you. She’s a martial arts and weapons expert, the deadliest human here, apart from me, of course.”

Yemi would have watched on with open eyes but one of the eyes was already swollen shut. He crouched at the foot of the bed trying to absorb the pain from his burning chest. After Sharon and Gee left, he climbed into the bed, whimpering.

Five minutes later, the door opened and Sharon walked in with a bowl of hot water, some ice blocks, and first aid kits. She sat on the bed with him and tended his wounds. She was as gentle and empathetic as anyone could be. Throughout the process, she kept begging for his forgiveness and reassuring him of how much she loved him. Yemi saw the sincerity in her eyes and at a point, she was crying. ‘What kind of woman is this?’ Yemi wondered. She was definitely a troubled woman—an obsessed woman!



To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
Website: https://okoosiqudus.wixsite.com/author

EPISODE 19
(CHAPTER TWELVE)


HOURS LATER, THE POLICE swung to action. Mr Williams had called the Inspection General (IG) of Police while at the hospital. Fortunately, they were able to rush Simisola there in time and Doctor Bello and the nurses were able to revive her.

The IG had wasted no time in calling the Police Commissioner for the state who in turn put Inspector Stephen on the case. This was a high profile case and the police force was interested in getting to the bottom. In no time, they were able to track down Yemi’s Range Rover to the spot of the incident.

The driver’s door was ajar and its window was shattered. Tiny square shards of glass littered the seat, floor, and the ground outside the car. Two bullets shells laid on the floor below the seat. There were blood stains but Yemi’s body was nowhere to be found. Forensic scientists set to work, processing the crime scene for evidence.

The police wasted no time in making their first set of arrests. Mrs Abimbola was the prime suspect. Not only had she made a series of threats in the past—some dating as far back as five years—her name was the only name Yemi mentioned before the gunshots were heard. Yinka’s phone had incidentally recorded the conversation. Thank God that the phone still worked fine after he coupled the pieces together.

The case involved two high-profile personalities, hence it was difficult for Mr Abimbola to influence the case. Mrs Abimbola remained in police custody.


* * *


Yemi’s eyes opened about forty-five minutes later. He tried to move his arms but realised they had been tied behind his back. A burning pain around his ankle told him same had been done to his legs, but this time, it felt like the rope was eating into his flesh. He tried to scream but a duct tape fastened over his mouth muffled the sound. His head hurt. Blood trickled down the side of his face from a gash on his temple. It was where one of his abductors had hit him with the butt of his pistol after snatching the phone from his hand. The brute had fired two shots at the window so as to reach him because the window was wound up. His partner, now driving, had not been pleased with him. That was a reckless thing to do. He might have missed and buried the bullets into Yemi’s skull instead. All he needed to do was to smash the window with the butt of the pistol without unnecessarily drawing attention with the shots. His displeasure resulted into an argument as they sped along Lagos-Ibadan Express Way. In fact, it was their voices that woke Yemi from his slumber.

From the back seat where they dumped him, Yemi managed to peep through the tinted window and could make out the landscape; they were approaching Sagamu By. His movement created a sound that drew the attention of the trigger-happy guy beside the driver. He turned back and pointed the muzzle of the pistol down Yemis head. He cocked it. Yemi felt two drops of urine soaked into his pant. “Stay down or I will blow off your skull!” But before Yemi could comply, he sent another blow to his temple and Yemi blacked out for the rest of the journey.

Instead of heading straight towards Ibadan, the army green Mercedes Benz ML 4matic SUV made a right turn to connect the bridge linking Papalanto Road. They soon drove past Olam and Nestle factories and slowly descended a hill into Papalanto Roada road that had become a death trap. The vehicle swayed left and right as it navigated bumps and potholes, and ascended and descended hilly spots. There were places the road evened out and was smooth. At such places, the driver stepped hard on the throttle to which the engine responded with a roar.

The road was lonely because motorists avoided it like plagues. The deadly silence was only occasionally punctured by the intimidating honking and swooshing sounds of cement trucks racing past them and at other times by the chirpings of birds. Both sides of the road were lined with vast estates that had beautifully constructed, ginormous gates but were dense bushes inhabited by crickets, frogs, snakes and other animals. The story behind the estates was that plots in them were sold to people using beautiful 3D image designs on flyers and computer screens without them knowing that the real stuff were bushes and ‘forests’ in secluded places. Many of the buyers had never attempted visiting again after their first visits.

After what looked like a hell ride, the vehicle turned into one of the estates. Like many others, the estate had a beautiful, massive gate and a perimeter fence. But inside was a thick bush, more like a forest, that had a paved road extending from the gate into the depth of the ‘forest’. After driving for about ten minutes, they drove into an expansive clearing that was a world of its own. Nobody would ever imagine that such a paradise existed in such a place!

The property was a ten-hectare expanse of land, fenced all around, and masterfully designed and equipped to make life blissful. Well-tended lawns and natural pastures beautifully carpeted the ground with flourishing green grass. Butterflies hovered over blossoming gardens covered with brilliant flowers. The trees were well-trimmed and formed a protective canopy that added naturalness to the serene environment. The golden rays of sunlight filtering through the foliage created a fascinating scenery that delighted the eyes. The pleasant scent of herbs and sweet-smelling perfume of flowers played host to the nose. And as the soothing breeze sliced through the branches of the trees, the rustle of the leaves blended with bird songs to produce soul-lifting music.

At the centre stood a fifteen-room lush mansion. The whispering-palm-lined interlocking driveway, extending from the automatic gate, swirled around a tastefully sculpted water fountain few yards from the main entrance of the mansion. A garage stood to the right and an Olympic-size swimming pool graced the rear of the building. On the first floor was the large, glass-walled master bedroom overlooking a mini zoo. And from there a small amusement park was visible. A golf course majestically sat on the east, bordering a football pitch and basketball and lawn tennis courts. At the far end of the property, extending to the rear fence, was a conservation area where the animals were allowed to live in the wild. The property was powered by two big generators alternating day and night. Being in a place like this filled one with a feeling of being in one of those Beverly Hills vacation homes. There were several armed security guards, maids, and workers moving around.

The SUV got to the gate and honked. After a few seconds, the gate opened on its own and they drove in. Yemi woke up immediately they drove through the gate. The blissfulness of his surroundings must have woken him up. The vehicle went around the fountain and parked a few yards from the main door. The men untied him, brought him down from the car, and ushered him into the house. He limped as he walked, sandwiched between the two of them; he had a cramp. His head ached.

They stood him in the middle of the expansive sitting room, facing the stairs that led upstairs. His heart thudded against the cage in his chest violently as he fixed his gaze on the stairs, anxiously waiting for whoever would show up. He grimaced. The pounding in his head intensified and his brain sent pain signals to his ts.

Soon, he heard footsteps and Sharon emerged, full of smiles. Setting his eyes on her, his shoulders dropped and he let out a sigh. She wore a silvery spaghetti gown that was tight fitting from the bust to the hips and flared down from her knees. It covered her feet and swept the floor behind her. Her presence released a lovely scent into the atmosphere that even Yemi’s tired nose could not ignore. Her fluffy little American Eskimo wagged her tail behind her.

She was flanked by a dark-skinned, simple, meek-looking lady that Yemi later learnt was her personal bodyguard and the deadliest human on the entire property! Yemi spotted a cut mark at a corner of the bodyguard’s mouth.

Sharon ran down the stairs with open arms. “Welcome home, darling.” The joy and the satisfaction of having Yemi with her were evident on her face. As she cleared the last step and her eyes settled on the gash on his temple, she stopped in her tracks. The happiness left her face. Her eyes narrowed, darting from one face to the other.

“Who did that?” She pointed to the injury.

The men shifted from leg to leg and averted her eyes. The one on the right pointed to the second one. He was too scared to talk.

Her gaze settled on Adam. “But I told you not to hurt him.” Her voice was low but carried enough venom that could incapacitate.

“I had to knock him out for safety reasons, ma.”

“You did what?” She snatched the glass cup from her bodyguard’s hand in a fit of rage. “You fool!” And flung it at him.

Adam ducked. The cup whooshed past him and shattered into a thousand pieces some feet away.

“Next time, that won’t be a glass cup. It will be a bullet and I won’t miss!”

“Sorry, ma.” Adam pleaded. His voice trembled.

“Now get out of here!”

The two men scurried out.

Sharon walked briskly towards Yemi. She saw anger and resentment deeply seated in his eyes.

“Ah-ah!” She made a face and smiled, “Darling, are you angry with me? Okay, I’m sorry. Come, give your sweetheart a hug.” She opened her arms wide as she got closer.

Yemi didn’t respond; his hands stayed down.

Unabashed, she wrapped her arms around him, nestled her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. She squeezed him tighter in her embrace as she released her breath slowly in satisfaction, but Yemi’s arms hung by his sides like logs of wood. She pulled her head away from his shoulder, looked straight into his eyes, and rubbed his cheeks gently. She wiped the blood with her palm. Yemi didn’t move a muscle; he just watched on with a disoriented look.

“Are you still angry with me?” she asked in a soft tone. “But I already said I was sorry.”

Yemi forced himself to talk, “Sharon, look at me ... I’m bleeding, I’m tired, and I’m in pains. Can I get a little rest, please, before all this?” The words came out a little louder than a whisper.

“Oh, oh, oh, don’t mind me, darling. I got carried away. You won’t blame me. I’ve waited for this day for too long.” She turned to her bodyguard. “Gee, please arranged for Yemi’s injury to be taken care of, get the maids to prepare the jacuzzi, and inform the cooks not to bother cooking. I will cook for my sweetheart myself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sharon took a thorough look at Yemi and she couldn’t agree more that he needed serious mending. He looked completely dishevelled. His shirt was rumpled with blood stains decorating it. His fair skin had turned pink and the reddish blisters around his wrists and ankles were as visible as bracelets and anklets.

Gee didn’t have to leave to ensure the instructions were carried out. She called the butler and handed down the instructions to him. A few minutes later, Yemi was ushered away to be cared for.




To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:

1. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/jewel_from_the_ghetto_2_the_return_of_shakirah/26442

2. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/930731


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/
Website: https://okoosiqudus.wixsite.com/author

FRESH EPISODES LOADING...