“Complicated”
Episode 16
A few days later, Ore was scheduled to go to the hospital to pick up some test results, but she hesitated because she wondered if the person she saw at the hospital last time was Farouk. Nonetheless, she disguised herself and went. After receiving the results, she met with the doctor who assured her everything was fine; she just needed to rest more and avoid overexerting herself. She thanked the doctor and left. As she entered her car and her driver pulled away, she sighed, realizing she had been holding her breath.
As she drove toward her home, she received a call from Titilope, who wanted to know if Ore could come in for a few hours next week as they had some important meetings with key clients. Titilope promised to ask her secretary to send Ore all the financials to review and analyze.
Meanwhile, Farouk also went to the hospital to pick up his prescription. As he was leaving, he was delayed by a nurse who had been trying to get his attention. He listened to her out of courtesy, when suddenly, he noticed someone walking through the reception area. He could have sworn it was Ore, but he noticed the lady was pregnant. He moved closer to the door; by now the lady was entering a vehicle. He couldn’t see her face because she was wearing a scarf around it, but his instinct told him it was her.
After the vehicle left, he called his driver to follow her car, but by the time the driver arrived at the entrance to pick him up, and they drove out of the hospital, the car had disappeared. Farouk was deeply troubled. He wondered if that was indeed Ore, and if she was pregnant, could it be that she got pregnant from their time together? He felt a surge of excitement at the possibility, but then pondered why she hadn’t contacted him if she was pregnant. Then he remembered that he had left without giving her his contact information.
He asked his driver to turn around and head back to the hospital. As he pondered which nurse to approach, he decided to find out if the person he saw was indeed Ore. Back at the hospital, he found the nurse who had been pestering him earlier. He spoke with her and requested that she check if there was any patient named Oreoluwa. Initially, the nurse refused, but Farouk used his persuasive skills to coax her into checking. Eventually, she agreed to help under the condition that she would only give him Ore’s name and nothing more.
Farouk returned home, restless as he awaited a response from the nurse. Later that day, she called to apologize for the delay due to the hospital’s busyness. She then gave him the name Oreoluwa Ayegbajeje. Farouk thanked her and reaffirmed his plan to compensate her for her kindness.
Immediately, Farouk turned to social media but could find nothing about Ore after extensive searching. Just as he was about to give up, he stumbled upon an article about Adetola Ayegbajeje’s marriage. Farouk didn’t know him personally but was aware of his reputation. He clicked on a picture and was shocked to see that Ore was the bride. As he read through the article, sweat formed on his brow. It then dawned on him that during the time he was with her, she had just gotten married. But what was she doing alone in Dubai?
Farouk was torn; he didn’t know whether the pregnancy was his or her husband’s. The article mentioned that their union was not out of love but rather a business arrangement, and that she was married to the guy as a substitute for her sister, who had eloped with her lover. Farouk felt a surge of anger realizing that she was married and hadn’t disclosed this, leading him into an affair with another man’s wife. “Oh, she had better have a good explanation for this when I finally catch up with her,” he thought, wrestling with his emotions and the complexity of the situation.
Darasimi continued to exchange texts and intimate pictures with Adetola. She knew it was only a matter of time before she completely had him under her control. He had already suggested they meet up at a resort outside of town, but she still had to deal with the matter of his father—she needed to get the Chief to meet her at another location outside his usual guest house so she could record their encounter.
An idea suddenly struck her; she would use one stone to kill two birds. She planned to invite Adetola to a hotel on the outskirts of town and, after she was done with the son, she would meet the father at the same hotel. She knew exactly how to manipulate the Chief to forget his usual caution and rush to her.
It took some effort for Farouk to persuade the nurse at the hospital to give him Ore’s number. She was curious about why he was so interested in another man’s wife. Eventually, Farouk agreed to go out on a date with her to get the information he needed. He brought his sister along on the date, which angered the nurse, but she eventually relinquished Ore’s number.
By the weekend, Farouk decided to call Ore. After she picked up, he introduced himself.
“Yes, Ore speaking.”
“This is Farouk on the line.”
“What did you say?” Ore asked, taken aback.
“You heard me, Ore,” Farouk replied, steadying his voice for the conversation ahead.
The line immediately went dead. Farouk tried the number again; it rang but then cut off. He called once more, and this time the line was switched off. Throughout that day, Farouk couldn’t reach the number again; it kept saying it was switched off.
On her side, Ore was shocked. How did he find me? she thought, as she quickly blocked his number. Picking up her phone, she called Temi.
“You won’t believe who just called me.”
“Who?”
“Farouk.”
“What? Farouk? How did he get your number?” Temi asked, surprised.
“I don’t know,” Ore replied.
“So what did he say?”
“I panicked and cut the call. He called back but I blocked him. Temi, do you realize what this means? I told Adetola this lie might blow up in our faces. If Farouk knows this is his child, he won’t agree to let me give his child to another man. My father is going to kill me.”
“Calm down, Ore, don’t act hastily. We need to think this through. Are you going to tell Adetola?”
“Not yet, not until I figure out what to do.”
“Okay, let’s take a day or two to think and then decide on a course of action. Ore, please calm down, remember you are pregnant,” Temi cautioned, trying to soothe her friend’s nerves.
Farouk was visibly disturbed all weekend, and his mother noticed. After trying to understand what was bothering him and seeing he was not initially open about it, she called his sister over. When she arrived, she also attempted to talk to him. Eventually, between the two of them, Farouk opened up. He explained how he had seen Ore at the hospital and then looked her up on the internet and called her.
“If she blocked you, does that mean she is hiding something?” his mother asked.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, I will get the truth from her,” Farouk asserted.
“But hold on, did you say Ore Ayegbajeje?” Titilope, his sister, asked.
“Yes.”
“Can I see her picture?”
Farouk showed her Ore’s picture. “This is unbelievable, Farouk. This is the financial analyst we recently employed.”
Farouk sat up in surprise. “You mean Ore has been working at my company all this while?”
“Yes, she has,” Titilope replied.
“Woah!” He smiled as an idea formed in his mind.
Thanks for reading,
Tbc
