Life hasn't been a bed of roses, but it hasn't been a bed of Thorns either. Munachi grew up like every Igbo girl, sheltered from the harsh realities of life until she wasn't anymore. Finding a way to make ends meet when things became really difficult for her family, she had to face things she never knew was in existence. Making choices costs most of the time.
Prologue
A gasp left me as I took in the person in front of me. Standing before me is the exact stranger I insulted when he asked me for directions when he got lost.
If I begrudgingly thought he was handsome that day, then today he's more handsome than he was then, standing on the other side of the door wearing clothes that look as if it was specially made for him.
His hair was gelled back and whenever I inhale I perceive his sweet scent that's purely male.
What's he doing here,
how is he related to Mr. Kalu?
Maybe he's their errand boy?
I tried to convince myself, but based on his dressing, you can deduce he's nothing like the errand boy I pegged him as.
I browsed through my memory of how I looked that day.
Recalling how snappy I was that day made me blush hard in embarrassment.
Seeing him here made me regret applying for the job, what if he tries to exact his revenge on me?
What if he humiliates me in the presence of Mr. Kalu?
What if_?
"Earth needs your awesome presence, miss," he said in a smug.
I looked up to find him smiling at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Chapter 1
Looking back on this carriage life that they call life with a smile on your face, you will come to the same conclusions as I have.
#
The harmattan weather is always harsh.
This year's harmattan season isn't like the others. In Nigeria, harmattan season starts in December and stops around February time, but last year's harmattan season didn't start until February of this year after two months of intensive heat, making it the first late harmattan witnessed in Nigeria.
The streets were filled with layers of dust, a compliment of the season it is.
Snow falls in some countries during wintertime, but in ours ggetseye tearing dust.
I trudged along the paved way which is the only safe place to walk on if you want to escape the dust, although I was putting on three layers of clothing, I can still feel the stinging claws of harmattan on me.
My bones ache as though I ran a marathon with time.
Most of the children playing in the streets had split lips, and some unfortunate ones were burdened with calloused feet.
The stings of the season were mainly visible on the poor, they are recognized by the signature white of their body.
"Auntie good morning!!" Chorused the happy kids as I walked past their playing space.
They weren't bothered about the cold since they have friends to play with.
"Morning, ole otu unu di?" I smiled at them, "we are fine, thank you!!" They chorused as they resumed their game of tag.
I smiled at the cute little creatures, the children are the main reason I like walking to my mom's shop every morning instead of taking a motorcycle there, their smiles brighten my day as they have contagious smiles.
*
Walking towards Uzoma street, I frowned when I saw Kachi in his mother's shop, my brightened countenance turned sour.
I don't consider him an enemy, but he's certainly not a friend.
I turned my face towards the left pretending I haven't seen him, knowing it was a futile plan as he has already seen me, but it didn't deter me from hoping.
"Well, well, well, if it's not my pretty pretentious wife," he cooed pathetically as I side stepped him with my face still turned.
As much as I love walking to shop to see the children, his also the reason I hate walking to shop.
"You know you can't ignore me forever nwanyim, the more you run from me, the more I give chases", he threatened.
I didn't reply to his taunt I walked past him.
"You can't run forever!" he shouted as I turned a corner.
*
Almost near our shop, I stopped frowning.
I tried to smile, as my mom gets a kick whenever I frown.
"Madam sees the time you are coming to shop, I your maidservant has already swept the shop for you, "my friend Ifunanya joked.
I kept a long serious face, "oh sorry madam, I don't know you arrived earlier. I'm I apologize for my tardiness, it won't happen again," I sarcastically said.
She laughed at my poker face, "gama Biko, I don't have your time, your mom is expecting you, and you know how she is when she's kept waiting. " She joked.
I laughed as I entered our stall.
" This one you are smiling today, itutara counter? Federal government onyeregi scholarship?" mom joked.
"Some people are just enemies of progress, ekwutumekwu, my enemies must be put to shame.
So, you want me to be sad abi?, okwalagi," I chuckled as my mom lightly spanks me.
"I don't have your time," my mom countered as I walked into her production office.
My mom came from a rich, aristocratic family, but her entitlements were transferred to her younger sister when she got married to dad against her parent's wish.
They didn't only deprive her of her right, they disowned her.
My dad, on the other hand, came from a humble family of artisans, his father was a furniture maker and my father inherited his business when he _my grandpa_ passed on two years ago.
"Muna, Muna, Munachi!!" I jerked from my thoughts, my mom was giving me a funny look.
" Good to have you back, earth requires your presence," she looked at me as if I've committed an abomination by thinking.
"Mom, I was just lost I thought, you know", I babbled.
"You better not get lost again, and better still don't go there at all. What were you thinking of exactly?", she folded her arms.
"Wow woman, you've become an expert in bead making", I tried to beg the question, I can tell she knows what am up to, but decided to give me a break as she continued making the bead bag in question, I let out a breath of relief.
"A for being an expert, wait until you see the teddy bears and flower vase I made, that when you will truly realize you have a professional mother", she beamed with pride as she-cats walked out of the shop flaunting the beads she was putting on.
My mom was a model before she got married to dad, although she doesn't complain much about it, I know she misses those good ole days.
"You might be an expert in beading but you and I know am the professional wrapper, ana amakwanuaka?", I scoffed.
" Mtcheww, I don't blame you, I blame your father for spoiling you rotten with praises when it's obvious you didn't merit them",
"hmm, I don't have much to say, my work speaks for itself. Good wine doesn't need an advertisement", I pursed my lips.
We bickered back and forth as we got the shop ready for the day's sales.
Distance separated them, but fate brought them together. Separated when they were little because of a medical problem, Marble and Mabel grew up in different homes. Marble the sick one was sent to live with his biological father, while Mabel lived with the mother and father. Over time, they forgot about each other, until fate brought them back, together. They parent desperate to put a lid over a secret of many years, and you will get one dramatic novel. Other Info
Taking a stroll on a rainy night isn't what a sane person might do, but Rabel is far from normal with her snowy white hair. An injured Wolf lying close to your cottage isn't also considered as normal in a place often plagued with werewolves and their onslaught on humans. Despite her bitter feelings, she takes the wolf into her house out of the goodness of her heart; she nurtures it back to life, and the wolf left after it was fully healed. Weeks later, the rumored dead werewolf king is back with a vengeance; slaying the humans in a one-sided war. When a truce is called and peace pleaded; the werewolf king agrees to the words of agreement with only one condition: to have Rabel in his palace as his bride.
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
While Sienna reached the pinnacle of her success, Julian remained the forgotten son of his family, the one who had secretly stolen her first kiss in the shadows of the night. As Sienna hit her darkest moment, Julian returned home, leaving his life behind, only to witness her tears glistening in the moonlight as she reluctantly accepted another man's proposal. When Sienna needed Julian more than ever, he had risen to a position of power and had become her most steadfast pillar of support. "Please marry me." There was no one else in the world who could love Sienna as deeply as Julian did.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”