I was seated in my chair with my focus on the laptop screen which was showing the tons of activities we have for next month.

We were behind schedule and we still have more projects to embark on but we can't start the stipulated projects for next month without finishing the ones we have on deck.

I was brainstorming on how to maneuver events so we could get back on track but each idea I came up with landed in a dead end. My attention was caught by Melody who walked in with an envelope in her hands.

"Good afternoon Miss Skai, how is today going ?" She noticed my troubled face due to the crisis I had on my hands.

"Work troubles." I said as I let out a heavy sigh while retreating back into my seat.

"Oh you'd get over it." She gave me a warm smile as she clutched the envelope in her hands.

"Yeah thanks besides what's that ?" I pointed to the envelope in her hands.

"Oh it's for you, a young man came by and dropped it for you." She handed the envelope to me. It was red in colour and it had a heart shaped seal on it.

A smile curled up on my face knowing it was from Drake, I wonder what Drake is up to this time.

"Okay thanks Melody, you can go now." I want to view whatever is inside the envelope alone without an employee peeking at it.

Melody turned around and walked out from my office with her stiletto shoes clicking against the polished tiles.

I opened up the envelope and it revealed a bunch of photos alongside a note. My body shook as I took a peek at one of the photos.

It was a photo of Andre and I having our first date in a local restaurant, I brought out the rest of the photos and it turned out they were all photos of different events that occurred in our relationship.

"Oh no." I gasped as I dropped the photos on my desk, I got up from my seat and held my head with my palms.

It's been so long he showed up and for a minute I thought I was free from the claws of Andre. I looked at the envelope with a deadly glare on my face and picked it up from the desk.

I took out the note that was inside,they were couple of words written on it in cursive writing.

Hey Skai, remember all these memories we had ? I know you do and you took them away from me but not too worry I'd be getting them back FORCEFULLY !

Lots of love, Andre.

Anger boiled in my body as I read the lines of threats on the note. I grabbed all the photos and stuffed them into the envelope alongside the note.

I walked over to where my bag sat on the desk and put the envelope inside alongside other belongings that were on my desk.

Andre thinks he can just walk out and come into my life and start making silly threats to make me whimper in fear but little does he know I'm getting the hang of his own game.

I stormed out of the office and Melody who was seated in her cubicle immediately stood up from where she sat and paced towards me as I rushed down the aisle.

"Ma'am, where are you going ?! We have a scheduled board meeting in an hour's time alongside the ..." She immediately paused as I turned around giving her an angered scowl.

"Cancel all appointments till when I get back." I seethed as I turned around swiftly which made my hair slap her in the face.

I rushed into the backseat of my car and slumped into the seat as I massaged my temples.

"Take me to the station." I ordered the guard who was seating in the driver's seat. At once he immediately turned on the ignition and we dashed out of the parking lot.

##########

I rushed into the station and headed for Darius' office. Some officers tried to restrict me from making my way into the office but I paved my way through them and rushed into Darius office clutching the envelope in my right hand.

"Here !" I seethed as I flung the envelope on his desk. I put my hands on my hips as Darius examined the photos with Thelma peeking at them.

"I don't know what you guys have been up to ! You relaxed, you didn't bring in more feedback from the so called investigation you were doing and your men are no longer guarding the house!" I shouted at them as unusual cords of vein formed around my neck, this is what Andre does to me, he makes me so angry that I can't control myself.

"Skai, I'd need you to calm yourself down so we can talk. If you can't do that you might as well leave." He gave me a stern look as he pointed at the door while Thelma shook her head at me.

"Talk to me." I said as I slumped into the seat in front of him with my arms crossed.

"We've been working on the case but progress has been slow, these men are smart and cunning and they are always one step ahead of us." He had a disappointed look as he reached out for a folder on his desk.

"So why are you a detective ?" I eyed him as I looked over at Thelma shooting her a deadly glare.

"Skai, we understand you're frustrated but you have to understand we are equally frustrated,we don't know how these guys do it but they always get information before we act." Thelma said as she sat on the edge of the table,she has a knack for seating on table edges.

"That means you have a loose end too,tighten it up! Remember that's what you told me." I leaned forward and rested my hands on the edge of the desk.

"Yes Skai, we are on it. If we can find the person behind this we could get all the information we need." Darius said as he opened up the folder in his arms.

"That's what you said about Monica but here we are." I threw my hands in the air as I rolled my eyes giving a sense of sarcasm.

"Monica was willing to talk until we found her dead." My eyes grew larger as Darius pushed a photo of Monica laying in a pool of blood.

"Shocked right ? Yes that how we felt so imagine how we might have felt thinking we would have a lead on the case only for our only hope to show up dead! Skai you can't rush things here and judge us as slackers." Thelma sounded pissed as she corrected my notion, I wouldn't blame her, I was angry and I didn't mind what I said to them so I deserved what I got.

"So we started investigating the case, we didn't find the murder weapon but we found a liquid substance on the iron bar which he might have probably held." Darius said as he showed me a photo of a cotton swab with a blue stain on it.

"We ran couple of tests and it turned out to be hair gel, the kind that men use for their hair. So we tracked down the company that uses the exact mixture and organic compounds that we found in the gel which landed us to a company that makes hair gel for men." Darius explained as he relaxed himself into his seat.

"So which means our killer is a man, a man who likes to look good all the time even when he's about to murder someone." Thelma smirked as she crossed her arms.

"Any other updates ?" I asked as looked up from the photos that laid before me.

"Well we have none for now but we do have a strong assumption that the person who sponsored Monica acted as a middle man between her and Andre and if that's the case there's high possibility he's the murderer. " Darius said as he stood up from his seat and took the envelope in his hands.

He walked to the window where the bright rays of sun shone directly into the room. He took out the note and read it with his eyes narrowed.

"He's up to something big and we need to catch up with him before he does." Darius face evolved into a nasty scowl as he tightened his grip on the note.

"Skai, this murderer knows you and all the events that's happening around you. The only motive this man would have to do all these things is if he has something against you." Thelma got up from where she sat on the table and took her seat on a chair that was beside me.

"So what are you insinuating ?" I narrowed my eyes as I shifted in my seat.

"All I'm asking is do you know any person preferably of male gender that has something against you ?" She arched one of her brows as she leaned closer for an answer while Darius walked towards us.

No one was coming to my mind,the only person that came to my mind was Andre but it seems he isn't the only the one that's out to get me.

"To be honest there's no one else." I shook my head as no other person was coming to my head.

"Okay, have you had any confrontation or disagreement with anyone that might have warrant anger and hatred?" Darius question took my mind back to last week Friday when I had a fallout with Mike.

But there's no way it could be him,we fought last week and that was way after we found out about Monica.

"Well I didn't have any disagreement in the past asides with Drake but I had one recently." I adjusted myself to sit upright under the scrutinizing looks from Darius and Thelma.

"Who is it ?" Thelma asked me anxiously as she gestured her hands for me to talk.

"It's Mike, we fought last night but it's way after Monica's incident so it can't be him." I shook my head as I trailed my hands through the locks of my hair.

"What did you two fight about ?" Darius asked me as he rested his side on the edge of the table.

"Well he's been making advances towards me for a while now but I turned him down that day for good." I said as I looked down at my thighs feeling shy to talk about my love life.

"How long as he been making advances towards you ?" Thelma asked me as she narrowed her eyes in interest.

"Since the day my brother moved in with him." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear with my gaze still on my thighs.

"And that was when ?" Darius asked as he tucked one of his hands into his pocket.

"Like 8 months ago." I squinted my eyes as I tried to recall how long it's been since I moved out from my dad's home.

Darius and Thelma shared a look that only two of them understood the meaning before Darius began to speak.

"You might think the fight was soon and unexpected but what about the feelings and motives ?" He gave me a grin as he walked over to his seat.

"Let me guess, the afternoon you rejected his proposal he became aggressive and violent ?" Thelma asked with a smirked on her lips and one of her brows was raised.

"No you got it all wrong, it's just a normal fight, it's natural for him to feel that way after I rejected him besides he's been kind to me for those 8 months. Mike would never commit murder." I tried defending Mike even if we had a sore relationship,I wouldn't want to falsely accuse him of another person's crime.

My defensive speech was useless because Darius and Thelma were both smirking at each other like they've both hit jackpot.

"Try and be rational here, there's no way! Because he hates Andre and Andre also wants me, would he stupidly work for someone who wants the same the thing that he desires ?" I reasoned with them as their smirks turned into concerned faces.

"Yeah, you're right about that but we'd like to get to the bottom of this." Thelma said as she stood up from where she sat and gathered the photos from the table.

"So what do you intend doing ?" My eyes wandered from Darius face down to Thelma's.

"We'd bring him here for questioning." I shook my head at Darius statement but he put out a finger to prevent me from saying anything.

"You should be glad we aren't detaining him. We'd just ask him couple of questions and keep an eye on him." He said as he began to punch numbers on the telephone that was at the edge of his table.

"In the meantime,you should treat yourself,calm down and surround yourself with people you love. This whole thing is draining you and you need to get yourself on track." Thelma advised me with a warm smile on her face as she tucked the photos into it's folder.

She was right, I need to be calm about the whole situation but I'm still worried and I feel guilty calling the name of Mike as a potential suspect.

After rejecting his proposal alongside the beating Drake gave him, I'm also accusing him of a crime, he would hate me now.

#########

Could it really be him ? Would Mike really stoop so low just to get what he wants ? Mike may hate the fact I'm with Drake but he would never be an accomplice to Andre.

These were the thoughts that flooded my mind as I sat down by a table sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

The whole information and news I got from Darius and Thelma was difficult for me to digest so I decided to come to a cafe and have a hot beverage to calm my nerves.

My mind was brought back to reality by my phone that began vibrating, it's screen revealed that Drake was the one calling.

A smile curled on my face as I composed myself before picking the call.

"Hey bro." I teased him as I chuckled to myself because I know how much he hates it when I call him 'bro'.

"Excuse you?! Who's your bro ?! I ain't Sekani." He snarled which made me let out a laugh, I've been having a straight face all day alongside the anger I felt but he managed to make me smile.

"Whatever, how are you doing ?" I thought about what response I should give to him,I thought of telling him I'm fine but that'd be lying to him again.

"I was in a bad state before you called but now I'm okay." I said as I itched the back of my head wondering what his response would be.

"What's the issue ?" I could feel the concern in his voice as his energetic voice turned low.

"Andre's back."I let out a heavy sigh as I reached out for the cup to take a sip from it.

"Damn! I'm coming over." I could hear him banging his fist against a surface.

"You don't even know where I am." I rolled my eyes as I took a sip from my cup.

"I have a tracker, remember ?" I slapped my forehead remembering he tracked my phone.

"Ain't you working ?" I asked him as I held my head in my hands feeling exhausted.

"You're more important,just stay there I'm on my way." He said before he ended the call.

I tossed the phone back on the table and looked around the cafe. The cafe was filled with people, they were all involved in quiet chattering.

The scent of coffee and milk filled my nose as I looked around me, the people here were all dressed in office wears which gave me an impression they were all workers.

My eyes landed on a familiar figure that was seated in a booth chatting with a woman, they were opposite where I sat, their booth was across the room.

That warm smile which made linear folds around his dark brown eyes, those well structured biceps alongside the curly brown hair which had a tint of white hair.

It was my dad. I haven't seen him in a long time but I can't forget his key features that I grew up to love.

His eyes caught mine as I stared at him from across the room,he equally had his eyes widened just like mine. Our dark brown eyes were staring at each other.

As soon as he stood up to walk towards where I sat, I got up and started to stuff my bag with my things that were on the table.

I was about pacing out of the cafe when I felt his arms gripping my wrist.

"Skai, we have to talk." He pleaded as our eyes locked with one another.

"I think we ended our discussion 8 months ago, now let me go !" I yelled at him which caught the attention of those around, everyone had their brows arched.

The reaction of everyone made my dad release his grip from my wrist because they were getting a wrong notion.

I paced out of the cafe and I could spot my body guard pacing towards me as he rushed out of the car. He was supposed to be in there with me but I requested for personal space.

"Skai wait !" My dad shouted as he tried to catch up with me. I didn't turn my head to look at him,I increased my pace to get into the car as I went behind the guard.

"I'm going to tell you to back off sir." The guard warned him as he held his hand against my dad's chest preventing him from coming close to me.

"Skai, are you going to let a bodyguard prevent your father from talking to you ?" I looked at him with an angry glare as I studied his guilt gripped eyes.

"You stopped earning that title when you watched me walk out of your house." I scoffed as I entered into the back seat of the car.

"Skai ! I know I messed up but please hear me out." He banged on the door of the car while the guard tried to push him away.

People were beginning to stare because of the scene he was making out here. So I decided to get down and put an end to the drama.

"What ! What !" I snarled at him as I shut the door behind me.

"I know you hate me and all but we can't go on like this." He pleaded as tears began to bubble in his eyes.

"Okay let's recap because it seems you have amnesia. First you and your adulterous ways drove mom out of the house, two nights after she's gone you brought in a chic you engaged then you willing watched me leave your house and what else did you... oh yeah you pushed the responsibility of your son to me. So explain to me why we can't go on like this ?!" I didn't care if I was talking to my father whom I used to regard with respect,he hurt me real bad and he's deserves what he's getting.

He shut his eyes tightly as he took in the words I spat at him.

"I know the things I did cannot be redeemed with just saying sorry or apologizing but I want to make amends with you." He went on his knees as he clasped his hands in from of him.

"You see you're still doing everything wrong, if you really wanna make amends you should go do that to the wife whom you broke your oath with! Not me or Sekani , her! She's the one who bore the cost of your actions more than any of us." I shook my head at him with my hands in the air, I was done having this discussion with him.

"I'm really angry right now and I wouldn't like to use any word on my father that'd bring a curse upon me so I'm just gonna go." I turned my back on my father who was crying profusely into his hands that were over his face.

As I was about entering my car, Drake and James pulled up behind us as they rushed out of the car.

Drake looked worried and confused about the scene that was before him."Skai, what's going on ?" He asked as he looked at my dad who was still kneeling on the floor crying.

"Let's go home, I'd explain later." I said as opened the door to get into the car.

"Sir,are you okay ?" Drake asked as he walked closer to my dad which made me mad,he was showing affection to the man who deserted me.

"James help him up." James was about to help my dad from the ground when I threw an outburst at them.

"Drake let it be! I said let's go home !" I shouted at him as I banged the door of the car as I settled in the backseat.

Tears of anger and pain crept into my eyes as I laid my head against the window. Everything was going great until today, I thought I was finally free, little did I know that some heavy ropes would tie me up in a tight knot.