"You're resigning!"

Adaora leaned closer to the chubby woman that sat right beside her desk, cautioning her to keep her voice down before everyone else in the room knew what her plans were. She knew they were going to ask a lot of questions if they did, questions she was too ashamed to answer.

"Shhh,"

Adaora slowly returned her gaze to her the moment she was sure no one was alerted. The woman wouldn't stop staring at her, confusion clouding the expression on her face and concern clouding that confusion.

"Why?" She whispered, leaning closer to her. "You just got the job and you said you needed the extra money. Don't you like it here?"

"It's complicated Ann," Adaora answered, slowly turning to the file on her desk. She knew she didn't have to explain herself to anyone or say anything she didn't want to say but she also knew how persistent the lady sitting beside her was.

"I just don't understand why you're suddenly giving up an opportunity like this. Do you have any idea how many people would kill for this position you have right now? How can you be so willing to throw it away just like that?"

"I just-" she slowly turned to her "You really don't need to know the details Ann."

"It's him isn't it?" The woman's continuous stare made Adaora extremely nervous, the frown on Ann's face worsening. "That husband of yours."

Adaora rolled her eyes and then turned back to her bag.

"He's making you quit isn't he? He just can't stand the fact that you're the one with the better job."

"Steven didn't make my choice for me, I did." She hurriedly got out her resignation letter from her bag. "I just want to spend some more time with my family that's all." She turned to Ann and then forced a huge smile on her face. Ann almost bought it.

"Hmm." She exhaled, pretending like she actually believed what she said. "If you say so."

Adaora let out a chuckle as she slowly got up from her seat.

"Cover up for me while I go submit this okay?"

She let out an exhale the moment she noticed Ann's nod. Adaora slowly got up from her table, and then headed towards the exit. She knew the sooner she got it done with, the sooner she turned in her resignation, the better for her. She didn't have to worry about Randy anymore. She didn't have to have him all over her life and business. She didn't have to deal with him constantly forcing himself and harassing her all the time.

She had never wanted to get rid of anyone so fast.

She took a deep breath as she walked down the hallway, folding her arms while she held on tight to her letter of resignation.

That was it, that was the end of her just begun bright future.

But she didn't regret it at all. She knew she had to do anything for her mental stability and Rand Oil wasn't doing her any good, but what she didn't know was she wasn't alone. There was someone else walking down the hallway behind her.

She was being followed and when he got close enough.
Bang!

Adaora fell into his arms unconscious the moment she felt a hard force come in contact with the back of her skull. He held on fast to her, looking around to make sure no one was watching, that no one was coming before he hurriedly carried her, turned and started to hurry away from the hallway with collapsed Adaora in his arms.

************************************************

Adaora moaned deeply the moment she took another inhale of the sweet incense that surrounded the tiny bright room. She had no idea what had happened or why she could suddenly feel her skin on the really soft bed she was lying down on.

Did she just say lying down? Why on earth was she lying down?

She opened her eyes forcefully, moaning in pain as she slowly raised her hand behind her head to stop the pain she felt on it. What on earth had happened to her? Why did she suddenly black out like that? Why couldn't she remember anything from the time she was walking in the hallway.

She drew a deep breath as she took a quick glance around the room that looked like a motel. Where on earth was she? How come she didn't remember walking out of Rand oil on her own, talk more of visiting a motel?

Oh her Gosh.
It was beginning to come to her now as she gasped quickly.

Was she kidnapped? Was that what it was? Was that why she suddenly couldn't remember anything? Was that why her head hurt?

Her watch. She suddenly remembered. Where was her watch? She slowly lowered her gaze to her wrist and then stopped for a minute, her eyes widening in the utmost shock she had ever been in.

She gasped for air the moment she noticed the only thing protecting her entire nakedness was the huge white bedsheet that was covered around her and nothing else. Why on earth was she naked?

She hurriedly turned to the side of the bed in search of her clothes. There they were, neatly folded beside her bed.

"It's about time you woke."

Adaora's soul almost jumped out of her skin the moment she heard him, the moment she heard his voice. What on earth was going on?

That was all she could ask herself the moment she turned to the table in front of the huge mirror, her heart racing and her head pounding. She was right. It wasn't a hallucination. It was him. He was there.

She watched Randy slowly reach for his tea cup, taking a sip from it with his eyes still glued into his news paper. He had his legs crossed as he sat in his robe on the wooden table, not even bothering to look at her.

What was that?

Were they both naked? What had exactly happened between them? Had she been raped? Adaora needed answers and she needed them as fast as she could. She slowly turned to the bedsheet, her fingers trembling so hard, hoping that her thoughts weren't true. If they were, she had no idea what she was going to do. How she was supposed to explain herself to anyone. She raised the sheets covering her body a bit so she could have a better look at her body.

"You don't have to worry about anything. Nothing happened." She slowly raised her head to him. He still had his attention on his papers. She turned to the sheets, hoping in her heart, praying she he right. Was she really going to take him by his words? A man who had just tried to rape her in his office a day ago?

She couldn't stop her trembling hands. She couldn't stop the thoughts that clouded her head but somehow, she couldn't shake the fact that she didn't feel different one bit. Maybe he was right, maybe nothing happened.

"We've been played." He continued, slowly dropping his papers on the table and reaching for his tea again. "Someone just set us up and they are probably going to try to try to blackmail us with it soon, blackmail me."

Adaora sat up straight. She didn't understand a word he just said. Not a single word. What did he mean by someone was trying to set them up? Why would anyone ever want to set her up?

"W-What?"

She hurriedly got up from her bed, her eyes still glued to him, her hands still holding on tight to she sheets. She hurriedly bent over to pick her clothes. No matter how much she to not believe him, she couldn't. She was too confused and shaken to.

"You really want me to believe you're not responsible for this?"

"I don't need to fake a sex scene with you to actually have sex with you Mrs Kalu." he made sure he was clear enough "I might find you attractive but I'm not desperate. Who do you think you are?"

He got up from the table as fast as he could, glaring at Adaora while she glared back at him. She wish she could be more annoyed than she already was but confusion was filling that spot at that moment.
She was trying so hard to wrap her head around what was happening, to understand how she had gotten involved in all that and what exactly she was involved in.

She took an exasperated breath and then rubbed her temples as she tried to think.

"I'm sure this is just one of the many schemes of my competitions to bring me down." His voice was even making the situation worse. "But I can assure you Mrs Kalu," he took another step close to her. She cringed back in fear. There was no way she was ever going to let him close to her again.

He stopped.

"I'm not going to let anyone use you to get to me or destroy your reputation in the process."

"I just- " she paused for a while. "What exactly does this even mean? Why me? Why did they bring us here?"

"My guess is their plan was to create a sort of sexual relationship or scandal story between us with a few nudity pictures."

"A sexual relationsh—" She couldn't even bring herself to say those words as her voice broke. How on earth was she supposed to react to any of this? How on earth was she supposed to even explain it to anyone? She slowly sat right back on the bed, holding on tight to the sheets, clenching on hard to it as she whispered some words to herself, biting her fingers, tapping her legs to show her frustration.

Randy drew in a deep breath and then took a few more steps to her till he was almost in front of her.

"Mrs Kalu." He stretched a hand to hold her before she slapped it off.

"Get away from me!" She yelled, slapping his hands away from her before they got closer. She was disgusted, really disgusted by all of it. "This is all your fault." She drew a sharp breath as her voice broke even the more, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can fix this." He told her, a glimpse of worry in his eyes. Adaora scoffed. She had never felt so scared in a long while, so confused. What on earth was she going to do when those pictures got out? How was she going to defend herself? How was she going to face her husband and daughter?

"Believe me Adaora, I can fix this." He repeated, staring at her. "You won't have to lose your life because of this." He continued. "Let me do this for you please."

She slowly raised her eyes to his, her hands trembling the more she tried to keep herself calm. She just couldn't.

She sniffed.

"You better do." She told him, glaring at his eyes. "You better do Mr Okonkwo or I swear to God, your competitions are going to be the least of your problems."

She had no idea where all that courage was coming from but she knew one thing, she was not about to ruin everything she had worked so hard for just because of someone else's mistakes and enemies. She was so scared deep down in her heart.

She was still trembling in fear all over and it just wouldn't stop.
She drew another deep breath and then slowly dropped her head back into her hands as another drop of tear dropped down her eyes.

Just what had she gotten herself into?