April picks up a yam slice and puts it in her mouth. The food wasn't that great, she didn't really find the taste. The hostile atmosphere had caught her attention. But she decided to keep quiet about it.

Her mother and sister had been acting strangely, and she suspected something was wrong.

"April, how was school? I hope it met your expectations." Wunmi queries casually. It was not the same Wunmi she knew. She had a feeling something was up.

"Why not, it is one of the best secondary schools in Rivers State!" Mrs Kuti speaks casually. April looks at her and smiles.

"Hallel College is one of the best schools I have attended thus far!" April smiles.

"Like you have ever seen anything better than this!" Wunmi scoffs. Regardless of how hard April tried to see the bright side, she knew something was wrong somewhere. Her mother coaxes her out of her rivalry, despite her best efforts to convince herself that it was due to the change in environment.

"When your father was alive, both of you attended Brookestone." Mrs. Kuti smiles.

"I still remember!" Wunmi scoffs.

"Sister Wunmi, how is your health?" April tries to strike up a conversation with her older sister. Meanwhile, Mrs Kuti gets up.

"I am going to the market!" Mrs. Kuti announces. April could not ignore the look her sister gave her mother.

Immediately Mrs Kuti was out of sight, she turns to her sister.

"Is something wrong?" April couldn't help but asks. Her sister's expression was devoid of emotion.

"Nothing serious; mum is just being annoying as usual. She stopped me from following her to the market; can you imagine?" Wunmi laughs. April simply smiles.

"Typical Mum, Daniel?" April inquiries.

"I have stopped seeing him!" Wunmi responds. April could see she was struggling to smile. "For Mum's sake!"

April grabs a piece of yam and puts it in her mouth. Wunmi was not the type to follow orders. She knew their mother must have had her in a very tight spot.

"Did you make friends?" Wunmi asks enthusiastically. April knew she was prepared for the gist.

"Few!" April smiles. "They are very nice, too!" She adds.

"I am sure your school has some hotties!" "I am sure your school has some hotties!" She smiles because Wunmi never changes.

"Lots of them. Excellent male species!" April responds by smiling.

"April, hmmm!" Wunmi says, hitting her playfully.

"What? That is what you wanted to hear, correct? If I do not say it, you will be like." She takes a pause and smiles. "April, you pretend a lot!" April attempts to mimic her sister. Meanwhile, Wunmi could not stop laughing.

"You are not serious! So, any crushes or boyfriends? You know you can tell me anything. This a phase when you can get hurt or..., "

"Wunmi, God. I never mentioned having a boyfriend or liking someone!" April attempts to explain.

"April, you pretend a lot!" Wunmi says, causing April to laugh out loud. She knew her sister would undoubtedly make that speech.

"Are you real?" April grins.

"Yes!" Wunmi responds.

"I have a crush on someone," April admits. She could see the smiles widening. "It is just a phase; it will pass. Crushes do not last very long?" April looks at her sister for reassurance.

Do you have a crush on your friend's boyfriend?" Wunmi asks suspiciously. Making April turn to her with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, because you are clearly scared! Look at yourself. You are shaking, " Wunmi says.

"That is how I feel whenever I am around him; I can not even look into his eyes," April admits.

"I understand how you are feeling; it is just a crush. It will fade away." Wunmi says. "You understand, this is a huge distraction. You certainly do not need it!" Wunmi reassures. Making April smile weakly.

          ______________________________🖊

    The room is well-furnished, with a variety of paintings and musical instruments on display.

Jordan covered his face with his palm during meditation. The sudden push on his door causes him to get off almost immediately. The look on his face indicated that he knew who would act that way. The only person who did not knock before entering his bedroom.

"Kiddo!" Dayo calls out as he joins him on the bed. Jordan gave a weak smile.

"Really?" he asks.

"You always act so stuck up!" Dayo laughs.

Dayo was the complete opposite of Jordan. The only thing that indicated they were related was their resemblance; he looked like an older version of Jordan. He was wild. Jordan was composed. He adored noise, whereas Jordan despised it. He loved art, Jordan loved music, and they were very different. However, their love for each other remained unshakeable.

"I learned that Wealth was seeing Ibinabor!" He got her pregnant. Jordan speaks in a calm tone. He noticed that his brother did not appear to be shocked. He attempts to sit properly on the bed.

"It does hurt, right?" Dayo inquires with a sympathetic expression.

"Surely! They both play important roles in my life. Even though I am not happy about it!" Jordan explains.

"But you do not love Ibinabor!" Dayo says.

"It doesn't matter, we are betrothed. Wealth is my best friend. She could have done this with someone else; I can not even look at Wealth now." Jordan explains.

"I have always known Wealth to be a dickhead. I had no idea he could go this far. It is no surprise he is not here by this time of day; I should have anticipated it!" Dayo responds and smiles. "What happened with the baby?" He inquires.

"I think she got rid of it," Jordan admits.

"Wow, that girl has some guts!" Dayo smirks. "How is school? You still have these instruments?" Day asks with a small smile, while he observes Jordan's room. He picks up the guitar.

"They are more of a reason to live!" Jordan says. Meanwhile, Dayo drops his guitar.

"Jay, if you keep living like this, you may die young." Dayo scoffs, causing Jordan to smile weakly.

"You are not serious!" Jordan smiles.

"The day you stop acting like dad's puppy will mark a new beginning for you!" Dayo explains.

"One of us needs to be mature!"

"Since he knows I can not do his dirty work, he is making you do it. Do not be surprised if you are asked to marry Science, too!" Dayo grins. The look on Jordan's face is priceless.

"Do not tell me you will not marry her?" Jordan asks in distress.

"Hey, I got a girl. Whom I love. You don't expect me to get married to a fucking teenager. Who I don't even like." Dayo says.

"Does dad know about this?" Jordan asks with a raised eyebrow.

"He doesn't need to know, I wouldn't want him to get a backup plan. It should get to him like a bomb!" Dayo smirks. "The old fool already freeze my account, seized my passport, he doesn't know what is coming for him!" Dayo says. Meanwhile, Jordan stares at him without uttering a word.

Dayo's hatred for their father made him wonder. He could not speak when his father was present, but Dayo could. He wanted to be a doctor, but his dad forced him to choose between engineering or Business Administration, Dayo wanted to study Fine and Applied Arts and he did it. He knew that going up against his father was an impossible task. He was terrified of him. He always wondered how someone could be afraid of their own father.

"Does your heart beat whenever you are with her?" Dayo asks, completely capturing Jordan's attention.

"Who?" Jordan asks.

"Ibinabor? Who else?" Dayo asks.

"Nah!" Jordan responds by looking away.

"Oh! Too bad.

"What does it mean to constantly want to be near someone? You simply want to see the person every time. You enjoy the person's company. You even miss the person, despite not knowing them well!" Jordan says, and Dayo gives him a funny expression.

"It means you have feelings for this person!" Dayo concludes.

"But you do not know the person; you just met them!" Jordan says.

"Wait, why are you speaking in riddles? "Is this Ibinabor?" Dayo expresses his confusion. Meanwhile, Jodan looks away.

"Just forget about it! Not important," Jordan concludes.

"Honestly, if you feel that way, it only means one thing. You have feelings for that particular individual. It could be emotional or romantic, what am I saying?" Dayo scoffs. "But if you like something go for it. Stop being Dad's puppy. You can as well switch to music, since it isn't already too late, or is it?" Dayo asks. In the meantime, there is a knock at the door. A girl around thirteen pokes her head in. She has a smile on her face.

"Madam!" Dayo responds with a playful tone.

"Nike!" Jordan calls out. That was the name he fondly called her.

"Science arrived a few minutes ago," Nike says. "Ibinabor is also here; she wanted to come in, but I told her you were not in like you told me," Nike says with a small smile. She tries to close the door, but is stopped when Dayo calls out to her.

"Did science come with anything?" Dayo inquires with a raised eyebrow.

"If anything you mean is a travelling box," Nike asks amusingly, pausing. Making Dayo wait for a response. "Then, yes!" It appears that she is spending her break here!" Nike says and closes the door almost immediately.

The expression on Dayo's face was priceless. He quickly turns to Jordan.

"Do not you just tell me your father did this?" Dayo asks in a skeptical tone. "Do I have to put up with that thing?" Dayo asks. Meanwhile, Jordan faces him squarely.

"Do not vent your rage on the innocent girl. She is not a thing. Stop treating her this way. She is obviously not Dad!" Jordan explains. Meanwhile, Dayo burst out laughing. Jordan simply stares at him, saying nothing.

"To be honest, if you can use that tone with Dad, it will save you a lot of stress. Stop attempting to be brave; you are a weakling!" Dayo says and heads to the door, banging it as soon as he steps out. Meanwhile, Jordan takes a deep breath. He uses his hand to hide his face.

1752 WORDS🌹
THE BETRAYAL SER🌹ES