PART ONE

The drive to the Turkish restaurant was exciting. Wura’s light brown eyes darted from her best friend to the road as she drove. She couldn’t remember when last she’d been this excited. Well it had been a long time, especially after the break up with Aniekan Ubong, the man she’d given her heart to; she’d surrendered her body totally, hoping he could have her just as she was. But like the rest, he’d run off. The healing had been slow, but she’d recovered. Wura had turned her pain into energy which she used to drive the company her father left her; Spice Nigeria.

“I find it hard to believe that the television network intends to turn your story into a movie!” Idongesit exclaimed. Wura Umoh was a content creator, and her company was focused on creating visual and verbal contents for their clients. The Magazine had a huge online following, and an offline presence because it was the only paper that retold events without bias or fear.
After her breakup, Wura had buried herself in starting a new series. The magazine was usually split into many sections. Though other employees of hers worked on beauty, true life stories, cuisine, health and lifestyle, Wura had chosen to be the content creator for the weekly fiction stories. She was a gifted writer, so having readers wasn’t difficult.

Her story column had attracted over twelve million readers nationwide and about thirty million worldwide so much that huge cosmetic brands desired to advertise in her column and she made billions from it. Currently, she was listed globally as one of the youngest female billionaires. But in all her glory, Wura never allowed it to get to her head.

“How do you think the losers would take this news? We are the first magazine to have our story turned into a real life movie! Do you know what that means? This movie would drive Nollywood crazy, it would lead to the increase of our presence in Nigeria and beyond, and the cash?” She rolled her eyes and gestured with her hands as she imagined how much they’d made. Apart from being Wura’s best friend, Idongesit was her personal assistant.

Wura shrugged, “I don’t care what Silver Sunshine magazine thinks. I simply want this business to grow.”

The ebony skinned billionaire smiled as she thought of the success she’d made that year. Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction, but the fire died as she remembered that her life was seemingly empty even with all the wealth she’d made. Wura yearned to have what Idongesit had. Her friend was in love and married to a man who treated her with utmost respect and love; but Wura had never enjoyed that. Most of the men she’d dated had only come for the money, and even those that claimed to love her always left after…

“So what are your plans for Valentine?” Idongesit changed the topic. She noticed that Wura wasn’t always comfortable about talking about her rivals in business. Silver Sunshine magazine was older than Spice Nigeria by ten years. Their co-founders had been best of friends, but they’d been a case of betrayal and they split. Wura’s father had been betrayed by his old friend, Deji Cardoso. After starting Spice Nigeria, Deji had tried to quench the business, but it stood the test of time, and was bigger than what Deji had built. Wura was raised never to hate her enemies, but to ignore them until they faded away.

“I don’t have any plans…” Wura rolled her eyes. Her friend was truly concerned about her. At some point, Idongesit had tried fixing her up with some men, but things never worked out.

They fell into silence as Wura rode through the gates of the Keban Café Turkish restaurant. Both women stepped down and strolled through the glass door.

PART TWO
Femi enjoyed Turkish meals because he’d spent most of his twenties in Ankara. He sneaked out of the house to focus on his branding jobs frequently; his siblings were loud, and his younger sister, Ella was extremely clingy. He couldn’t handle that, so he’d fled to have some time at the restaurant by himself. He was still chewing on the thick plum dessert he’d been served after enjoying some lamb chops and kidney stew when the most delectably sweet scent escaped into his nostrils. It was as tender as the fragrance of rosewater, yet so alluring like the smell of cherries. He yearned to take a bite. Quickly, he pushed the plate aside and raised his head to see the carrier of such a unique spray. Two women had just walked in, it was the tall woman on heels that caught his attention.

She wore a pencil skirt which clung to her supple hips and accentuated the curves of her legs, and a silky orange top that clung tightly to her perky breasts, leaving a trace of her flat tummy. The woman had an excellent physique. She wore long blue braids that were tied at the back with a ribbon. Her eyes were round and golden, her nose was a bit rotund, and her lips shone like they were colored with beets. She looked extremely familiar. Femi continued to stare at them until they settled at three tables away from him. Luckily for him, his object of admiration sat in a way that she faced him, so their eyes could meet without hindrance.

Femi was still admiring the woman when the waiter returned with a bill.

“I hope you enjoyed your meal…” The slender Arabian asked in a thick accent.

“I sure did…thank you.”

Femi was about to take out his purse, but he discovered that he hadn’t left it in his pocket. He quickly searched his knapsack, but found nothing.

“Um…excuse me…” he continued to search frantically.

“I forgot my purse, and I am not with my card. You must excuse me, I need to make some calls.” Femi explained, but the waiter wasn’t having it. People had played this trick on him many times, it didn’t matter that they visited frequently, but they’d betrayed his trust one day. Femi was no different.

“I don’t care about what call you have to make, but you aren’t leaving this table.” The man replied.

Femi cringed as he realized that his phone wasn’t with him. He was in deep shit.

“Please…” he whispered.

“No! You must pay!” The man yelled loudly enough for everyone to hear.

At that point, Wura looked up and found Femi’s distressful eyes. He managed a weak smile at her, and she returned it. Their eyes lingered for a moment, before she looked away to give Idongesit attention.

“Babe, you don’t need to give up on love because of what Jake did to you. One day, a good man will find you.” Idongesit was still trying to convince her about keeping her options open.

Wura dropped her fork and gulped some water.

“I need to save that guy. I think he’s in trouble.” Wura pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. She usually didn’t do this, because there were many fraudulent people in the country, but from what she’d observed, the man had failed to pay after a meal. She couldn’t explain why she was helping him, but she chose to.

“How much is it?” Wura stopped by the table.

“Listen…you don’t have to…” Femi couldn’t let her do this. What would she think of him? He wasn’t a beggar! He wasn’t asking for her money.

She ignored him and faced the waiter.

“How much is it?”

“Twenty thousand for the steak and five thousand for the dessert.” He replied. Right there, she opened her purse and fetched some dollar notes.

“You can keep the change.” She smiled at the man.
The waiter was extremely grateful, he bowed severally before walking away.

Femi’s frown had deepened.

“You shouldn’t have done that. I could’ve handled it myself. I simply made a mistake, I am not whom you think I am. I always pay for my meals.”

Wura felt sad that he couldn’t even appreciate her for her efforts. She hadn’t looked down on him, or assumed he was a thief. She simply liked his friendly eyes and had decided to save him.
She searched his dark eyes for a few seconds before walking away, without uttering a word. When she reached her table, she reminded Idongesit about the meeting they would have with the television network in the next twenty minutes. The women walked out immediately, while Femi stared wide eyed.

“Shit!” He cursed under his breath. He’d just made a fool of himself before a pretty woman. He could’ve gotten her number or her address or her name! But he’d been too focused on saving his face. He released the breath he held and gathered his things. He needed to hurry to the Blue Mountain Lodge where his company would be holding a meeting.

PART THREE

The women had just arrived at the Blue Mountain resort. The area was significantly different from the other part of the city, chiefly because it was located near the sea, and it was also surrounded by trees. The scenic beauty was overwhelming. As Wura and Idongesit marched towards an outdoor tent made from bamboo sticks, they couldn’t help but inhale the drugging scent of the sea; their ears tingled to the sound of the sweet music produced by the rhythmic clashing of the waves. The tropical palm trees and other colorful plants that sprouted swayed side to side, producing a wonderful chill that made the women comfortable as they waited inside the tent.

“That guy is so handsome,” Idongesit started. She still wondered why Wura had helped me. Her best friend was an angel, and people had trampled upon that kindness. It also surprised her that Wura had not spoken about the guy since they’d left the restaurant.
Wura placed her fingers on the table and tapped it gently. Idongesit was right. The guy had been extremely handsome, that was the attraction, but she hadn’t helped me to gain anything. She’d simply saved his face, and he’d been an ass instead of showing gratitude. She waved the matter aside and pulled out a file which contained the script written form of her story: Shadows at sunset. The book had been so good that it’d attracted the famous television network. She couldn’t wait for her movie to be turned into a movie; that would boost her writing resume and increase the expansion of the magazine.

“You’ve never told me who your best character is…” Idongesit noticed that her friend wasn’t interested in talking about the guy from the restaurant.

Wura’s lips parted for a dry laugh.
“I don’t really know…I don’t think I have one. It’s easier for the readers to have a favorite. I just have to work closely with all my characters, they make the story important.”

The book portrayed two lovers- Ireti and Obinna. It was a contemporary African Romance fiction. It bought many hearts, because Ireti was the average African woman who’d sacrificed everything for the man she’d loved. She’d sold a kidney for her ex to travel outside the country, but he’d dumped her once he’d crossed over. It was difficult for her to find love after that, until Obinna came along.

“I know you like Betty,” Wura winked. In the story, Betty was Ireti’s best friend. She had so much in common with Idongesit, which made her feel Wura was basing this story on her life…and what she called her ‘limitation.’

Wura closed the file and looked around. The area they occupied was filled with scanty people, while the car was parked outside. The meeting was supposed to have taken place fifteen minutes ago at this tent, but she hadn’t seen anyone from the network company. She was about disclosing her worries to her friend when her phone rang.

She blinked confusedly as she stared at the number across the phone. The repeated caller had no idea that she didn’t have this number on her phone.

“I don’t know this number…” she dropped it on the table.
“You don’t have to. That’s your business line.” Idongesit encouraged her to take the call. Wura picked up the phone reluctantly.

When she did, she thought his voice was the richest baritone she’d ever heard. His words flowed smoothly, and the sound of it tickled her ears.
“Good afternoon Ms. Umoh.”
“Hello, please who am I speaking with?”
“My name is Femi Cardoso and I am the head of Greenville Productions. I called to let you know that my company would be working on transitioning your story into a movie.”
Wura shifted uncomfortably when she learnt of this. She remembered entering into agreement with the Television Network.

“How is that possible? The Television Network never told me anything about this handover.” She complained.

“They aren’t able to handle the contract currently because they can’t afford it. They didn’t want to disappoint you. Why don’t you give us a chance? We’re really good?”

Wura was no longer interested in the deal.

“I’ve been at the Blue Mountain Resort for some minutes now, hoping that a meeting for the movie would hold. I think I am losing interest…”

“Please don’t! I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes. Please give me a chance to work with you, and if I fail, you can cancel the plan. Just a chance…”

Wura sighed, “Okay, just hurry.”

“What happened?” Idongesit raised her brows, noticing the look of disappointment in her friend’s face. Something was definitely wrong, and it had everything to do with the meeting.

Wura felt upset that the Television network had no courtesy to tell her they’d shifted the project to Greenville productions. She felt undermined, and undervalued. If she hadn’t agreed to meet with the stranger, she would’ve canceled the project and focused on finding another story to feed her readers.

“There’s a little problem…” she sighed. Wura loosened the buttons of her silky shirt, so she could partake in the freshness of the air. At this point, she didn’t care much about looking formal, her mind was completely gone from this project. She leaned forward to explain the situation to Idongesit, when she noticed a tall man walking towards their tent. He had on sunshades, so it was difficult to tell anything about his appearance. But she observed the beige shirt he wore, it was too familiar; she could swear that she’d seen someone wear that.

“What?” Idongesit noticed her eyes were fixed on the stranger approaching them.

“Um…I think I know him from somewhere.” She replied. Idongesit recognized him in one swift gaze. She had a better memory when it came to recalling identities. She drummed her fingers on the table separating them and flashed a mischievous smile.

“Isn’t that the guy from the Turskish restaurant?”

Wura’s heart skipped. His dark gaze would haunt her another time. Was he following her?

Femi’s majestic entrance had fizzled at the sight of the elegant woman that had saved his face at the restaurant. After making the call to the writer of Sundown of Shadows, and receiving directions of the writer’s location. He’d hurried down immediately. The Blue Mountain lodge wasn’t a strange place to him, so locating the woman he’d spoken with on phone wasn’t a difficult feat, but he’d suddenly lost his enthusiasm. From the look on her face, she was as surprised as he was, and she seemed to be talking about him with her friend. He hoped she wasn’t broadcasting to everyone that she’d paid his bills, when he’d actually forgotten his wallet at home.

“He is,” Wura’s lips moved swiftly as Femi was coming closer.
“What are you going to do?” Idongesit frowned a little. What did this guy want with her friend?
“I don’t know, let’s just keep our fingers crossed.” Wura decided she wouldn’t rush into assumptions. She would be patient with him.

Femi released the breath he held when he reached the tent. He pulled back a chair at their table and settled in quickly. He flashed a smile at them, but they didn’t return it, they stared at him in wonder.

“Good day everyone…” he sighed.

“I assume you’re Ms. Wura Umoh and you’re the writer of Sundown of Shadows. I am Femi Cardoso, the head of Greenville productions and I request for a few minutes of your time.”

Wura was shocked.
“Femi Cardoso?” She repeated his name.
“Yes…the very same.” He nodded.
His name was quite familiar, maybe it was the surname which was a reminder of the man that had betrayed her father. Femi was now certain where he’d seen her. Wura was a celebrity, and her curvaceous body had endeared many male admirers including him. His family had always teased him about his fondness for curvy women. Now that she had asked for his name, it bothered him, because he also knew of the friction that had existed between their fathers.
The truth was that Deji Cardoso wasn’t an innocent man. Although his siblings tried to cover up for the old man, Femi had never wanted to be part of an empire built with lies and betrayals. This was the reason he’d left the family business to start his own business. He prospered at filmmaking, and he had great plans to establish his hegemony in Africa.

“What makes you think you can handle this job?” Wura was disappointed that the more popular network had rejected her movie and handed over to this newbie.

Femi could sense the irritation in her voice.
“I never asked for it. They are currently having financial problems and can’t afford to work on a massive project. I know you don’t trust me…but just give it a try.”

Wura scoffed, “My father once trusted, and it almost cost him many years of hard work. I don’t mix business with emotions. Can I see your resume?” She asked stiffly, even Idongesit was alarmed, wondering what had gotten into her friend.

Femi unzipped his bag, his fingers fumbled over some papers before he found a file. She collected it, and perused through. His network was young, and promising. Though he had shot some movies, none was a hit. She wanted her book to be made into a series that would shake the world. It would do her no good to work with a novice.

“I am sorry, I can’t work with you. I’ll have to put this project on hold.” She pushed her chair back and rose. Femi’s smile had faded as he was filled with disappointment. The lady wasn’t willing to give him a chance even after going through his resume.
“Is this because I didn’t appreciate you for paying my bill?” He shouted after her.
Wura bit her lip and paused.
“What if it is because of that? I can’t work with someone who forgets or pretends to forget his wallet somewhere, and refuses to say thank you to the one who helps him out.” She grinned after saying this.
He could see that she was clearly angry with him. Femi was certain that shooting her story would propel him to the limelight he sought. He wanted the world to know that people didn’t always have to rely on their family businesses to succeed. He was building a new wall, for others to climb. Wura’s story appealed to him from the first time he read the script.
“I am sorry then, but you can’t turn me away because of that!” He threw his hands over his head.
Wura scoffed, “Have a blessed day Mr. Cardoso. I have other things to consider.”
He watched as the women walked briskly away without an extra glance at his direction. This was certainly the worst day of his life. Having to face humiliation at the restaurant, and being rejected without even receiving the benefit of doubt.
Femi sank into the chair and pulled out his phone. His brows crashed in a frown when he noticed the caller. It was his childhood friend, Bimbo. He wasn’t pleased with her incessant calling after his mother suggested that he court her towards marriage. At one time in their friendship, they’d had sex, but he’d been drunk while she rode on him. He never really enjoyed her friendship after that. He pushed his phone aside and took out his laptop. He was determined not to give up on shooting Wura’s story. Perhaps the best way to win her trust was to know more about her, and apologize properly for not appreciating her enough.


“Why were you so harsh back there?” Idongesit asked as Wura started the car. Wura felt more relaxed, now that she was aware from the handsome guy. She hadn’t been that affected by a man for a long time. The intensity of his dark eyes, and the audacity of his smiles unnerved her. She’d felt uneasy around him, rejecting the attraction that set her whole body on fire. She’d seen his report, he wasn’t as popular as the Television Network, but he was a professional and could be tested. She was simply scared of falling again…
“I wasn’t harsh!”
“Yes you were!” Idongesit replied.
“Is this about Aniekan?” Idongesit asked.
“No…please don’t do this. Don’t mention his name!” Wura’s voice shook as she recalled the painful betrayal she’d suffered at the hands of her ex boyfriend. He’d slept with most of her workers back then, and she’d discovered his recent engagement to another woman via a Facebook group. Aniekan had never appreciated her weaknesses; he’d dated her for clout. He never looked back after walking away.
“Well you need to heal, so you don’t bleed on men that didn’t cut you. That guy was simply being nice to you, but you were unnecessarily rude. I feel you should give him a try. You can shoot a few episodes and release them as a trailer. If the reception is poor, then you can nullify the contract.”
Wura listened quietly to her friend. Idongesit was extremely intelligent, and her words of advice had never led her astray. But she couldn’t work with Femi. The fire she felt around him was too much. She knew that spending more time with him would turn the sparks to flames, and he was too handsome to be devoted to one woman. She wasn’t assuming now, she was certain.
“I’ll think about it.” Wura murmured so her friend would let her be.
They drove back to the magazine’s establishment. Though she’d rejected his offer to work together, her thoughts were plagued with Femi Cardoso.

***