EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL

CHAPTER ONE

The HEARTBREAK 💔

The door to the well lighted master bedroom flew open with a great force and Jeff barged in, hitting the door close with all his might, it closed with a loud bang, loud enough to make someone deaf.

He was fuming, his hands were fisted as he walked to and fro the room in agitation, gnashing his teeth and running his hands through his short black hair at intervals.

Then as if on impulse, he sank into one of the sofas positioned at the foot of the bed, then he let out a wail and got up, moving to and fro again.

Still pacing about, he ran his eyes through the room obviously searching for the next available object to avenge his anger on, they finally did as they rested on the empty glass flower vase on the bedside table. Quickly, he reached out to it and flung it across the room, it hit the wall and smashed into pieces on the floor.

A loud wail from him followed, he was literally growling and howling.

Why not? This was the third breakup, in four months, four months, four blessed months, jeez!

And you know one thing, these ladies all kept complaining of one thing about him, before saying their goodbyes.

He was still wailing in pain when the door opened and revealed Mrs ... standing in her full blossoming of aging beauty, at the door.

From the door, her eyes immediately scanned through the room and she saw the mess her son had made, and she sighed deeply, then went further in, closing the door behind her.

"Jeff darling?..." She called, walking up to him. He was by now standing at the far end of the room, having his head bowed on the white wall.

He said nothing to her in reply, his head still bowed on the wall. Mrs ... sighed again and slowly walked up to him, then wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Jeff?..." She called again, "you have to take things easy, please son, please", she pleaded and it worked like a soothing on him, as he slowly mellowed down and she led him to a sofa, and made him sit.

As soon as he had sitted, she proceeded to take off his suit jacket and loosen his tie.

"Look how you are perspiring, despite the air condition in this room huh", she said as she took them off.

Then she talked something into the intercom and sat down opposite him.

"So tell me son, what happened again?" She asked as soon as she settled into the sofa.

Just then there was a knock on the door and it opened, a maid dressed in white and black clothes came in, and the duo stopped talking.

Smartly, she walked up to them and bowed slightly.

"You sent for me ma'am", she spoke softly.

Mrs ... immediately pointed towards the mess on the floor.

"Get that cleaned off", she instructed.

"Okay ma'am", the maid replied, bowed slightly and then left to get the materials for cleaning up.

Jeff's mom turned to him as soon as the maid left.

"I am still waiting for a response Jeffery", she said, this time a little bit sternly.

"Ann broke up with me", he spilled it all at once.

Mrs... nodded knowingly. She already knew it was something related, so she began chewing on her lips.

"For the same reason?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah", he replied and sat more comfortably in the seat, resting his head and closing his eyes. At this juncture, the door opened again and the maid, with two other maids walked in, all carrying one thing or the other.

They walked up to the scene and immediately got down to work, cleaning up the mess.

Mrs... said nothing to her son, but just sighed deeply again and got up, then walked away without a word. To her, leaving him all alone was the best thing to do at the moment, and so she left the room.

Instantly, Jeffery knew his mom had left, the door had even creaked. He slowly opened his eyes and really saw no one where she had sat.

He groaned all the more and glanced over at the maids innocently carrying out their jobs and his anger increased.

"You idiots!" He cussed at them.

"Huh?" They all muttered in unison raising up their heads.

"Leave my room this minute!" He commanded.

And immediately without ado, they all scrambled out of the room leaving their work halfway.

Just then, the phone in his pocket beeped and that was when he remembered there was even a phone in his pocket, he reached out to it and immediately put a call across to Ann.

It was picked up at the fifth ring.

"Would you stop calling my phone Mr man?", came the ever masculine voice of Ann, as it filtered into his ears.

He swallowed hard.

"A... Ann...", he tried to talk.

"Stop calling me", she cut him short, rudely interrupting, "can't you understand a simple it's over? Can't you?" She asked, literally shouting over the phone.

"Babe we can fix this, yes we... we can", he said, stuttering.

"Whom are you referring to as babe? Stop! Just stop!" She sounded, "there is absolutely nothing there to fix, is this the first time we are talking about this? Is it?" She asked and he swallowed hard again.

He was speechless, and she continued.

"I have told you several times to work on your character, but you just wouldn't listen to me", she continued, "who the hell do you think you are Jeff? Your dad is the well known Senator Benard and so? Do you think that literally gives you the right to bully others, do bad things to people and get away with it? Do you?" She thundered into the phone.

Jeffrey slowly removed the phone from his ears. Well, it wasn't his fault that he became the only son of the renowned senator, or was it?

Jeffrey, the only son of Senator Benard, enjoyed instant gratification due to his father's status. He had a history of bullying behavior, and people avoided crossing him to stay on his father's good side.

Even his father wasn't helping matters, he favors Jeffrey, and they shared a very strong resemblance.

So, this was what all his exes always complained about, before saying their goodbyes.

"You see what you did to that family back at the restaurant, I can't buy it, I have had it up to here", she continued and Jeff made a face, in pain though, then slowly dropped the phone on the center table.

"You know what? Just get off my phone and never you try my number again, never you", she concluded and hung up.

Jeffery sighed in pain, was he really going to take this again? Can he?

Slowly he began feeling dizzy, his eyes became blurry, his head began twirling round and round, and the next thing, he slowly slid down the sofa and passed out.

CHAPTER 2

MY FATE

As soon as the maids had left, they had run straight towards the living room, and along the hallway, they ran into Hon.florence she was actually on her way to the kitchen.

They stopped as soon as they got to her, obviously panting like they had been running a relay.

Hon Florence's eyes widened slowly, in astonishment. These girls were supposed to be at Jeff's room cleaning up, so why the hell were they running along the hallway, and without the mess they had gone to clean up?

She folded her arms as the maids immediately stood straight and took their hands behind them, avoiding her gaze and blinking their eyelids like a shy cat.

She knew something was up.

"What happened?" She demanded.

They hesitated to respond, as they kept glancing at each other and using sign language to communicate to one another to speak up.

Hon Florence saw all these and got peeved.

"Are you guys stupid?" She demanded in a harsh tone.

"Um no ma'am... no we aren't. We are sorry", Kate spoke up.

Kate was actually the maid she had earlier called with the intercom, she was the head of the maids in Senator Bernard's mansion, and so was like their spokesperson.

"Um, Mr Jeff asked us to leave whatever we were doing in the room and leave, we were only just rushing out when we ran into you ma'am", she replied intelligently and bowed slightly.

Hon Florence nodded knowingly, like she knew what her son was capable of doing, she was aware. She sighed deeply and waved her right hand making a face.

"Go back and finish your work", she said to them, with an air of authority.

They glanced at themselves and shrugged their shoulders.

"Okay ma'am", they replied in unison and then turned back, back to Jeff's room.

They got to the door and somehow, they were scared to enter. They knew the kind of human Mr Jeff was, a very brutal and bully guy, they might even lose their jobs and nothing would be done, so it was expected for them to be scared.

"Ahhh!" Kate exhaled deeply and the other two turned to her.

"You know what girls?" She asked and they shook their heads.

"What Kate?" Beatrice one of the other two maids asked.

"We were sent back here by ma'am ..., so I don't think we should be scared of anything, she's gonna stand for us", she said and slowly raised her right hand to knock on the door.

"We're gonna go in there and finish up our job, nothing gonna happen", she assured and the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

At the count of two, and knock knock, she knocked on the door as they waited for a response. There was none.

She knocked again, and again, and again. Yet, no response. They had to open the door and go in.

With Kate's right hand on the doorknob, she turned it and creaked, it opened, and she entered.

The first place her eyes went to was the sofa where he was seated and what! Her eyes widened in shock, and at this time, the other two came in and saw the unthinkable.

Mr Jeff on the floor, looking almost lifeless.

As if her senses were back, Kate let out a loud wail, almost screaming her lungs out. Which calls attention to everyone in the house. Fortunately for Jack he came back to life after an amount of water was being poured on him. Before now, everyone was perplexed especially the Senator and his wife who was walking to and fro like a confused masquerade are now calm and have regain sanity seeing that Jeff is conscious

Few minutes later, The family doctor that Hon Florence contacted came around. He calmed down as quickly as he could.

He is already attending to Jeff. He ran some tests on him and a proper check up including his blood level were all carried out on him.

He advised him to take more rest and be very careful not to subject himself to any kind of stress. He counseled him also concerning relationship and love affairs. To Jack all these things are not necessary now, He just wants to be alone to ponder on what lies ahead.

Thank you doc and everyone as he faces his parents, please if you will excuse me I will take my leave now. Hon Florence was trying to stop him when Sen. Benard protested, don't worry let him be. Jeff thanked his parents once again as he walked away.

He decided to give up on Ann since all his efforts were being abortive, Although he believes that fate can happen one day and their parts will Cross.

On the scene is Stella, a fair, average-height young lady. With her gap teeth and straight legs, These are what constantly makes men pestering around her. Her parents' names are Mr and Mrs Benard. Her gap teeth and straight legs are actually the features she inherited from her late mother. Her mother died a few minutes after giving birth to her.The circumstances that surrounded her survival and growing up after the death of her mum was pathetic. She could remember the story vividly that day while at the hospital.Her mother in the hospital bed was battling with her life, she later held Benard's hand and begged him to take care of the baby. That was her last word before giving up the ghost. Her father decided to honor her word since that was her last wish. Few weeks later, Her dad hired a nurse to care for her. She grew up under dad and nurse pat.she was an angel,she was so good to her that people mistook her for her mother.

After her secondary school everything changed, Her Dad who was a principal started having an affair with a particular female teacher. She was gullible over the whole thing until she packed into our house.

Two months later her father's house turned into a hell for me. She took my father's love from me and denied me of every right I have in the house. She literally turned me into a slave yet my father was too vulnerable to help me, She turned my father into a destitute. She was in charge of everything

The whole drama wasn't going well with Stella because they fight almost every day. She ran away from the house.Althogh her dad and stepmom tried to find her and bring her home yet all their efforts were abortive.

Life wasn't fair to Stella, She decided to go into prostitution hopefully for survival.

MEETING THE SENATOR'S SON

Stella reluctantly accepted her fate, even though they were far from what she desired. Life has given her an offer and she's willing to accept it.

She made the tough choice to enter into prostitution, a decision that weighed heavily on her and proved to be the most difficult one she had ever faced.

Two weeks later, Stella had already begun her work at the brothel, The initial two weeks proved challenging for Stella as she encountered harassment from her fellow workers at the brothel. Despite this, Linda, one of the girls consistently stood up for her, defending her whenever needed.

Indeed, this mutual support became the cornerstone of their friendship, with Stella regarding Linda as the sister she never had. Linda often offered words of wisdom, babe stop thinking about your past, we are here because if life challenges. She emphasized that their current situation was a result of life's circumstances and urged Stella to keep pushing forward. Life generally is unfair but we have to keep pushing ok. That's because you sound so responsible and mature, how did you get here?

With her eyes wide open, Stella asked, "You want to know?" Linda nodded and replied, "I will tell you."

It all started when I lost my dad. A year after his burial, my mom became involved with a man who took her overseas, specifically to Sweden. The plan was for me to stay with my uncle until I turned 20, and then I could join them.

But that plan wasn't for my uncle, how do you mean? Stella asked out of curiosity. Linda blinked her eyes twice, tears starting to roll down, but she quickly held them back and pulled herself together as she continued.

My uncle started sleeping with me the same month my mum traveled. I will cry and complain yet know one wants to hear me out. He made life unbearable for me.couple with the numbers of abortion he forced me to do.

As he snatched my phone away, he cunningly convinced my mother that I was too young to handle such a device. It was his devious tactic to sever the communication between my mom and me, ensuring I couldn't report his misdeeds to her.

"Goodness gracious, that uncle of yours must be a real parasite," Stella exclaimed, Meanwhile, Linda wore a peculiar smile, though tears streamed down her cheeks. "Do you realize, that the last abortion I underwent because of him damaged my fallopian tubes? The doctor says I'll never be able to conceive again."

Upon arriving home, the weight of the secret became unbearable. I felt as though death would be preferable to facing my uncle's threats of violence if his wife or anyone else discovered the truth.

Each day was a torment of tears and self-pity, with no desire to go on. Summoning every ounce of courage, I finally confided in his wife. "My dear, you cannot imagine the force of the slap they delivered," I recounted. However, she staunchly defended her husband, while my uncle predictably denied everything.

Their solution? To cast me out of the house. And so, these dire circumstances led me to take up this job.

As Stella listened to her friend's harrowing tale, her ears burned with anger. Tears streamed down her face as she cursed Linda's uncle.

Linda couldn't hold back the tears; they flowed freely as she joined her friend, and together, they found solace in shared sorrow, urging one another to find strength and carry on.

Months passed, and Stella found herself settling into her work. She had come to terms with her situation and was determined to embrace life to its fullest from that moment forward.

A dramatic scene unfolded one day at the brothel, with Stella and her client engaged in a heated altercation that threatened to bring down the very roof of the building. The absence of the manager on-site exacerbated the situation, allowing matters to escalate unchecked. It was revealed that Stella's client had attempted to shortchange her, paying less than the agreed amount. Refusing to relent, Stella gripped his trousers tightly, adamant that he settle the debt in full.

Despite the efforts of her colleagues to defuse the situation, Stella remained resolute, impervious to reason or pleas, her grip on the young man unyielding.

As the tension mounted, Jeff unexpectedly entered the scene, drawn not by a desire for drinks but by the sight of Stella in distress.

What's happening here? Can you release him?" Jeff's voice cut through the tension as he intervened.

"Mind your business, Oga. Are you paying me the money?" Stella retorted sharply.

"Money issue?" Jeff asked, his confusion evident.

Before Stella could explain, Jeff requested her account details. Moments later, Stella received a notification of a 300,000 credit from Jeff. Overwhelmed, she released the young man, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. In her excitement, she hugged Jeff, who responded with a smile, "It's alright, I believe this can resolve the situation.

The young man, feeling cheeky, teased Stella, "Looks like I won't be paying my bills here for a year."

Infuriated, Stella snapped back, "You're shameless!"

Ignoring their bickering, Jeff intervened, ordering the young man to leave. "Okay sir, thank you, bye bye," the young man replied, exiting.

Feeling drained, Stella thanked Jeff before walking away. Jeff, settling into a seat, was offered a drink by the barman.

As he sipped his drink, his attention remained fixated on Stella. Her gap teeth and beautiful face captivated him, compelling him to approach her.

"Hey, miss," he greeted.

Stella looked surprised yet pleased. "Oh, welcome, sir," she responded.

"Sir, once again, thank you for the money. And I apologize for the outburst earlier," she added.

"No offense taken," Jeff replied with a smile, almost chuckling.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I could help. And please, enough with the 'sir' already. I'm Jeffrey, you can call me Jeff. I'm the only son of Senator Benard."

Upon hearing Jeff's revelation, Stella's happiness and attraction towards him intensified. "Okay, sir, sorry, Jeff," she corrected herself immediately, both of them exchanging smiles.

"Wow, so you mean I have the son of the great Senator Benard here with me?" Stella asked rhetorically, clearly impressed.

"It's an honor meeting you, sir," she added as they shook hands, Jeff insisting on offering her a drink. They toasted to their newfound friendship.

Then, Jeff's curious inquiry about Stella's family put her on edge. Despite her discomfort, she began to speak. "I don't really like talking about my family, not for any particular reason," she admitted reluctantly.

"As you can see, this is the work I do. I'm the only child of my parents; my mum passed away while giving birth to me, and my dad is a principal in one of the public schools in town," Stella explained.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom. But, if I may ask, is your dad aware that you work here? I mean, in this line of work?" Jeff inquired.

Stella's irritation grew as Jeff continued with his probing questions.

My dad isn't aware of where I am," Stella stated firmly. Jeff was about to ask another intrusive question when Stella interrupted.

"Excuse me, sir. I need to go now. I have something to attend to inside," she said, leaving abruptly and visibly angry. Jeff felt guilty, realizing it wasn't the right time for his questions.

He attempted to call Stella back, but she deliberately ignored him.