Lamidi Kabirat
ABOUT ME
ABOUT ME
STORY BY Lamidi Kabirat
*Chapter 1: The Devil's Offer*"Your rent expires by 5pm or you pack out and I throw your things outside."The landlord's text was
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*Chapter 1: The Devil's Offer*"Your rent expires by 5pm or you pack out and I throw your things outside."The landlord's text was still on my screen when my phone buzzed again. Not my boyfriend. For seven days, David had vanished after telling me he missed me.It was my mom. Again."Amara, have you paid? I'm praying for you."I stared at the cracked ceiling of my one-room self-contain in Lugbe. My eyes were hot. I had 3,200 naira in my account, school fees to pay next week, and a boyfriend who only remembered me when he was bored.At exactly 4:13 PM, my mom called."Mummy, don't worry, I will sort it," I whispered, trying not to cry."Send me your account number," she said, no question.Ten minutes later: 120,000 naira entered. My rent.I fell on my knees and prayed for her. "God, let her pocket never run dry."But I knew that was the last money she had. I had to get a job today. Any job.I opened Jiji and searched "Abuja urgent job, accommodation included."One ad popped up. No company name. Just black background.`NEEDED: Live-in house assistant for a private residence, Asokoro. 250k monthly. Must be female, 20-26, discreet. No boyfriends allowed. Contact: [08054633996]`250k. With accommodation. I called immediately.A cold male voice answered. "Are you discreet?""Yes, sir.""Can you start tonight? 7PM. Asokoro. I will send the address. Come alone."The line cut.The address took me to a black gate so tall I couldn't see the house inside. A security man opened it without asking my name, like he was expecting me.The mansion was not a house. It was a monster made of glass and marble.And he was standing in the middle of the living room.He wasn't what I expected. He was tall, in a black shirt, sleeves folded, tattoos crawling up his neck. His face was beautiful but cold. Like he had never smiled in his life."Amara Johnson. 21. University of Abuja, 300 level. Your boyfriend ghosted you for a week. Your mother just paid your rent."My blood froze. "How... how do you know me?"He walked towards me slowly. He smelled like danger and expensive cologne."I know everything about everyone who steps into my house," he said. His eyes dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes. "I am Adrian Knight."Adrian Knight. The name everyone whispered in Abuja. The 28-year-old billionaire who owned half of Wuse 2. The man they said ruined a man for looking at his car."I... I came for the house assistant job," I stammered.He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "You are hired. But not as a house assistant.""What do you mean?""You will live here. You will be where I can see you. You will not talk to your boyfriend again. You will not leave without my permission."I stepped back. "Are you mad? I can't do that! I just need a job!"He moved so fast I didn't see him. In one second, he was in front of me, his hand on the wall beside my head, trapping me."Your mother cannot keep paying your rent, Amara. Your boyfriend cannot even text you back. I can. I can give you everything. But in return..."He leaned down, his lips close to my ear."You become my obsession. Mine alone."My heart was beating so loud I thought he could hear it. I should have slapped him. I should have run.But his eyes... his eyes looked at me like I was the only thing he had ever wanted."What if I say no?" I whispered.His smile grew darker."Then you can walk out that gate and go back to waiting for a boy who doesn't love you. Or you can stay, and let a real man show you what it means to be truly wanted."He stepped back and brought out a key."The choice is yours, little girl. But choose fast. My obsession doesn't wait long."Behind him, the big clock struck 7PM.My phone buzzed. It was David. After one week."Hey babe, I miss you."I looked at Adrian Knight. Then I looked at my phone.And for the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do.*END OF CHAPTER 1*
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chapter 2: say yes to the devil
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*Chapter 2: Say Yes To The Devil*"Hey babe, I miss you."David's text glowed on my screen.Seven days. Seven days of me crying, checking my phone every ten minutes, thinking maybe he had an accident, maybe his phone spoiled. Seven days of my mother using her last money to save me from shame.And now - "Hey babe, I miss you."Like I was a dog he could whistle back.Adrian Knight was still watching me. His eyes were fixed on my phone. On David's name."Your boyfriend?" His voice was calm, but his jaw tightened."He is not my boyfriend anymore," I said, and before my heart could stop me, I switched off the phone. Completely.Adrian's eyebrow raised. Just a little. Like he was impressed."Good girl," he whispered."I haven't said yes," I quickly said. My voice was shaking. "I need rules. If I stay here, I need rules. I am not a slave."That made him laugh. A real laugh this time, deep and low."Rules," he repeated, as if the word amused him. "Okay. Let's hear your rules, little girl."I swallowed hard and stood straight. "One, don't touch me without my permission. Two, I will still go to school. Three, you pay me my salary on time. 250k as you said."He walked around me slowly, like a lion circling. "And what do I get in return?""You get a house assistant. I will cook, clean, whatever you want. That's all."He stopped in front of me. He was so close I could see the tiny scar on his lower lip."You are negotiating with the wrong man, Amara. I don't want a house assistant. I have ten of them. I want you."My legs almost gave way."Why me?" I whispered. "You don't even know me. You just saw me today.""I knew you the day you applied for that shop job in Wuse 2 last month," he said.My mouth opened. How did he know that? I never told anyone."I own that plaza. I saw your CV. I saw your picture. And since that day, I have not been able to get you out of my head."He brought out his phone and showed me. My passport photo. From my CV. He had saved it.This man was obsessed. Truly obsessed. And I should have been scared. I was scared. But there was something else too - something I had never felt before. No one had ever wanted me this badly.David never even saved my picture."My conditions are simple," Adrian said, his voice now serious. "You live here. You cut off that boy completely. You wear what I buy for you when we go out. And you let me take care of you. Your school fees, your mother's drugs, everything. In return, I promise I will never force you. If you want me to touch you, you will have to beg for it."My cheeks burned hot. "I will never beg you!""We will see," he said with a smirk. He stretched out his hand. "So? Do we have a deal, Amara?"The mansion was quiet. Too quiet. Outside, Abuja was noisy, with keke and generators. Inside here, it was just me and him and his dark eyes.I thought of my small room in Lugbe. The landlord banging my door. My mom's tired voice. David's fake "I miss you".Then I looked at Adrian's hand. Big, strong, tattooed.I took it.His hand closed around mine. It was warm. Too warm. And he pulled me sharply towards him, so my chest hit his.He didn't kiss me. He just looked down at me, his breath on my forehead."Welcome home, Amara," he whispered.At that moment, a lady in a black uniform came downstairs. An older woman, maybe fifty."Sir, her room is ready," she said to Adrian, not even looking at me."Take her there, Mama Nkechi. And..." he looked at me, his eyes dark, "bring her the black dress. We have dinner with a client by 8PM. I want everyone to see what is mine.""I am not yours!" I snapped, pulling my hand away.He leaned down, his lips almost touching my ear, and said the words that sent shivers down my whole body:"Not yet. But you will be. Before this week ends, you will be screaming that you are mine."Mama Nkechi gasped. I froze.And upstairs, I swear I heard another woman's laugh coming from one of the locked rooms.Who else was living in this house?*END OF CHAPTER 2*
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