* THE YEAR 2001*
In a mansion, a family of five chatted happily as they ate dinner in their dining hall. They looked happy and their laughter's filled the whole house. A suspicious shadow lurked around the mansion looking at the happy family through his binoculars, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
"Dad, are you taking us to the park tomorrow? "The little girl asked, smiling brightly.
The father pinched her cheek and patted her head. "Of course bunny, I'll take you all out tomorrow, "the father replied with a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Promise?"The little girl asked her father to make sure that he would keep his promise.
"I promise, baby" he replied, kissing her forehead.
They all continued their dinner in silence.
The boy stood up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen door.
"Where are you going Jeremy," The mother asked the boy. Jeremy pointed to the kitchen door without saying anything.
"Why are you going to the kitchen? "The mother questioned.
"I am going to grab my cup, it's on the counter, "Jeremy replied and walked to the kitchen, not bothering to listen to what his mother had to say next.
He entered the kitchen to grab his cup that was laying on the counter. As he went to grab the cup he heard a noise coming from the kitchen door.
"Who is there? "He quaked and walked to the door.
"Jeremy, what going on in the kitchen?"His mother's voice resounded in the house.
"Nothing mum, I'm coming," he replied to his mother but he didn't go back to the hall. instead, he opened the kitchen door and walked outside looking for the sounds he heard. He walked a few steps away from the building and waited to hear the sound again, hearing none, he turned back and began to walk to the house.
As he neared the kitchen door, a force pushed him away and threw him into a nearby tree, he laid on the ground groaning in pain but the sight before him was terrifying for just a ten-year-old.
The mansion was on fire and his family was still in the house. He struggled to stand up and cry out his mother's name in pain but his words were not audible enough. As he was losing consciousness, he heard a voice talking indistinctly behind the bush.
Before he lost his consciousness he knew two things were certain. one, he was never seeing his family again and two, that voice was going to haunt him forever.
a few days later
In the VIP ward of molly's hospital, an unconscious little boy laid on the bed with life support and wires attached to his body. An unknown man stood in the room watching the news about Akinsola's fire incident. It was all over the country. The Akinsola's were popular in society and their deaths were a shock to the country.
"The police had confirmed that the fire incident was as a result of gas leakage." The reporter on the TV reported...
The unknown man cursed at the TV and switched it off. "Bloody liars" he spat. The unknown man walked to the bed of the little boy and touched him.
"You will be safe, I'll make sure those bastards pay, I swear on your father's grave.. "
Years passed and the Akinsola's were soon forgotten. Their popularity slowly faded but nobody knew that the little ten-year-old boy had grown into a fine young man and he was coming back for revenge.
*************
Chapter 1
* THE YEAR 2019*
Jeremy twitched in the seat of his airborne private jet. Sweat covered his beating red face and groans poured from his swollen lips in pain, almost like he was fighting for his dream.
"Don't leave me, mummy, don't leave!" He shouted and stirred in his sleep like a force was pulling him down.
Yomi, his best friend, and bodyguard jerked him from his nightmare and looked upon him with worry in his sorrowful eyes.
Jeremy awoke and asked for water, hoping to wash down the aching cries that had yet to come up. His assistant handed over a bottle of water to him with a sheer smile.
"Thanks."
"Are you okay Jeremy?" Yomi asked and sat opposite him.
"I had another dream about them and this time it's worse Yomi... They were crying for me to save them but I couldn't. Melissa cried out for my help and told me that she missed me," Jeremy lamented.
These nightmares were becoming a daily routine in his life ever since he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the blast that took away his family. Thanks to his father's trusted bodyguard, he was saved and trained for years.
"Lisa, once we land please fix a meeting with the best therapist in the country. A private session if possible," Yomi commanded the personal assistant.
"Yes sir," Lisa replied professionally and went back to her work.
Yomi Diamond, the son of Jeremy's bodyguard, was the only friend that had been with him ever since they were young, along with Lisa, a motherly figure and a personal assistant to Jeremy. Only these two understood what had been going on with Jeremy.
"Do you think coming back to Mecianda might have triggered the dream?" Yomi asked.
"I have no idea Yomi. It has been years since I've dreamt of Melissa. Now that I'm back it makes sense for that to be the reason," Jeremy stated.
Melissa was his younger sister whom he loved dearly. He missed her a lot definitely with it being years since he had dreamt of her. He didn't get to say goodbye to his family when they were buried.
He was in a coma for some time after the blast and had finally fully regained his health.
He came back to Mecianda because of two things; one, to find the murderers of his family and get them back for the hurt they have drawn to him. And two, to help the weak people in Mecianda. Especially those who were being judged for the crime they didn't commit. It was one of the reasons he became a lawyer. He wanted to be just like his father.
Abraham Akinsola was a renowned lawyer when he was alive and Jeremy planned to keep on the legacy.
The rest of the flight was silent but Jeremy couldn't go back to sleep. He feared he was going to have the same nightmare.
When the jet finally landed it was already evening. To Jeremy's surprise, the paparazzi were already waiting for him.
"Welcome Attorney Akinsola, what brings you back to the median?" The reporters began to throw questions at him from left and right.
"I thought you were well paid back in London, why are you back here? "
"I heard you won the case against top terrorist LAN back in London. How do you feel about that?
"Are you back for good? When are you coming to the courthouse?"
"Who are you dating now?
Out of all the questions asked, that particular question made Jeremy's blood boil. He grabbed the reporter by the collar out of furry. "Ask a question like this again and I'll sue you and your company," he threatened with a scowl. "I promise, and believe me, I always keep my promises."
He pushed past the swarm of reporters and hopped into the car that was already awaiting him. His team followed behind him, taking each step with caution as they too climbed into the car.
Being in a relationship was a sour topic for him. He had always thought about how it would feel to be in a relationship but everyone he had ever loved always got hurt. The fear of another loved one dying made him hate the word love and he stood by that. He was afraid to love and even his past relationships were just flings, nothing more.
"I thought you said you took care of the media!" Jeremy barked at his assistant.
Lisa trembled in her seat and bowed her head. "I'm sorry boss, I took care of the media but I think someone tipped them off," she explained but Jeremy wasn't buying it.
"Oh, you think I want my face plastered on the internet tomorrow? Come on Lisa do your job well!!" He barked yet again.
Yomi grabbed Jeremy's hand which seemed to cool him down. Jeremy rested his head on the seat and closed his eyes, soothing his occurring headache. He hated attention even when he was younger. He always ran from the media. He hated seeing his face plastered everywhere for millions to see.
Jeremy was deep in his thoughts when suddenly the car stopped abruptly.
"What's going on Yomi? "He asked with a frown...
"I have no idea. It seems there is backed-up traffic, right, John?" Yomi answered, asking the driver for assurance.
"I think so boss," John replied.
Jeremy palmed his head with a groan. "What the hell? traffic in Langone? Fuck! How come?" He cursed and palmed his head yet again. "Yomi, please find out what the hell is going on," he suggested.
Yomi got out of the car and looked around until he saw an officer chasing what seemed to be a thief. He climbed back into the car and deliberated on how to break the news to Jeremy. He was bound to explode.
"Well, what's the hold-up, Yomi? "
"E-e-erm," Yomi stuttered and earned a glare from Jeremy. "The police are chasing a man who I assume to be a criminal," Yomi muttered and quickly covered his ears to escape Jeremy's screams. Just like he predicted Jeremy shouted and jumped out of the car.
"A stupid police officer is causing traffic. What kind of order is that?" He got out of the car and looked around the crowded street.
He saw the officer chasing the criminal down the long street, barely on his heels. What shocked him was that it was a female officer causing the traffic. Enraged, Jeremy walked away from the car. A confused Yomi got out to follow him.
Jeremy could see the criminal running towards him and he did what he likes doing best. Handling shit himself. He pushed the criminal to Yomi who kicked the criminal to the ground, almost as if it were planned. The female police officer rushed to the scene breathing heavily. The townspeople began to exit their cars to watch the chaotic scene in front of them.
"Thank you, sir!" Lara, the police officer said as she cuffed the criminal. "I have been chasing this man here for 30 minutes now," she confessed.
"I don't need your stupid thanks. The only reason I did this was to stop this awful traffic and to go on my way," Jeremy sassed.
"Excuse me?" Lara glared at him and raised a brow.
"Yes, I'm excusing you, and next time... " He looked at her with a frown. "Don't chase what you can't catch," Jeremy told her and walked to his car while Lara yelled and called him names.
"That was harsh Jeremy," Yomi whispered as they got into the car. He didn't like how Jeremy talked to Lara. She is a woman and a police officer.
"Don't patronize me, Yomi. She looks like a tiny mouse and yet she is chasing a man that is twice her size. Sometimes we should tell the truth," Jeremy said and closed his eyes to cease his now pounding headache. The car started moving and he sighed in relief.
"How much longer to the house?" Jeremy asked impatiently.
"Few minutes sir," John replied.
"Learn how to answer a question well. Specify the minutes dammit, John!! " he yelled.
"10 minutes sir," John quaked.
Yomi stared at Jeremy for a while. He had anger issues and he's never learned to control them. Yomi always made sure that he took his medicine at the right hours from his worry about what he could do if he were to get angry. "When was the last time you took your pills?" Yomi asked.
"On the plane, I'll make sure to take another when we reach the house," he replied and laid his head on the car seat.
The rest of the drive was in silence and when they finally reached their destination Jeremy impatiently got out of the car and waited for Yomi to lead him to the house. It was his family's old mansion. His old home. He had it decorated and rebuilt to fix the wreckage done. It held a lot of memories of the past but looking at the newly rebuilt mansion one would think nothing had happened to it .
Jeremy stared at the mansion in front of him and contemplated on whether to enter or not.
"Calm down, Jeremy. Breathe. I'll be by your side," Yomi whispered beside him.
"I'll lead you in, sir," Lisa informed her and led the way to the mansion.
Jeremy breathed heavily as he entered his old home. He marveled at the way it was built. After the blast, one would think the mansion was gone forever but it was completely different yet still the same.
"It looks different," Jeremy said as he stared at the walls in front of him.
"So, sir, it has been designed as you wanted. The master bedroom is on the upper floor with three other bedrooms. Each has its walk-in closet and bathroom with two sinks, and a separate shower and bathtub." Lisa explained as she led them into the rooms inside the house.
"This is your room, sir. I sure hope it's to your taste," Lisa breathed heavily, anticipating his reaction to his new room. She's always strived to make her boss happy, and him liking the design and arrangement of the room is the best way
Jeremy gave the room a long gaze before giving Lisa a nod. The room used to be his parent's but looked nothing like before.
"Alright sir," Lisa continued. "I hope you like the pool and the fountain on the front side," she murmured.
Yomi replied this time with a nod.
"Very well, sir. The kitchen is on the ground floor alongside the gym area with a special study room for you, sir."
"I'll stop here Lisa. I can give myself a tour of the house tomorrow. the designs are...okay," Jeremy complimented.
"Alright sir, I'll leave you to rest. We had a long flight. I'll be back tomorrow with a chef."
"Okay, Lisa. You may leave," Jeremy said.
Lisa bowed and left the building with her head strung high.
"Will you be fine on your own Jeremy?" Yomi questioned.
"I'll be fine Yomi, stop treating me as a child. Get some sleep, Yomi."
"Okay, goodnight," he said and walked out of the room.
Jeremy continued to stare at the ceiling and tried to not think of his family. He was going to get his revenge at all costs.
**
The next morning Jeremy woke with a groan. He didn't get any sleep the night before. The dreams we had been becoming worse. This time his family was begging him to save them.
He walked into his bathroom and took his bath, then looked for a casual outfit to fit his morning attire. He then walked downstairs where he met Yomi and Lisa who were whispering in the living room.
"Top of the morning to you," Yomi greeted him with a slight giggle as he walked in.
"Good morning sir," Lisa bowed.
Jeremy replied with a nod and sat on the couch silently.
"So what's the update about my firm?" Jeremy asked his assistant.
"Sir, the paperwork has been finalized and the building is ready. I'll take you there when you are ready," Lisa stated.
Jeremy scratched his head and stood up from the couch he was sitting on. "I'll go change, Yomi, get the car ready. I'll be down in five minutes."
****
At LGPD,
Langose Police Department
a woman wearing tattered clothing burst into the station and ran straight to Lara's desk.
