Koruna

Mask Off 2

Chapter 93

Mask Off 2

“Tell me you have a plan.” Margaret whispered as she drew nearer to Koruna.

Koruna winked at her, Margaret relaxed but she was wary. There were so many things that had happened under her nose, she still found it difficult to believe that Shola worked for the council. She was happy that Betsy wasn’t alive to see this, she doubted if she could have survived it, the more she thought about it, the less sense it made. Shola had been nothing but straight laced in his dealings with her family, she thought about how possible it was to pretend to be someone else all these years. It was bizarre. Margaret dragged Annie towards her as they huddled closer to Koruna.

“I have to say, you were more that I bargained for.” Shola poured himself a drink.

“Were? Is it not too soon to conclude that I am to be used in past tense?” Koruna asked.

Shola chuckled, “I am sure that you have some plan or something up your sleeves seeing that calculating smirk but you are about to learn a hard lesson. Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan.”

“Like now?” Annie glared at him.

“Oh, things are proceeding just like I thought they would, it was always a possibility.” Shola gulped down the drink in one shot.

“What are you going to do with us?” Margaret looked around to see if there was any ally around amongst the workers.

“Not me, her.” Shola pointed at Koruna.

Koruna raised her brows, “Was it difficult to keep up appearances?”

“It wasn’t as hard as you imagine. A lot of these appearances were me in essence. I am fond of everyone in this family, there was no need to fake anything.” Shola talked in whispers with one of the guards.

Annie laughed bitterly, “Fond? You were fond of us?”

Shola shook his head at her, ”Are we going to pretend that any of you treated me any more than a dignified servant? Did you think that I did not notice the superior sense you looked at me? All of you!”

“Was this why you killed our parents?” Kelvin looked at him incredulous.

Shola scoffed as he poured himself another drink. Margaret fisted her hands in unbelief, “No, it can’t be you. Please tell me it’s not you.”

Koruna groaned internally, she suspected it as well but she hoped it wasn’t true. Shola gave new meaning to the words that the enemy is always within. “Why?”

The workers had already begun to pour gasoline over everything on the property, starting from other rooms, Koruna caught a whiff of gas as well and a dreadful thought regarding Shola’s plan began to take shape, “You are going to make it seem like I burnt everyone alive or something of that nature, people would believe it, after all Simi already assassinated my character in public. This… wow.”

“I told you, I hoped it would not come to this but you know too much and for that I am very sorry.” Shola looked like he had some kind of regret.

Margaret lunged at him but was dragged back by some of the guards, Koruna and Kelvin noticed that these were not all of the workers in the castle, which meant that the others had either been killed or put down by Shola’s people. This plan must have been put into place because everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

“You would kill us, just like that?” Annie blinked disbelievingly.

“It would be painless, I promise.” Shola said as a way to comfort them.

“Oh my God!” Kelvin legs grew weak as the realization dawned on him. He couldn’t believe that he had wanted to become like him, a pillar that this family could rely on.

“Oh, if you were thinking about the Arks men who seemed to have been camped suspiciously close to the Castle, they will be too late to do anything by the time they get here.” Shola sighed as the smirk was wiped from Koruna’s face.

“Oh dear.” Koruna said as she laughed humorlessly. “Seriously, all of this is because you were jealous? Or is it because you thought that the family owed you. I mean you seem very confident in getting rid of us, at the very least we should know why you killed their parents.”

“Charles death was not personal, it was purely business. I have never betrayed the family contrary to your allegations. I have never simply been loyal, I am and have always been for the council. I was planted here and I admit, over time, I came to appreciate Betsy’s business candor, Charles morals combined with his hypocrisy and his beautiful wife but you see, Charles was going to expose the council and I could not have that happening. The moment he thought that the council couldn’t serve him anymore, he became a self-righteous prick. Forgive my language.” Shola answered.

Koruna snickered, “I am sure there are more colorful things to forgive apart from your language. I am curious, does your daughter know what kind of man her father is?”

“Thank you for your concern about my family.” Shola replied.

“This cannot be the end!!!” Annie screamed helplessly, she wanted to throw up when she recounted the number of times she had run to him to seek for help and advice over the years. This man before her was like a stranger, this man had killed her father and thought it wasn’t personal. The man before them was going to kill them as well because they knew too much and were an inconvenience. She had believed that Shola’s aloofness was as a result of Betsy’s influence but now she knew different.

Margaret watched it unfold, the ringing in her ears as everywhere grew silent. She was ashamed that for a second, she had considered Shola’s words regarding Koruna and thought that if she were to choose a side, Shola was more believable as she had known him for longer. This shattered her core, even in business when she was stuck in a particular dilemma, the question she would ask herself was what would Shola do? She felt like a complete idiot.

“Okay, kill them and burn it all down.” Shola said and was about to leave when Koruna ran and jumped on his back with her arms and legs wrapped round him. The men raised their guns at her and she laughed at them, she knew that they wouldn’t dare fire and risk exploding themselves with them as well as the smell of gas was very evident.

“If I am going to die, you are coming with me. “ Koruna said with a determined look.

Shola struggled to get her off him and his men tried to push her off him but Koruna had her arms and legs all tangled on Shola. The struggle was between hilarious and impressive as the men tried to peel her off him, Koruna eyed her target and bit his ear in the struggle. Shola screamed out loud as the pain intensified every time he moved or anyone else moved. Margaret, Kelvin and Annie were stuck in place with others as they watched what unfolded, Kelvin tried to move when Pelumi warned him with a glare.

“You can’t shoot now, can you? We will all be dead.” Kelvin smirked as he attacked her, Margaret and Annie saw now that they couldn’t use the guns and they proceeded to throw things at other assailants. In between Shola’s right ear in Koruna’s mouth and Kelvin struggles with Margaret and Annie making a complete mess, everyone seemed busy.

“We have to do something about your biting problems.” R’ao said as he came down from the broken ceiling with a smirk with Oni who had landed beside him.

Koruna released Shola and spat out the blood in her mouth, “What took you so long?”

“Short story. Is that gas I smell?” Oni asked.

“Yes, no guns please.” Koruna groaned in exhaustion as everyone else had become alert to the Arks presence.

Oni gave Shola a small smile as he brought out a knife and seemed very okay with the no guns rule, he attacked the men and they fought right back. R’ao wasted no time in breaking necks as he defended himself from the attacks, Margaret ran to help Koruna to her feet. “Run, take the others and run far from here, anyone could get trigger happy and this place will go off in flames.” Koruna said to her.

Margaret nodded and took Annie with her, Kelvin followed closely behind but paused when he saw that Koruna wasn’t following, “Why aren’t you coming along?”

“Him, he cannot escape!” Koruna ran after Shola who had used the opportunity to leave when things got more chaotic. The rest of them followed in her direction, as Shola was about to start the car. Koruna broke the window glass and dragged him out of the car through it. Shola tried holding on to the seat belt but he was surprised at Koruna’s strength. He could feel the fury in the first punch that landed on his face. He had no time to breathe when the second punch landed, Margaret joined in and scratched Shola’s eyes. Koruna was surprised to see her, “I told you all to run!”

“Shut up! You are not the boss of me!” Margaret snapped as she continued to attack Shola. She was angry, hurt and sad. She had so many emotions that she could not focus on one, she wanted to hurt Shola so bad and at the same time she wanted to cry. Annie could only watch is silence as Margaret took out her anger on Shola who was already weak from the blood loss of before when Koruna fiercely bit his ear.

Koruna carried Margaret off Shola as she tried to get closer to inflict more pain. She handed her over to Kelvin who comforted her as she sobbed, Koruna sighed as she looked at a beaten Shola. “You are right, things do not always work as you plan them.” She held his collar and dragged him back into the building as she warned Kelvin to take them out of the Ballan castle. Oni and R’ao had just finished off Shola’s people, she saw Pelumi’s broken neck by the door as she entered the building.

“Why are you still here?” R’ao growled and did not give her a chance to reply when he grabbed her led them out of the main building.

“Let me go! Shola is in there. I hope he catches fire along with the castle!” Koruna spat.

“Is… is that the plan? I already called the Fire service. They should be here any second now.” Oni said suddenly beside her.

They heard the sirens close, Koruna came back to her senses as she went back into the house to get Shola but he was nowhere to be found. R’ao carried her back outside as the firemen looked and sorted the house. They moved to the Arks mansion instead as Koruna refreshed herself since she smelt of gasoline and blood. The rest of her siblings were catered for in the Arks mansion, Bernie was told about what had happened, there was a melancholic feeling as they sat in silence in R’ao’s personal house.

Koruna had changed into R’ao’s clothes, his oversized T-shirt and track suit, she had packed her hair into a ponytail as she joined them. R’ao could not get his eyes off her as she sat, Koruna noticed his glance and met his eyes. She gave him a wink, R’ao was aware that Koruna knew what she was doing. Oni noticed their silence exchange and his face tightened.

“Is he missing like someone took him and fled? Or missing like he might be dead?” Bernie asked out loud, he was sorry that he was unavailable when his family needed him. To think that he sent Annie back because he thought she would be safer.

“We searched the entire castle, he is alive.” Koruna answered.

“I can’t …”

“If you say those words again, I might kill you myself.” Margaret warned Bernie as she suspected that he was about to say that he couldn’t believe that Shola was capable of that, She knew that if she hadn’t experienced it first hand, she would have difficulty believing it herself.

“Is it for the company?” Annie asked out loud in a quiet voice.

“What else? Money, and power.” Koruna shrugged.

“He said that he had never been loyal to the family that means that from the start he had always been for the council. How did Grandma have no clue?” Margaret said.

“He is good, very good. Remember none of us had any idea about the council until recently.” Koruna commented.

“What happens now?” Annie asked.

“What happens now should be that you need to fight for your empire, Shola has already made a move and is calling the Ballan’s children incompetency into question with the Board. He has some pretty colorful things to say about you four, it doesn’t help that he is recognized publicly as Betsy’s reliable personal assistant and partner.” Oni said after dropping a call.

”That wicked son of a cock!” Margaret cussed.