It’s been long Cosmos last saw Chikamso Giwa. To be honest, he never really made any real friend after him. Due to countless betrayal of trust, he had come to understand that, no one is really your friend. He knows a lot of people, a lot of people knows him, but no one really knows him because of his reserve nature. He would think of himself as different, and he certainly is when you rate his unique nature. Probably one of the reason making friends is difficult for him, because it’s hard for him to find someone he could relate with.

      It is the 2rd month of 2014, the 17th day, at exactly eleven minutes past ten o’clock in the morning. He just finished up with reading an inspirational book, and is now laying on the bed in his lounge, somewhere outside the campus. He is currently a student of the university of Benin. Cosmos is really a private person, so he loves his privacy, can’t imagine having to live in a room with strangers?

      A lot is running through his mind at the moment, but what really bothers him most of all, is the strangeness of the world. People would go to any length to get what they want. Friends betrays friends, has he had experienced a lot of heart felt betrayals. Why is he thinking about that? Well, one could say it is due to the book he just read. He never wanted to be famous, he only wanted to heal the world with his skills. yet he is well known in the University, the popular painter, who loves to paint strangers. But  no one really knows him. His dream has always been to help the world, the best way he could, because he like to dream big.

      Growing up, he passed through a lot of challenges, all of which shaped him, in its different ways. As a child, he told himself he hated the world, hence he found it difficult relating with people. It took him long enough to realize, that he never really hated the world, just that people could be irrational sometimes. But, the difference between a genius and a fool, is that geniuses has its limit, just as Morningstar would always say.

      Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but in his own case, it made him. He has always been a thinker, presently he is an undergraduate physicist. If he work hard enough, tomorrow he could be an Astronaut, study architecture, or both, even better! He is a multitalented individual, he learns anything he put his mind to, so he takes up lot of hobbies.

      He see everything, the beauty in the world. He see the many possibilities, of different possibilities. He just has always felt like something just doesn’t add up, like something is just not right. The meaninglessness of living, the contradictory stories told to us, trying to give an answer to the unsolved pieces of life, one he sees more clearly as he mature into a man, because he has always been inquisitive. Cosmos has always doubted a lot of norms believed by the vast humanity, with a thought in his head;

“The truth is yet to be known.”

      A flashback to his past, he has come to realized something, one he had known for a while now, that he only remember a hand full from his past. It did not take long for him to recall, that he could barely remember his childhood memories, because he actually wanted to forget them;

“The feelings, the pains, the shames, the oppressions! Scared, of the world!”

      He feels the world needs saving from itself, having experienced the savagery and selfishness of the human nature. He couldn’t even tell if he wasn’t either, he  just try to be rational at all times. Everyone wants to be happy, but to truly be happy, we need to create happy memories, and not terrible ones.

He soon made a new friend, with the list person he could expect; Amamihe Richie, One that he would later come to understand, is a key to navigating their future.

      He had known Amamihe, since 100level, he is his course mate. But, they only really became closer, in their 200level days.

He has always known him to be very understanding, and optimistic. Perhaps, that was what attracted him in the first place. Cosmos doesn’t make a friend often.

“Do you believe in fate?

Do you believe in destiny?”

      Cosmos and Amamihe have been friends for quite a while now, and Amamihe would always bring different girls to his lounge. Cosmos has just the perfect space for romantics, plus he is a very charming person, so Amamihe is very proud having him around and would always attract the girl with him, because he know Cosmos would not be interested in them, what friends do for friends aww? Hahaha!!! They share everything, wears, appliances. Amamihe wouldn’t tell him much about his life, but Cosmos didn’t mind anyways, he also doesn’t know much about him either. Cosmos haven’t even fully discovered himself yet.

      Cosmos soon found out that, Amamihe has a very wealthy father. Had, to be precise, because he only come to know after his father’s death, and he had left him all of his inheritance, wealth, and establishment. But, he might not take it, his father’s legacy. He wants no part of it, his father wasn’t a part of his life either.

      Amamihe felt abandoned by his father. He had abandoned them when his mother was only still pregnant with him, because he thought her to be a nobody, one not fitting for his legacy  if words come out. Perhaps, he thought she had taken advantage of him, it’s a thing with rich people. He is, or was a billionaire, a scientist, an inventor, CEO to one of the biggest organizations in the world; Universal Creators. Amamihe’s mom had died a sad woman, one who did everything she could to take him through school, till she died two years ago. That was the last he heard from his father, if a letter is to count, and a cheque, of which he tore to shread. Afterwards he won a scholarship to study physics in the university.

      It’s middle March, 2015. They were at the school’s cafeteria, when he got the news of his father’s death. Though, he doesn’t seem to care much. But then, his father’s empire has been willed over to him, so he has to care. The company’s board, perhaps it was his father’s lawyer, he is not sure which one has been sending several emails, calls, Amamihe wouldn’t return. It’s been a week now since they got the news, he has been staying with Cosmos since then to prevent being found.

      And then, one day they got a knock at the door, one that is about to change their lives; these are powerful people, they will find you if they want to. It was a man at the door, he looks so smart on black suit. His aura is giving more like a federal agent in one of those action movies. He has come to negotiate terms, he is a lawyer.

      He asked Amamihe to sign a document and have him forfeit his claim on his father’s company, then get a trust fund worth, 100billion naira. They  have to be civil, so he collected the document, and told the lawyer he would get back to him. Amamihe doesn’t want anything from his father, he would easily give everything away for free. Cosmos had later have to convince him, that before he make a decision, he should look up his father, and know what kind of a man he is, outside being just a father.

      After so much back and forth, Amamihe researched his father, one that is about to change how he sees his father, and Cosmos helped him. His father was doing good for the world, his tech company is one of the biggest, if not the biggest in the world. It develop both softwares and hardwares. They are not about to let him put all that in the wrong hands, his father’s legacy.

      He had called the lawyer the next day, notifying him on his choice. That evening when they went out, they felt like they were being watched. Amamihe has been getting messages of threats ever since. They are not safe, they are friends after all.  The could easily be murdered too, he knows too much. Now, they had to come up with a plan, one that might save both their lives.

      Amamihe’s late father’s people have the world, but they had the power of the youth. The school’s student union president, one Cosmos knows personally to be fearless,  would be very useful in this game of chess. And the check mate would be, to send them an email through the school’s union government. Now, they would have to threaten a lot more people, and that would be reckless, and they know it.

      After the union had sent the email, he didn’t get a response, not until after two days, Amamihe got a call, it was his late father’s wife, his stepmom. That was fast! She wants a family reunion. Really woman? A family reunion. What are you reuniting, if you were never united. And why did you wait until now to do that. That’s definitely a red flag, the link they have been looking for, all put together now. Or perhaps, it’s the members of the board, that are pushing buttons. To find that out, he would first have to honour the invitation they thought.

      And Cosmos is not about to let his friend walk into a possibly trap alone, and definitely not without a plan either, that might be suicide. They had to draft out two letters in Amamihe’s hand writing, and both their signatures, and handed one over to the president of the student union, the other, to a trusted friend, if they do not hear from them in 24 hours the letter should be published. They trusted this to be a fail proof plan. Both letter bearers knows of the second letter, but non knows who the other bearer is, they have no connection whatsoever. The second bearer could be anyone in this world.

      They had gotten their flight booked for them. They also sent an SUV to pick them up from the airport. These people most be really powerful.

“They even sent a female assistant too, hahaha, are they trying to impress us?” Said Cosmos.

“But, I must confess, she is indeed beautiful, and speaks well too,” He thought.

      They got to banana island. That was the first time, being in that particular area, one befitting for a powerful person. The mansion is so big, very big, too big for just one man to own.

“Just how rich are this people?” Thought Cosmos.

      They were welcomed by the mansion assistances, and  they were taken round the surroundings, flashing wealths, aesthetics. There were securities all over the place.

      where is the lady who had invited them? Another red flag. They must really think they are fools, given they are inexperience, money isn’t the issue here, and they can’t be intimidated. Well, according to what an assistant said, she had an urgent meeting, and would be back in a moment;

“We have been asked to keep you comfortable,” Said an assistant.

“Bullshit!! I guess this arrangement isn’t about the reunion after all,” Thought Cosmos.

In a moment a woman walked out to meet them, she was approaching so elegantly. She is in a red dress, and black heels. She is definitely gorgeous. Amamihe could see now why anyone would want to be with her, she’s a trickster….. click to continue reading

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©️ Victor E. Ojei, 2023.