Tunde, Mide, Josh, and Ibrahim, who was Tunde's assistant, all went to the Lakes club after they finished discussing the housing estate project that Tunde just secured.
Whilst the others conversed amongst themselves, Tunde sat by himself by the lounge's private bar, having a conversation on the phone in a low.
They've all been curiously staring at him and they noticed how he occasionally smiled happily at whatever the person on the other side of the phone might have said to him.
Lekan who was working in his office when the men arrived, later entered the lounge and immediately walked over to where the rest of the men were sitting. He noticed Tunde sat by himself at the bar cheerfully having a conversation on the phone.
"Oh my! Aren't we happier than usual today? What's wrong with him?" Lekan commented immediately as soon as he sat down.
"Who knows..." Mide shrugged. "He's been wearing this cheerful, smiley face that can't be fazed all day." He replied before turning to Ibrahim, "Hey! Something is definitely not right with your boss, why don't you go ask him?" He said with an exaggerated concerned frown on his face.
"Seriously!?... You want me to go ask him why he's been smiling all day!?" Ibrahim asked back, baffled like Mide was asking him to go commit suiside.
This kind of dangerous joke would normally come from Lekan, everybody knows he's crazy like that. But he was not expecting Mide to practically ask him to self-destruct. Now he realized all of the Beckley men are crazy in their own way.
"What would be my reason for asking then? Something like...because we are all aware of how it was so unusual for you to smile? He asked towards Mide looking aghast "No, thank you!
Why not ask him yourself though? You're his brother. You guys are the only ones who get to talk to him the way you like and still get to keep your heads. He might kill me just for the blatant disrespect" Ibrahim finished and unconsciously withdrew back into the chair he was sitting on.
"What is this? Don't tell me you're scared of your boss" Josh sniggered with interest.
"Hawk?..." Ibrahim answered like he was considering whether to talk or not. "I'm in awe of him. My boss is a very good man who would go to any length for your cause. And yeah... I'm scared of him because he can also be your nightmare if you cross that line with him.
"I will ask you this same question the day you get to witness his rage. I'd especially want to see your face on that day. I'd like to know if you're scared or not." He said looking straight into Josh's eyes
"Hey Hawk, what's the deal?" Lekan suddenly shouted and they all look towards Tunde's direction.
"Deal on what?" Tunde furrowed his brow in confusion, said something to the person he was talking to on the phone before hanging up.
"Who's this person that's making my cold and aloof brother laughed in public without restraint I wonder?" Lekan further asked
"Oh, that was my queen..." He simply replied and smiled. All the men gazed at him with mouth agape. They were yet to recover from the shock of hearing what he said when he dropped another shocker."...I think I'm in love guys" he added with a dreamy look on his face.
Apart from the soft song that was playing in the background, everywhere suddenly became grave silent. For like five seconds, they all froze in the same position. And then
*Crash*
The sound of glass breaking on the floor brought them all back from their shock.
Ibrahim was so shocked with his mouth hung opened, he didn't know when the wine goblet he was holding slipped through his hand that had gone flaccid.
'Did Hawk just said he's in love!? Unbelievable!'
He thought with disbelief written all over his face. It's no news that his boss doesn't do relationships, and don't believe in love. What happened to him!? Who is the crazy woman bold enough to tame this enigmatic being!
Mide wasn't that surprised because he already saw it coming, he was just amused at how hard the mighty had fallen.
Lekan's mouth was still half-opened, totally lost for words. He was just about to make another wisecrack after he heard the word "queen" when Tunde dropped the bombshell of being in love, and totally blew him away.
Josh on his part was surprised at how far his sister and Tunde had gone in making things work out between them. He could remember clearly what she told him the previous day and wondered what happened to 'I'm not going to make it that easy for him at all, he has to pursue me a little bit.' They sure move very fast' he thought and chuckled.
***
While the men were marveling at Tunde's news of being in love. Abby was currently at her mom's house at Angel estate. She was lying on her bed, daydreaming with a love-struck expression on her face. She held her phone close to her heart while going over the conversation she had with Tunde earlier in her mind.
"I love him"
"I'm so in love with him"
'I'm now Tunde Beckley's girlfriend!"
She kept whispering to herself over and over again.
'I should call Dupe and tell her we are now officially dating right?' She thought, then immediately disagreed with herself '...no, Tunde said he would call me back, I don't want him to call back and get a busy tone, Nah-ah. I'll tell Dupe when I see her in school tomorrow.'