Trying to get out of her top, Ara's phone rang, getting her hands off her back as she grabbed her phone, picking up her call. "Omoh I will call you back. I'm busy right now." She ended the call instantly. She needed a cold shower badly and couldn't wait to get one.
"Yes!" She yelled at the person knocking on her door. "Grace is that you?" She knew it could be no other person than Grace, looking out for her to get the rest of the gist. She had never met someone who liked talking and feeding her ears to necessary and unnecessary talks about. That was Grace, but it was fun whenever they began, until she was slowly tired of hearing more. "Come in," Ara said, gripping her zip again but stopped when she realized the person had stepped in. "I don't know why this thing is so hard all of a sudden. Just help me with the zip. But Grace, you too like gist ehnn!"
Ara's zip was slowly dragged down revealing the smoothest skin Prince Ire had never seen. He tried not to let his hand touch the smooth skin he badly wanted to feel. He knew that could taunt him if not careful. This wasn't why he came looking for her. He silently prayed he would be able to get the tempting skin out of his head until Ara turned and almost gave Prince Ire a sudden hard he experienced every morning and not because he was excited to touch a lady. He'd been long he felt that, but he remained calm, not moving or looking away.
"Oh my God!" Ara couldn't hide the embarrassment on her face. She suddenly turned when she couldn't hear Grace speaking. Grace wasn't the kind of person to act all gentle and mute. But Instead of Grace, Ara was met with a puzzled look staring down at her without a blink. She quickly looked away, covering up herself, but realized her bare back and immediately faced Prince Ire again, slightly embarrassed he'd seen her. "I know it's your place but you could have announced yourself before coming in. I thought it was Grace all through."
She got no reply. Prince Ire stood close to her, hiding his hands in his pockets, staring at Ara without uttering a word. While Ara thought she was being ignored and was angry, there was no way Prince Ire could explain he was trying to stay calm before uttering a word, which he succeeded, acting like Ara had no effect on him. Even though he had managed to view the shape of her bosom and seen the most spotless back ever, he knew that might never leave his memory but he managed to finally speak out his intentions which brought him to her without any reaction concerning what he saw. "Turn to your side," he instructed.
Ara looked at Prince Ire wondering what was that for. Prince Ire who came only with the intention to see the spot where she was hit in order to know what to get her grabbed Ara by the side, drew her closer then flipped her top up with his right hand. "Stay still. I'm not here to bite you."
Prince Ire knew he had to touch the red spot to know how extreme the pain was. He did, touching the spot with two of his fingers. He was a gynecologist. He knew you don't just touch your patients all over their body. There are system to it. He had worked on several women and he knew how funny, embarrassed and intimidated some women looked just by being touched by a male doctor. Most women are embarrassed seeing male doctors, but the truth is, the doctor setting can't be filled with female doctors alone. He wouldn't say he regret becoming a gynecologist. He decided to train on that field because of the pain his mom went through when fighting her breast cancer problem. It was discovered by her gynecologist and for that reason, he thought by being a gynecologist, he could save more women, but then, being a male gynecologist means you have to throw your eyes inside the gutter and be professional always. You can't be attracted to any patient.
Ara screamed a little causing Prince Ire to look up at her. From embarrassment, Ara kept quiet and shut her eyes to endure the pain until Prince Ire was distracted with his phone. He picked. "What's up?"
"My room was searched. I don't know who did that. This is the second time."
Ara could only hear what Prince Ire was saying, and he looked angry about it. "I'm lost like you. I think the person is after some important information about me." Prince Ire scorned at the thoughts in his head. "I can't believe that person works for me. Okay let's leave that. Why do you sound that way?"
"What!"
Ara knew if she made that look, she would definitely scream out her lungs, but Prince Ire still said that calmly. "I will join you soon." Then he turned to her. "I will get you a drug to relieve that pain and a cream to apply on it. Do not sleep."
Ara raised her brow at him. "I don't take prescription from someone who is not a doctor."
It was Prince Ire's turn to raise his brow with a look of...you can say that again. He just smiled a little. "Do not sleep, I will be back," he repeated and left.
                  •         •          •          •
"What's up?" Prince Ire asked the moment he got to his brother. Damola handed the paper that was left in his car when he parked it to get drugs for their mom at a pharmacy somewhere. Now he regretted not getting it at their usual pharmacy where security was damn tight for any useless being to have his or her way.
"This is what my damn laziness at driving has caused. What the fuck!" Damola said annoyed. He was no longer sounding scared. "You see that?"
Prince Ire pocketed the paper and repeated the words in his head over and over again. 
Tell your brother he's done enough or we start with you. . .
Tell your brother he's done enough or we start with you. . .
"Should we hire you a bodyguard?"
Prince Adedamola looked up at his brother. "Ire I told you when you were about starting all these.... I told you. I warned you. Which bodyguard do you want to hire for me now? Leave this man alone. He's taken your friend's properties or land or whatever and has successfully sent him to prison on hard drugs he had never seen in his life. Finish!" Prince Adedamola was talking with annoyance. "Wetin you wan do again? You be your friend's Jesus. Bro wetin dey sup? Release the tape and documents make them carry Agbaje now. I cannot die on someone else matter abeg."
Prince Ire wanted to laugh, but couldn't so as not to provoke his brother more. He wasn't the only one following up that case. They couldn't release the documents and tape in his hands like that. They wanted to reach an agreement. They concluded they weren't fighting for stolen properties but for Agbaje to find a way to get their friend out of there or they send him and everyone close to him there. But now, it was turning to something else. They were being threatened.
"Is this how you will. . ."
"Shut up!" Prince Ire shunned his brother. "Let me think. I'm coming to your place. The flash drive with the evidence, the disk and the photos are on my bed."
"What!" Prince Adedamola put his right hand close to his head asking his brother why? Bro are you okay?
"I bought a security camera. It can be managed from my phone. I will be alerted when anyone goes in there," Prince Ire said.
"Whao!" Finally calmed, Prince Adedamola looked at his brother. "I can't wait to see that snitch."
Exactly past twelve in the midnight, Prince Ire and Prince Adedamola was yet to sleep. They got the notification and immediately Prince Adedamola reached for his brother's phone that somehow fell from his hand. "Gosh!" He quickly picked it up but to put on the phone was to no avail.
"Ire let's just go and catch that snitch!" Prince Adedamola suggested, dropping the phone.
Prince Ire picked up his phone and successfully put it on. What they saw next baffled them. The two brothers stared at each other.
"Wait..." Prince Adedamola got up unable to accept what was before him. Ara was closing the door and held Prince Ire's flashdrive in her hand, scared. "Is that not Ara. She has your flashdrive. It can't be."
                             •••••
Ara who was told not to sleep, rolled, stretched and enjoyed a complete three good hours sleep. Though she tried to obey, but she was too tired to stay awake for long. Getting up from her bed, Ara realized it was past 12am in the midnight. 'Do not sleep..." Ara remembered the statement and laughed at herself for not obeying that. Thank God I slept.
Ara walked out of her room into complete darkness using the light reflecting from the kitchen to get to the kitchen itself. She actually didn't eat because she could remember after her shower, she told them she was coming out for supper, but went straight to embrace her bed. After taking little food from the kitchen, Ara decided to take it to her room and eat. Almost getting to the kitchen entrance, she heard footsteps. What would you not hear at night where everywhere is quiet and peaceful?
'Florence!'  Ara was bewildered. Her baffled state made her realize something wasn't right. She had never met Florence ever since she had been coming out to the kitchen during midnight. Florence footsteps were suspicious. They were too slow and cautious. Her eyes looking left and right for not been spotted. "What's she doing out here?" Ara asked herself and dropped her meal. Ara saw Florence slowly entered into Prince Ire's room.
"What!"
Ara was thinking something else. So he sleeps with her? She laughed at the thought and hissed. And he will come out here and start forming good guy. Ara rolled her eyes at the thought and hid at the same corner she hid the first day she came into the Prince quarters. She waited and it took her forever, blaming herself for stupidly waiting there while keeping her meal cold. She turned, ready to leave but Prince Ire's door made a sound for Ara to know Florence was coming out.
Shaking and obviously scared, Ara realized she had misjudged the case. That wasn't how a girl looked after being touched by someone she liked. Florence looked to the left and right in haste before she finally realized she shouldn't be putting on her slippers. She packed them in her hands without knowing something had fell from her body. She ran down the stairs as much as her legs could take her.
Ara watched Florence ran to her room before walking towards the white flashdrive that fell from Florence's body. She picked it up and scrutinized it with her hands. Suddenly scared that she shouldn't have been there in the first place. Still standing on the spot, Ara tried Prince Ire's door and noticed it was opened. She eased it open and peeped inside. Prince Ire wasn't in. Ara concluded Florence had stolen something. Now scared more than ever, Ara quickly shut the door closed, picked up her slippers and ran down the stairs too, breathing heavily. She couldn't go back to the kitchen for her food anymore. Instead, she ran to her room.
Dropping her slippers, Ara realized she had the flashdrive in her hand. "Oh! I shouldn't have taken this thing. Ara you better return it, you better return it." She told herself.
Ara got up and ran to the door, but then, she heard Prince Ire's voice. "Thanks, I'm in." Immediately Ara heard that, she took another quick run to her bed and told herself she would just keep the flashdrive and confront Florence tomorrow. Ara's door opened, but Ara didn't move. She laid on her chest, covering part of her body with her bedcover.
"I told you not to sleep." Prince Ire said, and dropped the drugs he bought for Ara. Now, he was confused. He doesn't know who Ara was anymore. The girl who was trying to survive or the girl who could do anything for money? If Ara's mission was to hurt him, then he would have to send her out of the palace.