CHAPTER 1

Chloe has been married to Donald for nearly a decade. Donald was a good man who adored his wife and children. He worked harder to give them a good life.

Chloe and Donald love each other so much but the great problem Donald had was that Chloe was too obsessed with money.

For that reason, Chloe always had issues with her husband for the past few years.

On school opening day, Donald woke up early in the morning to prepare for their two children to go to school. He went to the bedroom and shook his snoring wife to wake up.

"Chloe! Wake up and give me that money for school fees. I need to get going now with the children to school", Donald asked.

Chloe woke up groaned, "Oh, this life. Pleat don't disturb, I need to sleep."

Softly, Donald replied, my love, I am asking for the money to pay school fees for the children. That's all. You can go back go sleep after."

"Promise me that you will not shout at me. I used it for betting yesterday. Do a bank overdraft and pay school fees. It is that simple. Thank you." Chloe thudded back and went flat into deep sleep.

Donald was so pissed with her.

"Why are you so obsessed with money? I know that we are not rich but we are not lacking anything my love. Why are you bent on frustrating my efforts? Last time you lost the money meant for our house rent and now our children's school fees, what's your problem? Why are you so obsessed with money, why?", Donald had thundered angrily and stormed out of the house to school with his children.

Donald borrowed money from a friend and paid fees for his kids. As he was in the taxi going back home, he was mumbling to himself with his face squashed, "if not for the love I have for Chloe and my children, I would quit this marriage bey Chloe's obsession with money is tiresome and a huge blow to my marriage".

Most times Chloe even overspends money and it almost rendered them bankrupt. However, Donald was a hard worker who always looked for ways to get extra money. Sometimes he would take a loan to meet up with their bills each time Chloe overspends or gambles.

Donald got home around eleven o'clock in the morning tired from his errands looking for money to pay school fees. He swigged down two water glasses of water in the kitchen to quench a thirst from the roasting weather. "Thank you Jesus", he groaned in relief and headed to the bedroom. Chloe was dead flat asleep.

Donald stood holding his waist by both hands, smiled and said in his heart, "from the day I met you Chloe, I realized you're an ambitious and fierce lady... which was a good thing at first but we got married, I'm not finding it funny. I made sure that give you all the money every month for the house and your own personal expenses. Nevertheless, it's never enough money for you. You're always after money. What's wrong with my wife?" He made one step towards the bed and continued heart talking, "if she can't make money doing something, that thing is not worth her time..."

One night, Donald so lovingly woke Chloe up in the middle of the night for a discussion.

"Honey, I don't like our constant quarrel over money. See, our children are watching all these. Fights and quarrels are tiresome. Please, I beg for a change, stop gambling, stop spending money lavishly. I'm in big debt already. I barely sleep at night, please", Donald pleaded.

Chloe rolled her chubby body over and looked Donald directly on the iris and said, "Your duty as my husband is to provide comfort for me and your children, but I'm not comfortable, I'm suffering. If your salary can not comfortably foot our bills, then, I guess this is the time to look for a better job that will be able to take care of our needs. Simple! Haven't you noticed that we are poor? This is not the life I want for myself and my children. In fact, I'm tired of your constant nagging, you are always complaining. You don't know that each time I gamble, I'm only helping you out. Who knows? I might win and we will become rich. Why are you always against whatever I do in this house? Women have rights to do what they think is good for their families. Do you have other plans to get us out of poverty?" Chloe responded sharply and jeered.

Donald was speechless and boiling in anger at the same time.

"I would do whatever it takes for good money to come into our lives. Every day, people win a lot of money in gambling and betting. You can't stop me from gambling, except you go get a better job" , Chloe entered.

"Oh really! I think it's time you go get a job too so we can share the responsibilities. I can't be working hard while you're wasting my hardly earned money on foolish things. I guess it's time, you join the work force and stop being a pain in the ass", Donald replied angrily. He picked up a pillow from their matrimonial bed, stormed out of their bedroom and headed straight to the living room, where he passed his night.

The next day, Chloe invited Donald's sister to discuss about.

"Sister-in-law," Chloe reported, "I am having a problem with my husband here. Every time he blames me for spending money in the house. I will be trying to help him to feed the family, two hand are better than one. Alas, he is now telling me that I should find a job. Please, talk with him for me."

To Donald's displeasure, his sister Margaret took Chloe's side. "How could you ask your wife to go get a job? You can set up a business for her. I don't want to meddle or interfere in your marriage but the right thing to do is to set up a business for your wife", Margaret told her brother Donald bluntly.

Donald listened got a loan from the company where he worked and set up a business for his wife. To Chloe's merit, it was a fantastic business which allowed her to overcharge her customers enormously.

Chloe my lovely wife, try to reduce your prices for your goods and services so that you can have more customers, quick return hence more money for the business and yourself?", Donald advised her wife.

Chloe rejected the idea, "what's your problem? It's my business and my customers. Those who want to buy will buy, those who don't can somewhere else. No one is forced to buy. In fact, it's a agreement between seller and the buyer, Donal is out this. Thank you."

With time, the new business wasn't progressing and almost at the edge of collapsing. Donald intervened when he was on his annual leave. He handled the business by himself for a month and enormously revived the business.

One-day, Donald was at Chloe's business location when a female customer walked in. She was a very beautiful lady probably in her late thirties.

The beautiful female customer stared at Donald helplessly the whole time. She admired Donald's good looks.

Donald attended to her. When she was about to pay for the goods in her trolley, she broke the silence. "Hey brother, I'm your sister's good customer, for a while now, I haven't set my eyes on your sister. I hope she is okay, right?"

"My sister? Who are you referring to as my sister?", Donald replied with a straight face.

"I mean, the lady that owns this store, Chloe", The beautiful lady added as she handed some cash to Donald as payment for the goods she wanted.

"Oh, point of correction, she is not my sister but my wife. She is fine. Thank you for that. She will be here soon", Donald corrected as he counted the cash.

The beautiful lady squeezed her face like a bullfrog and said in her heart, "why is she your wife? How?" She felt bad and gradually packed up the goods she paid for and left without uttering a word.