Chapter one

“How- how did you convince the whole board to sell you their shares?"

Thando asked her fiancé, realising the truth but denying it – hoping it was not what she knew it was. The night that was supposed to be full of joy and festivities turned into a nightmare and everyone in the hall was aware of this- what was important was which side of the nightmare one would be on. Adam’s smile slowly faded. His face moved from joyful with a sense of pride and achievement to ashamed- Adam displayed a sense of shame. For Thando however the face she had learned to love suddenly became difficult to look at. Those green eyes looked nothing but poisonous after what she’d heard; ‘Adam Fischer majority shareholder and CEO of Luka Bank.

It made no sense to her at all; not even to her parents- the truth was that they were denying their worst fear.

“I can explain- I.” Adam said, in a rushed low voice but Thando slowly backed away. She could not find it in herself to listen to Adam. She always did. Perhaps it was her reason for her hate towards him now. She tried to lift her heavy feet towards her mother who was less than five steps away. But; she found it difficult to do so. Everything was difficult to do.

Then suddenly she felt a stinging sensation on her left cheek. It felt as though the music had stopped and all the dimmed lights turned to spotlights –exposing her shame. But nothing stopped however, those hired to bring the festivities to life through music and other acts – which Evelyn considered to be too much were carrying on. They contrasted the mood quite heavily.

“It must be true that love is blind otherwise I must have an idiot for a daughter.” It seemed that while she was struggling, her mother found her way towards her and it was not so comforting. Her cheeks were proof of that discomfort.

“I did not know mother. Do you think I would give away grandma’s last gift to me?” She was baffled, could not believe that she’d been assaulted in public. Oh but she was. That night was truly eventful for her but it was only the beginning.

“You tell me Thando, is this why you decided to study in Cape Town? Do you hate me so much for this arrangement that you’d give away the inheritance you received from the person who loved you the most- the person who you claimed to have loved the most?”

Thando’s mother was fuming, if it were possible she’d have steam coming out of her ears, she’d probably be looking red too if she were a few shades lighter, her temper was felt through the air around her.

“Did you sell them, is that how you were going to pay for your tuition - through betraying your own flesh and blood?”

Thando’s mother – Yolanda kept throwing insults at her. It was one way that Thando knew that her mother was furious- she was shouting in public and her mother hated public altercations in any and every form. But because of that fateful night, everyone seemed to be who they weren’t.

Thando’s tears rushed down her cheeks. How could her mother even accuse her of such a thing? Thando could never betray the Fords at least not willingly –even if they forced her into getting engaged to Adam, she knew that some things were not to be tried let alone be done. Their marriage was a business deal, they all knew that but were all clauses fully understood by both sides? Thando left Randall Jansen Museum, her heels grabbing the wrong kind of attention now. She could not believe what she saw with her own eyes –she did not want to believe it.

“My shares were the transaction.” She decided.

“The constant questions about my board members, the value of my shares.”

Thando stopped dead in her tracks.

“No.”

She remembered something important. Something that incriminated her. She finally heard her phone ring after minutes of staying in her head. Only realising then that she was outside.

“Papa?”

“Stay here.”

Her father’s harsh voice commanded something that was much greater than the way it was said, but innocent Thando was all but aware that he was kicking her out of her home. Even if she understood what he was saying she would have thought that he only wanted to keep her there until everything cooled off.

“I’ll fix it.” Thando tried to bargain with her father, trying to prove to him yet again that she deserved a seat at the table. She would fail – again.

“I’m not interested in that. Once you get home pack up and leave for this city, this life –you chose it, didn’t you?”

It felt as though Thando’s heart had stopped beating. Was it finally happening? Was he finally disowning her like he had promised?

The tears started falling more and more, her heart started beating faster, her chest feeling heavy with each passing second. With that Thando had considerably lost all sense and before she could even reach her car, another car flung her onto to the other side of the road.

Thando was on the ground.

“What an end.” She whispered, closing her eyes.