CHAPTER ONE

"Cheers to the good old days!" I said, laughing and raising my glass to toast with my employees.

"Ethan, you're such a bad drinker, huh! Bad boy." Amanda said, giving me a flirtatious smile. I could swear she'd give the world to be in my bed.

It was my birth month, and for a change, I was going to fly my senior staff down to some town in Africa, for a two weeks holiday. One of my workers, Akira, who was an African didn't seem excited at all to embark on the trip.

"Common, put on a smile, we're going to your motherland!" I yelled loudly, roughly squeezing her shoulders.

"Guys, I understand why Akira is not excited.." Bart, the smartest brain in my company said.

"You do?" I huffed, looking at him.

"Yes.." Bart emptied his glass, reaching out yet for another bottle.

"There's a dark culture in her hometown that kills people around this period."

"Whoooop!" I laughed at Bart. "Silly fairytale, none of that vodoo nonsense exist."

"They do actually." Bart argued. "There's this particular house in that town we are going to, it's a haunted house, on the hills.."

"Hahahaha! House on the hill, huh?" I glared at Bart. "Perfect! Find me that house by tomorrow and buy it. That's exactly where I'll be hosting my 35th birthday house party."

Akira cleared her throat. "Sir, I don't think this is a good idea.." She says, looking away.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to Santorini Greece." Amanda suggested. "I've been there once, it's such a beauty."

"Tell us about your motherland.. the haunted house and all.." Bart says to Akira.

Akira clears her throat, sitting upright. She begins to talk. "The festival is called Soso. Soso is a fake tradition. Very fake . I am not from that part of the country but I did my national youth service there. I saw every lie concerning Soso."

"From my research lions roar during the night of the festival." Bart proceeds to ask her. "How true is that?"

I watch Akira reach for another drink. I then understand it is alcohol speaking through them.

Genevieve my personal assistant, sits beside Amanda, busy with her phone, very uninterested in own conversation.

"The lion roaring is fake too. The sounds people hear is a blade of bamboo stick tied to a rope and filinged in the air to produce the noise that scares people. There is no single god anywhere with them. They kill none members who happen to see in order to conceal the lie that the lion roaring sound is from the gods.

They dismember the corpse of their deceased member and share them to different deities. When you see them perform by the day time just know that they are conducting burial of a member and they forbid both human and vehicular traffic on the route to the deity shrines so that none members will not see their lies. They will tell lies that if you peep from any opening in your house or hiding place and see them you will die or that they will know and come for you and kill you. All lies!

I peeped and saw all. They didn't know and didn't come for me. I did not die. They carry a part of the dismembered parts of the deceased member to a deity per day until all parts are deposited to the various deities and shrines.

They kill mostly female none members and force male none members to swear oath of secrecy, they believe women can't keep secret even if they swear oath, so that is why they kill every female victim."

"I feel gooood talanlanlanaaa.." Amanda sings aloud, obviously drunk.

Bart ignores Amanda, looking curiously at Amanda. "Are you sure?"

Akira nods. " Yes. My house was on the route they pass to the various deities. I made sure I saw them each day till the end of that particular burial. It was an aged member and a native doctor. So they gave him a well detailed burial."

"Barbaric culture from a so - called educated country in this 21st century...it's nothing but a show of shame and primitive tendencies!" Bart grunts. "I read a blog where I someone narrate his friend's ordeal. He said soso isn't a joke. His friend was found at the gate of the hostel stiff without body fat and muscle, just flesh to bones but was barely alive."

"Yeah it happens.." I hear Akira confirm to Bart's stats.

By this time, Amanda has already passed out. Akira and Bart on the other hand, lost in their vodoo discussion. I stare at Genevieve.

"Hey.." I say, already tipsy.

"Do you need something?" Genevieve ask in a soothing voice.

"No.. nothing." I say, cussing her out silently. All she did was sit by the phone and flirt with her boyfriend. "Good night!" I staggered into my car with the help of my driver and headed straight home. Wasted.

***

The next day at work, I sit in my office, discussing with Genevieve.

"Finish this assignment and we'll talk about my trip. Hell, maybe I can steal an agent from Mark Spencer, the client poaching dirtbag," I say, shooting a direct glance at Genevieve.

She refuses to flinch. "We need more publicists, not agents. So where's the house you want to buy located in Africa?" She askes in an obvious subject change.

"Upstate.. countryside, about an hour and a half from the main city." I reply. "I don't know, research on it, Akira can help you..."

I'm cut off by my wife's presence, Olivia. She walks into my office, with a mean face.

"I need privacy." Olivia says, looking at Genevieve.

Genevieve nods, leaving my office.

"You are going on a trip with your employees with your private jet without including me in your plan?" Olivia ask.

"I am not just going there for a vacation, I am going there for business also. To open a hotel and casino if possible.." I opted for the diplomatic approach. "I don't want to call attention to your presence. It's a small town and I don't want anyone thinking I'm into the flashy or frivolous. I need their trust and I want them to line up for employment and to recommend the hotel to relatives."

"Are you insinuating I'm loud and flashy looking?" She ask in a deceptively sweet voice, latching on to the one non-diplomatic part of my speech. "Have you taken a look at your personal assistant?" She rolls her eyes. "She is the definition of loud and flashy."

"Most you always involve Genevieve in all our conversations?" I groan.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Ethan, you don't need a personal assistant. Amanda as your secretary is enough!"

"What's the difference between both?"

"Amanda will never go to bed with you, even if you asked her. She is loyal to me and my father. I don't trust that PA of yours."

"She has a man.."

"That probably delivers pizza! I don't trust her. Fire her and get another PA, a male this time." Olivia says. "And yes I am going on that trip with you." She storms out of my office even before I can say a word.

***

I was studying an old sepia - colored photo of my parents, my eyes glinting with threatening tears.

"Oh say. Maybe we ought to do this another time. Your birthday's not for another few weeks." Carly said. "I don't want you sad on my birthday."

"What do you know! The earliest known snapshot of mom and dad." I say. "I think I will have it framed in silver, gold and diamond." In spite of the way I was feeling, i managed to smile.

Carly is my younger sister, my only sibling. Since the death of my parents I have been soley responsible for her. She was currently in law school. I could give her the world, if she needed it.

"I need to go shopping for your birthday party.." Carly makes a sad face. "But I am on a budget.."

"You can use my debit card." I offered. I made all her needs my priority. The good thing is, she never felt entitled to my wealth.

"Still in the spirit of my forth coming birthday party, I am taking everyone club tonight, after that, Africa we go!" I scream excitedly. It was my 35th birthday, I have achieved so many things in the past years and I deserved this moment. "Hurry with your shopping, we shutting down the club. Invite any of your friends interested in drinking to stupor tonight."

***

I rented the entire club that night, for i and my crew. The club was elite! Exactly how i wanted it. Genevieve helped me to my hotel room that night when I had already passed out, intoxicated by pills and alcohol.

The next morning, Genevieve carefully moves my arm and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked out the window. "Sir! Sir Ethan! Wake up!"

I mumble.

She shakes me. "Wake up sir! There's something going on with your car downstairs."

"Hell!" I mutter, getting up and pulling on my tux pants.

Genevieve shrugs into her robe and follows me down.

At the foot of the steps we meet Amanda and Bart. Amanda wearing Bart's jacket over her night - gown.

We all stared at one another for a moment. Amanda and Bart surprised.

"Your wife is downstairs! You are in trouble!" Amanda and Bart yell together. "The receptionist told her you spent a night with Genevieve, in the same room."

I look at Genevieve, frowning. "Is this what you woke me up for?"

"No." Genevieve flung her arm toward the back of fence. "Your wife brought some thugs with her and they were towing your car out of the alley. I..."

I was already looping off.