ALWAYS YOU.

PROLOGUE.

Even at the tender age of nine Adewale Cole knew who he was. He was the son of the fast rising magnate and heir to the equally fast rising Cole Cooperations.

Everything he wanted, he had, and it came even faster when he aced any test his father put in his way. He was a good kid though, if a little entitled.

But a true Yoruba parent never spares a child the rod, both figuratively and literally. So yes, he was a good child most of the time.

Kolade Cole was a disciplinarian, a impact of his early military days. One of his most unmovable rules -rules even his beloved wife; Lola Cole could not have changed his mind over- was raising their kids in a public compound despite their considerable wealth.

Ade didn't mind though, he liked meeting people outside of his family and making new friends, ever the extrovert he was.

Which was why the news that they had new neighbors excited him. The apartment nextdoor to them was finally being occupied and the best part was they had a child he could play with. She was a girl though and he didn't know about that.

His sister was almost three years younger than he was and did nothing but get underfoot and ruined most of his fun. But he supposed since the new girl was his age it shouldn't be a problem.

Except the new girl was actually....weird. First of all she didn't have parents only an Aunt. When he asked about it over dinner -their family always invited the new tenants for a welcoming dinner- his mother had given him the deadly eye that always had him clamping shut. But the girls aunt was really cool and very young compared to his own legion of aunts, so she'd laughed it off and told him that Ama didn't have parents anymore.

Ama, that was the girl's name and she was really pretty but very quiet, in fact she hadn't spoken a word since his mother had introduced them. He didn't know what it meant to not have parents but he wandered if that was what made her quiet.

Baby Bee, his little sister didn't mind though, she just kept talking Ama's ear off. While Ola_his brother_ just kept smiling goofily at the girls, Ade didn't know what was so funny but Ola always found something funny.

After dinner the adults left them to the game room supervised by their in house Nanny. Deciding he could no longer bare the silence Ade left his brother with the PS and approached the new girl.

She was sitting with Baby Bee who was still chattering and now showing Ama baby things in her color book, Ade had always found that book boring but it seemed that Ama was listening attentively.

Recalling his father's lessons on being a gentleman man Ade shoved an open hand towards the girl and had her jerking back in alarm. Finding her reaction discouraging but still powering on, he introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Adewale Cole, you can call me Ade."

Hoping the personal introduction would break the ice, it stunned hard when the girl ignored him completely and turned back to Baby Bee.

It surprised Ade, no one had ever ignored him that way, everyone wanted to be his friend and this new girl considered herself better than him? Ade was peeved, tucking his hand away he trudged angrily out of the game room and towards his room.

Whatever, he didn't care if she didn't want to be friends, he had plenty friends. In fact he never wanted to be friends with her, ever!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EIGHT ODD YEARS LATER.

He missed secondary school. Ade didn't believe he could ever admit that especially since it was barely three months since they'd graduated.

But he did, it wasn't necessarily his friends he missed, not when he still saw most of them on a daily basis. It wasn't the teachers either, he could happily leave the rest of his life never thinking about any of them.