Hard Man

44c

"Do you realize what you've just done? You stood in the same room with your sworn enemy, and you fucking let her go."
    — MG Damola.

"I love my mother so much, but sometimes I resent her. I don't go home often because seeing her reminds me of everything I robbed myself of."
— Des

"Please. Don't leave him."
— Mohammed

The silence that followed the General's words was deafening.

The MG stared at the General as if waiting for him to burst into laughter and say it was a joke. But that didn't happen.

"What the fuck did you just say?" The MG asked in the calmest voice.

The General pursed his lips. "Damola, I'm going crazy," he said softly. "That woman is Chioma's mother."

The MG walked across the desk until he was standing toe to toe with the General. "Do you realize what you've just done? You stood in the same room with your sworn enemy, and you fucking let her go."

"Don't you hear me? Damola, I said that's Chioma's mother!"

"And so fucking what?" The MG growled. "Huh? And so what? Do you not understand what's going on? All these while, that damned Boss was one step ahead of you, Baba. She fucking set you up with Chioma."

The ground swayed beneath Mohammed's feet at the thought of the General being betrayed by Des. He didn't want to believe it, but all indications pointed to it.

"No, no." The General shook his head. "Chioma had nothing to do with this."

"Don't piss me off, Baba!" The MG slammed his fist so hard into the General's chest that Mohammed winced with pain. "I warned you not to fall in love. Men like us don't love! You've been set up!"

"Damola. Chioma has nothing to do with this. —"

"Fuck!" The MG swiped his hand across the desk, sending everything tumbling to the floor. "You're telling me that it's a coincidence that the girl you're in love with is the daughter of the criminal organization that has hunted your life for over five fucking years? You're telling me that it's a coincidence! Hmm?"

Mohammed didn't want to believe it. But it was apparent it was not a coincidence. Chioma was in on this. Her behavior the day her supposed mother got kidnapped suddenly started to make sense.

"I don't believe in coincidences, Babalola. And you'll be stupid to believe it," the MG's voice was as hard as steel. Mohammed had never seen him so serious.

"This woman set you up with her daughter. You stood in front of her and didn't shoot her. Baba, five years ago, I walked into that fucking organization to you being operated on." He slammed his fist into the General's chest again. The General staggered.

"You are forever going to live with the consequences of that operation because these people drugged and set you up. I almost lost you to that fucking place. Yet, you stood in that room and didn't shoot her because you're in love with her fucking, two-timing daughter!"

The General grabbed the MG by his shirt, his eyes wild. "You will not speak to her like that."

"Get off me!" The MG pushed him away.

"Something is wrong here!" The General yelled, and Mohammed gasped in shock because it was so unlike him. "Chioma has no idea what's going on. You haven't seen her cry because of her mother, but I have. You haven't seen her worry because her mother was sick, but I have!"

"Oh yes, her mother is sick," the MG answered. "Sick in the head. And you know who else is sick in the head? You! I can't believe you were with a girl, and you didn't do a thorough background check on her."