The following morning, after breakfast, Mrs. Badmos decided to relax at home since Tiwa was also home. She only called her manager to give instructions based on their discussion the previous week. Meanwhile, Tiwa was still in her room, calling her assistant to check on work progress and informing Cynthia about her plan to meet with Chief D.
“Ahn, ahn, Anty, what changed? Yesterday, you nearly bit my head off over the phone, and now, all of a sudden, you want to meet with him? Did you have a vision or something?”
“Cynthia, stop joking, please. I looked up this so-called Chief D, and the guy is swimming in money,” Tiwa replied, trying to hold back a laugh. “And I figured we could actually do business together. He owns a blog, and we run an advertising agency, so we could help each other out.” 
“And by ‘each other,’ do you mean you and him or the company?” Cynthia teased in her usual cheerful manner.
Tiwa, tired of the teasing, began to laugh. “The guy is fine, sha,” she admitted.
They both burst out laughing before Cynthia added, “You’re going to need a killer dress for that meeting.”
Still laughing, Tiwa ended the call.
Peas in a Pod
On Wednesday morning, Tiwa informed her mom that she would be meeting with Chief D.
“What changed?” Mrs. Badmos asked calmly.
“I figured we might need each other in business,” Tiwa replied.
“Okay, well, when you’re done ‘needing each other’ in business, please remember I’ll be needing him for the family as well,” Mrs. Badmos added with a smile.
Tiwa stormed out of the house.
Meeting Chief D
After about two hours of driving, Tiwa arrived at Chief D’s office. It was a large, open space in a secured location, somewhere near a beach with a beautiful view, serene environment, and tight security.
About eight people were sitting in the waiting room: a man and his wife, whose 7-year-old son was hit on the head by a gun, a local trader who had been shot in the toe, and others with minor injuries that weren’t visible but had come because they needed money.
After waiting for a while, Danton came out of his office to address the audience. He looked good, despite wearing a simple outfit. After speaking, he instructed that each person be given one hundred and fifty thousand naira as compensation. Tiwa scoffed at the sound of that, while the others rejoiced.
Danton noticed her expression but remained silent until the others had left.
“A hundred and fifty thousand sounds ridiculous to you?” he asked when he approached her. “You look more than fine to me, and I should ask why you’re here, but I don’t want to be rude.”
“I’m not here for the money; I’m here because you’re going to need a business advertisement,” Tiwa said, standing up and extending her hand to shake his. “My name is Tiwa Badmos, and I work with C.C. Clint Advertising.”
“You work for Clint?” Danton interrupted, surprised. “You know what? Let’s do this over lunch; this place feels too serious for me anyway.”
Without waiting for her response, he hurried back to his office to grab his hat and sunglasses. Tiwa hated people like him—carefree and unpredictable. She was annoyed but kept her cool. As she was heading out, he appeared again.
“Don’t run off, young lady; we have a lot to talk about,” he called after her with a grin.
Tiwa continued walking toward her car, even though Mr. Bode had driven her there.
“Is that your driver? Please send him away; you’re riding with me,” Danton said casually.
Tiwa simply smiled, and Mr. Bode made a hand gesture, mouthing, “Take it easy,” before driving off.
They sat quietly in the back of Danton’s Bentley. Tiwa was busy texting Cynthia, while Danton kept trying to start a conversation.
“You wanted to talk, miss, but I don’t even know your name,” he said, growing impatient and tapping his palm on his lap.
“Chief D—or should I say Danton—I introduced myself earlier, but you weren’t paying attention. You were too busy handing out 150k to seven different people,” Tiwa replied with a slight edge in her voice.
“Actually, you’re also on the list,” he shot back.
There was a moment of silence.
“My name is Tiwa Badmos, and please don’t forget it this time,” she said firmly.
He gave a sarcastic laugh. “And how do you know my name? Oh, I see—you had to look up the generous man who wants to give you compensation for an accident he didn’t even cause? You’re very smart,” he chuckled again.
Getting Acquainted With Chief D
“Are you always this arrogant, or is it just me you’re trying to piss off?” Tiwa asked, her frustration evident.
“No, dear, I’m not arrogant at all,” Danton replied with a smirk. “You’re just too uptight for my liking, and I think you need to loosen up a bit.”
They had arrived at their destination. He stepped out of the car first, and Tiwa followed. As they walked in, Danton greeted nearly everyone from the entrance to their table. His secretary had already made the reservations.
“I’m going to need you to stay off your phone,” he said to Tiwa as they sat down. “No glancing at your wristwatch, and feel free to actually enjoy your meal.”
Tiwa was fuming inside but she kept her composure. The food arrived, pre-ordered by Danton, and they began eating while he peppered her with questions. Throughout the meal, Tiwa couldn’t stop thinking, What kind of man is this?
After about 10 minutes of conversation, Tiwa found herself sharing how she had lost her father and two brothers.
“Oh, so you used all three of them as sacrifices for your graduation, huh?” Danton said casually. “I hope you graduated with first-class honors, or that would be a waste of lives.”
Tiwa was stunned by his cruel remark; her anger barely contained, but Danton didn’t seem to care.
“You can ask me questions too if you like,” he continued, laughing. “I’ll tell you how I used my parents as sacrifices to get this wealth. Or do you think I’m just that hardworking?”
Tiwa was speechless, shocked by his nonchalance, while Danton burst into laughter, clearly enjoying her reaction.
“Listen, Tiwa, it’s okay to be hurt when you lose loved ones, but the most important thing is to live on. I’m sure they’d want that for you,” Danton said, his tone softening.
They finished their meals and ordered extra drinks while Tiwa shared her ideas, explaining how they could benefit both his business and the company she worked for. Danton seemed impressed and told her so, acknowledging the potential partnership with Clint Advertising.
“But me?” he added with a chuckle. “I can’t handle that office grind—going to work from morning till night? Nah, I need to live.”
“That’s because you’re an only child, and your parents already did most of the work,” Tiwa teased, a playful grin on her face.
Danton frowned slightly, looking offended. “So, you’re saying I didn’t work for most of my money?”
This made Tiwa burst out laughing, and soon they were both sharing personal stories, taking turns to open up.
It was already 4 p.m. “Oh shoot, I need to start heading out,” Tiwa said, standing up. “My mom will be back from the supermarket soon.”
“Look who’s calling me spoiled for living off Daddy and Mummy’s money, but you’re just a Mummy’s girl yourself,” Danton teased.
Tiwa hissed in response and grabbed her things. “I need to get a cab home. Mr. Bode is driving my mom back, and it’s a bit too far for me to wait around for him.”
“Oh no, don’t worry about that. My driver will take you home,” Danton offered. “Another car will pick me up later; I’ll just hang out here for a bit.”
When Tiwa got home, she acted distant and uninterested, hoping her mom wouldn’t ask why she had stayed out so long. But when her mom wouldn’t stop staring at her, she finally gave in.
“Okay, Mom, fine. We had lunch, and I did talk about business with him.”
“From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.? Tiwa, did you wait for business partners from China to arrive first?” her mom teased.
That made them both burst into laughter. Tiwa then told her mom everything about the day.
“But Ma’ami, 150k? I felt insulted,” Tiwa said, shaking her head.
“Don’t blame the young man,” her mom replied. “It’s the least he could do, considering he actually had nothing to do with the unfortunate incident.”
“Still, carrying that much cash around?” Tiwa added.
“That’s why he’s called ‘Chief’,” Mrs. Badmos said with a chuckle, and they laughed again.
