Melodies of Love: The Obi siblings, #1

By Amaka Azie

After her teenage romance with now popular music star, Aristar, ended in a disastrous heartbreak twelve years ago, Adaora finds herself thrust back into his life when her financial firm is employed to organise Aristar's finances. She has a fortress built around her heart and finds it hard to trust. Can she forget the bitter past and allow love to find her once again, or is the past enough to shatter her dreams of happily ever after forever?

 

 Ikenna, one of Nigeria's highest paid musicians, is finally at the top of his game. He has fame, more money that he could ever dream of, and the life he has always wanted. He seems to have it all, but something is missing. Despite all the women who persistently threw themselves at him, the one person he can't seem to forget is Adaora. He has manipulated events to bring her back into his life, but will he be able to convince her to give them another chance, or will the bitterness of the past destroy their chance at happiness?

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amaka Azie
• Release date: Nov 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798224561094

Book preview

Chapter One

Adaora glanced out of the backseat window of the company car as it rolled through traffic at a slow pace. She could almost feel the perspiration trickling down her back.

She stretched her neck to look at the thermostat. It was at the lowest alright. So why was she feeling so hot? Did it have anything to do with the fact that her insides felt like they were tied up in knots? Maybe. She took one of the documents out of her handbag and began to fan herself rapidly.

Lagos traffic had not eased even though it was about nine-thirty in the morning. People were supposed to be at work by this time on a Monday morning. That’s why she usually fixed her meetings to take place after nine.

She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. It seemed like this was going to be a while, so she might as well relax. Except that, she could not relax. The meeting was with Ikenna Kanu. Well, she knew him as Ikenna, but the rest of Nigeria knew him as the one and only Aristar, famous musician slash entertainer.

Adaora could not believe that she was going to see him again. She had spent the last five years stalking him on Instagram, and now she was going to be seeing him face-to-face for the first time in twelve years.

She lowered her gaze to her iPad mini and resisted the impulse to look at Ikenna’s Instagram page again. She had been on his page the day before, using the fake account she had opened for that very purpose.

Ikenna had an entertaining page. It was filled with pictures of his various music projects, or of him with different women, who in her opinion, looked like hoes and video vixens with no brain cells. They were always scantily clad with big asses, big breasts, long fake hair and cheap nails. And the scandals, they were aplenty. Last year, she had read from a famous Nigerian blog that a lady had gone to the press claiming that he had fathered her child. A DNA test had however discredited her claims. Still, Adaora thought they had to have been close enough for the lady to even have the audacity to claim that Ikenna was the father.

Glancing at her wristwatch, Adaora realised that it was now nine forty-five. She had fifteen minutes to get to the meeting before she would be late.

Are we close? She asked Augustus, her assigned driver.

"We don almost reach madam, he replied. You no go late."

Adaora sighed. She hated being late, but, with Lagos traffic, it was nearly always the case.

Her mind drifted back to Ikenna. Is he seeing anyone? She wondered. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. Her finance firm had been hired by his team to manage his finances. She was surprised to have been given the lead on the project. Adaora wondered if he knew that she worked at the firm, and if he had anything to do with this assignment.

She looked down at her iPad mini again and smiled. Her mind wandering to years ago when he was her mathematics tutor. Her father’s driver’s son. Her father had hired Ikenna to help her prepare for her A-level exams. She was a naive sixteen-year-old girl at the time, and she fell in love with him the first time she laid eyes on him.

She remembered being enthralled by Ikenna’s appearance the evening her father introduced them. Adaora was not sure what she had expected to see in a maths tutor, but she had certainly not expected the gorgeous guy who stood in front of her. He was tall with dark brown skin, had a thick afro that framed his long face, and a smile that revealed even white teeth. To her, his most attractive features were his thick eyebrows and his beautiful golden eyes. Adaora remembered what she had felt the first time she saw him. Entranced.

From that meeting, Adaora had known that he would come to mean a lot to her, but she could never have guessed how much. She had never been attracted to anyone before meeting Ikenna. And now, at twenty-eight, even twelve years later, she was yet to meet anyone who had that kind of effect on her. Ikenna had captivated her naive heart and the effect had been long-lasting. She had dated three different guys since their romance had ended. She had even come close to a serious relationship with her last boyfriend, but something always pulled her back from opening up completely. She knew deep down in her heart that Ikenna was the reason for her reservations. He had shattered her heart when he left her that fateful night before she travelled to London for university twelve years ago.

Adaora’s father, Chief Ofor Obi, was one of the richest men in Enugu. He made most of his fortune from importing and exporting cars. He also had a popular transportation business. His buses travelled the roads from Enugu to Lagos and Abuja, and other major cities across Nigeria. Adaora was his only daughter and the last of three children. She lacked nothing. Her twin brothers, Nnamdi and Chuma, were eight years older than her and had both been in London obtaining a master’s degree in business at the time. Adaora's mother had died from an anaphylactic reaction to a medication when Adaora was two-years-old. She still carried a picture of her mother in her wallet. It made her feel connected to her in a strange way, even though she had no real recollection of her. From what she had been told, her mother had the kindest heart and had looked just like her. Her father had never remarried and even though Adaora knew he enjoyed an active social life, he had yet to meet someone he wanted to marry. So for the longest time, it had been the four of them against the world; Her father, her older twin brothers and herself. Until Ikenna.

"Madam, we don reach o!" Augustus announced with a sigh, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at her watch. It was nine fifty-five. Adaora felt her heart rate pick up again. She was going to be in his territory now. She was going to see him again. Will he be here, or will he send someone instead? Did he set this up? Would he even remember me? These questions raced through her mind as she stepped out of the car.

She looked at Ikenna’s four-storey office building. Impressive, she thought, admiring the building’s architecture. It was modern with just enough culture to give it a genuine Nigerian feel. At the top of the building, a huge sign with Aristar Studios written in big bold gold letters swivelled against the wind. The walls of the building were made of marble, and the roof was designed to look like the head of a lion. Adaora smiled looking at it. How appropriate, she felt like she was actually entering a lion’s den.

I go wait for you outside madam, the driver said.

Thank you, Augustus, Adaora said, handing him five hundred naira. Here, go and buy some breakfast for yourself. He thanked her, bowing his head many times.

Adaora walked into the reception area. I'm here to see Mr Kanu or members of his team. I'm the finance advisor from Zenith firm.

Oh, welcome, Miss Obi. We’ve been expecting you, the receptionist said, smiling back at her and picking up the phone. I’ll let him know you are here.

Adaora studied her as she spoke on the phone. She was an attractive light-skinned young lady, whom Adaora guessed was perhaps in her early twenties.

He’ll see you now Miss Obi, the receptionist finally said, hanging up the phone and standing to her feet. If you will please come with me.

Adaora followed her.

I hope you found your way here without any problems, the receptionist asked Adaora with a smile. I know the traffic is bad around here, but where in Lagos is there no traffic eh? Adaora simply smiled back at her. What a delightful receptionist Ikenna had. The thought of being so close to seeing Ikenna got her heart racing all over again. She tried to steady her nerves as she followed briskly behind the receptionist.

Finally, they came to a door. It opened up to reveal a large studio with many computerised musical machines and a big state of the art modern-looking equipment. Adaora had no idea what any of them were, but she was impressed.

Miss Obi is here, Mr Kanu, the receptionist announced.

Adaora walked into the room, her heart pounding. There he stood. Right across the room from where she stood close to the doorway, Ikenna was holding a saxophone. Their gazes locked for a few seconds.

Thank you, Mary, Ikenna said to the receptionist who smiled and left them alone. Ada! Ikenna turned to her with a huge smile "Na you be this? Long-time no see!"

∞

Ikenna’s heart lurched in his chest. It had been twelve years since he’d last seen Adaora. She was still beautiful. His mind had not prepared him well enough for today even though he had planned this meeting for the past four months. He studied her as she stood across from him. She was still petite, about five feet four inches, barely reaching his chest, but she was no longer thin. Her body had matured into lovely curves which suited her small frame. Her blue silk blouse with colourful embroidery at the top hugged her slender waist, and her black knee-length skirt fitted her round hips perfectly. She looked confident. His eyes roamed to her feet which were perfectly tucked into a pair of blue four-inch heeled stilettos. It gave her some height, but it was still not enough to match his slightly-above-six-feet height. He had always towered above her. At one time, she had told him that it made her feel safe.

Ikenna looked at the face that had haunted him for the past twelve years. Her beautiful heart-shaped face, her dark luminous eyes which were large for her face, her small nose and full lips coated with pink lip gloss. Lips he had kissed countless times, twelve years ago, until they were swollen. Lips he had a sudden uncontrollable urge to kiss now. Her hair was done in tiny braids which she had packed into a single bun. She had always liked braided hair. His Ada, the girl who had driven him to succeed because he never felt like he was good enough for her. The girl who made him feel insecure. The only girl who made him want to be better.

Ikenna… she whispered with a smile, jolting him out of his reverie. I can see you are still never without your saxophone!

He came forward and embraced her. She pulled back quickly after a few seconds and he noticed that her eyes shifted uncomfortably and the pulse at the base of her neck was beating fast.

The brief contact with her had set his body aflame and Ikenna felt like a teenager with his first crush all over again. She had always had this effect on him, reducing him to a bundle of nerves. After twelve years, being near her still made him lose control of his emotions. He was a millionaire now for goodness sakes! He had attained the kind of success most Nigerian musicians could only dream about. He had almost everything he had ever wanted, but he still did not feel good enough for her. He could have any woman he wanted. Women threw themselves at him all the time. What was it about Adaora?

Let's go into the conference room, Ikenna said, finally breaking the silence. I will get my staff ready so we can get down to business.

It was safer to dive straight into the reason for their meeting, rather than try to analyse why he felt the way he was feeling around her. Adaora studied him as he placed his saxophone in the carrier box and made a call. He looked handsome in a loose African print shirt and a pair of jeans. He was about six-feet-two-inches, with broad shoulders and a muscular chest, which even the loose-fitting shirt could not hide. She had seen countless photos of him shirtless on Instagram and in his music videos, and she had noticed how well-chiselled his body was, but seeing him up close now … wow, he was stunning. His Afro-combed hair was still as thick as ever, if not much thicker. Flashbacks of the times when she would run her fingers through his hair while they kissed passionately, ran through her mind. To add to that, he had now grown a neatly trimmed moustache and beard which framed his mouth nicely, giving him a sexy look.

She observed his thick lips as he spoke into the phone. His lower lip was slightly fuller than his upper lip, it increased their sensual appearance. Adaora looked up from his lips, and their eyes met. Those eyes! Light brown with flecks of gold contrasting with his dark brown skin. His eyes had always mesmerised her. Ikenna caught her staring and a warmth rushed to her face. She immediately darted her eyes away.

Ada let's head to the conference room now. They are already there waiting, Ikenna said, guiding her out of the room and into a large conference room where three men and two ladies sat waiting around a long mahogany table. Ikenna introduced her to them. Uche, the thin tall man sitting closest to the entrance, was his manager. The other two, Kola and Amaka, were his producer and image consultant respectively. His personal assistant, Ndidi, was also present in the room, and so was Toni, his other music producer & songwriter. Adaora noticed that there seemed to be an atmosphere of camaraderie in the room. It was a level of comfort that she sensed, and it instinctively told her that they were all good friends. They welcomed her warmly, but Adaora could not help but sense an immediate dislike coming from Ndidi. It was in the way that she flashed her eyes at her.

The meeting went well, investment ideas were passed around, and files were handed to Adaora to begin the process of looking into Ikenna’s finances. She intended to study them later so that she could provide him with the best financial advice.

Ikenna did not say much during the meeting. He listened with rapt attention to Adaora’s suggestions and watched his staff’s reactions to what she said. Yes, he had to admit that he needed her help. He was a generous man by nature and, because of his poor background, he felt the need to help people get out of poverty too. Unfortunately, most of the time, people took his kindness for weakness and tried to take advantage of him. A part of his charity projects included paying the school fees of over ten people from his hometown, Aba. Ndidi, his personal assistant, handled most of the transactions for him, including his other charity projects, but he was losing money and needed to