Present day

"We are here madamme."

She needed a minute. She turned to the closest window to her and took in the sight of the almost filled parking garage. She could feel how cold her hands had suddenly become as she rubbed them against one another. She was not sure she could ever get used to getting to work every day. If it was left to her, she would rather have just remained home, but she was sick of it, sick of just being at home and not doing anything, sick of feeling useless and unable to help anyone.

She scoffed.

She could barely even help herself at that rate. Four months and the whole country was yet to settle with the idea that she was suing Randoil for what had happened to her parents. She could barely go through her phone without seeing herself on social media, on blog pages that made up whatever news they wanted to for traffic. The drama was endless and she had gotten twice the fame she once did years ago.

She was back to it, being the center of attention to some sort of social crisis. Her emails and phone never got a break from reporters trying to get her to grant them interviews. It was the same old news since the news about what happened with Randoil got out to the public. While some were supportive of her choice to seek justice for what happened, a huge amount, especially those that had benefited a lot from Randy and his charity works, were quite vocal of their mistrust in her. For all they knew, she was probably making up another story to destroy yet another family, "just like she destroyed the Andrews."

She had trolls all over her private messages on her social media calling her all sorts of demeaning names. She had gone to crying into her pillow every night, to pretending to be fine in the morning until she had become very numb to it. It didn't matter what she tried to do, it was starting to look like she could never run from the situation.

She let out a shaky breath as she reached for her nose mask from her bag. She got down from the car immediately, raising the strap of her bag to her shoulder and making sure it was firm on it. She didn't need to turn back to notice that she car had driven off.

They were there, just like every other day, protesters, doing what they had always done the past few months, harassing her. It was the same women in their late fifties showing up with huge cardboards and yelling the same things over and over again.

Randoil supporters.

Everyone knew how much Randal had gained from all the love and affection from the women in the markets especially after protecting it from getting demolished by the government. When it came to giving, Randal knew exactly the crowd he needed, he knew exactly the kind of investments he made and why he made them, it was for moments like this, moments where he needed the people to fight for him. It was how he ever gained their loyalty, by buying them.

"It's going to be like every other day Olivia."

She had repeated the same words over and over in her head until she had actually started to believe it. Her days were starting to be less normal by the minute. It was like she had gone from being the most popular person in the nation, to being just a regular citizen and then going back to be the most popular person in the nation again, and it was all for the wrong things.

She was never going to get used to the situation, to the idea of everyone talking about what they knew nothing about and somehow having an opinion about her life. But this was a situation she was quite familiar with.

"Block it all away and they would disappear." it was just like Amarachi always told her, but they never went away, the loud whispers whenever she walked into any room, the senseless gossips, and the endless cycle of celebrities, and reporters always somehow having her name in their mouths for relevance. It was crazy how she was getting all sorts of love and support, as well as hate at the same time, and the hate was what was really getting to her. She just wished she could have a normal life without any of the drama.

She lowered her head to her almost visible protruding belly. It was even harder now that her baby bump was starting to show. Just four months in and it was getting bigger than she had hoped it would, but at least not as big as it was when she was with Grace. It was going to be impossible to keep hiding it under big tops and dresses in a few months. Everyone was already starting to get suspicious and it was even harder now that she was the center of attention. Everyone wanted an exclusive news about her and knowing she was pregnant, if they didn't already know she was, was going to bring down the gates of hell on her.

She already had enough morning sickness as it was, and it didn't matter the amount of make up she had on to hide how pale her skin had gotten, she still felt sick inside. She just had to keep doing what she had to do till her bump became too visible so it didn't become too obvious when she suddenly decided to go under the radar. She let out a tired exhale and raised her head to the little protest that was happening in front of the building.

He watched her. Just like how he did every morning before he left to work, he watched her. He didn't have to see the look on her face but Rafael could already think about the many things that were going through her head. He could see how scared she was, it didn't matter how brave she tried to be, how confident she tried to be, he knew just how terrified she was to  be anywhere within the eyes of the public. It broke his heart each time he had to arrive at her work place before her and wait  till she came herself, just to watch her from the window of his car do the same things over and over again; practice how to deal with her anxiety.

"Would you like to go to her sir?"
He didn't have to turn to his secretary to know that he was watching him through the rear view mirror, asking him the same question he always did the past four months even when he already knew its answer.

Rafael would have loved to. He knew he would give anything to hold her again, to hug her and tell her that he was never going to leave her, that he was going to be there for her, to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't. He couldn't be seen anywhere close to her for both their good. He knew better, he knew that the only way he was going to handle the case better and go against his father was without people thinking he was biased because of his affection for her. He knew that being with her was only going to cause more problems for her, it was going to give the public all the more reasons to vindicate the rumors of her being the reason he was going after his father, and making him pay for his sins. She was only going to be constantly blamed for trying to ruin their family and for every decision he makes in court. Watching her from a distance was for her good, it was the only way he knew to protect her.

He watched her slowly wear her mask, it was her only shot at hiding herself from the recognition of the angry women outside. She was going to be okay, she had to be. He watched how she summoned all the courage she needed before she started to walk as fast as she could towards the small crowd to get to the front door of the news station. He had to make sure she was safe, he could feel his heart skipping multiple beats as she got closer, trying to hide her face, and stop herself from making eye contact with the women who kept shouting the same words over and over again, holding placards and posters up in the sky.

Talk about misplaced priorities.

He let out a relief exhale when she got into the building unnoticed. That was all he ever needed, to make sure she was safe and okay. It was the only way he could go about his day with the littlest amount of ease.

He took his gaze away from the window and back into the car. He shook his sweaty hands and turned to his secretary.

"Federal correctional facility, Kuje." He said and looked away before his secretary could even nod and start the engine.

The car drove off.