Hating Nia
Chapter 12 Hating NinaNôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK. Andrea stared intensely at her phone as she refreshed the page repeatedly. But nothing seems to change. She cursed under her breath, suddenly anxious even though there was no need to. Nina is gone and will never get to live lavishly again. She made sure of it. A devilish smirk settled as she looked around the main bedroom. The next day, they had succeeded in chasing Nina away; she had the walls repainted and changed the entire design Nina had put in place. It is all hers now, as it should be. As an orphan, Andrea is quite curious about where she ended up. She had advised Asher to block Nina’s account and ensure she had no access to anything that would make her life any easier. They even blocked her to keep Nina from getting a job in any reputable food company. Andrea had the money to do whatever she wanted, and it was easy to convince everyone necessary. With all of this, she had expected to see Nina back at the door, begging for them to take her in. But to Andrea’s surprise, Nina is nowhere to be found. All the hospitals and mortuaries she had sent her men came up blank, and Nina has not made a post on Instagram. She kicked at the floor in desperation. “Where the hell are you, bitch!” She screeched. Asher walked in, taking off his tie. He has had a long day at work. “Hey, baby.” He mumbled, leaning forward to kiss her. Andrea moved her head to the side, avoiding his mouth. “Please don’t do that, and you are all sweaty.” The words hurt him, and his body reclined into its shell. “I have been under an air conditioner all day. There is nothing sweaty about him.” He snorted, making his way to the closet. She rolled her eyes, not feeling sorry. “So, have you heard anything from Nina?” She asked, following him to the closet. “Am I supposed to? Didn’t we agree that the minute she stepped out of the house, she would be out of our lives forever?” “Yeah, I know. But Nina has become our enemy, and we need to know she is not planning anything against us.” Asher snorted, yanking his shirt off. If it were someone else talking and not Andrea, who knows Nina, he would have attempted to argue. But it is a known fact that they are the only ones close to the family that Nina has. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Andrea pushed further. He exhaled tiredly. “What do you expect me to say? We already robbed her of everything-even her career. I have had enough. I can’t bother myself about where she is or whatever.” “Oh? So you miss her already? How am I so sure that you aren’t the one hiding her away? Is this what you intend to do to me after all the things that I have done for you?” Andrea yelled. “What are you saying, Andrea? I have listened to every suggestion and advice you gave me in the past three years. What makes you think I will change that now?” “Why not? After all, you probably want me for my money and nothing else.” He groaned inwardly, pulling at his hair. “Can you not do this, please? You know I fell in love with you, Andrea. I am just as rich as you are. What money are you talking about?” Asher watched as his words spun in her head. Only he knows just the right thing to say to bring Andrea back right where he wants her. Andrea pouted, dragging her feet towards him. “I am sorry, baby. I just had a lot of things on my mind. Nina is a sneaky bitch and can do anything she puts her mind to. We need to be sure she won’t be causing us any trouble.” He cupped her face in his palm. “She will never be. That lady practically has nowhere to go. She is probably in a home shelter begging for where to stay.” “Aren’t you worried about the pregnancy?” She pressed further. Something twitched in his heart, but he ignored it. “Not at all. There is no assurance it’s mine, and I trust you.” “I was shocked that you lied about your manhood. Is it true, though?” “Not at all. But knowing Nina, that was the only way to make her accept the denial. She can be quite stubborn.” Andrea nodded in agreement. “Yes, you are right. That refusal to back down is one of the reasons I despise her so much.” Asher felt an uncomfortable feeling inside of him, but he didn’t dare to express it, knowing it would only be at his disadvantage. He held up a tight smile. “Why don’t you get dressed while I freshen up to take you to dinner.” “Hmmn, that will be nice. But that stupid Tania made some lemonade this evening that came out nice, surprisingly. So I will go get it for you.” “That will be great. Thanks, baby.” He mused, kissing her. The minute she stepped out of the room, Asher locked the door behind and dialed his mother. Leila picked on the third ring. “I am having my beauty rest, Asher. What is the call for?” “This lady I am dealing with is crazy. The hate she has for Nina is overwhelming.” He whined in a muffled tone. Leila sucked her teeth into the receiver. “Didn’t you know that before thinking it is cool to cheat on your wife with her best friend?” “I wasn’t expecting it to go this far.” He defended. “That’s none of my business. It’s your mess; clean it up. And don’t forget getting in Andrea’s good books is the only thing left to save the family. Your supposed ex-wife wouldn’t have been able to help even if she worked like her butt off for a decade. So suck it up and manage your home well. Get off my phone, young man.” She snickered, ending the call. Asher let out a shaky breath. There is no need to panic. It will work out eventually, and he won’t need to worry about anything. Reminding himself it was for a good cause, he unlocked the door and headed for the bathroom, ignoring the slight guilt that tugged at his heart.