With a satisfied grin, Chibuzor picked up his newspaper, clearly enjoying the sight of her flustered expression, something he had not seen from her until now.
The maids served breakfast with a smile. Some of them who were bold and had started developing some levels of friendship with Olaedo secretly nudged her and whispered to her to make sure she eat well to nourish herself.
Olaedo's face turned several shades of pink as they did, but she did not resist. She noticed a particular maid blocking her from Chibuzor's sight and felt better that he couldn't see her embarrassment any longer.
Silently, she bit into her sandwich and sipped her tea, feeling the weight of their teasing yet unable to escape the playful embarrassment of the moment.
But then, Olaedo suddenly paused, her hands moving to her face as she started scratching furiously. Her cheeks turned an alarming shade of red.
At first, everyone, including Chibuzor, thought she was just feeling shy. But when she began gasping for air, panic set in.
The servants froze in their tracks, their earlier calm shattered. Whispers of worry filled the room as their gazes darted toward the Young Madam.
Was something happening to her and their potential young heir? They didn't dare act without instructions but stood poised, ready to help if called upon.
Chibuzor noticed something was wrong. "What's wrong, Olaedo?" he asked, rising from his seat and moving closer to her.
Amidst her allergic reaction, Olaedo couldn't respond. Her breaths came in gasps, her hands clutching at her throat as her face swelled.
Chibuzor, at a complete loss, handed her some water and reluctantly patted her back, thinking she might be choking. When it became clear that wasn't the issue, his jaw tightened. Without wasting another second, he picked up his phone and dialed his friend who had studied medicine.
"Olisa, could you come over as soon as possible? It's urgent!"
On the other end of the line, Olisa chuckled. "Urgent? You mean.."
"Just listen to me!" Chibuzor interrupted, panic creeping into his tone. "Swollen airways, sudden itching, redness, and bumps on the face, what do these symptoms point to?"
"What?" Olisa's voice turned serious. "That's an allergic reaction, you dummy! Where's the person's epipen? Inject it in the middle of their outer thigh! Hurry, man! And you made me rush out for this? Since when do you make such jokes? I'm going back home biko!"
Chibuzor didn't bother replying. Instead, he rushed upstairs to the third floor to find her epipen.
His mood darkened as he tore through her room, throwing things left and right. 'This woman is so disorganized, it's infuriating! Something as important as an EpiPen, and she doesn't even keep it in an obvious place!'
Finally, in her walk in closet, he spotted it tucked beside her shoe rack. Grabbing it, he bolted to the elevator, his fingers drumming impatiently against the wall as it descended.
Once back downstairs, he knelt beside her and administered the injection swiftly into the middle of her outer thigh. 'She better not accuse me of breaching clause 12 in the contract. I haven't even achieved my goals yet, and now she's trying to die in my house? How troublesome.'
After five to ten minutes, her breathing began to even out. Olaedo closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair to rest. She tried to make sense of the situation. 'How did this happen? I haven't had an allergic reaction in years… Wait... I'm not at home anymore. Someone must have given me something I'm allergic to.'
The servants were relieved to see their Young Madam recovering, but exchanged worried glances. They all shared the same thought: 'Who made the mistake?' None of them wanted to imagine the consequences, knowing how much the Young Master seemed to care for her. It seems like someone would be fired this early morning.
Chibuzor stood up and picked up his still connected phone. "Olisa, I've administered the epipen, but don't go back just yet. I need to make sure my wife is completely fine."
Olisa wanted to complain in anger, but then he heard the last sentence 'Wait....Wife?!'
Olisa's incredulous shout came through the line. "Chibuzor, did you just say wife? You traitor! You betrayed our Association of Single Men?! How could—"
Tu tu tu
Chibuzor cut the call, rolling his eyes. 'I don't remember ever joining your ASM. And it's not like I had a choice in this wife situation!'
Once he confirmed Olaedo was stabilizing, his expression turned cold as he called for all the chefs and cooks. "Gather here immediately," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I want to know who tried to kill my wife in her own house!"
No one dared to speak for the first few minutes, their trembling forms reflecting the weight of Chibuzor's icy aura. Finally, Chef Ezinne, the team leader, stepped forward. She glanced at her frightened staff, then took a deep breath and faced him. Silence, after all, would only make things worse.
"Sir, we are not sure how this happened," she began, her voice shaking. "One of my girls reported that Young Madam requested a simple sandwich and tea, so that's what we prepared for her."
Olaedo froze mid-sip, the glass of water poised at her lips. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind. 'When did I ask for a sandwich and tea? I thought they had just been preparing my food, unaware of my preferences.'
Chibuzor, too, looked surprised. Thinking back to the past three months, she had indeed only been eating a sandwich and tea or a simple dish during meal times. His brows furrowed as he thought, 'She only asked for a sandwich and tea again? Then doesn't that mean everything else on this table was prepared for me alone once again?'
He turned his piercing gaze to Olaedo, suspicion and curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Did you really only ask for a sandwich and tea again?"