Five hours later, the plane landed at Livingstone Airport. A taxi is booked which drive them home. Through out the way, Neither Grace nor Eddie said a word. Grace only leaned on his shoulder quietly.
" Turn left, driver." He ordered.
They took a direction to Grace's house, later after they drop Grace, he will proceed to his house. Spectators already informed the princess of their return as Soon as they entered the town.
" I can't wait to see your face, besty, when you learn of what happened to your dear family." She laugh out loud evilly.
In five minutes, the taxi is parked at the Sosala's house and Grace's bag is off loaded. The sound of the car made Mrs Sosala come out to check on who has come, only to find her daughter. upon seeing her mother, Grace run to embrace her. In her arms, she should no longer hold her tears, so is the mother.
Reuben was in the house all the while, he came out to receive her. The first person his eyes reached for is Eddie. For a while they stared at each other until one of them looked away. Reuben moved close to the emotional mother and daughter, tap on her back gently as a way of saying calm down.
Grace arose from her mother's arms and took the bag from Eddie, which Reuben took out from her hand.
" Welcome back son." hug with a cheek perk.
" Thank you. I have to leave, my family must be devastated, as your are." He walk back to the car.
They nodded in agreement.
" Bye honey, I will call you later." He entered the car and they drove off.
The driver was ordered to drive fast, within 30 minutes, he was home. The soon as he entered the door, Theresa run and jump on him in a hug. " I tried calling you bro, but to no avail. Why did you switch off your phone?"
" It could be the network failure, it was on all along."
" where is father and mother?" Eagerly askasked.
"The King invited them to the palace."
" I must go there." He turned to leave when they came in, looking pale.
" Son." broke into a hug.
" My mother." tightly hug her back.
And later turned to his father. " Daddy."
"Welcome back home son." Tap on his shoulder as he pass and sat on the couch.
Eddie make himself sit beside the father, "how did it happen, father?"
"I wish I have an explanation, son, but even now I don't have." Sighed
He as well sigh in sadness. " So how was it decided to Carter for the affected?"
Mr and Mrs Immakando looked at each other, then Mr Imakando decide to speak. " A loan of k100, 000 was borrowed from African development bank which helped with the hospital expenses as well as the burial for the 20 deaths."
" That's alot of money, father. How do we intend to pay back, such an amount? curiously asked.
" We still need more money to rebuild the hotel so that we start making money as soon as possible, or we will be forced to live in street." sadly sighed.
" Father you placed this house as a collateral
" We had no other choice than to place our houses in exchange for Money, the pressure was too much."
" Even the Sosala house is a collateral, eish." He kept silent for a while, thinking.
" The King has promised to help in one way or another, but he requested us to wait for a while, we don't know for how long." Rubbed his face with a palm in disappointment when he thought of the king's demand of him to place his son as a collateral to marry his daughter in order to be help.
It's a new day of a month since the incident happened. Time is running towards the replaying of the loan, yet no solution is found on how to repay the money in order to save their houses.
After pondering upon the king's suggestion, Mrs Immakando persuade her husband to follow the king's offer and betray his endorsement partner, Mr Sosala. What will happen to Grace and Eddie's love?
The princess is now on the mission of making her self noticed by Eddie before the news is made known to him. She visits regularly. Grace is kept blind of what is going on, the plot that her best friend is plotting against her.
Severally, she had visited the palace, yet had no chance to see her friend, not even anyone from the royal family, except for the guards whom they informed, never to let her have access to any member of the family.
Grace is wandering of what is going on between them, she left thinking about it all the way home from the palace. Instead of going straight home, she decides to pass by Reuben's place, he always makes her feel at ease.
Reuben was busy helping his mum, washing clothes. As the mother is washing, he is putting them on the line. Seeing how Happy a mother and her son her, Grace is overwhelmed with joy and longing. It was when Reuben turned that he spotted her.
"Grace, how long have you been standing there?"
"Does it matter, huh?" she smiled and suppassed him to his mom.
" Hello Grace, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine auntie and how have you been?" she made herself comfortable and grab a sit.
" How are your parents?"
"They are both fine."
Mrs Kumwenda excused her self to go get peggings leaving Grace and Reuben who remained splashing water on each other, playing around. The play continued that she couldworry no more.
Time is no longer on their side, few days have remained for Mr Imakando to convince his son in marrying the princess. He has pondered over the issue for too long and he saw it the right time to inform him about the arrangement.
" Son, come with me to the study room." He called him by the cellphone. In a minute, Eddie was sitting before his father.
He sigh, nervously as he brought up the issue. " Son, you are fully aware the crisis we are in, at the moment, right?"
in agreement, he nodded.
He continues, "The King is promising to repay our loan we got from the bank as well as helping us to renovate Protea, only on one condition..... stop for a breath.
" So what is he expecting in return?"
Once again,Mr Immakando took a deep breath then spoke. " He will be able to Help, on on the condition that you marry the princess within 7 days."
This news came to him like a double edged sword, pierced right on his heart. He immediately rose from the sit in anger. " What nonsense, father! you, of all people knows I have Grace in my life. Moreover, The princess and Grace are best friends or do you want to end their relationship? What about her father, your partner, are you also trying to betray him for the king's offer and cut ties with him, huh?"
" I want to do this for the sake of you and your sister! yelled. Or do you want to end up in street, like stray cats?"
" Tell me son, in your honest opinion, which is better, ending up in street, secure your future and protect your reputation or remain with that looser, Grace.....
" That same looser is the one my heart beats for! "shout on top of his voice. " Get this from me dad, not anything in this planet eat shall ever make me leave the woman I love. Not the king, nor you! " Walking out the door, his father yell at him, " The sooner you will put your senses together, the better for all of us, Young Man! Whether you like it or not, you will marry the princess!" kick the chair in anger.
On the way out, descending the stairs he meets the mother. " Tell me mum that you are not part of this conspiracy!" Shoking her.
" There's no any other way to do this, please understand. " a map of tear covered in her eyes. He turned his eyes and the princess arrived just at that moment.
With eyes fixed on her, he pushes the mother out of the way, moving forward, towards Lukundo. Standing before her, he spoke, " Is there no any conscious within your heart, that you desired the only thing that matters to your best friend, princess?" glaring in her eyes. The princess Left home running in tears. in He turned an angry eye, glaring at his mother.