CHAPTER 66

CHAPTER 66

[MNOTHO]

I flip through Pinky's contract slowly, my jaw tight with anger. This woman has the nerve to beat Nikky, and then use the "I'm older than her" line to justify her savage behaviour. As if age gives her permission to raise her hand against my wife.
I need to deal with her. And I need to do it fast.
It's Pastor Zacharia's funeral today, and all my plans are already in motion. I was going to attend myself and see everything with my own eyes, but I decided against it. Nikky's aunt will probably be there, and if she sees me, questions will start. So instead, I arranged for someone to record everything for me. I want to see what happens without being seen.
The boardroom door suddenly swings open.
I look up, expecting Pinky.
But it's Brian.
He walks in calmly, closing the door behind him. I was ready for a confrontation, not this. I hope he's not here to try and change my mind.
"How's Nikky?" he asks, standing beside me.
"She's fine," I reply shortly. "Now she can focus on her dream instead of defending herself in this place." I shrug, but my irritation is clear.
"Come on now, no one is blaming Nikky here," Brian says, shaking his head.
I scoff softly. I never said anyone was blaming her. He's the one assuming.
"Pinky said she will apologise to Nikky," Brian continues carefully. "Don't harm her, please. We don't want anything to happen to her. It will point straight to Nikky as a suspect."
I slowly place the contract on the table and look at him properly.
"But she beat my wife," I say, my voice low and firm.
Brian sighs, running a hand over his face.
"I know. And Nikky slapped her back. Then they both started fighting. We have everything on CCTV," he says firmly.
My eyebrows lift in shock.
CCTV?
"I'm not saying Nikky wasn't supposed to defend herself," Brian adds quickly. "She had every right. But if anything happens to Pinky now, if we do something to her, the police will come for Nikky first. And we don't want that."
Silence fills the boardroom.
I stare at the contract again, but my mind is elsewhere.
This isn't just about pride anymore. It's about protecting Nikky from consequences she doesn't deserve.
I scoff and lean back slightly in my chair.
"Did Pinky delete those pictures of Nikky and Letsatsi? And does Letsatsi even know that your staff took pictures of him?" I ask softly, but there is steel in my voice.
Brian groans under his breath.
"Ugh… Letsatsi. He'll be pissed," he mutters, rubbing his forehead. "Don't worry. Pinky deleted all the pictures," he adds, trying to reassure me.
I stare at him.
So every time Nikky interacts with a man, Pinky takes pictures? And then threatens her with them?
Is that what she has been doing?
The thought makes my blood boil. That is not just jealousy. That is obsession. That is fucken manipulation.
I lift my eyes slowly and look at Brian.
"Don't worry," I say calmly. "I won't harm her."
He relaxes slightly.
"But she is going to pay," I continue, my voice firm and calm. "She is going to pay for attacking Nikky."
Brian watches me carefully now. He knows that tone. I don't shout when I'm serious. I become quiet.
"Please call that wrestler for me," I say, holding his gaze. "Please."
Brian hesitates for a second.
This is no longer just about a workplace fight.
This is about boundaries. And Pinky crossed one.
.
.
.
Pinky finally walks in.
Her eyes are filled with tears. Her hands are shaking lightly.
I scoff, already annoyed.
"Don't even bother sitting down. I won't be long," I say coldly.
She freezes where she is.
I glance down at her contract again, flipping through the pages slowly.
"You are supposed to be suspended and attend a disciplinary hearing," I begin calmly, then lift my eyes to look at her. "But honestly? That's just a slap on the wrist."
My voice stays calm and firm.
And those processes drag. They take weeks. Sometimes months.
I don't have weeks. I don't have months.
Not when it comes to my wife.
Brian will handle the workplace procedures. He can deal with the HR reports, the meetings, the paperwork.
But me? I will deal with her personally.
"Please… I…"
"Don't talk. I'll do the talking," I cut her off sharply.
She closes her mouth immediately.
"Letsatsi will know that you took pictures of him without his permission," I continue. "And we shall see how he chooses to deal with you."
Her eyes widen in fear.
I have Letsatsi's number. And I will personally send him a message. I will tell him everything. Why Nikky resigned. Why his name was dragged into nonsense.
"Please, Mnotho," she says desperately. "I didn't mean to cause harm. I was trying to protect you."
I laugh out loud. It's not even funny.
It's disbelief.
"Protect me?" I repeat, still laughing. "Protect me from who? My wife?"
She says nothing.
"This wrestler really thinks I'm a fool," I mutter under my breath.
"You were doing all this for yourself," I say, my tone turning hard. "Nikky told me everything. About the flowers you stole. About your plan to get me into your house. About all these sick games you were playing so I could break up with her."
Her tears fall faster now.
"You planned all of that," I continue angrily. "Just so you could replace my wife?"
Silence.
I look at her with pure disgust.
"Aren't you too old to be doing all this?" I ask coldly.
She thought this was a love story.
But this? This is consequences.
"Mnotho… I'm sorry, please…"
I raise my hand, cutting her off immediately.
"Mr Mlambo to you. Not Mnotho. We are not friends, Pinky," I warn her coldly.
Her lips tremble.
"This is what is going to happen," I continue. "You will draft a three-page apology letter to Nikezinkosi. Handwritten. It will start with me. I will read it first. And if I'm not happy with it, you will draft another one."
I say it calmly, without raising my voice.
She blinks rapidly, clearly not expecting that.
"Secondly," I continue, "I don't want you anywhere near Nikky. Don't come near her. Don't call her. Don't text her. If you fail to do so, you will be arrested. I will make sure the law handles you properly."
She sighs shakily, her shoulders dropping.
"But Mno, Mr Mlambo… why am I the one getting arrested? She attacked me too. If I go to jail, she should too," she says, her voice breaking.
I gasp in disbelief.
This woman.
"I dare you to get Nikky arrested," I say slowly, my tone turning dark. "I will turn your life into a horror movie. Don't play with fire, Pinky."
She freezes.
"Your children will pay for your sins. Don't cross me like that. They will kiss their bursaries goodbye," I warn.
She wouldn't dare.
I finally stand up and walk toward her slowly. Each step is calm. She shrinks back slightly.
"Lastly," I say, stopping right in front of her, "since I don't beat women, your male relatives will pay the price. Your brothers. Your male cousins. Your uncles and your ex-husband. Each and every one of them will pay. I will beat them up every day until I feel satisfied. And sweetheart, there is nothing you will be able to do about it."
She is shaking now. Her eyes move nervously across the floor.
"You should have never touched Nikky. And you should have never threatened her," I add firmly.
I will start with her brother.
"On a serious note," I continue, looking at her with disgust, "did you really think you and I would ever be a thing? You? A woman with no morals? A woman who goes around beating up women younger than her?"
She says nothing.
"Hayibo. Why would I take a wrestler to my mother's home? You would end up beating my whole family," I say, shaking my head.
"And don't worry about Nikky being a gold digger," I add coldly. "I love her like that. I love her exactly the way she is. She can dig as much gold as she wants from me."
I click my tongue in annoyance.
I should have been at home with Nikky. Instead, I'm here dealing with this mess.
What a waste of my time.
"I hope I made myself loud and clear," I say firmly. "Nikky will not be working here anymore. And thanks to you, she will now be focusing on bigger and better things."
Pinky says nothing. She just stands there, silent.
"And don't worry," I continue calmly, adjusting my jacket. "I'll send you an invitation to our wedding."
I pause for a second and look at her properly.
"Have a lovely day."
Then I turn and walk out without waiting for a response.
I need to inform Letsatsi about everything. He deserves to know his name was dragged into this nonsense. After that, I'm going home.
I want to spend time with my wife. I want to sit with her. Laugh with her. Remind her that she is safe.
Tomorrow morning, I will visit Pinky's brother.
And to make sure this entire family understands one thing clearly, Nikky is not to be touched. Ever again.
And if Pinky doesn't do exactly as she's told, then I guess I'll deal with her personally.
This time, carefully.
Without Nikky being suspected of anything.
Everything will be clean. Quiet and untraceable. She can choose the easy way.
Or she can force me to remind her why she should have never crossed my wife in the first place. Either way, this ends with me protecting Nikky.

•••

[NIKEZINKOSI]

Mnotho is back. I can hear him laughing loudly upstairs as I walk in. Diamond had gone back to work. I really hope she takes Konke's warning seriously, because I know how stubborn she can be. I also noticed her taking a call from Aunt Thembi, and my gut tells me she was asking Diamond to come to that family meeting.
I place a plastic of lemons on the counter. I need to inform Konke about that call. Mnotho laughs again, loudly. I wonder what he's watching that makes him laugh like this. Let me make this call and see what's going on.
I press call on Konke's number. I know Diamond will be angry when she finds out I called him, but I'm doing all this to protect her.
It rings for a while before he answers.
"Hello, Nikky. Sorry, I was a bit busy," Konke says politely.
"Okay, I won't be long. It's about Diamond. She got a call from her aunt, but she didn't tell me what was said. She took the call far from me so I wouldn't hear their conversation," I say. That makes it feel very suspicious.
Konke sighs softly.
"They are using her aunt now," he says, his voice worried. I don't know if I should inform Sboniso or not.
"What must I do? Follow her?" I ask.
He keeps quiet for a moment.
"No. Don't do anything. I'll send someone to look after her," he says.
I frown slightly.
"I wouldn't mind, you know," I mutter.
"No, it's okay. Diamond needs to learn the hard way. We'll let her attend that meeting, but don't worry, I'll keep her safe," he assures me. Mmh, I guess I'll have to trust him. He is a seer, after all.
"Thank you for informing me," he says politely and hangs up.
I really hope his people will keep Diamond safe. My phone pings, two texts from Aunt Lunga. She's telling me the pastor's body is missing, and the church almost buried a pig.
I blink and gasp softly. What the fuck??
Let me call her, I need to know what's happening.
It rings twice before she answers. I'm immediately greeted by commotion and screaming on the other side.
"Auntie," I say, confused.
"Nike, why are you calling me? I'm busy watching a movie here," she answers, clearly excited.
"What's going on? Where's Mom?" I ask, knowing she's freaking out.
Aunt Lunga bursts into laughter.
"Your mom is trying to diffuse the problem here. Zacharia's body is missing, and some Phara boys got in here and took all the food," she says, still laughing.
What?
"Really?" I ask, shocked.
"Yes, look, I'll call later," she says and hangs up.
I blink, confused. What the hell is going on here? Where would they even look for the body? I want to call my mom, but I know she's stressed out.
Mnotho laughs again. Jesus Christ. Let me go check on this man.
.
.
.
I find the bedroom door wide open. Mnotho is on the couch, staring at his phone and giggling softly. I walk up to him, and he looks up, smiling widely.
"Peaches," he says happily, like a kid in a candy shop. I sit next to him, and he hands me two sweets.
"Take, mango flavor," he says. I don't even like mango-flavored sweets, but I take them and throw one into my mouth.
"What are you watching? You've been laughing ever since I got here," I ask curiously.
He giggles and shrugs.
"I'm trying to order some greasy food, but the pictures are moving weird," he says, giggling again. I sigh and glance at his phone, there's nothing moving at all.
"Are you high or something?" I ask, taking the phone from him. "What do you want to order? Or I can cook anything for you. I'm bored," I add, putting his phone aside.
He shrugs, thinking hard. I thought he said he'd be at work all morning.
"Anything greasy, a smash burger, wings, and chips," he says. I blink, confused.
"So much food? Are you that hungry?" I ask, shocked.
He chuckles softly, touching his stomach.
"Yeah, I didn't eat. I could eat a whole cow if I could. I was busy cleaning up my wife's mess, since she decided to be Mike Tyson," he jokes.
I roll my eyes and lean on the couch.
"I said I'm sorry, baby. I was angry. Pinky was pushing my buttons," I say quietly. And also, his baby mama is the reason I was upset too. I haven't told him about Julia's call, I don't even know where to begin.
"I know. You did good by resigning. Now you'll focus on culinary school. Have you found a school yet?" he asks curiously, eating his sweets. He hands me another one, and I take it.
"Yeah, I have to decide which one to choose. I found two schools," I say, chewing the soft sweet. "And also, I need to tell that college that I'm dropping out, I owe them money," I add.
He laughs softly.
"How much are you owing them? And why didn't you tell me?" he asks, looking at me.
"Mnotho, I can't tell you everything. You know that, and I had it all under control," I say.
He chuckles.
"Really, Peaches? And what do you mean you can't tell me everything? Am I not your husband?" he asks, his voice low and curious.
"Husband? My family didn't even receive a chicken from you," I mutter softly.
Let me go get cooking. I don't even know if Bonga will sleep here or not after his mother's drama.
"Don't worry, I'll send cows even now if you want me to," he says, kissing my cheek repeatedly. "You should open a small restaurant too," he adds.
I've been thinking about that lately, but a restaurant is too much work.
"Maybe an online kitchen. Restaurants are too much work," I say quietly.
"True. And we don't want you stressed out, Peaches. That's my job to work hard and be stressed, not yours," he says, giggling, then climbs on top of me and kisses my forehead.
What's with all this giggling and laughter?
I stretch my hand and grab the packet of his sweets. I gasp softly when I notice what's written on it. I quickly push him aside. He screams a little, but he doesn't fall on the floor, I just push him back onto the couch.
"Mnotho!" I call out in disbelief. "Did you buy these sweets without reading the package?" I ask in horror.
He frowns slightly.
"Why? They taste nice," he says with a shrug.
Oh msindisi.
"Baby… these are edibles. Where did you buy them? Jesu, we are going to be high. You are high already," I say.
No wonder he was laughing so loudly. No wonder he said the pictures were moving. God, give me strength.
He just looks at me, confused, like I'm stressing over nothing.
I sink back onto the couch. There are only four yummy gummies left inside the packet. I don't even want to know how many he ate. And I ate them too.
"I guess I won't cook. I don't want to burn this house down. I'll just order now," I say with a sigh.
He giggles softly again.
After getting the food, I'll lock this bedroom. I need to make sure no one sees him like this, especially Bangizwe. If he sees his brother high like this, he'll blame me.
I look at Mnotho and throw myself onto his chest.
I can't even get mad at him.

•••

Mtho will tell his uncle the truth, and Nikky will have to forgive him.
He parks at the Lebese household. After talking to Julia, he will go straight to Bonga's workplace, take him home, and apologize to Nikky for what he did.
He hops out of the car and locks it. The gate is open. He doesn't see Ntate Khutso's car. Mtho huffs, annoyed. He wanted him to be here and hear what his wife did.
He walks into the yard confidently, hands in his pockets. He walks straight to the open door and steps inside. He hears giggles. He's in the dining room, and the giggles are coming from the kitchen.
He walks straight toward the kitchen. As he reaches the kitchen door, he pauses. Julia is with another woman. They are baking.
Mtho chuckles coldly.
The women both raise their heads. Julia freezes, her eyes widening. Mtho walks into the kitchen and picks up a scone. He looks at it with disgust.
"You call this baking?" he asks mockingly, then places the scone back on the tray.
"Who are you?" the other woman asks.
"Don't mind him, MaKhoza. This is a druggie that Mnotho is busy forcing Bonga to stay with," Julia says irritably, but the fear in her eyes never leaves.
Mtho scoffs. Those words don't do anything to him anymore. They no longer sting. He's been called worse.
"Mrs. Lebese, I'm here to address your stupid behavior, that call you made to Malumekazi yesterday, threatening her," Mtho says coldly.
MaKhoza blinks, confused.
"I wasn't threatening her. I was just telling her to know her place in my son's life," Julia hisses.
"She's Bonga's stepmother. She has a right to be in his life too," Mtho says quietly.
"She should give Mnotho a child then and leave mine alone," Julia says cockily.
Mtho's face hardens. He flips the tray of scones, and they fall to the ground.
"What are you doing?" MaKhoza asks, shocked.
"Even dogs won't eat these. Why don't you go and learn how to bake? You want to feed people nonsense?" Mtho asks angrily.
His eyes shift to Julia. He knows what Julia did. He knows she once called Mnotho and asked him to kick Mtho out of the house because she doesn't want Bonga staying with a "druggie."
"This is your final warning," Mtho says firmly. "Don't interfere in my uncle's affairs. And don't try to poison Bonga's mind just to hurt his stepmother. Bonga likes her. And you're married, aren't you supposed to be focusing on that? Why is your nose in my family business? You're not a Mlambo."
Julia sighs shakily.
"And you are? Why don't you go look for your dad?" Julia says, poking the wound.
Mtho's heart pounds hard.
"If it wasn't for Mnotho, you wouldn't even be here. So I have every right to my son. If it involves my son, I'm in. And he will have that launch party. I'm his mother. I know what's best for him. Tell that Malumekazi to mind her business and stop giving my son advice he doesn't need," Julia adds cockily.
Mtho just glares at her. He's too close to losing his cool. Everyone has secrets, Julia too.
Mtholephi smiles wickedly.
"Remember ten years ago? When Bonga was very sick? Huh? When you and Bangizwe were getting a little too close to each other? Oh…" Mtho says and chuckles softly.
"So watch your words and your steps, Mrs. Lebese. Or else we might need to do a DNA test for Bonga," Mtho adds, glancing down at the floor.
"Malumekazi can bake. If it wasn't for your ego, you would have called her and asked her for tips."
With that, Mtho walks out of the kitchen, whistling at his little victory.
.
.
.
"I told you, it was a misunderstanding, and I didn't know Ma was going to call Nikky," Bonga says softly.
Mtho just shakes his head and walks into the house.
"Where did she even get Nikky's number? Because I know Malume would never give your mother Nikky's number," Mtho says.
They both pause when they hear loud laughter upstairs.
"They don't sound angry," Bonga says hopefully.
Mtho scoffs and looks at him.
"That's because your dad doesn't know what your mother did. You need to go now and apologise to…"
Mtho gets cut off by the loud laughter again. He frowns.
"I wonder what's going on," Bonga says as he makes his way to the staircase. Mtho follows behind him, curiosity creeping into him.
As they reach the upstairs floor, the laughter is coming from the TV room. They slowly make their way there. The door is slightly open.
"Open it," Bonga nudges Mtho.
Mtho holds the doorknob and opens the door slowly. They both walk in quietly. The TV is off.
They see Nikky and Mnotho sitting on the floor, staring at a phone and laughing uncontrollably. They don't even notice Mtho and Bonga standing there, staring at them in confusion.
"Are they drunk?" Bonga whispers.
Mtho just shrugs, also confused.
"I guess I'll apologise tomorrow then," Bonga says and quietly walks away.
Mtho remains standing there, confused. He can't hear any voices or sounds coming from that phone.
"What are they laughing at then?" he whispers to himself, puzzled.
He slowly walks out and closes the door behind him.

•••

EARLIER HOURS THAT DAY…

Sylvia has been running around, trying to make sure everything is perfect. The funeral has begun, and people are singing and worshipping beautifully.
She smiles as she notices Sno standing with the catering ladies. The food has been prepared and arranged perfectly on the big long table.
"Oh, my child, you really did come through. Look, everything looks perfect here," Sylvia says proudly.
Ruth joins her and compliments Sno and the catering team.
"Thank you, Ma. I told you, they are the best in the business," Sno says, beaming with joy.
Ruth nods.
"Even the biscuits they baked were delicious. We should always ask you to help us, not Nike. She can go to hell with her baking," Ruth says.
Sno smiles with satisfaction. She feels above Nikky now, even at the church. Sylvia nods, agreeing with Ruth.
"True. You should join our church now. Be protected from bad energies. Don't listen to Nike, she's a liar. There's nothing wrong with our church," Sylvia says.
Someone laughs sarcastically behind them. Sylvia turns around. It's Lunga.
"You are so obsessed with Nike. She's not even here, but she's forever in your mouths. Gossiping about her at funerals too? She's really making all of you breathe through the wound," Lunga says, annoyed.
Sylvia huffs, pissed off.
"Busy here wearing big hats with feathers," Lunga adds, clicking her tongue before walking away.
Sylvia shakes her head. She needs to send this woman back to KZN.
Suddenly, they hear a commotion inside the tent. Both Sylvia and Ruth rush there and find Zacharia's uncle trying to open the coffin. People are shouting at him to stop, but he refuses to listen.
"There's no body here! Show me his body!" the uncle shouts.
"He looks drunk too," Ruth says in disgust.
Ruth rushes to the uncle, trying to calm him down, but she fails. Sylvia and another pastor rush in to help.
In the middle of the chaos, the coffin falls to the ground and bursts open.
A dead pig rolls out.
People start screaming. Ruth and Sylvia scream too, staring at the dead pig in pure horror.
"Where's the body?" Ruth whispers softly, sighing heavily in shock.
While Sno is trying to make her way to the tent to see what the screaming is about, she suddenly pauses. She notices more than five boys walking through the gate. They look dirty and rough.
She frowns as they stop in front of the long table, staring at the food.
"We are taking this food," one of the boys says, already reaching for the big trays.
"Hey! Hey! We don't sell nyaope here. Leave!" Sno shouts at them.
That immediately pisses one of the boys off.
"What did you say?" the angry boy asks, stepping closer.
Sno crosses her arms confidently.
"I said…"
Before she can finish her sentence, the boy suddenly pushes his dirty fingers into Snothando's mouth.
Sno gasps in disgust, gagging and trying not to vomit.
The boys quickly grab all the trays and rush out with the food while Sno desperately gulps water, trying to wash out her mouth.