Episode 7: Breakfast And Heartbreak
Everyone had gathered for breakfast. Olamide had also brought Tunde, and Gold had prepared pancakes with egg omelette, which she was about to serve.
Upstairs, still in his bedroom, Tunde stood by the window, unable to shake the thoughts that had been haunting him since the night before. He remembered the way Gold had looked when she stepped out of her room—beautiful, graceful, her presence unexpectedly captivating.
For a brief moment, something had flickered inside him, something he refused to name. But then he reminded himself—she wasn’t the woman he wanted to spend his life with. That place belonged to Amara, or at least to the version of her he still clung to.
He also recalled their playful banter from earlier, the way she had matched his sharp words without flinching, and how that had unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
And then it struck him—if his plans to push her away continued to fail, if she kept slipping past his defenses, the worst could happen. He could end up falling for her, slowly, without even realizing it.
That thought scared him more than any business failure ever could. Shaking off the unease, he straightened his shirt, forced his usual cold mask back into place, and finally headed downstairs to join everyone for breakfast.
Everyone settled around the dining table. Gold had worked hard all morning, preparing breakfast with Aisha’s guidance. The table was filled with steaming dishes — pancakes, egg omelettes, and fresh juice. The smell filled the entire kitchen.
Aisha took the first bite and her eyes lit up. “My daughter, this is wonderful! So tasty!”
Bukola nodded eagerly, already reaching for another pancake. “Sister-in-law, you’re an amazing cook! You have to teach me!”
Gold blushed, her heart swelling with happiness. She had been so nervous, but seeing the family enjoy her food made all the effort worth it. Her eyes instinctively looked toward Tunde.
He hadn’t touched anything yet. He was just staring at his plate, his expression unreadable.
“Tunde, eat something,” Aisha urged. “Gold made it especially for you.”
Tunde picked up his fork reluctantly. The entire table went silent, waiting for his reaction. He took a small bite of the omelette and chewed slowly.
And then — his face twisted.
He dropped the fork with a loud clatter, making everyone jump.
“Yuck! What is this?” he shouted, pushing his plate away. “It’s so salty! And the pancake is raw! How can you call this breakfast?”
Gold’s face went pale. Tears immediately filled her eyes.
“Tunde!” Aisha scolded, her voice sharp. “What has gotten into you? The food is perfectly fine. Bukola and I are eating it without any problem!”
“It’s fine for you,” Tunde said coldly, not looking at Gold. “But I have standards. I can’t eat this garbage.”
The word “garbage” hit Gold like a slap. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Her eyes blurred with unshed tears.
“My daughter, don’t listen to him,” Aisha said gently, patting Gold’s hand. “He’s just in a bad mood. Ignore him.”
But Gold couldn’t ignore him. She stood up quickly, her chair scraping against the floor.
“Excuse me,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
She ran out of the dining room, her footsteps echoing as she ran upstairs. The moment she was in her room, she shut the door and slid down against it, tears streaming down her face.
She had tried so hard. She had hoped to have a nice breakfast with her new family. But nothing she did was ever good enough for Tunde.
Downstairs, the atmosphere had turned cold.
Aisha glared at her son, her eyes burning with anger. “Tunde, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but that girl is your wife. You have no right to humiliate her like that!”
Tunde sat still, staring at his untouched plate. His jaw was tight.
Bukola shook her head. “Brother, that was so mean. She worked so hard. And for what? For you to break her heart?”
“I didn’t ask her to cook for me,” Tunde said quietly, but his voice didn’t sound as harsh as before.
“Get out of my sight,” Aisha ordered. “And think about what you’ve done. It isn’t her fault that Amara ran away on her wedding day. She did what she did because she wanted to save our family’s reputation. She came into this house alone, leaving everything behind. The least you can do is be kind to her.”
Tunde pushed his chair back and walked out. But instead of going to his room, he found himself standing outside the bedroom door.
He could hear Gold’s soft sobs from inside. His hand lifted to knock — but stopped halfway.
His heart was pounding. His throat felt tight.
Why did he say those things? The food was amazing. He knew it the moment it touched his tongue. It was the best meal he had ever eaten.
But that was the problem.
He couldn’t admit it. He couldn’t let her know that she was getting under his skin. That every time he looked at her, his defenses crumbled a little more.
Just then, Olamide appeared from the end of the hallway. He had been looking for Tunde and stopped when he saw his brother standing frozen outside the bedroom door. Olamide could hear the muffled cries from inside—Gold was crying. His face showed concern.
Olamide: “Tunde? Are you okay?”
Tunde quickly dropped his hand and straightened up, his mask sliding back into place.
Tunde: “I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”
Olamide looked at him for a moment, not believing him. But he didn’t push.
Olamide: “We’re running late for work. The morning meeting is in forty minutes.”
Tunde nodded, happy for the escape. He turned away from the door without looking back, but the sound of Gold’s sobs stayed in his ears as he walked down the hallway with Olamide.
At the Office
At the office, Tunde and Olamide had arrived. Everyone there was scared of Tunde because of his short temper. Any mistake could get them fired.
As soon as Tunde entered, the office went quiet, and everyone focused on their work. Tunde went straight to his cabin, with Olamide following him.
Tunde: “Any updates about Amara?”
Olamide: “No, I haven’t started yet.”
Tunde: “What? But we talked about this yesterday!”
Olamide: “I know, but I wanted you to think it through. If you find Amara, what will you do? Will you end your marriage with Gold? And will that make everyone happy?”
Tunde: “I don’t know, brother. I just need answers, no matter what.”
Olamide: “Okay, I’ll look into it.”
Just then, Fred, Tunde’s assistant, entered.
Fred: “Congratulations on your wedding, sir!”
Hearing this, Tunde glared at Fred, who immediately fell silent and looked toward Olamide for help.
Olamide signaled for him to stay quiet.
Tunde: “What about today’s meeting? Quickly tell me.”
Fred: “Yes, sir! Your meeting is at 5 PM today. All the files are ready; you can go through them.”
Tunde: “Fine. Leave them here.”
After handing over the files, Fred left the cabin, and Olamide got busy with his work.
At the Adeyemi Family Mansion
Tunde couldn’t stand staying in the same room as Gold. Every time she entered a room, he felt his chest tighten, his carefully built walls threatening to crack. Her presence made him feel uneasy in ways he refused to understand. He couldn’t handle the way her eyes followed him with quiet patience, or how her gentle voice seemed to break through his cold exterior.
So he avoided her completely—no shared meals, no casual talks, no accidental meetings in the hallways. Just the thought of being alone with her made him uncomfortable, not from hate, but from the scary possibility that he might actually start to like it.
So he started spending more and more time at the office, often coming home late at night. He would even avoid eating at home, making up different excuses.
Gold understood that Tunde was doing all this on purpose, but she couldn’t do anything about it. By the time she woke up in the morning, Tunde had already left for work, and at night, he would return late and sleep in a different room.
Everyone at home hoped that Tunde would one day accept the marriage.
They were happy that he hadn’t married Amara, as they believed a girl who disgraced her family once could do worst again.
However, Tunde wasn’t ready to accept this. He was still waiting to find Amara, as his mind was full of questions that had no answers.
Days passed like this. Tunde and Gold barely talked, but Gold had fit in well with the family. Everyone loved her because of her kind nature. While Gold’s loneliness was getting better, Tunde’s coldness continued to hurt her deeply.
One day, Aisha and Kunle were sitting in the living room. Kunle spent most of his time at home since Tunde and Olamide now ran the business.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“How could you get Tunde married without me?”
Everyone turned toward the door, wondering who it was.
To Be Continued…
Who do you think it is? And why are they saying this? This household already has enough problems, and now someone else has arrived. Will this person make the distance between Tunde and Gold worse, or will they bring them closer?