Tina recalled how her friend Prisca had once tricked her into following her to meet a friend, insisting they would only be gone for a few minutes.

"Please, Tina, come with me to see Sharon. I promise we won’t stay long—just a few minutes. Please don’t say no," Prisca pleaded.

Tina agreed and accompanied Prisca outside her father's house to see Sharon.

Prisca knew that if she had been honest with Tina about wanting to date Patrick, Tina would have declined.

Tina had repeatedly stated that she didn’t want a boyfriend. She wanted to maintain her virginity and not disappoint her struggling mother, who had been working hard to feed her and her two younger brothers after their father left them without any support.

When they stepped onto the village road, Prisca flagged down a bike and pulled Tina onto it before Tina could change her mind.

Upon arriving at Sharon's apartment, Tina surveyed the house's exterior and felt uneasy. She noticed a dark man emerge from the house and walk toward the exit gate to greet them.

As he approached, Tina's heart raced; he excitedly embraced Prisca, and she felt uncomfortable when he stared at her before leaving.

"Prisca, why don’t you just call Sharon and let her know we’re waiting outside?" Tina suggested.

Prisca, aware that Sharon was not home yet, responded, "No, Tina, we need to go inside the house and wait for her to arrive." Ignoring Tina’s suggestion to call, she walked up to the front door and unlocked it without knocking.

Tina swallowed hard as she stood aside, staring at Prisca and regretting her decision to follow her, especially since she didn’t know the way back to her own village.

As Prisca opened the door, she paused and urged, "It’s not safe to stay out here alone, Tina. Come inside. It’s Sharon's brother's house. We’ll wait for Sharon."

"Sharon's brother's house?" Tina frowned, echoing Prisca's words. Prisca had never mentioned they were going to Sharon's brother's place; Tina thought they were visiting Sharon at her family home.

Tina frowned deeper, blaming herself for following Prisca. She didn’t even know how to return to her father’s house, so she reluctantly stepped into the attractive bungalow.

Prisca Johnathan felt thrilled to see Sharon's brother, Patrick Scott, a handsome 25-year-old man who emerged from the kitchen wearing only shorts, surprised by Prisca's visit.

Patrick's eyes brightened when they fell on Tina Praise, who stood at the entrance. He hadn’t expected Prisca to come over with a friend.

He recalled his attempts to win Tina's affection, all of which had failed as she consistently rejected him, claiming she wasn’t interested in a relationship.

Without hesitation, Prisca rushed up to Patrick and hugged him warmly, causing him to stumble back onto the nearest blue couch, where she perched on his lap, leaning against him with a sweet smile.

However, Patrick’s attention remained on the anxious Tina, who clung nervously to the entrance. Noticing her reluctance to move, he excused himself from Prisca and said, "Prisca, why don’t you sit on the couch? Let me properly welcome you and your friend. She seems uncomfortable, and I’m still cooking."

"Okay, Patrick," Prisca replied, finally moving off his lap to sit beside him on the couch.

Patrick then rose from the blue couch, of which he had seven in his living room, and approached Tina, who still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

He recalled how she always ran away whenever he tried to woo her. He had once asked his younger sister, Sharon Scott, to speak to Tina for him.

Sharon, who attended the same school as Tina, declined. At 16, Sharon had been involved with various men and carried herself in a way that made her seem older than her age. She had bluntly told Patrick, "Tina and I are not friends, and you can't expect me to walk with that local girl. I won’t talk to her for you."

Patrick remembered begging and bribing his sister until she finally introduced him to Prisca. However, Prisca misinterpreted his intentions and thought he wanted a relationship with her. Patrick often saw Prisca and Tina walking together down the village road when he drove home to visit his parents.

He lived in a nearby city, different from Tina’s village.

Patrick had asked Prisca, "Prisca, what about your fair-skinned friend I see you walking with?" Prisca had assumed he was merely curious and responded, "You mean Tina Praise? She doesn’t have time for guys or relationships. Forget about her. Tina is always home taking care of her brothers or doing her homework; I can’t bring her here to see you."

Patrick understood that Prisca believed he wanted her instead, although he realized that she and Sharon both engaged in casual relationships for money.

He refrained from asking Prisca more about Tina, instead giving her gifts for her friend each time she visited, hoping she would bring Tina along when she came to see Sharon.

Now, here they were.

Patrick finally approached Tina and said, "Hi, pretty lady. I apologize that your friend hasn’t introduced us properly. I'm Patrick Scott. Please, have a seat." He gestured toward one of the seven couches in the living room, but she remained rooted by the door, remembering that he was one of the men who had pursued her for a relationship.

Tina glanced at Prisca, who turned away out of jealousy, rolling her eyes back at Patrick.

Patrick again gestured for Tina to sit, but she stayed by the door, unresponsive until he repeated, "Please, take a seat."

Finally, Tina stepped away from the door and sat on one of the blue couches in the living room, closer to the exit, feeling anxious about being in a man's house.

Patrick smiled as he watched Tina finally settle onto one of the couches. He remained in his boxer shorts, his muscular chest exposed.

Prisca then stood up from the blue couch where she had been sitting and walked over to Patrick. She clasped his right arm with both hands and said, "Why don’t you leave my friend alone, Patrick? Let’s go inside and enjoy ourselves since Sharon isn’t home yet?"

Patrick frowned as he looked at Prisca. At 25, he recognized that he was doing well for himself and owned the house. He understood that Prisca wanted only sex and money from him, and he had consistently rejected her advances, declaring his interest in Tina instead. Yet Prisca continued to pursue him, hoping he would eventually date her.

Finally, Patrick freed himself from Prisca's grasp and said, "No, Prisca. Let’s make your friend feel comfortable. I'll go get you both some drinks." He excused himself from Prisca and headed into the corridor to put on his clothes and fetch drinks for them.