It’s true what they say about ruthlessness being a learned trait. Being forced to play shadow to his own father while fending off his enemies couldn’t have been easy for Cali but mans held his own and despite all the anger, there’s a spark of sensitivity in there. Here’s why we think so.

Honour is worth fighting for

Let’s be honest, sha! While the law serves as a manual to help distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust, the lines are often blurred when it comes to protecting all that one knows and loves. Being an heir to the illicit Iwinosa throne, Cali’s education came from his father and all he learnt was to defend the Iwinosa honour at all costs, even if that meant shedding blood and cutting lives short. There was never enough time for the young man to sit down and ponder on all that he’s done and decide what was correct and what wasn’t. Blood took precedence and according to the family principle, protecting your own is a good that outweighs the rest.

By blood, for blood

The wedge that existed between street smart Cali and book smart Enakhé can never be ignored. Cali knows the ins and the outs of the family business, including what corners they control and what their jurisdictions are; while on the other hand, Enakhé could only differentiate between liquid and non-liquid assets, calculate investment risks and study the commercial market for the benefit of what she initially thought were legal business. Not to mention the continuously evolving animosity that existed between their mothers and how that drove them even further apart.

Despite all of that though, Cali has always held the notion of family in high regard and will stop at nothing until his own are shielded from all targets. Even with his mother’s disapproval, Cali took Enakhé under his wing and made sure that she knew that he will always have her back.

A soft spot for an ice queen

Cali is overly masculine – and it can be very toxic, to be honest. Men this and men that, ahh! So it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he opted for the Cinderella type women who think total submission is synonymous with love. Being endeared by the often ice-cold Jacinta (after having to let go of dear old Tamtam) who so happens to be co-heir of the Osagie throne makes him that much more interesting and strangely sensitive. The point here is that Cali is able to allow a romantic spark to ignite despite the extinguishing waters surrounding the pit.

Sensitive to loss

For ‘criminals’ like Cali who demand respect, dwelling on and being affected by loss is what most would consider taboo, but we saw how broken he was even before he found out that his mother was no more. As soon as he discovered that she was taken, his rationale took a plunge and all he could think of was her safe return. Cali fought tirelessly and bulldozed every wall that stood before him and finding his mother. He was aware that this was merely his enemies trying to get to him and was prepared to trade places with the senior Mrs. Iwinosa. We don’t even want to touch on how he was affected by Tamtam’s decision to put an end to their relationship and her eventual death. Basically, mans has a heart. 

The battle is obviously far from over and the Iwinosa heirs have much to fight for. Except now, we know better than to think that Cali walks around without a heart. His is also a compassion-fueled fight.

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