Chapter 4. Meeting Justin
1569 Words
Olima replied, “No, ma. I've checked the kitchen cupboards, and there's no foodstuff there.”
Mia frowned as she was hungry and asked, “Why didn't you say anything since this afternoon?”
Olima stared from Mia to her mother in shock, as she had been helping Mia with her school assignments. Mia had been acting nice and friendly with her, but once she realized her mother had arrived home, Mia would change and start acting rudely, mimicking her mother's toxic behavior.
Mrs. Gina sighed, “Hmm, so you sit here with Mia, watching television. Didn't you know that you were supposed to come to my shop at the marketplace to ask for money to refill the house with foodstuffs and the things you'll need to prepare our dinner for tonight? Or did you expect us to starve tonight?”
Mrs. Gina glared at Olima in a cold voice.
Olima fearfully replied, “No, ma.”
Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at Olima as she opened her purse, pulled out some cash, and counted it.
“Here's 10,000 naira. Before I go upstairs to my room to take my bath and return, make sure you’ve gone to the nearby market and purchased all the ingredients you'll need to prepare vegetable soup with semolina tonight. Or else...!”
Mrs. Gina's eyes burned fiercely at Olima as she dropped the cash on the living room center table and walked upstairs to her bedroom.
Olima quickly rushed into the kitchen, knowing that her stepmother wasn’t joking about her threat.
She searched the kitchen cupboards for all the containers to find out what ingredients were left and which ones she needed to buy at the market to prepare the vegetable soup.
Olima hurried out of the kitchen again, picked up the 10,000 naira from the center table, and dashed out of the house, hearing Mia softly laugh at her as she ran out like a crazy person.
Nathan stood immediately from the stool beside the gatehouse as he saw Olima rushing toward the exit gate while holding a black polythene bag to her chest, wearing only her light blue gown and black slippers.
Nathan immediately asked Olima, “And where are you rushing to, little madam?"
Olima screamed, “Open the gates, sir! I don't have time to explain!”
Nathan knew that was how Olima usually ran out whenever Mrs. Gina sent her on an errand.
He pulled open the smaller gate, and Olima hurriedly rushed out from their compound onto the estate road.
A red car almost knocked her down due to her speed as she dashed onto the road and rushed toward the estate gate.
The red car was driving out along the estate street as well.
The driver of the red car shouted at Olima, “Hey! Stupid lady! Watch where you're rushing to next time!"
Olima didn't respond and ignored the angry driver as she continued running toward the estate exit gate that was still far ahead of her.
She was oblivious to anyone staring at her as she ran toward the gate to pass the estate security guards and head to the nearby local market that would soon close.
Inside the red car sat a young, handsome black man named Justin Robert. He was 21 years old, and his parents wanted him to take over their multimillion-dollar empire and real estate business.
His father was the owner of the estate and was selling land and houses to other top-notch billionaires in the city.
Justin, a tall, dark-skinned man, felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the pretty young lady dash out onto the road.
He had been admiring her and trying to find a way to ask her out without knowing that was her family house, as he often saw her on the way.
Furthermore, he knew that mostly billionaire families lived in his father's estate, called “Emerson Housing Estate.”
As the sunset and moonlight illuminated the sky, Justin's car passed Olima as he headed to one of his favorite hangout spots, the clubhouse.
He hated business-related topics and found nothing about business interesting, except for his drawings, watching movies, and hanging out with pretty ladies who were eager to please him.
Justin felt his heart race when he saw Olima again, appreciating how pretty she looked as she ran toward the estate exit gate, unconcerned about how her figure bounced with her quick pace.
He gulped hard, unable to look away from the alluring sight before him.
He wanted to speak to her, ask her out, and even as his driver Jesse drove the red car past her, he ordered, “Stop the car.”
Jesse was taken aback by Justin's command and asked, “I should do what, boss?”
“Stop the car,” Justin repeated.
Jesse gulped and replied, “Okay, boss.”
Justin was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt with black trousers and black shoes, and he looked breathtakingly handsome, as he usually took care of his appearance.
He knew that first impressions mattered, and he anticipated asking Olima out as his car stopped ahead of her.
Olima halted her run toward the estate exit gate when she saw the red car that had yelled at her earlier, stopped.
She wondered why the car had stopped since the driver had just yelled at her. 'Did the car driver want to reprimand me?' Olima wondered.
Meanwhile, Jesse glanced back and asked Justin, “Boss, do you need anything?"
Jesse Andrew was a 30-year-old black man and Justin's driver and personal bodyguard.
He wore a white shirt, black pants, and white boots.
Justin replied, “No, Jesse, just wait here for a moment.”
Justin felt nervous after seeing Olima stop.
He was extremely anxious as it was his first time asking a lady out. Usually, young ladies threw themselves at him; now, he had to put himself out there for the pretty young lady he had seen around so many times.
Justin had noticed her countless times, but he couldn't approach her, especially knowing that her father was likely a billionaire in their estate.
Olima didn't have the opportunity to run back upstairs to change her light blue gown, which provocatively revealed her shape.
She slowed down, walking toward the estate road, still wondering why the red car had stopped.
She saw the side door of the red car open, and a pair of black shoes stepped out first.
Olima felt afraid as she thought the car owner truly wanted to scold her for running out into the road without looking.
However, she saw a tall, dark-skinned, handsome man step down from the red car, and he said to her, “Hi.”
Olima froze in her spot and stared up at the tall man's face.
She replied, “No… please excuse me, sir.”
Olima immediately took to her heels, shaking her head to tell him no, and ran past him, feeling his desirous gaze on her.
Just before Justin could say, “Wait,” Olima had already run away, moving faster than before toward the estate exit gate.
She finally exited the gate and dashed out to catch a cab.
Justin cursed, “s**t!!"
Jesse smiled from the driver's seat as he watched Olima run past Justin and her reaction when she saw him step out of the car.
Frustrated, Justin climbed back into the car and sat in the back seat. He ordered Jesse, “Start the car.”
Jesse replied, “Alright, boss.”
He waited for Justin to buckle his seatbelt before he started the car, igniting the engine and driving off…
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Olima's heart was still beating loudly in her chest after she exited the estate gate.
She waited for a taxi to take her to the nearby local market and breathed out in relief, wondering what the handsome black man had wanted from her.
Olima didn't know him and couldn't wait to hear him out either.
Furthermore, she quickly calculated all the soup ingredients she needed to buy from the local market, knowing that the main market would have already closed.
She knew she could still purchase some food items from the local vendors along the road. She hailed a taxi and stopped at the local market area.
After paying the taxi driver, Olima rushed toward one of the roadside sellers to buy all the ingredients she needed to prepare the delicious vegetable soup.
She had only learned to cook five months ago after losing her parents, and while she wasn't very good at it, she was managing.
Olima had never cooked when her mother was alive, as they had a professional cook, but now she had to learn to do everything herself.
She quickly paid the vendor for all the soup ingredients and vegetables she had bought, rounding up her purchases.
Night had fallen, and she frowned, knowing her stepmother would complain.
Olima had completely forgotten to ask her stepmother for money earlier that morning when Mia was going to school, as she had been pleading with her stepmother about her need to resume her tutorial classes.
In the afternoon, she again forgot to visit her stepmother's shop, as she was helping Mia with her assignments from school.
Olima knew her stepmother sold feminine wear, and she stood beside the road, waiting for a taxi to arrive to take her home.
- Writer
