Chapter 4

Becky nervously 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 speak up this afternoon?”

Becky stared from Mia to her mother in shock, as she had been helping Mia with her school assignments. Mia was acting nice and friendly with her, but once she saw that her mother had arrived home, Mia would change and start acting rudely, mimicking her mother's toxic behavior.

Mrs. Gina sighed, “Hmm, and you sit down 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 foodstuff and the things you will need to prepare our dinners for tonight, or did you expect us to starve because of you tonight?"

Mrs. Gina glared at Becky in a cold voice. Becky fearfully replied, “No ma.”

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at Becky as she opened her purse, brought out some new cash notes, and counted it first.

She said, “Here’s 10,000 Naira. Before I go upstairs to my room to take my bath and return downstairs, make sure that you've already gone to the nearby market and purchased all the soup ingredients that you will need to prepare the vegetable soup with semolina tonight. Or else!...”

Mrs. Gina's eyes burned coals at Becky as she dropped the 10,000 Naira on the living room center table and walked upstairs to her bedroom.

Becky quickly rushed into the kitchen first as she knew that her stepmother wasn't joking with her threat.

She searched the kitchen cupboards for all the kitchen containers to determine which ingredients were left and which ones she would need to buy in the market for preparing the vegetable soup.

Becky hurried out from the kitchen again, picked up the 10,000 Naira that was on the living room center table, and dashed out of the house, hearing Mia subtly laughing at her for the way she had run out of the house like a crazy woman or someone who had been chased.

Nathan stood up immediately from the stool beside the gatehouse as he saw Becky rushing out from the house and toward the exit gate while holding a black polythene bag to her chest. She was wearing only her light blue gown with her black slippers.

Nathan immediately asked Becky, “And where are you rushing to, small madam?"

Becky screamed out, “Open the gate, sir! I don't have time to explain.”

Nathan knew that was how Becky usually ran out whenever Mrs. Gina sent her on an errand again. He pulled the smaller gate open, and Becky immediately rushed out of their compound and onto the estate road like a mad woman.

A red car almost knocked Becky down at the speed with which she rushed onto the road.

The red car was also driving out along the estate street and was about to exit the estate road as well.

The red car driver cussed out at Becky, “Hey! Stupid lady! Watch where you're rushing to like that next time!”

Becky didn't respond and ignored the angry driver in the red flashy car as she continued to run toward the estate exit gate that was still far ahead of her.

She was oblivious to whomever was staring at her as she continued running toward the estate gate to pass the estate security men and then go to the local market nearby 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 actual owner of the estate and the one selling the lands and houses to other top-notch billionaires in their city.

Justin was a dark-skinned man, very handsome and tall, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the pretty young lady run out into the road. He had been admiring her and looking for a way to ask her out.

He didn't even know that it was her family house, as he had been wondering which building she lived in, since he mostly saw her on the way. He knew that mostly the billionaire families live in his father's estate called “Emerson Housing Estate.”

With the sunset and the moonlight above the sky, Justin's car drove ahead, passing Becky as he was going out to one of his favorite hangout places, the clubhouse.

He hated business-related topics and didn't seem to find anything business interesting. Well, except for his drawings, watching movies, and hanging out with pretty fine ladies who were ready to get down in bed with him and pleasure him sweetly as hot as he wanted it.

Justin felt himself harden when he saw Becky again.

Seeing how pretty she looked as she carelessly ran toward the estate exit gate, not minding how her big breasts and buttocks bounced up and down as she ran fast on the road.

Justin gulped hard as he was unable to see all the goodies Becky was carrying on her body for free and look away in peace, as he really admired her.

He wanted to speak to her and ask her out, and even as Jesse had driven the red car past her, he ordered Jesse, “Stop the car.”

Jesse was taken aback by Justin's order and asked, “I should do what, boss?”

Justin replied, “Stop the car.”

Jesse gulped and replied, “Okay, boss.” He was Justin's personal driver and bodyguard.

Justin was wearing a red long-sleeve shirt with black trousers and black shoes, and he looked breathtakingly handsome as he took care of his looks.

He knew that a first impression mattered, and so he anticipated asking Becky out as his car stopped ahead of her.

Becky, meanwhile, stopped running toward the estate exit gate when she saw the red car that had earlier yelled at her stop ahead of her.

She wondered why the car had stopped, as she knew that the car driver had just yelled at her.

'Did the car driver want to reprimand me?' Becky wondered.

Inside the car, Jesse stared backward and asked Justin, “Boss, do you need anything?"

Jesse Andrew is a 30-year-old black man and Justin's personal driver and bodyguard. He was wearing a white shirt with black pants and white boots too.

Justin replied, “No Jesse, just wait here first.”

Justin was nervous after seeing Becky stop. He was extremely anxious as it was his first time asking a lady out. He knew that mostly young ladies typically threw themselves at him, now he had to throw himself at the pretty young lady he had been seeing around for the fourteenth time.

Justin had seen her before countless times, but he couldn't approach her, knowing that her father would also be a billionaire in their estate.

However, Becky didn’t have the opportunity to go back upstairs to her room to change her light blue gown as it provocatively revealed her shape.

She slowed down, walking up to the estate road, wondering why the red car had stopped.

She saw the side door of the red car pushed open, and a pair of black shoes stepped down first.

Becky was afraid as she thought maybe the car owner truly wanted to scold her because of how she had rushed out onto the road without looking first to know if any cars were coming.

However, she saw a dark-skinned tall handsome man step down from the red car, and he said to her, “Hi.”

Becky froze in her spot and stared up at the tall, dark man’s face that stood in front of her.

She replied to him, “No… Please excuse me, sir.”

Becky immediately took to her heels, shaking her head to tell him no. She ran past him after meeting his desirous gaze on her.

Just before Justin could say, “Wait!”

Becky had already run away, running faster than before toward the estate exit gate.

She finally exited the estate gate and ran out to get a cab.

Justin cussed out, “Shit!!"

Jesse only smiled from sitting in the driver's seat of the car as he saw Becky run past Justin and her reaction earlier when she saw Justin step down from the car.

Justin frustratingly entered back into his car and sat in the back seat. He ordered Jesse, “Start the car.”

Jesse replied, “Alright, boss.” He waited for Justin to hook his seatbelt first before he started the car, ignited the engine, and drove off…

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Becky's heart was still beating loudly in her chest after she had exited the estate gate.

She was waiting to get a taxi to take her to the local market nearby and breathed out in relief, wondering what the handsome black man wanted from her.

Becky didn't know the man before and couldn't wait to hear him out. She quickly calculated all the soup ingredients she would buy from the local market nearby and knew that the main market would have closed.

Likewise, she knew that she could still get some foodstuff items to buy from the local food sellers along the road. 

Becky hailed a taxi and finally arrived at the local market area.

Not only that, but she stepped down from the taxi after paying the taxi driver for her ride and rushed toward one of the roadside market sellers to buy all the soup ingredients that she would need to prepare the delicious vegetable soup.

She knew that she had only learned how to cook five months ago after she lost her parents, and she wasn't so good at cooking, but it was still manageable.

Becky never used to cook when her mother was still alive as they had a cook, but now, she had to learn all that after her mother was gone.

She quickly paid the seller for all the soup ingredients and vegetables that she had bought and rounded up all her purchases.

The night had fallen, and Becky frowned, knowing that her stepmother would complain.

She totally forgot to ask her stepmother for money earlier in the morning when Mia was going to school, and she was also pleading with her stepmother about the need for her to resume her tutorial classes.

In the afternoon, she completely forgot to go to her stepmother's shop, as she was busy helping Mia with her assignments from school.

Becky knew that her stepmother sold feminine wear, and she stood by the road waiting for a taxi to arrive to take her home.