The Man Before Her

Stephanie zipped up her bag as she trudged down the creaky staircase, all ready for her first day at work. It was still the early hours of the morning. Hence, she was surprised when and found her mum rushing out of the kitchen with a tray of soup.

"Oh! Dear, you're done", Mrs Rose said, being all busy with the tiny dining in the middle of the room. 

"Uhm...good morning, mum. You're making breakfast already?" Stephanie arched her brows. 

Mrs Rose could tell she looked a little brighter compared to the previous day. After her encounter with Nathan, she had locked herself up for hours and only stepped out after she received the good call from her new boss.  

"Yes dear. I wanted you to have something to eat before leaving", she replied, placing her hands on the table. 

"Mum...!" Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't have bothered. My new place of work is very rich, I'm sure I'd have gotten something to eat".

"I don't care. I wanted to feed you on your first day".

With a sigh, Stephanie took a seat. But her countenance dropped when she noticed the soup in the plate. It was bean soup - one of Nathan's favorites. 

Mrs Rose noticed how she stared at the soup. And in less than a minute, the realization struck hard at her - it was one of Nathan's favorites!

"Uh... so, do you think you'll be able to cope with the kids at the estate?" she tried drifting to a new topic to distract her. 

Thankfully, it worked as Stephanie took a spoonful of the soup.

"I'll just have to; I don't have a choice. I really need enough money to carry out my plans", She mumbled.

Mrs Rose arched her brows as she took a seat. "And... what are your plans?"

Stephanie scooped two more spoons before looking up at her. 

"Initially, I just wanted to raise enough money to leave this damn city. But now, all I want is to get revenge on Nathan and his new lover".

That didn't sit too well with Mrs Rose. Stephanie had never mentioned a revenge before. "Revenge? But why, dear?"

"Because they need to suffer. They need to feel the exact pain they made me go through. I am never going to forgive that". She took in a deep breath to prevent herself from reacting angrier. 

"I had a happy home with Nathan, mum", she stated more pathetically. "He was all I ever wanted. I rejected more noble men because I loved him! Yet, what did he do in the end? He sought after some rich lady and requested a divorce without batting a lid! He didn't even think about our son! I can't believe he's actually out there, being a father to another woman's child! God help me, they'll both suffer!" 

Mrs Rose watched as she spoke with so much pain. She felt bad for her, but there was no way she could tell her how difficult it would be, getting revenge on someone like Benedetta Houston. Benedetta was a daughter of a very wealthy family - the third richest in the city. Surely, it'd be impossible for someone like Stephanie to just get revenge on them. 

She reached for Stephanie's hand and kneaded it slowly in her hands. 

"Dear, I may not be your biological mother, but you've always been like a daughter to me. I want you to know I'll always be here for you - having your back. I understand your pain, but you should know most times, karma hits them best",she cooed, staring passionately into her eyes. 

Stephanie grew a scowl on her face as she withdrew her hand from Rose's. 

"Well, if karma takes too long, I might just have to help it",she drew her chair and stood up. 

"I have to go now, it's getting late".

"Huh? B... But your soup..."

"Don't worry, I'll eat later. Just say hi to Zion for me when he gets up. And make sure he gets early to school. Bye, mum", she budged closer, gave her a peck on the cheek and left. 

***

It didn't take long before she arrived the estate and gained entrance in. The day was already getting bright, she sincerely hoped she hadn't arrived too late. Obviously, it was the breakfast she had with her mum that caused it. 

The security had gone in to inform Madame Beatrice of her arrival. And when he returned, he took Stephanie in to the sitting room which had no trace of Beatrice.  

"You're to wait here for her",he informed. "I know you might feel all excited, but trust me, this might be your first and last day working here", he sniggered and left. 

Stephanie glared at him as he walked out the door and concluded he was just an enemy. She couldn't wait to see the disappointment on his face when he still finds her there in a month time. 

She helped herself to a seat as she awaited the arrival of Madame Beatrice - the young, smart grandmother. She imagined how lucky they were to have such wealth in their acquisition. Well, Stephanie had enough love from her own mother, so she wouldn't say she regretted growing up with her. Although, Mrs Rose wasn't her biological mother, she had always seen her like one. 

According to the story, Stephanie was dumped when she was an infant, and it was Mrs Rose who had found and taken her home. At that time, she and her late husband had been childless. Hence, they considered Stephanie a blessing and raised her as their own. But growing up, they couldn't hide the truth from her. And that helped a lot as it made Stephanie understand her place in the family. 

She was raised with so much love and all, still, Stephanie couldn't help but feel curious about her biological family. She wondered where they were and why they had dumped her in the first place. 

She exhaled deeply as she looked round the house, her eyes settling on the big frame on the wall again. It was a picture of a very beautiful lady - the one she had thought would be Beatrice's daughter.

She stood up with a light smile and ambled towards it, touching it's edges afterward. The lady looked truly beautiful, her eyes calm and innocent. And the frame itself looked like they had silver stones round it's edges. No doubt, it was very expensive. 

She touched the main drawing, moving her finger from the lady's eyes to her nose in admiration. She had never seen a frame so beautiful before. 

"Step away from that", her entire body vibrated when she heard those words - they sounded so cold and made her shiver instantly. 

She flinched and quickly moved away, then turned swiftly to see who it had been. And to her dismay, it was a young, handsome man, dressed in a million-dollar suit with gold jewelries blinking on him. He had such an enchanting cuteness, it froze Stephanie's breath as she wondered how a man could have such charm. She felt her blood stop running for a mini-second, but one thing was clear to her - he had the darkest eyes she had ever seen.