Chapter 1

The sky was dark and the rain continued to drizzle and there was still traffic. It was 7 o’clock in the morning but it looked like it was 9 pm in the night because of the dark sky.

“Can’t you take a detour duke?” Valerie asked the driver.

“If I take the detour ma’am, we might still meet the traffic on the other side,” he said.

“So, I’m stuck in this motherfu...” Valerie said but was interrupted by her older brother.

“Nope, you are not going to say any foul word in my car,” Xavier said.

“Oh please, Xavier, we are stuck!” Valerie said continuing to complain about the weather’s wrong timing.

“I’m driving you, young lady, in my car to your fashion store even though I’m late to work, don’t complain,” Xavier said irritated by his little sister’s attitude.

“Please Xavier, you are only 5 years older than me and technically you are not driving, Duke is,” Valerie said and Xavier ignored her knowing his sister always like having the last word.

Xavier and Valerie Houston were the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Houston who were amongst the top 10 richest people in the whole of Central City, Missouri in Vancouver, British Columbia.

No one could stand up against the rich but the rich themselves. They owned a car company where they import and sell cars. 

Xavier Houston married to a daughter of a Korean conglomerate with three kids in the space of six years works at his company or a joint company which is owned by him and his wife of which he owns 60% and the company is like a branch with another name under Houston’s cars. Only the rich could afford these cars.

Xavier might have married his wife so their parents’ companies could merge but he was in love with his wife already. 

Valerie Houston, the 24-year-old spinster on the other hand wanted nothing to do with her parent company although they are the ones funding her company. They say when she comes to her senses, She’ll realize that she’s wasting her time on fashion but she still says otherwise.

“You know what Val,” Xavier said calling her name for short.

“Take a cab,” he said and Valerie was shocked.

“What?” She asked surprised.

“You take cabs when you are in school, don’t you?” Xavier asked.

“That doesn’t count because I’m done with school,” Valerie said defending herself.

“Well, it does now, I’m late,” Xavier said signaling to Duke to park the car.

“You wouldn’t,” Valerie said when Xavier opened the door and gave her an umbrella.

“I already did,” Xavier said as she stepped out of the car. He closed the door and they zoomed off back into the traffic. 

Valerie was tempted to cry at her situation but as she would always say, a grown-ass woman with a great career and a beautiful won’t cry. She put on the umbrella and clutched her $78,000 Louis Vuitton bag to save it from the drizzling rain.

She used her hands to flag down a cab but they ignored her and she knew it was because of the traffic.

She entered the Subway restaurant close by and went to the counter to another.

“I’ll take a large sandwich with watermelon juice,” she said after much thought.

“Shrimp? Cheese? Meat?” The waitress asked.

“Cheese,” she said.

“To go?” The waitress asked again.

“No, I’ll eat here,” she said and proceeded to sit at the window side so she could look outside.

The rain was no longer drizzling by falling heavily and she texted her assistant that she wouldn’t be able to come to work that day any longer.

Her meal was brought to her and she began to eat slowly. Her boyfriend Scott was the one who brought her to the subway to eat lunch every time, he taught her how to take the bus and cabs. Valerie was spoiled but she didn’t let her parents’ money get into her head, she wanted to work for her own. She met Scott when she was in her third year while in school, they have been dating for 2 years now because she finished her 4th year in march and did her convocation.

She opened her fashion company in April and now in September, she’s blooming like a flower.

***

“When are you going to come, home son?” Mr. Jamal Smith asked his son. 

“Dad, I’m busy here, and right I still am” Justin answered.

“Don’t be such a spoilt brat, it's been 5 years since you went to Canada.

“Those 5 years are not enough,” Justin said.

“If you are going to be such a spoilt brat, don’t you think you should at least pick your mother's calls,” His father said.

“I’m sure I pick them more than I pick yours,” Justin said.

“Well, your mother is sick and I know she didn’t tell you so you wouldn’t worry but I’ll tell you so you’ll get your silly self over here in central city this instance,” His father said cutting the call.

“What?” Justin said astounded.

He spoke to her just a few hours ago and she didn’t tell him. She hasn’t said anything of such for the past 5 years so what’s going on? He wondered.

He went to meet his boss to tell him he was leaving Canada the next day.

“But Mr. Smith, you can’t just leave, you have been here for 3 years as a good employee and you have climbed the ladder of success to the post of a manager,” His boss said trying to remind him of his success.

“In my father’s company, I’ll be the CEO,” Justin said dropping his resignation letter. He was too stuck up to tell him his mother was sick but maybe it was because he knew his boss will give him a 3 month leave instead.

“Is that true?” His boss asked doubting him.

“Yes, search for the son of STE,” Justin said.

“Okay, okay, Mr. Smith you don’t need to lie about being the son of the owner of Smith’s tech and enterprise just because your surname is Smith,” his boss said.

“If you doubt me, check it up, I’m leaving,” Justin said and walked out of the office.

His boss found it hard to believe so he searched and was gobsmacked when he saw that Justin was telling the truth.

He wondered how he never knew for the past 3 years that Justin worked under him. No wonder he always spoke down to him.

Justin cleared out his hotel room where he has been staying as a long-term customer and bought a ticket to Central City. He was going home.

Five years ago, when Justin was 21years old, he left home. He went to Canada and lived there. It was there that he learned to live and survive without his father’s help. The first year was hard because he didn’t want to use his connection to get a job but his potentials and result but he soon settled well there and has been keeping in touch ever since with his mother.

He was an only child and he was spoiled right from time till he became an adult but something happened and he couldn’t forgive his father for it ever!

***

The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out slowly to shine. Valerie had been at the subway for an hour doing nothing in particular. She ordered French fries and soda so she could stay a while. Her phone rang and she picked it up.

“Since you are not at work, didn’t you think we should hang out?” The voice said and she knew it was no other person than her best friend - Tyler.

“Why did you use an unknown number to call me ty?” She asked abbreviating her name.

“I’m at a bar and I’m using a cute waiter phone to call you,” Tyler said.

“Okay, so you spent the night at the club and had a one-night stand with a guy you don’t know but he’s cute, is that what you are trying to tell me?” Valerie asked.

“You get me, girl! That’s why you are my bestie” Tyler said.

“I’ll call you with my phone when I get home, meet me at the star lounge by 11 am,” Tyler said and hung up.

Valerie laughed knowing the kind of friend she had. As long as the guy was cute, a sweet talker, and had money, Tyler was ready to sleep with them. She called it enjoying life. She would ask Valerie “don’t you get tired of fucking one dick?”

“He disciplined you and he’s been the only one eating that coochie ever since,” Tyler said once when she was drunk.

Valerie took no offense in it knowing the kind of friend that she had. Tyler was rich too. Her parent owned a spa. A very big and recognized spa. She had 2 little brothers and one older sister. Tyler owned a bar, she said that was the only way she could keep life popping. Star Lounge was the name of her bar and that was why Valerie knew she was lying about using a waiter phone to call her because Tyler would use the bar line if she was at work.

Valerie’s phone rang again and she saw the caller, it was her mom. She ignored it and went to pay her bills. Mrs. Houston has been disturbing Valerie to bring her boyfriend to come and see her but Valerie couldn’t because Scott wasn’t from a wealthy background.

“We have a family meeting” a message came from her mom. 

“Be home by 7 tonight,” another message said.

“Oh please,” Valerie said as she walked out and flagged a cab to the star lounge.