2 YEARS LATER
“Do you want to talk to granny??” Sophia asked her daughter, Ann, a very beautiful girl with the prettiest eyes, having all the features of her mom.
“Hm” she didn’t actually reply as her mouth was filled with chocolates.
“Drop her off at the kindergarten and leave already. You told me they pay high and you cannot afford to not get accepted!” Luisa scolded her daughter, she’s wasting too much time.
“I’m already on my way” Sophia smiled and picked Ann up into her arms before getting her bag and other stuff.
She spent 7 minutes walking to the kindergarten that’s not so far from her house and was happy as the girl didn’t show any sign of not wanting to go there. Maybe because she had her mouth busy, it was good either way.
~~~“Here I come, I really have to get this job oh good lord!” Sophia muttered softly as she stands in front of a renowned clubhouse she had applied to for a job.
The Starlight nightclub is known for its exotic nature and gaining frequent recognition by people of affluence in the area. It is a no child's play house, only those who could afford it marched in and out the premises.
Sophia recalls hearing about the vacancy from two people having a conversation one time she was out in the street. She knew how reputable the nightclub is and how greatly it would help resolve the financial challenges that probed her family especially now that her daughter Ann was fast growing and in school.
She felt anxious about the interview she was set to attend at the moment. It's been a long while since she last worked a job, her resume was outdated and so, she feared she would not get accepted but with her fingers crossed and a deep sigh for calmness, she makes her way in.
The whole place seemed rather empty as it wasn't yet night time. She noticed a reception table by the corner, there was no one seated there so she stood in front of the door, clutching tight to her bag as she ran her eyes across the room.
"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" A feminine voice asked from her side.
She turns to the direction of the voice and sees a very beautiful dark lady with the loveliest smile, wearing a crested navy blue polo shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans calling to her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there when I walked in." She said, walking up to the reception where the lady had shifted to.
"My bad actually, I had gone out for a thing. And I can see you're new here" She replied, still wearing a smile on her face whilst Sophia smiled back, nodding to her statement.
"As you can see miss, the place is yet to get filled up with customers but if you want, you can still sit and have some fun. If you'd like to have a drink, our bar's over there." She said, pointing in the direction of the bar.
"Oh no Ms. I actually got an interview here today. That's why I'm here." Sophia replied
"May I get your name please?" She asked, politely, bringing out a note pad from underneath the reception desk.
"Sophia Dalton." She checks through the note pad for a while and sees Sophia's name on the list.
"You're quiet early miss. The interview doesn't start until the next 30 minutes. But you can wait and at least feel comfortable while you're at it." She said, putting down the pad on the desk.
"Oh! I see, thank you." Sophia smiled
"You're welcome miss and by the way, I'm Daniella." She smiled, pointing to her name tag on her shirt as she reached for a hand shake.
Other applicants we're starting to troup in by the minute. They all seemed very young and beautiful with sassy attitudes too. Soon the interview began and it was Sophia's turn after five others had gone in.
>>>>>>>>>"I see you once worked as a waitress at a nightclub some years back and then as a store keeper?" The interviewer asked.
"Yes sir, I did."
"And from what I can see, you were fired from the nightclub for insubordination?"
"What actually happened was, my boss tried making advances at me and when I refused, he got upset and had me fired. I was only trying to protect my dignity as a woman." She said in her defense.
"If so, why didn't you press charges? I believe sexual harassment in work place is a crime."
"I couldn't afford a law suit sir." The interviewer looked thoughtful for a second, staring at her intently.
"This is two years after you got fired from your last job. Why did you have to wait this long to apply for another job?" He asked, puzzled
"I couldn't afford working on a job at the time as I had just given birth and needed to care for my child. That's the reason I came hoping to get employed here at the nightclub so I could earn enough to fend for her needs." Sophia explained.
The interviewer sighed, taking another look at her resume. "Well you're pretty and have experience working on the job though it's been years. I'll give you the job. However, I'd have you know that I wouldn't tolerate any form of misbehaviour here at the club. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir, very much." She happily replied.
"Well then, congratulations Ms Dalton. You're hired." He said, reaching for a handshake.
>>>>>>"Mom, I got the job." Sophia squealed over the phone.
"Really? That's great news my dear. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks mom" she replied
"When do you start and is the pay worth what you heard?" Luisa asked.
"I'm headed home now. I was told to resume tomorrow. I'll be working on the night shift for starts and the pay is exactly as I heard. Who knew one could earn that much from working as a waitress at a club. It pays twice the amount I earned on the last job." She replied.
"Alright dear, that's good. Let's talk more when you return." The call drops.
Sophia thanked her stars for her luck on getting the job. She had felt intimidated earlier seeing the other girls who had arrived for the interview.
She felt the need to celebrate and so decided to stop by the market to get ingredients she would use to prepare a special celebratory meal.
She walks to the bus station where she would ride a bus down to the market but there were no buses passing by. And she couldn't afford to take a cab as she wouldn't have enough spare change left to go the market.
Waiting for a bus seemed to be taking forever and it was getting late already. She decides to make a stop at the next bus station up front, probably she'd find one to catch there.
Halfway through her walk, it starts to rain heavily. She was stuck in the middle of the street with no shade to hide under.
"I never should have left the bus station" she groaned in anguish.
At this moment, she wished even by chance a cab would show up but the streets were dry. Now, there was no chance of her going to the market or even getting home early.
With no where to seek shelter, she continued her walk under the pouring rain, her body soaking wet. Suddenly, a black Toyota Camry pulled up beside her.
Her attention was drawn to it when she noticed the driver kept honking his horn consistently.
"Miss, where are you heading to? I'll give you a ride." The masculine voice called loudly, trying to overshadow the sound of the rain.
Just to be sure he was referring to her, she turned to look behind her and saw there was no one else. She leans forward to the car, pulling back her wet hair.
She was stunned to see the driver is very handsome, the most handsome man she's possibly ever seen in her life. His grey eyes sparkled, giving life to his fair facial features.
His thin lips were a natural pink, his heart shaped face, well sculpted with a sharp nose and jawline. Sophia feared he was too good looking to be nice. In her opinion, the better looking guys are the worst, especially if they are the rich ones, which she could tell that he was.
"It's alright sir. I'm close to my destination and wouldn't want to spoil your car seat with my wet clothes." She replied, trying to be as loud as she could and then walks away.
The car follows behind her, flashing it's rear lights whilst honking his horn at the same time. Sophia paused turning to the nice stranger in the nice car.
"It's alright miss. You'll catch a cold if you keep walking in the rain like this. Let me take you home, I have no intentions to harm you." He reassures her.
"I really could use a ride. I guess." She said after a thoughtful few seconds.
She obliged his request and got in the front passenger seat of the car. He reached for the back seat and pulls out a white towel.
"Here miss, you can dry yourself with this." He hands it over to her as he starts his ignition.
Sophia gladly receives the towel from him and uses it to dry her hair. He notices her shivering softly and reaches for the heater beneath the dashboard to make her feel warm as they continued their journey. The rain was starting to subside when they got closer to her street.
"Where do I drop you off miss?" He asked, breaking the long and awkward silence.
"I'm fine over there." She said, pointing to a spot far from her home for fear of revealing her exact address to him.
He swerves his car to the side. "Are you sure you'll be okay here?"
"Yes I am. Thank you very much for the ride. And I'm sorry I ruined your seat with my wet clothes." She apologised. At this time, it had already stopped raining.
She thanks him again for the ride as she alights from the car. She waits for him to drive off before going down her street back home. Surprisingly, he didn't bother asking her name or collecting her number like most men would. And she was thankful for that too.
>>>>>>>>>>>"You're soaking wet, why did you have to come home under the rain? You should've waited for it to stop before going all in." Her mother nagged.
"It's not like I wanted to get soaked by the rain either. There was no shade to hide under on my way to the bus station." She replied, taking off her wet clothes.
"I already have hot water heated up for you in the bathroom. Go shower and come join us for dinner." Her mother said, walking out of the room.
>>>>>>>> The Next Day"For some days now, I've noticed some unusual movement in the house opposite ours. There's been a lot of stuff and people going in and out the house. Almost like someone's preparing to move in." Sophia said, over a cup of coffee at the dining.
"I noticed it too. The lease sign has long been removed, so I'm sure someone's moving in soon." Her mother replied, joining her at the table.
"Whoever it is, I hope they're better than the last neighbours we had. They almost turned the street into a hood with constant partying and loud music. How annoying." Sophia said, sipping from the hot cup of coffee in her hand.
It was a very early morning on Sunday when Sophia sprung up from her bed to pick up her phone that would not seem to stop ringing unless she answers.Saturday night had been the most stressful night ever for her, she didn’t get to seat until 10pm as the request at the starlight nightclub was just too much but she didn’t have a choice because apart from the weekly salary, she knows how much she’s garnered from the tips given by customers.At first, she didn’t know if it was okay to take the tips until the manager himself told her to take it whenever she’s offered.“This is Sophia, do you need me for anything?” Still feeling sleepy, she yawned loudly.“Were you among the ladies for the night shift??” She still didn’t know who was talking.“Yes, I was with them”“Come to the club right away, something happened and everyone’s attention is needed immediately” her eyes briskly opened with force.She cleared her throat whilst trying to get that statement settled in her head as it sounded out
"It's alright Ms. It's actually my fault for coming to the door without proper clothing, I just returned from the shower. Please come in and make yourself comfortable while I go put on something better." The young handsome man said after noticing her discomfort. Sophia simply nods at his words and didn't bother looking back at him. He hurriedly goes in to get dressed whilst she lets herself in after noticing his absence.She felt impressed with his decor as she kept feeding her eyes on them where she sat. He had beautiful art paintings hung on the wall and scented flowers bringing life to the sitting room. She noticed he didn't have much furniture so she sensed he was a bachelor. Regardless, his sense of taste appealed to her.He shows up much later, fully clothe now. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long Ms..." He stressed the last word, waiting for a response."Sophia, Sophia Dalton." She completed his sentence, smiling at him."Would you like a glass of water to dr
~~~Matt really didn’t like the idea of standing together with her or maybe he just felt embarrassed that she would be watching him pick all these for his sister.“You seem a bit confused, do you need my help?” Sophia felt like stopping herself from talking to him but she had already said the words. Besides she could see he was looked so confused and unsure of what he was doing.“Actually…” Matt paused, trying to put the pieces together to see if this was actually okay and after a moment of thorough thinking, he decided to give it a go.“I’ll need you to talk to my sister, she sent me here and I just don’t know what to do” he said to her. Sophia who had already got the wrong idea that it might be his girlfriend tried so hard not to smile as she nodded in agreement to what he said.Matt and Sophia moved to a private area at a corner of the store and they both took their seat whilst he dialed Vida’s line.“C’mon pick up the call!” Matt uttered, tapping his fingers nervously on his thigh
Sophia thought Daniella was only bluffing when she mentioned the rules being changed and the need to arrive an hour earlier but the sight she saw the moment she showed up at the bar spoke otherwise.The whole place was buzzing with busy people and even had more coming in. The customers too weren't any of the usuals they'd had before. She quickly rushed over to Daniella's post to ask what's going on."You're more than an hour late you know?" Daniella queried the minute Sophia shows up in front of her."I know, I know and I'm sorry. There really was an emergency that needed my attention." Sophia explained in a subtle tone.Daniella sighed, knowing she wasn't ever the type to be this late and so withdrew from querying her further."Anyways you can see the whole place is already busy with customers and for starts, you're lucky the boss hasn't noticed your absence yet. Speaking of..." Daniella paused, noticing the manager's presence."I see you both have got nothing better to do than to st
Hearing what his father said brought him nothing but shock and the feeling of betrayal. He was sure that his father intentionally chose the night to announce his taking over of the company. Why are they so funny?’ He thought to himself.At first, he didn’t get any attention even after what his father had said and that was because not many people knew his face which means everything was going well until his dad said“Matt, please come up to introduce yourself so you can get familiar with those you'll be working with soon enough!” Adres divulged with a smile, digging a hole in his son’s chest without actually realizing it.Everyone became curious to see who he was but he could only hang his head low. But the spotlight was on him now, everyone now knows his face. They’re making him do what he doesn’t want and he’d show them that he would not do it.Matt hesitates to acknowledge his father's words but rather proceeds to leave the place after several contemplation but the minute his leg
The cab driver could not stop himself from feeling disgusted by Matt and his companion. Neither of them would keep their hands to themselves they were all over each other, kissing and at random times, the lady would giggle, it was painful to behold. They couldn't care less if he was inconvenienced by them.After almost an hour drive, they arrive at Matt's apartment where he lived alone. Matt paid their fare and walked in with his lady."Oh my God, your house is so big." She squealed when they got in.Matt's house was nothing less than what one often saw in movies. All white, very spacious with exotic furnitures placed in the right spots. Matt knew no bounds at this point. So he just let her feed her eyes before pulling her to himself."How about we get down to business?" He asked in a soft tone."Sure, but first, I need to use the bathroom.""Come, I'll show you." He takes her up to his bedroom so she could relieve herself.He was taking his clothes off when she arrived. She walked u
After they had left, Sophia lays down for a few more minutes before she pulls herself out of the bed and into the bathroom. She takes off her clothes in attempt to have a warm bath. She turns on the shower knob and noticed that there was no water coming out of it. She made several more attempts but there still was no water coming out. "Please not now. I'm too tired to go outside." She whined.She knew where the fault was from. For some days now, they've been having issues with a broken pipe at the back of their house and each time she promises to have a plumber over, she forgets. She comes out of the bathroom and puts on a simple outfit as she makes her way to the back of the house where the water connection is. She sees the whole place wet with water as the water had kept flowing all over the place due to the faulty pipe.She does what she possibly could to have it fixed but nothing was working. She even opted for a duct tape to fix it but it didn't stop the water from leaking. Whi
"Look who's finally showed up after pulling such a show of a stunt last night." Nicole rolled her eyes at Matt as he sauntered in while Vida trailed behind."Hey mom." He said dryly and goes to give her a kiss and sinks into the chair beside her."Where were you last night? I called you up a bunch of times but you never responded." Nicole queried "I'm tired mom. Can we not do this now?" "Tired? Tired from frolicking around the city with those cheap call girls right?"He responded with a short sigh and Nicole frowned at him. Vida who had been standing there all along excused herself and went up the stairs to her bedroom. She wasn't in the mood to hear them banter. She had done her bid which was bringing Matt over."We'll be hosting an outreach program a few days from now with the members of a charity group I started some years back while you were away on your trip.""As one who would replace your father in leading the company, you should come with me so you can get acquainted with th