Hera paid the cab driver out of the money she had stolen from Zach's pocket and the driver left. She had calculated everything, she had no money with her, and not even her purse was with her so Zach was the available option. From his looks, he was the rich one... stealing a little cash was definitely nothing to him. She stared at the gate of her home...pft, her mind cracked into miserable laughter. Home? This was no longer the home she was born into. This was just a house...a building meant to shelter her and her son.
She moved closer and the gateman opened the gate for her to enter. She walked into the small mansion eagerly. The first thing she noticed was her so-called family having breakfast while her son just sat at a corner with a piece of bread watching them eat. There were no words to describe how she felt about this. She ran towards her son whose face was now lifted a little bit after seeing his mum.
" Mom? " He spoke, getting the attention of the family members.
" Austin, my son. " Hera hugged him.
" Where were you last night, mummy? I was so scared. Everybody was bad to me, grandma hit me and Grandpa called me a bastard. " Austin opened his little mouth and informed his mother.
" Don't worry about that, Austin. You're not a bastard... " Hera felt a strong arm pull her up and slapped her across the face.
Her eyes were quickly filled with tears as her face stung in pain. She looked up to see who it was. It was no other than her father, Joe Charles. Joe was staring at her with anger and disgust written all over his face.
" Fa... father? " Hera stuttered.
" Don't you ' father ' me, to you I am just Mister Joe Charles, do you get it? " Joe warned sternly.
" I can't believe how stupid you are. Why can't you think of this family, me, and lastly yourself when making your annoying decision, huh? I didn't want you to be alone for all the years of your life so I decided to look for a partner for you. You and James have been dating for six months now and he seems to be the right man for you. It is just a month before your wedding but you decided to ruin things up? How could you have insulted him?" Joe roared at her.
Insulted him? That was impossible. It was the other way round. When Joe saw that she did not believe it, he brought out his phone from his pocket and showed her some pictures. The pictures were all about a messy room, James had cake smashed to his face, his hair looked like a bed nest and his shirt was torn. Hera's mouth opened wide at the unbelievable sight. When did this happen? Was it before her arrival or after her departure?
" Fa... father" Joe glared at her and she gulped fearfully.
" Mi...Mister Joe, I didn't do any of that. " She said tearfully.
" Of course, you wouldn't. After all this family has done for you, you are still not satisfied. You want to ruin the poor boy's finances. He called to inform us about your weird behavior towards him last night. He said that you two had a fight a few days ago and things had not been going well between the two of you because he couldn't give you the nine hundred thousand you requested for. He promised to give three hundred and fifty on his birthday but he couldn't provide that so he gave a hundred. Instead of appreciating him, you smashed the cake you prepared for him on his face and ruined his room, how despicable! " Her stepmother spatted out.
" No...no, that isn't the truth. When I went there last night, I caught him having sex with Ella. " Hera tried to explain but Joe dragged her down effortlessly and hits her.
" Shut up, garbage! Now you are telling lies? Ella didn't step one foot out of this house last night and she couldn't do such a disgusting thing because she isn't like you. " Joe continued. Hera glanced at her stepsister who was gracefully sipping the tea and smiling. She winked secretly at Hera who was gnashing her teeth with anger bubbling in her.
" Fine then. Do whatever you want since you obviously believe that Ella is the perfect child and I am the worst. " Hera snapped. She immediately regretted her statement.
" Fa...father, I didn't mean what I said. "
" Wow, you have grown wings. Do you dare talk back to me? You useless child. "
" Dad. " Ella stood up and walked closer.
" Please, have some mercy, okay? Don't make any rash decisions... " Ella spoke in a low tone as she held his hand.
" That's enough, Ella. I won't have you take the side of this bitch anymore, despite your caring effort, she still managed to lie against you. She is not worth living here anymore. "
" I agree. " Catherina chuckled.
" She has disgraced us enough. " She added.
" Security! '' Joe called.
" Father...please... father...please, don't do this to me. I beg you father, I am your daughter. I apologize for my mistakes, I won't do them again. I will find a way to get back with James and make you proud, just please don't kick me out. " Hera hugged his left leg but Joe kicked her with the right leg. Hera whimpered in pain.
" I don't want to ever see you here again if not, I will be the worst murderer. " Austin knelt beside her, sobbing. He had no idea what to do in this situation, it looked different to him. Two men in a black suits rushed in and carried Hera who was weeping loudly.
" Father, don't do this. Ella is deceiving you, please dad. "
" Mummy. " Austin ran after his mother and the door was shut against them.
" I can't believe this. " Joe groaned in anger and walked away.
Left in the sitting room were Catherina and her daughter.
" I told you to be careful. " Catherina whispered. Ella walked over to one of the majestic chairs and sat on it.
" Mum, come on. I had it all planned out and I knew that even if she was to catch me in this act, nobody would believe that dummy without any evidence. " Ella replied.
" Whatever it is that you do, always watch your steps, Ella. " Catherina warned.
" Yes, mother. " Ella bowed her head playfully and her mum left with her hand on her forehead.
Ella smiled at the way things were going for her. She was almost exposed last night, what was she even thinking? Hera knew about it now but whose loss was it? It wasn't hers so she needn't mind. How could she have let go of someone like James like that? Though he wasn't rich, he could satisfy her sexual need so what was the delay?
She benefited from it and there wasn't any extent she wouldn't go to get what pleased her even if it had been worth ruining Hera's life in the process.
Zach met the family having breakfast when he arrived. Delilah stood up to welcome him with a hug and a huge smile on her face. " Welcome home, Zach. " She greeted. " Thanks. Good morning, everyone. " He greeted. " Morning. " They chorused. " So, are you done with the business now? " Jennie asked as she puts a piece of meat into her mouth using a fork. " I am not done with business and I will never be as long as I am alive. You didn't let me enjoy my stay and meeting there as if I was gone for a year, mum. " Zach spoke as he pulled out a chair and sat on it. He wasn't going to eat breakfast in his state, he just wanted to have a chat with the family. " I am your mother of course, what do you expect? " Jennie glared at him and Zach chuckled. " How was the business trip? " Ezekiel asked his son. " It went well. The contract was sealed and they proposed to invest more in the business. " Zach replied with a smile. Everyone was happy at the news and made a t
Delilah climbed each of the stairs with care so she wouldn't slip and fall. She got to Zach's room and knocked, when there wasn't any reply she opened the door and entered. The sound of rushing water could be heard from the bathroom which meant that he was taking his bath. She placed the tray containing his morning meal on one of the side tables and took her time looking at the room.Zach's bedroom wasn't just any bedroom, it had a mini sitting room, mini library, and kitchen. His closet was quite wide and just from standing in the room, one could view the beautiful lawn that added beauty to the Young Mansion. The room had several portraits of art and decorations. There were only a few pictures of his family and friends. Even though he was a male, he was the type who strongly believed that both genders should have the mindset to be clean and to keep their surroundings neat.While Delilah was still admiring the room, Zach came out of the bathroom and this got her attention. She turned
Hera was walking down the busy street with Austin. Her eyes were red and all swollen up. It was already afternoon and they still had no place to stay but Hera's hand never released Austin's. " Mum, where exactly are we going? " Austin asked. He was starting to get tired of walking to nowhere. Hera looked at home, trying to find the right words to say. " Don't... Don't worry, Austin. I will figure out something. " She assured him. She stood at a spot and looked around for any sign of a phonebooth which she found nearby. " Hi. " She greeted the aged woman who was attending to the customers at the booth. " Good afternoon, ma'am. You're here to make a call? " The attendant asked. " Yes. " Hera replied and gave her the fee. She was directed to where the telephone was fixed to the wall and pressed the number keys before placing the phone in her ear. It rang for a while and it was picked up from the other end. " Hello. " Anna, her best friend said immediately after the call connec
The tides of the day soon changed and it was dusk. Hera's eyes were now wide open and she glanced at the wall clock. It was 7 pm already. She was surprised she did sleep that late but concluded that it was normal since her body needed the rest. Austin was no longer in her arms. He sat opposite her while watching an ongoing cartoon, he looked relaxed and was even singing along with the cartoon characters. The doorbell rang and Hera stood up to open it. There was Anna, carrying a huge load of shopping bags. She was excited to see Hera but sad to also see the terrible state that she was in and this saddened her a lot. She entered and closed the door with her right leg. Anna dropped the bags and pulled her into a tight hug. " Hera...oh Hera, I missed you a lot. " Anna's eyes were beginning to weaken with tears as she held onto Hera firmly. " I also missed you, Anna. " She replied. They released each other and smiled. Austin used this opportunity to get in between them. " Godmo
Inside the Williams' Villa were the mother and daughter pair in the sitting room which was furnished and decorated, it had a taste, and sense alongside the feeling of being wealthy. Most of the things in the house were either gold or diamonds which showed how rich they were. Two maids came into view carrying different plates of snacks and classic wines of their choice. They served them and left the pair alone. " Mom, what is the meaning of this? How many times do I have to tell you that I am on diet? I need to watch my weight, I practically need to! " Delilah whined to her mother. "Come off it, Delilah. I won't because of your career see you starve to death. Just eat some snacks, it won't hurt that much or never hurt at all. " Her mother, the only wife of Cyril Williams, a famous business tycoon, Elizabeth Williams chided her daughter. Delilah rolled her eyes a bit at her mother's words. " Whatever. " She mumbled. Nevertheless, she opened the bottle of wine and poured herse
The next morning, Anna had already woken up as early as she could, to be precise, it was around 5 am. She went to the next room where Hera and her son were and knocked on the door. She would have preferred to call her on the phone but Hera had none so she went for this option. " Hera. " She called her name softly. " Hera, are you up? Can I talk with you for a few minutes? " She asked. " Coming. " Hera replied from within and went to open the door after stretching a bit. " Hi, good morning. " She greeted and came out fully so she could close the door. " Good morning. I am sorry if I disrupted your sleep but I couldn't let the thought slide past. " Anna looked at her pleadingly. " No problem, Anna. Let's sit and talk. " Hera suggested and they went to the sitting room. They sat opposite each other while Hera slightly opened her mouth to yawn. " I wanted to discuss this with you last night when we were talking but the time and situation couldn't allow it. It's
Hera and her son arrived at the school's gate and entered. She was holding his hand amidst the crowd which consisted of only the parents, pupils, and a few teachers who were arriving one after the other or moving around. The school was a public school and was quite huge. The buildings were painted in blue and white color as this was the students' uniform color as well. Hera couldn't afford a private school fee so she chose a government-owned institution of learning. As Hera walked closer to Austin's classroom, they met with the headmistress who stopped them from taking another step closer to the class. " Good morning, ma'am. " Hera greeted politely. " Good morning, Miss Hera. Why is Austin dressed like that when he ought to be in his school uniform? " The headmistress asked without taking much of their time. Hera tried to come up with a valid reason other than the real reason why he was in uniform like the others. When they were thrown out of the house, they were not given muc
Ben drove into the famous huge building which was the Young Corporation. It was famous for a lot of things as the corporation wasn't called a corporation for nothing but to Zach, it was more or less like a company and he had been the one handling the company ever since his father retired. This was why he was respected a lot among the older generations who were also into a different types of businesses for his hit success in what he does professionally handled. The Young Corporation had a whole of little companies under it that went with names such as ' The Young Fashion and accessories, The Young Restaurants, The Young import and exportation of cars, etc '. The Young family had a lot of hotels and estates. The corporation had so many skilled workers they gave out signed contracts after it [ the corporation ] had received the building projects. Many businessmen and women also invested in one thing or the other to gain a lot too. Ben parked the car in front of the company which served