The both of them walked to the ATM machine where Michael withdrew money and then flagged down a cab.
"Can I have your number? So,I can call you to be sure you got home safely" Michael asked.
"I don't have a phone" Stella said.
"Oh"
But Michael found a pen and paper and quickly wrote down his number.
"You can just find a means to reach me,this is my number"
"Thank you",
Stella took the number.
The taxi driver honked his car horn impatiently and Stella quickly got in,waving to Michael while the latter waved back with a smile as he watched the car zoom away.
Stella looked back and he was no longer there.she smiled.
Michael was her saviour today and she hopes to see him again.she soon fell Asleep while holding the small paper.
When she got home she found out that their house was locked. She was a bit confused but soon waved it aside.thinking her mother had gone out as usual. She sat somewhere in the building and waited. She waited till it was late in the night.no one in the compound noticed she was around.
She didn't know how long she waited before she dozed off, the next time she woke up, it was nearly morning,it was cold and she was very uncomfortable sitting outside like this. She Was wide awake till she could hear the cock crow and when morning finally came she met one of their neighbors who was surprised to see her.
"why are you here? " the woman asked.
"I was waiting for my mum " Stella answered.
"your mum? "
"she already left" the woman told Stella.
What does this mean?
"she came and took her things and told us she's moving out and will not Be coming back "
"To where?! " Stella panicked .her mother really left?
What's going on?
"wait,let me call her"The woman picked her phone and called Patricia .
The phone rang a few times before a voice came from the other end.
"why are you calling me so early in the morning? "
"Stella is here and she says.. "
"tell her to go back to where she came from " Patricia interrupted coldly and there was a beep sound. She ended the call.
The woman was perplexed as she looked at the blank screen. She looked at Stella with pity. She was quite unlucky to have such a mother. She asked Stella to join her family for breakfast.
After breakfast, the neighbours all left for their different places of work and the day's Activities and Stella was alone again and also bored. She suddenly remembered Micheal and searched for the small paper but Realised she's lost it.
Oh Stella.
How could she be so stupid to not have kept the paper safe? She felt bad and with nothing else to do she decided to go out for a stroll in the streets. Thinking about her life, she realised she was now a homeless person with nowhere to go. She could have gone to Zara's house but..
hmm her father.
She was not going to live with a man who had bad intentions Towards her.
Walking casually, she told herself she wasn't going to cry or dwell on self pity anymore. she was going to show Everyone and anyone who Rejected her that she was a gem and should not be looked down on.
And now, she looked more like a cool teenager than a homeless Wanderer because of her good complexion .
She kept looking around,people were moving to and fro and also engaging in different Activities.she was lost in thoughts for a moment, thinking of what she could do to survive. Because she knew that henceforth, she had to fend for herself and can Only rely on herself.
she was soon startled as a young man Approached her.
"Hello pretty! " he smiled warmly at her.
"Hi"
"My Name is James and I work at Olive worldwide ".
So? Stella scanned him from head to toe and thought he must be one of her Admirers but what the hell is Olive Worldwide?
"what's your Name? ". James asked.
"stella".
"okay Stella, I want to tell you about job opportunities And Benefits of working At Olive Worldwide,we are actually looking for workers and the pay is very good" James spent the next few minutes explaining the job and the benefits which even included accommodation.
Stella was excited and went to pick her bag with few of her clothes after getting keys to the house from the landlord. James was surprised.
"wait, aren't you going to inform your parents ?
"forget about my parents, they won't mind" Stella said nonchalantly.
She followed James without knowing exactly where she was going. All she knew was that she was going to make money and take care of herself. She followed James around for the rest of the day and finally they got to the location. She met some young people there but not as young as her,17. She was still not so clear about the kind of work they do here but she was determined to work anyways. James introduced her to Mrs Sharon who seemed to be the manager of the company.
"what about your parents, stella". Mrs Sharon asked.
"they travelled and won't be back for a long time " Stella lied without blinking.
"And you didn't tell anyone about coming here "?
"No, I didn't "
"okay, you're welcome. You can go to the room and rest now. You Resume work tomorrow " Mrs Sharon said.
She was sharing a room with six girls. The boys had their own room somewhere else. She was uncomfortable but they seemed kind as they welcomed her warmly .she looked around, this warm welcome will do her no good because..
She had to sleep on the cold floor and occupy a Small space .but this didn't make her change her mind, she believed it was going to be for a short while and she only needs to focus.
One of the girls gave her a sleeping mat.
"thank you "
"you don't need to thank me, it was provided by the company. My name is Anthonia " the girl smiled.
"okay I am Stella. Tell me, how do you work here?what do they do exactly ?"
"a lot of things. Ranging from producing and selling creams to producing pastries. They're even into Advertising and modelling. They have many departments.when you work hard they sponsor your trip to go abroad ". Victoria explained.
"oh wow"
Stella was happy but skeptical. This was too good to be true.was she so lucky?
"yes, I have been here for a while now and will soon get that privilege. I can't wait " Victoria was excited about it.
Stella smiled, hoping for the best.
The next morning, they all woke up and got ready for work.
For the next two weeks Stella worked as an Affiliate, getting little commissions for the sale of some products.
But she found something strange,the workers who were given accommodation like her were not allowed to use phones.she didn't have a phone anyway but she still found it bizarre.
Nicholas did the weight lifting for a few more times before he decided to take a break. He fell on the floor,panting.but soon, he found a pair of soft hands resting on his stomach .he sat up and saw Cecilia smiling at him .
"Hey Nick"
"hey Cecilia, right? " Nicholas looked at her,she was quite pretty.
Cecilia nodded and blushed slightly, her name In his mouth sounded so sweet .he was sweating,they were both sweating. She didn't expect to see him at the gym. Ah God bless her friend for dragging her to the gym today. It was so nice to see him again.
"I didn't know you come to the gym. Do you usually come here? "she asked.
"Just sometimes "
"oh and will you go to work today? "
"yes"
Nicholas stood up and continued working out while cecilia watched him and continued to strike little conversations. But as usual, Nicholas only said few words but she didn't care anymore. As long as she could see and talk to him. She was content.
After he was done, he made to leave but Cecilia kept following him and for a moment he thought that their meeting today was no coincidence as she claimed. Was she stalking him?
"Aren't we friends? Why won't you tell me where you stay? "she Complained.
Friends ?now he has become friends with one of his passengers. And this one? She was hot and probably had money. Living a soft life, what would she want to do with him, a taxi driver?he found it funny, was he so lucky?
"why do you want to be my friend?" He asked her.
"because I like you and just think it would be nice hanging out with you sometimes " she said. And for the first time,she saw him chuckle.
He was so handsome when he smiled. But.. Was he laughing at her?
"what's funny ?"
"You are".