Chapter 7 Episode 7

Annie sat alone in front of a fountain, her mind flash back to the time at the restaurant. She remembered the moment the mysterious man kissed her.

"I should have slapped him hard" she bit her lip in regret. She was in deep thought when she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice call her name.

"Good morning, Annie. I'm Lila, Lila Santiago. Would it be possible to talk to you? In private," the unfamiliar voice asked. She was a woman in her late fifty's.

Annie nodded innocently and Lila sat beside her on the bench. She removed her sun shades and faced Annie with a smile. "Do you come to the bay often?" She asked.

"Excuse me?," Annie pouted, wondering why the stranger woman picked interest in speaking with her without knowing her from nowhere.

"We all have our secret spots. I also had a place like this in my youth,"Lila started a friendly conversation.

"And then?," Annie smirks.

"I realized that's not the solution,"Lila said.

"What is it then?" Annie was starting to get scared of this strange woman she knows from nowhere.

"That you will never find the solution on your own," Lila smiled.

"Why not?" Annie asked, she wondered if the stranger woman was there to demotivate her.

"Because we've been raised to believe we control our fate, that we follow our own path, but that's one big lie. We have lost faith in other people and we don't believe in miracle anymore,"Lila said with pride.

"Hmm, I need more than a miracle to solve my problems. Excuse me but who are you?" Annie asked.

"Your miracle worker dear, your solution finder. I have a proposal for you" Lila uttered.

"A proposal? What would that be?" Annie sat upright immediately. It was what she needed in the moment. She would pay her brother's debt and also pay their house rent.

"A job you can't refuse. I need someone to gain a man's trust and get pregnant with his child, birth a heir for him without him knowing, then you disappear from his life afterwards. It pays very well....."

"What????" Annie gasped, unbelievably.

"Well are you interested or not?" Lila raised her brows.

"Excuse me, but?" Annie was short of words.

"Stupid as well?" Lila rolled her eyeballs.

"Did you just call me stupid?" Annie bit her lower lip.

"You're not stupid but you would be if you refuse my offer especially considering how well it pays,"

Annie was boiling with rage as Mrs Lila spoke. How could the woman think so low of her. She is a girl that has never known a man and she has dreamt severally of her wedding night to he something of honour..

Annie stood, defiance in her stance. "Listen it you think someone like you can bribe me, you're making a mistake, a very big mistake"

Mrs Lila stood as well. "You need to relax. Listen you need to forget everything you know and understand about love and romance. You and I will go through everything step by step until you understand it and you feel more comfortable with dressing better and making more of an effort with your appearance. You're a woman with the beauties of several women. So that means ...."

"That means you're wasting your time insulting me like that because I will never did nothing of such" Annie raised her voice for the uptenth time.

Mrs Lila smiled. She never expect Annie to be so difficult.

"Listen, it's kinda like a project. If you accept my offer, you will be his errand girl at the office along with the personal things at home. You will literally do everything for him" Mrs Lila lowered her voice and Annie looked at her for once, she looked away immediately.

"Goodness ..is that what an errand girl does?" She muttered.

"Remember you won't leave him alone for a second" Lila pressed further and it really made Annie pissed off.

"Hmm goodbye, I will not get involved in this trash. I have enough problems of my own. I don't need more. Thanks and goodbye" Annie walked out.

"400 thousand dollars" Mrs Lila's voice made her stop.

"How does 400 sounds to you?" Lila smirked.

"400" Annie said with her fill lips. That alone will pay her brother's enormous debt, her entire neighborhood income for a month will even remain after paying her brother's debt. She turned back and walked slowly to Lila.

She sat down beside her quietly on the bench.

"I assume you're pretty wealthy" she said.

Lila smiled. "Don't worry, I will take care of everything. You just need to gain his trust. We need to have a child, an heir within a year and six months"

"And then?" Annie asked in a low voice.

"Disappear from his life once you get pregnant and after nine months, come back to drop the baby at his gate. You evaporate. As easy as that. Pack your mascara and lipstick and it's over and done" Lila replied.

Annie scratched her hair. She is still a virgin, how can she do such a dirty thing, but then it's better than being a sex slave to whom her brother owed.

"I suppose I can do that" Annie said in defeat.

"I would like to meet the man first" she added.

"Oh no darling, it's way too soon" Lila replied.

"I just want to know why me? I mean I'm clearly not in the same class as you so why me?" Annie lit her eyes.

"Because you're part of my plan. Look I will give you an advance. You will never gave an opportunity like this. It's your choice, you decide" Lila wore her sunshade and stood.

"Who is the man?" Annie asked.

"You will find out the moment you start working for him but I don't wait for anyone, here is my card. Call me if you're interested but don't be late" Lila stretched out her business card to Annie.

Annie collected it with shaking hands. For some seconds, she wondered if she was really imagining things or it just happened.

* * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * *

Travis was getting ready for a very important meeting with the people from Dell's coloration when his mind suddenly drifted to the moment he kissed a mysterious lady from the restaurant.

He hasn't been able to recollect the lady's face but of course, he didn't forget the taste of her reddish plum lips. The thought of the kiss made him long for more of it.

He was still thinking about the magical moment when his phone beeped, making the scenario to disappear from his head. He picked his phone and it turned out to be a message from Shirley.

"How about a coffee before you appear in office?" Shirley sent.

"No need" he replied..

Shirley replied immediately with annoying stickers. He's always turning her down. One day, she really hope to have her way with him.