Chapter 4 Meeting Justin

Olima nervously replied, "No, Ma. I've checked the kitchen cupboards and there's no food there."

Mia frowned as she was hungry and asked, "Why didn't you talk since this afternoon?"

Olima stared from Mia to her mother in shock, as she had been helping Mia with her school assignments.

Mia acted nice and friendly with her, but once Mia saw that her mother had arrived home, she would change and start behaving rudely, mimicking her mother's toxic behavior.

Mrs. Gina sighed, "Hmm, you've been sitting here with Mia and watching television. Didn't you know you were supposed to come to my shop at the marketplace to ask for money to refill the house with food and the things you need for preparing our dinner tonight, or did you expect us to starve tonight?"

Mrs. Gina glared at Olima in a cold voice.

Olima fearfully replied, "No, Ma."

Mrs. Gina's eyes narrowed at Olima as she opened her purse, took out some cash, and counted it.

She said, "Here's 10 thousand naira. Before I go upstairs to my room to take my bath and return downstairs, make sure you've gone to the nearby market to purchase all the ingredients you need to prepare vegetable soup with semolina tonight. Or else..."

Mrs. Gina's eyes burned like coals at Olima as she dropped the 10k cash on the living room table and walked upstairs to her bedroom.

Olima quickly rushed into the kitchen first, knowing that her stepmother wasn't joking about her threat.

She searched the kitchen cupboards for all the containers to check what ingredients were left and which ones she needed to buy in the market for preparing the vegetable soup.

Olima hurried out of the kitchen again, picked up the 10k cash from the living room table, and dashed out of the house, hearing Mia subtly laugh at her for running out like a crazy woman or someone who had been chased.

Nathan stood up immediately from the stool beside the gatehouse as he saw Olima rushing out of the house toward the exit gate while holding a black polythene bag to her chest, wearing only her light blue gown and black slippers.

Nathan immediately asked Olima, "Where are you rushing to, small madam?"

Olima screamed, "Open the gate, sir! I don't have time to explain."

Nathan knew this was how Olima usually ran out whenever Mrs. Gina sent her on an errand.

He pulled the smaller gate open and Olima rushed out of their compound and into the estate road like a madwoman.

A red car almost knocked Olima down as she rushed onto the road and ran up to the estate gate.

The red car was also driving out along the estate street to exit the estate road.

The red car driver yelled at Olima, "Hey! Stupid lady! Watch where you're rushing to next time!"

Olima didn't respond and ignored the angry driver in the flashy red car as she continued running toward the estate exit gate.

She was oblivious to anyone staring at her as she ran toward the estate gate to pass the security guards and go to the nearby local market, which would soon close.

Inside the red car sat a young, handsome black man named Justin Robert. He was 21 years old, and his parents wanted him to take over their multimillion-dollar empire and real estate business.

His father was the actual owner of the estate and the one selling the lands and houses to top-notch billionaires in the city.

Justin was a dark-skinned man, very handsome, and tall. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the pretty young lady run into the road.

He had been admiring her and looking for a way to ask her out.

He didn't even know that was her family house, as he had been wondering which building she lived in since he mostly saw her on the way.

Furthermore, he knew that mostly the billionaire families lived in his father's estate called "Emerson Housing Estate."

As the sunset lit the sky, Justin's car drove past Olima as he headed out to one of his favorite hangout spots, the clubhouse.

He hated business-related topics and didn't find anything about business interesting, except for his drawings, watching movies, and hanging out with pretty ladies who were ready to spend the night with him and please him as he desired.

Justin felt his interest piqued when he saw Olima again.

Seeing how pretty she looked as she ran toward the estate exit gate, not minding how her curves bounced with her fast pace, made him gulp hard as he found it difficult to look away.

He wanted to speak to her and ask her out even after Jesse had driven the red car past her. He ordered Jesse, "Stop the car."

Jesse was taken aback by Justin's command and asked, "I should do what, boss?"

Justin replied, "Stop the car."

Jesse gulped and replied, "Okay, boss."

Jesse was Justin's personal driver and bodyguard.

Justin was wearing a red long-sleeve shirt with black trousers and black shoes, and he looked breathtakingly handsome as he took care of his appearance.

He knew that first impressions matter, so he anticipated asking Olima out as their car stopped ahead of her.

Olima stopped running toward the estate exit gate when she saw the red car that had yelled at her stopping ahead.

She wondered why the car had stopped, knowing that the driver had just yelled at her.

'Did the car driver want to reprimand me?' Olima wondered.

Meanwhile, inside the car, Jesse looked back and asked Justin, "Boss, do you need anything?"

Jesse Andrew was a 30-year-old black man and Justin's driver and personal bodyguard.

He was wearing a white shirt with black pants and white boots.

Justin replied, "No, Jesse, just wait here first."

Justin was nervous after seeing Olima stop.

It was his first time asking a lady out, and he felt extreme anxiety. Usually, young ladies threw themselves at him, but now he had to make the move on this pretty girl he had seen around for the fourteenth time.

Although he had seen her many times before, he couldn't approach her, knowing that her father was also a billionaire in their estate.

Olima didn't have the chance to go back upstairs to change out of her light blue gown, which provocatively revealed her figure.

She slowed down, walking up the estate road, wondering why the red car had stopped.

She saw the side door of the car open, and a pair of black shoes stepped out first.

Olima felt fear, thinking the car owner truly wanted to scold her for how she had run into the road without looking ahead.

However, she saw a dark-skinned, tall, handsome man step out of the red car, and he said to her, "Hi."

Olima froze in her spot and stared up at the tall, dark man's face standing before her.

She replied, "No... Please excuse me, sir."

Olima took off, shaking her head to indicate she was not interested. She ran past him, avoiding his desirous gaze.

Just before Justin could say, "Wait," Olima had already run away, faster than before, toward the estate exit gate.

She finally exited the estate gate and ran out to get a cab.

Justin cursed, "Shit!!"

Jesse smiled from the driver's seat as he watched Olima run past Justin and noted her reaction when she saw Justin step out of the car.

Frustrated, Justin got back into his car and sat in the back seat. He ordered Jesse, "Start the car."

Jesse replied, "Alright, boss."

Jesse waited for Justin to buckle his seatbelt before starting the car, igniting the engine, and driving off.

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Olima's heart was still pounding in her chest after exiting the estate gate.

She was waiting for a taxi to take her to the local market nearby and breathed out in relief, wondering what the handsome man wanted from her.

She didn't know him and couldn't wait to hear him out either.

Likewise, she quickly recalled all the soup ingredients she needed to buy from the local market and realized that the main market had probably already closed.

She knew that she could still get some food items from the local sellers along the road. She hailed a taxi and arrived in the local market area.

After paying the taxi driver for her ride, Olima hurried toward one of the roadside sellers to buy all the ingredients she needed for the delicious vegetable soup.

She had only learned to cook five months ago after losing her parents and wasn't very skilled, but it was manageable.

Olima hadn't cooked before when her mother was alive, as they had a chef, but she had to learn now that her mother was gone.

She quickly paid the seller for all the soup ingredients and vegetables she bought, rounding up her purchases.

Night had fallen, and Olima frowned, knowing her stepmother would complain.

She had completely forgotten to ask her stepmother for money earlier in the morning when Mia was going to school, and she had been pleading with her stepmother about resuming her tutorial classes.

In the afternoon, she had also forgotten to go to her stepmother's shop, as she was helping Mia with her assignments.

Olima knew that her stepmother sold women's clothing. She stood beside the road waiting for a taxi to arrive and take her home.