Chapter 3 BOOK ONE: CHAPTER THREE

Mark stared at Stella in a way to tell her that she was lucky. He told his wife to welcome him, then he went to his room to dress up.

They heard the parlor doorbell ring, then Gloria went to open the door. She saw Pete and an unknown guy standing. He should be about Henry's age. Gloria wondered why she didn't notice him earlier.

"Good morning Uncle Pete'' she greeted and stared at the unknown guy. "Good morning sir" she also greeted him, looking at him weirdly.

Pete laughed, "David....call him Mr David. Don't worry dear, very soon, you'll be familiar with him."

"Good morning Mr David" Gloria greeted again.

David replied with a nod, and a smile. Helen and her two daughters approached them.

"Pete, it's so good to see you. Please come in. You haven't visited us for the past two weeks." Helen said and turned to David, "you are welcome as well"

"Good morning Uncle Pete, good morning sir" Stella and Maria greeted in unison.

"Good morning my darlings, how are you all doing?" He asked them.

"We are fine." They chorused.

"Alright, alright" Helen said, "Don't just stand there, come in" she ushered and turned to Gloria, "Go and get our guests wine."

Gloria nodded and left the parlor while Helen gestured the guests into the living room.Maria and Stella were left standing at the door.

"Why did you do it?" Maria asked, suddenly.

"Do what?" Stella responded, surprised.

"You knew that Dad would be mad if any of us disobeyed him......so why did you speak to Henry?"

Stella sighed, "That is more like a rhetorical question. I mean.....I miss him so much. Can't I talk to him? Don't you miss him as well?"

"Don't misunderstand me Stella. I also miss him. My point is that we shouldn't talk to him whenever Dad is around."

"Well.....he called me. I couldn't ignore him."

"Then you could have told him to call you later."

"I wasn't expecting him to call me. It happened all of a sudden."

"I'm not blaming you Stella." Maria said calmly, " I'm only telling you in case there's a next time."

"Alright" Stella said, "I understand." She added and reached out for the door knob.

"Where are you going?" Maria asked.

"To take a stroll......in the garden" she replied as she opened the door.

Before she went out, she turned back and saw Maria going back to their room, probably to chatter with Gloria. She looked at the living room and saw her father talking to Pete. David kept quiet and admired their friendship, she noticed. Helen had gone to her room. She observed that her father only smiled whenever he was talking to Pete.

To her, Pete was her father's best friend.

Pete had been by her father's side and he had assisted him in building RICHARD DON EMPIRE. Her father was the CEO of the company while Pete was the second in authority but her father made it seem as if the company belonged to both of them.

He even went as far as naming the company RICHARD DON EMPIRE. Richard was her father's surname while Don was Pete's surname. She once eavesdropped on her father's conversation with her mother. She heard him talking about Pete's son, Mike.

Her father would sing his praises anytime he got a chance to do so.

During the university break, Mike would assist them in their business. The employees in the company praised him a lot and he would have been the next owner of the company if it had belonged to his father. That was the kind of responsiveness her father had expected from Henry, such a pity it didn't happen.

Stella stopped staring at them. She did not want to remember the scene of her father disowning Henry. The memory made her feel bad and she never wanted to think about it. She left the house and went to the garden. Something touched her left leg and she was startled. She looked at her leg only to see her little pet cuddling her.

"You scared me Miuky" she said to her cat who stopped to stare at her.

"It's okay Miuky" she chuckled, " no need to apologize" she said and gave her pet a pat.

She went closer to the flowers and Miuky followed her like a loyal pet. Stella smiled and knelt down to pick a flower.

"It's gonna be a great day."

She exhaled after inhaling the aroma of the flower.

The fact that she spoke to Henry gave her so much joy and she could no longer hide it. Especially when no one was with her -well, apart from Miuky.

She knelt down for a few minutes, admiring how beautiful the garden was.

Then, she stood up and decided to return to her room. On her way back, she saw Pete and David outside.

They seemed to be having a conversation. The fact that Pete and David decided to have a conversation outside instead of sitting comfortably in the living room puzzled her.

What were they talking about? Why was her father excluded from the conversation? Were they plotting something evil? Curiosity filled her thoughts. She wanted answers. Controlled by her instincts, she moved closer to them to eavesdrop.

"I'm going to ask you for the last time." Pete said firmly, just like her father. Stella was surprised. She never knew Pete to be a stern man. All the times he had visited them, he had never stopped smiling. Stella had always pictured him as the direct opposite of her father. Perhaps, it's because she had never seen him angry.....

"Have you studied it carefully?" Stella heard Pete asking David. Then she paid more attention.

"Yes sir," David replied with confidence.

"I want no mistakes," Pete said.

"And there would be none," David assured him.

"Alright" Pete said relieved, "make sure that nothing is left out. I want everything gone" he added and David nodded.

They were about to leave when Miuky mewed.

"Who's there?" David asked, harshly.

Goodness! Stella sighed noiselessly as she hid behind the flowers and furniture in front of her. Did Miuky really have to do this? Stella did not know why but she was afraid to come out.

Earlier, she had annoyed her father. She wanted no more trouble. What if Pete tells her father of her bad habit of eavesdropping? Her father would definitely kill her! She thought.

"Show yourself!" David's voice sounded more impatient and annoyed.

No! There's no way she would sell herself out. She looked at Miuky and smiled. It was its fault, so it had to settle the problem. She gestured to Miuky to move closer to them. The cat obeyed and came out of its hiding place. Pete and David looked at each other, then burst into laughter.

"It was just a cat." Pete chortled, "I thought it was something serious."

"Exactly" David supported, "this cat is really something else."

Pete stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "I'm going inside..... come after a few minutes" he instructed and moved towards the parlor door.

Stella noticed his ID card fall. David also noticed it. He picked it up and tried to return it to Pete but he had gone inside. He put the card in his pocket and waited for a few minutes before going inside as well.

Stella became relieved after they went inside.

She gave her cat a kiss and decided to go and share her thoughts with Maria. She felt Pete was up to no good and was uncomfortable about it. Perhaps, her elder sister would have a better way of reasoning. She entered the house through the back door. She did not want Pete or anyone to suspect her.

When she got to her room, she saw Maria chatting with Gloria. What were they always talking about? Something boring, no doubt. Stella thought.

But they were laughing. Perhaps, it was not as boring as she thought. On second thoughts, Stella had a change of mind.

Her sisters were in high spirits. She never wanted to bother them with what she wasn't sure of.

Exactly! She shouldn't let her suspicions get the better part of her. There was no proof so get the thought of your head Stella! She told herself. She heaved lightly. Everything would be alright. She assured herself and went into the bathroom to have a bath and start the day with a fresh mind.

**********

It was calm and quiet inside the parlor. Gloria sat on the sofa with her chin resting on her right hand, worried. Maria was reading a book while Stella sat down unfazed as if nothing was going on. Mark was sitting next to Gloria. He was sipping his drink quietly as he awaited his savior. Soon they heard the doorbell ring.

"Finally!" Gloria heaved a sigh of relief as she went to open the door.

"Mom.....what took you so long?" She asked rhetorically. She took the polythene bag from her mother and went back to the living room.

"Gosh! I'm so tired" Helen quetched as she sat down.

"Welcome Mom," Stella said.

"Mom, I'm starving" Maria complained as she dropped the book she was reading on the table.

Mark said nothing, he continued sipping his drink. Seconds later, he stood up and went to his room. Helen only looked at him with compassion. She knew that he wasn't happy because he was hungry.

Mark could have ordered for food if he wanted but he preferred Helen's food to any other food.

To him, Helen was the best cook in the world. Despite all their arguments and shortcomings, Mark would never physically abuse his wife no matter how angry he was. Helen guessed that it was probably because she was an excellent cook.

"Mom......." Gloria called, getting impatient, "Can we please go to the kitchen?"

"Exactly Mom" Maria agreed, "we are going to have a late supper tonight and I'm sure you don't want it to get worse."

"Okay, okay let's go" Helen said and her three daughters followed her to the kitchen.

Gloria emptied the items inside the polythene bag on a big tray. Maria lit the gas cylinder and put a pot containing water on it while Stella stood by the door, waiting for instructions.

"Stella, I want you to start picking the beans before the water boils." She instructed and Stella obeyed.

She brought out a small tray and collected the beans packaged in a small nylon, then she emptied the nylon on the small tray. She took the small tray close to the door and started picking the beans.

"Maria, I want you to grind the onions and peppers. Make sure you wash them thoroughly." Helen said and Maria obeyed.

Soon the water started boiling and Stella washed the beans. Then, she drained it and poured it inside the pot. She added a pinch of salt and covered it.

"Wait a sec" Helen said after realizing something, "Check the cupboard to see if there is any cube of Maggi".

Gloria opened the cupboard and brought out a plastic container. She opened it and shook her head negatively.

"None Mom"

"I knew it!" Helen exclaimed, disappointed. "I knew that I was forgetting something".

"It's not your fault Mom. You were in such a hurry." Maria said.

"Don't worry Mom, I will go and buy it." Stella volunteered.

"You know your father doesn't like it when you go out at night." Helen reminded them.

"Come on Mom, I'm nineteen already. Am I still a kid?" Stella asked.

"How about we go together?" Maria suggested, "Nothing bad will happen to us if we go together." She assured her mother.

"And besides, we can't cook this meal without Maggi," Stella added.

"Alright, you girls should hurry up and also be careful." Helen told them.