An opportunity
1173 Words
Bella didn't know how long she had been sitting on the broken step outside the house.
The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet.
Bella was just staring at the muddy road without saying a word.
Her hand still hurt, she had slapped Margret so hard, it was the first time she had ever hit anyone. She thought she would feel bad, but she didn't, she only felt tired.
Suddenly, the front door opened, and Margret rushed outside, holding her cheek.
“You ungrateful girl!” she shouted, “After everything I've done for you!”
Bella didn't even look at her.
“What have you ever done for me?”
Margret was about to answer when they heard a car coming. Both of them turned.
A shiny white Range Rover drove through the gate and stopped in front of the house.
Bella had never seen such an expensive car in their neighborhood.
The driver got out first. Then a woman stepped out from the back seat.
She looked rich, and she wore a beautiful cream suit, dark sunglasses, and gold jewelry.
As soon as Margret saw her, her angry face changed into a big smile.
“Gloria!”
The woman laughed and hugged her.
“Margret, it's been so long.”
Bella knew that name.
Gloria Benson.
One of the richest women in their village but she lives in London.
Margret always tells her that they attended the same secondary school.
“I heard you came back from London,” Margret said happily.
“Yes,” Gloria replied. “I arrived last night, I wanted to visit some old friends.”
Then she looked at Bella, she noticed her wet clothes, and her tear-filled eyes.
She also noticed the red mark on Margret’s cheek.
She looked a bit surprised.
“Did I come at a bad time?”
Marget laughed, but it sounded fake.
“Oh, don’t mind her.”
She pointed at Bella.
“That silly girl slapped me.”
Gloria took off her sunglasses.
“What???”
“She slapped you?”
Margret shook her head.
“After everything I’ve done for her, this is how she chose to thank me.”
Bella remained silent, because she was too tired to argue.
Gloria looked at Bella for a few seconds, and turned back to Margret.
“So.. What happened?”
Margret sighed.
“Ethan, my son is very sick.”
“The doctors said we need twenty million naira, and we don’t have that kind of money.”
“I’ve tried everything.”
Gloria became so quiet.
“Twenty million….”
She gently tapped her handbag as she was thinking.
Then she smiled.
“Actually……”
“I might know someone who is looking for a bride.”
Margret blinked.
“A bride?”
“Not a real marriage.”
Gloria lowered her voice.
“A contract.”
Margret frowned, because she didn’t understand.
“What kind of contract?”
“The kind that could solve any financial problems that you have.”
Bella was still sitting on the steps uninterested in their conversation.
Gloria smiled at her.
“Oh Margret….”
“I think your war has just found its perfect ending.”
“A contract marriage?” Margret asked quietly.
Gloria nodded.
“Yes. But it’s not a normal marriage.”
Margret was confused.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s from the Sterling family.”
Margret’s eyes grew wide.
“The Sterlings?”
Gloria smiled.
“Yes. The billionaire's family.”
Margret couldn’t believe it.
“Please tell me more about it, my friend.”
“One of my lawyer friends told me that Luca Sterling needs a wife.”
Margret frowned.
“A wife?”
“No… no… don’t worry, it’s just for one year.”
Margret shook her head.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does, see it’s not as if he’s going to marry her, it’s just pretending.”
“Everything is legal, after signing the contract, the lady gets paid, and after one year the contract is over.”
“Paid?”
Gloria nodded.
“A lot of money.”
Margaret's eyes lit up as soon as she heard lots of money.
“How much?”
“I don’t know the exact amount,” Gloria said. “But it will be enough to change someone’s life.”
Margret slowly looked at Bella and smiled.
Gloria noticed the look on Margret’s face.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
Margret laughed.
“You know me too well.”
Gloria moved closer to Margret.
“Come to think of it.”
“Bella has always been a problem for you.”
Margret didn’t argue.
“If she agrees to the contract, she’ll move into the Sterling mansion for a whole year.”
Margret crossed her arms.
“So she’ll leave my house….”
“And she’ll get paid,” Gloria added.
Margret frowned immediately.
“Who says she’ll have to keep all the money?”
Margret looked at her, and neither of them spoke for a few seconds.
Then Gloria continued.
“You’re the one taking care of Ethan.”
“You’re the one looking after this family.”
“You found this opportunity.”
“So you deserve all the money.”
A smile appeared on Margaret's face again.
“You’re right.”
Gloria nodded.
“Just tell Bella the money is for Ethan, and she’ll say yes, you know that she loves that boy so much.”
“She won’t even think of it.”
Margret laughed.
“And while she’s gone,” Gloria said, “You’ll finally have peace.”
“No Bella, no fighting, no constant reminder of Samuel’s first wife. Gloria said.
Margret smiled even more.
“My son will get everything, the house, the inheritance, the land, and all my attention.”
She looked at Bella again.
“As for Bella…..”
“She’ll spend one year living with strangers.”
Gloria shrugged.
“And she’ll come back too broken to fight you.”
The two women laughed.
Then Margret remembered something.
“I wanted to throw her out of the house for slapping me today.
“But…”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Margret nodded.
“I still need her.”
She folded her arms.
“After the contract is over I’ll make sure she doesn’t come back to this house.”
Margret smiled again.
“And one more thing, will the money come to me?”
Gloria nodded in confirmation.
“That’s the smart thing to do.”
Margret laughed.
“Samuel doesn’t need to know, he’ll spoil everything,” Margret said.
“And besides, this deal came through my friend, so the money will belong to me.”
“I’ll collect every single naira.”
Gloria smiled proudly.
“Now you're thinking.”
Margret looked at Bella and smiled greedily and said, “I’m going to convince her to marry a billionaire, and she’ll think I’m helping her.”
- Writer
