When the heart knows just money

"As she sat in her well-furnished living room, sipping wine, Chidinma thought to herself, 'Life isn't all about experiencing every challenge and trouble that comes our way. We can choose to suffer or enjoy. I chose to live a life of luxury, wealth, and richness, and I did everything humanly and wickedly possible to make that choice a reality.' Eight years ago, in the bustling city of Aba, southeastern Nigeria, Chidinma walked down Oyinyi Street, dressed in tattered clothes, looking dirty and homeless. "Oga, oo, so these people rejected my job application? What's going on?" she muttered to herself, frustrated. As she approached a popular food joint, a woman shouted, "Thief!" and threw her slippers at Chidinma. "Don't let her go, she's a criminal! Help me hold her!" The street erupted into chaos. A stern-looking man grabbed Chidinma's arm, and she looked up at him with a mix of fear and confusion. The woman who shouted, Madam Onyin, accused Chidinma of stealing her money. "She took my money! I told you yesterday I'd be staying late at the shop, and she came around 11 pm, begging for raw rice. I refused, and when I turned back, my money was gone!" The crowd gasped. "How could you do such a thing, small girl like you?" Mama Chika asked. Chidinma pleaded, "It wasn't me, I swear! I came and begged, but when you didn't give me any, I left." The huge man, Tony, growled, "Shut up! Where's the money you took?" Chidinma repeated her denial, but Tony threatened to burn her alive. Tony then took Madam Onyin aside and whispered, "Don't worry, we're not going to burn her. We just want to make her talk." Madam Onyin nodded in agreement. As the tire was placed on Chidinma's head, she thought, "Is this how my life will end? Burnt on the street for something I didn't do? No, I must think of something fast... The drop of petrol on her head interrupted her thoughts. ~INKWELL~