You Cannot Have Him Alone

CHAPTER 2

Stella and Emily were shocked to see that the huge man was a handsome-looking gentleman.

"I am so sorry for creating such a scary moment. I am Damian and Emily should know better why I came to visit," he said, looking at Stella.

"I have told you countless times that I am not interested in dating you. Is it by force," Emily screamed, angrily.

"Then why did you make me send so much money to you when you knew that you wouldn't give me a chance to your heart," Damian replied, moving closer to Emily. Stella rushed to stand between them, pushing Emily away from the angry man.

"But I never forced you to spend a dime on me," Emily said. "You did all of that for love."

"Boss, should I destroy this car?" the other masked man asked, looking furious. But Damian tapped on his shoulder, urging him to slow down.

"I only came here to remind you that a gang leader doesn't take no for an answer," Damian said, standing still. "It's either you make love to me, or you return every dime that I have spent on you. I will be back, and you will never find it funny."

He stormed away with his colleague. They entered an SUV parked across the street and drove off at high speed.

Stella was speechless throughout the entire scene. "I'm so sorry, you are experiencing all these traumas today," Emily said, facing Stella.

"Every day must not be perfect. But please try and settle your differences with Damian," Stella said, entering her car.

"That won't be an issue. Please drive safe," Emily said as she watched Stella drive out of her compound and into the road.

She stood there waving her hand until Stella’s car drove out of sight.

When Stella arrived at her house, she took a warm bath and went straight to bed without having dinner. She woke up the next morning feeling weak but hopeful. Stella did her morning routine before taking her bath. After breakfast, she sat at her computer and began online job hunting.

She moved from one job site to another searching for the best job that matched her expertise. Stella saw a few job offers that met her qualifications. She applied for them and closed her laptop. She read a few books and always checked her email notifications to know if any of the companies she used to have replied to her.

Stella slept off with the book lying over her chest. When she woke up, she checked her email for the second time. Her face dropped when she saw no feedback from the companies. She took out her phone and dialed her father’s number. Mark Brown was a busy business manager who didn’t joke with his family. He answered the phone instantly.

“Hello my beautiful angel, how are you doing?” Mark said over the phone. Stella blushed and smiled at the same time.

“Hello Dad, I’m doing great. How is Mum?” she asked.

“Oh dear, please visit our store again,” Mark said, to a customer. “Oh, so sorry about that. I was attending to a customer when your call came in,” he apologized.

“It’s okay Dad, I understand, so how are Mum and everyone in Canada?” Stella asked again.

“We are all doing great. How is your job over there in America?” Mark asked.

Stella kept silent and began to sob.

“Is there any problem, my dear?” Mark asked curiously.

Stella was speechless again for a while.

“Dad, my employer laid me off,” she managed to say.

“Oh, that is so sad,” Mark sympathized with her. “Hopefully you will get another job soon.”

“I hope so,” Stella said, confidently. “I have applied for some jobs on LinkedIn and other platforms. I hope I get an offer soon.”

“How about you starting to think like an entrepreneur like me?” Mark asked. “Or don’t you want to become financially independent?” He asked again.

Stella paused for a while before answering her dad. “Of course, Dad, but you know this is America and not Canada.”

“Now, think about any business idea and I will be willing to support you no matter how little. I have to attend to some customers now,” Mark said as he ended the call.

Stella smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up from her couch and went to her working desk. She grabbed a pen and paper and gazed at it without writing anything.

“I need a serious business idea that could sell in Miami,” she soliloquized.

Stella turned on her computer and browsed it, searching for great business ideas that could thrive well in her neighborhood. As she researched, she realized that becoming a fruit vendor could actually become a good profitable business.

Stella wrote a great business plan on how she would run her fruit vendor business. It took her a few hours to research and complete the writing. When she was done writing, she snapped it and emailed it to her father.

Mark received the business proposal and was thrilled with his daughter's creative thinking. He called her immediately.

“I have seen your proposal, and I’m impressed,” Mark praised her.

Stella chuckled. “Thank you, Dad, but financing the business will be the major challenge.”

“I saw that you wrote $50,000 for a start. I will support you with $10,000. That is all I can afford for now,” Mark said.

“Oh My God,” Stella screamed. “Thank you so much, Dad, you have done enough. I will bring my savings and sell my call to give the business a trial.”

“Good one,” Mark commended her. “You should do whatever you can to succeed. I will be expecting good news from you in the coming weeks. Bye”

When the call ended, Stella checked her email and saw the $10,000 from her dad. She smiled to herself and left her working desk immediately. Stella took her bath and changed into something more relaxing.

She called a few agents asking for available stores within her neighborhood. However, she didn’t get any positive response. Then Stella remembered a vacant store across her street that had been locked since she moved in. She called her homeowner immediately.

“Good afternoon, Ma,” Stella greeted him over the phone.

“How can I help you?” Nancy, her homeowner asked.

“I just wanted to inquire about the locked store across the street,” Stella said, calmly.

“Well, it actually belonged to me. My tenant who once rented the shop died mysteriously, and no one has come forward to rent the store ever since.

Why are you asking about the store?” Nancy asked, raising her tone.

“I wanted to rent it to start a small fruit business. How much would it cost per month?” Stella asked.

“$3500 per month,” Nancy answered. “And you are to pay upfront for a year if you truly want to keep it.”

“That is way too expensive,” Stella replied. “Can I negotiate for it please?”

“This is Miami, girl. If you cannot afford it, let it go,” Nancy said. She ended the call immediately.

Stella stared at her phone for a while. She dialed the number for the second time, and Nancy ignored answering. Stella waited for a while before calling again.

“Do we have a deal now?” Nancy asked as she answered the phone.

“Yes, we do,” Stella said, with a sad tone.

Nancy replied, “Good, I will email you the contract details. Once you make your payment, you will then come for the keys.”

Stella dropped the call and took a deep breath.

She checked her account balance and sighed. Stella only had $30,000, including the $10,000 sent by her father earlier that day. Stella turned on her computer and searched for loan options with fair payback terms and conditions. Her attention was caught by a loan option that offered to give her $50,000 at a lower interest rate.

Stella commenced with the paperwork for the loan. After she submitted all the required information for the loan, she checked her email hoping to get feedback from the companies, so she applied for vacant positions. However, she was disappointed to see that no one replied to her. Stella took a short nap at her working desk.

A notification on her phone woke her up. She checked and saw that the loaning agency had credited her with the $50,000. Stella rushed out of her apartment and headed to her homeowner's doorstep. When she arrived at Nancy’s door, she rang the doorbell. Nancy opened the door instantly without saying a word to Stella.

They walked to her living room and sat down. Nancy reached for her phone and turned it on. She showed Stella the interior pictures of the store and the restroom attached to it.

“I love what I'm seeing already,” Stella said joyfully. “I want to make payment now.”

Nancy gave her the account information for the payment and the paperwork to complete the contract. Stella filled out the form quickly and Nancy handed her the keys to the store.

She rushed down to the store and opened it. Stella saw a big bag inside the store. From a distance, she could see something moving inside the bag. She fetched a nearby stick and used it to carry the bag outside. As soon as she unzipped it, something big jumped out and Stella fell on her back.